Hello everyone!
Well my day started off with a text message waking me up. Already starting the project off on the wrong foot i read it and went back to sleep since I had nothing else planned for today. Finally, at nine in the morning, my sister wakes me up to take her to school. I grab the keys and I rapidly look for my cell phone. I can't leave the house without it. I take it just in case there is an emergency (or my crush decides to call). After I drop her off, I have my cousins texting me just to pass the time. I remember that I'm not allowed to text just for casual conversation, so I end the conversation. As I am walking into my room, I remember another detail to the project. I can't watch tv. There is nothing else for me to do so I decide to fall back to sleep. I could've done something productive like clean the house or study for my math final, but that would require effort. I guess you can say I am rather lazy, but I'm okay with that. Today was the longest day and so far the most boring. I had nothing to do and nobody to talk to. There was nobody home so I literally was asleep until it was time to pick up my sister from school. We decide that we want chinese food so there we were driving to the restaurant. My sister turns on the radio. I knew I was not supposed to be listening to it, but my favorite Taylor Swift song was on. After that, we walk in and start looking at the menu. I notice that my sister is continuously texting. Now I notice that media has a big part in the lives of the younger generation. It is our amusement, our entertainment, and without it a lot of us are extremely bored. I'll try not to log on to my Facebook until the next two days... emphasis on the "try."
Friday, December 4, 2009
Day 1
I can see this is going to be much harder than I anticipated. Not being able to use anything electronic or any type of media has forced me to actually do work and clean up. The day started off okay, but the more it went bye, the more it made me think how ever did I survive without any of my media devices in the past. I think my life without a lot of my devices would be very boring. Luckily nothing really comes on television that I am interested in really watching so I haven't been forced to break any rules up until this point. But some things I want to see may be coming up so I'll just have to find a way around that. I have to work tomorrow so I have really have no idea how I am going to keep myself occupied. I guess I am going to have to get a bunch of reading material or something. But at least by me working that should make time go bye a lot faster than just sitting at home doing nothing or waiting until late for me to go to a bar or something. Doing this may actually force me to go to the mall and start spending unnecessary money because I dont have anything else to do. It may also make me get fate because I might start eating because I dont have anything else to do. This is insane it actaually makes me want to go up to some random person and start a conversation because I have nothing else to do for the time being. The restrictions should have been more towards certain hours during the days, not the whole day eveyday. Oh well, I guess I'll have to deal with it and see where things go from there. Well if anyone has any ideas to stay occupied let me know, I'm open to try any options at this point.
Day 1, Dec.4, 2009
Good Evening fellow Bloggers,
Well, I have already failed at attempting to be good. Shopping kept my mind occupied for most of this day. I went until 4:50 pm without getting on Facebook. I woke up and jumped up on Myspace. If Mr. Lopez didn't assign this project, I would never know how dependent I am on social networking. However, I have been faithful about the news, and haven't watched any local or national news. My source of news is from mouths of other people and San Antonio Express News. However, I just learned, I can get news from the Wii video game system! Also, I have been faithful and haven't been on Facebook via cell phone. Thank goodness, we are still allowed to text. Otherwise, I think I'd lose my mind! I went to the hospital, Wednesday afternoon. I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. The medicine prescribed, makes me have real bad mood swings, so while driving I listen to K-Love and it seems to keep my mood in tact. It really boggles my mind, how my dad can spend hours upon hours on email, without logging onto Facebook or Myspace. Our generation is so dependent on keeping up with our friends, family's and applications, it's really astonishing to see how many people can last through the full three days! I am re-challenging myself to see if I can make it from Saturday to Monday. However, Texas is playing Nebraska, so that's my main concern. Tonight, is the first time eating dinner with my parents, in a while. My mom is addicted to ABC World News, so I am planning on eating dinner in my room, to be faithful to the project. Hopefully, by the grace of God, I will be able to accomplish all of Mr. Lopez' tasks tomorrow! I wish everyone a safe weekend and good luck being faithful to this project!
