Tag: friends

Facebook: My Crazy Starts Here

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Before you read any further, please note: I over-think things.

How is this for crazy: Facebook feeds my curiosity, egotism and paranoia, while simultaneously leaving me feeling bored. Though I log on to Facebook daily, I find my interest waning. The lure of this social network is losing its luster. I long for the days of handwritten notes, direct emails and instant messages. I long for the days of actual friendships, not virtual ones. And yet, through the waned interest and lost luster, I continue my Facebook feeding frenzy.

Curiosity. I enjoy looking at pictures on Facebook, especially recent pictures taken while my friends, family and relatives were enjoying the summer in Amherst Shore, Nova Scotia. [Hurry up, Ms. Jill! I’m waiting!!]  And, I enjoy keeping up with relatives and friends living out of town. Facebook makes it easy to stay in touch with a friend, who’s Mom is battling cancer. I try to make her smile each and every day, by stopping by her ‘Wall’. One day, I’ll actually show up on her doorstep. She knows this, too.

I became addicted to Facebook the instant I joined. Logging in to see who was online, what was taking place in the lives of others, who said what to whom, etc. I became so addicted, I would snap at the kids and Rob, if they interrupted me. So, in an effort to save my family (and myself), I actually had to cut the Facebook-cord for several months. However, with my family’s permission, support groups, and threads, I was able to reactivate my account and step back into the Facebook zone safely. Hmm… I started eating ice cream on a regular basis after dropping Facebook the first time. Could it be? Did I replace my Facebook addiction with ice cream? Dun dun duuun! I digress.

Curiousity and Egotism. I seem to spend more time on Facebook clicking the reload/refresh button to see if anything interesting has been posted on my Wall or included in the News Feed. I’m curious to see if someone responded to my comment about something said by someone else in response to another person’s comment about this, that or the other; or, did someone just “Like” my comment about something said by someone else in response to another person’s comment about this, that or the other? Oh, and here’s an interesting article, I must share; after all, if I find the article interesting I am certain others will find the article interesting, too. Inquiring minds want to know. Right? I must click ‘refresh’ one more time.

I’m genuinely interested in my Facebook friends, but after you’ve said hello, found out how folks are doing and checked out the photos, what more is there? It’s as if Facebook reaches an uncomfortable silence of sorts. The real friends are off interacting in the real world, while the virtual friends are left hitting ‘refresh’ and ‘reload’, looking for interaction and waiting for updates. As I have already admitted, I spend time clicking ‘refresh’ and ‘reload’. And, as I have already noted, I over-think things.

Paranoia. You find yourself chatting with the same group of people over and over again, when suddenly the frequency is reduced. You become concerned that you may have said something to upset someone in the group. However, this is Facebook, and you don’t truly know all of your Facebook friends. What do you do? And, why are you becoming obsessed – yes, obsessed – about people you don’t really know?

You don’t want to risk upsetting the apple cart by unfriending a Facebook friend or two, because that is not proper ‘virtual friend’ etiquette. Then again, you’re not invited to their reindeer games, so why stick around and see the fun that is had while you’re not around? And yet, you find yourself wondering why you aren’t invited to their reindeer games. You begin to feel your friends have excluded you and/or dislike you, but why? Wait. Why even let yourself feel this way when you don’t know the virtual friends of Facebook? Paranoia.

This past weekend, a friend of mine shared how a Facebook friend of hers posted pictures from a trip they had recently taken. The rub? Her Facebook friend was only a few miles away from her house, yet the friend did not stop by or let her know they were in town. Humph. That stings.

Expectations exists within true friendships. Friends expect their friends to be there for them in times of need, celebration, etc. Facebook seems to cloud the meaning of true friendships. Some Facebook users hold their Facebook friends to the same standards they hold their ‘real’ friends. Some Facebook users simply enjoy the ability to be a fly on the wall of their many Facebook friends. And, of course, there are other types of Facebook users who enjoy it for what it is – but what is it? And, what makes Facebook better than handwritten notes, personal emails and instant messages?

