iLife: The devolution of my e-social life

So, in the spirit of making a true confessional, here is the reality of my situation: I have no friends.

I have no family nearby.

I have no social life.

My sense of connection to other people (outside of my immediate family, of course) has devolved to checking the Facebook status and blogs of friends -- who live in various parts of the country far, far away from Idaho -- on my ipad and new iphone (which I must say truly is a great device).

Really, this is rather pathetic.

And, even worse, is that I read these little, tiny snippets and experience constant twinges of jealousy. Small events, stupid things really, that I wish I could be present for and participating in.

It may be even more pathetic because I don't even leave comments. I don't participate in the process. These virtual "friends" that I have don't even know I am there.

I have hit that really hard part of moving and settling in. The rush and craziness of arriving in a new place and unpacking has waned. I am not so new that people are seeking me out to introduce themselves anymore. But, I don't really know anyone. I don't have any real friends. Everything about my life feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

I know that it just takes time; I know things will improve. But, this is the hard part.

To be honest, I am grateful that even though I don't have a real life, I do have an iLife. I have this electronic means of maintaining a sense of connection to and investment in so many people that I really do care about.

I have moved enough times to know what usually happens to former friends; they become just that "former." I do a lousy job keeping up with people, even those that I really, sincerely want to keep up with and deeply care about. We exchange Christmas cards, visit periodically, but that is about it. And, truly, it kinda has to be. There are only so many relationships that I can maintain.

At least my iLife allows me to stay more connected, to feel like I still know something about my friends, like I am still in someway a part of their lives. Which I like.

The problem is, I am not really a part of their lives. And, I have no real life.

Just a sorry excuse for an electronic one.

Re-entry

I have not written in a while.

I could make a lot of excuses.

Like being busy moving in.

Or, the fact that my laptop bit the dust and while my last ten or so blogs have been written on my ipad I have found that it take me longer to type that way and increases by a statistically significant amount the number of typos -- which as anyone who knows this former editor well knows really makes me cringe.

I could say I have just given up on blogging.

But, none of that would be true.

I don't know what it has been, except that I have not yet found my groove.

In any case, I am hoping to be showing back up in my electronic life now and hope those of you who keep up with me this way are still sticking around.

Technically Awkward

These are my two oldest daughters' favorite words.

Mia loves to use technically, with air quotes, to describe all sorts of scenarios. It is a favorite lead-in to a sentence when she is trying to sound authoritative: "Technically, ..." "Technically, Mom, dogs can eat human food and not get sick." "Technically, we went to the store every day last week, so I don't want to go again."

Maggie, on the other hand, picked up the term "awkward" from her aunt this summer and uses it to describe everything. She even has a shirt with sheep on it that says "Awkward." She gets very excited whenever she hears it used.

Elsie-isms

"Very, very" used as an adjective to describe anything she likes a lot. Such as in: "I want a very, very strawberry."

"Just one more and that be all of it." An oft-used expression employed to try to bargain with her mother for another treat, movie, chance to play, etc. Problem is, it is not a binding expression, she never really means to only have one more.

Sitting in church the other day I told Elsie Jane that she needed to be quiet and think about Jesus, to which she responded, "Where he go?" Then, putting her little hand up to shade her eyes (as she does whenever looking for something) and glancing to her right and to her left she announced loudly, "Where is Jesus? I don't see Him anywhere!"

Today Elsie Jane asked for a popsicle for breakfast, to which I replied, "No. Besides, they are all gone anyway. Where do you think they all went?" "Into mouths!" Elsie Jane responded matter-of-factly. "Mia's mouth. Maggie's mouth. Elsie's mouth."

"Oh, Bother!" Lifted straight from Winnie the Pooh, this expression may be my favorite. It is used whenever something occurs that Elsie Jane views as inconvenient. She drops her blanket on the floor, has to wait for a snack, or can't find her doll and exclaims, "Oh, bother."