{day SEVEN} TWITTER

I rarely use Twitter, but when I do it is usually to tweet my distaste for a certain company.  Whether I am the victim of bad customer service or a business just does something that I think is wrong, I tweet about it.  

Sure, I'm limited to a certain amount of characters, and when all is said and done, nothing is resolved.  But I get a kick out of how fast the company responds because they know bad news spreads fast - especially when bad news is posted on social networking sites.

Source

Of course, I don't limit my complaints to just Twitter.  I take advantage of surveys that company's put on their receipts, "contact us" emails company's post on their websites and so forth.  It's a great way for me to vent my frustrations without having to actually talk to someone.  And, honestly, I usually always get a response back and more often than not I am sent coupons for free stuff as an apology.

There really isn't any excuse for poor customer service these days, so if you're not sending e-mails when you're treated poorly be sure to start!  You'll be surprised what company's will do to keep your business.

NO KIDS allowed

Here are a few of my thoughts on businesses that are choosing to be anti-kid.

You want my child to be well-mannered and behaved in a restaurant?  How am I suppose to do that if the only restaurant she's allowed to be in is McDonald's?

You don't want to hear a peep from my daughter during a movie?  I don't want to hear you chomping on your popcorn and looking at your cell phone every five seconds.  Oh, and I also don't want to hear you and your friend discuss the movie, during the movie.

You don't think my child shouldn't be allowed in an airplane?  May I remind you that you were once a child and chances are you rode on an airplane when you were young.  Can you imagine if some bratty flight attendant told you you couldn't go to Disneyland?

...

Intolerance for "kids being kids" is getting to the point of being completely out of control.  I can't teach my child how to be a good child in public if she's not allowed in public.  And, let's not forget how rude, annoying and down right disrespectful adults can be.  

We've all been to a movie when we've wanted to clobber the adult people behind us because they won't shut up.

We've all been to a restaurant where a group of adults are carrying on as if they are the only people on earth.

I get that parents need to control their kids.  I get it.  Believe me I do.

And I don't believe children should be allowed everywhere.  If I ever plan on going to a fancy restaurant, believe me, my daughter will not be in attendance.

But, grocery stores?

Is hearing a child misbehave really that big of a deal in terms of the overall wellness of your grocery shopping experience?

...

To sum things up, how in the world do people expect me to raise a well-rounded, polite, well-behaved, cultured daughter if she's not allowed to go anywhere?

Thoughts?

SOCIAL networking

"Whether in rekindled romances facilitated by Facebook friendship or outraged ventings of opinion on a blog, offline selves are being influenced by online personae in ways society has yet to fully comprehend"

-Carol  Haggas

I went to Barnes & Noble last night to waste some time.  I wandered around until I found my favorite sections:  Psychology, Relationships, Dating/Marriage.  You get the idea.  I skimmed over all the titles until one caught my attention:  Virtually You:  The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality.  I was immediately drawn to the book and started to read the preface.  Unfortunately, I was only able to read a few lines before I had to leave the store.

I thought it was interesting I saw that book at that time because for the last few days I've been thinking a lot about social networking and technology and how it has impacted the way we interact with one another, how we portray ourselves and how we respond to the portrayal of others.  I'll warn you, my thoughts on this are crazy, so this might be a long post.

How We Interact
The ways in which we interact with one another has completely changed thanks to the Internet and cell phones.  With the help of e-mail, we can take care of business, personal issues or even just say hello without uttering a single word.  And, to get around not hearing fluctuation of voices which can usually signal when someone is upset, being sarcastic, or joking, we've improvised by using smiley faces :), winks ;), TYPING IN ALL CAPS, ending sentences like this....., using strikethrough, and a variety of acronyms like LOL, my personal favorite.  Thanks to cell phones, we now have the ability to do all of this and more in the palm of our hand.

While all of this is technology is wonderful and useful in so many ways, is it costing us in others?  I think the video above illustrates my point exactly.  Are we completely incapable of having meaningful, face to face, one on one conversations?  Are we so wrapped up in our gadgets that, if we lost it, we, ourselves, would be lost?  Do we even memorize phone numbers anymore?

