Addicted to sunsets, not Facebook

I have an hour to write a post. Usually I'd have more time, but instead I've been sitting at my computer browsing Facebook. I'm not addicted. Yes, I might look at it a lot, but I'm not addicted to it.

It's been about a month since I broke down and got a Facebook profile. Everyone kept talking about it, yaking and yaking about how cool it was, about all the people they saw. My friend Tom occasionally told me of the people he didn't really know in high school who invited him to be their friend. It made me curious. All I had to do was register and I was a part of this monster of college culture. It's truly a beast. Just think of all the people on that thing. The truth is I broke down. For a long time I'd never take part in a social phenomenon. I didn't get an AIM screen name until I started college; I didn't get a cell phone until the very end of last year. I'd missed out, and it was kind of getting to me. That's right: I jumped off the bridge because everyone else did. Sorry mom.

Is it good or bad? The jury isn't out yet. All my life I've been an observer and not a participator. I'd rather watch and listen than jump into the middle of things. I tend to be "the quiet man." I can jump into the middle, and I do a lot. But sometimes I want to observe and take in the scene. People underestimate the good things about being introverted. They think it's a bad thing, a bad way to be and act. Extroverts said those things. Fuck them. It's great to be connected to so many people -- friends and otherwise -- but I'm still sitting at a computer; it's still a solitary activity. Really, it's like a big, digital posterboard with everyone's picture and bio tacked on it. Along the side it has advertisements and posters for spring break deals. It's a good thing, I guess. Knowing people and putting myself out there can't be bad.

The days are getting longer. When I come home and run the sun is usually setting. It's an awesome sight; I always cherish sunsets. Yesterday a thin, rippled, high blanket of clouds was creeping in from the east as the sun was at the horizon. Far in the west the sky was clear. The sun turned the cloud orange and red and gold. The clear sky was becoming a darker blue every second. I don't know what's better: a sunset when the sky is peppered with clouds, or a sunset when the sky is clear. I like both. Clouds change color, and capture the remnants after the sun has dipped below view. When the sky's clear it glows forever. It glows with clouds, too. So I guess a sunset is a sunset is a sunset. The clouds just give it flavor.

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