Couldn't resist...

I wanted to wait before I posted about this topic again, but the blast from the past topic is really just too good. While this may not be what initially prompted this post, this is a perfect detour.

Love it or hate it? I have my theories on the whole Web 2.0, social networking platforms that exist in today technological world. Being of the generation who has grown up with this technological gizmos, I admit, I should be more tech savvy. Especially after living in Europe and still not mastering the text message. I am embarrassed on how long it takes me to type 2 sentences. ;)

Anyway, I resisted myspace when it first came out. In fact, I had thought I had resisted it completely, until I got some email about my account being inactive for too long. I must have created an account, never used the thing and gave up during my european tour thinking it would be a way to stay in touch with the homelanders. I tried to resist facebook, but it just seemed more professional and clean than myspace. It wasn't screaming stalker / sex scandal.

I've heard the notion of computer natives and immigrants. Okay, so I am a native, but often I feel like an immigrant. I often wonder what is so damn important about all of this social networking stuff. Yes, it is a great way to reach younger audiences, but does it cheapen the way conversations and social interactions are made between people?

The answer to that question, according to moi is YES! How many of us really have over 250 friends? Friends who we let see our bar crawl photos, relationship status and personal wall messages. Frankly, I'm glad I don't have 250, or 150 for that matter - I wouldn't remember all their names, birthdays and my cell phone surely could not store all those numbers (It would take me a year to just type their names into my address book ;) - I kid, I kid, I'm not that bad).

So one thing that irks me is this sense of false social being. I block the person who isn't my friend but I accidentally accepted. You block one of my contacts because they kissed your boyfriend once in high school. He says he's in an open relationship when you think you are being exclusive. What is this bull shit anyway? Last time I checked - I wasn't in middle school anymore. I don't thrive off of drama how I once used to (or maybe used to).

On the up side, I really do enjoy being reconnected with long-lost friends. It's nice to know you can find people online, send them an email or just know where they are and what they are doing. That aspect is cool. What takes it over the edge is when a crazy ex finds you through the platform and all of sudden wants to know you again. Hello, when it's over it's over. You don't try to find ex's over the internet just to "catch up." (Well, at least not in my opinion. Doesn't matter if you never got closure, had a 'nice break up', ya de ya da...).

I just sometimes do not buy getting back in touch with some people from our yesteryears. So you sat behind me in middle school algebra. Want a cookie? By the way, my grade on that quiz would still be better than yours, even if you cheated off mine. You were a friend of a friend of a friend at some summer camp. Yipee!

Am I cynical? Yes and no. I do enjoy walking down memory-lane. I love surprise letters, emails and phone calls from friends who I haven't heard from in awhile. What I don't enjoy is having to filter through layers of memories trying to remember where I know someone from. And, I especially don't like the drama of online social sites.

This post has been a tangent, and to think it all started because someone I know was freaking out about a picture she saw of a future grad classmate on Facebook. Yes, there are people who wear mini shirts and high, high heels out there. And, yes some of those people post those pictures to the internet. Do normal people do that? Well, maybe. Does it give you a memorable first impression with a headful of ideas of how the person will be in real-life? Hell yeah. I'll be curious to see how this one works out...

P.D. Alvito, me alegro k eres mi amigo por facebook ;)

Blast from the past

Every so often it's nice to be reconnected with the past. Whether it be from a friend from yesteryears, an old photograph from your youth or getting a waft of grandma's cooking. It's always nice to look back at the happy times.

I have a selective memory. Somehow or another, I push all the not so happy moments of my life completely out of mind. This, of course is not something I am going to complain about. Once I finally do get around to burning all my old journals, then it will really be all out of mind. The sad thing is that my selective memory is flawed. Not only have I pushed out all the not so pleasant moments, I seem to do that with the monumental times of my life. That means graduations, baptisms, details of family trips... (Note to reader: I do remember my wedding day, thank you very much!). It is a very odd thing. I can remember the small, mundane details of things, but not the "big picture" moments. Thank god we invented cameras, it sure helps jog the memory.

Who knows. It's like the "outlier" happy and bad moments get lost in the shuffle. *Sigh*

There was something in particular I really had wanted to write about, but I don't quite think the timing is right. It will come soon enough - and has to do with reconnecting. Until then...

Caramba!

Ole ole - hace demasiado tiempo sin escribir por aqui. No me ha dado tiempo, y si he tenido bastantes cosas para contaros. (O contarte Alvito ;)).

1. He ido a Florida el finde pasado. Que maravilla. He ido para visitar a mi amiga y era la fiesta de soltera. Hemos pasado genial. (Y tambien nos hemos portado muy bien)
2. Estaba de viaje con mi empresa. Siempre es divertido estar con un grupo de gente que puede ser mis padres. Ojala que muy pronto encuentro gente de mi edad en el trabajo...
3. Estamos de mudanza! No puedo esperar para estar mas cerca del centro y estar en un lugar que es mas seguro. Ahora os cuento (en ingles) ;)

I never thought I could be scared to live somewhere; and truthfully I am not scared to this day, just much more aware. On Monday, after coming back from the sunny south from a weekend trip and forcing myself out of bed - I walked to the bus stop.

In route, I noticed that the apartment complex by ours was "caution taped" and surrounded by cop cars. There were three I saw as I passed, and another 2 in route. I had no idea as to what would have happened. I guess having that many cars around was abnormal, but I walked on.