Personally, I hate verbal confrontation.  I'd rather do anything than confront someone and talk about something uncomfortable (wether it's delivering bad news or even expressing my feelings) regardless of how important it may be.  I'll admit, I am guilty of using e-mail and text messaging to interact with people about subjects that really should've been talked about in person.  Not only would it have avoided miscommunication (because of no voice fluctuation), it also would've been a good experience for me to get over my issues with confrontation.  Plus, depending on the situation, it most likely would've brought me closer to the person I was talking to.

How We Portray Ourselves and How We Respond to the Portrayal of Others
I first started to dissect my thoughts on this matter after I reconnected via Facebook with an old friend I met during college.  It had been at least 10 years since I had seen or heard from her.  I browsed through her pictures, learned that she was married, and had one daughter.  Her husband had even started his own business.  Her pictures varied from family gatherings to trips to Hawaii and Central America.  I thought to myself, "Wow, she's doing really great."  I envied all the many things she was doing and compared it to my own life.  Was I traveling enough?  Was I too cautious?  Was I not exposing my daughter to enough fun and new experiences?  Why couldn't I look like that, dress like, etc.?

Her husband's business interested me, so I visited the website to learn more.  I later sent her an e-mail via Facebook to congratulate her on all his success.  It was then that the rose colored glasses came off, and I learned more about her life, specifically that the business was very slow and her marriage was very rocky.  Overall, she was unhappy.

For some reason, I was really shocked by this news.  I wasn't shocked because her profile portrayed a very happy life (because we all know people only post their best foot and only their best foot on Facebook).  I was more shocked, despite my knowledge, that I had fed into it.  I didn't once wonder that she had to have some sort of issues.  I took what I saw and didn't think twice about it.  And worst of all, I let her seemingly success and happiness question my own life, my own happiness, my own success, etc.

I really should give Facebook a break, the same "happy-everything-is-great-in-my-life" personae can also be said for blogs.  People document their special days or everyday doings for their friends and family to see.  And I really think it is a great way to stay in touch with people, especially if you live far away from loved ones.  In addition, we can blog hop and view posts written by people we don't even know - people that are friends with a friend who is a friend of my cousins.  Like Facebook profiles, viewing blogs and blog hopping has more than once second guessed my own life.  It made me envious, sometimes even jealous even when it came to the dumbest things like the blog layout:  "Where did they get that fun font?"  "Why doesn't my blog look as fancy as this one?"  And so on.

One thing I have noticed with blogs is when people divert from the typical "this is what I did this weekend" posts and write about something more serious, like their faults, difficulties or feelings, they apologize for it.  They apologize because they think it probably wasn't an interesting post, or it was a downer post or a boring post.  I personally find those posts more interesting than anything.

On the Flip Side
I could be taking a mole hill and making it a mountain.  It is very possible that the things I described aren't the norm, and that I very well could be the only person that reads too much into blogs or profiles.  I tend to overanalyze things - a lot.

It's also possible that people aren't quite as candid online because they don't want to be.  They aren't necessarily hiding things, they just aren't sharing things that they deem too personal.  I have certainly omitted things from my online self that just wasn't anybody's business.

To Sum It Up
What do you think?  Is social networking is getting out of control?  Do we need to be spending more time in person together?  Are people's online personae's influencing how we see ourselves to a point where it could be dangerous, even damaging to our own self-worth?

Thoughts?

MIXING it UP

Tracy:  "I'm gonna make you a mixed tape.  You like Phil Collins?"

Jack:  "I've got two ears and a heart, don't I?"

-30 Rock

During my high school days, I used to make mixed tapes for my friends.  I had such a fun time putting these together and I think, for the most part, people enjoyed getting them.

I also loved GETTING mixed tapes (or CDs, as the years evolved).  It was always interesting listening to each song and wondering why the person picked that song to be on the tape.  Of course, sometimes it was a little pathetic how much I could read into the songs.  

I remember one such experience.  

A guy I was dating made me a mixed CD.  It was during a confusing time in our relationship.  Our commitment to each other was kind of up in the air, and I was pretty certain he was ready to move on.  Then came the mixed CD.  It was full of a lot of really great songs, songs that were about love, but not in a cheesy way.  Given I knew this guy really well and the songs he chose weren't what I expected, I began to wonder how he felt about us.  But, then I thought more about it, thought more about this guy and things suddenly clicked:  he was messing with me.  Oddly enough, it didn't bother me.  One of the reasons I liked him so much was because of his sense of humor and his incredibly ability to get under my skin.  People don't usually have that effect on me, so when they do, I take notice.  So, I called him on it and we both got a good laugh out it.

