Just Say No

The prompt for today is to make a list of things you would like to say no to.

I would like to say no to free market capitalism. I think it is bad. It allows the strong to prey upon the weak, and it has demolished the middle class. We need regulations and oversight to protect one another from those who would be predators. They just found lead in baby food, for heavens sake. We have a whole generation of kids with lead in their heads. What will they be like in 20 years? Things need to be checked, regulated, and watched to ensure half the population doesn't die from e-coli in lettuce or that children aren't smashed in cribs, or that cars just die on the highway, causing horrific crashes. That is what regulations should do. Protect people. That includes regulating costs. For example, we pay more for our prescriptions than any other country in the world. Why is this allowed? Free market bullsh*t, that's why.

I would like to say no to the word "should." As in, I should get up off my butt and do this or that. I should have been, or should be, doing this or that, or be this or that. I should be better, smarter, stronger, healthier, happier, prettier, etc. etc. No, I shouldn't. I yam who I yam.

Say no to worrying. I worry over everything. Money, health, friends, family, this or that. I can worry over whether or not an asteroid is going to hit the planet. No to worries!

Let's also say no to organized religion. I know that will offend pert near everyone, but religion makes the whack-a-doodles even more whacky. It also perpetuates the patriarchy by putting men above women, and helps to create this sense of "other" that has festered and become a big pile of pus in the landscape of America. If people need to believe in something greater than themselves, that's their right, but they don't have the right to foist it upon me or anyone else. If everyone would keep this stuff to themselves and mind their own business, things would be better. I worship how I want, and I don't particularly care what people think. Nobody actually knows my "religion" because I've never spelled it out. At least, not that I can remember.

Additionally, let's say no to fascism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, oligarchies, kleptocracies, and monarchies. (Say yes to looking those words up, even if one thinks one knows what they mean.)

Let's say no to the Electoral College.

Let's say no to children going hungry - to anybody going hungry - and to a minimum wage that's out of step with the times, to a world without a social safety net, and to plain ol' meanness.

Trying, Energized, and Tired

Two things I have always wanted to try are not at all related.

One is a climb to McAfee's Knob. It's on the Appalachian Trail and not far from me. It is, however, a six mile trek. I do well to make it around the grocery store. So unless I become more physically active, I don't see this happening.

The other is to have an office not in my house, a place of my very own. I took over one of the rooms that was to have been a bedroom when we had children, but since we were denied that opportunity, the rooms turned into other uses.

The small room had always been my office, because I freelanced even when I was working. I was also in school and needed a place to study.

In 1994, when I was having migraines for three days every two weeks and could not feasibly be employed, I started freelancing full time. The larger bedroom became my office. It has been my office now for 25 years. While it is easy to throw in a load of laundry, it is also a distraction.

This is particularly true now that my husband has retired and is home more. The fact that he is in the house makes me anxious after spending so much time alone here.

So I have always wanted an office of my own. A place to go and work. Logically and monetarily, it doesn't make sense, though.

****

I feel most energized when I am writing on an article. This is particularly true if I know I'm breaking a story - the first to get the news out there. Tracking down leads, doing quick interviews, putting it all together, double-checking facts - it's a breathtaking undertaking. I did it well when I was doing it and I still enjoy the little I am doing. I'm not sure why I can't find this same enthusiasm for my own projects.

****

I feel most tired when I am at odds with myself. This is not the happy tired of having worked in the garden, or the happy tired of having cleaned something. This is the despair kind of tired that makes one wonder why one exists in the first place. That's a very tiring question to which there seems to be no answer.

These are the February Journal Prompts. Join up at Kwizgiver's.

 

Blue Screen of Death

Saturday evening, my computer went berserk.

The screen turned sideways. It wouldn't go back to normal.

Then I tried to shut it down and reboot, to see if that would fix it, and the thing wouldn't boot back up.

Finally, it booted up, but then it started into an error message loop.

The blue screen of death appeared.

Stop: Critical Process Died.

That's what it said. I had no idea what that meant. I pulled out the laptop and looked it up. Apparently this was an error that could be fixed if one knew what to look for. Maybe. While it was a known issue with Windows 10 early on, apparently it wasn't supposed to be one now.

The computer was a Dell 3847, and I'd bought it in 2015. At the time it had Windows 8 on it and I upgraded to Windows 10 when it came out.

I hated Windows 10 at first, as it was not stable, but with time it has seemed more reliable.

