to like or not to like...

So since it's been almost an entire month since my last Great Blogging Debate, I figured it was time for another one.

But before we start, how about two pictures of Things That Are Super Attractive?

Men reading books to babies.

Men reading instruction manuals when they put stuff together (cotton candy machines, especially).

Alright. Now you can't say I never show you hot guys on my blog. Since I'm normally just inundated with complaints about that...not.

SO!

How do you feel about Facebook fan pages for blogs?

Are you a fan, so to speak?

I used to be really anti. I guess I thought it was pointless. I already know how to follow blogs, so if the main point of a blog Facebook page is to tell me that there are new posts, then I don't need that. And then I wasn't really sure what any of the other 'points' of them even were...or if there were any other points. I guess I thought it seemed kind of narcissistic? Like...oooooh you have a billion 'followers' AND now you have a billion 'likes'....aren't YOU hot stuff!!!! Oh I also didn't 'get' it because it seemed like it was double-following people...if I am already FB friends with you and then I follow your blog, too...then...please stop clogging my newsfeed with the same thing TWICE. That's annoying.

So obviously my long-term history with liking blogs on FB has been more of a dislike. I still DID it...mainly when I would 'like' someone to enter a giveaway or something...or if it was a personal friend and I would have felt bad not liking them...or something. But it was always a bit begrudging. 

But then.

Lately, I've started really liking some of the blog pages I follow. I'm starting to see bloggers using their FB pages constructively and well and it's actually a welcome addition to my social media consumption and not just an annoyance. These are the things I see people doing that makes me like blog FB pages:

1) USE IT FOR MORE THAN JUST SHARING UPDATED POSTS. That's probably honestly the #1 thing. When they share actual new material (whether it be pictures (NOT just auto-posted from IG and Twitter)), interesting articles, or just status updates...I like when I feel like I get something 'extra' and beyond their blog. I also like being able to easily interact with them there (you know, commenting on whatever they're sharing).

Umm...I think I wrapped up all of my 'likes' into #1. I guess everything I like is just a subset of liking that I'm getting something 'extra.' I like seeing the random thoughts or pictures that never make it to a blog post. Being able to see more regular glimpses into their days and thoughts...it's really fun!

And ever since I started noticing how much I liked that, I started seeing areas in my own life where I was wishing I had that. Because my regular Facebook- let's face it. When I was a senior in college and FB was just starting, you friended everyone you ever knew. So my FB is totally junked up with people I haven't spoken to in 20 years...people I never actually liked in the first place...people I just met last week...you know what I mean. And so I use it and I share stuff, but always with the knowledge that the people seeing it probably don't really know me. And so I hesitate to really be 'me', you know? I don't know, it's weird (except you probably know exactly what I mean). So sometimes I wish I had a different FB for just people who know (and like) the current and real me. So I could share stuff and they'd know where I was coming from. And I figure...if you read this blog even semi-regularly, then you pretty much know the real me. So maybe this would be an outlet for that.

Plus-- I'm not friends with the vast majority of YOU on Facebook. And sometimes I see something funny or read an interesting article or whatever and I'm like 'ahhh I wish my blog friends could see that, they would love/hate/laugh at it!!'...but I mean, if it's not enough to develop into an actual blog post, then it all just falls by the wayside. But if I had a blog FB...it wouldn't have to, you know?

So anyway. You know a survey is imminent, since you know me. This one has more questions than normal (including one extremely important BONUS and completely unrelated question at the end), but I trust you can handle it. I'm also going to turn on threaded commenting for today, in case there is discussion to be had on this topic. Who knows! Feel free to share, even if you really hate blog FB pages and you're secretly groaning inside 'oh pleeeeeaaaase Erika, do NOT make a blog FB page!!! Pleeeeaassseee!!!!'...then I think you should share that. All opinions are welcomed here. I mean, except for wrong opinions. On the last question. Obviously those are discouraged.

GO!

the night we bought a cotton candy machine

If you're new 'round these parts, maybe you don't know this yet:

I have a deep, deep love for cotton candy. In the presence of cotton candy, I lose my mind. I'm not sure if it's the sugar...or the fluffiness...or the abundance of Red 40 and Blue 1 and all those other food colorings I normally never ingest...but something about cotton candy makes me lose my mind. In the best possible way. (Evidence)

Matt doesn't share my passion for the CC. I mean, he likes it and all, but only in a normal, adult-like way. Like if we're at an amusement park and there's CC, he may or may not want some. But it's not why he went to the park in the first place, unlike some people in our family...

