Funnily, I seem to have leveled off for a while now at about 520 friends or so.  Today I logged in to check a message from a friend of mine (someone I actually see from time to time) and I noticed my friend count had dipped below 520.

What!   Only 519 friends?  Jeez…

I had this strange feeling come over me…I really wanted to know who it was.  I dunno why.

But guess what?  I thought about it for a minute and came to the conclusion that it had to be only one of two kinds of people.

1. A “friend” from a previous employer who no longer needs me as a reference, and couldn’t care less about my Parker Anne videos; or
2. An ex-girlfriend, probably one that I added (as opposed to the other way around), with whom I really didn’t have any status at all but was merely curious to see how her life was unfolding.

I thought about it, and realized I had whacked all the people in category one a long time ago, and so it must be category two.  Sure enough, I became “friends” with an ex (though we never exchanged any pleasantries since befriending) last month.  So…I searched through my friends, and she was gone!

FINALLY.  Facebook is starting to become real, at least in this case.  And you know what?  I APPLAUD her (she is still on facebook, just not friends with me) for actually thinking “You know, is there REALLY any reason I should be friends with this guy?”  And the answer, at least in her case, turns out to be “no.”  Way to go girl!

I mean, who wants to be friends with someone who’s so concerned with their friend count, anyway?

I love it.

Which I have no issue with.

A girl I dated in eighth grade that I treated badly.

Some dude that cheap-shotted me at a park in high school.

The mom of someone I dated,  whom I can’t remember.

It’s an unprecedented outpouring of connection and community.

But…

Seriously.  When is someone gonna tell it like it is?  I mean, so many people are so concerned with what other people think they never tell the truth.

Tell me you haven’t seen this:

• The “OMG you look exactly the same as you did 20 years ago comment.”  Uh, right.  I’ve gained 60 pounds.  And the girls?  When they say this?  Uh huh.
• The “hmmm…we didn’t really even LIKE each other in high school…but let’s be friends now” request?
• Who the heck are you again?

It’s out of control.

Don’t get me wrong.  I like f8.  But, it’s due for a course correction.  When people stop being nice, and start being real, perhaps unlike now where you have 600 friends you’ll be back to having the same 12 friends you had in high school, plus a few from college and your job.  Which isn’t a bad thing.  Is it?

I made an innocuous comment one day to a girl I hadn’t seen in 15 years.  BLAM-O!  I had to delete it.  She took it the wrong way.

Rather than saying “oh, you  misunderstood what I was saying.”  I just packed up my tent and left.  Because 500 of my friends might see it.

Jeez.   I am nothing if not usually uncensored, but f8 makes me censor myself?  Good thing?  Who knows.  But I am not happy about it.  Not at all.

Start being real.

Ever notice that no matter how well you supervise your move, the packers always seem to put that one box you’re looking for somewhere out of sight?

For example, I found ten boxes of wine last night, but not the box with the kitchen gadgets.  No wine without an opener huh?

D’oh!  I hate moving.