No matter what I tried, I could not bring my computer back from the blue screen of death and into Windows 10. Finally, I hit the Dell Repair that was supposed to save all of my documents, etc.

It brought the computer back to factory default. Windows 8.

And it lost all of my data, although I have it backed up to an external hard drive.

So while I can use this now, it's Windows 8, which I never liked.

Instead of spending $140 to get Windows 10, I have purchased a new Dell tower. It will arrive via UPS one of these days.

I couldn't see spending that much money on a six-year old computer just to get back to Windows 10.

O Blue Screen of Death, I know not why thou visited me.

But thou hast cost me money.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Can you eat with chopsticks?

A. I don't know that I have ever tried.

2. Could you tell real money from counterfeit?

A. I can tell Monopoly money from real money.

3. What do you think about school uniforms?

A. I don't think about them. I am not in school.

4. What ancient civilization would you most like to visit?

A. Mesopotamia.

5. What would make a great new Crayola color?

A. Purple cow.

6. If an art project is created with the intent of getting rich and famous, does that cast doubt over its significance as a work of art?

A. No.

7. What do you get in trouble for the most?

A. Opening my mouth.

8. Do you blow your nose in public?

A. If I must. Generally, I try to find a restroom to do things like that.

9. If all the nations in the world are in debt, where did all the money go?

A. To the very rich people.

10. Is it as easy to make you happy now as it was when you were a child?

A. I have never been a happy person.

11. Who knows more . . . you, or your parents?

A. I'm sure we each know more than the other about one thing or the other.

12. What instrument would you like to be famous for playing?

A. The guitar.

13. Would you have sex with a stranger for one million dollars?

A. No.

14. Are you completely in control of your body?

A. Usually.

15. What is the coolest web site you know of?

A. My own blog, of course.

_______________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Waiting for Tonight

Saturday 9: Waiting for Tonight (1999)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Jennifer Lopez anticipates a night of unbridled passion with the love of her life. What are you waiting for tonight? (No pressure; it doesn't have to be as thrilling as hers.)

A. Rain/sleet/snow and time to read.

2) She sings that she's glad she's beyond those nights that found her tossing and turning alone in her bed. Did you enjoy restful sleep last night?

A. I did.

3) Whatever Jennifer has planned for tonight, it won't include alcohol. She never drinks liquor. What's the last adult beverage you enjoyed?

A. I don't drink adult beverages. I haven't had anything but water since Thanksgiving.

4) Ms. Lopez performed "Waiting for Tonight" during last year's Super Bowl halftime show. Will you be watching The Big Game this weekend?

A. Probably not.

5) Speaking of this weekend, The Weekend will headline the Super Bowl 2021 halftime show. Are you a fan of his?

A. I don't know who that is.

6) Super Bowl Sunday is the #1 day for guacamole consumption in the US. When did you most recently eat something with avocado in it?

A. Years ago.

7) Chicken wings are a popular Super Bowl dish, too. When did you most recently eat chicken? How was it prepared?

A. I eat a lot of chicken because it is one of the few things I can tolerate at the moment. It was a roasted chicken, cooked at the grocery store.

8) This year, fast food chain Chipotle will run their first-ever Super Bowl ad. Do you pay closer attention to commercials during the Super Bowl?

A. I used to, but I don't anymore. Usually they premiere on youtube before the Super Bowl anyway.

9) Random question: Are you more likely to pretend to be more naïve than you really are, or more sophisticated?

A. More naïve. When I was a news reporter, I found people were flattered if they thought they were explaining things to me that I already knew, at least up to a point. With my southern accent, I couldn't fake sophistication even if I wanted to.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

 

That Time of Day

My favorite time of day varies depending on the time of year, and what is going on.

Lately, I have treasured moments after I've just woke. I am still snug in the bed, warm, with my husband beside me. Nothing is hurting because I haven't moved. It feels safe and pleasant.

Other times I appreciate the hour are those when I speak to my friends. I enjoy our talks.

Then there are those days when the sun is slipping in and out amongst the clouds, casting shadows and a certain brilliance of light that simply begs for a photograph. I love staking out a scene and then waiting for the rays to fall in the right place, so that I can catch whatever it is I am seeking. Maybe a spider's web or a shadow that looks intriguing when the light hits a log a certain way.

This is the February 5 prompt.

Join up at Kwizgiver's.

Thursday Thirteen

We are two weeks into a new administration. Here are 13 things that I find relieving and improved:

1. President Joe Biden wears blue socks with dogs on them.

2. I don't have to worry about what rant is being played out on Twitter.

3. The White House press briefings, which I listen to almost every day, are sane, mannerly, pleasant, and full of information.

