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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

App Updates Create Violence in the Home

Just a little more than a year ago my husband bought me a tablet.  It is a Samsung Galaxy tab II.  I really enjoy having it around and especially enjoy all of the fun little sounds that it makes when it wants to notify me of activity on facebook, e-mail accounts or my Etsy store.  Oftentimes I find myself  reading articles, browsing facebook or KSL just before dosing off to sleep (I know they say it's bad for quality sleep, but it helps me unwind).
Last night I was waiting for a few apps to updates, and was semi-dozing off, when everything finished updating.  The Etsy CA-CHING cash register noise, Facebook Message notification sound and e-mail noise all went off at once... at the highest volume setting possible.  My knee-jerk response was to fling the tablet away from me while simultaneously hitting my husband with my free hand.
  Once I woke up enough to realize what had happened I laughed so hard I cried.   Every time I thought that I was calm enough to take a breath, I would get that silly tickle as I thought about the hilarity of the situation and start laughing all over again.
  So be careful with your technology.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Dating: It’s What separates the Men from the Boys

Paul and I on a DATE 1989
A few days ago I witnessed something that made me upset.  No, it made me really mad.  My husband and I were taking our daughter back up to college and as we weaved past the other apartments and entered her apartment I beheld a very strange sight that apparently is all too common.  Her roommate was perched on the arm of the sofa and there were two guys in the room .  One was entertaining himself by playing a guitar and the other was merely sitting on the other sofa.   The TV wasn’t on, there were no games being played....  nothing but apathy and lack of assertiveness was present in the room.  The guys were just there to occupy space and be entertained by this young lady.   It probably would not have bothered me as much if it hadn’t been a Friday night.  Why, you may ask, am I so upset about two guys hanging out with a girl on a Friday night?  Because Friday and Saturday nights are for having fun, getting out, and doing something….. more specifically, an old fashioned thing we grown-ups like to refer to as DATING.  That something that allows people to make memories and figure out life’s possibilities, and create something to look forward to or have fun reminiscing on when it is over.  .
From the look on the roommates face it was clear that she was trapped into spending the evening entertaining her guests.  How had she gotten herself into this babysitting gig?  How sad it was to see that a beautiful and fun girl wouldn’t have the chance to do anything exciting  that evening… or really any foreseeable evening in the future.  Trapped in her own apartment and not even allowed to relax and enjoy spending  time alone
.
  I had to resist the urge to address the young men and ask which one of them was going to man up and take this girl out on the town for the evening.   I kind of wish now that I had said something…. at least to the roommate,  I want to say that allowing boys you have no interest in to “hang out” will not get you anywhere in the dating world.  Just like dogs marking their territory to keep other dogs away, the mere presence of the boys will keep the men from coming around, because how are the men  to know what your feelings are?  All they see is you spending time with someone and they jump to conclusions that you are in a relationship and unavailable.
I have thought about this a lot over the past few months since my daughter started college and began to complain about the “hang out” culture.  She was very lucky this last week to have a real date….. a one-on-one date where he picked her up and had a day of adventure.  Now, that’s a Man for you.  Whether or not anything happens with that relationship has yet to be seen, but  she will always remember the adventure.
With the internet there are so many ways that great dates could come to pass.. I feel like the younger people are not taking advantage of the numerous resources that could enrich their lives.
Guys: If asking a girl what she might like to do seems too hard… just Pinterest stalk her to see what she is passionate about.  Not sure how to dress or have questions about grooming?  http://www.artofmanliness.com/
Girls… drop a few more hints if you are interested in someone.  Learn how to present yourself.  The internet and you-tube are full of helpful hints on clothing, makeup and relationships.
Most of all remember that you are young and should be having fun!
For more information  on Dating versus Hanging out see the articles below