Baby [Grand]mama Drama

It usually takes quite a bit to get me upset but last night I was fuming. I was driving home after work when Tary called me to tell me that she was in a fight with her parents about her brother's lack of consideration for other people and how the parents' enable his behavior. Tary's father once again overreacted and said that he never wanted to see her ever again...

Let me take a moment to provide some background information. Tary's teenage cousins K (16-years-old) and P (14-years-old) came up from Florida to stay with Tary's parents to escape the stress of their situation there. K and P's parents and their brother remained behind to tend to a local business. K has her own room because she's a teenage girl but P shares a room with Tary's brother, B who is nearly 30-years-old. Last week, B locked P out of the room they share because B wanted to [talk?] with his new girlfriend. P had to sleep on the floor of the hallway. Earlier this week, K got into an argument with B because of how inconsiderate B was to her brother.

So last night, Tary was talking to her mother about all this and Tary's mother got defensive about B. Tary's mother said that B was allowed to make mistakes and that K was wrong for defending her brother.

Then Tary's father chimed in by saying that B was his son and that K and P were NOT his kids. He basically blamed K for causing friction within the family and threatened to send the kids back to Florida. Of course Tary was upset by this and continued to tell them that they were wrong for allowing B to just do what he wants. Then Tary's father completely overreacted and yelled that he never wanted to see Tary again.

And that's when I got the phone call. I was suppose to meet Tary there for dinner but she tearfully told me that she was driving back home instead. It breaks my heart to see her so upset.

So where does that leave us? Well, I am furious at her side of the family. The crazy thing is that Tary's parents still think that B was right and that K and Tary were wrong for sticking up for P. Tary's mother called some other family members and they tried calling Tary to tell her that she was wrong. The most messed up thing was even P's mother called Tary and would not defend her own son!

I really hate that it has come to this. I would love to forgive and forget but I'm sick of Tary's father acting like a bully, especially to the females in the family. He is always especially hard on K. Tary is my wife and I will always fight to protect her in every way I can. Daniel doesn't need to be exposed to this kind of foolishness.

Tary's father is a heartless coward. It's not the first time he's kicked Tary out. He wants to act tough and say crazy things but he will regret those words. He said he never wants to see Tary again. Well, he'll soon realize that also means he won't see Daniel either. He said forever...and forever is a long time.

A Daddy Never Gives Up

We recently submitted a photo of Daniel to the Gerber Generation Photo Search which is a monthly contest to find the next Gerber baby. You can browse through their gallery of submitted photos and vote for your favorites on a daily basis. Babies with the most votes in their age group at the end of the month win a HD camera and have their photo featured on the website. After 6 months, some babies are somehow selected to win the grand prize of being featured in a Gerber ad and receive a $25,000 scholarship.

So every day for the month of September, I have been trying to vote for Daniel as many times as allowed. They only allow you to vote once per machine per email so I've been voting with a combination of home and work laptops. With the help of some friends and family, Daniel currently has about 140 votes.

However I was disheartened today when I saw another baby with 599 votes! That's as many votes as the Patriots have given up on defense the first 3 games of the season! I'm sure if I kept looking through the thousands of other submissions, I might have found some babies with more. It's kind of sad realizing that my little Daniel won't be a Gerber baby this month...

And then it hit me; I know it's futile to keep voting for him. Even if Tary and I each voted twice each day for the rest of this month, there aren't enough days to catch up. But you know what? I'm going to keep voting for him. Sometimes in life you know you're going to lose but you still have to give it your all. I love Daniel that much and I'm going to keep rooting for him. At least when this month is over and we didn't win, I can look at him and tell him that at least his Daddy tried. When it comes to Daniel, I'll never give up.

Wicked

This past Saturday, Tary and I went to watch the Broadway musical Wicked with a group of friends at the Boston Opera House. The show was cleverly written, wonderfully performed, and wildly entertaining. The acting was top-notch and the music was catchy. Jackie Burns, the actress who played the lead role of Elphaba, was endearing, funny, and she sang beautifully. She gave a very moving and convincing performance. I want to see Wicked again!

Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, who was misunderstood and often ridiculed for her odd appearance. It also shows her relationship with Galinda, who later becomes Glinda the Good Witch of the North. Throughout the musical, their relationship is tested due to personality differences, opposing viewpoints on the corrupt government, a shared love-interest, and Elphaba's eventual fall from grace. The plot was set before and during Dorothy's arrival to the Land of Oz and included familiar references to the Wizard of Oz film.

Without giving too much away, Wicked basically told the back-story of Elphaba and how she was genuinely a good person. After Elphaba discovered the government's corruption, they tried to discredit her by labeling her the Wicked Witch of the West. There were quite a few moments where I felt really bad for her, especially during moments where she was teased by her classmates. You can't help but get a little emotional as she struggled to make things right. Along the way, the origins of well-known characters from the Wizard of Oz were also revealed such as the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow.

So if you're a fan of the Wizard of Oz and of musicals in general, I highly recommend Wicked! It was wicked awesome!

Thoughts after Week 2, Patriots vs. Jets

What a horrible game! It stinks when the Pats lose (28-14) and it's even worse when it's to the potty loud-mouth division rival Jets. It's 2009 all over again with the Patriots struggling in the 2nd half. Recently I called out the Pats fans for leaving in the 2nd half of games. Maybe they'd stick around in the 2nd half if the Patriots actually showed up for one.

Offense
The offense was absolutely pathetic in this game. They couldn't run the ball. They couldn't pass the ball. They couldn't convert on 3rd downs. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Let's start with Tom Brady. He needs to stop focusing in on Moss. I understand that they wanted to exploit matchups after Revis got hurt, but after the first INT, Brady should have realized that Cromartie was all over Moss. Yet time and time again, he went back to Moss with nothing to show for it except another INT, more stalled drives, and 0 points in the 2nd half.

In the 1st half, Brady spread the ball around with short passes underneath. The Patriots were able to easily march down the field with this controlled, passing attack. I still don't understand why they went away from that in the 2nd half. Let me summarize every drive in the 2nd half. Incomplete pass to Moss on 1st down. Run up the middle for little to no gain on 2nd down. 3rd and long, another incomplete pass. Punt. Rinse and repeat.

It appeared that Welker got more attention from defenders in the 2nd half so Brady should have gone to his other receivers. Hernandez caught 6 passes for 101 yards, all in the 1st half. They should have found a way to get him the ball more in the 2nd half.

These 2nd half collapses is no longer a coincidence. It happened all of last year. It's happening again this year. As a leader, I am holding Brady accountable for their struggles. His decision making is not where it needs to be. Ever since Moss and Welker have joined the team, I think Brady has been relying too heavily on both of them. One would argue that dinking-and-dunking is not as efficient as what Moss and Welker provide. Yes, the Pats have scored more points. However, they have also lost more games. I miss the old Brady where his "favorite" receiver was the "open" one.

As for Moss, he drives me crazy. Even though he made an incredible one-handed, over-the-head catch, he still had an awful game. He was targeted 10 times and only caught two passes. Last year, I called Moss "Houdini" because he always disappeared in games. This year, his new nickname is "Alligator Arms". He alligator-armed at least two passes early in the game. He rarely tries to break up 50/50 balls from being intercepted. On long passes, it always feels like something bad is going to happen.

Defense
The defense really struggled in this game. They allowed one of the worst QBs to look like a Pro Bowler and have a career game. The Pats played some zone coverage and allowed Sanchez to just pick them apart. They should have played more man-to-man defense and double-teamed Keller in the middle.

Butler looked like Ellis Hobbs, Part 2! I signed up for a Twitter account to keep informed with sports news. Did you know that Butler has over 3,000 tweets?! Seriously, he needs to stop tweeting and spend more time watching some game film. He was victimized repeatedly and they kept picking on that matchup. What's maddening is that he looks like he's in position to make a play on the ball but somehow, he allows his guy to make the catch. He doesn't want to get beat on the deep ball so he plays off of his receiver. However, I think he overestimates his own recovery speed and is too far from his guy to defend the underneath passes.

