Trapped by my screens
Today was the day I realized I forgot how not to look at a screen. Then today was the day I decided it was time to remember.
I could be a lot worse. I remember when someone asked with incredulity why I don’t have my smartphone by the bed. That doesn’t need to be the last thing I see at night and first in the morning. The rest of the day is bad enough.
I spend hours reading email, writing blog posts, and keeping up with communities in IRC channels. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. I often walk back from my daughter’s bus stop reading something on my phone. When I take a break, I might read a book on my Kindle or play a video game on the Playstation. Screen after screen after screen, non-stop.
Upon realizing this, I decided to take a break. Look at something else. I decided to bake gingerbread. Did I look up a recipe in the shelves of cookbooks I own? Nope. I searched for it online and referred to it on a tablet in the kitchen. Screen-escape fail.
I tried to think of what else I enjoy that doesn’t require a screen. Sewing! I’ve been putting off a corduroy jacket behind other priorities. But then I realized that I’d forgotten the trick to making welt pockets, and I needed to look it up. Back to the computer.
Having run out of ideas, I guess I’ll make lunch instead. Surely I can handle that without looking at a screen. Or maybe I should just write a quick blog post about it first…
