My phone broke Monday night. I tried to upload the new apple operating system and, long story short, it erased everything on my phone and restored it to factory settings. Again, keeping this to the short version let's just let it suffice to say that I wasn't an idiot (this time) and it wasn't a matter of simply resetting the phone and backing it up. So I was phoneless. In 2011.
I was against getting an iPhone at first. I didn't want to be constantly connected; checking my email and playing angry birds while simultaneously having a conversation and driving my car on a 6 lane highway. Weird. That said, my two previous phones had their own slight personality glitches - the first literally had to be plugged into the wall to hold a charge (and for me to hold a conversation) and the second worked fine, as long as you didn't need to use the 4 key. So it was time.
I like to think I'm still not the emailing, game playing, texting, distracted driver and friend. But I didn't realize just how connected I still was, simply by owning the damn phone in the first place. The good news is I got to sleep in since I had no alarm outside of my phone. A good night's sleep was also a blessing after crying for most of the rest of the night at the utter devastation and bad luck that was clearly and vindictively seeking me out. Seriously...?? Oh yes.
Now forget all the things I could have still done without my phone. Read. Played with Fitz. Practiced yoga. Written this blog (though, literary gold takes time). Eaten something. I wasn't having any of it. So I picked a fight with Nelson (it was, after all, somehow his fault) and went to bed, still sniffling.
Alas, with the morning came a new day. After 20 minutes on hold and 2 hours on the phone with a very nice gal in tech support (I felt especially affirmed when Elvis Costello's "Alison" came on during one of my hold sessions around the 1 1/2 hour mark. "Why yes," I agreed, "this world really is killing me") I had everything restored and could once again check completely out of reality.
Now don't get me wrong, I love being mobile on my mobile phone and being able to call someone with a 4 in their phone number, but I can say with certainty going without either of my previous, less than $50 phones would not have sent me into such a downward emotional spiral/state of extreme panic. If we're being honest, I may not have even noticed. I won't say that technology is bad. Heaven knows I do more than my share of enjoying it. And with the recent passing of Steve Jobs it's incredibly apparent the indelible mark he has left on our world through his entrepreneurial mind and creative genius. But I can't help but wonder if, as a result, we are connected in all of the wrong ways? Maybe I'll just update my operating system more often.
(also, in the interest of full disclosure, I used the dictionary on my phone to look up 'indelible'.)
I was against getting an iPhone at first. I didn't want to be constantly connected; checking my email and playing angry birds while simultaneously having a conversation and driving my car on a 6 lane highway. Weird. That said, my two previous phones had their own slight personality glitches - the first literally had to be plugged into the wall to hold a charge (and for me to hold a conversation) and the second worked fine, as long as you didn't need to use the 4 key. So it was time.
I like to think I'm still not the emailing, game playing, texting, distracted driver and friend. But I didn't realize just how connected I still was, simply by owning the damn phone in the first place. The good news is I got to sleep in since I had no alarm outside of my phone. A good night's sleep was also a blessing after crying for most of the rest of the night at the utter devastation and bad luck that was clearly and vindictively seeking me out. Seriously...?? Oh yes.
Now forget all the things I could have still done without my phone. Read. Played with Fitz. Practiced yoga. Written this blog (though, literary gold takes time). Eaten something. I wasn't having any of it. So I picked a fight with Nelson (it was, after all, somehow his fault) and went to bed, still sniffling.
Alas, with the morning came a new day. After 20 minutes on hold and 2 hours on the phone with a very nice gal in tech support (I felt especially affirmed when Elvis Costello's "Alison" came on during one of my hold sessions around the 1 1/2 hour mark. "Why yes," I agreed, "this world really is killing me") I had everything restored and could once again check completely out of reality.
Now don't get me wrong, I love being mobile on my mobile phone and being able to call someone with a 4 in their phone number, but I can say with certainty going without either of my previous, less than $50 phones would not have sent me into such a downward emotional spiral/state of extreme panic. If we're being honest, I may not have even noticed. I won't say that technology is bad. Heaven knows I do more than my share of enjoying it. And with the recent passing of Steve Jobs it's incredibly apparent the indelible mark he has left on our world through his entrepreneurial mind and creative genius. But I can't help but wonder if, as a result, we are connected in all of the wrong ways? Maybe I'll just update my operating system more often.
(also, in the interest of full disclosure, I used the dictionary on my phone to look up 'indelible'.)
After reading this, I'm finding it hard to explain why I still kinda want to be part of the "cool crowd" and get an iPhone myself. But I still kinda do. Besides, as wise people of olden times have been saying for generations, that which doesn't kill thee will give thee fodder for blogging. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting in that a bunch of young pastors had a conversation along this lines Tuesday. I have been surprised at the reaction to Steve Jobs' passing and his subsequent societal canonization. Oftentimes technology is seen as moral progress. New phones, computers, tablets will allow us all to be better moral people...even though the ones that make the technology will never use or appreciate it (i.e. the Chinese factory workers that make Ipods will never own an Ipod).
ReplyDeleteUltimately we need to realize the community that technology creates while also acknowledging the community that technology distracts us and alienates us from. Facebook and twitter and email do create and enable community. But they also detract from the real community right in front of us. The key is to ensure that technology does not altogether replace community such that we are unable to live real live when our phone systems shut down. And thanks, Alison for talking about something other than Angie's list...
Good question. I like your style of writing.
ReplyDelete