Sunday the 6th
Well all I can say is THANK GOODNESS this is the last day! Doing this project was challenging for me but at the same time I have learned a lot and I have more time throughout the day. Sunday was not that hard compared to Friday and Saturday. Today I woke up and went to church so I did hear some music. However, after church I was with my family all day which was so nice! So of course I didn’t get on the computer and my little cousin was watching television, so it was on but I wasn’t watching it. I have found that I can do so many other things than just sit somewhere and get on facebook or lie on the couch and watch television! Oh yea… I did forget to say that I did cheat though. Sunday is a big night on television and so I had to watch desperate housewives and brothers and sisters! But I am proud to say that I turned off the television after they were over. I was driving in the truck with my boyfriend and he was jamming out to some song that I didn’t care about and so I said “oh yea I forgot I can’t listen to the radio” and I turned it off. He was not very pleased with that but we laughed about it later. I want to say that this project was very fun and interesting. It is not like any other final which makes it fun! It made me realize that we take things for granted a lot, and when we should just really think about how fortunate we are to have so many things. I have learned that there life without facebook. Also for the future I am going start doing more active things and not so much getting on facebook or watching television so much. Thank you for such a great semester!
Monday, December 7, 2009
day 3
Today was a harder day because I wasnt as busy. I out all day and didnt get home until now, but it was really hard. to not use my cell phone and text. I think texting is my life, I go crazy if I dont have my phone near or around me. But I cheated real bad today, I texted from the time I got out of Com class and im still texting, actually im texting while im writing this blog. I know very bad. But I didnt text too much all this week, even my sister was surprise that phone wasnt attached to me like a crazy person this weekend.
Im actually cheating really bad right now, because the Tv is on, im texting, and music is playing on my computer at this moment. I would never want to do this experiment ever again. It was ok while I was busy, but other than that it is a no no, for me. Never again, Never again
Im actually cheating really bad right now, because the Tv is on, im texting, and music is playing on my computer at this moment. I would never want to do this experiment ever again. It was ok while I was busy, but other than that it is a no no, for me. Never again, Never again
DAY 3
Well the last day is done and over with, and after having finished my first day of finals I can say that it was well worth it. I don't think that I could have studied quite as well with Facebook and Youtube open at the same time, haha.
So all in all, it wasn't too bad of an experience! I got a lot done, had a lot of down time and didn't die without my usual plug-ins. I doubt that I would voluntarily go without any of that again, but it definitely did have it's benefits. I studied better because I was able to devote my focus to studying rather than checking my IM or profile constantly.
I can say that I can probably continue to go without TV. Most of the time when I watch it there's nothing on anyways!
I'm so glad to be able to use my phone leisurely again without feeling like I've broken the rules, haha.
Well what have I learned? I've learned that I can live without my media. All of the things I usually fill up my time with are luxuries and CAN be done away with. Although they can be done away with, I don't think I will. I feel like with so many people on the internet nowadays it can sometimes be the only way to keep in contact with some of my best friends, especially with so many of them all over the country at college.
I learned that Youtube is probably my greatest downfall. Haha, I swear I've gone to bed soooo much earlier without that constant tempation of,"O, it's just a two minute video. Just one more and I'll go to bed." Seriously have been much better rested without it. But once again, I know I'll be right back at it. I guess I could try to curb my viewing, that'd probably help a lot.
In closing, it was a good experience, and with finals still going on I'll probably keep it up all week (to a less extreme degree, of course). Thanks for the opportunity Prof. Lopez.
~Chris
Day 3- Facebook
I do also want to add that one thing I did accomplish was not being on facebook the WHOLE weekend! To be honest, i'm completely tired of facebook and this project was a great excuse not to be on it!! I just checked it and I have 60 unread messages and 56 notifications, not including my messages. I want to just delete them all!!
Day Three
Day three
Out of all the days three was the easiest day. Waking up I didn’t miss listening to music as much as Friday and Saturday. Knowing that tomorrow I would get my media fix helped out so much! The drive to work was not bad however; I was on the phone (this might have been cheating). I was pretty much at work the whole day so I didn’t miss media that much. When I got home from work, and there was no one there so, I ate and went to sleep. I was so happy to know that in the morning I would have everything back. The one thing I hate is not being able to unwind. Coming home and getting on the computer or turning on the TV is how I unwind, from a long day of work and school. I went to bed early both nights because there was nothing to do. This whole experience as been very hard, everything I do seems to be wrapped up in media. Life without media is a lot less distracting, but I a lot less fun! Like everyone I saw thing clearer and did a lot of thinking. I also sang to myself to keep me from going crazy over the silence. I think that maybe we need a little less media in our lives. However, going with no media is not an option. I need a good balance of media. I should maybe turn the TV off when I do my homework, so that I’m giving it my 100 percent. Going without media for three days, has been one of the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I hope I never have to do this again! The last and final day :)
DAY 3- I gave up.
So I completely forgot about the media deprivation assignment today. I stayed in bed until about 1pm today, tired from the night before. I stayed in bed a little while longer and watched The Game, and Everybody Hates Chris. I went to the café and watched the Raiders and the Steelers play, which to me, was a huge loss for the Steelers. After that I watched Year One with my boyfriend, and was You Tubing and talking on the phone for a while. I was also listening to music on Sunday, I played the Wii at Best Buy (I’m great at the Wii), and did lots of other things that were clearly against the rules. Needless to say, I cannot live depriving myself of the media. My life evolves around the media, my major involves the media, and everything I do is surrounded or because of the media. I lost the challenge, and I’m okay with it, although it is quite sad that I could not at least go one day without breaking the rules. Great assignment!
Day three
It's finally the end of the media deprivation project and I am enjoying the comforts of media. I am proud to state that throughout the last couple of days I was able to not use any type of media other than what was necessary through my job and talking to my parents. Sunday was a very productive day in means of studying for my Monday morning final. Staying busy at all times just kept my mind off of all the usual media I regularly use. I did catch myself listening to music as I drove to work but it was strictly out of habit. After five minutes through my drive I did realize what was happening. I have found this particular project very easy sense I was working around twelve hours every day this last weekend. By the time I home, I am too tired to even continue with anything. I did enjoy the silence and me trying to stay busy when I am not working. It just kept me going and left my mind on other things. I missed the football game I have been waiting to see for a few months, and that was the Cowboys versus the Giants. My friends are all huge Cowboys fans and I love when the Giants win seeing as they are my favorite team. I was wondering why all my friends were calling and texting me and I just had to peek at one of the messages. That one text message made my day. As for monday, the first thing I did was turn on my computer and watch the highlights of the games I missed and looked at every text message I missed for the last several days. I missed in all over one hundred text messages fourty five calls, among several myspace and facebook messages and comments. It felt weird having to actually drive to find my friends just to see them for a little bit. I am so used to just using my phone and knowing in seconds. They have told me that this project even sucked for them because they could never get a hold of me and I was never home. Now I somewhat know what it was like before media, and I really think I have begun to take these luxuries for granted because people live like this every day.
Day Three
Finally the last day! Like usual I tried not to watch tv or listen to the radio, but I do have a confession to make. Yesterday, my friend Ralph invited me to go to the movies. I was not going to deny a free movie (especially not "The Blind Side"), so I decided to go. It was a good movie, I cried a few times. In the car we listened to his iPod. I didn't turn it off because then I would have to explain the whole project to him and then he would think that I am weird. When I got home, I really didn't want to fall asleep early so I just had to watch tv. Besides, iCarly was on! It's my favorite Nickelodeon show. The whole weekend I did not text anyone. I did a good job with that rule. Sadly, I was unable to not watch movies or tv. I was also unable to not listen to the radio or my iPod. Last night I broke the "no talking on the phone" rule. My other friend from California thta I haven't talked to in over two months called so I couldn't just ignore his call. Basically, the no texting part was the easiest. Guys would text me and I would simply not reply. It's not like they were my boyfriend or something. If I would have completely commited to the project, then I would have been really bored. The only thing I would have been able to do was sleep and have face to face conversations with people. That is very limiting. I cannot imagine how people entertained themselves back then. When my parents were younger they couldn't afford all the fancy electronics we have now. They said friends would just hang out at usual spots so there was no need for cell phones or iPods. Now I think that it is very important to our generation to have some kind of electronic to entertain ourselves.
DAY 3!
Good afternoon,
I am so glad it is day three! I have been happy to have completed the media deprivation project. I can honestly say this has not been my worst project. It was a lot easier then I had thought it would have been. Although this project was easy I still found Sunday to be the hardest day of the project just knowing I was going to miss football all day. Unfortunately, thank goodness I did not miss much considering the Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants.
Being able to blog about my experience has kind of opened my eyes to blogging. I always thought that blogging would have been boring, but this project has in a way changed my mind. It is actually fun in some sort of strange way ha-ha. Do not mean to offend any bloggers.
This project has taught me that maybe I need to buy an alarm clock to wake me up; because all I use is my phone and these past three days I did not use my phone. Day one I woke up late for work ha-ha. Day two I was late going to my mothers. Day three I almost was late for my final. I had said in day two that I felt that I did not need my phone that bad, well I was wrong I depend on my phone for lots of things such as, alarms, important dates, memos, and keeping in touch is the main one.
I would go crazy if I did not have my phone, or if I was not able to social network. I am not into face book, or twitter, but I am a big MySpace person. Not getting on for three days was tough, but I did it and I am very proud of myself!
I rely on technology so much that I honestly do not think I could function without it.
Day III
My typical Sundays in the fall usually consist of me sitting in front of the tv watching football. The only game I saw on Sunday was the Patriots-Dolphins game which is pretty good for a football aficionado. After the game I did some long overdue cleaning around my place along with some laundry. I would usually do all this while blasting Nine Inch Nails on the radio but I managed to refrain. I did good this weekend about not listening to music, but I don't want to do this again.
The rest of the day consisted of me sitting around around reading a book I had put down a while ago. I love to read everything from history books to magazines but not being able to read magazines was not cool. After that we went to the gym for a workout and ended up staying there for a couple of hours playing basketball. I got back into the gym so something good did come from this project. I caught the days football highlights at Chachos while eating nachos and tacos. I think i found my new favorite restaurant in San Antonio.
All in all this project was fun. That being said, i don't ever want to partake in such a project. I was able to limit my media use but not deprive myself completely. I appreciate all my gadgets that keep me occupied throughout the day but some peace and quiet is also appreciated. I hope everybody made it through the weekend with their sanity intact. I'm out, I got to go clean out my inbox.
The rest of the day consisted of me sitting around around reading a book I had put down a while ago. I love to read everything from history books to magazines but not being able to read magazines was not cool. After that we went to the gym for a workout and ended up staying there for a couple of hours playing basketball. I got back into the gym so something good did come from this project. I caught the days football highlights at Chachos while eating nachos and tacos. I think i found my new favorite restaurant in San Antonio.
All in all this project was fun. That being said, i don't ever want to partake in such a project. I was able to limit my media use but not deprive myself completely. I appreciate all my gadgets that keep me occupied throughout the day but some peace and quiet is also appreciated. I hope everybody made it through the weekend with their sanity intact. I'm out, I got to go clean out my inbox.
Sweet Media Freedom!
well, last night my family did put up the Christmas tree and we did have music on. Its hard to go against tradition when you have young children. Luckily, I had two papers to complete and it took up the remainder of my night.
I have to admit the feeling of giddiness hit me early this morning because I realized I wouldn't have to restrict myself from sorts of media any longer. That meant I would be able to listen to music and watch TV and search the internet. It almost compares to a kids being able to spend a large sum of money in a candy store in my deprived state of mind. The only draw back would be that my school classes would delay two of the fun choices. I found myself thinking back over the last 72 hours of this project and the shocking truth that was revealed to my inner self. This project made me realize that I an indeed reliant on modern technology and the progress of media. Its hard to swallow the fact that I have tendencies I associated with people I considered to have introvert habits. Many of the social networks have the allure of allowing me to socialize when my schedule allows for it. I can go out to dinner and still catch up with friends all over the globe within the same night. I realize now the thought of resistance to a convenient media seems unrealistic in my own opinion for my life. Communicating with others in class made me feel better that I was not the only one feeling different levels of anxiety or relapse during the 72 hour period. We all seemed to agree that taking away media would make a very interesting reality show. Although that reality show would be the one show I'd never think twice for auditioning for!
I have to admit the feeling of giddiness hit me early this morning because I realized I wouldn't have to restrict myself from sorts of media any longer. That meant I would be able to listen to music and watch TV and search the internet. It almost compares to a kids being able to spend a large sum of money in a candy store in my deprived state of mind. The only draw back would be that my school classes would delay two of the fun choices. I found myself thinking back over the last 72 hours of this project and the shocking truth that was revealed to my inner self. This project made me realize that I an indeed reliant on modern technology and the progress of media. Its hard to swallow the fact that I have tendencies I associated with people I considered to have introvert habits. Many of the social networks have the allure of allowing me to socialize when my schedule allows for it. I can go out to dinner and still catch up with friends all over the globe within the same night. I realize now the thought of resistance to a convenient media seems unrealistic in my own opinion for my life. Communicating with others in class made me feel better that I was not the only one feeling different levels of anxiety or relapse during the 72 hour period. We all seemed to agree that taking away media would make a very interesting reality show. Although that reality show would be the one show I'd never think twice for auditioning for!
Day THREE!!! YAY
I woke up around noon and was awoken by my dad who was telling me of the football scores. I told him that I could not watch the games, but I did have to cheat when the New Orleans Saints played. The game ended with the redskins missing a field goal and then Fox Network cut it off to show the beginning of the Cowboy’s game, so I used my phone to look up the score to find out what happened. I couldn’t resist because the football game was good. I didn’t get anything done during the day cause I was feeling kind of lazy, and I had already done everything I had to do around the house and for school on Friday and Saturday. I had to go to work at 5. The drive to work in silence was fun, so I sang my dance party mix which consisted of Miley Cyrus and he Secret Handshake. It was busier than I thought it was going to be and I talked to a lot of customers about the movies they just saw or what they were going to see. I work near a movie theater so I get a lot of those kind of customers, a lot of them said that "The Blindside" was really good. I got one phone call from my mom and I didn’t call her back cause it was not an emergency. I am proud of myself because I only cheated once to watch that football game which was worth it. With everything said and done I am very pleased with myself. I got a lot of songs stuck in my head that I couldn’t listen to, but I did hear some music through the music player we have at work and now I’ve had enough of Christmas music.
Day 3
Day 3 December 6, 2009
Day three was not so bad. I woke up and had breakfas with Gerardo's family. After breakfas i went and laided down for awhile until everyone was ready for church. On the drive to we didnt listen to music, his parents dont really listen to music in the car in the first place, instead talked about mostly the weather, and mine and Gerardo's trip to Guam.
Mass was really good. The songs were really beautiful and the choir was gave me chills. Im not Cathloic though i am thinking about converting. After church Gerardo his mom and I went to the mall for a little more christmas shopping. After about a few hours and not too much success, though i did get a dress for Gerardo's Christmas party.
After we got home, we went straight to cooking. It was alot of fun, me and Gerardo made some ginger bread cookies and decorated them all cute, and then we made a ginger bread house, and then we baked a cherry coconut cake. His parents made the ham, mash potatoes and veggies. His sister and her family came over and we had alot of fun joking around, we kind of upset his mom with some of the jokes, but im pretty sure she got over it. I hope so anyways.
After dinner we exchanged our gifts. Everyone was really happy with what they got, after opening the gifts it was time to head home for the long drive back to San Antonio. We did really good talking on the way home again, though i did fall asleep and Gerardo turned on the radio, but again he played it very softly.
Over all i think the project wasnt as hard as i thought it would be, though i did break some of the rules. I did realize how much i do rely on technoloy, but i know i do let it control me, and my life.
Day three was not so bad. I woke up and had breakfas with Gerardo's family. After breakfas i went and laided down for awhile until everyone was ready for church. On the drive to we didnt listen to music, his parents dont really listen to music in the car in the first place, instead talked about mostly the weather, and mine and Gerardo's trip to Guam.
Mass was really good. The songs were really beautiful and the choir was gave me chills. Im not Cathloic though i am thinking about converting. After church Gerardo his mom and I went to the mall for a little more christmas shopping. After about a few hours and not too much success, though i did get a dress for Gerardo's Christmas party.
After we got home, we went straight to cooking. It was alot of fun, me and Gerardo made some ginger bread cookies and decorated them all cute, and then we made a ginger bread house, and then we baked a cherry coconut cake. His parents made the ham, mash potatoes and veggies. His sister and her family came over and we had alot of fun joking around, we kind of upset his mom with some of the jokes, but im pretty sure she got over it. I hope so anyways.
After dinner we exchanged our gifts. Everyone was really happy with what they got, after opening the gifts it was time to head home for the long drive back to San Antonio. We did really good talking on the way home again, though i did fall asleep and Gerardo turned on the radio, but again he played it very softly.
Over all i think the project wasnt as hard as i thought it would be, though i did break some of the rules. I did realize how much i do rely on technoloy, but i know i do let it control me, and my life.
Day Tre
The damn day three...I woke up at 9:30 showered and played my guitar until 10:50ish walked to the bus stop rode it to Vista dropped off my final then took the bus back home. I walked in my room and played my guitar for the last hour. I pretty sure when I’m done with this I’m going to play my guitar for a few more hours then watch Step-Brothers because I haven’t seen it and we just got it. But I really did like this project! I mean it honestly showed me how pointless text messaging truly is. Also it totally illustrated the concept of detaching from modern day vices. That was the kicker for me I loved it. It’s a sense returning to your roots in a way.just enjoy life for what it has to offer and be okay with it. As much as I tried my hardest to not listen to my music I just couldn’t do it. I apologize for the sake of the project but it only made the detachment of the other media devices more of an introspective learning process. So over all I thought this project was the best utilization of outside the classroom processing to teach a class. Kudos Prof. Lopez
free at last! day 3
I couldnt be any more excited for day three to be over with! My urge to get connected to all of my peers through different forms of media was at its breaking point. haha Thats a little dramatic of me but this task was definitely hard for me to overcome. Sunday was my day off from both work and school so i knew i had to make a plan to get through the final day. I had my P.I.C (partner in crime) stay over night with me that way he could keep me distracted because sundays are always my "lazy surf the web" days. Well we woke up around noon and just sat around the house talking about the night before and just discussing our favorite gangster mob movies haha we eventually decided that blow, american ganster and good fellas were definitely at the top of the list. Anyways we did a little cleaning up then ate some barbacoa my mom bought for us. After that we got ready and headed out to Victor's (my p.i.c) house and i sat there and watched him play call of duty (which i did NOT Participate in). Once we were done there we went to old navy to buy me some boots then headed back home to start making dinner. After dinner we decided to be lame and take a silent drive around downtown to see the lights, which only made us depressed because we realized we needed to amke our realtionship with our "significant others" better before christmas time rolls around haha.. well after that we killed some more time as as soon as 12 am rolled around we couldnt be anymore excited so FINALLY get to log onto my "facespace" and start talking to everyone! We even went over board and started calling people on skype haha! So after we chatted with some friends on skype we picked up another friend and went to eat at taco cabana and i was SO overjoyed because i was listening to the radio FULL BLAST the whole time.. i definitely had media withdraws haha. well this assigment truely opened my eyes to alot of things and i realized that i have already been sucked in to this generation of technology and to get away from it is the most difficult task i ahev been assigned thus far.
Day 3
Day 3 was defiantly the easiest of all the days.
I didn't get home Saturday night, or Sunday morning if you will, until around 4:30. I didn't even wake up the next day until 2 in the afternoon, so the day went by extremely fast.
I didn't have to work, so I was faced with the question of what to do. I didn't feel like going out so I started reading this book called " The Beautiful Miscellaneous," its an OK book, it just started getting interesting. While I was in my room I was tempted by the sound of " Transformers 2" playing in the other room on my gargantuan 65 inch TV equipped with a Bose system, but I managed to refrain.
So most of the day I spent immersed in my room, either playing guitar or reading. The only time I gave in was when I watched ESPN for awhile to see who won, and a couple of minutes of the Vikings game, they got owned, but that was it.
I Think I did pretty good, I only watched TV at my house once during the whole experiment, and I defiantly got out more because of this. So all in all, It wasn't a bad experience,it reminded me of when I lived in Playa Del Carmen, and had no forms of mass media so I would go get in trouble all day.
I didn't get home Saturday night, or Sunday morning if you will, until around 4:30. I didn't even wake up the next day until 2 in the afternoon, so the day went by extremely fast.
I didn't have to work, so I was faced with the question of what to do. I didn't feel like going out so I started reading this book called " The Beautiful Miscellaneous," its an OK book, it just started getting interesting. While I was in my room I was tempted by the sound of " Transformers 2" playing in the other room on my gargantuan 65 inch TV equipped with a Bose system, but I managed to refrain.
So most of the day I spent immersed in my room, either playing guitar or reading. The only time I gave in was when I watched ESPN for awhile to see who won, and a couple of minutes of the Vikings game, they got owned, but that was it.
I Think I did pretty good, I only watched TV at my house once during the whole experiment, and I defiantly got out more because of this. So all in all, It wasn't a bad experience,it reminded me of when I lived in Playa Del Carmen, and had no forms of mass media so I would go get in trouble all day.
day 3
So the last day was easy, aside from a little bit of televison. I woke up to my grandpa step grandma three uncles and my unts saying hi to me while iiwas still in bed haha they came to see our new house and had to come to my room first. They came early in the morning and didnt leave till 7.....so wonderful!!! My whole day was spent helping out my mom cook and sitting around with my dad and grandpa bbq (by the way he made some fabulous ribs and steak) I played three games of scrabble and lost each one but i was ok with it because everyone i played with are scrabble champs and know huge words that i cant even pronounce, it was alot of fun though. Staying away from social networks, my phone(which sat in my room all day), music, and movies was pretty easy and fun. I got alot of family time in and getting to know whats going on with them and telling them how life is with me is to me so much better than being involved with everything and everyone else in the world. However i did watch the cowboys game because my dad and brother got me into football so uch now i cant stay away from it, except for the cowboys made me turn it off the last ten mintues because i was upset and just didnt want anymore tv haha but overall i did good my last day and actually enjoyed it.
