And that's the way this wheel keeps working now...

Last night a small group of us celebrated weekly "girls night" by going to Texas Roadhouse and eating way too much. We came back to the apartment, watched "Almost Famous", played cards, and experimented with mixed drinks-- one of which I am going to list below because it is sure to be a hit.
BBC's:
2 oz. of Bailey's Irish Cream
2 oz. of Cream of Coconut
1 oz. of Rum
1/2 of a Banana
Blend with ice until smoothe. You won't be sorry.

Obviously, by the title of this 'blog', I am currently listening to John Mayer. I love him, and I especially love the lyrics to the song 'Wheel'. I think I will post them later on. I have had it in my head all day; I think because of it's cyclical nature. Things in life truly are cyclical, at least I find them to be. I am sort of banking on the fact that they are.

I have recently been asking myself, "When did face-to-face communication become obsolete?" Initially I thought it began with the invention of emails and other communication devices, such as instant messenger. Then, this morning as I was taking a shower, a scene from "Legends of the Fall" came to mind. Tristan's letter: "Susannah, All we had is dead. As I am dead. Marry another." Should he have met with her face-to-face as he said the words that broke her heart? Yes. Any woman would agree. Of course, this scenario was semi-necessary, due to the fact that it was the early 1900's and Tristan was far away from home. I do believe, though, that even earlier than that, people used letters as a form of communication in order to express emotions and say things that they could never say if having to confront someone face-to-face.

Today, I believe that face-to-face communication is on it's way out. I think back to high school, where I would write emails to my boyfriend in order to express feelings I was too scared to tell him when we were alone. Somewhere there has to be a woman that was proposed to over the Internet...sad, isn't it? I think things like this will become the status quo. Even the phone is a problem. When did it become okay to make huge decisions that affect two parties in a half-hour long phone call? I was broken up with over the phone two summers ago, and that left me thinking...when did personal matters become so impersonal? On Sex and the City, Carrie was informed of her break-up with one boyfriend by the post-it he left behind. I mean, really...come on people! How hard is it to meet somewhere, no matter the time of day, and sit down and say, "Hey buddy...we need to talk"?

If it weren't for my stubborn curiosity and boredom, I would veto instant messenger all together. Recently I have fallen prey to the many downfalls that are AIM. First of all, can you hear a person's tone? No. Inflection? No. Can you see their eyes? Read their body language? No. Can you see what they are doing? No. Do you know what they are actually saying about you or vice versa? Can you defend yourself? No. If things get really rough in a face-to-face conversation, a person must muddle through it and usually some middle ground is found. On IM you can just sign off, or better yet, block them. This is not so in real life. Instant messenger is teaching people that you can say whatever is on your mind and ignore the consequences. Change your screen name, block your buddies, don't even sign on...but in the real world, you have to face an actual person. I have learned several lessons from my recent IM mistakes; maybe you can learn from them: 1- Never say anything you wouldn't or couldn't say to someones face. 2- Never use profanity, because although it may come out of deep hurt, it will seem as though you are irate. They may invision you hurling your computer through a second-story window, when really you could be sitting in front of the computer crying. 3- Never have any conversations of substance over a computer.It's just ri-damn-diculous. Drive across town at 3:30am if need be, but just sign off if the conversation should be had face-to-face, after scheduling a meeting time of course. You may save your relationships if you stick to these guidelines. I wish I had had them earlier in the week.

Okay, I have mass amounts of homework to do, so I am off. I leave you with John Mayer:

People have the right to fly
And when it gets compromised
Their hearts say "Move along"
Their minds say "Gotcha heart"
Let's move it along

And airports
See it all the time
When someone's last goodbye
Blends in with someone's sigh
Cause someone's coming home
In hand a single rose

And that's the way this wheel keeps working now
That's the way this wheel keeps working now
And I won't be the last
No I won't be the last,
To love her

And you can't build a house of leaves
And live like it's an evergreen
It's just a season thing
It's just this thing that seasons do

And that's the way this wheel keeps working now
That's the way this wheel keeps working now
And you won't be the first
No you won't be the first
To love me

You can find me, if you ever want again
I'll be around the bend
I'll be around the bend
And if you never stop when you wave goodbye
You just might find if you give it time
You will wave hello again
You just might wave hello again

And that's the way this wheel keeps working now
That's the way this wheel keeps working now

I believe that my life's gonna see
The love I give
Return to me