My insane ramblings about how the Internet keeps me sane

Some people who work on their computer all day dread the thought of using a computer for a moment longer when they get home.  For me that's like saying that I've been breathing all day at the office, so I'd rather not breathe when I get home.  To clarify the analogy, I never think about "breathing" as my primary activity.  I'm always doing something else.  Nobody ever calls you boring or uncultured because you breathe all day long.  Sitting at the computer, for better or worse, is like breathing to me.  There are so many different things that I can do on the computer that to clump it all together as "sitting at the computer" is an unfair, hasty, ignorant categorization.  Don't get me wrong, you could easily chastise me for not getting enough exercise, and for having what is almost certainly an addiction and I'd gladly concede, but that's not my point. 

What I do on my computer at home is generally quite different from what I do at work.  For example, after a long, busy day full of hectic events that may be largely computer-centric, I find it therapeutic to sit at yet another computer and blog about whatever it is that's been stuck on my mind.  Hey, it worked for Doogie Howser, and who am I to argue with him or his overly simplistic word processor?

Computers can also simultaneously be the source of my stress and stress relief.  An Internet connection keeps you connected to the rest of the world despite the fact that you may be crammed in an office for long hours working on a nerve-wracking project.  (This doesn't reflect my current situation, thankfully, but it certainly has in the past.)  It reminds me of one of my elementary schools, built near a small, somewhat active retail center.  This school stood out from my others in the fact that it wasn't buried in the woods, or deeply entrenched in a residential area devoid of life from 8-5.  The classroom window wasn't just a window outside; it was a window to the rest of the world.  Peering through it reminded me that there were still people out there going about their lives, doing interesting things (since anything was interesting compared to being confined to a classroom all day, every day).  It didn't matter as much that I was stuck in school because I knew that there was still an exciting world out there, and I would eventually be part of it -- and for now, living vicariously through them would suffice. 

The Internet is that window for me.  Whether through RSS feeds, message boards, or chat windows, regardless of how enclosed I feel at work, I am always just a click away from sanity.