Everything I Like Causes Cancer

Where we've been convinced to write a new post on Dec. 2. Stay tuned!

2/10/2010

*creeeeeeeeaaak!*

Posted by Gwen | Labels: , ,

Hey-hey, party people! It's been a while, hasn't it? It might have been too long this time because being here feels a little awkward and scary, like walking into an abandoned building. There's even a dank, musty smell in here but that might be my feet.

Anyway, it's good to be back and I hope there are still more than three of you around because I feel like I might be back for good. That and today Whiskeymarie pledged to post every day for a week and I can't have that bitch showing me up and winning your affection.





Speaking of dank, musty smells in abandoned places (that's a joke about the sad state of my love life - before this week), I have a date tomorrow night! Very exciting stuff. I'm trying to stay cool about it, though, because I like this guy and I don't want to be a total spazz. I have very little dating experience: I had one boyfriend during the first three years of high school, I married my college sweetheart, and I dated/lived with my last boyfriend for almost five years. What can I say? I'm a serial monogamist. I don't consider that a bad thing, but being one has left me ill-prepared for dating at 40, which is exponentially harder than dating at 20. Or 30.

I understand that dates are just opportunities for people to spend time together in order to determine if they want to spend more time together and that it's okay to NOT want to spend more time together, but I get so worked up about the whole business that my heart races and I can't concentrate which leads to inappropriate giggling and talking too loud. I think dating should start with laying around in pajamas, reading newspapers and watching movies together, and progress over time into dinners and movies. I mean, wouldn't it be easier to start out in your most comfortable zone and more logical to eat in public and see a movie AFTER you've grown bored with one another? I don't know, but it makes sense to me.

So yeah, a date. Squee. And so far? No anxiety. Like I said, I like this guy: he's cute, we're in the same profession, we come from similar backgrounds, he's easy to talk to and he makes me laugh - hard. The only thing weighing on my mind now is that this morning I woke up from a dream in which I had a terrible, painful sore throat only to discover that I actually did have a sore throat. I spent time with my favorite kids on Sunday and I was lovin' on 'em all day so I'm 75% certain that I am coming down with something. There's an 85% chance of kissing tomorrow. I'm not telling him.

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2/21/2009

I don't remember agreeing to that.

Posted by Gwen | Labels: , ,

A week or so ago my ex-husband friended me on Facebook.  In and of itself, not a big deal - we forgave each other a long time ago and truly are friends again.  I even helped him through his last heartbreak.


When I checked out his profile he had five friends:  me, his current wife, his mom, his dad, and a friend whose hair had turned so white over the past 10 years that I didn't recognize him.  At the time he was NEW to Facebook so I shouldn't have giggled that his wives and his parents were his friends, but I did.  (I just checked his profile - he has more friends now, as I suspected he would.  I also found out he has two sons and I only knew about one.)

Anyhow, the point of this post is that shortly after he friended me I got an Inbox message from his wife.  That threw me for a loop.  She didn't friend me - just sent a message - but when I first saw who it was from I couldn't imagine what she might have to say to me.  Her message was actually very nice.  She said it was nice to finally put a face to "the Gwen I have heard about."  (Dear Baby Jesus, don't let her check out my pictures or find my blog.  Thank you and Amen.)

But one sentence confounded me:

"I want to thank you for filling out those papers for EX so that he could do his Catholic stuff."

HUH?

I don't remember filling out any paperwork and this can only mean I agreed to annul my marriage.  Right?

I suppose at the time I didn't mind the idea and can't think of any rational reason why I should care now, but I do.  My marriage happened, damn it.  I have pictures and a marriage license and a divorce decree to prove it.  I have a small pain in my heart about it's demise to prove it.  I have a diamond solitaire necklace made from my engagement ring to prove it.

MY MARRIAGE HAPPENED, DAMN IT!!

Because if it didn't, I'm an old maid.

comments (29)

9/27/2008

Well, I never.

Posted by Gwen | Labels: ,

Facebook Profiles Out Narcissists
LiveScience Staff

LiveScience.com
Fri Sep 26, 9:31 AM ET

Facebook profiles can tell you more than just peoples' birthdays and what movies they like - they can reveal the self-adoring, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Georgia gave personality questionnaires to nearly 130 Facebook users and analyzed the content of their online profiles. They also had untrained observers look at the profiles and rate how narcissistic, or excessively egotistical, the owners of the profiles were.

The results of the study are detailed in the October issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

The researchers found that the number of friends and wall posts (messages left by the owner of the profile or friends) that a person had on their profile correlated with how narcissistic they were. Study leader Laura Buffardi, a Ph.D. student in psychology, said this is similar to how narcissists behave in the real world, forming numerous but shallow relationships with others.

Narcissistic Facebook users were also more likely to have glamorous, self-promoting pictures for their main profile photo, while others tended to use snapshots, the study found. The untrained observers also noted the differences in photos and amount of social interaction.

"We found that people who are narcissistic use Facebook in a self-promoting way that can be identified by others," Buffardi said.

Narcissism hampers a person's ability to form healthy, long-term relationships, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell.

"Narcissists might initially be seen as charming, but they end up using people for their own advantage," Campbell said. "They hurt the people around them and they hurt themselves in the long run."

In the past, research has found that personal Web pages are more popular among narcissists, but this doesn't mean that all Facebook users are narcissists.

"Nearly all of our students use Facebook, and it seems to be a normal part of people's social interactions," Campbell said. "It just turns out that narcissists are using Facebook the same way they use their other relationships - for self-promotion with an emphasis on quantity over quality."



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9/23/2008

Hello? Are you still here?

Posted by Gwen | Labels: , ,

Because I haven't been.  No offense, but I was busier than a cat covering poo all weekend and then I woke up with a fever of 103 on Monday, and not the Peggy Lee kind*.  I'm still on the couch but am definitely feeling better, thanks for asking.


I don't have anything to say.  Just thought I'd come say hi and let you know I was still alive.  I'll be back in a few days when I feel better and something funnier than taking my temperature happens.


* Apologies to my Facebook friends for the re-used material.  I may be suffering from the same Facebookitis that's tapping Falwless' creativity.

comments (21)

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