The Social Network by Other Directors

Only thing this parody is missing is a Tim Burton rendition.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

The best part about My Generation? The iPad App

In case you haven't yet, check out my latest rambling column/post/blog item up at Huffington Post - "The Horrifying Return of Fall TV." Or just read the comments because there are lots of trolls blowing up my shit and it is seriously entertaining.

Now, on a related note I want to talk about My Generation, a pilot I've followed sort of since it was first picked up by ABC.  First of all, this subject matter (the show was previously titled "Generation Y") is of interest to me simply as a former trend-forecaster who still occasionally is a freelance trend-forecaster and likes to stay abridged of trends generally (yeah that was superfluous but whatever) and happens to be a member of Generation Y. So I like, know this shit.

So I read the pilot and I thought... meh. Which was accompanied by a shrug. Then I watched the pilot, which was certainly better than I expected, but still didn't have me jumping out of my seat with joy at discovering the MUST-WATCH BREAKOUT HIT OF THE NEW SEASON!

And then came the marketing... that horrible, HORRIBLE marketing campaign that makes little to no sense and happens to just annoy the shit out of me.  You've seen it - those weird billboards that have pictures of Jaime King with the miserable tagline "You know this ring comes off, right?" or something equally indecipherable.

So then I started thinking about the premise of My Generation a little more - it's about a group of kids who graduated from high school during the height of the Enron scandal - so these kids are about a year or two older than me (I guess two? They graduated in 2000... so yeah, two years older than me) - and then are reunited ten years later and discover they are interconnected in all sorts of crazy soapy ways like baby-daddy drama and unrequited love etc etc etc. And it's all just such a SHOCK to their little lives.

Now, pause for a moment. These people - have they heard of FACEBOOK? Because I can tell you right now, I am Facebook friends with a lot of my high school graduating class even if I haven't talked to them in about seven years, and even if I wasn't great friends with them in the first place. So I have some sense of what these people have been up to the past few years.  Apparently this does not apply to the characters My Generation is based on, so okay, yeah, that's a believable premise and what not... you know, considering that EVERYONE IS ON FACEBOOK. And what not... but whatever... I can attempt to get past this.

But iffy premise and annoying camera-in-the-face-a-la-Real-World narrative tricks aside, My Generation is totally fucked. It's in probably the toughest time-slot of the TV season - Thursdays at 8pm, up against such stalwarts as Bones and The Big Bang Theory.  Frankly, I think the show is going to tank, with the time-slot issue being a major contributing factor. And I don't want to get attached to a show that's probably going to get canceled in the first place... so why watch?

At this point the only redeeming quality about My Generation is its kickass iPad app. Seriously. Check out the app - it's AWESOME. Not only does it make me want an iPad, but it miraculously increases my interest in the show, and actually hones on my initial curiosity - a sense of accelerated nostalgia, reminiscing about high school, the confusing life-stage of the twenty-something, etc. If I actually got sucked into this show, that is, assuming the second episode is a significant improvement upon the first, then I could see myself obsessing over this app, and having a good time with the transmedia interaction. But unless people are raving about the second episode, there's a good chance I won't be watching.  So yeah. Bummer.

I still would like an iPad though.

Trailer to Watch: 'The Social Network'

Have you guys seen the newest trailer for the Facebook inspired movie The Social Network? Check it out below:

First of all - that version of "Creep," originally by Radiohead, was the perfect music for this. I have a feeling this movie is going to be good, and not only because I'm one of the millions of social media obsessed people out there - but the story, the success, all that behind-the-scenes stuff the average person doesn't know makes for some good stuff.

Secondly, let's all remember the script was penned by Aaron Sorkin - and I've heard nothing but good things about it.

If there was a "like" button, I'd "like" the shit out of this.

America, Fuck Yeah!

First, a disclaimer: I don't like swearing on the internet. It only attracts pornbots and spam and people with dirty mouths. I realize this is ironic, because I've dropped my fair share of F-bombs between here and Twitter, but I just wanted to put that out there.

