First of all, I would like to say that although the second day of the media deprivation was much better than the first, it still was a huge drag. After being under media restriction for two days, it was awesome to be able to use it again today, and that's the first thing I did when I woke up today. I went into the living room and played XBox like it was going out of style lol. But this blog is really about yesterday, so here goes.
I had worked late Friday night and then by some cruel twist of fate, I had to be back at work at 8:30 am on Saturday. I woke up bleary eyed and tired from my meager 4 hours of sleep, stumbled throught the morning routine, and skipped breakfast in favor of a 32 oz. coffee. Once the caffeine kicked in, the ride to work was tolerable, although the lack of music was starting to make me irritable and less optimistic about the 10 hour workday ahead of me. When I arrived at work, I was dismayed to find that it was extremely busy. I took roughly twice the amount of calls that I normally take in a workday and by the end of my shift, I was thoroughly exhausted and very glad to get away.
At this point, it doesn't sound like day two was at all better than day one, but this is where it all changes. The whole reason I had to give up my late shift for a morning shift is that my company was hosting a huge Christmas banquet for all of their underpaid and overworked employees. It was held at the Marriott NW and was a black tie affair. I had brought a change of clothes to work and proceeded to dress to the nines before making a fashionably late (because I was working) entrance to the party.
Once I had arrived at the party, all the stress built up from the media deprivation melted away. I enjoyed a gourmet meal and a few Coronas while listening to the DJ's excellent selection of music. Door prizes were awarded to a lucky few (I wasn't one of them unfortunately), and there was even a mock casino where we were allowed to enjoy games of BlackJack, Craps, and Roulette. I spent about an hour and a half at the BlackJack table and turned my $5,000 worth of fake money into $11,000. (Ah, if only it were real... *sigh*) After that, my wife and I danced a few songs and headed to a friend/coworker's house for a nightcap. There were about 10 people from work there, and we spent our time complaining about work and how the party, as cool as it was, did NOT make the job worthwhile lol.
We finally headed home at about 2:00 am, and I fell asleep content and at peace for the first time since this horrendous project began. I had to work yet again today, this time until 1:30 am (gotta love that holiday overtime), but after 48 hours of media silence, it was great to have all of my favorite pastimes back in full force. Media has played a huge part in my life for years now, and it took giving it up to make me appreciate just how fully it has permeated my existence. I continued to think about whether the role that media plays in my life is for better or worse, and I have come to the conclusion that although it is a double-edged sword, I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that media wastes hours and hours of my time, but I enjoy that time immensely. Some people cycle, some play poker, some go bar-hopping; I sit at home and play on my computer, my XBox, and my DVR. I look forward to these distractions to help me relax after a long day of work and/or school, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Going outside and being active are great, and I do engage in these activities, but I'm happiest when media is involved. In addition to all these things, the conveniences that media brings to all of our lives are extremely useful. Giving them up shows you just how much you have come to rely on these conveniences.
In conclusion, I must admit that I am undecided as to how I feel about participating in this project. Part of me is grateful to have experienced media silence for two days because it really made me appreciate media when I got it back. The other part of me is still angry about having its favorite toys taken away, no matter what the reason lol. All in all, I'm glad to have done the project, impressed that I made it through, and grateful that I will never have to do it again.
-Sergio Saucedo-
Once I had arrived at the party, all the stress built up from the media deprivation melted away. I enjoyed a gourmet meal and a few Coronas while listening to the DJ's excellent selection of music. Door prizes were awarded to a lucky few (I wasn't one of them unfortunately), and there was even a mock casino where we were allowed to enjoy games of BlackJack, Craps, and Roulette. I spent about an hour and a half at the BlackJack table and turned my $5,000 worth of fake money into $11,000. (Ah, if only it were real... *sigh*) After that, my wife and I danced a few songs and headed to a friend/coworker's house for a nightcap. There were about 10 people from work there, and we spent our time complaining about work and how the party, as cool as it was, did NOT make the job worthwhile lol.
We finally headed home at about 2:00 am, and I fell asleep content and at peace for the first time since this horrendous project began. I had to work yet again today, this time until 1:30 am (gotta love that holiday overtime), but after 48 hours of media silence, it was great to have all of my favorite pastimes back in full force. Media has played a huge part in my life for years now, and it took giving it up to make me appreciate just how fully it has permeated my existence. I continued to think about whether the role that media plays in my life is for better or worse, and I have come to the conclusion that although it is a double-edged sword, I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that media wastes hours and hours of my time, but I enjoy that time immensely. Some people cycle, some play poker, some go bar-hopping; I sit at home and play on my computer, my XBox, and my DVR. I look forward to these distractions to help me relax after a long day of work and/or school, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Going outside and being active are great, and I do engage in these activities, but I'm happiest when media is involved. In addition to all these things, the conveniences that media brings to all of our lives are extremely useful. Giving them up shows you just how much you have come to rely on these conveniences.
In conclusion, I must admit that I am undecided as to how I feel about participating in this project. Part of me is grateful to have experienced media silence for two days because it really made me appreciate media when I got it back. The other part of me is still angry about having its favorite toys taken away, no matter what the reason lol. All in all, I'm glad to have done the project, impressed that I made it through, and grateful that I will never have to do it again.
-Sergio Saucedo-
No comments:
Post a Comment