Arkansas Blog

Now we have the open line and I waited to hijack another thread just because I'd like some other folks' feed back. Here's the previous rambling:

Hijacking alert! (of the thread, of course, not of . . . well, anything mobile . . . unless you get blog updates on your mobile and then . . . I've got nothing.)

The real estate market is crap. Blago is an idiot. Huck (who cares).

I've got a real question: instant access to people we haven't talked to in years. Or cared about. Now, everyone Facebooks and accepts friends who we can't really even remember. Is it the "Sally Fields" complex (they like me they really like me!)? Or is it that we are more confident/mature in our older age that we are all anxious to show everyone--I made it out of that hellhole called "high school"?

I find myself torn between the two. The people who mercilessly made fun of me as a junior high student, I have chosen as "friends". Yet, I find myself questioning why. It is human nature to want to see what these people are like later in life, but it also dregs up the remains of well worn angst. I should "ignore" their strident pleas to be my friend (ha).

Additionally, I find that people who may have been on Facebook for 2 weeks suddenly have 200 "friends". I was happy with the people I talked to on a daily basis (a meager number, but people I actually chose with whom to converse).

300 friends?
400?
500?

Are the people with "all" of these "friends" asked to be friends, do they do some kind of hyper search to be friends with that many people?

Is this really a good thing? If we really wanted to talk to all of these people (or any of them), couldn't we have without making 6 degrees of separation that much closer to one?

I'd just like to hear what/if others have been curious, or are you just giddy to see your crush who wouldn't talk to you fat/bald?

What do you mean, "You people"?

Okay, RB, I went back and I think only said "these people". No overt attacks here. I seriously am curious about the phenomenon.

And, on the off chance you (RB) were referring to the "you" in wanting to see the people "you" had a crush on fat/bald . . . I meant "me" "we" "us". Not "you".

think I will have some of what ever sam is smoking.

.

Damn Sam....I'm the oldest one on this blog............

I've outlived everyone in my past.

Seriously el? i've read numerous (hundreds, thousands) of posts where chasv, strage, sev, theo, etc. go totally postal and all I ask is whether Facebook is a good thing? Dang. I had no idea that was the equivalent to an opium den. Apologies. Posts to return to the nonexistent.

Jazzy, you never fail to bring a smile.

okay, almost nonexistent . . . A blog is good for obvious reasons: anonymity, for one. One FB you are actively seeking or accepting people. This blog is generally for political hyperbole, except (in recent memory) on open threads when it's a free for all. Except for tonight. When opinions/questions relegate one to allegations of drug use.

Sam - I remember an old man who used to work for me many years ago, and when everything would start whirling around going a little bit to fast I would always stop and ask him what he thought. His comment 99% of the time was, "Goof, who gives a shit."

Clearly, that is the sentiment. Point taken. I humbly retreat. Hide again for another month until I venture out, make a comment and turn tail again. It's like groundhog day.

--------------------------------------TWENTY ONE DAY'S UNTIL THE END OF AN ERROR--------------------

Bill-O'Really! is at it again: "WE Didn't Invade Iraq"

Not kidding. Not making this up.

it's on blue clicky name.
.

I have both a Facebook and a MySpace page, but I rarely use Facebook. I like the layout and general feel of MySpace overall, I suppose. MySpace also allows you to remain relatively anonymous, but I do use my real name on there.

My personal thoughts are that Facebook is more formal and a place where you are perhaps making connections with people from your past.

It has been beautiful weather here in Buffalo City and time well spent with visiting family.
Went out to see Rocky Ridge Refuge and Lurch, the Watusi today. Incredible place with a woman doing wonders to help abused and abandonded animals. Check out her site at the clicky.

Try this one for O'Really! going batshit nuts.

.

I'm not on Facebook but I can't imagine wanting to share every little detail of my life with hundreds of "friends". I was just reading in the past day or so about people having their feelings hurt because someone "unfriended". It all sounds so "junior high" to me. Trying to prove you're one of the "popular" kids because you have the most "friends". Really?

Oops. Should be "unfriended" them.

NVR,

YOU GOT IT!!! That was my point. It's all revisiting popularity and high school/junior high. Of course there are moments of "it's so good to hear from you". Otherwise, it's like gossip around the halls. I guess I could be a tad more eloquent in my attempt to create dialogue.

......Announcing the 2008 P.U.-litzer Prizes

The year's stinkiest media performances

Now in their 17th year, the P.U.-litzer Prizes recognize some of the nation's stinkiest media performances. As the judges for these annual awards, we do our best to identify the most-deserving recipients of this unwelcome plaudit.