4. Nobody's relatives are taking over various and sundry offices and projects.

5. There are dogs in the White House! Yay for the First Dogs!

6. Politeness is in, bullying is out. I can't tell you what a relief that is.

7. There is a national pandemic plan!

8. Masks are in, being obnoxious is out.

9. The President reads his daily intelligence briefings.

10. Voice of America has returned to real journalists and is no longer a pro-#45 propaganda machine.

11. Nobody cared how big the crowd was or was not at the inauguration.

12. We've rejoined the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization.

13. Dr. Anthony Fauci looks like he's had a 10-pound gorilla removed from his shoulders when he - not an ill-informed person - gives Covid briefings.

_____________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 693rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

February 4 Prompt

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

Unwritten By Natasha Beddingfield

   

I am unwritten 

Can't read my mind, I'm undefined 

I'm just beginning 

The pen's in my hand, ending unplanned 

 Staring at the blank page before you 

Open up the dirty window 

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find 

Reaching for something in the distance 

So close you can almost taste it 

Release your inhibitions 

 Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

The rest is still unwritten (uh, yeah) 

I break tradition 

Sometimes my tries, are outside the lines yeah, yeah 

We've been conditioned 

To not make mistakes, but I can't live that way oh, oh 

Staring at the blank page before you 

Open up the dirty window 

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find 

Reaching for something in the distance 

So close you can almost taste it 

Release your inhibitions 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

The rest is still unwritten 

Staring at the blank page before you 

Open up the dirty window 

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find 

Reaching for something in the distance 

So close you can almost taste it 

Release your inhibitions 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

The rest is still unwritten 

The rest is still unwritten 

 The rest is still unwritten 

Oh, yeah, yeah

February Prompts

I am always late on these monthly prompt things. I like to do them - they're good questions. I am borrowing the questions for February from my blogging friend Kwizgiver.

I will play catch up here, since I'm three days into the month.

1. What was the highlight of the last month?

A. Last month was a new year. Yay! I finished up most everything I needed to do for the taxes. Yay! Other than that, it was rather like 2020 - I was home most of the time because of the Covid-19 virus. The vaccines came out, but I have not yet received the shot. It may be some time before I have that opportunity.

2. What are you looking forward to this month?

A. I would like to get my vaccine shot. I hope the weather warms up and the greenish tint that heralds the arrival of spring becomes apparent.

3. What is a common misconception people have about you? What do you wish they knew?

A. I have long suspected many folks think I'm "uppity" when I'm really just introverted and shy. 

Remembering Beth

I learned over the weekend that a friend from high school had passed away - three years ago. I was sad because she had died and I was sad because I hadn't known about it.

We were very close in high school. You know how teenage girls can be - they hang out all over top of one another when they click with somebody. We shared a love of music - she played the piano - and I was a year older than she.

We played together in a Top-40 band, and so we were around one another a great deal. Hours and hours of practice, for one thing, and then the Friday and/or Saturday nights playing bars we weren't old enough to drink in but old enough to play music in.

We also had some interesting adventures together. She was with me when I backed my car into a pole at the market in Blue Ridge, where we'd stopped to by some sodas. Put a nice dent in the car, and I was terribly upset. She laughed it off.

We'd gone out shopping or something one Saturday afternoon, with a gig to play later that night, and on the way home she'd urged me to go the long way - which just happened to take us by a group of Hell's Angel's motorcycle folks who were camped out near Catawba Creek. We wanted to see what it looked like - and had been expressly forbidden by my mother to go that route.

As we drove by the encampment - I don't remember much about what we saw, tents and motorcycles, mostly - I ran over something in the road. I drove as far as I could on a flattening tire and then had to stop. We needed to be home in about an hour to change and go to our music gig. These were the days before cellphones, so we hoofed it up a long driveway and begged to use the phone. I called a friend of my father's and told him where I was, what I needed, and swore him to silence. He came and changed the tire and I limped the car home on the spare. (I learned to change a tire myself after that.) Unfortunately, the damage to the car was more than just a tire - I'd apparently ran over a knife and it ricocheted into the gas tank, cutting a hole in it.

Beth's dad ran an auto shop and he fixed it. I don't know if she ever confessed to our misdeed. I know I didn't, although I think my parents knew. I had called my father's friend, after all.

