Facebook quote of the day

One of my former students posted this as his status:

"I think one of the greatest things about modern America is the computerization of medical records. As a volunteer sheriff I can look up anyone's psychiatric records or surgical histories. Yeast infections... there a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from that old bread factory..."

It's not like this guy to make stuff up in postings, but it is a bit hard to believe any county would let him be a volunteer sheriff, whatever the hell that is.

Facebook quote of the day

Last week a student wanted to show me something on FB. I friended him so I could see it. I'm thinking he forgot. Here's his status update tonight:

i have fucking management exam next Wednesday and i know nothing about it XD management =shit

I've considered adding a comment, "Yes, and I hear the professor is a real jerk!"

Update: While I was writing this blog post the student sent me an instant message. We talked for over an hour. He completely forgot what he had written as his status update. I brought it up and he felt bad... probably with a sorrowful, heavy heart.

I laughed and added the "Yes, and I hear the professor is a real jerk who does nothing but drink Coke all day... oh, wait... that would be me...." to his status.

He responded with: "mmmm, no, he is cool, but yes he drink Coke all day and now I drink Coke all day too. :P"

He's a new student so I won't take offense to his trying to suck up. My regular students know that I don't care for suck-ups. (One of my all-time favorite students at Hamilton rolled her eyes on several of my stories.)

Quote of the day

Here's a quote from a GQ article:

"In the beginning, when Kayla and Emily asked these boys for naked pictures, the majority of them thought little of saying yes. This exchange was within the range of what kids—lots of kids—consider normal. Online, a boy chats with a girl he's never met. Pants go down. Pictures are sent. And a chain of unpredictable, unknowable consequences is set in motion."

A guy went to a large high school. He created a female persona on a Facebook and flirted with at least 50 of his male classmates. He got thirty of them to send naked pictures. He then used the pictures as blackmail and seven agreed to have sex with him.

Now the kid is facing 253 years in prison, but will likely be plea bargained down to much less because nobody wants to take the stand. The court kept his victims' identities "secret" by publishing only the initials and birthdates. Thanks to Facebook, it took no time to figure out who the victims were.

Wow. On so many levels, wow.

Facebook invites?

I'm coming back to Iowa on Thursday (I think).

How do you let everyone know you are returning? Send a post card? Please, Grandma doesn't even use them anymore. Call? Assuming numbers that haven't changed, it's too expensive from here. Text message? Too cumbersome.

E-mail would work, that's soo 1990's.

I am tempted to create an "event" on Facebook. I have somewhere around 100 Facebook friends in Cedar Rapids. I can create an event on Facebook, say a gathering at Bushwood on Saturday night... and just wait for the crowds to gather.

Or listen to crickets chirp. I guess they don't chirp in Iowa in January, but they do here. There's one outside my window every night.

If my going away party was any guide a Facebook "Yes" means maybe. A "we'll see" means no chance in hell. And a "No" is from those with legitimate reasons they can't make it and want me to know why. Very polite.

In late October a writer for the New York Times posted a story that I fear would be my Facebook party if I threw one. I was going to comment on it at the time but was too wrapped up in the election, and, you know, not voting.

Update: The NYT article linked above makes similar comments to mine about those who say "Yes" I will attend an event. I didn't plagiarize. On the night of my going away party I was truly stunned by the close friends who had responded on Facebook that they'd be there that didn't show. Meanwhile, a HS friend living west of Des Moines did come. I thought that night, "That's the difference between a Facebook friend and a real friend."