My Sunday Feeling

I finally did it. I started my own Facebook page. I resisted it for the longest mainly because I thought it was something that only kids did. But when I realized that 4 of my closest friends in 2 different states were united across the Mississippi by their common need to libel me behind my back on the Internet, I felt that I had to join in order to defend myself if for no other reason.

It's pretty interesting and fairly addictive. Further, there's a viral component to Facebook that I found fascinating. I have had a page up for a little over a week now and I am up to something like 60 "friends." I have been contacted by folks I haven't thought of since college. I am hooked up with my cousins and my friend's kids. I have had the allure of the Jonas Brothers explained to me by a 16 year old in Jackson.

" Nice boys who play fun music," explained Riley who was clearly exasperated at having to put up with her Mother's idiot friend. Works for me. There are certainly worse reasons to like a band.

I have talked to my oldest nephew's girlfriend. I have asked if she couldn't do better. I talk to Don's girls a lot. I don't have a lot of young people in my life apart from little kids. It's fun to see what is going on in these kids' heads. And they don't seem to mind staying in touch with a harmless geezer like me. So it works out.

Facebook also provides a useful function for adults. I understand that my teacher friends depend on Facebook to put the word out about band rehearsals and other extra curricular activities. It's quick and they don't have a million kids calling them after hours. Makes sense. I recently found my Facebook inbox full of messages from all over once the awful story about Bill Gwatney hit CNN. I can't access Facebook from work. But the messages went to the e-mail address I can access so I could send e-mails to everyone letting them know what was going on over here. And the politicians all have their own pages now. Like I said. Viral.

Much to her considerable horror, I found a picture of my Goddaughter swilling champagne from the bottle while clad, if you call it that, in a toga.

I did quite a good job with her didn't I? Actually I did and so did her folks. And here's the very real downside to all of these Facebook pages these kids are on. My Goddaughter is a really good kid. I was a really good kid when I was in college too. And like many good kids in college I did really stupid stuff. It's just that my stupid stuff didn't become memorialized across the Internet for all to see.

These kids, they don't realize that. My friend in the prosecutor's office knows of a young person that didn't get hired over there because of some dumb shit he had up on his page. Look at Elliot Spitzer's girlfriend. And I know you have. Her images from her Myspace page were splashed across print and Internet publications overnight much to Mrs. Spitzer's doubtless amusement.

I had a couple of other points I wanted to make but I have to go. One of my baseball moms just sent a message to my Facebook page.