Our biggest gig was the night we played New Year's Eve at the Hotel Roanoke. This was during the disco era, so we played a lot of disco. Many of the songs I play today are songs I learned from being in the band. We had a repertoire of about 80 songs that we did well. I sang lead on a few of them, to give the lead singer a break occasionally, but mostly I played guitar. Everyone else sang backup and played their instrument.

Beth played an electric piano. She was good at it, and seemed to enjoy the band. I thought we all did.

By that time I was a senior in high school. The band broke up after I graduated (I wasn't the only senior), and I lost touch with Beth and the other band members much more quickly than I would have once thought possible.

I remember one day I passed her car as I was driving from home on some errand. I thought she was coming to see me, and I turned around. But she had not gone to my house. She was dating a guy who lived down the road from me. I had no idea.

Life moved on and while I was aware of where she was and who she was with, we weren't close friends anymore. I spent time with her around 1993 when she taught a self-defense course that I took. She was, as always, in good spirits, a very caring soul who could look at you and tell what you needed without hesitation.

I didn't see her again until I went to her father's funeral visitation in 2011. 

She'd been on my mind recently, so I wrote her aunt to ask for an update.

Her aunt told me she'd passed away. I was stunned. She was younger than I. She was a lively person. She was someone I have fond memories of. She was supposed to be off doing something fun, engaging in a new profession, I thought, since she'd retired already from her first job.

Life does not always turn out as one hopes, dreams, or plans. I have my memories, and that will have to be enough. I have no regrets here - not everyone you meet is meant to be in your life forever and we were never on bad terms with one another - but I would have gone to her funeral if I had known.

Cardinals in the Snow

The bird feeder seems to be particularly attractive to cardinals. They light in the tree in the front yard and take off from there to hit the feeder. They go back and forth. While the male is brighter, I find myself hunting out the females, to be sure they receive their time in the spotlight.

 

It Snowed! Huzzah!

The snow began falling Saturday night and fell into mid afternoon on Sunday. We ended up with about 7 inches on the ground.

Looking northeast on Sunday morning.

Looking straight north on Sunday morning

The backyard.

Husband and his tractor to the rescue!

I think he actually likes playing in the snow.

Looking northwest. I took this shot this morning.

Another shot from this morning. Skies are still grey.

This tall pine used to be a twin; a high wind some years ago knocked over the other one.

 

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What is your favorite animal and why?

A. I like deer. They are cautious yet curious, and lovely to look at it. The deer is also my spirit/totem animal.

2. Are people animals? What separates humans from animals?

A. I think people are animals, and some are more animal than people. Speech and the opposable thumb are two things that separate us from animals.

3. Which animal is the most dangerous?

A. Poisonous ones, like certain snakes and spiders.

4. What should you do if a bear approaches you?

A. Make yourself as big as you can and slowly back away. Do not turn your back and run. If you can make a lot of noise, that helps, too.

5. Do you like dogs? Why do people call the dog, man’s best friend?

A. I like dogs. I am highly allergic to all animals, but that doesn't mean I don't like them. People call dogs "man's best friend" because dogs are loyal and tend to consider their owners as part of their pack.

6. Do you enjoy going to the zoo? Some people consider zoos to be cruel environments for animals. What do you think?

A. I have not been to a zoo in 40 years. I think zoos have a place in ensuring survival of decimated species, but I am not keen to see animals caged up.

7. Where is the best place to see animals in your country? In the world?

A. In the United States, the best place to see animals would be Yosemite National Park. In the world, I assume on a safari in the Serengeti in Tanzania, Africa.

8. Are you a vegetarian? What makes some people give up eating meat?

A. I am not a vegetarian. I presume people give up meat because they don't like, or maybe for environmental and health reasons.

9. Which animal is most helpful to humans?

A. Since machines now perform most work performed by humans, at least in first world nations, companion animals such as dogs or cats are most helpful. In areas that depend upon animals for various uses, such as agriculture, oxen or horses might be most helpful. If you're drowning in the ocean, a dolphin is good to have around.

10. If you could be any animal (besides human), which animal would you like to be?

A. I would be a bird of some kind.

11. Who would win in a fight between a tiger and a lion?

A. I have no idea.

12. What do you think about hunting animals? Would you like to try it?

A. I think if you're going to eat the animal, it is ok. If you're simply shooting to have a trophy, then shame on you. I hunt animals with a camera, not a gun.

13. Books like “Watership Down” and “Animal Farm” give animals human characteristics like human thoughts or language. Is this how you think animals really are? Or are those really just stories about people?

