Bitter about Twitter? Nah, not me.

Sure, sure... Twitter is all the rage. NBA players are getting in trouble for using Twitter to send short messages (tweets) from the locker room at half time. Jurors are causing mistrials by tweeting during long boring hours in the courtroom. There's Twouble in the Twittersphere: people tweeting about things that don't matter.

Check out this hilarious video from Current.com, and your view of Twitter will change forever.

Now I've been on Twitter for about a year, and I get it. It was fun to tweet during the election, during a conference, and heck, even during a commute to/from a meeting. But generally, I have a life and stuff to do and I prefer face-to-face (or phone to phone) communication.

The video talks about people who talk about themselves in a vacuum without caring who/what/when they are talking with or about. That's going to be Twitter's downfall, I predict... too many tweets into the twittersphere without even caring if there is a response. Plus the "fail whale" (symbol that appears when the system goes down) is becoming an icon for system fail... not exactly the notoriety a website strives for.

It all comes down to this: communication is a two-way street. No exceptions. Twitter has a tough time making that stick.

Which is also why blogging is so strange to me... please comment on this post if you agree. :)

Signing off...

March is Disability Awareness Month

This weekend, I participated in a spin-a-thon at my awesome gym, Team Fitness in Franklin, for Best Buddies, an organization that supports kids with developmental disabilities like MR and autism. One of the spin instructors rotating in one of the three hours watched kids with huge smiles passing out fruit and granola bars, giving us Best Buddies rubber bracelets, and handing out water. Glancing at the jam packed room, he said, "I've been spinning a long time. THIS is my dream. A full room with smiling faces, and plates of food being passed around... are those cookies??"

My kids, 10 and 6, know a handful of children with various types of physical and emotional disabilities, and from the moment they met them, we explain factually and briefly how that child is different so there are no surprises or questions, and remind them that every kid is different in their own way. Keep it simple... its surprising how kids will say, "Whatever, let's play!" and try hard to communicate questions afterward to clarify how they can play best with them next time. My friend's son has Asperger's and has a hard time communicating how he feels and reading emotions, and also doesn't understand puns... makes it tough for my ten year old to tell punny jokes. As long as he knows how that child communicates, he's amazingly cool about adapting his play style to the child's abilities. He'd think something like, "Cool, no Amelia Bedelia type jokes today, but he likes to play video games and he kicks butt at the Wii!" I hope that I've taught my children very kid - whether diagnosed with a disability or not - is unique. Adapt, smile and keep laughing and having fun!

March is Disability Awareness Month, and CVS Caremark is another company that is stepping up to the plate to help. Click this link and check out their amazing "All Kids Can" program and find out how you can help kids with disabilities too... but I'm warning you, there may not be plates of cookies or fruit for ya.

A big shout out to my friend Karen S., who was was the first kid (back in the early 1960s) to receive a heart transplant here in Massachusetts and has some disabilities as a result, but she is a "yes I can" kinda woman and a great early childhood ed. teacher. She's my own best buddy... over (gulp) 22 years now! {HUGS}

Barking About Our Generation: Diva Dogs

I have a friend, let's call her Diana Dogcrazy, who is mad about dogs... her two beloved cocker spaniels, especially. She's mad about all fine things canine: premium dog food, holistic treats, playdates and daycares, pet-friendly restaurants and hotels, doggie massages and acupuncture, and anything posh for her doggie diva babies. Her house? Not so posh. Her own clothes? Mediocre. Her own beauty regimen? A fraction of the time she preens over pooches. She admitted to me that she spends more money on pet-related items than on herself, and she laughs heartily when I asked her to recall the last time she got her nails done or splurged on a massage.

I know what you are thinking. She doesn't have kids (true) so she is directing those maternal instincts toward her poochies. Healthy? Sure. Well, maybe.

Without sounding like the bleeding liberal I can be, isn't all this pampering over pooches a bit much? Ever read Three Cups of Tea or seen Slumdog Millionaire? Ever wonder if her time/money/effort could be redirected toward a greater good, like volunteering at an animal shelter or being a mom-figure and mentor to young girls? And you'd never know America is really in a recession if you visit your local Petco on a Saturday afternoon.

I represent the Bay Colony Dog Show, an American Kennel Club event running the first weekend of December 2009 at the R.I. Convention Center, and see the whole gamut of doggie paradise... from the charitable 4-H and rescue club folks who volunteer to spend four days educating the public, to the lavish grooming and preening (and competitive chatter) going on "backstage" before the show dogs enter the ring to be judged for "Best In Show" honors. It's quite a scene... one you have to experience for yourself to see doggie divas and doggie accoutrements at their finest.

Oops, look at the time. Time to take my English bulldog out for a drag wearing his custom doggie harnass we bought at the show last year. Chow chow for now!

Twilight is coming to Blockbuster 3/20!