new essay up
I keep forgetting...
new essay's up online:
http://dansimmons.com/news/jane/jane.htm
in summary:
love is dead. text messages + internet = death of love.
I've made a conscious effort to actually talk to people in lieu of emails / texts etc. since publishing the essay so I don't seem like a big hypocrite, and I've been mildly surprised at the extra push I need to give myself to do so. It's so much easier to quasi-chatter than it is to formulate real dialog when you're busy...
Seriously, though.
New Year's Resolution... I'm totally over human connections that are 90% texts and 10% the real deal. I shouldn't have made that compromise in the past. If I want to date a robot, I'll give my wrists a little spritz of WD-40 and head into someone's server closet wearing my Tin Woman costume from high school.
Until that sad little day comes, I'd strongly prefer some actual conversations in my life.
Acceptable uses for texts:
1. letting someone know you're thinking about them
2. sharing a humorous anecdote
3. determining a time and place to meet
Unacceptable uses of texts:
1. wooing the person you're smitten with
2. declaring your love for the person you're smitten with for the first time
3. fights
4. lengthy explanations
5. any kind of discussion that could be easily misunderstood in a tiny, texty context
6. an attempt at replacing actual, real human connection
7. apologies (you can get a head start, but a real apology requires human-to-human follow-up)
8. major life-changing announcements
9. dumping someone
10. art criticism
11. literary theory
12. wedding vows
13. in general, anything that replaces words with numbers
14. in general, anything that replaces words with lowercase letters
15. in general, anything that doesn't say anything at ALL
Robin has encouraged me to do a short on the subject.
Robin is a genius.
Think my 'sound effects' mockumentary, except an old school silent film with text messages as caption cards.
Ohhhh, it's going to be good.
(the best thing about Friday is that I indulge once a week and get a coffee on the way to work. some dark roast, some steamed milk, a little sugar... keeps me feeling totally happy until at least 1pm.
it's the little things that keep us alive and happy. and I stand by that.)
It sounds like there should be a big girls night out in the works for tonight... my fingers are crossed that it's still on. Drinks, dancing, catching up, LoDo... A+ stuff right there. And it's been a ridiculously long time since I had a great posse of girls to hit the town with. Leave the boys at home, ladies... I'm rocking the big hair, the tacky earrings, the pink sneakers, and I have the best of Motown in my car. It's Friday night! :)
Off to the rat races for the day... with a brief pit stop to text my friends good morning and happy Friday (HEY... that one's allowed, it doesn't violate the Lists (tm)... a girl still likes to hear the little tinkle of chimes in her bag while she's slogging through a long day. jeez. I'm not anti-text, just anti-robot-love)
Addendum:
It is currently 11:08.
Not to jinx it, but so far, my work day consists of:
*the graphic designer's adorable 4 year old daughter hanging out in the art department. She likes my bright pink sneakers. Score!
*a 45 minute phone conversation with an AWESOME consultant who reviewed my script and had amazing feedback. She's been working in the diagnostic/public health realm in FAS for twenty years, so she knows her stuff. After the script consultation I started dorking out about all the 'contemporary' cognitive issues research I had questions about, and she and I went on a long, crazy-fascinating tangent about fetal brain development and childhood learning disorders and how fascinating child development is. After lunch, I'm anticipating feedback from 5-8 more experts... including the top researcher in the US, who I have a feeling would also like my pink sneakers...
*That's right. I said crazy-fascinating.
*Post-conversation, I now have the remains of my Friday Happy Coffee... at least 1-2 days' worth of revitalized script-rewriting to look forward to... new research to pursue... AND...the best thing yet...
*my boss, sitting next to me, without looking up from her project: "I watched O Brother Where Art Thou las night"
me: "No. Way. I've been playing that soundtrack non-stop in my car"
boss: "Hmm. Any chance it's still in your car?"
5 minutes later... we've rearranged our speakers so they're split between our desks. The sounds of O Brother Where Art Thou are filling what is normally a deathly silent office.
We work in silence, heads bobbing in time with the rhythm... I occasionally pause from script revisions to hum the harmony and we laugh at the bizarre lyrics.
Perhaps the best Friday morning scenario possible.
Ahhh. It all works out, little Orphan Annie. It all works out in the end.
new essay's up online:
http://dansimmons.com/news/jane/jane.htm
in summary:
love is dead. text messages + internet = death of love.
