We Made It! 2022, Here's To It!

 Happy New Year!

Here's to the upcoming year. The one that, if common sense makes a come-back, using logic, once again, becomes a given, if people make the choice to live in reality instead of some warped, villain-filled conspiracy fantasy, yeah, it'll be awesome.

This is the year we get a real handle on this thing. This is the year that the time runs out on conspiracies. Vaccines have been being administered worldwide for over a year now, and all of the horrible things that, apparently, were supposed to happen... well, haven't.

Nobody is speaking in tongues, unless you count moronese as a tongue.

Nobody is magnetized, or chipped, or dying, or developing autism.

Nobody is turning into a zombie, unless you buy into the whole JFK Junior crap, cuz that does sound a little reanimating, franken-crazy, land of the living dead, creepy.

Nobody 

Nope. None of it.

Oh, we all know that as each of these peculiar episodes of crazytales exposes itself to be untrue, when it becomes apparent that nobody is drinking baby blood or whatever, the powers that be crazy just make up a new one, a new, ominous, foreboding scenario. 

The difference is this. Over the past year, they have shown us who they are. This year, we will believe them. 

Gone are the days of coddling insanity. Gone are the days that those of us who live reality trod on eggshells to help the crazytales authors feel better about the poison they spread. 

To say this year has, personally, been rough, would be a massive understatement. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad that it's over. 

The final kicker? Betty White.

So many across this planet have suffered so much devastating, personal loss this year. So many lives taken, either directly or indirectly at the hands of this pandemic. Then, as if that wasn't enough, the seemingly endless extreme fires, floods, snowstorms, tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanoes, I mean, you name it... really. 

Betty White. An icon. Funny, brilliantly talented, smart. A rare light that illuminated everyone equally. Of course.... cuz 2021. 

So we will grieve.

We will grieve collectively for Betty White. We will grieve collectively for all those brutalized by Mother Nature. We will grieve collectively for all lost to this virus, and those who continue to suffer its long-lasting effects. 

Personally, we will grieve the loved ones we have lost. We will feel the loss of relationships. We will feel the remnants of these past two years reverberate through our lives in ways we may not recognize until they happen. 

We will grieve.

But, mixed within the grief will be joy.

You know that saying...  "If I knew then what I know now"

Well, now we know.

When we know better, we do better. 

This year, we do better.

As we walk into this next year, let's do so with higher expectations.

2022 is not to be merely survived. 

Let's make 2022 the year of accountability.

Let's make 2022 a celebration of the spoils learned from going through what we've gone through.

Let's make 2022 the year that thriving becomes the norm. 

Let's make 2022 the year we embrace a new way of walking through the world, a way that reflects the lessons we've learned. 

Let's make 2022 one to remember. Not remembered for heartache, not remembered for loss, not for violence, for hate speech, not for the rampant running of the Karens.

Let's make it one to remember for strides toward equality, real, actual, equality. Let's make it one to remember for figuring out a better work/life balance. One to remember for steps taken to make the world a safer, more healthy place to live... for everyone. 

Let's fill 2022 with the joy that was stolen by 2021.

2022! Here's to it!

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Until next year...

May you release the pain brought forth by these past months, by the hardships, by heartache.

May you embrace the new days bringing light, joy, and fun, simply for fun's sake.

May you step from the shadows of survival, and into the light of thriving, bathing in its warmth.

May every dream that was shelved until a brighter day be, once again put into action, rewards brought forth. 

May you, in the months to come, hug, kiss, cuddle, sing, laugh, and dance for a joy-filled thrill. 

May all of it be slathered in happy, dipped in funny, then enjoyed until you've had your fill. 

May you smile without hesitation.

May you walk without destination. 

The healing power of wandering is incredible. 

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Happy Holidays!

 

Hi!

Well, we are here! 

Christmas!

I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you who take the time to read these ramblings each week. Any given day, they are being read in no less than 25 different countries, every continent, taking part. 

I receive messages from people all over the world. Although cultures and geography dictate differences, we are all so very similar. So many of our struggles and joys grow from the same roots. Kids are kids the world over, and the challenges of raising them remain basically the same, the world over.

People everywhere are doing their best to raise kind humans who care, who share, who are independent, self-assured, and capable. The skills needed to be learned may vary a bit, depending on culture and location. 

People everywhere are doing their best with the tools they have, the trauma they've survived, the baggage they have accumulated.

No one arrives at the threshold of adulthood unscathed. What we do with the scars is up to us. Do we continue picking at them, keeping the wounds raw and sore? Or, do we choose to examine them, study them, acknowledge how they came to be, and then do what's needed to help them heal?

Healing ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children. Scars left raw and sore will infect our parenting, creating scars in our littles. Life will deliver to our children more than enough hurt, and pain, they don't need to carry ours too. Life is heavy enough without that undeserved burden.

So, as the world gathers for all kinds of celebrations this time of year, especially after the year this has been, let's do so with the intention of lightening each other's load. Let's do so with the intention of spreading kindness, joy, and laughter. Intention feeds action. Actions have impact. Impact leaves a mark. Your intention dictates what kind. 

Thank you again for your continued support! From Australia to Serbia, from Zimbabwe to Liechtrnstein, from Colombia to Japan, and everywhere in between. Thank you!

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Until next time...

May your every wish come true.

Your Brick Wall Of Ignorance...

 Hi!

Well, the holidays are upon us, gatherings are happening, meals are being shared.

It's going to be all kinds of better than last year. 

As we are still in the midst of this horrible pandemic, it's not going to be 100% back to normal, but it will be a definite upgrade from the 'drive-by' version we had to navigate last year. 

It is guaranteed that there will be some who fuss, and have tantrums over vaccine mandates and proof of vaccine restrictions, mask mandates, blah blah blah..

These same people either can't, or simply refuse to connect the dots between their utter refusal to do what's needed to keep infections down, and the fact that these measures are still needed. 