Day 3
Day 3 at last, I have to say I was looking forward to this day. I could handle the first day, then day two was harder, and day three was even harder. My Sunday consisted of me waking up sick as a dog. I woke up with a horrible sore throat and congestion. I woke up and looked at my phone and had more text messages and missed calls. I gave in and read some of them. After reading my text messages I took a shower and yes it was hard not to listen to music, but I told myself only one more day. I had to go to work so I got ready. I got in my car and my radio was already powered off, I remember thinking I just want to listen to music. I think this was probably one of the hardest parts of the project. I just hate driving in silence. I had the will power and drove without the radio; thank God I don’t live far from my work. Then to top it off they usually play good music at work, but now they are playing Christmas music. I can’t stand Christmas music, I finally get to listen to some type of music and it’s a kind I dislike. I think I would rather deal with the silence ha. When I was at work my phone kept vibrating, and yes I gave in and would check to see who it was. If it was someone that I wanted to talk to, I gave in and read the message and would text back. It was kind of funny because everyone was like are you okay, I haven’t heard from you. Everyone probably thought I dropped off the face of the earth. Although, I am glad this project is over, it really gives you time to yourself. I never noticed how much of my time goes to these media devices, when I could be doing something productive. I actually got to hang out with my family and it was fun. I got a good amount of studying done this weekend and I just had time to think. I didn’t realize how attached I am to my cell phone and ipod till this project.
yay day three!
Now I can finally watch TV without feeling bad. This project made me realize that I depend too much on mass media, television is general. When I watch TV, I usually spend a great deal of time watching many sport games or even ESPN. The athletic games are just so tempting to watch; I like the anticipation of what’s going to happen, or who is going to make a play that is impossible to reenact.
Yesterday I didn’t have too much trouble with the mass media. I spent most of my time studying for my finals, so not using mass media helped out a whole lot. When I woke up, I took a shower and got ready to go eat with my parents and boyfriend. After spending quite some time at the restaurant, we all went back home in time for the Cowboys game (No I did not watch the cowboys game). While they were watching the Cowboys game in the living room, I went to my room to study. After several hours, I ended up taking a break, usually I turn on the TV and start flicking through all channels, but I told my boyfriend that we should go and play some basketball. I hadn’t played basketball in a while so I didn’t start off playing too great. When we were done playing basketball, I went back home to take another shower, and afterwards I continued studying. Sundays are my studying days, so not too much excitement really goes on.
I do not like being deprived of mass media, so I probably wouldn’t go through this again. Now that this project is over I could maybe devote some of my time to outdoors instead of staying glued to the TV for hours.
Yesterday I didn’t have too much trouble with the mass media. I spent most of my time studying for my finals, so not using mass media helped out a whole lot. When I woke up, I took a shower and got ready to go eat with my parents and boyfriend. After spending quite some time at the restaurant, we all went back home in time for the Cowboys game (No I did not watch the cowboys game). While they were watching the Cowboys game in the living room, I went to my room to study. After several hours, I ended up taking a break, usually I turn on the TV and start flicking through all channels, but I told my boyfriend that we should go and play some basketball. I hadn’t played basketball in a while so I didn’t start off playing too great. When we were done playing basketball, I went back home to take another shower, and afterwards I continued studying. Sundays are my studying days, so not too much excitement really goes on.
I do not like being deprived of mass media, so I probably wouldn’t go through this again. Now that this project is over I could maybe devote some of my time to outdoors instead of staying glued to the TV for hours.
Day 3
The final day was finally here. I had a long night before so I slept in till about noon. Soon after I got ready and went to see my girlfriend before she had to leave back to Corpus. I have to admit on the way I completely forgot about not being able to listen to the radio and I had it on. Probably because I had such a huge headache so I wasn't really focused on it. After spending some time with my girlfriend I left for work. I worked four to eight, an easy shift. I missed the cowboys game but I was fine with that since I heard they lost. After work and going home this was the most bored I had been the entire weekend. I was so use to being out and doing things I was fine with not having any media. But since it was a Sunday night I had nothing to do after work and wasn't really up for it since I had school the following day. I didn't even have a book to read so I started to read the latest copy of my AP magazine. Though I know I wasn't suppose to read magazines I felt it was a better alternative than to turn the t.v. on. Before going to sleep I called my girlfriend to say good night and that I would finally be able to text her regularly the following day. I went to sleep pretty early since I was so bored and didn't want to give in since I was already nearing the end. Over all I honestly enjoyed the weekend. I was very busy with work and seeing my girlfriend and going out with friends. It made me go out and do stuff rather than just be bored at home.
DAY 3!!!!! At Last!!!
So I lied. Day 3 was super hard, probably because I didn't spend the whole day shopping or working. I did work, just not that much. First I went to the library to do the blogs (without listening to music I might add) then went straight to work. I would also like to point out that I am listening to music right now just because I can!! Ha! I made it through! Yeah, I put down on that paper that I might try depriving myself of media again if the time required it, but thinking back on this weekend, I don't think I'll put myself through that again. It's torture, with a capital "T". Sadly enough though, my Internet is still down so I will have to suffer a bit longer, at least until I move. I think it's a good thing I'm not all madly into gaming like some pointed out. Games seemed to be the most addicting forms of mass media and also seemed to be the hardest to live without for those who were so attached. I know that if I ever told my boyfriend or brother to try and do this project they would die without the games. While I find that having media back in my life is pretty filling, I also realize that I was able to accomplish more than I normally would have this weekend, simply because I didn't have the urge to turn on the telly or surf the web. I was able to actually get a good night's rest and found time to look over exam materials. It also gave me a chance to assess a few things that were up and coming, like moving at the end of this month. So I do believe that in some situations, reducing the amount of time we take consuming our lives with things that get us nowhere is a definite necessity.
Day 3
Finally it was the last day of the media deprivation. I felt so out of touch with what the Internet community must be saying. What was I missing in the Twittersphere? What did all my Facebook friends have to say about Saturday night’s UT football game? It came down to the last second! Did people storm the streets and act all crazy? I wanted so bad to get on my phone or computer and read about it all. I had to tell my girlfriend to stay off the computer because I’d be tempted to look over her shoulder. Let’s get out of the house again! We decided she needed to go to her parents anyway and this would be an excellent opportunity. It’s a long drive to Bastrop in complete silence—especially because those few songs were STILL in my head. I kept humming or whistling the 2 or 3 verses that popped in my head.
At her parents’ house, her brother was home and I really wanted to play a few games with him on the PS3 or Wii, but alas, I am deprived. I tried to get them to play a board game, but no one was up for it. We went to visit her sister who works at a Starbucks, where I decided to write my blog entry and use the Wi-fi there to upload it. Just loading the blog page I was SO tempted to just type a few other internet sites in the address bar, but I restrained myself. We had bought a newspaper for the long drive, but it just didn’t have the same effect. I read a couple of pages, but I still felt out of touch. The long drive back was filled with more silence and more humming and whistling, but this time theChristmas tunes that I tried to ignore from the Starbucks! I spent the rest of the night doing the jigsaw puzzle from the day before, but felt like I was just wasting time, counting the hours until I could check my Twitter and tech news sites again.
In closing, I just want to say: OK I get it! We use media in everything we do. It makes our lives simpler and more efficient, but it also makes us lazy and impatient. We want what we want when we want it.
At her parents’ house, her brother was home and I really wanted to play a few games with him on the PS3 or Wii, but alas, I am deprived. I tried to get them to play a board game, but no one was up for it. We went to visit her sister who works at a Starbucks, where I decided to write my blog entry and use the Wi-fi there to upload it. Just loading the blog page I was SO tempted to just type a few other internet sites in the address bar, but I restrained myself. We had bought a newspaper for the long drive, but it just didn’t have the same effect. I read a couple of pages, but I still felt out of touch. The long drive back was filled with more silence and more humming and whistling, but this time the
In closing, I just want to say: OK I get it! We use media in everything we do. It makes our lives simpler and more efficient, but it also makes us lazy and impatient. We want what we want when we want it.
Day three
Well, it's over now, and on the third day I gave in. I could not resist my 52" tv any longer; I never miss a Cowboy's game, especially on a Sunday. However, yesterday's game was one that I probably should have. I don't get why we can never beat the Giants in December. Anyway, other than slipping up by having my radio on in my truck while driving out to the ranch, this experiment really was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. Okay, so I watched a little football too, but other than that I was too busy doing other things to get distracted by media devices. A year ago I was enrolled in this same class and the project was 100 hours as opposed to 72. I dropped the class because the teacher did not have a clue, and I didn't agree with her teaching methods. Anyway, long story short, I would not have made it five hours last semester because of my living arrangement.
I think that had I not had hunting this weekend, I would have kept it parked right in front of the television; then again, I wanted to see how far I could get with this project. It forced me to do things that I have been putting off for months. I have been wanting to better my slide guitar playing, but have just been putting it off because it is easier to just sit in front of the tv, or browse the web. I kind of rekindled the love I have for guitar and music, and I'm ready to put together another band (So if anyone knows any good drummers and bass players give me a shout).
Day Two
Yesterday was a little better; I was able to keep myself busy enough. The days stared the same as yesterday, I got up and wanted to turn on music. I’ve come to realize that music puts me in a good mood. Driving to work in the morning feels like forever, and I speed because I want the silence to stop. I grew up in a house with six siblings and noise has become necessary. I need people around or noise. I was looking forward to going to work, because I knew that people would be around and in the break room the TV would be on. I was so happy to be able to watch twenty minutes of TV. It kind of made me feel like an addict. In the past I have gone on fast without TV, it was hard. I have never gone without all media. It is helping me get out more and see friends rather than just leave them a comment on face book or text message. Going without media is helping me get so work done, that I normal would have waited on or spent a little more time studying. Having a friend come over after work helped me to not feel so bored. We went to lunch and shopped, I was a good way to keep my mind off of this assignment. When she left I found myself looking at the computer and the remote control. Not giving into temptations has been the hardest thing. No one is around to watch me and see if I really sick to my goal. I’m so looking forward to Monday so I can check my face book! Two days down and one more to go, let’s see if I’ve got all my hair on Monday.
DAY 3: The End...
This day was the easiest to get through given that I have already started to adapt to not having certain stimulus's bombarding me on a daily basis. I awoke early this morning to attend a church ceremony. I brought along my twelve year old neighbor because is interested in learning about God. I give him credit for wanting to come but he seems to have the attention span of a seven year old. The following sermon was quite delicious and afterward there was a potluck to attend. I had various Filipino dishes to compliment my palate. Tasty. My wife and I had stayed back to teach some more kids about their role in the upcoming Christmas Play.
It took my wife quite some time to train the younglings about their role in this whole masquerade. Many times did she have them repeat the part they were assigned. Something tells me that they will not remember the day of the play but I give her credit trying so hard with the little ones. I haven't thought about technology as this day progressed. I think that once you realize you can live without it, that it no longer has a hold on you like shackles and chains. After practice was over, we made our way off to home. Upon arrival, we both took a nap from exhaustion of constant human interaction. It really does take a toll on you when you are expected to behave a certain way for different people. I awoke a couple of hours later to go help my neighbor with his projects. He had been approved to extend his fence and build a shed. I spent a greater part of the evening conversing with him and his son as we dug holes for fence posts. After we accomplished what needed to be done, I took his son on a four mile run with me. I was very surprised that he ran the whole way with me. I had it in my mind that he would drop like a fly after the second mile. We talked for a bit and then departed our ways. My parents who live in Michigan have been wondering why they haven't heard from me. They understood the circumstances once I told them I was participating in a media deprivation project for my professor.
