Well the weekend came and went without much struggle. This could be due to the fact that I was without cell coverage for the majority of Saturday and was driving most of Sunday… But we’ll just say it was my strength and endurance that kept me from the feed of witty and/or drunk remarks from all my Facebook friends. Which leads nicely into my insight of the day: Who really has 2000 friends?!
I take pleasure in cleaning out my FB friends list on a regular basis. Due to my need to take hundreds of pictures every time I go out and my incessant addiction of updating my status, I want to be certain that the only people with this much insider information to my life are those who I actually know and care about. I currently have a comfortable 240 friends that I share my thoughts with. But some of these friends have thousands of friends. I am not trying to question anyone’s popularity, but do you really know and speak to all of those people?! Why else would you want them to know your birthday, what school you went to, where you’ve just “checked in” at (I’ll come back to this issue later), and all the other profile information they easily have access to? For those of you in the industry using FB at a networking tool, they do have fan pages you could set up you know… That way your mom doesn’t have to see all the comments from those creepy stalkers you’ve recently approved as “friends.” I don’t know. Maybe some people don’t care who knows their business. Maybe some don’t share quite as much as I do on their page. But in my personal opinion, Facebook is to connect with people you actually know. Twitter and LinkedIn are the sites to network with people you don’t know. But perhaps I’m being “old fashioned” and trying to hold on to the days when you had to have a college email address to set up an account. When your nosy aunt and that guy with a disturbing cartoon picture couldn’t ask to be your friend. Or maybe I’m just afraid that Facebook is quickly morphing into the dreaded MySpace that’s long lost its moment in the spotlight. Of course, I could just be rambling on about nothing to avoid working…
But back to that “checking in” nonsense. I realize I often tell the FB world about what I am doing. But to add a link with a Google Mapped address describing exactly where I am at what time?? Why would you ever want to do that??!! This is how stalkers are formed and identities are stolen, people! I do watch a lot of CSI and Law & Order so I might be a bit paranoid at times. But this can’t be a good choice of information to share with the internet. A small piece of advice especially to you young women out there: When you “check in” to the gym at 9 or 10 at night, you never know who might be outside waiting by your car when you leave… STOP disclosing all this information about yourself!! You don’t know who’s really looking at it and keeping track of your whereabouts.
Okay now that I have totally freaked some of you out, on to a lighter topic: The end of the fast!! Tune in at 8:30 PM tonight to see my first FB post in 7 whole days!! And don’t forget, I am now open to other challenges if anyone would like to throw one my way. All I request is a shout out and a follow.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Facebook Fast: Day 4
Well I am officially at the half way point of my fast and it seems to be all downhill from here. I have exciting plans in Santa Barbara this weekend that are sure to keep me preoccupied from the pangs of Facebook feigning. Of course I’ll want to send pictures and posts of my exotic adventures, but BBMing the bestie and my sis will have to suffice… And there’s always Twitter…
Much like a food fast leaves you with a surprising excess of hours, this quest has left me with a little too much downtime… Twitter has been blowing up with my updates and replies to others and I’ve at least doubled the amount of people I’m following… Obviously this blog has seen more action this week than a sleazy Friday night in PB and my Gmail account has never been so regularly visited. Even with all this surfing the net, I find myself bored and pining for the little blue button with an F in the middle in the main menu of my blackberry… Sure, the rules of this challenge only forbid updating my profile or picture, posting statuses or commenting, but I have found that the more I view the feed, the more things I find to comment on. I’ve sent a few messages to people because I just couldn’t let my witty remark go unheard; but for the most part, my usual Facebook stalking just makes me sad.
What do people do all day when they’re not as attached to technology as I am?? Perhaps I need to take on more work? Actually start to exercise? Read a book?? I’m starting to realize I fill my days with too much of the world wide web and not enough of the wonderfully wide world. And so I pose this challenge to you, readers. Give up the one thing you do the most for a week and see what you do with the time it leaves you. You might be surprised with the results.
I'll try to post an update of my FB fast this weekend so be sure to check back...
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
Much like a food fast leaves you with a surprising excess of hours, this quest has left me with a little too much downtime… Twitter has been blowing up with my updates and replies to others and I’ve at least doubled the amount of people I’m following… Obviously this blog has seen more action this week than a sleazy Friday night in PB and my Gmail account has never been so regularly visited. Even with all this surfing the net, I find myself bored and pining for the little blue button with an F in the middle in the main menu of my blackberry… Sure, the rules of this challenge only forbid updating my profile or picture, posting statuses or commenting, but I have found that the more I view the feed, the more things I find to comment on. I’ve sent a few messages to people because I just couldn’t let my witty remark go unheard; but for the most part, my usual Facebook stalking just makes me sad.
