A blog about anything or sometimes about nothing. A place for me to write and post my feelings or opinions on things ranging from parenting to waiting tables to living in America to daily observations and my personal experiences. Sometimes I just want to give people a humorous read and make them laugh at the end of a trying day.
I was dragged kicking and screaming into the huge Technopolis of the w.w.w. phenomenon (way back) when every body used a dial up connection to access the internet.
I didn't own a cell phone until I was forty years old, if that tells you anything.
I was that Flintstone who took her first wireless mouse back to Circuit City after it quit working, less than a year later. Turned out it just needed new batteries. I didn't even know it had batteries... the woman (older than me) behind the service desk said, "How'dcha think it worked, baby...by magic?"
After watching The social Dilemma (twice) and doing a whole lotta of thinking and praying, I need to distance myself from most all things social media, including the need to have my cell phone in my hand or within five feet of me, twenty fours hours a day.
Social media (media in general) has turned into nothing more than spewed forth venom and hate; mostly by keyboard cowards, but absolutely designed to suck souls into an unwinnable fight....while all the while, they make trillions of dollars by doing their best to control our every click, swipe, Like or search.
No wonder I was turning into such a bitch.
I'm out. I'm done. I'm over it.
Instead I'll just be me and not worry about what others think. Why should I care what other people think about me, if I live the best life I know how, just like my parents did... and taught me to do?
I'm covered, in my own humble opinion.
Someone asked me if I watched the debate.
Nope.
That, my friends...is also mind control.
Didn't we all see that debate coming over the backyard fence?
I knew how it was going to go down, and how it'd end up. I knew both sides would come out swinging, no matter what... and once again we would look like morons to the rest of the world.
It's almost like I'm a fortune teller...(not) but sure do love Coelho.
I think the most profound thing I learned from watching The Social Dilemma was this:
I'd much rather get a letter in the snail mail from someone I know, than a meme, gif, link, emoji or video.
Since when do we need to know every single thought every single other person has?
Once again, no wonder my head hurts.
I need to worry more about what kind of person "I" am, instead of worrying about others.
Hopefully if I do, everything else will fall into place.
And if it doesn't, at least I'll know I did my part, the best way I knew how...and can feel pretty good about it.
None of my kids are perfect, just like the parents who raised them...
but will say with firm conviction, that all three have turned out to be excellent human beings.
What a long strange trip it's been, and wouldn't change one mile of the journey even if I could.
After two boys, we had a girl.
She entered this world a four pound fighter, almost three months early from the jump, and it almost killed us both.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
And it did.
So appears it's Daughter's Day via the big brother website known as social media.
I try and not get on social media or watch "news shows" much anymore. It's toxic and drains my soul.
Had it been Sons' Day I would have skipped this post completely...my boys would never notice or read it, although their sister would most certainly make both of them aware of it, after the fact.
Boys...go figure.
So anyway, shout out to an especially spectacular daughter.
In every way.
You didn't say ten words your first three years... but somehow turned out to be an amazing and incredible vocal advocate of everything positive, true, equal and fair.
It was a good day for this planet when almost three months early my placenta ruptured, connecting you to me. I lost over five pints of blood, your tiny self lost one, and everyone was worried. You battled through.
And this world gained a hero that day.
You.
For everything that that gets on my nerves about you (usually laundry related) there are a million more things which absolutely astonish me.
So here's to you...and I salute you.
I wish I'd been half the young woman you are, when I was your age.
I can hardly wait to see how far you go...and how kindly you speak about my crazy self once you get there.
It was the most intriguing albeit disturbing hour and an half I've spent in quite a while.
And a lot of things disturb me lately.
Now I know why.
It's finally happened.
Big Brother is not only watching us, but running the whole damn show!
And by '"whole damn show" I mean all of us.
The poor, the rich, the middle class, the successful and the unsuccessful. The red and yellow, black and white (old school term) and absolutely any other color or blend of ethnicities thereof... which include every religion and belief you can name or think of. Terrorists and hater mongers. Atheists' and Bible thumpers. Toss in democrats, republicans, independents, non voters and voters. Add the lovers and the haters, the skeptics and the sheep blindly following anyone who knows how to copy and paste.
This also includes people who are pretty stinking smart (not my category) and people who aren't too smart (my category) and complete morons. The rest is just a huge gray area of people who simply click 'Like' on something and believe it to be the gospel (no matter what religion or belief they have).
