My Divided Attention

My Rockumentary writing is, in general, not very inspired.  This is usually because I am multi-tasking while composing these entries.  I apologize for this.  I do dislike it when a person is not giving me their full attention.  There's nothing worse than talking to someone who is also reading texts, right?  I'm guilty of this myself.  I apologize to anyone who has told me a story only to have me glance at my phone in the middle of it.

We've got too much information coming at us.  And I love it.

I'm not going to complain about the constant distractions and conversations that are flowing our way at all times.  I love it.  I will complain, however, about the way people sometimes handle these portable computers, these hi-tech walky-walkies.

I have an iPhone.  It's one of my favorite things.  There, I said it.  But listen to this.  That phone's ringer is turned off 90% of the time.  It'll vibrate if someone calls or texts but it won't ring.  Nobody else in the, say, restaurant will be disturbed by my machine.  I might take it out and see who's contacting me.  I certainly will not start talking on it in a restaurant etc. 

I also will not talk on it while I'm driving.  I am 100% incapable of holding a conversation on the phone and driving well at the same time.  It has nothing to do with having my hands free or not.  There is a part of my brain that, while converting phone conversations, shuts off the other parts of my brain.  I don't know if this is true for others or not, but as an observant pedestrian, I can with-out-a-doubt tell you that the drivers who usually almost hit me happen to be talking on their phones.  Maybe they are talking to the person who hired them to run me over.  Maybe...

The point is that full attention is a rarity these days, isn't it?  It's only going to become harder and harder to come by, too.  Even as I write this, trying to concentrate, I have other browser windows open.  I've answered three emails between sentences.

Maybe this is why I like playing shows so much.  At a good show, when the band is really on, I'm focused on very few things.  I'm focused on singing, playing, and listening and I'm focused on what song is next and how the audience seems to be doing (getting tired, getting inspired, what's required of me as the host?).  My phone is off.  Hopefully, there are no TV screens in view.  It's just us and the lights and the faces.  That's at good shows.

I know I'm, as an audience member, at a good show when I feel no distractions either.  I don't feel the need to check the time or the email or to glance around the room.  A good performance will grab onto my full attention and remind me how nice it is to just do one thing.

Anyway, thank you for your attention.  I'll try to make reading this thing worth your while.  I'll tr...hold on...text coming in...Brian's got another idea for a line of T-Shirts.  I gotta go.