My magic little box

I had an epiphany on the toilet the other day.
Yes, I was feeling better from a nasty bout with some intestinal mess earlier in the week. This isn't about that. No sense in alienating both of my readers with a gross bathroom tale.
I was sitting in there with my phone. For some reason, I brought it with me because you never know what great piece of information you might need urgently on a Saturday at 2 pm.
As I stared at the touch screen, I could see by the menu bar at the top that I had no new messages in either my work or personal email. I also knew that Facebook didn't hold much of a thrill since I had checked my account on the computer just a short time ago.
So I literally stared at the screen, wondering where I should touch it and what I should look up. It's almost as if I was desperate for something. Anything. Something to alleviate the utter boredom of using the bathroom for a few minutes. It's the 21st century, right? Every spare moment needs a purpose.
And then I tossed the phone onto a pile of clothes on the floor. I was done.
I was ashamed I had just spent a few moments staring at my phone as if it were some sort of lifeline. That's when I realized that I have a problem.
I have been thinking recently about the uneasiness of being tied to my phone and all the wonders it contains. I think it's time for a disconnect, of sorts. No more quest for badges on Four Square. (besides, I have like three friends on there who routinely check in at all, so it's not even that fun) No more posting photos of every single thing, especially as it relates to beer. No more checking status updates several times each day to make sure I know how my friends pets are doing. No more checking in at every locale to prove what an awesome vacation I'm having, while you're not.
Facebook, especially, has been a fantastic tool for reconnecting with friends from all corners of my previous lives and provides worthy entertainment from time to time. But it's gotten a little out of hand, for me anyway.
I say this, of course, a week before I travel to Colorado where I'm quite sure that some photos or check ins will materialize as we spend a week doing my favorite thing in the world. (skiing, you perverts)
But I'll try to exercise a little restraint. And if I don't, I'll have this post to look back on as proof that I at least put myself on the right path.
For a while.