About

I had an epiphany when I lost my computer. It crashed, taking it with my words, my music, my connection to my work and my constant need for information.

I’ve been logging on for 10 years now, originally starting as a way to kill time in between classes at college I commuted to from home (and with 3-4 hours in between classes, I had a lot of time to kill).

This habit continued even after transferring to a non-commuter school and after graduation. Whereas I used to be a voracious reader of books, I instead loved to consume online articles, reviews, interviews related t0 pop culture, and later, celeb gossip and TV spoilers. Not all of what I read online was to time-wasting and disposable, but 80 percent definitely is brain candy.

After I lost my computer to repairs that stretched on for three weeks, for the first few hours I felt like I lost an appendage. It was so strange not to have that constant access to information.

Then I felt liberated! And I thought of how much I’ve read and digested of pop culture, and received absolutely nothing-zero-zilch-nada in return. I’m not any stronger, smarter, fitter or healthier for know things I know or have read. It was mutating from an honest love of information to something akin to addiction.

So I’m putting myself on a pop culture diet.

It goes like this. I have certain favorite TV shows. They are:

-Lost

-30 Rock

-The Office

-How I Met Your Mother

-America’s Next Top Model (forgive me, sis,  I know how you disapprove)

-Pushing Daisies (the only new show from the new TV season, but I haven’t seen it yet, so I’m putting it on here as a trial basis.)

*In a way, I’m thankful Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars were canceled, it makes this whole thing easier.

Of these shows, I’m only allowing myself to read two recaps per episode per show.

Everything else? Well, that’s where it gets interesting. If I read anything online that is for amusement/procrastination/what the hell is Britney up to now purposes, I have to give something back to myself in return.

Like:

-Work on my novel (sounds pretentious I know, but yeah)

-Read a book (not always as it easy as it sounds for me lately–a shame)

-Take a walk

-Volunteer

-Clean my apartment

-Prepare a meal in my tiny, tiny kitchen

And the list will grow.

I’ll keep track of how many hours per work week I waste my time on pop culture nonsense here, so I see how much of that time I have to make up to myself with “nutritous” stuff on weekends. The best parallel to this idea are carbon credits.

By hosting this all online instead of some Word document, I keep myself beholden to this idea, and can’t cop out.  That’s the idea, anyway.