I have been good about adhering to the rules provided. Really, the only person you are cheating is yourself. I am glad to know that I have more clarity when not clouded by so many distractions of mass media. I do note though that I tend to be more aggressive and easily agitated than normal. I think this may only be a temporary reaction to lack of certain stimulus that I am used to in my life. I also managed to turn in all of the late paperwork I had for my psychology class. Raising the grade from a "C" to an "A." Even though I can live without mass media in my life, I prefer to have it around. I often found myself bored with many real life tasks. Well, I am off to celebrate by playing some video games now that it is two in the morning on Monday. Take care.
It took my wife quite some time to train the younglings about their role in this whole masquerade. Many times did she have them repeat the part they were assigned. Something tells me that they will not remember the day of the play but I give her credit trying so hard with the little ones. I haven't thought about technology as this day progressed. I think that once you realize you can live without it, that it no longer has a hold on you like shackles and chains. After practice was over, we made our way off to home. Upon arrival, we both took a nap from exhaustion of constant human interaction. It really does take a toll on you when you are expected to behave a certain way for different people. I awoke a couple of hours later to go help my neighbor with his projects. He had been approved to extend his fence and build a shed. I spent a greater part of the evening conversing with him and his son as we dug holes for fence posts. After we accomplished what needed to be done, I took his son on a four mile run with me. I was very surprised that he ran the whole way with me. I had it in my mind that he would drop like a fly after the second mile. We talked for a bit and then departed our ways. My parents who live in Michigan have been wondering why they haven't heard from me. They understood the circumstances once I told them I was participating in a media deprivation project for my professor.
I have been good about adhering to the rules provided. Really, the only person you are cheating is yourself. I am glad to know that I have more clarity when not clouded by so many distractions of mass media. I do note though that I tend to be more aggressive and easily agitated than normal. I think this may only be a temporary reaction to lack of certain stimulus that I am used to in my life. I also managed to turn in all of the late paperwork I had for my psychology class. Raising the grade from a "C" to an "A." Even though I can live without mass media in my life, I prefer to have it around. I often found myself bored with many real life tasks. Well, I am off to celebrate by playing some video games now that it is two in the morning on Monday. Take care.
Day 3: The Last Day, Thank you Lord : )
I'm so glad this project is over. I have to say I missed myspace and movies the most.
Day 3 was a good day. I more or less behaved in the project.
I woke up at noon, went downstairs, and hung out with the family till about 2pm. Then I came upstairs and closed my eyes for about an hour then got ready and went to work.
Work went by alittle slower then it has the past couple of days. I think its cause I couldn't wait to come home at midnight and turn on the tv.
It's sad isn't it. I could not wait to come home and detach myself from life to zone out in front of the television. I guess thats normal for my generation. It's how we cope with things.
I don't have really anything interesting to report in this blog.
All I can say is I'm glad it's over. I'm never gonna look at my media the same, thank you sir, but im glad I did it in certain aspects. I mean without the long hours of tv, when I went to sleep I didnt have those overly detailed nightmares. Without myspace I didn't have to over worry about my friends. Without my movies, I now I have a new appreciation for them. I noticed that while I was at work today. I went into one of the movies and, just, got overly intranced into it. My brain kept spinning wondering about certain aspects and thinking about how I couldn't wait to be apart of that.
I know its werid but...
It's over and I'm glad.
-Melanie
Day 3 was a good day. I more or less behaved in the project.
I woke up at noon, went downstairs, and hung out with the family till about 2pm. Then I came upstairs and closed my eyes for about an hour then got ready and went to work.
Work went by alittle slower then it has the past couple of days. I think its cause I couldn't wait to come home at midnight and turn on the tv.
It's sad isn't it. I could not wait to come home and detach myself from life to zone out in front of the television. I guess thats normal for my generation. It's how we cope with things.
I don't have really anything interesting to report in this blog.
All I can say is I'm glad it's over. I'm never gonna look at my media the same, thank you sir, but im glad I did it in certain aspects. I mean without the long hours of tv, when I went to sleep I didnt have those overly detailed nightmares. Without myspace I didn't have to over worry about my friends. Without my movies, I now I have a new appreciation for them. I noticed that while I was at work today. I went into one of the movies and, just, got overly intranced into it. My brain kept spinning wondering about certain aspects and thinking about how I couldn't wait to be apart of that.
I know its werid but...
It's over and I'm glad.
-Melanie
JS3 Presents: Media Deprived Day Three
When I began my first semester of college this year, I had no idea what to expect. I often wondered what lessons would be learned, what relationships would be formed, and where the road less traveled would take me. I met this media deprivation project with the same amount of speculation. I contemplated what this project would mean to my life and what I could learn about myself upon its completion. Now, as a both journeys have come to an end simultaneously, I can clearly see that I have become a much better person for going through the challenges, obstacles, and struggles they brought to my life. This belief would be given no greater proof than the events that occurred on the third and final day of the media deprivation.
By the third day of this media deprivation project, I had adapted routines that made the project’s goal much easier to complete. In the morning I made the usual large Sunday breakfast for my son and me, but rather than turn on his cartoons like before, I brought out my old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip collections and read them aloud to him while pointing at the pictures. He pointed along and paid attention until we finished eating, at which point I set him free to play while I washed dished and did some laundry. Every so often he would point to the TV as if to ask why it was not on, but I explained to him for the 100th time that daddy was in the middle of very important school work and that he could help me by cleaning with me or finding a fun game for us to play. While you wouldn’t expect a toddler to understand a conversation like that, he seemed to choose “fun” as he pushed me out of the kitchen and towards his toys.
For the rest of the day, my son and I played with the various toys he has sprinkled throughout the house and before I knew it the day was coming to a close. First we played with his toy cars, racing them through the hallways as if they were burning rubber on a track. After that, his eyes begged me to chase him down those same “roads” until he grew tired and took a nap, giving me time to complete dinner. I had a big smile on my face as I set it down on the table and heard him wake up, but when I walked over to get him from his room, I was met with a very unfortunate surprise: my son had caught a small fever.
When I walked into the room, I could see a sickly red glow to his cheeks. Worried, I took his temperature to verify what I already instinctively knew. When 99.5 registered on the thermometer, I gave him some medicine, retired his prepared dinner to the refrigerator, and served him chicken soup instead. He paced himself through half a bowl before asking to go lay down. After getting him back to bed, I came back to the dinner table and had a few moments to reflect on not only the last few days, but the last few months of my life. What had I learned about myself?
Since beginning college, I have learned that the toughest things in life are usually the things worth doing if they are necessary for the goals you have in life, and that lesson was amplified by this project. You see, if I did not feel college or school was going to get me where I wanted to be, I would have phoned it in on this project and not given it a second thought. If I felt that completing assignments and getting outstanding grades was worth the time commitment, I would not have even gone through the trouble of applying for financial aid, much less finding an affordable and exceptional daycare for my son and attending class. There were a few times I was uncertain of how I would balance my schedule and overcome the challenge of being a single parent and full time student, much like the way I was uncertain as to how I would get through my workout routines without music. However, in both cases I never thought for a second I would fail at overcoming those obstacles. I knew that what I had to gain from the challenges was worth spending the time and effort to figure out a solution, so I did.
While I am not at the end of my life story, I am definitely at the end of the first chapter. Upon completion of this first chapter, there is one lesson that stands out from the rest because it was not something I set out to learn. You see, dear readers, the most important thing I learned from my journey is that while all good things must come to end, the greatest things in life never leave. The greatest thing in my life is my commitment to gaining knowledge and wisdom, and I have gained new facets of both by going through Professor Lopez’s Media Deprivation Project.
(Click to enlarge, opens in new window)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
DAY 2: The Day I Aged Five Years
Day two was about as difficult to endure as day one, mostly because the things I did before being able to consume mass media were boring without being able to listen to any music. See, I planned to go over to my parents' house and watch the Florida-Alabama SEC championship game with them but that wasn't till 3PM, so I had several hours to take care of stuff back at my house... Without my music, of course!
I don't know about you but putting up Christmas lights and decorations is about as fun as watching paint dry except for, you know, the whole manual labor part! So having to do such a time-consuming, annoying task can only be exacerbated by not being able to listen to music. Like many of you, music helps me both pass the time and focus on the task at hand. Stripping that luxury away just makes me irritable and I don't think I'm as efficient or productive when I'm irritable. So yeah, the first part of my day sucked, and guess what? I have to redo some of the Christmas lights because I forgot to test one of the sets before I stapled them to the house. See, told you I'm no good to you when I'm irritable! But I only have myself to blame, right?
After that ordeal I hung out with my parents at their house and we watched the Florida-Alabama game. Wow, that game did not turn out the way I thought it would. But then again, Florida had looked vulnerable this season and Alabama had revenge on their minds all season. Props to the Crimson Tide and here's hoping my 'Horns can stop crapping the bed when it matters most and really challenge Alabama for the National Championship.
Speaking of the Texas Longhorns... WOW WHAT A FREAKIN' FINISH! I still can't believe that kick was good! It looked like it was gonna hook wide left but the ball stayed true and assured the 'Horns a shot at the National Title. A shot they should've had last year but whatever. I'm not bitter... YEAH RIGHT! Anyhoo, I planned to have the game at my house so a bunch of friends came over and we had a game-watching party. One of my best friends is a HUGE Texas hater so it was even more fun watching the game with him since all we did was talk trash during the game. Sadly, he had a lot to trash talk given how poorly Texas played on Saturday (especially Colt McCoy and the UT offense; say goodbye to that Heisman, Colt!).
So yeah, watching the UT game--NOT this whole Media Deprivation experience--robbed me of about five years of my life! Sometimes I think I invest too much time and passion into sports (Heck, I used to be much worse just a few years ago), so I always try to remind myself that it's just a game and that there are far more important things in life... Like you guys and your blogs! So after everyone left for the night I proceeded to read everyone's Day 1 blogs (and even some Day 2 blogs creeping in during the wee hours of the morning), which kept me occupied the rest of the night. In fact, I fell asleep on the couch reading everyone's blogs not because they weren't interesting or engaging (believe me, they always are!) but because I just couldn't stay up any longer.
After a stressful day of house stuff, and a stressful night of watching my alma mater ALMOST choke away a shot at the National Championship, I was just pooped!
I don't know about you but putting up Christmas lights and decorations is about as fun as watching paint dry except for, you know, the whole manual labor part! So having to do such a time-consuming, annoying task can only be exacerbated by not being able to listen to music. Like many of you, music helps me both pass the time and focus on the task at hand. Stripping that luxury away just makes me irritable and I don't think I'm as efficient or productive when I'm irritable. So yeah, the first part of my day sucked, and guess what? I have to redo some of the Christmas lights because I forgot to test one of the sets before I stapled them to the house. See, told you I'm no good to you when I'm irritable! But I only have myself to blame, right?
After that ordeal I hung out with my parents at their house and we watched the Florida-Alabama game. Wow, that game did not turn out the way I thought it would. But then again, Florida had looked vulnerable this season and Alabama had revenge on their minds all season. Props to the Crimson Tide and here's hoping my 'Horns can stop crapping the bed when it matters most and really challenge Alabama for the National Championship.
