Bye Bye July...

 

Hi!

So, tomorrow is August 1, a time where the powers that be, will start placing the 'back to school' ads front and center, reminding all of us, incessantly, that Summer is, by far, the shortest and fastest season. Yes, the weather will remain warm for a while, and the days will begin to shorten at a pace Mother Nature thinks is clever enough to trick our senses. Sleep-ins and long, leisurely bike rides will give way to school routines and homework.

But......

There is still a month of summer left! Make it count! 

Dip your toes in some water, hell, cannonball that baby! Drink something from a frosted glass, sleep in, at least a few times, play silly games, develop a month-long allergy to hurrying, and let yourself lose track of time. 

We only get so many summers, and for those of us who live in a climate that loves to show off the flipside with a vengeance, they are particularly precious. 

As much as you can...

Let the weather, instead of a calendar, dictate your itinerary.  

Have seat-of-your-pants days, where the only rule is you leave your house, the rest is dictated by mood and questionable decisions.

Start doing the things on your bucket list, it's meant for more than summer reading! 

Wear the things! Be fancy, be casual, be boho, hell, be naked, just don't get arrested!

Do something you've never done! Doesn't have to be big!

Go somewhere you've never been! Doesn't have to be far!

Adventures need not be EPIC to be epic!

Life is not meant to be survived, as none of us do.

It's meant to be lived and enjoyed, showing kindness without expectation along the way.

I'm ready.... you comin'?

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We'll have more serious things to talk about later, as, well, you know... the world...

But, for now, let's just take a breather from the serious, it'll be there when we get back...

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Files... Files... And More Files...

 

Hi!

Files, files, and more files..

Law suit files and filings, Child Predator Files, and hey, whatever happened to the boxes of files that were piled in the Tangerine Tyrant's shower a while back? They seemed important... valuable, even... did he sell them on the dark side of Ebay, or somewhere else people sell boxes of top secrets to the highest bidder... in bulk? He's the freakin' Costco of DIY Treason starter kits.

Let's chat now, about the files containing a bunch of damning info on a group of sub-humans so self-entitled they would prey upon children and women like it's their absolute right. They went to schools and hunted the most vulnerable, kids struggling to survive the worlds they were born into. They would get downwind of the desperation and breathe in every drop of the vulnerability. It was like catnip. They would offer jobs, a chance at a better life, everything these kids so perilously needed. Then, these evil, festering boils devoured and destroyed these young, precious souls like they were less than nothing.

Let's just state the obvious. Many of these girls... now women, have come forward and bravely stated what factually happened. 

Of course, these moldy mucous balls of humans created a paper trail of their horrific crimes so they could hold these disgusting acts over each other's heads. That's just how they roll. Now, even if these tangible receipts are never laid out for all the world to see, it changes nothing. We know what they did, and we know many of their names. 

How, you may ask? Let me say again for the people in the back...Because the survivors told us! In depositions, in court testimony, in interviews, in their own writings. They told us. That should be enough to put all of these innocence-destroyers in prison for as long as they breathe. 

The demented Cheeto sent a creepy as hell Birthday message to his favourite child sex trafficker with his wink wink nudge nudge about their precious "secrets." It made my skin crawl. Gross.

Now, before you come after me with all your "he says he didn't do it" bullshit... just don't.

Don't bother. If you haven't figured out who this asswipe is yet, that's on you and there is nothing I can do to help you. 

Before you start backing his "hoax" crap, think about it.

He says that Hillary, Obama, Biden, The tooth fairy, the easter bunny and Santa made up the whole Epstein files thing to, I don't know, discredit him? Like he doesn't do that at least ten times a day all by himself...

IF they would have gone through all of that work, all of that James Bond level meticulous planning and manipulation... executing it well enough to put both Epstein and his mud sucking bottom feeding girlfriend in prison, for a VERY long time, I might add, then why didn't they use it?

Like... ever. During the elections, plural. I mean Epstein was convicted and put in prison during the Cheeto's first term. If Biden and crew had access, and they would if they created it, why didn't they use it during the 2020 election, the 2022 midterms, or the 2024 election?

Why would they just sit on it? It makes absolutely no sense. If there was ever a time to pull out their biggest guns, guns that would have annihilated his MAGA runs... both of them... all of them. Why go through all that trouble to create the perfect political weapon and then never use it? 