And now, the P.U.-litzer Prizes for 2008:

HOT FOR OBAMA PRIZE -- MSNBC's Chris Matthews: This award sparked fierce competition, but the cinch came on the day Barack Obama swept the Potomac Primary in February -- when Chris Matthews spoke of "the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often."

BEYOND PARODY PRIZE -- Fox News: In August, a FoxNews.com teaser for the "O'Reilly Factor" program said: "Obama bombarded by personal attacks. Are they legit? Ann Coulter comments."

UPSIDE-DOWN "ELITIST" AWARD -- New York Times columnist David Brooks: For months, high-paid Beltway journalists competed with each other in advising candidate Obama on how to mingle with working-class folks. Ubiquitous pundit Brooks won the prize for his wisdom on reaching "less-educated people, downscale people," offered on MSNBC in June: "Obama's problem is he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who could go into an Applebee's salad bar and people think he fits in naturally there.

There's more on blue name clicky.

I'll play, sam. Facebook seems about as vapid as high school to me. I did hook up with 2 guys I haven't talked to in 35 years. In just a matter of days I remembered why I quit talking to them in 1973....

I have a few people who asked to be my friend and I don't know who the hell they are. They don't bother me or try to sell me siding or phone cards...so maybe I'll remember how I know them or maybe they'll sober up and realize they don't know me at all. No hot classmates have contacted me. Of course at 53, how many hot classmates do I still have? I am enjoying MyFace, as I like to call it, because I gots good genes! I've never made much of a living and if my parent's hadn't died and left me a house I guess we'd be camping in the woods. But since I got all my hair and since people on both sides of my family are 80 before their hair turns gray and because I invented a no wrinkle face exercise years ago ....I look years younger than my classmates!

I try not to gloat of course. But I notice when I'm chatting with them I keep whipping my head around showing off all this great brown hair like I was a teenage girl. I don't get the camera up close enough for them to see my teeth are plastic. And I never mention my impotence problem. I just show my apparently perfect teeth, my great hair and my fairly unwrinkled face to them and make sure the best furniture we got is visible behind me.

Now and then I'll slip 2 rolls of quarters in my jeans and get up and act like I'm looking out the window or something. I bought a coat of arms at a garage sale years ago and I make sure it's in the picture but not where you can read the last name. I don't know where the Nelson's went, but they got a great coat of arms!

I need to do something about my friends list though.....all 59 of them are white and straight, and 3/4th of them are in the group 100,000 Strong for Sarah Palin....ack ack ack to that! I actually got a scolding and told shame on you..when I became a Fan of the Man Who Threw His Shoes at Bush. It kinda upset the Palinites on MyFace....but that's the way I roll.

One more thing....back in 1994 when me and the wife signed up for AOL 1.0 and it took me 10 hours to install it in a tiny Mac off a floppy disk, the first thing it told us was to make up a screen name. We thought that was the oddest thing in the world....ChunkyLover283 seemed really silly. I quickly learned to avoid words that implies you were gay (no BigBear37 or Twink22) or swingers or into feet or wet diapers. I can't even remember my first screen name...but it felt so funny being called MooseJaw or whatever it was. So....many years go by....thru AOL, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, Myspace and then I get talked into getting on Facebook and they want MY REAL NAME! And holy sweet Jesus...what a totally different experience to be myself in public for all to see!

Hell, first thing I did was friend Boozman, and Pryor. I became a fan of the Bible and I jointed the group BREAS (Baptist Religious Education Association of the Southwest) so people in Fort Baptist won't be suspicious of me. I don't type damn or hell, I say Great Sweater instead of Nice Juggs! Oh...it's been very very strange having to use my real name and having to put on my ME clothes and behave myself in public.

So....that's my take on MyFace. Guess it's not going to ruin the world and yes, most of the time when I'm on it I feel like a moron. But who knows...maybe one of the more well preserved female members of my high school class will friend me just about the time her husband has to fly to China for a month....and who knows what that might lead too.....well worth the price of Facebook!

Now Sam I was pointed toward my bed but we have to get to the bottom of this..........
I don't know Jack about Facebook but I know about wanting to show up all the highschool
beauty queens that all the football/basketball hero's were panting after, I was not one.....
but, one of the rare, lucky ones who gained beauty with age and attracted all the males
I missed as a teen.
Long time passed and good memories.
I did meet a couple of old teen boyfriends and they told me they were sorry they
dumped me for their miserable wives............
Put a big smile on my face.

