Comments on: Bar Mitzvah to bikinis

By: annette

annette — Tue, 01 May 2007 01:43:52 +0000

herb, that qualifies you for the “uber-mulitasker” award–but i prefer no to visualize and definitely intend to NEVER call you.

By: herb

herb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:41:55 +0000

Does this down with multi-tasking include (ummm) using the facilities while on the phone. Come on you know you’re out there, lets see hands, come on!

By: jules

jules — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:01:34 +0000

I love this post. I’m with Eisha — I’m also bad about half-assing stuff, but you’ve inspired me, too.

(This is, in a roundabout way, what I loathe about call-waiting, and I will NEVER own it — this multi-tasking, this “you’re not important enough to me, there’s a better call on the other line, so hold on” idea — and interrupting people to do so! So rude).

Anyway, thanks, too, for the 7 Kicks plug. I truly look forward to everyone’s lists every week.

By: robin

robin — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:46:14 +0000

Good, Vivian, but let me tell you, it’s not easy at all. I really have to force myself to do it. Maybe it will be easier for you.

Let’s all check back in at the end of the week and see how we did and how it felt.

By: Vivian

Vivian — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:33:58 +0000

What a great post! And of course I had to snicker at your description of the bikinis on parade.

I’m in on the phone thing by the way.

By: robin

robin — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:50:31 +0000

Oh, Sara, your poor friend. She needs help right away. I hope you know what to do.

Your thing about closing your eyes while you’re on the phone might actually be a good thing for me to try. Thanks for the idea.

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 01:11:52 +0000

I had a friend who kept her house ultra-clean. Once, when I mentioned to her that my artificial fig tree was really dirty after many moves (yes, I’m that bad with real plants and besides we move so much real ones get left behind) she told me she WIPES EACH INDIVIDUAL LEAF while she…wait for it…TALKS ON THE PHONE. So, just saying, if you need something other than typing to do…

I, on the other hand, am not an auditory learner…and I actually close my eyes when I’m on the phone to be able to focus. My first interview for my book was over the phone, and I kept losing my train of thought without visual clues. Afterwards, I had no idea what I’d said.

By: robin

robin — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:42:58 +0000

Me, too, just now! I so would have done it–do a quick sweep for any new e-mail–if not for the fact that I’d made that pledge to you only an hour or so ago.

Being in the moment is such an effort, huh? But I really think this experiment could be good for us. Thanks for saying you’re in. I need company in the struggle.

By: eisha

eisha — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:39:27 +0000

I’m in on the pledge. I even already started - I was on the phone this morning and my fingers were just twitching over the keyboard but I DID NOT GIVE IN!

By: robin

robin — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 17:38:10 +0000

Miri, high-five on all that. Including the part about how if you need to surf the net to answer some particular question you’re talking with the other person about, then yes, you can do that. BUT I think there has to be full disclosure, as in, “Hold on a sec, let me look that up.”

I’m usually guilty of just what you and Eisha described: trying to get away with my distraction with appropriate “hm”s and “yeah, right”s, hoping the other person won’t notice I’m only half there.

And that must stop! At least for the next 7 days.