My Job with Technology: Then and Now

Daily writing prompt

How has technology changed your job?

I started my research career in the realm of DOS PCs, card catalog library searches, and statistical computing on mainframes. Today I have a computer where I can see what I type in full color. I can search my library catalog from home and run statistical analyses. The change is enormous, because I can now work from anywhere I have wi-fi. I hardly even need to set foot in my library because I can download articles from the Internet. If I wanted to, I could compose articles and lectures on my phone. A pretty dramatic change in technology right there.

Technology also allows me to create graphics-filled slide shows for students that I can show on my computer with a projection unit. Before, I was using typed overhead sheets and an overhead projector. I can use a color copier for handouts, where once I was using a mimeograph. I produce clear and attractive documents with little effort. A couple of weeks ago, I produced a 3×4-foot poster with graphics and sections for a research conference I will soon go to.

Because of the technology, we do more ourselves. It doesn’t bother me to compose my work instead of sending it to the secretary; I have more input into the process and I can change things instantaneously. We also expect to have a level of sophistication in our products we weren’t able to achieve before. Research papers are more complex, document design more exacting, and with the expectation of quicker deadlines.

I am so much more productive, having the means of production in my hands. Despite the faster pace, I prefer this era of technology.

A Secret Skill

Daily writing prompt

What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

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What’s a secret skill or ability I wish I had? By secret, I am assuming there’s a reason I’m keeping it secret. That makes me think it’s a superpower or something, although the original question says “you have or wish you had”, which sounds more like a mundane activity. Why would I keep a mundane ability secret? If I could build cabinetry I would not be keeping it secret; I would go into business. So I will assume superpower for the sake of this question.

I wish I could teleport. I wish I could blink and end up somewhere else. Travel would be insanely easy with this talent. Ireland could be a weekend excursion. Going to work would be an instantaneous action. Around the world in eighty hops? I’m game.

It wouldn’t be that easy, though. If I wanted to be undiscovered, I would have to teleport into hidden places. I would have to know where I am going before I got there, which would necessitate having been there before. So, in reality, I would not be teleporting to Ireland unless I have visited before and I had a storage closet in mind.

Another downside would be energy expenditure. Dissolving into one’s component molecules and reforming would have to take a lot of calories. Not that I think eating whatever I want would be an onerous task. It could be, though. How much can one really eat in a day?

Teleporting would be a great talent. And a great burden, which is a given for any superpower. Maybe I’d rather try carpentry.

Thunderstorms

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite type of weather?

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I love the weather. I could lose myself in an early, sunny March day. A fresh snowstorm makes me happy. But my favorite weather is thunderstorms.

The darkening of the sky, the amassing of clouds, the torrents of rain, the boom of the thunder, and I want to stand out in it and scream into the wind. I don’t, because of the danger of being hit by lightning — I respect the power of the storm.

When I lived out east, in a town at the foot of the Catskills, the thunderstorms reverberated on the hills surrounding the base of the city. Now I live back in the Midwest, where thunderstorms feature gusts of rain washing the streets.

We might get thunderstorms today. I will stand on the porch and watch them.

I Could Use a Nap

Daily writing prompt

What do you wish you could do more every day?

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I wish I could sleep more.

I am capable of sleeping at any time in any position — in my chair, at my desk, while editing a book. I have napped during lectures (not while teaching them) and in the car. I’m pretty sure I could sleep through the end of the world.

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Left to my own devices, I could probably sleep 13 hours a day and enjoy it. I have this feeling of comfort and security if I can sleep all day. I have done recreational dreaming, honestly.

My doctor doesn’t want me to sleep over 9 hours a day. I sleep 9 hours a day easily, and although I don’t wake up tired, I could still sleep in. This will surprise my husband, because I wake up at 5:00 every morning totally refreshed. But I could sleep longer, given an excuse. Any excuse.

Is it naptime yet?

Exuberant

Daily writing prompt

What is one word that describes you?

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The word that describes me is ‘exuberant’, which is defined by Oxford Dictionary as ‘filled with or characterized by a lively energy and excitement.’ That’s me.

I used to think this was a matter of my bipolar disorder, that I had times of almost giddy happiness, but on medication, it’s still there. I am a naturally bouncy person. Except if depression breaks through, and we usually get a handle on the depression pretty quickly.

Someone once said about me, “Nobody can be that happy.” And in these times of a treacherous idiot as president, it surprises me I can be that happy. I don’t know if I am that happy. I’m just glad to see the weather outside, the surprises that life gives me, and things that make me laugh. This makes me exuberant.

