Distraction

Oh technology. You confuse and confound and (sometimes) amaze me. 

As threatened, I waded back into the Twittersphere, thanks to the recent vacancy. And I tweeted, or I posted a few tweets. I’m not quite sure on the verb choice, but it doesn’t matter, because I don’t think I’ll be around for long. 

A reasonably well-known actress and high-profile Twitter personality posted a comment that I objected to, though I agreed with 90 percent of the rest of her (many) tweets this weekend. So I commented, noting my objection. And surprisingly, she responded, almost immediately. She kindly acknowledged my concern, clarified her position, and added a few additional details, for context. We chatted back and forth for a minute or so, and then I put down the phone and walked away for a short while. When I returned, I found that at least ten other people had added their comments. And I wondered “who are all of these internet randos inserting themselves into this conversation?” And just as quickly, I realized that I myself was an internet rando who had inserted myself into the conversation. 

Ask not who is the Twitter troll; she is me. 

*****

Twitter was fun for a few minutes, but I’m not going to make a habit of it. After a few more minutes of acknowledging and responding to the other tweeters’ comments (all of whom agreed with the actress with whom I had disagreed), I was all tweeted out, but I felt that it was necessary to tell my vast internet audience that I wasn’t ignoring them; I was just exiting the thread so that I could go for a walk. I don’t think I’m cut out for an endeavor that makes me think I have to explain myself to total strangers. 

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In other technology news, I’m writing this on my brand-new Chromebook, delivered into my hands this very day. It took me all of three minutes to set this thing up, and now here I am, telling you all about it. 

You might remember that I bought a Chromebook three years ago, but I gave it to my 10th grader when schools closed and classes moved online. When my old PC died, I decided to replace it with another Chromebook. It’s a beautiful little device; nice to look at and hold and wonderful to use. Now I just have to get accustomed to Chrome OS again. I have a lot of keyboard shortcuts to memorize. And Google Drive is its own thing altogether. But I like a challenge. I like to learn new things; at least, I like to think of myself as a person who likes to learn new things. 

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I finished wiping the old computer and now it’s ready for recycling. Setting up the new laptop took a hot minute, but shutting down the old one took forever. Apparently it’s harder to destroy than to create. That sounds like a metaphor for something, doesn’t it? 

As a rule, I avoid New Year’s resolutions. I have plenty of character flaws, and plenty of things I can try to do better, but it’s a process, not a once-yearly to-do list (though I do very much love to-do lists). But it’s the beginning of a new year and I think that one thing I should resolve is to try not to be the kind of person who is made so easily happy by new things. This new Chromebook makes me pretty happy. It’s clean and pretty and the backlit keyboard responds so well to my tapping fingers. It’s nice to look at and it’s fun to watch the words appear on the screen as I type. 

There’s nothing wrong with that, I suppose. But I wish I was less attached to the things of the world. I’m watching impeachment coverage and that’s only one of the ten million things that are more important than my new Chromebook.  

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So I’m too materialistic. But it’s not only material things that make me happy. I’m watching the fading winter light right now at 5:15 PM. Not only is it pretty, but it’s still light at 5:15. And the days will keep getting longer; at least until June, and that’s ages away. So that’s a happy thing. 

And here’s another thing. Capitals hockey begins tonight! No, I can’t go in person, but I do get to wear my new reverse retro screaming eagle jersey while I watch on TV. OK, so the jersey is a thing, but that’s not what I’m most happy about. And then there’s Donald Trump. He’s desperate to tweet, and he can’t, and that makes me happy. Vindictively happy, yes; but happy is happy and I’ll take it. 

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How did I end up here, anyway? Didn’t I start with technology? I did. At least I maintained some thematic consistency with the Twitter references. Adult ADD is a constant struggle for me, especially now when I can’t look away from the news for more than five minutes. I guess we’re all in that together now. Everyone in the United States has adult ADD this week. New stuff can’t change the current state of affairs. Neither can hockey. Not even a winter sunset can quiet the noise and chaos. But I welcome the break. I welcome the distraction from the distraction.