When I woke up on Mother’s day and called my mum, the first thing she said was, “Have you seen the Google logo for today? It’s adorable!”

Recalling how Google’s animated logos used to celebrate holidays and special occasions had impressed me in the past, I rushed to my computer, and was not disappointed. In fact, I was so not disappointed that the 2012 Mother’s Day Google logo has earned a place on my top five favorite Google logos. Wanna hear them all? Of course you do. Let’s get started!

5. Les Paul’s 96th Birthday

This interactive logo allowed you to strum a Google shaped guitar and record and save your amateur music. Sure, it didn’t create any masterpieces, but it was super fun.

4. 30th Anniversary of PAC-MAN

Play Pac-Man on a field unlike any Pac-Man field you’ve seen before! Run away from ghosts around “Google” and grab the cherries. Best of all, it even includes the signature “waka-waka,” and saves your high score!

3. Mother’s Day 2012

This logo is simple and adorable. Two ‘o’s run out to tackle the lower case ‘g’ in a hug, as it is obvious that the ‘g’ is their mom. They give her a flower, hug, and the animation ends.

2. Martha Graham’s 117th Birthday

This logo is simply beautiful. It celebrates revolutionary dancer Martha Graham, who created and evolved the field of dance. Five of the moves that she invented are displayed in the logo in an elegant animation. The story behind the logo is much more involved, making it easy to appreciate the research that went into making it.

1. Freddie Mercury’s 65^th Birthday

I loved this logo not just for the superb music, but also the animation. It gives a fine salute to one of Britain’s greatest musicians. If anyone should be riding flying tigers and shooting aliens in space, it’s Mr. Mercury.

-Tamara Feingold

There’s something about holding that venti-sized paper cup with a cardboard sleeve that I just can’t get enough of.

I’m not going to lie, I texted about five friends in panic when Starbucks updated its cup design last March without warning me. Needless to say, I’m a drip coffee with a little bit of half-and-half and Splenda connoisseur and there’s nothing that says “I’m ready for class” like a good strong cup o’ joe. It’s the last dirty little un-environmentally-friendly habit I’ve hung on to. I ride my bike, don’t use paper towels, and carry reusable grocery bags. I judge people with Hummers.

But when I walked into The Buzz coffeehouse on campus a couple of weeks ago, my usual twenty-ounce drip coffee was $2.75. A little steep for a black cup of java, right? Right. That’s because The Fishbowl, The Buzz, and Union Market have all adopted a new pricing plan:

Use a disposable paper cup: You pay the beverage price plus 50 cents

Use a reusable mug: You pay the beverage price minus 50 cents

As attached as I am to that status symbol of steaming joy, this new payment plan is irresistibly sensible. The concept, which is the result of a recent contest hosted in the EMU called Fifty for Five Thousand, includes all profits from the paper cup tax returning to future sustainability projects.

For those of you hoping to save some money without carting a travel mug around campus all day, fear not. There’s an Adopt-a-Mug program allowing students to use a mug stocked by the coffee shop.

What’s so wrong with an occasional paper cup of coffee, you ask? Usually, the coffee cups aren’t made from recycled paper and the plastic coating that keeps your beverage warm also means it ends up in a landfill. According to the Environment Action Association, Americans consume about 400 million cups of coffee per day, which is disturbingly comedic.

If nothing else can get to poor college students, it’s a raise in prices. Especially in coffee, which I consider to be vital to the finals/no sleep/early classes experience that is the University of Oregon.

For that reason, as I sit in The Buzz listening to The Black Keys I’m sipping out of my brand new, twelve ounce, stainless steel with a screw lid and mug full of piping hot coffee. And if I, a diehard daily paper cup fiend, can switch over, so can the rest of Eugene.

NOTE: 12 OZ coffee mug not recommended for true coffee drinkers. What was I thinking? Someone get me a 20 OZ for my birthday.

-Eder Campuzano

Remember when The Simpsons was funny?

I sure do. Before the show relied on musical interludes and awkward sight gags to coax chuckles out of its audience, it absolutely shined with witty dialogue and inane situational humor. You know, stuff that literally made you laugh out loud.

Time hasn’t been kind to the citizens of Springfield, which is why I’m kind of glad the folks at 30 Rockefeller Center; Pawnee, Indiana; and Greendale Community College won’t suffer the same fate.

