Things of no consequence :-)

for more lighthearted news....

If you're a movie fan, lots of sequels headed your way!

* Top Gun: Maverick  - sequel

* The Matrix 4

* Mission Impossible 7

* Indiana Jones 5 - oh come on! He's almost 80 years old! Just stop it.

* Lethal Weapon 5 - I'm conflicted about these OLD guy movies

* Fantastic Beasts 3 

* Minions: Rise of the Guru

* Hunger Games - the prequel

* Jurassic World, Dominion - the 3rd. I totally buy into these movies

* Legally Blonde 3

* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 - fun for the soundtracks alone! Oh, and of course, groot.

* National Treasure 3 - finally!

* Star Trek 4 - I love the new cast of this franchise. They're so perfect!

* Sing 2 - The world needs more animated singing animals for sure!!

* Knives Out - 2 and  3. I love a good mystery. The 1st one was fun but I hope the next 2 are 

   better.

* a yet to be titled Star Wars movie!

* The Lion King 2 - I LOVE the live action Disney movies

* Aladdin 2 - see above

* Avatar 2 - plus 2 more after that! I hope they aren't all 3 hours long though.

* The Meg 2 - I look forward to the summer shark movies.

* Hocus Pocus 2! - yay!!

* The Tomorrow War 2 - This is an Amazon movie. We really enjoyed it. 

   (fast forward through the battles though, they're too long)

* John Wick 4 - I think my fella will like this.

* Thor: Love and Thunder - well of course it's already my next favorite movie :-) Right after...

* Aquaman 2 - !!!! <3 <3 <3

* Doctor Strange 2

* Captain Marvel 2 - I'm a super heroes fan so all of these make me happy.

* Mad Max 5 

* Predator 5 - I didn't even know there was more than 1!!

* Texas Chainsaw Massacre - number 9 wow!

* Halloween Kills - I don't even know! The 80th one?!

   and countless other horror/slasher sequels!

Great Places?

 Did you see this list last month, from Time Magazine?

It's called, The World's Greatest Places in 2021.

Indianapolis made the list? I'm pretty sure I could've come up with a better list;

https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2021/

There are some cool places on the list though!

Pandemic Life 2021

Yep. Still here. Still dealing with the pandemic. Still wearing masks. Still. I never in a million years would've guessed that we would still be dealing with this, 18 months later! WTF! I mean, is it just because people didn't get vaccinated?? Would it be any better if there wasn't the Delta variant? What about the next variant that comes along, because there will be one. I think at this point, all of the new cases are the Delta variant and they are mostly young people. Well, young people (teens through 30 something) are lazy about things like that. Plus, we've been told a 1000 times at least; For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more sever illness like pneumonia, or death.

I still see that exact text at the bottom of articles, even today. What's serious about that? if you're not old? They want people to take this seriously and get vaccinated but the warning really isn't that serious, unless you're older.

The Delta variant is different though. It's affecting children. But younger than 12 can't get a vaccine. Sooooo....what do you do about that? What did you do about chicken pox or measles or mumps??? Should they require that teachers get vaccinated?

At work, you're not allowed to ask people if they've been vaccinated? That's so dumb. Are we so divided as a country?? I saw over the weekend that a radio host in Nashville died of COVID. But the headlines all made a point of saying "radio host who was a vaccine skeptic, dies of COVID," like he deserved it. I don't know who he is but it made me sick to think that we are so divided that people would think that! Holy wow!

Just when it seemed like things could get back to normal, boom. Uh huh. Lots of concerts have been canceled again. Travel is being restricted again. In some countries, they're on their 4th and 5th lockdowns. Which clearly aren't working. I mean, after the first couple lockdowns that didn't make a difference, why keep doing it??? 

Some companies now are requiring their employees to be vaccinated. Is that wrong? Should they be able to force you to get a vaccine? I hear some people say, 'are you now or have you ever been, a communist?' Is that how they feel, really?

