Technology Love
When tired and driving my mind does strange things. Stranger than normal I mean. Take the other night for example. It was really late and I was extremely tired when all of the sudden I realized I hated my tenth grade teacher, Miss Brannon.
Miss Brannon was in her late twenties, extremely attractive, and usually wore a mini-skirt. She spent weeks teaching us that by the time we were adults technology would cause a crisis for our generation. She was always dynamic and usually very animated in her presentations, making it even easier to believe.
The crisis, as she explained it, would be how to spend all the leisure time we would have as a result of technological advances. She convinced me, or at least I wanted to believe, that the average work week would be reduced from 44 hours to only 25 hours, all because of technology. She went on to explain that Colleges and Universities around the country were already creating departments of tourism and leisure - to help my generation deal with all our extra time.
Upon arriving home I pulled out my calendar and examined it carefully. My average work week was around 57 hours, not twenty-five. Why? Where was all the free time Miss Brannon had promised? Why hadn’t I been forced to call the department of tourism and beg them to tell me what to do with my free time? I spent the next few hours carefully putting together my “average” week:
- Phone Calls – 6 hours
- Trying to learn new software before you say screw-it – 9 hours
- Trying to install “necessary” upgrades – 5 hours
- Reports – 1 hour
- Wondering what went wrong with my computer – 4 hours
- Calling to find out what is wrong with my computer – 1 hour
- Special Requests – 3 hours
- Transporting computer to and from the repair shop – 3 hours
- Meetings – 9 hours
- Wondering where all those wires on the back of the computer are suppose to go – 1 hour
- Learning new forms now being computer generated – 7 hours
- Dealing with budgets on-line (of course) – 6 hours
- Trying to pry open the window to drop the computer six stories to the street below – 2 hours
Suddenly I realized Miss Brannon had not lied! First of all, computers had indeed caused a crisis for my generation. Secondly, with 32 hours being spent on computer related issues, my average “work” week had been reduced to 25 hours.
posted by Ralph at 7:40 AM
2 Comments:
Excellent writing lad. I had a few thoughts. I didn't have any teachers I wanted to see in a mini-skirt.
The other was that my two grandchildren, who are here today, came running in to see why Grandpa wouldn't quit with the quiet, evil, chuckle. Keep up the good work. Also, glad the operation went well. We said a prayer. You are fortunate to have her surrounded by so many good people.
Wow Ralph, isn't it nice to remember your teacher by her skirt! I remember one, my tenth grade teacher, who we all just knew didn't wear a bra.
I did have one in college who wore mini skirts and sat on the front side of her desk during her classes. The guys would remember her always.
My students remember me for all the work that I made them do for my classes and for how hard they had to work to get a good grade.
Later they would come to me and thank me for teaching them to study. :-)
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