1. The internets. When I first started using the internet in my grad school research methods class the year was 1995. There were no search engines as we know them today. You had to type in long strings of letters and numbers and backslashes and forward slashes to get to the uncolorful, uninteresting-looking pages that held information. The majority of musicological research was still done on paper, and internet sources were quite a bit different than they are today. Not only have the internets (yes, I call them this, or the "interwebs") changed life as we know it, but recent public sites like YouTube have revolutionized the way I write program notes and teach voice. Great performances are at my students' (and my) fingertips. I don't have to run out and buy the CD or even download it from iTunes. It's right there for me to see and hear whenever I want, 24/7. And I'm not even mentioning the miracle of other sites I use daily.
2. "Series of Tubes." In 2006, this is how former Senator Ted Stevens (Republican, Alaska) described the internet. Yes, my loves, the internet is a series of tubes. It's just about the funniest thing I've ever heard, like ever. I once tried to tell this story to people, but I was laughing so hard, it took me 15 minutes to even finish the phrase, "series of tubes." Now, when I can't stop laughing (which happens often), I call it, "A 'series of tubes' moment." Read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_of_tubes
3. iTunes. Some days I wake up singing a song like "Tarzan Boy" or "Break My Stride" and I'll think to myself, 'wouldn't it be nice to hear that song again today?' and there it is on iTunes. I can get it, if you'll pardon the expression, for a song, at 99 cents.
4. Blackberry. Texting, the interwebs, email, all at my fingertips. I've also discovered the true joy of something I never used to do: ignoring it sometimes.
5. Netflix. Movies of your choosing come to your mailbox. When you give one back (and you can keep it for as long as you like), you get another one. If that isn't fast enough, you can watch movies instantly on your computer. My roommate and I burn through Netflix like a warm knife through buttah. We watch movies, documentaries, entire seasons of TV series, and cartoons. It's brilliant.
6. Texting. I've mentioned this before. I have trouble committing to phone calls lately. I only have little snippets of time between stuff to talk and it's hard to have a phone call like that. But little snippets perfect for texting. Also, I have a full keyboard so that makes texting easy.
7. Facebook events. I invited people to my recital using Facebook events. I have RSVP'ed for many Facebook events. It's a great way to share upcoming happenings, and since most people Facebook every day, you get a lot of responses right away.
8. Online banking and bill pay. Instant knowledge about how much you have or owe. You can know what checks have cleared and which ones are outstanding. You can transfer money from one account to another while sitting at home drinking cocoa in your pajamas. You can pay bills without using stamps. You can make sure that payment isn't late by submitting it today online. What could be easier?
9. Google Docs. I can share documents with people if I want feedback. I can keep documents in progress on Google Docs so I can work on them from any computer with internet access. It's a great backup for stuff, and I great way to make sure I'm always working from the latest draft.
10. Blogging. Months ago, when I put my "Blog-A-Week" project into effect, I just thought it was good writing practice. It ended up being good therapy, and it's something I look forward to every week. I love making these lists especially, because it encourages me to find special things that happen every week and to appreciate them. I celebrate them...in blog form. It's also a great way to share what's going on with me. The busier I am, the more disconnected I can feel. But if you read my blog, at the very least you'll know what I've been eating.
Thanks for reading. There's more to come.
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