Now, some businesses are going to require that you show proof of vaccination if you want to do something. Like Ticketmaster/Live Nation. Starting October 6th, if you want to attend a concert, you have to show proof of being vaccinated or a negative test within 72 hours. Is that wrong? Isn't that a form of discrimination? 

It seems like such a slippery slope.

So many restrictions. So many questions. Still unanswered questions. So much uncertainty, still. So much mistrust.

Americans

It's been a long time since I was in school. What are American schools teaching in American history? I learned about the 13 colonies, the revolution, slavery, the civil war and reconstruction, the 20's, the depression, WWI and II, the Alamo, Lewis and Clark, a little about the cold war, the civil rights movement.
I guess now they throw in 9/11 and more economic and environmental teachings? 

If you are a citizen of the US, that makes you an American. Isn't that right? Regardless of your race, religion, color, sex, whatever...you're still an American. Right?

I saw a story about Illinois passing an act requiring Asian American history be taught in high schools. Specifically, "the contributions of Asian Americans toward advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward. The contributions made by individual/Asian Americans in government, arts, humanities, and sciences. The contributions of Asian American communities to the the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the US."  Is that segregation? I feel like it is. Why can't it just be part of American history? I really struggle with stuff like this. Do they teach a unit just about Native Americans? Or is that just part of the history of that time? I don't remember learning about the Trail of Tears in school. I think it should be a bigger part of our history but I don't think it should be a separate thing. To date, there are no federal requirements for teaching black history in the US. Maybe it would be less divisive if we just did a better job teaching history? Why can't we stop trying to separate everybody?

If you're African American, you should have to be more specific then. Africa is BIG continent. What if your ancestors are from Libya, or Egypt? Then you can say you're African American. Technically, you can be a white African American. What about Russia? If you're heritage is Russian, doesn't that make you an Asian American? How about India or Iraq or Turkey? They're all part of Asia. My heritage is mostly European. Should I identify myself as a European American? Or maybe just a North American? If your ancestors come from Brazil, Chile, or Argentina, do you call yourself South American? Or do you just say you're an American?

Oh I guess I know the deeper answer. Asian is a racial category, not geographical. Same for African American and Latino. Race = a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc. 

No wonder it's so hard for everyone to get along.

Drugs are bad

Did you know, last year there was a 29% increase in drug overdose deaths?! It's the equivalent of 11 deaths every hour. Holy cow! Over 93,000! That's  21,000 more deaths than the previous year.

When you think about it though, it isn't really that surprising, is it? The mental health toll of covid plus every tom dick and harry was making drugs and lots of extra $$ to spend. 

I read, "what's really driving the surge in overdoses is this increasingly poisoned drug supply. Nearly all of this increase is fentanyl contamination in some way. Heroin is contaminated. Cocaine is contaminated. Methamphetamine is contaminated." Also, "when I have extra money, I stock up on my (drug) supply."

So far, this year is probably not looking any better. 

Just another overlooked consequence of 2020.

JOY

Joy 
/joi/  noun

a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

What brings you joy? It's a good question isn't it? Other than parents/kids/spouses.

Lots and lots and LOTS  of things bring me joy;
Quilling
dogs/dog videos/animals
nature
St. Elmo's filet mignon

a compliment from a stranger
music, especially the 70's
sincere laughter
colors

the smell of cookies baking

Disney/Pixar animated movies
sparkly gel pens

a ripe tomato w/salt on it

cheese 😂

sleeping late

praise/recognition

kindness

YES! we need more joy!!! 

lazy brains

I don't know. Maybe it's just been so long now since I've had to deal with people on a daily basis that I've forgotten how lazy they are. Or maybe they're just worse now. It's giving me anxiety. Some days, a lot of anxiety. Ugh.

Like, people are still driving like they were a year ago, when there were A LOT LESS cars on the road. It's stressful and scary out there on the roads. Crazy speeding, crazy lane changes, not paying attention. Whoa!

People in general are so self absorbed! Yesterday I was in the Costco parking lot waiting to go because a woman and her cart, in the middle of the row, stopped to do something on her phone. Helllllooooo! I wanted to honk at her but felt like that would be rude. They do the same thing in the grocery store. Geez!

