“She must not air out her mind much” – Robin
That quote from a comment by Robin (which makes me laugh every time I think of it) – is sooooo apropos for that which I am about to rant.
Raise your hand if you are on Facebook.
Now tell me if you have a friend like this in your list. One whose every status update makes you think of something like this:
Their lives are constantly *awesome!* Their status updates cover things like “I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!” or “Looking forward to the weekend with loving family and hubby!” or “Thanking God every day for my many blessings!” or…well..you get it right? They are never stressed, or busy, or cold, or hot, or sick or in any way posting about anything other than Love & Happiness!
Now, I am largely a very very positive person. I mean, I’m the gal who treated the Power of Positive Thinking for Teens book as my bible in high school (and drove quite a few friends a little batty with it!). It really is my first instinct to view anything/anyone in a positive light. And sure, the title of this blog seems on the surface to be all sweetness & light right? But it’s a cover for something a tad more – ironic. As anyone knows, I don’t ONLY think that way. There are times when things irritate me. Occasionally. Maybe. (oh shut up and stop laughing!) I think I strike a pretty good balance in my twitters, facebook updates & blog posts between rants & positive observations. Because that is LIFE. A mixed bag of nuts. There is just NO WAY that anyone can live in My Little Pony world all the time, right?
Don’t get me wrong. I am VERY happy for those who are so so happy. Really. I can cheer lead with the best of them. But, around the umpteenth straight update like that and I’m rolling my eyes and making the gagging gesture because honey, that’s all just a little too piled high and deep for me. Who are you trying to convince that life is all peaches & cream? Your friends? Or you?
35 responses so far ↓
Jessica // October 29, 2009 at 3:24 pm |
I try to convince no one, actually. If life is all giddy pixies and glittery unicorns who shit gold….then you’re totally in denial.
Just sayin.
stationarypilgrim // October 29, 2009 at 3:35 pm |
I agree… such posts are ok occasionally but can be too much. I find the overly religious posts on FB to alos be too much!
shutterboo // October 29, 2009 at 3:46 pm |
1. Love the title. I frequently refer to the overly happy and optimistic as “my life is puppies and rainbows”.
2. I’m convinced they’re convincing themselves. Because I could give two shats. There, I said it. Bah-humbug.
Christina // October 29, 2009 at 4:49 pm |
Puppies and rainbows! Love it
and yeah, you seem to think like I do about it too!
pandabox33 // October 29, 2009 at 3:59 pm |
I think I’m one of those people ! Maybe. Maybe not. I do rant and use irony but I tend to have enthusiastic status or positive ones.
Because I haaaaate people who always post negative status : Life is gray and dark and I’m lonely and depressed and the cat shit in my shoes etc. You know people who never have anything nice or good to say ? Glass always empty and there’s no more liquid to drink and oh the glass fell and I cut my foot…Bouhou.
Some people do live in lalaland, pushing reality in another realm completely. Their status reflect that. “Let’s pretend”.
http://bazookah5.wordpress.com
http://pandabox33.wordpress.com
loststar78 // October 29, 2009 at 4:32 pm |
Mixed Bag Of Nuts!Nice way to describe your life person!
Christina // October 29, 2009 at 4:48 pm |
But is eh? And one if often reaching into the bag with no clue what will come next. And you deal with whatever it is. Yeah, I am the eternal optimist who says you make the best of it – BUT – a little bitching about getting something you didn’t want INITIALLY (ew, who put a raisin there?!) is plenty fine
Kristina // October 29, 2009 at 4:46 pm |
I suggest we direct those people to http://www.cornify.com and lock them up in a room with it for a while and see what happens.
Christina // October 29, 2009 at 4:50 pm |
Oh. Mah. Gawd.
I think I’m having a sugar overload!!!
Gracious – what a site!
Jess // October 29, 2009 at 4:52 pm |
There is a reason why I never do status updates on FB. I also put people with really annoying posts on “hide.” I respect my brother’s decision to not be on Facebook. I am only on it in case I am tagged in a photo.
Gloris // October 29, 2009 at 6:48 pm |
I hearya! But I also don’t like all the negative ones! A balance is nice and that’s how life is anyway, a balance of good and bad. Well, I hope you feel aired now! Gloris
http://www.gloriadelia.wordpress.com
giveitasecondlook // October 29, 2009 at 9:24 pm |
I HATE HATE HATE overly informative facebook status updates. I also feel this way about religious guidance and optimistic philosophy via the statuses. Good post.
http://giveitasecondlook.wordpress.com
This is an “I’m Busy” post « Practically Sisters // October 29, 2009 at 9:48 pm |
[...] down next week (who am I kidding? Life NEVER calms down!), but for today I thought I’d share this blog post from Trees and Flowers and Birds! I would like to dedicate that link to all those people [...]
coureuse // October 29, 2009 at 10:11 pm |
Nice post
I have a friend who always says ” EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!”
usually it goes like this: ” well, I’m not payed a lot, but everything is awesome; oh, btw, my mom got fired because of the crisis and all that..but anyways, everything is awesome! ”
So no matter what happens, it’s all awesome at the end… And I was actually wondering why she’s trying so hard to convince herself that everything is awesome when it’s not. I understand that it’s not so much fun to write “I’m depressed, coz everything sucks” as your status on FB, but it’s still better than living in Pony Land (actually even they have troubles sometimes with that evil pig..).
radha // October 30, 2009 at 1:25 am |
maybe these people have played with lil ponies too much during childhood
thcgirl77 // October 30, 2009 at 1:45 am |
i use facebook mostly for the games but i occasionally throw a status like “wooo party weekend” or “sucky weather”. not much into sharing the awesomeness or suckyness of my days with 1000 people i added just to grow my mafia
Angelia // October 30, 2009 at 4:35 am |
That’s funny because they *do* always use exclamation points!!!!!! Yea!!!!!
