Think Twice Before You Check That Email

Today's post comes courtesy of my friend Bernie, who knows of my struggle to break my email addiction:

"It takes 64 seconds to retrieve your train of thought after interruption by email, one study shows. That means if you check your in-box every 5 minutes, you waste 8.5 hours a week. Try intervals of 45 minutes, and turn off the 'new e-mail' pop-up alert." (Source: Thomas Jackson, Ph.D, Loughborough University)

How about it? How often does everyone check their e-mail throughout the day?

Whiny College Kids & Why I Want to Slap Them

Yesterday afternoon I was in a corner table at a Starbucks near a college campus, waiting for a friend to join me. At the table behind me was a female college student and her somewhat elderly but quite yuppie looking parents. There is a book out right now called A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting. I haven't read the book and I suspect these parents hadn't either. Otherwise I'm sure they would have rethought the parenting techniques that led to the creation of such a defensive, whiny, entitled brat.

At issue was getting a landline for her apartment, and maybe a cell phone as well. Every sentence uttered by princess was punctuated with a deep, put upon sigh, usually followed by the phrase, "Yes, but have you considered..."

Snippets of the conversation:

MOM: "Honey, you need to call the carriers and gather information and figure out what the best option is."

PRINCESS: Deep sigh. "Fi-iine. I will. But it's just... it's going to take so long." Deep, deep sigh. "It's like, I have to call these places, then call you, you call Dad, he talks to you, you call me, I have to call them back... Have you considered, look, why don't you just do the calling?"

MOM: "Sweetheart, that's not really our--"

PRINCESS: "FINE. I'll do it. But it's going to take, like, for-ever. And have you considered that we still have to figure out the cable? Why don't you guys just tell me what you're willing to spend and I'll figure it out from there?"

DAD: "We won't know until--"

PRINCESS: "FINE. Whatever. I'll just handle it. Like everything else in life."

Slap, slap, stomp, slap. If I had my way. It was interesting to note that although her parents together made every attempt to placate her (They kept their voices low and steady. I followed the conversation, as did everyone in Starbucks, through the loud nasal whine of this kid's voice.), once Mom went out to the car to retrieve something, daughter and father sat in absolute silence until the girl finally said, "I just don't think Britney Spears is going to make it."

The dad looked slightly alarmed but the girl took no notice and continued, "You mark my words, she's going to be the next Anna Nicole Smith."

Sitting in Starbucks can deeply make you appreciate your own friends and family. Like, have you all considered this? ;)

Ever Make A Note To Yourself You Can't Decipher?

Checking my daytimer, I see I have written "7:30 - Piedmont" for this Thursday. What this refers to, I have no clue. Would that be 7:30 AM or PM? Am I to meet someone somewhere in the Piedmont area where I live? Is it in reference to Piedmont Magazine, which I sometimes write for? No idea. I'm open to any hints or suggestions my readers may care to give me. Please???

It's 8 AM - Do You Know Where Your Child Is?

I got a phone call Wednesday morning from my friend, Trisha. Like me, she was suffering a non-alcohol induced "election hang-over" and had decided that she was going to splurge and treat herself to a $5 Starbucks coffee.

She walks in the door and who is standing at the front counter but her 11-year-old son and his friend, who had set out for school on their bikes ten minutes earlier.

"Uh, hello?" said Trish. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Getting hot chocolate was the answer. She sent them off to school and turned to the lady working the counter. "How often are they in here?" she asked.

"Oh, probably 3, maybe 4 times a week," came the reply.

Like me, Trisha's first question was where was he getting the money for this? "I don't drink Starbucks 3-4 times a week because I can't afford it," she said. Apparently her son has a major caffeine-money hook-up. Which leads to problem #2.

"I'm raising an addict," said Trisha.

I think it's funny. You think you know your kids, who they are, what they do... and they are always full of surprises.