Main Entry: facebook
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a school yearbook
Usage: informal
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Main Entry: facebook
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a publication for an organization, such as a school or business, which helps members identify each other; also, an online version of this, with profiles including a picture, name, birthdate, interests, etc. FACEBOOK is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.
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Facebook. It used to just be a school yearbook. Now, it is the latest fad. A place where people can connect with their old high school friends, lost lovers, or perhaps find their Thursday night Cabana Charley’s waiter. It has become an obsession. And I have been caught up in it.
But you already know this, so what’s the big deal? Why do I care so much? The big deal is me and how this “social networking” site has impacted my life. For better or worse, you ask? That’s for you to decide…
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As you know, in the beginning (when I first joined) Facebook was only for college students. It was used as a way to network with other college students attending your college or with students from around the country. Since then it has been opened to anyone 13 years of age or older. But, of course, there is no lie detector and it is relatively easy to lie about your age. You just change the birth year…
Now, Facebook is a place to brag about the latest happenings in your life or to let people know that you want to kill yourself and hope that that one person will notice. Seriously. I would know, I have done both.
This site has become more than “social networking.” It has become a Burn Book. You know, like in the movie Mean Girls. It’s a place where any thing goes….the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one really censors themselves anymore. Even though their grandmothers, aunts, uncles, church members, parents, and future employers could be reading.
There is a feature where you can go back and read all your status updates from the past year…Wow. I looked at mine and was floored. No joke. I think the words that came out of my mouth were, “No wonder people thought I was crazy.” I had no censor. I thought that this was one way that I could get the attention and help I desperately needed. But did it really help? Nope. It just got me locked up for my own good. Not exactly what I was looking for.
I guess the whole purpose of this entry is to look at what your motivations are. Why do you use Facebook or other sites of the sort? Are you doing it to play Farmville? Send people Bumper Stickers? Stalk an ex? Find out if your crush is single? Check up on your children? Look at drunken pictures? Connect with an old high school friend? Find the latest hook-up or party? Inspire people? Bring people down? Ask for help? Ignore your own problems by focusing on some one else’s?
Whatever your reason, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is, if you are spending your free time on Facebook worrying about other people’s lives, than you probably aren’t spending enough time worrying about and LIVING your own.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Pure Michigan
As you probably already noticed (and questioned) the title of my blog is What's Your Michigan? It took me a few days, a lot of sleep, and plenty of coffee to finally settle on this name. I think it fits nicely. As you read, I think it will become apparent why I chose the title I did.
A very wise woman once told me that I should go to Michigan. Just get up and go. Pack a lunch, get in the car and just drive until I reach that state that the commercials call Pure Michigan. I never really understood her fascination with Michigan, nor did I ever want to travel there. I am very comfortable in my little box of a life and I like it the way it is. I have never been much for travel or spontaneity and prefer to stay in on a Friday night. So when the topic of conversation changed to both, I basically tuned out. But as she kept talking about her recent adventure to that great state, I began to listen and entertain the possibility that maybe going to Michigan wasn’t such a bad idea. The adventure of the drive, the solitude of the beach, and the taste of independence that the trip gave her sounded amazing. Taking a day off from life to just be with myself, my thoughts, and nature wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Maybe it would even give me the motivation I needed to push forward a little more. And hey, maybe I would learn something new in the process.
I haven’t taken that trip yet and who knows, maybe I never will, but maybe, just maybe she wasn’t just talking about Michigan. Maybe she was talking about the feeling that it gave her. The feeling of peace, adventure, and spontaneity all rolled into one. Maybe she was asking me to look inside myself and discover what Michigan meant for me.
The past few days, I have been trying to define my Michigan. I have been trying to uncover what event.place.thing.idea that would give me those same feelings. And I think I have found it.
Writing.
That’s it. Just the act of putting my thoughts.ideas.words onto paper. I never really thought that the answer would be so simple. I thought that I needed to find something elaborate to put my time and energy to, like going on a road trip. But the truth is, it’s not the size of the event.place.thing.idea that makes the difference, it’s the size of the feeing it gives you when you do it. A positive.negative.unknown feeling, it doesn’t matter, as long as it makes you feel meaningful. I think they call it passion.
So the next time you hear the Pure Michigan commercial, stop. Take a breath. Listen. Hop in your car. Drive. And don’t stop until you get there.
Michigan.
Because in the end this is the only life you get. Find what makes it meaningful. And then drive like hell until you’ve found it.
What's your Michigan?
A very wise woman once told me that I should go to Michigan. Just get up and go. Pack a lunch, get in the car and just drive until I reach that state that the commercials call Pure Michigan. I never really understood her fascination with Michigan, nor did I ever want to travel there. I am very comfortable in my little box of a life and I like it the way it is. I have never been much for travel or spontaneity and prefer to stay in on a Friday night. So when the topic of conversation changed to both, I basically tuned out. But as she kept talking about her recent adventure to that great state, I began to listen and entertain the possibility that maybe going to Michigan wasn’t such a bad idea. The adventure of the drive, the solitude of the beach, and the taste of independence that the trip gave her sounded amazing. Taking a day off from life to just be with myself, my thoughts, and nature wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Maybe it would even give me the motivation I needed to push forward a little more. And hey, maybe I would learn something new in the process.
I haven’t taken that trip yet and who knows, maybe I never will, but maybe, just maybe she wasn’t just talking about Michigan. Maybe she was talking about the feeling that it gave her. The feeling of peace, adventure, and spontaneity all rolled into one. Maybe she was asking me to look inside myself and discover what Michigan meant for me.
The past few days, I have been trying to define my Michigan. I have been trying to uncover what event.place.thing.idea that would give me those same feelings. And I think I have found it.
Writing.
That’s it. Just the act of putting my thoughts.ideas.words onto paper. I never really thought that the answer would be so simple. I thought that I needed to find something elaborate to put my time and energy to, like going on a road trip. But the truth is, it’s not the size of the event.place.thing.idea that makes the difference, it’s the size of the feeing it gives you when you do it. A positive.negative.unknown feeling, it doesn’t matter, as long as it makes you feel meaningful. I think they call it passion.
So the next time you hear the Pure Michigan commercial, stop. Take a breath. Listen. Hop in your car. Drive. And don’t stop until you get there.
Michigan.
Because in the end this is the only life you get. Find what makes it meaningful. And then drive like hell until you’ve found it.
What's your Michigan?
Inspiration
E is amazing. She has spunk. She is wise beyond her years. She is my person. Everyone has a person. You know, someone who "gets" you and inspires you to be great. Or at least encourages you to get off your ass and get on with your life. E is the inspiration for this blog.
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