But luckily I'm not alone. Matt's (identical twin except not really) brother Steve shares my passion for the fluffy pink. And pretty much any time we're together, we're plotting our future family cotton candy industry ventures. We scheme buying machines and setting up stands at farmer's markets and parties. Or just making loads of CC for ourselves. We drive the rest of the family crazy as we endlessly whine about how sad life is with no easy access to cotton candy.

Well this weekend we were no longer able to just talk about it. After deciding we probably shouldn't start out with an industrial CC maker ($500+), we pulled the trigger and started small (but mighty!) by purchasing our very first, very own cotton candy machine: 

Do you hear the angelic choirs singing?

And thus we began our first B Family Cotton Candy Night. And the funny thing is...I mean, for as much opposition, mockery, and nay-saying as we've encountered from spouses and family along the way...as soon as we actually bought the machine and started spinning cotton candy, suddenly eevvvveryone was all BFF with us and begging for some. Funny how that works, eh? I think there's a kiddie story about this. IT'S CALLED 'THE LITTLE RED HEN' PEOPLE, DID YOU LEARN NOTHING IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL? Unfortunately, Steve and I are nicer than that ol' hen and we extended mercy and kindness to our people. And cotton candy.

And now, without further adieu, may I present to you a special photo series. It is called "Erika Loses her Mind over Cotton Candy while SIL Jessica Steals Her Phone and Photographs the Entire Thing."

With my partner in sugary crime, Steve.

The Three Stages of Cotton Candy Ecstasy: Pre, Mid, and Post-Bite

Once she finished sipping her Haterade and put down my phone, Jess got in on the CC action herself.

This is blurry because it's like a dream sequence. Because eating CC is like a dream. Please excuse my blue teeth and evident delirium.

After several hours of 'cooking' (is that what it is?), devouring, and covering the entire kitchen in a fine (but sticky) layer of sugar, we commenced an evening of ridiculously sugar-fueled conversation and shenanigans. I think we reached the pinnacle of our awesomeness when Jess and I made an entire surprise photo series for Amy to discover on her dSLR. The subject:

Butts.

Well, not actually butts. Actually it's the crook of our elbows/knees...if you get really up close and take a picture, it looks like a butt. It's really funny. Especially at midnight when you're high on cotton candy. It looked a lot better on the dSLR...this is a weak phone photo, but you get the idea. So that's my big tip for what you should do next time you're really bored. Have a 'butt' photo shoot on someone else's camera/phone. 

So anyway. On Saturday I made cotton candy. So I guess you could call this weekend a success.

guilty

Today I've been inspired by my blog bestie Colleen. 

Guilty pleasures.

Apparently Colleen has a lot of them. I was thinking about judging her for that fact, but then I kept reading and realized that a) there is a lot of overlap with things I myself count as a guilty pleasure, and b) she invented and used the phrase 'cowgirl with a shaky moral compass' to describe the fit of certain jeans, and I think we can all agree that that is the most amazing descriptive phrase ever and obviously I am going to try to use it myself as much as possible in the near future. So rather than judging her for having so many guilty pleasures, I'm going to take her up on her suggestion to share about a few of my own.

Guilty pleasures, according to Colleen, are those things that you are willing to be snobby about. To pay more for, or adhere to higher standards than would be expected. I guess that guilty pleasures are all relative, really-- what shoe brands I would consider to be 'above my status' and guilty pleasures would probably be 'low-brow' by someone else's standard. That's okay. 

So. Given my budget...here are a few things where I take liberty to be snobby. And let's be honest: I don't really feel guilty about it. There are just as many areas where I am hopelessly cheap, so it all probably washes out in the end.

1. Makeup.

This probably isn't a surprise to anyone, but over the last few years I've slowly snobbed up my makeup collection. It started off with foundation/powder snobbing, accelerated when I discovered how much better high-end eyeshadows truly are, and has now trickled down into practically every category in my makeup bag box(es). Gone are the days of L'Oreal and Maybelline...here to stay (for the time being, of course. All guilty pleasures will probably be tossed out the window if we have a money-sucking baby come along, of course!) are the highly superior Smashbox, Urban Decay, and bareMinerals. Relatedly, I got my 'Ulta Rewards' certificate in the mail the other day. You should have seen the look of shock and horror on Matt's face when he saw what level I'd achieved this quarter ('levels' are broken into $50 increments...). Bless him.

BUT- so far I haven't been sucked into buying high-end mascara. Target all the way for that, buddy, and I'm trying really hard to keep it that way. 

2. Coffee.

Again-- guilty pleasures are relative. I know some true coffee snobs...they like...research it. And roast their own beans. And buy $1000 coffee makers. That's not me. What I mean is...I won't drink store brand. Or Folgers. Or Maxwell House. Or the kind that they hand out for free in office lobbies or what-have-you. And if you saw my tiny grocery budget, you would probably question why I'd choose to spend the extra $4 on better (still not fancy) coffee. But I'm serious. The cheap-cheap stuff? That's just nasty. I also require good condiments to go with my coffee. No nasty powdered 'creamer' for me. Ick. I would much prefer to pass on coffee altogether than to drink nasty coffee with powder in it. I'm convinced that most of the people in the world who say that they don't like coffee only think that because they've only been exposed to the bad kind. Which leads right into my next guilty pleasure...

3. Beer.

I'm not a big drinker, and I didn't really bother trying to drink ANY beer until I was in my mid-20s. But Matt's a fan of good beer, and after enough sips of his, I eventually came to like it myself. But only GOOD beer. Nothing in a can. Nothing that has half-naked ladies advertising it on TV. No Bud, Miller, PBR, Coors, or whatever other crap they hand out at frat parties or ballgames. That stuff is disgusting, what few sips of it I've sampled in my life. If I'm going to bother drinking a beer, it's gonna taste good: a pale ale, brown ale, or stout would be my preference. Like with coffee-- I bet that many people who think they 'don't like beer' have only sampled the bad ones. 

BUT- my snobbery has not yet extended to wine. Ha. I have absolutely no discernment whatsoever when it comes to wine, so that's a great money saver, right? Totally happy with Two Buck Chuck...that'll get me far in life.

4. Toilet Paper.

I know. A weird thing to be snobby about, but then again...I just don't understand why people cheap out there. Such a delicate situation...let's give it the care it deserves! If I'm at your house and you have nice hand soap but cheap TP in your guest bathroom, I JUDGE THAT. For the love of all things holy-- feel free to cheap out ANYWHERE but on the TP! Washing my hands with store brand soap will not kill me. Using sandpaper might. Of all the things I choose to spend a little extra on, TP will be the last one to die. There are few things I wouldn't do in order to make an extra buck to get some decent Charmin, if it came down to it. 

5. Vacations.

Kind of like beer, vacations are go-big-or-go-home for me. They're a frill. A perk. Not something I expect, not something necessary, not something I deserve or need. But if I'm gonna do one, I'm gonna do it right. If I'm gonna spend the money, I'm gonna save for long enough that I can get exactly what I want. I don't do cheap motels. I would much much much rather stay home and never go on vacation if it means sleeping in an icky hotel. I really don't like even NICE hotels, they totally creep me out anyway, but they're a necessary evil if I want to go more than 100 miles from my house, so...the more stars, the better. (That makes me think they wash the comforters more often. May not actually be true, but I tell myself that.) If I'm on vacation, I do not want to work. I do not want to 'road trip' because I hate being stuck in the car. I do not want to cook, do dishes, be around any sort of drama, or drive myself around. I do not want to share a room or tight living quarters with another couple or family members or children (unless they're my own, which none of them are). I do not want to do things I don't want to do, like look at museums or battleships. So this basically means that Matt and I have gone on very few vacations- but the ones we've done have been AWESOME. And to me, that's worth it. I'd much rather go on a freakin' awesome trip every 3 years then a semi-meh one every summer. If I had unlimited vacation days, I would probably make exceptions for trips on someone else's dime, like family vacations. But since those still cost me my precious few vacation days, I can no longer even make exceptions. I will (and have) pass(ed) up a free vacation that doesn't meet my standards in order to fund my own that does. That's my guilty pleasure, and I don't feel guilty at all about it. Vacation is VACATION! By nature, it's indulgent!! Obviously, when money is tight (or non-existent), we don't vacation at all. So when we are able to...I'm gonna do it right. By my standards.

So! Five of my not-exactly-guilty pleasures. Since I feel like I'm painting myself to be some kind of indulgent lush, let's quickly review a few of the things I am NOT snobby about:

Clothing brands, cars, shoes, electronics, yard sales, thrift stores, and dessert. 

What're your guilty pleasures? Anyone wanna fess up to buying cheap toilet paper? Bonus points if you can JUSTIFY that heinous crime... 



     

keeper of the knowledge

Do you ever feel like you're the only one that knows something really important?

Like...really important?

And the knowledge just sits inside you, deep in your soul...and you wish everyone knew...but no one does? Until finally one day you decide to just up and UNLEASH THE KNOWLEDGE on everyone, come what may?

I bet it would be awesome if that Deep and Burning Knowledge were about something really awesome or important. In my case, it almost never is. So sorry if I got your hopes up or anything. I just have three really semi-ordinary, unrelated, and probably-only-important-to-me things to share.