Speaking of the Texas Longhorns... WOW WHAT A FREAKIN' FINISH! I still can't believe that kick was good! It looked like it was gonna hook wide left but the ball stayed true and assured the 'Horns a shot at the National Title. A shot they should've had last year but whatever. I'm not bitter... YEAH RIGHT! Anyhoo, I planned to have the game at my house so a bunch of friends came over and we had a game-watching party. One of my best friends is a HUGE Texas hater so it was even more fun watching the game with him since all we did was talk trash during the game. Sadly, he had a lot to trash talk given how poorly Texas played on Saturday (especially Colt McCoy and the UT offense; say goodbye to that Heisman, Colt!).
So yeah, watching the UT game--NOT this whole Media Deprivation experience--robbed me of about five years of my life! Sometimes I think I invest too much time and passion into sports (Heck, I used to be much worse just a few years ago), so I always try to remind myself that it's just a game and that there are far more important things in life... Like you guys and your blogs! So after everyone left for the night I proceeded to read everyone's Day 1 blogs (and even some Day 2 blogs creeping in during the wee hours of the morning), which kept me occupied the rest of the night. In fact, I fell asleep on the couch reading everyone's blogs not because they weren't interesting or engaging (believe me, they always are!) but because I just couldn't stay up any longer.
After a stressful day of house stuff, and a stressful night of watching my alma mater ALMOST choke away a shot at the National Championship, I was just pooped!
Final day
Ah yes, last day of this media project, thank goodness it is finally over! I may say it has been a real challenge for me since I am basically still a hardcore gamer almost. Today I have done some touch up with the rear side of the civic. I had to use my bodywork tools to realign the back to its normal state, so I can install the parts I bought. After that, I have decided to take a break from it all and clean up the house before I hit the bed for a little one to two hour nap. I had urges to turn on my Xbox 360 to play some RPG games on it, but I held back and here I am typing out what I have done, I will turn in now so I can get back to my digital life as soon as possible. What I have learned is without any digital holds on my life I brings out the working side of me a want to finish things I’ve haven’t really wanted to start, but felt a bit lazy to even get to do the projects I wanted to do. I would say this project was both lame and good to my life.
Day 3-Easiest Day!
Good Evening my fellow Bloggers,
Well, today is the last day of our project!! I am relieved for the conclusion to have arrived! This morning, I got an email from my friend adjacent to Phoenix. What a wonderful way to start of your day! Get invited out on vacation!! Yea!! Well, I held myself to my words last night. My friend Jim and I went up to Walmart, earlier this evening. In all honesty, I had forgot about not listening to music. On the way to our homes, it dawned on me-what I wrote last night. I must say, the company of a good, life long friend and your best friend on the phone line, you forget about music. We were laughing and making plans for this next week. I wasn't sure how I would re-act without music, but, it went surprisingly well! I am not sure I could've lasted the whole 3 days..but glad I attempted and put forth effort. I didn't watch the news today and can't remember when I listened to the I-Pod. I still have my addiction problem to Facebook..sorry Mr. Lopez! Without logging on, it feels like you are out of touch or sync with your friends/family. My dad's curiosity for Facebook has expanded. Now, he's wanting to know how to look at people's pictures and locate them. I am hoping to have him converted, soon! However, I do apologize, I haven't been faithful in putting all of the restrictions together at once-but-have followed each of the rule(s) at different times!
This afternoon went well! I got to see my God son, Ryan, for a little bit!! My friend, Felicia, and I spent most of our time watching football. We are self-admitted football junkies. (I LOVE Texas Longhorns and New Orleans Saints). Our time was filled with laughter, anxiety and much anticipation about the ranking/scores of our beloved teams.
On a positive note, Texas one second win against Nebraska and my best friend driving from Louisiana, will make this week great! Hope everyone has a blessed week and best wishes on your finals!
Blessings,
Kelly
Well, today is the last day of our project!! I am relieved for the conclusion to have arrived! This morning, I got an email from my friend adjacent to Phoenix. What a wonderful way to start of your day! Get invited out on vacation!! Yea!! Well, I held myself to my words last night. My friend Jim and I went up to Walmart, earlier this evening. In all honesty, I had forgot about not listening to music. On the way to our homes, it dawned on me-what I wrote last night. I must say, the company of a good, life long friend and your best friend on the phone line, you forget about music. We were laughing and making plans for this next week. I wasn't sure how I would re-act without music, but, it went surprisingly well! I am not sure I could've lasted the whole 3 days..but glad I attempted and put forth effort. I didn't watch the news today and can't remember when I listened to the I-Pod. I still have my addiction problem to Facebook..sorry Mr. Lopez! Without logging on, it feels like you are out of touch or sync with your friends/family. My dad's curiosity for Facebook has expanded. Now, he's wanting to know how to look at people's pictures and locate them. I am hoping to have him converted, soon! However, I do apologize, I haven't been faithful in putting all of the restrictions together at once-but-have followed each of the rule(s) at different times!
This afternoon went well! I got to see my God son, Ryan, for a little bit!! My friend, Felicia, and I spent most of our time watching football. We are self-admitted football junkies. (I LOVE Texas Longhorns and New Orleans Saints). Our time was filled with laughter, anxiety and much anticipation about the ranking/scores of our beloved teams.
On a positive note, Texas one second win against Nebraska and my best friend driving from Louisiana, will make this week great! Hope everyone has a blessed week and best wishes on your finals!
Blessings,
Kelly
Well, that didn't take long. (day 3)
Of course, once I passed out this morning, I slept until 1:00.
the past nine hours have been filled with research, research, and more research. I've been procrastinating all weekend on my English final, but I need to at least finish half tonight, lazy muse or no lazy muse.
Between lunch, research, and driving to peiwei for a little practice (and dinner) I haven't had much time to worry about recreation anyway. despite that, I still managed to get sidetracked in my research, reading three articles on 'mind reading' games before forcing myself back to my own, boring topic. (quantum physics and nanotechnology isn't nearly as interesting as it sounds.)
Today was definately the easiest day, despite desperately wanting to log onto my game sites to see if there's any news, there wasn't too much time for temptations. There was however, time for pie. German Chocolate pie.
Maybe fudge.
I haven't decided yet.
Anyone want me to bring fudge tomorrow?
the past nine hours have been filled with research, research, and more research. I've been procrastinating all weekend on my English final, but I need to at least finish half tonight, lazy muse or no lazy muse.
Between lunch, research, and driving to peiwei for a little practice (and dinner) I haven't had much time to worry about recreation anyway. despite that, I still managed to get sidetracked in my research, reading three articles on 'mind reading' games before forcing myself back to my own, boring topic. (quantum physics and nanotechnology isn't nearly as interesting as it sounds.)
Today was definately the easiest day, despite desperately wanting to log onto my game sites to see if there's any news, there wasn't too much time for temptations. There was however, time for pie. German Chocolate pie.
Maybe fudge.
I haven't decided yet.
Anyone want me to bring fudge tomorrow?
Joel Olivarez Day 2 Update
Well...I almost made it. Then again I havent been 100% sure about being completely deprived. Well, after my last post alot of things came up, that really started pissing me off. And where do I go to vent some steam? Oh yeah...you guessed it.
There I could see it--on the top left corner of my screen in 1900x 1200 resolution on my 1080p HD TV/Monitor. The single '2' shimmered blissfully with it's golden color and the white text beneath it seemed to shine as my eyes glanced upon it. I slowly hovered my mouse over the taunting icon with no second thought of the consequences present...
Five minutes later I win first place TDM on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2...
I could have just lied about this--but I'm an honest person when it comes to stuff like this...
There I could see it--on the top left corner of my screen in 1900x 1200 resolution on my 1080p HD TV/Monitor. The single '2' shimmered blissfully with it's golden color and the white text beneath it seemed to shine as my eyes glanced upon it. I slowly hovered my mouse over the taunting icon with no second thought of the consequences present...
Five minutes later I win first place TDM on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2...
I could have just lied about this--but I'm an honest person when it comes to stuff like this...
DAY 2
Another late post, but a post nonetheless. Well Saturday was not as bad as I imagined it would be. I didn't listen to the radio in my own car and actually didn't really mind it. I guess when you're getting busy you don't really mind quiet car... Well, not exactly, haha. I have to admit it's just as much fun to sing in the car without music as it is with, especially when you're younger sister's a good sport!
I must say, it is getting harder and harder to avoid that infamous Facebook! I didn't realize how much there isn't to do without that good old time filler. In a lot of ways it's starting to make me feel disconnected from my friends' social life. I guess the upside to my not being on Facebook all day is that I'll get to come back to a whole bunch of wall posts, tags and messages, haha. Another upside would be that it's given me less of a distraction when it comes to studying for my Algebra final, but even with that there's still so much time to be filled.
Texting is unbelievably hard not to do! I have to admit I've been falling short in that respect. It's so difficult to ignore that vibration. When I look at my phone and see that envelope staring back at me, I can't not open it! Even if I make an effort to not text leisurely, the fact remains that a majority of my friends do. I feel it'd be kind of rude to ignore them. Well at the very least I've been avoiding being the catalyst of a text conversation.
Well, there's only one more day to this and it's just about over. I'm pretty sure I'll make this last day without Facebook, but coming back to it will be great.
Until next time,
Chris
DAY 2: Bummer!
Today was not so good. I failed almost every attempt to deprive myself of the media. Since it was my day off, me and my boyfriend didn’t wake up until around 3pm. We normally don’t sleep with the music or the TV on, so I was good until I woke up. When we did get out of bed, he went to the gym and left me by myself to figure out what I was going to do for an hour being deprived of the media. I thought I was going to go insane with no music, no television, and no one to talk to. I decided to clean and do laundry. Since there wasn’t much to clean and I had one load of laundry, I was done in 15 minutes. Boo! So I decided to cook. My cooking consisted of warming up shrimp Tai Pei and heating up noodles so that took no time. Luckily, while eating, both my roommates came into the kitchen to make something to eat. We talked for about an hour about absolutely nothing, and by that time, it was 6pm. My boyfriend was done working out and doing his homework so I went over to his apartment. This is where all of the media deprivation rules got broken. We watched videos on you tube, the Texans game, and the UFC ultimate fighter. So, there goes my almost good day! My roommates and I went out to Club 100 for a party shortly after where I enjoyed being social, dancing, and of course, listen to music all night long. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day! Or not!
Day 3 - I can see a light at the end of the tunnel!! Wait..no thats a train...
Okay, okay so its not that bad, but MAN today was stressful. Spent ALL DAY trying to do my research project for my English class. I WISH I was overstating that... Now sitting in front of the computer for that long doing something that painful (yes, research papers hurt me, little known fact I'm also allergic to them but do my professors listen to me?! NooooOOooo~!) I'd usually fold faster than Superman on laundry day and start shooting folks up on Battlefield 2142 or hell, even hop on Dungeons and Dragons Online (I know, I know GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Hush up I'm happy!) but this was different, that pesky conscience thing was bugging me and I couldn't seem to do it.
As a matter of fact I took the shortcut for my games and threw them in some random folder as I closed my eyes. It's gonna be a b_tch to find them again but it's not like I need them. *twitch twitch*
Walked by the TV when my family was watching it and I realized that I never watch TV, another thing that made this project easier for me~!
