Mediums of communication have been discussed quite a bit lately whether it be with friends or in the research proposal presentations in class these last two days. While walking to work today, suddenly realized how I can’t help but think about how I’m tired of all of them at the moment.
It’s funny because my roommate would tease about how accessible I am. Need me? Call me, text me, instant message me, hell, comment on my blog. And usually I love it. Of course by no means do these mediums act as a replacement for traditional forms of communication, as using them allows greater communication when talking in person simply isn’t possible or convenient. Typically, I can’t get enough of it. Whether it’s what I communicate in an away message, some ambiguous lyric hidden several returns down in my AIM Profile, or sending and receiving texts in quick succession, I embrace all these methods and usually delight in their functions.
It’s just that right now, during this last week of class instruction, I am just tired of it. I’m tired of instant messaging wondering if my last IM’s were received, of whether an instant message conversation goes awry because something was interpretted incorrectly, and of looking to see who’s really afk-away, or away-idle, in an attempt to determine the lack of response. I’m tired of text messaging. Of feverishly dialing with one hand 942817#46464#661000 while simultaneously trying to enjoy the current moment with the friends around me or the book in front of me. I’m tired of e-mails. Of worrying about my tone, my word choice, of what degree of formality to use, of waiting for responses. I’m tired of translating my thoughts into these mediums hoping that they convey my meaning, feelings, and intent. In King Lear Cordelia lamented, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth.” My issue has developed into a sort of inability to heave my heart (that being my thoughts and opinions) not into my mouth but rather into e-mail bodies, text messages, and instant messages and I am suddenly feeling overly frustrated by it all.
Then again, I’ve just been frazzled these last forty-eight hours and am being entirely too instrospective. But right now I can’t help but long for sitting down for coffee with someone and talking without wondering sort of e-mails are arriving in my inbox, the text and voice messages that are silently being deposited on my phone, and whether my away message is accurate at the moment. I’m guessing that this feeling is temporal and could easily be attributed to mere mood. This is in no way some passive statement of me saying, “Don’t contact me,” although I see how it could come off that way. Ah the limitations of a blog! Ironic I pick yet another form of online-communication to convey these thoughts.
This is just a rant. The truth is, I’d get seriously bummed out if no one IM’ed, text’ed, or e-mailed. It’s just that right now, the energy required to elucidate using my usual methods of communication has become too taxing for all sorts of reasons, most of which having little to do with this recent need to communicate more in person.
In other news, today is the Feast of Immaculate Conception. It was good to celebrate mass today. Maybe all this communication rambling is due to my most concerning communication-deficiency as of late. That of prayer.
Comments
9 responses to “Maria, gratia plena”
Well, seeing as I have not seen you nor heard your voice in years, I feel compelled to comment. I suppose it was about a year ago when you commented on my Xanga and I got a link to your site. Since then I have enjoyed keeping up on the life of Jamie, even though you were never really communicating to me personally. Online communication or text messaging is alright just to keep people informed, but there is rarely a better medium for communication than actual word to mouth. I have long since stopped trying to get an important point across to anybody in an E-mail, or even in a telephone conversation. I enjoy seeing people’s faces and reading their expressions when I am talking to them. I don’t really have a point to all of this, just responding to your rant, I suppose. It also sounds like you are under a lot of stress. Take a bath and drink some tea. To much communication and interaction with people can be a bad thing too.
Buck up jamie.
I won’t IM you until you’re ready…Of course i’ll be checking back here for updates of when that will be. 😉
Take care and good luck this next week during finals. A good way to destress: go downtown at night and just walk along westlake center and admire the lights. It’s a beauty.
Heh, thanks Russ. Sounds like a plan if I ever heard one. 🙂 Maybe it’ll make my head fall back into place…
No no no! I like your IM’s Stephen! 🙂
Was just getting frustrated with my attempts at commuting “lots o important stuff” lately into little boxes and being unsure if any of it was “expressive” enough. 😛
Oh Jamie, you would be so perfect for our 370 research survey. For someone so frustrated with communication technologies and mediums, you do a fantastic job at conveying your feelings through them.
Hit me up anytime you wanna get off your computer and go out for coffee, or a beer 🙂
Sorry for commenting twice, but I just found this article and thought it was so very fitting.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=313671&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Nice Kevin. That’s perfect. 🙂
haha i knew you would come back! hooray for the days of no cell phones or computer machines! eh? eh? is this val wishful thinking? i believe so. on a somewhat related note, ive rediscovered aim but dont remember what my screenname was; im sure you have it on some random archive or database or spreadsheet or something. so yes. get back to me and maybe one day i’ll be as techno-crazy as you
(all you people!) Hi Russell! (sorry jamie. hi jamie, too)
Sounds like you’re in need of more emoticons likw in Kevin’s presentation. 🙂 j/k
Yes, the stress of this quarter sometimes makes you want to just pull your (& everyone else’s) hair out and crawl in a corner, doesn’t it? I agree with Stephen.. you need a trip downtown to their nightly snowing and drink a nice peppermint schnapps mocha.