My Strange Addictions…
I thought I would use today’s post to purge the debilitating shame that I’ve been carrying around with me. You see friends, I’m an addict. You heard me, AN ADDICT. I seek relief from my day to day stresses in the world of Pinterest and Ancestry.com. I’ve been strung out “pinning” and uncovering hints, not for days, not weeks, but months. I’m caught in a shame spiral of internet intrigue. Please don’t judge me – it’s okay to hate me because I’m beautiful. What? I’m just saying, I don’t mind that… but don’t judge me on my addiction.
THE WORLD OF PINTEREST
If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, enter at your own risk. Pinterest is a world of fanciful clothes, scrumptious foods, exotic vacation spots, and so much more.
Temptation, thy name is Pinterest. I have 33 “Boards” and 3,628 “Pins.” You do the math. (I transpose my numbers so, I literally can’t do the math.) I’m what you would call a junkie. Where else can a gal attend her wedding on a beautiful beach, dressed in a designer gown, eating decadent desserts, while the hottest guy around whisks her off to live in a castle in Scotland? — Only in the fantasy land of Pinterest. Just the other day I pinned a picture of a conservatory and the caption; “I need this conservatory.” Disturbing? Yes. Do I really NEED a conservatory? Don’t make me answer that.
I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
Ancestry.com is like Beanie Babies or Pokemon for me. I’ve gotta “catch ’em all.” And by, “Catch ’em all,” I mean, round up and unearth my dead relatives. (Sadly, some of my relatives actually look like Pokemon – Jigglypuff, etc.) I’m sure they appreciate all my efforts to dig into and poke around their very mortal lives. Well, someone has to make sense of the mess they left behind, so it might as well be me. I try to imagine them smiling down on me from heaven saying, “Good work Lisa!” Then again, sometimes I’m interrupted by a vision of them shaking their fist at me, scowling and screaming, “Mind your own business!” Crazy, Ancestors! I guess they forget they’re dead, and I’m not?
At the end of the day my ancestors actually cancel each other out. I’ve got them fighting on both sides of the Civil War and both sides of the Revolutionary War. I’d say that’s a wash. I’ve got Quakers, Protestants, Catholics, Mormons and Jews. I’d say that’s a wash, too. Some lines are rich and royal and some lines are poor and beleaguered. I confess, I love them all. I love every story. I’m addicted to turning those family tree leaves over and piecing the clues together — the same way I was addicted to Pine Valley and the characters on “All My Children.”
Hey, you don’t suppose there’s away to combine Pinterest with Ancestry.com, you know, in an effort to spend less time on the computer? I could have whole new Board categories; Ancestors who changed their names and identities, Hottie Ancestors, Criminal Ancestors, etc. No? Maybe I just need to get out more…
Hahaha Funny post madre! Pinterest is laced with crack for sure. Anyone who doesn’t do it is a strong woman. I think ancestry is cool and everything, but there’s really no point of me becoming interested in it since you’ve pretty much done everything! And by everything, I mean literally traced our lineage back to Adam.
True. I’ve got us covered! Pinterest is crack! I feel like I have to keep making new boards cause the nes I have are getting unruly! Haha! How many mansions can one girl have?
Hi,
You have brought a smile to my face, loved the post. 😀
How you find time to do all that is just amazing, I’m flat out keeping up in the blogosphere. 😆
Ancestors fighting on both sides of the war, now that is different. 🙂
Mags, I feel so guilty for spending so much time on the computer. The weather is starting to get really nice here and I’ve been inside instead of enjoying the day. I can’t help myself! blogging is a whole other temptation. I carry my iPad every where. I used to read books now I read blogs! Haha!
My ancestors are so interesting, who knew they could be so entertaining? Ha!
Just take your computer outside
That’s a very good idea. I’ll need to sit in the shade because I can’t see the screen in the sun. So many problems! Haha!
Great post. I am thinking Pinterest is not for me. I have a question though. Are we related?
This is quite funny actually.
I am on Pinterest but only use it to occasionally pin the cover of my book or a blog post.
I am selfish like that.
I’ve seen more and more men on Pinterest. Their boards are always so different. I think it’s smart to advertise a book cover on there. Clever not selfish. I was thinking of trying to get my house on there, in the off chance someone would be looking in the Chicago area? Can you tell I’m desperate?
I love the idea of combining Pinterest and ancestry! It kind of takes the sting out of sitting in front of the computer for five hours.
Haha! Good point! I didn’t even bring up my addiction to blogging but I figured we’re all in the same boat on that one. I guess there are worse things? I could be a tanorexic? Haha!
