The One Where I Talk About Our Business For The First Time Ever

It's like trying to learn riding the bike while everyone else is watching you scramble for control, flailing, get scratched or fall face down. It is NOT a pretty picture.

I'm starting to get comfortable with this quiet and peaceful life without Facebook. The withdrawal symptoms only lasted for an entire day or so. Now, I kind of like and enjoy having the blog to go to and flood my thoughts with.

I couldn't have picked a better time to get away from the frenzy.  The husband and I actually have our hands full.  Business isn't as good as it used to be. (Not that it ever was that good.) There's a new and bigger, badass-er competition that is really bent on wiping out everyone else.  This is a small town and if you don't play it smart, you will get swept under.  It almost feels like a Goliath-David kind of battle.  I refuse to think they're invincible though. No one is. Nothing is.

The line between utter failure and minimal success is very thin and there's practically zero room for any error. Winning this would require laser light focus. It is pressure at its finest but I think I'm enjoying it.  By the way, by winning, I don't mean it to be like putting the big ass Goliath out of business.  It merely means surviving the year without a hitch and still be open for business come 2012. Hey, even I would like to party like its the end of the world with a lumpy bank account.  Anyway, I was never born with a competitive spirit but this whole situation has really got me psyched up to work my ass off. This time, I really want to win.

I always have doubts talking about our business. The last thing husband and I need while we're trying to make this whole thing work is having an audience who might know better than us or just really want to see us fail.  It's like trying to learn riding the bike while everyone else is watching you scramble for control, flailing, get scratched or fall face down.  It's not a pretty picture, you see.  So that would explain why you might see this post one day and not, the next.

The Perfect Rest Day or Hour Filler

Not even a day into shunning Facebook and I'm already having withdrawal symptoms. Okay, I wasn't able to resist. I did share a few videos. Ryan Clouse is too cool to not share with friends. He needs the exposure. I'm speaking for him. In any case, I am bent on making this whole Facebook rejection thing work and I think I've the perfect solution.

I'm the kind of person who needs to have something to obsess on, lest the people around me suffer.  I get wrapped up in work most days but during off days (or hours), I simply can't spend it all doting on the husband. So I'm turning to books.

I've always wondered why Twilight is popular.  The first two movies sucked, for lack of a better word. Robert Pattinson was not dreamy.  He was dreamy as Cedric in Harry Potter but in Twilight he was simply a bad actor. Conan had this skit on Jacob and Edward and it was a dead-on impersonation. There was no exaggeration there yet people swoon? So I'm thinking maybe the film adaptations aren't giving the saga the justice it deserves. Films usually do that. So I'm giving this saga a chance and will be reading the whole thing next month. (I still have Water for Elephants in its cling wrap, collecting dust somewhere in my vanity shelf.)

Thank goodness http://www.nationalbookstore.com/ does deliveries. One of the greatest things about the internet? Home shopping. Perfect for someone who practically lives in a cave.

Work Essentials

So, yeah. Pooh and I have to get back to work now.  

(If you ever need me for anything, you know what to do...wait til I get back on.)

But before I do so, I just thought those concerned should know that I can never pull off a 20-hour work shift without...

1. that Winnie the Pooh mug refilled by the hour to keep me from hitting my head on the desk (and it has to be that mug because it's been that way for 6 or so years now);
2. that Wimax box working in tiptop shape;
3. a glass (or in this case an empty) bottled water to remind myself that I am 72% water (I don't care if that's not accurate, I'm making a wild guess) and that I do need to drink some;
4. something to munch on just because;
5. those polarized, uv-protected glasses to keep me from getting blind by the time I'm 50;
6. a copy of my phone bill to remind myself I've bills to pay;
7. a USB modem in case number 2 decides to fuck up (which it often does);
8. a headset w/ mic for me to sing and record my fabulous singing with during my 2-minute work breaks (I use this gadget where it sets an alarm after I've worked for a full 12 minutes, sets another alarm for a 2-minute break and back again. It's a great productivity tool.);
9. that mouse pad that reminds me that I don't always mess up;
10. and a picture of my family as a reminder that I actually need to get out of this shift ALIVE.

