Facebook Hiatus – Taking a Break From Social Media

I finally did it.  I acted on the idea that has been swirling in the back of my mind for more than a month now.  I changed my profile picture, my cover photos, and my settings… and I quit facebook.  For 30 days.  You can probably imagine why I would feel the need to take a break from Facebook.  You might even be reading this blog from your phone, from a place where the world is absolutely carrying on around you.  Or, you could be in the bathroom.  Can’t you be alone with your thoughts for even five minutes?

That’s the critique I gave myself, because I am on my phone, specifically on Facebook, CONSTANTLY.  Quite literally (not figuratively), I check my phone first thing in the morning before I get out of bed.  I’m not afraid to say that I bring my phone into the bathroom with me.  Everyone does it.  I check Facebook on the computer before I leave for work.  I check it again as I’m in my car, before I even pull out of the stall.  I check it after I park at work, just looking for something new that I might have missed.  I check it during the work day–it’s almost constantly in the background.  I check it in my car before I drive home from work, again in the parking spot at home, and then I migrate to my computer–and Jeff is on his–then we stare at our electronic devices in bed, then we kiss and fall asleep.

And why?  There is figuratively nothing worth looking at on my social media feed.  Good vs. evil, what state you should live in, what your vernacular says about you–and Buzzfeed! Gods, Buzzfeed.  What a time suck.

What am I missing?  Well, I don’t know–because it’s been this way for about a year or so.  I’m missing spending QUALITY time with my husband, I know that for sure.  I’m missing out on rich interactions with my friends because we’ve ‘interacted’ enough via facebook already that day.  The depth of my relationships is getting shallower and shallower.

Aside from relationships, I’m also losing out on productivity at work.  Do you think I can focus very well with Facebook taunting me in the backround?  3 new notifications! I must click them before I finish writing this e-mail.  Oops, I hear footsteps, better alt+tab.

I’m missing out on nature.  I try not to, but inevitably I’ll scroll through facebook while I’m out for a walk.  Someone honked at me while I was out for a walk the other day and I assumed it was some jerk from the high school judging me again.  Turns out, it was my neighbor.  If I hadn’t had my nose buried in my phone, I could’ve waved at her in a friendly manner instead of throwing my hands out in exasperation and shouting “What?!”  And for what?  Another Grammarly update saying that people on the internet will still correct you if you make a typo.

So, I’m calling it quits–for 30 days.  I want to WILL regain some of the depth to my most important relationships.  I want to WILL be present in my day to day interactions.  I want to WILL be more focused and productive at work.

 

I think that the hardest part of this challenge is that I am going to New York City in a few weeks.  There will be brand new experiences–sights, sounds, friends, and photos that I’m sure I’ll be tempted to immediately upload onto social media.  And selfies! Oh my goodness, the selfies.  The thing is, though, before social media, I actually cherished my photos.  I looked back on them, I printed them out, I scrap-booked them, and if you were a special friend, I’d print a copy for you too.  Maybe I’d even put it in a really cute frame.

Just imagine how much more vibrant my memories will be if I can actually live and experience them rather than ‘capturing them for posterity Facebook.’

I imagine that I’ll just be more cognizant of my choices, take fewer photos, live more of my life than I put on the internet.

 

Have you ever taken a hiatus from social media?  What did you take away from it?  

 

P.S. I still plan to blog during this time, so don’t expect radio silence after I *just* got back  ::wink::

 

Oh! Hi, there. (Ohaithere!)

It wasn’t until I saw that my previous post was entitled “Enter, enter, the first of November” that I realized how long it’s actually been since I’ve blogged.  “Busy” doesn’t begin  to describe it.

One thing I’ve been busy with recently is getting the apartment ready for Christmas 🙂

I’ve got a load of dishes in the washer right now, and once I’m done blogging, I’m prepared to go make cookies for a couple of hours.  In the mean time, though, here are some pictures of the Christmas festivities around our place:

We love our coffee enough to hang our love on a tree. Caribou when we’re in the states and Tim Horton’s when we’re not 🙂

Detail of our Tree

Our tree, 2013

Snowman with his extra large double double

Large chai latte with a shot of cinnamon and a shot of espresso. yum.

