CL Pauwels at Large

Sleek, high-tech, glass and steel Internet of Things (IoT), or wood and cotton and unplugged nature? “Feeling like a fool” might be a little strong, and while my daily conundrum isn’t quite as dramatic (or maudlin) as Mary McGregor’s song, it’s an oftimes awkward challenge.

Hubby and I are geeks. Granted, I’m an amateur compared to his uber-geek status, but I’m up there with the best of us. But we’re also nature lovers and tree huggers and artisans. Sometimes those things peacefully coexist, and sometimes not.

We’re wrapping up a years-long journey of watching every Star Trek episode ever televised, from the original series (TOS, in Trek-speak) through Next Generation (ST: NG), Deep Space Nine (DS9), Voyager, and now Enterprise (just finished Season 2, episode 20). The latest iteration, Discovery, is so far out of canon that it doesn’t even bear mentioning except to say three episodes was more than enough.

We quote Star Trek and Star Wars and Firefly (our grandson is named Malcolm, after Captain Mal) – but also John Muir and Thoreau and the Buddha. Neil de Grasse Tyson gets as much airtime in our house as Emerson..a lot!

We have three laptops, a desktop computer that runs multiple operating systems, a tablet, a Fitbit, two smartphones, and a Google television we use to Chromecast streaming Internet, Spotify, and Netflix.

Yet we raise chickens for eggs (not butchering), maintain an organic garden, and usually eat vegetarian at least once a week.

We debate artificial intelligence (AI), self-driving cars, and speak out against security-vulnerable voting machines. Working remotely is fantastic, and we both teach online (I also work onsite, so the ideal is still a dream), but while he is a YouTube fanatic, I shun online videos. Just give me the words to read!

I bake all our bread – by hand, no machine! – and Hubby does woodworking and clock repair.

We march in social justice protests and stand in peace vigils, while Hubby teaches hacking skills/detection and penetration testing to IT professionals and the military.

I write novels published in paperback and as ebooks, yet I rarely if ever use my Nook and Hubby’s Kindle collects dust. As much as we appreciate and protect trees, when it comes to reading, we both prefer dead-tree format.

We compost and recycle and repurpose. We walk and bike throughout our small village instead of driving whenever possible, yet long for travel across the country and around the world.

I’m a social media junky (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Slack, Pinterest, Google Hangouts…), but I struggle to break free from the FOMO. As I write this, it’s Douglas Adams’ birthday (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). And on far too many days, I need to dig for the towel he admonishes us to always have handy. I yearn to imitate his Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal and hide from the world. Thoreau’s Walden calls to me.

Anyone else find all that odd, or am I panicking for nothing?

Not that I would ever do such a thing…