Last year, we attended an estate sale. The estate belonged to tech guru Scott Jones. He's actually a pretty fascinating person. You should Google him. Here's the link to the sale;
https://www.aetherestatesales.com/scott-jones-estate-sale/#scott-jones-estate-sales
and here's a little more about him;
https://www.indystar.com/story/life/2017/09/11/why-multi-millionaire-scott-jones-leaving-indiana/617560001/
We went for a few reasons. 1, how often do you get to go inside a 27,000 sq ft house??? That's the size of 14 of our house!!! 2, how often do you get to see what rich people put in their houses?! One of the things that surprised me about the place was how well it was lived in. You could really tell that he and his family actually lived in that house. It wasn't just a decorator showcase. It did have the best (presumably) of everything though.
But I found myself wondering, why? Why do you want a 27,000 sq ft house? Is it for no other reason than, you can? Even if you do a ton of entertaining or have a 100 friends, does your home need to be 27,000 sq ft?!!? Really, it was pretty grand in some regards but definitely not my cup of tea. I've been in some other homes that were owned by wealthy people and felt the same way...not my cup of tea. But of course I thought, wow this is nice. But I never thought, this place is nicer than mine. I much prefer my cozy home, filled with knick knacks and family pictures and things from places we've been. Things that make me smile when I look at them. A home where my friends would come to see ME, not my stuff! And they'd immediately feel comfortable when they walked in. Really, do you need a $100,000 piano? Or an $80,000 pool table? OK, so the home theater would be fun, but geez. How much is too much? And why would you want too much? Other than collecting something - like maybe Funko Pop :-)
I'm SO happy with everything I have, it never occurs to me to compare myself to other people, or want so much more than I already have. I guess I don't think big enough.
I'd like to think that if I won the lottery, I wouldn't turn into a pretentious ass.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Friday, February 16, 2018
Amazon
...and the first World Ruler is....
Do you recognize him? No? His name is Jeff Bezos. Pronounced Bay-Zohs. Get it right. Now do you know who he is? Well, you should. Everyone should. He's going to rule the world one day. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the wealthiest man in the world. With a net worth of 104+ billion dollars. His company employs over half a million people! This is Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. He is 54 years old. Born in Albuquerque raised in Houston. He's married and has 4 children.
He started Amazon in his garage. After Amazon.com, along came Alexa! More than 20 million Amazon Echos have been sold. On the heals of Alexa came the Amazon Fire TV. Then he bought The Washington Post. Then he bought a grocery store. From the time Amazon.com "opened" it took 6 years for the dot com to turn a profit. Isn't that crazy?!!? Who does that? Geez, we have restaurants that open and close in a matter of months but Jeff Bezos stuck to it. Why? Even now, Amazon is not really a profitable company. He's building loyalty.
Amazon doesn't mess around. Google came out with Google Home (its version of Echo) 2 years later. Google owns YouTube. Not surprisingly, Amazon doesn't sell the Google Home. Duh. But Google wanted to test its muscle, so it said, Amazon, if you don't sell Google Home, we're going to pull the You Tube app from your Fire TV. Amazon said, meh, go ahead. Google pulled the app last month. As far as I can tell, it hasn't effected Amazon in the least.
I love Amazon. I think the logistics of Amazon is mind blowing. And their customer service is pretty awesome. I love Alexa, she rocks! I really like my Fire TV too. Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, games...good stuff. I brought all this up because Jeff Bezos made another startling announcement last month. He's going to partner with Warren Buffet and JP Morgan to create a new health care system for their employees.
What's next? World domination. Pay attention people.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
America
I am an American. In general, I feel a sense of pride when I say that. It irritates me that so many Americans don't. It irritates me that so many people who live in America, think it sucks. I'd like to say to them, then leave. Leave, because you're part of the problem. OR, do something about it if you think it sucks. But if all you're going to do is bitch about it or take advantage of Americans generosity, piss off. That's the rant in my head.
Realistically though, America really isn't that great. We could do better. We should do better. We need to do better.
The U.S. ranks 17th in education
The U.S. ranks 27th in infant mortality
The U.S. ranks 26th in life expectancy
The U.S. ranks 37th in Health Care Systems
The U.S. is also the 37th healthiest country in the world
The U.S. ranks 34th in childhood poverty
The U.S. ranks 2nd in CO2 emissions
The U.S. ranks 5th in the amount of garbage produced
The U.S. ranks 17th in quality of life
The U.S. is the #1 world economic leader. We also have the highest debt of any country in the world.
