Waiting For Her Ship

Long ago, family members would wait for their kin at ship docks, upon the warf anxiously awaiting to see loved ones again. During those times, it was filled with great anticipatation, impatatience, and worry.

In years past, people would meet at train stations. The host would sit patiently and wait for a period of time while waiting for their guest’s train to arrive at the station.

In years past till now, people still do this with all forms of transportation. Waiting for a car ride, waiting at the bus stop or subway station, all the while, those who wait pass the time in various ways. Some make allowances for such time, knowing that it is out of their control, so they make the most of it… others just get impatient.

This evening, while I drove in a car, I called her majesty via my cell phone to have her fetch a number from my computer I had forgotten to write down. Knowing there are certain times she is indisposed because of one form of entertainment or another, I took preemptive action to plan ahead for this, and thus called early. …not early enough.

I was forced to wait, just like generations before me, for her ride. Yet, her ride consisted of an interplanetary starship, landing at an Endor starport, on the Tarquinas server. The ship doesn’t physically exist, and she’s already physically arrived, even though her trip didn’t take her anywhere. I was the one moving, waiting silently on the phone… while she dilligently gave the C-3P0 model droid her ticket so she could catch the ship to Correllia, and then promptly gave me her attention as her computer then dumped all physical memory as it always does attempting to run that infernal, RAM hogging game.

Have we truly transcended to a new age where we no longer wait for someone remote to physically arrive, but rather wait for someone who’s physically remote, to arrive at their non-physical destination? Seems like displaced courtesy and patience to me…

…still, had my parents waited to start dinner until my Starcraft game was over, I would of had less arguments in college when I lived at home part of the time. There are certain digital engagements and meetings one must be present for, even if you physically haven’t moved. It is important to note, however, that your attention is still grounded in one world or the other.

…maybe that’s the next age; when your attention can be in two places at once, regardless if that place is physical, or digital. I’ve seen some co-workers and a manager or two do it. Who knows.

Anyway, my point with the above is I’m not just taking into account people’s physical availability nowadays, but also their digital ones. Some just digital. Really, it comes down to how much time they can give me attention, but what I find fascinating, is I’m taking premptive action towards travel time that doesn’t really take you anywhere, knowing that her majesty will be busy during that time… even if I’m standing right next to her.

Or maybe this metaphor is shot out of game context. Fuggit, I’m going to bed.

2 Replies to “Waiting For Her Ship”

  1. Absolutely true. I have frequently been waiting at Windward Parkway Park & Ride unaware that I had another half an hour wait ahead of me. Why? Because my honey missed the train due to intense Quake warfare at work. :)

    No man left behind…that is what a good soldier does. He can’t just up & leave his troops behind! You can’t just flip open a cell phone & call home during an intense battle!

    As a patriotic wife, I understand this. I am waiting faithfully and stoically for my guy to come home from his digital warfare. He is not allowed to come home if he has not won his game. ;-D He must not disgrace “the family name”…

    Its a digital galaxy. Ya gotta do what’cha gotta do to survive in this byte-eat-byte world! (That…was…just wrong…I have to come up with better jokes!) :)

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