I haven't posted here in a long time. I'm due to get back into the habit, so this is my first attempt to do so. I have so many things to talk about, but it's all swirling about in my head, so this time out I'll just be throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what sticks. More coherent blog entries will follow in future days.
The Trump Impeachment Trial begins in the Senate today. I don't honestly expect anything to come of it. His sycophants and toadies will do what is necessary to keep this a farce instead of a true trial. It is so ironic that so many men who were willing to impeach a President over a blow job are now claiming that REAL crimes aren't worthy of impeachment. Our country is broken and I'm not sure we'll ever really be able to fix it. It's always had nicks and cracks in it, but we were on our way to getting those patched. The current atmosphere, though, shows just how deep those nicks and cracks run, with hatred and bigotry so much more common than I could ever had dreamed. It's a nightmare, and makes me want to cry on a regular basis. I used to believe in the basic goodness of humanity, but every day erodes that belief a little more.
My Dad's health is getting worse. I live in dread of the day that I get the phone call. I know it happens to all of us, and that death is a part of life, but that doesn't make it any easier. Oddly, I'm more comfortable with the idea of my own death than I am with the idea of the deaths of the people I love. Is that weird? I'm not afraid of death for myself, and I'm not really AFRAID of death for anyone else, I just...don't want to not have them here. I guess I'm selfish, but I don't care in this case. I want my loved ones to live forever. But right now I just want Dad to be happy and healthy.
The store is doing well. It's exhausting, and stressful (hey, there's a theme in this blog entry!), but overall it's good. We exceeded our sales goals for 2019, and 2020 started off rocky for the first week but has picked up immensely this week and is looking good so far. Who knew that Magic: the Gathering Pre-Releases could make such a difference in the financials??? But it's more than that, because M:tG was less than half of our increase in income last week. The rest came from people walking in and buying other things. A lot of them came over from the Arcade that opened across the street.
It's very cool to watch our end of the street become such a strongly synergistic whole. We've become Date Night. People come down and get dinner at the sushi restaurant or the sports bar, then go see a comedy show, then meander down for a cigar, followed by a trip to the arcade for drinks and games, and while they're in there they see us and come across to do some shopping and watch people play Warhammer or D&D, then back to the arcade to close down the night. All of the businesses down here are open late, especially on weekends, and we all make a point of sending people to the other businesses around us. It's awesome to see it happening, and we make a point of letting the rest of Downtown McKinney know that it DOES work if you do this sort of thing together. They all still close early though. Their loss. We'll take those evening and night-time dollars if they don't want them!
George Takei is coming to Dallas Fan Expo this year. We're actually going to be there because we'll have a booth. It's really tempting to print out a copy of my previous blog post that has an open letter to him about his fatphobia and bigotry toward fat people and give it to him. I doubt he'd read it, and I really doubt it would penetrate his consciousness, but it's still tempting. It's really disappointing to have someone who has suffered discrimination, bigotry, and hatred suddenly develop a blind spot to his own faults in those areas. Especially when everyone around you idolizes him. I don't hate him, and I'm not mad at him, I'm just...sad.
Other than all of the minutiae that are swirling around in my head, though, life is decent. We're busy, the store is starting to pick up, and I'm hoping that it won't be too many more years before we don't HAVE to be at the store every day and I can at least semi-retire. **crosses fingers**
Have a great day, everyone, and I'll be back soon to post something less chaotic!
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Today's problems aren't stand-alones
"Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth... these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women's empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all."
Ban Ki-Moon
I agree with most of this. The one part I don't agree with is the part about advancing economic growth. I don't believe that we NEED more economic growth. I think that we need to be more socially responsible within the current economy.
The ultra rich don't need all money they are currently hoarding. It can be put to much better use by making sure everyone has a safe place to live, nutritious food on the table, all necessary health care, and a healthy work/life balance.
The mega-banks and multi-million corporations don't need more profit, they need more focus on their employees job satisfaction and personal growth. They need more innovation, more independent thinking, and less of a focus on walking in lockstep just because "we've always done it that way".
Governments need less posturing and more cooperation. They need smaller militaries and bigger focus on the environment.
None of this needs MORE money. It all just needs the money that exists to be put to better purposes.
The world as a whole needs more community and less selfishness.
Ban Ki-Moon
I agree with most of this. The one part I don't agree with is the part about advancing economic growth. I don't believe that we NEED more economic growth. I think that we need to be more socially responsible within the current economy.