What do people do all day when they’re not as attached to technology as I am?? Perhaps I need to take on more work? Actually start to exercise? Read a book?? I’m starting to realize I fill my days with too much of the world wide web and not enough of the wonderfully wide world. And so I pose this challenge to you, readers. Give up the one thing you do the most for a week and see what you do with the time it leaves you. You might be surprised with the results.
I'll try to post an update of my FB fast this weekend so be sure to check back...
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Facebook Fast: Day 3
This fast and the subsequent blogs about it have given me an idea. Really they gave my challenger an idea which he shared with me… But why should I give him the credit when I’m the one doing all the work?? Lol. JK. Russell thank you for your brilliant suggestion. I am nearing the midpoint of my week without Facebook and I have written about it every day. As those who have followed my blog from the beginning know, I am not an avid writer, to say the least. I place writing in the same category as reading: I enjoy them both very much and find them to be very relaxing and stress relieving… But I enjoy simultaneously eating, watching TV, and the comfort of my couch much more during the week. And of course we all know what I enjoy doing more on the weekends… And it sure ain’t “hittin’ the books,” that’s for certain…
But back to my point: The “light bulb” idea. I am thinking of starting another blog (in addition to this one, not as a replacement) in which people can challenge me to a fast or activity for a pre-determined amount of time. If I accept the challenge, I will blog about my progress to keep all you readers (all 3 of you that is) informed about the trials and tribulations associated with said challenge. Sounds fun, right?? You may be skeptical now. But I think it could be rather entertaining.
Although this current Facebook avoidance is accompanied by a $50 reward if I succeed, it is not a prerequisite for future endeavors. The joy writing brings me and the material this will provide is enough reason for me to partake in whatever you might think to throw my way. The catch? I request that any challenger become a follower to my blog and give me a shout out at least once during the challenge through some form of social networking. Gotta build a following you know… Don’t have a social networking site? You’re a weirdo but that’s okay, I guess… But a follow is necessary. Everyone has an email account and is therefore capable of pressing that little “follow” button in the bar at the top of the page. Start thinking up some crafty ideas folks because Monday at 8:30 PM not only marks the moment of my first FB post in a week, it also means I’m open for a new test of strength…
Tune in tomorrow for an update on my progress.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
But back to my point: The “light bulb” idea. I am thinking of starting another blog (in addition to this one, not as a replacement) in which people can challenge me to a fast or activity for a pre-determined amount of time. If I accept the challenge, I will blog about my progress to keep all you readers (all 3 of you that is) informed about the trials and tribulations associated with said challenge. Sounds fun, right?? You may be skeptical now. But I think it could be rather entertaining.
Although this current Facebook avoidance is accompanied by a $50 reward if I succeed, it is not a prerequisite for future endeavors. The joy writing brings me and the material this will provide is enough reason for me to partake in whatever you might think to throw my way. The catch? I request that any challenger become a follower to my blog and give me a shout out at least once during the challenge through some form of social networking. Gotta build a following you know… Don’t have a social networking site? You’re a weirdo but that’s okay, I guess… But a follow is necessary. Everyone has an email account and is therefore capable of pressing that little “follow” button in the bar at the top of the page. Start thinking up some crafty ideas folks because Monday at 8:30 PM not only marks the moment of my first FB post in a week, it also means I’m open for a new test of strength…
Tune in tomorrow for an update on my progress.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Facebook Fast: Day 2
I’d like to thank my lovely friends who continue to rub salt in my wounds by writing on my wall knowing full well that I cannot respond… A special thanks to Kevin and Leann who have been scheming with one another about how they’re going to get me to break. I can still look at Facebook you two… I see what you write on each other’s walls…
Day 1 was a rough one. Like the raw food diet I started yesterday that led me to bed by 5 PM, I thought I would crack last night for sure as my phone continued to buzz with Facebook notifications. I even cheated and made my wonderful roommate defend me by commenting on one of the posts on my wall. They were trying to say I had bad grammar!! I couldn’t just let that one go… I am a grammar Nazi…
But I must admit, day 2 is significantly easier. I’ve been able to numb my cravings with YouTube videos of moaning turtles and cute animal pictures sent to me by Thomas via Stumble Upon. In fact, it wasn’t until 10 or so this morning that I finally logged in to FB to check my messages and see what was going on. (I usually log in by 7:30 or 8…) As a current Facebook outsider, I can see why people don’t always have the most positive things to say about social networking. In the words of Mr. Griffith from the movie Easy A, “I don't know what your generation's fascination is with documenting your every thought... but I can assure you, they're not all diamonds. ‘Roman is having an OK day, and bought a Coke Zero at the gas station. Raise the roof.’ Who gives a rat's ass?” Haha!!
