I haven’t written in this in awhile. I regularly read Dudley’s and yet never actually talk to Dudley. Apparently Gene does the same. What a bizarre time we live in. We communicate with each other like ghosts or like I’m a fly on the wall of Dudley’s life. Gene said he’s going to be the one friend that doesn’t start an online journal so all his friends say “Dammit! I have to CALL him! Why won’t he just be normal and write an online journal.” while they are dialing his phone number.

I also find the online journal a bizarre thing. It’s public yet only if someone happens to stumble upon it and find it interesting enough to read. So we post our thoughts publicly but it’s on a message board that’s so huge that the chances of anyone finding it are very slim. And many many people do this. What’s the appeal? There’s obviously an appeal, but what is it? The need to express our opinion? The need to shine our little flashlights into the infinite night sky? Or, oh hey, that might just be me. I think Dudley just uses it to keep in touch with his friends. *wink*

So, I play EverQuest a lot and the EQ shorthand is creeping into my everyday digital communication. Let me give you an example: Glenn ICQs saying “Where’s your husband? He won’t answer my ICQs.” and I answer “He’s afk atm. He’ll brb. )” And then of course I have to write another ICQ that is not in shorthand when I realize what gibberish I just sent to Glenn.

So then of course that makes me realize that I’m turning into my mom. My mom is worried that the art of written communication is being lost. She says that letters that were written in the 1800s and early 1900s were very well written, but with email, we are not expressing ourselves as eloquently. I guess because you get email almost instantly whereas in the 1800s a letter was infrequent and treasured. Anyways, there is a TON of kids on EQ, and they all write like that. Here’s an example of something typical on EQ: “ru noob. jk =P” Let me translate: “Are you a newbie? Just kidding. [face with a tongue sticking out the side]” Why, asks the normal person over the age of 25, do they write like that? A lot less keystrokes. It’s realtime chat, and who knows if they have taken “keyboarding” in school yet. (The name of the class is really “keyboarding.” I’m not making that up.)

So I of course think, “Geez, how are these kids going to speak and write when they grow up?” We all turn into our parents. Do not kid yourself about that. I hope you like your parents and wouldn’t mind looking like them and thinking like them. I’m lucky. I have a great mom.

And what is with the new way to spell cool?! “Kewl” Yuch! *sigh* I am so un-kewl these days, too old. I don’t like loud music anymore either.

Well, not so much an update on my life as a lot of rambling thoughts. But that’s me, the great unemployed philosopher. That’s what all unemployed people do, you know. Some people think that we sit around and watch daytime talk shows and wonder if we should enroll in ITT Technical Institute. No! We download mp3s all day and philosophize about the universe. We’ll have it all figured out for you employed people around 2010. Hang in there until then!

Nitey nite. I’m off to my secret lab now to finish my plans to take over the world.