Random Answers #2

Here is round two of the random questions series - it all involves the internet - an obvious interest to anyone who reads or writes a blog I would say, here are the specific questions...
1. What was the year and the circumstance of your first internet experience?

2. Do you leave your computer on and your email up all day long to be sure to catch any communication right away or do you check in only occasionally?

3. In this email age, do you still look forward to getting the mail (the kind the mailman delivers) or do you go two or three days between trips to the mailbox? Do you get "real" mail anymore or is it all junk due to e-banking and such?

4. How would you rate yourself in relation to your internet use?
Use when necessary
Like to when I can
Must check in at least once a day
Lost without email/internet
Spend hours each day online
Addicted!

Ok, I really can't remember my first experiences with the internet - I am pretty sure it was in my college years, I remember having to e-mail things to my professors as assignments - all a ploy to make us become familiar with the system. We had it at home - but my brother monopolized it (he met his wife on-line)...I went my first several years of marriage even without really relying on the internet very much, that all slowly changed after we got rid of our TV about 7 years ago now. We started to use the computer more and more as our entertainment - especially after the kids started coming - we use it as a video monitor to play dvds, which led to getting better internet services, etc.

I leave my computer on all the time, go a check it throughout the day - I use it for both work and as my major form of communication - don't know what I would do without email - I hate phones, the children always plot against me the moment I get on the phone - they could be happily entertained somewhere within the house and the minute I pick up the phone and start a conversation they magically appear at my feet asking questions or just starting a rumble amongst themselves that causes me to chastise them "in front" of whoever I am talking to! My job requires a lot of communication and recruitment for activities and the idea of getting stuff accomplished without my email kind of scares me - I think I would seriously be looking for other employment! I hate phones that much...

I don't check the mail that comes "by post" with much anticipation - except around birthdays and Christmas of course because that is the only time we receive anything personal - everything else is pretty much junk. Our mailbox is attached to the front of the house, right outside the door, I think that's why I still pick it up daily - cause it's easy to get. The moment I bring it in the door I stand next to the little trash can (no kidding, right inside the front door) and throw 3/4 of it away. The rest are bills that my husband gets to handle - I rarely get to open a thing. Its the opposite with email - I get the majority of those - Steven gets enough computer time at work to do him for the rest of the day.

I must admit I would be lost without the email or internet - I already mentioned my job would be at stake :-), I keep up with my mom's side of the family through a private website my Aunt created, I blog now to get to know new friends and to try to keep long-distance friends/family up with our family adventures. But I don't know if I would quite say I am yet addicted - I don't go searching for stuff on the internet very often and other than checking in on my little circle of folks that I like to keep up with, I am pretty much done with it...but wait a couple of years maybe - I might be in the initial stages of becoming an addict :-)