From Borrowing to Owning

I totally have working internet now. This is exciting because since I moved, I have been borrowing from a neighbor. You know, like sugar. And sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. And I had to sit in a certain spot in my living room, and sometimes hold my computer in a certain way on my lap. And I couldn't turn sideways and put my feet up on the couch. Otherwise, poof! Internet gone. Chats were friends were difficult and often ended with said friend cussing me out and telling me to get my own blasted internet. And yet they kept talking to me. Because they love me. And I am a riveting conversationalist.

So turns out when you buy the internet instead of borrowing it this means that there's a whole new set of freedoms you can enjoy. Like, I'm pretty sure I could access the internet from the comfort of my bed. Have not tested this theory yet, but I'm feeling pretty good about this theory. This bodes well for my upcoming illnesses. I like to plan these things ahead. I am fairly certain that I will now be able to stream all the Law and Order: SVU that my poor ill body may need, in the event I actually am ill. I like to plan.

I am chatting with two people at once and I have not once lost access to my chat. I feel so decadent.

Why You are Paranoid

If there is one thing that makes me giggle, it is people who talk all high and mighty like about how MyFace is a time waster and better yet "they don't want to share personal information for all to see." Um, it's called privacy settings, folks. Also it's called not accepting strangers as friends. OR, crazy though, don't share personal information. Just a thought. Do I post my phone number on my page even though everyone who is my friend is someone I know? Um, no. Because if I wanted them to call me they would have my number. That's an option. An option I will say was handy when we were moving into our apartment, and we needed help, and one of the Mormon boys whipped out his fancy phone and looked up numbers of guys to help us move and called them. All because of MyFace. And let me tell you also, there is this "decline friend request button." For the keeping of the privacy and whatnot.

When it gets irritating is when the "media is evil" people chime in. It's about the way you use the media, cranky people. I don't play games on MyFace that involve nurturing pretend animals, because it would make my head explode from the stupidness of it all. I don't judge if others do it, it just doesn't sound like fun to me. But to say that you don't do MyFace because you "hear it is a timesucker" is kind of like saying you're not friends with Mormons because you hear they are judgemental. I mean, just because you know me doesn't mean that *all* Mormons are judgemental, right?

Also just this last Saturday I sent out a notice to remind some of my Mormons that church starts at a different time in this, the year 2010. See, that's all efficient, and righteous, and not-time-sucky!

In conclusion, Google me. I dare ya. You will find more information on where to find me and what I am doing on my work and volunteer websites than you will find on MyFace. Those darn privacy settings! Foiled again!

I'm Not QUITE There Yet...

So apparently they have a place for people who spend all their time online, not even breaking to bathe, and eating at their computers. Besides High School. And I am proud to say that I still bathe from time to time. Also that I hate computer gaming. It's stupid. Yeah, I said it. When it causes people to forget dates they have sheduled, therefore forcing the girl to break the cd in half (no, it wasn't me, and she may not have broken it, but it was seriously considered), it has gone too far. When families sit in different rooms of the same house and "play" with each other and "talk" to each other online, instead of breaking out the gameboard, or, I don't know, going outside and getting fresh air and talking about real life, it has gone too far. When you are a 30 year old man, and rather than, I don't know, asking a girl on a date (again, not my target male) you get together ten of your closest guy friends you never talk to in real life together so you can all do all your techy stuff and play your game cubes or whatever together for what I'm pretty sure stretches out to at least ten hours, it has gone too far. And when teenagers and adults alike refer to someone as their "friend" and then fully admit that they've actually never met that person, and don't know their real name, but they're sure they're "real," what with all the bonding they've been doing over the game, it has gone TOO far.

I'm not even cranky today. Apparently I can rant about anything. Give me a random topic. I will rant.

I Heart You, Moms, but...

I have a lot of love for all of you moms out there. I really do. And I will admit that I read some blogs by mommies. I don't read them because you are mommies, but because I like you, and if you have darn cute kids and talk about them, so be it.

But this reference to "Mommy bloggers". This I don't get. Since when is that particular group of bloggers entitled to a name? I want a name! Where's my group? And why is the Mommy blogger movement a thing? I supposed if I stop and think about it, a lot of my friends who have blogs seem to have established them to give updates on their families, and spend a lot of time focusing on their kids. This I get, because they spend a lot of time with the little whipper snappers. But, hey, didn't you tell me you are sooooo busy you don't even have time to email me unless it's a group email? When are you having time to follow mommy blogs? Don't worry, this is a rhetorical question, as I'm fairly certain none of those who have used that excuse on me read my blog.