The Facebook Newsfeed

The Facebook Newsfeed has become my enemy.  It has betrayed me.  I can no longer be vain and self-absorbed with subtlety the same way I could 4 years ago.  Every activity, every tagging, every comment (be they for photos or statuses), every "like" are reported in real time.  I want a button that can help me control the activities Facebook chooses to tell my "friends."  Hard as it may be to believe, I actually do want to update my status or wall without shoving it down people's throats.  I want people to just look it up for themselves.

Birthday Presents Are Convenient With Social Media

I wanted to make it to my best girl's birthday celebration but work got in the way. (It's still in the way because I'm not done with it yet.)  On top of that, she's about 7 hours away.  In any case, I had to pound my brain for brilliant gift ideas. Buying a present online and having it shipped to her was the first thing that came to mind.

Unfortunately, PHL hasn't exactly embraced online shopping yet.  Sure there's Ebay but I bet you birthday girl knows the items there more than I do.  There's myayala.com but could the presents be any more expensive? Seriously. It's summer I need to save up for at least one getaway. 

I also thought of sending her flowers and a box of cake and already asked my mom to do it since they're in the same city.  The only problem is...I didn't send my mom a present on her birthday! I decided to call the whole thing off because it was waaaay too insensitive.  (In my defense, I was flat broke last year. I'm a little past that "flat broke" line now.)

To make the long story short, I decided to give bestpal a customized gift: a Facebook note. It was a risk because I know girl-friend hates Facebook. But it was convenient and it was "public" (we have common friends) and I needed that shameless vibe with my note for maximum effect.

The Facebook note was a succes, I think because it actually made her comment on the note. A very rare thing. Lol.

Here's my other gift. A day late but I hope it would create more or less the same impact:

Happy birthday, Mishy!

Defending Bieber

I don't get all the hate on this kid, Justin Bieber. The kid is trying to make a living out of his talent and he's not even legally bound to get his act straightened out yet. He's not bumming around like most grown people. Also, he can actually sing. Sure he currently has  a girl's voice (but who knows, it could change) and his hair (which I heard just got a redo) is distracting at best but at least he can sing and he can sing good live.  I mean I love T Swift but that girl can't blow in an arena and Britney-effin-Spears lip-syncs for crying out loud. JB dances, plays instruments and he doesn't wear skinny jeans to save his life. In fact, the boy can dress.

He is underage and does not seem to look like he's even started puberty yet.  Bieber haters are literally grown men and puritanical music experts (who stomp on every pop act that ever walked the planet) who are supposed to know any better  but instead resigns to bullying a  late-blooming, off-the-beaten-path-trudging, talented kid that is Bieber.  That, my friends, do not make any sense to me at all.

Is it really the kid's fault if his fan base is composed of type A, social-media -hogging shriekers?  Is it his fault that he got popular at the height of social media?   Is it his fault that his minions are embracing him like they are worshipping no less than the good lord himself?  I don't think so.  Give these kids (Bieber and his fans) a break. Let them have their fun; we certainly had ours.

From:

Pissed-Off Onlooker Who Is NOT A JB Fan But Does Admit To Listening To Baby Over and Over Only Because Charice Pempengco Made Such An Awesome Cover Of It

Back To Basics

Facebook has made it easier to have people hear the stories we want to tell. You just know that people are getting a peek (that's an understatement) at your thoughts, whether they are up for it or not. It is very imposing, now that I think about it. It kind of made me miss having a little, private cyber space all to and for myself. Private in the sense that you are pretty much blinded, have no list to zero possibilities on as, to who is (or are) actually reading and taking the time to get to know you outside the convenience of social media feeds. There is the element of mystery there that is always good to have, see and experience in something every now and then. It's very 2000 and late and it makes me smile.

I find myself reveling once again in the excitement and dread that comes with naming a blog and writing a description (which I chose to leave out for now because I always end up changing it more than necessary). I'm taken back to the times when I would type in a favorite blog address and the delight I feel when I see there's a new post, new update. I hope I can somehow evoke that emotion in someone, remote the possibility may seem.

So here's to old-school blogging and to the fancy idea that I can actually keep this up.