Donna Gets it Right ----

12 - 31 - 09

Reflections at New Year: Is Facebook the new AOL?

Wow, it's been a long, long time since I've written anything for my old friend SC. But as I did the dishes this morning a thought came to me:

I'M GETTING OLD. Yeah, I know, not a huge revelation. But it's not because my knees constantly ache, or that I have to color my hair every 3 weeks. It really has been creeping up on me for some time now. I'm going to quote Hemingway, (I've always wanted to say that) I think it happened "gradually and then suddenly."

Even now, as the classic rock station I'm listening to in the kitchen is playing Stairway to Heaven, it is vying for my attention over my daughter's music blasting from her bedroom - something that sounds like a singer in a non-discript band being tortured.

But I've been thinking about what exactly it is that is making me feel old. I've thought of a few things, and while I'm writing this, I'm sure a few more things will come to me.

In the car the other day, before my kids realized that the classic rock station was on, Werewolves of London was just coming on - they thought they were getting ready to hear a Kid Rock song. Yikes!

At 46, I still get no privacy in my own house. I forgot that my daughter's boyfriend was over and didn't close the door to the bathroom while I was using it. Everyone was completely mortified - except me. What does that mean?

My first boyfriend from high school - is now playing Santa Claus in my town's Christmas Parade. Wow.

I'm starting to hate my dogs and love the cat.

Normally I just hate the mall. You only need to SAY "mall". But my shopping hate now has a new name, and that name is Hollister. If you have teenage daughter or son, you know this store. It's kind of like a bar, only without the smoking and drinking. The place is dark and loud and the music sucks. I think it's meant to make parents as mad as possible so they will buy any overpriced item just to make if faster to leave. Not this parent. I huff all through the place, fussing about a t-shirt you can see though that costs $29.99 or a pair of jeans with more holes than fabric that costs $49.99. To the snotty kids who work there, I probably seem like the old man in the Russian fur cap yelling "GET OFF MY LAWN!" But the thing is, I don't care.
 
I hardly ever have my picture taken anymore. I do it for important things, like my daughter going to the homecoming dance. I look at the new photo and wonder where the girl I remember went. I took my own picture for my Facebook page (we'll get back to that in a moment), but I swear I took about 50 pictures until I got to one that I actually dared to post. And when I did, my daughter said I looked sad and not like myself. Frankly, I thought the same thing.

NOW, FACEBOOK. I recently joined, after swearing I never would. Soon, people I wouldn't have imagined in a million years are "friending" me. Friending.. I didn't even know that was a real word, but now I guess it will have to be, like spyware, cyber-stalk, and ringtone. Webster's will have another new addition soon.

I think Facebook, and probably MySpace too, are the new AOL. Anyone remember AOL? Back when the internet was just becoming popular, AOL was the place to be. Chat rooms were all the rage. You could talk to people you didn't know. Finally, people found out they were talking to other people whom they wouldn't give the time of day to in person. No pictures, no background. My first marriage ended because of it. And I know I wasn't the only one.

Facebook is a bit different though, because unless you privately email someone, everyone who's your friend or a friend of your friend, can see what you say. So, if your sister-in-law, who doesn't really like you, is your friend, and you comment on another friend's picture by saying something like, oh I don't know, "Hellz yeah, you can hardly see that thong!", she can then go tell your Mother-in-law, who doesn't really like you either. At the next family get-together, you get to be the belle of the ball!

It is too easy to get information now without even leaving home. Heck, without even leaving bed! (Yeah, I know, not a news flash) But I think we know too much now, have access to too much. It used to be the newspaper and that thing called the telephone. And I don't mean cell phone, I mean the old-fashioned, plugged into the wall, no-call-waiting telephone. How many of us still have our home phones? I salute those of you who do.

So now I am going to make a few New Year's resolutions. I try to keep it to only one or two, nothing too complicated or deep: First is that I'm not going to make any trips to McDonald's, for myself or my family. The fries aren't what they used to be anyway. The other one is to chill out. Just chill out. I'm not sure which one I'll break first, but I'm thinking it will be to get a Mc-hot chocolate.

I just hope I don't lose it when the drive through line is too long.

Until Next Year ……..

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