The World Is Going Crazy With All This 'Wokeness'

Most of the posts that I do are about personal things. I tend not to get political, or comment on current events. I find this to be a good thing...keeps this blog from blowing up. That is, if anyone actually finds and reads it. 😁 But there are times when I just can't ignore something, and this is one of those times...

Political correctness is killing us. There isn't a thing, anymore, that can be enjoyed without someone telling us we're not allowed to. Whether it's racist, cultural appropriation, misogynistic, etc, there are very few things that someone, somewhere, doesn't call out. It is exhausting just trying to remember what we are, and are not, allowed to say, do, like. While I don't agree with most of this stuff, I DO watch myself...I don't want to 'trigger' or offend anyone. And for the most part, my friends and relatives stay away from this stuff, too. That is why, when someone from The Family shows an absolutely insane opinion about something, it pisses me off. And I have to vent.

A niece posted the link to this article on Facebook...she agreed with it. An Open Letter to the Female Hat-Wearing Dog From “Go Dog, Go” My eyes rolled so far in the back of my head that I could see my brain! I don't get it!

The author of this article is upset with a children's book. A book that is in the same vein as a Dr Seuss book. Just a simple little book that teaches children to read. Nothing earth shattering about it and not much of a story line, but simple readers don't really have much of a story line. (Remember 'Dick and Jane?') The one possible story line in "Go Dog, Go" involves a female dog asking a male dog if he likes her hat. He doesn't like any of them until she wears a 'party hat.' Simple, innocent. But someone got her panties in a bunch over this.

The article is upset because the female dog is displaying a "heart-wrenching struggle for approval." I guess the female dog's self worth is all tied up in the male dog's approval. WHERE do these people get these ideas? The female dog asks, "Do you like my hat?" The male dog answers, "I do not like that hat." And she walks away. Where in that exchange does her self worth come into play? I just don't understand this way of thinking!

When this PC culture has taken over EVERYTHING, including simple children's stories, I think it's time to just rein things in a bit. It seems as if far too many people wake up every morning with the thought "Just WHAT can I be offended by today?" Take a deep breath, walk away, and leave it alone. "Go Dog, GO" isn't going to bring down any progress the feminists have achieved...it's JUST a children's book!


***I KNOW that the author put a little postscript at the end of the article, labeling this as 'satire.' I read a few other things she wrote and she seems to agree with at least some of her satirical opinions. Even if she wrote this without believing ANY of what she said, there are way too many people who would applaud this as 'wokeness' and complete truth. It IS a crazy world these days...

Police Log

Today we will find out that some people don't pay attention, I guess.  But, what ever the reason behind these calls, the people doing the calling are completely clueless.

--6:52 PM, request for well-being check on male in residence; not home, he is in jail.
I applaud whoever it is that worried about this guy's well-being, but just how worried is this person if s/he had no clue the guy was in jail?  Obviously there was some amount of time since the guy and his caretaker/friend/family member were in contact--and they probably aren't very close if he didn't use his one phone call to contact them.

--8:44 PM, runaway located; was not runaway, was with mother.
What?!?!?!?!  WHAT?!?!?!?!?!  Just WHO was the one who called about THIS one?  Unbelievable.

--11:01 AM, suspicious female in area; meter reader.
Are we in the middle ages where we can't even consider a woman is doing this job?  I can't believe this was called in.

And then we have THIS guy:

--7:50 PM, report of a possible stolen vehicle; owner not sure if vehicle stolen or friends playing a joke; vehicle located by owner where he had parked it last night.
HOW drunk did this guy have to be that he couldn't remember driving and parking his car the night before?  And why was he even driving in the first place??  Good grief!

Guilty Pleasure

The other day I happened upon a website that is a new guilty pleasure for me:  STFU, Parents.  It basically is all about slamming parents who have too much time on their hands/are too self-absorbed/think they have THE cutest, best, smartest child in the world/need to tell everyone what 'little Elvis' or 'tiny Daisy' did today--and that includes descriptions of all their bodily functions ad nauseum.  This is all about the world's worse Facebook status updates with snarky comments following.  If you don't have anyone who abuses Facebook like the people featured on this site do, then you don't have enough Facebook friends.  ;)  Unfortunately, I have far too many who could be featured here any day of the week.  (One of the things that is regularly 'discussed' on this site are the horrible names people name their kids.  Far too many people give their kids made-up names.  One of my 'friends' has a girl named [sorry, but I HAD to get rid of the name--it is too unique and I'm afraid this blog could be found by 'mommy dearest' through a search]*  UGH!)  If you can ignore the language--as well as some of the things that piss people off (I don't agree with all of the 'pet peeves' people have on this site)--then head on over and read a while.  I defy you to read too far without wondering what the hell this generation is doing.