Nobody is thinking. Just doing. 

At work, we actually had to put a sign up in the restroom to tell people to clean up after themselves because it was such a mess all the time! Seriously. What the hell??

Everyone is just doing whatever the hell they want. I don't think it's just lazy brains though. Maybe they have lazy brains because they don't have any respect for anybody or anything. Or themselves for that matter.

Sometimes I want to give in and follow the crowd. It's so much easier if you don't give a crap. But then, in my core, I want to do the right thing. I don't want to park in the 15min spot if I know I'm going to be 1/2 an hour. I can walk the extra 200 steps from the far spot. I still put things back that I don't want, at the store. Most of the time, I still pick things up off the floor when I'm not at home. If you're not a jack(ass)hole or a bully, I'll let you in front of me, on the road. I try to pay attention to what's going on around me and be considerate. But, I still  have anxiety about people and negativity and brain laziness. sigh 

Random things....

 There's going to be an Aquaman 2 😃😃 I'm pretty happy about this.

The State Fair starts next week. Every year they have new foods to try. This year they're going to have a grilled cheese made with waffles! Uh huh. Also, frozen mocha coffee, which is really just a coffee milkshake. Oh, and Miss Piggy's Mac Daddy-mac and cheese topped with bbq pulled pork. mmmmmmm

It's almost the end of July????!!!!! Oh man! 

You should watch the daily videos on YouTube from doggydaycarefarmtrips.  Joy . every . day!

California came to visit us yesterday. There's a murky haze over most of the state - smoke from the California wildfires. Wow. 

In the parking garage at work, someone spilled glitter. Which is perplexing to begin with...but now, one whole level is sparkly. It's kind of fun.

What caused your happiest feelings? Do you know? For instance, do you remember how your first kiss made you feel? How about the first time a non-family member told you they loved you. Maybe someone just said something nice to you that made you feel happy, and it still does when you remember it. Birth of a child? The moment you fell in love. Your first 'A' on a report card. A fit of the giggles. 

Is there a famous person's death that was particularly upsetting to you? Some people cried and cried when Elvis died, or JFK. I don't really have feelings like that about the rich and famous. I will say though, it was upsetting to me when Robin Williams died. I guess because he committed suicide and my heart broke for him, to think he was in so much turmoil, mentally, that that was his only option. So, so sad.

And speaking of YouTube, there are a couple great 'world webcams' out there. You only get about 5 seconds of each webcam but it's fun to see the world in just a few minutes. 

Gay women and older black women like me. Why? 

Do you know what Hematite is? It's a common iron oxide. Kind of a charcoal color. It's pretty when it's all shined up. I have a hematite ring, that I bought at Wall Drug store in South Dakota. I wear it on my thumb so it really takes a beating! Still looks great, no scratches, doesn't make my finger turn green. I like it. 

Last - why aren't there any good comedies on TV anymore? They're all so dumb. OK, maybe there are a few that aren't geared toward high school humor. But it's hard to find a smart comedy. The writers of Frasier and MASH are long gone. There really aren't any good comedy movies either. In today's world, there should be more.

Things you probably don't know about me

I like dread locks.

    not for me, but I like the way they look.

I don't like man buns.

    Unless it's Jason Mamoa. Period

I don't like salty and sweet together.

    don't put salt on your watermelon!! ewww. and NO fruit on your salad. yuck

I'm a bird nerd.

    I know so much more about birds than you do :-)

I love events!

    even if they're not related to anything I actually like, I still like the event!

I don't like berries.

    strawberries are ok on shortcake but that's about it for me.

I love Funko Pop.
    Thank heavens I didn't discover them until late in life. I'm sure I already have too many :-)

I don't really like cake.    
    chocolate cake is yummy but I could live without it.

I don't like peanut butter
    I know...weirdo

Also, I don't really like chocolate

    except for the occasional Snickers bar

Purple is my 2nd favorite color after lime green.    

    after that, I like tie dye stuff

I've never had a same sex fantasy.    

