Generation iPhone

On our drive home from school yesterday, Iver asked me if he could bring his  "phone" to school for sharing on Friday end-of-week party day (To be clear: my seven-year-old doesn't have his own "phone." We have a couple of old iPhones at home, one of which we use for its sound machine app at bedtime and for travel. It still is able to be used like a camera to take photos [not backed up anywhere] but the kids do not play on it at home or take it anywhere).  My response to him was "absolutely not." We had a discussion about how cell phones are for mature, older kids/teens and adults. He asked at what age he could have one. I told him that Kelvin and I would have to discuss this as he got older (my inclination [besides my preference, which would be never, because I think smartphones are evil and wish we could return to a world of flip-phones and without internet access or text-messaging (see 2021 blog rant here)] is high school but no earlier than middle school. One of my favorite evidence-based parenting experts, economist and mom Emily Oster, has weighed in, and says 12-ish).  I told him I got my first mobile phone around age 21 in medical school.  

Iver then went on to ask me how people called one another if we didn't carry around phones.

We talked about voicemails (we used Audix in college) and land lines with answering machines (we have cordless phone linked to our cable account but it only gets called by spammers and we never make outgoing calls on it, although we taught Iver to dial 9-1-1 if needed in an emergency). Believe it or not, we survived without instant access to one another or FaceTime!  

Speaking of "old phones," I then asked him if he new what a rotary phone was.

"Yeah," he replied. "One of those phones on the road." (Road-a-ry phone...)

Me: "You mean like a payphone?

Iver: "Yeah, like are found in the booths."

Me: "Oh, ha ha. That's another way we used to make phone calls. But a rotary phone is one when you have to dial/pull the numbers in a loop to call someone." (Here's a classic video of two teens trying to figure out a rotary phone).

Iver: "Well, how do you operate a pay phone?"

Me: "You had to drop in a quarter or some money and then dial your number. You had to have the number memorized or written down."

Iver: "Well, where does the money go?"

Me: "Into some sort of lockbox. Then it gets collected."

Iver: "How? Who gets to keep it?"

Me: "Hmm. I guess the phone company, or the city, I suppose."

SO many questions!

It's really amazing how much technology has changed in the last couple of decades. We've talked about how there didn't used to be "streaming" music or shows on demand, just the radio, VHS, and… cassette tapes (which I'm pretty sure he couldn't identify…as some of my favorite Mom podcasters would say, "OLDILOCKS ALERT!"). I am making it a mission to teach my children about the all of the tech of yesteryear and other devices of my youth (Here are some top tech devices for 80s kids). Just wait until they hear about floppy disks!

Call me, (don't) Beep Me, if you want to reach me!

(Lyrics adapted from a song from Kim Possible, a show/character that Iver likes).

I don't know about most people, but (warning: rant ahead and call me a curmudgeon) I am not a fan of iPhone text messaging.

I first became acquainted with texting in about 2011, when we moved here and, as part of employment, I got my first smartphone. I had your regular-old flip phone when I lived in Minnesota and in Sacramento, which served me just fine (I am of the generation that still remembers having functional landlines, college Audix voice mailboxes, and pre-loaded Tracfones for driving emergencies. To my kids' surprise, we survived just fine without mobile phones).  Not being a huge fan of talking at length on the phone, I have always appreciated in-person conversations, and words in the form of notes, letters, or electronic communication (historically, in the form of e-mails). Some might think that this should mean that I'd love the type of quick communication that text messaging affords.

Don't get me wrong-- text-messaging is convenient for some things ("We're on our way" or "We landed" being a couple, or, internationally using iMessage over Wi-fi). However, the more that it's become a part of my/our lives, the less I like it (and Iver spontaneously texting  at his age really alarmed me. I worry about tech addiction/tech distraction for my kids' generation a lot). It's led to me adjusting my habits around texts and phone usage in general, in (I feel) a positive direction.

Earlier in 2021, I read Nir Eyal's book Indistractable. Among other things, I agree that so many of our phone features (access to apps including Facebook, e-mail, news, internet browsing, and more) can really lead us to misuse our time, and more importantly, our attention.  Long ago, I disabled phone alerts/notifications on all my apps, so I have to physically intentionally open the app to read its content. However, I couldn't figure out a great way to do this with text messaging, which I've always found incredibly distracting (obviously, there are other issues with texting like misunderstandings and the absence of tone). I still use my phone more than I'd like to (but not much around my family or other people), but less than previously.

