Family Games in the 21st Century

Last night, my brother Kevin, his wife Dawn and 14-year-old daughter Caroline came to our house to wait for their son in the Navy to land at the Columbus airport. While his flight was delayed and delayed again, we decided to play a fun game we got for Christmas. The thing is, the boys were gone, and we really needed another teenager to make the game more fun for Caroline. That's when we got on the computer and called Grace on Skype. We set the computer in front of a chair with the camera facing the game board so she could play too.

Do you see her on the screen there? Whenever it was Grace's turn, we held up the cards for her to make her choice then answer a question.
It may not have been as much fun for Grace as it was for us. I imagine it was a bit confusing as everyone talked and Kevin took the dog outside and we laughed at things that she couldn't see because the camera was facing the game board.
Still, it was almost like having her there with us.
Earl won by the way.

The Future Is Now

It happened this morning: that moment that I've been dreading and hoping for since I watched The Jetsons as a kid.
I sat in front of my computer grading essays and listening to NPR, a blanket wrapped around me because I couldn't warm up after my seven-mile morning run. I had showered and scrunched some gel into my hair. I'd bypassed the makeup and moisturizer, and my hair curled in spikes around my head when a screen popped up on the computer.
"Video Call" from Skype.
"Oh, crap," I thought.
I looked awful and I was about to have a screen conversation with my friend Sheila in Milan.
Now, I have no problem meeting Sheila to walk or have coffee before I shower, but sitting and staring at each other's face in a phone call is different.
I could have pushed the answer button and skipped the video, but I knew Sheila would give me a hard time about that. So I pushed the video button too, and there was Sheila in a Milan hotel room.
"Wow. You're curly," she said, being polite about my appearance.
The real problem with video calling is that, in addition to seeing the caller's face, I see my own the whole time too. Frankly, I looked haggard. I don't want to look at my face for a 15-minute phone call.

I enjoyed the chat with Sheila, and her daughter Bethany the international model, even added a few comments as we were talking about the Duomo, transportation, and the expensive gelato.
As soon as we hung up, I straightened my bangs and added a little makeup, just in case I get another Video Call and must look nice for the conversation.
I wonder if Bethany will have to be extra worried about how she looks before she answers a video call? Probably not, since she is captured on video and the internet in makeup and clothes like these: