Fancy Phones Change Friendships

I have spent enough time back in the US now to make, what I feel to be, appropriate and unbiased observations.  Yes, when I first moved back I had a hard time transitioning.  Ask anyone and they would confirm that every other word out of my mouth was Thailand.  Instead of "Mr. Sopelak said..." it was "in Thailand...."

But now, I have moved on.  I still love Thailand and miss it, but I am unbelievably grateful and happy to be back in the US.  That being said, I have a bone to pick with, well, a lot of people.
What is it with people and their phones?!  Ahhh!

Yes, I bought myself an iPhone, as I assumed I would, but I really don't think I am addicted to it.  The reason I believe I can say this is because it is so obvious to me that most of the people in my life are.  I am going to be honest and say that none of my friends are important enough in their jobs to have to check their emails every thirty seconds.  Sorry, but it's true.  And, if the email needs to be checked, it probably doesn't have to be done in the middle of the story I am telling you.  Or, while we are walking down the street.  Or while we are eating dinner.  None of us are that important.

I am guilty of checking my email too frequently, and I know it's only because I can. I know that the Banana Republic, amazon.com and West Elm advertisements, promotions and sales will still be there in a few hours, but I check for them regardless.  I check my email while I'm watching television, or waiting for the subway, but not while I am having a conversation with someone. I cannot stand that my friends choose our face to face time as an appropriate time to check their emails! If it is that important, or you are that important, excuse yourself. All it takes is a simple, "I'm sorry, I need to check for an important email. Oh! Here it is. I am going to quickly read and respond." That wasn't so hard, was it?

Then there is the facebook thing.  I love a great facebook stalking session just as much as the next person, but every twelve seconds?  How much could have really happened?  Did someone just comment on a photo?  Or update a status?  Or "like" something? Ahhh! Must. Know. Now! Really? You don't need to check your Facebook that frequently! How about we have a real conversation and take some photos of our real life interaction. Then, you will have something new to add to Facebook.  I know, I'm just talking crazy now.

But my number one telephone pet peeve is the texting. Oh. Em. Gee. The texting.  I have never been a huge fan of the texting.  I was in Thailand when I think texting really blew up.  I clearly remember driving home from the airport on my first trip back to the States in the fall of 2010.  My mom was driving and I borrowed her phone to get in touch with a few of my friends.  I called Dave and left him a voicemail.  I told him that I was back in the area for two weeks and would love to see him.  As soon as I hung up my mom said, "ummm... we don't really do that anymore."  I felt as though I had missed part of the car's conversation while I was leaving a voicemail and asked, "don't do what?"

"Leave voicemails.  Everyone just texts now."

And there it was.  I was thrown back into America with the slap in the face that I was behind the times technologically. 

For those two weeks and every other trip I took back to the States, I kept on calling.  I wasn't going to give in.  I love hearing a person's voice.  I love hearing their reaction and sarcasm and knowing what they meant by something, not wondering how a certain response was supposed to be taken.

I like to think that I have continued to keep up with my original goal of calling, but it isn't all that easy.  Now, I do understand that texting has its purpose, but I cannot stand text conversations.  If we are going to go back and forth a hundred thousand times, and misunderstand each other at least 500 times, can't we just call?

But the worst, literally the worst (quoting my cousin Mike right there... it has become a family joke) thing about texting is that people are always doing it.  Texting is fine when you are alone, sending a quick message or figuring out where people are, but not okay when you are with other people!  If you are spending time with me, for goodness sake, please stop texting all those other people!  No wonder the rate of ADHD has risen 28% over ten years! {source}

Everything we could ever want, need, dream or hope for, and more, is right at our fingertips in our telephone!  One conversation is no longer enough.  Now, we can talk to someone, play a game with someone else, text another person, poke another, wink at a fifth person and comment on another person's status all at the same time!  And I didn't even mention tweeting!

Okay, I'll get down off my soap box, pick up my iPhone and tweet about this blog post, proving myself to be a complete hypocrite, but I'm not with anyone right now, so I'll still consider myself to be the exception to the rule.

Don't stop tweeting, blogging, Words with Friends-ing, poking, Facebooking, emailing or  even texting- because I'm not going to- just don't do it while I'm trying to have a conversation with you, please!

Oh, the telephone!

When posting my photos from my weekends with Heather and bachelorette-ing, I completely neglected my telephone!  Oh, how quickly I forget about my amazing camera phone.  Yes, Meaghan, it is 2012.  You have a camera on your telephone, and you use it.

Without further ado, here are the forgotten photos.

A typical photo in Times Square.

A man on the subway doing something I would never do... Leaning on the door!  Breaking the rules and completely disregarding the signs saying "Do not lean against doors."

My mother strongly dislikes the phrase "love means never having to say, 'I'm sorry.'"  So, I found this billboard to be especially funny.

Both of us on The High Line.

A forbidden photo inside the theater.  We were sitting next to Exit 15 and Exit 16... oh, Saratoga.

Heather couldn't leave without a NYC hot dog!

During the weekend Heather and I bonded over our pet peeve of people not taking the stitch out of  pleats and slits.  This woman had a jacket filled with pleats... and the stitches!

Fast forward to Virginia...

Humongous Saturday morning mimosas!

The prizes that Nicole had for the bachelorette party.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

A more fitting title would be, "Meaghan, I have a feeling I'm not in Thailand anymore," but there isn't a youtube clip to go with that one.  

I went for a run this afternoon, and it became blatantly obvious that I'm not in Thailand anymore.  If I hadn't already noticed that I'm not in Khon Kaen, this run made things very clear.

I started running in Khon Kaen as a way to tire Manao out before I went to work every morning.  Then, I really enjoyed it.  And for a while, I felt as though I was rockin' it.  I was running six mornings a week, with at least three of those mornings involving 7.2 miles in 1 hour and 6 minutes.  I knew everyone that ran, they all smiled, waved and gave the me the thumbs up or counted on their fingers with every lap I finished.  Then, life happened.  I had a terrible sinus infection, then the accident, then the traveling, then the move, and here I am as slow as ever.

My run this afternoon really put things in perspective for me.  For one, I was passed.  By Thai standards, I was pretty quick.  And by New York standards, I'm a joke.  But, my speed is not the only joking matter anymore.  Let's break down what I realized on this run.

lululemon spandex with discreet zippers and strategically placed reflective material: cool

vs.

Reebok pants that are in the limbo phase between being spandex and being sweatpants: not cool

Tech shirts in fluorescent colors that breathe and wick sweat: cool

vs.

Hooded Alma College sweatshirt from the Champion outlet with imperfect screen printing: not cool

Running because you are fast and good looking: cool

vs.

Running because you want to be fast and hope to eventually look good: not cool

Clearly displaying your iPhone, and most likely listening to Pandora as you run: cool

vs.

Clipping an iPod shuffle to your shirt and jamming to B Spears: not cool

(But I think I win this one- no one wants commercials while you are running, and Britney is my number one motivator!)

Black and/or neon colored sneakers, preferably Adidas or Nike: cool

vs.

White, teal and gray Mizunos that are comfortable and very supportive for my knees and back: not cool

(Also, I think I win this one as well.  My back feels good and I love my sneaks.  LOVE them!)

But, no matter how silly I looked running along the East River, I had an incredible afternoon.  Just look at these photos, how could I not love running here?  

I can run to see the Statue of Liberty!  That's awesome!

Hi, Brooklyn.  Last night was fun.

I'll be back on the river tomorrow, probably rocking a very similar outfit, but loving every second of it.