Are We There Yet?

My friend's and I celebrating the release of the last Harry Potter movie. A completely media driven fantasy which we whole heartedly wish was reality. Photo by Tom Meyer.

My family has always loved to travel. Whether we’re skiing in Canada, sailing in the British Virgin Islands or spending a summer week in the Michigan woods, family vacations have made up some of the best moments in my life. One of the things that I find interesting about traveling is the anticipation and anxiety that occurs on they way to your destination. As children, my brother Scott, and I would get super worked up about getting to our vacation spot and almost always hound our parents with that wonderful question: are we there yet? My poor parents struggled to keep us entertained and fights over radio Disney versus the oldies station always broke out in the car. These countless hours were always spent in misery, as you can see in the photo I took of Scott in the car, until my parents discovered books on tape.

Books on tape not only revolutionized the family car tip dynamic, but also turned me into a major Harry Potter fan. My parents bought “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” on tape for our road trip to North Carolina and thus the Harry Potter obsession began. Instead of wishing we could get out of the car as soon we parked at a rest stop, Scott and I would refuse to even unbuckle our seatbelts at a gas station and would raise our voices in protest anytime my parents turned off the book on tape. While literally traveling through reality on the highway, my mind was completely immersed in the wizarding world. The sound of Jim Dale’s enchanting voice enticing my imagination to expand beyond the billboards and cornfields that flew by around me.

My family continued buying the books on tape for the rest of the series even as the technology changed from tape to CD. Bonding over the tales of Harry Potter on the way to vacation was just as highly anticipated as the actual vacation due to this alternate reality, which we could escape to as a family. Once we actually reached our destination, the media experience did not stop. I have been taking an annual winter ski vacation the week after Christmas since I was three years old. Along with all of the amazing skiing, the time spent with with my family and friends and the celebration of the New Year, I also always associate these vacations with football.

Unless you happen to be an avid football fan, you probably don’t realize exactly how many bowl games there really are during the holiday season. Last year there were thirty-five bowl games in total. When I was younger, my post skiing routine went something like this: sit in a steaming hot tub, take a shower, snuggle up with my family, a blanket, popcorn, hot chocolate and the television. The television was our portal to the football world. Any commentary, score or game we wanted to watch could instantly be found by flipping the channel. Even the games I didn’t particularly care about had me glued to the television.

When I was too young to have a cell phone I remember my Dad texting his friends throughout the game. Watching him yell at some player, or in reality the T.V. for making a stupid play and then immediately grab is phone to see what his friends back home thought about it made me want to enter the world of the cell phone even more. When I was old enough, at the beginning of eighth grade, my parents gave me a cell phone for my Birthday. I remember using it for completely different reasons while lying on the couch and watching football with my family. Instead of using it to connect to others about the various games, I used it to escape the boredom of commercials. Texting friends randomly or playing games usually did the trick seeing as the smart phone, facebook and twitter were ideas that were only just taking off.

From books on tape (CD) leading to my obsession with Harry Potter to my very first cell phone interactions during a bowl game, different media have definitely played a major role in shaping my life.