The "dings" of an incoming text message would often hit while I was in the middle of work, seeing patients, picking up or playing with kids, trying to nap when on call (when I have to keep my ringer on in case of patient or hospital calls), or at a strange hour (due to friends/family in different time zones). Sometimes in evenings and overnight, I would turn the phone to "Do not disturb time." However, during the day, I did want to be able to see messages particularly from Kelvin (or those that were work-related/time-sensitive). Nevertheless, rarely were any of these messages truly urgent, and yet after I received a text, I'd feel the need or guilt to read it and reply promptly (in case I forgot later and so as to not appear rude. I'd also feel anxious until I did so, even if the matter or question wasn't urgent enough to require immediate attention). 

I really hated/hate that feeling!  I think probably 80% of more text messages I receive can be dealt with in e-mails instead (I am also someone that doesn't like to read news articles or other content on small screens. I also like to save photos to my computer).  I really don't like back-and-forth conversations over text (just call! It's far less rude and more efficient to have a quick chat than to have my head buried in the phone with a digital conversation when any other people are around). And group texting is just the absolute WORST (but I know how to "exit" such conversations to avoid getting continued messages). I do not like the pressure of responding quickly right away to anyone at anytime, and yet this is somehow what we have come to expect from our friends, co-workers, and family members.  (I feel the same way about a new feature of our electronic medical record, secure instant chat-messaging, which is just a bunch more clicks I have to minimize/close to get out of view and which is distracting when I'm trying to get through clinics seeing patients. There are other features-- EMR staff messages [for patient-specific information] or work e-mail which generally suffice for the tasks at hand and can be addressed at a convenient time). 

There is another way. 

I haven't yet found a way to selectively allow "sound" notifications from specific contacts (as you can do with allowing calls from your "favorites" or "emergency bypass" even when phone is in do-not-disturb mode), like from your spouse or kids' teachers (while everyone else stays on silent). I have looked it up multiple times, and don't think iPhone has this feature (but it should and I wish/bet someone in IT could figure this out!). I also think there should be a way to "time" a message for a future send (if you want to send a message or reply and think you might forget if you don't do it right away but don't want to accidentally bother someone or wake them up [this is relevant when we sign out to our OB colleagues about potential hospital labors, sometimes desperately wanting to go to sleep at 4 or 5 am after a long night/birth and not having to wake up again at 6 or 7 to send an "All is quiet" message]).

Nevertheless, a few weeks ago, I turned off all sound notifications for texting, and it's been a game-changer. The text still shows up/lights up on my phone screen, but I don't know it's there unless I check my phone, which I have found I'm doing less and less of lately. When I'm not on call, I generally leave my phone in my work bag (unless I need it for signing secure electronic prescriptions) and, at home, try to leave it on a counter face down, or in the bedroom (not in my pocket to be tempted to reach for it) so as to not be literally chained to the device at all times. 

I thought it would be harder to "break up with the phone," so to speak, for fear of missing out (FOMO). However, it really has not been difficult at all and has been refreshingly liberating. I've had some texts which I acknowledged later than the sender probably wanted (Kelvin is aware that if he needs an answer to something quickly, he should call, not text me). I will still, of course, use text messages to communicate, and I'm sure that iMessaging is not a feature that will be going away from our devices anytime soon (as much as I've seriously considered going back to a flip-phone!). However, these messages and the distraction they bring don't rule my life or attention any more, and they feel more like tools/a privilege than weighty obligations. 

So, basically: I love to connect with friends and family, especially in times like this when many in-person interactions are still discouraged for epidemiological reasons.  We are lucky to have the blessing of technology to connect us across the miles.  However, while I always strive to be courteous and respond in a reasonable amount of time, I will not be the most immediately responsive text-responder going forward so, if you need to reach me, please:

- consider if you can e-mail me the content instead (I'm a far better and more efficient keyboard typist than phone typist, check e-mail regularly and at convenient times for replying, and my replies are more thoughtful and filled with better punctuation and grammar [did I mention I HATE the feature auto-correct?!]). Then, the content also stays/becomes "searchable"/retrievable for later.  

