Jumping out

I have always been pretty sure I have an addiction problem. It's why I never really got into drinking or drugs - I'd definitely be attending 12-step programs by now if I'd started drinking in high school. 

Previous addictions I've had to work on:

• cable TV. I had to disconnect it during summer vacation in 2000 when I found myself on a sunny Juneau afternoon watching the millionth episode of some home decoration show on TLC. Haven't had real TV since. Unfortunately, technology has allowed me to encounter new screen-based addictions by streaming things online. And I gobble that stuff up. I've now caught up on all the season of House of Cards, some of The Wire, and have started recently the Toni Collette and co. show United States of Tara. And when my TV-pusher sends me season two of Homeland, I'll get started on that, too.

• shoes. I know, seeing as how I currently wear approximately 3 pairs of shoes all year long, there have been times when this was not the case. Or at least that's what it looks like in my entry way. I'm trying to counter old addictions by making myself wear all of my shoes and getting ride of the shoes I don't wear at all anymore... it's so-so successful. And about a month ago I went and bought a new pair of shoes at the local shoe store. I've worn them once. They're too small. 

(*note: clearly, I'm not obsessed with organization. too bad that's not one of my problems!)

• bags. I like bags. For a while it was Vera Bradley bags. I have a few. I've even culled the bag collection but still have too many bags. And in my latest trip away from home I ended up buying a very cute new purse. In my defense, it had been about a year since I'd purchased a bag. And this one was lovely. It's got a bird one it; how cute is that?! And REVERSIBLE! (You can see the seriousness of my problem).

So, really, it is no surprise that I became addicted to Facebook. I keep it under my pillow at night; it's the last thing I look at before I go to sleep and it's the first thing I check when I wake up. And when I'm not working, I check it multiple (many, many, many) times a day. Once I get into it, it's hard to not keep going back for more. 

So once my summer started yesterday, I knew I had to make some adjustments or I would be just checking Facebook all day long and I had to make a decision. Just like I cut out the cable TV cold turkey one summer day, I've decided that I'm cutting out Facebook.

Or, since there are things I like a lot about Facebook but don't trust myself to use it responsible during this month of no work and all play, I'm taking a month-long hiatus.

The challenge is to find other things to do with my time: read books, see friends, try some new jams (apricot/ginger/tequila here I come!), pick some berries if they're out, go to a wedding, take pictures, watch the house-painter scrape off the peeling paint before he paints the new colors on (just wait for those pictures!), hopefully visit at least one Little House on Prairie, observe little children and wrap up my Montessori Children's House Assistant certificate. And whatever else I can come up with.

I've removed the Facebook app from my phone. It'll be fun to find out what I do when I am desperate to find out what everyone else is up to and what new entertaining cat videos and autocorrect fail meme's are floating around -- if it's an obsessive/addiction to cleaning, that might be a good thing.