Generation Gap

I was bluntly reminded of a gaping technological generation gap the other day after running into an acquaintance on campus. I'd met her during my first semester of my master's in a Tai Chi class, and we would sometimes pal around.

She decided to study abroad last spring, and I wholeheartedly supported her decision, as well as tried to send her messages every so often. For those of us who have studied or lived abroad for any amount of time, you quickly figure out who matters in your life by the amount of contact they keep with you in your absence.

We all get lazy with e-mails, right? Who hasn't let them linger in their Inbox, only to forget they're there? Well, this girl was not having it! When I bumped into her last week, the exchange went something like this:

Cindy: "Hey, how's it goin'? How's life back in America?"

Friend, with upset look on face: "You know, I sent you an e-mail during the summer and I never heard from you."

C: "Oh, yeah, well, it happens."

F: "Whatever, it would have been nice to hear back."

It seems the 25-and-under crowd has been weaned on a diet of instant technological gratification through BlackBerry machines and constant text messaging on cell phones. This renders not answering a simple e-mail in a timely fashion akin to the act of murder.

Listen up, techno-fiends. I remember a day when the Internet didn't even exist. Heck, I still write letters. You know, those things you affix stamps to and are excited to receive because no one seems to send them anymore?


Today's obsession: Staring at the tranquil patch of light that is emitted from the newly installed skylight in one of our bathrooms. It looks like a porthole in a submarine, and gives the tiny room a cool, nautical feel.