A. Animals have a broad range of emotions and human-like characteristics. I have observed deer return to the spot where my husband killed a buck, for example, and appear to be searching for the one missing. I have seen squirrels gather around the body of a dead one, not to eat it, but as if saying goodbye. Certain animals mate for life and do not mate again if one dies. I suspect their thought processes are quite different than humans, but perhaps not as "bird brained" as one might think.

14. Some animals are endangered due to illegal poaching. How do you feel about this issue?

A. I think people should stop killing endangered animals.

15. If we can bring an extinct animal from the past back with genetic engineering, should we do it? Which animals should we bring back?

A. I think we should leave well enough alone. I would not bring any of them back, although I admit I would like to see a pterodactyl flying overhead.

_______________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Saturday 9: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (1973)

Unfamiliar with this song? Hear it here.

1) Bette Midler sings that the bugle boy wakes up Company B every morning by playing reveille. What awakened you this morning (phone, alarm clock, sunrise, etc.)? Or did you wake up on your own?

A. Alexa wakes me up in the mornings.

2) This single was produced by Bette's arranger/piano player, who went on to have a successful singing career of his own. Do you have a favorite Barry Manilow song?

A. I Write the Songs.

3) Bette was named after Bette Davis. Her sisters, Susan and Judy, were named for Susan Hayward and Judy Garland. So now we know who Mother Midler's favorite actresses were. Who are yours?

A. Meryl Streep, Gal Gadot, Melissa Benoist, Sharon Gless, Tyne Daly, Sandra Bullock, Kate Jackson, Nicole Kidman, et al. and not in that order.

4) Bette has been married since 1984 to artist Martin von Haselberg. She was 39 years old, already a star, and had never married before. Yet within six weeks of meeting him, she was so sure Martin was "the one" that they tied the knot. Have you found that love takes time, or, like Bette, have you fallen in love quickly?

A. I fell in love quickly. My husband and I met in October and I knew by Christmas we would marry, it was just a matter of time.

5) When their daughter Sophie was growing up, it was Martin who taught her to cook. What was the last thing you prepared in your kitchen? Did you use the microwave, stovetop, convection oven, blender, coffee maker . . .?

A. Microwave.

 
6) Bette says that listening and compromise have been the key to their happy marriage but adds, "Compromise is hardest of all." On what have you compromised recently?

A. My husband's retirement.

7) Bette and Martin have a farmhouse in upstate New York. She enjoys feeding the chickens (whom she has jokingly named The Kardashians) and puttering in her garden. Do you have a green thumb?

A. I have been told I do, but I haven't really gardened in a long time.

8) In 1973, the year this song was popular, actor Neil Patrick-Harris was born. He's best known as Barney on How I Met Your Mother, which ran from 2005-2014. Were you a fan?

A. No. I watched it a few times but it seemed rather pointless.

9) Random question -- How often do you put crackers in your soup: Always, often, seldom or never?

A. Often.

______________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

A Dusting of Snow

Thursday morning we woke to a few inches of snow. It was enough to make the roads slightly treacherous but otherwise not a big deal. We are expecting more snow this weekend, however.

 

Thursday Thirteen

Things I fear:

1. Losing my husband.

2. Losing my brother.

3. Losing other people I love.

4. Authoritarianism 

5. The patriarchy

6. Snakes

7. Surgery

8. Losing my eyesight

9. Worsening health

10. Not thinking clearly

11. Mean people

12.  Rats

13. Losing myself

_____________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 692nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Not Everything is Political

The discourse continues to be vulgar and dismaying.

This morning, the first entry on my Facebook feed came from author Nora Roberts decrying the awful comments on a post from yesterday, when she announced that Netflix was making a movie out of one of her books. The movie would star Alyssa Milano.

I don't know who Alyssa Milano is. I've heard the name but until I go look her up here in just a second, I am clueless.

She's 48 years old. I have not watched a single thing she's ever starred in. She comes up as a political activist and apparently has something to do with the "me too" movement in 2017. She campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and endorsed Joe Biden. Apparently she is therefore a bad person because she's a Democrat.

So, apparently, is Nora Roberts.

This is important, because we have all lost our way. Social media plays a big role in how we relate to one another today - not as human beings, but as blobs behind keyboards. We aren't looking one another in the eye to speak. We're casting about with our personal agonies being thrown against others, who actually have nothing whatsoever to do with whatever one might be feeling. We need to own our feelings and deal with it, internally and alone, not send that out in the world. The world didn't do whatever it is one thinks it did. The world simply is.

