SSST

Ever have a teacher who was so good you remember lectures 40 years later?  I did.  Her name was Miss Rand and she was my 7th grade American History teacher.  She had a reputation of being no nonsense and tough, but you will learn a LOT.  I was scared the first day of class as her reputation preceded her.

My fear quickly dissipated as the key to being successful in her class was to pay attention and study.  No mystery there.  She also had a way of delivering lectures that somehow got burned into your memory.  She also had a way of pointing out how complex history really was and not something you can brand into one bumper sticker slogan.

Example:  Everybody thinks the American Civil War was was about slavery. 

Enter SSST.  Slavery was not the main reason for the war.  The reasons were sectionalism, states' rights, slavery, and tariffs.  Nobody ever talks about the other three reasons - only slavery.  To me, that's a real tragedy.  We are only recounting history as we want to remember it, and not how it actually was.  We never look at the entire picture at anything anymore.  We only want to pick and choose the issues with how we create our own spin on revisionist history.

To this day I can still see Miss Rand writing SSST in huge letters across the chalk board.  I can still see her spin to face the class after she wrote SSST on the board and said to us with a smirky grin, "You think the American Civil War was all about slavery?"

She then went into a detailed lecture about the other reasons. 

For what it's worth, I aced the class and thought I was going to fail.  I've often thought about Miss Rand and where she might be today.  I have no idea where she is or if she's still with the living.  I've often thought about writing her a letter about the impact she had on my knowledge of American History.  I'm sure she would not remember me at all, but the impact was there. 

San Francisco - Now What?

The population the contributes to the tax base of SF has gone away.  I called that a couple of months ago.  Just what is going to prop up their economy?  I don't think drug syringes, crime, and homelessness will keep the city economy afloat, but that's all they have right now. 

All the cops who work in SF are going to bail.  I've heard the rumor.  They're sick of it all, too.  They are going to 'retire' in droves.  Just who will replace them?  Who will answer and respond when you call 911? 

The Art of Forgiveness - Don't Care

Think of all those people who have really hurt and upset you over the years.  No, don't.  That's expending energy that could be channeled to something else that is deserving of your attention.  None of us get through life without being scarred by others.  It's all part of the lesson book.  Let's face it, some people are just, well, yucky.  What's sad is that they don't ever think themselves yucky.  You wasting time thinking how yucky they are only gives them more power over you. 

Not caring is the ultimate response. 

A Little Too Crowded

I'm not so sure of this whole COVID, people.  I had my first COVID positive employee on a job site at a hospital - the victim a young, healthy male.  Up until this point everybody thought it was a myth and something that only happened to somebody else.  There's a reason why we are trying to slow the spread (notice I did not state eliminate it).  It's impossible to eliminate it. 

I'm afraid we are in for a long time with this, people.  All we can do as the human race is learn to cope and manage.  Be smart out there. 

Be The Energy You Want To Perpetuate

I'm calling myself out on my own crap here, folks.  I can be *very* cranky on my blog.  I'm not a physically violent person; however, I can be very energetically violent with what I spew on my blog.  For years I've given myself the pass that I'm just venting and all of this is just letting off steam into the vastness of cyberspace.

Energy is energy is energy is energy.

Even in the slightest doubt that anybody ever reads the crap that I spew on this dumb blog that I do not promote in any way, shape, nor form, I'm still releasing that energy out into cyberspace to potentially be picked up.  Not good.  I'm making a concerted effort to focus on my own short comings.   I have many short comings; I have too many to count.  I'm owning that.  It's one of the reasons I ditched social media.  It got me all riled up over things that are separating us instead of uniting us.  I am making a concerted effort to focus on what is uniting us as opposed to what divides us.

Now, I'm changing gears completely to the abundance of cherry plumbs on our tree.

We have a cherry plumb tree in our backyard.  We jokingly call it our 'rat feeder' as birds, squirrels, raccoons, and yes RATS, feast on it when the plumbs are ripe - like right about now.  The problem is that the cherry plumbs are messy when they hit the ground and our pets (especially our daughter's new puppy) want to eat them.  Of course, that causes digestive issues I will not describe in detail.

Enter the NextDoor social media site.

Yes, I said I was off social media.  I should have stated that I don't participate in social media that is politically dominant and divisive (cough, cough FB).  I'm on NextDoor which is locally oriented and nobody is on their soapbox preaching to others how they are going to save the world and how righteous their own viewpoints are and you're a moron if you don't agree or 'like' them.  Whatever.  Where I'm going with this site is where there is an exchange with people in YOUR own neighborhood you have to look in the eye (with mask on, of course) when you post stuff.  It's a lot more difficult to be a cyber bully when you have to look your audience in the eye. 

