Less wireless

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When I moved into my apartment in February, there was a strong, unprotected wireless signal for me to pick up on. But now, it’s broken. Broken like Shania’s heart. Twenty-four days ago, the signal disappeared, and so during the evenings and weekends, I have been left internet-less.

This is probably a good thing. Having a desk job that requires no responsibility with the exception of answering the phone (that rings approximately 3 times each day – and at least once, it’s a wrong number), I spend 8 hours, Monday through Friday, staring at my computer screen. I check emails as soon as they arrive, I respond to wall posts and blog posts and comments and messages in real time, I read CNN.com and NYTimes.com and dooce.com. I leave work feeling exhausted from all that I’ve DONE, even though I haven’t DONE anything. The cyber world is a dangerous world to get wrapped up in, and something awful is happening to my brain.

My creativity is seeping away. And I am becoming lazy.

Does anyone else feel this way? The internet is a convenient tool, and makes our lives so much easier. But when it takes the place of real-life communication, or gives the brain a quick-fix of instant stimulation or distraction, we wither.

I’m withering.

I am so thankful that it is Friday afternoon, because this means that for 2 glorious days, I will not be sitting in front of a computer. My eyes will be given a break from that terrible glare that causes me to leave work doing a slow-blink. I will bask in the glory of being far-removed from the instant fingertip access that I have to information – information thought up by OTHER minds, and presented to me by OTHER people, and funny stories about OTHER worlds.

This weekend, I will think and create and read and play my guitar and MAYBE interact with real humans. If they’re lucky.

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5 Comments

  1. Christina on June 13, 2008 at 2:27 PM

    They will be very lucky indeed.

  2. marijkejane on June 13, 2008 at 2:28 PM

    I love this!
    You are absolutely correct…

  3. Annie on June 13, 2008 at 3:54 PM

    No you did not just say broken like Shania’s heart.

    You are so Nashville.

    Can we interact like real human beings at a Mexican restaurant on Sunday night after church? That would be great.

  4. kari on June 14, 2008 at 11:30 AM

    run annie run far far away this weekend. while i will miss the new blog there is always post secrets to keep me company on sunday. enjoy a little time off.

  5. Shanna on June 16, 2008 at 10:39 AM

    you have expressed the thing i’ve feared has happened to me over the past year. since i’ve graduated from college and gotten my first “real” job, my first “desk” job, i’m afraid the internet’s been eating my brain… chomping up all of my original thought and creativity.

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