The Party in the Plastic Bubble

I was intrigued this past weekend to see the start-up of a new social community website. I won’t give it any publicity here by even mentioning its name, but it caters to those who are politically right wing. It seems that the folks who began this site, and those who are embracing it, feel that they are subject to “liberal bullying” on sites like Facebook. Some tell tales of being reported and banned on Facebook, so they feel they have found their Interwebz “home.”

First of all, Facebook doesn’t easily ban people. If you post nudie pics, you’ll probably be warned to cut it out (but I’m guessing these folks aren’t into nudie pics...at least not publicly). If you post hate speech or pictures that show abuse, you will be banned. If you advocate violence, you will be banned. But you really have to be pretty in-your-face about it before they ban you. I’ve reported racist pages, and it’s hard to get them removed. So I’m not sure what these right wing folks have been doing in order to get banned from Facebook, but it couldn’t have been by posting pictures of kittens, okay?

Out of morbid curiosity, I checked out the page. Based on what I saw there, I would guess that some of them may have been banned for hate speech or for advocating treason. There are people there who think it would be a fine idea to kill all the gays. There are some who think it would be an equally fine idea to take up arms against the federal government, apparently not understanding that that is the definition of treason. There are a whole bunch who like to post photoshopped (or as one person put it, “photobombed”) pictures of the President, and like to speak of his wife as “Moochelle.” Well, I guess there’s no law against grade school humor, is there?

I don’t doubt that there are people there who genuinely love our country. We just have different opinions on what that means and how we want to solve our problems...even what our problems ARE, for that matter. I don’t demonize folks like that. I just recognize that we have a difference of opinion. I’m afraid that not too many of them would feel the same way about me, though. I’m one of those “libtards” they like to talk about, and they seem to think that I’m a socialist. (I do not think that word means what they think it means.) And for the record, although I have plenty of friends who like to use terms like “Republitards,” I try to stay away from such name-calling. I do sort of like “teahadist,” though.

Anyway, this site is one of those mildly amusing things to me, like an odd little bug that I watch trundling around for a while. It strikes me as the social network equivalent to the conservative version of Wikipedia. Again, I won’t promote that “pedia” here by mentioning its name, but it was formed by conservatives who felt that Wikipedia had a liberal bias. It is laughable in its lack of facts and complete revision of history and even definitions of words. A five-minute glance at this network shows numerous misleading stories and many outright lies easily disproven by a quick online search.

So I’m not all hot and bothered by the existence of this site. [Side note: I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg might be a little bothered by it, though? It copies the Facebook format almost exactly. I don’t know what kind of copyright Zuck has on the Bookface, but I’m sure he and his lawyers are already aware of this site. At not even 100,000 members so far, I’m not sure how worried they’ll be about it, though.] What bothers me the most is the “You guys are mean so I’m taking my ball and going home” mentality.

We are all guilty of confirmation bias. We tend to gravitate towards those individuals, news organizations, and websites that confirm our own feelings. I’m guilty of it myself, and try to fight my bias. While I don’t listen to people like Limbaugh, or read Glenn Beck’s rantings (there is reasonable discourse and then there is the hatemongering of Limbaugh...and then there is the completely paranoid ramblings of Beck), I do try to pay attention to the other side and to their arguments. I can’t say that I agree with them very often—if ever—but I try to make sure I stay exposed to the ideas and policies they espouse. That’s not really hard to do here in red Indiana, believe me!

The gathering of conservatives on this new social network is nothing more than circling the wagons and saying, “I don’t want to deal with any opinions other than my own. I want to reinforce my opinions, and I don’t want to deal with anyone who challenges them.” This is an insular view that fosters intellectual stagnation, as well as condemnation of those we perceive as “others.” It does not promote the finding of common ground, and it is exactly what has caused the cogs of our legislative branch to grind to a halt.

This benefits no one, and this does not benefit the country. There is nothing wrong with people joining organizations that promote their cause. But when you remove yourself from all dissenting opinions, you are closing yourself off from a large portion of the country...and from reality. Outside the Republican bubble, there are people who think that universal background checks will not lead to the confiscation of all guns. Quite a few of us think that marriage equality will not lead to the breakdown of society. And there are plenty of us who feel just as strongly, just as passionately, that we have a great country, one that we can continue to make better for ALL Americans. If we don’t buy into the “We’re Number One!” mentality, it’s not because we don’t think we have an exceptional nation...it’s because we recognize that in many areas, we are NOT #1. This is reality, and we want to improve on that.

