The Social Media Black Hole

I went down the rabbit hole of social media tonight.  It started so innocently, checking Facebook, which lead to Instagram, which lead to Twitter, which lead to more Facebook, which landed me on Google+.  (Does anybody even use Google+?)  I've spent more time in all of these time-sucks as a result of the business, since this is the new direction of marketing.  I stop and wonder about the direction we are going as a society.  We make "connections".  As an introvert who is notoriously horrible at meeting people and making friends, one would think I would revel in this type of detached attachment.  Part of me likes hearing from old friends.  Part of me still feels as awkward, self-conscious, insecure, and isolated as I did in junior high/high school.  (Why haven't people sought me out?  Why am I always the seeker?  How much do I reveal?  Why do I still feel like a dork?)  I do check people's posts all the time, and I don't know why.  What I mostly see is polarization and extremism.  Polite debate has been drown out by all-caps screaming.  No one is listening and everyone is yelling.  The anonymity emboldens people to be, for lack of a better term, dicks.  Some of this behavior is spilling over into real life.  Hopefully, we can all remember our manners when not in front a screen.  I promise to remember this, too.  And to put down the screen periodically.  Or at least at family functions.  And at the dinner table.

Many of my connections have unplugged from one site or another.  The sites where they remain involve a much smaller, selective circle of connections.  Maybe we *should* all join Google+ to avoid the bullshit that wears us down.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look at pictures of baby hedgehogs.

The end

This quarter is the first after many, many years that I do not have a teaching appointment.  I am/was so low on the totem pole that I wasn't given any classes.  I am still torn about how I should feel.  I wish the end of my teaching career would have happened on my own terms.  (Officially, it isn't over,  but I have a feeling that I won't return. I'm still on some list somewhere. )  The loss of medical benefits and a steady,  albeit tiny,  paycheck is stressful. The freedom to focus my energy on our own business is awesome.  Now I really need to work on my time management skills. Or find a personal assistant. So much to do;  so little time.  

Mmmm... ducklings

Me:  We're going to Bruno's.
Flynn:  YES!  Schnitzel!   Mommy,  what are those things I always take off your plate?  Ducklings?
Me: Dumplings.
Flynn: Yum.  Dumplings.
Me: Ducklings on your plate would make for a very different meal.
All:  Quack quack quack!

Brain capacity

Me: So, Drake, what's the name of your new technology teacher?
Drake: I have no idea.
Me: How come?
Drake: Well, there's so much information *crammed* up in there, and when you get so much up in there,  eventually it goes *POP* and something comes out.

Why am I crying?

Drake, Flynn, and I have starting a massive house cleaning effort, in the hopes of starting a fresh school year with a fresh house.  We started today in Drake's room.  A baggie full of change was found among the other piles of stuff.  I asked him to put the change in this piggie bank.  The banks the boys have are divided into four sections: save, spend, donate, and invest.  Here's how the conversation went...

Me: Drake, please put your change in your bank.
[sound of clanking coins]
Drake: I need to get the Donate section higher.
Me: I would put it in Invest.  Since you are already talking about going college, you should start saving now.
Drake: But , Mommy, the poor people really, really need it!

END SCENE

Wolfgang

Wolfgang, the wolf puppet, has come out of hibernation.  He was put away when Drake was diagnosed with dust mite allergies.  I brought him out today, after a short stint in the freezer to kill off any remaining mites.  The boys were instantly in love with him.  They sat on the couch with him, feeding him puppet food and stroking his fur.  Flynn read two stories to him.  Wolfie fell asleep during the second, and Drake woke him to hear the end of the story.  Flynn then started taking pictures of Wolfie; afterward, he let Wolfie take some pictures.  It is very difficult for a wolf puppet to manipulate a camera.

Feeding Wolfie some puppet food

Flynn later read him a bedtime story and left books to read.  According to Drake, Wolfie is a Pre-Level 1 reader.  I'd say that's pretty impressive for a puppet.

Here's Wolfie, all tucked in and ready for bed.  Notice the food dish, books, and camera (to take any picture).

I hope those two stay sweet and imaginative.

Pink and blue

Flynn and I survived our first Princess Party today.  The guest of honour was Rapunzel, and he was very charming to her.  Totally cracked her up by telling her that he doesn't drink any grown up drinks like alcohol or root beer.  Flynn was way out of his element, being one of the few boys there and no one else was running around like crazy people.  I was out of my element because all the other parents knew each other.

I understand little girls are really into princesses.  (I'm not going to lie.  I had the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty books on record.  I listened to them all the time.)  The girls wore their princess dresses and there was lots of twirling.  What surprised me were the gifts.  Flynn's gift was the only game.  Everything else was something crafty or princess or crafty princess.  (There was one LEGO set.  Princess, of course.)  At all the other parties we've attended or I've worked, board games are a staple.  But, those parties were all for boys.  Am I reading too much into this?  Girls still play board games, right?  Have we as a society gone overboard on the gender roles that girls aren't supposed to be competitive? Aren't we currently complaining that there aren't enough girls in certain areas of study?  So, why are we only buying them crafty things as gifts?  And, shouldn't more crafty items be given to boys, too? 

I don't know what I'm talking about any more.  I'm surrounded by so many boys all the time that maybe I've lost some perspective.