THING #1:
  **Apostrophes NEVER EVER make a word plural.**

I feel like the world has been repeatedly assaulting my eyes with this heinous error lately. Sometimes I can let it go. Sometimes it makes me want to stab my eyes repeatedly. This week I've been in stab-mode. So let me just clear this tiny grammatical detail up for you: YOU NEVER NEED AN APOSTROPHE TO MAKE A WORD PLURAL. It's never gonna be two adorable bunnie's or getting drinks with your best friend's. We're not sad on Monday's because Bachelorette is over, ladies. We're sad on Mondays. I almost just went into a related-but-trickier sub-rant regarding pluralizing names that end in -es, but decided to skip it JUST SO THAT maybe this original point can sink in a little deeper. Please. Make a commitment now-- TODAY!!-- to never ever succumb to the temptation to throw in an apostrophe in hopes of making a word plural. It doesn't help, and no apostrophe deserves that. So please. And thank you.

THING #2:
**You do not want to get attacked by a shark in Cancun.**

I know. Most likely your greatest Cancun fantasies involve getting attacked by sharks, but let me be the first to tell you: YOU DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. Trust me. It's Shark Week, and I've been taking notes. Note #1- You can run a lot longer on a treadmill when there are shark shows on. Note #2- DO NOT GET ATTACKED BY A SHARK IN CANCUN. You may recall that I'm going to Cancun in the near future. Perhaps that is why this particular story stuck out to me. But listen up. I'm serious. This poor lady heard guys shouting frantically at her from jet skis (NOT jet ski's, please note!) but they were yelling in Spanish, which she didn't understand, AND THEN SHE GOT ATTACKED BY A SHARK. And like that wasn't bad enough, then when the jet ski guys jetted her up to the shore, THEN IT TOOK 45 MINUTES FOR AN AMBULANCE TO GET THERE. Like...party foul, Cancun. NOT COOL. And THEN the surgeons (saved her life BUT) did a super crappy job replacing chunks of skin and stuff and then she got flown back home to Canada and went to a doctor there and THEN THEY HAD TO AMPUTATE ANYWAY!!! So like she was on an airplane with her leg rotting off. AWESOME. So I think the moral of this story is that a) you should at least learn a few key words like 'shark' and 'stop' and 'help' in Spanish (which I do, so I'd like to think I'm one step ahead here), and b) you should not get attacked by a shark in Cancun.

My deepest apologies for the abundance of all-caps yelling in the previous paragraph, but I feel really strongly about this.

And finally:

THING #3:
**Swimming pools are hiding everywhere.**

What? Swimming pools? Hiding? How could you hide a swimming pool?

All legitimate questions. All things I myself would have questioned. Until I went swimming in a hidden swimming pool on Tuesday.

   
This particular swimming pool happens to be hiding in the shared basement of two very ordinary, old, seemingly-normal University buildings- Marine Science and Dance. Right in the middle of UGA campus. Spittin' distance from a dorm I lived in for a year. And NEVER EVER did I have a clue that there was a giant pool in the basement of it! And apparently neither did anyone I've talked to about it, either. Only the employees of the building know, which is how I came to discover it. Two of my friends work in that building now, and apparently the employees are let in on the secret-- and given keys and permission to swim as they like. They were nice enough to invite us over for a post-work swim. I swear, to FIND the pool? It was like living some epic adventure movie, like Lord of the Rings or something. Not that I've ever stayed awake through that entire movie, but I'm pretty sure it involved a long journey to find something. So it is with this pool. Down a twisty hallway, hang a right and go down the rickety stairs...go through the 1920s-esque 'locker room', AND THROUGH THE SHOWERS THEMSELVES, and then there is a locked door. Get your employee-friend to open the locked door, and danged if there isn't a giant indoor pool inside what you probably assumed would be a roachy utility closet.  Craziest thing ever.

It was like walking through a time portal. I have no idea when this pool was built, but it reminded me of the pool in the Biltmore House...have you ever been there? I haven't been since 4th grade, but I remember that pool like it was yesterday, and this reminded me of it. And I just spent 10 minutes Googling and could not find a THING about this pool, which proves exactly how hidden and secret it really is. The locker room and lockers must have been built at the same time as the pool...I took a shot of Matt in there:

  While I am normally not a fan of places that are creepy, old, and probably have asbestos...I couldn't help but be excited about this awesome secret pool. I think it even made swimming laps a less miserable experience! I just can't believe that in all my time in Athens, I had never heard of this pool before my friends started working there. And now that I know about it? It makes me wonder how many more hidden pools there are that I don't know about. They could be anywhere! My eyes have been opened to this whole new world of secret pools, people...and now yours are, too. 

Secret pools.

Shark attacks in Cancun.

The most offensive way to abuse an apostrophe.

Now YOU are the keeper of this knowledge. Use it well, friends.