Facebook and World Peace

I was thinking about Facebook this morning and decided that it just might be the catalyst that leads the world to ultimate peace. This could happen in several ways....

Theory #1

Facebook brings people together.

Consider this... When you start watching a new TV show in real life, no one knows. When you become a fan of a TV show on Facebook, you quickly learn which friends also watch the show and share those great "Me too!" moments.

It's hard to feel alone when you have so much in common with your virtual friends. Long distance relationships suddenly become easier. It may be 15, 20, 30 years since you've spoken but you are suddenly in each other's lives, being fans of the same shows, sending birthday wishes and playing cheesy pointless games together.

The world feels smaller, differences evaporate, barriers fall, and peace reigns.


Theory #2

Facebook is an addiction that lets the real world melt away.

Who needs real life problems when Facebook's virtual world provides such acceptance, love, and distraction? It is Soma for the masses.

Facebook gives you an illusion of total control. You can become "friends" with every person you ever spoke to, looked at, or heard about through a mutual friend and then view your friend list as proof of your own popularity. Or you can guard your profile, only accepting your closest friends and blocking the rest, treating facebook as your own exclusive nightclub where you leave friend requests languishing behind your imaginary bouncer and red velvet ropes.

Okay - most people (me included) are somewhere in between, unsure of where the Facebook friendship lines fall and having moments of high school-esque angst over whether the more appropriate course of action is to friend-request/accept or not. But the beauty of this virtual world is that you can distract yourself from these moral dilemas by sending flair, poking people, and making comments on other people's comments.

In fact, you can ignore work, family, and any other responsibilities as you tend to the important tasks of building your Mafia family or harvesting your farm. Who has time for real life conflicts when Facebook mobile is your lifeline to a better, albeit virtual, life?


Theory #3

Facebook was secretly orchestrated years ago by Barack Obama as a means to eventual World Peace.

In fact, it was an idea Abraham Lincoln conceived, but did not yet have the technology to put into place. He left secret notes about it that were hidden and guarded by a secret society of Peace Guardians. They passed down the secret through the generations, selecting those worthy, such as JFK, MLK Jr, and Obama, to secretly help build the framework that will eventually lead the world to an inevitable peace.

Yeah, okay, or maybe I don't have a third theory and it's just too easy to dredge up a conspiracy theory for any situation -- those wacky conspiracy theorists will believe anything. In fact, I suspect this post will lauch a flurry of forum posts all over the Internet about how the Peace Guardians secretly originated Facebook.

Or not.

8 Signs I'm Becoming an Old Lady

Nobody ages from 18 to 80 overnight. There are all those years in between that gradually transform us.

I may still be closer to 18 than 80, but in my mid-30s I'm already noticing those little changes that are starting to add up....

1. I'm always cold. My house is littered with sweaters, zippered hoodies, and shawls.

2. I pull my cart over just inside a store to remove my scarf and gloves, put my sunglasses in their case, and stow everything in my purse or pockets. Then I reverse the process on the way out.

3. I can feel storms approaching.

4. I have new reading glasses and I tend to leave them low on my nose and look at people over the tops of them.

5. I remember life without the Internet or cell phones and I tell my kids about it, frequently.

6. Teenagers look really, really young. Packs of them have been known to make me nervous.

7. I always carry tissues and cough drops/hard candy/mints in my purse.

8. Nearly every movie I go out to see is a matinee, and if I don't move my legs around while watching my knees will stiffen up.

The funny thing is, despite the new creaks and aches, the slowly weakening eyesight, and the steadily graying hair, I wouldn't go back to being a teenager for anything!

The Makeover

You can do just about anything online. Lifetime TV has a Total Beauty Makeover program online that lets you upload a picture (or use a model with your face shape and coloring) and try out different hairstyles and makeup. So far so good...

Sure, it sounds like a program that a lot of women would love to use. It even has celebrity hairstyles that you can try on your own picture. But then I noticed that in addition to uploading a picture or using a human model, there is a link for "pets".

Yes, you can give a pet a makeover. (Like my puppy princess?) Yeah. Now that's a great way to spend a random Tuesday night.

There Were 8 of Them

I talk in my sleep. Not every night, but occasionally. Have since I was a child, which led to some teasing on family vacations when we all slept in the same hotel room.

Apparently, last night I said "There were 8 of them" or perhaps, "There should be 8 of them". Peter couldn't remember which. He seems to find it amusing when I talk in my sleep, especially because I speak in such a clear voice that sounds as if I'm wide awake.

The funny thing to me is that whatever he tells me I said never seems to match anything I remember dreaming. And I have very vivid dreams that I tend to remember well. Last night was an exception. I did have vivid dreams, but they were jumbled when I woke up and they were fading by the time my feet hit the floor.

For some reason, that line has stuck with me all day. "There were 8 of them." It's been in the back of my mind, nagging. Eight of them. Eight of what? Spiders legs? Maids a milking?

Someone needs to invent a dream recorder, one with full audio and video. Or maybe not. Maybe there's a reason the subconscious mulls all that over without the waking consciousness interfering. But I'd still like to know... Eight of what?!?

Helium Zones

Helium.com, a website where I write freelance online articles, has launched a new service called Helium Zones. Zones are specialized pages that group information by subject. It is still in beta form, but seems like an interesting idea.

For example, another writer has included one of my crochet articles on her Keeping Traditional Handicrafts Alive zone. That zone is a page dedicated to information about crafts, such as knitting, crochet, scrapbooking, and more. It includes articles and recommended books that can be purchased at Amazon.com.

While exploring the new zones, I saw that one of the uses is to create a portfolio of online articles. I thought it might be a fun way to pull together some of the articles I have written for Helium by subject.

I may expand it when I have more time to include more topics and some links to articles I have sold outside of Helium. There seem to be a lot of other options for adding some widgets and custom content, and, since it's still a beta site, I'm sure more functionality will come later. When it does, I may branch out and manage a zone on another topic as well.

For now, you can visit my zone here: Susan Quilty Portfolio (or click on the image above).