Turns out -- there was a martial dispute in one of the apartments and someone was murdered! Yes, murdered. (Or as the note we got from the complex says "a domestic dispute that resulted in a homicide". SCARY! It is scary to live somewhere where someone got killed.

We are not in a bad area, and I guess these things happen often. I just never thought it would happen by us. So yeah... interesting times.

Needless to say - I'm happy we are moving :)!

Not too much else is going on. (That is the biggest lie imaginable. There is a TON going on. I am crazy busy, as usual. Not only am I knee deep in work, but I'm over my head with consulting work! Oh well, our rent goes up and we need the extra moolah.)

Peace & love :)

Nothing personal

I strive to not let this blog of mine get to personal and too in depth about my personal life. Whether I do this because I'm worried some ghost of my past will find out about this blog and read all the inner workings of my now "quasi adult" brain or I just don't want anyone to know (whether I know you or not) what's going on upstairs.

What can I say - I think us americanos are rather private about our more 'human' qualities. (i.e. defeat, short comings...etc). Once we do something good we're all about showing it off. It is the more human traits that we tend not to share. Anyway, not only is this a very random start to this post, but it really has absolutely nothing to do with what I wanted to talk about. Of which, I have entirely forgotten.

I suppose there are a few things I recently learned:
1) Life is way too short for second guessing. And way too short to be able to predict. Sadly, it should not take a family emergency to have to actually have that point validated. (Everything is a-ok, no worries).

2) Spring really does happen overnight. Last night there were buds on the trees and this morning there was greenery! Amazing. I swear it literary happened overnight.

3) Earthquakes really do wake you up. **Yes, there was an earthquake that hit these parts. I couldn't figure out why Pedro and I were both up at around 4'35a.m. I later found out I must have grabbed the heck out of him in my sleep when the ground shook. This would probably also explain why it took me FOREVER to get back to sleep; the earth quake must have shook me enough to scare the crap out of me without my even knowing what had hit until reading the news.

4) People are stupid. Not all people, but many. No need to go in details. but let's just say I've been hit by my share of stupids lately. (And I am walking away unbruised ;)).

Wish I could say that I have learned more recently.... I'll get right back on it.

Exciting ;)

Thought I would share the excitement. Peds and I both will have photos in an exhibition at a local coffee house. (Two of mine got in ;)). And there they are. They are kind of crazy, not Peds style, but I think they are interesting. Plus, my blog needed some images. :o)

To begin, you begin

That exact quote I heard just a day ago. And it kind of stuck.

I was responsible for making some call backs and who would have known I would have had a 73 year old woman on the other line asking me about my life goals and aspirations. It was almost a free therapy session ;).

She asked me point blank if I would consider myself an artist. Hmmm.

The short answer is maybe. I love art. I love culture. I love filling my life with both and trying (and pretending) like I am decent at what fits into its definition, which by the way is personal to each and every human being. I started telling her about how I'd like to write a book. I've started, but just don't seem to have enough hours in the day to continue working on it.

She wouldn't buy that - saying we make time for everything we do. The things we really want to do we will find time to do. She then said the most important thing she got out of therapy (and probably one of the few things she remembers) is that in order "to begin, you begin."

I like that. It's easy enough to think about all the things we want to do in life; all the things we need to do in life. Where is there the time to do all of that? Quoting an old coach "You gotta want it to win it." Another true-ism. ;)

So does this mean I've gotten back into writing my book. Well.... no. Does it mean that I am thinking about it... well maybe. I do know though that at some point soon I will do it.
Even if no one else ever sees it or reads it - I will do it. For me.

So the creative juices have been flowing. It is a curious thing - creativity.

The million dollar question - What is an artist? The million dollar answer: Depends on who is defining it. So I guess if I want to call myself an artist - then I can. Although, I still would opt to say maybe.

Hmm.... gears turning. More to come soon. *I'm certain*

El trabajo que es para buscar trabajo

Como os suena? Es la verdad.

Es un trabajo completo buscar trabajo. (Y encima de esto es un conazo :)).

Me alegro un monton que (por fin) no tengo que buscarlo yo. Tal vez, me siento culpable. Es que ya estoy acustumbrada tener que buscar un curro nuevo cada 9 meses. Pero, quien se sabe - a lo mejor tendre que hacerlo otra vez. Ya veremos.

Estaba pensando (y si es una novedad si pienso en cosas que no tienen que ver con arte y cultura ;)) que ya es el momento cuando hay mas gente buscando trabajo que cualquier otra temperada. Por que? Pues porque todo el mundo de la universidad que estan en sus ultimas semanas estan buscando curro como locos. (O por lo menos, lo deberian estar haciendo ya!).

Me acuerdo cuando el mercado era mejor y no era tan dificil para buscar y encontrar trabajo. A lo mejor todavia esta asi y nuestra maldita prensa nos quiere mentir. Se que en 5-10 anitos vamos a tener muchos puestos mas - es que ya nos toca que la gente mayor se jubilan. Aunque lo deberian empeziar ya, espero que por lo menos en 5 anos se van.

Es tiempo ya para pasar el poder a gente mas joven. :o)

Ay, no se. Y tampoco tengo mas para escribir. He visto un tipo en el autobus el otro dia "buscando oro" (si digais eso en espanol). [Y si no - el tipo estaba cojiendo moscos enfrente de todos los pasajeros]. Piense escribir algo sobre esto - pero no hay mucho para contar. Siempre me da risa de la gente que hacen cosas en publicos que no deberian hacer a solos!

:)