Aging & Attitude
“Do you Tweet?” Christine asks me, as the waitress approaches the table.
We are having lunch at The Olive Garden. It is a celebration of sorts; Christine has a new website and food blog, Pudbudder. Tricia’s, children’s book, “Detective You’re” is in the hands of an illustrator, and my short story, “Wheels of Circumstance” is an FWA selection.
The waitress interrupts to tell us the specials and ends by saying, “I’ll be back to take your order.”
“I have a Twitter account but never Twit?” I responded
“It’s Tweet, you tweet, not twit on Twitter.” Twitter links to LinkedIn and can increase your followers. I have 452 followers. I’m doing resumes for people in Australia”
Tricia and I, thankful to know someone tech savvy are impressed, and leap on the opportunity to ask questions we feel too stupid to otherwise ask.
“If it is called twitter, why do you tweet and not twit?”
Soft spoken Tricia inquires politely, “What’s Twitter?”
“Twitter is an online social networking service where people can send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as ‘tweets’.” Wikipedia’s definition; “a short burst of inconsequential information, and ‘chirps from birds’.” Christine says smiling.
“I think I was a bird in a former life,” I comment.” But why characters? Why not spaces?”
Tricia asks, “Couldn’t they send a short email?”
“I don’t know.” Christine rolls her eyes and continues, “This is like trying to convince cavemen they’d be better off using matches.”
The waitress is back and takes our orders.
When she is gone, Christine leans across the table to Tricia and questions, “Do you know what a hash tag is?”
“Don’t be a twerp, how would I know about hash?” Is Tricia’s not so polite, reply.
“It’s a number sign, # you can use it to share a twitter story.” Christine taunts and proceeds to inform us; Twitter is undergoing changes and now has Tweetups, Tweetie, New Twitter, and Retweets.
I have a headache.
We leave the restaurant two hours later laughing about Twitter, tweets and twits.
Later that evening I login in to my Twitter account, take the Twitter -Tour and learn, one has to follow to get followers.
So, who will I follow?
Mr. Wonderful is watching the ALDS series, the Yankees are playing Baltimore. I type Yankee in the search bar. Mike Blooomberg, aka Mayor of NYC, tweets, “Go Yankees”
Ruth Westheimer, aka Dr. Ruth, Psychosexual Therapist,(I am surprised is still alive) tweets, “So-A-Rod benched”
Nothing exciting is happening here.
I plan to watch Blue Bloods on CBS and figure the TV program is a safe search.
Jim Wahlberg, Dorchester, MA, no known relation to Danny, Donnie Wahlberg, real life brother to Mark Wahlberg well know for the movies, Ted and The Fighter is tweeting, really flirting with Paula NKOTB.
Not of interest to me.
However, Donnie was recently interviewed by Gayle King, of whom I am a big fan. She asks an interesting question, waits and respects the answer. Sunday morning Gayle tweeted she’d been to Streisand concert and to the Barclay for burger bash with her favorite mayor. I am jealous.
Gayle has 589, 454 followers and one more, me.
As of today I have one follower, dear Christine, but who is counting.
…just saying
claudiajustsaying 