My love hate relationship with F@cebook

Friends, why why do we stay on FB? We hate the u/s pictures, the complaints about how tired or impatient or needy or nauseous one is when one is pregnant, daily updates about symptoms and kids. The pictures. Oh god, the pictures. Sometimes it feels like a dull kitchen knife right to the gut, doesn't it?

But I love the cultivation of friendships that might otherwise fall by the wayside. I love keeping up with far away relatives and friends and being able to see their lives through a convenient little portal and keep track of what everyone is up to.

But it certainly separates the sensitive from the insensitive, doesn't it? Which brings me to, why the EFF hasn't FB come up with an option that allows you to hide certain people permanently without them finding out about it? Like a "secret unfriend" that the unfriended wouldn't find out about. If there is such a thing and I'm just unaware of it, do end my misery and let me know. Please.

Case in point: I posted pictures of my fence today, specifically the portions of the fence in our backyard that I've adorned with chicken wire in order to keep our escapist border collie in the yard. A few of my friends wanted to see how crap-tastic it looked because I keep complaining on FB about how very much chicken wire I've had to install to keep my furbabies safe. So I posted the pictures and named the album "Our House." Not because there are any picutres of the house in the album yet (there are none, it's just the fence) but because I imagine this will be the album I post any future home-improvement or home related pictures too. And the very first comment was from my Aunt accross the country and it says: "Now it's time to fill it with babies!!"

Bitch.

F-off. I felt instantly like I had to puke when I read it. It stung, physically. I want SO badly to delete it. But she is family. Would the offense be worth it? On the other hand, why am I worried what she thinks, she was the insensitive ass in the situation...

...

Ok, I deleted it. Come what may. I just couldn't stand looking at it anymore. The album wasn't for her anyway, it was for my friends giving me a hard time about the chicken wire and following our saga with the dogs. Did she even look at the pictures? Did she realize there were NO pictures of the house? Clearly not. And for all she knows we don't want kids. Or can't have them. Or lost a baby this year...oh wait, we DID lose a baby this year. I am almost 30, and have been married for almost a year. Doesn't she think there might be a chance we've already started trying? Why on earth would she be so stupid? Maybe the deletion will send a hint. Then again, this deletion could make my life even more miserable I'm starting to think.... If she deduces that her comment was totally inappropriate and guesses why I hope she's not a gossip about it. I can just see her calling my mom, "Astrid deleted my comment about babies, do you know if there's something wrong?" Ugh that would be the worst. Maybe I shouldn't have deleted it. No, I'm glad I did. Whatever.

Back to my point. I hate FB. Sometimes But so far not enough or often enough to break up with it. And as much as I hate comments like today's, and hate to see the ignorant, blissful posts about perfect pregnancies bestowed upon the undeserving and unappreciative, I do like the litmus test quality of FB. I like that now I know what these people are really made of. I have always been the kind of person that likes to have as much information as possible, even if it's not what I want to hear. And I think FB provides that service with respect to those I most care about. Or think that I do. While it often disappoints, and sometimes hurts, it arms me with knowledge, gives me the bigger picture. And I think for that reason, I will stay with it a little longer.