"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a week here in Old Orleans before we can leave to head up north to Chicago."
Mattie 3.0, whom I had learned had been defictionalized in a process the IntransiGents had stolen from the military during one of the Uprisings ... defictionalized from one of my very own stories that I had written before I stepped through the portal created by my cell phone app and found myself in 2084 ... broke the news to me gently.
"A week in New Orleans can't be a bad thing!" I replied, mostly under my breath.
"OLD Orleans," he immediately corrected. "And that's the problem -- you will need to do so AND still fit in. Just because you have a Population Control Board stamp on your entry papers doesn't mean that people are going to stop asking questions or being suspicious."
I bowed my head, slightly ashamed at my slip.
Mattie 3.0 continued. "You should understand that if you and I and Captain Sandy and the IntransiGents all know that the Fourth Uprising is being planned -- so does the government. You don't want to get on their radar. I don't want you to get ME on their radar."
"Of course. I'm sorry. I won't do it again," I offered up as penance.
My attempt at an apology didn't seem to placate Mattie 3.0, because he spoke even more emphatically in response.
"YOU aren't supposed to be here. I'M not supposed to be here. BOTH of us exist in 2084 due to technology that ONLY the government is supposed to have. EITHER one of us could lead them to the rest of the IntransiGents. BOTH of us taken together could bring down the whole movement."
There I sat in the sex-porium booth, being lectured to by a fictional character I had once created decades before because my early-2000's-mind wasn't using the appropriate 2084-language in casual conversation. I felt like maybe I should have been given a break. Mattie 3.0 clearly didn't agree.
I decided it was in my best interest to try and change the subject.
"So ..." I breathed in and exhaled slowly to communicate my intent to do just that. "Where will I be staying whilst we wait to begin our journey up north?" I queried.
"That's been arranged," he said straight-forwardly. "You'll need to meet me back here at the end of my shift. I still have to make the coins we'll need for our trip ..."
As for the rest of the story about my night on the town, I'll have to wait until the last day of the month next to share as the loophole when the VitalNet updates each month is soon closing. Until then, I remain Ilion in 2084, communicating with you about the future via Troy in 2018's social media account, having been brought here by t1a7n72.lif (my IQ, EQ and SQ files that live on for eternity).
Until the next time ... be sure to take care of each other -- 'cause I'm afraid it gets worse before it gets better. Just know that I trust and believe in our collective ability to get us through what lies ahead.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/30/18
... I realize that this is going to sound a little like Veruca Salt ...
... I want access to a new arctic coke icy beverage machine and I want it now!
How excited was I to hear that my fave Coca-Cola could be slushified directly in the bottle using NASA technology -- or, as they say in the accompanying article below/to follow: "Arctic Coke vibrates the bottle and sends an invisible shiver through the liquid, forming ice crystals in a fraction of a second ..."?! Hint: I was very very excited.
How surprised was I to learn that this has been on the market since June 2016, when it launched in a handful of convenience stores in Indy?! Hint: I was very very surprised.
How disappointed was I to discover, via the "find an arctic coke" map, that a recent expansion puts the special machines ALL up and down the west coast and in Minnesota and Missouri (and all the 'Kum and Go' stores in Des Moines, Iowa [not a typo]) but ONLY up and down the west coast and in Minnesota and Missouri (and all the 'Kum and Go' stores in Des Monies, Iowa [still not a typo])?! Hint: I was very very disappointed.
How can they not even be in Atlanta, the home of the Coca Cola company? And why are they in Minnesota, where you could probably get the desired effect just by sitting the bottle outside for a minute or two most days of the year? And who could possibly be in charge of this product launch who doesn't know that it gets pretty darn hot down here in the SoFlo -- and that I , who consumes all kinds of coca cola products, am now forced to live in an area currently un-arcitic-ified? Is this not America?
Veruca herself done said it best:
I want the works
I want the whole works
Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
Of all shapes and sizes
And now
Don't care how
I want it now
Don't care how
I WANT IT NOW!
