Your wife tweets?!

Recently, my husband shared a conversation he had with a co-worker. A 20-something woman working in the traditionally male dominated world of the railway.

While getting ready to leave work following his trip my husband noted that his wife had tweeted an item about the railway. His co-worker seemed surprised as she commented, "Your wife tweets?!". I was quite taken aback by this comment and the assumption that because my husband is over 50, he and his wife would automatically not be part of the twittersphere. It might have been easier to understand had it not come from a person who, by her chosen employment, does not appear to be restricted to the idea of the traditional social community.

Recent studies have shown that women aged 45-plus are greatly responsible for the recent growth in social media and that they are much more likely to stay in touch through social media than their male counterparts. This may be in part due to the fact that women tend to be the fabric of their families and communities. With this in mind, social media seems to be a natural progression from face to face conversations on the playground and most certainly acts to replace those dreaded annual Christmas letters many of us used to stay in touch with family members both near and far.

In the recent Alberta provincial election, women who's age can no longer be described as 20-something were prolific on social media, touting their party's platform, discussing the faults of the other side, and generally having the same conversation they would have had while dropping their children off at nursery school in the past.

For myself, I am much more connected to distant family members  and friends through social media than I ever was when relying on hand-written notes and telephone calls. In fact it was a facebook conversation with my cousin that encouraged me to write this post.

Among my age group there is certainly a fear of going public with our thoughts, in part due to the fear that no-one is listening. Worse still is that others may be reading and think our writings silly, outlandish, or boring! We need to move past these fears and accept ourselves as we are.

Maybe we can't challenge the volume of young people and their texting/tweeting (nor may we want to) but we need to remember we do have something to add to the conversation.

misskimmy

Get Involved Animated Video

My first attempt at an animated video. Go Animate is a cute little program that is very easy to use. They have a political section that I haven't tried yet but am looking forward to it. Have a look.

misskimmy

http://goanimate.com/movie/03rGfIOiD0SE?utm_source=linkshare&uid=0Rp4_0kmQTxo

The favorite moment of my life...thus far

If someone had asked me this question 30 years ago I would have quickly responded, my wedding day of course. Two years later it would have been more difficult but the birth of my first daughter would have been the winner. As time went on and two more daughters were born, it would have been a three way tie for each of their births. Now I have to add the birth of our grandson to this mix. I guess the point I am making is that all of us have many favorite moments in our lives and to try to choose just one becomes almost impossible the older we get.

Some of my favorite moments and memories have nothing to do with life changing events. They are the simple memories of children decorating mittens at the kitchen table, the cake that turned out especially nice, or a walk along the river in the autumn as the leaves fall. We need to take time to "smell the roses" and appreciate the bounty of our lives.

misskimmy

Using the f-word on social media

I heard about it through twitter, the use of the f-word on his twitter account by a Member of Parliament from Manitoba. I have to say I find this to be very disturbing. To also hear that this MP feels he was right in doing so is even more incredible. Throughout the day as I have listened to the news, bits and pieces have come out about whether or not twitter is a private or a public conversation. I have also heard that this particular elected official has over 3500 followers. I don't know about you but I don't see that as a private conversation.

Don't get me wrong, I respect a person's right to be angry, frustrated and annoyed at things. I understand that people vent. What I have an issue with is that this public figure chose to use language that would not be appropriate were he speaking in person to his supporters and followers. We talk about trying to get young people involved in politics. I am not so blind as to think young people do not use this word but I do feel that it displays a disrespect that is too prevalent in this world. Maybe I am being thin skinned but I think there were other options he could have used to express his feelings.

There are guidelines for what can be posted on facebook and posts that are removed because they are unsuitable. This to me indicates that society is concerned with people's very public activities on social media. I don't know that setting strict rules is the answer. I would like to think that people who are in the public eye would appreciate the role they play as role models and conduct their actions accordingly. I hope others do as well.

misskimmy

A little early for Christmas?

How many of you have noticed that Christmas merchandising begins before Halloween these days. Department stores seem unable to contain their excitement as their shelves are depleted of spooky costumes, scary decorations, and of course, miniature candy bars, providing them room to begin socking those sames shelves with gaudy red, green, silver, and gold decorations, LED lights and artificial Christmas trees. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas! I love the decorations, the scent of steaming chocolate and apple cider, and the music.
That said, I remember as a child anxiously awaiting the arrival of the animated windows at the downtown Eaton's store. This was a favorite excursion of my family where we would gather with our cousins to gaze at the festive displays. Our parents would buy each of us a hot chocolate and some hot roasted cashews from a street vendor, they never tasted better. I somehow cannot believe this would have been as magical if it had occurred before we'd had our evening of trick or treating.

It seems as though the events of life are all running into each other and our holidays are being dictated by the merchandising department of the local mall. Even if you prefer not to decorate prior to American Thanksgiving, my personal preference, or the first of December, you are almost forced into it by the retailers' calendar. If you wait to purchase new decorations, they very well may not be there, having been sold before you get there. This goes the same for the latest new toy. Every year, there is that one toy that every child wants. If you are the unfortunate parent that did not plan ahead and make your purchase in October, well you just might be out of luck.

Perhaps much of the problem boils down to the consumerism of Christmas. It might sound funny now but I remember when I looked forward to receiving a mandarin orange in the toe of my stocking. Today, these are available in September, if not all year round. Maybe we have allowed ourselves to fall into the trap of Christmas being a flurry of shopping and buying the biggest gift under the tree. Of having the best decorated tree. Of having the best outdoor light display.

I am getting off my main topic of Christmas now lasting for three months. It just seems to me that spreading it out over this amount of time does take some of the wonder and amazement out of this special time. Maybe I am just being nostalgic about Christmas' of my past. Maybe spreading Christmas over this amount of time allows for more joy. Oh well, not time to think about this now, must get my office tree decorated!

misskimmy

On My Front Porch Looking In

I am a huge fan of country music, I think in part because it speaks to me. One of my favorite songs is, On My Front Porch Looking In, by Lonestar. It is a husband and father singing about his favorite view, that of his family through the front window of his home.

I can really relate to this message. When I think of my favorite places in the world, every one of them is better when shared with my family. To see Disneyland through the eyes of my grandson, is to see it with fresh eyes of my own. To have the opportunity to share special times with my husband, daughters and grandson is priceless.

I would have to say though that my favorite place in the world is our home. Yes, we may be in the midst of paint and dust at the moment, but there is nothing better than sitting out in the yard with no other houses in site and enjoying a glass of my favorite wine. The peacefulness is breathtaking. At certain times of the year you can see the Northern Lights from our yard and as our grandson says, "all the stars in the world!".

Life Happens

Hi All,

As you can see I have been absent from my blog for the past for days. What can I say, life happens. This weekend our four year old grandson was visiting us and if this was not enough to take all of my time, we decided to paint our kitchen and laundry room as well! I can confirm for those who are wondering, yes it does take some skill to manage a four year old with a paint brush.

I am feeling somewhat guilty about missing four days of the November challenge but then again, I think I would feel much more guilty about not spending quality time with my family (ok so maybe considering painting the kitchen as quality time is a stretch) when they wanted me to. My husband is working hard to create the home we have always wanted and I feel it is important to support him in his work, besides this way I got to choose the color.

So now it is back to work and back to blogging for me. À bientôt!

misskimmy