03.25.07
Getting My Fix
Well, I did it. 24 consecutive hours (actually, 30) with no significant computer usage (debit-card scanners don’t count, right?). Shutdown Day was a great success for me.
For your information, I did NOT start rolling around in and splashing the internets all over myself at midnight. ….I was asleep then; it was, however, the first thing I did upon waking. Oh, sweet, sweet electronic crack….
Actually, it taught me an important lesson about how much of my normal routine is dependent on computers and other advanced electronic gizmos. I lumped video games in with computers because, well, they are computers; still, that didn’t stop me from wanting to fire up WoW or City of Heroes. Even reading, watching DVDs, or listening to the radio– the old-style radio– I kept thinking, “Hey, I ought to go look that up on Wikipoh right, I can’t do that”. It kind of threw my pseudo-ADD into sharp relief.
It was actually a pretty good Zen exercise, too; I never once found myself completely hung up on the idea of wanting to use a computer. The urges came and I let them pass, knowing that harping on them was quite harmful. If anything else, it told me that I could at least do that; so when a seriously bad thing comes along, I should at least be able to try to let that go and not worry too much about it.
Oh, and it did get pretty bad after a while. I won’t lie to you; I did spend a significant amount of time reading the Megatokyo books cover to cover. I’m an addict, true, but I stuck to the promise, so…. yeah. I feel better.
Anyway. Since I didn’t have time to seek out new and exciting Bailout for you folks yesterday (in the one minute that I was online– actually, that went up five minutes before midnight and was post-dated, so I’m surprised it worked), you get nothing but my blithering this fine morning. I will try to have something for you later in the week.
Inconsequential Update: I got my first rejection letter! YAAAAAAAY! ….. Don’t fret, folks. It’ll take maybe a week to sink in, but eventually it will and I’ll get super depressed. For now, let me enjoy my moment of having inflicted mild irritation on an editor.