Another area of concern is the defense's lack of ability to get off of the field on 3rd downs. After getting beaten repeated on short throws, the Pats went into more of a nickel package. However, the Jets countered by running the ball more and the defense could not hold up and get off of the field.

Special Teams
One thing that drove me (and probably Belichick) crazy was that the Pats had a delay-of-game penalty on the 32-yard FG try which nullified a successful kick. It backed them up another 5-yards and Gostkowski missed from 37-yards. Speaking of Gostkowski, that makes him 1 for 4 so far. It seems like anything over 40-yards is an automatic miss right now.

Other Thoughts
I feel that the Patriots beat themselves more than what the Jets were doing. The game was definitely winnable. They need to improve their performance in 2nd halves. The play-calling needs to incorporate other guys not named Welker or Moss. Speaking of Welker, Eric Smith hit Welker with an elbow to the head. That was such a cheap-shot! Man, I hate the Jets.

Pastor Rathbun, a Servant of Christ

This past Saturday, our church threw a surprise party for Pastor Bob Rathbun to celebrate his 47 years of service. People came from both near and far. It was a great event and I was deeply moved by the love and adoration for our Pastor.

Steve B was asked to MC. He did an amazing job. He was very witty. He kept things moving at a good pace. He seemed comfortable up there and he was definitely the right person for the task.

I was asked to lead the singing. I am not going to lie; I was nervous. I was not familiar with one of the hymns, "He Was Wounded For Our Transgressions" so I spend most of the week listening to renditions of it on YouTube. A few days prior to the event, I was informed that we would have piano accompaniment. Since our church hasn't had a pianist for years, I was worried that I would start singing at the wrong time. What if I started off-key? Steve and I were both mic'd so everyone would hear if I messed up or my voice cracked like a 13-year-old.

After an introduction from Steve, it was my turn and I took my place behind the pulpit facing the congregation. The music began to play. My stomach tightened. As I readied myself to sing the first note, God quickly took my fears away when a chorus of unified voices joined me. It was comforting with many old-timers there who loved to worship by their singing.

The service continued with a few other pastors sharing various memories and expressing their admiration for Pastor Rathbun. A common theme was how loving, caring, and Christ-honoring Pastor Rathbun is. They shared that he was a truly what a Christian should look like.

Then Pastor's two sons, Dan and Gary shared memories of growing up as children of a pastor. The most insightful and inspiring story was shared by Dan. Pastor brought Dan with him to City Hall to speak out against the construction of an adult bookstore in downtown Lowell. People voiced their outrage though their message may have been clouded by their delivery. When he felt it was time, Pastor wanted to go up to speak. Pastor is blind so when he got up to the mic, people were interested in what this blind man had to say. Pastor went on to say (and I'm paraphrasing), "This whole night, people have been referring to this as an 'adult bookstore'. I am an adult and this is not my bookstore. I am blind and even if I could see, this is not my bookstore. The Bible tells us 'for whatever one sows, that will he also reap'. And if this adult bookstore is constructed, you may not like what we reap later."

Toward the end of the service, the church presented Pastor with various Red Sox-centered gifts. Pastor spoke briefly and expressed his gratitude for this service in his honor. But even after an afternoon of everyone reminding him of how great he is, Pastor remained humble. He reminded us that his life, his lovingness, his caring nature was all to God's glory.

Knowing how much Pastor loves music, Steve B asked him to remain on stage as we concluded the singing with all four stanzas of "How Great Thou Art". How very appropriate. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in our church.

Pastor Rathbun is an amazing person. He is intelligent, witty, loving, caring, and genuine. Though he is blind, he has helped lead many people to Christ as their Savior, including myself. I love him and I hope that I can continue to learn from his example. Though I was nervous about leading the singing, I am so happy that I agreed to do it. It was my honor to be a part of this special occasion.

