Today we had A.J.'s Septic come and he pumped our tank which started showing signs of being full once the ground was frozen, of course. The neighbors' had theirs done, too -- this heavy precipitation and warm winter means we're all a bit overfull at this point anyway from backflow.
CuraLeaf delivered Kyle's vapes to him so we didn't have to go to the dispensary in Plattsburgh to pick it up this past weekend.
Colin was supposed to start his online classes today but it seems like not all the professors are quite up and ready to do that just yet.
Been working on laundry. Otherwise haven't really done diddly around the house.
The jumps in numbers between yesterday and this morning for confirmed cases, deaths, etc., was huge. They're saying that this coming week is going to be really really bad compared to things so far.
After nearly all the snow has melted, leaving only the dirty dregs from snowbanks, today it has begun to snow again.
People are sewing face masks since the medical community has run out of PPE and masks meant to be disposable are being re-used.
Gov. Cuomo has been raging on tv today about people not taking this seriously, not staying home. I'm honestly amazed that he thought people would be mature and responsible about all of this. People are having parties and all sorts of goofy stuff. They really don't seem to Get It, that if they don't make it an absolute ORDER, some people are going to be complete assholes and be out there like it's just another Monday.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Sunday, March 22nd, 2020
Just a quick update.
A few weeks into January my new boss came to me and told me he was going to semi-retire and no longer needed me. I'm currently on unemployment. I did do a week at VTC when they had two people out on vacation at the same time. I'd decided to go back to college, most likely for a PsyD in Psychology.
Now we are in the midst of a Pandemic. Novel Corona virus COVID-19 started out in Wuhan China in January, just in time for their New year celebration. They kept it nice and quiet until it was too late to change any of the celebrating and maybe keep it small. It's currently global. NY State is in a State of Emergency, as are many of the individual towns and cities. President Trump declared a State of Emergency and the individual states, so far, are taking it from there. This is only the beginning.
Colin moved home Thursday from college. They all went to online learning, but they were allowing students who hadn't gone on spring break to remain on campus. Until they weren't, lol. So he's home, now. Kyle is, of course, essential personnel so he's still going back and forth to work. Cuomo has the state not on a Stay Home order, but 100% reduction in on site workforce for non-essential personnel. Most are listening to him. The shelves in all the grocery stores are cleaned off pretty thoroughly.
We have everything we need right here at the house. Plenty of food, the fixin's to make food, etc, beverages, medications, dog/cat food, and so on we're set up. Especially with Kyle going back and forth to work anyway.
So mostly now we're just to sit tight and watch. China and Italy have been hideously devastated by this virus. Things could get exponentially worse very quickly. We can only wait and see.
A few weeks into January my new boss came to me and told me he was going to semi-retire and no longer needed me. I'm currently on unemployment. I did do a week at VTC when they had two people out on vacation at the same time. I'd decided to go back to college, most likely for a PsyD in Psychology.
Now we are in the midst of a Pandemic. Novel Corona virus COVID-19 started out in Wuhan China in January, just in time for their New year celebration. They kept it nice and quiet until it was too late to change any of the celebrating and maybe keep it small. It's currently global. NY State is in a State of Emergency, as are many of the individual towns and cities. President Trump declared a State of Emergency and the individual states, so far, are taking it from there. This is only the beginning.
Colin moved home Thursday from college. They all went to online learning, but they were allowing students who hadn't gone on spring break to remain on campus. Until they weren't, lol. So he's home, now. Kyle is, of course, essential personnel so he's still going back and forth to work. Cuomo has the state not on a Stay Home order, but 100% reduction in on site workforce for non-essential personnel. Most are listening to him. The shelves in all the grocery stores are cleaned off pretty thoroughly.
We have everything we need right here at the house. Plenty of food, the fixin's to make food, etc, beverages, medications, dog/cat food, and so on we're set up. Especially with Kyle going back and forth to work anyway.
So mostly now we're just to sit tight and watch. China and Italy have been hideously devastated by this virus. Things could get exponentially worse very quickly. We can only wait and see.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
A New Chapter
It's amazing how quickly things get old once your'e over 40.
So about four years ago I enrolled in college. I had been job hunting but hadn't found anything decent. But in March of 2016 I took a job with Volunteer Transportation Center as a dispatcher. Within a year I started doing data entry full time for them. I worked there for nearly four years before the constraints of a non-profit, the evolution of the programs, and a few other things reached a point that I started seriously job hunting again. I quickly found a position as a legal secretary right close to home. It was great! I got along very well with my boss, with my co-workers, and I was quickly learning the ins and outs of what I was doing. Than something changed. The employer decided to do a partial retirement and my services were no longer needed. He seemed to truly feel remorseful for having uprooted me only to leave me hanging less than two months later, and honestly I completely understand where he was coming from in regards to doing what he needed to do for himself. And though I'd never been fired from a job before, I took it pretty much in stride.
At first I was ready to jump right back into something new, but as things sunk in I realized that I'd really started such a new chapter in my life and I should make the most of it. I don't want to lock myself into some other job that a *maybe* will like, punching someone else's time clock and hoping that things go better than the last time. I was planning for retirement and looking for something to get me there, but maybe the journey isn't just about putting my head down and powering through it. Maybe the journey doesn't have to suck. So with that in mind, I'm going to go back to the beginning of this Unit and go back to school. I'll be 50'ish by the time I get out, but honestly that's not old and leaves a solid 15+ years before I can collect Social Security (at 67).