You can't argue both against the measures that would make lifting the restrictions possible, and the restrictions themselves. Well, I guess you can, but not without being an idiot.

There seems to be some debate surrounding the awkwardness of asking guests you are inviting into your holiday circle about their vaccination status.

This baffles me. 

If you know someone well enough to invite them to your celebrations, you know them well enough to ask. If they know you well enough to be invited, they shouldn't have a problem telling you the truth. 

The conversation seems to circle around how terrible it is to make unvaccinated people feel uncomfortable, and how to make them feel 'okay' with telling you. Making them feel safe.

My question is this. If I'm inviting you, you know me. You would have a pretty good idea about how I feel about the importance of the vaccines and other measures, why are you even entertaining the idea of accepting the invitation if you aren't vaccinated?

Personally, I'm out of patience. I will ask. Point blank. And, if I'm not convinced, I will make you prove it. You will not be coming into my home unvaccinated. 

I don't care about any of your conspiratorial reasons for not doing what you should. And, honestly, I couldn't care less if that hurts your feelings. 

The data, real, actual, scientific, peer-reviewed data, has been playing out before our very eyes for over a year now. Vaccines are safe. They keep you from dying. They help slow the spread, and when partnered with the other precautions we know work, because... again, real-time, worldwide data, we can keep businesses open, we can go places, see people, and do fun things. 

I won't be coddling your refusal to accept reality. I'm done arguing. I'm more than willing to just let you be wrong. I'm just done with letting you do it near me. I'm no longer going to pretend to listen to it, to sympathize, to try to get you to accept what's real. I'm giving myself the gift, and the permission, to stop banging my head against your brick wall of ignorance. 

Does that mean I am cutting you from my life entirely? Of course not! But this will not be a subject I will entertain with you. Not any more. And, our conversations will be held at least 6 feet apart, with a mask on, or over the phone. 

Until the immunologists, epidemiologists, scientists, and doctors agree, and announce that this particular shit storm has passed, I will be doing everything I can to keep me, my family, and my community as safe as I personally have the power to do. 

So, will my family be under one roof for the holidays? You bet.

Are we ALL vaccinated? You bet.

Will we be cracking a few windows to increase ventilation? You bet.  

Will be taking other precautions to keep each other safe? You bet.

The holidays are already so hard for so many people, through no fault of their own. Why choose to make it harder?

Why make it harder for restaurant workers, or owners?

Why make it harder for retail workers?

Be willing to happily wear the mask or stay home.

Get vaccinated, or don't go to restaurants, bars, theatres, or concerts. 

Your body, your choice. You chose. These are the consequences. Deal with it. 

I choose joy.

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Until next time...

May you who choose to hang on to conspiratorial delusion, break free, and choose joy instead.

May you find your way to reality, revel in its freedoms, putting all the world domination paranoia to bed.

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May You Sigh Without Sorrow...

 

Hi!

I just wanted to take a beat and sit in gratitude.

Because of the hard work of so many who dedicate their lives to science, my husband, our daughters, our sons-in-law, our grandbabies, and I are vaccinated against this nightmare. Are the vaccines magic? No, no they are not. 

But, they are a layer of protection that will help to keep us from getting very ill if we are unfortunate enough to contract this virus or any of its nasty mutations. 

As a direct result of their hard work, we get to safely have all of our kids under our roof for the holidays. 

I am grateful.

As I sit in my safe, warm, festively decorated house, with a fridge full of food, clean water to drink, and a warm, comfortable bed to sleep in, I am grateful.

As I sit at my laptop working on my second novel, I have the freedom, the space, to dream, to write, to create. I am grateful.

As I ready myself to help my hubby at our shop, I think of all of the small businesses that weren't able to survive the pandemic. I am grateful. 

As I bake treats for the holidays, and look forward to the bright eyes and smiles the goodies bring. I am grateful. 

As I sit on my floor wrapping little gifts that will put smiles on the faces of people we love, a position I wasn't always privileged to be in, I am grateful.

Everyone sits in their own circumstance. Everyone has their own reasons to be grateful.

I think the trick is to find things to be grateful for, even, and maybe especially when things are dark.

It's easy to be grateful when things are fabulous. 

If you are here, and functioning on any kind of productive level, after the year we've had, celebrate.

You've earned it. We all have.

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Until next time...

May you have all of your holiday wishes come true, no matter how big or how small.

May you make the best of whatever this season brings, find joy, have a ball.

May you, if you find yourself alone, surrounded by a darkness that threatens to swallow you, reach out.

May you know, right now, in this moment, you matter, you're loved, if we don't hear your whispers, shout.

May you find peace, may your find joy, may you breathe without apprehension, sigh without sorrow.

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Traditions...Celebrating and Creating...

 

Hi!

Christmas baking. It's a tradition that is generations deep in our family.

This is going to have to be a bit short and sweet.

Everybody has their own traditions, and sometimes the tradition is to not have any. 

With December upon us, I just want to wish every single one of you a Happy Holiday!

And yes, I did say 'Holiday'. 

Once again, there are those who are trying desperately to manufacture some kind of imaginary war on Christmas. And, once again, we will try to find out why they think so.

Once again, saying Happy Holidays in no way forbids anyone from saying Merry Christmas. 

Thinking it does, just doesn't make any sense. Granted, a lot of the people who think the word Holiday somehow cancels the word Christmas, also think that JFK junior is going to come back to life and make Trump king of... I have no idea...something, so making sense isn't exactly something that comes easy to them. 

I know this may sound harsh, but this 'war' has supposedly been going on for a while now, and as far as I can tell, people still say Merry Christmas, and nothing happens, except it makes people smile. People also say Happy Holidays and get the same reaction.

So, let's review. People say Merry Christmas, and everything is fine.

People say Happy Holidays, and everything is fine.

