simplifying my digital and media world

[pinkytoe]

When the virus hit, like a lot of retired (and other) people I found myself online for hours a day. News sites, forums, FB...That has pretty much continued unless I have other things to do on particular days. I figure if I state my intention here it will help me start the New Year with a cleaner slate and I won't be frittering my time away on news that doesn't add anything to my life other than distraction and anxiety....I am going to cease watching national news and checking online news sources. I am going to cancel the NY Times which eats up way too much time reading articles and comments. I am going to clean up my email inbox and unsubscribe from most of the annoying stuff I get. I have a FB account and enjoy the gardening groups I belong to so those will stay. I will cancel NextDoor since like most everything else it has turned mean and political. Reading about all the porch pirates and car thieves is depressing anyway. I can no longer endure what one person called the "infodemic" of covid news and opinions and all the nastiness out there. I am very much looking forward to the quiet of being away from media for now.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Haha, has next door ever been anything but mean and political. That's all I've ever heard about it. Maybe once upon a time many many years ago ... when dirt was new :)

Good luck.

[iris lilies]

As a Nextdoor moderator, I report and remove when I am able posts that are about national politics. Those posts are not supposed to go into the general feed on Nextdoor, they’re supposed to go into some sort of special forum for national politics discussion.


But you’re right, many of the concepts seep out because they do have local import.

Nextdoor is brilliant for matching Up lost and found pets

[pinkytoe]

As an example, there are current ND discussions about our horrible local trash service which for some inane reason is privately vs municipally run. Any attempts on discussing that it ought to be municipally owned turn into arguments about free enterprise and choice. "I don't want no socialist trash service"...it drives me nuts. The dog and cat stuff is fun but ends up irking me that so many people let their pitbulls run loose repeatedly.

[Rogar]

This is the only social media sight I visit. I own a Tracfone that I mostly used when travelling. I just unsubscribed to Netflix streaming, don't do Amazon Prime or other streaming services. Don't use online billing for utilities, etc. If I have a downfall, I use the web for news and some educational uses, both podcasts and text, and that takes up some wasted time. And I find email indispensable and occasional Zoom as a necessary evil. I'm personally happy with that.

[iris lilies]

As an example, there are current ND discussions about our horrible local trash service which for some inane reason is privately vs municipally run. Any attempts on discussing that it ought to be municipally owned turn into arguments about free enterprise and choice. "I don't want no socialist trash service"...it drives me nuts. The dog and cat stuff is fun but ends up irking me that so many people let their pitbulls run loose repeatedly.

I don’t know why something should be municipal versus private always, but I normally do love our city provided trash service. It is phenomenal. We have giant cans set out in our alleys that are easy to fill.

But I will say this: several years ago we paid for private recyclable trash service. And then the city came in and killed that service because the city started handling recyclables. And then they sent us a bill for it! So get this: for the past year and going into the forseeable future, the city is no longer separately processing recyclables because they don’t have enough drivers to drive separate routes.

In other words, they need to send one truck to pick up all dumpsters be they recycling dumpsters or landfill dumpsters.

So my city killed that little private business of picking ip recycling, and then ****ed up the work by not recycling at all. Yay government.

[ToomuchStuff]

Had a gal that worked for us, that had been trying to get me to join Next Door, just to see the for sale/free stuff (I don't know how it is set up). At my old house, the big push for next door, was by one of the local churches (trying to get members). I didn't want to be proselytized to.
She had an aneurysm Saturday morning, and died this morning.
The next day, a few went to go see her, when they were doing tests and determined no higher functions.
While they were down there, I received a call, a sibling collapsed and stopped breathing, and was rushed to the emergency room. A while later after getting a bunch of work for initial tests, a blood pressure event was determined, but not what caused it, so there will be more tests.
Mom had worked and trained the gal that works for us, in an old job at the hospital, so I called to let her know and notify their old hospital group. She told me one of her oldest friends has been moved to hospice and now has covid.
I expect I will be on here less, even though this and a few other places are my relaxation. I think I will be somewhere between 6 and 7 days a week for a while. My late friends estate finally settled, so the ownership of the business and the house mortgage, etc are all happening now. The stuff I didn't take, all went into the care of the gal that passed away today, so I may have to deal with that, again, all while moving. Time is tighter for a while and attitude is getting to my typical, bad stuff that happens at Christmas.
I wish I didn't need sleep.

[pinkytoe]

I hope all our lives lighten up a bit in 2022.

[Teacher Terry]

TMS, that’s so sad about your friend. I hope they are able to figure out what’s wrong with your sibling. You have a lot on your plate. Best wishes for getting through all the challenges.

[rosarugosa]

Wishing you the best, TMS. You've had quite a year.
I've found Nextdoor to be surprisingly civil, much more so that my town's many Facebook groups. Nextdoor seems a little more anonymous, covers a broader area and most people don't have profile pics, so I would have expected less civility rather than more. What I don't like about it is that my "neighborhood" seems to encompass such as vast area. I recently tweaked my newsfeed and hopefully will be seeing posts for a more limited area.

[razz]

TMS, your plate is overloaded at present so wishing for you more peaceful days ahead and resolution of the challenges.

