I've succumbed...

Not only do I have a blog, but I've actually put some effort into my Facebook page. That's right, I've given in to the influence of Internet networking. Next thing you know, I'll be adding Facebook to my bookmarks and checking it every day (with bated breath) to see who has Superpoked me since I last checked!

I would wonder how this all got started, but I already know: pregnancy. Yes, pregnancy has lead me from the innocent use of email to stay in touch down the primrose path and into the brambles of "networking." It started out innocuously enough. I joined a pregnancy webpage so I could track the development of the fetus inside of me, then soon found myself lurking around the message board. After about two months of enjoying the wit and wisdom of the mothers whose lives I was following, I finally got up the guts to start posting about myself.

It wasn't a big step from there to accept an invitation to join Facebook so I could keep up with the social events of an old friend. I never really felt up to dragging my 150+ pound body out to any of the events, but it felt better to be connected.

Then, all at once, I was postpartum and my brother decided that meant I had all kinds of time on my hand to pick up on an old hobby: writing. Alas, writing and I had become estranged when I fell in love with a different hobby, my husband, and I had been meaning to patch up the relationship for months. "Start a blog," my brother urged. "It's a great way to get feedback. You've got time, right?"

Right.

Today my daughter is one day shy of six weeks old, and I'm two days shy of 23 years. It's time to get back in the habit, and since my younger sister conveniently agreed to come and help with the baby (and, little did she know, become my tutor in the intricacies of Facebook) I thought I would finally become a full convert. Yes, I've updated my profile on Facebook, added some friends, and am finally committing the final act of network-ism - writing a blog post, then expecting my family and friends to come and read it.

It's not so bad, really, belonging to the cult of technological communication. I do still talk to people. Sometimes. When Facebook is down.