The ultra rich don't need all money they are currently hoarding. It can be put to much better use by making sure everyone has a safe place to live, nutritious food on the table, all necessary health care, and a healthy work/life balance.
The mega-banks and multi-million corporations don't need more profit, they need more focus on their employees job satisfaction and personal growth. They need more innovation, more independent thinking, and less of a focus on walking in lockstep just because "we've always done it that way".
Governments need less posturing and more cooperation. They need smaller militaries and bigger focus on the environment.
None of this needs MORE money. It all just needs the money that exists to be put to better purposes.
The world as a whole needs more community and less selfishness.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
The Abortion Debate from My Perspective
It's been a while, hasn't it? Life has gotten rather busy. But there comes a time when a person can't stay silent any longer.
I made this post on my Facebook page, and it seems to be getting fairly popular, so I'm re-posting it here to make it easier for people to access. This is how I feel. If you have different opinions, go you! That's what we're about in the United States, having different thoughts and ideas then working together to resolve them.
Note, however, that comments ARE moderated by me, so if you present an alternative viewpoint in a respectful manner and take the time to listen to others, that's cool. If you are abusive, trollish, or otherwise cannot seem to manage an honest, civil, and adult conversation, your comments will never see the light of day.
Thank you.
I made this post on my Facebook page, and it seems to be getting fairly popular, so I'm re-posting it here to make it easier for people to access. This is how I feel. If you have different opinions, go you! That's what we're about in the United States, having different thoughts and ideas then working together to resolve them.
Note, however, that comments ARE moderated by me, so if you present an alternative viewpoint in a respectful manner and take the time to listen to others, that's cool. If you are abusive, trollish, or otherwise cannot seem to manage an honest, civil, and adult conversation, your comments will never see the light of day.
Thank you.
My thoughts on the current chaos.
First, be aware that, like many women, I am barely holding onto the rage and fury inside me. Now is not the time for jokes or attempting to lighten the mood. That reaction, whether well-meaning or not, will lead to someone being caught in the flames that are unleashed.
It is time for this ridiculousness to end. Power needs to be wrested away from those who are abusing it. The irony is, of course, that they abuse it out of fear. They fear losing control, and as such they end up taking the actions that lead to those they oppress doing what the powerful fear the most. It leads to their power being stripped from them.
Before that can happen, we need to take the discussions back. Tonight I address the discussion of abortion, women's rights, and the debate about when abortion is 'acceptable'.
All of this is irrelevant to the issue. It is illegal to force an American citizen to give up their life or any part of their body, even if it is to save another life. These laws are even in effect after death. If someone chooses not to donate an organ, the government cannot force them to do so even to save a life. If someone chooses not to donate any organs upon their death, the government cannot legally force the donation.
The government cannot legally violate bodily autonomy, no matter if it is to save a life or not. That is what the real point is, and the whole ‘when does personhood begin’ argument is a willful redirection of the argument that is being unwittingly aided by the Pro-Choice movement.
Anti-Choice supporters are shifting the argument to where THEY want it to take place. Their argument is a smoke screen. It is not the true point. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter if the mass of cells in the womb is viable or not, alive or not, or at any particular stage of development at all. The point of the matter is that every woman has bodily autonomy, and cannot be charged with murder when withdrawing consent for their body to be used by another.
This is my response to anyone attempting to make it about what is inside the woman getting an abortion. It is irrelevant. The only salient point is that EVERYONE has the right of bodily autonomy. Legally no one can be forced to give up their body or ANY part of it (including their womb) to another either permanently or temporarily. End of story.
Take the discussion back. Don't let them frame the narrative that way. Take. It. Back.
Friday, December 22, 2017
Our Modern Christmas Carol
America has always been a land of contradictions. It was created to be the land of the free...unless you were black. All men are created equal...unless you were a woman because, well, you're not a man (DUH!). There's enough land for everyone...unless you were Native American. Everyone has the opportunity to make something of themselves...unless you weren't already rich.
Lately, however, these contradictions have reached a point where they are impossible for anyone with eyes and any sort of sense whatsoever to miss. We have arrived at the Age of Willful Ignorance.
