Tough Night for an IAD Sufferer

I'm back to civilization and everything is OK. Wasn't sure it would end that way though.

During the past few months we've had fairly reliable and consistent Verizon internet access. We (yes, both of us) have come to take it for granted since we use it almost every day. The difference between Dar and me, however, is that she can take it or leave it. If it's working and we have internet, great. If it's not, well, that's OK too. She'll just upload pictures when she finds a connection... read e-mail when she gets around to it. Later this week? Super! Not till next week? That's fine too. She actually relishes being without all this "connectivity".

But me, on the other hand... well most of you know I have IAD -- Internet Addiction Disorder. Despite eating right, drinking orange juice every morning, taking my vitamins... I still have it and I don't think it's possible to ever get rid of it. It may very well be like alcoholism in this regard... if you've got it, you'll never be rid of it. You'll always have to deal with that demon.

When we arrived at the International Peace Garden on Sunday afternoon I was surprised to learn that there was no cell service (at least Verizon service) at all. I figured that with being right on the border, what with both Canadian and US Customs check-points right there, and with the Peace Garden itself, with all the visitors... I just assumed we'd be "connected". Wrong!

Dar told me she thought it was great that there's no cell or internet service here... that it's a "Peace Garden"... peace... P..E..A..C..E... no cell phones going off in the crowd... no teenagers walking around with that head-droop we've all seen as they text each other with words of nothingness. (They even admit it, they're not texting about anything at all... the other day I saw one, bent neck and all, long fingernails clicking out letters as fast as I used to on the big IBM Selectric I learned to type on, and asked her "What are you texting about?" She looked at me, dismissively, and said "Nothing!" See?)

I tossed. I turned. I squirmed, I sweated... and that was before dinner. I fired up the PC and tried to write off-line... but my mind was elsewhere. Unable to focus, I picked up a book (remember those?). No use. I'll just call someone... Oh, maybe not! After a while, I just sat and stared off into the distance. At what? Oh, nothing... nothing at all. Just wondering what little endorphin-oozing gems were in my inbox... what comments were on my blog... feeling a little down.

Dar's suggested that we need a "gizmo get-away day"... a technology-free day... every week. One day when everything goes off... cell phones, PCs, the whole shebang.

Do you remember the old Jack Benny radio routine... where he's accosted by a gun-toting thug who demands all his money. "Your money or your life!"  There's a long, long pause, and the robber finally demands action... "Comon Pal, I don't have all day... I said your money or your life!" to which Benny replied... "I'm thinking it over!"

Hmmm. A gizmo get-away day every week? "I'm thinking it over!"

Thom