Another reason I LOVE the site:  I learned the word 'bajingo.'  My new, favorite word for 'lady parts.'  :D

*I will tell you the name if you email me--IF you need to know that badly.  :)

"Just Sayin'..."

The other day, one of my Facebook 'friends' posted a bunch of videos from a drag show she had attended.  She also posted this:

"If you do not like the videos I am posting, PLEASE keep ur comments to yourself, these are friends of mine!  Just Sayin'...thanks!"  

AND:

"...if someone is thinking about it, they better stop before they even do, cuz if ur gonna bash 'em, that is bullying & cause for me to delete ur a$$ for being ignorant!" 

This got under my collar a bit and I was getting ready to send her an email in response, but decided against--she is a family member, so I didn't want to start a war.  ;)  Instead, I will post my thoughts here for all to see.


An Open Letter To The Internet

Dear Interwebs User/s,

There is NOTHING you can put online that will keep everyone happy.  Everything you post will have at least one person disagreeing with you.  (Hell, I can think of two or three people that I know who would argue with me if I said "The sky is blue."!!!!!)  And then you go and post something provocative and expect NOTHING to be said.  What the hell century were you born in?!?!?!  You are just looking for a fight, right?  And just because you add "PLEASE keep your comments to yourself..." etc, doesn't mean you won't hear things you don't want.  Right, wrong, or otherwise, not everyone will agree with you on everything, nor will everyone like the same things you do.  And you KNOW this, otherwise you wouldn't have written any 'warnings' to detractors.  If you don't want to hear anyone else's opinions about things, then STFU!!

I would like to ask, once and for all, WHY someone not agreeing with you is bullying and not to be allowed?  YOU are stating your opinion, so why can't someone with an opposing viewpoint state THEIR opinion without getting bashed for it?  We do have the right of free speech--for the time being, anyway.  Aren't YOU, in turn, doing the same bullying that you accuse others of?  I really don't understand this mindset.  I have quite a few friends/acquaintances who do NOT share my beliefs on a number of very serious topics.  I try not to step on their toes, as I am sure they try not to step on mine.  (And we DEFINITELY don't call each other 'ignorant'--even if we think that's the case!)  We have an understanding--spoken or not--where we will agree to disagree on certain subjects and not discuss them.  Case closed, problem solved.

However, when and if I DO post on a sensitive issue, I expect to have disagreements--or, at the very least, comments from those who oppose my beliefs.  And that is fine--otherwise, *I* would keep my thoughts to myself.  I still believe all are entitled to express their own opinions, despite the fact I may get angry with said opinion.  If I didn't want to hear opposing views, I would stay quiet.  And then I wouldn't have to issue any 'warnings.'

So, grow up already.  It is not cool to try and provoke people into fights.  If you want drama in your life, I'm sure there are other ways of getting it--but you probably are a wuss and don't want to have any kind of confrontation in person.

And believe it or not, if you read this carefully, it can apply to ANYONE, no matter WHICH side of the liberal/conservative line you happen to fall.

"Just Sayin'..."

As always,
ME

They Gave YOU A License To Drive??

Our local Walmart is accessed from the main highway.  On the other side of the highway is Target.  To help with traffic, there is a 4-way traffic light.  This, of course, isn't the most efficient way to keep traffic flowing on a highway, but when you don't have freeways or interstates, this is the way things are done.  (Also, the closest thing we have to four lane highways for the majority of the UP are stretches of 'passing lanes.')

I went shopping earlier and the first place I had to go to was Walmart.  When I got to the traffic light for my turn, there was one other vehicle in front of me and the light was just turning red.  I got into the left-turn lane and proceeded to wait for the green light.  However, the driver of the vehicle in front of me decided he didn't want to wait and MADE THE LEFT TURN ON A RED LIGHT!!!!!  This absolutely left me flabbergasted--which I don't understand because this is AT LEAST the second time in the last year that I have seen the exact same thing.  It was just sheer luck that there were no vehicles coming down the highway at the time the guy made the turn.  This could have turned into one bloody mess.