The wealth inequality in our country is worse than it has ever been. We are losing ground when it comes to seeing people as human beings instead of stereotypes. We're falling back into the time of the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts. This was a time when the rich believed that they deserved their money whether they had earned it or not. It was a time when the vast majority of Americans struggled to achieve even the most basic needs and a powerful few wallowed in luxury. The rich bought and sold politicians like stocks or bonds. Laissez-faire policies led to massive deregulation of industries. Pollution levels soared, giving those who were not wealthy even more reasons for ill health as they couldn't escape the cities for the countryside or afford doctors to treat the various health results of dirty water and smog-filled air.
“If they would rather die, . . . they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
We have returned to the time when those few oligarchs at the 'top' of the heap have stopped considering their fellow citizens to be human beings deserving of basic human rights. The masses are now viewed as interchangeable cogs in the never-stopping machine that exists only to make the rich get richer. Many of the wealthy don't care that a man can die because his crowd-sourcing efforts to raise money for diabetes medication fell $50 short so he had to ration his medications which led to his death. They don't care that people who have cancer have to stop (or never start!) treatment for the illness because the crushing medical bills are beyond their resources.
All around us people are suffering but the politicians are happily passing more and more legislation that will make things worse because their owners demand it of them. Congress has become a place where one of the best compliments you can give is, "He's honest. Once he's been bought, he stays bought." They take health care away from children in order to fund bigger tax breaks for the already rich. Our so-called representatives think nothing of blatantly lying to the face of the public about how their legislation will effect the average person. And they do it while going on about what good Christians they are and how they wish everyone else were as pious as they are.
They turn around after making these lies and do their best to rig the system so that there is no way short of armed revolution for them to be voted out of office or removed from power. Gerrymandering has become the norm instead of the exception. Any attempt to create a situation where the true will of the people is reflected by those in the government is destroyed before it can bear any kind of fruit whatsoever. Obstacles are put into place that ensure only the 'right' voters will make it to the polls. A large mass of those 'right' voters have fallen into the trap set for them, voting regularly against their own interests in the unrealistic hope that someday THEY will 'pull themselves up by the bootstraps' and become one of the elite whose lives are untouched by the need to decide whether to buy food or pay the rent this month.
“Man," said the Ghost, "if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die?”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Every day men, women, and children die from causes that could have been resolved. Illnesses go untreated because medical care is too expensive. Hunger is a regular companion to a much too high percentage of the population. Over here a child walks to school and shivers because they don't have the clothing to keep themselves warm. Over there a man sobs on the corner because his family is in the street. He tried to find work for over two years, but there was nothing to be had. In that building there is a woman who falls exhausted into bed to get three or four hours of sleep before she has to be at the first of three jobs she'll work the next day in the hopes of putting food on the table for her family.
We are surrounded by people who live on the edge of survival, people who are only a short step away from complete disaster, and yet our country does nothing except encourage people to believe that these victims of circumstance have it coming to them because they are somehow unworthy. Americans are encouraged to believe that there aren't really people who NEED help, but rather everyone who asks for help is simply lazy and greedy, trying to milk the system without putting in the work that goes with being a success. We are fed the propaganda that people who are honest and do a hard day's work will ALWAYS have enough food to eat and a roof over their head, because this propaganda makes it easier to believe that people who need help just didn't try hard enough.
“You fear the world too much,' she answered gently. 'All your other hopes have merged into the hope of being beyond the chance of its sordid reproach. I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off, one by one, until the master passion, Gain, engrosses you. Have I not?”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Greed and self-interest are the defining traits of our time. Americans talk a good game when it comes to charity and generosity, but the practical truth is that if it doesn't directly effect us, the vast majority just don't have the ambition to make any changes to the system. There is a fear that if there are changes, things will be worse, so it is better to do nothing and just keep complaining about life.
This breaks my heart, because I know that on the individual level most people ARE caring, wanting to do the right thing. We take casseroles to the neighbors when they are sick or have had a loss. We pay for the person in line behind us at the drive through, just to make someone's day a little better. Some of us ask the homeless what they would want if they could have anything for Christmas...and then get them those things. There are moments of beauty in our country and our world, moments that serve to remind us all that there ARE good people, there is a sense of community out there.
Unfortunately, however, these moments are special just because we don't see enough of them, at least on a scale that makes a large difference to the whole. Helping others on an individual basis is wonderful, and something we should all strive to do, but the thing is that when we work together to make positive changes, our power is exponentially increased. We just can't seem to get to the point where that increase of ability weighs more on the scales than "What's in it for me?".
