Martian Dinosaur

Ask twenty-somethings with whom I work, and each will tell you in her or his own way that I am a dinosaur from outer space. Here's why:

• I don't text.
  I did not grow up with that communication method, nor find it easy to do. I have no need to be barraged with some text where the sender has an expectation of almost instantaneous response. I will reply to email or a phone message on my schedule, not someone else's.

• I ask them to call me on my landline at home if they need to use the telephone to reach me after work hours.
  What's a landline? Who still has landlines? Why don't you just use your cell phone?

  Well, I don't have to give my personal reasons, but I prefer to use a regular old telephone, thanks. I often turn my cell phone off after work hours and do not use it on weekends, either. Call me, leave a message if I am unavailable, and I'll get back to you.

• I don't tweet on Twitter, use Facebook, or use I.M. programs.
  "Oh, you're so disconnected," they say. Okay, so be it. It is much more peaceful and less intrusive that way. I don't use computer resources at work for personal stuff when I should be working, and I expect them to do the same. My partner has an understandable expectation that I pay attention to him when we are at home, not the computer (so I have significantly reduced computer time at home.)
  

• I don't spend what I don't have.
  My goodness, I observe many younger folks spend money like there's no tomorrow, racking up credit card debt that they'll never be able to pay off. My first suggestion for getting back on financial track is make a budget (what's that?). Dump the cell phone and texting plan. There are so many people who have significant debt yet think nothing of paying US$50 to US$100 or more each month for cell charges. Buy groceries, learn how to cook, and eat at home. Pay off your debt before incurring more on an ongoing basis!

Yes, I definitely have that "generation gap thing" going on. I continue to work on and adopt technologies and ways of doing things that are helpful, but non-intrusive. I guess that's where the major differences are: I am annoyed by multi-stream intrusions, and my younger staff live a multi-tasking life 24/7.

Life is short: disconnect for a while and enjoy peace!