ANYWAY.

So the best part about the Olympics (yeah, that again) is not the crazy figure skating outfits we are forced to look at (and on that note, I think this year there is a new record for "ugly"). The best part is the hilarious patriotism that pops up everywhere, especially in the wake of an event where it's America versus our neighbor to the north. I can't even count how many people had updated their Facebook status' to "USA!" after we crushed Canada in the hockey game yesterday.

Ironically, I did not watch the game. Not even a minute. This is mostly due to the fact I couldn't figure out what channel it was on, (NBC wins the gold for WORST OLYMPIC PROGRAMMING EVER) but also because I was too wrapped up in watching good 80s movies on Netflix streaming (new favorite film: The Big Chill).

But you know what? I'm going to join the masses. I am going to get swept up in the patriotism. I AM GOING TO LOVE FREEDOM.

America! FUCK YEAH!

That is all.

Guide to the Social Landscape

Source: my friend who runs One Blue Brick (but probably really from CMO.com, but I figure I'd give him some cred, right?)

Jumpin' Jiminy Cricket!

(Is that a saying, by the way?I mean I feel like it is but I could be wrong.)

After a horrible ending to her trip to India, DiTonto is finally home. Thank God. I mean, we have our massive joint birthday party this upcoming weekend, which is, oh, I don't know, the most important social event of THE YEAR?!?

Nah, I just can't wait to see so many people! And wear something weird! Like, weirder than usual. Although today I am looking quite sharp I will say (it's no Canadian Tuxedo, but I've got my shit together).

I think 2010 is going to be a good year. Mark my words.

Also, this is hilarious: Family Revenge Facebook Style

Trying to make my "interests" interesting... (or that time I wrote a lot about myself)

I was just looking at my Facebook profile, and realized I updated my "interests" somewhat recently. Some of them are a little odd. Some are heavily connected to the TV pilot I'm working on, actually a surprising amount (and the last batch of interests also had a large influence on the script, now that I think of it). Some are really obvious and require no further explanation, but I figure why not share a little bit more about these interests... not that you care, because you probably don't, but I'm indulging my narcissistic side a little more than usual today. Pretend you find it endearing or something. Now, in no particular order...

sweet'n'sour sauce
The greatest thing McDonald's ever created. Especially good with Chicken McNuggets or French Fries. These are the only things I will ever order at McDonald's. And I always ask for extra sweet'n'sour sauce because you never know when you might be craving it, and surprisingly, it also tastes good with Morningstar Farms fake chicken nuggets.

my animal spirit god
I'm convinced I have one and maybe I've even seen it before. Maybe not. They're tricky that way.

tv on dvd
This doesn't need explanation beyond my opinion that this might be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Although I am not sure sliced bread is all that great. Sure, it's convenient... but what's the origin of this saying? Anyone? But yeah, TV shows on DVD are just really fantastic.

astronaut ice cream
This shit is crazy. Crazy delicious. (Also crazy). I love it so much it's become a major plot point in the TV pilot I am writing.

the silver lining
There's one of these in everything and I like finding it. Cheesy? Probably. But I mean it. Finding the silver lining in things has been pretty helpful in getting me through the bad stuff in life.

fig newtons
I fucking love fig newtons. Always have.

gender neutral first names
My mom's name was Palmer, it's also my middle name, and I have to say that in the years after she passed away I really considered going by Palmer. But I'm much more of an Annie. Actually I am much more of a Stamos. In general, I love gender neutral first names because they are often old-fashioned and different - and I don't know... fun. Although names like Pat suck. Perhaps I should revise this to unique gender neutral first names...

aquariums
Sometimes an aquarium can make me so happy my heart hearts. Truly. The Boston Aquarium is my favorite aquarium. There's a nostalgic component here, sure, but also... I love fishies. I think that if I had either been better at science, or more willing to work harder at it, then I would have ended up a marine biologist. And yes, I love aquariums so much that they are another major plot point in my TV pilot work-in-progress.