From Lake Superior State University, here's the 34th annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. On the list--Maverick (who'd have guessed!), staycation, bailout etc. Clicky for the full list.

Maybe Rick was yanking Leslie's chain . . .

In regards to DBI and Jazzy's comments about looking better now than we did then...When I was 18 and looked about 12, my mother told me I'd be grateful when I got older. I went to only one high school reunion--my 10 year reunion. Even at that point, all the girls who were the beauty queens and sought after because they were mature-looking, were not aging gracefully. They already at 27 & 28 had wrinkles on their faces. It was then, I knew that my mother told me the truth!

Jazzy, I saw your election night picture and know what you say it true--you look great for being the "oldest one on the blog".

But to get back to what Sam is asking--call me old fashioned, but I prefer to keep in touch with my friends (few as they may be) through phone calls, emails, letters and in person. I am secure enough with who I am that I don't need to belong to a social networking site to prove my "worth" by the number of "friends" I can claim. I wasn't one of the popular kids in school and I'm not out to change that now.

I agree, NVR, jazzy is a knockout. I can't imagine any guy dumping her. Ever. I'm also with you on this: None of that Facebook or MySpace stuff for me. I mean, what's the point?

A friend just sent me Panties on Facebook. I bet durango didn't just get Panties on his profile page! I GOT PANTIES! Max......enable the gift feature on the AT blog. I gots something I want to send to jazzy!

AW DBI. Quit braggin'. Bet they're granny panties anyway. ;-)

OK, here's my new pet peeve. I bought a new box of Cheez-it crackers last weekend at Kroger. I only buy them when they are 2 for $5. I get it home and discover that the box is shorter. It is only 9 ounces instead of the usual 10 ounces (I still had some crackers left in the old box in my pantry). So now instead of getting 10 ounces for the price of $2.50, I got 9 ounces. I'd seen a segment on the Today show not long ago about this practice. Reduce the package size and hope the consumer doesn't notice and realize that the price of the item just went up. It's being done to cereal boxes, can goods, ice cream etc. So whether it is obvious or not, grocery prices are going up. I just hate it worse when they are sneaky about it!!!

It's an old practice NVR. Been around as long as inflation.

Except with colas. They became larger, then larger yet. Since they're mostly
water and corn syrup what difference does it make.

eLwood--I realize it's not new but I think it's more prominent and sneaky now than it was before. The old box of crackers was bought in the last month. If you want to see more examples, follow the link.

Sam, I was cajoled into joining Facebook a few months ago by a couple of nieces who love it. I have my real name and my face there for all the world to see. I did have two (2 not 200) people find me there from my past and joined me as "friends" along with my sisters and various nieces and nephews and grandchildren. I've had invitations from a couple with exotic names, but I was sure I never knew them and I ignored the invite.

I have about 15 friends - mostly related, but my #1 niece does have about a hundred - many are church friends from the two major cities where she has lived. I don't understand anyone having hundreds...

I'm not a very good Facebooker and I forget it for weeks at a time and then something pops into my inbox that invites me to "hang and ornament on Suzie's tree", or take the "what country song are you" quiz, and I dutifully go there and pretend to be having fun.

It's the silliest thing I've ever encountered in all my life, I guess you can color me a dull old fuddyduddy......

Facebook: While I don't exactly have a burning yearning to revive contact from members of the DeQueen High School Class of '83 (those reunions every ten years are sufficient) Facebook has been beneficial to my bidness, and I have just as many clients as friends there, and see my work (I'm a photographer) all over Facebook, which makes for a nice online gallery.

Someone above mentioned real identity on Facebook versus anonymous blogging: Before I left Stync Weekly in huff, my "supervisor" accused me of posting nasty comments about her here within these pages. I absolutely did not do it, but the interesting part is that she told me she thought it was me because it was so well written. Which was funny coming from someone working in a building full of writers at the ADG. As bad as I wanted to take credit for it, I couldn't.

My point is that I feel compelled to always use my real name, no matter what or where I post online, invoking my inner Howard Roark to take responsibility for anything I say in public. Blogging and commenting is an amazing priivilge of communication, and I'd hate to see it fade out of use due to anonymous crap-storms.

If you're a Facebooker, feel free to add me.

Doigotta,
Yes. Thank you. My comment was in reference to the caption of the post,
ala "Tropic Thunder".
Shit, I hate it when I have to explain my ingenious humor.