Diana Unplugged

Dear Internet,

Remember when I started using you? Remember when I set up my very first Hotmail account at my friend's house, and was pretty sure it was the coolest thing in the world? Remember when I was totally impressed that I could use Ask Jeeves to learn anything I wanted? Those were the good old days. Endless hours of looking up pictures of dreamy teenage celebrities and exploring MySpace.

But now, things have changed. I feel like we're getting too close. I wake up in the morning and compulsively check Facebook, Twitter, and the front page of Reddit. It's like I can't stop myself, I have this sick compulsive need to know what happened in the world while I was asleep. Sometimes I'll check CNN, too, just to make sure the world didn't fall apart immediately after I drifted off. Did one of the bloggers I follow post something new? A post about different kinds of French bread pizza? Time to read that, too....

It's gotten to be too much, Internet. In the evening, scrolling through interesting posts on Apartment Therapy, or checking out a new recipe over on NomNomPaleo. Scanning through mostly redundant images on Pinterest, or getting sucked into some mostly useless collection of photos on BuzzFeed featuring 25 huge dogs that are acting like they're the size of a chihuahua. It needs to stop.

Honestly, Internet, it's not all your fault. My iPhone is definitely my enabler. Waiting for a table at a restaurant with Kevin? Time to pull out my phone and check the weather for the next 6 days. Sitting at the doctor's office waiting to be called back to the tiny room? Time to refresh Twitter to see if Wil Wheaton has posted another Vine video featuring his adorable dogs.

Internet, I feel like you're killing my creativity. Sometimes I feel like I'm yoked to my phone. Granted, Kevin and I don't have a home phone, so my constant obsession over making sure my phone is within earshot is not totally unjustified. But this constant checking all the time? Unhealthy.

I think it's time for a break, Internet. I think I need to unplug from social media for the rest of the week. I think I can skip the frothy articles peddled on HelloGiggles for the next few days, and focus on more wholesome things like picking up where I left off in Jane Austen's Persuasion. Time to work on some more of the paper art I've been experimenting with. Time to listen to more music. Time to bake a batch of cookies, and sit outside in the backyard without reaching for my phone for entertainment. Time to finally sort through my clothes and figure out what I don't wear anymore. Time to stop making to-do lists, and actually DO stuff.

So, Internet, it's been real. Maybe I'll be back this weekend, or maybe next week. Don't take it personally, it's not you - it's me.

Diana

ps: Yeah, I totally get the irony that this blog post is posted on Facebook and Twitter.