Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry, Northern Ireland
A book I'm working on is set in this town.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Damn, addiction is easy...

I'm hooked on my iPhone, much as I hate to admit it. I can check e-mails and get texts, and if I'm in an area where there's WiFi, I can go online. The keypad isn't the easiest to use, considering the size of my fingers and how screwed up I get on a regular-sized one, and I have yet to figure out how to turn off iTune Radio except by turning off the phone, but suddenly this is my best new friend...electronically speaking, of course. Of course.

It's amazing how quickly inanimate objects become indispensable to us. Having a computer with spell-check has done more to make my writing readable than all the years I worked on a regular typewriter. Now I can't even fathom working on a Selectric, again. Same for finally buying a laptop. I got it because I needed it to do free-lance packing jobs...and now it's so important, I'm already planning on how to replace it once it's no longer able to keep up with the demands of upgraded programs.

And cell phones? I got my first one because my mother moved in with me and we needed some way for her to call me when she was done working on one of her music videos or movies. That's why I walked down to the Sprint store, a couple blocks from our apartment, and she got to where she could use it pretty well.

Prior to that, I had a pager, and before that, an answering machine. I'm now at a point where anybody can get hold of me at any time, anywhere I have a phone signal. But do you think people call? The more connected I get, the fewer calls that come in...because it's easier to e-mail and text. And I'm not innocent in that; I tend to keep to myself, anyway, so having multiple ways to contact people just made me more of a recluse.

What makes my phone especially fun is, all the music on my laptop is now connected to it. I listened to a Loreena McKennitt album while working out, today...well, riding a stationary bike for 20 minutes. I'm nowhere near like Ah-nold, yet. Or even Alex Minsky. Just out to build stamina, remind my metabolism it should still be working, and strengthen my legs more than anything.

What was nice about it was, it let my mind disengage, and I think I may now see the problem I'm having with OT. Jake talks a lot about Antony and him, and there's a hint of intimacy between them...but while he expresses confusion and hurt over Tone's actions in the story, he never actually seems to feel close to him. There's no sense of casualness to their relationship. Nothing to make him want to fight to keep it. I have to see if I can slip that in while maintaining Jake's persona.

By that I mean, he's not gushy. He won't wax eloquently about Antony's golden locks or thick lashes or ruby-red lips or any of that crap. The intimacy has to come from fleeting moments he lets out without realizing it.

God knows how I'm going to pull that off.

2 comments:

MAC said...

I've become pretty reliant on my iPhone too. Perfect example, it's 3 in the morning and I can't sleep. What do I do, grab my phone.

Enjoy your weekend!
XOXO

JamTheCat said...

Oh, wow...I turn mine off, at night. I also got rid of my landline. Much better that way...so far.