    You'd be surprised at how many people do!!

I don't like sushi.    

    and yes, I've tried it. Same goes for oysters, goose, frog legs and snails. blech

If you really want me to do something, you have to make me promise.    

    I don't break my promises.

I could eat chips and salsa every single day.    

    just a little, but I would still want it every day.

I can't think of a single job I've had that I didn't like.    

    even the crappy retail ones.

I LOVE nature and being outside.    

    but I hate bugs, I don't like being hot, hiking sucks and camping out is not my bag. 

I love salty things so much that sometimes when I'm having a craving, I drink soy sauce.    

    I know how gross that sounds but hey, it's better than a bag of chips!!

I'm a kind person but I'm not a nice person.    

    Just ask anyone I've ever been sarcastic too!!

There are only two kinds of ice cream worth eating; Dairy Queen and Bryer's Butter Pecan    

    That's IT!

I like lima beans and liver.    

    Not together though. I don't eat either, but I like them both.

LGBTQIA2S

Lesbian
Gay
Bisexual
Transgender
Queer and/or Questioning
Intersex
Asexual
Two-Spirit

Lesbian and Gay - check, I get it. Except, they're both homosexual. I mean, a woman can say she's gay but a man can't say he's lesbian. See, even in the gay community the sexes have to be divided.

Bisexual - check, I know what that is too.

Transgender - ok, so you're transgender if you want to dress like the opposite sex and/or you want to be the opposite sex. Actually, they want you to say if they "identify" as the opposite sex. This one still confuses me.

Queer and/or Questioning - yep, losing me now. Isn't queer the same as gay? And what the hell is questioning? You want to be special because you're questioning your sexuality? Oy.

Intersex - The is a person who is born with certain traits of both male and female. Is that right? I'm actually not sure. I looked it up but I'm still not sure.

Asexual - this means that you don't have sexual feelings for either sex. That makes you special? I think that just makes you different. 

2 Spirit - Ummm, yeah. I didn't make that up. It defines two-spirit as a cultural and spiritual identity for indigenous people who embody both female and male spirits.

Wait, I think they forgot Pansexual. That means you're attracted to everyone! Like a sex addict?

Wouldn't it just be easier to say, heterosexual and non-heterosexual? Or is this just another way to keep everybody divided. Seriously. I used to work for a gay doctor. I've had gay friends. I have gay co-workers. For the most part, they could care less if I know they're gay. Why does the media want us to care?

Pandemic life 2021

2/3/20 - US Declares Public Health Emergency 

3/11/20 - WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. 

3/13/20 - US declares a National Emergency

The world shuts down. Countries seal their borders; sports teams cancel seasons; schools close and employees go home.

April 2020 - Businesses shut down, leading to massive job losses. By the end of April, 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment. We were told that if everyone just stayed home for 2 weeks, we could flatten the curve. Since then, we've been told so many different things.

June 2020 - The curve is not flattening. 5 million people have lost their health care insurance. Life is pretty much canceled. And it will continue through the end of the year.

July 2020 - There's a significant uptick in mental health cases/issues.

And on and on it goes and goes. Here we are, JUNE 2021. Most mask mandates have been lifted now. You're still required to wear one on public transportation, prisons and hospitals. Sometimes I wonder why. Did it help? How about social distancing? Did that help?

Still, after a year and a half, I see a lot of this; 
studies suggest
the CDC worries
we now believe
there could be

it might mean
a new study predicts

All of which just means the same things as, I/we think. Does that make all the precautions worth it?

In my life, traffic on my daily commute has picked up significantly. Drivers are worse than ever! Mostly because there haven't been so many cars in their way before now so they've forgotten. 

There are more and more people outside downtown. Portions of the mall are still closed though. Some restaurants are still only doing take out - labor shortages prevail. In general, we're going more places. That's nice for sure. 

