Could YOU survive without internet?

It's hard to imagine there was ever a time when bills were actually paid with written checks, information was looked up in encyclopedias, and taxes were filed with endless paper forms, and number 2 pencils.

Do we remember a time when our only access to news and politics came at 6:30 PM on ABC, CBS, or NBC? Do we remember when no one had ever heard of online social networks and the word "blog" was not in the dictionary?

It is hard to imagine, but really, it wasn't all that long ago. So, if it all disappeared, how would you handle it?

Next week, when we move, it will take just over a week for our DSL service to be transferred and connected. So, for a solid week, we will not have Internet access from home. I was surprised at my own reaction when I learned this news. I mean, really... is there anything online that is so important, I'm justified in being so peeved by it's absence? In no particular order, my online activities:

My email... such an easy form of communication. This would be hard to give up.

General research... this is big. Even my four year olds know what it means to "Google" something. How would we ever learn anything about anything without Google and Wikipedia?

My financial world... boring as it may be, this is really were I would suffer the most. I do EVERYTHING online when it comes to our finances. With the exception of just a few businesses that are stuck in the stone age and don't allow online payments, I do all of my bill paying, banking, and investing online... I check my balances almost daily, I transfer money, I pay money. It would be really hard to let go of this convenience.

My education... I'm still taking classes online. I love them. I need them. I would miss them.

Family history. It's amazing what the Internet has opened up in the world of genealogy. It has been a tremendous blessing to my own research.

The News... I wouldn't call myself a news junkie, but I do feel a little lost if I don't at least skim the headlines every day. I don't watch much news on TV because my kids are always around, and unfortunately, the news is not always family friendly. (I guess I could watch the news in the evenings when kids are sleeping, but then I would miss American Idol. So that isn't really an option.)

Clay Aiken message boards... it's an element of basic survival to know what he is doing in life at all times. How would I know without message boards?

Shopping... if I shopped locally, I would buy clothes at WalMart. That's it. If I drive an hour and twenty minutes, I could shop anywhere I wanted. But seriously, to drive that far with all these kids is really maternal suicide, so it doesn't happen often. Although, now that Jordan is old enough to have an opinion about how his clothes look and feel, I'm thinking I'm going to have to amend my current strategies. He's much too picky to buy something he hasn't tried on first. Even still, I do a lot of shopping online. I love having things sent to my door. From cleaning supplies and diapers, to clothes and shoes for the entire family. I would miss getting anything and everything on Amazon. And I would miss Target.com and Oldnavy.com.

My blog and your blog... all right... I guess I would survive without blogging, but I would miss all of you. Life wouldn't be near as much fun without the writing and reading of blogs. I love that I can almost always find a blog that will make me laugh, or cry, or improve my perspective. Sometimes it's hard to break down the isolation bubble that is parenting four small children. While I think it's ridiculous to give up on having real life friends, I think blogging friends are a nice supplement.

So, if the Internet were gone tomorrow, what would YOU miss the most?