Passing the half way mark today I thought I'd reflect on how the experiment is going so far.
The first week I occasionally, but not as often as I expected, reached for my phone. It was a busy week at work and lots going on in the evenings so I didn't have too much time to miss my phone but I also didn't have much time to sort my life out on the internet when I got home either. This was my training week. At the same time as getting my head round the idea myself I was also trying to convince everyone else that
a) I hadn't completely lost it
b) It could be fun rather than painful
c) It wouldn't be too much extra effort for them.
Some people were easy to convince, others less so. I got a lot of wierd looks from people who just didn't seem to get it.
That week I slept really badly and not because I was out late but because I didn't trust the various alarm clocks I had set to wake me up. My paranoia resulted in daily trips to Maplin at first to buy the land line, then back to get the right wire for the landline and then back 3 more times to buy, return and replace alarm clocks that had pushed me to my limits of sleep deprivation. I settled on alarm clock number 3. Now I'm finding it much easier to get up. Thinking about it now I think it's because my alarm clock has a 5 minute snooze rather than 10 on the iPhone which annoyingly gave me just enough time to actually fall asleep again.
Dear Apple, and I don't think I'm alone when I say this, but the point of snooze is just that, a light doze, not a rude awakening from a coma. I'll definitely be holding onto the alarm clock at the end of this experiment.
Week two was busy again with Christmas dos and finishing up the last bits of shopping. A couple of times I could have done with Google on the go (I was lost of course) but I survived. Also that week BBC Radio Cambridge contacted me after a friend passed this blog onto them. Until that point my blog was only really for me and anyone who was particularly bored or bizarrely interested in how I was getting on. That was day 17 and I discovered the blog had attracted 350 hits (I admit some of those were my own from when I checked how the blog looked). It's now day 28 and there have been 544 and it's not counting mine anymore. Seems people don't have much better to do at 11pm that surf
cr@p blogs like this one. Hey-hum.
Week three, Christmas, was the week I was most unsure of. I was worried that being out of London, away from my friends and normal life would highlight my lack of phoneage. I took my laptop home to stay 'connected' (broad band in the sticks is sluggish at best and when you couple that with my Dad's combine harvester of a computer you're in real trouble) but it sat unused for the first 3 days. I was too busy enjoying the company of my family, making my first coffee in a cafetiere and learning how to lay a fire (that stays lit) to feel the need to contact anyone. I had finally switched off.
But there was space for one more perk of the week...
Now you all know I have a tendancy to leave my phone lying around - I wouldn't be here if I didn't -well that doesn't stop when I'm back home. The house has lots of rooms so inevitably this gives me lots of neat little places to leave it. Normally because something shiny catches my eye and my attention waivers. Dad always manages to stumble across it first, normally before I've even noticed it's missing, and seems to take satisfaction in giving me the 'When are you going to start looking after your belongings?' lecture. Who can blame him when you look at the the things I've lost/had stolen along the years
3 Digital Cameras (starting with the first my Dad ever bought me)
3 laptops (along with all my Uni photos)
6 (probably more) mobile phones including one I borrowed from someone as an interim phone and 3 that were lost down the loo after getting into the unfortunate habit of carrying my phone in my back pocket. Don't do it people!
2 pieces of sentimental jewellery (one turned up 2 years later under the carpet in my car)
2 wallets one of which was inherited from my Gran (well technically I threw that one in the bin after a picnic in the park)
1 watch given as a Valentines gift
1 bike
1 mini disc player
1 iPod
2 work passes
3 oyster cards
1 glove box - this one really wasn't my fault someone broke into my car (I was parked on a dodgy estate admittedly) to steal some mix CDs and took the glove box, I can only assume, as a swag bag. Imagine the look on my Dad's face when I told him that one.
Oh and there was that one time when I was housesitting while my parents were on trip of a lifetime to Canada and I went out for the day and we got burgled while I was gone... basically I've lost and been subject to a number of thefts over the years and I only have myself to blame.
This time around, there were no lectures because there was no phone to be left to it's own devices. I made an extra special effort to clear my mess up behind me when I left a room and take my belongings to bed with me at night. I was quite pleased with myself for about 5 minutes only to be falsely accused of 'littering' (ah maybe I see when Al gets his OCDness from afterall). Well I didn't waste a moment before grassing up my brother who only hours before had farted on my head for 'old times sake' after a war over the best armchair in the sitting room. Sorry I digress.
Last day with my brothers and sisters and we took a day trip to Cambridge to hit the sales, see some colleges and visit a restaurant we haven't been to in years. The sales were hectic, as you can imagine, so we decided to split to ease the pain. I suggested we meet up again at 1pm outside M&S. Everyone looked uncomfortable. After explaining three times to Ali where M&S was (he's the worrier in our family), Als offered to lend me her Blackberry 'just in case' - she clearly didn't trust the plan - well she is married to the face farter so who can blame her :)
[Just a quick interjection - yes there really are an 'Al', an 'Ali' and an 'Als' in my family]
'Nope, let's make a plan and stick to it instead' I responded and before any of them had a chance to argue with me I headed off to spend the vouchers it turned out I'd forgotten to bring with me.
The next week was the first time in 4 years I'd had the time off between Christmas and New Year and the first time in 13 years I'd spent that time without a phone. Chilling at my Dad's enjoying an iPlayer catch up fest our home phone rang. Normally I completely ignore it because it's not going to be for me is it?
I picked up the phone 'Hello?', praying it wasn't another cold caller.
A little voice answered 'Hi, is Leonie there?'
It was Amy calling to finalise our New Year's plans.
And that moment took me back those 13 years to when I was 15 and my friends used to call the house all the time to talk on the phone for hours about the latest issue of Just Seventeen, which non existent skirt we planned to wear to the next disco, what nail polish so-and-so was wearing on Tuesday or the latest hottie in Eastenders. It was a great memory to relive. Thanks Laney.
So that's four weeks done, and 4 to go.