Where I work, we've all been told to be back in the office by July 6th. I was really enjoying the quiet and the drama free environment. Most of these people are not happy about coming back to work either. For over a year, they've gotten to sit in the comfort of their homes, barefooted, in sweats or leggins and dorky t-shirts, temperature controlled to their liking, listening to music, smoking when they want, eating when they want, doing their laundry, playing with the dog, visiting with other family members who are home, saving a TON of $$ on gas and eating out. Yeah, it's been a pretty sweet gig for a lot of folks.

So, what's it going to be like for all of the people, everywhere, that have to go back "in" to work? They have to get use to each other again, seeing faces. Their routines are about to change drastically! It's going to be just as hard as when they all had to go home to work. I only have to give up 2 days at home and I hate it!!! I'm seriously going to miss that extra hour of sleep, loud music, a home cooked breakfast! and chatting with my fella when ever I wanted. Poop

It's been a helluva road, hasn't it? So much anger and sadness and loss. So much negativity and resentment. 

sigh

People, people, people!

I was really starting to feel like the pandemic population and traffic was normal. It was nice. You know, because I don't like people. But now that things really are getting back to normal, there are just too many people and too many cars in the world! They're everywhere!!! ick

Did you know, as of March 2020 there were 7.8 billion people in the world? It took 2 million years for the world's population to reach 1 billion, and only 200 years more to reach 7 billion. Wow! Conservationist claim that the Earth can only support 1.5 billion people. Hmmm. I wonder at what point will they know they were wrong? Granted, there are plenty of poor countries in the world but 6.3 billion people can't survive? According to Science Daily, 95% of the world's population lives on 10% of the world's land. But if you add in agriculture, we take up 1/2 of Earth's land.

China = 1.4 billion. That's 153 people per kilometer (.62 mile)

    China lost 348,399 migrants last yr
India = 1.3 billion. That's 464 people per kilometer

    India lost 532,687 migrants
USA = 331 million. (only 4.25% of the world's population) That's 36 people per kilometer

    USA gained 954,806 

Indonesia = 274 million. That's 151 per kilometer

    Indonesia lost 98,955

Pakistan = 221 million. That's 287 people per kilometer

    Pakistan lost 233,379

But!...A little country called Monaco has a population density of 26,337 people per kilometer. Is that even possible?! Monaco's total population is only 39,242!

The top 5 most populated states in the US are;

California = 39,613,493. That's 254 people per square mile
Texas = 29,730,311. That's 144 people per square mile

Florida = 21,944,577. That's 409 people per square mile

New York = 19,299,981. That's 410 people per square mile

Pennsylvania = 12,804,123. That's 286 people per square mile

The Hoosier state has a population of 6,805,663. That's 190 people per square mile.

US cities are home to 63% of the population but comprise only 3.5% of land area.

Apparently I should quit complaining about how many people there are out there in my daily life.

Vacation!

When we planned our vacation for the end of May, there was no sign of the pandemic abating. People were/are being vaccinated but most of the country was still under a mask and social distancing mandate. I knew we would have to wear our masks at the airports and on the planes. I was ok with that.

We had no idea though, that so many states would have lifted those mandates by the time we left! 

We were heading out west; Vegas, Utah, So Cal. Holy WOW! The airport was packed. Busier than any other time we've ever left at 6:30 AM. The plane was full. It was just nuts. We changed planes going, in Phoenix and coming home, in Denver. Indy has a nice airport. That's why it's been given the title of BEST airport for several years running now. We flew on Southwest. While I like Southwest's prices, I wonder if other airlines are similarly cramped in their cabins. It's hard to be uncomfortable for 3+ hours. But...the flights were uneventful, so there's that.