I am nowhere close to the world's best driver--actually, I could be better and I know it.  I have had brain farts while I've been driving and I certainly hope that is what happened to the driver tonight.  Otherwise, this person IS going to be the cause of someone's very serious accident at some time in the future.

To Make Up For The Last Post...

As I surf the interwebs, there ARE times when I actually will read the comment sections of certain stories.  I don't know WHY I do this, as I usually just get frustrated and angry by the idiots who comment.  Yet, I read.  (I'm afraid I might have masochistic tendencies.  ;))  One thing that you find out very quickly is that there are only a few comments that get recycled over and over again.  And Linda Holmes over at NPR noticed this same thing when it comes to the inevitable 'year-end' lists we'll be inundated with shortly and wrote an article about it:  'The 20 Unhappiest People You Meet In The Comments Sections Of Year-End Lists.'

Here are a few of my 'favorite' commentators:

 7. The Self-Punisher. "I always hate your tastes, so I knew this would be a miserable and useless list before I decided to click on it and read the whole thing, and now I know I was right."

 11. The Person Who Thinks You Were So Close. "I like all these picks, but you ranked The Descendants as your #4 and Martha Marcy May Marlene as your #5, and they should be the other way around. FAIL."

 14. The Minimalist. "These blow."

Too funny!  For the rest of the list, go here.

An Open Letter

Dear Sam's Club Shoppers,

I have to apologize to all of you.  I am sorry that I went into the store with a purpose--and that purpose was to SHOP!  I didn't have my cellphone attached to my ear and I actually paid attention to what was going on around me, so I didn't bash into your leg with my cart.  I didn't go to the store in order to eat my Sunday lunch--and completely block the entrance to the aisle with my cart and fat ass as I stood there scarfing as many samples down as the demo lady allowed.  I didn't go into the store after taking whatever drug that causes total spaciness and stand in the middle of the aisle trying to figure out just where I was--while keeping everyone from being able to move through the aisle where you happened to be meditating.  I TRIED to hear if someone said 'excuse me' and 'pardon me' if they thought they were inconveniencing me (or if I was inconveniencing them)--something far too many of you don't understand.  It seems as if most of you shoppers lose every bit of hearing and considerateness you may have as soon as you hit those sliding doors.  I apologize if that makes me irritable--even though I TRY to not show my irritation.  I'm sorry if my FINALLY getting your attention is looked on as rude, but it DOES take my husband and me almost four hours to get home from the store, so we really want to get done with our shopping in a timely manner.  I realize my home's distance from the store is not your problem, but I don't have the convenience of stopping in after church 'just to pick up a few things,' so I need to 'move it along.'  I don't want any special considerations--I just want aisles I can walk through freely and quickly.  Is that too much to ask?

Again, I apologize if I have crossed over a line with my 'wants' and 'needs.'  I realize my life isn't nearly as important as you seem to think yours is.

Thank you for your time--and I completely understand that you will ignore this.  But I felt I had to try.

cmk

Just Business As Usual

I needed to fill the refrigerator so that we actually could have food to eat, so I went out earlier to shop.  Of course, I can't go out without making the obligatory stop at Wal Mart--or, as the case was tonight, the land of the RVs.  WOW!!!  The RVs were lined up end to end all around the perimeter of the parking lot.  I don't think I've ever seen so many there at any one time before, so I was quite amazed.  But then, it IS the unofficial end to summer and people want to get that last trip in before school starts.

It is pretty cool that Wal Mart allows RVs to be parked in their lots for free.  Not that Wal Mart is losing out in the deal:  every time I see one of these things parked, there are people walking to the store to buy.  There is a definite method to this madness.  One of the guys that K works with laughingly says when he retires he will buy a Chevy, put all of his belongings in it, and park at Wal Mart to live.  I wonder how many have tried this already?  :)

This town is unbelievably crazy this weekend.  First, the students are back--and not one of them know how to drive in this town.  There is some sort of half K or full K run this weekend, so that has brought a lot of people in.  But the big draw is the annual blues festival--and THAT gets an awful lot of people from quite a distance coming here.  So, the traffic is absolutely nuts.  And the drivers are going to get someone killed.

