facebook, bonsai kitten, and other fads

• People kept talking about Facebook. It was on the news. It was catching criminals. So I finally checked it out. It's easy to see how it can become addictive, especially when you can connect with friends you haven't seen in...four, five years or more. Of course there's always the awkward "I don't know if this person actually likes me" or the determination of what really constitutes a "friend." So far I've learned that one person likes me whom I didn't think did, and I've heard from one high school friend whom I'd had no idea what happened to. Several friends are engaged, and that's always unsettling to imagine. Very frequently there's the temptation to go back to the page and see how many "friends" I have now. Very, very frequently. But then there are all the friends not on Facebook, meaning your friend list is not at all an accurate representation of kindredness. More than those who have 100+ facebook friends, I envy my friends who are so busy and engrossed in living that they don't have time for e-mail or the Internet.
• My "research" for work revealed that the Bonsai Kitten was a farce.
• S.W. pointed out findmyspot.com, and I'm destined to live in New York Mills, MN -- and the only person I ever met from there ended up being a compulsive thief.
• On NPR they were talking about the average American.
• I've been filling out applications for freelance proofreading work, and putting off brainstorming for some freelance writing opportunities. To make a long story short, I know I need to be writing more -- or at least some. But what to write?