On Friday night I came home to a surprise. A new gadget. A Blackberry. Those who spent the MFA residency with me in January might have known that I was lamenting daily my lack of a cell phone. It wouldn't be so bad if there were pay phones on campus, or if I was staying in a hotel where I could at least make a call at the end of the day. But their is no working payphone on that campus, and no phones with outside lines in the dorm (note to self: you don't need to stay in a dorm; you are a professional woman with a reliable income).Not only did I not have a cell phone. My trusty Palm Pilot, which I have been using to keep track of appointments and addresses for about five years, fizzled the day after I got back from South Africa. I have no idea how many appointments I missed during the first couple of weeks after the residency. And if I met you or you moved after August 2006 (the last time I "synched" the handheld with my computer), you'll have to get in touch with me. I did buy a paper daytimer, and though there is something almost nostalgic about this way of keeping track of things, I have a strong preference for electronics.
Since Friday, I've been in a "blackberry hole," trying to figure out how to use it, what it does. Yesterday, I went through a brief period in which it was utterly silent. I was playing with ringtones and suddenly, it would make no sounds at all. I don't know what I did to make that happen. I don't know what I did to fix it. But the sounds are now back. I now have my e-mail configured on the little device, so I can check it when I am away from one of my four computers (one in each office at work, one at home, and my laptop ... it's not as great as it sounds). I can even do blogposts and read blogs from the thing. I have developed a lovely relationship with the blackberry tech support folks, who are on duty 24/7, 365 days a year (the notion that such constant support is required scares me, I confess).
Today's resolution. Leave the blackberry alone. Crawl out of the blackberry hole. After all, I did figure out text-messaging between my morning meditation and my morning pages.
5 comments:
haha! your drama with the blackberry is like mine with the digicam. push, pull. love it, don't understand it, love it more, etc. have fun with it! blog posts! so high tech.
LOL. This post cracked me up.
I'm such a Luddite--I don't have an iPod, digital camera, DVD player, or PDA/Blackberry. I DO have a cell phone, but that's my only phone.
All the bells and whistles scare me, so I could totally relate to your angst!
I can relate to blackberry hole. I've got to carry one for work and being too far from it now gives me anxiety. Watch out for a disease known as "blackberry thumbs" which is basically carpal tunnel for blackberry users. You have to be REALLY addicted for that to set in, I believe. So far, my thumbs are just fine.
Wow! From no cell phone to Blackberry. When you jump in, you go head first. I second the addiction warnings- I've heard them referred to as "Crackberries".
Thanks for the warnings. I'll try not to get addicted! I don't think I would have chosen this myself. In fact, I tried to go shopping just for a new palm and got so overwhelmed with the choices that I came home with a paper organizer.
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