Is There a 12 Step Program for Facebook Users?

Because my name is Jen and I'm addicted to Facebook. I've been a user for too many months to figure out and I use several times a day. Even in the middle of the night. Even when my children are in the home.

I resisted joining Facebook for months. Brian kept telling me I'd love it, but I decided I didn't want to admit I couldn't figure out what all those Applications meant have time for it. Plus, I had MySpace and I'd even put together a song playlist and posted pics. It was enough for me and I was quite content in my new found social networking abilities.

Oh, how ignorant bliss can be.

Because, in case you haven't discovered, MySpace is to Facebook as Milli Vanilli is to Michael Jackson.

Girl, you know it's true.

I've learned so much just from those 120 character status updates. Some have made me burst out laughing and some have made me cry with and pray for friends. I've learned about job interviews, sick loved ones, baby announcements, fun ideas for new things to do with my family, who is heading out for vacation, that I am 78% Asian (I took a quiz), where to buy cowgirl boots (for camp and for the 22% of me that's totally white), who stays up as late as me, I've laughed at my friends' hilarious kids, cheered birthdays and anniversaries, swapped info on where to visit/eat/shop during various road trips and I've loved getting to see pics of my friends' families and adventures.

Facebook has brought me closer to people I don't normally bump into or catch up with. I just found out a childhood friend had a baby...I didn't even know she was pregnant! I also have accepted two or three friend requests from people I wouldn't recognize on the street and that is a little weird, I admit. But, I am also friends with people like Keela Carr, who intrigued me during a Fox News interview after she walked across America as an expression of gratitude for our troops. (She's walking across America again right now to support homeless veterans!) So, yeah, I even swap friendly messages with people I've never shaken hands with and maybe I'll learn something interesting about them. There are friends halfway around the world and I get to see pics of their wedding gowns, their newborns or the mission work they are involved in. I am blessed to reconnect with family members I haven't seen since I was a teenager, yet we can discuss family news like we talked everyday in between.

Some other lessons I've learned from Facebook...

One of my friends really, really loved Michael Jackson. Really. More than I do. I even saw a video clip of her usually reserved husband singing "We are the World."

If I ever start a band, I can count on at least one friend to do an awesome job of promoting it for free and ten dozen times a week. In fact, it will become her permanent status update. Except, oops, I think she prefers to link people to your band's MySpace site.

Seeing pics of friends come home after serving their country for months at a time is pretty special. Seeing them hold a son born while they were at sea is totally awesome.

Some people can post offensive videos mocking your beliefs on their wall, but write one sarcastic political comment on your status update and they may drop you as a friend. Way to promote open-mindedness.

Some of my friends need to pursue careers in politics. And/or Xanax. But, seriously, they would do awesome in the political realm.

Lastly, I've been reminded that Brian's sense of humor is precious. Really. For example, he once hijacked my account and created Yearbook pics where he pasted my face on hairdos of various decades. Here are some treasures gained from the experience...

Scary enough, I think I actually have a photo from my 8th grade homecoming that looks like this...

Minus the 5:00 shadow, of course.

And, if my hair would've done this in the '90's,

I would've thought I died and went to hair heaven. The sheer joy of seeing my hair achieve this glorious state might have actually killed me. Or maybe just inhaling all the Aqua Net it took to reach that state of bigness. I don't know.

Oh, and speaking of Brian, if you haven't seen his latest pics, he got a new hairdo. He likes to try out different cuts during the summer. Here's my little chia pet main squeeze.

And, no one sports a mullet as proudly as my man.

I keep reminding myself Mario Lopez rocked that look and so did John Stamos. And look where it got them. Total fame.

Incidentally, I came across this random family pic (not mine) on the net. It was actually captioned, "A mullet brings the family together."

Come to think of it, they do look happy together. Maybe they should come up with a mullet slogan like, "pleasant in the front, totally crazy in the back." Or, "I'm going to work my job in the front but meet me for happy hour in the back."

Hmm...that slogan needs some work. I think I'm gonna post that on my status update real quick and let my Facebook friends help me come up with a totally awesome one.

Siyanarr-bye! (sorry, that's my 78% Asianness, 22% honkyness coming out again)