Facebook

Okay, I admit it, I’m addicted to Facebook.  It’s a tossup between Facebook  and my iPod for things I couldn’t live without.  I lean towards the iPod only because I can get Facebook on it, so its really a win-win!

I tried MySpace, even though I thought I was too old for it.  I was right.  It totally annoyed me when people had ugly, annoying backgrounds, or loud music that blasted when you opened their page.  Too messy and loud for me.  And Tom from MySpace is annoying.  I should never have accepted him as a friend.

Facebook is a whole other story.  Its streamlined, and nice and clean.  Its so easy to use, and the perfect stalking tool.  I’ve reconnected
with some people I haven’t spoken to in years.  Now, some people will say “If you haven’t spoken to them in years, how are they even considered your friend?”  Well, Facebook solves my not-an-everyday friend problem.  You see, I have friends who I talk to often — once a day, or a few times a week.  Those friends are involved in every aspect of my life (lucky them!)  I find it harder to catch up with other friends.  Do they really want to know the whole story about why fixing my car for my 1.5 mile round trip commute is costing me $1000?   Do they need the details of a drama-filled work day?  Nope.  Some of them don’t even know what kind of car or job I have.  I always say, “You’re either involved in my daily minutiae or you’re not.”  Facebook allows everyone to be involved in my minutiae.
 
Of course, Facebook has its downfalls as well.  One of them being that everyone is now involved in my minutiae (I should really learn to spell  minutiae if I’m going to keep throwing it around*).  The other is that I am now involved in everyone else’s minutiae.  This does not  mean I need to see pictures of your baby’s first poop.  Its disgusting, and no one cares.  Trust me.  Of course, I do this to myself, by constantly checking the live feed to see what people I haven’t thought about in twenty years are now doing in the next ten minutes.  And then I check what their friends are up to, because I’m a loser like that.

Oh, and by the way: I don’t like virtual anything, me joining your group will not cure cancer/AIDS/Leprosy/make people walk faster/Make Facebook change its colors/fix your commute, and, for the love of Jimmy, you can erase the word is from your status if you don’t need it.  Julie is People’s grammatically incorrect status’ make me angry.

*This is how WordPress’ spell check says to spell minutiae.  It looks odd, but my options were minutiae or Monet, so I went with this.

Hope.

I know nothing about politics.  I stay blissfully unaware to stay out of heated discussions, mainly with my family.  But from around June of 2008 on, I’ve felt something I haven’t felt in regards to politics before: hope.

I didn’t know what it is about our new President that made me cry during the DNC.  I couldn’t put my finger on why I voted for the first time ever this year, and got choked up afterwards.  I wasn’t even sure why I stayed up on election night to see Obama’s acceptance speech.

But slowly, I saw it all come together.  The stickers, the shirts, the chants.  The kids who can’t vote but want to.  The overwhelming numbers at the polls, the unbelievable number on the mall.

I’m a negative nelly.  I admit it.  I need to see Obama to believe him.  I need to  the action, not just hear the words.  Oh, his words are good, and they are said with such conviction it makes me cry.  But the difference is that for once in my short life, I believe those words. 

What Barrack Obama has given this country, and my cold little heart, is hope.  Hope that we’ll get out of Iraq.  Hope that I won’t lose my job and my house.  Hope that we can fix this country (yes we can).  Hope that things will really be okay and our nation will be transformed into the country we deserve to be.  I haven’t paid a ton of attention to what our former Commander in Chief has done the past eight years, but I know it wasn’t good.  But now I’m paying attention, and I’m waiting, not for him to fail, but for us to succeed.

I believe the rhetoric.  I’m buying into the hype.  And I really don’t believe I’ll be let down.  I guess this is what he means by “Hope over Fear.”  I like it.

The End of an Era

No, I’m not talking about that bumbling fool, George Bush. I’m talking about something way more important: my iPod Nano.

I bought NanoNano in 2006, as I considered it a necessary tool to get me through Boston Marathon training that was done 90% alone, in the cold. I got the Red one, and felt good about somehow helping a cause The Gap supports so strongly. Plus, it was pretty. I also bought the Nike+ kit, and loved when Lance Armstrong congratulated me on a great run. I also enjoyed the mileage countdown. There’s no better feeling than being lost on a cold February morning, and hearing “You have ten miles to go.” That’s motivation.

NanoNano not only got me through my runs, but he got me through my commute. With him, I didn’t have to listen to my fellow MBCR riders comment about the weather, the late trains, or hack up a lung. I could sleep in bliss to Billy Joel instead.

