A lot of people from my college and high school are finally making their way to Facebook, and it’s wonderful to catch up with them. Lately there has also been an explosion of knitters over on Facebook. People I know from Ravelry and Plurk, famous knitters, old friends, they’re all popping up over there. So I am friending right and left and getting friended in turn. Right now I have 282 friends on Facebook.

The number wouldn’t matter, except that in August, the Youngest turned 13 and was able to join Facebook like her older sister and I. She was thrilled that she was finding so many friends and thought the was the queen of popularity. She proudly announced to us that she had 100 Facebook friends, and asked how many we had. The Oldest had over 500 (she runs in wide social circles because of her mother’s lifestyle). A little crestfallen, the Youngest turned to me and asked how many I had. Surely an old person like me wouldn’t have as many as a really cool 13 year old. I told her I had about 165 (this was pre-knitter/friend explosion). She was seriously bummed, not taking into account that I’m older than her, work in several different fields and have online friends. At that age, I guess it’s all about the numbers, not the circumstances that would explain those numbers.

Since then, we occasionally compare numbers, and I think she is always hopeful that she will surpass me. Today’s: Oldest, 590. Youngest, 147. Julie, 282. Facebook: helping me fuck with teenagers’ self-esteem and earn the “Evil” in Evil Julie since 2008.

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