I went to Social Media Week last week. In one session, the presenter was explaining how he turned his obsession with getting Twitter followers (by thinking of clever, relevant and topical 140 character retorts) and being followed by the right people into a career. He now gets paid to be the man behind many brands’ tweets. Yes, that is a thing. Who knew? Someone asked how many hours he spent at this per day while he was building up his Twitter following. He said something like several hours, but that really he was always thinking of clever (140 character) retorts to everything. I was thinking about that and I realized that for me that is not true for Twitter, but it used to be true for Facebook when status was king, and it is true for this blog. I see or hear or read something and I think, “hmmm, this could be a good blog topic.” Sometimes, I wake up and start writing. I guess there are worse addictions, but it is the kind of thing I feel like I need to confess so that I can “deal with it.”
The post I was “writing in my head” just prior to this session was a bit of a true confessions post. And then, the presenter’s “confession” that he was always thinking in tweets spurred me forward. Here goes, here are some of my “confessions”:
1. I do often think of how the daily machinations of my life will fit into a blog post or social media posting. This also causes me to stop focusing on other things like working or listening to the person who is speaking to me. I apologize.
2. I like running on the treadmill. Even on nice days. There, I said it. But only if there is a TV.
3. When the husband is away, I use only four spots in our apartment: bathroom(s), bedroom, kitchen and “my office”. I almost never turn on the TV or use the den, living room or dining room. I eat standing in the kitchen or sitting by my computer. That is even more pathetic to see in print!
4. I want to read all of non-fiction books that I have stacked up next to my bed, but I am addicted to Swedish mystery novels and other fictions.
5. After a summer of freelance and freedom, I am starting to feel ready to look for a real full-time job again.
6. Last Monday, I saw so many homeless people that were not the usual people I saw near my old office and many of them were fairly young, white males. I became convinced that it was a social experiment of some kind. That confession makes me feel like a) I am a crazy person or b) that I need to go back to full time work immediately (and I should not pass go or collect $200.)
7. I have a hard time believing that I am really over 40 and that this is what “grown up” feels like.
8. I have a hard time reading running blogs because I always compare myself or want to offer unsolicited advice. Same for Daily Mile and all other social sharing of times/scores. I will admit, given the nature of this post, that I do look up friends’ times if I know they are running in races and I have cyber-stalked on Athlinks and other sites. I guess I think that all runners do that. Or maybe just the obsessive ones.
9. I chain-chew gum and hard candy. It is one of my most frustrating habits and it is so hard to break it. Any ideas? (While I am at it, I should confess that even though it is not yet October 1st, I have eaten 3 bags of candy corn… myself. The only good news is that I am not eating milk or gluten now so I have left all of my other Halloween favorites alone.)
10. I hate Halloween costumes and really costumes of any kind. I am convinced that this is because I had terrible, store-bought costumes growing up. Maybe it is because I am not very creative and kind of suck at pretending. I also hate when runners in costumes of any sort beat me in races. I get angry. Sad, but true.
11. As social as I am, I love to be alone. As talkative as I am, I worry about running out of things to say and even plan topic ideas in my head “just in case.” I think I am a closet introvert- if that is a thing.
Despite the crazy I just let out here, sometimes I can’t believe my luck and I have that “someone pinch me” feeling. See this post or this one.
Any confessions out there to share so I don’t feel like I am alone in my idiosyncrasies??