December is a month that celebrates a ton of holidays for a whole whack of religions and cultures, Christmas is but one of them. Saying Happy Holidays is just a simple way to not exclude anyone.

Then again, the folks that think a Christmas war exists don't tend to be too crazy about inclusivity. 

I'm sensing a theme.

It seems certain people are trying to create a fight where there is none. 

Well, anyway, time to go make some really delicious things that are full of butter, chocolate, and everything else that makes people smile. 

 Happy Holidays! 

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May this Holiday season be filled with joy and laughter. 

Yeah. Lots of that.

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What We Do, And How We Do It, Matters...

 

The naked branches reach toward the firey sky, each evening painting a different picture, as the strokes of the mystical brushes never make the same pass twice. Although a different vision presents itself each and every night, the feelings every sunset evokes stem from the same heart. A hopeful one. 

Each sunset brings with it feelings of optimism. Sunsets put beauty at the end of each day to remind us that no matter how hard, how dark, how horribly life-changing that day might have been, it ends with something beautiful. Something that shows us that everything is temporary. Any beauty that was stripped from today, is possible tomorrow. 

Each sunrise allows us to start each day with something beautiful. We can choose to ignore it, and begin the day with every single, conceivable challenge our only focus. We can also choose to let it in. Embracing its message that each and every day can begin with hope, with beauty, with kisses of colourful light, if we just let it.

Every day presents opportunity. Big, small, private, public, life-changing, mind-changing, soul-changing. Sometimes, there are moments only discovered through a rearview mirror and the benefit of a 20/20 hindsight lens. 

These simple things can get lost in the hate-filled, fear-laced pages of racist tripe all-too-often spewed on conspiracy theorist pages that sift through the algorithms of our newsfeeds. The simple beauties become overshadowed, overtaken by the noise.

History has proven that each generation has had its own demons to deal with. Its own generational darknesses to overcome. And, at least, for the most part, it happens. We overcome. We get past. We muddle through. Or, at the very least, progress is made.

Someday, if we are very lucky, and don't screw everything up, we will live, grow and thrive where we don't actively try to kill the very planet we inhabit. Someday, if we are very lucky, and don't screw everything up, we will live, grow and thrive where very human, no matter the colour of our skin, no matter who we love, or how we see ourselves, we will be able to entertain and chase dreams bigger than our current, lopsided playing field will allow.

Someday, future generations, arguing with their own demons, will look to history, look to us, for guidance.

Our only responsibility, as I see it, is to make sure we give them something useful from which to draw. Something that will show decent, humane paths to take when it looks like there are none. Something that proves kindness and prosperity can not only coexist, but feed each other.

We, are who they will look to for precedence. Now, is when they will look to for guidance. What we do, and how we do it matters. 

When we normalize hate. When we pretend racism is a thing of the past. When we try to prohibit children from seeing themselves represented in books, movies, or tv, we leave scars. They are scars of exclusion. Trying to make it seem like entire swaths of humanity don't exist. Trying to pretend they never did. 

What we do, and how we do it matters.

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May we make today a history our children's children can look to. 

May we create a world where the safety of the many, trumps the ambitions of the few.

May we create a world where hate is denied oxygen, where vigilantes aren't confused for heroes.

May those who create victimhood out of accountability, find truth, find conscience and follow where it goes.

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Masterpieces... Who Decides?

 

Hi!

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  A phrase attributed to Margaret Wolfe Hungerford.

What constitutes a 'masterpiece'? Who decides?

There are obvious ones, Van Gogh's Starry Night, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Wood's American Gothic. Then, there are the ones that become masterpieces, maybe not to the world, but to you.

If you threw a dart at a historical timeline, anywhere it may hit would have its share of darkness. The times we are living in right now are no exception. 

This pandemic has, and continues to take its toll on people. It doesn't discriminate. The ripple effects put in motion by it will be felt, likely for years, in ways that are yet to be revealed.

Will all the ripples cause negative effects? I don't think so.

I think there are a lot of lessons buried in the rubble, some of which we aren't likely to recognize for a while. 

In the meantime, let's celebrate the masterpieces that don't decorate the walls of famous museums.

A young woman forging a new path, claiming more of who she is.

A little girl snuggling her puppy.

That first real smile of a baby, the one that reaches all the way to their eyes.

The sun kissing the horizon, creating colours too beautiful to be recreated.

The northern lights dancing across the sky, endless ribbons flowing, glowing silk.

The perfect bloom of a fragrant flower.

A glistening lake, reflective glass allowing nature to show off twice its beauty. 

A couple, frozen in time, a precious wedding photo, love spilling from the print.

A teenager's grin as they embrace the freedom gained, driver's license in hand.

Masterpieces.

Create them. Find them. Appreciate them. Celebrate them.

You decide what makes the cut. 

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Until next time...

May the hardships of this time leave you untouched, those stories left untold.

May the lessons reveal themselves when needed most, allowing their wisdom to unfold.

May we, as humanity, get to a space where true and complete equality becomes the norm.

May all who seek to sew hate, sew fear, be left to bear the wrath of their own storm. 

May they bark into the void, with not one single ear left willing to listen.

May those who continue to defraud the vulnerable, end up where they belong... prison. 

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Because Of Them...

                                                           Top Photo is Google stock photo

 

Hi.

Today is November 11. In Canada, this date is set aside to honour our veterans. 

Because of them, we have the privilege of complaining. And we do. About everything.

I find it disheartening when the freedoms so many sacrificed so much for are trivialized, used as petty weapons, deliberately contorted until they are unrecognizable.

Freedom of religion - so many seem to think that this only pertains to Christianity. Pushing to put prayer back into public schools. Unless you are going to include prayers from all religions, you are excluding people. It's not just freedom for Christian religions. It's freedom for all religions. 