In case you haven’t heard, last week NBC renewed 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and—my personal favorite—Community for the 2012-2013 television season. Then it’s one final curtain call for Liz Lemon, Leslie Knope, and Jeff Winger.

And you know what? I’m not too sad about it.

Yes, it would be amazing to get a few more quality years from these series. But do we really want to see each of these standout shows slowly and steadily decline in quality like their yellow-skinned, animated counterparts (or even their Thursday night NBC contemporary, which has already suffered the loss of Steve Carrell and loses James Spader and Rainn Wilson next year)?

Naw, I’m good.

I’d rather remember these three shows as they were, before their primary writing staffs leave to pursue other projects or their best actors do the same. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m secretly glad Arrested Development lasted as long as it did and not a season more.
Things grew a bit stale after the first few episodes of the show’s third season. And when creator Mitch Hurwitz heard about Fox’s decision to cancel, the way his writing staff worked it into scripts was nothing short of magic. S.O.B.s, anyone?

Who knows where the Bluths would be today if the show were still on the air. I think we’re better off without the knowledge.

Besides, it’s not like cancellation will stop people like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, or the ensemble cast of Community from creating more quality content. Remember Freaks and Geeks, the quirky sitcom about a bunch of high school outcasts? That obscure, one-season gem produced some of the hardest-working people in the business today.
From actors Seth Rogen and Jason Segel to executive producer Judd Apatow, I’d say those folks are doing pretty well for themselves. By the way, how long do you think it’ll be until James Franco solves the planet’s energy woes?

Even Arrested Development is coming back for a final season and a movie. I’m remaining cautiously optimistic about it. I just hope we get closure on that whole GOB and Anne thing (I know what you’re thinking: “Who? Her?”).

Call me a downer, but we’re better off saying adios to 30 Rock, Parks, and Community while they’re still in their prime. It’s better than watching time take its toll on their quality.

Besides, if they became too mainstream, that’s three fewer things hipsters could condescendingly claim knowing about five years from now. And then what would they fill their Netflix instant queues with?

The British predecessors to whatever the hell is on NBC in 2017. That’s what.

Two years ago, a woman strolled into Corner Perk Café, an intimate coffee venue located in the low-country town of Bluffton, South Carolina. She politely ordered, paid for her drink, then handed the cashier an unanticipated $100 bill. Had it not been intended for the other customers behind her, it would have been a lofty tip for the lucky cashier.

Since then, the woman, who is anonymous even to Corner Perk employees, has donated on eight or nine separate occasions—the most recent being this past February. Whatever her motivation, fellow Corner Perk customers have noticed. Some began paying for the person in line behind them too. And so the trend began.

“‘Pay it forward’ is naturally becoming a motto of ours after seeing what this woman has done and how it has affected people,” Corner Perk Café owner Josh Cooke says. “What’s really neat is how other people are starting to catch on—today a guy came in and paid it forward, and three people after him did the same thing.”

Paying it forward occurs when a single person decides to do something kind for someone else without expecting anything in return. The recipient then goes on to do something kind for another person. This cycle continues until kindness spreads throughout the community.

Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein coined the term “pay it forward” in his book Between Planets. However, the concept was far from new. Greek dramatist Menander gave life to the idea through his New Comedy Dyskolos  in 317 B.C. Sostratos, the lead character in the play, stated that a wealthy man must be noble and should “make rich as many people as you can by your own efforts, for this act never dies.” The text of this play went missing until 1957 when it was discovered and republished.

Similarly, in 1784, Benjamin Franklin made an effort to revive the concept in a letter he addressed to Kentucky Senator Benjamin Webb. In the letter, Franklin stated he would lend Webb a sum of money, but that if Webb ever met another honest man who needed financial help, he should repay Franklin by lending the money to that third party. From there, he hoped “it may go thro’ many hands . . .”

The movement was publicly revived in 1999 when author Catherine Ryan Hyde published her third book, appropriately titled Pay it Forward. The following year, a film based on the book starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt was released in theaters. The story follows three characters asked to complete three generous deeds for each act of generosity they had received. This deed had to achieve something unattainable by the recipient. The characters spun a web of kindness through their kind acts.

Reaction to the book and subsequent film was so popular that the concept behind it was turned into a national holiday. The holiday, known as National Pay it Forward Day, was founded by Australian Blake Beattie in 2007 and takes place every year on April 26.