Okay... next

The Bloated Bigot sues CBS and Paramount for some idiotic bull crap and wins a settlement... this in and of itself is batshit.

Then, in all of their wisdom, these bosses of the airwaves decide to CANCEL Stephen Colbert!

Why? And, spoiler alert, it's not the ridiculous "reason" they put out in a statement...

What it seems to boil down to is that Colbert had the audacity to point out facts and then make fun of those involved like it's his job... because it is.

The thin-skinned man-baby doesn't like it when the intelligent funny people accurately point out all of his moronic, delusional, dementia-driven "words" and "actions." He doesn't like it when they point out that he wears his racism, homophobia, and misogyny like the royal cloak of the king he so desperately wants to be. 

I wonder what's going to happen when he finds out about the first episode of the new season of South Park?

Haven't seen it? I would highly recommend. It streams on Paramount, by the way...

So, yeah, files...

Can't hide 'em, can't keep your name out of 'em, can't use 'em to sue away the truth. 

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Oh, by the way, do yourself the favour of looking up and listening to "Old Man Trump" by Woody Guthrie. It was released in 1954. He wrote it about the discriminatory practices of his, then landlord, Fred Trump.

Let's just say there's poison in that there DNA...

 

Things Have A Way...

 

Hi!

Having been on the planet for a while now, I've made some observations, as we all have. 

Choices.

Life is simply the results of choices made, strung together. Now, some results come more quickly than others, so they don't run in the same order as the choices that brought them about. 

For instance, let's say you choose to eat fast food every day. The results of that choice won't rear up right away, but will begin to show over time. It might take a month a year, maybe even a few years, depending on your gene pool, but results will eventually come to light. Now, let's say, you are driving in traffic and get pissed at another driver, you then choose to get out of your car to yell at them, and get punched square in the mouth. The resulting bloody lip is pretty instantaneous. 

Two different choices, timeline of results, vastly different.

In my experience, there are basically two types of choices, proactive, and reactive. 

Now, if I were to hazard a guess, I would bet the vast majority of choices are reactive.

They may be reactive in the moment, or a reflex reaction from past experiences. 

I would think that if we would sit down and really analyze the bigger choices we've made in life, we'd find that even the ones we thought were proactive, were tethered to the past. 

Every choice, every experience, they all have a purpose.

Every choice made, and every result birthed from it. Purpose.

Things have a way of working out... usually for the better.

You find yourself feeling like nothing is going right, struggling to find any tunnel, let alone the light that supposed to be at its end. Then, when you think that the end of the stick you're carrying couldn't possibly get any shittier, one small, good thing happens. Then, in time, another. The entrance of the tunnel finally comes into view.

The results of your choices, good, bad, proactive, reactive, the bouncing, jolting timeline of all of it brought you here, where your path seems clearer. At least for now.

Choices both knowingly and unknowingly made reactively, are still ours to own. If we want to take credit for the good ones, we have to own the not-so-good, as well. 

Even if they are but a reflex, they are choices, all the same.

If you were fed only fast food as a child, you grow, you learn, and choose better.

If you were witness to erratic, violent behavior growing up, you grow you learn, and choose better.

I know I'm simplifying things a bunch, as life is complicated and messy on its best day, but you get what I mean.

Okay, now let's say you were a boy, born into wealth, and every privilege life can offer. Your parents allowed you to become allergic to the word no, treating you as though the world and everyone in it had the sole purpose of bowing to your every whim.

Now, let's say this boy never grows and never learns, so every choice he ever makes is to only feed the bottomless pit of need and greed that encompasses his entire being. He treats humans as playthings, 'friends' with only those who are loyal and blindly feed his wants. If they question, if they defy, they are thrown away like last week's leftovers. Banished from the kingdom.

Now let's say this man buddy's up with another much like him. They team up to devour young girls, destroying their lives without the tiniest of thought. They prey upon the vulnerable for decades. Seemingly untouchable.

Until they weren't.

One goes to prison, And dies there.

The other, becomes President.

He scrambles now, as those who have worshipped him are starting to see the grotesque monster that slithers behind the curtain. They want the answers that have been promised for years from the mouths of his henchman. They want answers, they demand answers, they deserve answers. 