~Kelly
Well, I have already failed at attempting to be good. Shopping kept my mind occupied for most of this day. I went until 4:50 pm without getting on Facebook. I woke up and jumped up on Myspace. If Mr. Lopez didn't assign this project, I would never know how dependent I am on social networking. However, I have been faithful about the news, and haven't watched any local or national news. My source of news is from mouths of other people and San Antonio Express News. However, I just learned, I can get news from the Wii video game system! Also, I have been faithful and haven't been on Facebook via cell phone. Thank goodness, we are still allowed to text. Otherwise, I think I'd lose my mind! I went to the hospital, Wednesday afternoon. I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. The medicine prescribed, makes me have real bad mood swings, so while driving I listen to K-Love and it seems to keep my mood in tact. It really boggles my mind, how my dad can spend hours upon hours on email, without logging onto Facebook or Myspace. Our generation is so dependent on keeping up with our friends, family's and applications, it's really astonishing to see how many people can last through the full three days! I am re-challenging myself to see if I can make it from Saturday to Monday. However, Texas is playing Nebraska, so that's my main concern. Tonight, is the first time eating dinner with my parents, in a while. My mom is addicted to ABC World News, so I am planning on eating dinner in my room, to be faithful to the project. Hopefully, by the grace of God, I will be able to accomplish all of Mr. Lopez' tasks tomorrow! I wish everyone a safe weekend and good luck being faithful to this project!
~Kelly
DAY ONE!
Day one of this Media Deprivation project, only two more days to go and already I am getting bored. I am a gamer, a hardcore gamer back in the day as well and friends come rare in real life and online. I may add I am not a hardcore gamer like before, but I can see my past mistake and it can be a bit lonely at times.
To pass the time I would clean the house, but clean it to perfection where u can actually eat off the clean moped floor. I would not recommend it, may have some left over chemicals. I live in a two-storied house, which actually took half of my day. After the strenuous cleaning, I went to sleep, a power nap you may say. Reenergized to do nothing again, I realized I should type this blog about, you guessed it, my first day with no media in my gamer addicted life.
Guess I can start on fixing the body work for this 2000 Honda Civic EX and see how that goes. This car will be a big project the back is completely totaled. I’ll begin calling in parts for a new trunk, taillights, trunk hinges, and pick and pull bumper tomorrow or today to kill more of my boring and deprived life.
Anyways take care for now people, who are looking over this, see how a class slowly goes into insanity and see who does and who doesn’t. Haahhahhhhhh
Mihi non placet, quod officium stultior (Day One)
Written locally(on my hard drive, for those who don't know the term when applied to computers). Will probably edit before uploading. I'm not sure why I'm doing this, as I found out last week that this credit won't transfer to UTSA when I go. I suppose I'm just insane.
Fair warning(and a small revenge) I'm a writer. That means I write. This is probably going to be massively long, even after I edit the crap out of it.
6:30 AM:Woke up to my phone buzzing on my desk. Cursed at the phone, my brother, who was standing outside my room, the cat, and the world in general. Rolled out of bed, dismissed the alarm, turned off the damn phone, and went back to sleep.
9:00 AM:Woke up in a slightly better mood. My radio was playing some mix of Wolfstone, Deep Forest, and Nightwish. decided it was still too early to wake up. went back to sleep.
10:00 AM:Gave up on sleeping, decided to officially wake up and turn off the radio, which was now playing some Apocalyptica song.(I had to open iTunes for the spelling, and now the damn program is taunting me) To keep from going completely insane, I only turned the volume all the way down. My 'sleep' playlist has several Native American flute tracks, and some of the higher notes are faintly audible when the sound is turned to the lowest volume. It's not music so much as background noise. Read the last hundred pages of Phoenix Endangered, and decided that it was time to make breakfast.
11:00AM:Instead of grating the cheese with a grater like a normal, sane, non-media deprived person, I got a knife and shredded it by hand while waiting for the water to boil. I did this because, normally while waiting for water to boil, I go watch TV, or bring my laptop downstairs and amuse myself until the water begins to boil.
After I ate, I did the dishes by hand, which I never do. Altogether, it took about two hours to do what usually takes five or ten minutes. I don't like this project, and Daft Punk's song "Harder Better Faster Stronger" is stuck in my head. At least I know all the words to this one...
12:50PM:I came upstairs, booted my laptop for the first time today, when my messaging client came up automatically, I changed my IM status and auto-response message to suit my situation appropriately, so my friends don't think I've died ("doomed to fail" and "Can't talk now, undergoing psychological torture", in an amusing font. It looks like dripping blood. Anyone who reads it will see their default, but it still makes me feel better. I forgot to change it yesterday, and even though I told them about it, there's always the chance they'll forget) and closed out the window. I have four junk mail messages in my inbox. I didn't bother reading them. just marked them as read so they wouldn't annoy me later.
1:25PM:The emails came back. I hate gmail. My desktop wallpaper reminds me I'd meant to replay Portal this weekend. I suppose ripping my laptop's namesake to peices and throwing her into a furnace is just going to have to wait until after finals.
The cake is a lie.
