What The Hell, Memphis

 09.08.2022

Just the latest in shocking news coming out of a town I love, in a state I love. The Volunteer State. Many fine folks up there. But, of course, sprinkled in are the rouges and parasites.

Overnight, a guy murdered 4 people and injured 3. He'd been released early for time served & good behavior. Uh huh. This on the heels of the kindergarten teacher/mom out for her morning jog, abducted and murdered. By a repeat offender. Imagine that. 

Our system is broken, and we couldn't act swiftly enough to reform the laws in the cases of crimes against other humans. I remember being opposed to the death penalty. That ship has now sailed. When it comes to the lives that change when people prey upon people, I'm game for some form of painful punishment. Heavy on the pain. And the accused must be guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. I think an island where the accused are left until time their trial comes would do nicely. Let these pains to society work out their own issues best they can. If we lose some along the way, well...what a shame. I'm so tired of hearing about innocent victims on the daily.

Well, 4:43 PM here in Athens. I just read that Queen Elizabeth has passed away. No matter your feelings about a/the monarchy, she was certainly a phenomenal woman. I don't know much about her, but I know this: she joined the war effort as a mechanic at 18. She used her judgement to save 10,000 children during the Holocaust and had them placed out of harms way. Most would never see their parents again.

Murderers/Saviors. What a day.

Thank you for stopping by.

The Nanjing Massacre

 09.07.2022

Our son & I got a rare moment alone recently. He's smart, very compassionate, and well read. He often shares events with me before I have an opportunity to know of them on the news. Case in point: The Nanjing Massacre.

How can I be 64 and not have ever heard of this? I've studied horrors against humanity for some time, yet never heard of this incident. Why? Our son filled me in, then sent me some information. Shocked is putting it mildly.

He prefaced my reading by saying that it's not spoken about in Japan. I can kinda get it. How would someone from Japan want to be associated with the massacre. Also, there's the quiet human toll caused by horrific experimentation.

1937-1945: Biological and chemical experiments on humans. "Logs", as they were referred to. Disease injections, amputations, and worse were performed on infants, children, and pregnant mothers. Mostly Chinese people. PEOPLE. 

Our United States granted immunity to Japanese prisoners involved in the manufacturing and testing for purposes of our own knowledge. Sign of the times, I reckon. 

Now, to The Nanjing Massacre. Japanese soldiers massacred hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers & citizens. In the school textbooks in Japan, very little is said about the massacre. Mass rape, looting, and arson were rampant. These were some of the worst of the atrocities in World War II. These are just some tidbits. I encourage you to do a little deep diving.

War. Some of these details sure sound a lot like what is reported in Ukraine, executed by Russian forces.

Yes, war is hell. For some more than others. How about we take a different path. 

Thank you for stopping in.

Labor Day Weekend Blues

 09.06.2022

Well, it started with out with recent tragedies of familiar scenes: wildfires, flooding, our fellow Americans with no safe drinking water. Then, to our surprise, and unfortunately, the reporting of violence.

Kidnapping, with ominous signs of a worse situations. Stabbings in Canada. Gun Violence in our cities. What.The.Fuck.

The horrors in Ukraine keep on happening. The interviews I've seen are so inhumane. And the are so many good people in Russia. It's easy for me to want to bond with good people, and want to obliterate all of the dictators. The inner rage still surfaces regularly.

So the kidnapped woman was gound...murdered. One of the stabbers was found dead, the other on the run. Dead & wounded from gun violence. My buddy has COVID-19. So am I supposed to be jubilant that he's nos one of the above victims? I am. But Russia has control of a Ukrainian nuclear plant. Make it all stop. Please.

Going to the woods in 2 weeks. Hopefully, I'll at least know of none of these horrors for 3 days. Fuck.Me. Just sad.

Thank you for stopping by.

Labor Day, 2022

 09.05.2022

Historically, at least in my lifetime, this long weekend has been about family, friends, cookouts, fireworks, beer, lake life, NASCAR, and MAYBE a few thoughts about how this holiday came about. Shame on me. It's about so much more.

In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts. 

As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor working conditions and to compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. 

Today, particularly since our recent pandemic, our society has so many more opportunities than folks did a hundred years ago. So, improved conditions, options of working from home, much safer working conditions, and equal opportunities. Women and men both can take time off to be with newborns, without the possibility of retribution from their employer. Health provisions. OSHA rules. Wow.

