16 Days (and counting) Without a Phone

And guess what?  I'm still alive!  Which is not to say that it hasn't been an adjustment, because it certainly has.  It's been more than eight years since I got my first cell phone, and I've had one within arms reach nearly 24 hours a day since then.  That's roughly 72,000 hours with a cell phone.  In spite of all my big talk about getting rid of my phone, I have to admit that I was a little nervous.

There have certainly been some inconveniences involved.  Perhaps the saddest thing so far was that I didn't get to talk to any of my family on my birthday.  I left home extra early that day and then didn't get home until after 9 that night.  If I'd had my phone, I would have spoken to most of them that day.  The other thing that I find myself missing is texting Margo throughout the day. 

The benefits have definitely outweighed the inconveniences, though.  One of my motivations for getting rid of my phone was that I felt that I was using the phone as a way to distance myself from the people I care about most.  Texting can be an efficient way of getting or communicating information, but it bypasses all of the relationship-maintaining small talk that happens when you are actually talking to someone.  I have definitely been talking to the people I love more.  I've spent somewhere upwards of five hours on the phone (or skype) this week, and that was all during the week. 

The other thing that I've noticed is that I used my phone a lot to keep me occupied while waiting for things (like the microwave, the train, the commercials to be over) and not having the phone has forced me to be more present wherever I am.  I've also made it my goal to spend my time waiting for the microwave at work doing squats and lunges.  Seems like a healthier alternative.

The next thing to tackle is my computer use.  I think that I've replaced much of my phone use with the laptop.  It's been especially bad since Margo has been out of town.  My goal starting tomorrow is to spend 30 minutes or less on the computer in the evenings after work.  The only exception being if I am cooking from a recipe on the computer or am following directions for a craft project on the computer.  Hopefully by putting it out there to you all, I will be more accountable for that commitment.

The Miserable Seahawks Game (or Why I Prefer Watching Football at Home)

So, Margo and I went to the Seattle Seahawks game on October 30, in part because it was one of my goals and in part because I've turned into a major football fan, apparently.  It was a cool, cloudy day, with a chance of rain.  Probably the best part of the day was the van/train ride there and back, because we got to ride the train to the game with our friend Mike and his daughter Mia.  We also got a ride to the light rail station from Mia's mom, Heather, and her three week old baby sister Paige.  We didn't get to sit with them, because they had really good tickets and we had not such great tickets.  Because NFL tickets are very expensive.

We apparently also sat on the wrong side of the field.  This happened primarily because we did not really know, having never been to a pro football game before, that there might be a wrong side of the field.  But the wrong side of the field was filled with drunk and obnoxious Cincinnati Bengals fans.  Who got progressively drunker and more obnoxious as they continued drinking and the Bengals killed the Seahawks.  It was sad.  And it was cold.  50 degrees doesn't sound that cold, especially when you're from as cold a place as Eastern Montana can be, but when you're just sitting in it for five hours, it's COLD.   Here we are, being cold together, huddled together for warmth.  And inner strength to keep me from kicking the ass of the obnoxious Bengals fans down the row.

Also, the stairs up to our seats were so steep, and our seats were up so high, that I purposely drank as few fluids as possible so that I did not have to go to the bathroom for the duration of the game, because I was not going to walk up and down those stairs again.

Here is the view from our seats:

One of the best things about going to the actual game was the Seahawks band, Blue Thunder.  They were interesting and enthusiastic.  One of the most disturbing things about the game was how little the Sea Gals (what a ridiculous damned name) were wearing, especially given the temperature and potential for rain. 
Case in point:

I think football games are similar to concerts for me.  I love football, and I love watching football, much as I love certain bands and listening to their music.  But putting up with the other incredibly obnoxious and intoxicated people who also love football, and love some of the bands that I love (Def Leppard, Nickelback, etc.) is not worth the benefit of enjoying these things live.

So I think I'll be watching my football on the television from now on.  There are no drunk and obnoxious people in my home, nor is it 50 degrees in my home.  In addition, I can actually understand what the announcers are saying and follow what's happening in the game.  Certainly, if I were to be given free tickets, I would probably go again.  But I'm certainly not going to shell out the kind of cash required to buy football tickets again.  We could have purchased one and a half round trip train tickets to Portland, OR or Vancouver, BC for that.

I am glad that I went, though, even if it wasn't super fun.  I also have realized that I need more football buddies.  I find that I really want to talk about the games when I back to work on Mondays, but I don't really have anyone at work to talk about football with.  I guess that's one of the drawbacks of working on an inpatient psychiatry unit.  This sort of work doesn't necessarily tend to attract the sort of people who watch football, apparently.  Which I know is a bit of a generalization, but it seems to be holding up.  So I'll keep asking around, to find out if anyone else watched the really good Chargers-Packers game, or the exciting Ravens-Steelers game, or the riveting Bears-Eagles game.  Wish me luck.