Technology Addict

I have a big confession to make. I am an addict. But not just any addict. I don't pop pills, I'm not a boozer and while I love chocolate, I'm not an overeater either. So what's my addiction? Technology, that's what. I am so hopelessly addicted to my computer, my iPad, my blackberry and my Droid that my husband is going to wring my neck if I don't stop typing on the keyboard and put the gadgets away.

It started out pretty innocently. A few years back, in an effort to master my work/life juggle, I invested in a BlackBerry and proceeded to use it so that I could be with my kids, run errands and never miss a moment of the goings on in my office. But then, when I quit my job and started my own business, I started loading up on more technology. An iPad this past December (I have no patience and should have waited until the iPad 2 came out!), a MacBook pro, my old BlackBerry which I couldn't give up and my verizon Android phone.

Does one person really need all that technology? I know I could downsize, but for the life of me, I can't seem to kick my habit. When I'm out with my husband and the kids, I'm sneaking furtive glances at my BlackBerry to see if the red light is flashing. When I'm back home, I flip on my Mac to check my emails or to Facebook chat with friends. Then I'm cruising YouTube, or checking out the latest flatulence app my kids downloaded on my iPad, or writing my blog or researching a story and by the time I turn around, the day has flown by. Recently, my husband and kids spent the day at the Brooklyn aquarium enjoying a day off with the dolphins. Should I have gone along for the ride and given the gadgetry addiction a rest? Absolutely. But for some reason, I can't seem to shake my addiction and it only seems to be getting worse.

Late at night, when the kids are in bed and my favorite reality shows are flooding the airwaves, I sit in my den in dead silence while reading an endless stream of Twitter and Facebook comments.  While I find myself conversing less and less on the phone, I've found that online communication is overtaking my life. There used to be a time where I'd write for hours, but today, unless I can come up with 140 characters or less about my personal and professional pursuits, I am pretty much toast. And no matter how hard I try to stay away from it, I've become addicted. Addicted to Twitter, Facebook and Google. Let's face it, without Google, I'd be lost.

Whenever I have a question about anything (from breast buds, to leg cramps to what to do with your family on a lazy Saturday afternoon), I have a consult with Google and within seconds, find exactly what I'm looking for. But the worst addiction in this social networking traffic jam is my Blackberry. I cannot shake my addiction to email and even though it's not that important, I am constantly checking to see who is writing, spamming, following me, Facebook-ing, you get the drift. Wait, I think I hear some real noise. Looks like the troops have returned home to break up the deafening silence. I guess it's time to leave my Twitter and Facebook friends behind for a while so I can return to the real world and make dinner.