So a few weeks ago, I finally broke down and signed up for Facebook. I had one friend who told me she had to close down her account because she found herself spending so much time on it. Or, rather, wasting so much time on it. I could not imagine anything being that compelling…. outside of Trip Advisor. Man, can I spend a lot of time on Trip Advisor. I dont even need to be planning a trip, although I usually am by the time Im done.
Facebook makes Trip Advisor look like childs play.
Its really amazing. Its been a fantastic way to keep up with people Ive worked with or studied with or avoided studying with. And its an easier way to keep people posted on every silly little thing Im up to. Im not going to write an entire blog entry about how Kaitlyn did not properly apply sunscreen to my back when we went to the pool yesterday…. or about how having a single glass of wine at lunch today now has me seriously fending off the urge to nap. Because those sentences pretty much wrap up the entire event. Perfect for little Facebook status updates.
But heres the other amazing part of Facebook. It really is as addicting as my friend said it is. (Shes back on, by the way.) I used to fanatically check my email every time I was by the computer. Ok, I have to make it a point to wander by the computer… so I did. Any time I walked upstairs, I managed to route myself through the office and in front of my computer. (Imagine all the extra steps Ive walked to that end!) Now email seems so old school. So slow. Now I check Facebook. Over and over and over again during the course of the day. One reason is simple: Im GMT +1 (Greenwich mean time plus an hour. In other words, I live in a time zone one hour ahead of London.) I have FB friends here. I have FB friends on east coast time. Central time. Pacific time. Friends in those time zones who keep bizarre hours. Point is… day or night I can generally find an update. So day or night… I check for them.
I never intend for it to be a long process. It should, theoretically, take just a minute. You pop on, see if theres an update, maybe add your own, then pop off. The reality is, you get on FB for just a second and the next thing you know youve found out that youre Mr. Sulu, that you should live in Russia and wear 80s fashions… and an hour as passed… and your to-do list remains untouched.
Maybe some days thats ok. Thats the way it should be. I dont smell the roses because Im afraid of bees… so I reconnect with old friends and play silly games and take silly quizzes. Its my way of unwinding. And that is not a bad thing.
I was beginning to think you had abandoned this website in favor of Facebook. Yes, FB lets you easily post pictures, too, and videos. When you get around to writing a book or feature about the experiences of relocating for 5 years to France, will it be easier to use this site as an outline or Facebook, or both?