Tuesday, March 8, 2011

So what have you given up for Lent?

I've given up Facebook! Yes,  the dreaded FesseBook as we call it in our house, fesse being French for bum.  I've deactivated my account so I won't be tempted. If I manage the 40 days I may just make it a permanent arrangement so I can say



40 days without Facebook to distract me with those all important snippets of people's lives, starting today.  Some consider that not having Facebook is social suicide but I'm happy to take the risk. Some of my best friends have not succumbed to its lure  and seem to live quite happy fulfilled lives.


I'm looking forward to having much more time which I will use far more constructively but in the meantime I'll just go back to twiddling my thumbs..........


21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I admire you for having the courage. Me, I'm too insecure because I like to think that everybody on my FB list are my bestest friends in the world. I mean some of them are such good friends that I'm yet to meet them but I know I'd love them.

the fly in the web said...

Like every year...trying to give up being uncharitable...don't expect many posts for the next forty days...

VEG said...

I had an account years ago, but got fed up being poked and I deactivated way back then. Haven't looked back. I still don't see the point in it. And I can't be bothered with the friend requests from people I don't know in any way and I have no desire in watering anyone's goddamn crops. I email and I blog and that's as social as I get, I don't see what I need FB for. Or Twitter for that matter although that might be fun for five minutes. :) So yay! Happy new life, rebel lady!

Sarah said...

My life is already pared to the bone, I ain't giving up a damn thing! Especially not wine!! I just thought I'd say...

auntiegwen said...

I should give up chocolate. And gin. But that makes me sad. So I will cut down on gin and give up chocolate. That is the best I can muster at present.

Steve said...

I'm giving up nothing for lent. Literally. No more nothing. No more doing nothing or thinking or nothing or eating nothing. I've had enough of nothing. No more nothing!

hausfrau said...

Only Youngest is on Facebook, the rest of us don't know what we're missing... or not. And only Youngest has plabns to give something up for Lent, although, as she's got several Guide weekends coming up she says it can't be chocolate, Hobnobs or crisps.. don't know if she'll think of a plan... Her sister suggested 'making a mess' but there's no hope of that one!

Wylye Girl said...

mrwriteon, you have The Boy's attitude to Facebook. He has about 500 Facebook friends, all of whom he insists he 'knows'. From time to time I pick random names and ask him who they are. "Well, he's Charlotte from schools, cousin's best friend's boyfriend's brother". "So when did you meet him?" I enquire. "Well, um, I haven't actually met him yet but I'm going to in the summer". Yeah, right!


Fly, oh please don't do that. I'll need lots of your signature uncharitable blogposts to fill the space that Facebook has left in my life ;)

Wylye Girl said...

Veggie, it's only day one but already I feel liberated! People post such rubbish in the mistaken belief that anybody actually cares. My niece (19 going on 6) posts every minutiae of her relationship with her boyfriend and whatever ache or pain ails her on that particular day. My wall is full of

"I thought I meant something to you but obviously not"

"Wassup baybz? luv ya lots"

"I've got a headache. Should I go to hospital" (she's also a hypochondriac)

"OMG, ya must ave a brain tumer. Go now baybz. lyl"

I mean, just SHUT UP!

I also have some friends who have activated the GPS thingy so every now and then I get a message to say "X is in the living room". I. DO. NOT. CARE!

And a friend of The Girl (moderately pretty, buck teeth, hugely arrogant) who posts photos of herself so she can receive 35 messages saying she's 'sooo pretty'. GET THERAPY!

Maybe I should take a leaf out of Fly's book and also give up being uncharitable... but on second thoughts, maybe not!

Oooh, I think I need a lie down now....

Wylye Girl said...

Sarah, you've obviously given up not giving anything up so that's all good! Tchin!

auntiegwen, with the weirdness in your life you deserve gin.. and chocolate. Give up nothing.

Steve, you rock! Nothing is good. You'll feel so much better afterwards

Hausfrau, The Girl reads Facebook but has now moved to Twitter. Twitter was spawned by the devil and should be exorcised as soon as possible. I tell her that Twitter is for Twats but she ignores me. Story of my life really. I rather hoped that she would give up 'making a mess' but looking at the state of her bedroom this morning, it's not going to happen. The Boy needs Facebook to carry on the conversations with his girlfriend that he hasn't managed to finish during their 2 hours phone calls. With no Facebook and the phone constantly engaged I shall be Billy-no-mates in no time at all!

