Technology Addict

I have a big confession to make.  I am an addict.  But not just any addict. I don't pop pills, I'm not a boozer and while I love chocolate, I'm not an overeater either.  So what's my addiction? Technology, that's what.  I am hopelessly addicted to my computer, my iPhone, my blackberry and my cell phone that my husband is going to wring my neck if I don't stop typing on the keyboard and put the gadgets away.

It started out pretty innocently.  A few years back, in an effort to master my work/life juggle, I invested in a BlackBerry and proceeded to use it so that I could be with my kids, run errands and never miss a moment of the office goings on.  But then, when I quit my job and started my own business, I started loading up on more technology.  An iPhone for my anniversary, a MacBook pro, my old BlackBerry which I couldn't give up and my verizon cell phone.  Does one person really need all that technology?  I know I could downsize, but for the life of me, I can't seem to give up my habit.

When I'm out with my husband and the kids, I'm sneaking furtive glances at my BlackBerry to see if the red light is flashing.  When I'm back home, I flip on my Mac to check my emails or to IM with friends.  Then I'm cruising YouTube, or playing Webkinz with my kids or writing my blog or researching a story and by the time I turn around, the day has flown by.  

Today as I sit her typing away, my husband and kids are at the Brooklyn aquarium enjoying a day off with the dolphins.  Should I have gone along for the ride and given the gadgetry addiction a rest.  Absolutely.  But for some reason, I can't seem to shake my addiction and it only seems to be getting worse.

Tomorrow we leave for Florida so hopefully I'll have the willpower to put everything away and not look at a single email until I return.  Okay, that might be a bit harsh but I do know I've got to do something.  It's time to get my head out of my iPhone and start enjoying the world around me.  I know it's a cliche, but I have to say it.  Life is too short.  For the sake of my family and myself, it's time to put the BlackBerry away and enjoy a technology free existence...at least for a few days.

GONE WITH THE WIND...THE TALE OF THE MISSING NINTENDO

It's a sad day in Feldman-ville. My five year old son, who has been addicted to his Nintendo the last two months and can show his friends how to maneuver through eight levels on Super Mario Bros., and even has a blister on his index finger from playing the darn thing so much, has officially lost his prized possession. He had it before we went out to dinner with our friends and their kids tonight but after he got the chance to ride home with them in their car, he jumped out without his Nintendo and then when he attempted to find it, it was gone.

Into thin air - his favorite toy has just completely disappeared. I can't imagine how no one has been able to find it. I made sure to check the table at the restaurant and even the floor and even called the maitre'd but there was no sign of the Nintendo.

And so, my little boy went to bed in tears tonight - his favorite toy in the whole wide world is gone. Gone with the wind. I bet Rhett and Scarlett never thought their romance would be reduced to a story about a missing Nintendo but such is life when your world revolves around technology. And now, my dilemma is do I buy him a new DS with 4 new games or let him mope around the house until his next birthday?

I know I should teach him a lesson and make him appreciate his toys by showing him what can happen when you lose them, but when he flashes those puppy dog eyes at me and the tears start flowing down his precious cheeks, I just melt. Something tells me I'll be hitting Target tomorrow for a black Nintendo with a handy dandy Sponge Bob carrying case. And this time around - like an episode of the Brady Bunch we're instituting a new rule pronto...Mom always said - don't bring the Nintendos outside the house!