Back In Class

It was the first day back to school for me, and I have to say it was rather surreal. I've been attending this college for quite a while now, mostly because I can only handle so many classes, work, and driving before I start teetering on the great sea of insanity. But over the last two years, the amount of students going to this very nice junior college has grown ... A LOT. In the future I will have to be sure to leave for class at least an hour and a half early in order to get a parking spot and get to class on time. Otherwise there isn't going to be any hope of the parking spot or arriving at class... ever. Today, I was an hour early and got a parking spot fairly quick. On my way through the cafeteria, it was so thick with students that I had to skirt the walls to get around the lines, and once I got out the other side the entire courtyard was packed with people going in every direction... And not one of them was watching where they were going. Almost everyone was staring at a hand held device of some sort, texting.

Now, maybe I'm getting old... or maybe I've just never really gone with the "new thing", but I was sort of alarmed. I have a cell phone. I hate the damned thing. I don't LIKE being available to everyone 24/7. I'm one of those solitary people who likes being left alone to do their own thing. There are of course exceptions, but for the most part, I never turn the phone on unless I need it. It never gets used for texting, even though its free to do. It doesn't have a camera in it. I like being AWARE of my surroundings! Usually I don't really care what people do as long as they're not going to get me killed, but today... it was a day I wish I had a camera in my phone, because all of these kids are walking around completely oblivious to the fact that there is a flock of wild turkeys trying desperately to get out of the courtyard. They're darting this way, and that way and making turkey noises and not one kid stopped to wonder what that odd warbley noise was. Not one looked down to see what had just run into their leg... Not one looked around to see turkeys running around their legs. No... they were totally glued to their phones. And they've got Borg implants in their ears! Aka, Ipods. Okay, so I have an Ipod too, but I don't generally have it ported into my head while walking on campus. That's called inattention, and paints a big fat target on your back for any loony who wants to have fun at your expense. But I listen to it in my car. There I have doors I can lock; not to mention a gas pedal with which to mow down said predator.

Do they do this while they drive? Do they do this while they're in class? Do they ever put those things down and look at each other face to face? I'm just curious, because it looked like scenes straight out of Wall-E. I know. I've watched Wall-E at least 5 times this past summer. Fat people, in floaty chairs, letting robots tell them what to do. No thinking involved. Holy crap! I've seen it in real life?! Its the beginning isn't it. Pixar saw it coming and tried to warn us... but half the population didn't look up now did they. Oh well, its their loss. It'll really be their loss if the next thing they don't notice are the rattlesnakes that have been seen all over campus.

... yes.. I'm mean. And no, I'm not a fanatic. Point fingers at your own expense.