In an effort to subvert my daily dependence on the things I do not need, I came up with the idea to go a full day and two nights without a screen in my face. Out of no other motivation but my own, out of no other realization but the fact that we rely on things we don’t need, all too often, all too much. I plan to try to institute such a day once a week and I hope it to become an integral part of my weekly life.

Although I accidentally stumbled briefly and used the computer for five minutes to remind myself how to teach quadratic equations without realizing that I was using a computer, the rest of the day was devoted to reading, studying, walking, grocery shopping, laying under a blanket in the corner of my room trying to keep warm, sitting, breathing and doing nothing. Doing nothing is something I don’t do enough of. Since buying a MacBook, when I have nothing to do, I am still doing something, whether it is mindless surfing or reading way too many articles on hockey or pretending to be doing something productive but actually only scribbling pathetically on here. Doing nothing by is one of the greatest things to do.

Slowly I plan to wean myself off of any technology for my one day a week, no lights, no toaster, no bus ride, no stove, nothing that plugs in, no ballpoint pen, no clothes made with sewing machines, no recirculated air. Can’t be that hard, fifty years ago they didn’t have the choice, and fifty years from now we probably won’t have a choice either.

But now I am back, prepared to spend an entire 24 hours in front of my computer screen, watching movies and playing Scrabble and writing and looking at pictures and checking my bank account and buying hockey tickets. Just to make up for my one day off.

I woke up with a gnarly headache. I wonder if they are related.
Try this. I recommend it.