I hate cell phones and iPods.

Before I get down to work and actually finish up this last paper, I'd like to take a second to gripe about something...

I really don't want to go back to a permanently plugged-in culture. By that, I mean people walking around, neglecting to make eye contact because they're staring at their cell phones while walking around campus, talking on said cell phones, emailing on their Blackberries, and/or not hearing a friendly "hello" because they're walking from class to class with earphones in (are you really that scared that someone might strike up a conversation?).

Yes, people do that here, but not quite to the same extent. One of the first things that I noticed at the Rideau Centre in Ottawa back in September was that not a single person in my range of vision was on a phone. Not one. I got self-conscious and put away mine.

Here at Mt. A, I leave my cell phone in my room 90% of the time (with how expensive calls are, I sort of have to), and I feel free...granted, it's made me a little more reliant on my email and Facebook and Twitter and all that, but when I go for a bike ride or a walk or something, I don't feel compelled to constantly wonder if someone's going to call me. Or to check to see if I have a signal when I'm busy staring out at the gorgeous scenery because ohmygodsoandsomightcallme. This is also due to the fact that I've been separated from most of my extracurricular responsibilities here, but the point remains the same.

I also haven't texted in about 4 months. And I really don't miss it. Or miss the constant buzzing of "Hey, what's up?" or "Hey, where are you? I miss you!" seventeen and a half times a day. Useful for planning to meet up with someone? Yes. Annoying as hell? Yes. Did I do this all the time? Absolutely. It leaves no room for spontaneity...and with all these new things they're coming out with (Google tracker???), the sudden jolt of happiness in your stomach upon seeing someone that you really enjoy will no longer happen, because you'll have known they were coming at least 5 minutes beforehand.

I suppose that's kind of a separate rant...but I get a crawling feeling of annoyance whenever I'm trying to talk to someone and they can't hear me because their ears and eyesight are stuffed with plastic.

Being addicted to my laptop really isn't any better, I guess. Maybe I'm just being self-righteous. Especially because I know that I'm going to revert right back to my phone-caressing ways the moment I get back to DC.

Thank you, ZooLoo, for reading my thoughts....watch the following. It's hilarious.