I was prepared for the graying hair but not in my eyebrows before my head. For me, sagging boobs means I can create cleavage for the first time in my life but too old to display it proudly. But most of all, it is the vision changes. Sure glasses help, but try plucking gray hairs out of your eyebrows while wearing glasses. Today, in sunlight, I noticed how mismatched my shades of blue were that had looked fine in closet light. Where’s the garanimal clothing line for adults when I need it?

1. I miss chatting with folks on twitter.
2. I don’t miss people I don’t know telling me what they think of my tweets.
3. I love being able to stay connected to some of my favorites through tumblr.
4. Some of you are wackier on tumblr than you ever were on twitter. (Is that a subtumble as opposed to a subtweet?)

I’ve been debating the best way to say goodbye to twitter and more importantly to the many people I’ve come to think of as friends. This has been a wild, wonderful ride for me and I thank you for that.

I’m simply not made of twitter material. The stars and followers have been nice but it has always been about the people for me. The connection I feel for so many of you is what made twitter a place I wanted to be.

I was once going to post a tweet about not needing sensitivity training because I’m already way too sensitive. That’s so true. I have cried more in the last two weeks than in the previous ten years. It’s time for me to throw in the towel.

I’m sharing this because it really is about me and not you. I also want to thank some very special people who have made this a journey I won’t regret. Each one holds a special place in my heart and they aren’t in any particular order.

Thank you jscottwilson, wrdsmythe, silent_musings, BrentWeav, peaceintruth1, awesomeseank, tjinscot, SeanINCypress, thatstings, Mic_HEL_4Real, anhavana and jwalkonthemoon.

May 2012 be a banner year for each of you and filled with all the love you deserve.

Cindy

Tonight is just one of those nights. I’m wired and can’t seem to wind it down. The day hasn’t been that much different than most, so where does it come from? What drives us to search so desperately beyond ourselves for something else?

I try to stay out of the twitter drama but it was actually BillMc7’s own quote above that inspired me to speak up. As a result of one jackass’s crusade and the rest of us letting him get away with the cruelest act I have seen on twitter, two fine and funny people aren’t tweeting today. The jackass is BillMc7 and the he decided to publically humiliate KillerDolce and Aspersioncast in his quest to get us all to star only tweets he feels are worthy. Bill accused them of being gamers and implied that those of us who starred their tweets aren’t much better. I can’t help wondering if more of us good people had told Bill to kiss our collective asses yesterday, if Annie and Aspersioncast would be tweeting today.

Just out of curiosity, I looked at Bill’s TL to see what Pulitzer Prize winning tweets looked like. Here are some of the gems he favorited today and thus must deserve our stars more Annie or Aspersioncast.

I’m going out after work tomorrow, just like a real person.

Fuck you, brain. Shut up.

Nice try, car alarms.

You can never eat too much pussy.

All fine tweets, but no different than any I see daily in my TL. Why are those deserving Bill, but the following not?

May God protect you because honestly, I don’t have the time. (Killerdolce)

It’s not like it’s a control panel for Thunderbird One dude, it’s a fucking elevator you just push the up button. (Aspersioncast)

I guess what I’m trying to say is that having >10,000 followers does not give anyone the right to humiliate and hurt people. My definition of a gamer is someone who values stars more than people. As of yesterday, BillMc7 proved to me he is the biggest gamer on twitter. 

The soul at the end of the bar

the glass half raised

the ribbon of condensation unnoticed as it pools and drops to the bar.

His eyes are open but his gaze is clouded.

The air pulses with music

the din of voice after voice trying to be heard

the silence of his silence lost in the crowd.

With a sigh, the glass drained

he slides from the stool

scans the room as if seeing it for the first time.

The ritual complete, he turns to leave.

Hand outstretched, fingers a hair’s breath from the handle

a pause and glance back

registering the soul at the other end of the bar.

I raise my glass in small salute

nod my head and smile

an acknowledgment my evening ritual is too almost complete.

Yes. I’m one of those with my Christmas decorations up already. My favorite time of year.

I thought it might be fitting for my first tumblr post to be about twitter because it’s the only reason I’m here.

I’ve been on twitter about seven months and it still amazes me everyday. At first, it was strangely anonymous and liberating. Eventually, I saw the people behind the tweets and they started to see me. Not so anonymous anymore.

My views:

STARS: They are free and damn easy to give. I know a lot of purists hate that philosophy. I believe my star means more to encourage someone just starting out then it does to professional comedians. So I hand out stars to many tweets others look down upon but it is not a game to me. Every star I give is meant to say I want to hear more, keep talking. I do not star tweets that I morally disagree with or that are mean spirited, regardless of who tweets them.

TWEET THEIVES: I do not condone it but I also expect it. This is a public and often competitive forum. Everyone wants followers but like so much of our society, some don’t want to work for it. Stealing tweets is a way to accomplish both. There are also people on twitter from all over this world, that are not governed by our standards. And the saddest are the accusations between friends. So many tweet using scripted formats and playing on word definition that there will always be repeats of ideas. Is that truly theft or do we follow similar minds?

And I ramble. The most important thing I want to say about twitter is how much I enjoy talking with and getting to know so many of you. Twitter is the place I come to feel part of society while still safely apart. I can join the party at any time and leave without making excuses. Thank you for all you have added to my life.

Cindy