Cheering on my photo victories

A few months ago I submitted several photos for consideration in our local hospital's 2013 calendar.  This is my third year in a row submitting photos.  The last two years I was lucky enough to have been selected --2011 and 2012 both for the month of July.  This year, however, they did a facebook contest.  They selected 2-3 photos to be finalists and let their facebook followers vote for their favorite. I do admit that all the photos were beautiful.  I knew right off the bat I was not going to win. No, I do not have a low opinion of my photo. I have 100 facebook friends.  Obviously, you have to be a member of facebook to vote. Although I spread the word amongst my 'friends' I knew I couldn't win against a teenager who has probably 1,000 facebook friends (ok, that may be an exaggeration--but probably not by much). 

I became the runner-up.  However, I was delighted to hear that the runner-ups were also going to have their pictures published in the calendar-just in a smaller size.  It is the small victories that make me feel worth something now that I am without my daughter everyday and feel I don't have much of a job anymore. Here is the photo:

A few weeks ago I also got the exciting news that another photo I submitted is going to be framed and displayed in a new physician center in our area. Here is the photo (which is also the photo that was in this year's calendar):

Thank you to my parents for such a wonderful home/garden for which these pictures and most others I take would not be possible! 

Something to call my own: Facebook is like a worn out sit-com

Something to call my own: Facebook is like a worn out sit-com: Facebook. I love it and hate it. Three years ago I was pressured into facebook by emails from friends begging me to join.  I gave in, much...

Facebook is like a worn out sit-com

Facebook. I love it and hate it. Three years ago I was pressured into facebook by emails from friends begging me to join.  I gave in, much to my hesitation.  I admit- I loved it at first.  I am obsessed with my genealogy and I found it to be a great way to track down my long lost relatives (and realize others were too crazy to contact)  and share old family photos. Facebook is also a way for me to keep in touch with my entire family no matter where they are in the country.  Lastly, it was great to catch up with old friends from grade school, high school, and college. 

However, I see facebook as a sit-com or drama depending on the day and posts by your 'friends'.  A sit-com is great at first. You get to know the characters and their story lines.  You like to keep up with their lives.  There is laughter, crying, situations, anger and more.  Then the more years the sit-com is on, it becomes old, tired, and redundant. After years and years of this comedy you may start to wonder when the heck this dated, trying to hard, overly ridiculous story line will just give up and call it good.  I wonder the same thing about facebook. I wonder why other people's lives fascinate us. I wonder why we care what you bought at the store. I wonder why people try to outshine each other.  Maybe I am guilty of this from time to time on facebook--but no longer.

Don't get me wrong, there are great things about facebook---new baby photos, wedding photos, life changing news, giving congratulations, wishing happy birthday.  There is good in this enigma. 
With the good also comes the less desirable... I don't want to hear about your child's bowel movements, what you bought at the store, links to every little video you watch, to see that you 'like' a page about boobs (seriously!) and in my news feed is a picture of a woman's breasts, rants because you are outraged at someone, etc. I could go on and on. I'm all for freedom of speech...but I'm also all for common sense that should go along with free speech.

For me personally, facebook is going the way of "Friends", "Cheers", "Mash"...some of the great ones.  The story lines were great for awhile. There were ups and downs but the time came for those shows when going on even longer would have just made the shows lackluster, lame, and boring.

So facebook---you are boring me. I find you lackluster.  You are becoming lame. There are just some things I don't want to know about everyone. I'd like some mystery in my life. Being an open book is not always good.