Choices always produce results. Sometimes they take time... days, weeks, months, years... even decades.

Time passes. Eventually it runs out, and results show themselves whether you are ready or not.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

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Oh, and by the way, when I said things tend to work out for the better, I meant for people who aren't horrible humans. Just thought I'd clarify.

Life On A Timer...

 

Hi!

Sometimes it feels like life is set on a series of timers.

Society pushes us to start them, basically, at birth.

When you roll over, first notice you have hands and feet, sit up, crawl... if these aren't happening before,  or at least by the time those first timers run out, it might be concerning.

Timers for taking turns, timers for screen time, recess, countdowns to bedtime, timers for lights out.

Timers for when fun time is over and it's time to leave... the birthday party, the park, the pool...

Timers for cooking and baking, for competitions, for work deadlines, clocking in, clocking out...

Timers for when you "should" get married, "should" have kids, and the societal pressures those "shoulds" bring... as ludicrous they are.

Timers as to when it becomes acceptable to embrace aging. 

Timers as to what's "appropriate" to wear at a certain age...

Timers on the way you style your hair...

Timers on what are "appropriate" things to do for fun...

Timers, timers, timers...

How about we ditch the timers, maybe with the exception of the cooking and baking ones.

We are people. People are messy. People are flawed. People are perfectly imperfect. None of us belong in boxes. None of us need timers. 

If you feel the need of a some type of measuring stick for life, maybe, instead of worrying how big or fancy your house and cars are, measure instead how much better someone feels after being in your presence. 

If you feel the need for a timer... see if you can pull off 10 significant acts of unreciprocated kindness in a week.

It's okay to be busy, it's necessary at times, but don't let the busy highjack your fun. 

Life is too short. That's one hourglass that is unpredictable, don't waste the sand, play in it. 

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Happy Anniversary!

 

Hi!

Happy Anniversary, Canada! Happy-ish Anniversary to our Neighbours to the South? Happy Anniversary to my hubby and I celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary!

First, the personal one...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... statistically, he and I, as a couple, simply should not exist, let alone be standing strong. I became pregnant three months after we met. I was 19, he, 21. It was 1985. We had very different experiences growing up. Our wedding in '87, yes, in the 1900's, was a textbook example of Murphy's Law on steroids. We have faced so many shit storms, sometimes it feels like that's all there is. 

But... we're still here.

It hasn't been a script from the romcoms that Hollywood likes to make us believe marriage and relationships are. You know the ones. Where they meet, they don't like each other, then they do, then they get through some kind of conflict together, and it's happily ever after.

Yeah... no.

Long term relationships are messy. They are hard. They are also beautiful. They can simultaneously be your greatest source of peace and stress. There is never only one thing to focus on, one problem to solve. The problems are never all the same size, or of the same importance. 

Rough patches are inevitable, but so are the fantastic times. 

I believe the trick is taking moments to step back from life's chaos, take a good look at the one you've partnered up with, and remember what you are capable of... together. The joy you can bring to each other, the safe space you are for one another, the family you've created, the life you have built... together. 

Some unsolicited advice...

When, and I do say when, you argue, do so with purpose. Fighting in circles solves nothing. aim at solutions.

Never demean or insult your partner publicly, or privately. You are their person. You need to be protective of who they are. 

Be trustworthy. Once broken, deep trust is nearly impossible to bring back completely.

Keep promises, both big and small. Don't force your partner to be constantly in suspense as to whether or not you are going to do the things you say you will. 

None of us are perfect. Be accountable.

Don't expect your partner to be the same person they were when you met. They can't be. They shouldn't be. You shouldn't be. It's called growth. 

Be there for each other. Always. 

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Okay, that's it for the personal stuff...

July 1st was Canada Day... 

Like many countries, Canada has a messy and complicated history. The Indigenous Peoples that were here long before our ancestors knew this place existed, were subjected to horrific treatment. Attempted genocide was put in place through different strategies, over multiple decades. The realities of that horror still echo through our systems, sticking to generations that are just now learning to walk. All the beautiful cultures, languages, traditions, and the pride in all of it became the target of bigotry and ignorance.

We can't undo the past, but we can take steps, although, so far, they have been far too slow and clumsy, to listen. To learn. To respect. To honour, not how we think we should, but as is required. 

