Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Curse you facebook!!!!!

Why, people WHHHYYYYYYYY????? Why did I join that giant popularity contest of a time-suck? Why? Yes, there are people who instantly popped up who I haven't talked to in some time (Hi Hillary, the kids are adorable!) and there are people I would like to touch base with. But mostly I was dismayed by the sheer number of people Facebook claims I went to high school with who I have absolutely ZERO memory of. Who are they?? I am sure they are delightful, it's just that I felt like I had entered an episode of the Twilight Zone wherein the past I thought I had lived happened in some parallel universe that I can't access.

Plus, you know, all the pressure to be witty and cool. Not to mention interesting. I am not that interesting. I am a stay at home mom. I make play dough and wipe butts for crying out loud. And all those people with like, 457 friends. Seriously??? How? When does anybody have the time for 457 friends? I don't have enough time to talk to the people I really love, like my long suffering sister in Austria who probably thinks I don't love or miss her because the 6 hour time change is proving too much for me to master. Annabel my love, you would be wrong. I desperately love and miss you and it turns out this whole "you guys being away for a year" thing totally sucks for me. I am not making out well in this deal. You guys are off having fun and being all adorable posing next to castles and I am stuck here missing you.

Anyway, for a dedicated procrastinator like myself, Facebook is akin to a curse sent forth from the gates of hell itself. I am so not going to get things done that need doing now. Somebody please tell me the novelty wears off.

On the bright side, turns out my older brother and his wife, who live in Australia, are on there, so that was kind of a nice surprise. Hey James!

On an adoption note, I have a good friend who just returned from Cambodia with her adorable doctor husband where they spent a few weeks doing good deeds for the people over there who need good deeds done for them, namely almost everybody. While there, they evidently fell in love with an orphan they desperately want to adopt, but, as most of my friends in the adoption world know, Cambodia is closed to American adoptions. There was fraud see, lots and lots of fraud and people trying to make money off the selling of babies and Cambodia closed their doors. The problem with that is that there were also good people trying to help kids with no homes and get children out of institutions and into homes who have never known what family is. There are always good, dedicated people in the adoption world working diligently next to the crooks trying to make a quick buck, and it's not fair to the kids or the people who truly care that everybody gets lumped together.

I have no idea what to tell this lovely young couple other than, don't get your hopes up too high. Try every avenue you can think of, but the answer will probably be "no."

I have seen so much heartache caused by the closing of programs, the slowing of programs and the whims of bureaucrats. I have never, however, had to counsel someone who wants to adopt a child from a country that has a closed program and they know that program is closed from the onset. This is a new one for me. If anybody has any ideas, feel free to pass them on.

And on a final note. I welcome, wholeheartedly, comments that disagree with me and my posts as long as they are as respectfully written as Corinne's. I have absolutely no problem with people thinking I am full of it, I probably am, and feel free to voice that in the comments. I will not respond to the comments most of the time because this blog is mostly a writing exercise for me as well as a place to get down my thoughts, so I don't feel it needs defending. I love that so many of you are checking in though, especially those of you who disagree with me on religion and politics (again, screaming liberal here) so please sit back and make yourselves comfy.

6 comments:

Rachel said...

April - the Cambodia thing - I don't think there is any way around it unless they want to move to Cambodia for 2 (I think 2) years, and after that, they can get a visa. There is a group working for reopening Cambodia (ethically) - RathCare http://www.rathcare.com/default.aspx - I know nothing about them other than one of the ppl from VN that I follow is on the board there. There is also an expat community with adopted children living there - I am very sure they would be open to chatting with your friend if your friends are interested.

And FB is a total time sink. I do not have 457 friends (in fact, I dispute that that is even really possible - they may KNOW 457 PEOPLE) but there are lots of people from high school (I went to 3) that I do not recognize that, improbably, recognize me. Thankfully the novelty wears off, or at least it did for me!)

Rachel said...

Also (sorry for the double-comment) Holt is still working there, I believe. They would have a good idea of what their options are.

We served in an orphanage in PP last year and fell in love with a kid there, too. It is so hard not to.

alexandra said...

Hi april - i love the new blog - i think it's great and i completely agree with the FB thing - i have been sucked in completely as well as the blog thing. Thanks again for all your email about my own sleep deprived friend who brought her son back from Ethiopia - your words helped enormously and altho still sleep deprived she is coping.
Alex

Jes said...

Facebook is the devil! I initially signed up to check in on my younger siblings...now I have requests from people I apparently went to High School with, but don't have a sniff who they are! Good luck :)

-jes

Suzanne said...

April, the Facebook novelty does wear off. But wait, I need to go add you to my friend list!

-Suzanne

Monica said...

Haha! Facebook IS a huge timesucker but it's so fun seeing pics of everyone's kids on there. I think in the end it's a wonderful way to stay a tiny bit connected to people you normally wouldn't make time to email regularly. The status updates are small windows into those people's lives. I love it!