Daniel = 100% Awesome

It is a blessing seeing how well Daniel is growing and developing. At his 4-month visit (on 9/13/10), he weighed 17 lbs 1 oz and measured 26 inches long. His doctor was pleased with his progress and gave us the green light to start him on solids. Daniel seems to enjoy what we've fed him so far. So far he's eaten rice cereal, bananas, and sweet peas.

Daniel is at such a fun stage right now. He loves playing in his bebePOD which is a supported sitter. Various toys can be attached and Daniel loves hitting them to make them spin. His favorite game though is playing peek-a-boo with me which always elicits a big smile after I uncover my eyes.

He's also using his improved hand-eye coordination to try to hold his own bottle. A really cute thing he does is try to hold his bottle with one hand and then sneak his other hand into his mouth so that he's sucking his bottle and thumb at the same time. It makes a mess everywhere but it's hard to get upset when he smiles up at you with those big brown eyes.

It also appears that Daniel has started teething. He normally is such an easygoing baby and doesn't cry much other than to be fed or walked around the room. But for the past week or two, he has been a little fussier at nights where it seems nothing can console him. I can already see some white specs along his bottom gum-line so we may start to see them poke through any day now.

Another thing I love about Daniel right now is how much he loves to talk. It takes him a little bit to get him warmed up to other people, but if you can get him to laugh or smile, he'll start talking. He'll keep going and going if you respond. He definitely enjoys carrying conversations.

Last night, Daniel rolled over from his back to his tummy for the first time! In fact, he did it a few more times much to the delight of a very proud father. My little man is growing up!

His first attempt caught me by surprise. I laid him on his play-mat and before I knew it, he flipped completely over with his left arm still tucked underneath his tummy. He struggled a little bit to free his arm so I lifted him slightly so he could complete the maneuver. I was so excited that I could hardly contain myself.

But if Daniel is anything like his old man, he would have felt a little cheated knowing his father helped him, even for that little bit at the end. I mean other babies may roll over 99% of the way and call it a day. Not my Daniel; he would not be denied.

So I flipped Daniel over and laid him down on his back again. With a quick turn, he was back on his tummy with his left arm still tucked underneath. I fought my natural instinct to rush in and save my little boy but I had to let him try. Wiggle. Grunt. His left arm was free! He then pulled his arm from his side to an outstretched position in front of his body. Daniel had completed his first rollover all by himself! 100%!

I am so proud of Daniel! What's kind of funny is that he probably could have done it weeks ago. He's been trying to roll over for a while. But Tary and I always get scared that he might roll over and not be able to lift his head to breathe so we gently nudge him on his back. But he was determined. And in the end, he taught me that sometimes it's okay for his Daddy to let him go a little bit.

Patriots' Home Fans = Worst

In recent comments, Tom Brady voiced his displeasure for Patriots fans who left early when the Pats were up 21 points early in the 4th quarter. I completely agree!

The Patriots' home crowd is the WORST in the NFL. There is no such thing as home field advantage here. The fans are all backwards. They cheer when the offense is on the field and are silent on defense. They are supposed to make so much noise that the other team has difficulty calling plays which may lead to more penalties. At away games, the other team's home crowd always goes nuts. But at Gillette Stadium, crickets.

I don't know why this is. Maybe the Patriots' fans are spoiled by the prolonged success and take winning for granted. They just wait for something good to happen before they start cheering. Maybe the ticket prices are so high that only rich, snooty people can afford to attend these home games instead of die-hard football fans. They'd rather sit quietly than to stand up, make noise, and get caught up in the atmosphere.

On a general note, it doesn't matter how many points your team is up by. It does not matter how much traffic will stink after the game. You do NOT leave a home game early! When your team is up big, it is your duty to give grief to any opposing team's fans within earshot. If your team is down, then you need to cheer and will your team back to victory.

So to all of those people at Gillette Stadium that just sit quietly on their hands, get off your high-horse you pansy pink-hats and make some noise!

