Shut it down

http://www.shutdownday.org/

i received the above site address last thursday (5/1/08). it was an interesting concept to me...to shut down my computer for 24 hours.

while looking around the site, i found the commercials to be sort of funny and noticed that there wasn't a representative from hawaii participating. so i thought "why not challenge myself." maybe i was becoming too addictive...no wrong word...too dependent on my computer system? it shouldn't be that difficult.

WRONG!

usually the first thing i do when i get up in the AM is go into my office and take my vitals and log on to my computer. well, as my blood pressure (BP) machine is going, my free hand automatically went to the mouse. it took me a few minutes to figure out why the hell my screen wouldn't come on. i've got a thermometer in my mouth, my left arm in a BP cuff and my right hand is jiggling my mouse like it was Redi-whip. once i remembered that i completely turned off my computer the night before (just in case of an instance like this), i knew my BP was gonna read badly with the stress i was feeling...just because my screen wasn't coming on! not a good beginning.

so i moved on to re-organizing my office. i cleaned up the storage cabinet, filed paid bills, wiped down surfaces, etc. that took about an hour as my office is usually organized anyway....i know i know...it's anal but you should see my bedroom. so, that was the next place i decided to go since i couldn't do my usual morning routine: check my emails from my various addresses, read the news from various sources (reuters, ap, time, bbc, einnews, etc), make some lists, search recipes, search specific topics, check my calendar, update my meds list, update my medical journal, yada yada yada.

anyway, off to my room i go. i hang up all the clothes that needed hanging while folding all the clothes that needed folding. that's when i noticed my bags of Space Bags. i had ordered a packet of Space Bags so that i can vacuum suck my clothes that i am not currently using (i.e. my DC suits). they have these new hanging versions i wanted to try out. so, i drag my mom into this next bit of fun and we sucked up the suits like there was no tomorrow! my mom was really getting into it so we searched for more stuff in our closets. then we hit my drawers and before i knew it...a couple of hours had flown by.

the rest of the day consisted of me roaming around the house looking for stuff to clean up which was fruitless since my grandmother is worst than me about keeping things in order. i go venture to my mom's room to see what's up with her since we finished the clothes sucking...and she was freekin' out on why i was being so chatty and sociable. i had to remind her about the "shutdown" challenge and she just laughed as said "i gotta go check my mail." what a smart-a**!!!

i had invited my mom and my cousin, tasha, to participate in the "shutdown" but they both lost before it was even 10am. friggin' A. no email will-power, i say.

yeeeeaaaah, riiiiiiight. i was chompin' at the bit ALL FRIGGIN' DAY to get on my computer.

what was really disconcerting about not having my computer that whole day was not being able to access my calendar and or seeing the time. i didn't know how dependent i was on those 2 things.