No, I have not done a “180” in only a day’s time. I continue to leave my “diamonds” strewn across the feed of Twitter. But I do start to wonder, in an era where spell check has led us to acceptable stupidity and where expressions like FML and OMG are commonplace, why do we still feel the need to write everything down? Doesn’t it only highlight the flaws in our quickly degrading vocabulary and inability to spell and use proper grammar? Perhaps when I resume my Facebooking next Monday at 8:30 PM I will keep this in mind and keep my “diamonds” to a minimum… But then again, maybe not… ;)
Check in tomorrow to see the update on my week long FB fast.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
Day 1 was a rough one. Like the raw food diet I started yesterday that led me to bed by 5 PM, I thought I would crack last night for sure as my phone continued to buzz with Facebook notifications. I even cheated and made my wonderful roommate defend me by commenting on one of the posts on my wall. They were trying to say I had bad grammar!! I couldn’t just let that one go… I am a grammar Nazi…
But I must admit, day 2 is significantly easier. I’ve been able to numb my cravings with YouTube videos of moaning turtles and cute animal pictures sent to me by Thomas via Stumble Upon. In fact, it wasn’t until 10 or so this morning that I finally logged in to FB to check my messages and see what was going on. (I usually log in by 7:30 or 8…) As a current Facebook outsider, I can see why people don’t always have the most positive things to say about social networking. In the words of Mr. Griffith from the movie Easy A, “I don't know what your generation's fascination is with documenting your every thought... but I can assure you, they're not all diamonds. ‘Roman is having an OK day, and bought a Coke Zero at the gas station. Raise the roof.’ Who gives a rat's ass?” Haha!!
No, I have not done a “180” in only a day’s time. I continue to leave my “diamonds” strewn across the feed of Twitter. But I do start to wonder, in an era where spell check has led us to acceptable stupidity and where expressions like FML and OMG are commonplace, why do we still feel the need to write everything down? Doesn’t it only highlight the flaws in our quickly degrading vocabulary and inability to spell and use proper grammar? Perhaps when I resume my Facebooking next Monday at 8:30 PM I will keep this in mind and keep my “diamonds” to a minimum… But then again, maybe not… ;)
Check in tomorrow to see the update on my week long FB fast.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Facebook Fast: Day 1
There are many addicting things that we’re exposed to in our daily lives. Although the smokers of the world are now shunned to the streets with their asthmatic cancer sticks, they still don’t seem to have made it to the endangered species list as of yet. Shows like Intervention and True Life show the dark world of narcotics and alcohol. Even shows like the Biggest Loser and the new “Shedding for the Wedding” show us that food is an addiction for an overwhelming amount of Americans. But as we push forward to become more technologically savvy, are we setting ourselves up for even more dependencies? As anyone who’s ever met me knows, I wouldn’t last 30 minutes without the extension of my right hand, otherwise known as the Blackberry Curve. I’m convinced I wouldn’t be able to live without it. And social networking is a whole other world of problems. Which leads me to my topic of discussion for today: Facebook Addiction.
I must have called attention to my Facebook obsession yesterday as many commented on the fact that I changed my status at least twice and had 3 new profile pictures… I was detagging myself from old photos and found some keepers!! What was I supposed to do?? Leave them in the black hole that is my 1300 plus photo library??!! No. They needed to be seen by my “avid followers.” I put that in quotations because I must admit, I know I don’t have avid followers of my Facebook life. I’m quite positive no one cares about some other car I pass on my commute to work or what lyrics I find inspiring at the time… But I claim to have avid followers as an excuse to update every hour anyways.
