CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

Quote of the Day

J: Did you get the image I texted you?

Me: No, but my phone tends to reject technology. It is a wart on the ass of humanity.

J: That's the best review I've ever heard of a phone.

Me: Thank you. I don't know why Android isn't using it.

 

Social Media Pet Peeves

As it happens, I do like to bitch and moan sometimes (ok, I do it often) and this week, I was reflecting on how much Facebook, Twitter and the like have changed the way we socialize. I was thinking that soon, someone was going to have to intehrate online etiquette into Emily Post's lesson plan.

Keeping in mind that these are derived of my own beliefs and opinions, here are some "case studies" on the matter which might inspire your online etiquette:

Twitter stalkers. This one time, I saw a celebrity at a sushi restaurant and I tweeted about it. Within days, legions of his fans were following me on Twitter. Next thing I knew, a couple of them were wishing me a good morning AND a good night. EVERY. DAY. It was incredibly irritating. Mostly because they were on another continent and as they told me good morning, I was going to bed... They got blocked. They got the hint. 

Pinterest loons. I realize the very nature of the site is to share things with people but we should all be out in the internets, finding unique things to bring to the table. If you're going to sign on and just repin every single thing I pin, you're missing the point. You're also annoying me. FYI, that's how I came to make this pin.

Furthermore, random company or person, do not tweet, direct message, or pin something that implies you are awesome and I should follow you. That is essentially the #1 way to make sure I do the opposite.

Overcommenting. Heads up - I work in PR and I'm on Facebook and Twitter ALL DAY, but even I can resist the urge to comment on everything I see posted to my timeline. And I appreciate that you think I am awesome, but it kind of creeps me out when you comment on any and all things I post. Within minutes. (And that goes double if you are a mere acquaintance, not someone I know well.)

Lack of response. If it is your intention to NOT write back to people's comments, then you are in the wrong place, bub. Start a diary. Keep it on your bedside table. 

Politics and religion. I'm not saying it doesn't belong on the internet but you'd better believe it's going to start a dialogue. That may go on forever. Don't be all surprised.

Don't be an asshole. You post something that makes you happy and someone shits all over it. You post a fact and someone immediately points out how wrong you are. You're loving this weather and someone tells you it's going to rain. Your baseball team is winning and someone wants to remind you how many games out of first they are... Don't be that guy. Never be that guy.

Abusing the Twitter. If you wanna chat with a friend, use AIM. Use your DMs. I don't need to know about your dinner plans in my feed. 

Play-by-play blogs. You know why wants to read a recount of your day in great detail? Almost no one. 

Game invites. Hey facebooker, if you've invited me to feed your horse on your ranch 18 times and I haven't yet, I'm not going to. I am glad you enjoy that game; it's just not my thing.

 

I could probably go on. I'm sure I have more however I'd hate to alienate everyone I'm friends with. As it is now, I'm pretty sure a couple of you are going to leave critical comments... Which is fine. I took that into consideration before writing this. 

I also asked some fellow bloggers what their social media pet peeves were as well:

• When people act surprised you know so much about them. 
• Being accused of stalking -- when you aren't.
• DMs on Twitter to solicit a follow.
• "Remember this" posts -- recycling something from a year ago.
• Overcommenting.
• Overposting.
• Saturating your page in politics and religious opinions.
• Lame Pinterest contests (there are many)
• Overusing hashtags 

With thanks to Linz, Miz Meliz, Sunshine Wonderland, Minnesota Girl in LA, Raised by Culture, Happy-Healthy-Hip and Baby Bump and Beyond

 Bonus Section

As a spin-off, if I may, some Blogger pet peeves. Take note of this, fellow bloggers. As a blogger AND publicist, I am in a unique postion to help you. Does that soung a little smug? Probably. Doesn't mean I'm wrong, though! 

Identify yourself. You're clearly blogging. On the internet. Throw us a bone, writers. Tell us your first name. Give us an e-mail address. Gmail is free so there's no excuse. Spam sucks but it's a fact of life. Get over it. Just be smart enough not to click on any links that look dodgy. 

Don't say yes to everything. We can smell that a mile away.

