Because I don’t spend enough time online as it is

Much to my brother’s surprise, I recently joined facebook.

It is all part of a larger campaign. I am trying to ease my way back into people’s lives at home. I am well aware that I play a relatively small role in the day-to-day lives of friends and family back home. They can’t call me up to go to the movies; all of our interactions are mediated through computer screens or telephone lines. It would be presumptuous of me to assume I can walk back in and expropriate their Friday nights and Saturday afternoons for my own purposes.

I am slowly trying to increase my presence, as best as can be done from here. I am working hard – but maybe not succeeding particularly well – at writing better and more frequent e-mails. I am sending more postcards, which visiting J appropriately calls ‘Remember me? I love you!’-o-grams.

And after receiving an invite from A, I joined facebook, which I am learning is a great devourer of time. This prong of my re-entry plan isn’t going as effectively as I would like, as so far, about 75% of my facebook friends live outside of the US. (Most are members of my volunteer program.)

But, at least I will be able to keep in better touch with them.