It used to really annoy me when I'd spend time with my sister. Every two seconds her phone would chime and up it would come and she’d begin to type furiously with her thumbs. I mean, here I am, talking to you right now and you got to piddle with your phone. My sister who doesn’t much care for computer, technology or the like is now a blackberry ho. And Franklin, would stare enviously at others who were texting, reading texts, sending texts, typing into their phone….and ask frequently for the service to be added. And I, invariably said no. There’s nothing that you need texting for. It was my technology wall, and I wasn’t going to cross it. There was really no point. But then, Franklin made me grumpy. And I added the cheapest texting plan to my phone. 200 messages a month. Nothing extravagant. And it wasn’t too bad. It was o.k. I could send a little note to someone, or get a short note from someone. Sort of like portable email. For Christmas, I upgraded the family plan and got unlimited texting for 2 months for Franklin’s Christmas present. And suddenly the concept of texting changed. suddenly, everyone had their phone and was looking at it frequently. Texts had emerged as the new package delivery from UPS or FED EX, which is what email used to be, or snail mail before that. Getting a text was paramount to opening a present. What was it going to say. Who was it from. Did anyone send me something? What about now? what about now? now? now? I'll just check one more time…nothing, maybe soon. How did that happen. Why did it happen. I know that I have increased my use of texting, since now I'm in the you said unlimited and I'm going to make sure that i make you regret it phase. But in many cases, I find that i prefer texting to any other form of communication. Why? There are many different reasons.
1. Texting beats phone when you are speaking to the parent of your child’s friend. For me those conversations are invariably awkward. I just lack idle social skills in general. I don’t know how to successfully maneuver the realm of chit chat. So texting lets me send the basic message without having to worry about all the social rules. This is truly the best reason for me, because I can’t really explain adequately how uncomfortable social situations make me. And as I learn more about special education diagnosis…i always feel a bit autistic there… though I'm not sure just being anti-social, awkward and uncomfortable really counts, but like everyone the diagnosis of autism seems so much better than that of loser.
2. It’s like email, but i don’t have to go to the computer. And it’s quicker. I can send an email to someone and not get a response for days and days. But if i send a text, i will get a response in seconds. Often the response is so quick that I am amazed at the qwerty keyboard typing skills of the texter… how do they get their fingers/ thumbs to work that quickly.
3. Did I mention that you don’t have to go to the computer. It’s nice to have a little poorly typed, thumb numbing chat while hovering under the covers in the bed (can you see the theme of coldness at casa de serrano in the winter). So, when I’m watching the office, i can fire off a message to a friend who watches it too, Jose is not that person. Or, if my mom calls to tell me a joke (she doesn’t text yet) then i can send it to all my friends at once.
4. Because of everyone obsessive need to respond to a text, and I mean everyone responds to every text if only with a /k/ or a smile, it makes one feel all powerful and uber popular. I am important. See how quickly my inane text is returned. Everyone who is on my contacts list really likes me, they are my friend, they care what I have to say and they respond to me. Not like this blog where only random people read it and fewer still respond. Not so with texting, I get almost immediate gratification. That’s not to say that I can’t use texting to outline how ultimately I’m still a nerdy loser. Because I am fully aware that 99% of my texts are responses to my random outshoots, no one calls me, and no one texts me…but they’ll respond, so I’ll take what I can get.
Other than my wish for a larger keyboard for my phone, I have to say that i’m pretty satisfied with the whole texting concept. Jose has even embraced it with ease. And will on occasion respond to an “i love you” text with one of his own. I should save those, because he doesn’t say it in person over much in real life. But know this, I am mean and controlling enough that i will cancel texting in order to make Franklin’s life miserable should he earn such a thing. I can still leave my phone in the car or on the kitchen counter or in my purse and walk away. I like it, but it’s not my addiction…anyone who knows me knows that white bread is my addiction. C U Ltr.