So far my thoughts are to focus on LBGTQ+ and Couple's Counseling....I've really got to get over to admissions and chat with someone and really hammer the details out. It's February now, so there's no screaming rush. I might have to do things online....which I'm unsure about but I may have to go that route to get what I want. So be it.
Onward and Upward.
So about four years ago I enrolled in college. I had been job hunting but hadn't found anything decent. But in March of 2016 I took a job with Volunteer Transportation Center as a dispatcher. Within a year I started doing data entry full time for them. I worked there for nearly four years before the constraints of a non-profit, the evolution of the programs, and a few other things reached a point that I started seriously job hunting again. I quickly found a position as a legal secretary right close to home. It was great! I got along very well with my boss, with my co-workers, and I was quickly learning the ins and outs of what I was doing. Than something changed. The employer decided to do a partial retirement and my services were no longer needed. He seemed to truly feel remorseful for having uprooted me only to leave me hanging less than two months later, and honestly I completely understand where he was coming from in regards to doing what he needed to do for himself. And though I'd never been fired from a job before, I took it pretty much in stride.
At first I was ready to jump right back into something new, but as things sunk in I realized that I'd really started such a new chapter in my life and I should make the most of it. I don't want to lock myself into some other job that a *maybe* will like, punching someone else's time clock and hoping that things go better than the last time. I was planning for retirement and looking for something to get me there, but maybe the journey isn't just about putting my head down and powering through it. Maybe the journey doesn't have to suck. So with that in mind, I'm going to go back to the beginning of this Unit and go back to school. I'll be 50'ish by the time I get out, but honestly that's not old and leaves a solid 15+ years before I can collect Social Security (at 67).
So far my thoughts are to focus on LBGTQ+ and Couple's Counseling....I've really got to get over to admissions and chat with someone and really hammer the details out. It's February now, so there's no screaming rush. I might have to do things online....which I'm unsure about but I may have to go that route to get what I want. So be it.
Onward and Upward.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
A Little Story
So there were this brother and sister....the brother's name was Andy and the sister's name was Dee. Andy was in his mid-30's and Dee was in her mid-20's, so they didn't have a lot of childhood memories together, but they were family, all the same. Andy was in the habit of showering every other day. He felt that this was sufficient unless he did some kind of work that required more immediate cleaning. Dee showered every day, sometimes twice a day. She felt that this was absolutely necessary and that it should be necessary for everybody. Dee was troubled by Andy's refusal to change his habits. When she would confront him about not showering every day he would just tell her that he did what worked best for him and she should mind her own business. That wasn't enough for Dee, though.
First Dee tried to convince Andy that her way was better by showing him how good it made her feel to shower every day and by sharing various good reasons why she did so. Andy listened patiently, mostly, to her and then continued on about his day. He continued to be content and Dee continued to be bothered by his unwillingness to change.
Next Dee tried to shame Andy into showering every day. She began to tell him regularly that he was dirty, that his habits were ignorant, and that he was backwards. Andy began to be frustrated and angry at Dee because he knew that his life worked just fine for him and he did not feel any need to change. He didn't care if Dee showered ten times a day as long as she left him to do his own thing. The relationship between them grew tense and more and more often Andy would find himself feeling angry just talking to Dee about anything at all, much less the showering issue. Though somehow, anything they talked about always led back to that. So the only change was that Andy was now angry at Dee and Dee was increasingly frustrated. She would yell at Andy that his unwillingness to change was a real problem. He tried to explain to her that he didn't NEED to change, but Dee insisted he did need to change.
Finally, Dee took her argument out into the world. She went onto social media and called Andy out in front of all his friends, some of his co-workers, and anybody who cared to look. She insulted him, said that he probably smelled badly, and insinuated that he was unclean and generally nasty. She stated that she had tried to reason with him, that she had tried to make him see things her way, but that he had stubbornly refused any change at all and continued to live his life in ignorance of her better ways. Some people were completely on Dee's side and chimed in with their opinions and soon many people were bombarding Andy with their opinions about how often he should shower. Anybody who chimed in that they agreed with Andy were quickly shut down and driven off. Some people privately messaged Andy and told him they agreed with him, but they were unwilling to stand up and really get into the drama that was unfolding online.
Eventually, Dee got to Andy's employer and convinced him that showering daily was necessary for everybody. He made a rule that all his employees had to do this and so Andy began to shower every day. Andy now hated Dee and everything she ever said, stood for, or tried to do. If she had said that the sky was blue he would have sworn it was green. If she said that Oxygen was good, he'd have held his breath. For years Andy stewed in silence, living his life forced to adhere to somebody else's way of thinking. Then, one day, his boss was promoted to a new office. There were two people up for the position. One of those people had worked with his former boss for years and while he had his own ideas, things would pretty much stay the same. The other person was pretty new and hadn't worked for the company for long and didn't really know the job at all, but he did make it a point to tell Andy that if he got the job he would let Andy and anybody else who cared, live their own lives as they pleased. Despite his flaws, this man got a surprising tsunami of support from Andy and the many, many people who were tired of being forced to change. People who might not have minded change, really, if they hadn't been browbeaten into it and derided and abused for not being enthused about it all.
The new boss drove the company into the ground and everybody lost their jobs.
