Please come with me as I descend into the insanity that is sometimes what my life consists of.
This afternoon I started, or at least I TRIED to start reading a post by Hank Miller titled Your Kid is Obnoxious and Your Dog isn’t Cute
And yes... I said that I "tried" to read the post. But something stopped me. The post was about sellers who remain in their home during showings, and try to "help" the Realtor showing their home to do a "better" job.
Yeah, right!
Well, anyway... in writing his post, Hank Miller got confused. He confused the term "fleur de lise" with the musical composition "Fur Elise."
I know... big deal! And yes, I agree. It happens. I get confused too. Actually, the older I get, the more I get confused... LOL. Again, it happens.
So... with the term "fleur de lise" sitting there... my brain starts to sputter. And wrangle. And other stuff too painful to mention. I end up totally distracted.
Then finally... my poor brain waddled over to Wikipedia.
Here is my response to poor, dear Mr Miller. I DO wonder if HE wonders how this "crazed person" (me) got to his post, and why is she writing this nutty comment.
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Hank: Sometimes I wonder if my brain was put in sideways at birth. I read the beginning of your excellent post... with the little boy playing the piano, and your remark about Billy Joel and Elton, and little Timmy playing what you called Fleur-de-lise. Actually, the "fleur-de-lis" is a French design/symbol. I believe some people feel it resembles a lily... which is what the French word "lis" means.
So... here my addled brain is trying to figure this all out, and then it hit me. You were thinking of the piano composition by Beethoven called "Für Elise."
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But here's my problem:
In going to Wikipedia to find the answer... I ended up trapped. Wikipedia, for me, is like a bottomless pit. Like the rabbit hole poor Alice in Wonderland fell into. Down and down into the land of Wikipedia I went.
Really... I was stuck. Yes, it finally got me to my answer to Hank... and cleared up all these "totally necessary questions" (HA!) that somehow my mind needed to know the answers for.
BUT... it was those doggone Wilipedia "links" that got me.
It seems that whenever I read an article on Wikipedia... on something I am interested in, along comes a "link." I click on it, start reading the "new" article... until I come to another, supposedly even MORE interesting "link..." which of course I click on.
On and on and on. For some reason, I could stay frozen inside Wikipedia for the entire day... or at least for a few hours until my fanny falls asleep. (not a pretty sight to imagine... sorry about the TMI.)
So, that's why I sat there.
Almost frozen in my quest to try and figure out what he meant... I concluded that I really, really think I need therapy!
Do YOU ever get STUCK in the Wikipedia Trap ? Or am I alone here in my obvious insanity?
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Karen Anne ~ it happens.. its a trap.. and some days those links just get the better of me!
It happens a lot in our household, Karen Anne, especially to my husband. He was the young boy who would have multiple volumes of the encyclopedia opened on his bed and floor; now he's the same, but electronically. I must admit--I love it!
Janis: Yes, it surely IS a trap. And I fall for it just about every time. Sometimes is grabs me for so long that I cannot remember what I came to Wikipedia to look up... in the first place. LOL.
Lottie: It sounds like this "hubby hobby" has taken hold of your husby and held him prisoner for quite a while. Does the same thing ever happen to you ?
Hello Karen Anne -- I fall into many traps online -- wikipedia and more --- Lis Pendens, Liz Taylor, Taylor Made Golf Accessories, Andy Taylor, Andy Griffith, Aunt Bea or was it Bee, Queen Bee, Drones, Iraq, the Election --- I hate when my mind wanders or does it wonder? YIKES...look at what you did -- or was it just a dream? Where was I? Serenity now.
Michael: The scary part about what you just wrote... is that I understand what you said... perfectly. And honestly, there have been times when I absolutely could NOT remember why I went to Wikipedia in the first place.
I had to hit the "back" button, and travel back through all the links I had followed... so see where I started, and what it was that I was looking for. Ahhh... the mind wanders. Ain't THAT the truth?