I enjoy Facebook. I do. And, there are people I’ve connected with on Facebook that I may never see again in the ‘real’ world, but I enjoy hearing from and seeing them in the virtual world. Plus, if you are having a bad day – just update your status and let folks know. The number of Facebook friends that will visit your Wall and try to lift your mood is an amazing thing to watch and experience. Plus, when it’s your birthday, assuming your birthday is listed on Facebook, your Wall becomes filled with birthday well wishes. My curiosity, egotism, and paranoia will continue to be fed by Facebook, but I think I am overdue for making a greater effort to find sustenance through the real world.

Home again, home again, jigitty jog.

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Dear Blogary,

I believe my first post within the past 7 days should be made to you, my most intimate keeper of my most not-so-secret thoughts.

Blogary, I returned late yesterday from a family trip to Coppell, TX. We visited my sister and her family, celebrating the high school graduation of her youngest son, as well as the college graduation of her oldest daughter. Fun was had by all.

Today, as I step into my first day back to work after vacation, I find I am drinking from the fire hose. Though I typically long to find distractions and diversions of the edible nature during ‘rushed’ times like these, I am actually enjoying the gushing work load and deadlines. [Blogary, please note, I am still finding ways to procrastinate and avoid the tasks at hand, but I am doing so without the help of food.]

We drove from Woodstock, GA to Coppell, TX in a rented mini-van, with my Mum as our guest passenger. We made the drive in two days, stopping in Minden, LA going to Texas, and stopping in Tuscaloosa, AL coming back from Texas. The drive was uneventful, which is a wonderful thing. Plus, I am thrilled to say the boys were fantastic in the car. And Blogary, as an added bonus, my Mum was fantastic in the car, too!

Some of my siblings also made the journey from Georgia to Texas, though they chose to travel by plane. [Whimps] Overall, our family trip could not have been better. The journey to and fro was easy and enjoyable. And, the time spent with family and friends was fantastically fun and enormously enjoyable.

Joe, Carson and Charlie. Note the black cups containing bugs.

Blogary, if you asked Joseph, our 5 yr old, I am fairly certain he’d say his favorite part of the trip was finding bugs in Texas. Please keep that in mind, as I review my trip with you.

We headed out West in a Chrysler not a Lexus.
“Mommy, do they have clover flowers in Texas?”

We stopped in Minden, LA for the night.
“Mommy, do these little black bugs bite?”

We arrived at my sister’s house Friday afternoon.
“Look, Mommy! I found a caterpillar cocoon!”

The boys spent many hours swimming in the pool.
“Mommy, I think the best bugs can be found at that school.”

Family and friends gathered enjoying food, laughter and hugs.
“Mommy, do you think Jack will help me look for more bugs?”

At night we lingered, holding off our good-byes.
“Mommy, can we stay longer and catch fireflies?”

Bribing for camera shots, oh how we did wheedle.
“Hey Mommy, come see this HUGE big, black beetle!”

The Family that Gathers Together ... (This is just a sampling of my family. Some folks could not make it to Texas.)

Come Monday it was time to travel eastward by car.
“Mommy, can I take these bugs home in a jar?”

We stopped in Tuscaloosa, and there we did sleep.
“Oh Mommy, did you see that cricket just leap?”

Tuesday afternoon we made it back home with glee.
“Mommy, I’m going outside to try and catch a bee.”

Blogary, though I had a great time with family and friends, I also had a blast watching Joe’s never ending quest for finding bugs.

.:::.

