Never before have I noticed the richness and history of our architecture. We rode through neighborhood after neighborhood filled with homes that winked at the old south, small cape cods that must have shared memories of seaside cliffs in Maine, and echoes of small farmhouses where happy families must have hearkened back to Walton’s Mountain. I imagined girls playing on window seats with small faceless dolls, staring down at us from the tops of Gothic mansions.

How have I never noticed the many churches that line these streets? Tiny storefront churches, the rambling Catholic church that marked the heart of our hamlet, the Lutheran parish standing guard just across the street, simple Churches of Christ and Baptist churches completing a parade that gives this town an almost holy, family-friendly ambiance.

People in our town seem to see cyclists as a welcomed addition to the quaintness they strive for with their hand-crafted bird houses, hummingbird feeders, porch banners heralding the seasons, and finely manicured lawns. They smile as we cruise by, wave, and drivers even hold back traffic so we can cross busy intersections. As we ride, we take in all the wonderful smells of flower gardens, baked goods, freshly mowed grass, and revel in sounds of early Saturday morning.

Cycling was initially our new hobby, something to take us away from a steady diet of TV viewing and mind-numbing boredom, a way to tighten up our bodies and feel just a bit healthier. Like my computer, I’m quickly watching it become my window to a more local world. It’s a little like the days before eyeglasses became part of my ensemble. I was content, believed I knew what was going on all around me, and never really questioned my senses. But never until I put those glasses on had I seen the world in such clarity with such breathtaking, vibrant colors. So I’m beginning to see my town. The words I mouthed before in support of our little community are taking on a new meaning.

Here’s to new hobbies, new glasses, and opening new windows!

I’m not even sure “yuppie” is still a legitimate title. And no, this isn’t a post about environmentalism. It’s about that good old pioneering American spirit, about embracing the wisdom that comes with age, but mostly it’s about thumbing my nose at Bill Gates and defecting to the open source movement!

As a 54-year-old grandmother, I delight in not really feeling 54. That’s due, in part, to something in my character that makes me love change. In more primitive terms: boredom, bad – change, good. I haven’t lived in one small town my entire life, or even one state. I haven’t worked at one job or even in just one field. It’s true, I tend not to stay with anything for very long, and while that can be an unfortunate thing, it can also keep the mind young and flexible.

As a former secretary, I’ve worked with computers for coming up on 26 years. I’ve seen the floppy disk replaced by the cd-rom, and now even microdrives are coming into their own. I don’t have a degree in computer science, I’m no expert by any means, but I love computers and technology. I’ve owned a personal computer since 1993, and like nearly everyone else I know, I’ve struggled as sugar plum fairies dancing through the dreams of techies have been forced out by nightmares of viruses, worms, trojans, and spyware. I, too, once believed that Bill Gates was some sort of geeky savior, providing not only the greatest operating system in the world, but making sure we stayed innoculated against gremlins, hackers, lions, tigers, and bears — oh my!

With the coming of Windows Vista, I began to question whether or not Windows was near to becoming the greatest scam in the history of technology. Why did we need a new OS, when everyone seemed to be completely happy with Windows XP? It seemed every year or so, we needed a new and improved Windows, which incidentally meant shelling out more money, and making Mr. Gates all the richer. Security patches became so numerous, they turned into entire service packs. And still it was never enough. Files locked, viruses ruined systems, spyware held us captive, and computers became more and more unstable. It was only this year that going green began to look really good to me.

I flirted with open source systems like Red Hat, Fedora, Ubuntu, Mepis, and OpenSuSe. I really liked what I heard, was enamored with the idea of an OS that just worked, that didn’t fear the virus, and with some semblance techno-simplicity. Open sourcing promised all these and more, including the chance to try different systems straight from a live cd without so much as an install. I was hooked, so try them I did.

