It's a phenomenon. It's addictive. It's polarizing. I could go on and on. But I won't, because "The Merits of Facebook" is too big of a topic for my little blog. I don't want to engage in conspiracy theory on whether or not FB is actually a governmental agency designed to keep tabs; I don't want to waste my time (or yours) discussing the myriad applications and why they're awesome or ridiculous. I'm going to just accept Facebook as I use it: an absolutely amazing medium for connecting with people. And word games. Those are pretty great, too.
Recently, as many of you are already aware, there has been a Facebook "Note" circulating, much like a chain letter, except better because you don't have to spend any money on postage. It's called "25 Random Things About Me". If you haven't heard of it, please let me be the one to introduce you to the concept. It's pretty complicated, so read carefully. You make a list of 25 random things about yourself. Got that?
Facts, likes, dislikes, habits, fears, dreams, accomplishments,
defeats, regrets, traditions, beliefs, and memories are all fair game.
It's actually harder than it sounds; at least it was for me. Here's
where I ran into trouble. I wanted to be selective about what I chose
to represent myself while simultaneously trying to cover as many
aspects of who I am as possible. I had a hard time being thoughtful & honest without also feeling
really vulnerable and exposed. I mean, I have a lot of "friends" on
FB, but a lot of them are people I'm friendly with, but to whom I wouldn't necessarily tell a bunch of random personal stuff.
And then there are the funny lists, like my brother Billy, who managed to write a list that is true, but also hilariously funny & dripping with his dry wit. (For those of you who know my brother, I"m sure that this description of his talents comes as somewhat of a surprise. Riiight.) After reading Billy's and a few others on the funny side, I started wondering if maybe I was overthinking the whole process, and should have taken a more light-hearted approach. After all, how seriously do I take myself?
I decided that changing it was completely silly and a big waste of time and that my original list should stand as it is. So here you go:
25 Random Things About Me
1.)My daughter & I have the same monogram, ALH.
Jewelry box from Kim & BB
2.)My hair is naturally curly & when I wear it straight I feel like a whole different person....prettier & more sassy.
3.)I've only skydived once but I want to do it over & over...and fall faster & further from higher each time. However, I feel like going again would be irresponsible now that I'm a mom. (Adding to my original note, my sister Kim also had our skydiving adventure on her "25 Things" list. To borrow from hers, she rightly noted that it was probably a good thing we jumped, becuase the plane that brought us up was mostly duct-taped together on the inside & we're not sure it would have made it back down safely!)
Skydive in Paradise, CA
4.)I want to go back to school to get a Ph.D. As much as I love being a full time stay at home mom, I miss using my brain in a professional way.
5.)I love wrapping and giving gifts. I think that even the simplest little gift is so much more memorable & fun to open with really pretty wrapping paper & ribbon.
The Happ Girl's Christmas Gifts
6.)My life changed dramatically when I started practicing yoga regularly. There really is truth in that whole mind-body-spirit connection.
7.)I'm a control freak. Some stuff I can let slide, but other stuff....I just can't help myself. I am aware that this trait can make me overbearing sometimes. I'm working on it. See #6.
8.)I absolutely cannot fall asleep with wet hair.
9.)I want to learn how to play the guitar and the piano.
10.)My mom has made me angel food cake with fresh strawberries & homemade whipped cream for my birthday every year since I was at least 12.
When you have kids, sometimes they get the first piece of cake even
when it's your birthday....but you don't really care.
Also, Abby told us that she'd eat her strawberries "tomorrow".
11.)My favorite day of the year is the last Saturday in July; it's our family reunion for my mom's side of the family. As many aunts, uncles & cousins (and 1st cousins once removed....) come as humanly possible. It's a tradition 32 years in the running.
Just a handful of those first cousins once removed.
12.)While I'm a New England girl at heart, I found out most about who I am as a person while living in San Francisco.
13.)My best friends live in MA, CT, GA, & CA...which is really inconvenient since I live in HK. Thank God for Skype, Facebook & gmail chat. :-)
14.)I love sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, & knitting. While I don't consider myself a terribly creative person, I do like to create things. These mediums help me accomplish just that.
The mirror image quilts I made for Morgan & Paige.
15.)I'm really good at fixing stuff. And using power tools. And putting things together. These could be separate items, but that feels a little like cheating. Feel free to inquire about my rates & schedule availability for your area. I do travel.
16.)I like baking more than cooking. Banana bread, chocolate chip cookies & apple pie are the highlights of my repetoire.
17.)My favorite part of the day is rocking Abby in her chair after bedtime stories are done & the light is turned out.
18.)I've lived in 10 different towns/ cities in my life...Concord, MA; Amherst, MA; Norfolk, VA; San Francisco, CA; Oakland, CA; New York, NY; Warren, VT; Stamford, CT; Darien, CT; Hong Kong.
Our house in Darien. Gosh I miss grass.
19.)I would be thrilled if I could survive solely on grapes, watermelon, mango & strawberries for the rest of my life.
20.)I don't believe in complaining. Sure, things stink sometimes, but if a.)they've already happened & you can't time travel to change them or b.)were something that you couldn't have controlled to begin with, there is really just no point complaining about them. Accept it, make the best of it and move on already!
21.)I need at least one hour of time totally to myself everyday. Sometimes this means ignoring Ben for an hour after Abby is in bed if I haven't been able to get that time during the day. Lucky for me he knows this and is very accepting & understanding of this part of my personality.
22.)Moving to Hong Kong was really hard for me. I absolutely hate being so far away from family back home, but I'm really grateful that Billy & Akane live here so I can reconnect with them in a more meaningful way and have Abby develop a relationship with them too.
Christmas 2008
23.)Related to #22, I have a hard time making friends. By that I mean going beyond the acquaintances stage of friendship to the place where you really trust & can talk openly with someone. But I find that the friendships last a really, really long time once those connections are made.
Alli, Perk, me & Kief on Perk's wedding-eve.
(BTW to all my other friends: choosing just 1 picture for this item was really tough!)
24.)One of the things I miss the most about living in San Francisco is playing football & softball (and volleyball & field hockey & floor hockey...) several days a week.
Team Old School continues their reign in the Golden Gate Sport & Social Club football championship. (I'm the one holding the shirt.)
25.)Someday I will run a marathon.
So....what would you put on your list?