Remember when we used to talk?

I have my Editor’s mobile (cell phone) number. It’s for when we arrive at the Australian Romance Readers Convention in February 20th. I have never met the lady but I know she is classy and confident and hates split infinitives. My plan is to stand in the lobby of the hotel and rattle off a string of “to boldly go where no woman had gone before” type phrases and wait until I hear someone suck in her breath in anguish. If that fails, I’ll ring her and pin down her whereabouts. I don’t send text messages anymore as I find it a complete and utter waste of money and it’s not respectful. How? Well, if you cannot be bothered to actually dial a number and speak, then why bother communicating at all? To me sending half arsed “R u @ bar? C u in 10.” - messages are just rude. Dial the bloody phone – speak – do something personal. A bunch of undecipherable symbols on a screen is not communication to me. And don’t get me started on ‘lol’ which every boy and his dog uses now – even if something is not funny – it’s so overused it’s ridiculous. If it’s funny say so. If it’s not - don’t say it is to fit in with everyone else or because you are too scared to speak the truth.

When did we stop speaking with our voices? Has technology made us slack? Email – I don’t have a problem with as it’s a business tool. People actually use proper words when they email. It’s a discussion – though of late I have noticed more and more that people don’t bother to read emails – they scan them and then just email back exactly what you’ve said as their own idea – hmmm… I had that yesterday. I’m now calling them out on that. I do have other things to do than email people who don’t bother reading my emails. You don’t want to read them? Then don’t. And don’t give me that tired excuse that ‘you’re busy’. Yes – we’re all busy – you’re not Robinson Crusoe there, sunshine.

Do you remember that Seinfeld episode, years ago, when Jerry was annoyed that he had to speak to an actual personal rather than their answering machine? Is that how we are? Do you think Obama’s speeches would be as powerful if he put them on text? Are we scared to talk to people? Worried that what we say is crap and they’ll call us on it? Or are we heading away from communicating with our voices because we’re lazy?

Years ago, I was in this supermarket and this mother said to her kid – he had to be 5 or 6 – “are you listening to me?” And the kid said “I don’t have my listening ears on.” I would rather this honesty than nodding and pretending to listen. As far as we have come as humans and as amazing as technology is – we just can’t seem to mesh the two of them together very well. That we can hear and speak is a gift that come others do not have. We should not forget that.

Wall Street bastards….

I got my Superannuation (410K) statement today…stagger…gasp…I would just like to “communicate” my displeasure and add that if any of these greedy bastards who screwed over the world’s economies comes into my sights I will kick their bums until their noses bleed….

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Go Ahead : Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?