And another thing. I just looked at the mommy blog places referenced in that article. One mentioned is this one. It looks like a lovely resource. In fact, there were quite a few little links on there about improving blogs that I found interesting. But I'm not a mommy, and I don't feel like inviting myself in. So why they gotta be like that? Why does it have to be about the moms? Why can't it be about being a woman? You could still post things about healthy kids, and healthy marriages, because those things apply to many women. But hey, healthy food (should) also apply to me too. What about me???? I'm going to go out and hunt me up a good resource for woman bloggers.... Hmm... and Google says... mommy and woman are interchangeable. Awesome. I'm going to go listen to my biological clock tick now.

All the Little Birds Go Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

This whole twitter thing. What's up with that? I know there are people who love it, and who are addicted to it. Those are probably the same people who follow Ashton Kutcher. I personally tend towards the group that maintains that the internet has sucked us in enough already. Exhibit one: MyFace. Exhibit two: youtube. Exhibit three: Blog feeds. I'm covered. But apparently everyone in the world doesn't agree with me. Silly but true.


I googled "why Twitter," and a few of the very top posts were "Why Twitter Isn't a Waste of Time" and "Why Twitter Sucks." I keep thinking that it will die out. But even the guy that says it sucks says it will succeed. Bummer. I'm hoping that it at least morphs into something a little less ridiculous. I know it can be a place where you can get news about events or other things of interest to you, and that is neat-o. But I'm kind of over that. Just using the technology that I have, I can get more information faster than I ever could in my pre-computer, pre-cell phone days. Yes, that's right, when I was a kid, we didn't even have cable at my house.


I can find plenty of ways to fill my day with technology if I really want to. That's the dangerous and wonderful thing about it. I've noticed that I spend a lot of time on the computer, and walk away from it wondering how so much time has gone by with so little really accomplished. I can research things, catch up on TV shows, catch up with friends, read blogs from my favorite writers, and find recipes. All of these things are fun, and harmless, at least in small doses. But sometimes (especially with this whole unemployment thing), I find myself spending way to much time online. All the sudden I look up and it's dark and I missed the last lovely sunny hours of the day.


I've also seen that my teenagers often don't know what to do without a laptop in front of them or their fancy phones to text, check emails, etc, on. I can't say it's just a problem teenagers have, though, because it can be just as bad with adults. I have recently assessed my own uses of time and come to the conclusion that I need to stop getting sucked into things and make conscious decisions to do other things with my time. With all this free time, shouldn't I be doing some of those projects I've always meant to get to? Shouldn't my apartment be sparkling? Shouldn't I be nice and cook dinner for my roommate or something? I have family picture to catolog for my mom, tapes of family members talking to transcribe and add to the family history, toenails to repaint, old toys I either need to put in a box or let go of and donate/throw away. So why am I not doing those things? I could totally do them all.

But back to this Twitter thing. If it made you "jittery" to not be able to connect to it for an hour or two, would you admit to it? Because you shouldn't. Also, P.S., iReporter, not only do I not understand why CNN keeps letting you post things, I don't think Twitter needs a competitor. Unless that comes in the form of something less silly and more useful.

I Just Might be a Bass

My computer has gone on the fritz, right after my car went on the fritz, right after my mp3 player went on the fritz. Car is fine, mp3 player may never speak to me again. I'm hoping the laptop will continue speaking to me. Right now he as K's brother's getting looked at, AKA the Computer ER. Fingers crossed he will be able to resuscitate it. Noticed I called my computer a he. This might just call for a name. If he pulls through, that is.

Meanwhile the scene in my apartment just might look like this...

(Pretend that one scene from Spaceballs is here, where the princess is singing "Nobody Knows the Trouble I Seen," in a prison cell. I can't find it. Stupid Youtube.)

Update: Thanks BigSis. It was NOWHERE when I searched for it. Grr.

That's It. Employers Have Gone 'Round the Bend.