Wal Mart is situated on the main highway that runs through the UP.  Of course, we don't have interstate highways, so every business has its own entrance onto this major road.  Target is across the highway from Wal Mart, so the traffic along the corridor there is quite extensive.  To help with left turns, a traffic light was installed at the intersection.  A pain in the butt for people passing through, but essential for those who are trying to get to one of the businesses.  When I go to Wal Mart from our house, I have to make a left turn to get into the parking lot.  The light for the through traffic was green, but the left turn lane had a red light.  When I got to the light, there was vehicle in front of me making a stop, but BARELY.    And then the car turned left while the light was still red!!!  I know people are always doing the wrong things while driving, but it still flabbergasts me when I see something like this.  Here I am, hours later, and I can't believe I really saw this.  That driver is certainly an accident waiting to happen.  And I am staying in the house until the holiday weekend is over.

To Whom It May Concern...

I know you love your kids and I'm happy that you think they are the greatest--as you should--but not all of us feel the same.  I don't need to hear that your kid just had its first haircut (with 100 pictures), learned to say "Hi" (with 20 minutes of audio), or spit his/her first carrots in your face (with an hour of video).  YOU might find all things that your kid does are the funniest, smartest, most interesting, etc, but I don't.  To you, your kids are cute, clever, beautiful, and geniuses, but to the rest of the world, they are quite annoying.  If you continue to inundate Facebook, Twitter, and your blog with every 'accomplishment'--and believe me, pulling the dog's ears is something EVERY child does--I WILL unfollow you.  And I expect you to do the same when I go overboard about my grandchildren.  Thank you for your time and now I will turn you back to your regular schedule.


***Yes, I realize that I don't have to go through the pictures or watch the video, etc.  And I don't.  This is aimed at those people who can't see that others don't share their fascination with their kids and continue to shove them in our faces at every opportunity--and get mad at those of us who DON'T find their kids to be the greatest to ever be put on this earth.

No Words...

From notalwaysright.com:

Me: “Hello, this is ***** Healthcare line. What can I help you with?”
Caller: “Hi, I’m calling because my son just ate a bunch of ants.”
Me: “I’m sorry? Your son ate ants?”
Caller: “Yes! I was wondering if I need to take him to the hospital and see a doctor.”
Me: “Well, ma’am, I don’t think you need to worry. I don’t think the ants will make him sick, but I advise that he doesn’t eat any more of them.”
Caller: “Well, I gave him some ant killer to get rid of them.”
Caller’s friend: “Get him to the emergency room, now!”

Youthful Stupidity

The late 60s-70s was a turbulent period of time in our nation's history--actually, in the WORLD, not just the US.  During that time we saw protests of all kinds.  Women's lib, civil rights, sexual revolution--an entire re-thinking of society came into being.  Growing up and living in the UP kept us a bit isolated from the worst of the turbulence--Really, now, were the Finns going to riot against the Italians?  Were the people of the UP going to march on the French-Canadians?--but we WERE aware of what was going on.  The local universities had a semi-diverse population, so we did see some unrest, but not to the extent that the rest of the US did.  And just like everywhere else, we had our locals who described themselves as 'anarchists'--and THEY turned out to describe themselves as that in order to disrupt our classes and waste time, more so than because of any ideological beliefs.  Two of these 'different' thinkers were in my high school class.  And these two are who this story is about.

I graduated from high school in 1972.  The Vietnam War was raging and the country was still reeling from the riots of a couple of years earlier.  Anti-war protests were still being held and 'Black Power' was still something that many feared.  While things were 'quieting down' to a certain extent, there still was a sense of nervousness because we had no idea what could trigger an explosion again.  (As it turned out, we were about to 'get out of Vietnam' and become more united as a nation as we watched the downfall of Richard Nixon.)  But this was still in the future.

The school I graduated from is small.  The ENTIRE enrollment in grades 7-12 was smaller than The Youngest's graduating class--by quite a lot.  Our graduating class had less than 40 kids in it--and some of those were in the 'special education' classes, so we weren't REALLY 'classmates.'  (This was many, many years before anyone even CONSIDERED 'mainstreaming.')  One of the traditions with graduating classes was the 'class trip.'  And with less than 40 kids, the options opened up considerably.  Our class went to Chicago for several days--and that is where this story takes place.