Freedom of speech- this does not include dangerous, inflammatory speech. This doesn't include uttering threats. This doesn't include putting people in danger with false information.

Freedom to be equal- this means everyone has the same rights. EVERYONE. Gay, straight, trans, queer, black, brown, white, and any combination thereof. Adults have the right to be married. End of story. Everyone has a right to be safe. Period. 

Our Canadian war heroes come from a multitude of backgrounds, ethnicities, races, religions, and gender identities. A true representation of our great country. 

They didn't, and don't sacrifice themselves for the rights of only a few. They fight for all of us.

Not only Christians.

Not only English speaking.

Not only straight.

Not only white.

Everyone. All of us.

Please don't confuse oppression with inconvenience.

Please do not assume your freedoms are more important than the freedoms of others. 

Freedoms partner heavily with responsibility. We have to protect our most vulnerable. If we don't, what does that say about us?

If our Veterans are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect us, at the very least, can we not sacrifice the inconvenience of having to wear masks and getting vaccinated? 

Can we just stop with the homophobia, genderphobia, xenophobia, and tantrums when consequences come knocking for choices made?

If you don't understand religions or cultures outside of your own, either take the time to learn about them or shut up about them. You choose. 

If seeing LGBTQ people out in public, being people, bothers you, stay home.

If others' religious celebrations threaten you, you aren't nearly as strong as you profess to be. 

If the phrase 'happy holidays' gets you riled up... it just makes no sense, I'm sorry, but it doesn't. 

If you don't want to wear a mask... stay home.

If you don't want to get vaccinated... stay home.

It's simple. 

Protect our vulnerable. Live your life. 

Because of them, we have the freedom to complain. And we do. About everything. 

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Until next time...

May we live up to your sacrifice, deserve it, never taking it for granted, forever grateful we should be.

May we come to fully understand the responsibility that partners freedom, as freedom is never free.

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Gotta Love A Grassy Knoll...

 

Hi!

Okay, so this story came to my attention, this week.

When I first heard it, I thought, for sure, it had to be a prank of some kind. 

I mean, actual, real people can't honestly, really, believe this, right? Right?!

Sooooooooo.....

The premise is this, as far as I can gather...

Hundreds of people gathered at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, some on the infamous grassy knoll, not to honour the anniversary of the assassination of JFK. Nope, not that.

They gathered, stood, sat, and generally just milled about. At some point, someone decided they needed a mantra. With all of the great ones out there, you know, like 'no justice, no peace,' 'make love, not war,' 'give peace a chance,' and countless others, they chose this...

"Did we land on the moon?" with the response of "No". 

Yup, with every combination of words known to man at their disposal, every one, this is what they went with.

Okay, so this gives you an idea that this particular group of people may have what you might surmise as a unique take on how the world works, what logic looks and sounds like, and the concept of reality.

Apparently, they were there because, well, because JFK Junior was supposed to somehow show up despite the fact that he died 22 years ago.

Yup, the chain of logic, or lack thereof supposedly goes like this.

JFK Junior faked his death, and has been in hiding for the past 22 years... without anyone finding out or leaking the story. Twenty-two years. Not a single sighting. Nobody giving up the story. Not. One. Person.

And then... they thought he was going to announce that he was re-instating the Grand Cheeto as President of the United States, and he...JFK Junior, would become vice-president. Because... that's exactly how that works.

And then... he, JFK Junior, would declare himself President, he would then make Michael Flynn his vice-president and then promote Trump to King. Just like the authors of the American constitution surely envisioned.

Any rational person can see the flaws, right? It's not just me?

Even if you can put aside the fact that JFK Junior was a Democrat as assuredly as he was a Kennedy, and the unlikelihood that he and the likes of Donny boy even knew each other except by name, he, Junior, is not alive anymore. Not even a little. 

When, shockingly, JFK Junior did not appear and make all these fantastical announcements, a buzz immediately began to circulate. Now, he would emerge at the Rolling Stones concert that was soon going to be taking place. That Keith Richards was really JFK Junior. This is somehow how he had managed to keep his 'fake' death a secret for all these years. 

Sooooo... Keith Richards didn't exist prior to Junior's death? Interesting...

On its face, this reads like a fever dream of a writer drenched in childhood trauma with a belly full of magic mushrooms and rancid moonshine.

On its face.

Beneath the surface, however, it's just sad.

These poor people are being fleeced of their hard-earned money. They buy all the merchandise. They give their credit cards a workout, entering the numbers on sites promising them that they are doing their patriotic duty 'saving' the country. They are marks. They buy all the lies that lead them to these crazy places. 

They never lost the childlike wonder of buying the sea monkeys, and magic rings touted on the back cover of comic books. They still entertain the belief that things will look and perform exactly as advertised on TV.  They allow themselves to be manipulated with scary stories about villains that come from far-off lands, that look and sound differently. They are pushed to fear and hate everything they don't understand. They expect Buzz Lightyear to actually fly.

Like Buzz Lightyear, Trump does not fly. Unlike Buzz Lightyear he doesn't fall with style, he just falls... 

For example... they have been coached to fear, and therefore hate the vaccines for Covid, Critical Race Theory, Social Programs, and countless other things.

When asked to explain why, there are no real answers. Because there can't be. They don't exist. 

In the meantime, I'm planning a dinner party.

Elvis, Robin Williams, and Maya Angelou are coming. They are going to announce that they are going to declare me as Prime Minister. We are going to write the biopic. Elvis will do the soundtrack, Maya will help write it, and Robin will play me in the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire style. Boom. 

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Until next time...

May the veil be lifted before it's too late.

May understanding replace the fear and hate.

May we get to a place of integrity, where doing the right thing matters.

May we get there before too many people's lives are left in shatters.

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Happy Halloween-ish!

 

Hi!