Seems to me that we have a whole lot more to worry about than our political affiliations or religious beliefs or what gender someone is.
Realistically though, America really isn't that great. We could do better. We should do better. We need to do better.
The U.S. ranks 17th in education
The U.S. ranks 27th in infant mortality
The U.S. ranks 26th in life expectancy
The U.S. ranks 37th in Health Care Systems
The U.S. is also the 37th healthiest country in the world
The U.S. ranks 34th in childhood poverty
The U.S. ranks 2nd in CO2 emissions
The U.S. ranks 5th in the amount of garbage produced
The U.S. ranks 17th in quality of life
The U.S. is the #1 world economic leader. We also have the highest debt of any country in the world.
Seems to me that we have a whole lot more to worry about than our political affiliations or religious beliefs or what gender someone is.
Friday, February 9, 2018
flashback Friday
This makes me feel so much better. Is that bad?
Some people don't age well. Some people do! Some people pretend. Some people should stop pretending!
Robert Plant, from Led Zepplin, looks like he's had a hard life;
I like that he doesn't pretend though.
And look at Rod Stewart!
He's pretended a little, but he looks pretty good for an old guy.
THIS guy, did NOT fare well;
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Neither did this one;
This is Bobby Sherman, the original teen heart throb. I loved him. He grew up to look like a completely different person!
David Lee Roth is a pretender too. But still a far cry from his Van Halen days
Oh, and Neil Diamond! Old but still handsome
I don't want to just pick on the men though...
Some people don't age well. Some people do! Some people pretend. Some people should stop pretending!
Robert Plant, from Led Zepplin, looks like he's had a hard life;
And look at Rod Stewart!
He's pretended a little, but he looks pretty good for an old guy.
THIS guy, did NOT fare well;
Neither did this one;
This is Bobby Sherman, the original teen heart throb. I loved him. He grew up to look like a completely different person!
Oh, and Neil Diamond! Old but still handsome
I don't want to just pick on the men though...
She should stop pretending now. So should Madonna!
Remember this hot mama!?
Oh! And THIS icon!
Raquel Welch is 77 years old! And have you seen Christie Brinkley lately? Wow! Not Bridget Bardot though;
And whatever happened to the chick from Weird Science??
well, that was fun :-)
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
who do you think you are!?
That's the name of a TV show, Who Do You Think You Are. I've never watched it but it's about taking a celebrity on a genealogy tour of their family tree. I don't really care about celebrities so I'm not that interested in their genealogy. Regardless, it IS an interesting topic.
YOU can even have your own DNA tested these days. I think that's an interesting idea. Whoever is testing your DNA can tell you where you're from. Do you have any ideas about your genetics? Do you think of yourself as a particular race? Would you be shocked to find that you're not?
This is a really fascinating article about that very subject;
Now, I have a pretty good idea what my heritage is. I might be surprised to find something different but I can honestly say, I know for sure that's it's more than I think it is! Geez. And if there was 4% African in my DNA, I wouldn't think that that make me black. It wouldn't change my perception of myself. What if it came back 28% Russian? That's really not gonna make me feel like I should understand or relate to their culture. I'm still just gonna be me. I know for a fact that I have native american genes, but that doesn't make me want to go live on a reservation. And it doesn't make me hate western civilization. Funny how people get so hung up on labels.
YOU can even have your own DNA tested these days. I think that's an interesting idea. Whoever is testing your DNA can tell you where you're from. Do you have any ideas about your genetics? Do you think of yourself as a particular race? Would you be shocked to find that you're not?
This is a really fascinating article about that very subject;
Now, I have a pretty good idea what my heritage is. I might be surprised to find something different but I can honestly say, I know for sure that's it's more than I think it is! Geez. And if there was 4% African in my DNA, I wouldn't think that that make me black. It wouldn't change my perception of myself. What if it came back 28% Russian? That's really not gonna make me feel like I should understand or relate to their culture. I'm still just gonna be me. I know for a fact that I have native american genes, but that doesn't make me want to go live on a reservation. And it doesn't make me hate western civilization. Funny how people get so hung up on labels.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Binge watching
Do you binge watch shows on Netflix/Hulu/Amazon??
Wiki says;
Binge-watching, also called binge-viewing or marathon-viewing, is the practice of watching television for a long time span, usually a single television show. In a survey conducted by Netflix in February 2014, 73% of people define binge-watching as "watching 6 episodes or more of the same TV show in one sitting."
