simple kind of life

it all started with a phone. my sidekick lx to be exact. i LOVED it. this phone wasn't as awesome as a lot of the phones out there, but it had everything i wanted. i could instant message, take decent quality pictures, watch any youtube video, and check my facebook wherever i was at any time. if you spent any time with me at all you know i was CONSTANTLY on that thing. i was especially dangerous while driving. i'm pretty much pro status when it came to texting/checking email/watching videos while driving. how i never got into an accident i'll never know.

but then, one day...it broke.

as much as i loved the functions of my phone, it was a crappy phone in general, and i was not about to shell out money for a piece of crap when i would be replacing it in a few months-as soon as i was available for an upgrade. i settled for an extra phone my friend was willing to give to me for free and moved on with my life. picture your phone circa 2004. it calls. it texts. that's it.

now that i don't have all the phone stuff to distract me i am definitely more aware of the people that i know that do spend a lot of time on their phones. i actually get irritated when i'm trying to have a conversation or spend time with someone and they can't resist checking their emails,text messages, or current favorite social networking site. like, really? i swear anything that is there can wait until the end of our time together. the world is not going to implode and end because you didn't read your message .4 seconds after it was received.

more and more i'm starting to realize-i'm tired of technology. sure, i know there are TONS of benefits, especially if you're a business owner or artist trying to market a product/brand/whatever. but if you're just a joe shmo like me, does it REALLY matter if you have 5820984098 followers on twitter? at the end of the day, do you REALLY think all those people are sitting at the edge of their seat waiting for your next tweet? or if you don't post an update for a couple of days-how many of those people are actually gonna notice? i'm willing to bet anyone that does notice you are probably friends with in real life and you are texting back and forth anyway.

i also miss actually talking to people and hearing about what they've been up to. when i ask someone about their day or how their christmas was i don't want to be told that i should just read about it online. i actually enjoy looking at facial expressions and hearing the laughter in their voice when they get to the part of the story when uncle john poured gravy all over grandma.

as many downsides i feel there are to our advancing technology, i know there are just as many, if not more upsides. and it's not like i've had a life changing discovery or am suddenly meeting/seeing more people since i've cut back on my electronic use. i'm just more aware. these feelings and this new awareness may change next week, or in a few months when i am finally able to get my new phone, but until then, feel free to drive next to me on the road :)