No Tattoos

Daily writing prompt

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

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I used to think I wanted a tattoo. I thought (and still think) they’re marvelous looking, and I love the idea of having a tattoo to commemorate something special in your life. But I’ve never gotten one, and I have several reasons.

First, I’m afraid of allergic reactions. I know that I have a nickel allergy, a copper sensitivity, and who knows what else? I don’t know what they use for color in tattoo ink, but I bet metals are used in the ink. The last thing I need is to become allergic to something that’s injected under my skin.

Second, I read somewhere that tattoos have been linked to depression. As I’m already prone to depression, and I’ve had reactions of depression to other things, I don’t think exposing myself to more depression is a good idea.

Finally, I don’t know how well it would age. I’m over 60, and I’ve seen tattoos age. Putting one on my old skin is an imminent disaster.

But if I were to get a tattoo, it would be a photorealistic dragonfly on my shoulder, with a slight bit of irridescence in its wings (if possible). The irony here is that I would never be able to see it, so where’s the enjoyment in that? It’s just not a good idea, is it?

A Cross-Country Trip

Daily writing prompt

You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

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If I were to take a cross-country trip, I would definitely go by train. In that way, I would enjoy the trip without having to drive, and I would see changing terrain through the window or in the observation car. I first experienced this at age seven, when I took a train to Chicago with my family to see the Museum of Science and Industry. Ever since, I’ve been hooked on trains.

I live in the US, and our trains are not superb here, but they’re not bad. If I planned the trip right, I would have a sleeper car, so I didn’t have to sleep propped up in coach. I love sleeper cars because they fit so much in such a tiny space. I always take the top bunk when traveling with my husband so I have to strap myself in the catch net.

I have traveled halfway across the country by train, but not all the way across. I have taken the Lake Shore Limited, which skims the edges of Lake Erie between Albany, New York and Chicago. The best part of the trip is waking up early in the morning to see the sun rise over a (I forgot the name) nature preserve, where the track is surrounded by water on both sides.

I hear that the trains in Europe are better than those in the US, which I believe. My big dream would be to take the Oriental Express. I would also like to take the Trans-Canadian, which I think is also better than Amtrak in the states.

Sigh. I want to take that cross-country trip now.

I Am A Cat

Daily writing prompt

Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?

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I would make a great cat. Not the mighty hunter type who attacks shoelaces and chases bugs on the walls, but a fat, self-satisfied cat lounging on the couch begging to get petted.

Every now and then I would get the zoomies, chasing nothing in particular across the house. I would fall off the couch occasionally while stretching. I would not be a graceful cat.

I would be the epitome of domestication. But I wouldn’t completely forget my ancestors were worshipped by a whole nation. I would let people pet me.

Dealing with Feelings

Daily writing prompt

What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?

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I have had to learn several strategies to learn with negative feelings. As someone with bipolar disorder, I have had negative feelings on high volume. Anger, sadness, fear are all ramped up in a bipolar flare-up. I wasn’t medicated for years, so I had to manage things myself. Nowadays, the edge has been taken off the emotions, but they’re still there.

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My first strategy is to take deep breaths. Breathe in to the count of five, hold to the count of five, breathe out to the count of five. This does a good job of taking care of fear and panic, especially when I have trouble sleeping at night.

The second strategy is to not block the feeling. Having the feeling and letting it flow through me helps to keep it from overpowering me. Sometimes the feeling doesn’t want to be banished, which takes me to strategy #3.

My most powerful strategy in the toolbox is cognitive journaling. In cognitive journaling, you identify the feeling and its underlying thought. Then you identify cognitive distortions or thought errors. These include mind-reading (thinking you know what someone else is thinking) or fortune-telling (predicting the future). Identifying errors reduces the strength of the negative emotions. This link will tell you more about cognitive journaling.

I highly suggest doing work on regulating emotions. Although we are all entitled to our emotions, we are not entitled to use them as bludgeons or overwhelm others with our needs. That’s what emotional regulation is about.

Revisiting Flow

Daily writing prompt

What activities do you lose yourself in?

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This question is about flow. Flow is the state during an activity where we lose all track of time while doing it. The activity engages us completely, and it challenges us at an optimal level. Flow provides us with feelings of mastery and an active state much like meditation, and increases our well-being. It’s a psychology term first proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Writing is my flow activity. This is why I have been alarmed these past few weeks with my writing slump. Flow is necessary for my well-being, and I don’t have another flow activity as a backup. I felt a bit lost these past few weeks.

For the last week or two, however, I have been editing previously written works as a way to get through the slump. This has been a flow activity to me, and I am back to beating the tyranny of feeling the passage of time. It is also giving me ideas for a new novel. Back to flow!