Skip to main content

Group Messaging, The 2nd Law, and the Tarp Revisited



Remember the countless hours we—I’m assuming most of my readers are probably people my age or older, sorry—spent on MSN Messenger? Thank goodness those days are over. Keep that thought in mind.

The only smart phone I’ve ever owned is the iPhone I’m still using today. The iPhone 3GS. Feel free to ridicule me endlessly; however, I can’t justify buying a $600 phone every year or agreeing to a new two-year contract. I don’t like to feel dependent on or trapped by a company. Or anything for that matter. However, admittedly I am addicted to my iPhone. Not having a cell phone until I was a teenager and living through the progression of cell phones from clunky things that could only call, and then text, to sleek mini-computers that can access the internet (!) makes me appreciate how amazing my “outdated” phone is compared to the past. There are honestly times when I’m not sure I could live without it—I need instant access to time-sensitive emails, sports scores, breaking news, etc.

However, the technology I take most advantage of on my iPhone is group messaging. Sometimes I wonder if other people do the same thing: my cousins (and I have a lot of first cousins, if you know anything about my family) and I have a group message that started years ago—not even sure why; most definitely something to do with sports—but it has never ended. It’s a continually running discourse that spans the gamut of life. Honestly I can’t remember a day in the last two years where I didn’t have an in-depth discussion with one of my cousins about something. Having moved away from my hometown, group messaging has really allowed me to stay in contact with the people who mean the most to me.

Some of the best ideas of my life have spawned from these conversations. As you read, my cousins and I are discussing my latest grand idea (I have a lot of ideas but little creativity and fewer resources). A project you might hear more about in the future.

I said all of that to say this: It’s like a grownup version of MSN Messenger. Without people that you don’t want to talk to, fake female profiles, or annoying emoticons (actually, as surprising as it may sound, grown men use emoticons occasionally). Luckily my aspirations have changed since the days of MSN Messenger and there’s an even more efficient technology for expressing my ideas.

In my first blog I mentioned I was trying to decide whether I wanted to buy the new Muse album, The 2nd Law. Speaking of technology, there is so much technology today that I can’t keep up. Often I forget about technologies and programs that are useful because of the sheer volume of those available. I realized today that I didn’t have to buy the new album without knowing if I’d like it …because I can listen to the entire album for free on Spotify. Duh.

So, as I’ve been writing, I’ve been listening to The 2nd Law. I’ve only listened to the album in its entirety once, so I reserve the right to change my opinion. But it’s definitely not my favorite Muse album. I really enjoyed the album’s first single “Madness,” which has the Queen-y sound of Muse that I like. Also, I always enjoy the instrumental pieces that Muse usually features at the end of its albums—“The 2nd Law: Unsustainable” and “The 2nd Law: Isolated System” on this album. This time the band did something a little different, though. “Unsustainable” is Muse’s attempt at dubstep. I’m not a dubstep fanboy (these are the kind of words I cringe at using) by any means—although I have listened to the usual suspects, Skillrex and deadmau5—but I enjoyed the song. Maybe the album will grow on me as I continue to listen to it. As of now, I still prefer Muse’s last album, The Resistance.

Oh, before I forget, some readers expressed frustration that I ended yesterday’s blog without further explanation of the tarp. I apologize, but as of now I haven’t solved the mystery. Which also means I haven’t encountered any psychos, thieves, or Mr. Former Resident. I’m working on conspiracy theories as speak. My wife does have brand new bicycle that we chain in front of our place. Maybe someone wanted to steal the bike? But it makes little sense to store the bolt cutters one night and come back to actually steal the bike another night. Unless…they needed to time formulate a way to transport the bike. To be continued…
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Quarter-Life Crisis

I’m having a quarter-life crisis. It’s a real thing ( I think), and it’s becoming increasingly more relevant in our society as the stages of development continue to evolve—the stage of life between 18 and 25ish is now being called “arrested adulthood” or “emerging adulthood,” just to name a couple of theories. Children no longer leave home at 18 to find a job and start a family. Instead, after graduating high school, “pre-adults” (which is a stage that actually lasts longer, until 30 or so, according Kay Hymowitx) struggle with extended periods of schooling, relationships that have become convoluted because of technology, and an economy that makes it difficult to get started and find a path out of debt. Now we start our adult lives in our mid-to-late twenties, already cynical and disillusioned with the process. By the time we find a partner and a job, we immediately begin questioning if we’ve made the right choices. We ask ourselves if we wasted the last four (or seven or more) year...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's Just a Little Puppy

There are a lot of things I said I  wouldn't  do in my life that  I've  done. I said that I  wouldn't  quit exercising regularly after I stopped playing sports, that I  wouldn't  be a hack writer all of my life, and that I  wouldn't  be working a part-time job at 27 with two useless college degrees. Luckily these are things I can still change. This weekend I will do something that I can’t undo. When my wife and I go home for Christmas, we will choose one of these four puppies: Having a dog  isn't  that big of a deal. Having a dog live IN my house is a big deal for me. You see, I like a neat and clean house. Being married and cleaning up after two people has required enough adjusting. A puppy living inside will challenge the very core of inner neat freak. I’m also allergic to a plethora of things. Dogs? I have no idea—I will find out shortly. With that in mind, here’s a list of things concerning my dog that ...
2 comments
Read more

Guess Who's Back?

Not to get sentimental, but I was recently reminded of the joys of writing a blog. So, I logged into Dribbling Ink to see my past failed attempt at a blog. A number of things immediately struck me. My last post was dated Monday, December 1, 2008 , which was just a short video of the immediate celebration after the Miracle on Markham II. Seriously? I went an entire year without writing a single blog entry. Naturally, I asked myself what happened. The answer is simple. Life happened. I started blogging because I didn’t have anything better to do. I had just gotten married and moved to Arkadelphia, where I failed to find a job for a few months. Tell me a better way to waste your time than to write blogs that nobody reads? After Christmas I started graduate school at Henderson State University . During the fall, I began working as a graduate assistant in the HSU Writing Center . (I also spent a few torturous months as a substitute teacher.) Essentially, I didn’t have a reason to w...
6 comments
Read more