Donovan Nichols, coordinator of National Pay it Forward Day in the U.S., was also deeply affected by the film’s message. Nichols had experienced the power of paying it forward firsthand as a child.

Growing up, Nichols’ family lived in poverty, surviving on food stamps and the kindness of others. Neighbors would send care baskets, and on one occurrence somebody even left them money in their mailbox.

“There’s absolutely no way we could go back and repay them, so the best thing we could do was to pay it forward to people who were in similar situations and try to make their lives a little bit better,” Nichols says.

Nichols became the U.S. coordinator of the holiday in 2009, when only fifteen countries celebrated the day. In three years, he “rallied the troops,” improving relations between existing members and expanding the movement to encompass forty-eight countries including Brazil, Denmark, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Although “National Pay it Forward Day” is only held once a year, for Nichols the significance of the day extends year round.

“I think it’s more than just an act of kindness—it’s a lifestyle that you lead,” Nichols says. “It’s being aware of the opportunities that are constantly around you to help other people, and being comfortable enough to take action.”

Today, Nichols also works as a guest speaker showing students, businesses, and organizations how he pays it forward in his own life. He says people gravitate toward the idea after hearing real stories of ways it’s been put into action.

“Normally, when you have a charity, it’s people of a higher stature giving to a lower class or something of that nature,” Nichols explains. “With the ‘Pay it Forward’ concept, you’re all on the same playing field—if I’m going to do something nice for you, I want you to do something for somebody else with whatever means you have.”

Nichols believes that once someone has inspired someone else to mirror his or her compassion, this connection creates a partnership and strengthens humanity.

National Pay it Forward Day is meant to be a reminder, not a one-day festivity, as Nichols says people should not be limited to showing kindness on solely April 26. Nichols himself wears two “Pay it Forward” bracelets, one on each wrist, to remind himself of his daily mission. However, he does admit that some days it’s harder to be kind than others.

“It’s one of those things where something incredible might not happen today, it might not happen tomorrow, or even next week,” Nichols says. “You just keep it in the back of your head so that when the opportunity becomes available to you, you really put yourself out there and help someone in a major way.”

Jonathan Stark used his knowledge of smartphones and mobile computing to spread goodwill via Android and a cup of coffee; a side project to his consulting career leading training workshops on developing and navigating mobile applications. Through discovering that he could use a screen-shot of his Starbucks iPhone App barcode on his phone, he filled the card with fifty dollars and posted the photo to his website. His readers drank it up – within minutes, the card was drained.

Stark could only continue adding his own money to the card for so long. But when a friend discovered virtually anyone could load his or her own money onto the card with a barcode, “Jonathan’s Card” was born.

“I immediately set up a web page with instructions for using the picture and a script that checked the card balance on Starbucks.com every minute,” Stark says. “One of my friends blogged about the whole thing and 48 hours later, Jonathan’s Card was on CNN.”

The card received strong public support, reaffirming Stark’s view that human beings are naturally altruistic. Stark also provided them with the opportunity to donate their own money to the card as well by reloading onto the card’s number on Starbucks.com. In the card’s last five days of its month-long activity, users gulped down $19,000 worth of drinks.

Although Starbucks shut down Jonathan’s Card last August due to concerns over fraud, the Jonathan’s Card Facebook page and blog are still bustling with activity. Avid followers continue to post their ‘pay it forward’ stories and are even pushing to activate a second shared card.

“Jonathan’s Card reinforced my belief that the vast majority of people are good, honest, and that they enjoy sharing—even with an anonymous stranger,” Stark says.

Paying it forward boils may just be the glimmer of hope that this world needs. All it takes is one compassionate person to show another kindness. For the recipient, paying it forward is the easiest—and most rewarding—kind of debt they will ever have to settle.

It’s Mother’s day, which means it time for us to pay tribute to that special lady who made it all possible. After all of the years of bedtime stories and crust-less PB&J’s, it’s our turn to call up our mom’s and let them know just how much they mean to us. So we here at the Flux blog decided to pay tribute to our mothers the best way we know how: a playlist. So sit back and enjoy these songs that remind us about the lady who always knows best.

