tExTiNg PaRt ThReE: The Good

Click to read PART ONE and PART TWO.

So, I think we can all agree on a few things:
1) Texting is becoming increasingly popular
2) Teens text a LOT
3) There are both pros and cons to texting

Today I want to focus on the pros, The Good.

While it's easy to see why lots of people (primarily adults) have problems with SMS, there are a lot of really helpful things about it. First good thing, convenience.

Texting is extremely convenient. You whip out your phone, press a few buttons, and you've communicated. Simple, fast, and discreet. It's especially helpful in situations where you want to do something under the radar. Quickly texting your parents to get you out of a party with drugs and alcohol. Texting a friend to remind them not to say anything about a surprise party. Letting your mom know that Dad's home so she can hide his birthday present. Things like that are MUCH harder to do when you have to make a phone call. Sure, you can leave the room if you're discussing something private, but in the case of surprises or awkward situations, that just makes it worse.

Texting instead of calling also provides you with time to consider your response. Something a lot of people struggle with is saying things they later regret. With a text, you can read it, think about it, and type drafts of what you want to say. If you're on the phone with someone, there's only so long you can think before the silence goes way past awkward. There are some things you'd rather not answer at all, and texts are much easier to ignore than someone yelling in your ear.

There are also fewer misunderstandings in writing. With all the he said-she said junk that can go on, it's helpful to have records of what was said. It's a lot simpler if you're in a crowd or somewhere loud, too. Getting a text that says, "This is the longest hour of my life" will never be misunderstood as "I'm having an affair with your wife." When people are yelling at each other through cellphones, stuff like that could, and does, happen XD

It's also easier to remember information . If someone texts your their house address, you can refer back to it instead of trying to hold it in your mind as you drive.

Then, the most popular reason to text: It's just less awkward. All the above reasons play into this. You can respond when you want to. You can ignore it if you want to. You can think about your response. There are no awkward silences. There are fewer misunderstandings. It's easier to remember things. It's just less awkward! People that you would NEVER feel comfortable phoning you can text. It's like email. Or IM. For one reason or another, texting is a more comfortable and safe-feeling way to communicate than calling.

And there you have it. The Good of texting.

It's convenient.
It's quick.
It's discreet.
It provides time to consider a response.
It eliminates awkward silences.
It removes more misunderstanding.
It makes things easier to remember.
It's just less awkward.

'Course there are some definite downsides to texting. Stick around for The Bad ;)

~Kendra

tExTiNg PaRt TwO: Where do we stand?

Thanks for following, Gwyn and Kate! That's awesome :)

If you missed Part One: Intro, you can click HERE to read it.

So, before I got more into texting, I wanted to know more about how it started, and where we stand now.

Texting was originally called "SMS", or "Short Message Service". It started in 1992, when a test engineer for Airwide Solutions named Neil Papworth sent “Merry Christmas” from a computer to the phone of Richard Jarvis.

Growth was slow at first. In 1995, the average number of daily messages in America was .4. Yeah, not four. POINT four. In 2000, the average number had risen to 35. Then in 2008, the average number of monthly text messages was 357.

Now, the average number of texts sent monthly in teens is 2272. (However, if you divide that out, that's only an average of about 75 texts per day. Bad, but not THAT bad XD) The number of text messages far outweigh the number of calls, even in most adults.

But how does texting affect us? I'm gonna get to that more later in The Good and then The Bad, but I will say this: Studies and statistics show that it’s addicting and can cause focus issues when one is so constantly connected.

Bummer -_-

Not that I have to worry about any of this anymore since my texting has been suspended XD But here's an interesting piece of information for you...

Did you know it's possible to text phones without having texting? Can you say...Gmail's etexting? >:D If you want more on that, you can email me (livinglovinglaughinglearning@gmail.com) ;)

Stay tuned for Part 3: The Good.

~Kendra

tExTiNg PaRt OnE: Intro

Some of you may know that I have a cell phone. Some more of you may know that it is a red LG Shine that hates me. Even more of you might know that I like to text. Very few of you know that I lost this privilege yesterday.

Why? My parents don't want me texting too much. They feel like it's unhealthy, it fragments your brain, and distracts from who you are with right now. I admit, those are valid points. I started out only having 200 texts a month. That's like 3 texts, counting both sending and receiving, per day.

The average American teenager sends about 80 a day. So yeah, 200 a month did not work for me at all.

My parents eventually agreed that 200 was kind of a conservative number, and moved me to the 1500 plan, as long as I promised only to use 600 of them.

This month's cell bill just came up.

I sent over 1600.

*sigh*

Now, when you look at the statistics, that's not unreasonable. On average, teens send and receive 2272 a month. So really, I'm not that bad.

BUT. That's not the point. The point is that I didn't follow through with my part of the plan. My parents weren't going to let me have texting at all, but they decided that 200 was okay. I blew it big time there, costing them a lot of money. We renegotiated, and I was allowed to send 600. Well, I blew it again. As much as I really think I can stay within the limit, I'm not gonna get another chance, at least for a while.

