Sometimes…
(Well, hello! I think I gained around 30 new readers practically over night! I’m extremely happy you’re here and reading what I have to say. Just to give my new readers a bit of background: my newlywed husband and Iāwe’ve only been married two monthāare in the early stages of a deployment, which brings me to this lovely post. Thanks for reading!)
Sometimes I really hate technology. I hate the power and control it holds over me.
Long ago, before cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail, and Skype, there was only one way of communicating while your soldier was deployed, and it was with a good ol’ fashioned piece of paper and a pen. Husbands and wives would sit down and write each other letters, and that handwritten letter would be sent overseas and arrive the person’s mailbox.
I can only imagine the anticipation of waiting for the postman each day to see if he was delivering you a letter. When I think about it I can see the wife ripping open the letter and reading the entire thing without even moving an inch away from the mailbox; I can see the rest of her world melting away as she focuses on the letters written on the piece of paper. And if she didn’t receive a letter that day? I can see her being momentarily sad, but then she could go about her day until the postman arrived the next day.
But that’s not how it is today.
I’m only nine days into this deployment and I’m already a slave to my cell phone, iTouch, and computer. We figured out a way for him to text my cell phone from his iTouch so he can tell me to get online so we can Skype. Only, that simple process of sending a few texts takes around a half hour for all of the communication to go through. Then, by the time we both get online, either Skype isn’t working or there’s limited bandwidth and the connection is lost multiple times. We’ll try making it work for another half hour or soāsometimes longerāand in the end we usually call it quits, because one of us is too tired to keep tryingāremember, it’s usually the early hours of the morning for one of us.
The anticipation of getting *thisclose* to talk to him, but having it inevitably fall through is emotionally draining.
I have more to say on this topicālike what happens when they say they’ll be online, or call, at or around a certain time, so you sit idly by for hours hoping to hear from them, only to finally give up hope and go about your businessābut I’m writing this at 11 pm, because I woke up at 6 am by a text to get online, and I’m exhausted now.
My point is that I’m greedy and would like it to be all or nothing. While I love seeing his name pop up on my computer, I never know if it’ll work, so I get my hopes up, only to be let down a little bit later.
Sometimes I really hate technology. But other times, like last night while I was halfway through writing this, I really love it. My husband got online and we were able to instant message each other for quite awhile. I guess it’s more of a love/hate relationship.
(And if you’re reading this, Kenny, even though I just wrote an entire blog about how I hate being attached to my computer, let’s keep trying to make Skype or some other video work, because it’s been awhile since I’ve heard your voice and seen your face, and I really miss it. And I’d rather be tired all day and lose sleep if it means being able to talk to you for a little bit.)
Don't know if it helps or not, but my husband and I have had constant problems with Skype so we use yahoo messenger which you can use with a webcam as well. It's worked great for us, and it's free. Hang in there Jess! Hopefully you guys find what method works best for you – we did, it took awhile, but eventually we figured out the best way to communicate.
My husband and I had a tough time with Skype during the deployment. Either I could be on or he could be on but never both of us — the bandwidth never held up. With that said, Skype was a huge luxury for us.
We mainly relied on emails and I was fortunate enough to get calls sporadically. I think the best way to avoid feeling let down by contact or connection issues is to cherish every moment that you have. I hated that my husband and I only got to chat for five minutes here and there, but those five minutes would get me through the day! š
My friend uses a magic jack and has had great success with it.
Hopefully you guys can find an easy and successful way to communicate. š Good luck!
Even though I love technology I really wish people still wrote letters. I think there's nothing more special someone can do in a relationship than to sit down and write a handwritten letter.
Thanks for your sweet comments on my blog! So glad you stopped by, I just love it when people comment!
It took a while for my husband and I to work out the kinks in skype and email and texting…You'll get there. We also wrote letters…only a few b/c snail mail was sooo slow, but I'll cherish them forever:)
I totally understand! I lived with either my blackberry in my hand or my computer in my lap while my husband was deployed. Looking back on it, it was probably unhealthy for me to be so "connected," but I didn't want to miss the chance to hear from him.
We have the same issues with skype, too — usually having to do with HIS bandwidth connection — people gaming or downloading movies. Actually seeing each other is a luxury, but we've been getting by with e-mails. Before he left, I told him he had to write me every day, even just to tell me he had a good day and was going to bed. Now, we are getting into the halfway point, and the e-mails are getting longer and longer — and I love them. Some days, when I'm feeling disconnected from him, I'll go through and re-read the e-mails we've sent each other, and it's a real comfort. But everyone here is right, you have to find what works for you! (I KNOW what you mean about the misfires — I still get upset when I miss a phonecall or Skype isn't working!!)
Sounds like you're struggling with the rough time! I feel for ya! Hubby and I weren't married during the last deployment, but I went through the same frustrations with trying to communicate with him online via skype or by him using Gmail to text me. Ugh!