Mike

• Hey Mama -Kanye West
• Mama, I’m Coming Home -Ozzy Osbourne
• Mother’s Little Helper -The Rolling Stones
• Mother -Roger Waters

Jamie

• The Best Day -Taylor Swift
• Mama Said -The Shirelles
• What a Wonderful World -Louis Armstrong
• You’ll Be in My Heart -Phil Collins

Sam

• Mama -The Lonely Island
• Stacy’s Mom -Fountains of Wayne
• I Hope You Dance -Leanae Womack
• That’s All Right (Mama) -Elvis Presley

Jessica

• Song for Mama -Boys II Men
• I’ll Be There -Mac Miller
• In My Daughter’s Eyes -Martina McBride

Diana

• Dear Mama -2pac
• Pumpkin Soup -Kate Nash
• I Turn to You -Christina Aguilera

Tamara

• Daughters -John Mayer
• My Wish -Rascal Flatts
• Sweet Child O’ Mine -Guns N’ Roses

-Jessica Ridgway

By 5:30 p.m., a huge line of students stood waiting on the upper floor of the EMU. The line started at the base of the grand stairs and wrapped back towards the ticket office. By 6:30 p.m. the end of the line was parallel with the beginning. What was so exciting last Tuesday evening that had a plethora of students, faculty, and community members coming together in simultaneous anticipation?

The answer is Frank Warren, the founder of the ongoing community art project and website, PostSecret. And I will shamelessly admit that I was one of those eager people waiting to meet and hear from the man that changes lives.

Warren started PostSecret on a whim in 2005. He handed out blank postcards addressed to his mailbox to strangers on the street. The postcards read: “You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything—as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone.”

Warren’s spontaneous project exploded from that moment, and he now has millions of postcard secrets. Each Sunday he posts about 20 postcards on the PostSecret website; if PostSecret were a religion, I would consider myself a practicing follower. The website has created an entire “PostSecret community” where individuals can come together to discuss the secrets—giving hope and inspiration to those with more somber secrets, and allowing people to realize they’re not the only ones with silly confessions, like peeing in the shower.

The lecture took place in the EMU ballroom and was packed from front to back. The audience was majority female with a few males present, either there by choice or dragged along by a significant other. I took a seat towards the back and wiggled back-and-forth in my seat, impatiently waiting for his appearance.

He took his place on stage, opened up his lecture with a basic introduction and shared a few postcard samples—both silly and sentimental. And while the audience cooed and the girl next to me wiped tears from her eyes, I sat in silent disappointment. I had already heard this lecture, practically word-for-word, from Frank Warren’s TED Talk.

But, the experience was still delightful because Warren (despite his practiced lecture) still personalized it for the Eugene audience. He discussed how PostSecret has donated large sums of money to Hopeline, a non-profit suicide prevention organization, and announced Active Voice, the new campus organization educating others about mental illness and suicide prevention. He also introduced an Oregon alum, Robert Fogarty, who started an inspirational website like PostSecret called Dear World.

The lecture closed with audience members stepping up to microphones and sharing their personal secrets. Some secrets were funny childhood stories, but others were deeper, heartbreaking confessions that took a lot of courage to reveal to a ballroom full of strangers.

The most pivotal moment for me, as a passionate PostSecret fan, was uncovering Warren’s secrets. I now feel more connected to this inspiring man who taught me not to hide from my past, but to welcome my struggles as blessings in disguise.

-Jamie Hershman

On April 24, Chris Peterman, a senior at Bob Jones University (BJU) was suspended nine days before his scheduled graduation because of his activity on Twitter and Facebook. He created a Facebook page titled “Do Right BJU” in an effort to create a safe space for victims of sexual abuse as a support network, as well as a place for outreach. Peterson’s personal motivation for creating the page was driven by his witnessing a church cover-up of sexual abuse.

Peterman organized a protest back in September to spread awareness but the dean of the private Protestant university told him to shut it down. Peterman did not, citing that his rights are protected under the First Amendment and the dean backed off. BJU even said they were planning on making a sexual abuse committee soon after the protest.

But things changed when Peterman returned for his final semester in January. He had to attend weekly counseling meetings and was intensely questioned about his Facebook page. The dean also went as far as to question Peterman’s friends about his social media use. Peterman’s online activity was being watched by the university.

At the beginning of April, he tweeted just before a church service that “this thing is 2hrs long?! What could they possibly talk about for so long!”. The school immediately came after him for tweeting during the service, punishing him with demerits that could ultimately affect his ability to graduate.

