Mediaed to Death

During the Disney movie at home here tonight, Oldest's phone rang every minute or so with a text message. After the tenth time of us being interrupted, I had images in my head from that commercial where people throw their computer out the window, one right after the other, after the other. 

"That's me!" I shouted to The Man Who Puts Up With Me the first time I saw that commercial. He's the one who fixes it when it's broken. I'm the one who wants to find a lake and drop it in.  I feel the same way about cars, but I digress.

"Who's texting you?" I asked, after my exasperation began to outweigh my patience. 

It was the girl who had taken to square dancing with him (another story sometime perhaps).  "I think she likes me," he said.  But I know him: the look on his face is almost apologetic, like having petted a stray cat that has followed him home. He hadn't meant for anything serious besides dancing, and now she likes him more than he's comfortable with.

Twenty minutes later, he tossed the phone across the room. "Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I tossed it lightly so it wouldn't get broken," he said. "It's just that now there are five girls texting me!" 

And I know what this is all about. One thinks her boyfriend is going to break up with her, and Oldest is trying to remind the boy that he'd be making a big mistake. Another girl is bored and texting him entertaining. Another girl is lonely, twenty minutes away and just wants to see what he's been doing lately. His girl cousin is touching base. The last girl is probably caught up in the soap opera that the first couple is going through.

It's not just the phone. It's the computer. He hits it every spare minute to play Diablo or some other role playing game. It's the television, which he would always have on if he had his way.  It's the MP3, which keeps his mind abuzz with music.

I'm starting to see Littlest One have the same problems, and I'll admit, I'm getting overrun by a desire to Facebook more than I ever used to. I write on a blog istead of a journal. To unwind, I watch TV instead of read a good book. Or watch a movie. Or listen to music.

I'm starting to understand why people take media-free vacations. For one thing, the electricity in their own space would be greatly reduced!  For another thing, it's great to just have peace and quiet. The withdrawls might be unpleasant, but the end result would probably be worth it. Until I get home and have to sift through several hundred emails!