Disconnected

I've heard people say that taking a break from social media is a good thing. That's it's nice to disconnect, not feel so obligated to so many sites, and people. To be able to just concentrate on the people and places right in front of you.

It sounds so...zen. Which, apparently, I am not.

RIP, Rosie.

My phone died. I love her. I got her last year, and named her Rosie, after the robot-housekeeper on the Jetsons. She's an HTC EVO Shift - and she's amazing. (Oddly enough, several months after getting - and naming - the phone, I found a factory-installed app called "Rosie Utility." Weird, right?)

After coming back from vacation, I started to notice Rosie wasn't holding a charge. I thought it was my charger. Then I thought it might be the battery. I replaced the battery - and promptly learned that wasn't the problem.

It took five trips to four different Sprint stores to figure out that the problem really was the charger port, that the phone needed to be replaced, and that I had purchased full protection, so that replacement would be at no cost to me.

But it also turns out that this particular phone is on back-order, so there's no guarantee the phone will be shipped right away. I have no way to charge my phone, and I was not successful in locating a standalone charger compatible with my battery. That left me two options - go without, or activate an old phone.

She's no Rosie - but she'll do.

I happened to be digging through a nightstand drawer that day, so I knew I had an old phone. When I say old - I mean old. It's a relic, from a simpler time. (OK - it's four years old; but in technology years, that's practically ancient.)

One more trip back to Sprint, and it was activated (SN: I attempted to do that myself online, but going back to a non-smart phone required a plan change, and I didn't want to nuts myself up for when Rosie II arrives.). I'm back up and running.

Sorta.

No apps. I can barely view a photo (the camera on this phone is 1.3MP). There's no browser to speak of, and if there was, the screen is too small anyway. This phone was built for text messaging - and nothing else, outside of actually making a phone call. I can't check facebook; I can't check in on foursquare. I can't record my calories on My Fitness Pal (though I suppose I could use the site; I'm just so used to the phone app). Twitter is near impossible, at least at work.

I'm in a forced social media cleanse - and not at all happy about it.

See, I don't really find social media to be taxing. I like feeling connected. I like being able to check my email, tweet a picture of my yummy dinner, comment on my friend's status, find a movie and buy a ticket, and get directions to a theater all from the palm of my hand. I don't consider that an intrusion.

But I also don't let it rule my life. If I'm having fun with a group of people (or just one special person) - I have no problem putting the phone down and ignoring the notification light. If I need some time to myself, I can totally focus on a movie, or a project, or a baseball game - and not think about my email or facebook, at all.

I don't mind being disconnected. I just don't like when it's not my decision.