I have a serious addiction problem. I'd join a 12-step program, but I'm not sure if they exist and plus, I don't have the time. Can I have just 6 steps?

My addiction is to my computer. I can't seem to stop being on it. When I'm around it and haven't played on it for a while, I go into withdrawal. I need to be able to surf around and read my email and play Weboggle and Spider Solitaire and read my daily blogs. Occasionally do some real stuff, like research for my English paper.

I realized the extremity of this last night when my mouse died. For no apparent reason. I was trying to help, it needed batteries. I gave it the batteries I thought it craved and it just died. Never to be resuscitated again. Scott says I’m better off since my mouse “sucked.” Maybe it did suck, but it was my mouse and it worked and now it doesn't, which really inhibited my ability to easily, comfortably around the internet. I was jonesing -- and how!

Frankly, I think my addiction is ridiculous. First of all, I check my email religiously. And I NEVER have any. Or it's spam. (Thanks be to Google as my Gmail account hasn't be annihilated yet.) Why do I keep checking? What do I think is going to happen?? My lost friends will decide they want to be friends again? Julia will finally write from Italy? I'll actually GET money from Bill Gates and Microsoft?? Not sure. But I keep checking. And nothing keeps happening.

Then I have to check out my regular blogs. I still check Dave's blog out all the time, even though he's completely stopped posting. I've been reading Cattiva's blog regularly -- which is prolific and actually interesting. It's over there on the side as "does this mean I'm grown up?" But I wouldn't have even known she was out there if she hadn't dropped a line. I'm pretty addicted to a few blogs actually, but I have to cut it down because that's how I got out of my own blogging habit and I really missed it.

Those are the two main things. The rest is random and not easily categorized. I will sometimes check out my 401k stuff to see how it's doing. Sometimes I'm shopping for kittens. Or tvs. Or checking out info for Katrina's up-coming bachelorette weekend. Sometimes I'm just searching for something shiny. Sometimes I find a new game (like that damned Weboggle) and will play it for HOURS. Sometimes I'm offline feeding my other crack-like habit, Spider Solitaire. Just silly things.

Basically, I'm addicted to keep from having a "real life", but I don't know anyone with a real life to compare to so I'm not sure what it means. This is a topic for another, more philosophical blog... But certainly enough to keep me from putting boxes away, doing laundry or dishes or going to get the copies of the wedding pictures I need to get. What is the answer? Is there a cure for this addiction? Do I WANT to be cured??

I'm thinking not. I'm thinking what I really need is some more peach margarita and another round of Weboggle for the road...