Just three weeks before his graduation, Peterman was once again called into the dean’s office after having watched an episode of Glee at an off-campus location. While watching TV is prohibited on-campus, that was not the reason for the dean’s questioning. The dean’s rationalization was that Peterman was watching a TV show that has homosexual relationships as well as debauchery behavior. Because of this, Peterman was given even more demerits and was almost prohibited from graduating.

The final straw came when Peterman posted lyrics to a Christian country song as his Facebook status. He received demerits for this and was officially over the allotted number of demerits that a student could have in order to graduate.

Peterman contacted local media and appealed that he should not be suspended for his watching of Glee off-campus; and, while the appeals board accepted his appeal (therefore allowing him to graduate), the dean was angered and forced Peterman off-campus. Peterman was practically dragged off campus by BJU police forces and was told that he would be arrested if he tried to return.

Ultimately, Peterman cannot graduate in his final semester at BJU. But, it wasn’t so much about all the social media activities that Peterman was suspended for; it was about his speaking out about sexual abuse on a Christian campus.

This incident does not generalize all schools with a religious focus as being strict with freedom of speech, but it does show the lengths that one school will go to throw a student under the bus and save their reputation, which, in the end, did not save their reputation at all.

Social media is about the user and is a free-forum for expression. After being censored by his university, Peterman had a right to get the media involved and appropriately did so. There is no excuse for what BJU did to Peterman, and they should be exposed for banning one student who showed an interest in peaceful activism.

More information at check out the story at CNN.com

-Sam Bouchat

That time of year has come around—it’s time to reserve your fall living situation. This will be my fourth time moving in as many years, and through hardship, annoyances, and difficultly learned lessons, I have become something of an expert at finding new places to live. Here is a simple guide to make finding your next home less stressful.

1. Determine Your Priorities

Every person has different needs in a living situation. For me, I don’t mind a long commute to campus; but I cannot, under any circumstances, live in a loud environment. Quiet and tranquility (along with price) are my highest priorities. As such, this limits my living arrangement options—this is both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because I can narrow down where I want to live (areas around frats are out of the question), but bad because it gives me less options to choose from. You must figure out what is important to you, and use that structure when finding places you want to live.

2. Research Your Landlords

Utilize websites like Yelp and Google reviews to determine if your future property manager is responsible or god-awful. For instance, there must be a reason Von Klein Property Management has 17 reviews on Google, every single one of which is 1 star. But you don’t have to stop at the internet.

When I was living in my sophomore quarters, the landlord showed my place while I was there. The entire time, I was astounded that the groups to whom the place was being shown did not once ask us, the current tenants, about the rental. Talk to people who live there! You will never get a more honest opinion. And people LOVE to talk about their homes.

3. Read the Fine Print

READ. THE. LEASE. The whole lease. Every last word. Because you might end up being screwed, and you would have been warned if you had just read that last, 8 point clause. Ask questions about everything. What does “common area” imply? Who do I call for noise complaints? What’s the emergency number?

And make copies of EVERYTHING. Your lease, your checks. Write down who you talked with on the phone that promised that August rent would be half off. Keep documents, because they might be the only thing between you and a miserable year.

4. Talk to Friends

Your friends have great and awful living experiences—ask them for advice. Oh, you love where you live? How do I apply? Oh, your landlord never came to fix your dryer? I’ll be sure to avoid him.

5. Start Early

Don’t wait until the last minute to begin looking for and applying for fall apartments or houses. You’ll end up with the dregs. Find a place that you love now, and cut your stressing short. You’ll be thankful come September.

-Tamara Feingold

I tried to fit in at the Oregon Ink Tattoo Convention and I failed.

Less than five minutes after walking through the doors of the Lane Events Center on Saturday, a man sees the Nikon hanging around my neck and grabs my arm. “Hey, there’s a guy hanging from his piercings at the main stage,” he says. “Take some pictures.”

I wasn’t prepared for this. When I think tattoo convention, I think a few booths of a few salons, maybe some free bumper stickers. I do not think of a man flying across the room supported only by ropes attached to his bare skin. I would soon realize that tattoo conventions are more than just events; they encompass an entire culture and to my pleasure, a distinct fashion.