So this halloween is going to be a bit of a hybrid of our regular no-holds-barred, give a good old-fashioned scare to munchkins kind of halloween and last year's severely toned down, Covid version of this most fabulous holiday. 

Next year. Look out, I'm going to have some pent-up Halloween energy that's gonna need to spill. All over the place. Maybe spill isn't the right word... explode. Much closer.

So, as a nation, Canada sits at about 84% of eligible citizens being fully vaccinated. As a Province, Saskatchewan is sitting at about 79%.

We are getting there. Our hospitals, though, are still full of unvaccinated people. Our ICU's are full of the same.

I keep hearing from people who are STILL convinced that vaccinated people get and spread Covid to the same degree, or worse than unvaccinated people. 

I've done some digging to be sure and this doesn't match any factual information available. The only places I see this nonsense are in articles and videos that have been debunked after scrutiny by actual scientists and doctors. I can't find anything to back up these claims in any reputable medical journals, or legitimate news sources. I've checked... a lot... international sources. Nothing. 

They are still convinced. No. Matter. What.

We are a month into needing proof of vaccination to get to go fun places and do fun things. Movies, restaurants, bars...

Some businesses are reaping the rewards of doing the right thing. 

Other businesses choose to shoot themselves in the foot.

Choices meet consequences every time. 

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Sorry to write and run, but I gotta run. Time to figure out another Covid-friendly scare for munchkins.

Oh... 

I'm back working on "Once Battered."

Dangerously close to finished.

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Until next time...

May you have the best time trick or treating your way to the highest of sugar highs.

May you get at least some of your most favourite things, chips and chocolate full-sized!

 

I Have A Question...

 

Hi!

I have a question...

How is it that when someone walks away from their job because they don't want to get vaccinated, they are considered by their cohorts to be some sort of freedom fighter or patriot, but if workers don't want to go back to jobs where they don't make a living wage and are constantly harassed and abused by these same "freedom fighting patriots," they are supposedly lazy?

If you work in the public but don't believe in public safety then maybe you were in the wrong line of work.

If you are an educator that doesn't believe in science... well, come on....

If you work in the medical community but don't believe in medicine...

Flipside...

If you run your butt off in the service industry at least 40 hours a week, get yelled at or worse by "freedom fighters" at least twice a week, but still can't pay utilities, pay rent and eat without compromising at least one of those three things regularly, I get it.

Slogging away for less than a living wage is hard enough with just regular levels of abuse, but once you add all this other crap, there is no way it's worth it. 

Another question...

If you are a business that is refusing to adhere to public health mandates during a global pandemic, what assurances do we, the public, have that you adhere to other health mandates? 

What if you don't believe in washing your hands after handling raw chicken, because, you know, science is bad and stuff? 

Personally, I'm dumbfounded by business owners willing to shoot themselves in the foot over conspiracy theories and misplaced passion for diving down rabbit holes littered with deadly misinformation.

You work so hard to open, run, and keep afloat your small business. It's been tough throughout this pandemic, why would you make it worse... on purpose... and to what end?

The vast majority of people, also known as customers/clients are believers in science, and all of the steps needed to get beyond this virus including wearing masks, and getting vaccinated. I don't know that I would gamble the longevity of my business on them developing amnesia. 

They may just remember how refusing to co-operate with mandates dragged this thing out far longer than necessary. 

One more...

How much are you looking forward to not having to even think about this virus ever again?

I can't wait to not have to remember if I have a mask with me.

I can't wait to hug without a second thought.

I can't wait until logic and reason become the loudest voice.

I can't wait to get back to joy without weight.

I can't wait.

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May all your post-pandemic dreams come true, whether it's travel, career, romance, family, or simple peace.

May you find, after this time of weighted anxiety, a way to find unhindered joy, find belly laughter, find release. 

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Do All Opinions Deserve Respect?

 

Hi!

We are but one windy day from naked trees and but a few short weeks from long-night overload.

After the incredibly hot summer we had, the chill feels nice. The fourteen-hour nights? Not the biggest fan, but what are ya gonna do? Make the best of it.

Here's to a long, long, long, long Fall, no snow until at least December, the temp never dipping below -30, and a Holiday season that will provide family gatherings without caveats, without limits.

The vaccinations numbers are slowly ticking up every day, but it will be a bit until that translates into a drastic drop in both new case and hospitalization numbers. If there are any cluster cases that stem from Thanksgiving, they will be rearing their ugly heads soon. How we get to move forward depends on how that all pans out. 

There are still those out there believing all kinds of nonsense when it comes to this virus and the vaccines. I'm not sure at this point what exactly it will take for them to lift the veil of conspiracy and allow themselves to walk in reality. 

To them, everyone is lying to them except their fellow conspirators.

This group of liars apparently includes the entire medical community, all legitimate news sources, every medical journal that has been around for more than 15 years, educators, the UN, the World Health Organization, all of the health organizations, and thousands of assistants, clerks, and data entry persons. 

That is a LOT of people to be working covertly to... to... I'm still unclear as to what the end game is supposed to be. 

I can't wait until normal conspiracies make a comeback. You know, the flat-earthers, the fake moonwalkers, the harmless ones, the ones that don't kill people. 

I've recently been accused of being too hard on conspiracy theorists. That I don't give enough credence to their opinions on these things. 

Honestly, I think that's been what has helped this crap grow. 

Coddling the bullshit has given it shelf life. How many people would still be alive if we hadn't worried so much about hurting the feelings of those perpetuating this crap?

How many wouldn't now have to find a way to live with the long-term symptoms of this virus if we all had collectively, as a sane society, stomped the misinformation from the beginning?

When I think about all of the needlessly empty chairs that the conspiracies have provided this holiday season, it just pisses me off. 

If the powers that be would have shut this crap down the second it reared its ugly head...

The second it became obvious...

I can't, I won't coddle it anymore. If you get offended because I don't respect your "opinions" about how the virus is a myth, or how some new world order is behind the vaccines, I really couldn't care less.