In memory of Damon

We stayed at the Nicolin Mansion for our Honeymoon ❤

We toured the Coors brewery with Lori and Ross when we went to visit them 🙂

Monogrammed ornament 🙂 It was originally to celebrate Jeff’s first Christmas in the states, but now his initial is mine too! (Our 1st Christmas as a married couple, awe)

In memory of Otis, our duh-dog who was half pit, half bull, all awesome.

In memory of Dutch, my favorite Rottie.

I love the photo ornaments we have on our tree. Get ’em at Snapfish.com

Our tree is topped by a serene angel this year. Her head is just shy of our ceiling.

The paper ones preceded the real ones

Candycanes in the snow

View from the balcony

Skinny Santa

Bowl of Balls w/ Bow

Bowl of Balls 2

I belong with you, you belong with me, you’re my sweetheart.

So, at the moment, I’m keeping my stomach settled by sheer will power.  Must’ve eaten somewhat that didn’t agree with me 😦 ugh.. 

Prior to that, though, I’ve been having a fine day.  I finally threw out the old vacuum cleaner in favor of the shiny new one we bought.  I took down a couple bags of recycling and a bag of rubbish while I was at it.  While cleaning today, I also came up with a bag and a box full of stuff for the donation bin.  I think I’ll take it on over to the DAV on the morrow and let them have a go at it. 

Mm.  I’ve just realized there are a few terms slipping into my vocabulary that probably don’t belong there.  Somewhat. Rubbish. Morrow.  Have a go.  That’s probably a sign I’ve been watching too much Dr. Who.  I LOVE David Tennant and can’t bear to think of another doctor after him, but friends say that this Matthew character grows on you.  I dunno.. something about his hair and that bowtie sets me at odds and makes me think he’s a just a bit off.  Dunno.

I thought I’d be gaming more but there simply hasn’t been time.  I am designing the programs for the wedding and for a few moments there, considered skimming vector art from google images and just blotting out the istock logo.  Now, before you start a big row over this, know that I, too, am an artist and respect people’s work, so all it took was a brief confession to my bestie to put a stop to that.  “Not only is that illegal, it’s unethical, too!”  Aand, how right she is.. 

So, instead, I’m crafting Dollz from free-to-use bases.  Does anyone remember Dollz?  They were big in the early 2000’s?  I used to be way into them and so I guess by incorporating them into my programs, they’ll be even more personal and reflective of our past.  

I’ve been working on them all weekend and so now I’ve got 4/5 of my bridesmaids done, plus my flower-girl.  Here, you can see the finished dollz along the top and the bases that they started from below: 

The real fun starts when I try to make the Groomsmen using the same base… oi. Credit for these bases (in case you’d like to try your hand at making your own) goes to Mariii’s Dolls House. 

The more I work on them, the more I think I’ll like it.  It’s so much more personalized than the silly silhouettes.  I have made each one reflective of the style of the woman it’s representing, and I was able to illustrate the bridesmaid’s dresses as well as the dress my little flower girl is going to wear.  I think that turns the programs into keepsakes for the people featured on them 🙂 

Jeff and I have gone over the ceremony, the program, etc.  He figured out groomsman gifts today and we got a lot of the requirements wrapped up for the tux rentals.  Tomorrow, I’ve got to call the tux shop because we paid for shoes and left them at the store.  We’re just a touch scatter-brained, I suppose. We are comfortable with each other, though–we’re not arguing one bit over wedding details–not like on the shows.  Yes, it’s stressful trying to get everything done, but at the end of the day–it’s just a party.  It’s just a grand celebration so that we can shout to the rooftops that we love each other, and then dance around with our friends and family. ❤ It’s not worth fighting over. 

 

The Shoes-ah!