2:11PM:I was bored enough to start cleaning. I found that I was wrong in thinking that I was out of materials for dreamcatchers. I've got one hoop left, and, if I'm very careful as I cut it, enough leather to cover it. thread and sinew I have plenty of. I might actually be able to occupy myself for a bit.
3:20PM:guilt made me start cleaning again.
3:48PM:fooled around in GIMP for a bit(a ghetto photoshop) I had some stock images and decided to play with them a little.
Gave a trapped coyote a complex and put some streaks in the hair of a friend's favorite video game character.
Apparently, this is what I do when I'm bored:
image too big to post
also too big to post
I'm not looking forward to the rest of the weekend. but, since today's the only day I'm home alone all day, the hardest part should be over.
I stand corrected.
My brother is playing rockband. loudly. with much flailing and excessive gloating.
sadistic little creep.
Fair warning(and a small revenge) I'm a writer. That means I write. This is probably going to be massively long, even after I edit the crap out of it.
6:30 AM:Woke up to my phone buzzing on my desk. Cursed at the phone, my brother, who was standing outside my room, the cat, and the world in general. Rolled out of bed, dismissed the alarm, turned off the damn phone, and went back to sleep.
9:00 AM:Woke up in a slightly better mood. My radio was playing some mix of Wolfstone, Deep Forest, and Nightwish. decided it was still too early to wake up. went back to sleep.
10:00 AM:Gave up on sleeping, decided to officially wake up and turn off the radio, which was now playing some Apocalyptica song.(I had to open iTunes for the spelling, and now the damn program is taunting me) To keep from going completely insane, I only turned the volume all the way down. My 'sleep' playlist has several Native American flute tracks, and some of the higher notes are faintly audible when the sound is turned to the lowest volume. It's not music so much as background noise. Read the last hundred pages of Phoenix Endangered, and decided that it was time to make breakfast.
11:00AM:Instead of grating the cheese with a grater like a normal, sane, non-media deprived person, I got a knife and shredded it by hand while waiting for the water to boil. I did this because, normally while waiting for water to boil, I go watch TV, or bring my laptop downstairs and amuse myself until the water begins to boil.
After I ate, I did the dishes by hand, which I never do. Altogether, it took about two hours to do what usually takes five or ten minutes. I don't like this project, and Daft Punk's song "Harder Better Faster Stronger" is stuck in my head. At least I know all the words to this one...
12:50PM:I came upstairs, booted my laptop for the first time today, when my messaging client came up automatically, I changed my IM status and auto-response message to suit my situation appropriately, so my friends don't think I've died ("doomed to fail" and "Can't talk now, undergoing psychological torture", in an amusing font. It looks like dripping blood. Anyone who reads it will see their default, but it still makes me feel better. I forgot to change it yesterday, and even though I told them about it, there's always the chance they'll forget) and closed out the window. I have four junk mail messages in my inbox. I didn't bother reading them. just marked them as read so they wouldn't annoy me later.
1:25PM:The emails came back. I hate gmail. My desktop wallpaper reminds me I'd meant to replay Portal this weekend. I suppose ripping my laptop's namesake to peices and throwing her into a furnace is just going to have to wait until after finals.
The cake is a lie.
2:11PM:I was bored enough to start cleaning. I found that I was wrong in thinking that I was out of materials for dreamcatchers. I've got one hoop left, and, if I'm very careful as I cut it, enough leather to cover it. thread and sinew I have plenty of. I might actually be able to occupy myself for a bit.
3:20PM:guilt made me start cleaning again.
3:48PM:fooled around in GIMP for a bit(a ghetto photoshop) I had some stock images and decided to play with them a little.
Gave a trapped coyote a complex and put some streaks in the hair of a friend's favorite video game character.
Apparently, this is what I do when I'm bored:
image too big to post
also too big to post
I'm not looking forward to the rest of the weekend. but, since today's the only day I'm home alone all day, the hardest part should be over.
I stand corrected.
My brother is playing rockband. loudly. with much flailing and excessive gloating.
sadistic little creep.
Media Deprivation Day 1
Well it's 3:38pm and I've already failed horribly. Day 1 started out with me being woken up by my iHome with my iPod on while flipping through the songs as I start my morning routine. As soon as school was over and I got back to the apartment turned on my iTunes and began my take home final. After about 30 minutes remembering the criteria of this project it dawned on me how much I implement music in my daily life. I really cannot function without hearing music at some point throughout my day. Oh and the text messaging is ridiculous! It's amazing how habitual my texting has gotten; I can’t imagine life without texting which is completely sad. I actually prefer calling people over texting, it just seems like we’re losing another factor in staying connected as a society. I mean as a whole we’re slowly turning our homes into the perfect havens which will ultimately lead to being shut-in. The loss of texting only seems beneficial to me. I’m going to keep on trying though but I have a feeling that the Music and Internet deprivation is what’s going to kill me heh.