Maine
duh.

freedom
I love freedom. Both in the ironic and non-ironic sense. If you don't understand what I mean, you clearly love freedom as well, but only in the non-ironic sense, which is unfortunate for you.

insensitivity
This is something I excel in, at least by Hollywood standards. Thus, it is of great interest to me.

theme songs
I love theme songs - from movie themes to TV themes, to personal theme songs. Everyone should have a theme song. Mine changes on the regular.

manu chao
Probably my favorite band. In the history of music. Bold claim? Yes. But I feel strongly about this.

local ads
who doesn't love a budget local ad? Oh man, there used to be some GREAT ones growing up in Maine, many with excellent jingles about local geography.

dudes
This interest is twofold: (1) I, like most heterosexual women, like guys - so that's sort of a no-brainer and (2) I love guys who are dudes in the total dudetastic sense of being a dude - and I love hanging with dudes. Dudes are awesome. Chicks who are dudelike are also awesome.

the toaster oven
A great invention. You can accomplish so much with a toaster oven. My roommate Becca is a culinary genius with ours.

good hair days
Never underestimate the value of a good hair day. My hair, in my opinion, is one of my best features, however I am so incredibly lazy when it comes to my hair that when I've got a good hair day happening it does a whole lot for my ego. Also, my hair is so terrifying when I wake up in the morning (and this has also inspired a moment in that TV pilot), that when I actually get it calmed down, it feels like a real accomplishment. It's the little things.

Holy Shit I'm a Tool

So I blasted a little self-promotional shout-out for the blog and the Star Trek review on my Gchat status, my Facebook, and my Twitter. And then I realized, I am a huge nerd. I mean, yeah, it's pretty damn cool I got to see the movie a few days before its release, but also--I'm a tool. Can I be a cool tool? (By the way, anyone remember Cool Tools?) Yeah, I'm a cool tool.

Oh Boy

“Facebook is like ‘Cheers,’ where everyone knows your name,” she said. “Twitter is the hipster bar, where you booze and schmooze people.” NYT

This Captures My Love/Hate For Facebook

Gets really funny about halfway in. I can relate.



I miss the Facebook of 2005. Times were simpler then.

My Evolving Internet Addiction

So I've made two fantastic online discoveries this past week: Google Reader and Twitter.

Okay, I realize that these are hardly new discoveries, but considering I've just learned of their bountiful fun, I'm going to gush about both right now.

Google Reader
I had initally been quite supsect of this, even though many friends have recommended using the reader--an efficient way to waste time on the internet, as well as read many more sources than might normally be possible. See, up until now, I would just click away at websites, hoping posts had been updated on various blogs, or that Entertainment Weekly had new TV spoilers or something. But with Google Reader I can just leave it open all day and see what's getting posted where and when--it's amazing! I don't have to actively and redundantly click through websites--it all comes to me. For some, I still do, and I will say that when I am bored it's still nice to look at the actual website (and then you can again appreciate design, layout, etc), but overall I am loving it so far.

Twitter
I'm a total Facebook junkie and have become a bit of a status updater recently--somewhat reluctantly (remember this anti-status updating tirade?), but since I discovered Mobile Uploads I've been even more into Facebook. Somehow, this has all turned into a sudden interest in Twitter. I signed up for Twitter over the summer but never really used it, considering the strange, self-indulgent web platform to be a tool more for celebrities with fanbases or for PR and Newspeople. Well, it's pretty much fun for anyone because unlike Facebook, you don't have to be friends with people--you can follow almost anyone's "tweet" and anyone can follow yours. It's impersonal, but also fascinating to see what various public figures have to say, as well as the general randomness of any average person. It's also useful for following certain news sites, etc. Or fictional characters (I follow Darth Vader). I tried to make a Twitter feed for the blog, but seem to have just really gotten into my own (look for me: stamos). It's like an RSS feed of people or something. Also fascinating, also good for those of us who demand constant updates of information.