Have you ever heard the expression "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face"? That's basically the moral of this story. Apply it how you see fit. But know this.....if you think you are superior to others because you believe that your ideals and lifestyle are superior, then you're a huge part of the problem.
First Dee tried to convince Andy that her way was better by showing him how good it made her feel to shower every day and by sharing various good reasons why she did so. Andy listened patiently, mostly, to her and then continued on about his day. He continued to be content and Dee continued to be bothered by his unwillingness to change.
Next Dee tried to shame Andy into showering every day. She began to tell him regularly that he was dirty, that his habits were ignorant, and that he was backwards. Andy began to be frustrated and angry at Dee because he knew that his life worked just fine for him and he did not feel any need to change. He didn't care if Dee showered ten times a day as long as she left him to do his own thing. The relationship between them grew tense and more and more often Andy would find himself feeling angry just talking to Dee about anything at all, much less the showering issue. Though somehow, anything they talked about always led back to that. So the only change was that Andy was now angry at Dee and Dee was increasingly frustrated. She would yell at Andy that his unwillingness to change was a real problem. He tried to explain to her that he didn't NEED to change, but Dee insisted he did need to change.
Finally, Dee took her argument out into the world. She went onto social media and called Andy out in front of all his friends, some of his co-workers, and anybody who cared to look. She insulted him, said that he probably smelled badly, and insinuated that he was unclean and generally nasty. She stated that she had tried to reason with him, that she had tried to make him see things her way, but that he had stubbornly refused any change at all and continued to live his life in ignorance of her better ways. Some people were completely on Dee's side and chimed in with their opinions and soon many people were bombarding Andy with their opinions about how often he should shower. Anybody who chimed in that they agreed with Andy were quickly shut down and driven off. Some people privately messaged Andy and told him they agreed with him, but they were unwilling to stand up and really get into the drama that was unfolding online.
Eventually, Dee got to Andy's employer and convinced him that showering daily was necessary for everybody. He made a rule that all his employees had to do this and so Andy began to shower every day. Andy now hated Dee and everything she ever said, stood for, or tried to do. If she had said that the sky was blue he would have sworn it was green. If she said that Oxygen was good, he'd have held his breath. For years Andy stewed in silence, living his life forced to adhere to somebody else's way of thinking. Then, one day, his boss was promoted to a new office. There were two people up for the position. One of those people had worked with his former boss for years and while he had his own ideas, things would pretty much stay the same. The other person was pretty new and hadn't worked for the company for long and didn't really know the job at all, but he did make it a point to tell Andy that if he got the job he would let Andy and anybody else who cared, live their own lives as they pleased. Despite his flaws, this man got a surprising tsunami of support from Andy and the many, many people who were tired of being forced to change. People who might not have minded change, really, if they hadn't been browbeaten into it and derided and abused for not being enthused about it all.
The new boss drove the company into the ground and everybody lost their jobs.
Have you ever heard the expression "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face"? That's basically the moral of this story. Apply it how you see fit. But know this.....if you think you are superior to others because you believe that your ideals and lifestyle are superior, then you're a huge part of the problem.
Monday, January 23, 2017
What's Next....?
Well, so many changes have happened and are happening right now, and so many people are up in arms over it all. I respect the exercising of rights seen last weekend around the country as people protested. I don't think that the new administration really heard any of those voices, honestly, but history was made nonetheless. Whether you love or hate the new administration one thing has become abundantly clear recently, and that is the incredible level of dependency on our Federal Government by average citizens. Hell, even people in other countries appear depend upon our Fed Gov't. And I just have to ask -- why? Do we realize that it wasn't meant to be that way? That these kinds of programs, the ones that are "under attack" now and being allegedly threatened by the new regime, all these kinds of things were meant to be handled at a state level, or even a community level, and never meant to be the domain of the Federal government? Because we have allowed the Federal gov't to become so over-sized, so bloated in it's myriad of responsibilities, now we see actual fear that it may no longer continue to be the teat at which so many nourish.
Instead of panicking that the Federal Government may discontinue funding every single thing under the sun from PBS to the health care of women in the Congo, instead of being actually afraid and living in real fear that the Health Care System set up on a Federal level may disappear, instead of watching through our TV screens, and our phone screens, and our computer screens, if you really want a program to exist then learn how to make it happen in your own area. All of these things can happen on a state level, or a smaller community level. Just because something isn't funded by Federal dollars doesn't mean is HAS to disappear. If enough people truly want something, they can make it happen. I have absolute faith in the people of this country to be able to make all these things happen if they really want to. It would take work, organization, and time, of course, but the infrastructures are all already there. Contact your local politicians and ask them how you can make something happen. You want to make sure that Meals on Wheels doesn't disappear and leave home bound people hungry? Call your local politician and ask what you can do to help make it so. You want to make sure that women have the right to choose? Call your nearest Planned Parenthood and ask if there are any groups working toward those goals that you can join, groups who will visit politicians and really work to lobby for it. You want to make sure that arts are supported in your community? Call your local Arts Council and ask how you can help. You want to make sure that your local animal shelter has funding? Call them! They love volunteers and they probably have great ideas for fundraisers. If you can't do something physically, donate money. If you don't have the ability to help physically, or financially, you can write letters and make phone calls and help with organization. Even if you're home bound and broke, you can find a way to help if something is that important to you. Do some online research about health insurance programs at a state level, call a state politician and ask how you can help make that a reality or more widely available. All these things don't just happen in a vacuum. All these programs came into existence because somebody cared enough to get out there and do something, and they got other people who cared to help. How so many things ended up suckling off the Federal milk doesn't even matter at this point. The point now is to find ways to keep the things going that matter to you.