I've never done that. I can't commit to TV for that long. I have trouble committing to a 2 hour show!! For me, binge watching would be 2 episodes tops. Or one episode everyday. I liked a TV show called Haven. But I didn't start watching it until it had been on for a couple seasons. So, I started watching it from season 1, episode 1, on Netflix when I was walking on the treadmill in the evening. I considered that binging. I never watched Frasier when it was on TV, but I've watched them all on Netflix. Anyway...there's a drawback in watching a TV series like that, back to back episodes or every night. When you see too much of a character, you don't like them as much. For instance, after a couple months of Frasier, I really didn't like him. He was such an ass!! But I probably wouldn't have felt that way if I had only watched 1 episode a week, for 1 season a year. This Is Us is wildly popular right now. I just started watching it on Hulu. I watch an episode every night. It's pretty good for a family drama. But one of the characters is such a shithead! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't feel that way about him if I only watched it wkly.
My fella has been watching Grand Tour on Amazon, while he's on the treadmill. He likes it. Well, he likes the show and I think he likes binging! :-) I think he'll find other shows to binge watch now. There's a lot of them out there for sure.
Wiki says;
Binge-watching, also called binge-viewing or marathon-viewing, is the practice of watching television for a long time span, usually a single television show. In a survey conducted by Netflix in February 2014, 73% of people define binge-watching as "watching 6 episodes or more of the same TV show in one sitting."
I've never done that. I can't commit to TV for that long. I have trouble committing to a 2 hour show!! For me, binge watching would be 2 episodes tops. Or one episode everyday. I liked a TV show called Haven. But I didn't start watching it until it had been on for a couple seasons. So, I started watching it from season 1, episode 1, on Netflix when I was walking on the treadmill in the evening. I considered that binging. I never watched Frasier when it was on TV, but I've watched them all on Netflix. Anyway...there's a drawback in watching a TV series like that, back to back episodes or every night. When you see too much of a character, you don't like them as much. For instance, after a couple months of Frasier, I really didn't like him. He was such an ass!! But I probably wouldn't have felt that way if I had only watched 1 episode a week, for 1 season a year. This Is Us is wildly popular right now. I just started watching it on Hulu. I watch an episode every night. It's pretty good for a family drama. But one of the characters is such a shithead! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't feel that way about him if I only watched it wkly.
My fella has been watching Grand Tour on Amazon, while he's on the treadmill. He likes it. Well, he likes the show and I think he likes binging! :-) I think he'll find other shows to binge watch now. There's a lot of them out there for sure.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Random Friday
In California, they want to make plastic straws illegal. Except, if you ask for one, they have to give you one. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work. I don't get it.
Employees say Whole Foods is using scorecards to punish them. So, is that like being unhappy because you're teacher gave you an F? Or like your boss reprimanding you for being late too often? Hmmmm. I don't know, maybe they're using the scorecards so you'll be better? I know that employers can get a little carried away, but still...
"Everyone has a definition of success, but there is one quantifiable measure that allows us to see how Americans define it: cold, hard cash.
Visual Capitalist and Thermosoft analyzed data from 2000 Americans in order to learn what "making it" means to them.
During their research, they found that Americans think an annual income of $147,104 means you've made it.
Further trappings of success include a 10-minute commute, being married with kids, never worrying about medical expenses and being able to lend money to friends or family members and donate generously to charity."
“I THINK IT WOULD BE
A GOOD IDEA.”
Mahatma Gandhi, when
asked for his thoughts on “western civilization.”
Clearly, he doesn't really want to be elected?!
https://www.wthr.com/article/us-senate-candidate-says-women-should-be-homemakers-not-career-obsessed-banshees
According to a new survey, Americans will spend $1.2 BILLION on beer, on Sunday!!!
According to a new survey, Americans will spend $1.2 BILLION on beer, on Sunday!!!
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
creating
When it comes to creating something, does production or vision count more?
If I conceptualize a really great sculpture, and can draw it, but I hire someone else to sculpt it, is that sculpture MY art? Should I share the credit? Or do I put only my name on it?
What if I'm a successful painter, and I loose the use of my arm and can't paint anymore. I can still be creative though. Can I describe a painting to another person and hire them to paint it? Should that painting bare my name, or the person who painted it? Do we share the credit?
How should that work?
I was wondering about that because of something I read recently, about Dale Chihuly.