In sum, I recommend using both of these tools to anyone who spends as much time on the internet as I do. Excuse me now, I'm parched and need to run to the kitchen for a glass of water. Then I've got to tweet it.

Facebook Ads are AWESOME

While Facebook stalking various acquaintances a moment ago, I noticed the most incredible ad on the right side of the page.

Now, keep in mind that Facebook ads are targeted and tailored to match up to a user's interests. So my favorite ad of the day? THE FISH PLACE! You see, at THE FISH PLACE you can get all of your aquarium needs.

That's right, one of my interests on my Facebook profile is AQUARIUMS.

It's happening

Uh oh. I just changed my Facebook status from "Annie nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change" to "Annie loves gross corporate terms/jokes."

Shit. I am becoming one of them. One of those Facebook status updating assholes I can't stand.

OH GOD. Next, I am going to start commenting on other people's status updates. YOU GUYS THIS IS TERRIBLE.

I am addicted to the internet. FULL ON ADDICTION.

P.S. I fucking love saying stupid corporate shit. Like when it's Monday it's a whole lot of fun making a big deal about MONDAY. And then Tuesday--"Well, at least it's not Monday!" God I am cheesy.

Again, and another reason I should be working at Entertainment Weekly

Because people leave messages like this on my Facebook wall:

Annie, I have been sitting at work staring at the computer with a goofy smile on my face as I read your blog! I know I have said it before, but i'll say it again...thank you for making my work day more enjoyable!!!

Look at THAT. Who wouldn't want an employee with such friendly and supportive fans? I sure wouldn't. I would hire me. Shit, I am gonna hire me RIGHT NOW.

SELF: You are HIRED! (To what, not sure... I'll figure out the details later)

P.S. The "new" Facebook BLOWS.
P.P.S. I've never actually applied to or lobbied for a career at Entertainment Weekly. Just in my dreams. And on the blog. So this is a great example of not walking the talk. Or talking too much game. Or being lazy. Or something.

Pet Peeves (Part Four of an Endless, Multi-Part Series)

Pet Peeve: People who incessantly and obsessively update their status on Facebook. Status updates are the number one thing I loathe about Facebook (well, those and people sending me good karma or throwing a zombie at me or asking me to grow my garden or something like that). Mostly, I hate clicking onto "My Friends" to discover that this person is shooting a commercial downtown or someone else is complaining about their recent travel to St. Louis or that dude is talking about how they are recovering for such a fun night out and especially when this one guy uses status updates as a political forum. I think you might be able to categorize status updaters the following ways:

1. Far too smart for their own good. "John is is" or "John is post-modern freedom expression downtown at 7 pm" or "John tomorrow" (WTF does that mean?)
2. Annoyingly happy. "John is [insert Bible quote here]" or "John is so happy it's sunny today!" or "John is grateful for today"
3. Excessively bitter. "Jane is MONDAYS SUCK" or "Jane has been on hold with AT&T for 45 MINUTES!" or "Jane thinks this new Facebook thing is ridiculous"
4. Oversharers. "Jane is so excited for her rehearsal dinner and wedding and oh my god then the honeymoon!" or "Jane spent $45 on a cab to the airport but it doesn't matter because next stop VEGAS BABY" or "Jane is in labor! Sex unknown!"
5. Transparently self-involved. "John is recovering" (from what? the fun night you had that you need to not-so-subtly tell everyone about on your status? Okay, great) or "John is so annoyed he has to go to not one, not two, BUT THREE birthday parties Saturday night!" or "John is really sick of training for this triathalon. I just wanna drink already" (Okay John, DRINK ALREADY).
6. Oddly cryptic (this differs from the smart people because the cryptic people are less smart). "John is 41 flavors" or "John supports Darth Vader" or "John is STOP SCREAMING AT ME" (to all of this and more, I simply ask, "HUH?")