Maybe, just maybe, if all the energies so vigorously put into protesting, were now put into the day to day work of getting things going and locally funded and up and running without those Federal training wheels, maybe there would be a lot less fear and a lot more empowerment.
I know.....where to start? Nobody really seems to know, do they? That's because we've all been coddled for so long, it's all been done for us to the point that so many of us really have no clue how to get out there and do any of these things. So it might take a little research. Call a friend, brainstorm about ideas, then call somebody else. Sooner or later if enough people care, and are willing to work, things will happen. And one thing is for damn sure....the new administration isn't going to be helping any of us average citizens. So if you need help, it's time to find other ways to go about it. If you love something, it's time to step out, step up, and learn how to make it happen. Because this is how it's got to be, if you want these things to continue. We've turned over the power to a fickle authority and now it's looking like it may let us down. Take that power back and do it ourselves, seems to me to be the answer.
It's time to stop hating. It's time to stop being offended. It's time to stop blaming. It's sure as Hell time to stop waiting to see what happens next. If you want something, NOW is the time to learn how to make that happen. Yourself. Right in your own community. Take control! Nobody is going to do it for you.
Instead of panicking that the Federal Government may discontinue funding every single thing under the sun from PBS to the health care of women in the Congo, instead of being actually afraid and living in real fear that the Health Care System set up on a Federal level may disappear, instead of watching through our TV screens, and our phone screens, and our computer screens, if you really want a program to exist then learn how to make it happen in your own area. All of these things can happen on a state level, or a smaller community level. Just because something isn't funded by Federal dollars doesn't mean is HAS to disappear. If enough people truly want something, they can make it happen. I have absolute faith in the people of this country to be able to make all these things happen if they really want to. It would take work, organization, and time, of course, but the infrastructures are all already there. Contact your local politicians and ask them how you can make something happen. You want to make sure that Meals on Wheels doesn't disappear and leave home bound people hungry? Call your local politician and ask what you can do to help make it so. You want to make sure that women have the right to choose? Call your nearest Planned Parenthood and ask if there are any groups working toward those goals that you can join, groups who will visit politicians and really work to lobby for it. You want to make sure that arts are supported in your community? Call your local Arts Council and ask how you can help. You want to make sure that your local animal shelter has funding? Call them! They love volunteers and they probably have great ideas for fundraisers. If you can't do something physically, donate money. If you don't have the ability to help physically, or financially, you can write letters and make phone calls and help with organization. Even if you're home bound and broke, you can find a way to help if something is that important to you. Do some online research about health insurance programs at a state level, call a state politician and ask how you can help make that a reality or more widely available. All these things don't just happen in a vacuum. All these programs came into existence because somebody cared enough to get out there and do something, and they got other people who cared to help. How so many things ended up suckling off the Federal milk doesn't even matter at this point. The point now is to find ways to keep the things going that matter to you.
Maybe, just maybe, if all the energies so vigorously put into protesting, were now put into the day to day work of getting things going and locally funded and up and running without those Federal training wheels, maybe there would be a lot less fear and a lot more empowerment.
I know.....where to start? Nobody really seems to know, do they? That's because we've all been coddled for so long, it's all been done for us to the point that so many of us really have no clue how to get out there and do any of these things. So it might take a little research. Call a friend, brainstorm about ideas, then call somebody else. Sooner or later if enough people care, and are willing to work, things will happen. And one thing is for damn sure....the new administration isn't going to be helping any of us average citizens. So if you need help, it's time to find other ways to go about it. If you love something, it's time to step out, step up, and learn how to make it happen. Because this is how it's got to be, if you want these things to continue. We've turned over the power to a fickle authority and now it's looking like it may let us down. Take that power back and do it ourselves, seems to me to be the answer.
It's time to stop hating. It's time to stop being offended. It's time to stop blaming. It's sure as Hell time to stop waiting to see what happens next. If you want something, NOW is the time to learn how to make that happen. Yourself. Right in your own community. Take control! Nobody is going to do it for you.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
How Did THAT Happen?
Happy Thanksgiving 2016! As I sit here, my house is quiet and peaceful. There is a blanket of snow outside and some gently falling from the sky in the way that movies try so hard to recreate. My husband is home from his midnight shift and asleep, visions of turkey dancing in his head. My son isn't up yet because, well, 9am.....teenager.....mutually exclusive things on a day off, usually. I'll be tuning in to the parade in New York City shortly and puttering around the house while watching it.
This is the first year in very many that I've worked outside the home, so my yard and my house are a cluttered mess of things that should have been put away, things that need dusting, and odds and ends that just haven't been done yet. I'm having a candle party Saturday night, so I'll be cleaning like a freak Saturday morning in preparation, though every person coming lives the same way lolol!
I was surfing Facebook earlier and I am still seeing a lot of posts and protests and angst about our recent Presidential election results. Yeah....when I got up that morning I was truly blown away that Donald Trump won that election. Granted, I voted for the Libertarian candidate in hopes that he'd swing 5% of the vote so in the next election cycle we would have a more viable third candidate, and also because both Trump and Hillary were terrible options. The overall behavior of many in our nation since that morning has been disgraceful. Eight years ago, when President Obama was elected, the people who were disappointed were told to "Deal with it" and "Get over it", that what's done is done. Now, those same groups are rioting. Those same groups are deriding and condemning the choice of, literally, more than half the voting adults in this country. And they want to know, "Why?" Why did this happen? How did he win?