“They are Man's and they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance and this girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Ignorance and Want define our country right now. Willful ignorance, a choice made by many to deliberately ignore what his happening out of any number of emotions is our bane. We turn a blind eye out of fear that it could be us. We look away from injustice because we don't dare admit that it could be us on the receiving end next if we speak up.
The problem is that if we don't speak up and start righting the wrongs that surround us, then we are not just observers, but we are part of the problem, a BIG part of the problem. There's only one way to make the world better, and that is by rolling up our sleeves and putting in the work to do so. If that means making the time to work a soup kitchen, then make the time. If that means those who have more wealth need to put that money to good use rather than hoard it, then they should do so. If it means running for office and remembering WHY you did so once you're in, then make that commitment.
“Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
It is our decision whether to strive to change the end of the story. Working together we can change it for the better for everyone, not just ourselves. But we have to find the courage to face our fears. We have to find the resolve to keep going even when our own lives are better, because there are others who have not had that good fortune yet. There is nothing we cannot achieve if we put aside selfishness and we share all that is good with those around us.
Change the story, America. Become everything that the Founding Fathers envisioned we COULD be, and put the caricature that we are now to rest once and for all. Let's re-write the ending...together.
Lately, however, these contradictions have reached a point where they are impossible for anyone with eyes and any sort of sense whatsoever to miss. We have arrived at the Age of Willful Ignorance.
The wealth inequality in our country is worse than it has ever been. We are losing ground when it comes to seeing people as human beings instead of stereotypes. We're falling back into the time of the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts. This was a time when the rich believed that they deserved their money whether they had earned it or not. It was a time when the vast majority of Americans struggled to achieve even the most basic needs and a powerful few wallowed in luxury. The rich bought and sold politicians like stocks or bonds. Laissez-faire policies led to massive deregulation of industries. Pollution levels soared, giving those who were not wealthy even more reasons for ill health as they couldn't escape the cities for the countryside or afford doctors to treat the various health results of dirty water and smog-filled air.
“If they would rather die, . . . they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
We have returned to the time when those few oligarchs at the 'top' of the heap have stopped considering their fellow citizens to be human beings deserving of basic human rights. The masses are now viewed as interchangeable cogs in the never-stopping machine that exists only to make the rich get richer. Many of the wealthy don't care that a man can die because his crowd-sourcing efforts to raise money for diabetes medication fell $50 short so he had to ration his medications which led to his death. They don't care that people who have cancer have to stop (or never start!) treatment for the illness because the crushing medical bills are beyond their resources.
All around us people are suffering but the politicians are happily passing more and more legislation that will make things worse because their owners demand it of them. Congress has become a place where one of the best compliments you can give is, "He's honest. Once he's been bought, he stays bought." They take health care away from children in order to fund bigger tax breaks for the already rich. Our so-called representatives think nothing of blatantly lying to the face of the public about how their legislation will effect the average person. And they do it while going on about what good Christians they are and how they wish everyone else were as pious as they are.
They turn around after making these lies and do their best to rig the system so that there is no way short of armed revolution for them to be voted out of office or removed from power. Gerrymandering has become the norm instead of the exception. Any attempt to create a situation where the true will of the people is reflected by those in the government is destroyed before it can bear any kind of fruit whatsoever. Obstacles are put into place that ensure only the 'right' voters will make it to the polls. A large mass of those 'right' voters have fallen into the trap set for them, voting regularly against their own interests in the unrealistic hope that someday THEY will 'pull themselves up by the bootstraps' and become one of the elite whose lives are untouched by the need to decide whether to buy food or pay the rent this month.
“Man," said the Ghost, "if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die?”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Every day men, women, and children die from causes that could have been resolved. Illnesses go untreated because medical care is too expensive. Hunger is a regular companion to a much too high percentage of the population. Over here a child walks to school and shivers because they don't have the clothing to keep themselves warm. Over there a man sobs on the corner because his family is in the street. He tried to find work for over two years, but there was nothing to be had. In that building there is a woman who falls exhausted into bed to get three or four hours of sleep before she has to be at the first of three jobs she'll work the next day in the hopes of putting food on the table for her family.
