In Your Face(book)

About a year ago, one of my old BF's e-mailed me that he'd gotten married and did I want to see the pictures. I of course wanted to see what his wife looked like so I replied in the affirmative. He responded that the pictures were on "Facebook" and that I could join this social networking website to view the photos. I signed up, approved of his lovely wife, and never logged back on again.

But then last month, baby sis tracked down my unusual name in the Facebook search engine and viola, I'm now a full-fledged active member of this phenomenon. So instead of being outside working in the yard during these beautiful October southern days, I'm on the computer checking to see who wrote on my wall, who's doing what right now, who joined what group, who became a fan of what, who became friends with whom, who posted pictures, and who's sending virtual mojitos to whom. I haven't quite figured out how it all works out, but I'm guessing that will come with practice.

Facebook is somewhat addictive for no real apparent reason but it has saved me money, weight gain and relationship strain. How you might ask? No yard work = no acquisition of my annual bout of poison ivy = no co-pay for a trip to the dermatologist = no shot of prednisone that causes weight gain and mood swings = no fights with Doc. B.

Facebook also brings out two potentially stressful things though:
1. people from your past
2. a bunch of insecurities

Once people find you on Facebook, they send you a "friend request" that you can then accept or reject. So far I've heard from and/or connected with people I went to high school with, sisters of people I went to high school with, people from my home town, and of course current friends and acquaintances. I haven't rejected a single friend request and can't imagine why I would - it's not hurting anything to say hi to a high school classmate that I haven't seen since then. But what if I were to send a friend request and NOT get a response or get rejected - yikes! That would suck! It would be like being the new kid at school all over again! Or what if you had no friends at all on Facebook? That would be like sitting in the lonely chair (that one's for you Leona).

Oh what the heck, I've made it through worse periods of my life, I guess I can handle a friend request rejection at age 44.

Oh, and if you know my full, one-of-a-kind name, and want to send me a friend request on Facebook, you don't have to be worried about rejection. You can be assured that I will accept your offer :)

Okay, Doc. B. and I are off to find a Vietnamese restaurant on Buford Highway. I guess I should write that on "my wall."

Sometimes you want ear plugs (or, you just want the election to be over)

So I was dazing off (NOT dozing off) at work today while waiting for the computer to catch up with me, when the fire alarm went off. A co-worker came by to assure me that it was just a drill and to tell me to put on my tennis shoes and prepare to endure the painfully slow process of being herded down the stairs from the 21st floor. The drill was annoying enough but to make it a triple whammy, I had already started off the day with a pretty hard leg work-out at the gym AND I left my tennis shoes at home this morning (I usually wear them to walk to and from MARTA and then change out when I get to work, but this morning, I drove to the station).


When I walk the stairs at work for exercise, it takes me 5 minutes to get down and ten to get back up. Today it took 15 minutes to get down the stairs and you better believe I took the elevator back up after standing outside in the heat waiting for the all clear signal that we could return to the building.

That 15 minute march down the stairs allowed my mind to pick up where my dazing left off: wandering (or as I see in disability applications as a reason someone can't work: "my mind wonders"). As I was daydreaming, my brain of course went directly to the questionnaire invented by Bernard Pevo that includes "what sound or noise do you hate?" and I quickly added "fire alarms" to my list.

Then I made up my own question: "what words or phrases are you totally over, besides 'totally'?" (note, I'll never be over "over")
Here's my list, feel free to add to it:
Maverick
Joe Six Pack
Joe the Plumber (that one only took 24 hours to make my list)
Darn right
That one
and of course the one that makes me want to imitate Maddie coughing up a hairball every time I hear it: my friends

My friends, on a brighter note (add that phrase to the above list too), here is a photo of Doc B. (that one) and me (joe six pack) walking the labyrinth (darn right!) on our (maverick) yoga retreat this past weekend. I couldn't figure out how to get Joe the plumber into that sentence... Namaste Y'all...