Day 3

Today again was not much of a challenge. I wore a sweatshirt all day at home and I turned the heat down to around 70 after I got home. It was around 72, so I'll see what kind of a difference this will make. I was expecting more of a challenge but so far I have not met one. Emerson and Toreau's themes mean a lot in today's society. The main theme of simplicity in the Transcendentalist Age can still relate to life today. Many people tend to be to focused on worldly things in our culture. We need to pick our battles and not be so focused on the worldly aspects of life. Life would definitely be better if everyone simplified their life and had a happy outlook on life.

Day 3... oh joy

No xbox really isnt all that hard. There's never anytime to actually use it after school anyway with homework and basketball taking up most of the time im at home. Its the third day after all and really i dont have some extreme urge to go play it.

In the world today, Emerson and Thoreau's themes are still have some meaning. Everyone is obsessing with "going green" and all this earth-friendly stuff and becoming more aware of the environment. And frankly, its starting to annoy me. But we'll save that one for another day. People are also becoming more accepting of one another and more open to being different, which is good.

Ms.Damron Day 3

Well, it is dark and I missed that little window of daytime after school to take my walk. If just one or two things come up after school, I miss daylight. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to take an extra long walk to make up for this. Dinner tonight is vegan chickpea stew...yum.

"A man is what he thinks about all day long."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

DAY 3!!!

I forgot to blog yesterday so I'm going to answer two questions today.  But before I do that I just want to say how difficult this has been.  I'm only on day 3 and I'm already loosing my cool.  Tonight's dinner is lasagna with meat sauce.  I will not be able to eat this although it is one of my favorite meals.  It seams like my family waited till this week to cook all of my favorites.  I also gave up drinking anything but water.  This is the most difficult thing to do.  

Technology both simplifies and clutters our lives.  Sometimes technology makes one aspect of our lives easier but complexes another.  Like cell phones for example.  They make it very easy to communicate with other people, however now there's texting, picture messages, and phones have the internet.  This just makes life harder because your constantly getting notifications.  And obviously there are upsides of technology.  For example medicine.  Medical technologies have made so people feel very little pain.

Many of Thoreau's themes were about getting in touch with nature and simplicity.  He also stressed that individualism was very important.

day 3

Even without facebook, I've found ways to avoid doing homework. Not shocked. I'm not bothered by the fact that I haven't been on facebook in four days now. This little experiment has shown me how little I need facebook in my life, that I don't need to update my status every day, and I don't need to see what EVERYONE else is doing. Without facebook, I don't feel incomplete, or out of the loop. I actually am less stressed about going on to see who's in a relationship with who, or worry about my profile picture being ugly or whatever. This experiment has actually shown me how much I hate facebook. But, what's really bothering me is not being able to text. Last night one of my good friends texted me stating that she had to tell me something, that I won't be able to hear until next tuesday, which is really irking me. Although it's bothering me not being able to text, it's eye-opening to me how much I rely on texting. I'll go to text my mom to pick me up from practice or a friend's house, and then I'll remember I can't text.

In today's world Emerson and Thoreau's themes are still meaningful. I think this can be seen in everyone becoming more earth-friendly and aware of their environment. People are becoming more "green" and aware of the fact that we're not the only ones on this planet, and aren't the only ones that ever will be. People are also becoming more accepting of one another, and more open to being different.

OMG DID YOU HEAR ABOUT...

Day two has finaly come and gone. I was another day of struggling and wanting. But i havent gave in yet like other people have....patrick. Technology clutters our lives in many ways but i am only going to talk about how it affects my week today. I gave up snacking for the week and techonolgy is a big way to make snacks. For example microwaves, ovens, computers to search snack recipes, and other cooking devices. Yes all of this makes our lives simply because we can make better food alot quicker. However as much as technogly usually makes our lives easier this week it has only made my life harder. It has made my life harder because when i was at the mall i passed auntie annes preztals store and they had preztals on display in the warmers, which is technogly. My family got some of these preztals but i wasnt allowed to. This was the hardest challenge yet because they smelled so good! That is all for today! Zach your blogs arent pretty.

Day 3 uping the ante

Third day without xbox, in school so not bugging me I can't play, chances are it wont affect me later either i have a lot of homework to do and stuff. Might try and limit myself to no tv too and maybe even no meat. I want to try and test myself and see if i can live a little simpler and only do what is nesessary. I gaurentee going vegitatrian for a weak is going to be completely impossible but i can try.

Thoureau question: he expressed siplicity as his main theme. only doing what was needed to be done. Where would our lives be without tv and computers? we could be less hostile with eachother and just live for life. When we look deeper it is amazing that we are alive, we should take it for granted and stop abusing it.

Day Three - No Facebook

Day Three: I'm still going strong. This is not as hard as i thought it would be. However, I fear that these feelings will not last for too much longer. I hear that Facebook withdrawal is quite extreme. Hopefully I can overcome four more days of this.

Technology, such as Facebook, can clutter peoples' lives. People in this generation get so entwined in technology that it is all they care about. Other technology, such as computers and the Internet, improve our lives by making tasks faster and easier to do. Technology is simplifying our lives, but also making them more difficult.

Justin Beiber!

