Food Fight!!!

So months ago one of my friends was telling me about facebook and how she has regained contact with many old friends from school. I thought...hey, that sounds pretty cool. I mean, I'm in the northwoods of Minnesota, a far cry from where I grew up in Ohio, lived in Florida and Southern California, and lost contact with many great friends growing up -- both from church and from places I've worked, not including my many cousins I don't see much any more. So...I gave it a try and wow! Lots of my cousins (mainly from my mom's side of the family, but at least one from my dad's) are on there as well as friends from my local church, but I've also reconnected with many friends from church I've had growing up -- "Apostle" John, Melinda, Sarah -- and several "kids" that were literally waist-high when I knew them (and sometimes babysat a few); one of my brother's best friends from school is on there -- who'd've thunk that Jeff H. had four or five kids now??? And wow! My weight-lifting aunt is on there, too! A sister-in-law, nieces and nephews. My up-lines from Watkins. I look at some of the friends of my friends and know the last name...and realize (gasp!) those are the GROWN CHILDREN of kids and cousins that I grew up with. How did they get to have kids that are so OLD so soon??? Did that much time REALLY go by?????

Facebook has lots of cool things on it -- there is this application with different world locations to better one's knowledge of where cities, countries, and landmarks are in this world (who knew Swaziland was in the middle of South Africa? or that Fungul was a small island waaaay off the coast of Portugual?) -- I'm getting a better mental picture of where my nephew Andrew is (at least location-wise) over in Iraq as well as where all those middle-eastern countries are located, especially in regards to each other.

There are fun things -- one of my favorites is pieces of flair, little "buttons" with different sayings. Granted, some are really tacky, but then there are some that click the nostalgia button with me ("My name is Inego Montoya; you killed my father, prepare to die!") or are just really, really funny ("We grew up...how did this happen and why didn't anyone stop it?"). There are photo-sharing apps where I've seen some cool photos posted by friends and relatives -- nature, family, etc.

There are things that I will never look at on there...just like so many other things on the web and that one can encounter in daily life. (Which I'm sure explains why so many parents I know are part of facebook since their children are also part of it.) Some really tacky things, and lots of things where one can waste hours and hours of time quite easily.

But the most fun thing I've found so far (thanks, Mar!) is something I'm actively taking part in that we never were allowed to growing up. A FOOD FIGHT!!!! Certain cousins of mine (which are the ones I probably did have some food fights with growing up....like pop cycle spitting to name one!) and at least one spouse have partaken in a food fight. Flinging food at each other. And in the best way for a grown up and parent -- it's virtual and not messy in real life! Yikes, can you imagine the mess from flan? Or ketchup? Liver and congers (what are congers???)? Whipped cream? It gives new meaning to hurling bitten off juju fruit at each other (although this is virtual life, not the movie theater!). And we're loving it! How often do you have 40-something (okay, and a couple 30-somethings!) "kids" throwing food at each other on a daily basis from hundreds of miles away?

Of course, there have been some misses. I think each of us have bean some innocent victims -- people who have no right getting in the midst of our food fights (sorry to that big, muscle-bound, mean looking guy who got in the way of the chocolate I was throwing at Martha!). But all in all, it's a fun and messy way of releasing some daily tension at some of the people I love most in the world...without having to worry about who is going to clean up the mess!

So, I gotta go now. It's time to get ready for another busy day at the Market. I'd stop on facebook first and fling some food, but there's no time for that now. Beware, though, I'll get you later tonight! (if I'm not passed out from exhaustion!)