The few times I have used Facebook status it's been for the following: to inform people of a new cell phone number, to inform people that I'm using my old cell number, to post the URL for my blog, and yes once, to overshare/be annoyingly happy and tell people I was EXCITED FOR MAINE! That's about it though.

So a request to all my dear Facebook friends. Cool it with the status updates. Or better yet, use Twitter, where the details of your life aren't shoved down my throat.

(Then again, who am I to complain, what with my over-indulgent and self-involved daily blogging right? Maybe I'll go ponder the dualism of my character in my Facebook status. Look who's too smart for their own good now!)

Maxillofacial Surgery: All your questions answered, at last!

I've got this nifty thing called a Stat Counter attached to my blog that tells me some very interesting details about the people reading.

The most interesting thing about reading my stats is that I can see what people search for that leads them to the blog. Not surprisingly, the majority of searches revolve around having your jaw wired shut, and because I appear to be misleading people with my blog's title and subsequent content, I think it's time I answer some of those queries. After all, I am speaking from experience. I had my jaw wired shut.

So let's address all your surgical inquiries!

1. "kissing with my jaw wired"
This will be difficult. During the surgery, many of the nerves in your lower face will be cut, and while the regeneration (regrowth?) time is relatively quick, it does take a while and require some physical therapy (although you may never regain full feeling -- I've got a little numb spot on my chin that I sometimes stroke as though it were a beard or something). Some exercises that speed along the recuperation process are to "pucker" and "smile" which is much more difficult than you might expect. Puckering is especially tough, hence the primary obstacle in any attempt to kiss. I would not recommend trying to kiss anyone if you have your jaw wired shut. Also, anyone you might want to kiss will probably be grossed out by the fact that your face is swollen to the point where you resemble a volleyball and your cheeks are bruised a weird yellow color.

2. "can you talk with your jaw wired shut"
Somewhat. The first few days, especially when I was still in the hospital, I wrote a lot of what I wanted to say in a little notepad. The doctors don't want you to do that, because the sooner you attempt to use your facial muscles the quicker your recovery. However when you are all hopped up on drugs and feel like there's a shard of glass going through your mouth one minute, and that you are floating on a cloud of angel wings the next, talking seems like the last thing in the world you'd want to do. Later on it gets easier to talk, although not everyone can understand you. My dad found it incredibly difficult to figure out what I was saying while some of my friends had no problem (they were already used to hearing me mumble when drunk).

3. "vegan food jaw wired shut"
I recommend against. Look, when you can't open your mouth for two months and are on a liquid diet (and I am talking liquid -- the first month I couldn't even have a Jamba Juice smoothie because it was too thick) with a restriction like being vegan limiting what you can eat on top of your already impaired food intake, getting all the calories and protein you need could prove to be way too difficult, and probably unhealthy. Then again, I did live off of finely strained vegetable soups and vegetable juices, as well as a few protein shakes a day -- I'd say vegetarian is doable, but not vegan. Also, you are going to experience some crazy cravings. One night near the end of the two month liquid diet all I wanted was cheese. The solution? A giant bowl of finely whipped cheesy mashed potatoes. Delicious. It was also during this time that I discovered my deep love for pizza. There was perhaps no other food item I desired more.

4. "wired jaw smoking"
Uh, no? Are people still smoking cigarettes? You can't even use a straw so good luck trying to get a cigarette in between those lips. I am pretty sure that smoking after major reconstructive facial surgery is a very bad idea. Unless you're smoking weed. I still think you're gonna have trouble smoking anything with your mouth all jacked up.

5. "sleeping jaws wired shut"
Yeah, this sucks too. You have to sleep with a few pillows so you can stay propped up... anything to make breathing easier and help decrease the swelling. Thanks to the drugs I slept really weird hours too. This meant a lot of 4 am Oprah viewings which is okay as it's the only time I seem to be able to tolerate Oprah.