I’m so excited. I knew there was no way I could be tottering around in my towering heels on my wedding day and so I went shopping on Zappos for the first time, looking for a back-up plan.  I was bummin’ around with my mom at the time so I used their mobile site.  It was super easy.  I bought a couple pair of back-up shoes for the wedding and I was really impressed with everything.  Zappos has an agreement of sorts with Amazon and so I was able to use the login credentials from that site. Since I was using my mobile phone to do all of my shopping, that made it super easy.  There’s nothing worse* than trying to configure a secure password that you’ll remember on a PC using a smartphone keyboard.  Ugh. (*there are worse things, but I like being mellow-dramatic).

So yes, the mobile site was great. The shipping (even super fast ‘next-business-day’ shipping) was free and it’s free to send them back, too, which may come in handy… I saw a pair of purple heels that had my name on them – “Meg.”  They were kind of summery, strappy.. I thought, what the hey, they might work!

 

First impressions were good–they were the perfect color, the style was pleasing…but wearing them around the house kind of made me realize that they’re a little cheaply constructed.  The sole was flimsy and the liner was pulling up near the toe bed.  Womp womp 😦  It’s safe to say I was kinda glad I ordered a second pair, and really glad that they have free shipping for returns, ’cause these aren’t going to make the cut.

The blue, oh my goodness.. the blue were beautiful!! Breathtaking, even.. I unwrapped them and inspected them for quality and was pleased with the stitching and the fabric, the construction of the sole and the heel…

I wore them around the apartment for a while and was pleased with the fit and the comfort.  It’s got excellent cushioning for such a low heel.  The only trouble spot is near the big toe.. unfortunately, these rub right near the cuticle in a way I can tell will cause a blister 😦  I’m going to try to find a way to break them in gently so that it’s not a problem.

 

They are even a perfect match to the bridesmaids’ dresses ❤  I’m so thrilled!  I’m going to be showing the blue ones off tomorrow when I get to work to see if mom likes them.  Even if she doesn’t, I do, and they’re perfect.  *gush* The shoes-ah!!

Canada Recap: Wedding Socials

“Women are like goats. It’s like . . . Well, reasoning with a woman is like sitting down to a friendly game of dice. Only the woman refuses to acknowledge the basic bloody rules of the game. A man, he’ll cheat you – but he’ll do it honestly. He’ll use loaded dice, so that you think you’re losing by chance. And if you aren’t clever enough to spot what he’s doing, then maybe he deserves to take your coin. And that’s that. A woman, though, she’ll sit down to that same game and she’ll smile, and act like she’s going to play. Only when it’s her turn to throw, she’ll toss a pair of her own dice that are blank on all six sides. Not a single pip showing. She’ll inspect the throw, then she’ll look up at you and say, ‘clearly I just won.’ Now, you’ll scratch your head and look at the dice. Then you’ll look up at her, then down at the dice again ‘But there aren’t any pips on these dice’ you’ll say.” ‘Yes there are,’ she’ll say. ‘And both dice rolled a one.’ ‘That’s exactly the number you need to win,’ you’ll say. ‘What a coincidence,’ she’ll reply, then begin to scoop up your coins. And you’ll sit there, trying to wrap your head ’bout what just happened. And you’ll realise something. A pair of ones isn’t the winning throw! Not when you threw a six on your turn. That means she needed a pair of twos instead! Excitedly you’ll explain what you’ve discovered. Only then do you know what she’ll do?”

“No idea, Mat.”

“Then she’ll reach over and rub the blank faces of her dice. And then, with a perfectly straight face, she’ll say, ‘I’m sorry. There was a spot of dirt on the dice. Clearly you’ll see they actually came up as twos!’ And she’ll believe it. She’ll bloody believe it!”

“Incredible.”

“Only that’s not the end of it!” “I had presumed it wouldn’t be Mat.” “She scoops up all of your coins. And then every other wonam in the room will come over and congratulate her on throwing that pair of twos! The more you complain, the more those bloody women will join in the argument. You’ll be outnumbered in a moment, and each of those women will explain to you how those dice clearly read twos, and how you really need to stop behaving like a child. Every single flaming one of them will see the twos! even the prudish woman who has hated your woman from birth – since your woman’s granny stole the other woman’s granny’s honeycake recipe when they were both maids – that woman will side against you.”

