Modern Life

I'm not sure what the point of this whole post is really, except that either me, or almost every other person I know, is very strange, and I'm not sure which of us it is!

It seems that we're increasingly reliant on gadgets, electronics, and labour saving devices to make life easier, so much so that I feel like a freak sometimes. While I love my laptop, my iPod, and my digital camera, is it *so* odd that I don't watch TV from one month to another, or that my TV hasn't even been turned *on* since a few days before Christmas? Or, come to think of it, that we didn't *have* a TV until I was 8?

And why do people feel sorry for me when they discover we don't have a dishwasher, washing machine, or tumble drier? I never know whether to feel offended or not, as half the time they seem to think that without those appliances, I can't possible be wearing clean clothes, or eating off of clean plates! I've actually been asked "how do you do your washing then?" by someone who genuinely didn't *know* that you can do it by hand! That's appalling to me - how can anyone really be so reliant on machines?!

I often think it would be *more* trouble having such things - it takes no time at all to wash a sinkful of dishes, or a few days worth of clothes, and it's so easy to hang washing on the line outside, or over the radiators when the heating is on. Not to mention the unbelievable cost of dishwasher tablets, rinse aid, and cleaner, and automatic washing powder/liquid/tablets, and fabric conditioner, as well as the increased amount of electricity used!

Just for the record, I'm 31, and haven't ever had a washing machine or dryer, or a dishwasher. I also have baths, as we don't have a shower, have never learned to drive, and really don't see a reason to in the future, and I can assure you I'm *really* not deprived of anything at all by not having a kitchen full of machines. I'll take the extra space, lower bills, and *less* hassle, anytime!