Date: June 22nd, 2007

June 20, 2007

A very special episode

Back in the day, like four or so years ago, Facebook had just come out and it was like a really big deal. You could share whatever you pleased and then had the pleasure of knowing that the only people that could actually see it were those in your network. Thus limiting photos of your drunken rampages at the Kappa party, to those who went to your University or High School. The former group already knew you went running through the Quad naked and those of the latter group now think you’re kind of cool. Today, everyone and their baby’s daddy has Facebook. What I find intriguing are the people that are really into it. Which is why I found myself kind of surprised – and in no offense to him – how really into it Mike is:

Certain things have suffered since the laptop went in for work: I'm behind on my Facebooking by about three days. Thankfully I can still add contacts by responding to cell phone notifications, which until yesterday I thought were one step beyond pathetic, and now? HELLO PATHETIC! Nice to meet you!

Though he is my Facebook partner in crime, when it first came out, it was like No Parents Allowed, let me tell you about the orgy I just witnessed. Now even I’m considerably tamer when posting things to Facebook.

Of course that doesn’t keep me from sharing on my own blog or being full to capacity with honesty when I admit to things that probably put into question any sort of good judgment:

I ended up making the difficult decision of having my former boss’ driver bring me to BWI and back so that I could make it to Happy Hour before everyone was completely shit faced. OR bribing the bouncer with $120 in cash and I was dead serious.

What can I say? Desperate times call for most desperate measures. To recap: I’m all for Facebook sharing and looking like and behaving like an inept adult in times of quasi-crisis. The long, long list of things that I am not good at include – but are surely not limited to – A) making any sort of serious and possibly detrimental decision, without flopping around like a fish. Which would be the complete antithesis of Stacy, who has this way of composing thoughts in a coherent way, that makes me just sit in complete awe:

One of the options above will leave a person in a perpetual state of doubt and cowardice. Love never happens quickly. Everyone has different opinions, but I don’t care much for the notion of love at first sight. I think love comes through a series of ups and downs and being able to take what life throws at you.

And B) successfully being introspective, again, not without the flopping around and general panic that usually sets in while getting my thoughts out. It’s true what they say though (whoever ‘they’ may be, but I’m sure it’s said), Kris is a girl that can sit back, dig deep and think, then put it all into this prose that’s neither superfluous, irritating or condescending. It’s just all so very true that it in fact tugs at my heart strings:

It is at times so strong and enviable that you often don't share the details with friends; it is a sacred secret much better kept close to the vest. It can be intimate, often dirty, but the two of you are undeniably tethered to one another by an unrelentless tug, even when 3,000 miles away from him. You want to be close.

On the long, long list of things (patting myself on the back) I can do (/patting myself on the back), would be embarrassing the shit out of myself and then laughing about it and well…of course sharing it, though I wonder if people read it as a “Hoo boy, is she pathetic” and not “Ha! Funny!”. The latter reaction I had with G’s ‘wardrobe malfunction':

I drive to the appointment listening to, no kidding, Sinatra, and feeling pretty swank. I swagger into the office and the girl behind the desk smiles at me. She grins actually, a full on ear to ear and I just assume she's digging the Vegas suit. So I stand there, hands in my pockets, swinging my tie, being cool. I'm Joey Bishop. I'm Dean Martin.

Now would be the part of this Very Special Episode of The Arbitrarian, where the music will swell and to a crescendo and then a ritard, while the father sits down with the plaintive teenager to give a meaningful life lesson, but this isn’t that kind of Very Special Episode. This was just a Very Special break in format and ‘feature’ of the oft intelligent, thoughtful, and honest people behind Indie Bloggers. Hopefully this is a reciprocal arrangement; that you all enjoy us as much as we enjoy you. ***