- call me if it's time sensitive or if there will likely be a back-and-forth exchange needed, or just so we can connect in a more meaningful way.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has found other tips or tricks for evading text- or phone distraction!

Tech-(text)-savvy six

This year has forced children to grow up...a lot, and in different ways. 

I wasn't ready or happy for my six-year-old kindergartner to be spending daily time on the computer "Zooming" into his public school class, instead of learning in "normal" childhood ways (and still am angry on a daily basis that this is the way it is at our school locally, despite all the evidence that elementary school opening is quite safe and essential). Despite the tech-heavy world we live in (even heavier in pandemic times), I believe that the harms of early exposure to technology for young brains are quite great (and frequent exposure is bad for adults, too-- if you haven't already, please watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix) and we've been extremely strict with screen time for our kids to date.  

Nevertheless, I have had to let go of a lot of my rules and reservations about tech use at home, because FaceTiming has been the only way my kids have connected with their relatives since this time a year ago. I have to keep reminding myself of the privilege we have of connecting remotely during these times, as much as it makes me feel icky and sad because of the fact that we adults remember the "before" times and how communication could/can be different. With respect to school: Iver hasn't learned all that much Spanish this year, but has indeed learned how to read, and can type far better than I thought was remotely possible for the young age of six.

The below text chains are from iMessages I discovered on my phone this week (my phone is represented in blue). I was super confused, because I didn't remember sending some of them. And then I realized that they were FROM IVER!!! 

(Co Kat is "aunt Kat," Kelvin's sister).  Note the interesting contraction in the word "called!" And the emojis! 

Then later, I found another text series involving my mom. 

Iver wrote the "I'm going to call you in a bit." 

Iver knows that he always needs our permission to use our devices to FaceTime his aunts/grandparents, but we never specifically had a conversation about/prohibiting messaging them himself (which, prior to reading these exchanges, we didn't know he knew how to do! He now also knows he needs our explicit permission to send messages when his intended conversation partner doesn't answer the phone).

I was initially annoyed when I discovered his secret messages, but my irritation was short-lived and replaced by pride as, a couple of months after turning six, I realized that he knows how to use (mostly) appropriate apostrophes in text messages. 

This kid. Texting proficiently at age six. What will he be doing at ten or twenty??? 

Very important toddler work

 

This video is a reminder that toddlers imitate everything.  I am doing my best to model strength, kindness, and resilience despite the tumult of this year and my internalized stress. Looking back on this video in a few years will remind us of how much we all-- and our kids-- have been asked to "grow up." May we all grow in a positive direction, even when it seems we are slaves to computers and technology at the moment.

First quarantine casualty

You might think that in more than 10 weeks of COVID-19 quarantine, we would expect an injury or two to a child's body, especially with general wrestling, couch leaping like in the below pictures (obviously one of their favorite indoor pastimes), and rapid bike-riding down neighborhood hills (Iver took a pretty good tumble off his bike a week or so ago with some scrapes, but got right back on board and has kept at it!).

Nope. 

In fact, neither one of my high-energy boys has even required stitches, casting, or an ER visit, despite their antics.

Yesterday, in a complete accidental set of events that involved Niall wandering into the house with a painted rock from our deck, and then Iver trying to "play" volleyball with a bouncy ball (with, apparently, the rock also in his hand), the rock was hurled across our living room and smacked into our flat-screen TV, leaving a large crack and picture defect when we turned on the set (when I saw the picture, I was super confused at what I was seeing-- they were broadcasting the last regular season 2015-2016 game between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies when our team went 73-9. Boy, do I miss watching live sports, which is pretty much why we have a TV!).

While we were stunned and disappointed, we did a great job at not overreacting with anger or shame. We explained that, while TVs are expensive and it's important to take care of our valuable things, we are privileged to be able to afford a new one and it really is just a (nonessential) thing. Accidents happen. The kids don't watch TV anyway so didn't seem particularly distressed by either the occurrence or our reaction, and moved on with their play very quickly (with the rule being that all rocks are required to stay outside from now on). 

We still have our health, our jobs/income (and, most days, sanity), so this wasn't a terrible quarantine casualty for us (there could be far worse things to lose or get damaged, lost, and injured. It doesn't seem that live sports will be on in the near future, save corn hole [which, no joke, was playing last weekend]). I hope our kids learned the same lesson. 

