I’m sure that phrase has crossed the brains and lips of many horrified teenagers over the last five years. And although my children are no longer teenagers, I try to make sure to not embarrass them on Facebook. Since my children, step-children and daughters-in-law are also my friends in “real life,” I think we’ve all done a pretty good job. Lars does not do the Facebook thing, but I love him anyway because he is my baby boy.

Notice I didn’t say anything about not embarrassing my children in blog posts.

I read an article yesterday about people over 50 getting into the whole social networking scene. This is news? I guess I’m among the exceptions: the people who’ve “been on the Internet” since around 1993-94, when brands like Mosaic, Netscape and Usenet were cutting-edge. When nearly *everyone’s* connection to the Internet sounded like this. So I take exception to the over-50 crowd’s techno savvy being viewed as such an anomaly. Dang kids anyhow.

Somebody’s car alarm is going off. Eight thirty on a Sunday morning, and there’s a car alarm going off at a house down the street. I hope it isn’t Lars and Helen’s…haha

Anyway, I saw a funny feature on Time‘s site. Why Facebook Is For Old Fogies lists ten reasons. Among them:

We’re not bitter about high school anymore. You’re probably still hung up on any number of petty slights, but when that person who used to call us that thing we’re not going to mention here, because it really stuck, asks us to be friends on Facebook, we happily friend that person. Because we’re all grown up now. We’re bigger than that. Or some of us are, anyway. We’re in therapy, and it’s going really well. These are just broad generalizations.

How true, heh. Some of the reasons don’t apply, but others hit home. Speaking of hitting home, I wonder how many teenage readers identify with this website. I thought it was funny, but I wouldn’t have 35 years ago, you know? Then again, I’m an old fogie who’s just now discovered she can “get on that Facebook page.”

There goes that car alarm for the third time. I’ll be back later. Must go find the Louisville Slugger and take a walk.

Random Neuron Firings

As the summer of 2010 comes to an official close with the first week of school now in the books, there is much to ponder. As fall approaches (signified by my sitting here in my parlor with a sweater on), I think it’s safe to say that the summer of 2010 was likely the best, busiest, and most revealing of my life. Behold:

1. I took an amazing vacation with the Thriller (with more to come next year, yay).
2. Mavis and I added a couple of very special people to our family. More on that at a later date.
3. Jake and Justin spent lots of time with us — that alone could make an awesome highlight film.
4. For the first time in my career, I did not spend several days a week at school during the summer.
5. Spent some fabulous time with BFF Kay and Bob.

Yet, some things remain undone and unattended, as is the norm around here. Not enough time or discipline or opportunity or whatever to get thus-and-so taken care of.

This summer, I didn’t:

1. get rid of those nasty 20 lbs.
2. redecorate my classroom
3. get all my photos arranged in albums
4. do my annual eBay summerummage sale
5. take boxes and boxes of stuff to Goodwill
6. choreograph a single routine for Singin’ in the Rain
7. plant a garden (not that I would have been home to see flowers and tend veggies)

But honestly. If I analyze the two lists, what I didn’t do fades into insignificance compared to what I did, ja? So does this mean all is well in my world, and everything is good?

Yep.

This morning I opened an email from RtB fiend (and my writing hero) Ross, asking me if I’d ever been to Sporcle.com. Well, I hadn’t even heard of it, so I went.

Big mistake.

Now I’m running completely late — as if that doesn’t happen often enough anyway. But man, did I ever nail the Beatles Opening Lyrics quiz. Still, I’m just sayin…if you do not go there, you stand a good chance of getting a timely start to your day. If you go there, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Thanks, Ross. Sheesh…

Happy Finkday! It’s a good day (unless you’re Adam, Bando or Rae, who get to schlep bands to football games tonight).

OK, the first day of school is over with. Behold my findings:

1. No matter who graduates, someone is always there to step up to the plate and continue the tradition. That is a good thing in choral music.
2. Ninety-nine percent of the students on my Facebook friend list hated the first day of school. Puzzling, since the first day is always the easiest day.
3. Smaller can mean better (70 in HS choir this year — 20 fewer than years past).
4. The thought of Stoney and I getting together tomorrow to face the gargantuan task of devising a rehearsal schedule for the next three months is making me feel a bit sickly.
5. We need a follow spot operator. Any ideas?
6. For the first time in my career, I didn’t spend the entire week before school actually at school. Does this mean I have a life?

I wonder many things this day.

Yikes — 6 a.m. and me sitting here like I got nothing to do. Hey, it’s Welmsday — we’re halfway to the weekend. Hang in there, everybunny.

FO

…it’s the first day of school for me. Only 12 more first days. Or not. There are days when I say, “I’ll still be at this when I’m 70,” and other days when I doubt I’ll even make it to 30 years before I call it quits.

It’s not the teaching that wears me out; I love directing choirs. Rather, it’s the shows and the NYC tours and the positively insane rehearsal schedules that keep me away from my family, my fiends, my Nook, and more than five hours of sleep per night. Yet…I’m not sure I could keep my present job and not do shows. There might be lynchings.

Anyway. I think I’d be in a chirpier mood had Rousseau not decided he absolutely had to go outside at 4:00 this morning. Does he choose the Thriller’s side of the bed to nuzzle with his cold, wet snout? NooOoOOoOOOOoooo

Hey, here’s something that will blow your mind, courtesy of my awesome fiend Harold (Suzanne’s handsome husband). Harold posted a link on his Facebook wall to some fantastic color photographs from Russia and the surrounding countryside. What’s so fantastic about that? you ask. Answer: they were taken between 1909 and 1912. Unbelievable. Check it out.

Welp, off I go. Make the coffee, make the lunch, take the shower, drive the Finkmobile, start the school year. Allons! Hope your week got off to a great start.

FO