This tattoo convention was actually the best part of my weekend (mostly because Wee Man from Jackass was there and he autographed a photo with ‘Stay cute, Tamara’) and I recommend that you go to one. However, I was wearing cowboy boots, which made people look at me strangely. Here’s how to fit in fashionably at a tattoo convention:

Tattoos: Don’t make my same mistake. No one will talk to you if you go to a tattoo convention and don’t have any tattoos. My sister and I resorted to applying temporary tattoos in the bathroom with wet paper towels (mine is a skull and crossbones reading ‘ROCK 4EVER’). I don’t care; just do what you have to do.

Piercings: I thought I would be safe with my septum piercing, which people often tell me I should remove. Again I was mistaken. These people pierce everything: noses, ears, lips, necks, hands. In order to be fully accepted, you should probably invest at least in a micro dermal implant piercing (the ones that are anchored under the skin and look like a jewel sitting on top).

Gauged Piercings: Not only do you need a few scattered piercings to fit in at a tattoo convention, you need to gauge a few of them. Many attendees had ears stretched to their shoulders, and I started to feel self conscious about my un-stretched lobes. Several booths sold glass plugs, so in order to buy them, stretch away.

Dark Colors: Just wear black.

Makeup: Almost every tattoo salon present advertised most clearly their Sugar Skull girl tattoos, and almost every woman wore so much makeup she looked like the porcelain corpse herself. Light skin, dark eyes, bright red lips. A massive rose sitting in your hair won’t hurt either.

After getting ready, head to the convention, which is really just a sea of ink, tattoo guns, artists, and people in pain.

Check out some of my favorite artists from the event:

• Shotsie Gorman
• Sovereign Tattoo Portland
• Johnny Smith
• Art Work Rebels
• Canyon Webb

-Jessica Ridgway

Mark Zuckerberg is an evil man. He has created a diabolical website that I cannot help but love and hate. Facebook allows me to keep in touch with my family and far-away friends, it’s a great networking tool, and it keeps me informed about so many people at once. It’s helped me find old and new classmates, organize study groups, and locate telephone numbers during dire academic emergencies. Facebook has become so ingrained in my daily life I couldn’t tell you what life was like before it. I am an addict.

And then I woke up one Wednesday, I couldn’t tell you what snapped inside of me, but Facebook made me mad. Pissed. Annoyed. I wanted to get away from it immediately, so I made the impulsive decision to deactivate my account.

I hadn’t set a date for my return until the Flux blog meeting later that day. My fellow bloggers inspired me. I’d go without Facebook for one week—short enough to disappear unnoticed. The rest of Wednesday and Thursday were a piece of cake. I had no desire to log onto Facebook, but this was motivated by my, “I-don’t-care” attitude. I did, however, find myself unknowingly typing in “fa” each time I opened Google Chrome. At one point I found myself on the Facebook homepage without any recollection of typing it in. It was creepy.

On Friday things got tough. I use Spotify to listen to music, but Spotify is connected to my Facebook account. That sucked, but it wasn’t frustrating. Finding out that my Scramble With Friends, Words With Friends, and Draw Something apps are all connected to Facebook—that was frustrating.

But, it was also a blessing in disguise, because that weekend was the most beautiful weekend Eugene has had all spring. And because I wasn’t logged onto Facebook I missed invitations to parties and future campus events—but I spent my time outside with friends. I played ladder ball. I read a book for fun. I cleaned my room and living room. I wrote a letter to my friend. I wrote a letter to myself. I wrote. And perhaps I would have still done all these different activities with an active Facebook account, but it was simply blissful to feel so disconnected.

And then Monday came. And I found myself feeling sheepish because I missed out or wasn’t invited to a certain party because I didn’t have a Facebook. People had started to notice my absence, and when I told them I deactivated my account they reacted as if I had just offended them (until I explained the fast). And then Tuesday arrived, and I was peering over my friend’s shoulders to peek at their pages. I found out that my roommate posted new pictures; I had to fight the temptation from logging in.

Finally, it was Wednesday—but as much as I wanted to log in and absorb the online world I had distanced myself from, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. While I missed the feeling of constantly being informed, I enjoyed my freedom from the things I despise about Facebook. The people that post unnecessary statuses. The people that post too many photos of food. The people that I just don’t like. I did not miss them one bit, even with my growing curiosity.

So, I stretched my week-long Facebook fast a couple more days. When I finally returned and perused all of the pages I wanted to I realized just how much this simple website can take out of my day. While it is a useful addition to my life, it’s also my biggest form of procrastination.

This is how I cured my addiction.