Features

	The return of print media August 2006

Query: Am I simple? Am I backward? I don't understand why it is that cell phone users never check their messages, no matter how clear it is that there's a message waiting. At least I assume that any machine called a phone that lets you handle your e-mail, make short films, and doubles as a date book has some kind of standard function that alerts one to messages. What is that about? Is it a cell phone thang and I wouldn't understand because I don't own one? Isn't it rude not to check those messages before making a call back?

--Cranky on Columbia

Carrie: I hear you, and yes it is annoying. In fact, if the people returning your calls know that you don't have a cell phone, they're in for avoidable disappointments when they miss you and/or the change of plans that you clearly and carefully enunciated into their voice mail. It seems that the visual cuing associated with looking at one's number on a small, phone-type screen is so powerful that one's thumb can only hit the dial button.

No one of my current acquaintance actually listens to their messages, unless as an act of last recourse. I've gotten to the point where I hang up just after the instructional message plays on the other end. My friends know that I've called, and I know that they'll call me back to find out what's going on. If I'm leaving the house and want them to know what's up, I quickly e-mail them. Ironic how print media is coming back into vogue as being most convenient and reliable, isn't it?

Query: I don't want to go back to school this year. My teacher last year is my teacher this year, and she hates me. She really, really hates me. She was mean to me last year, and she'll be mean to me this year. My stomach hurts thinking about it. It's ruining my whole summer. Should I run away from home, or convince my dad to move or what?

-- Panicked on Piney Branch

Carrie: You don't have to run away, or move, or even develop a wasting disease to solve this one. It will take some work on your part, and on the part of your parent/s. Is your dad already aware of your unfortunate classroom assignment? You'll want him in your corner for this undertaking; in fact, you'll need him for this process. You'll also need to make an appointment with the guidance counselor as a first step, making certain the appointment is at a time when your dad can attend.

Before the appointment, document instances of your teacher responding poorly to you, or treating you in an unfair, unkind, or different manner than she does the rest of the class. Ask your father, and your friends to help you remember when specific incidents occurred. Write these down, as clearly and factually as you can. They will help the guidance counselor understand your concern and reluctance about the coming school year. If what you share with the guidance counselor isn't convincing, find out what s/he would consider as sufficient evidence. You may spend the beginning of the school year in that classroom, but you'll be able to transfer somewhere less stressful if you can take responsibility for tracking current problems created for you by this teacher.

Query: My partner likes the thermostat set on Flash Chill. I like to enjoy some of the variations of temperature in the seasons, and minimize the systemic shock created by a 30 degree difference between the indoors and the out. How or what can we do to survive our summers together. I'm tired of wearing a sweater when half the country is perishing in a record-breaking heat wave.

-- Frozen on Freemont

Carrie: Perhaps your partner lacks an adequate summer wardrobe. Around the house, that may mean loose shorts and tank tops with flip flops. First be certain that he's got the right clothes. After that, see if you can find him somewhere to work/play/study on the lowest level of the house--where the air is naturally cooler. Move him from the south side of the house, to the north to lessen his sense of the heat. Shady rooms, or any rooms without direct light, feel cooler because of the eye's perception. If he ordinarily hangs out on the top floor, shift him to a freshened up spot in the basement. Once he's attired and situated to maximize his exposure to cool air, you can start experimenting with regions of the thermostat somewhere between his version of 'cool enough' and yours.

    You may both be pleased with how painless the compromise can be using simple techniques like these. Similarly, you should be spending more of your time on the top floors of the house in order to take advantage of the warmth accumulated there. Set the thermostat half way between his ideal and yours and you can fine tune from there.