Who and where would I be without the internet? I was just thinking about it and realized there really isn't anything I do that isn't aided by the internet in some aspect. I don't know what to think about that (considering my general aversion to humans being plugged into electronics all the time). Be clear...I fought getting on the internet. We got connected in 1994. Back in the days when I didn't know anyone who was connected or even what "connected" meant. When we got connected, there really wasn't much to see. Not that I didn't immediately get hooked on chat rooms, just saying...the internet was only a series of bulletin boards and chat rooms. Amazon (or any other shopping site) did not exist. I think gaming started happening before the shopping, I don't know. All I know is it pretty much consisted of chat through AOL. Does AOL even exist anymore?
And now? How would I live without it? I know I did live without it, as evidenced by the fact I was 21 when it came around, but really...how did I live? When I consider its impact on my life and who I've become and what I am capable of doing, it's astounding. Really.
Just for example, today...
I became a Boy Scout. Believe me, nobody is more surprised about this than I. Really. At any rate...the internet. I didn't have to go be in anyone's presence (Thank God.) and in a matter of an hour, it was done. So...now I am ready?
(Is it just me or is it really odd they put "suitable for framing" on the certificate that says I passed the child abuse training? Who would frame this? Why?)
The whole reason I became a Boy Scout is because my child is behind in his merit badge earning. Who knew such a thing was going to be all complicated? There's this whole process before he can even start. Like locating a counselor for whichever one he wants to do. Umm...yeah. I just decided to become a counselor and we are moving on.
Applying for "counselor" is a process. You have to provide an explanation of how you are qualified to oversee each badge you are applying for. Turns out, I'm qualified for all of them. Duh? O.K...maybe not all. But thanks to the internet, I'm capable of most of them. They only let you apply to do 8 initially.
At any rate...Eagle, here I come. Yay.
I'm making progress on the scarf. I taught myself how to knit from youtube.
I got a free pattern off of Ravelry. The original was knit in a solid and looked nothing like this. I'm intrigued as to how this actually happened, but I like it.
I knit on my porch. I rescreened this porch after reading about how to do it on the internet. And then I built that table and chairs from a pattern I found on the internet. That Japanese Maple in the background? I rooted it from an existing tree with directions from the internet.
My job? It all started from the internet. I didn't go to school to be a teacher. I started out in the world of tech. ed. with a freelance job (funded by the National Science Foundation) researching and building a digital library for educators. Later, I figured out how to finagle my way into a teaching job using the internet. Of course, later, I did go to school to get some piece of paper that says "education" on it. On the internet.
I just discovered today that I have been qualified for a license at the lowest level of social work for the past 16 years. I didn't actually know that. I suspected there would be a way to finagle my way in if I wanted to do so, but I didn't realize I already had enough to just take the test and pay the license fee. So guess what I'm doing? Trying to figure out if there would be any advantage to doing that (getting the license). On the internet.
