Contemplating the whole cell phone incident (see previous post), I realized how dependent I am upon this tiny revolutionary invention.  Cell phones have really transformed the way we live and connect with people. 

For instance, I have a number with an area code from Orange County, California.  But I am currently a Washington resident, living permanently in Seattle.  For the summer, I can live in NYC, use the same phone number and talk to 1) Elei, a college friend now living in NYC, 2) Jason who lives in Seattle, but temporarily lived in Tacoma for a rotation, 3) my sister in Orange County, on her way to work at a restaurant, 4) my friends in the Bay Area on their commute home, 5) Nina and my old housemates in D.C., and 6) my friend Ellen who currently (temporarily) lives in Korea, while she works in the design studio.  

With the cell phone, I can live (almost) anywhere and still feel somewhat close to these beloved people.  Without the cell phone, a sense of isolation and distance swept over me... it seemed like this huge gulf lay between me and those folks who were just a phone call away. 

I have to wonder, though - do cell phones really bridge the distance, or do they send us running to the far corners of the earth?  Or a little of both?