Now I have to admit, I’m pretty proud of diving into such an endeavor at my age! When some 54-year-olds are still trying to overcome a phobia of any sort of technology, or are just thrilled to be able to check email, I have to pat myself on the back for braving the wilderness. And it was not without reward: I discovered Linux Mint “Gloria”. I loved the way Mint was pictured graphically, and green being my favorite color didn’t hurt either. But I’m not that superficial, and it was in Linux Mint that all the promises of freedom, simplicity, security, and stability really took shape. First I worked from the live cd, but it wasn’t long before I set my system up to double-boot Vista and Mint. After about three weeks, I took the plunge and removed Vista completely from my laptop. I’m now a full-time defector from a Windows nation, vowing never to return. I’m enjoying the peace of using my computer without being anxious about viruses, spyware, or the incessant upkeep of my system, i.e. disk cleanup, defragging, etc. I would never presume to imply here that Linux Mint is perfect. There are bugs. The are new things to learn, substitutions to be made. Old familiars like Windows Media Player and Windows Live Photo Gallery are out. But there have been equals and compensations. Is it worth it? I shout as resounding “yes”!

The moral in all this for me is, change shouldn’t be feared, and when something isn’t working for us, we should never be afraid to strike out on our own in search of something better. As a 54-year-old woman, I don’t need the media telling me what I “need”. It’s okay not to follow the crowd because sometimes the winds of change only serve to blow off cobwebs! And we can all use a breath of fresh air every now and then.

Why am I going off on a tangent about how irrelevant Facebook is? It’s poetic justice that now an hour can’t go by without my checking for the latest post. It took quite a while to get here because while I consider myself pretty computer savvy, it was months before I felt comfortable navigating Facebook’s website. And even now sometimes I can find myself feeling a little bewildered by all the activity. And I still don’t do online games, but my page proudly displays 65+ friends and climbing, and I now spend more time there than in my email account or surfing the net! I’ve reconnected with people I thought had forgotten me, made new friendships, and all in all, I’m well on my way to becoming a Facebook addict. And so enters a new problem.

I think I’m a fairly creative, talented person, somewhat accomplished — a woman of the world in my own small universe. I’ve managed to experience much of what I wanted to experience in life, I’ve traveled all around the country, lived in many of those places, and tasted differences in customs and culture. I’ve played the part of a good middle eastern wife, immersing myself in the language and lifestyle, tended bar, entertained on stage, plied my trade as a secretary and computer support tech, did the hospital scene — in short, I’ve probably seen myself as a sort of middle-class Anthony Bourdain. Then in one fell swoop, Facebook changed all that.

Some of my former classmates have done amazing things with their lives, and I’m proud of them. Taking a talent for art and becoming well-respected in those circles, morphing a love of horses into a career as an equine therapist, creating an exotic life as a yogini and massage professional, becoming a much-loved teacher and dance choreographer, successful business person, doctor, lawyer — not one of these is a small feat.

But now I ask myself on a daily basis why didn’t I do more with my musical ability? Computers seem second-nature to me, yet there’s no degree in evidence. I excelled at grasping anything of a medical nature, yet my last half-dozen hospital forays have been as one of the walking (or not walking) wounded. I love teaching others about things I know well, so why don’t I? I’m fascinated by theology and can spend hours pouring over doctrine and church history, so why not a career in the ministry? I’ve graduated from the school of hard knocks to a full-fledged lifetime seeker — a gypsy.

Social websites are many things to many people. Facebook is a mirror I’ve found myself gazing into, studying the image I see, and reevaluating what might have been or what I could do better. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.  Someone recently posted that Facebook is like a mini high school reunion.  I think it’s even better.  Now I’ve never been to a high school reunion, so this is a stab in the dark for me, but I’ve seen movies.  They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but social sites level the playing field.  Instead of slinking into a banquet hall, wondering if your old classmates will recognize you, if you’ve dressed up or down for the occasion, praying the old conflicts will have disappeared, and hoping that the first sentence out of one’s mouth won’t betray graduation from geekhood, there’s Facebook.  Post a picture you can be proud of, fill in the details of your life, share your family, your interests, and all the things that matter to you now, and voila!  The chance for reconnecting and sharing meaningful communication over a matter of months is created.  Unlike high school, relationships have a chance to grow, and I’ve been amazed to discover that people I never had the opportunity to really know from those days are people I value, admire, and would love to become friends with.  That has to be better than a two hour high school reunion.  No struggling to make a quick impression.  Just good, honest communication.

Last, but not least, navigating the waters of Facebook has helped me to see what a wonderful life I really do have because I have so many wonderful people in my life!

Come back every so often and see if this one fills any of those needs.  We might both be surprised!