The Holiday Hookup

Photo: chicago.metromix.com

Had to take a break from doing much blogging or researching for that matter, although I did do some posts on my other blog about shopping local.  But mostly, nothing that interesting has come up, except for this little snippet about being single and surviving the Holidays (beware, it's from Match.com).  But it offers some real clear steps to avoid what could be termed as "The Holiday Hook-up."  I have been in those shoes, trying them on, two sizes too small and remarkably a spring shoe and it's snowing outside.  This isn't just the date from hell, it's the date from hell with sleigh-bells and you're grimacing along for the cold, painful ride.  Your co-workers are wondering if they should trust you do to the job that you were hired for, your friends are hoping that this person never shows up at a future event or how they're going to dis-invite you, and you are painfully smiling at the jokes that were not only inappropriate but physically revolt you.  And the answers are almost always the same of why this experience happened, i.e. I was lonely, he/she seemed nice, I needed a date for the Christmas party, I didn't want to show up alone.  While these stories make for great fodder, they almost always leave a bad taste, like that Holiday cookie that looked tempting and yet tasted like a stale cracker from your emergency supply kit that expired ten years ago.  In all, a bad idea that leaves you with more than just a few holiday pounds to shed.  Do you have one of these such stories?  What happened at that office Christmas party with that date?  Did you take them to a family gathering?  Hit me up and tell me about it either email or comment below.  And most of all, I wish you all a Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice, Joyous Kwanza, and a joyous New Year.

The Blogspot

Most of the research I do is online.  The digital age has given the world opportunities we didn't have before and some opportunities that shouldn't be taken.  This week I ran across a story where a blogger decided to post her thoughts about a online date and how that really came back to haunt her.   It left me thinking about how the digital age has created a virtual bathroom wall scrawling that anyone can see and no one can report the scribbler to the principle.  Or can they?  In this case, the backlash came in the form of actual story, which is a little ridiculous in some ways, this is news?  But how often do I hear stories about cyber-bullying, stalking and other horrifying ways that people treat each other that lead to violence and even death?  And while the exact nature of this blogger's post were questionable if not mean-spirited, does the internet provide us sounding boards of things that maybe we think and should never speak or ways to demean and humiliate people in a very public way in order to gain some sort of narcissistic attention?  Or all of the above?   People have blogs for many reasons.  I have two, one for this project and another for my personal writing.  Why?  Because I like attention?  Yes.  And because I like having an outlet for my writing and thoughts.  Mostly I'm looking for connection.  It's a way of self-publishing.  So when writing a blog or posting on Facebook or a board and it's mean, what are people looking for?  An outlet for their rage?  For people to think they're funny?  But when it's at someone's expense, is it still funny?  Or is it just mean?  And if you're dating, are you blogging about dating because you're looking for connection or something that others can relate to?  Or are you looking to humiliate someone else?  Someone who rubs your 'blogspot' the right or wrong way may not take too kindly to appearing in cyberspace as fodder for the masses.  Then again, neither may the masses.