Addiction and Withdrawals

It's safe to say that I have become addicted to the internet. This addiction crept up on me slowly over the years being with email and then venturing into surfing, blogging, facebooking and now watching TV and movies (netflicks and hulu are my good friends). But I didn't realize just how addicted I had become until we lost internet service to our house.

Since we live far from town we have limited options for internet, cable, cell service, etc. So we have a little wireless router on the kitchen counter to connected us with the world. Just over a week ago the router gave out. We tried to reboot it but it was dead and we had to order another one. Even by paying for express delivery it was going to take 5 days. 5 DAYS! That's when I saw the extent of my addiction.

Friday night, after devouring home made pizza, we settled down to watch a movie. Oh wait, all the new movies are available only through the internet. We could play "words" on our Nooks but wait we need the internet for that too! After Jordan went to bed, Jeremy and I wanted to watch our current favorite TV show Sons of Anarchy. But that show is only available through the internet!

Then things got really bad. I couldn't check my Facebook account! The farm has it's own page and we love keeping up with all the other hobby and small farms out there. It's a whole community that makes me feel less crazy about the life we've chosen. And they were all online, messaging each other, sharing recipes, posting pictures, linking great websites with good ideas, and I was stuck at home with no internet!!!!!! Then I was pushed over the edge - most of my own recipes are in this blog and I have dozen of links to other recipes. Want to make strawberry muffins or mexi-rice or sourdough bread? Nope, all online!

After the shaking and cold sweats and nausea subsided, I was able to think clearly again. I use to do all this without the internet. We have DVDs, they are all old movies but good ones. We have Scrabble and about two dozen other board games and decks of cards. I have cook books, lots of them. I could function without the internet. It was possible.

Five days later the router arrived. Jeremy had it up and running in 45 minutes. And like the true junky I am, with a huge sigh of relief, I immediately tapped right back into the internet. The next two hours were consumed with catching up on everything I'd missed. The truth is that I may be able to live without the internet, but I don't want to!