A few months ago, I won an award at BAC for being great, and I bought an iPod Touch to commute with, because I can play games on the train, and surf the sites BAC restricts while I’m at work. But I still took NanoNano out for runs, and he sat in my speakers on the kitchen counter for Sunday morning Jack Johnson and party music. He was still loyal.

A few weeks ago, I was half asleep and making coffee, when I missed the coffee maker and poured water on to NanoNano. He was fine at first, but then he sputtered and died. Later, I got him to turn on, and he had Xs for eyes and a sad face. I did not take that as a good sign. Even though I have the touch, I need him, especially because I am running a 10K alone in a few weeks.

So, I brought him to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store tonight. I told the Genius that ” I might have gotten it a little wet” and he confirmed my worst fears: dead as a doornail. I could replace him for $129, or turn him in for 10% off a new one (which will still cost me $129). I didn’t do either, as I can’t really afford it, but I miss my Nano! I know I don’t really need two iPods, but I feel empty without NanoNano.

So, I’m stuck with a big decision: Buy a new Nano, or get an armband for the Touch, and risk dropping it on a run? I think I’ll end up with Option#1. I wonder if J would like a Nano for his birthday? That might be a bit selfish, but I’d let him use it too…

25 Things You Probably Don’t Care to Know

(Yes, I stole this from Facebook.  Just be happy I didn’t tag you to do it too.)

1. Some days (a lot of days), I hate running.  But I like how it makes me feel, so I do it.
2. I can fit my fist in my mouth.
3. I’m afraid of fire, yet fascinated by it.
4. I know my parents spoil me, but I convince myself it makes them happy.
5. J is still cute when he snores.
6. I wish I could have a wedding every year.
7. I type with three fingers.
8. If I didn’t have my iPod on the train and at work, I might go insane.  Literally.
9. I read too fast and miss things, but get too excited about the book to slow down.
10. I miss college, but not high school.
11. I keep having dreams about vampires since I’ve been reading Twilight.
12. I set 5 alarms in the morning.
13. Sometimes I want to just up and move across the country with J, to escape the cold and crazy NE drivers, but I can’t imagine being more than two hours away from my family & friends.
14. I am completely anal about photos.  They all have to be in books in chronological order.  I make reprints for framing.
15. I wish I could see my friends every day.  Like on Friends.
16. I’m lazy by nature, but can’t sit still.  Its a hard balance.
17. I wish I knew my grandparents better.
18. I hate change.  I hate that my group of college friends haven’t been all together in a long time.  I hate that my cousins are grown up.
19. I love Jon & Kate Plus 8, and I don’t think Kate is that bad.
20. I wonder how I got so lucky to find someone like J who not only puts up with me on a daily basis, but loves me too.
21. As I get older, I realize how crazy my family really is, but more importantly, how lucky I am to have them. 
22. My house will never be clean enough.
23. I think pregnant woman in belly shirts are creepy. 
24. I eat organic or Greek yogurt because its healthier, but I really miss Yoplait Light. 
25. Taco Bell is one of my favorite restaurants, and not just after midnight.

Welcome, 2009!

I was going to write the traditional New Year’s blog about my resolutions, but I realized that I did that last year and accomplished almost none of them.  Ooopsie.  I’m too smart to do that again!  Instead, I thought I’d reflect on the highlights of 2008:

• Sadly left TAC for a new job at BAC.  After months of talking to myself in my cube, I have friends at BAC.  Its not quite the same as TAC, but almost every day I find something about it that makes me like my job a bit more (this excludes the months of September & October when work was just not good for anyone in my industry).  And, I’ve kept this job for almost a year, which is good and a trend that I hope continues through 2009.
• As you know, J & I bought our first house, and we have no regrets at all.  Some days I just sit here and think: how did I get so lucky have such an awesome house?  Then the oil bill comes and I cry.  Seriously, I think we’ve done a decent job of being homeowners.  We haven’t attempted any major renovations, but I think we’ve made a nice home.
• J & I celebrated two years of being married on 12/2.  Now, I know two years isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things, but marriage is an adjustment and a lot of work, and two years of being happy seems like a good start to me!!!  J cooked a lovely dinner, bought me flowers, and started a fire (his new favorite thing to do), and we went out to dinner the weekend after. 
• As you all know, Barrack Obama was voted in as our new president, a historical event and one I hope will change America for the better.
• I turned 30 and didn’t cry about it too much.  I had an awesome party with lots of keg Coors Light, so that helped ease the pain a bit.
• I went to three great weddings, got a new “niece” who is adorable and awesome, and attended too many fun birthday parties to count.

Overall, 2008 was a good year.  Maybe not the most exciting year on record, but we stayed happy, healthy & employed, so that’s all that really matters.  Here’s hoping 2009 brings more of the same, but with  a Caribbean vacation thrown in there as well!