It's one big ole sad sack of Do-Do, and totally not reality, or even close to factual.
How did we become so complacent and easily swayed?
Why do we hate so many things and think our way of thinking is the only way of thinking?
I was blogging the other night on my computer in our living room. Tim was behind me watching the Braves on our smart TV.
During a commercial we (Tim and I) talked about when we bought our first new house in Georgia. I told him I had seen a commercial about house warranties which cover all major appliances, windows, roofs and such. We had one when we bought our Newnan house but never used it. It was ten years down the road before anything broke and kinda forgot about it by that point.
Fast forward to another night.
Tim 's first day back at work after being on (stay)cation for a week. He got home late, after seven. I was already blogging on the computer. He heated up dinner in the kitchen and sat behind me once again with a TV tray in front of him, watching the Bravos... again.
We talked about this and that (during commercials) as I pecked away at my keyboard.
Once I told what I was blogging about, he mentioned the strangest thing.
He said today while he was at work, he got a couple of emails about extended home warranties, out of the blue.
He commented he may have thought it was strange at first, but seemed to make a lot more sense now.
My God.
They are listening to us...literally and figuratively.
I told my daughter tonight after she got home from work...I can (and do) track her from her parking lot at work until she pulls into our driveway most every night
Granted that is one aspect of technology a mother loves.
I told her I wanted to get off the Net. I want to get off social media and strictly use my cell for phone calls only.
If I'm going to put my story and feelings out here, I want it to do some good...not be a part of the problem, but the way to a solution.
I don't need (or want) algorithms dictating and/or shoving things in the direction of only their success.
I want success for everyone.
Shouldn't we all?
We were broke for ten years. We almost lost everything...including our house.
I never knew "touch and go" could last a decade but it did.
Yet here we are, ten years down the road from when this picture was taken. I still don't know how we both smiled.
We're in a new state, with a new house (after almost three years) and new jobs.
I'm the rebel on a corner which many, many people pass each and every day.
Ziggy's barking seems to draw attention to us on a daily basis.
That's my boy!
I don't care who is or isn't looking at me or trying to feed me their hype.
I'm not a felon, not a pedophile, not a hater, not a bad person (in general) or someone who will blindly follow a link or post...and pass it on as the truth.
When did we stop thinking for ourselves...and let computers do it for us?
The more we log on, the more ammo they get, and use against us, for their own good.
It's no wonder this country is a shit show, we all log into it on an hourly basis.
I'm checking my own self out a bit. I am weaning from the cyber teat.
It is not our friend...it is our problem.
I think that is why I enjoy writing so much, whether it be here on my blog or on paper with a pen. I send off about five letters every single week via snail mail. The response I get back is an absolute positive one, and tends to make people genuinely happy to just receive them. It's a nice feeling to think you've put a smile on someone's face with the simplest of gestures. I'm on a first name basis with our mail carrier, Louie (awesome guy)and keep him plenty busy. Besides letter writing, I've found another way to do (a small) something for someone , to brighten their day just a bit. Whenever scrolling
the dastardly cyber highway and come across a really cool picture someone posts, whether it be of them or some place special to them...I save it to my own files. At least my stalking has good intentions. I use the app for the Walgreens nearest me and order hard copies of the photos after I edit them to what I want to send. They cost about fifteen cents and are ready in about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, on my occasional stops by Goodwill to browse, I pick up old 4x6 pictures frames, they are usually less than a dollar. I bring them home and take them apart, clean the glass and polish the frame itself. Then I frame my edited/stolen pics and mail them off in small boxes to the different recipients. Usually I don't even include a note or card at all.
No need to.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
My daughter ordered me a small scale so I could weigh each box after packing pictures up to mail. I can pay for postage and print the labels off on my printer, apply them to the box and hand them all off to Louie when he comes by my house to drop off our own mail. Massey calls me a creeper, but adds I'm a good creeper.
With all the craziness, sadness and outright horrible things going on in this world on a daily basis... why not take a minute out of your own day to try and make someone else smile if you can?
My husband refuses to discuss politics...with anyone, including me... and I admire him for that. My father and mother were the same way. I never once heard politics talked about at home when I was growing up. Tim will listen to me go on for a minute (or two) but always stops me and says he's not going to talk about it with me.
I think that's the way we all should be.
Don't talk about it, do something about it.
As I was blogging away the next night while he watched the Braves on TV behind me (notice our pattern) during a commercial he actually said something to me that made my own day. He said as selfish as this world can be, he's never met or known a more giving person than me. Number one: that means he hasn't met a whole bunch of folks. Number two: he may be (borderline) approaching delusionality.
