Girl on the Brink: Surviving Desperate Times with Desperate Measures

It was a dream in the 1970s to create the world’s first paperless office where information moved with electrons and people didn’t have to print things out. But it didn’t work out that way, even with all the electronic gizmos on the market today.

However, the paperless romance is alive and well, or should I say here to stay.

All my flirtations—the tweets, emails, text messages, Facebook status updates—are virtual. The only paper that figures into romance anymore is the Valentine’s Day card.

But the downside to the paperless romance is when it’s over. It leaves no trace. There’s no box of perfumed, or lipstick-blotted, letters. All I have to do if an infatuation goes sour is hit a few keys on my keyboard and cellphone, sending all my words of love into a giant scattering of bits and bytes.

When I broke up with my sailor boyfriend last winter, I had set up a separate email account to communicate with him.

I finally deleted the entire account and all of the pictures on my hard drive and cellphone. I also eliminated his picture as my cellphone screen shot and took him off my T-mobile Fav Five account.

I even nixed his special ring tone and got rid of anything else that reminded me of him, including a very nice plaid shirt that I had sent back to him and to which he sent back to me. I still can’t figure that one out.

I certainly don’t want any electronic emotional and visual triggers hanging out on my computer, the Internet or apartment. Thank god we never confirmed each other as friends on Facebook. I don’t want to be his friend after being blown off in such a tacky manner. Yes, over email—and after nearly two years.

In anticipation of getting laid-off, I think keeping a “green” office is also a good idea. First, it does save trees, and second you’re saved from the embarrassment of cleaning out your office and stepping off the elevator with a cardboard box full of all your stuff.

If there’s anything worth saving, your thumb drive should be your saviour.