Notes from Maine - 2025/01/12

My phone just emitted a little chime. It has me trained so well. Without looking at it, I can tell you that one of three things just happened. The first possibility is that the chime was to tell me that the washer or dryer just completed a cycle. I’m not doing laundry at the moment, so I can rule that out. To my great shame, I’ll admit that there are still some towels and socks in the dryer currently. I was folding clothes the other day when I was distracted and I never finished the job. I tend to pick through the washer for the shirts, underwear, washcloths, gym shorts, and then socks and towels come out last. They’re always married in the dryer. I subscribe to the Unified Sock Theory—have I mentioned that before? Periodically, I buy about twenty pairs of identical socks, and that’s all I wear. When I see a hole in a sock, I always throw away two. When the total number of socks gets low, I pitch out every sock I have and get twenty more. Sure, it means that I’ve been to funerals wearing white socks, but nobody has commented so far.

The second possible reason for that chime would be that the oven has finished preheating. In a few days, I will use the ovens to make cookies for Mom, who arrives next Saturday. But today, the ovens are dormant.

There’s a third reason my phone makes that chime, and it’s because my weekly “Screen Time” report has just been calculated. The timing is right—that has to be it.

Here are the results: last week I averaged 37 minutes of screen time per day. The most used app was Messages, which makes total sense now that I think about it. My friend Todd lives in Pasadena and the house he was renting burned to the ground last week. We had a text thread with a bunch of friends so we could keep tabs on his wellness. Todd had enough notice to rescue his clothes and essentials. He lost a few appliances, but was otherwise lucky. At the beginning of this century, Todd lived here for 10 years. Since then, he has been splitting his time between California for work and a ski condo in Vermont that he has been renovating. 

I’ll see if I can get my screen time a little lower in the coming weeks. My goal in this process isn’t really about the phone, it’s about my connection to what’s around me. This past year had some devastating moments, and in reaction I pulled away—contracting into myself. I want to cautiously reengage with the world. Distractions are easy. I could lose days/weeks/months in distractions if I succumb. If I’m going to be here, living in the wonder and filth, I might as well be here. There’s no sense hiding under the metaphorical blankets, staring at a phone screen. The scope of my concern is this day. Tomorrow can take care of itself. That said, Albert (dog) has a dental cleaning on Tuesday so I have to remember that he has to fast after 10pm on Monday. Tuesday is going to be a lonely day in an empty house.