Running away from facts and numbers, and surrounding yourself with those who believe exactly the way you do and who reinforce those beliefs is not a solution. It is merely a way to calm your fears and soothe you because there are plenty of others who share those beliefs. That may be true...but a network of 100,000 or so does not a majority make. Getting away from Facebook doesn’t mean that all those people just go away. We’re still here, we still discuss amongst ourselves, and we still are working on our own agenda. You might want to pay attention to that.

The crazy aunt in the attic

As a follow-up to my previous entry about being defriended by high school classmates, I have to tell you about this.

I'll admit to feeling a little paranoid and wondering about how many others had defriended me. Not very many...most of those that I've ended up friends with are still there. As I was looking at a couple of pages, I came across a posting between a couple of mutual friends in which one asked the other if they'd gotten any information about the reunion, that a couple of people from our class were working hard to get in touch with everyone. This was our 30th reunion.

Here's the thing...I am friends with several people on there, and I didn't hear one word from anyone about the reunion. No invitation, no phone call, no Facebook message or email.

I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, I wouldn't have gone, anyway. Let's just say that I wasn't sorry to say goodbye to my high school years, and when I got to college, I finally felt like I came into my own and was able to be my own person. But I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little hurt by this. I know that I wasn't one of the popular kids, I wasn't a jock...I was a bookworm, and kind of a nerdy kid, I guess. I wore glasses, I wasn't real pretty, and I was a quiet, shy person. I didn't have it bad like some kids, being bullied or getting beaten up--I don't mean to give that impression. I had friends, and I went to games and stuff like that.

But I also felt a mixture of amusement and puzzlement. I know that I wasn't so invisible that people don't remember me...we are friends on Facebook, after all. Am I somehow so out-of-bounds from the norm that I am persona non grata? Are my opinions so abhorrent to others that they don't even want to be around me, or take the risk that if they sent me an invitation, I might actually show up? Thus the title of this entry...am I somehow the crazy aunt stashed away in the attic of the Class of '80? I had this mental image of walking into the joint and people flashing the sign of the Evil Eye at me, women fainting, men screaming, "Don't look her in the eye!" Honestly, what the hell? Hahaha!

I spent a little time pondering it all. As I said, I felt somewhat hurt, but then that was much of my high school experience, anyway! After I got past that, I felt okay about it. I was always kind of an outsider or alien, never really fitting in with any group (and there are always groups in high school), and I somehow find it something of a comfort to know that I've always made my own way and been my own person. If there are times in my life when I haven't fit in, I would much rather deal with that than try to be something I'm not. It took me a while to gain some self-confidence and know that I was a person of value, after years of not being really accepted and years of religious guilt and indoctrination. I finally found my voice, my niche, my talent, and my true friends. I'm happy about that.

I'm also happy about being strong enough to break away from what is considered "normal" in these parts and make my own choices and own decisions. In a conservative, religious, socially restrictive environment, I chose my own way. I didn't do it just for the sake of rebellion; I took many years to consider things and come to the conclusions I did. I got many good lessons and values from my parents, but ultimately, it is up to each of us to make our own way and be true to ourselves after learning and growing and exploring.

If the past thirty years have led me to the point that I feel that I am my own person, I will happily accept feeling a little excluded from certain groups. I'm cool with being the crazy aunt in the attic.

Does this mean you don’t love me anymore?

I'm getting a fairly large network of friends on Facebook, so it's impossible for me to keep track of everyone. There are quite a few people whose posts I enjoy and comment on and some very good friends on there, and there are some that rarely post. If some of my closer friends and regular posters weren't to post for a while, I would check up on them, but for those who don't often post anything, I don't track their comings and goings. I am not my Facebook friend's keeper, after all.