I stand firm that 600 texts a month isn't a lot, and even 1600 isn't too many. My grades have been okay, and texting has not been interfering with my family life. However, as an aspiring lawyer and one who values justice over mercy, I can see exactly why I lost texting. It was fair. No, it was more than fair. I got three shots and blew them all. Maybe I'll have better luck in a few months :)

Stay tuned for Texting Part Two: Where Do We Stand?

~Kendra

Remembering and Overwhelming

Even before Question Day, I'd like to say something very important:

Eight years ago today, something terrible happened. Evil poluted the minds of some people, and the result was death and destruction for thousands. We can't forget it, no matter how horrible it was.

The more terrible a thing is, the more it needs to be remembered, lest history repeat itself.

So let's all pause a moment and remember. Remember those who died on September 11th.
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Question Day:

This question brought to you by: Moon Shaw!

Question: "How many sports do you play?"
Answer: Hmm...WELL >:D

I played T-ball from the time I was four until I was about six, maybe seven.

When I was seven, I started playing soccer, and LOVED it, even though I have won a grand total five games (no joke) in my entire eight year's worth of playing (not counting last year when we were undefeated, lol).

Some of my friends got into tennis when I was like ten, so I played a season of that. Loved it, but I wasn't serious enough to continue with matches and stuff.

At age eleven, I tried out basketball, but since I'd never played before, I had no idea what was going on >.< All my sports knowledge was based on soccer. I never figured out that in basket ball, you play offense AND defense depending on what side of the court you're on.

The spring after that, I did softball. That would have been okay if we had one at least ONE game (we didn't) and our pitchers could get the ball over the plate (they couldn't)...

I've been dancing since I was two and a half.

So, to make a LOOOOOOOOOONG-could-have-been-short and answer short, I play soccer and dance (tap, ballet, and jazz/hip-hop) and I LOVE them both. I would be horrified if I had to chose between them (although dance would win in a heart beat).
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I got all my school work (except Latin...) done today! YAY! Latin is killing me. I used to be so good at it! I think I just got too comfortable with it, and stopped working on it. Then all the hard stuff came at once and now I'm so overwhelmed I don't want to start trying again :-/

I have play practice tonight for the first time since Sunday! Yay! And then I have it again tomorrow at 10am. Then I have a soccer game at 2pm.

Then I have play practice Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Then I have it Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Including on Lizzy's THIRTEENTH birthday, AND her special birthday dinner! *MOAN*

I have so much going on! Soccer practice, dance classes, play practice, soccer games, school, babysitting, writing.

*shriek/moan of agony*

The problem is I LOVE it all! Love it! There's no way at ALL I will EVER give up dance (EVER), and soccer is only for a few weeks. I love the play and I want to do more later. School isn't really a quitable option, lol! I physically CANNOT stop writing, Like, I really CAN'T. Babysitting is so much. I love kids, I love being around lots of friends, and I love having extra "brothers" and "sisters".

*moan*

Sorry. I'm dumping.

No writing to speak of.

Cavender is grounded :(

Byee :D

~Kendra (my signature is being stupid and did something weird that caused this post to be erased FOUR TIMES. Yes. FOUR. You are reading the FIFTH time I have written this same stinkin' thing. FIFTH!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!)

Carpe Noctem Day: Being Great

This is going to be a quick post, but hopefully still thought-provoking.

Some of you may have heard of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He wrote many essays, the most famous of which is “Self Reliance.” In his essay, he basically tells the reader than people need to depend on themselves. They need to be confident, but not cocky, and respect themselves. If you don’t respect yourself, how can you expect others to?

The most famous statement in the essay is “To be great is to be misunderstood.” When you first hear it, you probably thinking “okay, sounds cool, whatever.” Don’t dismiss it yet! Do you even understand what it means? I had to write a paper analyzing this for school, and at first, I came up with the stupid generic response: the greater someone is, the fewer people there are like them. The fewer people that think the way they do. Therefore, they’re misunderstood.

Wasn’t that just so enlightening?

Here’s another way of thinking about it: if one thinks about all the “geniuses” in history, it appears that all of them were misunderstood (Einstein, Newton, Jesus, Columbus, etc.). Why is that? It certainly has something to do with their thinking being far above others, but also, “to be great” almost by definition is to be strange. People who are considered great pushed the boundaries of their society. They tried new things. They looked at things in new ways. Anyone who is great will be misunderstood, because to be great, one must challenge the common thinking.

I would like to be great. Wouldn’t you? But who wants to be misunderstood? I think that’s what holds a lot of people back: the fear of being misunderstood. When you think outside the box, you’re usually labeled “weird”. Maybe that’s why today’s young people don’t do as many great things as we could.

Yeah; ’cause we’re SCARED.

So, I challenge you. Think outside the box. Challenge common thinking. Be misunderstood.

Be great.