Internet Addicts

When I was a teen I witnessed a particular woman who enjoyed soap operas to the point that it was the only thing that she did all day. She also weighed upwards of three hundred pounds. Even at a young age, I was privy to the fact that this was an unhealthy habit, and I vowed that I would never become a "soap opera junkie." To this day, I do not watch daytime television. Then came the Internet.

My first computer was a gift from my daughter, and I wasted no time in getting connected to the web. I was enthralled by the vast amount of information that was available to me and, as one unable to maintain a regular sleep pattern, it became my nighttime companion. But, I was not addicted, as I didn't play games or utilize chat rooms. I was simply online to learn'. My children began to complain that they could never reach me, as I had a dial up service and the phone line was always busy. I got a cell phone.

Three years ago, my son moved in with me, and I shared my excitement for the web. He displayed no interest and, at that point, didn't even know how to turn the computer on. I persisted, however, and he finally gave it one night out of a pure sense of boredom (or to satisfy my nagging). Little did I realize that I was creating a monster.

As the days went by, I found it exceedingly harder to get online as my desk chair now held this grown man who had "found a new toy." (We all know that you do not interfere with a man's toys). We agreed that it was necessary to buy another computer. Problem solved, right? Wrong! Now we had two computers and one phone line, so I had DSL installed.

My son finally moved out (taking his computer with him) and life was back to normal. Then my computer crashed. I was adept at surfing the web but, at the time, I knew nothing about computer repair. I discovered that taking a CPU in for repair is much like taking your car to the dealership; they note everything wrong with it. Rather than put money into this antiquated piece of electronics, I added a new computer to my Christmas list. To my amazement, I got it.

I now have three computers in my den. When the grandkids come to visit they have their own. When one computer goes down, there are two more that I can rely on. I can now reformat, upgrade, rebuild and do most things required to keep them all up and running. I still don't watch daytime television, but there's no way that I'll ever be without a computer. But, I am not addicted!