Early on, I called Laney AC to ask if somebody had yet gotten to my house in Little Egg for an estimate, but was greeted with a message saying they're only there M-F. Left a message.
Called Nancy and we chatted for some time. She's having more physical difficulty, including shortness of breath. That's worrisome, as her chronic Anemia is okay. I didn't want to mention it, and I didn't, but I wonder if her weight is a factor. She was quite a bit overweight the last time I saw her and, since being so isolated (she stays in virtually all the time), I believe it's increased.Called Betty, as I hadn't heard from her in awhile. We chatted a bit, then hung up, after which she called me three more times before 11:00. Her confusion, reflected in garbled speech and even more garbled thought processes, seems to be considerably worse. Shortly after her last call, I was pleased to get a call from Helen C. We talked for some time; she still intends to call Betty to see if their falling out can be forgotten.
In between all this, I started cleaning the kitchen counters, sink, stove, and so on. Then my cousin, Sally, called. I was delighted to hear from her. Sally is just two weeks older than my brother, Frank, and the (adopted) daughter of my Aunt Marie. She lives in San Diego, was widowed eighteen months ago, and we have a long, long history. I hadn't talked to Sally for several years and hadn't seen her since Carolyn's wedding twenty years ago.
Can she talk? Ha--she's about the champion talker of all time, and I know some contenders. She called at 1:10, as I was shredding my lettuce for lunch, and we talked until 2:30! But I'm glad and I hope to get down to see her one of these days.
After lunch, I walked to Telephone Road, then to Portola Street, then got a bus to WinCo. Bought fajitas, spaghetti squash, grapes, spinach, and lots of others. I just barely caught the number 11 to the transit center, then the 21 to Victoria. (Gawd--why do I keep listing my damn buses and what I bought at the supermarket? I don't know, but I just want to.)
I finally did what I've been meaning to for some time--I posted the following on Facebook. I think it's self-explanatory.
SO LONG, FOR AWHILE...
Snooky Lanson used to sing that on "Your Hit Parade" and I'm borrowing the phrase to remove myself from Facebook. I'm going to stop wasting time on the trivial, the trite, and the tedious, but most of all, the sanctimonious crapola it seems to bring out in people. Oh, I'm not excusing myself from all that, but I can do something about it, and here it is: Goodbye.
3 comments:
I remember my (brief) Facebook days. Of course, when you tell them where you went to school, where you worked, where you go to church, etc., they were very clever at showing you pretty much anyone you ever knew -- and quite a few that you didn't. So you send your "friend requests," and right away you've got a hundred Facebook Friends. Well. I didn't really mind the "what I cooked for supper" ones, or the "where we are on vacation" and so forth. You can skip over those pretty quickly. But, the politics ... everything's political these days. The people I thought I knew: they're okay in person, face-to-face. But get 'em at the keyboard, behind the screen. Wow, suddenly I didn't like a lot of my friends any more. The newsfeed became a burden to me; a source of vague dread. Then there was the revelation by Edward Snowden that Facebook was onboard, early, with the government's program of hoovering up all data online. They cooperated enthusiastically. Closing my account was a moment of great personal liberation. I think you'll enjoy it.
I feel the same about Facebook. So glad you have your blog.
Jim, what you stated is right on the mark and I confess I was one of the jerks anxious to show everybody else the error of their ways. Pat, I know you dip in only occasionally and maybe I can get to that point sometime--it makes a lot more sense than the several-times-a-day syndrome. Facebook, I'm afraid, is toxic to friendship, kindness, and gracious thinking. Thanks to both of you for your comments .
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