Towards the end of the day yesterday, as I drove home from work, I received a comment on my post about dwindling down my tagged pics from my new friend Russell. He bet me $50 that I couldn’t go a week without updating my profile information or profile picture, changing my status, commenting on anything or uploading new pics. Easy right? Wrong. But it was so on. I felt the need to prove to myself (and my accusers) that I am not addicted to Facebook. So here we are, Day 1 of my Facebook Fast and clearly I am already missing it. Didn’t people want to know about this challenge? Didn’t they want to know about the pretty new lipstick I got from Mac last night? What about what I’m doing this weekend or the fact that Saturday is my half birthday?! A slew of statuses continue to race through my head as I try to become accustomed to Tweeting and Blogging instead of Facebooking. Lucky for me, I can still FB message and FIM (Facebook Instant Message for those less accustomed to my way of life) as well as scout around on the “wall” to see what others are up to. But sadly, I will not be able to post the link to this blog on my own wall until 8:30 PM next Monday night when the challenge concludes. Do you think I can make it??
Tune in tomorrow for an update on the fast.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
I must have called attention to my Facebook obsession yesterday as many commented on the fact that I changed my status at least twice and had 3 new profile pictures… I was detagging myself from old photos and found some keepers!! What was I supposed to do?? Leave them in the black hole that is my 1300 plus photo library??!! No. They needed to be seen by my “avid followers.” I put that in quotations because I must admit, I know I don’t have avid followers of my Facebook life. I’m quite positive no one cares about some other car I pass on my commute to work or what lyrics I find inspiring at the time… But I claim to have avid followers as an excuse to update every hour anyways.
Towards the end of the day yesterday, as I drove home from work, I received a comment on my post about dwindling down my tagged pics from my new friend Russell. He bet me $50 that I couldn’t go a week without updating my profile information or profile picture, changing my status, commenting on anything or uploading new pics. Easy right? Wrong. But it was so on. I felt the need to prove to myself (and my accusers) that I am not addicted to Facebook. So here we are, Day 1 of my Facebook Fast and clearly I am already missing it. Didn’t people want to know about this challenge? Didn’t they want to know about the pretty new lipstick I got from Mac last night? What about what I’m doing this weekend or the fact that Saturday is my half birthday?! A slew of statuses continue to race through my head as I try to become accustomed to Tweeting and Blogging instead of Facebooking. Lucky for me, I can still FB message and FIM (Facebook Instant Message for those less accustomed to my way of life) as well as scout around on the “wall” to see what others are up to. But sadly, I will not be able to post the link to this blog on my own wall until 8:30 PM next Monday night when the challenge concludes. Do you think I can make it??
Tune in tomorrow for an update on the fast.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Hobbies: Meeting new and interesting people...
I feel like if you’re open and friendly you can meet all kinds of amazing new people. You can also meet a lot of creepers as past entries in this blog have proven… But that’s not what this one is about…
I consider myself to be a very approachable and friendly person. Except for when I’m drunk and feisty. When I’m like that, steer clear… But under most circumstances, I’m pretty nice. It’s because of this that I have been able to meet new and exciting people all the time. Why, just this weekend, I met a guy who invented a laser used for hair removal. He showed me his scars and patches where hair wouldn’t grow on his face and arms from testing his laser!! How cool is that?? There are so many people in this world and a lot of them have a really cool story to tell. You just have to be open and ready to listen. So here is my story about my new friend I met today…
I was having a usual Monday: Still struggling with my hangover from Saturday night’s festivities, trying to convince myself I was deathly ill and unable to work, busy but bored, and annoyed with just about everyone… Don’t you wish you could hang out with me every Monday?! Haha!! Well I normally eat lunch at my desk (I like the extra hour of overtime) but for some reason I decided to go sit at the bar at BJs and treat myself to a good lunch. I packed up and headed over to the restaurant.
I sat at a table in the bar section and decided to play on FB and text with my friend to pass the time. Usually I bring my book but I was unprepared for this spontaneous solo meal. My sandwich came and was amazing. (Turkey Cobb with thin fries and ranch… HIGHLY recommended…) Most of the people there were in business clothes so when a guy came in wearing basketball shorts and a Tap Out t-shirt, he definitely caught my eye. He went up to the bar and started talking to the bartender. Obviously they knew each other. All of a sudden he turns around and says, “hey can I join you?” Now most of you would probably say no or be awkward and leave right away. This is where you fail. I said sure and he sat down. Turns out, he works there and isn’t allowed to sit at the bar. Hence why he was now sharing my table. He starts pouring out his life story to me. Obviously I must have looked like I wanted to know because I definitely didn’t ask him. He was having a bad day and had just gotten pulled over so he decided to take his car to the shop (he needed to get it smogged so they wouldn’t tow it) and come in for a cheap lunch. I told him I was also having a bad day which is why I too was sitting here. He offere to buy me a beer but I declined. I don't like to drink and go back to work... Just feels wrong... I kept asking questions and responding appropriately I guess because I found out he majored in communications in LA but came down here where his brother who just opened a gym lives. He works at BJs, Joes Jeans across the street, teaches some kick boxing classes and is a professional fighter. My response? "You mean like a cage fighter?" Took everything I had not to laugh at him... Maybe don’t follow that part of my story because that’s mean but the rest is a good example I promise. Turns out he’s making his professional debut next month. He has a manager and sponsors and is four and 0… I think that’s what he said… Apparently that’s good… But a professional fighter? At my table on a random Monday afternoon? What are the odds?!