My hands are sore from being sat on, if I bite my lip much more, I'll be chewing right through. 

I get told that every opinion deserves respect. 

No. No, they don't. 

If it is your opinion that some races are superior to others. Just shut up. Nobody needs to hear that antiquated crap. 

If your opinion requires me to acquiesce to homophobic, or transphobic, or gender phobic beliefs, then not only does this opinion not deserve respect, it deserves the utmost disdain.

If your opinions have a misogynistic twist, be prepared to eat them. 

If it's your opinion that peer-proven facts aren't real. Come talk to me if and when you get your sanity back. Until then, lose my number. I no longer have the time, will, or energy to deal with your crazy. 

If it is your opinion that Joe Rogan knows more about the virus and vaccines than all the world-renowned epidemiologists who have devoted their lives to studying these things, I don't even know what to say. 

For me, it boils down to this.

Don't come at me covered in bullshit and expect me to listen to it, pretend that your thoughts have merit, or be pleasant in a debate about it. If you choose to come at me covered in bullshit, be prepared to be buried in it.

I look so forward to a time, hopefully in the not-too-distant future when sanity once again falls upon the land.

When up is up and down is down again. When 2+2 will always equal 4. When 'alternative facts' can become the butt of every joke, as they should be. When following health measures is once again just what we do to keep each other as safe as possible. When we can breathe.

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May sanity roll in like a London fog, blanketing us, leaving nothing untouched.

May those who cling to the crazy, learn to let it go, cheeks unclenched, pearls unclutched.

Vaccine Etiquette... Anyone?.... Anyone?...

 

Hi! 

This holiday, "Thanksgiving" is heavy in it's history.  

Its beginnings have been buried by years of sugar-coated curricula, slanted lessons that try to create the narrative of colonial heroes, when that couldn't be further from the truth.

For now, today, I am thankful for strides being made to correct the wrongs perpetrated my those who came before us. I am equally thankful that more and more people are coming to understand just how far we have left to go.

Maybe someday, Thanksgiving can be just that. When absolutely everything that can be done to reconcile the wrongs committed, when a truly even playing field becomes the norm, when every single one of us can feel thanks without a caveat. Maybe. Someday.

For now, I, for one, am going to try and be as thankful as possible for every good thing in my life.

I have an incredible husband.

I have my health.

I have awesome kids and grandkids.

I have four walls and a warm place to sleep.

I have access to nutritious food. 

I live where healthcare, although imperfect, sends you home without thought of a bill.

I live in a place where vaccines are free and plentiful.

I live in a place where people have the luxury of not knowing what true oppression is. 

I live in a place where freedom and responsibility walk hand in hand.

As the weather chills, and different holidays start to roll their way through the calendar, gatherings are bound to happen.

As there remains a stubborn few who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid, what is the etiquette?

It's tough.

We all want to feel safe.

How do we do that without addressing the rather obvious giant elephant in the room?

A lot of us have family and/or friends that remain fixated on the anti-vax conspiracy crap.

Do we simply not invite them to things?

Do we ask them straight out, making them explain their crazy out loud?

Should it be mandated that all gatherings of more than a few people have vaccinations required? 

Do we just sit and wait to see if the proof of vax mandates that are currently in place have the positive impact they are hoping for?

Vaccine Etiquete... is it a thing? Should it be? Anyone?... Anyone?...

Here's hoping that conspiracies lose oxygen as facts take bigger breaths. 

The conspiracies are rife with intrigue, plots of world domination, symbols of evil, and grand schemes that require herculean efforts by, and the compliance of hundreds of thousands of people. It would also require all involved to keep it completely secret.

No wonder.

I mean, the reality of it is that it's a virus. A scary one. An all-too-often deadly one. But a virus all the same. One that now has a vaccine available to keep it pretty much at bay. No intrigue. No nefarious agendas. Just a bug. And a vaccine to help protect us from it. Boring.

I mean the whole conspiracy thing is much more exciting. What with all the secret-keeping, the international spying thing, the 'one world order' crap, whatever the hell that's supposed to be. It's all very alluring. An action movie in the making. Fiction.

I love fiction. My first novel is fiction. My second novel will also be fiction. All of my kids books are fiction. I love fiction. I get it. 

Fiction doesn't have boundaries. You can create all kinds of worlds. Happy ones. Emotional ones. Sad ones. Scary ones. You create villains and heroes, plot twists, and intrigue. You create it. All of it.

Reality just is what it is. A  place to live, family, friends, work, sleep. A virus. A vaccine to help protect us from it. Boring. 

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May we be thankful for all that we have.

May we be hopeful for a future filled with all that we need. 

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Same Space, Different Year...

 

Hi.

A sea of golden trees, towers of fire threaten to overtake the infinite blue, paths laden with the fallen memories of a summer never to be lived again.

One  season slips into the next, the passing of time both painstakingly slow and whiplash quick. It feels like time has both stood still and flashed before our eyes. 

The deja vu of being exactly where we were last year at this time, while simultaneously being completely and utterly exhausted by pushing against the marathon of idiocy. 

The solutions lay before us, there for the taking, yet some refuse to accept them.

The tales of world domination, intrigue, and monumental conspiracies dance in their heads, stomping so loudly they drown out any hope of reason or logic.

"There's so much out there." That's the answer to the question of how and why.

The UN is behind it, our government borrowed money from China, all of the epidemiologists and the entire medical community are in on it. If we didn't watch the news, Covid would somehow disappear...

In the meantime, the rest of us have to live in the real world.

"I'm on the fence." 

What fence? Where is this fence? Is it the fence that separates fact from fiction? Alice's looking glass?

So, here we are.

Same space, different year.

Only this time, we wouldn't have to be. It's a choice.

A choice made by the delusional few.