To put it mildly, the UP is very much 'backwoods.'  TV, the internet, newspapers, magazines, etc, etc, all have helped us move into the 'modern age,' but we pretty much live our lives in an 'outside looking in' sort of fashion.  We ARE getting more diverse here, but race and ethnicity still aren't all that much of a factor.  We pretty much are 'white-bread, middle-America,' even though we are changing--slowly.  So, you can imagine how 'backward' we were in the day.  Other than TV--which still was pretty much in its infancy (maybe adolescence)--and some 'underground' publications like 'Rolling Stone' magazine, the only other avenue that there was for ANY news about what was going on in the world were university students--and THEY didn't have all that much use for the 'locals'.  But, there was enough interaction and news coming in if someone wanted to know--and our 'anarchists' trolled to find every piece of info they could.  And they had some information that they were going to use in Chicago.

For the most part, every minute of our time in Chicago was mapped out for us.  However, we were given an afternoon of 'free-time' to do whatever we wanted.  Some of us went to a baseball game while others went shopping.  And our two anarchists had other plans:  They were going to find the Chicago headquarters of the Black Panther organization and go and visit.  And that's just what they did. (This story was told to the rest of us at our 25th class reunion--NO ONE knew this had happened until then.)

So, here is the scene:  Two 18-year-old kids from the UP of Michigan.  They have NO concept of the world.  They come from a part of the country--the UP--that has less of a population than a Chicago suburb, decide to present themselves to a BLACK (possibly terrorist) organization.  (I'm even wondering if either of them had ever TALKED to anyone who was black, at this point in their lives.)  And the only way these two could be WHITER is if they lived in Scandinavia.  They make their way to the front door of the Black Panther building, walk up the stairs, ring the bell.  When the door opens (by a person with a full-on Afro, wearing a dashiki, and carrying a gun), they introduce themselves and say they would like a tour.  AND THEY ARE INVITED IN!!!!  They are given a tour--complete with being shown their weaponry, etc.  And from what they said at the reunion, they were treated quite nicely.  I'm sure it was only because the members couldn't believe anyone could act as stupidly as these two did.

I don't want to label every Black Panther member as 'bad' or a 'terrorist,' but the reputation of the organization was NOT a good one.  And from what was reported, they certainly didn't look kindly on 'whitey' at all.  And two idiots--who should have known better--presented themselves to this organization on a platter.  For all they knew, they could have been murdered and buried along with Jimmy Hoffa--and no one would have known!  They went off on their own and never told anyone where they were going.  They could have 'disappeared' and the entire thing could have remained a mystery for all time.

Ah, the stupidity of youth...

Not Always Right

I found this story on the site Not Always Right--and it made me laugh.  Hope you enjoy.

(I have albinism, so I have very pale skin, white hair, and red irises.)
Me: “Hi. What can I get for you?”
Customer: “Are…are you a vampire?”
Me: “Well, my dad is half-vampire.” *laughing*
Customer: “Please, don’t bite me.”
Me: “Ma’am, I’m not going to bite you.”
Customer: “Don’t put any blood in my food either. I don’t want to be a vampire.”
Me: “Ma’am, I’m not going to put blood in your food. I’m not a vampire. We serve regular food here.”
Customer: “Let me speak to your manager.”
(I go and get my manager, and fill him in on what’s going on.)
Customer, to my manager: “Is your vampire waitress going to bite me?”
Manager: “Only if you don’t tip her well.”
(The woman looks completely horrified, but finally ends up ordering and leaving me a 21% tip.)

How can people be so damn stupid?

REALLY??? I Mean, REALLY??????

According to a mental_floss tweet earlier today:

"The Journal of Animal Ethics says the term 'pets' should be replaced by 'companion animals.'  'Owners' should be 'human carers.'"

What?  Are we afraid we'll hurt their feelings if we call them pets?  I love my cat, but REALLY????  I think some people have too much time on their hands AND need to get lives.

I Would Own A Gun, But...

We just got back from a several day road trip.  While this doesn't REALLY have much to do with the rest of this post, I must give a little update on what we did.  This was our trip to go and see the play 'Wicked.'  I have only one word for the experience:  WOW!!!  Words just aren't enough to say how much I enjoyed the play and performances--ESPECIALLY the performances.  I'm not sure I would have loved this as much if the part of the Wicked Witch would have been played by someone other than the girl who was in Tuesday's performance, because she was absolutely amazing.  I don't know when I have heard such a powerful voice come out of such a (relatively) tiny body.  But, this amazing time began with our traveling and my wanting to own a gun...

