You won't know what you're missing until you lock your keys in your car and you can't access your electronics

I had a bit of an adventure yesterday which I am going to tell you about because it just re-enforces my point of how reliant we are on technology.

My work at Juniper has been fast paced and hectic lately--just the way I like it--but the pace of yesterday didn't warrant me a bad day. In fact, it was just the opposite. I was feeling strong and confident, enjoying my new hair cut and slick threads. After clocking out at Juniper around 5, I jumped in my beautiful car (I just bought her in Feb) and headed to my second job. I work for a place called SD Forum, which is an organization that puts on seminars revolving around tech-topics. You might be wondering why I would work a second job when I already have a steady job as it is. Well, for one thing, I don't do well when I am idle. Secondly, the job is

 right up my alley. Not only do all the topics revolve around things that I find interesting and relevant to my job, but it allows me the opportunity to do some social-networking face-to-face. Plus, extra money never hurt a girl trying to pay off student loans.

I had to stop by the bank in order to break some 20's into smaller bills. The events are $15 dollars and I was running low on 5's and 1's.  I was doing great on time, popped into the bank and was out the door in a matter of minutes. When I got back to my car, I started to back up. Apparently Parissa and I were on the same wavelength because she backed her Toyota SUV out of her parking space at the same rate and angle as I backed my Honda Accord up. We were perfectly synchronized and had it not been for the crunch of our bumpers, we may have marveled at how perfectly synchronized we were. 

I got out of the car to check the damage and it was not much. We both have minor scrapes on our bumpers, not enough to call the insurance agencies over, just enough to be sad about.

The exchange went like this:

Parissa: Didn't you see me back up?

Tawnee: No, didn't you see me back up?

Parissa: No-- but I was backing up before you.

Tawnee: ... (not sure if this means she needs to back up more effectively, aka faster so it doesn't look like she is hovering in her parking spot, or if she is implying I was more at fault)

Parissa: Get your license

I return to my car to dig out my insurance and license. When I go back to her with my papers and say "Sorry for my curt tone, that wasn't right of me. I'm Tawnee."

"Parissa" she says drawing out the SS's so I can mentally note the pronunciation.

Parissa: Do yoy want to call the insurance companies?

Tawnee: (thinking Of Course Not. Are you mad?) "No, we were both doing the exact same thing. It's equally our faults and there's hardly any damage"

Parissa: Have a good day.

I was off the hook! Unfortunately, my keys, my phone, my wallet - sans drivers license, and the rest of all my belongings were locked up tight inside my car. I tried to open the door again, then again. I think I aggressively tried to pry the door open with my fingers about 6 times. And, although I can't remember perfectly, I think I loudly roared "NOOOoooOooOOOO freaking crap!" 

This got the attention of Parissa who was getting back into her car. I told her what had happened and she lent me her cell phone. The problem is, I only know my parents number by heart. I think I mentioned this in my first blog entry. I had to call my parents to ask them for numbers to AAA and also had to have them hunt down the number of my boss at SD Forum.

My parents were online within minutes, searching out numbers for me to write down on a piece of paper Parissa had torn off for me. I could hear them searching the SD Forum for a number. At the end of it all, my car was unlocked and I got to work-- albeit a little late, I still got there and accomplished the job. 

In the space of time that I sat waiting for the guy to come and rescue me, I realized how lost I am without my cell phone and all the information it contains. I had thought about asking 

the bank if I could surf their web so I could get in touch with my friend on Facebook who used to work at SD Forum. She would still have my boss' number and I could let my boss know that I was late. I kept running through options in my mind of ways to solve this problem that I was in. I knew my parents would be worried about me--as they always are. I ached to be able to call them and let them know I was waiting, but I was safe. I wanted to twitter about my absurd absentmindedness. I wanted to text my friends, check my email, do anything that involved every bit of technology that I didn't have access to. 

Yesterday, I proposed that we all do a social experiment where we spend 24 hours not communicating with our partners, friends, parents, or whoever via only telephone or face-to-face. Well, I spent an hour and a half without one--granted it wasn't an emergency, but it was a yellow "Elevated" level if we were relating this to a Homeland Security chart. I had access to a phone-- but it wasn't my phone. And left to my own devices, my memory couldn't pull out anything but a number I have locked in long term memory.

Now I am trying to figure out how to solve this problem of mine. I am so reliant on technology, I can't even make myself remember numbers I call every day. Instead, I scroll down my menu and highlight who I am calling. Or I press down the number to activate speed dial. I adore the fact that doing this saves me .32 seconds of my precious time. But I wonder if I had spent more time dialing those numbers myself, I may have been a lot better off yesterday. I wonder if I should go back to those hokey accordion style magnetic phone books that I remember seeing my momma carry in her hand bag.

YES! All my pondering on the advancement of technology and the implementation of social media is answered in one simple nic-nac. 

I can sleep easy tonight.