Girls on the Internet.

Yes. Yes please now.

I can clearly remember several years ago, sitting on my living room couch with 2 girlfriends, surfing the internet for engagement rings. I wasn't really in the market at that time, but it can't hurt to look right!? Then came wedding dresses, so many hours spent browsing for dresses, even with friends who were already married or not even engaged. It was just the girlish thrill of looking at those gorgeous gowns and we were all doing it so that made the obsession seem acceptable.. 

Well now it's real estate. Apartments, houses... doesn't matter that I'm locked into a lease until this fall and nowhere near financially able to buy, Dr. H receives emails of  "dream home" listings several times per month. Gone are the diamonds and dresses, now I fantasize about crown molding and tall windows, parquet floors and built-in bookshelves. And at first I thought maybe I was a little whack-a-doo (I am), spending time pouring over real estate listings for really no reason, until a girlfriend showed me her Trulia App, which she said she uses to casually peruse listings from her phone whenever she's bored, despite the fact that she moved to a new home very recently! I instantly felt better, at least I'm not alone!! And besides, I've got Pinterest boards filled with decor for an imaginary home, might as well start shopping right!? What do you spend your time, wasting your time, browsing the internet for?

#InvasionoftheHashtag

The original #Hashtag. hehe.

Recently I realized that "hashtagging" has crept pretty far into my life. For those of you not deeply addicted to social media like myself, a hashtag is a word or an unspaced phrase prefixed with the hash symbol (#) and it's typically used on social media to lump posts together (e.g., if you tweet #ILoveCheese, your tweet becomes part of the "ILoveCheese" search result (current #ILoveCheese Twitter example HERE!)) But more than a functional purpose (last night during the Grammy's, searching #Grammys would have allowed you to be part of a real time conversation with fellow tweet-ers about the show) people often use hashtags as their own personal slogan or funny tagline... and this is where I've seen the creeping... my friends and I have started using hashtags in emails and text messages, when there is no purpose other than to say something ridiculous as a summary to how you're feeling.

For example:

* after a text message about a wild night out with the girls, one might say: #Iwokeupwithabagofpretzelsinmybed

* in an email about loving vacation: #vacationrulesworkdrools

* when texting about having to go bathing suit shopping #dressingroomfluorescentlightsmakemecry

As you can see, this can easily get out of hand, and I just can't decide what I think about the proliferation of hashtagging in my life. On the one hand, hashtags can be pretty hysterical (#Ilovewittyoneliners), but on the other hand, what the hell are we doing!? (#selfproclaimedcomedicgenius). I guess we'll just have to wait and see if hashtagging is here to stay or if it will eventually fade into internet trend history (#Istillmissaolinstantmessenger).

I'm not the only one who is giving hashtagging a whole lot of thought!!

Have you heard about Dinovember?

Every so often, I stumble upon something so amazeballs on the internet that I decide it is worthy of its own post here on SeektobeMerry. Dinovember is just such an amazeballs discovery...

Dinovember is the brainchild of two amazing parents who worried that our technology-centric world would lead to a loss of their kids' sense of wonder and imagination. To keep the magic alive, at night after the kids go to bed, their dinosaurs "come to life" and create mischief throughout the house.

Or sometimes they hang out and have fun...

I just love imagining these two adults, sitting around after their kids go to bed, setting up these amazing scenes, essentially playing with the toys themselves (because isn't that kinda what they're doing!?) 

 And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Dinovember is becoming something of a craze, with dinosaurs coming alive at night in homes across the country!! Click HERE to see more pictures and read the original story about Dinovember (the photo captions are really funny and the short blurb from the father/author is super sweet) then click HERE to check out the Facebook page they've created which is filled with more hysterical pictures from the founders of Dinovember as well as submissions from other dinosaur-filled homes! And if you want to get in on the action yourself... #dinovember is all you need to do!!!

We're close (on the internet...)

A handwritten note on beautiful stationary is one of my
FAVORITE ways to keep in touch.

I don’t think there’s ever been a better time for keeping in touch. Thanks to cell phones, video chatting, social networks and email, it’s possible to stay connected with anyone and everyone I’ve ever met. On the one hand, this is awesome - I have maintained amazing relationships with roommates, relatives and childhood friends which never would have lasted without our digital connection. The downside however, is that it’s getting harder and harder to make time in the real world for face to face interaction with all the (awesome) peeps in my digital posse. Is technology enhancing our relationships and expanding our circles or doing one at the expense of the other?

Recently Dr. H and I looked at our calendars and realized that it’s been months since we had a weekend that didn’t include catching up, eating out or traveling to see family/friends. Our weeknights are often similarly stacked and while I’d like to think we’re “just that cool,” the reality is we keep in touch with TONS of people digitally and struggle to keep so many relationships alive beyond facebook stalking. I LOVE being able to keep in touch, but it’s tricky to make sure quality keeps up with quantity. Do you have friends you never “see” anywhere other than online? Is that a bad thing? (PS- THIS is a hysterical way to drop a line... more HERE).

It's like recess for my brain

As you might have guessed about a blogger (who's married to an online business man) the internet plays a big part in my daily life. It’s hard to imagine how people did anything from staying in touch (email, Skype, Facebook) to travel (Mapquest, Tripadvisor, GOOGLE!) without the convenience of the world a click away. As someone who spends over 10 hours a day, 5 days per week sitting at a computer, the internet is like a playground for my mind and imagination. I go wherever I please to learn, play and absorb content that I’d likely never otherwise find (EXAMPLE 1; EXAMPLE 2; EXAMPLE 3)

My latest internet obsessions are Pinterest and Stumbleupon. Both are awesome because they aggregate the best of what’s out there, everything from information to inspiration, and keep it all neatly filed and organized for future reference. It’s great having a permanent (and paperless) archive of recipes, beauty tips and my 1,000,000 “someday” craft projects! 

Yesterday the internet community was in an uproar over SOPA and PIPA, two acronyms I had never even heard of before, let alone understand. Wikipedia and several other popular websites went “black” to raise awareness about the legislation which is perceived by many to hinder a free and open internet. I can't say I know enough to take a position, but I can say that I researched it online and learned a ton. I also sent a note to my grandmother, learned how to clean my microwave using vinegar and checked out the menu for tomorrow night's dinner plans. Anything that allows me to do all that, is amazing.

Learn more about SOPA and PIPA here 

Follow me on Pinterest here

Image via Pinterest (because the internet can take you from your desk to amazing places like Fiji!)