Tag Archives: cyberspace

VIRTUAL LIVES, VIRTUAL REALITIES

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January 7, 2019  5:44 pm

I’m arriving here late in the day again. It’s difficult to clear my head of the day’s debris and tap clearly and coherently. I’m not a great one for proofreading. I talk faster in my head than I can tap. Mistakes and omissions do occur. Sometimes I don’t even understand what it is that I’m trying to say. But at least I am still trying on this 7th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

A week doesn’t feel that long but when you are counting, it is. There’s 24 more days to January. I will carry/blog/tap on as best as I can. I have to try harder not to get sidetracked by the internet. It sure can gobble up many minutes/hours. Just now I’ve been checking out Hoopla. Really, do I need another app to help me live a more isolated life? I like going to the library. I like to browse the aisles and touch the books, magazines, cds and movies in real time. So why am I so foolish, wasting time on virtual libraries?

I give my head a shake. I’m already shopping more online and taking online courses. Texting is so inconvenient than phoning. I don’t have to worry about disturbing busy lives, taking up peoples times. The World Wide Web connects. I’m meeting people through FB, Instagram and blogsphere from other parts of the world. I’m learning new skills and arts. I have information at my fingertips. The Web is saving me time as well as eating it up time. I just have to be a better keeper of it.

There is the danger of getting lost in cyberspace. Imagine how alluring it is to travel such expanses without leaving the comforts of home. But I still rather have the real thing vs the virtual. I need fences, walls and other boundaries. I don’t believe you can touch the walls in cyberspace. I need walls and floors to walk on. I need to touch and smell the pages of books. I like to smell and taste the texture of food. I can do without the designer perfumes though.

That’s it for another night. Signing off.

SUNDAY SAILING

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IMG_6798The weather had forecast some rain in the afternoon yesterday.  We headed out to Elbow early in the morning anyways.  We had waited so long for the first sail of the year.  It was time to get out of Dodge, away from the traffic,  noise and speed of life.

You can only speed on a sailboat if there is a wind, but that is only after you have the boat assembled and on the water.  That is no small feat – for the novice and on the first sail of the year.

IMG_6807Two hours later, we were finally in the water.  By then the clouds had rolled in.  What to do?  We headed off in the direction of least clouds.  It was rather a pleasant sail.   The rain was gentle and we had our rain gear on.  We dove into our sandwiches for we were starving by then.  Sheba looked on eagerly mouth watering, from her place on the trampoline.  She got a bite of my sandwich when I wasn’t looking.  I appeased her with her favourite rawhide chew.  Satisfied, she settled down and looked off to sea towards the horizon.

The rain continued.  We saw the clouds lifting in the distance and hoped that clear skies would reach us soon.  In the meantime I was enjoying the ambiance of skimming across the waters.  I did wished mightily that we had hot chocolate though.  It would have been perfect then.

IMG_6806We got a little wet and after awhile a little cold.  The captain decided we better head back for shore to warm up.  The winds had died and we motored the last stretch -to the dock where the mosquitoes greeted us with glee.

IMG_6813And wouldn’t you know it, the sun came out in blazing in all its glory by the time we had a beer.  I sat in the truck, out of mosquito range and finished reading Anne Lamott’s Rosie.  By then I was feeling no pain, drowsy with sun and beer.  I cared not what the men and Sheba did. I was mellow.

IMG_6800It takes an hour to pack up the boat to head home.  Nothing is instant about sailing.  What went up, must come down.  Knots tied has to be untied.  It was a process, much like living.  A click and an ENTER work only in cyberspace but not on earth.   I know that but sometimes I forget as I tap and tap, click and press ENTER.  Sailing brings me back to earth.