You can see his work, here;
He hasn't been able to do any kind of glass work for decades. He has a team of artists do it for him. But it's his name that goes on everything. I'm sure he pays his team well, but still. They aren't really getting any credit for their hard work. That doesn't seem fair to me.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Random Friday
The Internet says, Skittles don't have a flavor? If you blindfold someone, make them hold their nose, and feed them Skittles, they wouldn't be able to tell you what flavor you gave them...because they are all the same! Only the color and the fragrance makes your brain think otherwise. Crazy. Skittles says that's not true. Try it for yourself and let me know.
I want to win the lottery and buy 500 Funko Pops! I think I could stop at 500. See? I've set a limit!
Mwahahahaha!
These are the winners of the 2017 NatGeo Photographer of the year contest. Pretty cool!
I want to win the lottery and buy 500 Funko Pops! I think I could stop at 500. See? I've set a limit!
Mwahahahaha!
These are the winners of the 2017 NatGeo Photographer of the year contest. Pretty cool!
This article is from a couple weeks ago. Granted, I don't watch the news but I don't think this was big news. It's about Walmart raising their minimum wage to $11 an hour. For as much as the media hates Walmart, wouldn't you think they'd make a big deal about this? Oh wait, I guess I just figured it out....
And this is a really fun article about what fast food looks like around the world. SO fun!
Last, here's a really great example of how the "news" plays with words. This is from a list of the best managed states in the nation. California is ranked the 14th best managed state. That seems like bullshit right off the bat. But the ensuing word game is so well done, I had to share it...
14. California
> 2016 Unemployment:
5.4% (9th highest)
> Pension funded ratio: 74.0% (25th lowest)
> Credit rating and outlook: Aa3/Stable
> Poverty: 14.3% (20th highest)
> Pension funded ratio: 74.0% (25th lowest)
> Credit rating and outlook: Aa3/Stable
> Poverty: 14.3% (20th highest)
The most populous state in the country, California might
intuitively seem like the most difficult state to manage. Despite its size, California
ranks better than most. Like most of the best run states, California has a
solid tax base to draw from. The typical household in the state earns $67,739,
about $10,000 more than the median income nationwide. Each year, the state
brings in about $3,850 per resident in tax revenue, more than all but eight
other states and about $1,000 more than is typical nationwide.
California allocates a relatively large share of its budget
to helping its neediest residents. Some 40.4% of state spending goes towards
public welfare programs, the largest public welfare allocation in any state.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Score!!!!
I love this! I don't win at all of these, but I've got the important ones covered!!
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE... a youth she's content to leave behind.... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..... a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .... a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored... A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a feeling of control over her destiny.. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... how to fall in love without losing herself.. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship... EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY... EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents.. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... that her childhood may not have been perfect..but it's over... EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... what she would and wouldn't do for love or more... EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... how to live alone . even if she doesn't like it... EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally... EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing... EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... what she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month...and a year...
age, aging, aged, what?
OMG! I'm only one year away from SIXTY! Only, I don't really feel like, OMG! Hmmm. I wonder why? Maybe it's denial. It could be that I don't care. I don't know. When I think about it, I guess it doesn't seem real, that I could be 60 in a year. Something funny did happen this year though. I felt nostalgic for my misspent youth! No, I don't want to relive it but it sure has been making me smile, all those escapades! The 70's were a lot of fun. A LOT of fun! I guess that's pretty common, thinking about your childhood and youth as you get OLD? I wonder if men do that? I'll have to ask mine :-) Also, I don't really miss anything about being young. Well, not a lot of things. I miss having more hair than I do now and I miss my warp speed metabolism! And, I don't like my fingernails OR my toenails! Ohhhhh, look at that...I guess I do care about aging! Humph.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Hooray for us!