6. "dog jaw wired shut"
Huh? Why would you have your dog's jaw wired shut? This makes no sense.

7. "jaw wired avoid panic"
Ahh yes, I recall the severe panic I underwent the last days leading up to my surgery. You'll be fine. It might one of the worst experiences of your life, but it gets better. It's character building! And they give you drugs. Lots of them. All of the drugs.

8. "jaw feels heavy pops shakiness"
Get that shit checked out.

9. "products for jaw wired shut"
Hmm. Morphine, codeine, oxycodone, vicodin... there were more I don't remember the grocery list. Oh and the classic Ibuprofen of course.  All in liquid form, taken with a syringe, so you feel extra sketchy about it. They taste nasty so I mixed everything with fruit juice. Although the morphine made me feel sick (which is odd, because I always had imagined I would have a wonderful relationship with opiates) so I only had that in the hospital via IV drip. The codeine was interesting. I built a weird sleep dependency on it so it caused crazy dreams and my arms would lose feeling in the middle of the night. Very, very strange. But some interesting products, sure. Lots of products.

10. "jaw wiring laguna"
That makes no sense. I suggest redefining your search terms.

Well, for all you "jaw wired shut" searchers, I hope this helps. It's been exactly a year and a half since my surgery, but in a way feels like decades ago. So nice to have that over with. The worst part of the whole thing might the braces. Because no one wants to relive the agony of their puberty years in their twenties. I did that for three years. Terrible. But character building.

Job Openings in Dubai?

I spent a little over an hour yesterday learning about Dubai. Yes, Dubai, as in that cool city in the United Arab Emirates you may have heard of because it boasts the world's nicest hotel (the Burj Al Arab)and has a bunch of artificial islands, including a whole bunch that from an aerial view resemble the world.

Anyway, I started poking around on Wikipedia yesterday, researching important trivia such as the World's Tallest Buildings and Highest Selling Recording Artists and along the way I started reading up on Dubai. I then remembered I knew of some fellow Middlebury alums whose American employers had stationed them in Dubai. This then led me to researching companies I might be interested in working for that also have outposts in Dubai. The results were... unclear. It would appear that the Google office only hires at very senior level positions and after much self-evaluation it would appear my job qualifications are equivalent to that of a secretary. Then I got distracted by stalking people on Facebook and forgot about looking at other places that might have some Dubai job openings.

I am nervous what this sudden interest in jobs in Dubai says about my current mental state... Maybe I just want to go there for vacation. Actually I definitely do and sent my Dad an email stating that I felt Dubai would be the appropriate choice for our next family vacation. Then I ripped on the Pistons for a while so he said that if were going to remain a Celtics fan then Dubai would never happen.

If anyone knows of any job ideas in Dubai or other foreign and exotic lands (the Middle East or elsewhere), let me know. Until then, it's lunch at my desk. Who knows what fun things I can find on the internet today!

Unsolved Mysteries, Facebook edition

The people at Gawker (bless their souls) have just blown Facebook wide open. Apparently if you go to your home page and in the search space just hit the down arrow (or for me the space key worked), 5 names pop up that would appear to be the 5 people who search for you most frequently. FASCINATING. I know who is stalking me now (you, reader, should be alarmed, because it could be YOU. Actually it would appear these are people who aren't actually frequent blog readers. I guess you readers get your fill of me right here).

Actually this is one of many theories as to what is really going on. Maybe it's the 5 people you search for most, or the 5 people who are most compatible with you (heh?) but I think it just has to be the 5 people who procrastinate their work by stalking you. I wonder what lists I show up on, because I am a pretty consistent Facebook stalker... Oooh oooh! Tell me if I show up on yours! This could be fun... and creepy. I love it!