We are surrounded by people who live on the edge of survival, people who are only a short step away from complete disaster, and yet our country does nothing except encourage people to believe that these victims of circumstance have it coming to them because they are somehow unworthy. Americans are encouraged to believe that there aren't really people who NEED help, but rather everyone who asks for help is simply lazy and greedy, trying to milk the system without putting in the work that goes with being a success. We are fed the propaganda that people who are honest and do a hard day's work will ALWAYS have enough food to eat and a roof over their head, because this propaganda makes it easier to believe that people who need help just didn't try hard enough.
“You fear the world too much,' she answered gently. 'All your other hopes have merged into the hope of being beyond the chance of its sordid reproach. I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off, one by one, until the master passion, Gain, engrosses you. Have I not?”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Greed and self-interest are the defining traits of our time. Americans talk a good game when it comes to charity and generosity, but the practical truth is that if it doesn't directly effect us, the vast majority just don't have the ambition to make any changes to the system. There is a fear that if there are changes, things will be worse, so it is better to do nothing and just keep complaining about life.
This breaks my heart, because I know that on the individual level most people ARE caring, wanting to do the right thing. We take casseroles to the neighbors when they are sick or have had a loss. We pay for the person in line behind us at the drive through, just to make someone's day a little better. Some of us ask the homeless what they would want if they could have anything for Christmas...and then get them those things. There are moments of beauty in our country and our world, moments that serve to remind us all that there ARE good people, there is a sense of community out there.
Unfortunately, however, these moments are special just because we don't see enough of them, at least on a scale that makes a large difference to the whole. Helping others on an individual basis is wonderful, and something we should all strive to do, but the thing is that when we work together to make positive changes, our power is exponentially increased. We just can't seem to get to the point where that increase of ability weighs more on the scales than "What's in it for me?".
“They are Man's and they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance and this girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Ignorance and Want define our country right now. Willful ignorance, a choice made by many to deliberately ignore what his happening out of any number of emotions is our bane. We turn a blind eye out of fear that it could be us. We look away from injustice because we don't dare admit that it could be us on the receiving end next if we speak up.
The problem is that if we don't speak up and start righting the wrongs that surround us, then we are not just observers, but we are part of the problem, a BIG part of the problem. There's only one way to make the world better, and that is by rolling up our sleeves and putting in the work to do so. If that means making the time to work a soup kitchen, then make the time. If that means those who have more wealth need to put that money to good use rather than hoard it, then they should do so. If it means running for office and remembering WHY you did so once you're in, then make that commitment.
“Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
It is our decision whether to strive to change the end of the story. Working together we can change it for the better for everyone, not just ourselves. But we have to find the courage to face our fears. We have to find the resolve to keep going even when our own lives are better, because there are others who have not had that good fortune yet. There is nothing we cannot achieve if we put aside selfishness and we share all that is good with those around us.
Change the story, America. Become everything that the Founding Fathers envisioned we COULD be, and put the caricature that we are now to rest once and for all. Let's re-write the ending...together.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Hey, the Universe is knocking!
Sometimes life just continues on its merry way, dull and stable, without much variance in happenings. You go to work, you come home, make dinner, hop online for a bit or play computer games or work on a hobby. The weekends come and you go to a movie or meet friends for dinner. It is regular, unremarkable, and you pretty much know what is coming day to day.
Then there is my life.
First, I have the brilliant idea of starting my own business, and trying to juggle that with a 40 hour a week job. After a couple of years, I realize I can't maintain that pace any more, so I quit my job and focus on my business full time while relying on The Husbeast to bring home a steady income. Suddenly there is a rotten year, specifically rotten sales for a season. It wasn't really anyone in particular's fault, just a Perfect Storm of Bad Things (tm) including a chaotic election. People got scared, decided it was best to just hang onto their money to be safe, and stopped buying things.
At the end of all of that, I came to the conclusion that my baby, my business, it wasn't viable at this point in time, and I announced a hiatus. For a time we survived on The Husbeast's salary, but things were tight. I applied for a government job, but after almost two months I still hadn't heard anything other than a tentative offer contingent upon passing a security check, so I figured I had somehow failed the security check but couldn't for the life of me figure out why. I've passed them before for banks I worked at, but hey, maybe they have different criteria, right?
I turned my attention to other opportunities, and was just about to start applying for various positions when The Husbeast came home three hours early on a Friday. Anyone who has worked in corporate America knows what that means, and they're right. He had been let go.
Now we are both unemployed, with a mortgage payment due, not to mention other frivolous bills like utilities, gas for the vehicles, and groceries.