I can't pretend to understand all the intricacies of treaties written. All I know, is our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and, in some cases, our great-great-grandparents, immigrants, landed on these shores with such entitlement, with such arrogance, and on horses so high, you couldn't see the ground. We tried to absolutely obliterate the entirety of indigenous cultures, but no matter what we did, they survived. After all of that, we need to do everything required to help them thrive, as they did before we threw our shadow upon their shores. 

In the 158 years of Canada's existence, things like residential schools existed, and were operational up to, and until, the last 27 of them. 1998. That's 131 years of blatant racism. That doesn't even take into consideration the systems that still target, but in just more subtle ways. 

Yes, our past is dark, we are far from perfect, but I think things are moving in the right direction. It took generations to do the damage, it will take generations to find solutions. We need to prove we are trustworthy. Danielle Smith, and those who think like her, are not part of those solutions. 

So, should we celebrate Canada Day? I think so, but in ways that respect those who were here first. 

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Now, as for our neighbours...

Happy-ish 4th of July?

What the hell is going on with you guys?! 

The people you voted for, who are supposed to be representing you, are dismantling what you stood for at such a pace you don't even look like yourself anymore!

Travel advisories are going up all over the world warning people not to visit you!

Masked men in unmarked vans are scooping people up willy-nilly and taking them to places with names like alligator alcatraz?!

They are locking people up for making fun of JD? I mean, come on! The guy IS a meme, for crying out loud!

The rest of us are stepping away from the crazy, at least for now. IF you get to vote again, hopefully it's for somebody, I don't know, sane? Competent? Not a felon? Once that happens, let us know. In the mean time, we are going to hang out with some old friends we've grown much closer to, as of late. 

You guys need to do something before you are taken to a point where recovery is impossible. You, as a people, have a reputation of resilience, of provoking change, and an unyielding thirst for freedom. It's the civil rights movement 2.0. You got this. 

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Next Step... Adulting

 

Hi!

Well folks, once again, it's that time of year.

Another group of kids privileged enough to live where education is available, even mandatory... where they don't have to worry about war in their back yard... You get what I mean... well, they get to graduate from high school, and are taking their first real steps into adulthood.

The majority of them have gotten to live the lives kids should get to live... being kids.

Does that mean they don't feel anxious about their future? Does it mean they aren't apprehensive about what comes next? 

No! Absolutely not! Within the next little while they will be walking into a world that feels both foreign and familiar. The literal world around them won't have physically changed much, but their role within it will.

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To those about to walk into adulthood.

Although your surroundings may not become completely different, your perspective will.

Here are a few things...

No matter how high your self esteem, no matter your level of confidence, you will come across something, or a few things that will test that to the core. Don't let it break you. It's okay to shake, just don't break.

The chances of you experiencing a shitty roommate are very close to 100%. Always get receipts for money going out. Paper trails are imperative. No matter how nice they seem, or how long you've been friends.

Toilet paper, tampons, food and utilities are way more expensive than you realize. And, yes, garbage cans and light fixtures are not self-cleaning. 

Put due dates for bills you need to pay into your calendar on repeat, with reminders a few days beforehand. Brain farts are more common than you think, especially when you are first starting out. It's important. "I forgot" won't fix late fees or keep services from being cut off. Stamping "bad risk" on your record can take years to erase. Landlords and mortgage brokers pay attention to all of that... so should you.

Accepting financial help is okay... just don't make a habit of it. Accept... don't Expect. Besides, there are few things more satisfying than the ability to pay your own way in life. 

Be resourceful. If you need something, or want something bad enough, there is always a way. Legally, of course. Never let getting knocked down keep you down. Take the hit, take a step back, take a breath, get your feet under you, and get a 360° look at the situation. A path forward always exists. Sometimes, you just have dig deep to find it. 

Not everyone grows up in an encouraging environment. Leave that behind. You know who you are. Even if it's buried deep, you know what you are capable of. Never let the nagging and dragging down of the words they tried to use as weapons against your self-worth make you doubt that. Use those words, their words, instead, as fuel to brighten your shine to levels that will kill every shade they threw.

The best thing about this next part is that you are finally in charge of your life. The scariest thing about this next part is that you are finally in charge of your life. From here on in, you have to own your choices. The good news is, there are very few choices in life that are fatal or impossible to recover from. 