Update 1:20 pm PST
(Courtesy the intrepid Shelby Woo:)
Gawker posted the article at 1:08.
Ktringe read about it at 3:15. (10,000 views logged)
Emailed all of you at 3:19.
Facebook disabled feature at 3:49 p.m.
Gawker article logged 20,000+ views as of 4:00 p.m.

This mystery may never be solved... (and yes, I just tried and Facebook has attempted to disable the glitch. HOWEVER, try a different arrow and see what you find...)

Happy Administrative Professionals Day

Apparently today is a holiday. Today is the day in which we celebrate all the administrative professionals of the world, aka, me.

Yes, my friends, it is Assistants Day which is sort of like Bus Driver Appreciation Day, a holiday created to make all the non-bus drivers feel better about themselves, something only the little people care about, and a day when the under appreciated continue to feel under appreciated. Except bus drivers get cool homemade cards and apples and stuff. Actually teachers get apples, I don't know what bus drivers get. Maybe some cookies or donuts or something.

Anyways, in honor of this special day and those we honor (again, me) I've done something really liberating I would like to share and I think it is something a lot of other assistants should do.

I ordered myself some business cards. Yes, business cards. I know you're thinking, wait a minute Annie don't you have a job and isn't your six month mark (according to your resume... cough cough) coming up in May? Yes, that is all true, but the thing is--I don't have business cards, and apparently I don't get them... yet. I guess if I am here for significantly longer and anticipating staying for longer than that, then sure business cards make sense. Thing is, assistants fly in and out of desks so rapidly here in Hollywood and if I know myself and my current state of mind, getting business cards for this desk is probably unnecessary. So yes, I ordered myself some lovely and cheap business cards. And guess what business I am promoting? That's right people, this blog. Now I can really start with the self-promotion. (I don't think the daily updates to my Facebook profile or mass blind emails are doing all that much. Oh and thanks Dad, I know you're telling all your business friends, but how many of them are really like, yeah, let's read Jon Stamell's crazy daughter's blog.) Now I can finally share Jaw Wired Shut with EVERYONE.

So, Happy Assistants Day to me. Anyways, for all those other assistants out there--go order yourself some business cards, because you deserve it. Actually, now that I think of it, I am guessing that most other assistants have business cards. So maybe, it's just me. Yaaay, me.

Addicted to Technology

I just clicked on a website I look at daily to find the site had been redesigned. Everything was the same, and yet strangely different. While I could still access the same links and read the same articles I've always looked at, something was off and everything had slightly changed.

I find that when this happens, when websites experience a sort of facial reconstruction, I always feel a bit unsettled the first few times I look at the site. It's a jarring event. What's stranger still, is that when something like this happens, I am suddenly incredibly aware of my dependency and addiction to information gathering online.

In the morning when I first sit down at the computer I visit essentially the same websites, in roughly the same order, every single day. These range from The New York Times to Facebook to PopSugar to Defamer. A nice mix of news, gossip, and pop culture. It's become a part of my routine, so much so, that I now have to follow this parade of checking up on websites every time I first sit down at a computer. At work, when I am at the computer for hours, I will check these sites several times a day. I have become so accustomed to being able to receive the latest news instantly, whenever I want it, that whenever this knowledge source is altered or cut off, I feel lost, untethered, and a little insane.

I like to think I am not alone here, and this is one of the many symptoms of the current media-obsessed generation. We are used to getting information now and we want it now. When that doesn't happen we freak out. Maybe it's just me?

Looking back on my road trip from Maine to California, that sense of being cut off was pretty incredible. There definitely were a few places where we wanted email access and almost everywhere we had wireless connections, but it wasn't the same need or dependency that I've developed since moving. Or actually, the need and dependency probably started growing back when we used AOL for our web browser and I was addicted to AIM. Clearly, cubicle life has done little to stifle the obsession.

Existential crisis of the day: I just want to cut all these ties to technology, leave behind the cell phones, the PDAs, the computers, the iPods, all of it... I just want a few days of total disconnected freedom.