There's nothing like watching miles and miles of countryside go by to inspire pensivity and self-reflection. I love traveling, driving...watching the landscape change. Granted it doesn't change all that much between Central Indiana and Northern Ohio, but I definitely marked the division between Central Ohio and entering into the Cuyohoga Valley. Love the farms of northern Ohio. So much I wanted to stop and take photos of the run down 100-year-old barns in the rolling, soon-to-be green hills.
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Ben said that since he started on his medicine, he feels more popular at school. I asked him why and he said, "Maybe because I'm nicer...?" Ben IS so much happier--ergo--easier to live with these days. Pleasant to be around. He's more popular with ME, too. ;-)
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Wish John felt better. He's been sick since he got home from school on Friday. Flu, run down with exhaustion...he's better, but he says he feels weak and worn out. He slept most of the drive up here.
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Listened to Marguerite Henry's King of the Wind on CD on the way up here. What a great horse story....and based on a true story, at that. Had to smile when Agba, the horse boy, and Sham (the Godolphin Arabian) were rescued by a Quaker.
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Really starting to worry about money. Something has to change. What? How?
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Cleveland is really foggy. Pollution? Charlie says no. He says that if it were smog (as opposed to fog) , there would be health alerts and no one would be allowed outside. That's sort of a relief. It really IS foggy. We're only a couple of blocks from Lake Erie.
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There are giant guitars everywhere here. Like the bulls in Chicago and the bears in northern Michigan, the race cars and sneakers in Indy. Kinda cool.
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Relaxing in our hotel room on the 9th floor. Watching "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" with the kids. Took Ben swimming. Ate in a nice restaurant. Tomorrow, "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". Cool.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Why I Love FaceBook
I can't help it. I LOVE FaceBook. Yes, you heard me right. I'm talking about that bottomless black hole, that time sucking vampire of a social networking tool called FaceBook. And here's why:
1) It is an Ageless Community.
I'm friends on here with ten-year-olds; I'm friends with an 89-year-old man from my home town. It's amazing; we're all connected. My friends, in some cases, are friends with my other friends, simply by virtue of the fact that both of them know me. My young high school friend is friends with one of my high school boyfriends and friends with my college roommate. They are connected to him because they're connected to me and likewise. He is important to them because he is connected to me and again, likewise. Conversely, I'm friends with some of his friends, that I've met, but don't know well. They are important to me because they are important to him. My college roommate is friends with my mom; I'm friends with my friends; and friends with their children and their friends and their out-of-town relatives. They are important to me because they're important to my friends and they provide a link to them, to knowing them better, to knowing who are were, where they came from and who they are now. That's important to me. And we're all connected by this 'addiction' to technology. And by the common thread we have all running through our lives--that we live in this world together. And we love living in the age of technology.
2) You can always find a Middle-of-the-Night Friend on FaceBook.
Lying awake worrying? Up with a cold? Just can't sleep? You can ALWAYS find a middle-of-the-night friend on FaceBook. It may not be your BEST friend, or someone you'd feel comfortable calling on the phone in the middle of the night. But they, like you, are--for some reason--up, and not sleeping. It may not be someone with whom you'd like to share your secret middle-of-the-night fears or concerns, but they're there, and more than likely, looking for a distraction just as you are. Share a laugh, a YouTube vid, or just small talk for awhile. SOMEBODY is out there for you and you can find them on FaceBook. Distract, share the wee hours with a friendly voice. Relax and soon find sleep again.
3) Everyone can be Incredibly Amazingly Undeniably Witty on FaceBook.
Something funny happens at Wal-Mart? Think of something profound, clever, and wise while pumping gas? Enjoying a golden oldie on the radio? Share it! Don't wait. Pull out that cell phone and MobileText/Twitter/iPhone it right up there. FaceBook provides an endless opportunity to share with the world, your cleverness, your depth, your funny moods, your pensiveness, your every waking breath and thought. If it's worth thinking, it's worth sharing, right? Right. FaceBook is the stand-up comedy stage for the electronic age. We are all top-notch comedians. The world (or at least our Friend base) is our audience that never sleeps.
4) FaceBook's Amazing Connectionary Practicality
Okay, I made that word up, but you know what I mean. FaceBook is the new grapevine, the electronic word-of-mouth, a backyard fence on the whole world, the 2010 version of the party line (if you kids even know what THAT is). I've used FaceBook to find a babysitter, a ride home for my kids, to promote my various events, get help for a project, and for countless other things. Somebody is hurt or ill or needs help; somebody needs something; somebody has something that someone else might need. It's better than an ad in the paper, better than a poster or an e-mail. Better than the telephone, telegraph or tele-woman. (Hahaha...another oldie but goodie....). And it works.
5) The "Oh, the Places You'll Go" Community
I think this is my favorite reason for loving FaceBook. You see, I LOVE knowing where 'my people' are, what they're up to, their successes, their sorrows, their happinesses, the challenges they're up against, who they're with, the fun they're having. For example, Halloween: sitting home--passing out treats to the handful of costumed visitors we had--the statuses, the photos, the comments came rolling in. People at parties, people dressed up--those who were out and about, those who were home, those who were trick-or-treating with their kids--ALL were enjoying Halloween in one way or another. And it was fun to share those individual moments with my FaceBook community. Christmas--same thing: people with their families, going to or coming from church, wrapping gifts, posting their moments on FaceBook, snippets from the Christmas specials they were watching or carols being hummed under their breath. A holiday shared by all. Moments shared by all. This winter when the Colts were winning game after game--what fun to share those victories; celebrating Butler's wins; spending Spring Break with travelers in Florida, in New Orleans, in Williamsburg, Texas, North Carolina, and--yes--Cleveland. I love sharing MY fun with others, too--the adventures we're having, the surprises, the trying moments and the hilarious 'you-had-to-be-there' moments. Everyone CAN be there on FaceBook. Take a vacation; celebrate a birthday; spend the holidays with EVERYONE. FaceBook makes it possible.
