A little known factoid ... this past Saturday (15th September) was the first "Email Anniversary", marking the 365 days it's been since I first got in touch with The Lady (for the record, I emailed her). I'd say our relationship is young enough to account for these seemingly-silly anniversaries and dates, yet I'd think it's fair to say that when we're old & balding (her & me, respectively) I'd still remember 15th September 2006 as the day my life changed.
And as much as I thank Google Mail for that first email, so too must I credit Google Talk for keeping the lines of communication open. At the end of th day, that's how The Lady & I got to know each other well enough to decide to meet up, and well, the rest is history.
I even have every email and chat transcript ... it's fun to read them and think back to the days I was desperately trying to seem funny and interesting. Well, yes, that was last Wednesday too ... and those couple of times last month. But you know what I mean.
It got me thinking on how technology's changed my life, and how it's changed the way I communicate with people. I don't think I've actually picked up the phone and talked to someone distant for a long time ... and I don't think I've written a letter for the last ... let's say 10 years. I mean a real Letter (note the capitalized "L" there). I'm talking about the kind of letter one would publish as part of a slim book.
Yet, I have been able to keep in touch with friends flung far and wide. The volume of text typed in chatting
alone must equal the volume of letters. It seems so intimate to have that immediate gratification & one-on-one relationship with the person at the other end, and yet strangely disembodied and distant.
Monday, December 10, 2007 at 8:51PM 