The First of Many

While this may be the first post I’m writing to tell you about one of my pet peeves, I can guarantee it won’t be the last.

I have a lot of them. It’s kind of a problem.

But! What’s been seriously bugging me in the last day or so is social media. Why does everyone feel the need to Tweet all the time?! Or share so many pictures on Facebook? What I usually love about social media–its very nature to be constant and instantaneous–is exactly what’s been turning me off. Why?

I hate to do this to you again. But it’s about the Olympics.

Social media is ruining.everything.

Every day (well, the past two days, anyway) around mid afternoon, I start getting scared to check my news feed or click that little 3 new Tweets pop-up on my Twitter stream. I get that I have to work and can’t spend the next two weeks watching nothing but the Games. But is it too much to ask that people who get to do that don’t spoil what I have to wait until 8pm to watch?

So far, a combination of Facebook, Twitter, and various news outlets have ruined 5 different medal contests for me. Men’s gymnastics, women’s gymnastics (probably the most disappointing one), a beach volleyball match, and two swimming races. I know, I know. It’s easy enough to fix. Don’t go on Facebook or Twitter until after I’ve watched that day’s events. But for a social media junkie like me, that’s almost impossible.

Why bring it up if  I know how to make it better but I refuse to do it? As my boyfriend so sweetly put it to me earlier, I’m not allowed to complain about it if I won’t do anything to change it. And he’s right. I feel the need to talk about it, though, because I’m not the only one this is affecting.

The Wall Street Journal published an article earlier today on this very topic. They interviewed people who are doing just what I can’t–abstaining from social media for the two weeks the Olympics are going on or have found ways to avoid anything that may mention the Olympics. One even closes his eyes when he opens Web pages.

That seems a little extreme to me. So what to do about it? I like following Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte on Twitter. They post awesome pictures behind the scenes of the Games. I’d just like to know about them AFTER I’ve watched their races on TV. As a former journalism major, I have a slight addiction to news that leaves me on edge if I don’t get my fix every morning. Reading the recaps of the previous day’s events is something I’m not willing to give up. Not to mention all the local and world news I would be missing out on if I stopped listening to NPR every night on my drive home. Apparently the world doesn’t stop turning when the Olympics start. Who knew?

But it’s not just the athletes and mass media who are ruining things. People I know in real life are Tweeting results and posting pictures of the athletes on the medal stand. Whyyy can’t I have your life and watch them in real time too? Why is my life so unfair?? (Sarcasm…kind of.) Do I just stop caring about wanting to see things for myself, even if it isn’t live, and hit Google every time I know a medal is being contended?

No. I will just have to suck it up and not complain (fat chance). As things keep getting spoiled, I’ll just take solace in the fact that I know I’m not alone in feeling upset with something I used to love so much. And in the fact that the love/hate relationship I currently have with social media will be back to all love once I’ve seen the Closing Ceremonies.

Ok, I’m done. I think that’s enough whining for one night. To end on a positive note…I baked something today! For the first time in what feels like absolutely ages. And it was FABULOUS. Zucchini bread from Smitten Kitchen. Go make it. You won’t be sorry.

Inspiration

Where do you find inspiration?

Some days I just feel weird. Like I need something…more to figure out why I’m doing the things I do. Some days I just need to look at something pretty. Or delicious. Or adorable.

Today was one of those days.  All day long, I just couldn’t get in a groove. It felt like something was missing, and I wasn’t sure how to fix it.

So tonight, I went to the pool. I started a new book. I’m watching the Olympics (no surprise there). I wasted some time on Pinterest and tried sketching out a new craft project I’ve got in the works.

It helped. Kind of. I guess some days you just stay in a funk.

Now I’m looking at you, Internet. Help a girl out over here. Give me your links, your pictures, your Google search terms. What cures your blah days?

For the record, there are plenty of things I am not inspired by. They include:

Trashy reality TV. Local car commercials.  Stand-up comedians. Tiny yipping dogs.

(Really I just want someone else to watch that commercial. I don’t understand why they keep airing it. It’s awful.)

Olympic Obsession

I tried to hold out. I really did. No matter how hard  I tried to resist (which was secretly not very hard at all), it took less than a day for me to fall into the horrible cycle of sitting on my couch, desperately wanting to change the channel, but being unable to tear myself away.

The Olympics have officially begun. And I have fallen completely under their spell.

I blame NBC. Or I guess the IOC for how they scheduled the events. But it definitely isn’t MY fault. Two of my very favorite sports (volleyball and swimming) were scheduled on day one. How is that fair? Of course I was going to give in immediately.

I’ve already watched indoor volleyball, soccer, swimming, and beach volleyball. And archery is on later. Why does the prospect of getting to watch archery make me so freaking excited? No clue, but I seriously can’t wait. That’s the beauty of the Olympics—every single sport sounds amazing, and I will watch them. I will watch them all.

I need to go to the gym. It’s possible that I was semi-productive this morning and went to the farmer’s market, but that ended with me buying a baguette and then proceeding to eat the ENTIRE THING. On my couch, as I watched some of the best athletes in the world do their thing.

Here’s the thing though: not only are the sports themselves amazing, but the Olympics come complete with a whole new set of sports-themed, inspirational commercials. Athletes telling you how hard they worked, how they love their mom and America, and how much this means to them. I die. I can’t even get up and be productive during the commercials!

Something I could live without though? Ryan Seacrest sitting on his stupid couch interviewing athletes. Go back to American Idol, dude. I’ve seen you talk to five people and you’ve already brought up Justin Bieber. It made me hate myself. Give me my Bob Costas back.

So if you need me, you’ll know where to find me. Because it’s possible I’m not getting up for the next two weeks.

Welcome

Sometimes, when my life gets too crazy.complicated.overwhelming and I just can’t clean my apartment anymore (please tell me I’m not the only one who cleans when I get stressed?),  I write. I write about nonsense things until I don’t feel so consumed anymore.

Like right now. I definitely should be doing something productive. Like figuring out how all those ants keep getting onto my kitchen counters or cooking myself dinner like a real adult. But instead I’m here, trying to fool myself into thinking I know something about web design.

So welcome to my clichéd little corner of the internet. It’ll be obsessive and impulsive and maybe just a little bit crazy. I hope you stay a while.