Today, Amazon announced it's "short list" of the 20 cities it's considering, to build it's 2nd headquarters. Indianapolis is included in that list. I feel so proud of our city! Here is the complete list;
* Atlanta
* Austin
* Boston
* Chicago
* Columbus, OH
* Dallas
* Denver
* Indianapolis
* Los Angeles
* Miami
* Montgomery County, MD
* Nashville
* Newark
* New York City
* Northern Virginia
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* Raleigh, NC
* Toronto
* Washington DC
I bet they pick Toronto, just a hunch. Anyway, every city has to submit their proposals by October and they will make their choice, next year. I think Dallas and Nashville have a shot. Florida's economy is sucky but I think they could pull it off. I just don't think NYC, Boston, Chicago or LA can make themselves look good enough. Yep, they're all the biggest cities, but I don't think that counts for a project this big. I don't know if Indy is prepared for that kind of building boom, but it still says a lot for our city, that we made the list :-)
* Atlanta
* Austin
* Boston
* Chicago
* Columbus, OH
* Dallas
* Denver
* Indianapolis
* Los Angeles
* Miami
* Montgomery County, MD
* Nashville
* Newark
* New York City
* Northern Virginia
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* Raleigh, NC
* Toronto
* Washington DC
I bet they pick Toronto, just a hunch. Anyway, every city has to submit their proposals by October and they will make their choice, next year. I think Dallas and Nashville have a shot. Florida's economy is sucky but I think they could pull it off. I just don't think NYC, Boston, Chicago or LA can make themselves look good enough. Yep, they're all the biggest cities, but I don't think that counts for a project this big. I don't know if Indy is prepared for that kind of building boom, but it still says a lot for our city, that we made the list :-)
Thursday, January 11, 2018
more and more laws
Last week, the new Legislative session started.
Yesterday, I was looking at the list of bills drafted for this year's session. There will be more, but so far there are 645 of them. They work 4 days a week, until the end of March. You know what that says? A lot of these bills are just junk. Because a Senator or Representative can draft a bill to appease a constituent and say, I did my best...blah blah blah. So ridiculous.
The biggest bill on the docket this year is selling alcohol on Sundays. We're the ONLY state in the nation that does not sell liquor on Sunday - excluding restaurants. It's so archaic. Come on! Oh, and car dealers are all closed on Sundays. Does that even make any sense?
Anyway, some of the new bills, waiting to be heard this session, include;
- School cannot start before the last Monday in August.
- Changing voluntary manslaughter from a class 2 felony to a class 1 felony
isn't voluntary manslaughter, murder? hmmm
- allowing students to possess and use sunscreen.
seriously? we need a law for that??
- allowing a person with an addiction related conviction to have their record expunged.
so, if you're a drug addict and rob someone but go through a treatment program later, you can have your criminal record erased.
- being in jail will no longer be considered voluntary unemployment, in regard to not being able to pay child support.
Because if you're in jail, it's not your fault?? I don't get it.
- removes the requirement to be fingerprinted to apply for a firearm license.
Umm, yeah. This one is not even going to get past a first reading!! Please.
There are few good ones in there, but mostly they're all bullshit, time wasting, crap. No wonder people don't like politicians.
Yesterday, I was looking at the list of bills drafted for this year's session. There will be more, but so far there are 645 of them. They work 4 days a week, until the end of March. You know what that says? A lot of these bills are just junk. Because a Senator or Representative can draft a bill to appease a constituent and say, I did my best...blah blah blah. So ridiculous.
The biggest bill on the docket this year is selling alcohol on Sundays. We're the ONLY state in the nation that does not sell liquor on Sunday - excluding restaurants. It's so archaic. Come on! Oh, and car dealers are all closed on Sundays. Does that even make any sense?
Anyway, some of the new bills, waiting to be heard this session, include;
- School cannot start before the last Monday in August.
- Changing voluntary manslaughter from a class 2 felony to a class 1 felony
isn't voluntary manslaughter, murder? hmmm
- allowing students to possess and use sunscreen.
seriously? we need a law for that??
- allowing a person with an addiction related conviction to have their record expunged.
so, if you're a drug addict and rob someone but go through a treatment program later, you can have your criminal record erased.
- being in jail will no longer be considered voluntary unemployment, in regard to not being able to pay child support.
Because if you're in jail, it's not your fault?? I don't get it.
- removes the requirement to be fingerprinted to apply for a firearm license.
Umm, yeah. This one is not even going to get past a first reading!! Please.
There are few good ones in there, but mostly they're all bullshit, time wasting, crap. No wonder people don't like politicians.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Well, there you go
Another year has gone by. I feel pretty comfortable with January. I was wondering why the other day and then I realized it's because it feels like it just WAS January. sigh.
So, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Make it a good one people. Make it count. Remember these two things; Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you should, and Kindness Matters.
Now, on to other random things!
Remember when I told you about those little Funko Pop things? Well, I'm teetering on the edge of the collector cliff. I hate that! You know what stops me? My age. See?! Experience does count!! They sure are cute. They sure make me smile! I got these two for Christmas;
Pretty funny, huh? Everyday they make me smile. Oh, and this one!
They're hard to resist. There's even one for Bob Ross. And Jimi Hendrix! Who knew!? Maybe that's how celebrities gauge their success now. You know you've made it when you become a Funko Pop!
