More with the yin-yang.

First, a small tribute to Facebook which I cannot take credit for.

Agreed! I have played Scrabble with my 8th (and also 10th) grade "homecoming" date who lives in middle America with his wife and lovely daughters. I have reconnected to someone in a more significant way because I posted a note about a first concert that he and I shared when I was half my age. I have had lively alcohol-induced conversations about life in general with my first ever real boyfriend, who I haven't seen since 1992. I have been the recipient of a whole hell of a lot of good music and movie recommendations from people I knew anywhere from 3 days ago to 20 years ago. I have been able to share music/movie recommendations with people I haven't verbally spoken to in as many days/years. I have bonded to good friends even more so, by knowing what they are doing/reading/eating/listening to on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. This has all been fun.

On the flip side, I have been stalked by people I do not wish to ever talk to again. I have rejoined the worlds of my elementary school classmates only to comment on their cute kids but "hide" their God-loving or soliloquy stati which I end up reading through RSS anyway. I have been reminded of painful memories I wish to forget. And I've been put in some pretty awkward situations because of who I've chosen to be "friends" with (hint: don't befriend people at work).

Worst of all, I have wasted a hell of a lot of time on this stupid web site. I can't even justify the majority of it to Alzheimers prevention through Sudoku and Scrabble, either. (But playing those repeatedly with a good friend has been a good thing, for sure, for both my sanity and my eventual 67-year old memory. And hers, I suspect!)

So... in the end, I think I just need to unplug and start volunteering again. And writing again. I mean, really writing. Again. And figuring out this whole life plan. Life's too short.

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* I can't immediately find a direct reference, and this link does not do my memory of this episode justice, but what I recall of it (other than the usual Jan drama) is that Aunt Jenny brings other cultures and tons of fun to the Brady family, and it turns out that even though she's not particularly attractive, she's been proposed to by kings and she's declined in order to live her own life, and travel, and just BE. That sounds lovely right about now.