The good news is that all the crazies making odd business decisions are giving me plenty of fodder for my blog. With that said, I have to ask, what on earth is going on? Did you hear about this? Basically one lovely city has started requiring all your web membership info (MyFace, personal websites, online groups you belong to, etc), including password, so they can nose into your life. So many thoughts tumbling through my head.

First, this has got to be a violation somehow of some law that employers should be following. If it's not, it should be. They have no right to look in my personal accounts. If they can't find me using the handy, dandy cyber-stalking tools I've already told you about, then I say it's none of their business. If you are worried about character, check their references, call former employers, and do a background check. Novel concept. Having interviewed hundreds of volunteers, you can general identify the crazies right off the bat. And if they slip through, you have policies in place to catch the weirdness or prevent it.

Second, how do they know if you gave them all the info? if your settings are all to private on everything, and there are no real identifying features of where an account holder lives, it could be someone else with a similar name. So how do they know if you handed everything over? I personally might be hard-pressed to argue that if I attached both my names, but that's part of the reason I don't. I don't WANT to be found by certain people. Like crazies and potential employers. It's not because I do crazy things, or say inappropriate things, or have anything to hide. It's because I like to have a private life. My last boss knew I had a blog and could have cared less, since she has an aversion to all things computer-related. But she also knew I wasn't writing things that she needed to be concerned about.

Third, these people are idiots. And I'm glad I don't live there. And if this becomes a thing, someone better darn well sue and take it to the supreme court if they have to. I'm not okay with this.

I'm a Whiner: a Reminder to Buck Up

Seriously. Of all the youtube videos in all the world, this one is really cool. You should watch it. It's this man with no arms and legs who goes around talking to kids about having hope and happiness in life. I actually would like it better without the sappy music they edited in, because I think his message is more powerful without the music they put in to play on our emotions. But this guy is so cool. There are a bunch of videos on him on youtube.

Mystery Video

I found this video, and I found it amusing so I copied the embedding code, and now I can't remember what it is or what I wanted to say about it. So here ya go.

Things to Do When You Have Your Computer

I was without my laptop for a WHOLE WEEK. I took it in last Tuesday, and didn't get it back until this Tuesday. You may mock, but when you are unemployed, the Internet can sometimes be your link to the outside world while all your friends are busy being employed. Sometimes they don't want to chat with you online while their at work (what is that all about, employed friends???). K was nice enough to allow me to use her laptop (with strict guidelines so I didn't break it... so little faith, I tell you) during that time, but it just wasn't the same. It was like staying in some one's guest room. Nothing was where I normally kept it, and some things I wished I had brought with me (saved to a disk or something before turning my computer over). It was more complicated to check my email, I couldn't play with my pictures for my blog, and I couldn't pull up key job search tracking documents I had in my handy dandy laptop. Now life is so much better. It's all fresh and shiny and new. Here are the top ten things I can do with my baby, er laptop, now that it is back home.

1. Download the pictures of my battle wounds from falling down extra scrapy wood stairs face first onto extra firm cement so I can blog about it.
2. Download the weekly free tracks from Amazon if I so choose (I usually don't, but sometimes there is a treasure).
3. Check up on all my blog feeds.
4. Instant Message K on MyFace when she is in her room and I am in mine. Communication is key to strong friendships.
5. Watch the episodes (mostly finales) I missed of Castle, Cupid (I can't believe they cancelled it!), Harper's Island, Lie to Me, Dollhouse, and Fringe online. Be quiet, that's only 6. The other ones have already had their season finales.
6. Check the 2009 Fall Schedule and figure out which new shows are going to redeem the fact that they CANCELLED Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Samantha Who. What is wrong with them? I will tell you one thing: Trauma is bound to be pointless. Has NBC forgotten they just barely got rid of the long dying ER? Now they need to replace it with another hospital ER show, because there are so few out there? Blech.
7. Clean out my email. Because I'm in a purging mood.
8. Check my New Year's Resolution to see how badly I failed. I had huge goals this year, so I"m sure I"m failing big. But the thing with goals is that you can't just give up and say you failed because you dropped the ball. You have to pick it back up and keep trying. So all you anti-resolution people just need to know that you are going at it wrong, and I am going at it right. Don't you feel educated now?
9. Learn to do more things on my computer. My favorite IT guy told me about it as his contribution to my job search. I can download a trial version or play with the online test drive. I know there are little things I can do with these programs I have never tried. Woohoo! I'm home-schoolin'.
10. Go Hunting for free books!