Number three: it warmed my heart just to hear him say it, whether it's true or not.
We all have our backs up. We all point fingers but very few of us take the time to look in the mirror.
With all his own problems and demons, my favorite song by Michael Jackson sums it up very precisely, and I will leave you with his (and my)thoughts on it.
Tim drove up to Georgia this week to have our taxes done. I know, that's a pretty far drive just to file a tax return, but when the IRS has been following and hounding you for ten years, it's best to stick with an accountant who has been there from the jump. We still have to give the IRS our refund for two more years but then should be free and clear...after almost ten years of threats, notifications, emails and them taking our refund year after year after year.
Hindsight is 20/20. We learned that lesson the hard way. Never go into business with someone you don't really trust to begin with. We ended up stuck with a $28,000 debt from unpaid payroll taxes. It's water under the bridge now, but was a lesson in humility, determination, faith and love. We are all the wiser for it. We now have zero credit card debt (actually no credit cards at all) and finally beginning to save and invest towards our future...if you consider sixty years old the time to start saving in earnest.
Call us slow learners...you won't be wrong.
Better late than never; that's our motto!
It's been an adjustment for me, not working, after forty years of full time employment as a server.
Of course I miss the money, but I actually miss the "waitressing" even more. I had gotten pretty good at it (once again, slow learner here) and got a kick out of people leaving my table thinking what a great bargain they had gotten by simply having me as a server.
Serving is totally a psychological gig; backed up with (and by) excellent skills and tremendous knowledge. You want people leaving your table feeling happy they dropped well over a hundred bucks on a meal for two.
So there's that adjustment. Also, the reason I'm out of work is frightening as well. I'm sixty years old and a former smoker who managed to quit three years ago. I listen to every doctor, scientist and medical professional on the news and heed their advice...to the letter.
Maybe I'm not that slow a learner!
People amaze me listening to the politicians more than the health officials.
My god, it's not political, it's scientific fact.
I think that is when I started to lose my mind recently, especially on social media.
Yes, I'm admitting it.
People, their ignorance, hatred, and politics in general are driving me (even more) insane. I think I finally have it figured out though and take a tiny bit of comfort in it.
Number one:
We're all drinking the Kool-Aid if we back either presidential candidate, or any candidate for that matter. Pick your poison, choose your crook, elect the lesser of the two evils. They are all in cahoots with somebody, for something, on some level.
True fact.
I don't think there has been an honest politician in the Oval Office since Jimmy Carter, and dare you to prove me wrong.
I highly doubt anyone could.
He reminds me of my own Diddy. A good man, through and through.
Ask anyone who was lucky enough to know him.
We all sure miss him. September eighteenth made it eighteen years.
So I'm going to quit letting people, posts, memes and comments work me into a frenzy.
I wish it could help but it doesn't, so why let it?
It's not like we're going to change either of our minds or another person's.
It's wasted effort.
I'm not completely thrilled with either presidential candidate in this election, but truly (and firmly) believe one opponent is a pretty horrible person who has said and done some really horrible things. With that said (and proven time after time) I'm going with the one who doesn't make me cringe every single time he opens his mouth to speak.
That's just me, but what kind of person would I be, to support someone I had no faith in and didn't trust as far as I could throw him?
Instead I will focus on doing my part to contribute any way I can, for causes I believe in... and feel are vital for us to have a peaceful coexistence.
I will encourage every single person I know or have any interaction with (even from behind a mask) to vote not only on November third, but to vote in absolutely each and every election...every time...for every office.
No exceptions.
From your local HOA election to every city, county, district, state and national election.
That's how you get real change...and for Pete's sake, it's not even hard to do! You can even do it without having to leave your home...and it's free!
We can't get rid of the big crooks until we get rid of the little crooks, and if we don't get rid of the little crooks, they'll turn into the next big crooks.
Has history taught us nothing?
I'm not going to let things bother me like I have been. It's not a healthy way to live. If what I believe to be true about the current administration is true, it will all come out in the wash...even if we have to wait four more years to be charged, prosecuted, or at the very least held accountable; the slow moving wheels of justice will hopefully prevail in the end.
I'm just worried about in the meantime. I've never seen more mudslinging and viciousness...from both sides of the aisle.
All I can hope for in November is that the lesser of the evils will win...and we can build from there.