Sarah said...

Oh yes, I hadn't thought of that!! YAY!

I have a friend (aged) who posts nearly every morning about her slow start and how hard it is, and gets back sycophantic messages of support (they are all French...). I just hide all her messages for peace of mind. Some people seem to use FB as an emotional prop and can't get through the day unless they have X messages of telling them how wonderful they are. Sooo boring!

Lou Archer said...

Good for you...... I've given up the booze.... does sherry trifle count? Also totally forgot I'd invited the girls for lunch tomorrow. I WILL be strong...

Facebook is revolting...I may well follow your lead and kill off my account, if I can remember how to log on.

In the not too distant future,

YouTube, Twitter & Facebook will merge to form one giant, idiotic, super time wasting website called... You,Twit,Face.

(Above courtesy of an email I received)
xx

Perpetua said...

Not on Facebook or Twitter, so I've given up expat forums instead, except for one I'm admin on. It's only lunchtime on Day 1 and already I feel like I've got a lot more spare time :-) Have given up chocolate and wine as well, as a change from cake and biscuits.

the fly in the web said...

Well, that didn't last long....put up a video I really liked on my Costa Rica thingy and Blogger is playing up and won't circulate it!
Uncharity returns....

Wylye Girl said...

Sarah, it seems to be a particularly French thing, this using it as an emotional prop or to reinforce your own popularity. Funny that.

Lou, well done. I don't drink so I can't give it up. I suppose I could do the opposite and just get bladdered for 40 days instead. I think we can forgive you your sherry trifle... but just this once. Shall we start and Anti-Facebook campaign. A friend of mine who is doing the FB thing too said she thinks she has become less social as you share everything online. I think she may have a point xx

PiT, I've virtually given them up too. That's another thing that takes up far too much time. I feel liberated and would like to say that I'm sitting at home in a pristine house with all the ironing done.... but I'm not. Maybe I should have given up procrastination instead

Fly, good! That's how we know and love you so don't change it

Kitty said...

I was thinking about this subject just this morning; what do I give up for Lent?
On this regime I've given up chocolate, all alcohol (including wine,) sugar, chocolate, fruit, chocolate, nuts, fat (including my beloved Breton Butter,) chocolate, bread & wheat, duck and lamb and chocolate. Did I mention I gave up chocolate?

Seriously, what else is there to give up? I don't have a car so giving up pleasure drives doesn't apply. I no longer have a boyfriend so giving up sex is rather pointless since that happened months and months ago. Fessebook is just about my only contact with the outside world.
So pry it from my cold dead fingers.

I think I'll give up procrastination. That should be even more of an effort than the chocolate.
Kind regards, Kitty x

Wylye Girl said...

Kitty, I would have done well to give up procrastination and prevarication as
well as Fessebook but one step at a time.

That's not a regime you're on it's hell on earth woman. Should I send emergency chocolate? x

Sharon said...

When we moved across the country(Canada) to a new province, all our old friends said "Oh please join Facebook...we can keep in touch" Well, about 6 weeks ago hubby and I caved and signed up.

I posted a couple of things, mostly about our huge amounts of snow, but didn't get any comments. The people who were adamant I sign up were missing in action, or posted pointless stuff, and as I have 'zippo' in the patience category I stopped using it right then.

Hubby kept posting and posting and nobody, and I mean, nobody commented. The people who got comments posted absolutely inane crap. Hubby was confused (he's a bit of an intellect.

Anyway to cut a long story short, hubby got really annoyed and wrote a post telling everyone why he's closing his Facebook account, Guess what?...nobody read it!

Anonymous said...

I deactivated my facebook account a couple of weeks ago; I never updated my status, hardly ever looked at it to be honest, so have not missed it. I have given up cake and biscuits for Lent.

Wylye Girl said...

Sharon, so very true. About 90% of what is posted on Facebook is inane rubbish. I think it's probably no co-incidence that some of my most intelligent friends are not Fessebookers. I originally joined to keep up with my old friends in France but a) many of them are now in the UK b) I'm not really interested how many bottles of wine they got through and c) so what if the sun is shining! I'd far sooner exchange a monthly e-mail or something than daily trivia

Wylye Girl said...

Alienne, I've not missed it one bit so far and I'm not sure I shall bother reactivating my account. If people can't be a**ed to send the odd e-mail, then we'll just have to lose touch I'm afraid.

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