I sent a request for an invite for Pinterest then deleted the invite email by mistake (technology, grrr). Now they don’t want to talk to me so I can’t get on 😦
hahaha! That’s so ridiculous! It’s not as if it’s an exclusive club. I don’t understand the point of having an invitation? Do they think psychologically we’ll all feel more special if we have an invite? LOL!
I know. It is completely ridiculous! And why haven’t they sent me another, just because I deleted the last one haha
There must be red flags around your name! hahaha!
You are too funny… Ah Pinterest. I have actually been real good over there, only “pinning’ things I will actually use, buy, see or cook. I can see how it can be addicting for some people have a gazillion boards and a gazillion pins on each one….I’m always amazed when people repin my posts, like “Huh”?..
First off, I love the new avatar — looking very sexy!
Yeah, Pinterest is really a guilty pleasure. I also think it may be responsible for my late night food cravings. I pin all these delicious looking desserts and then I magically find myself in the kitchen rifling through the pantry! haha! Even my “Thinspiration” board doesn’t deter me! haha!
I think you’re doing it the right way. I’m sure your boards are wonderful and practical. Mine have become a bizarre fantasy world! Lol!
Oh the food.. Yes my favorite board..and if I could afford all the clothes I see I’d be on the #10 best dressed list.. It is alot of fun though!!!
(ach the pic? taken at work..looking all sleepy)
I, too, am a Pinterest addict. It is such a time-waster, although I feel like I could go and cook amazing meals and craft terrific projects. Trouble with me is that I never do it! 😉
It’s the biggest time waster, bar none. I think we all pretend that we’re going to follow through on those projects and meals but somehow we just never get around to them. My Pinterest behaviors are out of control – it’s like crack cocaine. I literally have a board with staircases. Seriously, have I lost my mind? Lol!
You and my girl should start a pinterest support group. An you could post meeting pictures on pinterest!
No?
Well, it was worth a shot…
Ahahaha! A Pinterest support group – I would definitely be the poster girl for that. I feel good about my confession. Like most deviant behavior, we have to come out of hiding and start a dialogue that shines the spotlight on this insidious disease.
Hey, maybe there should be a support group for boyfriends and husbands since they’re the ones that have to deal with it?
Actually, more and more men are joining… I’m guessing if you joined you’d have a board with Hawaiian shirts?
Haha Lisa! I loved this post and may I add that you are very brave to share you addiction and if it helps just one person beome addicted to Pininterest (probably me) then it will have all been worth it! HA!
I’ve never been on Pininterest and as I was reading your post I was also eating oatmeal and actually started choking on my oatmeal when I read you had to have an invitation to go on Pininterest ( I think it was just a coincidence though), but I still think I would be a good candidate for a Pininterest addiction because while I was choking I noticed there was dust on the bottom of my tv and there was a rag close by so I went ahead and dusted the bottom of the tv while I was choking. So I think I’m pretty good at multitasking and I think I should join not only Pininterest but Ancestory.com as well. What do you think?
Hahaha!
Linda, all I can say is beware! Ancestry.com is crazy addicting. They make it so simple. You just plug in, say your parent’s names and date of birth, and the next thing you know their parents will pop up, and on, and on… Not only that but you can hit the key for family photos, stories, records, etc. It’s ALL ON THERE! It’s like a treasure hunt – lots of juicy bits. (I’m all the way back in the 1300’s !!! LOL!) I think you would really appreciate the family names – you could use them in your fiction writing.
As for Pinterest, it’s a huge time waster but one that I have come to love. I don’t want to be a bad influence and tempt you with it by telling you it’s better than chocolate or sex but… Okay, maybe it’s not that good, but it is addicting. haha!
If you can multitask, and obviously you can, I think you should try them out. Now I feel like a dealer! Lol!
Really? It’s that easy? Well, I think that will be my hot day summer fun! I’ve always wondered about my ancestors but I’ve been too lazy to actually research it and now I find it’s a click away! And you’re in the 1300’s –oh that is so cool! That does it Lisa you have just recruited another junkie! LOL! :). I may wait on trying out PinInterest. I don’t want OD! HA!
Smart choice. Now I don’t have to feel so guilty : )
You’ll absolutely love Ancestry.
I’m on Pinterest, too, and, although I like it, I’m not that addicted to it as I was in the beginning. I’d love to Ancestry, but, I have most of the info already–well, as far back as Charlemagne. Beyond there, it’s a tangle–my family quit talking to each other after that Tower of Babel debacle.
Hahaha!