Thoughts after Week 1, Bengals vs. Patriots

What a great win to start the 2010 NFL season! Here are my initial thoughts from the Patriot's 38-24 win over the Bengals.

Offense
Tom Brady looked comfortable in the pocket and under center. Brady faced little pressure thanks to a great job by the OL and he was able to scan the field and hit the open receivers. He did a relatively good job of spreading the ball around. 3 TDs and 0 INTs, can't ask for much more than that.

The OL did a great job of protecting Brady. They also did a pretty good job of opening holes when they ran the ball. If Dan Connolly continues to play like this consistently, Mankins look more and more like a goat.

It was great seeing Welker out there. 2 TD catches and a few key 3rd-down conversions. Moss had a relatively quiet game but I think he did a good job of creating space underneath for the other receivers as evidenced by the wide-open 45-yard reception for Hernandez.

Taylor ran hard and very effectively. He punished tacklers and reminded me of Corey Dillon. Hopefully he can continue to stay healthy because you can see what happens when he is. Having a running threat definitely helps keep the defense honest and allows for big gains with play-action.

The trio of TEs has me very excited for this year. One play that stood out was Gronkowski and Crumpler leading the way on a screen to Welker which resulted in a TD. Hernandez also looked explosive in his 45-yard catch and run as he cut back across the field to gain additional yards.

Defense
It's hard to analyze line-play from what they show on TV but it looked like Wilfork and company were stout against runs up the middle. They were also able to generate a decent amount of pressure on the passer from their interior rush. It's a pretty good sign that you don't always have to rely on pressure coming from the OLBs.

As for the OLBs, I think Banta-Cain and Ninkovich looked pretty good at getting after the QB. Banta-Cain also looked very good at setting the edge and I don't recall too many runs being bounced outside.

The ILBs played better than they showed in the preseason. Mayo looked faster than he has been at any point last year. Guyton had a great 59-yard INT return for TD after jumping underneath a pass intended for the Bengals' TE. Mayo and Spikes also were competitive in coverage and got their hands on a few balls thrown their way as well.

It was interesting not seeing Meriweather as much in this game. There were rumors that he may not get the start so that's something to keep an eye on. Chung was a beast and was all over the field. He definitely looks more confident in the system and where he needs to be and that has allowed him to play much faster. He also displayed good discipline in knowing when to wrap up the ball-carrier and when to bring the wood.

The very young secondary looked pretty good. McCourty has looked very impressive in pass coverage. He also delivered a great hit on Palmer as he ran toward the sideline. Butler looked pretty good early but was targeted a few times in the 2nd half. Perhaps some of that resulted from playing a more conservative, prevent style after going up 31-3 in the 3rd quarter.

Special Teams
The special teams looked a lot faster this year. They covered well in both kickoff and punt coverage. Tate's 97-yard kickoff return for a TD was an amazing play where he made a few guys miss and was able to pull away toward the end.

Gostkowski struggled a bit with a pair of missed FGs (47-yard, and 56-yard). It seems like he often misses FGs over 40 yards so it's something to monitor.

Other Thoughts
Overall, I think it was a great game and a great way to start the season. The offense looks more dynamic with the new TEs. Fred Taylor looked great running the ball. If the Pats continue to show the same level of commitment toward the running game, this offense should put up a ton of points.

One area of concern was that the offense stalled a little bit in the 2nd half, particularly in the 3rd quarter. That was a trend that plagued the 2009 Patriots. Thankfully, they were able to put together a nice drive in the 4th quarter with underneath throws to close out the game.

Another area of concern was the conservative play style in the 2nd half. The soft coverage allowed the Bengals to work their way down the field for consecutive TDs. Chad Ochocinco got the better of Butler on a few plays and was able to score a TD. When the Pats are up big like this, I'd like to see them have more a killer instinct deeper into the game and just finish off their opponents.

I can't wait for next week. Bring on the Jets!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

The 2010 NFL season officially starts tomorrow night. I am so excited! The Red Sox can no longer catch up (though I’ve officially jumped off the bandwagon back in April). Now it's time for the real men to come out and play.