I've said on more than one occasion that there are two reasons why K won't 'let' me own a gun.  First, he'd be very afraid that he wouldn't see his next birthday if I had a gun at my disposal and, two, if I didn't do him in, he would be afraid that I would leave a long line of drivers dead by the side of the road.  And Monday gave me a good indication of how right he is to be afraid--some drivers don't deserve to LIVE, much less have licenses.

I sleep whenever we travel.  It all started when I was kid and had car sickness:  The sleeping helped keep me from getting nauseous.  Sleeping had/has become such a habit with me, that I continue to do it to this day.  I have told K that I HAVE to sleep because he makes me so nervous with his driving--and he IS a good driver, I'm just a nervous passenger.  I found out on Monday that I need to sleep just so I don't have to experience the OTHER drivers on the road.  I usually sleep until we are within a mile of our destination, but on Monday I woke much earlier than usual, so I got to see what goes on when I'm passed out.  And it was more than a little frightening.  As I was stretching and attempting to clear the cobwebs from my sleepy mind, I began to pay attention to what was going on around us.  And there are some drivers--most?--who should not be on the road.  This is what I saw in a mile-long stretch as we were racing down the interstate at 70+ MPH...

• The first driver I noticed was hugging the center line and I pointed her out to K, while telling him to watch out.  As we passed her, I saw she was fixing her hair as she drove down the highway.  Now, she wasn't just moving her hair around, she was fluffing and combing and straightening and patting her hair with BOTH hands.  WITHOUT any hands on the steering wheel.  No wonder she couldn't keep the car moving in a straight line.
• The very next car we passed was being driven by a guy, who I am CONVINCED is a serial killer.  I SWEAR, when he glanced at me, that I saw flames shoot out of his eyeballs.  And I KNOW he would've ended my life with just a little more than a look, if he wanted.  I'm completely sure his picture is hanging in the post office...he was very, very scary.
• And finally, the third car we passed was being driven by a guy, also.  Now, 'driven' probably isn't the proper term for what he was doing, because I have no idea HOW he was steering this vehicle.  The first thing I noticed about him was that he had an iPad in his left hand and he was reading it.  Yeah, while going down the highway.  BUT that wasn't all.  He also had a cellphone squished between his right ear and shoulder and was talking on it.  And it gets better.  He was WRITING on a pad of paper with his right hand.  I know, I MUST have seen wrong.  Nope.  I looked more than once just to make sure I saw what I saw and didn't imagine it.  I have no idea how he steered the car--and I don't know if I WANT to know.

So, in the space of one mile, if I had a gun, I would have shot and killed three people.  Maybe K has a point and I WOULDN'T be a responsible gun owner.

Not To Besmirch An Entire Profession...

I'm not a fan of lawyers.  It's really funny why I would feel this way, because I have never known any personally until two of our nieces became lawyers.  I won't go on about either of them, but they DO seem pretty full of themselves, so my opinion of the profession hasn't been changed because of them.  Suffice it to say, there just seems to be a bit more smarminess with lawyers these days, than in the past--although they never have been held in much better esteem than used car salesmen.

One of the ways that lawyers have been making sure that their popularity ISN'T rising, is with the commercials bombarding us day and night.  Especially the ones about drug side-effects.  Now, don't get me wrong, there have been some horrible consequences that have occurred from medical malpractice, but if you only listened to these commercials, you would think that the medical profession has NEVER done anything right--and have put almost every person at risk but prescribing bad meds.  And these lawyers try to drum up business for their class-action lawsuits by airing commercials every ten minutes or so--and they do this by instilling fear.  The commercials talk about blood clots, depression, heart problems, etc--anything that could make you run screaming to the nearest attorney to demand justice for the suffering that you have endured.  But one commercial in particular has me absolutely shaking my head:

This commercial is for a medication and the announcer says:

"If you or a loved one has suffered death, heart attack, or stroke..."*

EXCUSE ME!  If I have suffered DEATH, I wouldn't be sitting here listening to this foolish commercial!!!!!   Believe me, with all of the lawyers to choose from, if I needed one, this particular firm would NOT be of my choosing.  If you can't even make a commercial that is worded better than this, what chance do you have of getting me a settlement worth big, big bucks?  Give me a break.


*And yes, I UNDERSTAND what it is they are trying to say.  I just feel it is unfortunate when someone who uses words for a living cannot be a slight bit clearer in this instance.

