mental

Here's my "Kate's lost it" post of the week:

E-mail, and instant messaging, have messed with my head ever since I have been using them. Especially the first time I worked somewhere (Seattle Times) where we had such a thing. Because, of course, most of the inter-office IM'ing had nothing to do with work... I would shoot a three-word message to a friend, mocking someone else's comment or story or whatever, and we would both burst into laughter for no apparent reason. Good fun! Except for the times I accidentally IM'ed the wrong person, or, even better, everyone on the system... But sometimes, if I'm in a meeting and not at a computer, I find myself wanting to do the same thing. Shoot a mental IM at someone. I get this little impulse to do so, then realize a half-beat later, "Wait a minute! We're not at a computer. Nor are we empathic. Hm. Guess I'm out of luck."

I'm generally used to the limitations now, after a decade or so of such technology. But every once in awhile, I want to reach out and touch someone -- not always for the intent of mocking others, by the way -- and I realize I can't.
I just had a little impulse to check in with Lizzy. Thus far, however, her day care doesn't have her set up with her own little workstation and e-mail system. Probably in part because she can't yet read.

Weird.