My iPod and Me

Now that my commuting routine has changed and I haven't had a chance to hook up with my morning coffee klaatch, I've been reduced to driving into work in my Jetta, switching stations that seem to play the same 10 songs over and over again.  Unless I'm listening to John Tesh - who I absolutely love - I have found other ways to entertain myself while driving into Manhattan.  I sing.  

But I don't just sing.  I sing at the top of my lungs, belting out tunes from my iPhone that pretty much take me back to high school.  I've got at least 200 songs from the eighties on my phone, mixed in with some Hannah Montana, American Idol favorites and the random Cheetah Girls single.  And yes, when I'm all alone and a car passes me by on the road, they might just see me mouthing the words to "Best of Both Worlds," and frankly, I don't really care.

Being alone in my car takes me back to the days when I used to drive into the city from my home in Brooklyn.  Back then I was single, just starting out in my career and had a great looking red sports car that would literally turn heads as I drove by.  Today, in my zippy black Jetta, I don't pay attention if people are staring at me.  I'm too busy finding songs that are in my key that I can sing along too and pretend in my mind that I'm in a recording studio putting the finishing touches on my latest CD.

For me, there is nothing that compares to driving along the West Side Highway with songs from my past filling my brain.  From Chicago, to James Taylor (which my DH pretty much can't stand), to Elton John to 38 Special - yes I am cheesy - I had the best time today singing my heart out on the way to work.  

And then, on the way home, I get to play some more tunes - today it was Michael Buble and Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray.  As much as I love my train commute,  I have to admit that driving alone into Manhattan definitely has it perks.  Sure I'll never get discovered singing all alone in my volkswagen but who cares - at least there's no one in the car telling me to stop because the music is hurting their ears.

Technology Addict

I have a big confession to make.  I am an addict.  But not just any addict. I don't pop pills, I'm not a boozer and while I love chocolate, I'm not an overeater either.  So what's my addiction? Technology, that's what.  I am hopelessly addicted to my computer, my iPhone, my blackberry and my cell phone that my husband is going to wring my neck if I don't stop typing on the keyboard and put the gadgets away.

It started out pretty innocently.  A few years back, in an effort to master my work/life juggle, I invested in a BlackBerry and proceeded to use it so that I could be with my kids, run errands and never miss a moment of the office goings on.  But then, when I quit my job and started my own business, I started loading up on more technology.  An iPhone for my anniversary, a MacBook pro, my old BlackBerry which I couldn't give up and my verizon cell phone.  Does one person really need all that technology?  I know I could downsize, but for the life of me, I can't seem to give up my habit.

When I'm out with my husband and the kids, I'm sneaking furtive glances at my BlackBerry to see if the red light is flashing.  When I'm back home, I flip on my Mac to check my emails or to IM with friends.  Then I'm cruising YouTube, or playing Webkinz with my kids or writing my blog or researching a story and by the time I turn around, the day has flown by.  

Today as I sit her typing away, my husband and kids are at the Brooklyn aquarium enjoying a day off with the dolphins.  Should I have gone along for the ride and given the gadgetry addiction a rest.  Absolutely.  But for some reason, I can't seem to shake my addiction and it only seems to be getting worse.

Tomorrow we leave for Florida so hopefully I'll have the willpower to put everything away and not look at a single email until I return.  Okay, that might be a bit harsh but I do know I've got to do something.  It's time to get my head out of my iPhone and start enjoying the world around me.  I know it's a cliche, but I have to say it.  Life is too short.  For the sake of my family and myself, it's time to put the BlackBerry away and enjoy a technology free existence...at least for a few days.