So I didn't think anything of it when I never saw any posts from a couple of people I went to high school with and had become friends with a while back. I've seen people get on Facebook and not do much with it; not enough time, lose interest, that sort of thing. I think I left a couple of comments early on, probably just saying it was nice to see them on there, maybe commenting about a football game, and I believe at one point I mentioned getting older. (Since we're all roughly the same age, I feel that's a legitimate comment!) I was amused to realize a while later, after seeing the page of a mutual friend, that these people had defriended me. Not only that, but one had actually blocked me! Hahaha!

Now, I know I can be very opinionated on here and on Facebook. I assure you that I said nothing on this person's page that was offensive or in any way controversial. I engaged in no political or religious discussions with them whatsoever. Of course, they probably saw some of my posts and maybe even read my blog and decided that they just didn't want to be my friend. I really don't have a problem with that--I understand that I'm not for everyone--and I have been known to defriend a person or two because of a fundamental disagreement. I don't do it often, but I have done it.

But to block me? Just because I'm opinionated? I was not harassing or even contacting this person after an initial "Hi, how are you?" This makes me think that I am doing something right, and it kind of makes me grin. Whatever I posted that was offensive to this person must have shaken their belief system (both religious and political) enough to get them all agitated. Yes, it wouldn't do to be exposed to any sort of alternate viewpoint. Best not to even see it!

Recently, I received a friend request from another high school friend. Again, it was a quick hello, nice to see you, an agreement that we hadn't seen each other since high school. This was a genuinely nice person, and we were pretty good friends in junior high, and I saw that it looked like they had some pretty strong religious beliefs...so I put them into my group that I sometimes exclude from certain posts that I think might be too offensive. I swear, it wasn't a couple of days before I saw (as before, through a mutual friend's page) that they had also defriended me!

Again, I am not upset by this. If anything, I find it funny. Cousin Shane and I have often talked about how it's odd that out of so many of our conservative, religious classmates and family, we ended up as neither of those things. Considering the area we live in, it's no surprise that the majority are conservative, and the majority in the U.S. are still religious. I suppose I do find it a little sad, to think that someone would be so offended? intimidated? afraid? of my opinions that they would simply choose rather to not see them. And it's kind of silly, because you can hide people's posts from your feed. On the rare occasion that I've defriended someone, it's been because I either wasn't interested at all in their posts, because they were friends only because of games, or because there was a very basic fundamental disagreement with which I just couldn't reconcile. So I guess if I look at it that way, I can understand why they would defriend me...if they had that sort of fundamental disagreement with my viewpoints, then it is certainly their right to do so. Guess I shouldn't waste my time going to any high school reunions, eh? (I have yet to go to one, and I do not regret that one little bit.)

There are a few friends from that era that are like-minded individuals, and that's nice to know. I know I'm not the only one from around here who feels this way!

And just to make me feel even more loved, warm, and fuzzy, my stalker (and occasionally her sister) are still checking me, my stalker usually a couple of times a day. It's good to be wanted, isn't it? It's really too bad they aren't writing anymore, because that was some pretty entertaining shit. Oh well, some people just don't have the fortitude, the stamina, the ideas, or perhaps just the smarts, to keep writing. Nice to know she still loves me, though.

To friend or not to friend?

For family members, that is the question.

I think we've all been there. You run across a family member on Facebook and check to see what information is available on their profile...to your horror, you see that they are not only a fundamentalist Christian, they are also fans of Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, and they're members of the Obama death prayer group, or the O.B.A.M.A group (One Big Ass Mistake America), or the 1,000,000 Strong Against Baby-Raping Atheists Who Cross-dress and Drink White Wine with Beef group.

Okay, I made one of those up.

It can definitely be a dilemma. Do you send them a friend request, or do you just move along? What do you do if one of them finds you and sends you a request? Are you obligated to accept because of family ties?

Personally, I say no. It's not just a matter of seeing their posts that you know are going to make your head explode--you can always hide their posts. There is personal privacy involved, and we are all entitled to it. Just because I'm related to a person does not mean that my life must be an open book to them.

