Interactive TV That Interacts With You
April 5, 2014
A New Definition of Technological Frustration
May 2, 2014
This essay relates partially to my trip out to California two weeks ago. It’s not true what they say about everything in life changing. Certain behaviors never alter themselves.
Word Count: 862
Even Though He Wanders,
The Guy Might Not be Lost
Oddly enough there’s something strangely appealing to me whenever I engage in the act. A perverse attraction that keeps forcing me to carry out the practice on a semi-regular basis. Particularly whenever I’m on a trip, which I’m sure leads to all sorts of consternation and infuriates more than a few of my relatives.
What am I talking about? Getting lost of course. Happens all the time and this latest trip out to the west coast was no exception to my odd behavior. I suppose you could say my conduct is instinctive. Since that’s the case maybe I should use that as an excuse to legitimize my actions. I can’t help myself so maybe I shouldn’t. Are you confused yet? I hope so and on that note let’s just leave it at that.
The roots of my quirky behavior run deep and I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. At the tender age of four while visiting Marine World-L.A. what should everyone in the family do but walk in one direction, while yours truly wandered wide eyed the opposite way.
When I noticed that everyone was gone I then proceeded to engage in the obligatory kid behavior of crying for five minutes. I then discovered that the position I found myself in was kind of neat. Here I was displaced in an amusement park, totally fascinated by everything in my surroundings, and best of all, free and clear. No need to panic so I figured that eventually I’ll link up with everyone else. A half hour later I heard my name announced over the park’s intercom. For a kid how cool is that, so why get upset?
The mold had been cast and I’ve found myself engaging in this predisposition to wander aimlessly ever since. My teen-age obsession with comic book collecting only added to this wandering behavior. Many was the time I’d search out new stores selling my favorite graphic story books and plunge right in without knowing exactly how to get to my destination. Sure enough I’d soon find myself in unfamiliar surroundings and to most strangers seeing me I probably looked like another clueless foreigner. In actuality I was clueless, but not really lost. Does this logic make sense? Didn’t think so.
So the trip this time used the pretext that I was flying out to the Bay Area in order to participate in a literary reading at the library in San Fran. on the 31st. Did do that, but was it also a coincidence that I wanted to visit with relatives while there as well. Sort of, but not really.
The second day of my trip, the perfect opportunity to get lost presented itself. Wanting to avoid a persistent low-pressure system that had camped over the Bay Area the day I arrived (drought, what drought?), my cousin and I drove to Monterrey. A planned trip south on Hwy. #1 as it skirted the California coast was in order. As long as we were in that neck of the woods taking in a few other sites seemed like the logical thing to do. One of them happened to be a visit to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.
At first my cousin and I wandered around the front part of the museum checking out the same exhibits, but that plan of action soon fell by the wayside. Sure enough we got separated while witnessing a fish-feeding exhibition and in no time at all I found myself flying solo. The first thought that went through my mind; wondering whether I’d done this intentionally, instinctively, or totally by mistake? You be the judge.
I casually walked upstairs to check out another section of the aquarium. Adulthood has allowed me not to freak out in family separation panic situations such as this.
An additional thing it’s done is refined my ability to ignore large portions of modern day social media (Ex. it only took me until three years ago to finally get my first cell phone). I’m sure this behavior on my part has resulted in additional consternation for various friends and family. Basically whenever I received a call or text message from my cousin, I chose to neglect responding to it. I can almost hear him even as he reads this, “Another knucklehead stunt on Davo’s part.”
Luckily for him I only took advantage of my propensity to wander one other time during my trip out to the left coast, and that was while I was hanging out by myself. Not as much fun when you do link up again with your family or friends.
I don’t do as much of this getting lost thing as I used to when traveling. Particularly while venturing in third world countries. The language and cultural barriers adding an extra layer of confusion to the mix. Getting back on track isn’t so easy.
So what can we learn from this oddball behavioral trait of mine? Not much, other than a person needs to know one thing. When they’re vacationing with me I could disappear on them at the drop of a hat.
