Pity Party Please – I Have No Friends
With my recent hip and back problems, I was given the opportunity and lots of time to think about important things.
So, as I write this 700th+ Sunday blog, I share the most important thing that came to me with my ‘free’ time.
As I have advanced in years, I had hoped my age would provide some latitude for eccentricity, maybe a little ‘look-the other-way acceptance’ by neighbors and acquaintances. Perhaps even a little sympathy.
But alas, it is not to be. I’m alone. I have no friends.
That is, according to the modern era of Facebook, now officially called META – the true measure of likableness and social support these days. With a billion or so people in the world using Facebook I’m really out of it.
I recently asked other folks at the table of a club luncheon (a group that tolerates me as long as I pay my dues) if they were members of Facebook. Not surprisingly, the answer from all of them was “yes.”
After further inquiry as to ‘why’ they used Facebook, one response was that it was a great way to stay in touch with his grandchildren. I asked him how many “friends” he had – he replied about 60, including some ‘old’ high school buddies. (I understand you measure the personal interest in you by others, your popularity and your ‘attractiveness’ to others, by the number of “friends” you have. But I may be wrong about that too). One person at the table said his “friends” were limited to his two sons – that he was paranoid about the information collected with usage, and noted the ads he sees when using Facebook are obviously designed specifically for him. Aha! I thought agreeably, a major reason I obviously have no friends.
As I’m Facebook friendless, oh, and I also have no social network on Twitter or any other social media, in line with my old-fashioned penchant for privacy, I just can’t see an old dog like me learning and using new tricks, namely another alphabet – the different character-bursts and icons used when writing “tweets.”
I hear about how people, especially those who are ‘famous’ – now including politicians – who micro-blog their “friends” and the media, telling the world about their love life, their vacation, what time they went to bed and about how they’re currently standing in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. I’m missing all that – and the world is passing me by.
Being old fashioned and unfashionable, I say good night to my spouse and try to strike up a conversation with the person in front or in back of me as I wait to in the checkout line to pay for items at the grocery store. I find the weather is a good ice breaker, but the headlines on the tabloids that stare from the ‘right in front of me’ rack and are difficult to completely ignore and can also be a good way to start a dialogue, to engage, however briefly. “So-and-so” is divorcing “so-and-so” because their partner was caught ‘red-handed’ with a paramour by the paparazzi can be compelling stuff to those that really care and want to stay current on the latest events – even though I have no idea who any of the “so-and-so’s might be. As an aside, the best tabloid headline I’ve ever seen was: “Hooker gives birth to triplets – one white, one black, one Chinese.”
Live conversation is sometimes difficult anymore as people have their heads down and focused on their cell phones, texting away – even between chewing and the next bite while eating. A few years ago, on a trip to South Korea, I realized what was coming and showed me how obsolete I already was as almost everyone there was texting – seemingly incessantly – like many now do here.
I’ve witnessed my grandchildren texting faster with their thumbs than my eyes could follow. I’m impressed, sort of.
I must be missing a great deal. I really don’t know how easy or difficult it is to manually text while driving a motor vehicle. I’ve never tried it. I hear about accidents involving texting, but maybe a received message preceded by that ding or tinkle of some sound was so compelling or shocking that it caused the driver to lose focus on the road ahead.
Here’s a real confession, a measure of how really un-hip I am, despite the fact I own and frequently use a cell phone. I still use the damn thing to talk to people – out loud – with my voice! How outdated is that? I almost hate to admit it as I know you must feel sorry for someone so clueless. I think that makes me a victim of oppressive isolation and I’m trying to accept the newly discovered indifference toward me that’s probably been there all along.
Sometimes I feel like I might be the only one who still accesses the internet on my computer. I don’t use my phone to know the score of the game or know what important mundane things my ‘friends’ might be doing or thinking at the moment, or what my heart rate is, nor who might be at my front door while I’m away. Further, with all the spam I and everyone receive via email I don’t need to delete that junk in two places. My practicality has no place in the 21st century.
Woe is me. I’m apparently destined to be friendless and alone in my last years.
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
SPIDER Bites
This week’s trivia question: Which mystery writer holds the Guinness World Record for the most translated works? The answer to last week’s question – the longest-running Broadway show: Phantom of the Opera. That show opened in 1968 and closed in April this year with nearly 14,000 performances. Cats is 2nd on the list opening in 1982 and closing in 2000 with 7,400+ performances.
Iran backed Hamas invaded Israel across the Gaza Strip last night, killing hundreds and taking residential women and children hostages. President Biden promised support. We can trust Iran will continue its support for terrorism against Israel and us.
Starting tomorrow, Brightline will expand the number of daily trains between Orlando and Miami to 30 from the current 16. The service started less than two weeks ago. The first train will leave Terminal C at the Orlando airport at 4:38 AM, arrive in downtown Miami at 8:11 AM with stops in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Aventura. In various stretches the train exceeds 100 mph.
In an about face last week the Biden administration called for building a wall on the Texas border. Gee, what a novel idea. However, building 20 miles of wall will make little difference as long as our President allows all potential immigrants to simply come to any check point and enter – a record 260,000 did so in September, 7.5million since Biden took office.
Chicago officials are now forcing out youth football from their long-time playing field to make room for tents for immigrants. Great, huh? BTW, in addition to filling hotels, streets, schools and open/park areas, immigrants are now filling the hospitals.
The House Speaker got ousted last week. It’s a story few really care about because along with raising the debt ceiling the week before, Congress is doing nothing about crime, immigration, inflation or increasing the debt even more. Does anyone wonder why Congress has a 19% approval rating?
Here’s a sophomoric move. Congressman Jamaal Bowman of NY pulled a fire alarm last week hoping to delay the vote on keeping the government open last Sunday. Now that’s ‘statesmanship.’
With 300 wildfires in Canada blazing away, the smoke from all that burning, and the haze and air pollution created, reached us and apparently went as far south as Miami in Florida last week.
In line with the subsidized solar energy push, Florida electric companies are buying up lots of rural land for solar panel arrays – replacing farms, orchards, and ranches, according to the September issue of Florida Trend.
Record high bond yields and Bidenomics are negatively impacting the stock market. The DJIA lost all its gains for the year last week.
5-time Olympic gold medalist, American gymnast Simone Biles continues to make history. Biles, who returned to the sport just three months ago, won the individual all-around title at the world championships last week with nearly flawless performances in all events. She’s awesome having won more medals than anyone in the sport.
