On this day in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone.

It’s kind of mind-blowing to consider that only 135 years later, our phones have gone wireless. They now fit in our palms and track how much we’ve eaten, give us directions, and forecast the weather. Among other things.

But as much as I’m in awe of our exponentially advancing technology, I’m still a bit of a Luddite. Sure, I love my gadgets … but I function just fine without them.

That’s why last week’s pledge to unplug for 24 hours sounded like a breeze: Of course I could go 24 hours without my iPhone, right?

Wrong.

I caved after about 16 hours. (Long story involving a needy friend with whom Esteban and I had dinner plans, who — for reasons no one can explain — seems to communicate only through Facebook.)

Anyway … I broke my vow of silence out of social concern. (No, really!) And the next thing I knew, I was checking out eBay and catching up on the day’s news. It surprised me to later realize that my illicit surfing adventure had been an absolutely unconscious act.

There’s a saying, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” Today, my parallel discovery is that “you don’t know you’re addicted until you try to give it up.”

So there, I admit it: I’m a tech addict. Sigh.

I’ll try again next Friday.