(and how could you get upset at these cute faces)?

Out of the darkness: Blackout 2019

At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday while at work, Kelvin and many other customers in Northern California who get their power from the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) company received a notification (via e-mail) that the power in our area (and in many areas of California) *might* go out in the middle of the night (in as little as 13 hours after the notification) and be out for anywhere for one to five days. They called it a "public safety power shutoff," citing the reason for interrupted service being expected heavy gusty winds in (drier, warmer) areas of California south of us that put such areas at risk for rampant wildfires, which devastated parts of our state in the last couple of years (and in which PG &E's faulty equipment/ sparks were implicated, leading to the company being sued).

Now, we all understand what natural disasters are like, and many of us personally know people directly affected by the devastating Santa Rosa, Redding, and Paradise fires in recent years.  Most of us would gladly be inconvenienced by a period of no electricity if it would mean that our neighbors (or ourselves) could spare the heartache of losing homes, business, and livelihoods. However, many have criticized PG&E for their move in that they chose just shutting down power to close to 2 million people in the state (800,000 customers/households over 33 counties was the estimate we heard, which even made the national news), many of us in (rural) areas far away from areas of concern but "downstream" from power grids, rather than investing time/attention/money to work and update their power lines and equipment in the areas of highest risk. It was hard to swallow having no power, hot water, etc., and being expected to work "as usual" when it was cloudless, and windless outside here. We definitely felt the powerlessness of potentially not having power (without a firm end and very little time to prepare).

 (Not actually true, but many of my local friends shared this funny graphic)

What does putting an area like ours in the dark mean?

- We spent a good chunk of time Tuesday afternoon and evening gathering lanterns, flashlights, charging phones and nightlights in case of the outage.
- We showered/bathed, knowing that it may be days before we had hot water again.
- We transferred perishable food into a small mini-fridge in the garage so we could pack and seal our main fridge/freezer shut, hoping they would stay cool enough for the contents not go to waste.
- One child (Iver) woke up in the middle of the night, cold, due to the heat going off at 1 a.m, and wanting to sleep with parents.
- Our smoke alarm started chirping in the middle of the night once the power went out, freaking out our dog Pepper (the high frequency really puts her on edge) and making me unable to fall back asleep (I also couldn't stop fretting about the hundreds of ounces of frozen breastmilk [many hours of my life I would never get back, now that I'm not really pumping any more] that may go bad in our freezer depending on the outage time [I had learned that if the freezer is full, breastmilk could keep for 24-48 hours but didn't know how long the outage would last and didn't have a great plan if it was an extended one]).
- The other child (Niall, 19 months) was up for three hours crying last night, probably cold, hungry, and scared, and then was refusing to go back to sleep (even next to me), wanting water, breastmilk, and to be "all done" sleeping (he eventually went back to sleep at 3:30 a.m. for about 2 hours).
- We were told to "send our kids in warm clothes" to day care (which, thankfully, was still open, although many local schools, cold and dark, closed due to the outage), and that the hot lunch we'd planned for/paid for would be postponed as there was no power (leading to us trying to scramble to find some leftovers to send for lunch!)
-  Eleven of our twelve (federally qualified health center) clinic sites were still open on Wednesday, running on generator power. However, about one hour into my workday, my clinic's generator shut off (not producing enough juice to power the whole building), and electronic medical records were not accessible, nor were lights. Seeing (some complex!) patients without access to med lists and charts or lights (I did a few vaginal exams in the dark!) was challenging and we were unable to electronically prescribe meds. Only two pharmacies (both in Eureka) were open to direct patients to for (written) prescriptions. I had to send a seven-month-old infant with tachypnea and bronchiolitis to the hospital for evaluation and treatment because we didn't have power to run a nebulizer machine.  A four-year-old child patient of mine with cystic fibrosis didn't have power to run his regular scheduled home nebulizer treatments, leading to a pretty anxious mother.
- Patients and staff alike were freaking out about acquiring food, water, and gas while trying to get through the workday. Gas station lines stretched to the highway, and then stations closed when they ran out of gas. Our town (McKinleyville) ran out of ice by Tuesday afternoon from what I heard, and most grocery stores were closed on Wednesday morning when they couldn't keep food cool. There was also (I heard) looting around town.