A prime example would be my Mom. I love my Mom dearly, but I am very grateful that she has no desire to learn to use the computer, or to be on any sort of networking site. You all know that I've got a foul mouth, and I use it here and on Facebook. I've also got a liberal streak in me a mile wide, and much of my family is quite conservative. I have very strong opinions about religion. When I am around my Mom or many members of my family, I don't use such language, or talk about my opinions on various matters. That is out of respect for them and their feelings, and in the interest of family harmony. I do not want my Mom knowing everything that I say here or on Facebook. I feel that I have the right to my privacy and my personal opinions, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

There are some family members that I am friends with. Those are people that know me and my opinions well (Cousin Shane, et al) and tend to be close to me in our feelings about various things; these are people that I am myself with. I'm the same with them as I am with my friends. Then there is Cousin Curt, who doesn't agree with me on much of anything (other than the importance of education and a mutual love of literature), but gets a kick out of our disagreements and enjoys the debates. We all deal with people differently, and there are some things that we don't disclose to family members. I'm certain that I can't be the only one to make that distinction, or draw the line at full disclosure. I have to wonder why any conservative, religious relatives would even want to be friends with me...I can't imagine that they would enjoy any of my posts! Those that are friends with me are those who "get me," and even if they don't agree with me, they certainly won't be concerned about what I write.

I had a cousin tell me that a mutual relative sent him a concerned email about an entry of mine, saying, "You need to see this." My cousin was worried until he read my entry and realized that it was just opinions that differed greatly from those of most of the family...I'm guessing he decided that no intervention was necessary. Haha!

It really is perfectly okay to not accept every friend request you receive. I'm sure there are people who would say, "Well, what do you have to hide? If you don't want to share things with everyone, don't write it." Whatever. I can't begin to tell you how liberating it was to decide to write what I wanted here, and to find like-minded people on Facebook. I may censor myself around certain family members, but this is my space (ha...get it?), and I don't want to have to censor myself here. Simply being in the same family does not mean I'm obliged to provide full disclosure.

I think this video sums things up pretty well. I understand the concern that is involved, but I also realize now that kids need to do their own thing. As do I.

Another big day

Yesterday was Ken's birthday, but today I'm celebrating another important day, at least to me. It's my three-year blogiversary! (I'm sure there are a few that aren't so pleased about it, but screw ‘em. I'm not forcing anyone to read this!) Since I've stopped working, I've been pretty much a daily blogger, and it still amazes and pleases me that anyone wants to read what I write here! I appreciate that more than you can possibly know, and I thank you for wanting to hang out with me.

I've enjoyed doing this, and it really does help with writing skills. Just the way things flow, putting things together in a way that sounds best, or that makes the most sense without being overly wordy. I don't always succeed, but I have definitely gotten better as time goes by. What I find most fun, though, is all the different people I've met through this, and in some cases, I can properly say "literally." I feel that I have made some lifelong friends here, as well as on Facebook, and that is always, always a good thing. (I am seriously behind on reading blogs these days; I haven't forgotten about you, and I'll make the rounds soon.)

A heartfelt "thank you" to each person who chooses to pay a visit to Nutwood once in a while. You're the main motivator for me to keep writing. And hey, who's the smartass who just shouted out that if you'd known that, you would've stopped reading a long time ago? Joe Wilson, is that you?! Jerk.

~~~~~

Speaking of Crackbook (Jamie and I took an important first step last night in admitting that we are addicted to it), they made more changes yesterday. I don't have a problem with change, as long as they work. Facebook was wonky much of yesterday, it's been wonky this morning, and it will probably make me mad and be wonky tonight. Beth gets cranky when she can't have her Crackbook fix. You have been warned, Crackbook. Don't make me put a cap in your ass.

I think I'm about done with Twitter, too. (Don't be mad, Deb!) I just can't get into it. About the only thing I post on there is my blog updates, and I have a hard time coming up with pithy 140-character tweets. I used to check various updates from cool people like Rainn Wilson from The Office and Russell Brand (someone recently mentioned that it should just be called Stalker...haha!), but even that grows tiresome. I'm thinking it's not my bag, baby, and it would be one less thing to worry about. Maybe I'll keep it, but just stop feeling guilty for never checking it and rarely tweeting!

