Twitterlog 2009-07-13

• My 3yo on public display of affection: “That’s percusting.” #
• Blog search hit of the day: “spell the sound of sticking out your tongue.” #
• Jane’s new dentist, upon seeing us enter, en masse, w/ double stroller & baby in sling: “Good Lord, it’s a preschool.” #

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Twitterlog 2009-07-06

• OH I AM STEAMED. Towing company tried to cheat us on mileage, more than double the correct mileage/price. They’ve not heard the last of me. #
• Scott’s car died on commute home. Tow truck driver claimed mileage is gauged by GPS, not his odometer. AND tried to use wrong location. #
• Looks like the littles & I will be without wheels today. Not a problem; home is nice. We have big plans to blow bubbles. # (more…)

Twitterlog 2009-06-29

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Twitterlog 2009-06-22

• OK. We are climbing out of this virus at last. Not better yet, but getting there. The upswing is a much better place to be. #
• Reading Chocolate Unwrapped by Rowan Jacobsen. Am committing to eating a serving of dark chocolate every day. For health reasons, you know. #

(more…)

Twitterlog 2009-06-15

• Two hours of sleep? Is not enough. #
• Today? Agley. #

(more…)

Twitterlog 2009-06-08

Bwah? Why, hello, Twitterlog! You’ve been AWOL for what, over a month? Why did you suddenly decide to reappear?

Well, I’m glad to have the record for the blog, but a post this long is just ridiculous. Let’s bump you off the front page, shall we? (more…)

Twitterlog March 9-20

3/9

• Beanie and Rilla march into the room hand in hand. “We’re going on a long and perilous journey to seek a nice monster who’ll growl at us.”

3/10

• Today’s readaloud interrupted by 1 leaky diaper, 2 bouts of spit-up, 2 toddler squabbles, 1 desperate need for snack, 1 agonizing tiny bruise. (more…)

Twitterlog 2009-03-08

Favorite twittered moment this week: “I have just been informed that Rilla is ‘Daddy’s dust mote and Beanie’s polka dot.’ ” (more…)

Twitter vs. Email: A Revelation

I was updating my contact page just now and found myself writing “for the fastest response, try Twitter.” I wondered why that would be the case—why am I more likely to reply immediately to a tweet or DM, but it can take me weeks, months even, to respond to my email?

(I know: weeks, months, that’s ridiculous. But if you’ve written me, you know it’s true. Oftentimes, the more important the email—the more attention I’d like to give to the reply—the longer the delay.)

Then I realized: it’s Twitter’s 140-character limit that spurs me to the immediate response. It’s short and sweet, just the facts ma’am. If someone has a question, I can answer it likethat.

A thoughtful and well written email is better than a quick tweet, of course. I’m not saying I’d want to ditch email entirely—heavens no. I relish a nice long letter from a friend or reader. I love writing nice fat letters back.  I wouldn’t want to confine my side of any correspondence to a tweet-sized box. But for a quick answer to a simple question? There’s a kind of liberty within the stricture of the form.

(Is that the same reason people are so fond of haiku?)

I had already fallen in love with Twitter as a source of quick answers. Throw a question into the twitstream and the answers leap at you like flying fish. Solid answers, too; keepers. But I hadn’t thought about the converse, before: that if you have a question for me, catching me on Twitter may be your best bet for an immediate answer.

I would love to explore this thought further but I have a boatload of email to answer.