December 20: Bewilderment, Facebooker, the Dark Side

I am no scientist.  I explore the neighborhood.  An infant who has not learned to hold his head up has a frank and forthright way of gazing about him in bewilderment.  He hasn't the faintest clue where he is, and he aims to learn . . .

I've been feeling that way since Sunday night.  Kind of discombobulated.  At sea.  Annie Dillard is talking about her surroundings, which are alien to her.  So, she sets out to explore Tinker Creek.  The banks and forest and distant mountain.  She wants to somehow gain some understanding of her world.

Me?  I joined Facebook on Sunday.  For years, friends and family have been pressuring me to become a Facebooker (don't know if that's a word, but I'm going to use it).  I have stubbornly held out.  My reason was simple:  my life is complicated enough without having to add social media into the mix.  The world at large doesn't need to know what I ate for breakfast or what kind of bowel movement I had this afternoon.

However, I have good friends who have recently moved a great distance away.  I don't want to lose touch with them.  Therefore, I gave in to Darth Zuckerberg, went to the Dark Side.  In the last two days, I've gotten friend requests from family, friends, and complete strangers.  I feel like the popular girl in high school, getting asked to the prom by every member of the football team.

I'm not really sure about how Facebook works yet.  But I'll figure it out.  As my Facebook profile says, I did study computer science as an undergrad.  Plus, I have a teenage daughter as my IT person.  I'm pretty much set.

Now, all I need is an iPhone, and I'll be part of the 21st century.

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