a new low

First -- new highs -- Tom and Paula had a baby boy! YAY! So cute. So awesome. So Pom-pom.

Now, to the other matter, my new low. Let's face it, I'm a technology addict. For God's sake, I work at a dot com. I actually do my best to stay away from new technology, games, and internet sites because I know myself. I become addicted quickly. In fact, I'll often jokingly refer to myself as an odd combination Luddite/Tech Geek due to this habit of trying to avoid something until others around me push me into buying/using a new thing, at which point I'll become obsessed.

When Dieter said, "Want to play City of Heroes?" I said no and then later bought it and lost a month. Puzzle Pirates? World of Warcraft? Thanks, Dieter! I didn't need that half a year of social time. I held out against the DS until most of my office had one.

I lived without TIVO, and Netflix most of my life. Now, if you were to take any of those away from me, I might collapse into a sobbing mess in my bedroom. I wouldn't even know how to watch television anymore without my TIVO and Netflix, yet when Paul first bought me the TIVO, I felt a slight sense of dread. My iPod? I went years without one and resisted the purchase. Paul bought one for me, and now I beg Helen for playlists like a junkie. I didn't have a cell phone until Paul panicked one night when I got stuck on the turnpike without one. He bought one for me on the night we purchased our house. I try to stay independent from it because I've seen the texting habits of my friends. Have you noticed how Paul is a big enabler of my technology? He'll probably buy me a laptop or iPhone next, and then I'll be doomed.

Anyway, I'm particularly crazy about social internet sites like Flickr, but I try to not get involved with them. I know how it goes. First, I'm completely normal, but then I become obsessed with who has viewed my photos, commented on them, and who is posting photos. This was partially why I avoided Facebook like the plague. Today, Helen asks me if I want to see a picture of her sister's new dog, and I, assuming it is on something like Flickr, ask her for a URL. Turns out, the dog pictures are on Facebook.

So, I signed up with Facebook. DAMN YOU, INTERNET! Of course, I started looking for friends right away and feeling pathetic about my lack of friends and comments and cool features. Ugh, why did I do this?

The worst part is that I came home, and told Paul, and he just laughed at me. Sigh.