The Problem With Facebook
So, I got this message on Facebook the other day from a friend of mine in high school. We were on the same baseball team, had some of the same classes. You know. Normal stuff. Last I heard he went to the military, but literally hadn’t spoken to him in over ten years. Ten years.
So I get this message from him that was super nice and short. Sort of a “Hey man, heard you were married and might have some kids. What have you been up to?” kind of message…. In the last ten years?!?
Hmmm. Well, I’ve been up to a lot in the last ten years, and so have you. It’d be awesome to sit down over a meal or two and chat about our wives, kids, careers, and, you know, the last ten years.
I don’t know. Maybe that just throw me off and not other people, but how on earth to I respond to the last ten years of my life in a Facebook message? Do people really connect this way?
But my weirded-out-ness doesn’t stop with just connecting with people I haven’t talked to in ten years. Another part that weirds me out about it is when people throw up a status update pouring their heart out for the world to see. Their depression, their divorce, their issues with their kids, their issues with their parents… on Facebook. Really?
I guess what it all comes down to is it feels like “connecting” on something like Facebook or Twitter seems like it might be disconnecting us from actual relationships. And I’m sure there’s someone else who has written about this far more eloquent that I have. Heck, they probably even have a list of ten things do to keep this from happening or something. But that’s what’s weirding me out today.
What do we think?
Unexpected Luggage
Kristin went to a Christmas party last night and came home with this story. Some of the details might be a little off because I only heard it once and it was from a third person, but it’s too brilliant to not tell.
There’s a woman living in the city of Chicago. This woman was asked to watch her friends dog, a golden retriever, while her friends were out of town. The dog dies.
So, this woman first has to call the family to let them know their dog has died, then calls the vet to ask what to do with a dead golden retriever in the middle of the city of Chicago. The vet then tells her to “bring the dog in” and they will either dispose of it or keep it until the owners of the dog arrive to decide what to do.
Now, this woman, realizing that golden retrievers are heavy, especially when dead, packs it into a rolling suitcase and hops on the subway train headed for the vet.
While on the subway, a man approaches this woman and asks what’s in the case. Not wanting to say that she’s got a dead dog packed in there, she tells him that she is moving and these are her belongings. You know where this is going don’t you?
So, this man follows her off the train, then decides to pull a knife on her and take all of her belongings packed in this case. She doesn’t put up a fight, but then has to call the family to let them know that their dog was not only dead, but has now been stolen at knife-point.
Now, the only thing that would make this story better is if somehow we are able to follow this guy back to his apartment where he throws the case on his bed and opens it up to reveal a dead golden retriever and his thought process from then on.
How amazing is that?!
Weirdest thing you have every packed in a suitcase or ‘traveled’ with?
Ready? Go.
“Drop It At Once”
“…A certain Christian thought it was of vital importance to be poor and austere. It had never dawned on him that the vitally important thing was to drop his ego, that the ego fattens on holiness just as much as on worldliness, on poverty as on riches, on austerity as on luxury. There is nothing the ego will not seize upon to inflate itself.
DISCIPLE: ”I have come to you with nothing in my hands.”
MASTER: ”Drop it at once.”
DISCIPLE: ”But how can I drop it? It is nothing.”
MASTER: ”Then carry it around with you! You can make a possession of your nothing. And carry your renunciation around you like a trophy. Don’t drop your possessions. Drop your ego.”…”
Anthony DeMello – The Song Of The Bird
Thoughts?
Music You’ve Never Heard – Scott Phillips
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A friend of mine sent me this guys name the other day as something that I should check out. He mentioned that he was an artist in the ‘painting’ sense as well as the ‘writing and playing music sense’ and that I should take a look. It took me a couple days, but when I did get around to checking out his stuff, I found myself focussing more on his artwork than on his music. I took a rabbit trail to this site and ended up fascinated by it. It really is pretty amazing stuff.
Then a few days later I realized that I should probably check out his music too. And here we are. The next featured artist on the old ‘Music You’ve Never Heard’ section. Again, pretty amazing stuff.
Now, I didn’t really get permission to play his song on my blog, but I figure if every one of you go buy his record on iTunes, he’ll forgive me. Plus he’s playing this song on his Myspace so I think it’s okay…. but you really should go buy it.
Now, I don’t know much about this guy, except that he’s local and eventually I’d like to grab a coffee or something with him, but I’ve never communicated with him so we’ll see. In the meantime, enjoy and go check out more of his stuff.
And while we’re here discussing ‘Music You’ve Never Heard’, hit me up with some music I’ve never heard. What are you listening to, that we’ve never heard?
Ready? Go.
“I’m On A Float”
So, tonight we met up with some friends and went to the Christmas parade in town. Now, I grew up going to small town Christmas parades and there’s still something fun about bundling up grabbing some hot chocolate, blankets and folding chairs and sitting on the sidewalk to watch these folks roll by yelling ‘Merry Christmas’ and waving.
Tonight as we were standing there, and I was watching all the kids lined up waving, smiling and eagerly waiting for the floats that went by tossing candy out to them, and I started thinking about how many ‘rules’ that we work so hard to teach our kids that are being destroyed.
‘Don’t play in the street’, we say. ’Don’t play near moving vehicles’, we say. ’Don’t take candy from strangers’ we say. But this one night, the night of the ‘small-town Christmas parade’ all these things are tossed out the window like the candy they are scrambling for.
“Come on kids, lets go out into unhealthy, frigid conditions, and run out into the street as close as you can to a Dodge Ram covered in Christmas lights, and crawl around on the ground looking for candy thrown by some guy dressed as a wise man. Oh yeah, and there really are four Santa Clauses.”
Seriously though, we had a great time. The kids loved it. We came home with full pockets of candy, and are slowly warming back up.
So let’s hear it. Are you a Christmas parade goer?
Grammy Nods
So check this out. Some friends of mine are up for a couple Grammy’s and I wanted to offer up a little congrats to them. Now, I wasn’t really paying attention when they announced them but I have heard through a bunch of people and then I went and looked for myself.
First up, Billy is nominated for two himself, which is pretty awesome. Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song. Not bad huh?
Then the boys in Third Day are up for a few. Best Gospel Performance, Best Gospel Song, and Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album.
The Leeland boys are up for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.
And SkörInc‘s own Matthew West is up for Best Gospel Song for “The Motions”.
Anyway, it’s pretty cool to see all these guys up for stuff, and it actually gives me a reason to watch the Grammy’s again.
So here’s a question. What’s your favorite ‘Awards show’ to watch? Grammy’s? Emmy’s? Oscars? Golden Globes?
Ready? Go.
Seven Meetings In Three Days
So, I’m finishing out day two of my ‘seven meetings in three days’ stretch and I’m still alive. Can’t really think that well right now, so here’s a picture of some cats fighting with light sabers. Some pretty big SkörInc news coming up that I’m excited about, but you’ll have to wait.
Favorite Animal?
Ready? Go.
Welcome FFH To The Family
So, check it out. It’s time for you all to go over and welcome FFH to the SkörInc family. You know what that means right? That means it’s time to head over to FFH.net and give them a big ole’ Blog Nation welcome.
We met with these guys a few months ago and I instantly thought, ‘these are good people’. Very real, very down to Earth, very comfortable folks. And I have a feeling that’s going to translate brilliantly to their website. We’ve continued to do some new cool things on this site and Randy has taken some of the development aspects to another level (again). I’m super excited to be a part of their growing process and return to music.
Now, I know there’s all sorts of FFH fans here from way back, so you know the drill. Let’s hear your favorite FFH song. Then head over to their new site and give them a big hello for me.
Ready? Go.