“They’re nefarious creatures indeed.”

“By the time they’re done, you’ll be left with no coin, several lists worth of errands to run and what clothing to wear and a splitting headache. You’ll sit there and stare at the table and begin to wonder, just maybe, if those dice didn’t read twos after all. If only to preserve what’s left of your sanity. That’s what it’s like to reason with a woman, I tell you.”

• Mat Cauthon to Talmanes – The Gathering Storm, book twelve of The Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan

Wandering through the bookstore and stumbling across new and wonderful literary adventures is one of mine and Jeff’s favorite ways to spend time.  More than a few times we have gone for a quick bite to eat and then spent two or more hours just perusing the shelves looking for a new book.  When I was a girl, I used to dream of having a library like the one in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.  Now that I know just how expensive books and shelves are… I think I’ll settle with a small, robust, private collection.  Jeff and I were on one of our literary dates this evening and I picked up an old favorite – The Phantom Tollbooth.  It’s a book aimed at sixth graders, but my niece is coming over this weekend and I thought it might be nice to start reading to her.  She won’t appreciate it until she’s older, but perhaps she’ll enjoy the adventure.

Speaking of adventures… Let’s go back to last month when Jeff and I embarked on our adventure to Canada.  Whilst there, we had the opportunity to attend a Wedding Social.  Now, from what I gather, this is a Manitobian and maybe even more specifically a Winnipeg’er tradition.. According to the Manitoba Socials Guide:

A social is a particularly Manitoba-grown concept. It’s a fundraising party, often for a wedding, charitable or community organization. Usually held at a community centre or a Legion hall, it can be known as a “Manitoba Social”, “Winnipeg Social”, “Wedding Social”, “Fundraising Social”, or just simply a “Social”.

When it is run for a wedding it is traditionally run by the wedding party, although it is sometimes run by the bride and groom. A wedding social gives people a way to include friends and relatives in the wedding when you could not invite them, and allows friends and family to support the couple financially for their new life together.

It was a fun night of music, raffles, 50:50 drawings, and snacky foods.  It was the first social that I had ever been to and I thought it was really cool.  There were two things that stuck out to me about it – first, that “gay-marriage” (aka: marriage) is legal in Manitoba.  I didn’t know that.  People make such a big fuss about it here that it was refreshing to see that it was just another happy couple getting married and that their gender was not the highlight of the evening.   The other exciting thing is that Michelle and Jen picked the same colors as Jeff and I, so, we got to see them “in action”

They served deli meats and cheeses, crackers and bread around 11pm and the party carried on into the night.  There were a lot of people who Jeff got to reconnect with, and a few who didn’t recognize him since he’s changed so much in the past few years.  We didn’t win any of the drawings, but that’s okay because we were able to contribute to our friend’s wedding and help out with just a little of the cost.  It almost makes me wish that there were more of our friends and family local so that it would be worth throwing a fund-raiser such as this.

As it turns out, Olive Garden and the like only do fund-raising for non-profits.  And we don’t qualify.  Drat.  I guess that means I will have to consider leveling up my crafting abilities and try my hand at raising money that way.

Flowers and a mini-update.

I found this cute little library as Jeff and I drove to breakfast.  We had helped a family friend with a task and then we met up with my parents for waffles at Ihop.  It was a great morning!

I’m still swamped with school and work, so I apologize for neglecting updates.  In fitness type news I figured out that the problem with my back is a rhomboid muscle strain/spasms.  My doctor has got some stretches recommended for me and hopes to see me up-and-at-them in about 3 weeks or so.

The Warrior Dash is on Saturday and I found myself a jogging partner–his name is Mario and he’s fine with going slow 🙂

Class ends on 7/22.  I sincerely hope to update before then, but this course has a higher work load and is much faster paced than my previous courses.  As always, I appreciate your taking the time out of YOUR busy schedule to stop by and see what I’m up to 🙂

take care!