the Internet

It never ceases to amaze me the avenues the Internet provides....or what I did with myself before it existed (with all sarcastic reverence to Al Gore).

As I am writing this, I am chatting with a knitter in Australia, have just posted a note to a new knitting friend in Texas who is an alum of my college (we met on Ravelry), and have read several messages from long-time friends. I received info from my mom on her upcoming trip to the Middle-Of-Nowhere and confirmed directions to Boy's football game tonight. Checked my bank account, paid a few bills, and ordered Girl's new ballet slippers.

For all the spam, all the pop-ups that DON"T get blocked, all the ceaseless ads and emails for porn sites- it really has enhanced my life.

This coming from a girl who adores monogrammed stationery, loves Levenger's heavy weight paper, and writes most of the time with a fountain pen and fancy colored ink. I truly enjoy writing longhand, the feel of putting pen to paper. I relished note-taking in college-I'm a visual learner, and concepts stay with me longer if I copy them over and over. Never mind that my penmanship ranges from rounded teenager to architect to serial killer. I like writing things out.

It also makes me feel ancient to remember that I typed my college thesis ("Romantic Concepts in the Major Works of Mikhail Lermontov and Alexander Pushkin", thank you very much) on- GASP!!!!!-A TYPEWRITER!

When I ask my kids for info, they tell me to google it. Yes, I have googled my own name. My kids and husband play online games together. They have headsets and talk to each other online. I have thought about getting my own Skype account so I can stitch-n-bitch virtually with other knitters.

We are a family of four with five computers, all connected to the internet. When weather around here gets bad, and Bellsouth goes offline, it's a matter of seconds before someone is complaining. I got miffed at Girl yesterday while trying to listen to the afternoon court session of the Spector trial's closing arguments on CourtTV Extra. She was World of Warcrafting, and it was clogging up the broadband.

The Internet has become a permanent lifeline to the world.

I know people who don't have computers-who aren't on the information superhighway. I don't know how they survive. I bet they get along just fine, but I dont' know how they function.

Sorry, gotta run back to answer my Australian pal..........