A New Kind of Amish

I spent 3 days in Chicago last week.  I was there to celebrate the new year and see good friends, but something else happened while I was there too, something that opened my eyes to the ways of the modern world.  It happened when I was sitting on the bus to the Planetarium.  I looked around and everyone was on their phones, but not just any phones--their SMARTphones.  My friend Jamie has one too, so I was literally surrounded by a sea of them.  I assumed people were checking their emails and facebook accounts, but they were also researching directions (where to get off the bus, when to pick up the next bus, etc.).  Jamie says, "If you move to Chicago, you will HAVE to get a Smartphone.  I don't think I could get around without one". 

Meanwhile across the Atlantic, Andrea just received a kindle for Christmas (which is actually kind of perfect for her because she reads and travels so much and the kindle is wonderfully compact.)  Nevertheless, I find myself wondering how long it will be until the paperback book is extinct.  Are the kids of the future not going to know the feel of paper between their fingers?

This has all led me to my GRAND STATEMENT.  I've hit my technology limit.  I don't want anymore.  I'm cool with computers and google and cell phones, but I will not accept the smartphone or the kindle.  I'm a new kind of amish.