If you’re slowing on Pinterest and Ancestry may I suggest 23andme.com? Do a saliva test and you’ll find out not only your detailed medical profile, (I’m talking REALLY detailed – AMAZING!) but your entire Maternal Haplogroup. They’ll even tell you how much Neanderthal DNA you carry. That doesn’t tempt you…? Well, let me just say that I now have 3rd and 4th cousins from around the globe contacting me. I feel this will come in handy someday should I want to vacation in Norway or France, etc. It’s nice to have a bunch of family interspersed around the world.
(CUE: “It’s a Small World After All…”)
In Ancestry.com from Charlemagne you can easily work your way back to Claudius I of Rome, and his grandfathers were Augustus Caesar and Marc Antony. I put Cleopatra on my Family Tree! Such crazy fun!
“Crazy fun” is exactly right!! I love making the connections. Don’t we feel special 😀
Thanks for the great comment.
Lisa
I haven’t been on Pinterest yet because I’m afraid of adding yet another time-suck to my day. But I’m on Ancestry.com all the time. It’s crazy addictive.
I love your idea of combining Pinterest and Ancestry.com, though–that would be very cool.
Lol! It is a time suck, like none other! But it’s one that you can feel good about. At the end of the day you’ll have cyber bulletin boards/ collages of organized crap that you’ve spent hours collecting! What could be more worthwhile?
And Ancestry… say no more. SOOO addicting. Who knew that dead people could be so cool? Wait a minute, I guess you did! haha!
I’ve never been on Ancestry.com, how do you find out who your ancestors were? Is it just people with the same name? I only recently found a group on Facebook just for “Howorth’s” I wonder if they’re all related to me distantly somehow?
Pete, you’ll think it’s incredibly cool. Just plug in one or both of your parents and their birth dates and all of a sudden it will reveal their parents, and their parents, etc. You’ll find out a ton about your family roots, names, history, pictures, etc. Lots of it will make you proud and some of it will make you sad but it has the over-all effect of making you feel connected and grounded. It’s cool.
But how could it possibly know?! Surely it must be magic! I’m gonna have a look at it now 😀
You’d be surprised how many people are on there. If I can get back to the 1300’s you’ll be able to go back a few hundred years, at least.
It sounds pretty addicting, all of it! I would addicted too for sure :). I’m very itnerested in other people’s stories and ancestors are great victims for that! Pinterest is unknown to me, what do you have to do there actually?
NBI – I think you would love Pinterest. I came across somebody recently who had a whole “board” of dancers. You basically create these boards with different categories. What ends up emerging is a composite of who you are. Each person’s boards are very unique to them. It’s sort of artsy.
And I think you would also love Ancestry. I know that seeing your relatives from hundreds of years ago and learning their stories will inspire your writing. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a writer or two in your family history! I bet you do : )
I have to find it out! NOW.
Oh god, if I ever end up on those sites, I’ll never leave them anymore…. 🙂
That’s what happened to me, as well. I just got sucked into it – sometimes I’m not even aware that 2 or 3 hours have passed! haha!
What happens if you do not know their date of birth, is that the end of the story.
Not at all. If you have their date of death, OR place of birth, OR place of death, OR their parent’s name(s), even first names, etc. It needs very little information to find the clues. It’s amazing. Obviously the more information you put in the easier it is but it can work with very little. I think you’ll be amazed.
And how do you get on pinterest i would love to have a look at it.
I’ll look into it? Lily got me started. I bet if you Google – “How do I get on Pinterest?” it will tell you? It’s amazing how many times I turn to Google to help me with such things. Have fun!
Somehow, Pinterest and Ancestry.com make my addictions to alcohol, gambling and drugs seem so b-o-r-i-n-g.
An interesting and amusing post.
That was my intention. I wanted to make ‘real’ addicts feel so comfortable that they would casually ‘out’ themselves. There, now I know who my real friend is! Let the party begin! haha!
I’m glad you enjoyed my confession.
I am afraid to find out Pinterest is very afraid. I am addicted to the ding of in coming messages with like and comments for my post… oh the shame. thanks for sharing gotta go just heard one.
Haha! Luckily I have no shame!!!
I wondered for months what it was the woman at my work was looking at on her computer screen when she should have been working. I thought it was Google images of flowers which I thought was creepy. Turned out to be Pinterest. Still, flowers though? I don’t think she’s using it right.
Supposedly I’m related to “Molly Pitcher” from the Revolutionary War even though I’m pretty sure there were a couple hundred women at least carrying water to men on the battlefield during that time. I barely know a thing about my grandparents. I could be owed a castle.
