Am I Tweeting My Brains to Mush?

This is in response to a post on his blog


“When we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning.” It seems to me that the very process of writing your article as well as the posting of comments is a contradiction to this statement. Many times, I have picked up on an idea or point of view that seems to temporarily take control of my mind and the only way I can recover is by giving the material a great deal of thought. In addition, some tweets just make me laugh and there is a place for that, too.

As far as reading goes, as a child I really identified with the Burgess Meredith character in The Twilight Zone. My mother often said that if toilet paper had print, I’d read it. It was a bittersweet moment when, after she passed away that I actually found printed toilet paper. To summarize: I was addicted to reading, cereal boxes, comic books and newspapers. In the summer months, every two weeks I would borrow as many books as I could carry. Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc.

My two other vices are movies and music. I will give that some thought another day.

A number of years ago, I realized that reading so much really did not make me a better conversationalist, so I started watching popular TV shows. In an attempt to get closer to my kids, I introduced them to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I watched 24, Lost, Smallville, Ugly Betty, 30 Rock. I rented DVDS to catch up on back episodes. I started feeling empty inside.
A few months ago, I received a Kindle. I downloaded the Blackberry app, and among other books, I have the complete works of Shakespeare (which I read as a teen) as well as the works of Victor Hugo (which I must have missed). I can carry the modern equivalent of the ancient Library of Alexandria in my purse. I have been saved by modern technology.

Appeal of SATC 2

I went to a Sex and the City event last night. They served cosmos, champagne and a variety of appetizers. Most women wore nice dresses and many their most uncomfortable yet chic shoes. At one point, the announcement was made that the movie was starting shortly. Which I ignored. I was never a big fan of SATC. I understand the appeal. But I kept asking myself, how much money do these women make? One of the few episodes that I liked showed a young mother’s shock when Carrie told her how much her shoes cost. Another thing about her shoes, the heels were like 5 inches high, how could she run in those things, let alone just wear them all day.

I think that the women who liked the show enjoyed the camaraderie of the women. That they could depend on their friends more so than their boyfriends/husbands. And there is nothing more fun than a night out with your girlfriends. Even if you purchase your shoes at Ross Dress For Less and your clothes at a consignment shop. These are the people who need to have a little more fun in their lives.

Family Fun

I went to Epcot at Disney on Saturday. So damn hot that the heat was bouncing off the concrete and hitting me in the face. Putting on make-up that morning was a complete waste of time. Anyway, managed to get away from my husband and kids and bought an over-priced frozen Strawberry Margherita (4:30 in the afternoon, I do have standards). It was awesome! Kept me cool for a half an hour and the buzz almost made me forget that I had kids wandering around the park somewhere.

End of Ethnic Studies ?

At one time, people could learn about European, African and Indian culture through the enjoyment of reading. I always had books around the house, read to my children and they would often see me reading. I had hopes of encouraging my children to read. Their school started a program called “Accelerated Reading” or AR. They were encouraged to read by getting rewards. As a result, they started to look at reading as a task or a chore for which they got paid, not as an enjoyable hobby that has its own rewards Then we got a computer. Since then the only books they have read are the Harry Potter books. By the time I was their age I read Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Shakespeare, Flaubert, Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, and many more that I just can’t remember right now. I thought of reading as a treat, a doorway into a world in which anything could happen and I never knew what to expect. Now my kids get that experience by playing video games.

Proofs of Love

I've been reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. I've also been watching her videos on You-Tube. The theme for February is (surprise) Love. Although February is almost over, I have some thoughts about Week Five, "Proofs of Love". In the video, she discusses her relationship with her husband.
Proofs of love are also important in other relationships besides as well. As a mother, I like to think that everything I do for my kids (One teen-ager and two young adults) shows how much I love them, but they often take that for granted. What I like to do is to try to share their interests. There may be a new movie they want to see, a music or humor video on you-tube, a new TV show. I like to take them out, individually, for lunch and just talk about pop culture, current events, and maybe something going on in their lives. I’ve been taking jewelry-making lessons from my daughter. I guess doing these things makes me happy.

IRS Terrorism

I was once the victim of the IRS. Based on false information given to the IRS, concerning someone else’s tax problems, I received two letters on the same day. They were dated the same day and mailed as certified mail on the same day. One letter telling me I had to contact them, the other telling me that since I did not respond to the first letter that they were going to assess me for $200,000 dollars. I received this the day before Thanksgiving, my first born was only 3 months old. We spent the first few days scared to death that we were going to be homeless. Fortunately, my husband had access to the tax laws that showed what they were doing was ILLEGAL. Otherwise we would have been paying for legal fees. We took this information, as well as our colicky daughter, to the IRS office, where they admitted that they were fishing for information, which I did not have. A few months later, I was subpoenaed and told the court the same thing. Left the court room and never heard anything about it again.

Valentine's Day Secret

I have never told my husband this, because it’s really a secret that we don’t want our men to know. Although none of us would turn down the special dinner or gift, we also treasure the thoughtful things. Last week , my husband had a really rough week at work, his back and arms were achy from stress. Then on Saturday, he had to change an alternator belt on one of our cars. Saturday night was the Cape’s Martini Night. Instead of saying, I’m just going to crash and watch TV tonight, he said “just let me rest for awhile, I might not stay, but you can stay as long as you want”. He went because I wanted to go. I am grateful that he works so hard and he also takes care of the car repairs and house repairs and takes the trash out to the curb every Monday morning. That last part is not a secret.