Before any games have been played, I wanted to share some thoughts and maybe some predictions.

First off, I think the Jets are the most overrated team in the league. Experts keep picking them to win the AFC East and go to the Super Bowl. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Pats won the division last year and 7 of the past 9 years. The Jets haven’t proven anything yet.

As for the Pats, let’s start with the offense. Tom Brady is poised to put up huge numbers again. He is two years removed from his major knee injury. He has a few new TEs which should help score in the red zone. He also has a new deal which I’m really happy about for several reasons. 1) It makes Tom Brady the highest paid player in the league (at least until Manning gets his new deal) and he definitely deserves it. He took significantly less money in his previous contract to help spread the wealth for other players but it was embarrassing how underpaid he was compared to other elite QBs. It was about time he got paid like one. 2) It shows the Pats are willing to spend on top quality talent. There is a misconception that the Patriots do not pay their players. That’s simply not true. They just try not to OVER-pay anyone. Hopefully future free agents will take note and will consider New England as a destination. 3) Anything can happen on any given Sunday. Brady was severely injured in the first series of the first game back in 2008. Having this deal in place before the start of the regular season opener should definitely put his mind at ease.

Speaking of TEs, I am really pleased with the new trio of TEs: Crumpler, Gronkowski, and Hernandez. Crumpler is a punishing run blocker. Gronkowski also is a good in-line blocker, runs the seam route well, and is a huge target in the end zone. Hernandez is smaller than the other two but is a much more pass-catching threat. He has the ability to line up all over the field and cause havoc for opposing defenses. He definitely reminds me of Dallas Clark of the Colts.

The OL is hurt by losing the presence of Logan Mankins. They will be decent in pass protection but they have absolutely no attitude in the running game. I would love to have tough OL that just punch the ball into the end zone each time. I would love it if they could run the ball effectively and go on long, sustained time-killing drives. It would restore balance to the offensive play-calling. But the Pats’ offense isn’t built that way. They will eventually revert back to the pass-happy offense and it might hurt them when other teams ignore the running threat and just play the pass.

As for the WRs, Randy Moss is complaining about a new deal. But he’s in a contract year and he has always played well in contract years. So I hope he plays hard all year and the front office can reward him with a new 3-year, $27 million contract toward the end of the season.

I’m glad to have Welker back this soon. He doesn’t look quite as explosive or shifty as he has in the past but that’s expected after a major knee injury. Hopefully the knee will continue to improve along with his mobility as he sheds his knee brace.

Edelman has looked great in limited preseason action. He looks like he can help offset some of Welker’s productivity while Welker continues to recover. The only concern is that Edelman already has a bit of an injury history so hopefully he can play smart and avoid taking on too many unnecessary hits.

I am not impressed with our group of RBs. It’s the same cast as last year. The top two RBs (Taylor and Morris) are in their 30s and have not made it through an entire season for some time. Maroney still dances too much and will drive everyone insane again this year.

As for the defense, I think it will be slightly better than it was last year. Statistically, the Pats' defense was better than expected last year. They ranked 5th in points allowed per game and that should carry over this year. Some dead weight (Burgess and Thomas) are gone so that instantly improves things.

On the DL, losing Ty Warren was a huge blow. I’m not sure the DEs on either side of Wilfork would be able to hold up at the point of attack. Gerard Warren will definitely need to step up.

At ILBs, Mayo and Spikes both look very slow. It looks like Mayo lost a step after last year's knee injury and doesn't seem to have the same burst from his rookie year. Mayo has great instincts but he struggles badly in coverage. If he doesn't improve in this area, their opponents will dink and dunk their way down the field on each possession.

I have no clue where our pass rush will come from. Banta-Cain seems too eager to jump the snap count and often leaves himself out of position to set the edge. Speaking of “setting the edge”, Burgess definitely couldn’t get the job done so he was cut. I have no idea who will start at that spot.