 

Sometimes I want to Unfollow EVERYONE

There are two people on Twitter that I follow that REALLY give me pains in the ass sometimes.  One is a woman in her early 40s--never married.  The other is a guy in his late 30s--never married.  They have long conversations with each other and it seems as if they are 'feeling each other out' and it wouldn't surprise me if they got together at some point.  Anyway, they REALLY drive me crazy when they get started.

First of all, the woman knows EVERYTHING!  She is a 'scientist' (a lab tech) and is knowledgeable about every subject known--and unknown--to modern man.  She is constantly correcting people and tweeting obscure scientific facts--mainly to make herself look better, IMHO.  One day, she tweeted something very condescending about her political opposites and I gently called her on it.  She hasn't 'talked' to me since then.  But I don't mind her ignoring me--I never thought we would ever be 'friends.'

The guy I 'know' because of our being fans of the Red Wings--as is the woman.  I really appreciate his hockey knowledge and devour every word he writes on his blog.  And he seems to be a kind person--I think he should RUN and not walk away from the woman.  But when he and this woman get started...

One night the two of them started on the Vietnam War--and they were barely born (if even) while it was going on.  They went on and on about what 'Dad' said about those years, or how 'Mom' protested the war--and the entire time as if THEY were the ones who experienced those years.  And then they got on the military.  AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!  Even though I never was IN the military, I was a military wife--and I didn't KNOW as much as they 'did' during the conversation.  I hate anyone who is an 'authority' about things they know NOTHING about--and think they know more than people who actually experienced the event, just because someone 'told' them about it.  I guess this bothered me so much because I have such a roller coaster-of-feelings about that time.  Those years were so very hard to get through and my feelings about what happened seem to change as I get older.  Anyone who never lived through those times CANNOT, with any certainty, KNOW beyond any doubt what went on.  But, I was good and never said a word to either of them.

Tonight, the two of them started up about women's rights--including reproductive health.  Again, the condescending tone of the conversation just appalled me.  It was implied that 'working class' people aren't progressive or smart enough to have equality in a marriage.  That the only women that are worthy of respect are those who worked outside of the home.  That anyone who doesn't want to do something against their conscience--as in pharmacists and other medical personnel--are small-minded and stupid.  Women who 'depend' on a man to 'take care of them' are idiots.  And this was NOT a private conversation!

Okay, I will admit that I am a bit sensitive when it comes to each subject.  K was on his way to Vietnam when the war was de-escalated, so I have a biased point of view.  (His orders were changed at the last minute and he didn't get there.)  Also, I lost close friends and had family and friends 'do their time' over there.  As I said, my opinion on the entire thing is very much a roller coaster ride, so I can't stand anyone--especially those who didn't experience it--to be black-and-white about it.  I think everyone who lived through those years will admit to having mixed feelings.

And I don't believe I have ever let my feelings be hidden about my stay-at-home status.  I have never felt like a lesser person because I didn't leave the house daily and bring home a paycheck, but far too many people actually believe the only way for someone to prove their worth is by what they get paid.  These two, also, seemed to feel that there could not be any equality in a marriage if the woman didn't work, didn't have her 'own' money.  I do feel sorry for people who 'know' all about relationships without getting to know the people involved.  For example, the money K earns is OUR money--we share it equally.  Not only do I discuss how I want to spend it, but HE discusses how HE will spend money, also.  Neither one of us needs the other's 'permission,' but we will defer to the other if it is determined that we can't afford something.  And just because I don't go out and work, it doesn't mean I don't have a job.  Oh, there are times I feel unappreciated, but I KNOW I truly AM appreciated for what I do.  And I AM respected for the things I do.

The bottom line to all of this is that I probably should unfollow these people.  But I just feel sorry for them--they are really limiting themselves by not trying to understand things they really know nothing about--and I think that makes THEM small minded.  So, I will continue to keep them in my 'follow' column and just ignore them when they go off like this.

Police Log

Okay, so I wasn't expecting to do another police log post so soon, but this one HAD to be done.  First, realize that this was at 9:58 IN. THE. MORNING!  This was on New Year's Day.  And the car was parked not very far from where The Husband works--a VERY public place.

--9:58 AM, couple in small gray car not using much discretion, gone on arrival

Can anyone say, "GET A ROOM?"