Oh yeah and more songs playing in my head 14 now I think, one of which just happens to be "Girls just wanna have fun".....God, what the HELL is wrong with my brain? Need more Metallica, or Hatebreed OR SOMETHING!!!!
As a matter of fact I took the shortcut for my games and threw them in some random folder as I closed my eyes. It's gonna be a b_tch to find them again but it's not like I need them. *twitch twitch*
Walked by the TV when my family was watching it and I realized that I never watch TV, another thing that made this project easier for me~!
Oh yeah and more songs playing in my head 14 now I think, one of which just happens to be "Girls just wanna have fun".....God, what the HELL is wrong with my brain? Need more Metallica, or Hatebreed OR SOMETHING!!!!
Day 2
So day 2 went ok. I slept in til 1 which was so awesome, its been awhile since iv had a chance to sleep in. Went to the mall to do some christmas shopping with two of my aunts, we were there for awhile so for the rest of the day i was away from my own music and tv which has been hard to stay away from. My aunt candace and I came to my house and watched the last half of the Texas game (Go Horns)I just couldnt stay away. After watching the game I put on some tunes, so music was with me for about an hour because I couldnt help myself when i was cleaning and getting ready. My aunt was on my laptop cheching her updates on myspace and facebook and i was so tempted to just get on and check mine really quick but i did really well and stopped myself since i had already given in to tv and music. My aunt and I headed out around ten to a friends house for a little get together, after an hour of talking about our day and debating if we should go out in the freezing cold we came to a random decision to go bowling. I still dont know why we went but we did haha it was interesting. We bowled for about two hours and the rest of my day 2 was finished with bowling and listening to music i really couldnt stand.
Day 3/ Home Stretch "Go Saints!"
Okay guys, this is it for me. Well this whole project was not too fun for me at all, not sure about the rest of you. But hopefully the rest of you all are hanging in there. So far today I have spent more time outside of my own home on a Sunday than I ever had. I got up this morning went to work out for a couple of hours. After that I got ready to go to "Buffalo Wild Wings," to watch the Saints have a dramatic comeback. "Man they are having a terrific season arent they!? Go Saints, and man I love those wings." After that I went to kick at a friends' for a little and watch some of the Cowboys game, booooooo. But I got tired of watching their sorry asses. But anyway I'm glad that this is the last day of this project. This whole weekend has been kind of rough and might have done me some psychological damage from looking at the walls too long. Dont worry Mr. Lopez I wont press charges. But after today we will be able to go back to our normal lives and do and use the things that we are accustomed to. It will be good to get back to the tings that I had to turn away from for a little while. "I love you radio, I love you television, I love you cell phone, and most of all I love you ipod. Never will I diss you guys again, never again." I'm pretty sure they feel the same way about me. But its gonna pretty weird going back to those things, I almost feel like I have forgotten how to use some of them. Lets hope thats is not the case. But it gives me great pleasure knowing that by tomorrow this will be over. I want to got to sleep right now and just wait for the next day to be here. Anyway, it was fun while it lasted, but peace I'm out.
Joel Olivarez: Day 1 and 2
Apologies for not posting DAY 1 yesterday--I was having technical issues with my computer and didn't even get the chance to use any other computer. Anyways, I pretty much spent Friday trying to stay up as long as I could, reading Halo: Evolutions. At about 3am i finally went to sleep and didn't even bother to set my alarm for the following morning. Since I had nothing planned for the weekend I ended up waking up at around 1 o'clock pm. Yeah, talk about oversleeping, but it was well needed, and it cut my day in half! I spent about a half hour preparing a Roast Beef sub sandwich, and made sure to put plenty of mayonnaise and a few slices of mozzarella cheese. That was probably the highlight of my day: eating a delicious sandwich!
For the remaining hours I did what I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy doing for too long--I went to a bookstore. From there I miraculously read 3 books, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, and the Halo Encyclopedia (Well, some of it. That book was MASSIVE)--including about a dozen manga. I stayed til the store closed and headed home. Since I had a few hours to myself I decided to try and see if I could fix my computer--I ended up finding out a malware virus had reappeared, which about five days before I had removed, but apparently it showed up again. It took me a while, since I was without internet, but in the end it still wasnt fixed. I was so frustrated i turned it off, had dinner, read some more, then fell asleep.
This morning I woke up shivering my ass off. My fan was turned on for some reason and it was freezing outside, and i dont sleep with many covers. I hadnt planned how this day would have gone, but I spent pretty much all morning reading the ending of New Moon. Surely enough, my stepfather saw me reading it and asked me if i wanted to go see the movie. BE AWARE that i was half awake the time he asked me, and i had no recollection of the project other than the time i used yesterday. We went to the next feature...Saw it...loved it...came home and started reading the next book: Eclipse. I still have yet to finish it, as fixing my computer became a top priority. By the time I got it fixed and reconnected I was automatically signed into my messenger and messaged by several friends asking where I had been. I politely told them I was not gonna be on the rest of the day and that I'd explain the situation later. I immediately closed out and continued to check on my computer to make sure it was working properly. Sadly it still isnt, however I have been able to reconnect to the internet, as you can see. Right now I'm typing up a chapter of a fiction i've been working on for a long while now, and taking a break from it so I can type this up. Again apologies for not posting day 1 yesterday, I hope this will suffice. I'm almost through the day! YAY!! XD
For the remaining hours I did what I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy doing for too long--I went to a bookstore. From there I miraculously read 3 books, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, and the Halo Encyclopedia (Well, some of it. That book was MASSIVE)--including about a dozen manga. I stayed til the store closed and headed home. Since I had a few hours to myself I decided to try and see if I could fix my computer--I ended up finding out a malware virus had reappeared, which about five days before I had removed, but apparently it showed up again. It took me a while, since I was without internet, but in the end it still wasnt fixed. I was so frustrated i turned it off, had dinner, read some more, then fell asleep.
This morning I woke up shivering my ass off. My fan was turned on for some reason and it was freezing outside, and i dont sleep with many covers. I hadnt planned how this day would have gone, but I spent pretty much all morning reading the ending of New Moon. Surely enough, my stepfather saw me reading it and asked me if i wanted to go see the movie. BE AWARE that i was half awake the time he asked me, and i had no recollection of the project other than the time i used yesterday. We went to the next feature...Saw it...loved it...came home and started reading the next book: Eclipse. I still have yet to finish it, as fixing my computer became a top priority. By the time I got it fixed and reconnected I was automatically signed into my messenger and messaged by several friends asking where I had been. I politely told them I was not gonna be on the rest of the day and that I'd explain the situation later. I immediately closed out and continued to check on my computer to make sure it was working properly. Sadly it still isnt, however I have been able to reconnect to the internet, as you can see. Right now I'm typing up a chapter of a fiction i've been working on for a long while now, and taking a break from it so I can type this up. Again apologies for not posting day 1 yesterday, I hope this will suffice. I'm almost through the day! YAY!! XD
Day 2
Saturday was carefully planned to avoid media again. I’m noticing the effort that has to go into each day to actually stay away from it. My girlfriend was off for the weekend and is being considerate by trying to avoid TV together with me. We decided to get out of the house, as neither of us wanted to clean, so we went to do some Christmas browsing. We got breakfast together and talked about what we would do all day without watching TV or going to the movies. A few moments later we found ourselves in the car humming along to a song and I quickly turned it off. It’s pretty instinctive to turn on the radio in the silence. (I still have the same loop of songs in my head, by the way.) We went to the dollar store and bought some jigsaw puzzles to help pass the time. We had to make it to 7pm because of the all-important UT/Big12 football game that was going to be on. So we spent the next several hours in our cozy apartment just with each other and the challenge of a dollar-store puzzle. And as luck would have it, it was missing a piece—the worst!
The plan was to go out and be social and watch it at a Double Dave’s pizza place, where there was sure to be a crowd watching the screens. This is one form of media that I can’t imagine the world without. First of all the game was four hours away in Dallas; second, the seats are limited; and third, it costs a good chunk of money! Imagining the world without the TV networks broadcasting sports is crazy. I watch my Longhorns and my Spurs usually from the comfort of my own home and with a DVR handy in case I miss an important play. I’m totally spoiled. So back to the plan: the Double Dave’s store was freezing and the place was clearing out around halftime, so we gave up too. We headed back home and gave into our laziness and watched the rest of the game at home. The game turned out to be a real nail-biter and, while I’m disappointed in myself for giving in, I’m also more thankful for the media and conveniences we have at our disposal.
The plan was to go out and be social and watch it at a Double Dave’s pizza place, where there was sure to be a crowd watching the screens. This is one form of media that I can’t imagine the world without. First of all the game was four hours away in Dallas; second, the seats are limited; and third, it costs a good chunk of money! Imagining the world without the TV networks broadcasting sports is crazy. I watch my Longhorns and my Spurs usually from the comfort of my own home and with a DVR handy in case I miss an important play. I’m totally spoiled. So back to the plan: the Double Dave’s store was freezing and the place was clearing out around halftime, so we gave up too. We headed back home and gave into our laziness and watched the rest of the game at home. The game turned out to be a real nail-biter and, while I’m disappointed in myself for giving in, I’m also more thankful for the media and conveniences we have at our disposal.
Day Two
December 5th was pretty okay for me. I was asleep all of the morning and most of the afternoon. When I finally decided to get out of bed, I went straight to the kitchen. My grandma was watching tv in the living room, but I never pay attention to it. I've been trying my best not to watch tv and for the most part I have been doing a good job. It was time to get ready for work. I would usually turn on my iPod and continue what I was doing, but I couldn't do that this time. It was just too quiet so I broke the rules a little bit just this once. It was time to go to work, so I grab my purse (and of course my phone), and I get in the car. Mentioning my phone, I have not been replying to the texts people have sent me, but I do admit I was talking on the phone for about two hours with my friend from California. Back to the story, I'm on my way to work and I am really tempted to turn on the radio. I realize that I have a lot more thoughts than usual and it is because I am surrounded by silence. I get to work and the music is playing extra loud. Luckily work is the exception where I can listen to music. It's a good thing that this exception was made because music gets me in a good mood. After work, I get to the car and again I do not turn on the radio since I had been listening to music all day at work. The quietness does feel weird to me. Once arriving home, I walk into my room and my sister is watching tv and my brother is playing video games. It's the only form of entertainment for them. I guess the only way not to be bored at home is to grab some electronic device and see where it leads you to.
Day 2
Saturday December 5, 2009
Yesterday was a lot easier than Friday. I woke up and had some breakfast with my boyfriend, and usually the first thing i do is check my Facebook, but i know how much Gerardo hates that, plus i cant do it for this project so it wasn't so hard to break free from. Gerardo did however have Christmas music playing while he was making our eggs. But i wasn't really paying attention to the music, my mind was more focused on how amazing the egg sandwiches were. I love food.
We then went to Dulce's house and visited with her and her husband for awhile before we had to take off for the our weekend trip to Waco. First we had to stop in at Boerne to watch a High School performance of High School Musical that my friend had help choreograph. That wasted a whole three hours of our day. The performance was the worst i had ever seen. But on the drive up me and Gerardo didnt listen to the radio, witch turned out to be really nice just to talk the whole time. We decided that we were going to have to come back to Boerne on a later day to check out the cute little town.