I've seen a lot of opinions about that. Most of them incredibly insulting. They say things like, Trump won because racists voted for him. Trump won because people are sexist and want women pregnant and in the kitchen so they voted for him. People are xenophobic and so they voted for him. People are ignorant and uneducated and so they voted for him. People are stupid, so they voted for him. WOW. So you call half the country (actually, more): racist, sexist, xenophobic, stupid, uneducated, ignorant, etc, then you wonder WHY they aren't on board with your personal opinion and choices? Go figure.
I wonder if those people could possibly try something.....maybe try to see the world from a different point of view. Maybe if they tried to understand the reasons and issues that affect the world outside their own little bubble, if they didn't just mock what they don't agree with, maybe we wouldn't have illegal protests causing harm and creating chaos. Maybe we wouldn't have college level students who need "safe spaces" to come to grips with not getting their way. There ARE actual reasons why many, Many people voted for Donald Trump.
Here are some of the things that seem to be making the rounds. By the way, I am not going to state my own opinions about any of this so if you want to get your panties all in a bunch go for it, but don't bother lashing out at me because you don't like the idea that some people think differently than you do. But I've got friends on both sides of this thing, so I've heard a lot of discussion that maybe some folks haven't heard.
1) As human beings, we care about ALL other human beings and are willing to sacrifice things in our own lives to better the lives of others.
No. This is not how it works for a lot of people. For a lot of people, dealing with the mountains of shit going on in their own lives is more than enough to occupy their concerns. They don't have time to even contemplate how somebody in hurricane torn Haiti is feeling today. They are digging through their cupboards hoping to be able to put something together for their children that doesn't involve Kraft Dinner and cheap hot dogs. They are calculating exactly how much gasoline is in their car to get them to and from work this week, so they don't have to call in sick because they literally cannot afford to get to their job. They are signing their kids up for holiday gifts from charities because they'd really like their children to have something under the damned tree. The day to day struggle of surviving is literally all consuming and they need every nickel they've got just to make it until payday, so no, they really really do not care what somebody in another country, thousands of miles away, has on their plate, or even if they have a plate. They don't have room to help their own friends and family who are also struggling. The luxury of being able to help strangers is something they just do not understand. And maybe there's even some resentment that they can't afford to put a decent meal on the table for their children but their country is sending millions of dollars overseas to strangers.
When you assume that people in this situation are selfish or cold hearted because they don't care about these disasters in the world beyond their door, you are horribly wrong. You are looking at the world through your own lens and doing exactly what you are accusing those people of doing.
2) Health care is a Right.
No. The definition of what is a Right does seem to be flexible to many people. But just because you think everybody should have something, does not make it a right. A car is not a right. A home is not a right. A job is not a right. A good paycheck is not a right. And health care is not a right.
Instead of making everybody responsible for everybody else, make people responsible for themselves. And yes, if they fail to live up to that responsibility, it's not the fault of the world at large. That's the thinking. You've got the right to three things in this country: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. End of sentence.
3. Everybody cares about equality.
Yeah, in theory that may even be true. But when it comes right down to it, it's just more bullshit. Most people who don't suffer from inequality really never think about equality at all, unless it's all right up in their face. And giving them vague examples of something that might happen doesn't impress them. Show them a real example of something that DID happen, and you may get their attention. But otherwise, they just have no experience with any of it, so they don't understand. They can't. They know the world isn't fair, and they know that sometimes shit happens that they didn't deserve, and so they assume that this kind of things is what all the complaining is about. And from that limited experience, they don't understand why people don't just suck it up and get over it, go on about their lives. Don't be a criminal and you won't have to worry about the police. Don't act up in school and you won't have teachers that hate you. Be a good person and people will see that and just accept you no matter who you are. This is their own experience, this is what life has taught them, so why other people can't just figure that out is a mystery.
Now, if you introduce them to somebody who is a good person but got treated like a criminal because of their religion or color or sexual orientation, they may listen and they may begin to understand. But until these things are something other than a philosophical debate that never really includes them, they just aren't going to really see why folks act the way they do. And if you don't understand something, you really aren't going to care much about it. Especially, if you don't understand that there really is much of a problem. When you've rarely seen racism, xenophobic behavior, or blatant sexism happening, then you really may not understand how much of a problem it really is. And no, seeing it on TV doesn't really help. A new meme isn't going to solve anything. This is why there are pride parades and things like that, to help the people who still aren't seeing the problem to see the people who are living the problem; to try to make everybody understand that there really really IS a problem, that it's not just a bunch of crybabies who are used to participation trophies who didn't get their way for the first time.
4. One person's most valued cause is more important than another person's more valued cause.
Again, NO. If you had to pick just one cause, just one thing that you will throw all your support behind, what would it be? Marriage equality? Universal Health care? 2nd Amendment Rights? Abortion?