Today's "Reality Awakening" for me!
Last night I went to bed in a peaceful state of mind that today's restrictions would be an easy task. I really thought that I was pretty much alright without using different media technology because most of the time I am very busy running around between school, volunteering and parent duties. However, I forgot that Fridays are normally my one day to relax at home while everyone is gone to school and work. Therefore, it hit me really fast and unexpectedly at 8am when I couldn't turn to my usual routine for relaxation.
After making a healthy cup of cafe latte I would usually lounge on my coach to catch up on the Travel channel shows I might have missed during the week, not an option today! My other creative outlook is to catch up on my scrap booking fetish online but I realized I was restricted once again. After sitting in complete silence for about an hour slowly sipping on my latte, I decided I would just have to read my book for entertainment. I like to read but I despise it being my only option of entertainment on my reserved day of fun. In exactly one hour I finished the rest of my novel. I stared at my dogs silently as if they could provide some sort of conversation to amuse me. then I start to wonder if anybody else in the class is hearing their inner voices and starting to guess if their sanity was masked by the entertainment we get from the media choices available. I even start to pick arguments with our instructor in my head. Arguments that would justify my reasons for giving in to the restraints of this project but in the end he wins. I blame my integrity on all that darn military training! So, I remain in silence at home in the company of my three dogs until noon. I have an appointment to volunteer at 12:00 at the elementary school.
The obligation to help at my children's book fair provides a much needed break in what now feels like a prison made of media restraints.
As I drive less than 3 miles to the school, I suddenly realize my car radio has been on. I feel guilty and surprised at the same time. Surprised that I didn't even realize it was on because it such a normal everyday occurrence. Its almost like shifting gears or turning on day lights while driving, like an automatic action. I pulled into the parking garage and push the console button off so it wouldn't be on when I drive home. Volunteering provides a nice break but didn't last enough to really break the feeling of being deprived. I find myself dodging the television screen as the librarian listens to the forecast for snow. Then I think that maybe I'm being to hard on myself the first day. I get my first call on my cell around 1pm from my husband and I complain about my restrictions and how even talking to him is probably categorized as cheating in the rules. He thinks its hilarious and makes jokes about Christmas songs and the latest videos just to aggravate my nerves so more. The call ends after 5 minutes and I find myself arguing with Mr.Lopez again in my head!
I'm starting to think this project was started on a Friday because it would impose the greatest test of depriving yourself over the weekend. The fact is most of us rely on the entertainment side of media more on our days off for fun than the necessity imposed by work or school.
Overall, I think I hit my own revelation today..."Hi, my name is Gia and I AM a media junkie!" I can at least find the humor in this project for a entrainment.
After making a healthy cup of cafe latte I would usually lounge on my coach to catch up on the Travel channel shows I might have missed during the week, not an option today! My other creative outlook is to catch up on my scrap booking fetish online but I realized I was restricted once again. After sitting in complete silence for about an hour slowly sipping on my latte, I decided I would just have to read my book for entertainment. I like to read but I despise it being my only option of entertainment on my reserved day of fun. In exactly one hour I finished the rest of my novel. I stared at my dogs silently as if they could provide some sort of conversation to amuse me. then I start to wonder if anybody else in the class is hearing their inner voices and starting to guess if their sanity was masked by the entertainment we get from the media choices available. I even start to pick arguments with our instructor in my head. Arguments that would justify my reasons for giving in to the restraints of this project but in the end he wins. I blame my integrity on all that darn military training! So, I remain in silence at home in the company of my three dogs until noon. I have an appointment to volunteer at 12:00 at the elementary school.
The obligation to help at my children's book fair provides a much needed break in what now feels like a prison made of media restraints.
As I drive less than 3 miles to the school, I suddenly realize my car radio has been on. I feel guilty and surprised at the same time. Surprised that I didn't even realize it was on because it such a normal everyday occurrence. Its almost like shifting gears or turning on day lights while driving, like an automatic action. I pulled into the parking garage and push the console button off so it wouldn't be on when I drive home. Volunteering provides a nice break but didn't last enough to really break the feeling of being deprived. I find myself dodging the television screen as the librarian listens to the forecast for snow. Then I think that maybe I'm being to hard on myself the first day. I get my first call on my cell around 1pm from my husband and I complain about my restrictions and how even talking to him is probably categorized as cheating in the rules. He thinks its hilarious and makes jokes about Christmas songs and the latest videos just to aggravate my nerves so more. The call ends after 5 minutes and I find myself arguing with Mr.Lopez again in my head!