Oh, the joys that are to be had!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Reunited. And it's understood. I think this calls for a video. In honor of the return of my laptop.




I was a fool to ever leave your side. Me minus you is such a lonely ride. The breakup we had has made me lonesome and sad. I realize I love you 'cause I want you bad. Hey. Hey.

Regret the moment that I let you go. Our quarrel was such a way of learnin' so much. I know now that I love you 'cause I need your touch. Hey. Hey.

Reunited and it feels so goodReunited 'cause we understood there's one perfect fit and, sugar, this one is it. We both are so excited 'cause we're reunited. Hey. Hey.

I sat here starin' at the same old wall. Came back to life just when I got your call. I wished I could climb right through the telephone line and give you what you want so you will still be mine. Hey. Hey.

* And that, my friends, is an example of Easy Listening. Always appropriate in the right circumstances, but not my first love.

Withdrawal

My computer had to go to the computer hospital. K has been gracious enough to let me use her computer so I can commense with the endeavor to not be unemployed, and also have some connection with the outside world. She's very nice. I want my computer back. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Nothing Like a Slightly Creepy Tune

Exhibit A: I've never had a nightmare about a bunny, but I think I see one in my future...


Exhibit B: Picture me as the little "Where?" kitty.


Exhibit C: What is more romantice than telling that special someone you love their pants? Except maybe letting them know through magical, lyrical song that your life would suck without them.


This last one I do not consider creepy so much as my new anthem. I like cake.

Texting: It's the New Note

Remember in junior high school, when we would write notes to our friends, and fold them up in magical little shapes that we practiced and prided ourselves on, with little tabs that said "pull?" I have often looked back nostalgically on those days. I love the creation of email, but I sometimes feel pity for kids nowadays, who don't write notes. But then it dawned on me- they text! It's totally the new note. Let's examine what we said then (and by we I mean me and my friends in junior high school) and what they say now.


Then: Phbbbbbbbbblt. (with smiley face sticking out tongue)
Now: :p


Then: He he he he he.
Now: LOL

Then: HA HA HA HA HA HA
Now: ROFL (or my favorite, ROFLCOPTER, meaning rolling on the floor laughing and spinning around).

Then: I don't get it.
Now: ?

Then: Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. (and yes, I wrote whole notes of this)
Now: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Then: BFF
Now: BFF (or BFFN--best friends for now)

Then: Wassup?
Now: Sup

And then there are the ones that apparently some kids use to pull one over on their parents. My personal opinion is that this is an age old craft, and if they think you have figured it out they will think of another way to hide things if it's that important to them. I myself had a number language with a good friend once. Although that was not so much to hide anything as it was to entertain ourselves. The only thing that scares me about this particular part of texting/IMing, is that Doctor Phil drew to light the fact that sometimes they are talking to people they don't know, more so online than texting, and it could be a pedophile. But it's probably just their friend who likes to cuss or talk dirty.

The Magical Online Cinematic World

I have declared this week technology week on my blog, or Why I Love the Internet. Today, we're talking about the joys of TV and movies on the Internet. I just cannot get over the wonder that is the Internet when it comes to the category of TV and Movie viewing online. Why, when I was a kid, we went to movies once in a while for a treat. When I got a little older, we had this thing called a VCR in our house. Now, I get movies in the mail! And I can stream them online. This totally multiplies the opportunities I have to watch movies about many topics, which can sometimes even be educational or mind-opening. It also gives me more choices when trying to select movies and TV shows to watch that match my moral standards. For instance, I can watch old seasons of Law and Order: SVU online through my DVD service. This came in very handy that one time when I was lying on my death bed. Also, I never would have found out that 1-800-Missing, based on Meg Cabot's book series which I enjoyed immensely, sucks. I would never have been able to pinpoint exactly which season Dead Zone started to suck. I would never have learned the true state of affairs in the french revolution, as so accurately displayed in The Scarlet Pimpernel. Lastly, I would not have been able to feed my obsession for my husband, Colin Firth, by finding lesser known movies he was in and watching them. Such gems as The Last Legion, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Accidental Husband, and When Did You Last See Your Father.