Lastly in the secondary, losing Bodden was also rough. I’m not sure Butler is quite ready to take his place. McCourty has looked pretty good so far so we’ll see how it goes. Meriweather looks to build on another good year and hopefully he’ll grow into the Troy Polamalu rover type player who patrols the field. Chung also adds some athleticism and toughness so hopefully he can bring the lumber this year.

There are a lot of question marks on this 2010 Patriots team. Can Brady/Moss return to their 2007 form? Will the OL be able to keep Tom upright and create holes in the run game? Can Welker bounce back from a major knee injury?

Can the defense make up for several key injuries? Where will the pass rush come from? Will the front-7 be able to stop the run? Will the young secondary be able to keep up with high-powered offenses? Can the defense get key stops and to get off the field? It will be a very interesting year.

Considering the injuries to several key starters and a very brutal schedule, my prediction is the Patriots will win their division and finish with a regular season record of 10-6. Go Pats!

Back to School Traffic

It’s been about a week since kids started returning to school and one thing that I really dislike about this time of year is the added time to my commute. On a good day during the summer, I can make it door-to-door in about 30 minutes. During this time of year, it’s often double that. Repeat for the return commute and it's enough to drive anyone insane.

I realize that it’s a good thing that kids go to school. They get their “learn” on, play box ball, and learn how to speak dah proper “Engrish”. I’ll be excited when Daniel gets to that age one day. But right now, this traffic is killing me!!!

Now I understand there is more city traffic from school buses in the mornings and afternoons. But why is there also more traffic on the highway? School buses don’t typically travel on highways. Most parents don’t drive on highways to drop their kids off at school. Maybe I fell asleep during a lesson about traffic when I was a student but this just makes no sense!

Paul Trinh Likes This

One interesting trend I’ve noticed recently on Facebook is some friends are liking status updates (i.e., clicking the “Like” button) that most people in everyday life wouldn’t normally like. I find it quite humorous when I see posts like “[Expletive]! ” or “blah...” and then seeing the “ likes this.” next to it.

Sometimes people post random updates with bad news to garner sympathy from their friends. But if you do it too often, you may come off as whiny and people are desensitized to your status updates.

Another annoying thing that some Facebookers do is post something vague (e.g., an update that ends in ...) which makes you sound “emo”. Because no one can figure out what you’re posting about, it trolls someone to post, “What’s wrong?” to find out what is the problem. The world can’t possibly be always falling apart!

Since Facebook does not have a “Dislike” button, it is hilarious when people don’t take the troll bait and click the “Like” button instead. Of course it is a faux pas to like status updates that are too bad. But when the poster is actually okay, it is funny when people respond with the opposite reaction than was intended.

Here are some of the funnier status updates in my Facebook News Feed that were liked:

"So freaking [lame]. Gotta work tomorrow. We couldn’t do inventory early [so] they decide[d] to do it on a [expletive] holiday week! [Expletive expressing disbelief]!”

"[Argh] arrested again!”

"Ever burn the roof of your mouth? It [stinks]!”

"In pain once again from Ultimate [Frisbee]. This is becoming a routine."

"[Expletive expressing disbelief]! I just got stung by a jelly fish on my arm and back at the beach! It hurts...”

"Dang bro, I think whatever Daniel has, he passed it onto me. My nose started to stuff up yesterday. Next phase might be the runny nose.”

"I think phase 2 is happening. Runny nose, sneezing and the coughs. Sniff sniff. Also, I’m losing my taste buds since I can’t breathe out of my nose properly. Everything just tastes so bland. Still though, it was worth it. That baby is too cute to not hug and hold.”

"My neck has been hurting and burning for a few days now...”

"[Expletive]!!!...My laptop screen is blacked out/broken...I have to plug it to my flat screen to get on the computer now. [Expletive expressing disbelief]!"

"Needs a shoulder to cry on because all isn’t well.”

"[My girlfriend’s] family is playing volleyball & I can’t play. =( Darn shoulder...”