This morning I blogged about way the digital and face-to-face worlds are increasingly intertwining. The context was a major IT and education conference. Little did I know that I’d return to this theme in a far more personal sense.
I’m writing this post from the emergency room of Porter Hospital, about 40 minutes from my home. As you can see from the photo, I’m a patient. Porter staff are working like inspired, kind demons to fix me up.
Yesterday I was in another hospital for a couple of highly…
intrusive procedures. Things seemed to go well until early this morning, when they didn’t.
Things went very badly indeed. I’ll spare you all the amazing Cronenbergian medical details, except for saying man! that’s a lot of blood. As a Gothic lit person, I am professionally fascinated.
Porter has WiFi, and while it’s on I can get some work done. So between bouts of unmentionable things, I can reply to emails, work on presentations, write up that report, use social media, and conduct my morning research, as best I can.
So let me share three observations about this sudden, strange story.
First, about that intertwined physical and digital: enough with the “online world is destroying human interactions”. Enough with it, I say! I have received so much emotional support via these supposedly inhuman and inhumane devices. From Twitter, from Facebook, from email have come expressions of kindness, wisdom, welcome sick humor, offers of favors, and more than I can probably process all at once. This is an essential part of the online world, friends, and we’re nuts if we don’t not only acknowledge, but celebrate it.
Second, about this seemingly mad work ethic: reader, know that I love what I do very much, and work very hard at it. This means you’ll find me typing away on ferries crossing bays, or on planes crossing oceans, or in cars bumping on awful roads, at all hours of the day. Bryan energetically typing between intubations (oh yes) is what it means for me to be passionate about my work.
Third: my wife took the photo on this post. She’s an amazing person in general, and has been the soul of generosity and wisdom in keeping me going. I couldn’t do this without her, without her love. I love you very much, Ceredwyn.
…and that’s all for now. I’ll return to blogging depending on when and where various procedures occur.
All best, dear readers.
Well put, Bryan. It makes perfect sense that the way being constantly connected affects you depends on whether those connections lead to more people demanding things from you that stress you out, or more people sharing things with you that make your life better. Having already offered you sympathy in another of those many connection mediums, here I’ll thank you for sharing this slice of insight. And for not sharing, um, more of it. 😉
I really appreciate the sentiments, Joy, both here and on Facebook.
Glad you’re well enough to engage with us here – hope you’re already a lot better. And it’s great to realize that, when we’re sick, we can take our friends and our world with us into the ER and hospital. Isolation was always the worst part of a hospital visit.
Very true.
My father’s spending too much time in these facilities, and lacks the practice of being online with mobile devices. I keep calling him to mitigate that isolation.
Dear Bryan, What a wonderful man you are, with lot of courage and enthusiasm. I pray the Almighty for your good health. With warm regards, Zahid H. KhanNew Delhi, India
That means a great deal to me, Zahid. Many thanks.
From one bleeding inpatient blogger to another, I agree. I, too, have been connected professionally and personally via the WWW and it has provided great comfort to me. Please get well soon! Many good wishes to Ceredwyn.
Thank you. Duly passed on.
Get better soon! And stop bleeding, no matter how fascinating it is!
Thanks, Carl.
So far the bleeding is… appropriate.
Eew! And thanks for saving us the gruesome details. Much love from the White Light Brigade here in Eugene. You are in our hearts and minds!
Thank you, Oregon team. Much appreciated.
Speedy healing, Bryan!
Thank you, Dainis.
Glad you are getting so much good love and good care, and best wishes for good recovery.
Thanks, Susan. The love makes all the difference.
Hope you feel better soon and get to go home..
I did. Whew.
Thank you for the thoughts.
Take care my friend!
Thanks, Zach.
That’s the funny thing – they aren’t devices. They’re people with devices. Best wishes for better health!
Isn’t that a fascinating shift? We see the devices and they blot out the persons.
It’s vital to recall the person behind the digital.
Goodness gracious! Take care and keep blogging! We would miss you online, as that is where all our friends are these days…..
Doing my best, ma’am.
Geez, Bryan! Feel better already. You’re such a celeb, maybe we can get the BERN to come by for a visit!
That would be fun. Thank you.
No way!! Take care and so glad IRL and NIRL are one 🙂
Thank you for this powerful stream of affections, my friends!
this person with a device came late to reading the news (and then digitally distracted) is glad to see you in good humor and blogging.
I’m delighted to see you here, Vanessa.
Sorry I missed this until now but I hope you are well on the mend. As somebody who cherishes your work I am grateful for the energy and love you put into even the smallest tweet. Be well!
You’re very kind. Thank you for the kind wishes.
Good lord, man! I’m glad Ceredwyn is on duty and presumably will bop you on the head when it’s time to put the computer down for a few minutes. As someone whose husband’s just done his unexpected and unwelcome hospital visit, I know what it’s like – feel better soon and take care of yourself!
Ceredwyn is heroic. Thanks, Judith, and see you in a few months.
We’ve just met and very briefly Brian, then just now I discovered your post from a tweet that someone I am following sent you, someone that I didn’t even know knew you, someone I became friends with playing “a game” . Such is the Web, Human. 🙂
Best wishes from Cairo Brian. Get well soon and take care.
Which game, my new Egyptian friend?
World of Warcraft
Cool!
It’s weird, but I’ve never really played WoW. I know about it, and have tons of friends who play. Just never had the right opportunity.
I am not a big gamer but I started playing for a course on Teaching and Learning in Virtual Worlds. I fell in love with it and I am still playing :). I’ve been playing for over 3 years now and I never play without thinking Performance Management, Education, Coaching, Communication, Motivation.. The Performance Management and Education part is huge. It is not a perfect system but I keep thinking that with some tweaking it can be much better for Edu and Business. Every time I play I see what J P Gee says here http://www.skatekidsonline.com/parents_teachers/Good_Video_Games_and_Good_Learning_Updated.pdf . I think one of the tangible features of the game that brings in many of that together is the Achievement Board http://bit.ly/1ktzIoE . Do you get the idea that I love the game? 🙂 I love the design, the thinking and the psychology behind it and wish it is used in Ed. and Business.
hmmm I think I will copy this into a draft on my blog.. Need to expand a bit 🙂
I hope you’re feeling much better now and apologies for this long response.
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