re-introduction to the cooper five: i'm on that book face thing, so it's time for a makeover

people have been telling me for decades to get into this social networking stuff. no thanks, i thought... just like i thought i could get through life without ever learning how to use a computer. eventually i gave in to the internet, then microwaves, then email, and then i started this blog... but myspace, facebook, linkedin, etc. were where i drew the line. so much for that.

a couple of weeks ago i attended this local networking event that was all about online social networking. they showed this youtube clip there.



actually, they showed one that was slightly different, but i like the fatboy slim track played against this one... so, there you go. between this clip and the social networking expert's lecture, i learned that if i didn't get on facebook and its ilk soon, i would probably shrivel into obsolescence and slowly expire in a shallow unmarked grave. it was like an elephant stepped on my chest at the beginning of the presentation and slowly applied pressure throughout the remainder of it to the point where i went directly home that evening and opened up a facebook account. now the rest of the world can read more and see more of me and my family. how noble of me.

for those who are first timers, here are some helpful hints and ground rules for successfully navigating your way through the cooper five:

1. i have some faithful readers who i refer to as my zombies. get to know them. get inside their heads. emulate their lives as they will likely rule the world someday. actually, i'll rule the world through them and the blog, but i don't want you guys in my head and they're the next best thing... plus, i'm sure they probably don't mind.

2. i post about 6 times a month and at any given moment, so... be ready. i've been told it's almost as good as Christmas, waking each day and running to the computer all giddy with anticipation, ready to read my next pithy diatribe. if you read, they will come. if you comment, i will respond. it's really that simple.

3. you might not get the cooper five. i have a very random and dry sense of humor. virtually everything i post is drenched in sarcastic wit. i occasionally drop in a political statement or two (lately more often than not) and, as such, it won't take long for you to determine my political leanings. in general, however, i try to keep the climate apolitical; but, if nobel prizes continue to be given away like toys in a cracker jack's box, i make no promises. read at your own risk, but know that i take plenty of shots at myself, as well.

4. this blog is somewhat self-promoting as it's all about my family and me. let's be honest, though, isn't that the underlying purpose of a blog... at least in the mormon community? how else is everyone going to hear about all the vacations we go on, see how many friends we have, how active our social life is or how chic our clothes are? now i can shamelessly and "obliviously" promote the cooper five to an even wider audience.

5. my family and i are members of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints... aka, mormons. as such, a cooper five reader will occasionally come across some mormon jargon he/she doesn't quite understand. never fear, my non-mormon flock, you don't have to be mormon to get the cooper five (just ask alex). however, if you do find yourself strolling down the hall at work and overhear some of your mormon colleagues discussing the most recent cooper five post at the water cooler and all you catch is "fhe" this and "hometeaching" that, it's always safe to assume they are referring to polygamy or riding around on bikes in twos. just approach these mormons and say you were at the stake center last night for a mutual activity with brother (insert last name... you can't go wrong with leavitt or walker) when you slipped on some funeral potatoes left over from that evening's homemaking activity that the eq president was asked to clean up but couldn't find anyone who believed with every fiber of his being that such a cleaning was necessary and so he did not put his shoulder to the wheel and go the extra mile by cleaning it himself. fetch. amen. that will earn you at least two plates of cookies and brownies from your mormon friends.

6. i type in lower case, i can be longwinded, and i digress into tangential rubbish often. deal with it.

7. i don't have a 7th point, i just find odd numbers to be more aesthetically pleasing... that may be why we never become the cooper six because it's unlikely we ever go for the cooper seven.

some of my faithful may notice a makeover on the blog. i'd like to hear your thoughts on the new layout. i'm not convinced just yet.

you'll also notice some new pics. these pics are a story in and of themselves. first, my compliments to the photographer: marissa moss of marissa d photography... she has a great eye and lots of patience. check out her site at marissadphotography.com (what a nice jingle).

second, let me just say that it's never a good thing when you get to lake las vegas (approximately 40 minutes from our house) only to realize that one of your sons is missing his sports coat... it especially doesn't help when you find out that sports coatless son stuffed said coat into the dirty clothes hamper before he left the house for no apparent reason. thank goodness special k (grandma cooper) was willing to waste a lot of time and gas bringing it out to us. to say the least, we were a little frustrated, but, luckily, marissa d was able to diffuse the situation and snap some great shots. thank you, marissa and thank you, grandma!

in closing, i just want to assure all of my zombies that even though i am now on face book, i'm going to keep it real. i'll remember my pepes, my roots, and those who got in on the ground level. peace out. never fear.