ASSuming that what you feel is the most important cause actually IS is arrogant and ignorant. If Person A feels that Marriage Equality is the most important cause to them, then they will vote Democrat. If Person B feels that their 2nd Amendment Rights are the most important thing to them, they will vote Republican. And when one group tries to devalue and ridicule the choices and feelings of another group because they don't agree with them, you get a mass uprising of middle America and you get Trump in the White House. Maybe if there were an open discussion.....maybe if people could live and let live.....just MAYBE if, instead of mocking and deriding the feelings and thoughts of MILLIONS of Americans, there had been some discussion.....some understanding......some recognition that just because you may disagree with somebody doesn't make them ignorant, stupid, or wrong, maybe then we wouldn't have had to choose between two candidates like we had.
5. I saw it on X news source who I trust, so it's true.
Folks, if you believe anything is the way the media portrays it then you're gonna have a bad time. Think of this last election cycle like Reality TV. It has about as much realism, as much factual information, as much reliable information as an episode of Duck Dynasty of the Kardashians. Just like Hillary's emails were not the dramatic problem they were made out to be, Trumps misogynistic behavior wasn't as dramatic as it was made out to be. Yes, there are grains....very very small grains of truth in most media sources, but that's about where it ends. It's all about the ratings and nothings gets good ratings more than pissing people off and making them afraid. So that's what's been done. They both suck. And, like any human beings, they both have skills and good qualities, too. Does this mean you have to like the results? Nope. But you do have to live with them for the next four years. Stop listening to the media and do your own research. At the very least, never assume that what you're seeing on tv is the whole story.
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Oh yes, the behavior or the very truly racist, sexist, and xenophobic people in the days following the election have been horrifying. And yes, I know I don't understand what it feels like to really be afraid right now, because I am a white American. I totally acknowledge that. And there is good reason to fear, at the moment, because those people are out there and right now they think they won something. They think they just elected one of their own, a new Hitler. They really haven't stopped to look at who Donald Trump was before all of this, at the things he's done in his life that haven't been highlighted by the media over the last year. And the things that all minorities always have to live with, the fears, are definitely highlighted at the moment. I do pray that this all passes. I do worry for my many friends who have legitimate fears right now, fears for their safety, fears for their marriages, fears for their equality, and I don't dismiss those fears. It's a realistic concern and I share it. I just think that we need to take a bit of a step back and have some hope. And we really really need to stop alienating one another. Lashing out in disappointment, or in fear, at the people who are happy with the election results doesn't stop the assholes from doing their things. It doesn't stop the hatred, the fear, or the lack of understanding. It only widens the gap and helps make sure that in four years we will see the same result at election time.
Maybe I'm just an optimist and that colors the way that I see things. But wouldn't you rather hold on to some hope and try for some understanding, than lash out and create more of a gap with anger and resentment? Because anger and resentment is why he won. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. So if you want to see something different in four years, then I suggest you consider what needs to be different.
This is the first year in very many that I've worked outside the home, so my yard and my house are a cluttered mess of things that should have been put away, things that need dusting, and odds and ends that just haven't been done yet. I'm having a candle party Saturday night, so I'll be cleaning like a freak Saturday morning in preparation, though every person coming lives the same way lolol!
I was surfing Facebook earlier and I am still seeing a lot of posts and protests and angst about our recent Presidential election results. Yeah....when I got up that morning I was truly blown away that Donald Trump won that election. Granted, I voted for the Libertarian candidate in hopes that he'd swing 5% of the vote so in the next election cycle we would have a more viable third candidate, and also because both Trump and Hillary were terrible options. The overall behavior of many in our nation since that morning has been disgraceful. Eight years ago, when President Obama was elected, the people who were disappointed were told to "Deal with it" and "Get over it", that what's done is done. Now, those same groups are rioting. Those same groups are deriding and condemning the choice of, literally, more than half the voting adults in this country. And they want to know, "Why?" Why did this happen? How did he win?
I've seen a lot of opinions about that. Most of them incredibly insulting. They say things like, Trump won because racists voted for him. Trump won because people are sexist and want women pregnant and in the kitchen so they voted for him. People are xenophobic and so they voted for him. People are ignorant and uneducated and so they voted for him. People are stupid, so they voted for him. WOW. So you call half the country (actually, more): racist, sexist, xenophobic, stupid, uneducated, ignorant, etc, then you wonder WHY they aren't on board with your personal opinion and choices? Go figure.
I wonder if those people could possibly try something.....maybe try to see the world from a different point of view. Maybe if they tried to understand the reasons and issues that affect the world outside their own little bubble, if they didn't just mock what they don't agree with, maybe we wouldn't have illegal protests causing harm and creating chaos. Maybe we wouldn't have college level students who need "safe spaces" to come to grips with not getting their way. There ARE actual reasons why many, Many people voted for Donald Trump.
Here are some of the things that seem to be making the rounds. By the way, I am not going to state my own opinions about any of this so if you want to get your panties all in a bunch go for it, but don't bother lashing out at me because you don't like the idea that some people think differently than you do. But I've got friends on both sides of this thing, so I've heard a lot of discussion that maybe some folks haven't heard.
1) As human beings, we care about ALL other human beings and are willing to sacrifice things in our own lives to better the lives of others.