So that's why I love it. Can't help it. And I'll be posting the link to this blog on my FaceBook page, and then sitting back, and waiting to hear from my FaceBook family.... Do you like it? Do you agree? I suspect a good many of you will.... <3 <3 <3
1) It is an Ageless Community.
I'm friends on here with ten-year-olds; I'm friends with an 89-year-old man from my home town. It's amazing; we're all connected. My friends, in some cases, are friends with my other friends, simply by virtue of the fact that both of them know me. My young high school friend is friends with one of my high school boyfriends and friends with my college roommate. They are connected to him because they're connected to me and likewise. He is important to them because he is connected to me and again, likewise. Conversely, I'm friends with some of his friends, that I've met, but don't know well. They are important to me because they are important to him. My college roommate is friends with my mom; I'm friends with my friends; and friends with their children and their friends and their out-of-town relatives. They are important to me because they're important to my friends and they provide a link to them, to knowing them better, to knowing who are were, where they came from and who they are now. That's important to me. And we're all connected by this 'addiction' to technology. And by the common thread we have all running through our lives--that we live in this world together. And we love living in the age of technology.
2) You can always find a Middle-of-the-Night Friend on FaceBook.
Lying awake worrying? Up with a cold? Just can't sleep? You can ALWAYS find a middle-of-the-night friend on FaceBook. It may not be your BEST friend, or someone you'd feel comfortable calling on the phone in the middle of the night. But they, like you, are--for some reason--up, and not sleeping. It may not be someone with whom you'd like to share your secret middle-of-the-night fears or concerns, but they're there, and more than likely, looking for a distraction just as you are. Share a laugh, a YouTube vid, or just small talk for awhile. SOMEBODY is out there for you and you can find them on FaceBook. Distract, share the wee hours with a friendly voice. Relax and soon find sleep again.
3) Everyone can be Incredibly Amazingly Undeniably Witty on FaceBook.
Something funny happens at Wal-Mart? Think of something profound, clever, and wise while pumping gas? Enjoying a golden oldie on the radio? Share it! Don't wait. Pull out that cell phone and MobileText/Twitter/iPhone it right up there. FaceBook provides an endless opportunity to share with the world, your cleverness, your depth, your funny moods, your pensiveness, your every waking breath and thought. If it's worth thinking, it's worth sharing, right? Right. FaceBook is the stand-up comedy stage for the electronic age. We are all top-notch comedians. The world (or at least our Friend base) is our audience that never sleeps.
4) FaceBook's Amazing Connectionary Practicality
Okay, I made that word up, but you know what I mean. FaceBook is the new grapevine, the electronic word-of-mouth, a backyard fence on the whole world, the 2010 version of the party line (if you kids even know what THAT is). I've used FaceBook to find a babysitter, a ride home for my kids, to promote my various events, get help for a project, and for countless other things. Somebody is hurt or ill or needs help; somebody needs something; somebody has something that someone else might need. It's better than an ad in the paper, better than a poster or an e-mail. Better than the telephone, telegraph or tele-woman. (Hahaha...another oldie but goodie....). And it works.
5) The "Oh, the Places You'll Go" Community
I think this is my favorite reason for loving FaceBook. You see, I LOVE knowing where 'my people' are, what they're up to, their successes, their sorrows, their happinesses, the challenges they're up against, who they're with, the fun they're having. For example, Halloween: sitting home--passing out treats to the handful of costumed visitors we had--the statuses, the photos, the comments came rolling in. People at parties, people dressed up--those who were out and about, those who were home, those who were trick-or-treating with their kids--ALL were enjoying Halloween in one way or another. And it was fun to share those individual moments with my FaceBook community. Christmas--same thing: people with their families, going to or coming from church, wrapping gifts, posting their moments on FaceBook, snippets from the Christmas specials they were watching or carols being hummed under their breath. A holiday shared by all. Moments shared by all. This winter when the Colts were winning game after game--what fun to share those victories; celebrating Butler's wins; spending Spring Break with travelers in Florida, in New Orleans, in Williamsburg, Texas, North Carolina, and--yes--Cleveland. I love sharing MY fun with others, too--the adventures we're having, the surprises, the trying moments and the hilarious 'you-had-to-be-there' moments. Everyone CAN be there on FaceBook. Take a vacation; celebrate a birthday; spend the holidays with EVERYONE. FaceBook makes it possible.
So that's why I love it. Can't help it. And I'll be posting the link to this blog on my FaceBook page, and then sitting back, and waiting to hear from my FaceBook family.... Do you like it? Do you agree? I suspect a good many of you will.... <3 <3 <3
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Routine Questions
My personal insecurities sometimes lead me to ask my friends and loved ones questions such as: "Do you like me today?" "Are we still friends?" "You won't forget me, will you?" "We're on the same page, right?" and the one I ask my husband: "Why did you marry me?" Today's answer was, "I wanted someone who wouldn't sass me."
Whoops.
Whoops.
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