Friday Thread:

[linda22003]

A lovely sunny day in the DC area; it's currently in the high twenties and may get into the fifties later.

TOTD: Ginger had a thread about what you do to calm down when you're overloaded. My own technique involves tuning out the world as much as possible. Modern technology is designed not only to keep us in touch with, but to keep us immersed in, the world.
What modern convenience would you happily do without? Mine would be the cell phone, but I could quickly extrapolate that to all telephones.

[Celtic Rose]

Some more rain is forecast today for the Bay Area, but we need it! We had insanely warm weather last week, now we are back to a more reasonable mid 50's with rain.

TOTD: I could get by quite well without a TV. I enjoy watching DVDs now and then, but would be perfectly happy without Cable.

[Gingersnap]

It's cold and snowish here. Great skiing weather for those lucky enough to sneak off work. I've often thought that employers in Colorado should just designate certain winter Fridays as "ski days". It would save everybody a lot work in the lying department.

TOTD: I'm with you on the phones. I don't even have a cell phone and I don't really like having to drop everything and mindlessly chat when the other one rings. I don't IM, either. That's another distracting time-waster. Twitter just baffles me. Why would anyone care if I was buying peanuts or waxing my skis? My own husband wouldn't be interested in that information.

I could also do without chatty cars and microwaves that have picture buttons.

[linda22003]

I think the essayist Fran Lebowitz said it best: "Remember, when you are a teenager, you are in the last phase of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you." :p

[Gingersnap]

I think the essayist Fran Lebowitz said it best: "Remember, when you are a teenager, you are in the last phase of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you." :p

Boy, isn't that the truth? Then you eventually get to the stage where you not only aren't happy about phone calls but you actively fear them if they happen after 10:00 p.m. :eek:

[Space Gravy]

A lovely sunny day in the DC area; it's currently in the high twenties and may get into the fifties later.

TOTD: Ginger had a thread about what you do to calm down when you're overloaded. My own technique involves tuning out the world as much as possible. Modern technology is designed not only to keep us in touch with, but to keep us immersed in, the world.
What modern convenience would you happily do without? Mine would be the cell phone, but I could quickly extrapolate that to all telephones.

Talk about striking a nerve!

Mine too. It's basically an electric leash. It's erased the line between my personal time and professional time. Unfortunately, with my line of work turning it off isn't an option and my employees aren't bright enough to figure out what constitutes an emergency. What it's done is made the ADD world a little more of a reality. Stuff that COULD wait until normal office hours is now addressed when people think of it, no matter what day of the week or what time it is. One of the Supervisors who works for me called at 9:30 pm one night wanting to know the holiday schedule around Christmas and New Years. One night last week I had 5 phone calls with the same Supervisor between midnight and 4:00 am because he was too scared to make a simple, non-critical decision without dragging me into it. I've had employees call me after hours or on weekends wanting to know if our company was hiring because they had a brother or cousin or something looking for work.

Much more of this and I'll get it moved to the whiny zone.

[lacarnut]

A pretty day in Bayou country and it's supposed to get up to 70. I will probably go back to the beach next month.

TOTD: I am with you'll on the phone. Don't like to chat on the phone for more than a min. or two and do not have a cell phone. I wish they would ban the damn thing in cars. I have been T-boned by a lady talking on one and have almost gotten sideswiped on numerous occasions by drivers who were not paying attention.

[linda22003]

A wholesale ban on them in cars is a little too "nanny state" for me. Any accident should be handled as "distracted driving" or "insufficient attention" or whatever it's called in various localities.

That said, people have absolutely no discretion about using the damn things. I was in a public bathroom stall next to a woman who was yammering away on hers, oblivious to the flushing noises around her. Ugh!

[AHeneen]

Well, it started out at 31º here today according to my car and lots of frost(cold for my neck of the woods)...but in a couple of hours the clear sky/sun have warmed it so I can wear shorts and a windbreaker to go for a walk. :)

I don't use my cell phone much (maybe 60min. a month), but I don't think I could live without it due to those "just in case" moments (like a car accident last year when my cell phone was dead). I think the tv is what I'd ditch...I've got the antenna outside to get the free over-the-air channels to begin with and only watch 2-3hrs of tv a week (the occasional 24, Numb3rs, Cops, or MadTV episode).