So today, tip your hats to those that came before us that fought, successfully, for our rights we have now. And be proud.

Thank you for stopping in, and have a safe & happy Labor Day.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

The Drover's Wife

 09.04.2022

The Drover's Wife: The Legend Of Molly Johnson. We watched this last night, and it was so emotionally stirring. A story based on true accounts that still unfortunately occur today. And not just in Australia.

I won't spoil things, just set it up. Late 1800s, Molly, a mom whose husband is out on a 3 month sheep drive bringing the herd down from the mountains, is home with her 4 children. She is super pregnant. I'll stop here.

I truly feel that if the woman's rights were even MORE spoken about on the daily, and pushed to be discussed, our world could maybe begin to right itself. Gone should be the days when it was time for the woman to flee an abusive situation. And physically abusive,but also emotionally. There should be zero tolerance laws, just like child abuse or neglect. If there are such laws, they should be enforced. Also, strong enforcing of retaliatory acts by the abusive party. Something's got to give. 

I've had a chance to speak to many LEOs over the years about domestic violence. All say it's the worst. I can totally understand why. It's not easy being a cop, enforcer, and referee.

Leah Purcell plays Molly Johnson, along with juggling many other aspects of the film. She is the real life woman we all love to love, an incredible woman in her own right. She brings the character to life, albeit a very difficult one. Its a must see movie.

Several subjects are highlighted throughout the movie. All of them are very relatable. 

We have one life in which we can be our best selves, and pass these qualities on. Laying foundations for the future are really important, so please teach what is the right thing to do. Like Molly did. Like Yadaka did. Like Danny did.

Thank y'all for stopping by.

Bows & Arrows

 09.03.2022

Thank you, Cupid. 

In classical mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known in Latin as Amor. His Greek counterpart is Eros.

I know. In Marilyn Manson's song "Cupid Carries A Gun", you get a different sense of Cupid. It makes you think, though. 

Bows, blowguns, slingshots, and crossbows...all formative means of manually sending a message. But don't go wild. Let's leave that up to Cupid. If you've been accurately hit with Cupid's metaphorical arrow, you know what I mean. I got hit a number of times prior to the one that hit me square in my heart. It's like some arrow tips were dipped in different potions. Those were tricky. So most of us had some discovery to implement.

Some earlier in life arrows hit me in different regions of my body. A couple right in my temple, causing me to react by immediately hitting the eject button. Close calls when you think they could be 'the one'. I've been fortunate to connect by being shot reeeeeal close to my heart. Those are the scars that keep on giving. But...

No matter how many arrows you take before the heart shot, just don't settle. Cupid doesn't know every fucking thing. Take your time, ask questions, and most of all, listen. People will tell you exactly who they are.

Thank you for stopping in.

But I Told You...

 09.01.2022

Well, crap. So, here I am. Just as Mom told me. Forgetfulness. It began creeping in, REALLY, in about 2020. Or even before that. Wasn't so aware, REALLY, but noticeable to my family & coworkers. "I already yold you that. You really don't remember shit." Or, "Where are you? We don't want to start the meeting without you." Or, from my daytime woman of 25 years "Really? Really." I miss my coworkers. They'll keep you humble while giving it to you.

I wish I could blame it on my meds, my wreck, or my bout with COVID-19...but I shouldn't. Because it started before that.

So, of course, being an avid reader, I study little brain things that are touted as memory exercises. When I remember. So if I may share some thoughts on these. 

• Supplements-No thank you, I already take a handful of meds and supplements every morning.
• Consistently learn new things
• Switch up your routines
• Take care of your body: eat healthy, exercise, you know. The things your Doctor recommends every visit.
• Play brain games. Enhance visual and auditory processing.
• Concentrate on being a BETTER LISTENER.
• Read. Learn how to play an instrument. Learn bird identification. Study all cultures that are sprinkled around the world. Know your geography. Learn a second language. Volunteer at your local Senior Center.

Whatever it takes, don't let your mind stagnate. For me, I hope to better my memory by these and other techniques. I don't want to end up being someone to avoid because I'm too much, you know? I want to be present and available and be worth it. 

So, for you & yours, remember. Avoid the confusion you may cause to yourself. And others. 

Thank y'all for stopping by.