I have a close friend named, Rutgg. Well, her name really isn’t Rutgg. It’s Ruth. I just happened to have had a hard time entering her name in my cell phone. I couldn’t figure out how to reverse, correct and pull out after entering a “g” instead of an “h” at the end of her name and somehow instead added another “g”. So, I just decided to change what I call her.

I recently mastered how to send a text message (in process, not speed). The interesting thing that I find about texting is that it helps me say things I wouldn’t make a call to say. For instance, telling Rutgg that I’m glad I have her to share laughs with. I just can’t imagine hanging out and saying that or sending a letter which would require paper, a pen or printer, an envelope, a stamp, and a place to sit and write. But, if it crosses your mind, you can just enter a text and send it no matter where the other person is and what time it is.

However, thanks to having pretty much mastered texting, I can’t dial a phone anymore. I keep thinking I need to hit a key three times before I get to the number. For instance, if I need to dial a “2”, I want to hit the first key four times until I get through a, b and c and get to the number choice. So, I just send a text instead.

Text spelling just puts a whole new spin on the English language. Being short and not punctually correct is the priority when you need to get a message to a friend ASAP. And, we’re making our numbers multi-task—“1”,“2”, “4” and “8” now represent all forms of the word. It makes you wonder if one day, we will all accept this new language and we’ll start seeing emails from executives at our places of work looking like this:

2 All Employees:

I’m 🙂 to inform u that the day b4 Independence Day is 1 more company holiday this yr. Njoy!

With all this texting going on, I’ve been noticing a lot of parts lately–I mean parts in hair. I will be sitting across from somebody in a meeting and his/her head is down. They’re not snoozing. They’re texting (with the phone below the table hoping you won’t notice). At the same time, the response you’re getting to your question is “Ah ha.” That’s because it takes a lot of concentration to know how many times to hit the “7” key to get an “s”.

Before texting became so popular, people actually called each other on the phone. This too got tech savvy. Caller ID came into play so you could be selective in who you grace with a conversation. However, I’m at a loss as to what to do when I call someone and I know my name popped up on their ID. Do you introduce yourself or just say, “What’s up?”

With all the new technology, I’m torn about if it’s a good or bad thing that we’re always reachable. The good thing is that we’re always reachable. The problem is that we’re always reachable. I find it amazing that I was holding a text conversation with my friend while she was boarding an airplane and I was a passenger in a car on a highway several states away from her.

However, do you ever have times you want to be alone? You know, have a quiet, peaceful day? No matter how much you have planned for that, technology can steer you in a different direction. Maybe you wake up in the morning and turn on your cell phone. You haven’t had your coffee yet but you hear it—the sound that lets you know that you have a text message. You sigh. Do I really feel like reading the message and then pecking out a response prior to my daily dose of caffeine? Y do I even ask? I no I will.