Every day I write the Facebook

I can't sleep just yet, I'm over 300 miles from home, and I neglected to pack my transdermal AdrenaCalm cream (shameless Apex plug--they deserve it).

So anyway, my phone died. It was a casualty of love and war in Texas. Well, in my living room anyway. Fine time as any to get a new phone. While we're at it, probably a good excuse to get an iPhone, which up until now, I had been proudly resisting. Yes, every so often the Sheep Demons rear their woolly heads and emerge from the floorboards to drag me into the current of the masses just long enough for me to get a spankin new electronic toy that I have no clue how to use. Regardless, it's (usually) fun and I look hip and cool in the process. Not bad for a temper tantrum.

Not to get all 7th grade on everybody or anything, but for those of you who use Facebook (I can't believe I'm about to ask this), do you notice that anyone who "un-friends" you is a little off themselves, on the hypersensitive meter? They're also the kind of people who score a little high in the passive-aggressive category. They drop off the face of the planet without so much as a peep. And honestly, it's not like we've had a confrontation of any kind, so it leaves me guessing. Did they get offended by a link I posted? Did they read a blog post they didn't like? Did they see a group or fan page they didn't like? Did I update my status too much, or maybe neglect to comment on theirs enough? Jealousy? (It's happened.) Who knows. All I know is that one minute they're on your list and the next, poof! Gone without a trace. And it's not like Facebook sends you a "so-and-so and you are no longer friends" message, either, so whenever your total friend count goes down, you're left wondering who dropped out. Or not. Maybe I should stop caring about that. After all, it's borderline petty, and it's not going to make a difference, because it's not like I'm going to change who I am. Fuck that. I'm not going to stop posting links, becoming fans of pages, airing out my opinions in my status, or tone down my personal blog (although I will absolutely separate that from anything professional). I don't think I should have to hide who I am because someone might get offended. I'm not going to go out of my way to offend or alienate anyone, or to piss off a friend or anything, but if someone wants to break off a friendship for reasons like that, then I guess we didn't have that great a friendship to begin with and maybe it's best broken off.

In related news, I've been on Facebook for almost a year, but I've considered paring down my profile. Maybe I don't want all those juicy details to be visible to the public (relax; my address is a PO Box and my phone number is a cell phone that's about to be discontinued). I know it's too late to clam up and go into Ultra-Privacy mode because I've already aired as much as I have and my profile is fairly extensive, but still...why let the problem continue? I've been considering containing the damage, if there is any. But where to start? I comb through the profile, truly asking myself if I want to share that particular piece of my life and whether or not it's harmless and more often than not, the answer to both is yes. They're not off the hook yet, though. They remain under scrutiny. I'm trying to figure out if keeping all that information on there is more trouble than it's worth, but I honestly haven't yet had any trouble. I mean, all the skeletons are still hanging in the closet, and I've protected myself from at least the novice stalkers (if the professional stalkers want you, not much will stop them, so worrying is probably a waste of energy). It freaks me out that people can Google me and find me like that. I kind of like anonymity. But I did opt to put myself out there. Gotta stay on top of those 20-year reunion plans, you know.