Postponed surgeries, organ donations on hold, ICU's full to the brim.

People trying to make opinion and fact interchangeable, equal.

People, who once danced at the edge, now taking up permanent residence down the rabbit hole, no longer even coming up for air.

So how will we get through this?

Will will have to drag their dead weight to safety. We will do all the things. Again. We will have to sit by and watch our health care workers fight to save these so-called freedom fighters as they drop into their hospital beds, gasping for air. 

The same healthcare workers they accuse of being part of the grand, dark scheme they choose to believe in. The same exact ones.

At what point will reality scratch the surface? When it's a spouse that's sick? A child? A parent? Themselves? 

They are impervious to the smell of smoke, they choose to ignore the fire alarm, they refuse assistance to get out of the burning building. Do they just sit there and allow themselves to burn to death all while pretending the flames aren't real, watering their plants with gasoline? 

I honestly don't even know anymore. I hope not. 

It's incredibly sad. But, my deepest sympathy is saved for the little ones who can't make the choices for themselves and the medical staff that is being pushed beyond any limit. 

As for the others? The believers of everything and anything but truth and reality? I have nothing left to give you, well nothing good anyway. 

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May we, the ones with our feet solidly planted on this, our globular earth, get each other to the other side of this with our sanity in tact.

May those who love to live in the darkness of bunny holes, someday come to recognize the distinction between fiction and fact.

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Until next time... stay safe.. stay healthy... find joy in everything you can.

Maybe Ninjas Lose Their Mojo In The Desert...

 

Hi.

Protests against protecting kids.

Defending those protests.

Pushing to get rid of safeguards.

It makes no sense.

Stumbling around, grasping at threaded tendrils of misinformation, refusing to accept reality even as it puts more and more unvaccinated adults and babies in the hospital, the ICU, the morgue. 

Fall is here, and as the weather cools, people will be spending more time indoors. That's a given. 

Those of us who have chosen to continue to take the necessary steps to keep ourselves and our families safe, will enjoy a more "normal" winter.

Those who continue to choose to do anything and everything but the things that keep Covid at bay may have a different experience.

You claim this is all about freedom.

Ok, then.

When your vaccinated relatives, especially those with young children, choose not to have you put their young children at risk, you need to accept that. You may not be invited to holiday parties. You might not get to see grandkids. You might not get invited to weddings. You don't get to stomp your feet and cry about how you should get to do what you want. You chose this.

If your entire circle of friends and family believe that vaccines are dark-magic potions, that wiping Lysol under your nose, or eating horse de-wormer, or drinking bleach, or shooting ultraviolet light into your body, or Jesus himself will save you, or that, somehow Covid somehow isn't real at all, then accept the consequences of those beliefs without complaint. 

If you remain lucky enough not to get very ill, and that's kinda the best-case scenario, the next while won't be much fun.

When your child can't play hockey, or go to dance class, you have no one to thank but yourself. 

When you can't go to a movie, or a concert, or a restaurant, or you have to home school, thank yourself.

 When you can't travel to somewhere warm in the dead of winter, thank yourself.

Denial is a coping mechanism. When denial becomes delusion, it's dangerous. 

We are not obligated to live in your warped reality. We are not obligated to acquiesce to your unwillingness to accept what is actually happening. We are not obligated to remain hostages to the misinformation you choose to believe.

After last week's ramblings hit, the trolls came at me. Good thing the slaps of idiot sticks don't leave much of a mark.

One, in particular, called me bitter. Well, Mary, if that is indeed your real name, you are 100% correct. 

I'm bitter at the fact that people who can't tell the difference between fact and science fiction have dragged this thing out way longer than necessary.

I'm bitter at your complete disregard for the safety of others. Somebody should probably check to see if Mary drives after a few shots. They might be shots of booze, or they might be shots of bleach, Lysol, Ivermectin, who knows?

I'm bitter because watching the movie "Idiocracy" play out in real-time is exhausting. (It's a real movie, check it out, stars Maya Rudolph and Luke Wilson circa 2006) Who knew it would become such a prophetic documentary?

I'm bitter that the soulless hypocrites that feed misinformation to the gullible, uneducated masses are they, themselves, vaccinated. Their eligible children are vaccinated. Fox News requires proof of vaccination to work there. The conspiracies are chum in the water, the more they throw, the hungrier the misled become. When the lies fail to come true, they up the ante. Bigger lie, more outrageous, higher ratings. 

I'm bitter because the viewership of the Tucker Carlsons of the world is filled with staunch believers. Staunch believers who are filling hospitals, and cemeteries. The monster they continue to create, to nurture, to feed, is dying the death of a thousand cuts. Believers consumed by conspiracy. The hypocrites know they are feeding lies, they simply don't care. Viewership at any cost. 

I'm bitter because healthcare workers are being pushed beyond their limits. These are people who have devoted their adult lives to caring for people. They are breaking. They are working their asses off to save the very people that scream at them and call them liars. 

I'm bitter because we shouldn't be here anymore.

I'm bitter because the vaccines are the literal outstretched hand that is there to help pull us from the rapids and you keep slapping it away.

So, as the weather cools, and as new rules and restrictions set in, completely because of you, enjoy the consequences of your choices, I'll be over here, going to movies.

Soooooooo.... Arizona

Can you imagine starting a "go fund me" page to raise money to fight getting fired from your job? Okay, maybe you can.

But, can you imagine doing so, knowing full well that you had no respect for, and were really shitty at the job, treated the board of directors, and co-workers like crap and stole tons of money from your employer? Okay, maybe you can.

But, can you then imagine hiring ninjas to do the accounting, soaking up money and time, full of promises of magical outcomes, only to find out that not only did the board of directors vote you out, but it was unanimous? 

So Cyber Ninjas took months to do what should have taken maybe a week. They accepted a shitload of money to do it. Money from the Cheeto Crook's friends. They discovered that not only did Joe Biden win in Maricopa County just like all sane people already knew, but he actually won by more votes than previously tallied.

