Timeline

Well, it finally happened this month: Facebook forced me, kicking and screaming, into the new Timeline format.  I've hated Timeline on all of my friend's profiles and thought that maybe, just maybe, Facebook had somehow forgotten about me and I would be able to skate on in blissful, technological idiocy with my in-born resistance to any kind of change unchallenged by the vagaries of Mark Zuckerberg.  Alas, just last week my hopes were shattered.  Again.  This has got to the seventh or eighth time now.  Timeline found me and forced me to join the new age.  And now I'm going to say something fairly controversial.

I kind of like it.

All I've seen on Facebook is people complaining about it, so maybe I was so prepared for it to be the virtual equivalent of an unannounced colonic that the reality simply couldn't compare to the horror movie playing in my head.  Regardless, I find myself enjoying the new format.  Why?  Well, for one thing, I like having a cover photo.  Naturally, I've chosen a close up picture of a mojito sitting in the sun, just starting to sweat in the summer heat, crushed mint floating freely in a delicious rum cocktail.  Now everytime I go to my Facebook home page, my mouth waters.  However, even more importantly, I am loving reliving old memories via easy leaps backward in time to read old statuses.  When you click on the year I joined Facebook (2009) the first status that pops up is:

"To The Guy I Went On a Date with Two Weeks Ago: While I found your company tolerable at best, I simply would not choose to waste anymore of my life in conversation with you. No hard feelings. Literally. Now please stop e-mailing me asking to be friends. I've done this the nice way. You know what way comes next."

Wow.  Apparently, I was really irritated with some dude I went on a date with in February of 2009!  I read the comments and I remember the whole story and have myself a good chuckle and a fond trip down memory lane.  Jump ahead a month:

"I can't believe Natasha Richardson is dead right now and Amy Winehouse isn't."

Oh, and now I have a sad again about Natasha Richardson.  And feel a little bit like an asshole about the whole Winehouse fiasco.  March, 2010:

"I cannot believe they're making a sequel to "The Cutting Edge." Seriously, theyre never going to top the Pamchenko...stop trying."

No, really, stop trying.

There are hundreds of these little bursts of nostalgia just waiting for you on your Timeline people; I've found the first time I realized Vinay suffered from road rage.  I've relived an entire trip to Italy.  I'm remembering all the times I've auditioned for 30 Rock and not gotten it (this can be a double-edged sword). I've discovered that I went to my old job tipsy-to-drunk at least 4 times, openly posted about it, and still couldn't get fired.

I'm not saying it's perfect.  It's still extremely difficult to find specific old posts and the whole thing just takes some getting used to visually.  But seriously, I highly recommend using it see what you were thinking about two years ago, you'll have yourself a good chuckle.  Or go read one of your friend's and relive some glory days.  Or go read mine...it's HILARIOUS.