Ok all you whippersnapper, genius kids. All you technological gurus. All you young computer and phone junkies. I am here to tell you that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I actually prefer to use the words mature and worldly woman, but I don’t like to hear you snicker.
Even though you believe you own the world of up and coming technological stuff, those of us that are in our fourth and fifth decades and beyond have infiltrated your seemingly private world.
“How could that happen?” you may ask. Of course you would say “How cud that hapN ”. Well, believe it or not, those of us that are in that “sandwich-tween generation” – the ones that are still raising you and your kids, and are helping our parents too – actually can multi-task.
I don’t really want to show off, but my life is a combination of the best of both worlds. Stuff I learned in school and stuff I am learning from present day life. For example, I can actually use a calculator to perform a math problem – not Google the answer. I can figure out the tip of a check in my head – and not have to look on my phone for the “tip calculator app.” I can spell. (Well, most of the time – I am human after all). Oh, I can text too. Ask my kids. However when I hand in a memo at work it doesn’t say: ‘Hay, gr8 job, ty. C U L8r.” I have, however, figured out your secret code, and language. It was fun for awhile, but I realized my brain was getting mushy, and have gone back to the old-fashioned way of writing.
I have also gone the Facebook route, and am slowly winding down; tiring of the daily diatribe and dribble of the best friends I’ve never met. I will keep in contact with those I care about, and use it as a platform for uplifting information . I have a Twitter account too – but I forgot my password, which is fine – since I don’t really care if someone is grocery shopping or getting their car washed. I do, however on occasion pick up my phone and call my friends and family. No texting. Just wonder when the last time all of you under 25 did that? It’s a lost art, but those of us in the ancient inner circle have a whole lot of desire to keep the art alive.
I have a smart phone, a laptop, and a desktop that of course has Word, with spell check (thank goodness). But I also have a notebook pad with a pencil, a dictionary and an eraser. My smart phone has a GPS that I am thankful for, but I can (believe it or not) read a map.
I can bowl in a real alley, not just with my Wii game. I can strum a guitar…without the “Hero” part. I read books with real pages, and take my real dog for a real walk outside in the real world.
I’m not saying that I don’t like the new technology. I am just saying that I like being able to blend both worlds…and yes, live in whichever one suits me at that moment. “Lyf iz gr8” in both my worlds. Just don’t make me chose one!
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
To Friend or Not to Friend
To friend or not to friend: that is the question. Unlike Hamlet, my choice won’t lead me to death…for no matter how many Facebook friends I have, I definitely like “being”.
I had no worldly idea I had 526 friends. Wow. My house isn’t that big. When I started questioning if it was time to purge some of my friends, I did a little research. I went through the list, and surprise – I do have a connection with them all. I mean I don’t have a glass of wine or lunch or even exchange forwarded emails with them all, but I do have a connection with them.
The friend-types vary: I went so 2nd grade with them. I dated their best friend’s brother in High School. I sang with them in 6th grade choir. I lived next door to their uncle. I worked with them at Disneyland but never knew them. We like the same music. We like Newfoundland dogs. We like inspirational quotes. They are my mother’s friend’s neighbor’s sister. The list goes on and on and on.
They are semi-close friends, every 526 of them. How could I even think about purging them, even if I do think that Facebook is a little self-serving? I really don’t care what my “friends” had for their mid-morning snack or if they went to bed a half hour late. I have enough of my own issues. But on the other hand, it’s fun to catch up with a Facebook thread and throw in my two cents worth. Many of my friends are very witty. At times it’s fun to read some of the comments, and even to “chat” with a “friend” that I have never met. It’s also fun to catch up with the people I really do care about.
What I don’t want Facebook to be for me is an emotional crutch. I don’t want to be the Sally Field of Facebook – “You like me, you really do!” I don’t want to depend on my 526 friends for validation that someone cares or someone is paying attention to me. However, it is nice to know they are there for me if I am struggling with something, want to share a funny joke or an inspirational quote. It’s fun to see pictures of my friends from High School, most who look totally amazing. It’s nice to hear about new networking groups and restaurants and events in my area. So for now, the 526 friends stay. I’m not in the right frame of mind to “unfriend” anyone.
So if you are among the throng, you are still my friend. Nobody was cut. I mean, how else will I find out which of my friends had Fruitloops for breakfast?
Karen Kelly is a freelance writer and welcomes your comment at karenkellybrown@aol.com or http://bleachblondemind.blogspot.com/. Oh, you can also “friend” her on Facebook.
I had no worldly idea I had 526 friends. Wow. My house isn’t that big. When I started questioning if it was time to purge some of my friends, I did a little research. I went through the list, and surprise – I do have a connection with them all. I mean I don’t have a glass of wine or lunch or even exchange forwarded emails with them all, but I do have a connection with them.
The friend-types vary: I went so 2nd grade with them. I dated their best friend’s brother in High School. I sang with them in 6th grade choir. I lived next door to their uncle. I worked with them at Disneyland but never knew them. We like the same music. We like Newfoundland dogs. We like inspirational quotes. They are my mother’s friend’s neighbor’s sister. The list goes on and on and on.
They are semi-close friends, every 526 of them. How could I even think about purging them, even if I do think that Facebook is a little self-serving? I really don’t care what my “friends” had for their mid-morning snack or if they went to bed a half hour late. I have enough of my own issues. But on the other hand, it’s fun to catch up with a Facebook thread and throw in my two cents worth. Many of my friends are very witty. At times it’s fun to read some of the comments, and even to “chat” with a “friend” that I have never met. It’s also fun to catch up with the people I really do care about.
What I don’t want Facebook to be for me is an emotional crutch. I don’t want to be the Sally Field of Facebook – “You like me, you really do!” I don’t want to depend on my 526 friends for validation that someone cares or someone is paying attention to me. However, it is nice to know they are there for me if I am struggling with something, want to share a funny joke or an inspirational quote. It’s fun to see pictures of my friends from High School, most who look totally amazing. It’s nice to hear about new networking groups and restaurants and events in my area. So for now, the 526 friends stay. I’m not in the right frame of mind to “unfriend” anyone.
So if you are among the throng, you are still my friend. Nobody was cut. I mean, how else will I find out which of my friends had Fruitloops for breakfast?
Karen Kelly is a freelance writer and welcomes your comment at karenkellybrown@aol.com or http://bleachblondemind.blogspot.com/. Oh, you can also “friend” her on Facebook.
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