Monthly Archives: August 2008

The Birkenstock tan lines are fading from my feet. I’ve cleared the 839 emails that came to roost, like so many bats in an abandoned house, in my inbox. The kids are back at school, the globe is still warming, the whales are still dying, and it’s time to admit: vacation is over.

I´ve been on a Finger Lakes vacation for more than a month (thanks for noticing, all of you dear readers who left comments in my absence about how to elong my schlong and win big at bingo) and that has largely meant water. Kayaking, sailing, swimming in the morning at 7am as the kids bounded out of bed to jump in the lake, Dylan the youngest just learning how to swim.

We stayed, mon famille et moi, in lake-side cottages and clan headquarters. None was equipped with wifi, broadband, or even decent GPRS cover. The kids were dismayed that both televisions in the cottages, within minutes of our arrival, were “broken” — thanks to a handy trick dad knows involving wall plugs. (One of these days they´re gonna work this one out, and I’ll have to move up to fuses.)

Now here, gentle reader is a sad fact. Amid all the bucolic beauty, the campfires and stars and slate gorges, I can’t say I missed el mundo internet much. Sure I missed Google — my brain is a wholly owned subsidiary, and it was tough not being able to look up film trivia and wine vintages and watermelon salsa recipes on the spot. No, what I really really missed was…

Facebook. Dammit. Continue reading →