She was in Laptop Hospital for 7 days, meaning - thanks to my lack of any other device - that I was essentially without a computer for 7 days. My friend Bethany recommended sending over some digital grapes to her virtual ward in the Laptop Hospital, but I refrained. Instead I spent most of the week dancing around my flat to my collection of 7" singles, and writing.
I had no urgent deadlines for the week ahead and, as such, decided that there was no point in being cross about the situation. I decided to see what I could achieve by taking advantage of the situation, and the time it provided me: I was going to do nothing but read books, listen to music, and write freehand for a week.
A lot of what I wrote about during those 7 days was distinctly analogue in nature, not to mention messy and pretty freeform/stream of conscious. It was definitely worth doing because it meant I wasn't digitally distracted and could just... write.
Some of the stuff I wrote isn't finished, and may never be finished, but the first piece to emerge from this period of writing is now up on Medium, a little piece on the joys of home taping that I managed to finish in time for Cassette Day yesterday.
I met up with David Wilkinson, Natalie Bradbury and their friend Maureen at 8th Day during that 7 day period. When I mentioned to David that I was effectively tech free for 7 days, he sighed "That sounds like heaven".
It wasn't quite heaven, but it made for a quieter week, and a lot got done. I kept on top of my emails by walking over to my local public library and logging in roughly every two days, but I didn't spent long on that and I didn't even attempt to tackle my promo pile: That got blitzed the day I got Madison back.
Looking back on this period now, a few weeks on, I almost miss being largely tech free. My mind felt quieter somehow, and life seemed a little slower and less stressful.
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