I've made a conscious effort to actually talk to people in lieu of emails / texts etc. since publishing the essay so I don't seem like a big hypocrite, and I've been mildly surprised at the extra push I need to give myself to do so. It's so much easier to quasi-chatter than it is to formulate real dialog when you're busy...
Seriously, though.
New Year's Resolution... I'm totally over human connections that are 90% texts and 10% the real deal. I shouldn't have made that compromise in the past. If I want to date a robot, I'll give my wrists a little spritz of WD-40 and head into someone's server closet wearing my Tin Woman costume from high school.
Until that sad little day comes, I'd strongly prefer some actual conversations in my life.
Acceptable uses for texts:
1. letting someone know you're thinking about them
2. sharing a humorous anecdote
3. determining a time and place to meet
Unacceptable uses of texts:
1. wooing the person you're smitten with
2. declaring your love for the person you're smitten with for the first time
3. fights
4. lengthy explanations
5. any kind of discussion that could be easily misunderstood in a tiny, texty context
6. an attempt at replacing actual, real human connection
7. apologies (you can get a head start, but a real apology requires human-to-human follow-up)
8. major life-changing announcements
9. dumping someone
10. art criticism
11. literary theory
12. wedding vows
13. in general, anything that replaces words with numbers
14. in general, anything that replaces words with lowercase letters
15. in general, anything that doesn't say anything at ALL
Robin has encouraged me to do a short on the subject.
Robin is a genius.
Think my 'sound effects' mockumentary, except an old school silent film with text messages as caption cards.
Ohhhh, it's going to be good.
(the best thing about Friday is that I indulge once a week and get a coffee on the way to work. some dark roast, some steamed milk, a little sugar... keeps me feeling totally happy until at least 1pm.
it's the little things that keep us alive and happy. and I stand by that.)
It sounds like there should be a big girls night out in the works for tonight... my fingers are crossed that it's still on. Drinks, dancing, catching up, LoDo... A+ stuff right there. And it's been a ridiculously long time since I had a great posse of girls to hit the town with. Leave the boys at home, ladies... I'm rocking the big hair, the tacky earrings, the pink sneakers, and I have the best of Motown in my car. It's Friday night! :)
Off to the rat races for the day... with a brief pit stop to text my friends good morning and happy Friday (HEY... that one's allowed, it doesn't violate the Lists (tm)... a girl still likes to hear the little tinkle of chimes in her bag while she's slogging through a long day. jeez. I'm not anti-text, just anti-robot-love)
Addendum:
It is currently 11:08.
Not to jinx it, but so far, my work day consists of:
*the graphic designer's adorable 4 year old daughter hanging out in the art department. She likes my bright pink sneakers. Score!
*a 45 minute phone conversation with an AWESOME consultant who reviewed my script and had amazing feedback. She's been working in the diagnostic/public health realm in FAS for twenty years, so she knows her stuff. After the script consultation I started dorking out about all the 'contemporary' cognitive issues research I had questions about, and she and I went on a long, crazy-fascinating tangent about fetal brain development and childhood learning disorders and how fascinating child development is. After lunch, I'm anticipating feedback from 5-8 more experts... including the top researcher in the US, who I have a feeling would also like my pink sneakers...
*That's right. I said crazy-fascinating.
*Post-conversation, I now have the remains of my Friday Happy Coffee... at least 1-2 days' worth of revitalized script-rewriting to look forward to... new research to pursue... AND...the best thing yet...
*my boss, sitting next to me, without looking up from her project: "I watched O Brother Where Art Thou las night"
me: "No. Way. I've been playing that soundtrack non-stop in my car"
boss: "Hmm. Any chance it's still in your car?"
5 minutes later... we've rearranged our speakers so they're split between our desks. The sounds of O Brother Where Art Thou are filling what is normally a deathly silent office.
We work in silence, heads bobbing in time with the rhythm... I occasionally pause from script revisions to hum the harmony and we laugh at the bizarre lyrics.
Perhaps the best Friday morning scenario possible.
Ahhh. It all works out, little Orphan Annie. It all works out in the end.
posted by JustJane at
8:43 AM
1 Comments:
I've had folks confess their love over text message. It was quite lovely and nice. It involved Voice of the Beehive songs.
Personally, I will continue accept declarations of love in any medium.
I'm totally with you on replacing words with numbers. Ought to be a felony.
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