One of those questions

[katiefoolery]

Am I growing sick of the internet?

That's a question that has been lingering around like a bad smell of late.  I wouldn't say it has been plaguing me, because that would imply that I spend all of my time pondering largely irrelevant questions.  Which I don't.  Unless they're really good irrelevant questions.

But it has been sitting there, poking me from time to time.

If I'm not growing sick of the internet, then why am I spending all of my spare time reading instead of mucking about on LJ and Ober.net?

If I'm not growing sick of the internet, then why aren't I turning the computer on at the first opportunity and checking my email?

The internet used to be my one, dependable distraction at work.  What will I do now that its appeal seems to be waning?

There's an obvious answer to that, isn't there?  I should be doing more writing.

But it doesn't answer the question of why the internet is failing to compete with such fascinating diversions as Staring Out Of The Window or Teasing The Cat With My Dressing Gown Cord.  What's changed?  Has the internet become less fascinating?  Has interacting with amazing people lost its appeal?

Or have I changed without realising it?

Comments

[frohike.livejournal.com]

I've had that. I find its just a phase of sorts. Like having a favourite juice. You like it and drink it every day, but then you just don't one day, and a day turens into a weeks and before you know it you've started drinking some other flavour of juice. After a while, just as inexplicably, you'll suddenly remember 'wait a minute, I like apple and black currant' and promptly buy some on your lunch break or something similar.

Alternatively your wrists may just be crying out for mercy. =)

[frohike.livejournal.com]

*turns into a week

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

That's a good analogy, good Nomes. It reminds me of my on-again, off-again affair with plastic cheese. Sometimes I can't get enough of it, other time, I can't remember why I like it so much. Hopefully it is just a phase.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

ever consider that perhaps it isn't a matter of the internet losing its appeal to you, but more a matter of you trying to redefine a balance in the way you spend your time?

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Good point! Before this sudden shift, I seemed to spend almost every waking moment on the computer or the internet, so maybe it's time to look at how I spend my time. Thanks for that. :)

time?

[bunhusband.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you could spend some of your Internet free time writing, then you could give up your boring mundane job:)

Re: time?

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in ten years or so... :P

[naelany.livejournal.com]

*grins* any time ^_~. I have phases like that as well, and know that it's because I'm at times not so good at balancing things.

No...

[charliemc.livejournal.com]

It's not the internet and it's not even you...

I think it's just that we go through different phases in life all the time, really. I can be super active at LJ for months, then go weeks or months were I barely come here. (The same is true for Yahoo! groups, by the way.)

I don't see either behavior as wrong or right, just what I'm feeling at a given time.

I love to read, too, so when I'm going through a spell where I just want to read and read, I never fight it.

Excitedly enough, I now have a cat to play with again, too. (grin) So teasing the cat is a terrific option...

Writing is always good, no matter where and when we do it, of course. I haven't had much time for it -- or inclination, if I'm being honest -- since NaNo! (I need to get cracking!)

Hang in there...

(hugs)

Re: No...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I suppose as long as I'm enjoying myself in what I happen to be doing, then all is well. And it certainly is worth reading, especially when Pickle decides she needs a warm lap to sleep on. I do think Autumn is bringing out a very pensive spirit in me this year.

[sirgallivant.livejournal.com]

...that I spend all of my time pondering largely irrelevant questions

Ah! Wot a delightfully Camelalottian concept.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It is indeed! I fear I haven't been doing it enough of late, though.

[wildebeth.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you need a break from the virtual world. I went through a period like this myself, though it was in part forced upon me. Even after I got the internet back, I found myself uninterested in spending hours online t00bing around or checking email. I kind of wish I could get that notion again, to be honest with you. Take this opportunity and write or read some more; the internet will always be here.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been thinking about how I could go about limiting my internet time so I could devote more hours to writing... so this is probably a great oppportunity, isn't it?

It has been great to get a lot of reading done, though. I feel as though my creative batteries have been fully charged.

[the-kaytinator.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think the appeal of teasing the cat is obvious. Scarves are good for that, too. Whenever I go to The Sophie's house during winter, Smogret attempts to strangle me by attacking my scarf.

This has been a largely irrelevant interlude...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

But that's the best kind of interlude!

Cats are funny - they'll play with anything. I had to take my sarongish thing away from Pickle because she was sitting on it and trying to eat the tassels... And her favourite toy at the moment is a hand-strap I used to have on my mobile.

[decryption.livejournal.com]

I'll never get tired of the Internet. This year will be my 12th anniversary of internet useage :D

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Twelve years! Now that's what I call commitment.

[decryption.livejournal.com]

I remember using Archie and Gopher. There wasn't much on the world wide web back then, hah
9600bps modems (that's .9kbit/sec), Windows 3.1 & Winsock, Mosaic and Netscape browsers, ah, the golden years...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

My relationship with the internet only goes back six years and I remember using my brother's free internet and having to move the ad window out of the way so I could read pages. Ah, the joys of getting really far into a good book as a page downloaded...

[decryption.livejournal.com]

I remember FreeNet, with that ad window you had to have open in order to use it for free. That was really popular and if I recall correctly, it had over 100,000 users at the time making it one of the largest ISPs, hah

i used it too, and had this program that could keep the window in the background while I used it so I didn't have to see it. I think most people did that adn that's why they stopped as no-one was looking at the ads :p

[rigel-7.livejournal.com]

I think many of us are going through the autumnal restlessness period. I can't seem to concentrate on any one thing at all, and it's not procastination (how I know thee well...)

Funnily though Bunne, I seem to see you more often online now than ever before. All those MSN chats - which I highly enjoy - are becoming more and more frequent!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I have noticed that Autumn has had quite an impact on me this year, for some reason. It has made me quite pensive and reflective and prone to sitting beside windows in a comfy chair.

The MSN-ness is a bizarre side-effect of the things I'm thinking about. I like chatting at the moment because it's fast-paced and enjoyable. The internet just seems plodding and drab by comparison.

[bethamphetam1ne.livejournal.com]

It's just a phase. You'll grow out of it!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I hope so!

[flippyfrog.livejournal.com]

I'm going through it a bit as well... Usually i'm away from the net for 6 hours and i go a bit spare, but lately it's all in small bursts. I jump on, see what's up, and disappear again. But yesterday i happily stayed away all day and all night, and this is the first time i've been on in about 30 hours. Everything is moving slow, really. I enjoy the MSN chats, but even then i'm doing something else at the time usually, like reading or writing or watching telly.
So like Rige, i'm going to blame it on Autumn. Everything is slow on the net of late, my flist isn't as fast, and ober drags esp. when i'm not in the dining room. It seems everyone is on a break, but it doesn't hurt to have a break every now and again... let's hope :P

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

We all noticed your absence the other night. It's weird that I've been spending time on msn, but not the internet... But we were definitely aware of the Absence of Flit. Poor Turks was trying to start a summit but we were just being silly and msn kept kicking random people off...

I think it's probably safe to blame it on Autumn. It's certainly bringing out a very pensive mood in me. And when I do want to get on the internet, the stupid network decides not to work and forces me to go and read instead. Even technology's against me.

[tim-of-oz.livejournal.com]

Either........
It's just a phase, and you'll get back to it.

Or whoever said that thing about the favourite juice thing, that. You think 'I can NEVER get sick of this!'..
And then one day, you do. It's weird.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It is very weird. I'm managing to soldier on though. :)

[crazedturkey.livejournal.com]

I like the msness if this phase means more msnness from the Bunne, then I am prepared to make the sacrifice of not having you in other places :D

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It certainly has been fun to be on msn more often. It keeps making me very impatient for May!