First, let me say that I taped a video blog the other day in response to Obama’s health care. I have never done one before, but as you will see in the video (and hear me say) I am really sick with a cold and found it easier to just talk about it rather than concentrate my brain powers into writing. That will be up within the next day or two. I totally winged it so there’s some editing I need to do. Look for it! It’s entertaining.

So what’s next…. WELL! I was browsing around the interwebs the other day and came across something mentioning Facebook lite. I clicked the link and was reverted back to this magical time when Facebook wasn’t cluttered with tons o’ advertising and random nonsense. Speaking of which… does anybody remember what myspace was like way back in the day? I opened my account in 2002 and it was much simpler then as well. I don’t see myspace doing a lite version anytime soon… I can’t even stand to sign in to there anymore. /end rant.

I can’t say whether I like it better or not; I really just feel like I’m staring at my phone screen. I’m weird though, sometimes I’ll like tons o’ clutter to stare at, and other times I don’t want to much at all. If you want to try Facebook like, check it out here and let me know what you think. I’m trying not to go on there as much because honestly… I have too many other things to do. I can’t keep clicking it every 2 seconds because something has been updated. Is it more important than your own life?! I’m in my email constantly throughout the day so that is where you can find me… but I digress. Let’s not talk about my gmail obsession…

SO ANYWAYS! The settings are rather nice and simplified. As you can see, it limits all the crazy different sub menus you get into when you go into facebook’s regular settings drop down. Now you will no longer be confused as to what you are clicking. All in all, I think it’s a nice clean and “lite” version. It makes it much easier on the eye and doesn’t make your brain feel like it might possibly explode. Those are things that I look for in a website.

In an effort to expand my viewership, I’ve started a facebook fan page. This way, anybody on facebook can still be connected to my website. I will have updates, discussions, as well as various other items so everyone can interact with eachother. Call it a social experiment if you will; an extension of esvienne. So please! If you have facebook, take  a looksie at that little box of goodness on the right and join my fan page! It would mean a lot to me. I can get constructive criticism as well as suggestions through there.

I just heard a little birdie talking about facebook acquiring friendfeed… and it’s true! I actually had no clue what friendfeed was until I started reading the article. Pretty much it combines facebook, twitter and google etc all together into one feed. There’s actually 58 services (I think, don’t quote me on that) that you can import from. People can not only converse under things that you post, but you can have discussions as well as private groups, so that it acts as kind of a mail-list. You can keep in touch with your relatives this way (if you don’t want them to peek into your facebook accounts!) as well as have newsfeed like good old twitter. I just signed up for it, my friendfeed is http://friendfeed.com/esvienne.

I’m not sure if I’m going to keep it- I just signed up to get a feel for it so that I could write about it. I like how it’s laid out, however, it’s not very organized. It’s just.. well.. a feed. I don’t really like to have too many social networking sites to begin with so I only really have three linked on there. It may not be worth it for me but we’ll see. I’m interested to see what direction facebook takes this. Maybe it’ll get rid of their “everyone” feature on the livefeed. I HATE THAT! facebook is personal, not like twitter for the world to see. If you want that, then join twitter! geez. good job facebook.

On another note, my friend just started up a food blog and evidently he is an excellent cook, so I suggest you check out his website and even subscribe to it. It has some great unique dishes up! Do it. http://4urface.wordpress.com

I am too observant. For my own good. Have you ever had that issue? Where you’re just tooooooo freaking observant and you can’t shut off your senses? Where you’re aware of every single thing going on around you and no matter how much you don’t want to hear/see it, its impossible to block out?! I have that problem. It ruins my concentration like woah. Also, it makes it difficult to do things without having my mind wander.

I notice there’s some people who are extremely aloof, and don’t seem like they notice a damn thing. Like a gigantic ship with a big red pirate flag could go by, while they ‘swab their decks’, and the person would be like… “oh… did you feel that breeze? must be nothing’. YEAH! that’s a trait I want. It would make life so much easier if I could breeze through my days, honing in only on what I wanted to and not getting little irritating things in my way. There is something to be said for aloofness. That something is “try it!”.

Also! I promise I’ll have my next post actually related to the going-ons in the world… I just felt like writing something like this because my mind is wandering and I’m getting ready for class.

In my law class we had a section on sexual harassment suites, and we had a real case reenacted that my professor was one of the lawyers on. It just started turning my wheels, because hearing the transcript just reminded me how crazily different people are now and how the lines are drawn at such weird angles when it comes to anything. Our generation truly is the most studied generation. That’s a fact I had learned in my marketing class. We are the generation that everybody can’t seem to figure out. Hell, I’m in this generation and I can’t even figure myself out. Lol.