Enter 'post your free stuff'.

I was scrolling through the stuff that my neighbors are giving away for free.  Specifically, I'm looking for a traditional filing cabinet (so last century, I know...but somethings need a home for paper) and another chair for my home office.  Anyway, a lady posted that her plumb tree was going nuts and was begging people to come and take the plumbs.  She was overwhelmed with the responses she received.

Ding ding ding ding ding ding.

I posted that our cherry plumb tree was going nuts and now I'm overwhelmed with the responses that people want them.   Ask and the universe provides.  All of these people *want* something that I thought a nuisance.  Yes, I do make plumb jam from them but that does not really put a dent in the fruit the tree produces.

So, now I will go out and pick the plumbs and place them in bags for the many, many people who posted interest in them. 

 My point is that we all balance each other out in some way, shape, or form.  What annoys me turns out to be somebody else's pleasure.  I'm taking that forward into other areas of life. 

Summer Solstice

For freaky, witchy people like me today is a holiday.  My psychic hits come and go, and I have no control how or when they happen.  Some happen in dreams.  Some happen as a certain 'knowing.'  Some are just blurted out of my mouth.  I do have to be careful with whom I share this information.  It's not always welcome.  I've learned to respect people's willingness to receive what I sense.  I can see where it would be deemed intrusive.  Once told not to poke around somebody's energy I do stop, even if in their unconscious they really do want me to share.  I've had hits where I overshared with someone and they freaked out.  Later on I will have dreams or other hits where this same person who was freaked out does want to communicate with what I sense on an unconscious level, but I shut them down.  If they are not telling me in their conscious state of wanting to share, I don't want to share with them on an unconscious level. 

Yesterday I met up with a relatively new friend for a hike and then lunch.  She is very open to all this psychic stuff.  I don't know if it was her 'permission' for me to be in her energy, but my hits started going off the charts.  I don't know much (yet) about her family, but as she was talking I got a hit of her grandfather and his mother (her great grandmother).  It was not pretty.  However, she really wanted to hear what I was feeling so I told her.  I made her cry as I was spot on.  She now has information to heal the past.

Anyway, blessed solstice.

Vetting Information

The most important life skill society will need moving forward is vetting the onslaught of information we are bombarded with daily; most of which is sheer garbage.  I'm not sure how that will happen when everybody thinks they are correct. 

Try. 

Groove Is In The Heart

I did it.  I pulled the plug on my social media accounts.  I just could not handle all the one-sided, self-righteous political posts anymore.  I could not handle the passive aggressive bullying of, "If you don't re-post this you're part of the problem."


The whole social media scenario is toxic.  I miss FaceBook when it was just people giving updates on their kids and whatnot.  Whatever.  Things change.  My real friends know where to find me.  'Nuff said.

OK.......... Quiet Rage is remarkably social in this anti-social culture we are now in.  I've had more invitations to walks, driveway cocktail parties, dog walking adventures, covert parties, than ever.  It's ironic that this whole sheltering in place is making me incredibly social.  I guess I'm not a big fan of pomp  and I truly enjoy people's company on a one-to-one basis or in small groups.

With that being stated, I really REALLY miss my dance classes.  It's been early March since the last class.  This is so pathetic, but the grocery store I shop at plays really cool music.  My store plays:  Prince, Dead or Alive, English Beat, John Cougar, (fill in the blank fun music) and the music fills the aisles.  There I was in my mask in the produce section yesterday trying to hold myself back from breaking out in dance.  Here is what was playing.  Oh, and for the record.  I NEVER take offense when I'm told by black people, "Hey Vanilla Momma, you move pretty good for a white girl."

Stop Fanning the Flames

I'm begging people to stop feeding into media frenzy about, well, everything.  Name cause.  Watch media blow it up and sensationalize and create hysteria, emotions, panic, DIVISION, etc.  Ultimately, you only have control of your own actions.  It's you and you alone that you can control.  Be the positive change you want to see in the world.  You don't need a banner, social media post, whatever, to do that and tell other people what to do or not to do.  Why do people feel the need to label everything?  Labeling is just another word for division - meaning that it's different than something else.  Isn't that what we are trying to do away with?  Let your inner light shine; radiate that energy and act accordingly.  It's contagious. 

All we are saying, is give peace a chance. 