It's like Trump can't help himself. He insists on bringing the fact that he's a loser to the attention of as many people as possible, as many times as possible, in every way possible. 

Next? Texas.

This is really baffling. He actually won in Texas. So he wants to prove what, exactly?

It would be completely hilarious if they, spent their millions, and did their song and dance of an audit just to find out that Biden actually won there too. 

Maybe Ninjas lose their mojo in the desert. Or maybe they just know easy money when they see it. 

Maybe the scammers got scammed. Gotta love Karma. 

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May the consequences of your choices be worth it.

There Doesn't Seem To Be A Bottom...

 Hi.

So, how low are people willing to sink to perpetuate their delusions? Why, scream and yell at hospital workers, block ambulances, and hinder patients from entering care facilities, of course!

There doesn't seem to be a bottom. No matter how much real world, real time evidence is accumulated. No matter how many days go by with new case number records being broken. No matter how every day over 75% of those cases are in unvaccinated people. No matter how every day, the deaths and serious illness caused by Covid are overwhelmingly affecting the unvaccinated. 

Right now, there is a very small, and I repeat, very small, parcel of the population who are legitimately unable to be vaccinated. Children under the age of twelve, and those unfortunate few who medically can't take it. 

That's it. These are the most vulnerable among us. The ones that need the most protecting. The sick, and the babies. 

These idiots, with the exception of those who exploit them, seem to truly believe that they are at war with government, fascism, communism, nazism, terms apparently equal and interchangeable in their minds, when they are really raging war on protecting our kids and those adults truly unable to be vaccinated.

The collateral damage? One small example. Our daughter needs surgery. Needs it. Not emergent, but absolutely necessary. I have two friends also in need of very important, and life saving surgery.

These surgeries? Pushed back... again. Two years have been tacked on to the wait because of Covid. The first time, it was nobody's fault. Covid hit, things had to shift, things had to change. 

But, once we knew what we needed to do to stop the spread of this virus. Once we knew how to contain it. Once we had an obvious out with the vaccine, the fault slid squarely on to the shoulders of those who refuse to wear masks, refuse to social distance, refuse to be vaccinated. 

And there it remains. 

When the Health Authority of Trinidad has to take time to clarify and debunk the story that Niki Minaj tweeted to her 2 million plus followers, about her cousin's friend who apparently is impotent and has swollen testicles, and that they were trying to somehow magically attribute those two things to the vaccine, is just insane.

Well, by that logic, I ate peas one day, and then, shortly thereafter, I found out I had a sinus infection. Must have been the peas. Right?

As the patients in the Covid ICU's grow in number and get younger, it becomes more and more apparent on whom you are waging war.

You are angry that your theories about the Pandemic, about measures needed to curb it, and about the efficacy of the vaccines are all being proven ridiculous as real world, real time data comes in from all over the planet. 

Your arguments are shrinking, and in doing so, becoming more and more idiotic. 

Over the past week, I have asked many times for proof of any of it. I get nonsensical answers, I get belligerence, I get people playing dumb, pretending they didn't say what they said, or mean it if they do admit to saying it. 

Argue the rabbit hole. I will follow you down as far as it goes, but I will make you logically explain, and prove every step along the way. 

Don't come at me with the "fake news" defense. The entire medical community is not lying to you. That makes absolutely no sense.

Don't come at me with anything you can't prove with real sources. So far, I've been sent links to things that can be debunked within a few minutes. Try harder. 

If your information comes from a medical 'journal' that hasn't been around longer than ten years, keep it to yourself.

If it doesn't come from a peer scrutinized study, keep it to yourself.

Anecdotes are not facts.

Your idiocy is keeping my daughter from a surgery she needs to live. My daughter has a right to medical care. You being butt-hurt about not getting to go to concerts, work, school etc. without being vaccinated is irrelevant. You being upset at being inconvenienced by wearing a mask is idiotic.

Your willful ignorance is getting in the way of people getting the basic health care they need to live. Which is, by the way, an actual right, unlike your misguided thoughts on restrictions. 

Your childish tantrums are getting in the way of the majority of people, and the vast majority of eligible people are vaccinated, living our lives. 

As more rules are bound to be put in place, because you can't seem to do the right thing, no matter what, I will wear my mask to protect the vulnerable. 

Just know, I'm no longer doing it to protect you. You've successfully, but hopefully temporarily, broken that part of me. You are choosing to be part of the vulnerable. Your body, your choice, right?

If you have genuine concerns about the vaccines, ask your family doctor. Read actual medical journals. Talk to people outside of your bubble who have had the vaccine. Don't accept one anecdote, or one single case and hold it up as the rule instead of the exception.

About a hundred years ago, there was another pandemic. People just did what was necessary to defeat it. No crying, no whining, no protesting. They just did what was needed, got through it, and life went on. Why don't you want to do that?

If you want to compare this pandemic to a time in history, compare it to something relevant like the 1918-20 pandemic, not world wars, which have nothing to do with medicine. That Pandemic spanned over a period of 23 months. With today's advances you'd think we'd have it beaten in less time. But, then again, they didn't have so many willing to chase crazy squirrels down rabbit holes of misinformation, or have the means to spread it. 

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May the loudest, ignorant, few find within themselves to do what's right.

May they, if they really need to, find some other fictional foe to fight.

May they go back to the harmless crazy of flat earth and moon landing, fairytales.

May they realize their arguments within a few minutes of a deep dive are epic fails.

May the butt-hurt throw their tantrums in private, we are exhausted by your idiocy.

May you feel the egg on your face, the egg that has become caked on and moldy.

May you see that the vast majority of us are no longer willing to coddle your vehement absurdity.

May you come to terms with who you are actually waging war against, the vulnerable, abhorrently.

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