Facebook is The New Blog

Isn't that sad? It is. If you take pictures of your family, you upload them to Facebook. It does "twitter"s too, as you update what you're doing as often as you want. It does not serve as a forum for writing, though. If you want to send Muppets (I do) and wish people Happy Birthdays (I need SOMEthing to remind me. . . ), well, it's the shizzle. Philosophically, I can't give up on blogs because Facebook has no journal/diary/expound feature and because it's not open to anyone on the 'net (even those not interested in social networking).

Think about it: "social networking". Is it just me or is it absolutely un-social? Facebook is unquestionably networking as people make (real or imagined) connections to see inside each other's profiles and learn more about each other. While social, strictly defined, may simply mean "involving others" -- I have a hard time calling what I'm doing right now: staring into an LCD screen typing, almost totally disconnected from the people in the same room with me -- social.

So that's my excuse for not blogging :) I'm social networking instead. Pretty lame excuse, no? Yeah, I din't think you'd buy that.

Things are plugging along in the Hults house. The boys have time to play WAY more video games and computer games than either of us are comfortable with. The games they play are fine. It bothers me on two levels. One is that it's excessive, it's all they do or want to do most of the time. Two is the social thing again -- it's completely un-social. What can they learn about the world and our community and people and other cultures in our basement? Even if they WERE using the intenet to study other cultures and geography, for example, is that a valid substitute for GOING places or MEETING people? Or is it the best one can do when you're not a globetrotter? Or even a State Collegetrotter? Interesting questions.

AK's take on it is that -- I think -- they're on break. During school they study, they have piano, they have church, they have extended day, and all sorts of stuff. This is their opportunity to have a vacation. And I buy that, mostly. It's just so hard, given that I went through a nervous breakdown/mid-life crisis to learn some BIG lessons about the importance of family and my role in my own family. And here I am spending all day and many nights away from them. I know better than to tell them to get outside and do something, I know I have to TAKE them outside and do something with them. I know that. But here I am.

Alaska is liking her job at the law office, no doubt due to the fact that she only has two other humans to interact with :) And given time, even Philly girls and lawyers can see how awesome my wife is to hang around with.

Gramma Gaye is settling in with her senior community friends, rocking the bocce ball courts and going on field trips. She has a lot of vegetables in her yard, she has a small corn farm, she has the most popular bird-feeders in town, she has loving-if-slightly-psychotic cats, and most of the time her lawn is mowed.

Saturday I invited everyone I could imagine to play racquetball with my racquetball buddy and I. Only half showed up but still we had ongoing rotations & different people to play against. It was totally awesome! The guy who started inviting me to play over a year ago showed up, and we had an epic battle after most had left that has left me crippled ever since. But it's good to push one's limits. Racquetball with my church homies really is the highlight of my week lately, and it just keeps getting more fun & healthy.

AK did yardwork and shopping with Gramma on Saturday and I mowed the lawn. Then Max and I vegetated until they brought home some lunch :). In the interest of getting THE HELL OUT OF THE HOUSE FOR ONCE, Max and I went to cash in our free go-kart rides we won in a raffle. We sped across town to catch a showing of Get Smart, but it's on it's last legs and only showing once a day at 9 :(. So instead we got some Sheetz treats and played frisbee until my body -- again, from the racquetball -- seized up like an engine with no oil.

Today we are loafing (reverently, it's the Sabbath). AK made quiche. Max is going to have a sleepover (he's imagining a snackover, I think, since Gramma buys munchies for the boys to eat while she sits them. . . ) at Grammas house, and we're listening to Sandra Boynton's "Blue Moo" album. Very funny. I am enjoying my book. And I am blogging for the first time in -- I believe -- a month.

How boring is this? Yep. Until I've got some quality expounding to do, maybe I should stick to facebook. Who wan'ts a MUPPET???