Speaking of choices, don't make them out of fear. When faced with a big decision, walk yourself through the worst case scenario. If you can be okay with whatever that is, there is no reason not to do it. 

Life is not perfect. It resembles instagram, not even a little bit. You are going to screw things up for yourself now and then. Shit storms are going to happen through no fault of your own. Life is messy, can feel overwhelming, and can be just plain hard. It's all part of the ride. But.... there are always good things on the other side. Every experience, good or bad, shows you a little more of who you are, and who you are meant to become. 

That, by the way, never stops. None of us have been where we are at this very moment, before this very moment. I have never been the version of me that I am today before today. Nobody is. Be open, stay willing to learn from every experience.

You only get one chance at life. You might as well enjoy it. 

Adulting is hard.... but it also can be fucking fantastic! Soak it up!

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May you spread your wings and fly to heights that only lived in your dreams.

May you understand that even when things are at their worst, it's never as dark as it seems.

May you find joy, have something to laugh at every day.

May you look at your future in wonder, live each and every moment, letting nothing get in your way.

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Piled High.....

 

                             

Hi!

In a few hours from now, Summer 2025 will officially arrive!

Where I call home, we have earned the moniker, "The Land Of The Living Skies." When I say earned, I do mean earned. The clouds pile high, then spread into shapes that can, ever so briefly, make part of you believe in dragons, after which, the sunset kisses the edges, making it simultaneously more beautiful and more ominous. 

Our living skies can be generous with rains, bringing to fruition a green that could challenge the tones of the Emerald Isle, but they are also capable of spinning terror and destruction across our fields. 

Our skies are beautiful, endless, can shift in a heartbeat, and leave you utterly breathless. 

We try to navigate through both the beauty and the chaos with care, not taking either for granted.

*****

The intentional, nonsensical chaos that plagues those that inhabit the space south of the 49th, infects the entire planet. It's purposeful harm aimed deliberately at those who have the least chance of surviving it. The wannabe king isn't satisfied ripping away safety nets for his citizens, no, he has to stick his sweaty nose into places it need not be. Provoking, prodding, encouraging violence everywhere.

His joke of a birthday party was perfectly and entirely overshadowed by those who rebuke his hateful tyranny. Those ordered to participate, did so under obvious duress, thus phoning in a spectacular sloppiness that was thoroughly appreciated by all who witnessed it. 

This self-absorbed clown has claimed calls and deals that simply don't exist, he mumbles on about flag poles as he tries to set the world on fire. The rest of the world sees him for the Biff that his is, we are just waiting for those with the power to do so, to put him in the care home he needs so desperately. 

How long do the rest of us have to watch this exercise in self-destruction? Are you just going to let him go until there is nothing left to save? I find it hard to believe that there is nothing you can do. I find it even harder to believe that you lack the desire to do so. 

I mean, back in 2015 we thought it was a joke. Then...it wasn't.

At least, then, there were still a few guard rails in place.

Then, 2024 happened, and we thought, surely you wouldn't be dumb enough to let him have another go at dismantling what you've built. But here we are.

If you are waiting for midterms to fix this, I have a sneaking suspicion you'll be too late. There will be precious little to pull from the ashes at that point. As it is, world relationships have been rerouted, brilliant minds are being welcomed, given ample opportunity elsewhere. Your workforce is disappearing, industries are going under. Hell, your ability to predict deadly weather has been gutted to the point that seasoned meteorologists are pretty sure they won't be able to warn people in time.

Things are piled high, the dragon is evil, senile, dumb as a bag of rocks, and the edges don't look like they are going to soften in time for beauty to prevail. Just do something, for cryin' out loud. 

Okay... back to summer...

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May every sunrise bring adventure, joy, and laughter, enough to seep into the depths of your soul.

May every sunset help you relive the magical moments of the day, allowing you to let the hard stuff go.

May you get to take in some lazy days of summer, and not have them pass in a blink.

May you anchor yourself often, be in the minute, summers are numbered for us all, gone faster than you think. 

May you spend your luxuriously long days doing things that light you up, whatever that may be.

May your time and energy, life's most precious commodities, be used wisely, unfettered, set free. 

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