I, like thousands of other Americans, am enamored with my BlackBerry. I get e-mails and texts instantly. I can browse the web while waiting for the kids to get out of school. I can look up an address or phone number should I get lost. I get Facebook status updates regularly. And, in my world of little adult contact, these things make me feel connected to other people.
Barak Obama is also, like thousands of other Americans, enamored with his BlackBerry. Months ago he was told that he would have to surrender his beloved mobile device once he took the oath of office. There are too many security risks, he was told. But like any other BlackBerry lover he responded by saying, “They’re going to have to pry it from my hands.” I know exactly how he feels!
But today I’ve been reading multiple reports that he will indeed get to keep his BlackBerry(or some similar device that has been cleared by his security people). This probably isn’t a big deal to those of you who don’t really get the texting-emailing thing…but for those of you who eat, sleep and live with your phone by your side, you understand. It’s a small victory for Obama, but an important one. His situation is very different than mine, but we’re both in a way cut off from other people. Without that mode of contact, he’d be stranded in a very lonely oval office-stuck only with staff members and his closest family members. I’m sure those peole are great, but sometimes you just want to read for yourself the latest celebrity gossip(me) or check the latest basketball scores(Obama) without having to ask someone else.
Good luck, Mr. President. I hope they really do let you keep your phone. Just don’t do anything stupid like leave it in the bathroom! 🙂