But The Universe had a plan. Or at least, it knew that we'd had plans we have talked about for over 20 years, and it decided that now is the time for us to move forward with them. It punctuated the lesson by having me receive an email stating that I was totally qualified for the government job, and they would have hired me...but...they had filled the positions, but please try to apply again! (In other words, my file sat on someone's desk too long and there are no jobs left.) I actually started laughing when I read it because it became really obvious to me that The Universe has decided this is the direction we shall take, will we or no.
We now begin the next chapter of our lives, and we begin by being Stupid. Not just stupid, but Stupid.
Who needs money to retire on anyway, right?
So here we go, moving forward with our Big Idea. We've started researching, are prepping to write a business plan, and are talking with Paul The Financial Wizard about ways to survive until things are up and running.
I know this is cryptic, but we're kind of trying to keep things mellow until we're ready for the big announcement. Most of the people who read this blog will have a good guess about what we're doing, but still, let us keep the illusion that people will be surprised. **LOL**
And if you have any extra, send us some luck and good wishes, please. :)
Then there is my life.
First, I have the brilliant idea of starting my own business, and trying to juggle that with a 40 hour a week job. After a couple of years, I realize I can't maintain that pace any more, so I quit my job and focus on my business full time while relying on The Husbeast to bring home a steady income. Suddenly there is a rotten year, specifically rotten sales for a season. It wasn't really anyone in particular's fault, just a Perfect Storm of Bad Things (tm) including a chaotic election. People got scared, decided it was best to just hang onto their money to be safe, and stopped buying things.
At the end of all of that, I came to the conclusion that my baby, my business, it wasn't viable at this point in time, and I announced a hiatus. For a time we survived on The Husbeast's salary, but things were tight. I applied for a government job, but after almost two months I still hadn't heard anything other than a tentative offer contingent upon passing a security check, so I figured I had somehow failed the security check but couldn't for the life of me figure out why. I've passed them before for banks I worked at, but hey, maybe they have different criteria, right?
I turned my attention to other opportunities, and was just about to start applying for various positions when The Husbeast came home three hours early on a Friday. Anyone who has worked in corporate America knows what that means, and they're right. He had been let go.
Now we are both unemployed, with a mortgage payment due, not to mention other frivolous bills like utilities, gas for the vehicles, and groceries.
But The Universe had a plan. Or at least, it knew that we'd had plans we have talked about for over 20 years, and it decided that now is the time for us to move forward with them. It punctuated the lesson by having me receive an email stating that I was totally qualified for the government job, and they would have hired me...but...they had filled the positions, but please try to apply again! (In other words, my file sat on someone's desk too long and there are no jobs left.) I actually started laughing when I read it because it became really obvious to me that The Universe has decided this is the direction we shall take, will we or no.
We now begin the next chapter of our lives, and we begin by being Stupid. Not just stupid, but Stupid.
Who needs money to retire on anyway, right?
So here we go, moving forward with our Big Idea. We've started researching, are prepping to write a business plan, and are talking with Paul The Financial Wizard about ways to survive until things are up and running.
I know this is cryptic, but we're kind of trying to keep things mellow until we're ready for the big announcement. Most of the people who read this blog will have a good guess about what we're doing, but still, let us keep the illusion that people will be surprised. **LOL**
And if you have any extra, send us some luck and good wishes, please. :)
Monday, October 23, 2017
Fan Days 2017 - Moments in Time
This year's Fan Days was a bit different for me. For the first time I worked with Guest Services instead of working as a Crew Member. My job was twofold: 1) coordinate with the Guest Liaisons to be sure that we had coverage for our Guests at all times, and 2) make sure that if the guests or their representatives / Managers / assistants needed anything, it was taken care of to the best of my ability. While that may sound very glamorous, it really meant that I spent most of my weekend riding freight elevators between floors 1, 3, and 4, with brisk mission-based bursts of walking between elevator rides.
I did have some memorable moments, however, and I want to put them down so I can remember them all.
I did have some memorable moments, however, and I want to put them down so I can remember them all.
- Won a bet with Kristian Nairn that he is younger than me. He says I wear my age well.
- Bruce Boxleitner tells some of the best stories. According to him, George Lucas' nickname for Glen Larson after Battlestar Galactica came out in 1979 was "Glen Larceny" because Lucas felt BSG was a Star Wars ripoff.
