I am not a social media addict...

At least according to this article here. I would say at one time in my life there was a certain writer's forum I could not take my eyes off of, *cough* ABNA *cough* and perhaps there was a time that Facebook meant more to me than oxygen(I mean, who really needs to breathe, right?), but hey, I've found there are other things in life than virtuality (yes that is a word, I'm pretty sure I just made it up) and reading random posts from people, most of which you'll never meet in real life (though I will say I've been very lucky to meet some of my virtual friends in my reality too).

Here is my defense to this social media addiction blog:

1.  I only keep one Twitter app on my phone for my ONE Twitter screen name...okay, admittedly I have three Twitter screen names, but the others different aspects of my life that are rarely touched.
2. I don't ALWAYS check myself in when I go somewhere. Sometimes I forget.
3. My children don't always have to tell me not to Tweet the crazy things they say. I'm more of a Facebook user.
4. Posted on the gyno's table with feet in the stirrups? I think not. Though the dentists chair isn't out of the question.
5. I've never shed a tear that Pinterest wasn't around before I got married. I've always prided myself on being a great party-thrower. Although now, I admit, with all those pictures, it's so much easier to steal other people's ideas.
6. And I'm not into taking pics of my food, especially since I eat popcorn for dinner about three nights a week. I've also never heard of Diptic. Of course, there are all those selfies...Diptic...Where have you been all my life?
7. Instagram as a verb? Please! Of course. And Facebooked, Twittered (I make up all sorts of words for Tweeted), Tumblred...any of them can be turned into a verb.
8. Yes, I own multiple chargers. I have one at the office, one in my car, one
   
   plugged into my computer, one in my bedroom, one that roams...you can never be too sure when there might be an emergency update to post. I know where there are outlets, AND wi-fi. I do not see this as a problem.
9. My mom has never called to see if I'm okay because I haven't Tweeted. She doesn't even KNOW how to Tweet. However if my dad doesn't see me on Facebook...
10. An Android user as a wannabe...pish posh.
11. Oh yeah, those iPhone users are snobs. Any time I complain about my phone it's always, "You should get an iPhone. They're perrrrrfect." Douchebags.

Pttthhhh. See, totally not an addict. I can take it or leave it. Quit any time I want.

Have a great day. I have to go check my feeds on Facebook and Twitter. And I should probably update my Tubmlr, and maybe post some pics on Instagram, and perhaps...

Monkey Madness Monday

Sometimes it is so hard to pick a monkey pic.  There are so many cute ones out there.

So, I decided on an impromptu trip to the ocean to gets some much needed R & R and some writing done.

I left on Saturday, the weather was perfect for the drive, blue clear skies, sun shining down on my hamster mobile.

I sang at the top of my lungs to the radio the whole way down, sunroof open, driving a little faster than I should have.

I arrived around 2:00 pm, and after debating fun vs. work, decided to get right in on the writing.  I accomplished a few things in the hours I wrote.  I cut about 3oo words from the novel, went through pages and pages of research, and got some words in.  The word count doesn't really reflect the work that was done, but I did put a lot of time into it. 

The novel took a turn I didn't expect, and now I find myself doing a lot of research on teen psych facilities.  It's interesting for sure, but also very sad that teens find no recourse than to turn to violence, self harm, addictions, and eating disorders to get them through the day, landing them in these kinds of places.  I expected someone like my main character to perhaps spend a few days in a place like this, but come to find out the average time for someone like her is about four months.  Sad indeed.

Anyway, the day I got here was perfect, I worked, got a little sun, won money at the casino, took myself to dinner, and watched True Grit (I loves me some Coen brothers films).

Day two was mostly writing and research with a shopping trip in the middle.  Birthday presents, gummy butterflies and salt water taffy, and monkey candle holders.  I closed up shop around 4:00 pm, bbq'd myself a Gorgonzola burger and made homemade fries, then watched an SVU marathon into the night.

Here I am today.  Cleaning the place up, catching up on email and facebook, then back to writing for a couple hours before heading home.

A perfect quiet weekend.  I wanted to catch up on some other stuff too, video, blog posts, reading, but was immersed in my novel to do anything other than write (and the fun stuff).

