Neighborhood buddies and no TV = a healthy you and me

When is the last time that you rode your bike just for the sake of riding it? I am not talking about a coffee spin or a UC loop, I mean pedaling up and down the street or driveway simply because it is there. My daughter is teaching me the art of spontaneous play as she and her buds have life all figured out - they play and socialize in the moment allowing for complete enjoyment to unfold right in front of them without all the adult sponsored hangups that we somehow feel obligated to. I understand that everyone needs to make a living but, "making a dying" is something that I am not interested in.

I have been focused recently on simplifying (making a living) what I would consider a fairly minimal lifestyle. I ditched the I-phone the other day after shushing my daughter in her own house while I was texting someone whom I felt obligated to immediately reply to. I sold our second car after it sat for 3 years between oil changes and still did not meet the minimum mileage. When the guy bought my truck I felt like I should have paid him a few grand knowing what it takes to upkeep and insure the damn thing, not the other way around. I have not missed these two items once and as a matter a fact, I feel that I spend more time relaxed than before. And contrary to popular belief, folks can still get a hold of me.

The older I get and the more I read about big business the less confident I am in the whole technology (advertisement) world. Both technology and advertisement machines have grown into one big seamless entity that has everyone fooled into the fact that planned obsolescence is normal and even worse - unavoidable. Did you know that every I-phone you see represents over a $1,000 a year in fees. I find it ludicrous that some yahoo creates a "need" and we are to blindly jump on board and take the financial ride only to be forced to get off and jump on the next "upgraded" train which also has a finite shelf life. Did you know that there are over 20,000 apps that are targeted for children under 2 available from I-tunes. Two year olds needs laps not apps.

We have been Television free at Steel Wül HQ for 10 years ($7,500. savings) or (5 Caletti's) and I have not only lost my appetite for it, but I can't seem to make it through a commercial without feeling repulsed by the content. Don't get me wrong we enjoy renting DVD's, (from Sammy @ East Cliff) but at this point I would never drop a penny towards television.


Below is one of the 20K games targeted at our toddlers. The American academy of pediatrics is stunned with the fact that toddlers can negotiate a smart phone game but can't wipe themselves. Why is it that I am picturing a Jabba the Hut looking engineer that hasn't seen the light of day who designed these girls? Don't get Mama Wüleur started with the way these girls are portrayed.


I say that we look to the neighborhood kids for inspiration and jump off this "train" and get back to basics - cycling, playing, gardening, and exploring. Our folks never came home with their noses buried in "smart" phones nor did they have the distraction of computers. These items are only tools, so I challenge you to place them in the tool drawer only to be pulled out when needed.


For the record:
I got my hair cut this evening at Rick's on 41st and there were three kids that got their hair cut before me and they all had to be pacified with their moms "smart" phone in order to sit through the hair cut. One of the moms told me that it works like a charm with her son everywhere they go. All I have to say to that is OMG SCCPS! - Someone Call Child Protective Services.