After the Play he headed out for Waco. On the way out of town we got a little turned around because Boerne was having there Christmas parade. But we found our way around town. Once we started to get closer the San Antonio, Gerardo and I got hungry, so we did use his Iphone to look up restaurant around the area. We ended not even going to the restraurants that were on the phone and just exiting to look for a place that looked good. We ended up eating an amazing seafood restaurant that was connected to Base ProShop. After an amazing Mahi Mahi and prime rib we headed out on the road again.
I was amazed that for Three Hours Gerardo and I were able to not listen to any music and just talk. We both really enjoyed it. He said that it was nice not being interrupted by me turning up the music and sining in the middle of a conversation. I ended up falling asleep about two hours into the drive. I think Gerardo turned on the music after i fell asleep, pretty sure i heard it playing but he was considerate enough to keep the volume down low. I woke up about fifteen minuets out from Waco, and we arrived to his parents place around 10:30pm.
We stayed up and talked for a little while and then headed off to bed around 11:45. The day wasnt so bad not using technology, and i found out that i didnt need to check up on my Facebook every half hour. This makes Gerardo so happy cause he hates Facebook, and how much i check up on other people.
DAT TWO!
Yesterday I had many things planned so for the most part, it wasn’t too bad, but I did manage to fail again. It’s the television that gets me. And as for the cell phone, I do not really use my phone on the weekends, so the phone wasn’t the difficult part for me.I woke up yesterday to the sound of my mom’s radio, she was cleaning and while she cleans she likes to listen to music, especially this time of the year, she loves the Christmas music. After staying in bed for awhile, I decided to take a shower and get ready. Again I couldn’t listen to music while getting ready, so I did struggle a little bit but didn’t give in. After getting ready I went to a couple of stores with my boyfriend, so I knew that would allow me to kill some time by not using any mass media. During the car rides to and from the stores, I didn’t have a problem with the music because my boyfriend and I would have conversations about random things. When I finally got back home, I was too busy getting ready for the spurs game, so I didn’t manage to use any mass media. Going and during the game wasn’t the part I was worried about, it was after the game, that I knew I was going to have a problem. I knew that there was a Texas and Nebraska game that I was missing, and wanted to at least see some highlights of the game. When I got home I couldn’t help myself, I had to see who won the game. I ended up only seeing the highlights of the games played throughout the day, and then turned it off. I felt so disappointed with myself again. Not only did I cheat on day one, but yesterday as well, all because of the sports games. I think this was a bad weekend not to use any mass media; there were so many big games that were on and were tempting to watch.
Day 2
Saturday the 5th
Today was a challenging day! I had no work or anything to do so it was very hard for me not to get on facebook or watch television. I’m sorry to say that I did cheat and I did watch television. Like I said I had nothing to do and I was bored. Every time I get on my computer I have to stop myself because I’m so used to getting right on facebook. I did get aggravated at some point because all I wanted to do is play Farmville. I know that’s pitiful. I did go to a party last night, which allowed me to listen to some music, so that was a nice change. I honestly can say that I have no idea how people did it back in the day that didn’t have television, phones, or internet. I would have died! However, I did get spend more time with my family today and I got some shopping done. I feel that if I occupy myself with other things then I don’t think about it, and also if I just stay away my from house until I go to bed then it helps me not watch television or get on facebook. When I’m driving however, it’s hard not to listen to the radio. Like today when I was shopping and I had to drive from Boerne to the mall I had to catch myself several times not to turn on the radio. It drove me nuts! My cell phone hasn’t been a problem to me. I don’t really text unless I’m in a quiet place (like school) ha-ha so it was easy for me because I would just call the person. However, having the Iphone is challenging because I have facebook, my email, games, and the internet at a touch of a button. I know I cheated by watching T.V. but I am still proud to say that I think I have done a good job by not doing my daily routine.
Today was a challenging day! I had no work or anything to do so it was very hard for me not to get on facebook or watch television. I’m sorry to say that I did cheat and I did watch television. Like I said I had nothing to do and I was bored. Every time I get on my computer I have to stop myself because I’m so used to getting right on facebook. I did get aggravated at some point because all I wanted to do is play Farmville. I know that’s pitiful. I did go to a party last night, which allowed me to listen to some music, so that was a nice change. I honestly can say that I have no idea how people did it back in the day that didn’t have television, phones, or internet. I would have died! However, I did get spend more time with my family today and I got some shopping done. I feel that if I occupy myself with other things then I don’t think about it, and also if I just stay away my from house until I go to bed then it helps me not watch television or get on facebook. When I’m driving however, it’s hard not to listen to the radio. Like today when I was shopping and I had to drive from Boerne to the mall I had to catch myself several times not to turn on the radio. It drove me nuts! My cell phone hasn’t been a problem to me. I don’t really text unless I’m in a quiet place (like school) ha-ha so it was easy for me because I would just call the person. However, having the Iphone is challenging because I have facebook, my email, games, and the internet at a touch of a button. I know I cheated by watching T.V. but I am still proud to say that I think I have done a good job by not doing my daily routine.
Day 1
I woke up Friday morning and I’m not going to lie that the first thing i thought about was "oh I need to check my facebook". However, I caught myself and I didn’t. It wasn’t bad for me on Friday because I had to work, so I couldn’t get on the computer or watch T.V or listen to the radio. Although I almost died because I couldn’t listen to the radio on the way to work, but I did talk to myself to cut pass time. I have not watched television and I’m proud to say that I happy haven’t because I feel like I have more time and more things to keep me occupied. Not being able to listen to the radio or get on the computer to check my facebook was very challenging due to the fact that it is my daily routine and I felt like a piece of me was missing. Plus, my crops on Farmville died! I was not happy about that! Because it cost me coins to plow them up, haha. I was disappointed because its 25 days of Christmas on ABC and I couldn’t watch my Christmas movies. Also, the Christmas music that is on the radio is a passion of mine and not being able to listen to it is very hard. Not being able to do my daily routine is a challenge but also it’s a good change for me because I find myself outside more, talking with my family more, visiting my family more and being more active. I know as the days go by it will get even more challenging but I am proud to say that the first day wasn’t so bad.
dizzay two
Ok so day two was harder than day one because i felt like "ahh i already did one day, why do i have to do another?". So my day started off by me waking up around ten and knowing that i could use the internet, text or listen to music i just forced myself back to sleep. I woke up again just in time to get ready for work, once again in silence. After getting ready i got in my car and reached over to turn on my radio as if im genetically programmed to do so haha. I got to work and since i work in an office and all i do is count money all day im usually listening to music, texting my friends and as i mentioned before "facespacing" haha, but today was different. My shift could not have went by any SLOWER! I was sooo dreading to get out of there as fast as i could once eight o'clock rolled around! After i got out of work i usually go home and rest up then get ready and go out with my friends but last night i was sooo tired haha i still ended up going out and i got pretty wasted but thanks to this media deprivation assignment there were no drunk texts sent from my phone haha.. Im not even sure if im allowed to be saying this but we're all adults here right? :)
So i got through the day but I still can not understand the concept of how im so obsessed with my sources to the outisde world. I have realized that i am so eager to know what my friends are doing and I am obsessed with knowing all the latest celebrity gossip. I know i waste alot of my valuable time on very unimportant things but i am just so used to it already. Well I guess i can say day two was pretty successful, and im so glad we're already at day three!
day 2 yesterday was day 1..sorry
Today was not hard at all either to not text or watch TV; because i went to church then afterwards out to eat with all my family. So far I really haven't done too much to say anymore about my day, except I got up this morning then went to church an then out to eat, now I'm home, typing this blog. In about 30 minutes, I will be leaving to go to the movies with my sister and my nephews to take them to go see the Christmas Carol.
Actually, in the car we did listen to music and I did last night also, before I went to bed, I kinda forgot about the music thing until now. But other than that I have been doing well, with not using my phone or watching TV, because I have been occupied all this weekend with all my family. We basically been keeping each other busy. So that has been my day so far.
Actually, in the car we did listen to music and I did last night also, before I went to bed, I kinda forgot about the music thing until now. But other than that I have been doing well, with not using my phone or watching TV, because I have been occupied all this weekend with all my family. We basically been keeping each other busy. So that has been my day so far.
DAY 2
Good Afternoon,
Well day two of the media deprivation project was a lot harder then day one. I woke up thinking day one was not that hard I could do this, but then I realized oh my god it is the big twelve championship game between the
Throughout the project so far my cell phone has not played a big part. Before I felt like I always needed to be on my cell phone texting, surfing the web, and getting MySpace. I am going to admit that I have texted here and there just because I was bored. I do feel that within this couple of days I have learned to not rely on my cell phone as much I use too. My boyfriend Jesse loves the whole idea of the media deprivation project because he says I am on my phone too much.
The biggest problem I have had with this project is not being able to watch TV only because I am a big sports person. I love watching college football on Saturday’s and NFL on Sunday’s. I guess that is why the first day was the easiest. Just knowing that there are ways to get around the guidelines is the only thing saving me.
I never realized that media played such an important role in my life. When professor Lopez first mentioned this project in the beginning I was not to concerned because I knew I could do it, but now that it has finally come down to it I would totally change my mind.
Chocolate covered apologies!
If you happened to read my previous blob entry you would know that my husband sabotaged my efforts with this project with music videos during the first night of detox. Music video's are like my drug of choice among the media entertainment. I guess he must have felt some guilt as he brought a cute decadent chocolate cake home last night from HEB. I'm a sucker because I totally forgave him!
Saturday night wasn't too bad with depriving myself, well truthfully I indulged within limits. Another tradition evolving the whole family is sitting down to watch an episode of COPS on t.v. I know it may seem like a joke that a television show is something we do as a family. Let me explain further for your understatement. we actually use the show as a form of entertainment bur as education for our kids. we have kept them pretty sheltered in the military living overseas but we have always told them about "bad people" or "drug dealers", it easy to talk about but more effective if the can see real life examples in action. The shows promote conversation and questions that wouldn't normally form in the text book speeches on the subject. So I did watch the show because I thought the cause was greater than sustaining from it. However, once the show was over my husband quickly changed the channel to football. It doesn't even interest me to watch, no problem resisting there!
The cell phone hasn't proven to be a real issue as I really don't rely on it except when I am away from my children and spouse. I actually get allot of complains from friends that can't reach me on the cell phone over the weekends anyway. The only bump in the road was my regular phone call from S.Korea from my best friend. We catch up every Saturday for at least 2 hours over the vonage phone, its pretty much a guarantee in my house. This Saturday provided no exception except for the duration of the call 20 mins is a huge difference from 2 hours! I had to explain to her why I shouldn't be talking and she started laughing at the visual her mind was allowing her to see. Once I hung up I felt weird but the phone literally rang within a minute as she belted out"OK, 5 more mins because I have to tell you this!". Thanks to my husbands mocking the second call did end in 5 mins. I pretty much fed my scrapbook and travel addiction with magazines the rest of the night so my nerves weren't as bad as Fridays night. There was less arguments with Mr.Lopez in my head, thank goodness because I was starting to doubt my sanity.
This Morning started off relative easy because Sundays are the days I use less media for entertainment because I have chores and homework to do before the week starts. Every Sunday my morning starts with the thick Sunday paper. Its takes me two leisurely hours to dissect it and go through all the ads and coupons. I do anticipate one phone call to my grandmother who is in rehab in North Carolina. I call her every Sunday before I get busy during the week and because she is 88 years old I don't want to disappoint her. We are supposed to put up our Christmas tree and whether or not we have carols in the background depends if we can find last years music CD's or not. So music in today's routine is still to be determined.