No, you are not alone Ms. Karen Anne .. I frequently attempt to look up one thing and fall right into the trap. There's is just one sentence written sometimes with a link to the next and the next ... and it gets all confusing and why isn't there just one place where I can find exactly what I am looking for? Just that, nothing more, nothing less.
Hmm, I thought I was the only one with this problem, following the links taking me to places.. for hours
I get stuck like that too. I wonder if it only happens with older people. I don't know why they call it a "link" they should call it a "carrot".
Karen Anne -- Yes and as Lily Tomlin's alter ego(or at least one of them), Edith Ann, always said "And that's the TRUTH".
I think you are alone in your obvious insanity....but what a cute way to express yourself with a simple error in another's blog.
Margaret
Miss Drea B: I was hoping I had some company out there somewhere. Yep. It's always a trap. No matter how much I try and control myself... if what I am looking up is something that interests me, which of course it is... that's why I am looking it up... the of course, the links that I stumble upon are ALSO going to be of interest to me.
I think what you are asking for is pretty much impossible, my dear. And by the way, please give Governor and First Lady O'Malley my best. :)
Karen Anne, I am afraid that I suffer from the same affliction!
Jon: Oh no. There appears to be quite a few of us link-followers out here in link-land. And yes... I have had it last for hours.
I guess that gives you a hint of the kind of life I lead. Pretty exciting... uh huh, uh huh.
ps... we have to get you a profile picture showing you bare-chested and riding a white horse. Whaddya think ? You got Vlady beat by a mile.
Sussie: What a great idea. Calling it a "carrot" instead of a "link." I like that.
And for the second part of your comment... I am "older"... and it happens to me, but, then again... it has for quite a while. But... what do YOU know about being "older." You, I am sure, are just a puppy. Wait til you hit 50!
Michael: I really like Lily Tomlin. I wonder if she is still touring, and if so, when she will get anywhere near Fort Worth. I need to see her and Edith Ann in person... before she goes to that switchboard in the sky... or wherever it is.
Funny... but for some reason, just thinking of Lily Tomlin brought my mind to thinking about Janis Ian. I wonder why that is/was? But... I have seen the incredible Miss Ian in person twice... once in Cleveland at Peabody's Down Under, and once in Dallas at Poor David's Pub. She was excellent.
Wow... this moving from link to link is "catchy." And I don't even need Wikipedia to do it. Uh oh.
Margaret: From the other comments on this post... it appears that my own personal "link" insanity is shared by more folks than you would think.
My brain works that way. Seeing that "mention" in Hank's blog post just opened up a whole new "link" of thought for me. And yes... I totally, and very quickly plead guilty as charged to my obvious insanity.
And... I do appreciate your kind words. By the way, I still remember that day we chatted while you were, I guess, on your front porch. Or at least that's where it sounded like you were. I remember very vividly the sound of all those beautiful birds chirping in the background. I enjoyed that call. :)
See... there's my mind... linking from one thought to another.
Sharon: Actually, I am GLAD that you suffer from this same affliction. Why? Because it puts me in such good company. <smile> And maybe it is that same affliction that makes just about all of my comments in these posts so long. I could just go on and on... LOL.
I am SOOOO glad I'm not the only person who has to repeatedly hit the back button to reveal what my original query was...ohh Karen Anne, you have made my day - thank you!!
Peggy: I've got great news for you. They say that only highly intelligent women do that. The shortest distance between finish and start links is hitting the back button.
Isn't it fun what we end up learning... both about ourselves, and about others... on Active Rain? And heck, anybody can write a post about buying leads or getting listings... so I thought I'd write one about Wikipedia Brain Freeze Syndrome.
Peggy, how nice of you to share with me that I have made your day. That makes me smile. And... you are very, very welcome.
Ya know... it's too bad our actual lives don't have magical "back buttons" that we could hit. Girl... if they did... I'd be hitting that button right now!
Karen Anne - Oh yes, I've fallen into the same trap - many times. Oh and I guess their linking and search functions are really working well for them.
