Big news! @Google acquiring Nest to help fulfill our goal of reinventing unloved home products. Nest will stay Nest. http://t.co/0L8hNBhmYc

— Nest (@nest) January 13, 2014

This is horrible news!…at least to me. I have steadily been removing myself from all things Google for years now, and now they’ve found out another way to track me! Sure, I have a Google+ account, but who in the hell really uses that. Sure, I’ve got a GMail account, but it’s my throw away account. Seriously – this sucks. I really may have to look at another option now. I really love my Nest, but come on. Really?! This pretty much sucks…

Rant over for now…

If the Friendface reference is lost on you I’ll direct you here:  http://youtu.be/6rNgCnY1lPg

For years now I have managed to not have a Facebook account, and I have been quite happy without one.  In fact, it has been almost like a badge of honor.  I’ve even given Google+ a shot, but nobody that I know really uses it.  The conversation will typically go something like

Inquiring Mind: You really don’t have a Facebook account?

Me: No

Inquiring Mind: Why not?  Everybody is doing it.  How do you keep up with your friends?

Me: When I first heard of it you had to have an EDU email address.  It was only a service for students and I no longer had a student email address.  I can hear about anything going on with my friends from my wife.  She has an account

Now, keep in mind that I do have a Twitter account and have so for quite some time.  I use it a lot for professional purposes, immediate news and information, as well as personal thoughts, etc.  This often further confuses the above inquiring mind even more.

However, after so many years of not participating in Facebook’s social media outlet, it looks like professional needs are finally going to drive me over the edge.  It started with a request to add a Like button to one of the my employer’s online presences. I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t grab the link and test it.  Next, I wanted to sign up for a online live discussion for a software platform that I support and could not do so.  Although the discussion wasn’t held via Facebook, the signup and instructions for the event were all on Facebook.  Add that to continually missing out on other signups – be it for Windows Phone, SharePoint, SQL Server – I’m just getting more and more frustrated with reliance on the platform.

I have finally, after much consideration and consternation, come to the conclusion that I have no choice but to cave and join the masses.

Of course, since we would be in Aneheim we’d have to go to Disney Land! I haven’t been there since my family moved to Texas from Huntington Beach in 1985, and I know that it has been quite some time for Aimee as well. Really, though, I thought Sara would enjoy it (although I know she is still a tad young to really get it). Here’s where the problem lies – Admission for our family would be $235! Yes, that’s correct $235! That is ridamndiculous! That’s before feeding ourselves! Forget it…out of the question…not for that price. I can maybe see it if this had been a long planned for trip, but apparently Disney takes themselves pretty seriously. Can you imagine what would have happened if Wally World had been open when Clark Griswald made it to the gate?

Teller: Hi welcome to Wally World
Clark : I’d like to buy tickets for my family. It is me, my wife and my two kids Russ and Audrey.
Teller: Wonderful – that will be $240
Clark: #E@E#@(!@&#^@&#@(! Two hundred and forty dollars?
Clark: Is that Canadian? What if my children were under 3?
Teller: Oh, in that case it will be $230

I just assume that you’ll let your imagination finish out that scene.

Needless to say, the family will not be going to the left coast with me this time. I’ll still try to see my sister and her family while I am there. I think that I’ll be skipping Disney Land, though!