I read the comments on the announcement. It is the same stuff I see elsewhere on TV station news, the local papers, etc. "Libtards are bad and I will never watch this movie." Name calling from adults is so 2016. Isn't it time to grow up, at least a little?

Neither Nora Roberts nor Alyssa Milano knows the majority of the world, and have done nothing to engender such acrimony. If you disagree with either or both of them, keep it to yourself. That is what we used to do. You know, back when people actually spoke to one another.

I will let Ms. Roberts speak for herself here:

I’ve read many of the comments on Laura’s announcement of the Brazen Virtue adaption for Netflix, starring Allysa Milano. And I’m simply and sincerely appalled.

The vitriol, the hatred, the anger, the bitterness and the demands are astounding to me. 

. . . I keep politics off my pages. That’s my choice. Now many readers have dragged their own onto this page, so I’m going to state, for the record. I’m a liberal Democrat. always have been, always will be. And as one, I’ve always believed everyone has a right to their political beliefs, and has a right to express their opinions. But I don’t have to tolerate insults and ugliness on my page. 

For those who want to claim Freedom of Speech—look it up. This FB page isn’t the government. Some have comments on here using ‘liberal’ as a slur, an insult, equating it with communism. Others have used outright slurs against an actress, while claiming she should keep her opinions to herself. (No doubt those same people would be quick to assert their own First Amendment rights.)

Some will never read me again because Milano will headline this adaption. One reader stated she intended to BURN all my books in her collection for this choice of actress.

. . .

Over this past long, hard year, we’ve lost over 400,000 friends, loved ones, neighbors to COVID. We’ve been isolated from each other, and I for one yearn for the company of my pals again. I wonder, truly, why this grief, this hardship hasn’t taught so many of us we need each other. Instead, as illustrated by that comment section, it’s hardened far too many into an us and them mentality.

The viciousness I read in too many comments below hurts my heart. And realizing because I’m a liberal Democrat, many of those comments are directed at me for that reason alone is a real eye-opener.

Watch the movie when it comes out, or don’t. But lobbing nastiness at an actress or threatening me doesn’t do anything but illustrate your own limitations.

You go, Ms. Roberts.

 

Vultures

 

Beau of the Fifth Column

I have been watching this fellow on youtube who looks like he comes from the farm here in my county.

However, he is well-spoken, apparently educated, and well-followed, given the hundreds of thousands of views his videos receive.

He recently did one that cited #45 accomplishments. Twelve accomplishments and two negatives, because, as he said, it was his video.

So for my #45 supporting readers, if there are any left, here you go. It's six minutes or so. Watch to the end.

 

Here's the link he lists on his video.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Which is more romantic: an expensive, glittering bouquet OR flowers that were hand picked as they grew beside the parkway?

A. I'm allergic to either one, so neither. I'm happy with a smooch.

2. Do you know yourself well enough to understand why you feel the way you do?

A. After years of therapy, I'd better know that.

3. Which do you do more often: let movies, songs and books put your feelings into words for you or put your feelings into words by yourself?

A. I do both.

4. Do you believe celebrities when they are endorsing a product?

A. No.

5. What kind of movies do you wish were made more often?

A. Movies with strong female leads. Not necessarily fantasies, like Wonder Woman, but other movies. For instance, why couldn't Pretty Woman be done again with the roles reversed?

6. Does fashion matter to you?

A. No. It never has.

7. Should politicians be held to the same legal standards as everyone else?

A. Yes. Everyone should be held to the same legal standards regardless of wealth, color, gender, etc.

8. If you became president, whom would you invite to sing at your inauguration?

A. Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, and Dolly Parton.

9. Do you try to write/say what you are feeling in a true and simple way?

A. I didn't know there was any other way to write it.

 

10. What is your worst daily habit?

A. I sniff. I have constant sinus drainage. (It used to be biting my nails but I have (mostly) stopped this with the pandemic. I tried for 50 years to break that happen and it took a pandemic to do it.)

11. If you had your choice which one TV show would you have canceled?

A. None of them. Just because I don't like them, doesn't mean others wouldn't. Although on second thought, maybe Fox & Friends should go off the air.

12. Do you like the taste of sweet or salt?

A. I like them both.

13. Are you very precise about what words you use to describe your feelings and thoughts?

A. I try to be.

14. What do you feel the most guilty about?

A. Not having a job.

15. Do you meditate?

A. I try to meditate. I do not do it very well.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them. (#370)