Second most irritating thing? My ex on Facebook always posting 80’s song lyrics in his status update. Ugggg!
sittingpugs // October 30, 2009 at 4:57 am |
I raise my hand and I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ve also noticed that even when the predominantly cheery-disposition folk put anything leaning towards the tired, cranky, sniffles, headachy end of the spectrum, every single one of the comments on that status update is stuffed with rainbows and my little ponies.
كبرتني يآآهم // October 30, 2009 at 5:53 am |
رررررررررررررروعه مشكورين
gina // October 30, 2009 at 6:43 am |
it’s funny because it’s true- but as someone pointed out upthread, the whiny updates get old as well. I get tired of all the game updates personally ’cause I don’t play any of them so I don’t know what the hell any of it means.
thanks for sharing your rant
Pretty Project // October 30, 2009 at 7:28 am |
People who are constantly happy make me want to slap them. Hard. Stop being so damn happy.
http://www.theprettyproject.com
onthecurb // October 30, 2009 at 8:09 am |
Wow, congrats on making the main WordPress page!
I’m with you, sistah, on the gumdrops and rainbows folks. Gag me with a silver spoon. I keep my Facebook friend list low and in check with mostly people who where/are actual FRIENDS at some point or another in my life. And, umm, I don’t “friend” those My Little Pony types. So, yay, I rarely see updates like that. (plus, i’m rarely on facebook, so i’m a skewed study)
The updates that drive me bonkers on my friendlist? A distant family member whose every update heralds her love for shopping. It’s become a running joke around here, “Let’s see where Molly went shopping today and HOW MUCH SHE LOVES SHOPPING!!!! OMG!!!!! SHE’D SHOP EVERYDAY IF SHE COULD!!!!! OH HELLA YEAH, SHE GOT A 3G-iPHONE!!!! AND, IT’S AWESOME!!!!! AND, SHE LOVES SHOPPING!!!!” I shit you not. She can eat with those My Little Pony people.
Pubstar // October 30, 2009 at 9:10 am |
Nice read.
Just opened my own blogsite moments ago, surfed to main page, clicked on yours (first ever) and enjoyed it.
Thanks for helping me out in regard to … what IT is all about.
Btw, sometimes I think, what some of us are after is less”love and happiness” and more “love and life satisfaction.”
atiredwife // October 30, 2009 at 9:31 am |
I don’t buy it either. Nobody’s life is really that happy … well, except for my next door neighbor’s life. Phil is mentally challenged and ADORES fire trucks. Every day, all he talks about is fire trucks … nice paint jobs on the firetruck … rescuing pretty girls with his firetruck. Sometimes I think it’d be nice to live in his world for a day or two.
CT Mom // October 30, 2009 at 10:04 am |
So so funny and so so true!
leakelley // October 30, 2009 at 11:12 am |
The brighter the light, the darker the shadow, eh?
sittingpugs // October 30, 2009 at 2:26 pm |
Well said and applicable to a range of things.
Christina // October 30, 2009 at 12:11 pm |
Exactly Lea – it just makes you wonder….
Robin // October 30, 2009 at 2:53 pm |
Looks like you hit on something with this post. I agree. All that hearts and puppies and ponies stuff sometimes makes me wonder if the person has been stunted in their development and never quite made it out of the tween years.
Though… like Lea… I also wonder if it’s a lot of “fake it ’til you make it” stuff.
Glad you enjoyed that remark.
Christina // October 30, 2009 at 4:08 pm |
Yeah, what I hit on was getting the attention of the WordPress editors & they promoted this to their front page!! I was/am flabbergasted & a tad freaked out, but it’s been fun reading all the feedback – and now I am REALLY glad I put your hysterical line at the top!!!
Corina // October 30, 2009 at 8:34 pm |
I thought I was the only one that saw those people like that. There’s one that I may disconnect from just for this reason. I don’t wish them ill thoughts or luck but enough with the “awesome” “blessings”!
Stormy // October 31, 2009 at 8:05 am |
One of my superiors at work just added me as a FB friend (and I accepted cuz, well, I *had* to). The first update I saw was basically “I have horrible homework to do, but my loving father God is on my shoulder saying ‘You can do it, daughter!’ Don’t you just love Him?”
Yeeeeeeah.
Perpetually happy and cheerful people make me homicidal.
ybonesy // November 1, 2009 at 6:37 pm |
Oop, I missed your front page post, but right on! Most of my FB contacts are pretty well-rounded in that they use FB to provide info on good political articles or to just say funny, silly things. Many seem to post about negative things just as often as positive. But I know what you mean…the equivalent of the dreaded Christmas newsletter, except their updates are almost daily instead of once a year.
sittingpugs // November 15, 2009 at 5:02 pm |
he equivalent of the dreaded Christmas newsletter, except their updates are almost daily instead of once a year.
The Christmas newsletter…hilarious! and FB used to have a function that allowed one to adjust how often one wanted updates on friends’ activity…and what kind of activity too. Perhaps there are just too many users now.
badlaura // November 15, 2009 at 5:43 am |
Oh yeah, you got it. I have an relative who ends everything with “Praise the Lord!” or “Praise the Lord Anyway!” Now, I’m down with the higher power and all that- I even work from a basically Judeo-Christian worldview- but I can’t help but think that God would probably prefer something other than FB praise.
http://becomingbadass.blogspot.com/