~~~~~

Oh, and thanks to those of you who left such nice comments about the picture I put up of me and Jamie! You all are too sweet. I cracked up when Joy wondered if I have a painting in the attic that ages. I am fortunate in that regard, but it's because of good genes. My Dad is 86, and often gets remarks that he looks like he's in his 60's. The picture I put up also conveniently doesn't show the white hairs among the brunette that I'm seeing more and more of, or the laugh lines around my eyes. ::shrugs:: How can I be upset about laugh lines when I love to laugh so much? I earned them.

~~~~~

We made a successful Meat Run this morning, and our freezer is seriously full of beef. Plenty of hamburger, several Porterhouses and T-bones (mmmm) and several roasts, including a beautiful big rib roast. I'm going to have to figure out how to make prime rib for that particular cut. Double mmmmm!

Now we're watching the Notre Dame-Boston College game. Grrrr...Boston College. They cost us a national championship back in '93, and no, we've never forgotten it. Go Irish!

Would I lie to you, honey?

(Think Eurythmics.)

I told you I liked Rahm Emanuel. Based on comments, quite a few other people do, too, so I thought I'd profess my "heart" for Rahm for all to see, in case you didn't believe me. I haven't had a chance to wear this yet. Maybe I'll wear it over to my sister's next time we go over there. I'm sure my brother-in-law (a dyed-in-the-wool conservative) would just love it. What do you think, Jen? Will your Dad kick me out of the house? Haha!

And have I mentioned lately what a good sport Ken is? I'm lucky that he puts up with me.

I also hope this picture works, but I think it will. Instead of uploading from my computer, I uploaded using the URL from my Picasa page. I think you can actually click on the picture to embiggen. And yes, I wish I could do that in real life. Ha!