No one likes to be without power, especially in our very tech-dependent world these days. I found the situation mildly stressful only because of our young children. I could be totally fine by myself eating granola bars, peanut-butter sandwiches and fruit, not dealing with any devices and truly being screen-free, reading by candlelight and going to bed early, and either not showering, or taking bucket baths for many days on end.  In fact, I actually found the powerless period to be strangely freeing in many ways, and found so much for which to be grateful.

Without the availability of computer use in exam rooms, I looked my patients in the eyes rather than typing and clicking to death like the EMR slave I am forced to be most days, and listened with my full attention, taking notes on paper, old-school style! (I did have to come back and place electronic orders and do my charting today, when power was restored, but it didn't take that long).

While our water at home was cold (some people still had hot water), we had running water at home, so we could wash dishes, hands, and stay hydrated.

I drive an electric car (which was fully charged (getting me about 40 miles), and also had a full tank of gas I haven't tapped into since January!) and have a very short, ~1.5-mile commute to work. I knew I wouldn't have to fill up for a long time and was not stressed at all about the gas situation.

While Niall still nurses and takes thawed breastmilk to school in a cup, he does drink cow's milk and is not dependent on breastmilk to thrive (I would have been much more stressed to have an under-one infant with power being out and a freezer full of hard-earned/pumped milk!). I really felt for the mamas of infants, or those taking home their newborns from the hospital. While somewhat stressed at nighttime, my kids really rolled with the punches and stayed healthy and (mostly) happy during the darkness, enjoying the flashlight play and extra snuggles (Iver kept forgetting and wondering what the light switches didn't work, though...). It was a HUGE blessing that their schools were open.

While it's definitely cooled down here for the season, we don't hit sub-freezing temps very often (it got down to ~40 degrees F overnight and our house got to the low 60s), and we are lucky to live in California, not the tundra.

We live in a wonderful community, where people offered their (warm) showers, and shared blocks of ice, food, candles, and other resources. While we have never taken her up on it, our next-door neighbor (who has a generator as her husband is paraplegic and dependent on machines) has informally offered to help us if we ever needed something because of our young kiddos. We were invited by Courtney (who made a Costco run) to a Yom Kippur dinner at her house, where there was plenty of barbecue-cooked warm food (eaten by candlelight and lantern) for all (and our kids).

After the kids were in bed on Wednesday, I enjoyed a quiet hour of reading a good library book by scented candlelight and booklight as the house was quiet, peaceful, and dark.

 

Thankfully, the power outage was a short one. Instead of five continuous days, we had our power restored this morning around 4 a.m., about 28 hours after it went out. Soon after Niall had finally fallen back asleep, I awoke to the smoke alarms chirping again (I guess any changes in power source cause them to alert), digital clocks flashing, and heat blaring. I really had low expectations for  the timing of regaining our power, learning in my advanced age that to get hopes up is a recipe for disappointment. Planning to be in the dark for much longer, it was a blessing to return to light so soon.

Not feeling it was worth it to try to fall back asleep, I got some exercise in on our (now powered-up) elliptical, made a cup of some much-needed coffee, and had a hot shower before our day got started. Having light, heat, hot water, and electronic charting made today (getting everyone fed, dressed, and ready for the day, and then working seeing patients) go so smoothly.

Losing something, even temporarily, really gives you perspective on what we have to be grateful for. I could certainly make do with a little lost power here and there because of all of the blessings I have in my life. We have our (now warm) home, our jobs, and our family's health. Praise God. (Nevertheless, we might still look into the cost of a generator, just in case this becomes a more regular thing due to extreme weather events and climate change).

Digital Minimalism

 

Digital Minimalism is the title of a book I recently finished (Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, by Cal Newport) and also a philosophy.

I have been feeling for a while like I needed an *intervention* due to technology's intrusion in my daily (work, and home) life and the frequent interruptions that occur due to task-switching that was encroaching on my ability to relax.  I was one of those people who didn't have a cell phone until med school/after college, and didn't get a smartphone until it was provided by my employer here (for on-call purposes) and thus never texted until 2011 or so (and probably wouldn't have started until much later!).  I sort of feel that I would have been better off without it, although it's hard to go back. My phone and the perceived need/expectation to be "available" even when not on duty was definitely causing me a lot of anxiety.