Happy-happies

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments
Vanilla ice cream with Happy-happies

One of my friends in high school worked at TCBY, a frozen yogurt place. TCBY was located right on the ‘cruising’ strip, where many teenagers drove around in their cars on weekend nights. When one actually got out of the car, they typically headed for frozen yogurt, ice cream or the movies. I like the frozen yogurt. I also liked the toppings for the frozen yogurt. More often than not, I would order a large chocolate yogurt with crushed Butterfinger on top. Mmmm, I can taste it now. For those who didn’t like Butterfinger candy bars, there were plenty of other toppings from which to choose: Oreos, Health Bar, M&Ms, different colored sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles. My friend used to call the different colored sprinkles ‘Happy-happies’. She was and is a very bright and happy person, much like the Happy-happies. And, though it has been over 20yrs since the TCBY days, I still look back and smile when I think of her and the sprinkles.

Thanks to Facebook, I recently reconnected with my friend. And, though 20yrs had passed, I quickly let her know about my recollection of Happy-happies. Though I don’t spend my life living in the past, I will bring up past memories when I run across friends from my past. I realize we are older now. I realize what was funny years ago may not be funny now. At least, I realize that is the case for some people; perhaps it is the case for most people. As for me, I look to humor and good thoughts whenever possible. If it means I make a total idiot of myself by drudging up some old memory, so be it. I know I’ll smile as  result. I hope my recently reconnected friend smiled, when I reminded her of the sprinkles. And, I hope she has smiled the countless times I have brought it up since. [I think this is No. 5678, but who’s counting?]

I saw an interview with Ellen Degeneres where she was discussing how she enjoys practical jokes and having fun. Ellen said, “I think it’s very important to stay childlike, and I think it’s very important to still play. Everybody stops playing when they get older, so that’s why I do it.” I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. And, I find that when I look back at the things that made me laugh as a kid, I will laugh again as an adult. Happy-happies make me smile. In fact, I went to the grocery store today and bought some vanilla ice cream and different colored sprinkles. Tonight, after supper, we are going to have ice cream with Happy-happies. While this may sound quite uneventful to you, it will be a big event for our house. Our boys don’t eat much junk food, and when my husband and I [Ok, when ‘I’] give them a junk food pass, they love it.  [Please note: I bought organic vanilla ice cream. And, I spent way too much money on the organic ice cream. It’s tough being a psycho about food.]

After our special dessert tonight, instead of reading a book before bed, we may decide to watch a movie. If I am lucky, the boys may just pick out the School House Rock DVD. Again, a happy memory from my past is watching School House Rock. And, I suspect it is no coincidence that the boys love ‘Conjunction Junction’, ‘Interjection’ and ‘Interplanet Janet’, as those were some of my favorite songs. [I should really put the ‘Just a Bill’ in replay mode for the boys, and educate them on the political process of making bills into Laws. Seems quite timely, due to the pending Healthcare bill currently on Capitol Hill, but I’ll spare a political rant . . . for now.]

Again, thanks to Facebook, I reconnected with another friend from school. This time, I was quick to remind the friend about ‘Interplanet Janet’, because it was always playing in my head when I saw her. I’ve already shared that story with the boys. As you might imagine, the boys were thrilled. And well – something tells me I should feel really silly for sharing this kind of thing, but those that know me, know me and expect nothing less of me. We also wrote a book together, ‘Wonder Pup Saves the Day’. I’ve reminded her about that book approximately 15,235 times. You’ll notice that number is higher then the number of times I reminded my other friend about Happy-happies. The Happy-happies friend is still fairly new to Facebook, so I haven’t had as much time to remind her. I’m working on it though, as is evident with this post.

I have many more happy memories. I could tell you about Moon Eyes and Joe’s Pizza, alas I can sense one of my best friends cringing and covering her eyes as she reads the previous sentence. She wouldn’t be surprised if I did write about it, but if she were beside me, I think she’d advise against it. I’ll skip Moon Eyes and Joe’s Pizza for now. Besides, now I have to introduce my boys to Happy-happies. I will tell them how Happy-happies originated, and I will show them how ordinary vanilla ice cream can come alive with bright, happy colors. I may leave out the part about me ‘cruising the festival’; then again, I rarely leave out anything.