As to the OP, I have cut back over the years and control my connection to digital media. I have no TV. Rarely look at Facebook with no other social media. I have used Facetime occasionally to connect with family and a friend during the past couple of years when covid limited in-person visits.

I get the local, national and international news and weather delivered via email at my convenience.

Love my zoom activities - exercise class, webinars for educational courses, church services, etc. Again, all these are engaged when convenient to me.

If one can find an understanding of the digital world as simply a convenient service but never a master, it is very helpful. Getting that understanding is sometimes a challenge.

[happystuff]

As much as technology is supposed to help, it seems often times to be a hinder. I know it is all by our own choosing. TMS, hoping you get through all of this with your sanity intact! Pinkytoe, it sounds like you have a good plan in place - good luck!

[SteveinMN]

Good luck with the changes, TMS!

As a result of a few conversations with a very close friend of mine, I've decided to make a few digital/media changes, too, using the new year as a convenient starting point. My life will be much better served spending more time away from my computer so I've had to make some choices regarding where I spend my time and how much time I spend there.

I've decided to leave SLF. tbh I just have not participated much lately. This site is a fine community of people from whom I've learned a lot over the years but as I've scrolled the list of new posts over the past few months I just don't see that many that I connect even indirectly to living simply. The focus seems to have shifted, for SLF and for me. Rather than just become fodder for a future "whatever happened to..." post I will offer my many thanks for what I've learned here and to the many people I've met here, and wish you all a good year-end celebration and continued health, prosperity, and simplicity. I may check in in the future but that likely will be weeks/months away. This decision really is resonating with me. Be well.

[happystuff]

Steve, I will miss you. I know that you know that the SLF door is always open! I wish you the best in your new endeavors. Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year.

[iris lilies]

Wishing you the best, TMS. You've had quite a year.
I've found Nextdoor to be surprisingly civil, much more so that my town's many Facebook groups. Nextdoor seems a little more anonymous, covers a broader area and most people don't have profile pics, so I would have expected less civility rather than more. What I don't like about it is that my "neighborhood" seems to encompass such as vast area. I recently tweaked my newsfeed and hopefully will be seeing posts for a more limited area.

Nextdoor has pretty much ruined itself by expanding the reach of threads to hundreds of miles away. About six months ago they introduced the option for starting
a thread to go to “anyone “ which is the default setting. Hardly anyone who posts original threads understands that they have an option to keep the thread within their own neighborhood, or within nearby neighborhoods.

So now we have urban issues being commented on by people out in yahooville and tight-assed suburbia. I’m really not interested in their opinions which inevitably come down to “ well what can you expect from living in the dirty crime-ridden city?”

Probably if these same commentors weren’t so dismissive of city living, I would be kinder in my characterization of them. I pretty much have the attitude that this is my city and only I can make fun of it or disparage it, but no one else had better do that! Ha ha.

[Teacher Terry]

I will miss you Steve.

[iris lilies]

Hey Steve, be of good cheer!

[iris lilies]

I would just like to point out that all of you who do not hang out on the web miss so much opportunity for amusement.


I linked in another thread a restaurant review. Here is another illustration from the same restaurant. If you can believe this, this is a very expensive, toney restaurant that serves citrus foam in a container that is molded on the mouth of the chef. Diners are supposed to lick the foam out of the mouth of the chef.

There’s no way my own imagination could make this up, and without the World Wide Web, I would never know these things exist.


4126

[happystuff]

I would just like to point out that all of you who do not hang out on the web miss so much opportunity for amusement.

I guess this falls into the "you do you" category. :)

[iris lilies]

I guess this falls into the "you do you" category. :)

And the cat videos they will be missing! Dear God, the cat videos!

[razz]

Taking a break is a good idea that I have used a few times. Wishing you well, Steve, and thank you for your shared insights over the years

[Rogar]

SteveMN, I've enjoyed your input. I agree of the drift away from the simple living concept, which I too regret. It's the only social media site I use and find some of the discussion otherwise entertaining or an exposure to diverse ideas outside of my real life social realm and perspectives from different places. So it still has some value to me, especially through some of the Covid stay at home days. Best wishes.

[rosarugosa]

Wishing you well, Steve. I've always valued your participation here as a voice of reason and a source of helpful information.

[Tradd]

Happy holidays and a good New Year, Steve. I will miss your input on tech questions.

TMS, best wishes for getting through everything.

[nswef]

I will miss you Steve. Your advice was always helpful. Enjoy pursuing new options!

[KayLR]

Ah, I will miss you Steve! I sought out your posts specifically at times for "voice-of-reason" responses! I do understand your decision, though, and I agree, I do miss the simple living fundamentals of years gone by. Are we really living as simply as we can? Do we care really anymore with so much else going on around us? I will long to *hear* your voice on these topics.

[frugal-one]

Echoes of the same sentiments… you will be greatly missed!

[Simone]

Ah, I will miss you Steve! I sought out your posts specifically at times for "voice-of-reason" responses!.

Wish to echo this. Did you know, Steve, how many of us valued your participation?

TMS, I admire your example and wish you had to set one less often. Hoping you will be able to take care of yourself despite the many demands made on you.