SO HERE'S WHAT NASA'S BEEN DOING NOW THAT THE SPACE SHUTTLE IS DONE:
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/arctic-coke-cutting-edge-coolers-make-icy-magic-in-convenience-stores-across-the-u-s
SO HERE'S HOW YOU SEE IF YOU ARE IN THE SAME BOAT AS I AM:
http://arctic.coca-cola.com/store-finder/index.html
SO HERE'S VERUCA SALT IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zcVnNwAHys
Monday, June 25, 2018
Random Memorial for Monday 6/25/18
As a reminder, this isn't any kind of dig against the singer -- it's just that it's her turn to get purged from the cassette collection because there is an identical version of the release in with the CDs (and even though those tricky millennials *tried* to make cassettes a thing again, it doesn't seem like it's going to stick).
So fare thee well, "virginal" Madonna (and is there any more an appropriate use of those air quotes) ... and since I have to pick a tune to accompany the image, I'm going to go with her cover of Ross Royce's song (something I didn't even know *was* a cover until I went fact checking this post -- although, let's face it, I was only six years old when the original came out in the late 70's). For that matter, I might as well break my rules (they are MY rules after all) and post BOTH versions of 'Love Don't Live Here Any More' ...
MADONNA GOT ABANDONED:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY1UdLLw7TQ
BUT ROSS ROYCE GOT ABANDONED FIRST:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5gFAiPJhvI
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/24/18
... the mango harvest!
And this year, "harvest" might just be the right word. The first one fell just over a fortnight ago ... and then a few more got turned into a bag of pieces currently frozen in the freezer waiting to be turned into a few smoothies ... and *this* is the haul tonight (which will become two more bags to be put on ice) ... plus the tree still has about two dozen up on the branches.
Interestingly enough, this year's output is exponentially better than last year because of Hurricane Irma, which took out half of the foliage that was competing for the resources needed for the little mango tree. So now it's all about figuring out what to do with so many mango pieces ... so many many ... like almost TOO many ...
If I were my ancestors, I'd pack up and take the stash to the local farmers' markets ... but instead, we're just going to keep on filling up the freezer and rest comfortably knowing that if one of the many versions of potential apocalypses (apocalypsi?) actually begin, we'll have a food source (at least for the summer months each year) ... so there's that.
FANCY PANTS MANGO RECIPES:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/mango-recipes
WHY ALL THE MANGOS ARE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE:
https://www.fairchildgarden.org/Events-Community-Outreach/Events-Details/the-history-of-mangos-in-south-florida
WHAT'S THE PLURAL OF APOCALYPSE (AND DOES IT MATTER?):
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/229610/what-is-the-plural-form-of-apocalypse
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/23/18
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...... although I understand the concept of counter-programming in the television world, I was more than a bit surprised to see that the NFL network was trying to steal away the RuPaul's Drag Race crowd this past Friday.
But sure enough ... there it was in my TV Guide ... captured in print and memorialized now forever in this photo. During the reunion special edition featuring Ru and her girls, the NFL network was trying to engage the same audience by airing an hour long documentary on "the tuck rule".
I get that there are over 500 channels and a lot of cord-cutters and how every set of eyes on a program helps sell advertising and so on and so on and so on ... but in a TV world where there are a lot of efforts to consciously promote a world full of inclusion where everyone is equally respected, the NFL's strategy to try to take away viewers smacks of unfair play. I'm guessing I should blame the commissioner (or Colin K, whom I also know to be a popular NFL scapegoat).
DISCLAIMER: There exists the probability that "the tuck rule" in football might be something other than "the tuck rule" in drag. To be fair, though, my first hand experience with football was limited to a single pee wee practice back in the early eighties when I was super-super-tiny.
ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: #teamEureka
THE SCIENCE OF COMPETITIVE PROGRAMMING:
https://etsumcom.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/212867867-TELEVISION-PROGRAMMING
THE NFL's TUCK RULE:
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/01/nfl-tuck-rule-game-new-england-patriots-oakland-raiders-what-if
THE RUPAUL's TUCK RULE:
http://www.vh1.com/shows/rupauls-drag-race
Friday, June 22, 2018
Random Flashback for Friday 6/22/18
Unlike last week's photo, where I lamented that almost everything pictured no longer existed, I am pretty sure that the opposite is true in this case (except for the last-millennium technology [i.e. the corded phone and the big box TV/VCR combo]). It's funny to think that the Bat-collection was once that small (it has its own *cave* in the current house).
Also pictured there almost cut off in the left side of the photo -- Mauler's stash of food seeing as how she shared this room with me (by the summer of '98, Demon the OG pit bull had his own bedroom at the end of the hall, Little One the turtle had entered into his final hibernation under the futon in the attic and Little One the Ferret was enjoying the caged life [except for when he was let out to teach Mauler a trick or two]).