In the end, I was the one that left him. 

So, are mixed tapes/CDs a thing of the past?  Am I the only one that still think they are cool?  Do people still enjoying making or receiving them?  Is it time for me to move past the awesomeness of mixed tapes?

Thoughts?

goal #35

"Complete a "First Year" book for Isabelle"

-Goal #35, Emily's 65 in 365 List

At the beginning of the year, I put together a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish in 2010.  The list was 65 things to do in 365 days.  I got the idea from my friend, Karen.  It's not a list full of resolutions.  No way could I EVER resolve 65 things in one year.  This list is more of a bucket or "to do" list.  My goals range from organizing the photos on my computer to going to the dentist to memorizing all the US presidents in order.

Last week, I completed goal #35:  Complete a First Year book for Isabelle.  Isabelle is my daughter, by the way.  Thanks to iPhoto, I now have a 95 page book chronicling Isabelle's first year of life.  It's a pretty great book, and I'm really proud of it.  Now, comes the hard part -  paying for it.  It will cost around $135 dollars for a hard copy or $100 for a soft copy.  Because I'm not super, super rich, I considered a soft copy, but now think hard would be better.

What do you think?

Whether I should order a hard or soft copy book isn't what this post is all about.  Now that I've finished the book, I'm wondering if I sill need to order actual prints of all the pictures I take of Belle.  If everything is in this book, is that enough?  When I'm long gone and Belle's great-great-grandchildren are looking through all her stuff, will they want individual copies of her pictures?

I think photo books are so great.  I think they are greater than photo albums.  They are clean and organized and focus on the picture instead of frilly stuff usually found in scrapbooks.  But, I'm still torn.  Are traditional photo albums a thing of the past?  Would it be silly to have both just in case one is preferred over the other?  Am I the only one that thinks this is a big decision?  Do I need to stop freaking out and be okay with just my lovely photo book?

Thoughts?

the latest TRENDS

"We're off cupcakes and back to donuts."

-Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock

Today's thought was inspired by my favorite comedy TV show 30 Rock.  It's hilarious.  It's consistently funny (not like The Office which totally went down after Jim and Pam got married) and I just love it!  I own the first three seasons on DVD, and my husband I watch an episode or two every night.  It's one of our quarky traditions that I've grown to love.

Anyway, during one episode Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is introducing himself to one of Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey) friends (guest star Jennifer Aniston) and says:  

"Welcome to New York.  Ah, let's see...we're using credit cards in cabs now, all the galleries have moved to Chelsea and we're off of cupcakes and back to donuts."

I love the part about the cupcakes.  I totally remember when, all of the sudden, cupcakes were the new thing.  Everyone wanted to eat a gourmet cupcake (and didn't mind paying $4.00 for one) and everyone wanted to own a cupcake shop.  I'll admit, I drank the cupcake kool-aid.  Fortunately, for my wallet and waist line, my town didn't have any cool cupcake bakeries, so I wasn't able to fully enjoy the cupcake craze. 

All this talk about cupcakes got me thinking about fads and trends.  Isn't it funny how a certain gadget, restaurant, musical group, etc., can pop out of nowhere, be way popular and then disappear?  I've jumped on a lot of trend trains in my day.  Here are just a few examples:

• Slap braclets
• Ring Pops
• New Kids on the Block
• Girbuad jeans
• Keeping one strap on my overalls undone
• Crystal Pepsi
• Krispy Kreme Donuts

But, there are also a few trends that never interested me:

• Pokeman
• Power Rangers
• Bluetooth
• Halo
• iPhone
• Blu-Ray
• Harry Potter books

Then, there was the time I'm pretty sure I started a trend.  It was while I was in junior high, and I was hanging out with a friend that I only saw once in awhile because we lived in different cities.  For whatever reason, we went to Home Depot.  I honestly have no idea why we were there.  Anyway, we found these crown bolts and each bought one to wear as rings.  I put stars on mine just to give it a little kick.  I wore it to school and didn't think much about it.  One day, while at school, I noticed a bunch of girls (who weren't my friends) each wearing a bolt on their finger.  I was way surprised because I never thought anyone noticed my bolt.

I never talked to the girls about our "rings" so maybe I didn't start a trend.  But, maybe, it wouldn't be a bad thing to think I started a trend.  Who's gonna know anyway, right?

Thoughts?