is it just me?

I finally got on facebook. Of course I know I am like the last old person on earth to jump on the bandwagon. I had never done it because I just didn't understand the point. I couldn't get anyone to explain any real utility of it for me. So, I never did it. And then someone sent me some videos for work which finally pushed me over the edge, and now I have facebook. And I hate it. I was right - there is no point. I mean, in theory the point is social networking, but I don't actually network. I get random requests from people I went to high school with me and then we are "friends" but they never actually send you an email to catch up or anything. And there are all these annoying things you can send to people but I don't want them and I don't want to send them to anyone else. And the people that I know that are actually on there and using it all the time are people that, for the most part, I fell out of touch with for a reason. Or else they are like me and they don't really do much with it so it is not helping us keep in touch. And sure, I like being able to look at people's pictures and snoop around their lives, but that gets old kind of quickly. Especially since most people I know don't seem to do much updating so once you've looked at their photos you're done. And while I would like to actually be back in touch with some of the people that are now my 'friends' on facebook, it really doesn't lend itself to that.

Here's the other thing - it's just a way to try and impress people. You want to have the most friends, and prove that you like good movies and read good books and are an interesting person. And you need to find a profile picture of you looking absolutely fabulous. Find the best picture taken of you in the last five years and throw it up there. I mean, is everyone's favorite movie really The Godfather? Are your hobbies really reading and hiking? Maybe, but I doubt it. I have not filled out any of this stuff because I don't like the pressure. Well, to be fair, I hate doing 'favorites' in general because I don't have a favorite anything. Not for any good reason, it's just not really how my brain works. I could watch the movie High Fidelity almost any time. I have seen it a million times, and I always enjoy it. Is it my favorite movie? I don't know. It's a movie I can stand to watch a lot. I think it's good. And if I did make a facebook list it would probably be on there. But most people list things with an eye to what other people think, and frankly I don't need it. No one lists TV as a hobby but I bet they all watch more tv than they read books or hike. I'm just saying. But mostly I think it is boring. And I am too lazy to figure out how it all works so I will retire with my six friends and move on.

don't spend it all in one place

Property taxes are very high in my fair city, but it's a nice place so we kind of forgive them. This year we paid our taxes, and I must have miscalculated in the check I wrote to go with the check we got from the bank, because I overpaid. By 9 cents. I paid a total of more than $5000 (and I have a small house), but they paid me back the extra 9 cents. They sent me a check for $0.09. How ridiculous is that? How much more than 9 cents did it cost them to process that? The stamp alone is nearly four times the value. Not to mention the envelope, printing costs, whatever. And I am sure it is automatic and if I overpay some box gets clicked and they send out a check, but seriously. How ridiculous. I was going to just recycle it since it didn't even seem worth a trip to the bank, but then we were afraid they would have to mail us some notice about how we didn't cash the check and (god forbid) send us a replacement, so I put it in my account. And promptly spent it all in one place.

ha! it ISN'T just me after all
I traveled to Washington, DC this week for business. It was lovely to get out of Wisconsin for a bit, and it was even kind of warm there. I didn't work that hard, I ate some good food, saw some old friends. All in all a roaring success. Anyway, on my flight there, people were very cranky. The plane is tiny which always makes people a little salty, but everyone was so grouchy. The woman behind me was vowing to never fly Northwest again because she was only allowed one carry on (see aforementioned tiny plane). There was a crazy old woman sitting just ahead of me who needed the stewardess. Instead of pressing the nice button that exists solely for this purpose she literally screams down the aisle "Miss, can you come here I need some help!" She requested a seatbelt extender which they did not have so she was moved to a different seat which she found to be totally unacceptable. I bet her seat mate has never been so happy to see someone go. At one point the guy next to me and I exchanged glances and he said "people need to calm down". haha. I often wonder if I am super judgy and hard on the world, and I am, but I don't think I am alone. And to prove this, as I disembarked everyone on there was sitting there talking about all the cranky people on the plane. HA! It is so totally not just me. This is great news.

An aside about the return trip, I had just finished reading a book on the plane and it was sitting in the seat next to me. The stewardess notices it and says she likes the cover. She asks what it was about, and whether it was good. Then she says maybe she will read it because she likes the cover and (this is an exact quote) "I always judge books by the cover". hahahaha.

I wonder
Occasionally, not nearly often enough in fact, I write down things I want to write about in here. Usually on tiny scraps of paper, sometimes they are meaningful at a later date and sometimes not. The other day I found one that said "Jennifer Lopez and three English dogs". It's a shame I have no idea what I was talking about because it sounds kind of funny.