But honestly, I don't know how I functioned before there was access to the internet. If I can't think of something, I look it up and know the answer in seconds. If I need to figure out how to do something, I can spend 30 minutes on the internet and know practically everything I need to know about that particular subject. These are really not the things I'm complaining about; I consider those aspects a real bonus.
It's the social networking aspect of it that I'm struggling with. Since Jim and Ted (yes, you know WHO you are)set me down this path of rediscovering friends and acquaintances, it's become almost a ravenous need to see what people are doing. And I'm not just talking about the people I was once really close to but lost touch with. I NEED to know what my Mom's hairdresser's daughter had for lunch and what that weird guy who sat behind me in church when I was in 8th grade thinks about our President. Seriously, why does that even matter to me?
I DON'T KNOW!
While I've never had an addictive personality, that's exactly what I have -- an internet addiction. Now, it's certainly not as bad as that couple in Japan who almost let their infant starve because they were too busy practically living in a coffee shop online gaming. And my addiction pales in comparison to the nut who was recently arrested after the authorities found her two dogs carcasses rotting her her dining room after they starved to death; and her three children eating cold beans out of tin cans while she played Farmville or whatever game it was she spent 22 hours a day playing. Thankfully, I'm nowhere near the caliber of these people.
But I'm definitely noticing changes in my behavior because of the time spent clowning around on the internet. For instance, there are pieces of a stuffed dog toy laying all over my den.
All. Over. My. Den.
But here I sit, typing a post to my blog...about spending too much time on my laptop. There are dishes in my kitchen sink and I could probably gather up a few loads of laundry if I were so inclined. The old Shelby (Pre-Social Networking Shelby) would not go to bed tonight without rectifying the aforementioned state of disarray. When I do log off, I'll watch TV and then, as I head off to bed, I'll glance at the treadmill in my workout room and think, "man, I wish I had more time and I'd start working out every night!"
The times, they are a'changin. I'm vowing to spend less time social networking and more time actually networking and doing things that are good for me. I kicked off this commitment tonight by taking the dogs for a nice walk and then taking a long bike ride.
Tomorrow night, I will get ON that treadmill instead of doing the walk of shame by it on the way to bed.
