Friend Request From a Family Member

My little sister received a friend request from one of my aunts the other day. It's a little troubling when family starts to become intertwined with our Facebook worlds. For so long, my circle of friends dealt strictly with who I knew at college and the few members of my high school that I decided I wanted to check up on from time to time. And of course, every college student has their fair share of drunken photos, embarrassing posts, and annoying self absorbent statuses that only the afore mentioned should know about. There is always that friend who decides to bring up past events that everyone really shouldn't know about. Even though, yes that moment was pretty hilarious, and reminiscing about it makes me happy, there should be a level of tact that should be taken.

When Facebook started to become bigger and better and family members decide to become a part of the phenomenon, and suddenly, we had to be really careful about what was being put up.

So, after my sister called me over, and we stalked my aunt's profile (it's always entertaining to see what information the older crowd puts down), we struggled with the dilemma of whether or not she should accept or reject the offer. Mulling it over for a couple of seconds, she finally decided to click the "Decide later" button, hiding it for a later date.

Of course, after this happened, I anxiously waited for the moment that I would receive a similar request. Even though I was pretty sure I wouldn't know how to respond, I assumed it would a natural next step. One niece onto the next.

So I waited. And waited. And to this day (granted it was two days ago), I have yet to see a bright red notification waiting for me up in the upper left corner.

It's not that I really want my aunt to be my friend. I like where she stands as the woman I laugh with at family functions. But still, I am feeling a tad bit slighted considering my own aunt doesn't want to be my friend.

Security Measures

I often think to myself, when boarding the bus that travels from Albany to Kingston, why is security so lax?

They say you should arrive at an airport two hours early in order to prepare yourself for long lines to go through the security checkpoint. You have to rapidly take out your laptop, shove off your coat, and peel off your shoes before you walk through the metal detector. You have to make sure your liquids reach a level no larger than 8 fluid ounces and now, you have to walk through body scanners.

When going to the bus station, though, no one checks anything. I buy my ticket, hand over luggage that might have to be stored underneath, and walk on to find my seat. While in Boston recently, I frequently traveled by train. Sure, you have to get there early, but no one checks your luggage. You bring it on, store it above you, and just sit.

Not that I think these modes of transportation equally deserve such intense methods of security, due to strict schedules that need to be kept, but honestly, isn't there the same amount of chance that a terrorist could infiltrate these sorts of areas as well?

If people are so concerned with how safe this country is, why just planes? Yes, they did it once, but it wouldn't make sense to attempt to do it again. They must know we've been keeping a close eye on airports after what happened last time.

Why not trains? They travel throughout the country as well and stop in cities with large populations, such as the illustrious New York City and Chicago.

Why not buses? You hear terror stories about buses being blown up in the middle of the streets in foreign countries. I for one do not want to think about something like that happening when I take a ride.

I wish I had the answer to why there seems to be a noticeable difference between all three modes of transportation. To me, it just seems like common sense, to protect more than just the air travelers.