No. This is not how it works for a lot of people. For a lot of people, dealing with the mountains of shit going on in their own lives is more than enough to occupy their concerns. They don't have time to even contemplate how somebody in hurricane torn Haiti is feeling today. They are digging through their cupboards hoping to be able to put something together for their children that doesn't involve Kraft Dinner and cheap hot dogs. They are calculating exactly how much gasoline is in their car to get them to and from work this week, so they don't have to call in sick because they literally cannot afford to get to their job. They are signing their kids up for holiday gifts from charities because they'd really like their children to have something under the damned tree. The day to day struggle of surviving is literally all consuming and they need every nickel they've got just to make it until payday, so no, they really really do not care what somebody in another country, thousands of miles away, has on their plate, or even if they have a plate. They don't have room to help their own friends and family who are also struggling. The luxury of being able to help strangers is something they just do not understand. And maybe there's even some resentment that they can't afford to put a decent meal on the table for their children but their country is sending millions of dollars overseas to strangers.
When you assume that people in this situation are selfish or cold hearted because they don't care about these disasters in the world beyond their door, you are horribly wrong. You are looking at the world through your own lens and doing exactly what you are accusing those people of doing.
2) Health care is a Right.
No. The definition of what is a Right does seem to be flexible to many people. But just because you think everybody should have something, does not make it a right. A car is not a right. A home is not a right. A job is not a right. A good paycheck is not a right. And health care is not a right.
Instead of making everybody responsible for everybody else, make people responsible for themselves. And yes, if they fail to live up to that responsibility, it's not the fault of the world at large. That's the thinking. You've got the right to three things in this country: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. End of sentence.
3. Everybody cares about equality.
Yeah, in theory that may even be true. But when it comes right down to it, it's just more bullshit. Most people who don't suffer from inequality really never think about equality at all, unless it's all right up in their face. And giving them vague examples of something that might happen doesn't impress them. Show them a real example of something that DID happen, and you may get their attention. But otherwise, they just have no experience with any of it, so they don't understand. They can't. They know the world isn't fair, and they know that sometimes shit happens that they didn't deserve, and so they assume that this kind of things is what all the complaining is about. And from that limited experience, they don't understand why people don't just suck it up and get over it, go on about their lives. Don't be a criminal and you won't have to worry about the police. Don't act up in school and you won't have teachers that hate you. Be a good person and people will see that and just accept you no matter who you are. This is their own experience, this is what life has taught them, so why other people can't just figure that out is a mystery.
Now, if you introduce them to somebody who is a good person but got treated like a criminal because of their religion or color or sexual orientation, they may listen and they may begin to understand. But until these things are something other than a philosophical debate that never really includes them, they just aren't going to really see why folks act the way they do. And if you don't understand something, you really aren't going to care much about it. Especially, if you don't understand that there really is much of a problem. When you've rarely seen racism, xenophobic behavior, or blatant sexism happening, then you really may not understand how much of a problem it really is. And no, seeing it on TV doesn't really help. A new meme isn't going to solve anything. This is why there are pride parades and things like that, to help the people who still aren't seeing the problem to see the people who are living the problem; to try to make everybody understand that there really really IS a problem, that it's not just a bunch of crybabies who are used to participation trophies who didn't get their way for the first time.
4. One person's most valued cause is more important than another person's more valued cause.
Again, NO. If you had to pick just one cause, just one thing that you will throw all your support behind, what would it be? Marriage equality? Universal Health care? 2nd Amendment Rights? Abortion?
ASSuming that what you feel is the most important cause actually IS is arrogant and ignorant. If Person A feels that Marriage Equality is the most important cause to them, then they will vote Democrat. If Person B feels that their 2nd Amendment Rights are the most important thing to them, they will vote Republican. And when one group tries to devalue and ridicule the choices and feelings of another group because they don't agree with them, you get a mass uprising of middle America and you get Trump in the White House. Maybe if there were an open discussion.....maybe if people could live and let live.....just MAYBE if, instead of mocking and deriding the feelings and thoughts of MILLIONS of Americans, there had been some discussion.....some understanding......some recognition that just because you may disagree with somebody doesn't make them ignorant, stupid, or wrong, maybe then we wouldn't have had to choose between two candidates like we had.
5. I saw it on X news source who I trust, so it's true.
Folks, if you believe anything is the way the media portrays it then you're gonna have a bad time. Think of this last election cycle like Reality TV. It has about as much realism, as much factual information, as much reliable information as an episode of Duck Dynasty of the Kardashians. Just like Hillary's emails were not the dramatic problem they were made out to be, Trumps misogynistic behavior wasn't as dramatic as it was made out to be. Yes, there are grains....very very small grains of truth in most media sources, but that's about where it ends. It's all about the ratings and nothings gets good ratings more than pissing people off and making them afraid. So that's what's been done. They both suck. And, like any human beings, they both have skills and good qualities, too. Does this mean you have to like the results? Nope. But you do have to live with them for the next four years. Stop listening to the media and do your own research. At the very least, never assume that what you're seeing on tv is the whole story.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh yes, the behavior or the very truly racist, sexist, and xenophobic people in the days following the election have been horrifying. And yes, I know I don't understand what it feels like to really be afraid right now, because I am a white American. I totally acknowledge that. And there is good reason to fear, at the moment, because those people are out there and right now they think they won something. They think they just elected one of their own, a new Hitler. They really haven't stopped to look at who Donald Trump was before all of this, at the things he's done in his life that haven't been highlighted by the media over the last year. And the things that all minorities always have to live with, the fears, are definitely highlighted at the moment. I do pray that this all passes. I do worry for my many friends who have legitimate fears right now, fears for their safety, fears for their marriages, fears for their equality, and I don't dismiss those fears. It's a realistic concern and I share it. I just think that we need to take a bit of a step back and have some hope. And we really really need to stop alienating one another. Lashing out in disappointment, or in fear, at the people who are happy with the election results doesn't stop the assholes from doing their things. It doesn't stop the hatred, the fear, or the lack of understanding. It only widens the gap and helps make sure that in four years we will see the same result at election time.
