Detox.

Nathan and I are doing an Internet Detox for about 7 weeks.  Here's the 4-1-1, ya'll.

What?

An Internet Detox, or, detoxing ourselves from the crazy buzzing noise that is the Internet.  It's a chance to remove yourself from always having to be "in the know" and saving all the valuable time one wastes online.  It's a time to live more purposefully and enjoy being more present without having to prove your presentness online.

How long will you be doing this?

From this evening (Wednesday, December 18) through  Sunday, February 2.  These dates encompass our time off from school before the spring semester starts.

So what does that mean?

An Internet Detox can be whatever you want it to be; some people just stop going on Facebook for a while, some people completely give up the cyber-world.  As for us?  Well, if one end of the spectrum was "Nothing" and one end was "Everything," we'd be at the 80% mark toward "Everything."  Here is the list of things we're not going to be doing:

-Facebook
-Tumblr
-Casual Internet Surfing
-Netflix/Youtube/Movie Watching
-Game Playing

Here are the things we've decided (so far) that we will be doing online:

-Sending/Checking personal email
-Looking up recipes
-Looking up factual information like the weather and directions to places.
-I will also be blogging during this time!  So you can find me here.

..So, like... what will you be doing this whole time?

We each have personal goals for this time, but some general ones include reading lots of books, playing the piano a lot, learning to play chess, and being more present and aware of life.

But wait I really need to get a hold of you and tell you this thing/ask you this question/invite you to my fancy party.

We each have email addresses and will be checking them!  Fancy that!

aprille.nicole@gmail.com
nathan.yblood@gmail.com

We also have phone numbers, which, if you don't have, you can ask us for in an email.  The only times we will not be checking our email is from the evening of Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 26. You will not even be able to call us, then.  We will be completely off the grid.  We will not have working phones.  So if something explodes, we'll just have to deal with it on January 26.

Wait why? 

We're not telling.

Are you doing this because you're trying to be hipster?

Trying to be?  Please.

But how will I know what's going on in your life without actually having to ask you about it?

Exactly.

(Or you can still be passive and read my blog during this time).

How can I find out more about Internet Detoxes? 

You can read this great article written by one of my library school professors here.

Who was inspired by this lady I do not know.

Who was inspired by Baratunde Thurston.


We'll see how this goes!  Check my blog often for updates.