I give my parents a lot of flack for doing something technology-related in a way that an older person might do it. For example, my parents can barely text. I think the first text I ever received from my mom was “happybirthdayloveyoustilllearningtotext” (which, being the first text to ever receive from my mother gave me a big old grin on my face) but the next day I had to show her how to insert spaces on her phone. Like a lot of people in their generation, they are probably the last adopters to the latest and greatest things out there, and usually will lean on me, their “Generation-Y” child, to show them how to use it.

A while back, I felt the receiving end of that flack when Lauren made fun of me for looking at Instagram on my laptop, using a web-browser. I mean, I like to look at what people are posting on Instagram, and I don’t always do it on my phone. There’s nothing wrong with visiting the website instead of using their mobile app, right? Otherwise why would they have developed that interface? For the sake of people like me who still cling to their laptops, that’s why! And while I’d really like to get a big ol’ tablet computer someday (iPad, Nexus, Galaxy Tab, whatever), I really feel like I wouldn’t be able to get by without a good old keyboard and mouse to type out thoughts, try to improve my programming skills, or scroll through blogs and such on a whim. I mean, imagine how long it would take me to type out this post on a phone screen! That’s not to say that I wouldn’t adapt to whatever change in I/O is coming. I just really like that mouse/keyboard/monitor interaction as it stands now.

But surely some more efficient I/O experience will come along one of these days. Designers are getting so much smarter with every iteration of computing with regards to how we interact with our tools and how to make it that much more natural. It’s kind of crazy how quickly my 4 year old niece can catch on to how to use a tablet and how to navigate amongst icons in an interface — all while my newly smartphone-wielding parents still struggle to check their voice-mails correctly.

Sample next generation interfacing.

There really is a learning curve to new technologies, and I hope I’ll always be able to beat it. And while there are plenty of people out there like my parents who have no idea how to manage a remote with more buttons that Vol+, Vol-, Channel+, Channel-, and Power… I know many older folks who are plenty savvy with technology. Which is why I question why my parents ever got left behind. I mean, my parents are extremely bright, having had careers as a microbiologist and chemical engineer. Did I do a bad job of teaching them? Were they too busy with life to keep up? Maybe I’ll get out-paced by technology someday, myself. I hope that having grown up in an age of booming technological advancement, where critical thinking was drilled into our heads at such a young age, that it’ll never happen to me. But maybe more important things than technology might get in the way and make me stop caring. Who knows.

All I know is that I’ll try to show my mom how to check her voicemail again and I’ll continue to look at Instagrams on my laptop.

Sometimes I read for pleasure, but I’ve never been the most consistently voracious reader. My reading patterns can pretty accurately described as “feast or famine.” Once I find a book I enjoy, I can’t stop myself and tend to gorge on words rather quickly. Lines, pages, chapters, and sections fly by, and the next thing I know, I’m fully immersed in a whole other world. But in between these reading binges, I’ll go months without picking up a book.

I’ve tried (not very hard) to make it a priority to read before bed time, but my bad habit of surfing the internet before sleeping has been pretty hard to kick. What normally turns on the “bookworm” switch in my brain are times when I feel like I have nothing better to do. For example, there’s literally nothing better to do when you’re on a bus or train every day. Commuting to school or work via public transportation have been the best of times in my own personal literacy. These days, though, I’m driving for an hour or so to work every day and that requires my full attention. I’ve tried audiobooks, with some success, but for the most part, I’d much rather listen to some music (and sing along sometimes) or listen to a one hour, neatly-wrapped-up podcast to entertain me or teach me new things.

Lately I’ve noticed that what helps to get me into a book is priming myself with an interest in the genre (historically, I’ve been more of a sci-fi and fantasy reader, but I’m always open to different types of stories). A few months ago Lauren lent me her copy of Gone Girl to read. She said that she had gotten a quarter of the way through the book and just couldn’t get into it. I felt the same way. I labored with connecting to it and put it down a few times, forgetting again and again to try read it. Recently, I listened to the first season of the Serial podcast and watched the first season of Broadchurch on TV. With murder-crime / drama on the brain, one night I just started reading Gone Girl again, and something clicked… I was able to break through that previous block and finished it a day or two later! My review of Gone Girl? It was good, suspenseful, and surprising. Lauren and I watched the movie last night and it translates pretty closely to the text. I would recommend it… just don’t take two or three months to get through it like I did. It should really only take a day or two.