Send links. Once you've written about something, be a publicist's best friend and forward them a link to the story. Bonus points if you also include a link to the Facebook and Twitter posts about it. 

Be nice. It used to be that publicists needed you more than you needed them but let's be honest -- there are THOUSANDS of blogs out there. We may still need you, but not as desperately as some would like to believe. A little courtesy goes a long way. 

Quote of the Day

I love this so much more because one of my friends said it:

 

"Always choose the positive energy when you are down and feeling the opposite.

It changes everything"

-Mona

 

"When I was your age...!"

Can I just start this off by telling you my HEAD is KILLING me?! Dear god, there is something wrong up there. This concussion is out to get me. I'm pretty over it. Also, I could really use a strong pain pill (I'm not going to - but damn). I realize being on my laptop is really not the best thing for me... I simply cannot sit still. It's useless to try. So please expect me to complain about aches and pains, futily, for a while. If it bugs you too much and you wanna read something else, may I suggest this profundity. 

Anyway...

I've been trying to wrap my brain around being 33. For some reason, I was really dreading my birthday this year. I basically had to be talked into celebrating and the day of, I very nearly bailed on everything to stay in bed and be a mope. (I'm not kidding- the thought toally crossed my mind.)

I think I've mentioned -- I've been telling people that I'm 33 for anwhile now. It started as "Oh, I'm almost 33" and somehow became "33." Maybe that has something to do with it. I absent mindedly robbed myself of the climax.

I think what it really boils down to is perspective. I remember being 5 or even 15... Someone my age seemed so OLD to me. Someone my age had a husband and kids and a grown up job. My mom did. Actiually, when my mom was 33, I was already 8 years old. My brother was 6. My parents had already been married for over 10 years. They lived in a house - that they owned - with a big backyard and a dog.

And I'm so distant from any of that. At my 33, my career has barely taken shape. I live in an apartment that I share and rent. I am not only unmatched, I am stoically single. And I do not mean to devalue my friends or my life in general -- it's pretty great and I know that -- I just wonder if this all lay in the back of my mind somehow and that's what loomed over me as I was dreading this year's birthday.

But let's be honest, folks. I'm 33... at the maturity level of a 16 year old. ;) 

Emotional Inventory

A few weeks ago, a friend and I went to see The Lucky One. Whenever I see sappy movies with said friend, she always sobs and I remain rather stoic. 

It's not that I am immune to sentiment, but only a handful of movies make me cry and they are all totally random. For example, Mr. Holland's Opus. It must be the swell of music but that scene at the end just KILLS me. I've tested it out a couple times recently to be sure -- I simply cannot survive the final scene without a fit of tears. 

(Ok, seriously, I just looked up the scene on YouTube, and I CRIED AGAIN. Seriously! I didn't even watch the whole movie, people. There's clearly something wrong with my wiring.)

For the record, Steel Magnolias also always nails me. It's the southern accents. It makes everything seem even more tragic. 

But it's interesting that when I see a movie like The Lucky One, which I shockingly enjoyed but is pretty much constructed to make people swoon over Zac Efron and then burst into tears, that I remain unmoved. And it inevitably leads to me joiking around that I have no soul and never cry. 

Which, since I'm at it, is REALLY interesting because, well, I CRY A LOT. 

It's true. It's a badly kept secret so I don't mind saying it. I cried today, in fact. My head started to hurt around lunchtime and on came the waterworks. Same thing on Wednesday night. Sometimes I get mad at myself for being mad and I cry. Sometimes a conversation doesn't go the way I want it to and I cry... Those abandoned dog commercials that are on at like 3 AM when they play Sarah MacLachlan? CRYING LIKE A FOOL. I'm a planner, people, and when things don't go according to plan? I often experience a private little tantrum.

In short, I'm not quite the statue I would often try to convince myself that I am. And I guess I felt the need to let you all on this personal struggle of mine.

Coming soon: Things that make me happy, brave, angry, etc. I may run the whole gambit of shit that makes me emotional. 

And now, for your pleasure (and let's be honest, for mine as well), a gratuitous, hot photo of Zac Efron:

You're welcome.

A Lovely Poem About Wine

I love wine because it make me feel like a grown up.