Maybe I'm just an optimist and that colors the way that I see things. But wouldn't you rather hold on to some hope and try for some understanding, than lash out and create more of a gap with anger and resentment? Because anger and resentment is why he won. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. So if you want to see something different in four years, then I suggest you consider what needs to be different.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Ensuring Independence by Transporting Neighbors
www.VolunteerTransportationCenter.org
St. Lawrence County (315)714-2034
Did you know that if you, or a loved one, has medical appointments to get to and from and they cannot drive, there is help? I didn't. I found out when I found a job advertisement and applied for a position in the office at there VTC in Canton. I'm SO glad I didn't start college or end up at another job where I would have just been putting in time to earn a paycheck. Don't get me wrong, a paycheck is an important thing! Without it there isn't food and gas and utility payments and all sorts of fun things like that! But how nice to find a job that I LIKE doing with people I enjoy spending time with! My employers and co-workers are a lot of fun to be around; a variety of people from around the county, a variety of ages and personalities, and each of them damned cool to work with. I've learned a ton in just the couple of months that I've been there, already, and I've still got a lot to learn.
One of the things that's been more difficult for me is getting used to not knowing what I'm doing. I'm so very used to being good at what I do! The last two new jobs I took were both in fields that I was very confident in....childcare, and retail. Being Sammy's childcare provider was easy.....he was like a nephew to me and having him around was never any more difficult than having my own son around. And retail? Pshaw! I stepped into cashiering at Walmart and, other than having to learn a new POS system, it wasn't really anything I hadn't done before. I had to learn new things at the Service Desk, and there was plenty I didn't know, but Hell....it's retail. Now THIS.....this is something unlike anything I'd ever done before. And the variety of information that passes across my desk in any given day is just staggering. And I'm the new girl!! Being unsure of what I'm doing is very disconcerting, and I constantly feel like I'm going to tie things right into a big ole knot, but they tell me that's normal. ;) Fortunately, the awesome people I work with are there to help.
The gist of it is this.....people in my county who need to get to and from medical/dental/optical appointments, and for whatever reason are unable to drive or get there, can apply here and once they're set up in our system then we can get them there. We have a bank of Volunteer Drivers, who get some small reimbursement for mileage but otherwise are doing this on their own time and dime, who help people. It doesn't matter what your income is or what your age is or what your problems are, if you can get in and out of a car under your own steam, we can generally do something to help you out. We take new clients all the time. And new drivers are always welcome and sought after like gold! So if you've ever thought you'd like to do something to give back to your community, but you don't want to be on a committee or part of some large group, this would be exactly what you're looking for! You get a lot of human interaction, you get to meet new people and help people, but you also get to chill in your car and kick around the county and state.
Just something to consider!
St. Lawrence County (315)714-2034
Did you know that if you, or a loved one, has medical appointments to get to and from and they cannot drive, there is help? I didn't. I found out when I found a job advertisement and applied for a position in the office at there VTC in Canton. I'm SO glad I didn't start college or end up at another job where I would have just been putting in time to earn a paycheck. Don't get me wrong, a paycheck is an important thing! Without it there isn't food and gas and utility payments and all sorts of fun things like that! But how nice to find a job that I LIKE doing with people I enjoy spending time with! My employers and co-workers are a lot of fun to be around; a variety of people from around the county, a variety of ages and personalities, and each of them damned cool to work with. I've learned a ton in just the couple of months that I've been there, already, and I've still got a lot to learn.
One of the things that's been more difficult for me is getting used to not knowing what I'm doing. I'm so very used to being good at what I do! The last two new jobs I took were both in fields that I was very confident in....childcare, and retail. Being Sammy's childcare provider was easy.....he was like a nephew to me and having him around was never any more difficult than having my own son around. And retail? Pshaw! I stepped into cashiering at Walmart and, other than having to learn a new POS system, it wasn't really anything I hadn't done before. I had to learn new things at the Service Desk, and there was plenty I didn't know, but Hell....it's retail. Now THIS.....this is something unlike anything I'd ever done before. And the variety of information that passes across my desk in any given day is just staggering. And I'm the new girl!! Being unsure of what I'm doing is very disconcerting, and I constantly feel like I'm going to tie things right into a big ole knot, but they tell me that's normal. ;) Fortunately, the awesome people I work with are there to help.
The gist of it is this.....people in my county who need to get to and from medical/dental/optical appointments, and for whatever reason are unable to drive or get there, can apply here and once they're set up in our system then we can get them there. We have a bank of Volunteer Drivers, who get some small reimbursement for mileage but otherwise are doing this on their own time and dime, who help people. It doesn't matter what your income is or what your age is or what your problems are, if you can get in and out of a car under your own steam, we can generally do something to help you out. We take new clients all the time. And new drivers are always welcome and sought after like gold! So if you've ever thought you'd like to do something to give back to your community, but you don't want to be on a committee or part of some large group, this would be exactly what you're looking for! You get a lot of human interaction, you get to meet new people and help people, but you also get to chill in your car and kick around the county and state.
Just something to consider!
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