book review: Hamlet's Blackberry

I confess...I'm not quite sure yet where this review is going to go.

Hamlet's Blackberry is a philosophical reflection on communication by William Powers. He begins with some vignettes on the digital age then looks to other times of change in human communication and connectedness through a number of specific characters. He closes by pulling advice from those stories and sharing his family's solution to the dilemma of over-connectedness.

I agree with many other reviewers that the middle section...the portion looking at historical figures dealing with technology of their times...is the strongest. I also do appreciate the fact that he doesn't suggest we should completely run away from our "screens" forever and that he has even found a few exceptions when he broke his family's own self-imposed disconnected periods.

This isn't a book I'd have picked up on my own (I got a reviewer copy from Harper Collins), but I did find it interesting. I tend to read before bed and this didn't fit that timing, but that's more a comment on the nature of the book than the quality. I think it is an interesting read, particularly the middle portion. I'd look to it more as a history/review of man's reaction to connectivity and communication tools than I would as a guide to the current digital world (which is how it seems to be billed). I think it is a worthwhile read for the right audience but that the audience is probably a fairly limited one.

where i'm at

I confess...that I've said it before and will say it again, I like habit and routine and "normalcy". Although I've found some day-to-day routines in the past month, I'm still off-kilter and I don't do well with that.

I'm continuing the job search. I have several pending applications and two upcoming phone interviews...all of which are wins in themselves in this economy. I have focused on a few job types, but I'm still pretty open which in itself can be a struggle...it's much harder to plug "unsure" into Monster! I do have a few ideal job types and skill sets I'd like to use (so if you stumbled on this in vetting me...it is EXACTLY what your opening is), but it's still hard.

I'm struggling too on the weight front. I've had pretty awful "off days," including a "bonus" one last week. I really felt best at 115 but knew I might not be able to stay there and be healthy. I did, however, promise myself not to go back over 120. I'm more often in the 125 area now and I just feel blubbery and icky. I feel the need to put a disclaimer in when I talk about weight...I judge myself much more harshly than I judge others. I have no doubt I'd think another 5'4" gal would look great at my current size. I know I see myself through cloudy eyes. The rise in numbers (scale and jeans size) don't lie though and I just don't like it. At the same time, it is a huge struggle to stay on track, even on my "good days". I hate being a walking contradiction...wanting to have my cake (okay, wine and ice cream is more accurate) and my jeans size too.

I did spend the past weekend with part of my family I hadn't seen in many years. It did create a bit of a funny mental moment. I probably met my step-sisters on my dad's side about 10 years ago. They are close to my age and very nice but I haven't lived in the area so don't know them very well. They are both married (with kids). The laugh-in-my-head moment was realizing that they were all popular and social kids back in high school and it felt kinda surreal for me (quiet, bookish, studious, Saturday night studier) to be hanging out and chatting with them. And to feel comfortable doing so and feel welcomed and wanted.

Other "updates"....(bullet style, b/c it is nice and organized looking),,,,

• I have a horrid fear of highway driving, especially merging, but managed to drive the 2 hours to Lancaster and back (including the turnpike and another "merging needed" road. I still have the tension in my back and did it at very off hours (Friday at 1, Sunday at 10:30..) but survived which is good.
• I named my GPS Wilma. Get it??? The car is Betty and the GPS is Wilma :) It was between Wilma and Veronica. I amuse me (and likely only me...).
• I'm still reading a lot...just did a re-read of a long book to avoid insane book bills. I also am almost finished another HarperCollins review book.
• I need to buy more face moisturizer...I know, very exciting.
• I got my car insurance squared away. It is effective 8/15. Then I need to get the car re-titled, tagged, etc here in PA by the end of August. I also will need a PA license since mine expires at the end of the year. Ain't moving fun?
• I was highly amused that the jeans that fit me best at the Gap were "Curvy" style. I am so not curvy.

it's all in the fine print

I confess....I'd blame the lawyer-side for my interest in small print, but I'm pretty sure it was there before. In college, I took a class called Narratives of Adolescence and my final paper explored two contrasting young men I knew. The paper was fine, but it was the totally tongue-in-cheek, utterly hilarious (I know, too modest) footnotes that made the paper. I got a 4.0...and a recommendation that I explore my unexpressed anger issues with someone (ummm...I'm totally in touch with my anger, thank you).

Anyway, I like to read footnotes (when they aren't just citations) and I also like to read disclaimers. Which is really what I'm thinking about. Let's look at some of my favorites:

• FREE (well, not so much)! -- The obvious example is freecreditreport.com which explains in the fine print that getting said free report requires joining a subscription service...which they'll kindly bill you for directly on your credit card. I'm more amused though by the education ads that tout a "free viewbook"...okay, so you'll send me an advertisement at no cost? Yeah, what a deal.
• 4 IN 5 (not counting the other 90)! -- It seems like everyone has a study touting how some form of expert prefers their product. The fine print offers a bit more explanation that the numbers only include those who expressed a preference. Which means, the 95 polled who weren't in the pockets of the company probably said "I don't care which sugarless gum you chew."
• DON'T KILL YOUR BABY (let a stranger do it) -- Okay, this is really the one that made me want to write. There is an ad (either a PSA or for a vaccine company) urging parents to get vaccinated against whooping cough with the cataclysmic warning that most infants catch the disease from their parents. The fine print on this one clarifies that it only applies "when a source is identified." Okay, it seems to me that makes sense...if the parent has it, the source is easy to identify...if not, it seems likely to be much harder (maybe day care, but they seem focused on new babies when a good deal are still in parental hands). Mom is easier to identify than "the guy who used the grocery cart before I stuck the car seat in the top."
• BE LIKE ME (no promises) -- This one runs the gamut. Ads tout a weight loss success, the amazing healing powers of a medicine, or the skills of an attorney. The fine print then tells you that "prior results do not guarantee future performance" or "your results may vary." Okay, so the ad is essentially for a lottery ticket...maybe you'll win, maybe not. Yes, I know this is a legal issue in many cases. I did stay awake in most of law school professional responsibility and there are LOTS of rules on lawyer ads, as is also the case for meds. I'm still amused.

Stay tuned for the next blog update. That will come whenever I feel like it. And may amuse you. Or may make you think. Or may make you say "I'll never get those five minutes of my life back!" or "couldn't she proofread this before posting" (I ran spellcheck, isn't that enough??).