Karen Anne, I don't think it is so much insanity as it is an incurable addiction to information. Sadly, I don't think there is a 12 step program or support group for that. We're as close as it gets. YouTube does that to me. Love the idea of calling links "carrots".
Karen Anne, I too get distracted and go on and on into the deep tunnels of the great Wiki. It is so much fun.
Good morning Karen Anne - your point about Wikipedia and internet posting is well taken. I found Hank's post to be excellent, and his confusion of Fur Elise/fleur de lise isn't an uncommon one. I'm just grateful that your post led me to his....in another never-ending series of rabbit holes :)
I understand completely. My mind flows off to some really crazy places. I often feel like I'm in a large hall with way too many doors to open. As I start to open random ones and look inside I actually tell myself "it's time to leave" I could easily become a crazy internet lady. No cats, just internet.
Oh yes Karen Anne. I fell into the trap everyday and it is fun
Ms. Karen Anne, I just added some more links to an older post of mine (which out-of-the-blue is getting comments and am not sure why??) and it occured to me that I'm doing the same thing! So if someone finds my blog because they were searching for something specific, they could possibly fall into my link trap ... and go on and on ... :-)
The one great thing about the internet is that so many bits of information can be accessed so rapidly. If we had to buy or rent all the books and magazines needed to fulfill our quests for knowledge we would be buried in print material. As it is, I am almost buried by books. So it is a wonderous thing that we can access so much stuff so easily, but yes, often I get lost along the endless trail.
LOL, I am inquisitive by nature so I often make a circle until I get back on my original path. But, I have learned that this little round-about journey always teaches me something new that I can then put to good use for the next time ;)
Karen Anne, it's all about timing. I went to wikipedia for information on a blog I'm composing and, just like you, I'm stuck there - link after link after interesting link, LOL. One of the ActiveRain classes I attended stated it's GREAT to have a couple of links in your blog - must be true, LOL.
Karen Anne, and there in lies the problem with the internet. It makes information so readily available to us that we oftentimes get sidetracked from our original thought. Your description of Alice falling in the "rabbit hole" is a great analogy. Now if there was only a way to keep us better on task.
I rarely comment on posts that have over twenty-five comments, but I have to make this exception, acceptino, inception? Whatever happened to GUD English-speaking people in America? What? They want to make the immigrants leave who have to study English as a Second Language. I think that Americans ought to have to learn it, too.
Okay...I have to go to the rabbit hole. Chief Cook wants to know why someone doesn't even understand one of Beethoven's greatest hits.
Karen Anne~ I followed one of your links and got stuck in the UTube rabbit hole! Actually, I ended up looking for one of my old, old blog entries on LiveJournal about discarding "Elise" as a ringtone. http://mun-mom.livejournal.com/14945.html See, those rabbit holes can be multi-tunneled. Thanks for taking me down the tunnel, though. I needed to revisit that old blog to see how far I've come...
It appears that you may be suffering from the symptoms of information overload. Those that want...seek more and more and it's a vicous cycle that catches you in a trap from which it's difficult to return.
Karen Anne, I don't use Snailpedia for that reason. One of the few Hawaiian phrases I remember is "wiki wiki" which means, "quick quick" and bouncing from link to link on Snailpedia is certainly not my idea of time well spent. Besides, as a former Social Studies teacher of 31 years I don't like how people grab snippets of info concerning our history instead of actually READING books to learn about the subject and get different views. Very interesting and fun post! BW
Karen Anne,
Too funny I think I would have had a brain freeze because there is a different in the Fleur De Lis but then again...we are human. I am sorry you are not feeling well. I hope to meet you sometime. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are doing better!
Karen Anne - Yes, I've been down the Wikipedia rabbit hole myself. In fact, the Internet is one big rabbit hole. It's so easy to go chasing after information. I find myself jumping up from bed as I'm about to drift off to sleep to Google the answer to some question that came to mind and then a few hours later, I finally get back to bed, angry at myself for the lost sleep.