And if you haven't figured out by now, back then I was already well on my way to enjoying the company of animals over humans most of the time ...
Monday, June 18, 2018
Random Memorial for Monday 6/18/18
Just in case you missed it, there mixed in with all of the recent celebrity death news was an alert that the last living munchkin from the 'Wizard of Oz' had died.
He *did* make it to the ripe old age of 98, so there's that. Although he allegedly dealt with dementia toward the end, so there's *also* that. And, from the rumors around the set, those little people lived life in the fast lane (one story says that one got stuck in a toilet in a party and had to be saved by Judy herself).
In the words of the Lollipop Guild themselves, "from now on, you'll be history" ... and, of course, you will be missed (but at least some of the Oompa Loompas are still alive).
AND NOW THERE ARE NO MORE MUNCHKINS:
https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/last-living-wizard-of-oz-munchkin-jerry-maren-dead-at-98-w521154
THOSE MUNCHKINS WERE WILD AND CRAZY LITTLE PEOPLE:
https://www.ranker.com/list/wizard-of-oz-behind-the-scenes-stories/erin-mccann
"FROM NOW ON, YOU'LL BE HISTORY ..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XzFNLJIpUQ
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/17/18
... a giant multi-million dollar pedestrian bridge across the New River -- for the children.
Just a few weeks after the decision was made to pull the plug on the wave streetcar project ('cause, you know, it's not the 1880's in San Francisco) despite millions and millions of dollars having already been spent, the latest big money project potentially in the works has made the front page of the local paper.
Apparently, there are some school kids who have to deal with a well known dirty skinny stinking old tunnel on the big highway coming into town that goes underneath the river ... and since the cost to replace said tunnel was ruled way too expensive, other alternatives were evaluated. The only problem is there is some debate and discussion whether any number of pedestrians -- school age or otherwise -- are actually affected, and there are some less costly options that are on the list. By the way -- the image accompanying this picture portrays an 80 foot tall option because it needs to be that tall to not interfere with the majority of the boats that also feed the local economy.
Here's hoping that whatever they decide, they decide to NOT hire the same folks that built a little pedestrian bridge down in Miami at FIU (a final report about that horrifically fatal collapse was *also* in the news this week).
IS THAT A BIG BRIDGE OR ARE YOU JUST HAPPY TO SEE ME:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-sb-new-river-overpass-20180606-story.html
ANOTHER PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE BACK IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article212571434.html
25 MILLION IS *NOTHING* COMPARED TO THESE EXPENSIVE BRIDGES:
https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/the-biggest/the-10-most-expensive-bridges-ever-built/
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/16/18
... y'all need to LEAVE TURKEYS ALONE!
And yes, if you're of a certain age, you should be reading that all cap exhortation in the style of Chris Crocker. (Don't worry -- if you don't know what drove that particular Chris to his particular fame, I'll provided a link below/to follow so you can get all pop-cultured-up.)
Lookit, I've previously gone on record in saying that attempts to replace bacon with less tasty substitutes like turkey bacon (or ham) on a buffet line are NOT appreciated (as happened to me in back to back years at company meetings -- back before the Trumpster took those away from us [long story for another post]).
As such, you can imagine my shock and dismay when I pulled the cart up next to the Turkey Pepperoni the last time we were grocery shopping. I'm just going to say it -- if you can't handle the regular pepperoni made up of the porks and the beefs, then fry up some freakin' kale instead.
Mind you -- don't get it twisted. It might be said that I have ulterior motives. Here's the thing: I want my turkeys to be able to spend all year long feeling free and being relaxed and living large so that they are able to eat themselves into big healthy birds for the holiday feasts (in our house, we do turkey for both our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals). My fear is that if they have to be worried all year long that someone might grab them in the middle of the night to become a faux 'roni (or worse -- faux bacon), then they are going to be living a life of fear that will turn them into skinny scrawny things in a few months when me and mine are primed to eat them.
So stop it. Stop it now. Stop making the turkey bacon. Stop making the turkey soda. Stop making the turkey doritos. (See the link below/to follow for those monstrosities.) And most especially, stop making the turkey pepperoni! LEAVE THE TURKEYS ALONE!
