In case you didn’t know this about me, I’m a people person. I believe that the people I meet have something to teach or share with me, and I hope I can offer something to them in return. It is probably for this reason that networking events appeal to me. I always get something out of them whether I make a new friend, discover a new resource I never knew existed, or sometimes I enjoy the delicious appetizers.

Many times I go by myself, and when I get there, I’ll approach someone who is standing on their own and start up a conversation. Other times, I meet people in the parking lot, and we get to know each other while finding the right entrance to the building. When I do this, one of two things happen. Either we become fast friends, or they give nothing but one-word answers, and I quickly find a way to move on to the next victim–I mean person.

Recently, I learned there are six main reasons people network: to find a job, to get more business contacts, to socialize, to pay it forward, to learn something, or to solve a problem. At the last networking event I attended, I met someone in a similar field to me–marketing and communications. I learned that she has a lot of PR experience, something that I need to understand better for my work. She is interested in email marketing, which happens to be my area of expertise. We are meeting for coffee next month. I cannot wait to pick her brain.

Do you like attending networking events? How do you work the room? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

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Have you noticed that downloading an app is necessary for just about everything in our lives? At the risk of sounding like an old lady, I don’t want to download your stupid app. And while I’m on the subject, I don’t want to provide my email or phone number when I buy an outfit at the mall. You are lucky you get my zip code because I’m paying by credit card!

But, I digress. The whole app culture makes me feel like I’ve entered another dimension. How did we ever survive before apps existed? Remember the days when you could earn points by presenting an exclusive membership card, and valuable coupons magically appeared in your mailbox?

Don’t get me wrong. There are some apps I find incredibly useful. Waze is truly a godsend. I just started using Venmo because everyone I know under 35 uses it to pay people, and I got tired of saying I don’t have it. And I admit, I open the Find Your Friends app regularly – although, for my purposes, the name should be changed to the “Find My Kids” app.

However, some apps leave me scratching my head. For instance, SpeedQueen is a popular app that college students use to do their laundry on campus. If you haven’t heard about this yet, this will seriously blow your mind.

Gone are the days of digging for quarters out of the sofa cushions. And the chances of finding your wet clothes on the top of the washing machine because you forgot all about them are significantly reduced.

In order to do her laundry at school, Jenna takes out her phone and selects a washer from the list of machines currently available in her dorm’s laundry room. Once selected, the app automatically deducts $1.25 from her pre-loaded account. Jenna can also set a notification via text or email to let her know when it’s done. She repeats this process for the dryers.

Crazy, right?

Are apps robbing our children of the real-life experiences and struggles we learned from in our youth? This is the type of philosophical question that keeps me up at night. This… and why aren’t they teaching handwriting in schools anymore? I’ll bet there is an app for that too — what a shame.

And this brings me to my question for you — what apps are you grateful for and which ones could you live without?

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“Can I drive to scouts, mom?” Andrew asked with a big grin on his face. He knows I’m nervous about it, but he asks me anyway.

We are teaching our son how to drive. Correction – my husband is teaching him. I’m usually sitting in the backseat with my eyes looking down at my phone the entire time. I am too nervous to watch.

This feeling I have has absolutely nothing to do with how he drives. He is actually a natural at it and, I’m totally impressed. His athletic abilities give him fantastic hand/eye coordination, impeccable reaction time and good instincts. He has only been driving for a short while, but my husband feels entirely comfortable with him at the wheel. They have even ventured onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but not with me in the car.

I’m not the most confident driver in the world, which probably fuels my anxiety over him driving. So, when Andrew asked if he could drive my car to his scout meeting last night, it took me a while to agree.

I had questions. Many questions.

Have you driven in the dark yet?
Are you tired? You’ve been up since 5 am, you know.
It’s getting late. Shouldn’t I just drive so we can get you there on time?

He had reasonable answers for everything. His calm demeanor and adult-like patience were meant to reassure me as if I were the child and he the parent. I handed him my keys, and he ran to the driver’s side of the car before I could change my mind.

I watch him adjust the seat to fit his 5′ 8″ body. He makes a small production of adjusting the mirrors so that I see he is thinking of everything. The four-mile drive to the scout meeting took us through our neighborhood, down one side street, and one main road.

As we turned onto the first street, he forgot to put on his turn signal. I made sure to point it out. He laughed and probably rolled his eyes, but it was dark, so I didn’t see. Did I mention it was dark out?

Further into the drive, he looked over and casually reminded me of the absence of the brake pedal on the passenger side.

“I’m aware of that,” I smiled. “I like to press my foot against the glove compartment sometimes. Okay?” 

The seven minute long car ride was a success. He likes to chat while driving, which made the trip go a little faster. As he talked about school and friends, I listened and told myself he would not be distracted by our conversation. I drive and talk to people all the time. This was no different.

We made it to our destination safe and sound, as I knew we would. He congratulated me on not freaking out along the way. I give a quick thanks to God and switched places with Andrew. I promised him I would let him again, and maybe this time with fewer questions beforehand.

It’s a process. 🙂

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