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Everyone is connected

By
Real Estate Agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties Licensed in Connecticut

blogging fat ladyWe are all connected, and before you think I am going to write some brotherly love post, move on. Not today. I believe in it, yes indeed, but for today I am talking about our digital connections. 

I got digital coming out my ..... fingertips. HA! Bet you thought I was going to say something else, didn't you. Yeah, there too. 

In an effort to make my television viewing experience "better", Charter went "all digital". That means that you MUST have a cable box in order to get their products. No more of those cable ready TV's saving you a few bucks. So the TV in the kitchen has been rendered useless, good thing I have one of those digital ROKU box's so we can watch Netflix or something! 

I have laptops, computers, a Kindle, an iPad, a tablet (oh yeah, that was "FREE" from my phone company, but that is another connected story") and phones. I have to have a special booster connected to the internet so that I can actually USE my phones in my house. I am wired up and out. 

My company decided that we all need to go paperless (a good thing) and signed us up for DotLoop. My first two clients... DON'T HAVE EMAIL ADDRESSES! That was a corker, in this day and age? One will text 'til the cows come home, but no email, no way. The other.... well... there is someone I admire. Probably the LEAST connected person I know!

Of course my cars talk to me, they show me what song is playing on the radio (should I really be looking down to read that while I am driving? How about listening to the song instead?), their onboard computers tell me when something is wrong, when there might be ice on the road, when I have a flat, when I am low on gas, oil, you get it. They continually tell me something is WRONG, when are they going to tell me something is RIGHT? Postive goes a long way ya know. 

How did I ever drive when we had windows to crank open, doors you had to lock manually, when you had to keep track of your last oil change... ghesh. Of course recently some master control went on one of our cars, the doors wouldn't unlock and the windows wouldn't go down. My husband was stuck in the car for about half an hour while my cousin watched from the outside in horror! Well, not in horror, he was actually laughing. Finally the car decided to unlock the doors... for a minute and my husband escaped. $900 dollars later it was fixed. Hmmmmm.... 

And of course there is my cell phone. Oh yeah, that lovely piece of equipment. I remember when I was thrilled that it was so small, of course that was before I had to actually read an offer on it. Now I need to have a larger pocket sewn on the back of my pants to carry it with me. Good thing my rear end can support that! And my carrier, in their infinite wisdom, made me switch to the "FRAMILY PLAN". No more contracts Andrea, you will save so much! I was thinking of which grandchild I could sell to pay my cell phone bills. Good thing they discontinued that "FRAMILY PLAN", I guess I wasn't the only one who had a heart attack when opening the bill. I was ready to find that hamster in that wheel on their commercial and choke him. 

So, I am wired, connected, plugged in, locked and loaded and ready to go. And honestly, I dream about the black and white TV, about the big old black phone with the rotary dial, no answering machines, no way for people to reach me just for a bit. Nothing, just peace and quiet. 

What will be next? Time to go, my phone just reminded me it's time to take my grandson to his karate class. 

Posted by

Andrea Swiedler, Realtor, Southern Litchfield County Real Estate

2017 President, Greater New Milford Board of Realtors

2017 Connecticut Magazine 5 Star Realtor

 

 Search homes for sale in Litchfield County, CT.

 

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Litchfield County Regional Office,375 Danbury Rd, New Milford, CT 06776

 

© Andrea Swiedler 2009 - 2017

 Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. - Mark Twain

Comments (91)

Kimo Jarrett
Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA
Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Amazing how we survived without all the connections, huh?

Sep 18, 2014 07:28 AM
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

Andrea:  For some, all this technology is addictive.  They couldn't do without it ... it's almost like drugs.  Me?  I use it.  Happily at times.  Very reluctantly at others.  And because it's the way of the world and how I must conduct my business.  It's a blessing and a curse at the same time ...

Gene

Sep 18, 2014 07:31 AM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Andrea, sometimes I truly long for the simpler life. Unfortunately in our business, we have to stay connected. However, I like to get away from it all whenever possible. Great post.

Sep 18, 2014 08:08 AM
Tracy Lee Parker
RE/MAX DFW Associates - Royse City, TX
Buy*Sell*Rent

Andrea, this was super funny and I love your photo!  I like that you are a grandma and so into technology, I am too! My granddaughter shortened my name to GT (grandma tracy was to long to text) !!  If we aren't connected to the digital world we will miss out on our grand-kids life's, cause that is all they know!