Happy Monkey Madness Monday to you all, I hope you have a productive and fulfilling week.

Peace out,

Megan

Monday Morning Blahg: YA Too Dark?

Many of you have probably already seen the Wall Street Journal article about the darkness in YA literature.  I hate to give this article any more attention, but the article irked me royal.  The writer of the article talks about how all the books are dark and gruesome, full of violence, abuse, self mutilation, profanity, addiction, yadda yadda yadda.

You know what I was reading when I was thirteen?  Stephen King.  Firestarter, Dead Zone, The Stand, Cujo.  Full of foul language and sex and violence.  Was this my only option?  No, but it's what I liked reading.

Teens are reading.  Isn't that a good thing?  These days, teens are reading topics that interest them, topics they can relate to, topics that deal with the problems they deal with.  The author mentions a few books that she says, "don't end well."  Life is not all butterflies and rainbows.  Teens these days face some really horrific realities-homophobia, depression, violence, suicide.  Most of these books they're reading do offer hope in the end.  It's not all gloom and doom.  And many teens feel these books help them deal.  If you don't believe me, check out Twitter #yasaves. 

And yes, the fantasy books are full of the same stuff the realistic books are: violence, death, profanity.  Again, this is not anything they're not exposed to in their every day life, but also offers a form of escape into a world other than they're own.

I wonder if the adults that have a problem with YA let their kids play violent video games, or watch movies or TV shows full of sex and violence. Kids are exposed to this kind of stuff every day, whether through media or reality.  Why should we shield them from their own actualities?

I've spoken my peace.

How Facebook Ruins Relationships

Okay, I never do this, because I mostly think he's an idiot, but I watched Dr. Phil yesterday because it was all about how social networking distracts relationships.

This has been an issue with my husband and I for a couple years now, and while I admit, during the first ABNA contest I got a little too caught up in the forum, now I mostly (yes mostly, but not entirely) use social networking for just that, networking.

And yes, perhaps I was caught up with Facebook when I first joined, but you could ask any of my Facebook friends now and they will say, Megan is hardly ever on their anymore.

There was a woman and her husband on the show, and she spent more time with Facebook than she did with them.  They were like strangers living under the same roof.  That said, it's obvious that there were problems before the Facebook, and this is the reason why she turned to social networking in the first place.  Something lacking at home, making her turn to others.

The show wasn't just about that, it was also about how men will use Facebook to "hook up".  One guy, who wasn't really all that, said he finds women to hook up about three times a week and his goal is to sleep with 13,000 women.  Ew. Why?  So anyway, protect your daughters people.  They are some strange people in the social networking world.

I also read a book about Facebook addiction, which I will be reviewing some time in the near future.  It gave people's stories about how their addiction ruined their life.  While the stories were all fiction, I do believe the social networking can cause problems for people in their relationships and their work if taken too far.

What do you think?  Do you think social networking has the capability of destroying relationships?

Ciao, 

Megan

Addiction Part Two

Rather than the things I AM addicted to, such as Facebook, the Internet in general, red wine, Doritos and coffee. Here are some things that would be more beneficial and productive that I wish I could be addicted to.

Laundry.

Housework in general. I would love to love mopping, doing dishes, dusting, vacuuming, but alas, I don't.

Research. I'm sure this in some way would be beneficial to my writing. But, though I don't loathe research, I'm not a fan either.

Editing. Yep. The part of writing I don't like.

Vegetables. In general, I'm not a fan. If it's not a salad, I have to force myself to eat it. And even sometimes if it is a salad.

Exercise. I'd love to be smiling and happy while Jillian Michael's tells me I'm lazy. But I'm not. I'm gasping.

Why can't we innately be drawn to these types of things? Why do addictions always have to be things that either make you lazy, fat, or dead? It's got to be a joke right? The ultimate joke by the higher power?

Higher power: "Hey let's give them the ability to create all these amazing things that they will be drawn to, that taste good and make them feel great, and then make it toxic to them! HAHAHAHHA!"

We are not amused.

Kisses
:*

Megan

Addictions, vices, and whatever gets you through...

Do you have one? two? three? What are they?

I have my share. I was going to drop them all at once, but thought for the safety of my family, that was probably not the best idea. I get kind of grumpy when dropping my vices. Ended up, none were cast off.