More Government At Work

Our house was moved to this lot from another place in the city, well over 40 years ago.  I believe the people who moved the house also owned many of the lots to the east of us--and that is why our house is 'illegally' positioned on our lot.  We are just a couple of feet from the eastern-most lot line--a situation that is only allowed because we were 'grandfathered' in when laws/ordinances were put into place.  So, this was why our neighbor's driveway was directly under my bedroom window.  As a matter of fact, if they parked at the very edge of their driveway, I could have (almost) reached out and touched their vehicle from my window.  While it wasn't ideal--and it could be a bit noisy, at times--over the course of 30+ years, I learned to live with the way things were.  Our street steadily declines from west to east, so the neighbors were able to put up a retaining wall on the other side of the narrow driveway and put another driveway directly in front of their house--on a level with their basement.  With multiple vehicles and parking ordinances, all vehicles have to be off of the streets at night during the winter, so the added driveway was a necessity for them.  And this summer, things changed and that is why I am using the past tense.  So, on to the rest of the story...

After all of these years, the neighbors finally decided to put up a garage.  They own the lots to their east, so the garage was built on the side away from our house.  They got the proper permits, etc, so the city was well aware of what they were doing.  Because our neighbor did the work himself, it took most of the summer to complete the building.  About a month ago, the city was called to come and do the final inspection.  That was when the 'wisdom' of our government shone so very brightly--as happens so very often.

With the building of the garage, a new driveway was put into place.  This meant that the property--THREE lots wide--now had three driveways.  And the city had a meltdown over this.  How DARE our neighbors try to have THREE driveways on their property--which just happens to border up against the dead end street we live on.  They were told that one of the driveways MUST be DESTROYED and grass MUST be planted and growing before the snow falls.  NO discussion, NO exception.  Our neighbors' protestations and explanations meant nothing.  They asked if, at the very least, they could keep the curbing from having to be placed in front of the space where the driveway was closest to us.  As they explained, the door on this side of the house is 36"--the width needed to bring an appliance or over-sized piece of furniture into their house--and the door on the other side was only 32".  This argument fell on deaf ears--as the city told them, "Those moving trucks have NO problem driving over the curb, so it must be installed."  Unbelievable.

As far as I know, there was no good explanation as to why they were not allowed to have three driveways.  If they own that many lots, why CAN'T they?  If they wanted to pave over their entire property, why not let them?  It is getting too sad when EVERYTHING is so regulated--and yet, the entire country seems to be going into the dumper.  I don't have answers to how things could be changed for the better, but I certainly don't think regulating such piddly things is going to make things better any time soon.

Politically Speaking

I don't really do politics.  I find most politics/politicians petty and childish and I avoid it/them like the plague.  While I make sure I vote, I usually don't even think about who or what I'm voting for until just before the November election.  Until then, I just want to be left alone--which definitely doesn't happen.

A couple of weeks ago, I was bombarded with the fact that we are having primary elections with a front page story in our newspaper.  And the story was revisited the other day.  And frankly, I find it quite unbelievable on some level.

If Jimmy Carter decided to make another run at being president, in the state of Michigan he wouldn't be allowed to put the term 're-elect' on his posters/signs--it is against the law.*  We have a guy that is seeking office--an office he has held twice before.  He does NOT hold the office presently, but his signs read "Re-elect John Doe."  This is against the law--and the signs were 'reported.'  So, he went around and put duct tape over the 'Re' on the signs so that he would be in compliance with the law.  All of this is just absolutely ridiculous, as far as I'm concerned.  (And I'm not even sure if I would/will vote for 'John Doe.'  I believe I may NOT be one of his supporters.)  Politics and the absurd--a match made in heaven.

*I don't know if this law is for federal elections or just state/local ones.  Also, I have no idea if this is a law in every state, or not.

More 'Not Always Right'

Yeah, I think some people are too dumb to be allowed to reproduce.  Case in point:

(A customer walks in with 5 magazines under her arm.)
Customer: “Hi, how much does it cost to laminate one A4 page?”
Me: “That’ll be $0.10.”
Customer: “Great and um, about how many pages are in a magazine?”
Me: “I’d say about 100.”
Customer: “Great, so 100 multiplied by five is 500 hundred right?”
Me: “Yes, it is.”
Customer: “So 500 multiplied by $0.10 would be $50.00 right?”
Me: “Yes, ma’am.”
Customer: “Yeah so can you like, laminate each page in the magazine?”
Me: “Why would you want to do that?”
Customer: “So I can read them in the bath.”

via Not Always Right.