The Last Word On Nothing

I’ve been a bit of a Facebook addict for years. The pictures of pets! The interesting articles! But, when stressful things are happening in the world, I find that Facebook mostly exists for me to soak up everyone else’s panic about current events, like a human anxiety sponge. During a particularly stressful week last month, I decided it was time to finally take that Facebook break I’d been thinking about.

Of course, being on Facebook didn’t mean that the impulse to post on Facebook went away. For the first week or so of the break, I took note every time I wanted to post something and wrote it down somewhere else instead. Here’s some of what my friends missed.

Friday, June 29, 12:19 p.m.
Hello, friends! I just want to tell you about my lunch: zucchini and almonds, garlic scape pesto, and a bit of leftover pasta. Thanks, CSA. It’s amazing. That Smitten Kitchen recipe for zucchini and almonds, in case you missed it the previous million times I posted it:
Quick Zucchini Saute

Friday, June 29, 5:10 p.m.
I just went outside and it was terrible. It’s like a million degrees. I know I have tried in the past to develop a good attitude about summer but I don’t know if I can do it right now.

Saturday, June 30, 9:31 a.m.
How do you get rid of a mattress? Does anyone take donations of used mattresses? Yes I could probably google this. Related: Anybody need a mattress? Full size, 12+ years old, somewhat lumpy, better than sleeping on bare floor.

Saturday, June 30, 1:50 p.m.
Guess what, this is really good. https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-roasted-cabbage-with-bacon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-105338

Saturday, June 30, 1:51 p.m.
Oh! I forgot to share this picture of me and my parents from last weekend!

Sunday, July 1, 6:15 p.m.
The Folklife Festival is good this year! I spent most of today (ugh, so hot) in the Catalonia area and saw lots of good stuff. Off tomorrow and Tuesday, runs again Wed-Sun.
Sorry, this notice comes too late to be useful.

Monday July 2, 5:40 p.m.
Annals of my memory: I came across a study on clinicaltrials.gov and thought I recognized the name of the researcher. I searched my email and found out that, yeah, I interviewed that guy in 2014. In the e-mails, I also saw who I was writing the story for. But not only do I not remember that this particular story appeared in that particular outlet – I don’t even remember that I wrote for that outlet. If you’d asked me yesterday, I would’ve said I’d never written for them. And I would’ve been wrong. Ha.
In a comment, I probably would’ve added a link to the 2014 story: A Matter of Timing.

Monday, July 2, 7:01 p.m.
Just walked 1.5 miles home in 95-degree heat and am now debating whether two strips of bacon and a couple of cookies count as dinner. Ok, but what if the cookies have oatmeal in them?
Fun fact: After I typed this one up, I actually also had the urge to check back and see who had commented. I bet most of my friends would have told me me that was fine, or suggested I add a side of zucchini.

Wednesday, July 4, 6:41 p.m.
Earlier today I saw a couple walking a dog. It was the kind of dog that looked like it would be really uncomfortable in this heat – lots of fluff. The woman was holding the leash and the man was carrying an empty kiddie pool as a shade for the dog. Jealous.

Thursday, July 5, 6:27 pm
Actual thought process from earlier: Oh, this recipe calls for lemon zest. I don’t have any lemon zest. I wonder what you can substitute for lemon zest? [Googles] Let’s see – lemon juice or lime zest. Well, I don’t have any lemon juice or limes. But wait, I bet I have a lemon! [removes lemon from fridge. looks at lemon.] Waaaiiit a second….

Friday, July 6, 8:51 p.m.
Current approach to CSA vegetables: Friday, place vegetables, including lettuce, in fridge. Over the course of the next week, consume most of the veggies. Friday, pick up new vegetables; put lettuce from previous week in compost; place vegetables in fridge. Repeat.

Sunday, July 8, 10:14 a.m.
I typed “catlch.” Google says it’s showing me results for “catch.” Apparently algorithms don’t read minds yet, because I was aiming for “Caltech.”

Well, there you go. I have a lot to say about such topics as vegetables and the weather.

I like that my Facebook break has made me be more thoughtful about contacting friends individually. I am annoyed that it has made it harder to do things like getting rid of a mattress.

I use Facebook on computers, but phones, but if you want to improve your relationship with your phone, I recommend the conversation Michelle and I had about breaking up with our phones back in February.

Photos: Catalonian human towers, me; Me and my parents, Alan Peel.