Email Monkey

I have to admit to having an email monkey on my back. I am one of those poor people who are addicted to emails - I have four active email addresses, plus at least two lapsed ones (usually lapsed because of the volume of spam!). I love sending and receiving email, far more than I do making a phone call or writing a letter. I love the idea that I can instantly send emails to friends across the city or on the other side of the world, and it isn't going to interrupt them (the way a phone call does - ringing incessantly with the demand of being answered), but it doesn't take a few days or weeks to get there (if it ever does...) the way a letter does. The email revolution has been fantastic for me.

Today at work, my poor computer has had issues - the server wouldn't issue it with an IP address, meaning that it effectively didn't exist, and couldn't connect. This meant no email, no internet, and slightly frazzled Jo... After half an hour or so of our tech director trying to force the server to do what he wanted, he has said that the server has to be reset, which can't be done till everyone has gone home this evening.

So I'm currently logged on to a colleague's PC, trying to get some work done. Now, I'm not going to grumble at the lack of software on my borrowed computer (no Customer Database, no Sage access, no Communicator (our internal Messenger program), no Microsoft Messenger, no Firefox (I *hate* Internet Explorer with a passion!)) - it is only for one day, and I can live without it.

However, I'm having huge issues with my email... I can't access my emails through Outlook, as to configure it for me would lead to problems for my colleague when she comes back in on Monday. Fortunately, the company does have a Webmail account - they don't want us to miss important information when we are out and about! So I've been sat on Webmail all day. Unfortunately, Webmail doesn't tell you if you have a new email. Plus when you've read an email, it still says that there is an unread item in your folder unless you go out and come back in again.

Most people would think this bliss (another colleague who is having the same issues certainly does) - being able to get your head down and get some work in without constant interuptions. However, it is driving me insane - the thought that people might have contacted me, and I don't know about it has had me hitting 'refresh' over and over and over until I am rewarded by an email popping up...

Is there rehab for email addiction?