Aren't You My Friend on Facebook?

Do you ever have one of those moments when you see someone and you think you know them but you just aren’t sure but you think they are your friend on Facebook so you feel obligated to say hi even though you aren’t 100% sure that it’s them because they post a million pictures of their kids, dog, cat but not themselves so you don’t know what they look like as of recent but you don’t want to look like a snob or have them think you are snubbing them?

Ya, well that happened to me this morning on the Orange Line. I hop in the door and look up and see this guy that I used to talk to all the time in my old office building in New Hampshire or at least I think it’s him. He seemed taller than I remembered but then again, I was in my “commuter” riding boots that are flat and back then, I always saw him while I was wearing my stiletto’s…soooo I just might be shorter. I stand on my tip toes to see if I now think he is the right height. He had the same beard he sported back in the day but his hair was shorter than I remembered. He kept looking down at the ground every time I looked over so I did the natural thing…pretend I don’t see him because I am not 100% sure it is him and I don’t want to say hi to him if it isn’t who I think it is and look like an idiot in front of all the train people if he’s like “Who the heck are you?” However, if I don’t say hi to him and it IS in fact him, I look like an a*shole too…but then again… HE could say hi to ME… Which brings me to WHY I no longer say hi to people I think I am friends with on Facebook or briefly knew in my past.

In December, I go wine tasting in New Hampshire. I check us in on Facebook that we are there tasting wines. We go to the tasting bar and I don’t have my glasses on and I look back and see who I think is my old boss. I put my glasses on and I am 100% certain it is him. We are in a town that boarders where he lives with his wife and kids. They are sitting having dinner so I just wave and he looks beyond me. I think he doesn’t see me but he had to have seen me. I am so confused so I turn around to the tasting bar and start debating “He is my friend on Facebook. I checked in here. He will know I was here and didn’t say hi to him. What if he leaves and sees my check in and then thinks I snubbed him?” His family finishes dinner and I think they are leaving.

WRONG! They mosey on up to the tasting bar and he puts himself right next to me. I turn to him and say “Hey! How have you been? It’s been forever!” He looks at me horrified “Um, who are you? Do I know you?” I was like “I was only your assistant for 2 years!” he was like “No, I don’t have assistants.” He turns back to his family and his wife is FUMING! I probably ended their marriage that night she looked so pissed or at least started World War III for their car ride home! Confused and feeling like an idiot in front of an entire tasting bar of people and mind you…there wasn’t music on in the back ground soooo Crickets! Yup, that’s all you could hear…Crickets! I look down at my tasting sheet and I have 7 more varietals to go and he is standing 6 inches away from me. WHY! WHY did I choose the extended tasting instead of the short and sweet tasting?! I quickly went through my remaining 7 varietals and grabbed as many bottles of wine that I could carry to the checkout, paid and bee lined it out of there.

So, if you see me and I am not making any effort to say hi to you and you are my long lost Facebook friend… I am NOT snubbing you! I am saving both of us from a potentially awkward situation…especially if it’s not…YOU!