I'm Back!

Okay so here goes, I have been away from a computer and not voluntarily. Due to weather related issues and computer malfunctions I have been without easy access to a computer. Yeah, I could probably utilize the free access at the library but it does not really benefit when I have kids in tow. Wow it feels good to be at the keyboard. I do have to say that without computer/Internet access I have been able to catch up on reading from actual books and a pile of magazines collecting dust waiting for me to skim and scan the latest articles (which are already back issues!) I was amazed at how fast I could read and ached to have more materials at hand. It is a weird feeling because I would not have read as much because there was always something that I needed to do with the computer. Therefore, there was not as much time to read a book from cover to cover because there was the email, and the blogs, the yelp, and of course the overall researching. I would think about something I had to check out or look up and found myself at a loss because I could not Google the said idea. Even now the computer is not at 100% full steam. I am kind of in limbo waiting for the hard drive to properly recover all the files. I did not properly back up my files and have been quietly mourning the loss of images, actions, and data. So what to do? Move on, I guess. Do what I should have done from the beginning and back up the files that I know I will need and invest in a better system for this kind of computer malfunctioning.

I am also amazed at how my life has been so intertwined to technology. For example, I have had a question/thought that I have been wanting to tell my son's teacher. I have several options for communicating with the teacher, but what I wanted to tell her would have been so much easier if I had been able to email her. I know that she checks her email frequently. I could have left her a voice message or even send her a hand written note through my son. But due to history my son is probably not the best messenger. He has been known to lose items on the bus because he wanted to show his classmates the message. I had to learn this lesson the hard way and it cost me $10. But I transgress. So I did end up handwriting a letter to the teacher (I think too much information would have been lost over the phone). It was odd because I did not have the proper stationary nor the penmanship to write a letter. I ended up using white computer paper and tried my best to control my hand to write a neat printed/cursive letter. I eventually put idea to paper and reminded my son(more than once) that he was not to take anything out of his bag while riding on the bus. I eventually received a return phone call relaying my question and concern, but overall, it was a weird feeling.I am so tied to technology I have noticed that I am not as social. I was unable to keep in touch with friends and missed out on 2 invited occasions. No my life did not end and my day to day activities did not suffer. In fact I think I may have read double the books to my children before nap and bedtime because there was no work to be done at the computer. Factor in good weather and the park and outdoors where unexpected surprises for the kids. My projects were put on hold and my kids and my household benefited the most. Most of the laundry was done. Meals were cooked for the week and more attention and patience was had for the kids. So is this a benefit to have the computer and online capabilities at a fingertips distance? Well, now everything is put in perspective and I know that I have to figure out schedules and times for my work and extracurricular activities beyond priority number one, my family. This priority has never changed places, but now my time feels more organized. And I can continue to feel like I am not the only one in the world that has kids and a husband and a house, this 'place' keeps me connected. And if there are any people who cheer me on that would be my kids.