A grown up who giggles like a four year old watching puppies play on the floor.

I love wine because it makes me brave.

So brave I contemplate running into the cold rain on my front lawn…in my underwear.

I love wine because of it’s anti-aging properties.

It’s proof positive that sometimes getting older really does mean getting better.

I love wine because you pour it into pretty glasses.

Pretty glasses just like the forty-two pretty glasses I just unpacked in my kitchen.

I love wine because it’s an all weather beverage.

Unlike lemonade or hot chocolate, wine is cold going in, but warm going down.

I like wine because wine doesn’t care if I’ve shaved my legs. 

Or brushed my teeth, or washed my hair, or sat around in sweat pants all day.

I love wine because it speaks French.

And it makes me speak French when I say Cabernet…or Chardonnay.

I love wine because it’s best friends with cheese.

And who doesn’t love cheese?

I love wine because it’s healthy for my heart.

After only two glasses I start to feel all romantic.

And I love wine because I drank some…

But I suspect I won’t love it in the morning.

Until the next time…I’ll be nursing a wine hangover.

author/source: http://www.ericaluckedean.com/the-daily-blog/2012/5/9/why-i-love-wine.html

 

Links you might want to click on

Brazil Retailer Using Facebook Likes... on its Clothing Hangers

This is insane -- but what an amazing way to see how your products attract consumers, right?

http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/06/brazil-facebook-lies/

 

Perfect Strangers: The Game

Run and fly with Balki Bartokomous - reach your dreams! "Nothing's gonna stop me now..."

http://nothingsgonnastopmenow.com/

  

 

Can I Offer You a Side of Social Media With That Brain Surgery?

A 21 year old woman just had a brain tumor removed... and broadcasted it live via Twitter.

http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/brain-surgery-live-on-twitter_b22352

 

Is Digital Clutter Taking Over Your Life?

Yes, I think it is. I'm a digital hoarder.

http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/digital-life-map_b22388

 

Ok, there are hot guys so I am posting this....

Also, I totally enjoyed this movie. :)

 

It's Tuesday....

It's Tuesday. It's May 8th... It's my birthday. 

I was completely unexcited about my birthday this year - I cannot lie. I don't know what happened. I always feel pretty pumped to kick another year in the ass but 33 kind of winded me. 

But family helps. And friendship helps. And things like high tea, dirty martinis, lots of hugs...

I'm probably just being a brat. Sometimes I wonder if the many events of the last couple years have just sent me into some weird mental tailspin from which I'll never recover. But I don't know about that.

My birthday also marks a near-halfway point for 2012. And I must say my "33 in 2012" list is not where it needs to be. I recognize that many items on the list, like "wear my glasses more often," will not be checked off til the final hour, but I need to get more motivated on this thing. It's really become my pride and joy in a way -- I love having it; I love doing it. 

May is a crazy looking month but I think June will bring new opportunities. More time to relax and spend some time with myself. That's an important thing I often forget. 

Things in the immediate future I am looking forward to:

• Going to D.C. on Friday. It's for work but I'm excited anyway. :)
• Celebrating Mother's Day with my family on Sunday. (D.C. is a very short trip!)
• The youth group regional convention - I love my teens! 
• Memorial Weekend. Maybe I'll watch Gone With the Wind finally.
• Writing more. Writing a lot.
• The fifth anniversary of the blog -- a LANDMARK! I need to think of something special to celebrate it with you.

And on this birthday, I must give MAJOR, MAJOR props to my parents who actually used this blog to find my birthday present. My mom had the foresight to scope out the "Current Obsessions" section up there in my menu bar and I got this FABULOUS Kate Spade bag. I am in love with it:

THANK YOU, Mom and Dad! THANK YOU! And also THANK YOU to my brother who has gifted me a 6 month international membership to Ancestry.com -- I am really interested in my family tree and this opens a HUGE door for my decade-long project. I am SO excited to dive into this.

Quote of the Day

He is not a fan of Broadway...

 

Me: I'm listening to showtunes. I know you're jealous.

Him: I am. My ears are bleeding just thinking of it.

Me: Don't worry, I'll make you a CD.

Him: That's a great idea. I can show you what showtunes look like in the microwave.