The philosophy of digital minimalism doesn't mean that you reject technology outright (although the author recommends a "fasting" period of approximately 30 days to detox from sites like Facebook or other overused social media or attention-sucking applications, and then gradually consider re-introducing them with clear limits on when/how).  There certainly are some advantages to smartphones-- like looking up directions or finishing tasks or sending a quick e-mail when not physically at a workstation. Social media allows us to keep up on friends' and family members' lives when they are scattered, you and they are busy, and you don't live nearby. However, definite downsides exist, including that large amounts of time can be wasted from daily or more frequent, intermittent compulsive checking or scrolling to fill quiet time, and mental health (depression, anxiety) tend to be increased by using these services (which I entirely understand-- seeing alerts of horrifying national and world news alongside people's personal rants about alternately hardships/sad news, or seemingly perfect lives while you seem to be struggling really isn't productive at all). I also strongly believe that connecting with so many casual friends and acquaintances has come at the expense of connecting more deeply and thoughtfully for the few people that you really do love, and that despite our many virtual connections these days, they are lower quality and many people are more anxious and more lonely than ever.  Technology can be good, when used wisely. Too much technology can be really, really bad.

There are advantages to be able to send and receive text messages (including for someone like me, a bit of a talking-on-the-phone-phobic person); however, there are a lot of downsides to constantly being interrupted (during a workday or afterwards, when in the presence of kids/loved ones), and I realize that in order to be productive, I need to be able to unplug/be inaccessible (except for emergencies, and when on call I have to carry my phone with me everywhere) and to not have to task-switch my attention so much. There is real value in solitude and quietness in your thoughts, as Cal Newport describes. I may really have to pick up the phone or visit in person. I also realize that it's increasingly important in this tech-pervasive world to set a positive example of technology use for my young kids, whom I feel we've done a great job of shielding from excessive technology/screens (which predispose kids to mood and attention disorders and interrupted sleep).  Kids need to play. Kids need to see adults play (without screens).

I have made some really positive changes lately, including:
- avoiding Facebook,  except for periodic occasional check-ins for a few minutes a few times per week from my home desktop and posting occasional blogs/updates or family photos. I deleted the mobile version from my phone. (I have never used other social media sites like Twitter or Instagram).
- not carrying my phone (or even knowing where it is/looking at it) during evenings when I'm not on call, thus eliminating the temptation to review/feel the need to respond to messages right away
- turning off text notifications on my phone including during the workday, in the evenings, and night via the "do not disturb" feature (we figured out that you can select a few contacts to have "emergency bypass," access so, for example during the workday, I can receive texts from Kelvin or other select favorites but not everyone even when in do-not-disturb mode). I certainly don't need to be getting random texts from other time zones when asleep at 9:30 p.m. or 5 a.m.
- doing my electronic medical record inbox work in clumps of time rather than in few-minute increments, which has always felt very pressured. There will always be more "drips" of tasks to do but I've been finding that doing work in small bursts leaves me distracted and feeling anxious than doing it all in longer stretches in bulk (even if that means working longer, late at night, or on a day off). Despite being the type of person who likes to clean out my box and to respond right away (including to patient MyChart e-mails), I have been better about prioritizing things that really need to get done that day, and putting off others to later when I have more free time, so that I am not so overwhelmed all the time. Fast responses often generate more work and more responses. I've been able to say "no" more, so that my life includes more "yes."

I Kon-Mari'd my life a few months ago and found that the exercise of letting go of things (and people) that don't "spark joy" is a good one. The above digital de-cluttering has really allowed me to "reclaim leisure" (as Cal Newport entitles a chapter of his book), and I've found that I don't feel at all like I'm missing out on anything, or at least anything significant!   I have abandoned scrolling or checking e-mail frequently on my phone (I truly feel my phone has given me a lot of anxiety and it's refreshing to have been able to ditch it! I didn't even feel withdrawal even though I thought I might). I don't have the urge to pick up my phone when there is down time, but rather find that sitting and "smelling the roses" keeps me much more relaxed, and I have become much more mindful of my surroundings and the people around me. I might miss texts here and there or be slower to respond to e-mails and miss some invitations or inside jokes,  but true friends will find a way to reach me.  I'm excited to have more phone dates and in-person interactions in lieu of connecting via digital services.  I have lots of more free time to read even more books, get invested in episodes of a series without interruption, and do everything undistracted. Digital de-cluttering/minimalism has been very liberating, and I recommend that you try it!

