I think, therefore, I Twitter

I like social networking. I blog (obviously, eh?), I Facebook and I Twitter.

I can take a picture with my BlackBerry and when I upload it via Ubertwitter, it automatically updates my Facebook status.

In short, I'm a bit of a geek ... well, I don't write code or anything smart like that, so maybe I'm just like everybody else who performs these now-mundane tasks.

Through Facebook, I've been able to reconnect and stay in touch with many family members who I'd normally see only at weddings and funerals, as well as former classmates and long-lost friends.

For me, social networking is fun. I like it — for the most part.

There is a basic code of etiquette to which we should all strive for our online presences. Click here to read Brenda Powell's basic list of dos and don't for social networking.

Here are a few of my guidelines:

First, my kid, my mom and my grandms are all on Facebook. So I do try to keep my posts, pictures, stories, videos, etc., acceptable for their viewing enjoyment.

I break this guideline often.

I have been known to spend a Sunday morning or two deleting unsavory pictures and/or comments that I had posted the night before when my good judgment was clouded by my beer goggles and readily accessible Internet.

I try to make my updates at least marginally funny (to myself, anyway) or informational. I try (and, again, often fail) to avoid posting mundane facts, e.g., "I had lunch with Bill today," "I'm working at my desk," "I'm walking my dog."

All those things are true (well, I'm not actually walking my dog right now. She actually hates the cold. Thank goodness our dear friend bought her a dog snuggie), but in the grand scheme of things, who cares?

If I'm dead set on pronouncing my lunchtime activities, I try at least to include some entertaining tidbit, e.g., "I dazzled the folks in the Chipotle parking lot by falling off the 6" curb today after lunch with Bill."

Still not the most interesting thing in the world, because if you know me, you know that the probability of me falling off each and every curb I'm presented with is pretty high. But at least there was some effort to craft a statement worth reading.

Now while I'm not that interested in reading about what you had for dinner, I am interested in seeing your pictures. I'm a visual person. Don't write that you got a new haircut/tattoo/snuggie unless you are going to post pictures of the aforementioned item. I want to be able to judge for myself whether the haircut/tattoo/snuggie is indeed as awesome as you suggest.

One of my social-networking pet peeves is when people use their status updates to count down to their awesome vacations upon which I have not been invited (Daniel, I'm looking at you!).

While I love to hear what people are doing on their vacays and see pictures of the places they are visiting, knowing that they have 3 days, 15 hours and 29 minutes until their plane lands in Hawaii, makes me hope — just a little bit — they experience a bed-bug infestation.

I post links to my blogs on Facebook and sometimes to Twitter, not because I expect everyone to be interested enough to read them, just so that those that I've "friended" can, if they want to.

Honestly, I'm always surprised when I find out that people actually read my scribblings. That fact alone makes me strive to be more interesting, more funny, more profound.

In the meantime, I only can hope to be less annoying.

25 Random Things

I got double tagged to do this 25 Random Things meme on Facebook by both Cari and Marlys.

So here it goes:

1. I usually ignore most memes, chain letters, chain e-mails and the like unless I really like the person who sent it and/or I'm in the right mood.

2. I have a weird relationship with rules: I follow some with an obsessiveness and others I pretend don't apply to me (don't even think of changing the rules of Farkel or turning without using your blinker around me).

3. I started playing the guitar five years ago because everyone else in the family had musical instruments. I never intended to be in a band or write original music. I just wanted to learn to play Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi, so I could sing along.

4. I wear all black to work every day because I'm too lazy to figure out outfits that go together.

5. Two winters ago I had six black turtleneck sweaters that were exactly the same and I wore them every day to work for three months. It was awesome.

6. I love the scarf, purse and wallet I got for Christmas this year, but not as much as the Gibson Flying V Bill gave me.

7. The last New Years Eve show my band played, I screwed up the count down to midnight simply because I counted wrong ... outloud ... into the microphone.

8. I love to make fun of myself. But am trying to do it less, because it hurts my self-esteem.

9. I will pretty much do anything to make other people laugh. This gets me into trouble.

10. I didn't drink any alcohol for over four years.

11. I started again when my dad got sick.

12. I miss my dad so much, but I love having my mom with me. I feel selfish about that.

13. I wish my mom would live with us forever.

14. I've become obsessed with what my family eats and I bug them about it relentlessly.

15. If I wasn't me, I'd probably think I was annoying and talk about myself behind my back (especially when I'm hounding my family about food.)

16. I get crushes on things and people and will cyberstalk the object of my crush.

17. I'm obsessive about my skin and spend a lot of time and money trying to save it.

18. My life is very stressful right now and sometimes I just want to cry over it, but I don't.

19. Playing music with Laurena, Kelley and Scott is the best stress reliever there is.

20. I love my bandmates like they were family and hope we stay together forever.

21. Having my daughter was the one the two best decisions decisions I ever made.

22. Marrying Bill was the other.

23. I'm jealous of how kind and lovable Bill is.

24. I know that I don't deserve him.

25. I love my family more than I can ever show.