When I was a kid, you had to be home to watch your show, or hope they showed it in repeat. As I grew older, there were opportunities to record it on your special blank tape you bought for that purpose, which sometimes wore out, or ran out of room, or recorded over things you had not yet watched. And you could only record one show during that time period. Now, I can go online and watch almost any show I want, when I want. This is handy, since it's cheaper than getting one of those fancy shmancy machines that digitally records things (although those are also seriously cool and have their own benefits) and you can watch things at midnight if you don't get home till late. Since I have lots of night meetings, I generally miss most TV before 9:30. Given that I am a TVaholic, it would be tragic if I couldn't catch up on my shows. If you are not aware that the major networks have on demand opportunities to watch their shows online, you have been living a shallow and deprived life. There are also sites where you can watch clips and whole episodes of favorite TV shows. Did you know you can watch the A Team online? I pity the fool who misses out on that opportunity.

My Name is Holliberry, and I'm a Netaholic

I learned this weekend that I could be an internet addict. And so could you. Look at you, sitting there, surfing the web, reading blogs, checking your Myface. According to Time Magazine, the fact that I spend 6 hours on the internet most days (I am usually logged on while I'm at work, although I don't do work on the internet for the most part outside of sending emails and pulling the occasional bit of information off the web) is an indication that I should maybe go to a boot camp for a few months. They could be right. My intense anger and anti-social tendencies are most likely due to my attachment to my laptop. But it's shiney. And I like it.

In all seriousness, I am a wee bit concerned for today's youth. I talk to youth all the time who come straight from school or at least straight from their sport or club, and log on the internet (if they don't have it on their phone). They are on Myface, and they are blogging, and they have "good friends" they know solely online. Kids (and younger adults) are having fights, hooking up, and breaking up via text. I am all for technology. I sometimes stop myself from rolling my eyes (and other times don't stop myself) when people go on tangents about the evils of technology. It's amazing the things you can do nowadays. But that is a topic for later. My worry is that kids nowadays are learning to socialize and work out conflict with machines, instead of face to face. I really haven't read to much about the social skills and conflict management skills of our kids and how technology is impacting those things, but I do know that there is a whole new world of bullying and scandal being opened up by the ability to snap and send pictures at any time, post them on the internet, circulate them via email, blogs and myface, and get the chatter going via the same routes. Most kids I work with seem to have adapted to these issues, and think nothing of them, since this is all they have known. To me, it just adds to the feeling the world is going at a faster and faster pace. It makes me want to go live in a shack up in the mountain and raise goats. I wonder if I can get wifi up there....

Things You Might Want to Avoid Posting on Myface #1

Am I the only one who has seen those little invites to join groups that have titles like "Joe and Buffy are getting married!"? I've noticed that often they are set so anyone can join. They also often seem to be "open" meaning anyone can read the wall. If that's true, why would you post your full address on the wall? I know you want an invitation, but really? Are you new?

I Need Me Some Validation.

Myface won't validate me. That is, I'm trying to change my status from "Holliberry is crabby" to something else, and it tells me that "a validation error has occured." You're telling me.

Appreciating the Magical Things in Life

I was very proud of myself for filing so early this year, and I thought my joy at getting my refund so early could not be greater (unless they just decided I deserve extra), until I discovered something Magical and Wonderful. If you have already filed, you can go to the IRS website here and enter in a few key details to identify yourself, you can check on when they will deposit the money into your account, or mail your check. And the IRS told me exactly what day they intend to send the money. How cool is that? I can't even get my bank to give me that kind of information. The world is full of rainbows and unicorns now. And I will not have to stay in a cardboard box during my trip to Disney World later this month.

Helpful Technology Tip #1

When the cable installation guy asks you to see the modem so he can record the number, in no way does he mean "bring me the router." Surprising, I know.

My only defense is that K bought it and she forgot that she did NOT buy the one that came with a modem. So the fact that it clearly says "ROUTER" on the box- totally not a clue I should be expected to follow. Hey, I'm no Nancy Drew. At least not when I first wake up. Give me a few hours and a blueberry breakfast bar, and I do turn into Nancy Drew, complete with best friend Bess and boyfriend Ned.

Needless to say, the cable guy had to pull on all his professionalism not to openly point and laugh. He did give me one "you are a crazy fool" look, but he was trying not to. Fortunately he wasn't very cute OR charming, so I wasn't too terribly embarrassed. I guess there's the one benefit to not being sent the Hot Cable Guy.