Sep 18, 2014 08:11 AM
Kasia Zajac, GRI, SFR
Baird & Warner - Lake Zurich, IL

So true and well said. Unfortunately we don't have a choice but stay connected,.. do we?

Sep 18, 2014 08:46 AM
Kathleen Luiten
Resort and Second-Home Specialist - Princeville, HI
Kauai Luxury Ocean Home Sales

Love your post, Andrea. My office is paperless too and  I just finish a transaction with a client that didn't have email. Not easy!

Sep 18, 2014 09:19 AM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

Andrea, this is priceless, as is the graphic!  I identify with every line you wrote.  Just last week, the electronic key and my battery went out on my 8 month old car.  I am thankful I was not in the car like your husband! I hope it was a cool day in Connecticut!  In Dallas, car interiors reach 120+ degrees in a matter of minutes.  Like all here, I could go on and on about cell phones and software programs.

Sep 18, 2014 09:48 AM
Doug Cook
Coldwell Banker Brown Realtors - O'Fallon, IL
Better Service, Better RESULTS!

I miss Mayberry, Andrea.  

Sep 18, 2014 09:59 AM
Gail Robinson
William Raveis Real Estate - Southport, CT
CRS, GRI, e-PRO Fairfield County, CT

Andrea, I just love the way you write, so conversational.  We can all relate to what you are experiencing, but no one articulates it as well as you do.

Sep 18, 2014 10:44 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Andrea, I presume you don't want to borrow the rabbit ears I still have, but can't use?

Sep 18, 2014 12:04 PM
Donna Foerster
HomeSmart Realty Group - Parker, CO
Metro Denver Real Estate Assistant

Andrea~ I'm not as well connected as you are, but I probably should be. Maybe. Someday.

Sep 18, 2014 01:46 PM
Karen Simms
Century 21 Arizona Foothills - Queen Creek, AZ
Horse Property Specialist

Andrea,  what a hoot!  But oh so true.  I love technology but we do need a break from it from time to time.  It's almost impossible to do this. We slowly connected ourselves to the point of no return. Technology is great when it works properly but when it malfunctions it makes our lives miserable. For our line of work the technology is a blessing though.

Sep 18, 2014 02:23 PM
Bill Morrow
Keller Williams of Central PA - Mechanicsburg, PA
Bill Morrow, Associate Broker

I watch a couple of shows, one called "Buying Alaska" and another about Alskan "Bush" People.  There is something to be said about living off the grid.  I know at my age it won't happen as a matter of choice, but it looks awful appealing at times.

Sep 19, 2014 02:29 AM
Mary Hutchison, SRES, ABR
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate-Kansas City Homes - Kansas City, MO
Experienced Agent in Kansas City Metro area

I wonder how much more 'connected' we can be...five or ten years from now...if I have grandkids...what will change? How much faster can we move, how much more info can we absorb at one time>?

Sep 19, 2014 06:58 AM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

Connections are priceless!

Sep 19, 2014 01:04 PM
Rebecca "Becky" Joens
Heart of Florida Realty, LLC - Hernando Beach, FL
Broker- Associate, SFR, RE Instructor

Andrea, love the picture and the post!  Very well said and all so true... what did we do before all of these "connections" ??

Sep 20, 2014 11:19 AM
Travis "the SOLD man" Parker; Broker/Owner
Travis Realty - Enterprise, AL
email: Travis@theSOLDman.me / cell: 334-494-7846

I used to laff at people on their cell phones in restaurants, etc....

are you THAT important....

"now i are one"

Sep 22, 2014 08:19 AM
Dawn Welch
The Real Estate Consultants - Los Angeles, CA

So funny but true.  Well said Andrea. lol

Sep 28, 2014 11:33 AM
Winston Heverly
Coldwell Banker Access Realty - South Macon, GA
GRI, ABR, SFR, CDPE, CIAS, PA

It is a bit of a treat going back and reading some of Active Rains best archives  like this one. Should be shared again.

Mar 28, 2015 12:14 PM
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Thanks for the laugh Andrea, we are really connected, and it is only going to get worse as time goes by.

May 21, 2015 02:23 PM