Our first stop was a day in Las Vegas. That's what this post will be about, Las Vegas. I don't even know where to begin. Their mask mandates had been lifted just a few days before we arrived. I want to preface this by saying, I grew up in the 70's. I lived the 70's, in every way you might think. I'm pretty far from being a prude. I'm pretty open minded, about most things. It's been 12 years since I've been to Vegas. OK, now that I've said that...Vegas is a horrid place. I use to really enjoy going to Vegas. The people watching was fun. The hotel lobbies and casinos were cool. Cheap and endless food. Cheap and fun shows and museums. Except that I got to see some family there, I can't think of a single good thing to say about it. You know that saying, "sin city?" It's no longer just a term of endearment. It really IS sin city now. I saw girls walking down the street wearing pasties. I saw girls wearing fishnet stockings and thongs with crop tops. I saw very little that required any kind of imagination. Lots of foreign speaking people. LOTS of people. Lots and lots of them. It feels a little grimy and it smells. I can't put my finger on it either. My brother said it's like a cross between stale beer and dirty underwear. Yeah, that's gross. If any of us weren't exposed to COVID, I'd be shocked. If any of us weren't exposed to any other vile behavior, I don't know what it was. Ewwww. Maybe it was just the freedom everyone was trying to experience after being cooped up for a year.

I don't think I'm that old. Maybe I am. I don't know. I know for sure though, that I wouldn't go back to Las Vegas to have any kind of fun. Maybe it's just the strip. Maybe if you go and stay in a nice hotel/resort and never go out to the strip, you'd have a good time? I thought it could be fun to go to Freemont Street buy my brother said, no, don't do that. It's like the Vegas ghetto now. That's a bummer.

Greed is the most powerful source of evil. I'm convinced.

Self love

What is self love anyway? I always thought self love was just accepting yourself the way you are, for who you are. Warts and all.

Wiki says; 

Self-love, defined as "love of self" or regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour propre, conceitedness, egotism, narcissism, et al.

In general, other articles say;

* stop comparing yourself to others
* don't worry about others' opinions
* remember your value doesn't lie in how your body looks
* be kind to yourself

I see crap all the time about loving yourself and being good to yourself. Oh, I get it. It just seems like they meant something different 30, 40 years ago when they started saying it. Back then they meant, hey, you can't give a 100% of yourself away, it's ok to say no to people and to ask for help and be yourself. I don't think they mean that anymore. Now it's more like, hey, do whatever the hell you want that makes you happy. Don't sacrifice yourself for other people. Love who you are, but remember...you could be so much better if you had perfect teeth, a high paying job, bigger boobs, a partner who agreed with everything you said, a different hair color, bigger muscles, longer eyelashes, an expensive car, zero wrinkles and were thinner/taller/shorter. That's not self love. No wonder people are so stressed out and unhappy with themselves all the time!  

Maybe that's why the world is such a mess. Everyone is just looking out for themselves and doing what they want. Putting themselves first, or trying to. 

Just do your best  people. Do the right thing not the expected thing. And remember, no one is indispensable. As a matter of fact, someone gave me this poem when I was in high school and feeling like I ruled the world. It really stuck with me too;

Sometime when you're feeling important;
Sometime when your ego's in bloom
Sometime when you take it for granted
You're the best qualified in the room,

Sometime when you feel that your going

Would leave an unfillable hole,

Just follow these simple instructions 

And see how they humble your soul;

Take a bucket and fill it with water,

Put your hand in it up to the wrist,

Pull it out and the hole that's remaining

Is a measure of how you'll be missed.

You can splash all you wish when you enter,

You may stir up the water galore,

But stop and you'll find that in no time

It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of the quaint example

Is do just the best that you can,

Be proud of yourself but remember,

There's no indispensable man.

                    1959 - Saxon White Kessinger

locally....

Do you ever just pick a destination in your home state and go there? We don't either. But we're trying to now. There's actually a lot to see in my home state. Last weekend we went to Vincennes. It's the oldest city in Indiana - it was a place before Indiana was a state and founded by the French in 1732. William Henry Harrison was it's first Governor and the 9th president of the US. His house was the first brick home in the territory and it's still there! Vincennes University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the US. 
There's a lot of history in Vincennes! They even have a military museum. I know that sounds dorky, but it was pretty cool. I'd never seen a tank in person. And it was a glorious Spring day and we didn't have to have our masks on :-)