- Ruth Connell is wee and beautiful and kind. Her rep, Liam, is very intense while doing his job, but has a fun sense of humor, and offered me a selfie with HIM for my birthday. I took him up on it, and took Ruth up on her offer too when it was made.
- Madelaine Petsch and I were destined to keep meeting in the same exact place in the backstage hallway. We were constantly running into one another there. Luckily we weren't literally running into each other, because I would have smooshed her.
- Eugene Brave Rock is a very kind, mellow man. He has a wide-eyed kind of joy when it comes to being at conventions. I hope that he never loses that sense of fun and wonder.
- Mara Wilson doesn't catch sarcasm, so you have to tell her you're being sarcastic, which can lead to some very amusing moments.
- I am very honored and pleased that Austin St. John remembered me from when I moderated a Q&A with him and some other Power Ranger folks. His kids are adorable. His wife is lovely. And if I ever interview him again, one of my questions has to be "What is the absolute best conversation you've ever had with a fan since you started doing conventions?" If his answer isn't "Paleontology", then I get to harass him about it. :)
- Jeremy Jordan is a nice kid. I didn't get to talk much with him, but his rep and I got along really well, especially after I found her missing sweater for her. It's a Weeping Angels cardigan, and they don't make them any more, so she was so very happy she hadn't lost it.
- I didn't get to talk to David Tennant much, really, just some passing "Hi" and "Hello"s in the hallway, but he seemed very energetic, very pleasant, cheerful, and really seems to enjoy meeting his fans.
- I hardly got to see Graham McTavish, but again, he seemed nice. His rep was very cool and appreciative of all of the work our team was doing.
- Kristian Nairn fully expects me to show up at his next Dallas gig. I'm to stand at the foot of the stage holding a Sprite in one hand, and a bag of cough drops in the other. I'm seriously considering sending a six-pack of Sprite and a large bag of honey lemon cough drops to the venue for him the next time he comes here. *LOL*
- "Et tu, Brute? Et tu?"
- The Chef and kitchen staff at Irving Convention Center do a really amazing job of things. The Guests were very happy with the food in the Green Room, and a few even told me it was the best food they'd ever had at a convention. I made sure to let the Chef know this, and to thank him and ask that he pass the thanks on to his team.
- I had an "Aw, shucks" moment when one of the ICC kitchen staff stopped me and said, "You work very hard. I don't know what you do, but you work very hard. You're also a very pleasant person. I hope that they bring you back next time." I didn't really do anything special, I just treated them all like the human beings they are by greeting them with a smile, asking how their days were going, and being my normal self. That said, I really appreciated his words.
- Dara, Maresa, and I bonded over the fact that if you're name isn't "normal", then people will mispronounce it all of the time. Eventually you start just answering to any version that gets close enough.
- Italian Cafe on Las Colinas Blvd is amazing. Some of the best Italian food I've had since moving to Texas. If you get Benny as your server, leave him a big tip. He's awesome.
- Having everyone from Guests, to reps, to other staff and crew wishing you happy birthday all day is pleasantly surprising and adds an extra smile to an already happy day.
- Note to self: ALWAYS remember to take a portable charger. ALWAYS.
- Personal surprise: I can do 12,000+ steps for three days in a row without dying. Who knew???
There are other moments that are in my mind, but those are going in my private journal. All in all, it was an amazing weekend. I'm happy I could help Jessica and take some of the load off her shoulders so she could focus on other things. My Guest Liaisons did an amazing job. My Runners were on top of things and made sure that Guests made it to where they had to be on time without me having to ride herd on anyone. I really enjoyed doing this more than I thought I would. I was afraid that switching roles from my usual to this would take some of the joy out of things for me. I guess I really AM hard-wired to want to make sure others are enjoying themselves and have everything that they need to make their lives easier.
Fun weekend. I hope I get to do it again sometime.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Leveling Up - Skill: Rebellion Against Societal Expectations
I am proud to announce that in 2017 I have leveled up my Rebellion Against Societal Expectations Skill. I have worked hard to increase this skill, doing radical things like accepting myself as I am, and telling the dieting world where to go.
As the weather got warmer, however, I faced another hurdle. This is a hurdle that I have struggled with since my late teens / early 20's. Even as I began entering the body positivity world, this issue haunted me. I was talking a good game, but there was a niggling doubt in the back of my mind that I wasn't truly walking the walk yet. How long could I continue to pretend that this was all right? How long could I maintain the charade that I was comfortable with myself if I kept this secret?