Unrecoverable

(Warning: Boring computer/technology post forthcoming)

I am not sure if I've blogged before about the fact that I'm not really an "Apple product" kind of gal. I had never really used text messages before we moved to Arcata in 2011 and I was quite wary of the "smart" iPhone that our organization got us for use when on call (and for personal use).  While I now appreciate and can maneuver the iPad and iPhone products, I never particularly liked my Macbook (which I've had for the better part of a decade), although I tolerated it for web-browsing/blogging. The Apple computer/ commands/ organization were not intuitive for me, the computer was compatible with our company's electronic medical record (EMR) and my most recent issue was that the Apple's data (particularly iTunes) was not easily saved nor transferred to a PC for the average, non-tech-genius person.

For the past year or so, I've returned to using a DELL laptop for my day-to-day tasks, including working remotely on our EMR, as the Mac seemed to be slowing down (despite a revamping of the hard drive by Danny).   Earlier this year, I made sure to get all of my photos from the last 8+ years transferred over to the PC (and also back them, along with my other documents, to an external hard drive about monthly). For the better part of this year (and certainly since I've been on maternity leave with more time than I may ever have for the next eighteen years), it has been on my "to do" list to transfer my music files from the Mac's iTunes to iTunes on the PC, although I never could find the time, energy, or motivation to dedicate many hours to this task (I'm also a very impatient person who likes to feel productive by completing tasks and is daunted by big projects).  I wish I could have hired someone to figure this out for and just do this for me!

In any case, this week, it became imperative that I tackle this task immediately, as we noticed that my Mac's battery appeared to start exploding into the mouse pad, and it appeared to be getting worse by the day!

This seemed to be a definite sign that it was time for the Mac to be put to rest for good, and I felt the pressure to attempt to get this transfer done this weekend (with all my free time with both kids, albeit also a hubby, around).

However, I found that getting an iTunes music library from a Mac to a PC is nearly impossible, leading me to be completely resolute in that I will never go back to an Apple computer for as long as I live. Why must they make things so difficult for us PC-familiar people in a more PC-friendly world?!  I previously had tried to follow (to a T) a step-by-step online algorithm, only to get stuck because none of our external drive(s) are compatible with both Mac and PC (and I have no idea how to double-format them). Danny advised me to try to send all my music (mp3 files) to Google Drive and then try to download them to my PC.

This seemed (in theory) to be a possible solution. However, 12 hours into the process yesterday, I found out that only about 75% of the files were able to be uploaded (I got some mysterious error message about lack of space on the Mac, not space in Google Drive), and then their organization was totally scrambled on the other end, leaving me extremely confused as to which songs were actually successfully uploaded (and there no way to alphabetize or search). When I downloaded them to a folder on the PC and then imported them to the the PC's iTunes library (the only part of this process that seemed straightforward!), it appears that only about 20%  (approximately 400 out of more than ;2000) of my original files actually made it over successfully. 😢

Because I've already spent (in my opinion) an exorbitant amount of mental and physical effort (mostly during times when both kids are quiet/sleeping, which is somewhat rare!) on this task (time which is totally unrecoverable!), I feel obligated to complete it to some satisfaction (although I'm also so exhausted that I'm tempted to capitulate and call it quits, especially since the Mac seems to now be history). My next steps (and last resort) are to manually go down my play lists of the 50-150 or so most desired-to-be-saved songs/tracks and make sure that I send these, one-by-one, from Google Drive to the PC iTunes. Next, I'll use Kelvin's external CD drive (laptops these days don't even have built-in drives! Are cds obsolete?) to import whatever songs I have in CD form to the PC's iTunes library.   And then I will stop.  And maybe take a hammer to the Macbook, Office Space-style!

All of this will be completely outdated (and forgotten, or needing to be redone) in five years, won't it?  I only wish I could recover those many, many, wasted hours of my life doing something that technology should be able to accomplish with the click (or two) of a button.  Unrecoverable.

