It was 1:45 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, and something was seriously wrong.
I had already crawled into bed when I realized I didn't know what bus I would have to take to get to school the next day. Naturally, I decided to go online and check the schedule.
And that's when it happened.
When I clicked the Firefox icon to go online, it wouldn't start. It told me I had some kind of virus. Naturally, this message was the virus itself. My computer had been infected, and I wouldn't be able to use the Internet.
I panicked. I use the Internet for everything. Listening to music, communicating with my friends, and reading news stories. I've become fully immersed in the digital age. Going back to the way it was before seemed like the scariest thing imaginable.
To my surprise, it's actually been quite pleasant.
Don't get the wrong idea; I'm not one of the luddites who loathes modern technology. I love the Internet with all my heart. I'm not even one of those anti-Facebook people. I love having a network where I can talk to people I might not otherwise be able to talk to.
The only problem is, there was no escape. Any time I had sent an important message to a friend on Facebook, I'd be checking every two hours to see if they'd gotten back to me. I'd constantly be checking Twitter to see if any of the celebrities I follow had said anything interesting.
I was beginning to base my life on what was going on online.
Living without the computer has been more refreshing to say the least. I've had more actual conversations with people over the past month or so, and my home life is more rewarding. It's easier to watch football on Sunday without rushing into my room every few minutes to see what's going on with my fantasy football league.
When I check my Facebook and my e-mails at school, I actually have something to discover. Normally, I check everything so frequently that I tend to receive e-mails and notifications one by one.
It's nice to have an element of surprise when I go online.
Don't get me wrong; there are times when I've missed my computer. Sometimes I get bored when I have nothing to do but watch TV and listen to my CDs, and sure, it'd be easier if I didn't have to write all of my columns from school.
With that said, it hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought. Living without a computer has reminded me of the life that exists beyond the monitor.
It was a reminder that I needed, because when all I did was check my Facebook over and over again, things got sort of dull.
I'll get my computer fixed pretty soon, and when I do, I'm sure I'll still be using it on a regular basis. With that said, I will not be the mindless zombie I was before.
A computer virus is never a good thing, but in this case, it did teach me a valuable lesson: don't live your life through your computer.
E-mail: john.hugar@ubspectrum.com