Cheers!
So, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Make it a good one people. Make it count. Remember these two things; Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you should, and Kindness Matters.
Now, on to other random things!
Remember when I told you about those little Funko Pop things? Well, I'm teetering on the edge of the collector cliff. I hate that! You know what stops me? My age. See?! Experience does count!! They sure are cute. They sure make me smile! I got these two for Christmas;
Pretty funny, huh? Everyday they make me smile. Oh, and this one!
They're hard to resist. There's even one for Bob Ross. And Jimi Hendrix! Who knew!? Maybe that's how celebrities gauge their success now. You know you've made it when you become a Funko Pop!
If you're a chocolate lover, this is going to be quite upsetting to you...it's estimated that chocolate will disappear by 2050 - due to climate change. Don't panic though. Even though that's the new headline, They didn't really mean it. They just wanted you to read the article and see all the ads. Sneaky bastards. There are a lot upsetting headlines in the news. Most of them aren't worth the click.
I spend most of my 'clicks' on animal videos. Those are the best! I liked the one last week of the dolphins watching the squirrels! I also like the ones of animals helping other animals. Animals are SO much smarter than we can even guess! I love that.
And babies laughing. I like those videos too :-) Less news people. It's all temporary anyway!Cheers!
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Cults
Last year, my man and I started watching the Leah Remini series about Scientology. Since then, we've had several conversations about religion and cults. Mostly, they've been along the lines of - what the hell is wrong with you!?!?!?!? I don't get it. AT ALL. I'm not saying I'm a particularly strong person. As a matter of fact, sometimes I'm kind of gullible. Maybe I have a small authority issue. Or, maybe I just grew up in an era where it was trendy to question everything, so I do. I don't know. Regardless, I would question the teachings of a cult. I questioned the teachings of my church! Oh yeah...anyway...we watched the series. It was really fascinating. L. Ron Hubbard was a NUT!!! I can't even believe anyone would fall for that shit. Ewww.
Last week, as I passed a coworker in the hall, she said, OH!, Cynthia, come see my tree! So I did :-) In her work space she has a 3 foot flocked tree adorned with peacocks. It's so pretty. I like those colors together. So I said that I didn't know she was peacock fan. She looked at me and with a straight face said, I'm not. But peacocks have about as much to do with the birth of Christ as a fat little man in a red suit so I figured what the hell! I laughed right out loud! That was pretty funny. So we started talking about religion, in general. She happens to be a very spiritual woman, I knew that. But then she told me something that completely floored me! At one time in her life, she was a member of the People's Temple...you know, Jim Jones and Guyana and drinking the kool aide!?!?!?!?!? She got out a couple years before they went to Guyana though. Whoa! She was pretty straight forward about it so I said, why?! Because I was really interested. Her answer made some sense to me. She said that she was a freshman in college and felt like her life was in kind of a disarray and they sort of said, we can full-fill you and all you have to do is follow the rules. So she thought, hey, I can do that. And everything will be better and my life will be easier and all I have to do is follow the rules. Yep, that sounds good to me! Wow. She barely lasted a year as a cult member and then she went, huh? And snuck out in the middle of the night and went home. Dang. Good for her but again, wow!
Last week, as I passed a coworker in the hall, she said, OH!, Cynthia, come see my tree! So I did :-) In her work space she has a 3 foot flocked tree adorned with peacocks. It's so pretty. I like those colors together. So I said that I didn't know she was peacock fan. She looked at me and with a straight face said, I'm not. But peacocks have about as much to do with the birth of Christ as a fat little man in a red suit so I figured what the hell! I laughed right out loud! That was pretty funny. So we started talking about religion, in general. She happens to be a very spiritual woman, I knew that. But then she told me something that completely floored me! At one time in her life, she was a member of the People's Temple...you know, Jim Jones and Guyana and drinking the kool aide!?!?!?!?!? She got out a couple years before they went to Guyana though. Whoa! She was pretty straight forward about it so I said, why?! Because I was really interested. Her answer made some sense to me. She said that she was a freshman in college and felt like her life was in kind of a disarray and they sort of said, we can full-fill you and all you have to do is follow the rules. So she thought, hey, I can do that. And everything will be better and my life will be easier and all I have to do is follow the rules. Yep, that sounds good to me! Wow. She barely lasted a year as a cult member and then she went, huh? And snuck out in the middle of the night and went home. Dang. Good for her but again, wow!
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