Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...

I am a little sad.  I just cancelled our Sirius/XM account effective immediately.  Do you know what that means? No more Radio Disney for the kids on the way to school.  But really it means no more three stations of NPR for my listening pleasure. It's ok because I am a little addicted to the Adam Corolla podcast (warning: explicit).

Speaking of NPR, I was listening to a "news" story about how our perception of others has changed as a result of social media.  The experts were saying that there is a delicate balance between updating your status with good news and bragging.  Most of your well-intentioned status updates, tweets, and good old fashioned blog entries are perceived by others as bragging.  Your friends get irritated and exhausted when they have to read one more entry about your perfect husband (we get it, he's your best friend), your super cute kids (mine are cuter), your professional achievements (so you're good at your job, who cares), your latest DIY decorating miracle (it looked better on Pinterest), or the marathon you run every morning in record time (that means nothing to me). They're just jealous.

It's a tricky thing though because, as the experts pointed out, you don't want to complain too much either.  No one wants to hear about your good-for-nothing husband, your ugly kids, how much you hate your job, your lack of style, and your lazy attitude. I had to kind of make some of those up, since I don't see as much complaining on social media.  Maybe I don't see it as much because I am the expert complainer.  That's right, I'm bragging about my ability to complain.

I have been thinking about this premise as it relates to choosing a profile picture.  As I get older, and believe me I have aged exponentially in the last few years, I am realizing that not every picture of me is flattering.  In fact, finding a suitable profile picture has become nearly impossible.  Plus, you don't want to choose one that looks overtly glamorous or posed.  In other words, I don't want to make other people feel bad when they look at my perfect profile picture, but I also don't want them to feel sorry for me because the years haven't been kind. 

Here are a few to choose from: