mater facit

I’m breaking up with the Internet.

Well, we’ll be on a trial separation period.  But still.

Tonight, when I saw David Sedaris (who was wonderful, by the way), a member of the audience asked him why he didn’t have a website. David is notoriously anti-technology. And in his charming, tangential way, he pretty much said that he thinks the Internet makes people crazy. And I get it. I really do.

I mean, I can’t check a fucking news website without encountering a barrage of clashing opinions and slanderous swipes in the comments. Message boards make me ill. Blogwars are out of control. I had a MySpace profile once. I have a Facebook profile now; start counting down the hours until that bites it, too. Facebook, which initially attracted me with its control and straightforwardness, has become overrun with ridiculous applications. The Internet has become a harshly-lit stage for the self-righteous and a gleaming buffet for the critics.

I want simplicity. I want something organic. I yearn for the smell of books. I miss the sight of ink on real paper. I crave human contact - real voices, real touch. I am ready to step back from the coup of technology as much as my 21st-century life will allow me.

• I am going to see David Sedaris at the IU Auditorium tonight. The excitement can barely be contained.

• I am paying very little attention to the blog world these days.

• I think I will blog only in bulleted list format from now on.

Hey! It feels like fall outside!