I'm starting to think this project was started on a Friday because it would impose the greatest test of depriving yourself over the weekend. The fact is most of us rely on the entertainment side of media more on our days off for fun than the necessity imposed by work or school.
Overall, I think I hit my own revelation today..."Hi, my name is Gia and I AM a media junkie!" I can at least find the humor in this project for a entrainment.
Media Deprivation Day 1
It's day one of the media deprivation experience, but still early so I seem to be surviving. I will go into work at 2 o’clock today intill 10:30 tonight. So I’m almost certain today I’ll be able to make it through pretty easily. So far I’ve started to notice how habitual casual media is to me. I woke up this morning texting and got into the car, almost systematically, turning the radio on. It wasn’t till half way to my destination I realized I already failed not even 24 hours into the experience. I am also starting to realize how much silence bothers me. I listen to the radio while I get ready for my day in the mornings and every second in the car. Even having my boxer puppy in the car with me today, and going a whole ten minutes down the road to my sister’s house, and no radio, the silence almost felt awkward with my puppy! It was very strange. I was too cold and bitter in the car to start singing to myself, in order to fill the silence, until my cell phone bursted our “ Can you meet me half way? right at the borderline is where I’m gonna’ wait…for youuuu! I’ll be looking out night and dayyyy, my heart to the limit and this is where I stayyyy!” It was Fergie and the Black-eyed Peas, my favorite song and heaven to my ears. The burst of sweet music sent me into karaoke with my cell phone! Because of that I was able to resist answering the phone call. I’ve been able to resist the TV as well and I’m quite proud of myself. However it does help not having cable. I resisted from watching any DVDs today too because thankfully last night I purchased the book Twilight Eclipse and have not been able to put it down! I know I should be doing something more productive like studying for finals but I can’t stop reading it. I think this book is really going to help me succeed in the media deprivation experience, as long as I don’t finish it today. It definitely helps being a die hard Twilight fan!
Media Deprivation Dos and Don'ts
As we established at the very beginning of the semester, mass media in its many forms dominates every waking moment of our lives. TV, Internet, iPods, video games, cell phones, movies, and radio are just some of the many forms mass media takes today, and we are all subject to its stranglehold whether we know it or not.
DO read the newspaper, but only the print edition; no online news is allowed. DO NOT read any magazines, unless it's for academic purposes. DO read books, both for academic and recreational purposes. Graphic novels and/or comic books are acceptable reading, too. Like that old NBA commercial once said: READING IS FUNDAMENTAL!
The point of this experiment is threefold:
- To see just how powerful that stranglehold is on our daily routine.
- To discover the advantages of being free of the many distractions mass media provides for us.
- To leave our cocoons of indoor media consumption and be more active, more social – Get outside for a change!
PROJECT GUIDELINES – YOUR "DOs and DON'Ts"
The following guidelines will help you determine when you can and cannot use a form of mass media in your daily routine:
CELL PHONE - TELEPHONE USE:
DO use your cell phone and/or telephone for basic contact purposes. You may call or text message but only if it's for a good reason; DO NOT pass the time texting or talking to someone. Finally, DO NOT use your cell phone for web surfing. You may check email, but no social networking, games, videos, etc.
COMPUTER - INTERNET - GAMING USE:
DO use your computer/laptop for educational purposes such as writing papers, doing research, checking email, etc.; but DO NOT use it for recreational purposes such as social networking, gaming, online shopping, fantasy sports, file-sharing, etc. Academic purposes only!
RADIO - STEREO - MP3 PLAYER USE:
DO NOT listen to the radio, stereo, or any MP3 players under almost any circumstance. The only instance you can listen to music is if you're at a restaurant/bar/party and there happens to be music playing in the background. DO NOT listen to your iPod or stereo while working out or studying, and DO NOT listen to the radio while driving. NO MUSIC!
TV - DVD - MOVIE THEATER USE:
DO NOT watch any TV or DVDs under almost any circumstance. The only instance you can watch TV is if you're at a restaurant/bar/party and there happens to be a TV playing in the background. DO NOT watch the local or national news. DO NOT go to the movies either. NO TV, MOVIES, OR VIDEO GAMES!
DO read the newspaper, but only the print edition; no online news is allowed. DO NOT read any magazines, unless it's for academic purposes. DO read books, both for academic and recreational purposes. Graphic novels and/or comic books are acceptable reading, too. Like that old NBA commercial once said: READING IS FUNDAMENTAL!
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