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media purge.

i can really only blame my lack of posts on not having any interesting thoughts or happenings going on, but i will also attribute it to my trying to stay away from the computer as much as possible and remember what i SHOULD be doing instead.

i admit that i have a slight facebook addiction. believe it or not, i threaten to delete my account almost weekly. i have a number of reasons for this… generally i do it when i get myself into trouble by making a comment about (what turns into) a controversial topic and wind up offending someone that the comment was never even aimed at… but then i think about the ease of connection i have between family and friends and i decide to stick with it. but the thing that has been bugging me about it lately is that i spend too much time worrying about something as stupid as my facebook account. it’s not that i sit here, all day, on facebook. holy cow that would be boring! i would need to have like 4 million friends in order to have anything new to read, and i’m not really a game player. no, it’s how i feel this constant need to check my email. i ‘need’ to see if anyone has commented on anything i’ve commented on or stuff like that. and then of course, i need to go back and re-comment on stuff, at which time i find new stuff to comment on, etc. etc. etc…  it is SO stupid. so anyway, i’ve gone into a voluntary facebook ‘detox’ in hopes that i can break myself from the stupid magnetic pull of this computer. this is why i REFUSE to have an iphone or the like. it’s bad enough that i can’t get away from this box sitting in the middle of my house. i shudder at the thought of having one that followed me around everywhere.

in a couple of months, our direcTV contract is up and it is NOT being renewed. i am SO excited to be done with this. of course, i’m sure my husband and children will completely disagree. i don’t really watch much tv. there are only a couple shows i ever watch, and i could easily live without those. mostly i use the tv for the kids. yes, i admit it. if i need to get something done or have a little bit of time (hopefully) without interruption, i turn on a show for them. i also find myself using it to diffuse situations where someone is tired and hysterical or kids that are getting in each other’s faces repeatedly and need a mandatory break from each other, especially if the weather is bad AND in that hell-like hour between 5 and 6pm. i’m not proud of that. i know that there are better ways to handle situations like this, but it’s just too easy. too convenient. and then there are the times i KNOW they’ve been watching too much because they can’t come up with anything else to do with themselves, or they get all belligerent or hysterical if i make them turn it off. i’m also pretty particular about what they watch. although i’m sure i’ll miss phineas and ferb when the cable is gone, disney channel drives me nuts. although i appreciate the lack of ‘commercials’ that you get w/ a lot of kids’ programs for stuff like toys, candy, and crap cereal, what we get is previews for shows that i don’t allow my kids to watch and music videos from their latest teenage vixens. ugh! anyway, i’ll be glad when this isn’t an issue anymore… although i will miss my dvr. yeah, yeah, jekyll and hyde, here.

anyway. i realize the irony of the fact that i’m sitting her at this computer, typing about how much i don’t like it. i should probably also admit that my children are currently watching a cartoon. :-/  i don’t hate the computer. i don’t hate tv. i don’t even hate iphones… i just hate the negative side of these things. the time-suck aspect and the ‘busy’ aspect. i feel the need to be ‘busy’ with other things. things i need to do, as well as those things that i enjoy doing. it drives me nuts when i set out with the intention to sit down for a half hour and read a book or work on a knitting project, but i just decide to ‘check my email’ first. UGH! before i know it, that half hour is gone and what have i accomplished? NOTHING! there’s 30 minutes of my life GONE.

so anyway, i’d say i’ve wasted enough time here for today, time to unplug myself from here for now.

Comments

  1. RachelJune 16, 2010 at 4:02 PM

    Gosh Rachel I take my hat off to you! I was just thinking today "I wonder what Rachel is up to" so I am pleased you blogged :)
    Facebook gives me so many positive connections with family and friends around the world that my Mum for one would be sad if I ditched it BUT I do agree it is a timer sucker and comments can be construed the wrong way! It's a dilema ;)
    Good on ya but I do miss ya B ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. HippyChickJune 17, 2010 at 2:20 PM

    I know how you feel about FB! I'm the same way. Not that I threaten to delete my account, but that I have this weird drive inside of me to constantly check my "mail" and post comments on other's statuses. :( I do spend too much time on there, and I too should detox...I just can't bring myself to do it. Anyway, I was thinking when reading this blog post, that we never talk except on FB. Would you like to come over to our place or meet in the middle or something? Your youngest 2 and mine would probably have a blast. I'll send u an e-mail.

    ReplyDelete

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