^^^ title used to capture atention. No TV or computer has been easy today, so far, but in still in school so i havent had alot of opporunities to break this 2 day streak :)

I have to work at homestead today, so i wont get home until late, so i have an even smaller chance of breaking the streak... but THE OFFICE is on tonight and i dont know if i can miss it.

ugh that show is addictive. my life is cluttered with technologies and shows like the office. with out technology in my life i wouldnt have to do this blog :)

on the otherhand, i might have to be writing this all by hand, so in that sense... its helpful. i think in the long run, technology simplifies our lives rather than clutters them. becasue of technology i dont have to get out of bed to order food online, and without technology i might have to go on a month-long hike looking for caribu or moosen to eat. because my own definition of simplification is less work, then i think technology simplifies our life.

Day 3.soon...

I have been doing really well. Today I had hummus and a sandwich and had no junky unhealthy snack food. It is still during school so I have not had a walk today but I know I am working after school and have homework so I will not be getting to an actual walk however I will be with my pets and animals so in a way it is naturey.........kind of.

"Things do not change. We change." Thoreau
This quote is not only representative of my week but of many people's week who are participating in this experiment. We would never think to do this but we are changing up what we normally do which causes change in other aspects of our life. Taking a walk and eating healther makes me happier about what I am doing and more of energy with doing better things.

Day 3

I thought that giving up TV would give me more times to do things like clean my room or play with my dog, but it turns out I keep finding other ways to blob this time. I guess it's natural for one to switch into couch potato mode at a certain time of day. For me it's 8:00. Last night I was studying for Chemistry, and all of a sudden I just felt the need to be done. And sure enough it was 8:00. Instead of migrating to the television, I went to the piano, but I didn't practice, or play anything particularly hard (unless you count Chariots of Fire as really difficult.)

Since reading Thoreau and Emerson, I actually have noticed nature a little bit more. Now when I let my dog out when I get home from school, I actually hang around for an extra minute admiring nature. I think that is what their themes mean today; appreciation of life and nature. Looking at the little aspects of life that are really the most important.

day 3..kind of

I forgot to blog the last 2 days so this is my first. I started off with no computer but quickly realized I do not use the computer that much. I switched to no caffeine (I think that's how you spell it). I drink A LOT of coffee and I usually get pretty annoyed when I do not have it. This morning I had coffee so tomorrow will be my official day of no caffiene..caffeine. Later.

Day 3

This is day 3 without xbox or ipod and it not as difficult as I first thought. Well first I never really play xbox during the week because of school so I think that it will be more difficult close to the weekend. Being without the ipod has been the hardest because I like to listen to music when I get bored so I have to find more things to now.

1 and 2 no xbox no big deal

After some help from my good friend mike i figured out how to post! well as much to my surprise not having Xbox for 2 days has not really affected my life, there is still a lot to do around the house and i am spending a little more time on my homework and studying than i would have usually done. I think the only real way to have a major affect on someones life is to take electricity away all together. For example if i don't go on Xbox i can just go watch TV or go on the computer and think nothing of it. If there were no other options i think id find myself outside more or even reading a book for pleasure for the first time in a while.

Day 2

Today was different. It was weird that I always had to think before I ate. When I got home from school my mom had food made and told me to eat something before I went out. Without realizing it I prepared the food and everything but as I sat down I realized what I was doing and had to find something different to eat. I ate carrots instead:) I do think the way I have been eating is healthier though. Now that I'm eating healthier I feel the motivation to go be active and run or something like that.

Day 2 - No Facebook

Day 2: Same as the first. I felt no urge to jump on my computer and check the News Feed. The Facebook world has not seemed appealing to me ever since this project has begun. Perhaps Facebook really is not that important after all. Now, while doing my homework, I do not wander onto Facebook and spend countless hours scrolling through a bunch of stuff I really do not care about. Maybe this is for the better.

I Forgot the First Day

During the first day of my experiment, i realized that Facebook.com is not as important as many teenagers would argue it to be. I lived a normal day without and I do not think it will be too hard getting through 7 days without knowing where someone that I have only talked to three times in my life is going tonight. I can deal without Facebook.

The Transcendentalists' ideas were somewhat more outspoken that previous radical groups. This specific group had beliefs involving man combining with nature and other theories that were not yet thought about in the world.

Free Money!

Now that i captivated you with that title, i can tell you about my first FULL day without tv and without the use of the computer as a media device.
it was tough. its a real mental challenge to go on a computer and not log on facebook or check yahoo news.... but from wha ive heard, the first day is always he hardst,so im hoping tomorrow will be easier.
Well actually, THE OFFICE is on tomorrow and i usually get cranky if i dont see it.
Darn.

Day 2...fun

I came home from school today and sat down on the couch. Turned the Tv on and realized i can't watch it or play the wii, so i got mad. This project just started like 24 hours ago, and it's really gonna get on my nerves, its already starting....
The Transcendentalists had common themes of their time; simplicity, miracles, and nature. In their times, this meant more focus on more spiritual values than materialists' values. They thought that God was within everything, and that he was preforming miracles everywhere. They felt that nature contained miracles even though from the outside, everything looked quite simple. These Transcendentalists were really interested in returning to nature at their time. :)

Oops...I Forgot Yesterday...

Well yesterday was busy as it was...sports and homework took up most of my time. A whole 14 hours involved with SHR work or play... Wow. So i really didn't have time to watch Tv or play the wii, so this project ain't so bad yet. Hopefully it will stay this way for the rest of this interesting project.
Thoreau had a few themes within his literary works. One of which, was that he believed people should live with the bare essentials. New technology and inventions weren't very appealing to him during his time. His also imposed a second theme which was that everyone should be self-reliant. He believed that being self-reliant was a way to succesfully live your life. :)