A WRITTEN WAVE OF THE OL' WING

As you may recall, I'm a new Facebook member. I like it. For reasons I'm about to share.

First, as the title suggests, it is nice to re-connect, people whom I haven't communicated with for some time. Just a written wave. Maybe a little more. A little catch up. When I first heard of Facebook, maybe two years ago, maybe three. For some reason when one gets my age, the time gets as distorted as the reflection in those carnival mirrors. Five years become ten and ten become twenty. I can't fathom that 1995 was 15 years ago, for instance. But when I first heard about it, a friend running for governor asked to include him as a friend on Facebook. I didn't want to offend or act naive, so I agreed though I really didn't know what it was. So Len, now that I'm in the loop I'm doing it today.

Secondly or a continuation of the first reason, it's nice to hear where and what the friends are doing. Many of my friends are former students (it won't be too long that I can say old students because when I started teaching, a few of my students were only 5 years younger than I, which almost officially makes them old) and as they have matured and married and moved, they're as far away from MTV as I.

One of my Facebook friends was a former editor of JAVA, the high school's literary/art magazine that I sponsored for 25 years. A few years after graduation, she stopped by to see me and had her baby niece with her. Since I last had contact with her, Ashli added 4 of her own children. So it's that kind of catching up that has been enjoyable.

Many of my other friends were high school classmates. While I have attended every reunion we've had, it's still nice to chat once in awhile with some of them. Some I haven't talked to since our Sub days. No deep conversations; just a chance to say hi in the form of a wave, written. And while I mentioned chatting, that's available, too. When you keep tabs of who's on Facebook line, you are able to click and begin a brief dialogue if you so desire. It's not as intimate as hearing a familiar voice, but it's another wave with maybe a stop to share a brief story on the way to class, as it were.

There's even more. But I'll have to use another entry to sell you on the fullness of Facebook. So I'll wave good-bye this morning and head to FB.