Happy President’s Day! Are you working or do you have off?

I’m not working today, and thought it was about time for a little bit of a brain dump of what’s going on in my world…

Here’s 10 things…

1. I’m keeping people updated on my writing endeavors at my Facebook Fan Page. Just posted some book news there the other day, so check it out & become a fan.

2. For the past 3 years Erica and I have celebrated Valentine’s Day a little 2-night retreat in Rehoboth Beach, DE over President’s Day weekend. This year we’ve pushed it back a few weeks, but can’t wait to get away with her. Doing things like that is a MUST for married couples. No matter how hard it is to get away, you have to make it happen.

3. Excited to be sharing at my friend Shawn’s Writing Workshop tomorrow night on the art and science of blogging. I’ll be talking about how to make your blog uniquely yours, how to find readers, and how to keep readers.

4. Had a great time speaking at Freedom Life yesterday on Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” God’s path to comfort and hope isn’t the one we want to take, but it’s the right one. (here’s the link)

5. Bringing in the uber-talented Andy Osenga to play a small show in Gap, PA on March 21st. We’ve only got room for about 100 people, so if you’d like to come out shoot me an email (bryanallain-gmail) for more info or check out the Facebook event.

6. 36″ of snow in the past week & there’s a few more inches in the forecast tonight. No Mas!

7. Currently reading: “Hear No Evil” by Matthew Paul Turner, “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs, and “The Book of Basketball” by Bill Simmons.

8. Glynn Young posted an article at The Christian Manifesto on Friday that said some nice things about me and a few of my blogging friends. You can read the article here. Thanks Glynn!

9. If you’ve been on the fence about getting a copy of my 2009 Blog Yearbook, LuLu has a great deal going today. Type in coupon code “WASHINGTON” at checkout and get 15% off. Click here to order.

10. After polling people on Twitter (follow me @bryanallain), I’ve decided to ditch H&R Block this year and use TurboTax online. Let’s hope it works out well.

LOST Episode 3 recap coming tomorrow and more Jack  Bauer goodness coming Wednesday…stay tuned!

If you’re like me, you hit “ignore” every time someone sends you a request to join their Facebook group, help them with their Facebook farm, or take their Facebook survey. If you participate in all those things, that’s fine. I’m not judging you. It’s just not for me.

The funny thing is, for every legitimate group/page that exists, there’s probably 100 that should not. I don’t know what the founders of these tribes were thinking, but apparently they weren’t alone because they’ve actually got people to join them…in some cases a lot of people.

Here’s a handful of real examples from Facebook. (I’m gonna predict this is the first of many similar posts because there’s a lot more where this came from).

1. The “I Know I’m Not Going To Die in 2012, but I’m Still Scared” Page

you just know one of these 419 people IS going to die in 2012…

…and then they’ll realize they had a reason to be scared all along.

2. The “I’m the Girl, You’re the Boy. Text Me First or We Don’t Talk Today” Page

a few thoughts…

1. Thank you God I am not dating anymore!!!

2. Can’t believe a half a million people are on board with this.

3. If you’re a guy and you have joined this group, I’d like to punch you in the neck.

4. If this guy is your boyfriend, you should probably call him right now. He’s about to die in a car accident.

5. THANK YOU GOD I AM NOT DATING ANYMORE!!!

3. The “I HATE FACEBOOK” Page

2000 people hate facebook so much, they joined it.

AND they spent time on it searching for a fan page.

Now THAT is hatred.

4. The “I Hate Battery Low” Page

2.2 million people are fans of this page.

Those same people are also fans of the following pages:

• The “I hate being sick page”
• The “I hate getting mugged” page
• The “I hate it when a loved one passes away in a tragic accident” page
• The “I hate it when someone slaps me in the face” page
• The “I hate diseases” page

5. The “Shut Up, I’m Busy” Page

So busy, in fact, that I had time to join this page on Facebook.

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Fess up folks, any of you a fan of these pages?

(if you come across some awful fan pages/groups you want me to highlight in future blog posts, email me at bryanallainATgmail.com and I’ll credit your contributions.)