Thank god for technology
Today I had one of those moments that made me say to myself "how did we survive" without the technology we had today. When I went to grab my blackberry at 6:30 this morning it wasn't in its normal place...and I haven't found it still. So off I went to work without it. My entire morning was spent in a 4 hour meeting with my Group President and his entire leadership team. Not that I would have been sneaking a peak too much, but it was "odd" not having it, just knowing emails were piling up.
But worst of all was the drive home. Did I mention I also don't know where my cell phone is. I swear this is not normal for me...I am usually pretty good with both, as they are either in my car, purse or getting charged. But with so many "unusual" evenings lately, things are a bit out of wack. I know I had my BB last night while volunteering and brought it in when I got home, but I must have run to see the kids so quickly I forgot to plug it in.
Anyway...I left the office at 3:15 as Arnie and Ben are going to watch the Michigan hockey team play tonight against Miami of Ohio. So Kirsten was going to bring Ben downtown by 4:15. That gave me a15 minute cushion. Well, 4 miles into my drive and I was in bumper to bumper traffic...and no cell phone. I totally felt trapped. I was almost tempted to roll down my window and ask someone to call my husband!!!
I finally arrived home at 4:05, taking twice the normal time. All I could do was apologize and rush Ben and Kirsten out the door.
It begs the question how did we live without technology...
I can remember the days back in college when 25 girls shared a pay phone on the floor. When it would ring and you would pray it was for you or have to "wait around" for your boyfriend or parents to call. When I went abroad in 1990 the only mail was the postal kind. I would run to the mailbox each day waiting for a letter. Now they call the Millennial generation the generation of helicopter parents because the "hover" and are never "not connected" to them via email, text or a phone.
The same is true for work. Theoretically you are always connected with wireless and blackberries. The key is to use them to make you more efficient and productive vs. letting them dictate your life. Today I was completely helpless for those 50 minutes, instead of being able to call home and update them, kill some emails or call my family or friends, I sat listening to music. Perhaps I should have taken advantage of the "down time" to de-stress after a very stressful day, but all I could think about was "I can't believe I forgot my phone."
But worst of all was the drive home. Did I mention I also don't know where my cell phone is. I swear this is not normal for me...I am usually pretty good with both, as they are either in my car, purse or getting charged. But with so many "unusual" evenings lately, things are a bit out of wack. I know I had my BB last night while volunteering and brought it in when I got home, but I must have run to see the kids so quickly I forgot to plug it in.
Anyway...I left the office at 3:15 as Arnie and Ben are going to watch the Michigan hockey team play tonight against Miami of Ohio. So Kirsten was going to bring Ben downtown by 4:15. That gave me a15 minute cushion. Well, 4 miles into my drive and I was in bumper to bumper traffic...and no cell phone. I totally felt trapped. I was almost tempted to roll down my window and ask someone to call my husband!!!
I finally arrived home at 4:05, taking twice the normal time. All I could do was apologize and rush Ben and Kirsten out the door.
It begs the question how did we live without technology...
I can remember the days back in college when 25 girls shared a pay phone on the floor. When it would ring and you would pray it was for you or have to "wait around" for your boyfriend or parents to call. When I went abroad in 1990 the only mail was the postal kind. I would run to the mailbox each day waiting for a letter. Now they call the Millennial generation the generation of helicopter parents because the "hover" and are never "not connected" to them via email, text or a phone.
The same is true for work. Theoretically you are always connected with wireless and blackberries. The key is to use them to make you more efficient and productive vs. letting them dictate your life. Today I was completely helpless for those 50 minutes, instead of being able to call home and update them, kill some emails or call my family or friends, I sat listening to music. Perhaps I should have taken advantage of the "down time" to de-stress after a very stressful day, but all I could think about was "I can't believe I forgot my phone."
posted by Millennium Mom at
1:57 PM
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