Saturday night wasn't too bad with depriving myself, well truthfully I indulged within limits. Another tradition evolving the whole family is sitting down to watch an episode of COPS on t.v. I know it may seem like a joke that a television show is something we do as a family. Let me explain further for your understatement. we actually use the show as a form of entertainment bur as education for our kids. we have kept them pretty sheltered in the military living overseas but we have always told them about "bad people" or "drug dealers", it easy to talk about but more effective if the can see real life examples in action. The shows promote conversation and questions that wouldn't normally form in the text book speeches on the subject. So I did watch the show because I thought the cause was greater than sustaining from it. However, once the show was over my husband quickly changed the channel to football. It doesn't even interest me to watch, no problem resisting there!
The cell phone hasn't proven to be a real issue as I really don't rely on it except when I am away from my children and spouse. I actually get allot of complains from friends that can't reach me on the cell phone over the weekends anyway. The only bump in the road was my regular phone call from S.Korea from my best friend. We catch up every Saturday for at least 2 hours over the vonage phone, its pretty much a guarantee in my house. This Saturday provided no exception except for the duration of the call 20 mins is a huge difference from 2 hours! I had to explain to her why I shouldn't be talking and she started laughing at the visual her mind was allowing her to see. Once I hung up I felt weird but the phone literally rang within a minute as she belted out"OK, 5 more mins because I have to tell you this!". Thanks to my husbands mocking the second call did end in 5 mins. I pretty much fed my scrapbook and travel addiction with magazines the rest of the night so my nerves weren't as bad as Fridays night. There was less arguments with Mr.Lopez in my head, thank goodness because I was starting to doubt my sanity.
This Morning started off relative easy because Sundays are the days I use less media for entertainment because I have chores and homework to do before the week starts. Every Sunday my morning starts with the thick Sunday paper. Its takes me two leisurely hours to dissect it and go through all the ads and coupons. I do anticipate one phone call to my grandmother who is in rehab in North Carolina. I call her every Sunday before I get busy during the week and because she is 88 years old I don't want to disappoint her. We are supposed to put up our Christmas tree and whether or not we have carols in the background depends if we can find last years music CD's or not. So music in today's routine is still to be determined.
Day 2
My second day was way better than the first. It was a very busy day for me and I had no trouble staying away from the media. It began early when I got a call from my girlfriend at around 9 a.m. She had gotten in at around two in the morning the night before and wanted to see me as soon as she woke up. So I headed over to her house before I had to go in to work three. We had gone out to eat then back to her house to spend time together. Her sister had the new star trek on when we got back. This has been the only time so far that I watched a movie this weekend. Though I had seen it before so didn't pay much attention to it. While in the car with her she wanted to listen to music, even though she knew of my project. It was more of a backdrop for us talking though. After spending time with her I went in to work. I knew that would keep me busy though I only worked for four hours. After getting out from work I went back to my girlfriend's house and brought a friend from work. Her family was having a small party. The rest of my night was spent there. I didn't get home until about 2 a.m. As soon as I got home I passed out from exhaustion. I really enjoy my days being so busy like they have been this weekend. I have no time to waste just sitting around watching t.v. or on the computer. I'm not to big on facebook or myspace anymore so staying away from them hasn't been a problem either. Since I have been going out a lot I am exposed to t.v. but it is mostly sports games that are on with huge groups of people watching.
DAY TWO!
So day two, I slept in today not nearly as excited as I was before. I woke up today to my clean room, which is still surprising to me. I am missing all my entertainment items such as my television, Iphone and Internet. I have not checked my Facebook or Myspace now in two days. It would be so easy just pull out my phone, its one tap away but I resisted. I know that none of my friends are leaving me comments, or writing on my wall. It’s just what if this is the week that everything exciting happening and I am missing out on it. I don’t watch too much TV anyways. The only channels I like are food network, comedy central, ESPN and sometimes Disney channel. It’s just routine to have the TV on for a distraction just in case I get bored. Overall I am doing good living with TV. I had 10 text messages I read them but didn’t write back. Unless it was of dire needs, like "Chris are you ok" text, I called them told them about the media deprivation project. Figure it would be ok cause I called with a purpose. Those other wise text like "hey what up" didn’t get a response. To pass the time I ended up working out, did some weight lifting and ran, probably less then a mile, I am out of shape. I studied for my Astronomy final and did my part for my news writing class project. I had to go to the bank to deposit money for I could pay for next semester. Driving in silence just gives you a lot of time just to think to yourself. I had to go to work at five, which again was boring; apparently nobody likes ice cream in the cold. So we ordered some pizza and helped the few people that came into Cold Stone. Cleaned up then left that joint. I got out of work drove home in silence I was too tired to think so I sang some songs to myself to try to keep myself awake. Got home and just went to sleep around midnight, day two is in the books.
Dia Dos
Hook 'em Horns!!! I was worried there for a while but they just have a flair for the dramatic. Yes, I watched the game and UFC Ultimate Fighter Finale. I live over in the medical area walking distance from Hooters or Bikinis so it's an easy loophole to deviate from the project. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best night to walk anywhere seeing how cold it was. I had no idea it got this cold in San Antonio. One thing this project has allowed me to do is get stuff done that I've been putting off. I finally got around to changing the oil in my car and it's a good thing I did before serious engine damage occured.
As far as cell phone use goes, I really don't talk on it all that much so it's not such a big deal to me. Although, I did talk to my mom for a while because she hates text messaging citing it's too impersonal. I also do not play video games 'nor does my roomate so thats not a problem. You all are probably thinking "this guy is really boring." Not to say I won't ever play them, I do like Rock Band and will play it when I go over to my sisters house but only for a little while. The hardest part has definitely been refraining from surfing the net. I will admit not staying completly away from the internet but not as much as I usually would.
Most of my Saturday was devoted to finishing my final essay for English class and reading. Saturday was one of those days that seemed to go really fast. One more day to go.....
As far as cell phone use goes, I really don't talk on it all that much so it's not such a big deal to me. Although, I did talk to my mom for a while because she hates text messaging citing it's too impersonal. I also do not play video games 'nor does my roomate so thats not a problem. You all are probably thinking "this guy is really boring." Not to say I won't ever play them, I do like Rock Band and will play it when I go over to my sisters house but only for a little while. The hardest part has definitely been refraining from surfing the net. I will admit not staying completly away from the internet but not as much as I usually would.
Most of my Saturday was devoted to finishing my final essay for English class and reading. Saturday was one of those days that seemed to go really fast. One more day to go.....
Day 2! :)
Moving on to day two I realized my biggest weakness, obtaining to the whole no media experiment, and its definitely texting. I can go with out the TV, movies, radio/ music magazines and not talking on the phone but I was only able to narrow it down to about 20 text messages a day and that was depriving enough. A few of my text messages were concerning work so that was a must but the others were mainly to my boyfriend and sister. It felt like every time I received a message I always felt obligated to write back. Also I think I might just have a problem. I’m beginning to think inventing a 12 step program for text-aholics might actually help some people. However the last couple days after getting off work I would come home and read my book and wouldn’t participate in any media activities. Sadly I finished the Eclipse book in less then three days because it was so amazingly awesome but it really helped pass the time and was extremely entertaining. I didn’t feel like this weekend was a complete waste I kind of had fun reading because it was such a good book. I also worked both Friday and Saturday 1 to 10:30 so if the booked didn’t help being at work my entire life sure did.
Day 2
O.k. so they're consecutive. I explained my situation, don't yell at me! Any who, day 2. A whole lot better till the UT, Nebraska game. I spent the entire day (from the time I got up, till the time I went to bed) at work! It was two shifts, and other than the fact that I was crazy tired, I wasn't bored at all. I didn't feel the need to listen to music, (as much as day 1 anyway) and was able to focus on doing things like eating a good, healthy meal because I had the time to do it. Normally a some fast fixings and a few TV shows is how I normally spent my nights before bed. Making myself stay constantly busy like this has totally helped me maintain not cheating on my media diet. It also helps when there are not any "media rich" family members around. At my families house, there are about three or four different types of media going on at all times. This project would have really ticked them off. I was still at work when the game was on. This KILLED me that I couldn't watch it, but I don't blame the project. I was stuck on a check stand! I did however, see the most amazing win ever witnessed! Yes, I was off the register when that masterpiece happened, and totally engulfed myself with media. I watched the TV, then texted a friend, then ran around my job pronouncing what happened (that last one doesn't count as cheating though).
One thing I've noticed is that people really tend to try to make you mess up when participating in a project like this. My boyfriend will text me at the most random times, saying the dumbest stuff, trying to get me mad enough to text him back, just so he can rub in my face that he made me text him. It's been hard, but I've resisted me urge and since I did such a great job with day 2, day 3 should be a breeze!
One thing I've noticed is that people really tend to try to make you mess up when participating in a project like this. My boyfriend will text me at the most random times, saying the dumbest stuff, trying to get me mad enough to text him back, just so he can rub in my face that he made me text him. It's been hard, but I've resisted me urge and since I did such a great job with day 2, day 3 should be a breeze!
Day 2- Really Not the best weekend...
OK, so remember the drama from thursday night it escalated to saturday. So I woke up about 1pm yesterday as well. I did not have to go to work because I got in trouble at my job, but it's cool. So when I eat I always have the tv on because I live with two old people and they are kind of boring. So I watched tv while eating yesterday but I turned it off as soon as I was done. So after that I was doing good until my sister called asking if I had heard from my cousin who had the drama Thursday night and I replied, "No I haven't spoken to her since Thursday". So I texted my other cousin to see if he had spoke to her and he said no. So I called my cousin and she didn't pick up. To make a long story short my cousin was missing for a few hours yesterday so I had to use my phone since I was searching for her. She has been found and is ok, but yeah I actually had a situation on my hands and that is why I used my phone yesterday but today is looking pretty good. Hopefully I'll have just a normal day.
Day 1
Well I'm a little late. Oops! My Internet is down so I had to come way over here to this public library and use their WI-FI. Kind of a coincidence that it decided to crash right when I'm not supposed to use it anyway! So far, I've been going a little insane. I can't live without my music or TV! Plus, I live by myself so it gets boring! There are only so many times I can watch my cat run circles around my apartment! But I will be honest, it's really not that bad. When I first moved out of my parent's house, I had nothing that involved keeping me entertained. I lived in a rented house with three friends and I was the only one without a job. For almost two weeks, while they went to work, I slumped around the house with absolutely nothing to do. Most of the time, I found myself reading, which in my opinion is a great way to pass the time. As far as day 1 went, however, I spent most of my day Christmas shopping at North Star. I was very grateful for the music playing in each store, relieving my absurdly bored mind. My head is a constant play list, so for the past few days while I've had basically no tunes, I've caught myself singing songs in my head. It works! Not that great, but it's better than nothing! So yeah, shopping saved me. I will admit though that I did have to continuously call my mother with different questions, but it was totally relevant I promise. Some good things that have come from this project as well are that it has really allowed me to focus on more important things needing to be done. I've studied a lot for finals and have been able to get more sleep at night. It feels good! But when I'm laying in bed, staring into the dark quiet, my blank, silent mind begins to wonder. . .
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