I know this story is random and you’re probably thinking “umm is there even a point to this?” I promise I’m not wasting your time. The point is, my day totally got better and I left with a smile on my face and a new friend named AJ. If we go through life afraid of strangers and continue to keep this huge guard up that so many people seem to have, we never get to meet cool new friends like AJ or James, the guy who invented the laser that I mentioned earlier. I’m not saying go give your number to every rando who asks for it. That turns out bad. Don’t do that. But what is a little conversation going to hurt? You never know who someone could be until you ask them.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off...
I consider myself to be a very approachable and friendly person. Except for when I’m drunk and feisty. When I’m like that, steer clear… But under most circumstances, I’m pretty nice. It’s because of this that I have been able to meet new and exciting people all the time. Why, just this weekend, I met a guy who invented a laser used for hair removal. He showed me his scars and patches where hair wouldn’t grow on his face and arms from testing his laser!! How cool is that?? There are so many people in this world and a lot of them have a really cool story to tell. You just have to be open and ready to listen. So here is my story about my new friend I met today…
I was having a usual Monday: Still struggling with my hangover from Saturday night’s festivities, trying to convince myself I was deathly ill and unable to work, busy but bored, and annoyed with just about everyone… Don’t you wish you could hang out with me every Monday?! Haha!! Well I normally eat lunch at my desk (I like the extra hour of overtime) but for some reason I decided to go sit at the bar at BJs and treat myself to a good lunch. I packed up and headed over to the restaurant.
I sat at a table in the bar section and decided to play on FB and text with my friend to pass the time. Usually I bring my book but I was unprepared for this spontaneous solo meal. My sandwich came and was amazing. (Turkey Cobb with thin fries and ranch… HIGHLY recommended…) Most of the people there were in business clothes so when a guy came in wearing basketball shorts and a Tap Out t-shirt, he definitely caught my eye. He went up to the bar and started talking to the bartender. Obviously they knew each other. All of a sudden he turns around and says, “hey can I join you?” Now most of you would probably say no or be awkward and leave right away. This is where you fail. I said sure and he sat down. Turns out, he works there and isn’t allowed to sit at the bar. Hence why he was now sharing my table. He starts pouring out his life story to me. Obviously I must have looked like I wanted to know because I definitely didn’t ask him. He was having a bad day and had just gotten pulled over so he decided to take his car to the shop (he needed to get it smogged so they wouldn’t tow it) and come in for a cheap lunch. I told him I was also having a bad day which is why I too was sitting here. He offere to buy me a beer but I declined. I don't like to drink and go back to work... Just feels wrong... I kept asking questions and responding appropriately I guess because I found out he majored in communications in LA but came down here where his brother who just opened a gym lives. He works at BJs, Joes Jeans across the street, teaches some kick boxing classes and is a professional fighter. My response? "You mean like a cage fighter?" Took everything I had not to laugh at him... Maybe don’t follow that part of my story because that’s mean but the rest is a good example I promise. Turns out he’s making his professional debut next month. He has a manager and sponsors and is four and 0… I think that’s what he said… Apparently that’s good… But a professional fighter? At my table on a random Monday afternoon? What are the odds?!
I know this story is random and you’re probably thinking “umm is there even a point to this?” I promise I’m not wasting your time. The point is, my day totally got better and I left with a smile on my face and a new friend named AJ. If we go through life afraid of strangers and continue to keep this huge guard up that so many people seem to have, we never get to meet cool new friends like AJ or James, the guy who invented the laser that I mentioned earlier. I’m not saying go give your number to every rando who asks for it. That turns out bad. Don’t do that. But what is a little conversation going to hurt? You never know who someone could be until you ask them.
Until next time with more Random Thoughts From the Shower, this is KRS signing off...
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