I wasn't a fan of the show when it started but the first guy I dated really got me hooked on it. One of the few good things to come from that relationship. Curling up on the sofa with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha has been like getting in touch with some old friends.
Actually, it's the friendship between these women that I find fascinating. They live their own lives yet are so interconnected with one another. As many friends as we can say we have on Facebook, how many of us actually have friendships like these women?
Each television series is a glimpse into the time period in which they were created. Sex in the City isn't really that old of a show, yet so much has changed. The most striking thing I notice when I watch this show is how much the girls talk to each other on the phone. Think about it... how often do you really have a long conversation on the phone anymore? Probably not often... or at least not as often as you did a decade ago.
My friend Katie and I were just discussing this in the break room the other day. We all know someone who is the exception -- that person who is ALWAYS talking on their cell, usually in public where we don't want to hear their conversation. For most of us though, we don't gab on the phone anymore -- it's all texting. I find it much easier to send a simple text message and get a reply than picking up the phone and engaging someone in conversation. Though I admit this about myself, I must also admit that it is... well... wrong.
Texting certainly has its advantages but it has also weakened our own communication skills (not to mention devolving our spelling and use of the English language). People don't know how to TALK to one another or even hold a conversation. People are so used to texting back and forth ALL DAY with what might amount to a few paragraphs of text - but put them on the phone and the conversation comes to a screeching halt within two minutes. What intimidates us about a telephone call?
Despite my love of classic rotary phones (which I am proud to boast that despite being technology impaired, I can use land-line free on a daily basis via my cell phone - thanks to a miraculous bluetooth router), I rarely actually use the phones. I think I dust them more than I actually talk with them. Except for calls to and from my Mom, my phone rarely rings. To be honest, I'd love to have friends who aren't just close like Carrie and the girls when hanging out at a restaurant or enjoying drinks, but who gab on the phone from time to time... just to check in... sharing the laughs and the warmth of a human voice across the miles.
Don't you miss that too?
Still, as much as I lament chatting on the phone... if it were to ring right now, the first thing that would pop into my head would be - "why the hell are they calling me?". -- I'll have to work on that and maybe "reach out and touch someone" more often.
