Charting New Territory
I have two words for the past two days of work: Uff da. Not only have we had to deal with scads of students, but about everything that could go awry, has gone awry. Alcohol education scheduling, community service managing, and overdue sanctions completely blindsided me yesterday, and I felt, for the first time in my life, a connection with the people group who display those signs that say “Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn’t look good either”. The tipping point , however, was not a student, but the shredder. It refuses to shut off and will shred and shred and shred until it has to be unplugged. I’ve tried to get maintenance to come to no avail, and decided to do it myself, dangit. Screwdriver in hand, I took the machine apart, looking for a dadgum sensor that might be blocked somewhere. Didn’t have any luck, but did happen to find the company’s help line stickered on the machine while covering myself in paper confetti and a thin layer of white dust. At least the help line was actually helpful and with a little rubbing alcohol, a flashlight, and a q-tip, the shredding debacle will be laid to rest.
In other news, the impossible has become possible: I am actually coveting a piece of technology. While normally I leave all the techno-salivating to Jeff and nod and um-hmm politely while he wanders on (and on) about some new piece of wires and switches, I have finally, impossibly, and much to my shame, latched on to the idea that I might truly want an overpriced piece of plastic. Unfortunately for me, it’s not really a “cool” or “hip” piece of technology. It’s not a cell phone, or a laptop. It’s not even an ipod or an iphone. It’s the Kindle. It’s the machine that’s trying to push books into the 21st century. Ever since it was released I thought it was an ugly, terrible idea, meant only to harm libraries and make literary geeks geekier. But last month, Jeff made me check out a Sony version in the mall and I discovered that the pages look like pages and it doesn’t feel like you’re reading a computer screen. And the Kindle2 allows you to take notes, reference a dictionary, and carry over 1,500 books! Holy crap! That would meen reducing my daily 7 pounds (or so…) of books to 10.6 ounces, and swapping out what I’m reading in an instant. My heart be still. But, alas, $359 isn’t a reasonable price considering you still have buy the books to put on it, even though at a reduced rate. Considering I bookmooch my books for the cost of media mail shipping, it doesn’t pay. And, it isn’t all that impressive when people visit your house and all you have for a library is a machine the thickness of a pencil to showcase your literary prowess. Not quite the same. But still, I have entered a new territory, and, frighteningly, it isn’t all that frightening.
Until next time.