Thursday, December 3, 2009

back to the stone ages

Today I proved that it is possible to survive without my Blackberry and Facebook. Along the rocky path, I learned a few things. Let me take you through my day.

7:45 AM- My Blackberry automatically turns on for my alarm, I wake up, turn it off, and shove it in my desk drawer where it will live for the day.

9:30 AM Lesson 1: cell phones make you lazy
On my way back from the gym i run into Lindsay who asks that I call her before I leave for our class. When the time comes to leave, I realize I CAN'T call her! Panic. What am I supposed to do?! the girl lives on the 3rd floor. I think through some possible alternatives to walking. I could borrow Megan's phone- NO! I will prove to myself that I can do this without anyyyy phones. Option 2 involved throwing a rock at her window. "oh fair Linds, whilst thou join me to class?" No again, I will not let this turn me into Romeo. I walk.

10:05 AM - I am late to class. I should have bought a watch before this experiment.
Throughout class I catch my hand frantically searching the empty phone pocket in my bag.

12:55 PM Lesson 2: I hide behind my phone.
I'm supposed to meet Kbell at the caf at 1 and I'm a little early so I sit down to wait. Now, I've sat alone at the caf before, and I'm never bothered because I'm usually absorbed in a web page on my phone or talking to my mom. But now that I'm sitting here without it, I feel naked. Five different people ask if I'm okay- Oh I'm fantastic, just completely cut off from society, don't worry about it. People can see me?! Weird.

1:05 PM- These last 10 min=10 hours. She's late. What if she can't make it? I'll have no way of knowing! And those last 5 people will think I made up this "friend" I'm waiting for. This sweater I'm wearing is not helping. At least if I looked good people might let my loserness slide. I wish Kbell hadn't bailed on me. Oh. She's here...and only 5 minutes late.

Lesson 3: cell phones make you skittish.
As the day progresses, all I hear are cell vibrations, and I jump out of my skin to see if it's mine...yea, the one i don't have.

Lesson 4: Texting makes you paranoid.
the "did-I-d0-something-wrong?" texter: Uhhh, Skelly...so ummm...did you happen to maybe um like...get my text?
the hostile texter: SKELLY WTF I'VE BEEN TEXTING YOU ALL DAY, WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?!
the annoyed texter: Way to NOT help me out with my homework question. I texted you like 2 hours ago. geez.

3:15 PM - I start to lose it a little. I can no longer distinguish between what I'm allowed to do and not allowed to do. I see a coke sitting in Bobby's room and think, gee, I would kill for a coke, too bad I can't have one. What am I talking about? of course i'm allowed to drink a coke...coke is completely unrelated to Facebook and my cell phone. Bobby starts to Skype so I leave to go light some candles and finish my homework in quill and ink. Again, confused with the goal.

4:00 PM- I decide the best way to pass time is to take a nap.
6:30 PM- Shit. I slept 2 and a half hours because I didn't have my phone alarm to wake me.

It's now 11:06 PM and I've been focusing on studying for my French test all night. Just 54 minutes to go and I think I can do this! What I thought would be a relaxing day away from constant conversation turned out to be the opposite. Knowing that I did not have the ability to have instant connections with people if needed increased my stress by 207%. And that's a scientific fact. I wish I could say I'm so above all of this technology crap, but really, I'm the biggest sucker of all.

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