Thursday: Liberto has been in Venezuela since Saturday, but every evening we click onto Skype and connect across thousands of miles via computer webcam. In the background, behind Liberto's smiling face, I can see Mama's scrupulously gleaming clean kitchen, which makes me imagine I can smell cafe au lait through the screen. I can also see the sisters moving around in the background. Papa doesn't come to the computer very often because walking is painful for him. But when he does come, he's upbeat and joking. Both he and Mama love when Paul jumps on camera and says a few words in Spanish.
The webcam connection is a vast improvement over old-fashioned blind telephone conversations. But I don't like seeing myself on camera in the corner of the screen. This particular camera is not only NOT flattering but does its best to make me look hideous and distorted. Not to mention exhausted, which I am, but must the camera pick up every droop of my eyes?
Isn't technology grand, though? I'm old enough to remember when a long distance call was a big deal, very expensive, and usually done on "person-to-person" status. But now! I take the dog for a walk through the neighborhood and dial up Shawn in Arizona or Diana in Colorado on my cell phone in seconds, and speak to them as though they were walking along next to me in the woods. The next level, the webcam, is terrific. When I can see Liberto and the family, it doesn't feel as though he's out of the country at all.
Time to go to bed. I'll write more on the weekend.
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