~~~~~

Could someone explain to me why this Balloon Brat is still news? If I hear one more story about this...well, there is sure to be more on the news tonight, so I'd better not commit to vomiting or anything. I don't get it. If the kid is safe, why the big deal? It was the main story on all the political shows last night...what the hell? Even Arianna Huffington, on "The Ed Show," was like, "Why are you asking me about this?" While I'm at it, I don't give a rat's ass about Jon and Kate. These dumbasses have a litter of kids and then exploit them on TV, then exploit their own divorce, and I'm supposed to care about these losers? I don't.

~~~~~

This will be a short entry, because I'm going to try hooking up the Wii. It seems fairly straight-forward, and I'm not hooking it into the stereo system, so I think I can do it. If not, I have Kengineer to fall back on.

Before I tackle that, though, I want to say that I just love meeting people on here with whom I am simpatico. I had a really fun chat on Facebook last night with a new Facebook friend, and I think it's just the coolest thing to be able to do that. As Bob remarked in a comment, this is a way to connect with others and realize that no matter who, what, and where they are, we're all alike in many ways, and we usually find we have something in common. I've met a lot of neat people on here, and I especially love it when I find out we share the same warped sense of humor. That makes me as happy as a little girl!

Facebook = Fun and Flattery

Yet another reason to love Facebook....

I had quite a surprise this week when a friend of a Facebook friend (Darren), who I friended through a blogger friend (Milwaukee Dan #2), made a comment on Darren's update following my comment. Are you still with me? Okay, let's try this: Darren posted a status update, I made a comment, and then one of his friends commented. That comment was that he thought he was falling in love with Beth R. (that would be me). Great googly-moogly! Just like the Spanish Inquisition, I wasn't expecting that! Okay, so Darren left a comment to that saying that I definitely qualified as a Hot Brilliant Chick. Haha! That was cool, too, and have I mentioned how much I enjoy flattery? I thought Darren was just making a joke, but he sent me a message, and come to find out, he really does have a Hot Brilliant Chicks folder in his Facebook photos. Long story short, I am now one of four of Darren's Hot Brilliant Chicks, joining an astronomer, an art historian, and a biochemist. Thanks for making my day, Darren, and thanks to the friend who initiated the whole thing. I am pleased and humbled by this award, and look forward to traveling to Winnipeg to accept my $1.4 million prize. Ha! Also, it turns out that Darren knows of the bar that my ex and our friends used to frequent in Winnipeg, a place called the Zoo, and his Alice Cooper tribute band once played there. AND he knows of the band we used to see there all the time, the Chocolate Bunnies From Hell. ♪♫♪♫ It's a small world after all... ♪♫♪♫

I went to Goodwill yesterday to try to find some funky clothes (for reasons I'll explain after this). I didn't find the funky clothes, but I did find a basket with a couple hundred 45 rpm records in it! Ohhh, I was a happy girl! Three records for a quarter, and I got nine, spending a whopping 80 cents. I'm such a spendthrift, I know. [hanging head] I didn't get them to play them, I got them for decorating the soffit in the basement. That is sort of our "rec room," and I think it would look cool to put up a few 45s. I got some songs that I remember well, like The Cars' "Just What I Needed" and the Stones' "Miss You," and others were real blasts from the past like Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men," and "Simon Says" from the 1910 Fruitgum Company (remember them?) on the Buddha Records label. It was so much fun looking through them and finding a few really cool ones! There were even some that I remembered having when I was a kid. I'll put these up on the soffit and then see if I want to get anymore, but I was so excited to look through those.

Hey, I just remembered that I might have a stack of 45s downstairs in my boxes of albums. Whoops. I can't believe I didn't think of that until just now. I might have enough to be able to wallpaper one of the basement walls with them, now that I think about it. I need to pull out those boxes, anyway, because one of our recent purchases is a turntable that plugs into the USB port on the computer. I'll be able to save some of my rarer albums to the computer! That will be a good winter project.

The reason I thought I'd try to find some funky clothes is because tonight we're going to my sister and her husband's house for a Beatles Rock Band party. I know I've mentioned at some point that my sister is still a Beatlemaniac (she even got to see them play at the Indiana State Fair in 1964), and when she heard that there was going to be a Beatles version of Rock Band, she went out immediately and bought a Wii, then ordered the instruments (including Paul's bass guitar) and pre-ordered the game. She's encouraging everyone to wear appropriate clothing, so that's why I made a trip to Goodwill. That was a bust...you just don't see the funky clothing there like you used to. (When I was in college, I bought a pair of yellow moon boots that I wore for years. I saw enough Christmas sweater vests yesterday to burn my retinas and leave me scarred for life, so the selection of funk just ain’t what it used to be.) I had a backup, so I'll be wearing an hombre-dyed pink tunic with hiphugger jeans. Kind of funny that what we used to call hiphuggers are now pretty much the usual style when it comes to jeans. I love 'em, and think they're much more comfortable than regular high-waisted "mom" jeans. But then I hate wearing pants, anyway, so don't trust my opinion.

I plan on taking my camera and Flip Wilson, and figure that I may be able to make a few bucks on some blackmail photos and videos. Of course, I may have to contend with a few directed towards me, too. This could be interesting.

The Rise of the Botnets

Anyone else have problems with Facebook and Twitter this morning? Twitter was completely down for a while, and Facebook was sporadic. I could pull up my messages but then couldn't get into them, for example. Both seem to have recovered now, and I was wondering if there were solar flares or something interrupting communication. Or maybe hostile aliens. Nope. According to an article on CNET, the source is human, just irritating and disruptive:

DDOS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks typically come from a collection of compromised computers called a botnet, said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Internet security firm Sophos. The botnet computers can inundate a Web site's servers with communication requests, legitimate or malformed to cause extra trouble.

Thanks, hackers, for once again proving to all of us that you have no life. I honestly don't get that mentality. Trying to compensate for their own inadequacies, I suppose. Twitter seems to be okay now, and Facebook mostly okay--still a little sluggish, but much better than it was earlier.

I haven't written about any of my odd dreams lately, but I had a good one last night. Not so much for the interesting content or any hidden meanings, but for a great one-liner that I really want to remember.

I was at some function in a church--I don't know if it was a wedding, or what. I was wearing an evening gown, but it was really an ugly one, with ruffles on the bodice, long sleeves, and an ugly rust color. Bleah! Totally not me! I escaped from the function and went out to the outdoor basketball court and was shooting baskets. There was another woman there who was about my age, but she was apparently in charge of the playground. (She reminded me vaguely of someone from high school, but I can't think of who.) She left to go do something else, and while she was gone, I noticed that there was a chunk of foam matting that was obscuring access to the basket, so I said to myself, "That's gotta go." I pulled it down, and as I was propping it up against the wire fence around the court, that piece of fencing fell down, taking the next section down with it. As I was trying to get the sections of fence back in place, I accidentally started a lawn mower that was sitting in a puddle of muddy water (I have weird dreams, remember?), and it hurled muddy water all over my dress. (Apparently, in my dreams, I'm a veritable Lucy Ricardo.) As I was struggling with all this stuff, Tony Randall happened to wander by, and I said, "Hey--wanna help me here?" He said, "I can't help you with this, I'm just an architect," and I said, "Then you're good at building things. Now help me get this fence up!"

We got the fence back in place, and that's when the woman in charge came back. When she saw what had happened, she gave me a dirty look, but didn't say anything. I went over to her and said, "Hey. Have you got a problem?" She said, "It looks as though you've been very busy," in a sarcastic tone. I said, "It was a series of unfortunate events." She made no comment, just gave me another dirty look, so I said, "Hey lady? Why don't you just sit there atop your high horse, take a look around, and enjoy it...then get off it!"

I have no idea what prompted this dream, although I would guess that it shows a bit of a problem with authority figures, which comes as no surprise to me. I should rephrase that. I have no problem with authority figures who treat others with respect, and don't abuse their authority. I have a big problem with those who are bullying jerks and throw their weight around just because they can. I'm sure we've all encountered both types.

I just love my last line in the dream about the high horse, though. I'm going to remember that one, and who knows? I might have a chance to use it one day. I'd be so happy, though, that after I delivered it in the appropriately scathing tone, I'd burst into laughter, do a happy dance, and say, "I got to use the line! I got to use the line!" That would probably detract from its effectiveness.

By the way, Barb sent me the picture today of the three of us at yesterday's rally. As you can see, none of us ever had any sort of problem with authority figures at Ball State. Nope, model citizens, all of us, never got into a speck o' trouble, never broke a rule. That was us! (teehee!)

Whatever you do, don't kick his seat!

It's a quiet morning here at Nutwood. Ken is out at a business meeting, and Sheeba is curled up on my lap. He must be very comfortable there, because we're watching lots of birds and a couple of squirrels out on the bird feeders. Well, the squirrels are trying to get to the bird feeders...whoever invented squirrel baffles deserves the Nobel prize! Anyhoo, the squirrels are coming right up to the door and looking in, and Sheeba is just staring at them. Apparently I have a very powerful lap!

I'll get up in a moment and get in my workout, but of course I had to check Facebook! Maybe it should be called Facecrack or Methbook instead. I think I'm doing pretty well with it, though, and not spending too much time there. (Famous last words, I know....) And guess what? Rahm Emanuel confirmed me as a friend! Get this...you know how at the top, you type in what you're doing at the moment? This morning, I wrote that I was typing around the purring cat on my lap. Rahm wrote that he is reading the AD 70 Aramaic Bible found near the Golan Heights.

Well, aren't WE Mister Smarty Pants?! Jeez, I'm three months behind on my book club, and still working on the latest Stephen King book! As Detroit Mark would say, I keed, I keed. That's pretty impressive. It seems he's got a wicked sense of humor, too, because he put up an I Can Has Cheezburger picture in his gallery, with himself as the subject. (Warning: it contains the F-word, so if you think that seeing it will sear the eyeballs out of your head, don't look at it!) It made me laugh.

(And by the way, I'd be very surprised if the Facebook page is really Rahm Emanuel's. I doubt that he spends a lot of time on Facebook! Just so you all don't think I'm completely gullible!)

May God have mercy upon my soul....

I've joined Facebook.

I have mixed feelings about it, because I really don't want to occupy my time with more computer crap, but Cousin Shane has been saying that I probably should, and he's found some people from his past through Facebook, so I took the plunge. Most of the people from my past that I wanted to find I've already found, so I hope I'm not opening up the floodgates.

I feel so ashamed. [sob] I tried to resist, I really did, but I just couldn't any longer. If only someone had told me, "You have to join Facebook!" I'm contrary enough that I probably would have said, "Oh no I don't!" (I have yet to see "Titanic" or read a single one of the Harry Potter books, because I had so many people tell me I "had" to.) But no...Shane just said I'd probably like it, and I read other bloggers saying that they'd joined...and before I knew it, I was wondering what I was missing out on.

I feel dirty. Like a used Kleenex or love glove.

I'm already liking it better than Myspace, though. It's much less cluttered and busy. I'm thinking that my Myspace account might be toast, French or otherwise.

In the name of all that is holy, what have I done?

What have I done?!