I’ve had some issues over the whole “privacy” thing lately and what I observe in people’s behavior. Privacy is such a different thing that it used to be 10 years ago. Even 5 years ago. It seems as if nobody is a private person anymore, and everybody puts their lives up for show. It’s like, if you know or meet someone, they automatically want your myspace page.. your facebook page… I mean, even giving out your screen name is becoming radically different. I used to (and still do) treat my screen name like my phone number… if I wouldn’t give you my phone number then why would I give you my screen name? Call me old fashioned or weird but there’s something to say for having that disconnect from everyone you come in contact with by choice… and only being available when you choose to be.The only way I give someone my screen name is if they’re an old friend or if I have to for school/group projects. Then I keep it strictly professional. Then there’s people who give everyone and their mother their screen name, and they’re like “ohh! I see you during the day! let’s chit chat all night too- I don’t have other things in real life I need to worry about. I’ll be on instant messenger alllllll night!”

Well yah, when I was single I did that.. but that’s cause I was filling in my extra time and pushing the walls or boredom away, and trying to find something to do after class if my friends were still working or in at school. I mean, where do you draw the line?

It seems as if the majority of my friends have gotten off that kick. The ones that are online just put up an away message all the time anyway. I’m going to be 24 in december… do I really need to still be on something I used when I was 13 every single day of my life!? How does that look professionally when I start my career? Or even.. what can myspace or facebook link me to, and get me in trouble for since employers seem to stalk those pages now as well? I give kudos to Jenna- who was the only one who could justify me being on AIM all day long because she had me matched for a while. But I am sad to say that even sheeeee is only on at work and no longer on at night. I am saddened! (you hear that Jenna! bahaha. Just kidding). But that made me rethink how much I use things like that. And made me rethink people who need it on whenever they are at their computer.

My sociology class went over these theories (which I entirely believe are true) that we tend to become closest to those that we spend the most time with and are in close proximity to. So if I’m in school or work and I see somebody everyday… sure as hell doesn’t mean I’m giving them my screen name or all my social pages so I can chit chat with them on a daily basis.

An important finding, Ms. Ellison said, was that students who reported low satisfaction with life and low self-esteem, and who used Facebook intensively, accumulated a form of social capital linked to what sociologists call “weak ties.” A weak tie is a fellow classmate or someone you meet at a party, not a friend or family member. Weak ties are significant, scholars say, because they are likely to provide people with new perspectives and opportunities that they might not get from close friends and family. “With close friends and family we’ve already shared information,” Ms. Ellison said.

That was taken from a massive social experiment with facebook where people did not know they were observed. Not to knock down what anybody does in their spare time but what would you think about somebody you know who has to be on every single social website known to man kind when it’s not neccesary or business related? It’s like their trying to replace something in their real life with something that can allow them to focus solely on the computer and ignore real life going on around them.

Me? I prefer to be out living life, yet it seems like the only way to get a hold of people it so sit on a damn computer. UGH!!! When does it ever stop!?

I should have grown up 2 generations ago, where it was all jazz music, wine, dinner dates, dancing and meaningful conversation. Technology and I have too much of a love/hate relationship to make it work. Lol.

I was reading this article the other day. You know it’s bad when CNN posts a topic like this- http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/04/04/facebook.love/index.html. How sad is that?! If you’re too lazy to click the link and read the article, it’s pretty much talking about how no relationship is final until it’s posted on facebook. Now, I’m guilty of being on facebook alot but that’s because I’m OCD about changing my profile and adding/deleting things. I don’t sit on there and stalk people or waste countless hours doing absolutely nothing on it. When it comes to the point where you kiss somebody and you don’t consider dating them until they send you a “relationship request” on facebook (the article interviewed someone who said that they indeed started a relationship that way) then you know your life is pretty sucky. What’s worse is when someone changes their relationship status once every few days… do we really need a play by play on the exact time and date you guys broke up? Is it necessary to race to the computer to change your status so that the whole entire world knows that you’re single?! Having social networks like that makes everybody’s lives so public. Whatever happened to privacy? Do we really care that you’re outside taking a walk? Then one hour later you’re inside eating lunch? And then one hour after that you’re seeing your boyfriend? Then two hours after that, your status is single? No, we don’t. At least I know I don’t.

How does it go down? Are you arguing like “OMG! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU CHEATED ON ME YOU DIRTY HOOKER!!! HANG ON ONE SECOND!!!” :::changes status to single::: “THERE!!! YOU’RE NOT MY GIRLFRIEND ANYMORE!!!” .. then the girlfriend is like “OH!!! but I love you so much! I can’t live/breathe/eat/sleep/be-a-normal-human-being/exist without you!! please take me back because I’m sad and lonely!” Then the boyfriend is like “okay! but one last time! If I have to change my status again, it’s over!!!” :::status changes to ‘it’s complicated’:::  Ummm. Yeah.

That article has just proved my point that people need to get a life and stop spending every hour on the internet. I don’t really have much to say about this anymore, I just thought it was pretty hilarious/pathetic/true/gay and felt like sharing. Toodles :)