Hey, don’t knock flowers. I have an entire board dedicated to them!
Molly Pitcher, eh? That’s so cool. You might be more connected then you know. So many people are afraid to look because they don’t think much of their immediate family, they fail to realize that going back a few generations changes everything! There are so many great stories in each family. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were owed a castle. Someone could be looking for you as I type this.
Love-Love-Love Pinterest!!!!! Afraid to see what I might find on Ancestry.com, though. My immediate family is whacky enough…not sure I really want to know where it originated! LOL
Look at my comment to Mooselicker above. So many people feel that same way, even my husband — that is until we found out that he is part Native American! Now he thinks he’s super cool. haha! My family is a dysfunctional mess and all I had to do was go back a couple generations to find stories that I will treasure forever, things that make me so proud. I say do it, Cathie. You won’t regret it! I promise. (Your family will think you’re awesome for doing it, especially when you find the cool bits.) Hey, I think Ancestry.com should pay me for all this free advertising!! Haha!
It happens to the best of us – I’m a bit of a Pinterest junkie too.
http://reallifefarmwife.com/2012/03/01/pinterest-and-perfection/
I think my life is slightly out of balance and I have Pinterest, ancestry.com and blogging to thank! Haha! Glad there are others that can relate : )
Loving the post! I’ve traced hubby’s ancestors with the help of his relatives back to 1600’s! Very interesting what turns up. We have a Family Book too. Completely incorrect for our side of the family! Infuriated me for I spent two days and gave everything I’d researched on a disk to the co-author. But oh well.
Pinterest. Ooooh, it’s as addictive as chocolate. I wanna follow you, where’s your button? Please let me know how – I’m still a newbie and dunno how to find it? 🙂
Enjoying your blog , and thanks for coming by mine too.
Glad you came by! Of course I try to make things funny but I’m very serious about finding my ancestors. When you come across incorrect information it’s frustrating, isn’t it? It’s amazing how some family members like to re-write history! I think the whole thing is so fascinating…
I’m a little new to Pinterest and I haven’t figured out how to get the button on my blog? when it comes to technology I’m way behind. I’m lucky I can even put pictures on my post! Haha! I’d like to see yours as well.
Well, It’s so great to connect with a fellow South African! I guess I have Harper Faulkner to thank for directing me to your blog 🙂
Have a great day!!
HI-larious post. Especially the I see dead people thing when referring to ancestry.com. Have not ventured into either one. I’m scared to, very very afraid. :).
I’m glad you appreciate my attempt at humor. I always worry that people won’t ‘get it’ and then they’ll simply think I’m strange. haha!
It seems like a lot of people are afraid to venture into the murky family waters that make up their ancestry. Let me tell you, my family couldn’t be more dysfunctional – it’s one big cautionary tale — but I’ve found that once you get into earlier generations all the embarrassment and horror goes away! haha! I can GUARANTEE that if you give it a try, not only will you get hooked, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at who your peeps were and what they accomplished. I say go for it!
One part Quaker, one part Protestant, one part Catholic, one part Mormon and one part Jew!? Whew. Could you imagine the bickering if your ancestors got together?
Did you know there are a few Pinterest type sites for dudes popping up? I got an invite for http://gentlemint.com/ the other day. Pretty good stuff on there! Hopefully I’m not writing my own Gentlemint related “My Strange Addictions…” in a few months.
I don’t have to imagine too hard since the bickering has continued right through my generation! haha!
I have seen quite a few guys on Pinterest suddenly and their boards are very masculine, indeed. It’s funny how individual each person’s boards are. You could have a board for camping, one for adventures, one for beer! haha! It could be very cool.
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So funny! We share the same addictions. It would be heavenly to have combination of the two. I love your categories. Bye the way, we might be related – my different families managed to fight each other on every war on American soil back to the Revolution.
I was hoping I wasn’t the only one! Isn’t it so funny how the family lines sort of cancel each other out with regard to their efforts? It’s not hard to imagine my family members fighting each other during these different wars – back then they used a musket, or cannon or sword and now we just use our words! haha! Seriously, it is addicting, isn’t it? I just killed my whole day trying to solve a mystery that’s been plaguing me. I feel it’s time for me to call in an expert and get to the bottom of it once and for all.
It’s hard to explain the fun and excitement to people. Most people don’t seem to ‘get it.’ Oh well. I’m glad you commented and I welcome you to my blog any time. Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if we really were related? haha!
Have a great rest of the day!
Lisa
I’m addicted too!!! So much so, that we made this little short comedy film about it. 🙂 You’re not alone.
I’d love it if you’d check it out: