On Monday I start a new job.  It was a hard decision to give up consulting – but it was made easier by the lack of business and therefore lack of cash flow.  Haha. 

I am actually looking forward to being in an office again, and having a competitive set of goals.  Plus I have a new toy to learn and play with – my first ever BlackBerry.  I am a little leery of it… it seems like it will be addictive.  And everyone I know who has one, has seemed to be glued to it through even the most unlikely of circumstances…such as standing pumping gas and emailing someone.  Or another example – changing a diaper in a public rest room, and also having a phone conversation on the Berry, then after popping the infant back in the carrying sling, checking email. 

I am old enough to remember listening in on party lines when I was supposed to have gone to bed for the night.  There was something fun and clandestine about trying to pick up the receiver without making noise and listening without giggling.  Now, I have to listen whether I want to or not…in stores, in parking lots, in movies, in restrooms. 

I get to hear intimate details of people’s lives (as do you if you happen to be near them when they are on the cell phone or blackberry) and I no longer want to giggle.  I want to grab their borg blue tooth and toss it far, far away.  And sometimes I want to stomp and scream “Shut Up!”.

And while I am dedicated to being focused on my new job and all the opportunities and goals I will have – I hope I will be able to extricate myself from time to time and enjoy the world “sans cell”.  I am often reminded of the movie “The Blackbird” with Woody Allen from the 70′s – in it, Woody Allen’s best friend is one of those business men who was constantly calling his office to say what number he could be reached at and for how long.  It was ridiculously funny then, and it is the norm now – to be constantly accessible to whomever calls.

I for one, will continue to write snail mail when I want to reach out and make contact.  I love email – but there is something very personal about putting pen to paper and actually writing something to someone.

So have a great weekend.  I will see you in traffic on Monday – and hope not to hear you on the phone unless I happen to have called you or you have called me.

Ciao!