Ever scroll through Facebook and stop to gawk (in awe and amazement) at the beautiful and sometimes creative selfies our young people post? Oh good, it’s not just me then! I mean, how the diggens do they do it? The make up and gloss is just right, back drop is perfect, hair reflects the mood (going to work, just woke up, laying in bed etc). And then there’s a pout or the tongue is sticking out, or there’s an eye wink, or a gang sign is thrown… and suddenly I am feeling extremely old and outdated!

I remember a day and age where I was a self proclaimed Selfie Queen.

Mind you, selfies were not called “selfies” back then. I guess that’s because social media was not what it is now. I took pics mainly to document how good I think I looked (come on, you’re not taking photos of yourself to feed starving children in Africa).  Nights out on the town were filled with selfie taking because, besides for capturing memories and all that, one had to document just how much of a good time you were actually having. (Question: If you went to a party and had a good time, and there are no pics to prove it, did you reeaaally have a good time? Hmmm….)

Soon, Facebook became popular and Facebook albums were a must. I probably uploaded an album every Monday morning (perhaps 2, depending on how particularly raucous my weekend was.) I was that Facebook paparazzi person. People began approaching me (while out) to ask that I take their pic. “Hey, it’s Luchae from Facebook! Take a pic of us!” I promise, that really happened, more than once! They recognized that I was that person. And I owned it like a boss.

(Exhibit A, below: The many faces and extreme obnoxiousness of a young Luchae Williams) 

Since then, my life has changed. Things have calmed down and a lot of perspective has been gained. Facebook albums have been removed (or edited) and my Selfie Queen title passed down to a whole generation of “I look so good right now”-ers who are taking it to the next level.

I’ll admit, I am extremely cynical about excessive selfie taking. I often wonder if it’s just bitterness because I render myself unselfieworthy now. (That should be a word) I mean, is this a step towards degradation? Have I lost my spunk? Am I getting… gasp!… OLD?!

No. That’s not it. That can’t be it. I still have my own teeth, so I’m okay. But I do think that once you’ve passed the 30-year-old marker taking a photo of yourself just feels weird. Look, I’m not all innocent here. Let’s keep it real, I still take that secret selfie here and there. And confession time: I am an avid Snapchat selfie taker! They definitely do make me feel a little less crazy for taking a photo of myself, with my arm sticking out. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

So, friends, what’s your selfie timeline? Be honest. Do you keep it on fleek? Okay, that was a fluke. I don’t often use the words “On fleek”.  I actually don’t know how it got into this blog post. I guess it just felt like the right thing to do, at the time. Sigh… oh how the mighty have fallen…

The love of my life is a nerd and its been rubbing off on me. But who am I kidding, nerdy things are actually pretty interesting! Chris introduced me to this really really awesome thing called Geocaching and I am hooked! Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Woman get to the point. What is Geocaching, huh?!”

Allow me to explain…

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. CACHE is just a nerdy word for “treasure box.”

Caches are all hidden by other geocachers such as yourself with the the intention of making your hiding place as inconspicuous as possible with one rule – the treasure cannot be buried.

When cache “hunting, you simply go onto the website and allow your device location to pull up a map of your area. You’ll be able to see a list of caches in your area, along with clues and little hints, to help make your treasure hunting easier.

Once you’re at the location, you start looking for the cache. The cache can be anything really. We’ve found cache’s made out of plumbing, fake rocks and even wood!

In a cache, you will find: 

1. A note basically saying you have just found a geocache (just in case any “muggles” i.e. non geocachers, stumble upon the cache)
2. A log book and pen so that you/your team can log that you guys found the cache.
3. Sometimes a geocoin (which is a trackable device)
4. Whatever else the “hider” put in there. Normally small trickets/items. But the rule is: you have to replace the item with something of the same value. So if I find a marble in the cache, I need to replace it with something that is of equal value. You don’t HAVE to remove the item from the box. We normally leave a guitar plectrum in each cache we find, just to say “hey, we were here!”

The cache should then be rehidden on the same spot for the next geocacher to find. You would then log your find on the website.

There is a whole community of geocaches out there! And you’re probably thinking, no ways, there are NO geocaches where I live, coz we are like, SO off the map… well that’s what I thought! Caches are hidden in parks, or areas that are really fun to explore. So it’s a cool way to spend time with the fam.

So what do you think? Are you convinced? Drop me a comment to let me know if you’re going to give Geocaching a go!