THE CHRIS CROCKER OF WHOM I SPEAK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqSTXuJeTks
THE THANKSGIVING FLAVORED FOOD LIST:
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/thanksgiving-flavored-foods-no-idea-existed
IF YOU CAN'T DO THE PEPPERONI, THEN DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON THE TURKEY:
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/pepperoni-slices-healthy-3889.html
Monday, June 11, 2018
Random Memorial for Monday 6/11/18
'Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Greatest Hits of Kenny Loggins' is *most definitely* in said collection, because it's one of the ones I'm sure to grab any time there is a road trip being planned.
How to choose just one tune to feature as we say goodbye to this great greatest hits release? It's safe knowing that any choice will be one of quality, but since I have to pick just one ('cause those are the rules for this concept), I'm going to go for all the wistfulness and the full circularity and the Amy Grant guest star appearance that all make up 'Back to Pooh Corner'. The fact that my own bio-moms used to tell me that the "wonderful thing about tiggers" was "that tiggers are wonderful things" as a form of encouragement to just be me had nothing to do with this choice. Maybe.
"I swear that old bear whispered, 'boy, welcome home'" ...
TIGGERS *ARE* WONDERFUL THINGS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syU3NDkZPvs
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/10/18
Suicides. Suicide prevention. The loss of Kate Spade. And especially the loss of Anthony Bourdain.
Not that it's a competition or anything -- it's just that I had less of a connection to Kate. Anthony, on the other hand, felt like a bigger loss. He had used the power of his celebrity to make you feel like you knew him -- like you had taken him along with you on your travels. For sure, me and mine, when planning a trip, would make a point to see if he had already been there and if a one hour travelogue could then inform our itinerary.
The other power of celebrity is that it gets people talking about subjects in a certain focused way. Suicide rates in the US have been rising since 1999 (except in Nevada, for reasons unclear) but let a celebrity do it, and everybody is going to have an opinion. By the way -- that in and of itself is not necessarily a *bad* thing -- as conversations might help to reduce some of the stigma around suicide specifically ... and mental health in general.
I've lost family ... and friends who may as well have been family ... to suicide. In addition, I've dealt with those who have attempted the act, and those who have threatened to do so as a cry for help. Me personally, I once stood in the basement of our broken home in Lebanon in front of my dad's workshop, looking at all the knives and scissors he brought home to sharpen week to week as a little side business he did at the family stand at Green Dragon, the farmers' market held every Friday a few towns over. I distinctly remember that feeling of not being able to see a viable future ... not being able to understand how to possibly get through the pains of the day ... not being able to imagine a world where you would even be missed. Such sharp blades, right there for the taking ... the slitting ... the plunging ... for the infliction of temporary pain to release the burden of the permanent pain.
Two things saved me -- well, two things in that moment. One -- my dad also had a tabletop vice right there on the workbench, and my emotionally underdeveloped high school mind started to consider whether I could vice myself to death instead. By introducing logic into my thoughts, the moment started to pass. Two -- I had an escape from my world of troubles ... because I was working hard on building a separate space at school that was my safe zone -- to the extent that I would use the time on my walk there each day to shed my problems and to transform into someone that was in control of his life. And I could do that because I was finding my people ... and building a support system of adults who would eventually guide me through my decision to run away from home and to be truly independent.
That story doesn't scratch the surface of everything and everybody that got me out of the 80's and into the 90's ... but I share it tonight to highlight some of the truisms that have been spouted in the last few days. You don't know the things with which people are dealing. You don't know if a well honed coping mechanism might actually be covering some depth of despair. You don't know if someone is counting on you to play a key role in their support system.
So instead of turning it around on the depressed person and telling them to get it together and to reach out for help, recognize that depression causes people to shut down and to resist communication, so it behooves YOU to be the one taking action. The graphic accompanying this image is a great start for how you can arm yourself with specific ways that you might be of help ... because these problems aren't going away in a nation that doesn't yet know how to properly address mental illness.
Connect. Listen. Change someone's life. Do it now. Time may just be of the essence.
THE SUICIDE CRISIS COULD BE THE NEXT OPIOID CRISIS:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/07/617897261/cdc-u-s-suicide-rates-have-climbed-dramatically
WHY EVERYONE IS MAYBE FEELING THIS LOSS A LITTLE MORE:
https://www.vox.com/2018/6/8/17442194/anthony-bourdain-ally-marginalized-voices
WELL *SOME* PEOPLE HAVE IDEAS FOR FIXING THE MENTAL ILLNESS CRISIS:
https://blog.samhsa.gov/2015/02/18/five-point-plan-to-improve-the-nations-mental-health/#.Wx8JfO4vzZ4
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/9/18
[remember, raving at least once a month instead of ranting every Saturday is better for my health]
... I'm not mad at ya, Freeform's version of Marvel's 'Cloak & Dagger'. Not one bit. Not even EIGHT bits, each of them explained below:
I'm not mad at that first big scene that opened up the show (I thought it was going to be something I watched in the background and I couldn't look away) ... I'm not mad at that distinctly New Orleans setting (it's a town to which we owe an overdue visit, so it's nice to see familiar places) ... I'm not mad at it's excellent use of music (even if it did pluck the emotional heartstrings and cause a tear or two at times) ... I'm not mad at Gloria Reuben making the most out of any scene she's in (in a quiet subtle powerful way, not in a scenery-chewing way) ... I'm not mad at seeing a novel origin story (as I'm not familiar with the source comics) ... I'm not mad at the courage to upend stereotypes (the *white* girl's from the wrong side of the tracks instead of the black boy this time) ... I'm not mad at the acting chops on those youths (especially that Brie-not-Brie-but-maybe-better-than-Brie Brie Larson lookalike) ... AND I'm *especially* not mad at the excellent handling of the concept of coping with loss that seems to be the undercurrent of the show's episodes so far.
I have a feeling I AM going to get mad at the fact that there are only 10 hours total in the story ...
YES PLEASE -- BUT ONLY 10 EPISODES?:
https://freeform.go.com/shows/marvels-cloak-and-dagger
YES PLEASE -- PUT THEM IN THE NEXT MOVIE:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/7/17435554/cloak-and-dagger-review-marvel-mcu-superhero-comics-olivia-holt-aubrey-joseph
THE MARVEL ONSLAUGHT CONTINUES:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/09/marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-mcu-movie-and-tv-show
Friday, June 8, 2018
Random Flashback for Friday 6/8/18
Over time, the "frat bros" who were considering this their address changed -- with Demon getting DJ's room when he left .. .and then with me moving out of the attic and into here when Corey moved on (and Darryl got Selman's room when he did the same) -- at least until it was my turn to change domiciles in a big way at the end of that year.
Most of those things are long gone (I mean the picture is two decades old), but the ladder and cassettes live on to this day. By the way -- how do you know for sure it's a bachelor pad/room in a faux fraternity house -- none of us apparently had any idea how window treatments work! Yes indeed ... if those walls could talk ...
Monday, June 4, 2018
Random Memorial for Monday 6/4/18
... who was indeed *from* Indiana (although he was born with the last name of Clark).
His passing a few weeks ago in mid-May reminded us all of the artwork of his that is seen all over the globe (sometimes in different languages) ... and despite me having connections to Philly, I think that me and mine first saw the iconic image in sculpture form during our frequent trips to Indianapolis when Indy became the favorite overnight destination to escape the hustle and bustle of Chitown in the early 2010's. Not that it's a competition -- but that particular rendition is allegedly the *first* one he did in that medium (although not the first version of the image since that was a Christmas card design).
He who spread love around the world (quite literally), you will be missed.
ALL THINGS ROBERT INDIANA:
http://robertindiana.com/
ALL THINGS LOVE:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/71012/15-things-you-should-know-about-robert-indianas-love
THE LOVE STATUE WE SAW ON THE REGULAR:
http://fox59.com/2017/03/08/love-sculpture-back-on-display-at-indianapolis-museum-of-art/
*BONUS LINK* (DISCLAIMER: ADDED AT THE REQUEST OF ANDI P AT ARTSY):
https://www.artsy.net/artist/robert-indiana
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/3/18
... the start of hurricane season, of course.
Recognizing that this might be a controversial statement, part of me feels like I still haven't quite experienced one yet. Since the big move from Chitown to the FTL, the closest ones were Matthew in 2016 (I was out of town and it pretty much only grazed the area) and Irma last year (which was actually a tropical storm on this side of the state with occasional bursts of hurricane force winds).
So here's to whatever comes our way in 2018 -- and obviously we're all hoping that no one from the list accompanying this post (with some names of friends, family and relatives on it!) will actually pay us a visit ... or if they do, they will do so with minimal damage.
LAST YEAR WAS MOST EXPENSIVE!:
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/2017-hurricane-season-most-expensive-us-history-spd/
THIS YEAR COULD BE THE YEAR OF A NEW CATEGORY SIX!:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02062018/hurricane-season-2018-noaa-storm-forecast-global-warming-atlantic-ocean-temperature-new-category-6
LET THE PREPARATIONS BEGIN!:
http://www.broward.org/hurricane/Pages/Default.aspx
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/2/18
... this is a trash can and people put trash in it.
You would think that might be obvious, and yet I found myself explaining this fact to a lady a few houses up the street when she rose from her spot on her porch to verbally accost me after I deposited trash in the trash can that was out on the street in front of her house.
"Why did you DO that?" she asked incredulously.
To which, I replied: "That is a trash can and I had trash to put in it."
The relevant part of this story that I've not yet mentioned so far is that the trash I was taking care of was the bag of poop I had just cleaned up from her swale (the part of the property between the road and the sidewalk). Which is probably why her next lament was, "Now it's going to stink."
I couldn't help myself. My retort was simple, and I said it to her slowly because I didn't want her to miss my point. "Riiight. That's actually a distinguishing characteristic of garbage. Garbage stinks. It's how you know it's garbage."
Our voices got raised, and our words got "choicer" as she threatened that I should never do that again and as I strongly advised her that the way she could control what items went into the trash can that the city owns and lets her use is to not abandon it on the street days after it had been picked up, for this incident was on Friday, and the trash was picked up on Wednesday -- or else it was out to the curb super early for the Saturday pickup. Mind you -- I would never trespass on someone's property to fill up their receptacle ... but if my puppy sh!ts in front of a trash can on the street, you can best rest assured that I'm going to a) clean it up, 'cause I believe curbing is the proper action to take and b) put it in the nearest trash can.
I'm half of a mind to get them a complimentary subscription to the local paper so that they can choose other more pressing issues toward which they can direct their indignation instead of over the final resting place of three feces pieces freshly out my dog's ass.
Or maybe I should just let it go ...
IT'S NOT EVEN *YOUR* TRASH CAN LADY:
https://gyr.fortlauderdale.gov/greener-government/recycling-waste-reduction/solid-waste-yard-waste-recycling-services/residential-curbside-pick-up-garbage-yard-waste-bulk-and-recycl-2386
GARBAGE SMELLS ... 'CAUSE SCIENCE, YO!:
http://scitechconnect.elsevier.com/talking-trash-chemistry-behind-garbage-smell/
SO MAYBE THIS POOP THING IS MORE CONTROVERSIAL THAN I THOUGHT:
https://www.thelabradorsite.com/dog-poop-disposal/
Friday, June 1, 2018
JUST ONE MORE ... nap (June 2018)
JUST ONE MORE ... nap.
You may have noticed that when it comes to this ongoing concept to embrace incremental change in order to empower folks (or just me) to stay positive and solution-focused in a day and age where problems often seem insurmountable, control often seems out of reach and apathy often seems to be running rampant ... this year has taken a definite turn to an overarching theme of sorts.
It seems to me that except for those who get off on conflict or on being impish or on acting extra-confrontational (and admittedly, every now and then, that might be me), there's a bit of a fatigue in the country over how we're all being manipulated into extreme tribalism and encouraged to hate one another. In my opinion, nothing pairs better with "fatigue" than embracing the benefits of taking a good old-fashioned nap every now and then. (Who knows? Maybe I'm being influenced by how easily our pack of animals can prioritize a good snooze.)
To be clear -- this month, I'm not talking about the amazing snooze function on the Facebook (although that is something I've previously featured as a handy solution to dealing with anyone who is being extra abrasive on social media) ... but instead I'm promoting the concept of literally finding just a little bit of time in your day to rest, to relax and to study the inside of your eyelids for a set period of time.
Over on the Facebook, I'll be sure to post weekly reminders -- although, as always, this concept is all about finding the right frequency that works for you and your life. I'm not necessarily suggesting that you sleep every day away until this all passes ... but surely you can find a way, every so often, to arrange for just one more ... nap.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)