Meanderings/Facebook: the new status vehicle

By Kiki Obadal

Oh, so now everyone’s a blogger.
 
No wonder the pay is so bad these days.  I’m talking about Facebook.  
 
Do you know anybody who isn’t on it?  We now have the means to communicate at three in the morning with our various and sundry acquaintances and friends.  
 
To be sure, this is a great way to maintain relationships with friends, especially those who live in other parts of the country, or worlds.   Then again, looking over some recent postings, I begin to wonder if it is merely a vehicle for demonstrating conspicuous consumption?
 
As in, “here are some photos of our lake house!!”  in the guise of people keeping in touch with each other, do I detect a little class climbing?  “Ooh, you went to my favorite resort in Utah! Isn’t the snowboarding there fabulous?  Unfortunately, I haven’t been there for two years.”  We learn at any hour what the latest accomplishments are of our group of friends, such as who went to the most Inagural balls, or who took the most fabulous winter vacation.  

At least one of my friends has also recognized this trend, wryly commenting that he is folding laundry.  Please be informed that this is from a man who just returned from ten years in Antarctica teaching survival skills.  He’s down to earth, that’s for sure.  
 
His postings are refreshing because I am not, like most of my friends, a professional bordering on famous musician, dancer, or painter, who has been performing all over town; I do not have a football champion in my family; I am not writing for a national paper; and I do not have a vacation home.  And since I am scrounging for tuition money all the time, fabulous winter vacations are out, too.  

So why do I keep going back for more abuse?  I guess it’s because I really like my friends, and do not have an excess of them; and one of these days, just one of these days, I might really wow everybody.  I keep trying after my goals and one of these days, someone might really be impressed. If not, I’ll just post my most recent escapade refinishing furniture.
 
Or, maybe I will just let out the secret fact that I am going skiiing in the Urals with Vladimir Putin.  Gotto go.  Need to pick up some goggles.  
 
And that’s my latest update.