By Jessica Depatie
Have you ever had one of those days? You know, the kind that often happen at this time of year.
The alarm rings, you hit snooze for the third time and you start to think things like, “Well, if I don’t wash my hair, I can lie here for 10 more minutes,” or “I don’t really need to shave.”
You roll over and pull the covers back over your head.
You finally do get out of bed and ready for the day. You open the door and…it’s cold.
The kind of cold that sucks the life out of your car battery, or if you have to wait for a bus, makes five minutes feel like 50. Going out requires a 20 minute preparation ritual, layering your body with so much gear that you end up unrecognizable, with only a small slit left between the rim of your hat and the top of your scarf.
You don’t want to leave the house.
And the reality is, you don’t have to.
Thanks to today’s technology, not only can you survive without leaving the comforts of home, you can actually create a haven from the cold world outside while still participating.
Working from home is on the increase. The Internet lets many stay connected to the office without being chained to a desk.
And while you can make a living from home, others are making a living by bringing stuff and services to your door.
Pizza, for example, is a quick, cheap essential, enjoyed by high school kids and Super Bowl revelers alike.
But if you’re serious about not leaving your house, and staying healthy, you’re going to need something that complies more closely with the Canada’s Food Guide.
This is where on-line supermarkets like the Country Grocer comes in. The Web site is user-friendly and for a $10 fee, someone will deliver anything from dish soap to fresh produce right to your door.
Useful not only for the hermit in us all, but also for the elderly or anyone who doesn’t have a car and knows the pain of lugging armfuls of groceries on the bus or into a cab.
Now that scurvy can be prevented and work isn’t calling to find out where you’ve disappeared to, how are you going to occupy your free time?
These days, you can buy anything you could possibly need (and stuff you would never imagine wanting), from books to video games and to exotic fish.
The problem: sites like these may take a while to deliver.
In the meantime there are new downloadable DVDs that disintegrate after an allotted time, letting you see the latest new releases without taking a trip to the video store.
Music we’re all familiar with is also available immediately and even legally through many sites on the net.
So, now that your home is perfectly furnished with stuff you ordered off of ebay, you are up to date in current affairs and trends thanks to Amazon.com, and you have something to feed a crowd, with help from the Country Grocer, why not hold a dinner party to celebrate your new lifestyle?
If you can get your friends (whom you’ve met in on-line chat rooms) to leave their own fortresses of solitude, 2-4 Beer and Liquor delivery service can provide you with the refreshments required so you never have to set foot outside your door.
But beware. This new lifestyle is largely dependent on the Internet and a connection with the World Wide Web, so if —dare I say it — your computer does go down, you’re on your own.
Breathe easy, Nerdz on Wheels will come to you.