Living in another century

You might say that Kelvin and I live in another century as we might be the only two people left on earth who still own VCRs (so, by obvious addition, our household has two). I think my stereo system (which may be on its last legs) is about a quarter-century old and still has space to play audiocassettes. I think I may still have walkman and discman...somewhere. In any case, in honor of the movie re-release and 100-year anniversary of the sinking of Titanic on April 15, 1912, we (unwilling to pay to see the 3D version in theaters) just re-watched the film ... on VHS. It is, in my opinion, most certainly one of the best films ever made and very deserving of all its (11?) Oscars. It was just as good this time around. I cried again in all the same places.

I really like historical fiction novels, as well as period dramas/shows based on history, particularly the 16th century (and English Court), WW2 (Holocaust), and the 1960s / Civil Rights Movement). My newest favorite show, and which we plowed through in a weekend on instant Netflix, is the British series Downton Abbey, which takes place in the same decade as Titanic (in fact, starts out with the news of Titanic sinking) and chronicles the drama and lives of the Crawley family and scheming servants.



If you, too are a fan of Downton Abbey, you have to watch this spoof, called Downton Arby's, which can be found here. I am still holding my sides due to laughter.

And now I'm onto the Tudors. Any other recs (for historical books and movies)?
If you could pick a time period/decade in which to live, which would it be?

Not-so-proud iPhone owner

I am one of those people who didn't learn to text (and did so against my will) until about a year ago. When I got my cute Samsung flip cell phone 2 years ago from Verizon, I was so excited I was moving ahead technologically. When my Dell laptop died about a year and a half ago (although it has since been partially revived), I got a Macbook, which is fine for internet surfing and word processing, but drives me nuts in most other functions (check out this article on CNN which reports a good use of a MacBook Air-- as a kitchen knife). When Ted the IT guy dropped off my iPhone yesterday at my desk at work, it hit me... I now have two Apple devices that I don't know how to use.

With so many friends being happy iPhone owners, I know I should be ecstatic that my new employer has generously given me an iPhone for both work and personal use, as a perk for being part of the OB call group. They pay the (group) plan, which includes minutes which I will never use as well as an unlimited data plan. However, this new iPhone is rather intimidating for simple ol' me (I still use a paper planner for keeping track of appointments and meetings and I don't even talk on the phone much!). Before I even had possession of the phone, I had voicemails I didn't know how to check. The first time I tried to answer a call, I think I simultaneously took a photo and hung up on the caller. I have people from American Express calling me and asking for "Tim Louis," which is also extremely confusing. I have gotten some simultaneous calls on my old phone as well as this new one which leaves me perplexed. It is all a bit awkward, to say the least. I swore I would never get an iPhone because I would never need all the bells and whistles with which it comes, and now here I am. I am now ONE OF THOSE people.

I have, painstakingly, transferred my phone numbers from the old phone to the iPhone. I hope they transferred accurately, as I fear that my fingers are not dainty enough to accurately text on the touch-screen (although I must say, it sure beats texting on my old flip phone). My old verizon account/phone number is set to be disconnected on 9/21, so you should be hearing from me re: my new number. Please e-mail me or leave a comment if you want it and don't have it. I have acquired a screen protector and a hard case. I hear there are a lot of tutorials I can do in order to figure out how to use this alien device but I have yet to read the little manual Ted gave me. Sigh.

I don't know which is scarier-- being on OB call for the first time this weekend or this iPhone....
All tips (for "how tos," apps, etc.) from you iPhone-savvy people are very welcome!!

Approved texting

I'm still not a big texter, but I've gotten a LOT better.

It feels a bit strange to promote an activity that I have so often denounced, but I thought I would post a quick note on something which has come up a few times in recent conversations and reading: the TEXT4BABY Campaign.

As someone who takes care of a lot of pregnant women and has a particular interest in maternal and infant health, as well as someone who is rather jealous of 99.5% of the population that is superior at texting than I am, I thought I would mention what a great idea this seems to be.

This campaign is a new (as of February) private-public partnership which pays for free texts to expecting and new moms to remind them of various pregnancy milestones and tips for newborn care. All a Mom has to do is text BABY (or, in Spanish, BEBE) to the number 511411 and enter her due date in order to be registered. The idea came from a chairman of a tech firm that planned to send texts as health reminders in developing countries, where the apparent access to cell phones exceeds the access to health care.

Pass this word on to your friends and patients!