NEWNESS

My computer's been crashing regularly for a year now, trying to tell me that skipping upgrading my operating system for several years was a mistake.

Then finally, a few days ago, it refused to cooperate at all. So I'm typing this up on my new computer, and despite all the amazing features it has that I don't understand how to use or why I would want to (for most of them), it's proving a challenge to get it to do what my old one did, even though it's the same make and model.

Is this a sign of age? Or just technophobia or technodyslexia?

Or is it just me?

Eventually it will become more familiar and easier and I'll be back in stride, but meanwhile, the posts may take a little longer to get up. Like this one.

And speaking of "newness"—I forgot my usual copy of THE NEW YORKER at the gym this morning, so grabbed whatever magazines were available, a year-end PEOPLE and ENTERTAINMENT, and flipping the pages trying to find something to engage my attention, I noticed that at least a third or more of the people they were writing about, or more accurately presenting photos of, I never heard of.

There was a time when I thought of myself as one of the most informed and aware persons I knew of. Obviously not when it comes to contemporary celebrity-hood. Is that because I don't watch reality TV? I have an eleven-year-old and plenty of friends of all ages and read pretty widely so am a little aware of newer music and movie stars and creators, but who are all these couples who are having babies or breaking up who I never heard of? Are they really helping sell magazines? Or contributing to the demise of much of the print media.