But now, now I have conquered that challenge! I have prevailed in the next step toward complete acceptance of myself! IT IS DONE!!!!
What is this horrible secret, you ask? What is it that I've done to take this important next step?
Are you ready for it?
Really?
I...
have...
been...
wearing...
TANK TOPS!
That's right! I have been letting my upper arm waddles swing in the breeze freely! No more trapping them inside sleeves when it is 105 degrees out!
I know, there are a lot of people out there who think that this is no big deal. When it gets hot, you wear shorts and tank tops. Everyone does, right?
If you WERE just thinking that, I have to tell you that you are caught in what is most likely unintentional acceptance of societal thin privilege. We're taught to think that way, you know, from when we are small. But it is true all the same.
Fat people aren't allowed that freedom, you see. Society expects us to hide our bodies from view. It's as though people are afraid that by looking at our upper arm waddles, our rolls, and our roundness, they will accidentally get infected with The Fat Virus. Then, the next thing they know, they will *gasp* be...be...FAT! *clutches pearls*
The thing is, this damaging view of life isn't restricted to the fat world. I know many people who would fall into what society considers to be the 'normal size' range who still fret at revealing their upper arms. They worry that their arms will somehow be seen as grotesque or disgusting. And so they, too, feel the pressure to remain as physically perfect as they can, hiding what many consider to be a flaw by wearing sleeves long enough to cover their upper arms at the very least.
It's sad that anyone feels that they need to hide part of themselves just so that other people won't be discomfited. We are who we are, and no one has the right to tell us that we should be different. If we decide to make changes in our lives, that is completely our own call.
Thus I decided to face my own next demon. Much to my pleasure, the world did not end. No one has made an effort to go out of their way to point and laugh, or to mock me. As a matter of fact, no one else even cared that I didn't have sleeves. And I get to enjoy feeling one less layer of clothing, and one less artificial constraint.
Rebellion Against Societal Expectations leveled up to Body Positivity 6!
As the weather got warmer, however, I faced another hurdle. This is a hurdle that I have struggled with since my late teens / early 20's. Even as I began entering the body positivity world, this issue haunted me. I was talking a good game, but there was a niggling doubt in the back of my mind that I wasn't truly walking the walk yet. How long could I continue to pretend that this was all right? How long could I maintain the charade that I was comfortable with myself if I kept this secret?
But now, now I have conquered that challenge! I have prevailed in the next step toward complete acceptance of myself! IT IS DONE!!!!
What is this horrible secret, you ask? What is it that I've done to take this important next step?
Are you ready for it?
Really?
I...
have...
been...
wearing...
TANK TOPS!
That's right! I have been letting my upper arm waddles swing in the breeze freely! No more trapping them inside sleeves when it is 105 degrees out!
I know, there are a lot of people out there who think that this is no big deal. When it gets hot, you wear shorts and tank tops. Everyone does, right?
If you WERE just thinking that, I have to tell you that you are caught in what is most likely unintentional acceptance of societal thin privilege. We're taught to think that way, you know, from when we are small. But it is true all the same.
Fat people aren't allowed that freedom, you see. Society expects us to hide our bodies from view. It's as though people are afraid that by looking at our upper arm waddles, our rolls, and our roundness, they will accidentally get infected with The Fat Virus. Then, the next thing they know, they will *gasp* be...be...FAT! *clutches pearls*
The thing is, this damaging view of life isn't restricted to the fat world. I know many people who would fall into what society considers to be the 'normal size' range who still fret at revealing their upper arms. They worry that their arms will somehow be seen as grotesque or disgusting. And so they, too, feel the pressure to remain as physically perfect as they can, hiding what many consider to be a flaw by wearing sleeves long enough to cover their upper arms at the very least.
It's sad that anyone feels that they need to hide part of themselves just so that other people won't be discomfited. We are who we are, and no one has the right to tell us that we should be different. If we decide to make changes in our lives, that is completely our own call.
Thus I decided to face my own next demon. Much to my pleasure, the world did not end. No one has made an effort to go out of their way to point and laugh, or to mock me. As a matter of fact, no one else even cared that I didn't have sleeves. And I get to enjoy feeling one less layer of clothing, and one less artificial constraint.
Rebellion Against Societal Expectations leveled up to Body Positivity 6!
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