Last night, while Indigo Bunting was Burning Sugartown and Deloney was talking to Glen and Fay was dodging fireworks and Helen was thinking about hair and penguins I was discovering Facebook.

Now, let it be known, I signed up on Facebook only a few months after it opened its doors to non-students. I’d wondered about this private space for young folks ever since I heard about it through college students I knew.  I was not impressed when I first signed up. My daughter took pity on me and became my friend so my profile didn’t pathetically proclaim “Dona Patrick has no friends”. So I poked around. And poked Clare. And she poked me back. And I poked her. Booorrrinnnng.

Then I got some other friends — my son (who later unfriended me), and some friends I knew online for years. They sent me gifts like growing things and I sent them things like growing things. I logged on occassionally, but it just didn’t hold my interest. I was tired of poking and of strange friend requests and of growing gifts. I even got into the zombie thing. <shakes head>

A few nights ago, after a couple of too many glasses of wine I showed Facebook to my mom and I left drunken comments and messages — one to someone I thought I knew but who was someone else with that same name.

So — last night I thought I’d try again. After all, my kids spend a lot of time on Facebook — there must be some attraction. First of all, the interface has changed. It is cleaner than it was before. I’ve learned to use the ignore button a lot. I’m ignoring gifts — you always have to add something to your Facebook in order to view them anyway.  I’ve also started to ignore friend suggestions because when I tried to befriend someone whose name I knew she flat out rejected me! Ouch….

I did find my best friend from junior high and part of high school. She’s not gotten back yet though. 25% chance that she’ll reject me too. I also found my husband’s distant cousin who I met at his mom’s funeral. She accepted my friendship. Most of the folks that are my friends (45!) are from Brainstorms, but that’s ok. I’ve been there for almost 10 years and I know some of these people better than I know my neighbors I’ve lived near for the same amount of time.

Then I had a chat with a friend from Brainstorms, which was nice. I used to chat a lot, but have not done it recently.

All-in-all, for a New Years Eve, it was very low key and I was in bed by 11 pm.  I doubt it would have been more lively if Dean had been home. As previously mentioned, we don’t really do New Year’s Eve. No, it wasn’t the parties I envisioned as a child or teen. It would have been more fun to have burned sugarcubes or watched fireworks or even chatted with that old friend from high school. But it was what it was, and I have found a new obession, but at least it is something I can share (afar) with my kids.