While you’re reading this I’m likely at my first Crones Counsel gathering, giving my first women and retirement workshop.  I’ve never been to any gathering even remotely like this before and (I’m writing this a few days before flying to Atlanta) I’m both excited and nervous about it.  Trying to avoid the work that I really needed to be doing a few days ago, and having spent as much time as I could doing things like photographing squirrels eating bananas,  I started surfing the net for interesting things.  In utter real – and virtual – humiliation I confess that I googled myself.  Yup, I did. If that’s not an indicator of insecurity I can’t imagine what is.  I guess it’s the new thing: e-inforcement (used to be reinforcement but we don’t need those Rs any more it seems).  So as I was working my way down the number of sites google had found for me I came to my Facebook page.  I opened it; I don’t do that very often and think that although I have a facebook page I don’t really understand how you’re supposed to use it/intereact with it.  And there on the right hand side of the screen was a column of advertisements.

This is the photo that appeared right after the text.  As I let my eyes settle on the photo I thought to myself; “interesting, three vibrant, attractive, healthy, women … interesting that they advertise that way.  The thought that at some point I’d end up in the company of other women, relaxed and happy, well that doesn’t seem so bad (although they do appear to be a bit more conservative than I am).  Wanting to find out more – as the blurb told me to – I “clicked here” and up popped the next image they wanted me to have of their shangri la.   Read more…