Monday, July 14, 2014

My Beef with Face Time

When I first heard of Face Time, I thought it sounded great! What a wonderful way to stay connected to friends and family who live hundreds of miles away.

Then I tried it, and vowed to never do it again. Why? Because I look HIDEOUS on that screen! I know it's vain, but seriously ... does ANYONE look good while they Face Time? I swear I could be in full make-up and wearing a wedding gown, but would somehow end up looking homeless on Face Time. At least the creators of this App were kind enough to give you a preview of what you look like when the call comes in, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether or not you want to subject the caller to what's being reflected back to you. It always goes the same way for me ... 



I hear the phone ring.

I look and see my face on the screen.

I shudder.

I say to myself, "Heck no."

I press DECLINE as if my life depends on it.




Here's a pic of the one time I actually accepted a call from Megan when she was on a trip without us:  



See how I've positioned myself in such a way that half of my face (along with 3 of my chins) is cut off? It took me half of the conversation to figure out that trick.

So besides the "looking hideous" part of Face Time, there's the awkward way my children use it. 

You know how when kids get together to "play" nowadays, it actually means sitting in the same room while playing games on their own electronic devices? Well, that's what happens when they Face Time. They call each other up, and then sit there playing games. Every once in a while one of them will actually speak, but not very often. That's WEIRD, right?

Then if they're not ignoring the person on the other end of the phone, they're walking around the house giving their caller a virtual tour of our home, or better yet, showing them the contents of our pantry. Really? Is this entertaining? And hello?! Could they not give me a heads up on the tour? I could seriously improve the state of our living space with a mere 5 minutes notice. Ugh.

Okay, here's my favorite. And by favorite, you know I mean most annoying, right? It's when one of my daughters sits down at the table to eat a snack with her Face Time friend, while I'm sitting there doing something. Oh. My. WORD. Hang up and call back when you're done eating. Honestly, is it just me, or is this BIZARRE??? Going to lunch with a friend, I get. Eating lunch while your friend watches you on a screen? Sorry, NO.

I obviously have issues, but I can't be the only one who's uncomfortable with this way of communication, right? RIGHT???