Freelancing to Freedom

I decided to take a quick break from editing this morning to text a couple of my friends, but alas, my cell phone would have none of it. I called my cell phone provider to see what the issue was, and it turns out that they’re having technical difficulties and I will be unable to make calls or receive text messages until the problem is resolved. I’m now super antsy and can’t stop worrying about whether my friends will think I’m ignoring them and what important messages I might be missing, even though the messages I sent were meaningless.

I have only had a cell phone for two years. It’s a little scary to think how obsessed I’ve become with it in that short a time. And I know it’s not just me. When I sit in my favourite coffee shop to work, I generally see more people glued to their iPhones and BlackBerries than not.

This got me thinking about technology and editing. The author of the project I’m currently working on offered to send me a printed version of the manuscript so I could do a hard copy edit. I turned it down, however, and told him that it’s much easier for me to just receive manuscripts through email and edit them on screen. What if my computer crashed though? I would have the same helpless feeling I do right now without the use of my cell phone. Obviously the work is backed up, but I would still have to go through the trouble of finding another computer to work on. There’s something to be said for the simplicity of pen and paper or picking up the telephone and meeting someone face to face rather than sending endless text messages or emails.

Just a little rant and food for thought 🙂 I’m going to try to make the best of this no cell phone thing and focus on work and the people around me!