OMGosh Karen Anne, you've been watching me work, haven't you? LOL
Karen Ann, I have enough trouble avoiding typos and wordos when I'm sticking to English!
Hi Karen Ann,
I know exactly what you mean about the rabbit hole trap on Wikipedia and the INTERNET. For example, today I was reading another person's blog whose post sounded interesting until I clicked on their link which took me to a video about a comedian. I liked the video and I got a good laugh this morning; however, when I tried to click back onto the guy's post, I must have clicked on another video about the big tsunami in Thailand, India, etc. I got up to part 6 of the tsunami and by then, I forgot whose post I was reading.
Those links do take you down a deep rabbit hole and you don't even know you're getting sucked in! The tsunami videos were really something to see. Several different families were video taping their vacations and/or honeymoon, etc., having a great time, showing off the beautiful beach, the peaceful, quiet vacation, you get the picture... Suddenly without warning the tide went in and then the waves came back and destroyed everything. So many people were killed. It was so depressing, I couldn't stop! I kept going from part one, two, etc.
By part 6 I didn't have the heart to go back and find that comedian's video (which really put me in a very good mood) because I felt guilty about all those people caught in the tsunami!
Ha! And to think people were worried about kids (when I was a kid) about watching too much television. At least we had commercials and they took us back to the show and most of them had a jingle we could remember and they were funny too! But the Internet, the Wikipedia is a dark, deep, rabbit hole for sure!
I could go on, but I'm done. I love how you write and you always make me laugh one way or the other.
Have a great holiday weekend Karen!
P.S., if there are typos I can't see the red on the screen where it takes you to the typos anymore so forgive me. I just can't see anymore like I did before! If only my eyeballs had a link to the virtual eye doctor who could fix my eyes. Maybe my eyes were never put into the sockets correctly in the first place. Sigh...
I so know what you're talking about. I have to employ a good amount of willpower to not get caught up in it.
Karen Anne--I don't do that in Wikipedia but I seem to have a bit of ADHD when it ocmes to anything in the real world. I need to do one project but then see something and start another. There is always something to be done so I get distracted. I can see how it happens with Wikipedia though...all those interesting links! :)
Karen Anne, this is precisely why I have not joined Pinterest. I'm afraid of that being a trap of rabbit trails that I can't get out of. Needless to say, I do that with AR sometimes too - if I am reading a post and see links on it or read a comment from someone that interests me and then I end up going to their blog, etc. etc. - Kasey
Kasey: Pinterest is fun for some folks. For me... it's nothing I care to get involved in. So, I don't. Just like Facebook. Some folks spend hours on it. That's just not for me.
And why spend several hours a day on Facebook, when I could actually be doing something constructive... like taking a nap!
Karen Anne -- been there, done that.. it is not pretty LOL. I just have to put a time on myself so I can climb out of the hole.
Not sure that I call it the Wikipedia trap, but I do believe that we get so easily distracted when using the computer.
Hi Karen Anne, oh yes I do get trapped on that site as well as on Active Rain...I will start reading a post and the comments and then go check out some of the commenter's post....I get crazy and can spend an entire morning on AR....
This is like how I found ActiveRain in the first place! I was searching the internet for Home Staging info when I first started my business. I was reading one thing and clicked a link to another, and then clicked within that one to yet another....all I know is that I ended up in a blog post on ActiveRain and signed up.
You are not alone....I think falling down those link rabbit holes is very common!
Joan, Melissa, Rebecca & Sharon: Yes, I DO know it's like falling down a rabbit hole, and yes, it can be a trap... yet I still do it.
I was looking up something today on Wikipedia. Actually, it was about my great, great grandfather, Alexander Hamilton... and I ended up following the links, and just sitting here... reading... for over forty-five minutes. Help!
Cute story and so true isn't it! The internet as a hole whole is very addicting, and I think they even have a term for it now... let's all go to Wikipedia and see what they have to say...