AS, 9/26

Sorry for the late post. I took some time to unplug this weekend. That means I’m further behind, but I have a much better grasp on sanity now. Woo hoo. Speaking of unplugging -- and by that I mean actually parting from the computer, turning off the television, and leaving the ipod on the charger – Dr. Rog’s fear of the “natural” world slipping away is a fear, after some reflection, I share. He used “real world” first, then adjusted his signage to “natural.” I had to laugh at myself because when he said the natural world, I thought of Whole Foods, organic granola, and unshaved pits. Maybe he meant that too. What I think was implied was the disconnect between what is going on in the natural world around us and the hyperreal world we surround ourselves with; the world that we can taste, smell, and touch opposed to the world that we can only see and hear. Well, touch as well, if you consider constant keyboard fondling “connective touch.” I thought about his concern the next day after class, while at work, sitting in one of many identical work stations. A coworker started a conversation with me. We talked about a common work assignment, exchanged helpful resources, and, most importantly, weekend plans. My coworker told me a funny story and I laughed in appreciation. We sat five feet away from each other with our backs turned the entire time. Not a single sound escaped, my laugh was virtual, our communication typed. Our company made IM mandatory on work computers so that employees located in the home office and employees located around the country could easily and quickly communicate with each other, which we do. We also use it to communicate with our lunch buddies sitting a desk or two over. I speak with my husband daily via IM, in fact, with our mutually busy schedules, at times it is our primary source of contact. My sister emails pictures of my rapidly growing niece; her chubby image (niece not sister) graces my computer screens at work and at home. It is constant contact without touch, without the scent of talcum powder, without the taste of creamed bananas. I can see her, and if my sister emails me video, I hear her. But it’s not the same as holding her. There is a rapidly growing disconnect. The OC is more real than Laguna Beach, and both portray an image of America that others may perceive as real. It is, after all, a country of immense wealth, beautiful people, and an anything-is-possible attitude. That’s what television says, that’s what magazines say. That’s what see-it-and-hear-it reality says. So it must be true.

Reality is a matter of which one you’re talking about. That’s why Dr. Rog couldn’t just say “real.” So I unplugged this weekend. I took a walk with my sister and nieces. It was nice.