What’s next to read? I’m not sure, but what usually draws me to a book is a good recommendation from a friend. I’ve got a long list of books that I’ve heard are great that I’ve been meaning to read… Four years ago, my friend Sam had strongly recommended his favorite book, Anna Karenina, to me. It’s currently collecting digital dust, on the Kindle Paperwhite that I bought myself after one of those summers full of reading on the train. And two years ago, my friend Alex recommended some Sci-Fi short stories (the Wool series) that I still need to check out. Wool is pretty close to making it onto my Kindle bookshelf. Hopefully writing a post about reading will make me want to read more. And maybe someday I’ll be able to permanently switch on my “reading mode” and bite chunks off of that long “to read” list.

Confession: I didn’t read Harry Potter until college. That I missed out on important parts of some of my friends’ childhoods is a recurring theme in my life.

There’s no worse feeling that the blood-curdling realization that you’ve locked yourself out of your own apartment or car. This has embarrassingly happened to me a few times in the past year. This post is a chronicle of my stupidity.

Scenario 1: It’s a cold January day. The keys are sitting in ignition and the car’s started up to warm up the interior/ defrost the windows. I close the driver’s side door, scurrying off to clean off all the snow and ice that accumulated overnight. I attempt to re-enter the car. DAMMIT. The doors are all locked.

• Solution: Borrow Dave’s car to drive to my parents house in Lincolnwood and pick up the spare key. I left my car running for about 30 minutes in total.
• Lesson learned: Irrationally roll a window down or leave door open while brushing off car. Or just clean off the car without idling the car (which is supposed to be bad for it, anyways).

Scenario 2: Lauren and I decide to stay in, watch a movie, and order some take-out Chinese food. We drive over and pick up said Chinese food. We get back to my apartment. DAMMIT. I left my house keys in my other coat pocket.

• Solution 1: Call landlord. She left the building 30 minutes ago.
• Solution 2: Call Dave. He’s in Pilsen. Pick up drunk Dave from Lagunitas Brewing company.
• Lesson Learned: Have only one coat for all seasons.

Scenario 3: I’m working a half-day. I wake up, throw on some pants, and head out for work. I work for a few hours and come back home in the early afternoon. DAMMIT. I left my house keys on my dresser-drawer.

• Solution: Call landlord. She opens the door for me! And having been called upon to open her tenant’s door twice, she gives me the best advice: Don’t forget your keys!
• Lesson Learned: Maybe I should get a spare key and hide it in a rock.

Scenario 4: I don’t remember where I was, but I remember feeling my back pocket and realizing I didn’t have my house keys on me. DAMMIT. I’m the worst.

• Solution: Luckily Dave was home when I got back to the apartment and he buzzed me in.
• Lesson Learned: Never let Dave leave the apartment.

And here’s the latest boneheaded move by me, this past weekend.

Scenario 5: After going to church with Lauren, I head over to Costco to get some super cheap gas, get my bulk quantity shoppang on, and maybe get a hot dog or sandwich for lunch. Many cars are lining up for extremely cheap gas, so I have to wait 10 minutes to self-serve my car up some $2 regular-unleaded. Costco is packed with Sunday grocery shoppers and the lines for the cash registers look like hell on earth. I’m hungry now. All I want is to get rung up and to get a sandwich from the Costco food court shortly thereafter.  The line for the food court looks to be another 10 minute wait. “Screw it, I’ll just eat at home,” I think to myself. “Oh, and I think I’ve got a stick of string cheese in my car’s trunk!” I exit Costco and throw my groceries in the trunk. I reach for the string cheese, close the trunk, and put away my shopping cart. I reach for the car keys in pocket and my eyes open wide. Wait. I frantically start searching around my car and in my now empty cart for my car keys.“Did I drop my keys in the trunk while I was getting that string cheese?”  DAMMIT. I’m stuck at Costco.

• Solution 1: Call home/mom’s cell phone to see if she can drive over and bring my spare key. She doesn’t answer.
• Solution 2: Call Lauren to come pick me up. I go back to the food court and wait in line to woof down a sandwich to ease the hunger pangs. Lauren arrives and we drive to my parents place. Pick up the spare. Drive back to Costco. Retrieve dropped keys from trunk.
• Lesson Learned: Never leave string cheese in my trunk ever again.

Normally, I am very meticulous when it comes to checking if I have everything (wallet, keys, phone) as I’m about to leave. Really. I’m only a dummy sometimes.

My keys. Bottlehook keeps house keys on jeans (and opens beer bottles).
Bears lanyard helps keep car keys visible. Like the football team, sometimes it doesn’t do a good job.