can ya hear me now?!

I know..I've been a bad blogger...although you guys know me by now..I suppose you're used to it...and I have been in contact with most of you..but still..not cool..so...sorry..this post DOES have something to do with why I've been so quiet though...

I know it sounds ridiculous...especially being posted on a blog, which can't be written or read without the internet..but lately I just keep thinking about how I really want to disconnect from technology...I'm so tired of the ever present hum and glow!!

I just want peace & quiet and a life relatively free of all the unnecessary distractions and glitches and ridiculous garbage

more and more I find myself watching OLD tv shows and/or PBS because tv has gotten so ridiculous..do we REALLY need SOMETHING to entertain (distract) us every smurfin' moment?! I can't even stand the food network anymore because all the shows have this obnoxious music that is sometimes so distracting I can't hear or pay attention to what the host is saying...when Julia Child was rushing to get a souffle whipped up did she need urgent sounding music playing to wind up her audience??

and what's with all the advertising?? I thought it was bad enough when networks started having giant logos in the corner at all times...but now they have HUGE animated reminders of season premiers or just whatever show is coming on next..dancing across the whole bottom half of the screen (which is REALLY fun when you're watching something with subtitles!!)

and NOT only that...but NOW they actually have advertisements on the screen during some shows..like they don't get enough advertising time in during the commercial breaks..NOW they hafta have pop-up ads on TV?!?! ...literally while a show is on..a pop-up ad for a law firm or car insurance will appear on the screen..what the...seriously?!

and for all the advances in technology we sure have reduced ourselves to putting up with a lot of annoying glitches...if the cable isn't pixilating or the satellite isn't going out because a cloud dared pass by..the netflix is acting up!!

and phones..ugh! ...it's no longer cost effective to just replace the battery on your cordless phone..ya hafta buy a whole new one now...and all the phones are so damn small and uncomfortable it's impossible to carry out any sort of household chore while gabbing with a friend!!

used to be I would get all my dishes done, laundry sorted, folded etc. while on the phone...we'd keep each other company solving all the world's problems while bangin' out all our more boring chores...now if you try to do dishes while talking on the phone you're lucky if the stupid thing doesn't slip off your shoulder into the soapy water...and the crick in your neck..forget it!!

I keep hearing all this stuff about the shit hitting the fan..and as unprepared as I am for such a thing..most of the time all I can think is BRING IT ON!! ...seriously..it's enough already with the constant CONSTANTNESS of everything!!

once upon a time, families ate meals together..actual home cooked meals made from wholesome, NATURAL ingredients (ahh..that's a rant for another post) ...they had conversations, read books, played games (together) that didn't require electricity or cause carpel tunnel syndrome! people had hobbies..and they socialized..WITHOUT the assistance of a social NETWORK!

the phone didn't ring between 9pm and 9am unless there was an emergency!

tv stations signed off after a certain hour..and that was ok..because THAT is when you're supposed to be RESTING YOUR MIND!!

if you needed something on a Sunday..you were SOL!

children looked healthy...they actually saw the sun and played outside..sure sometimes they got a skinned knee or a broken arm..but it beats the crap out of them getting diabetes and heart disease!!

if someone got a hole in their jeans they didn't run out to buy a new pair..they patched it up! ...if their radio, tv..or hell even their telephone went on the fritz..they repaired it..or found someone who could...these things weren't just thrown out until ALL possible ideas for fixing them were exhausted!

people took the time they had to sit in a waiting room to do things like balance their check book, read a magazine..mull over thoughts and ideas..figure out what to make for dinner...or heck even 'bond' with their fellow 'waiters' by striking up conversations...not anymore! ...now we have to check fb for the umpteenth time..or play 'angry birds'..or 'draw something'..AGAIN!

and don't even get me started on abbreviations/text slang/substituting numbers for words, etc.

I dunno..it seems to me like all these things that are supposedly designed to make our lives better are just pulling us apart as families and as a society, making us more and more wasteful and IMPATIENT...people are irritable and they don't even realize it's because of all the constant stimulation competing for our attention and the lack of actual human contact..we THINK because we're in more constant communication that we're better connected..but we're not! ...so much of what we see, say and do has so little real thought or care that it's meaningless..it's WORSE than meaningless...

we're all aware on some level (even those who are guilty themselves) of the mindfulness of others..of how much thought and consideration is going into our interactions with others..and we've gotten used to accepting and probably even think we're satisfied with the bare minimum...

call me crazy..but I'm NOT content with apathy..I don't want to 'grow' to be satisfied with the bare minimum from people...or gadgets...I want to be enriched by my relationships and my activities!

also..it just seems wrong for us all to be in this constant ON mode...I can't speak for anyone else..but I'm just so tired of the incessant buzzing and beeping and running! ...where is the DOWN time??

people want more and more mobile devices because they're always on the go..but WHY?!

and WHAT is going on that's so important that we have to be connected at ALL times!!

do we HAVE to share every little thought that pops into our heads? ...MUST we be kept abreast of the minutiae of everyone's lives..moment by moment?

are our own thoughts THAT hard to live with that we must constantly be distracted from them with gadgets and animations and music?

does EVERYTHING have to be faster and brighter and better than the next guy's?

have we learned NOTHING from the financial events of the last several years?

I'm reminded of a quote I often see..which is: "be the change you wish to see in the world" (Gandhi is usually credited with this..but I'm pretty sure those were not his actual words) ...still..decent words to live by nonetheless...

so..what changes do I wish for?

I wish that more people wanted to live more simply...slow down and take time to recognize and appreciate what's important..for themselves and their community as a whole...

I wish people would try to be more cognizant of what they are putting into their bodies..AND what they are putting out into the world..the examples they're setting

I wish people were more interested in learning and carrying on the traditions and skills of their grandparents/great-grandparents, etc.

I wish people were more interested in the QUALITY of the time they spend..and less interested in the speed at which they race through each thing they do

I wish people were less concerned with having MORE stuff they don't need...and more concerned with filling their time with people, things and activities that enrich their lives!

I'm NOT saying we should all quit our jobs, disconnect from technology and live on a commune somewhere..milking cows, canning preserves and sewing our own clothes, etc. (as awesome as that sounds to ME) ...we all have to do what's right for US!

I just wish people's priorities were different...and that we would all spend more time focusing on the things that are truly important...no matter who you are..where you live..what you do...it always comes back to the SIMPLE things..they are what center us and truly enrich our lives...

anyway..these are the changes I wish..for me and for the world...which is why I long for a more low-tech existence...the way things are is exhausting to me..and interfering with my ability to focus on the things that matter most...

but..as awesome and peaceful as it sounds..I doubt brandiland is going off the grid any time in the near future...besides..without the internet..WHO would see me being the change I wish to see?!

and so..my quest to figure out how to strike a balance, continues...