And then I had a revelation this morning. Not so much a revelation as a slap in the face or maybe even a punch in the nose. One of them HAS to go.

There are certain things that take you over. They creep up silently like death. At first, it's just a tease. But quickly becomes part of you, possessing you like a demon.

And you wonder how you let it get this far out of control. You try and tame the beast, but it's hard. But you have to keep trying. If you don't, you know one day it will destroy you.

So, I'm trying again. It's all I can do.

But the coffee stays.

Kisses :*

Megan

Facebook 12 Step Program

Recently certain people in my real life decided I was a Facebook addict and did an intervention. (I'm only kind of kidding) I've decided to devise a 12 step program for myself (and anyone else in need) to help me through my addiction.


1. I admit I am powerless over Facebook—that my life has become unmanageable.

2. I believe that only I can restore my sanity with maybe the help of virtual friends, other online forums, anti-depressants, and vodka.

3. I made a decision to try to only post writing and blogs on Facebook when possible, but know that most the time I will fail and that's okay.

4. I made a searching and fearless internet inventory of myself and found that between ABNA, Facebook, Myspace, Blogspot, Email, and other online forums I spend about 25 hours a day on the web.

5. I am trying to convince myself that Facebook is evil and not a higher power.

6. I am ready to admit that I have an addictive personality and Facebook is just one of my many (many) addictions.

7. I shall remove myself from my computer at least a couple times a day and do things like shower, eat, and brush my teeth.

8. I made a list of all persons I have insulted or offended while on Facebook, and realized the list is way too long so instead of making amends I will just forgive myself for what I've done.

9. I realize that it may not be a good idea to flirt on Facebook, or any where on the internet especially when your husband has access to those sites.

10. Whenever I feel like spending time on Facebook I will do something else productive like feed my kids, or clean the pile of week old dirty dishes out of the sink, or wash some underwear.

11. I will try to improve my contact with tangible people, try to understand them, and know that they will annoy me, frustrate me, and drive me nuts, but hey, at least you can go to coffee or lunch with them.

12. Having had a cognitive awakening as the result of these steps, I will try to carry this message to other Facebook addicts, and to practice these principles in all my affairs, both real and virtual. Affairs meaning occurrences not, er, affairs.

Wish me luck.

Kisses :*

Megan

Top 4 Worst Experiences of My Life: # 3 Affliction

This is where it gets personal for me.

I used to hate myself. Period. At the time this seemed rational, but of course with age and experience I see it was a lack of self confidence in myself that caused these feelings of self loathing. At any rate from age 18 to 23 I suffered from Bulimia. I'm sure you know what that is, so I won't bother explaining. The reasons behind it are too personal to share, and don't really matter anymore anyhow.

The disease started off slowly, but gained speed and at its apex I was purging anywhere from 2 to 15 times a day, after every little thing I ate. It became an art form of sorts. I knew which foods made it easier, which were harder. I knew drinking liquids would help the process. At work, I knew which bathrooms were empty at what times of the day. I even convinced myself after I ate that I was sick, I couldn't possibly keep anything down. Yep. I was sick.

I was controlled by it. It was more an addiction for me than a disease, like meth to the drug user, or booze to the alcoholic. I couldn't get through the day without it. I finally confided in my boyfriend (who will remain nameless because he was a big jerk) that I had a problem. He told me to stop, as if that would solve anything. And as with any other addiction, you know how easy that must have been. I tried to control it, but couldn't

Rock bottom hit. I started getting shooting pains in my gut, I couldn't stay awake, my body was rebelling against me, making demands, telling me to quit or die. I finally told my parents I needed help. Between them, my work, and my future husband, (who is not the boyfriend I mentioned before) I got the help I needed.

It's been about seventeen years, but like with all addicts, I've relapsed a couple of times since, and I still struggle on occasion, especially on dark days. For the most part I've overcome those obstacles of my late teens, early adult years, and I urge anyone with similar problems to get help before it's too late. Talk to someone, your parents, a friend, teacher, or counselor. Many work places have mental health programs for all sorts of afflictions and addictions.

Please feel free to comment or question. Come back tomorrow and read my # 2 worst life experience.