Two Days In A Row

Two days in a row I have come across two different new acquaintances and their dogs.  In both instances I bent down to give the dog a pat.  In both instances the owners of said dogs stated, "I've never seen Fluffy take to anybody right away.  My dog is usually very standoffish, but he likes you."

Moral of the story:  There is hope for my grouchy old soul.  I'm working on it. 

Nobody Wants Your Crap

Ahhhhhhh, I could take the title of this blog to so many places.  However, today I will be extremely literal.  Nobody wants your crap. 

All of this staying home has spurned the massive cleaning of closets.  Great.  Now, just where are you going to take the stuff you no longer want?  Nobody is taking donations of things.  They will take your money, but not your stuff. 

The parameters have changed.  Since the pandemic, people are more leery of accepting used goods.  Thrift stores are mostly shut down.  Mountains of used goods are accumulating.  People are desperate to unload their stuff.

Perhaps this is a good thing.  Think about that when purchasing things.  You will be stuck with it for a very, very long time.  Do you *really* need it?  It's about time that the disposable society we live in gets a wake up call.  We are very wasteful and our consumption habits could use an adjustment. 

Buffalo Springfield

Battle lines being drawn.  Nobody's right if everybody's wrong.  Singing songs and carrying signs.  Mostly say hooray for our side.
 

Domestic Violence

There's an issue of violence and murder that is so deeply ingrained it does not get any attention.  The whole world goes nuts when a black guy gets killed by a white officer.  The black community is up in arms.  They take to the streets and justify destroying property.

Stop right there before you mutter under your breath that I'm racist. I'm in no way condoning what happened in Minneapolis. 

My point is that for every black man who gets killed by a white officer, thousands upon thousands of women are killed, beaten, abused (both psychologically and sexually) by men.  Where are the protests?  The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) still has not passed.  Women still to this day don't have the same rights as men.  The abuse against women is age old; older than whatever race wants to claim how they are victims of prejudice and suppression.

What I find ironic is that these same black men rioting against injustice will go home and beat the crap out of their wives because dinner was not what he was expecting.  We are so blind to it as a society that the song "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix about a guy shooting his woman down is played without anybody thinking anything of it other than, "Wow...Jimi sure could play a guitar."  When I read Malcolm X in college I was outraged that he treated women like shit, but was out there demanding respect for himself. 

You personally know of a woman who has been beaten and abused.  You can't say that's true about the other situation that I mentioned above about a cop killing.  Chances are that the abuse you witnessed was your own mother at the hands of your father.  Chances are that after your father beat the crap out of your mom he then went on to beat the crap out of you.  There are countless murders of women that happened by their husbands.  Think about that when looking the big picture of what's going on and the number of instances in which violence and murders happen. 

Email and Facebook

Want to know what email and Facebook have in common?  They are used by OLD people.  Never thought I'd type that 10 years ago, but here I sit typing it. 

I guess that makes me old.  If the shoe fits.......

This whole shelter-in-place deal has forced me to look to more streamlined ways of collaborating with my colleagues.  We can no longer meet up in person for lunch on a project.  We no longer sit in conference rooms together.  Mind you, this is not a complaint. 

There are collaboration platforms that make sharing documents, information, ideas, tasks, etc., that have eliminated the need to email.  When somebody makes a change or an edit I get a notification as to what was changed and as to whom did the editing.  Everybody is working with the same set of documents at once.  Thank goddesses.  My email inbox is still full, but I have eliminated quite a bit of it.  The tiresome procedure of group emails has finally been tamed.  It took a mandatory shelter-in-place to nudge me to learn this stuff (and I'm still learning).

Now I'm discovering that most email is junk from outside organizations trying to sell me something or phishing attempts.  If somebody really knows me and has business with me, it comes from inside the collaboration platform. 

So, the moral of the story is that if you are still using email as your means to communicate with anybody you work with you're out of date.  That goes for posting political crap on Facebook as well.  Well, that goes for posting ANYTHING on Facebook.  LOL  .   Out of touch old farts.  ha ha ha

News Media: Walking The Line Between Two Evils

We all bemoan the news media.  We don't trust it.  There's a reason for that.  News media has sold out not only to corporate (money) interests, but also to certain political parties trying to influence the masses.  News media is all about horrible, tragic, and controversial headlines trying to grab your attention.  Why?  Because that is what sells.  What is the news selling?  Advertising time or space. 

Well.....why don't we just have a government run news program completely funded by the taxpayers to keep money out of the news media?  Just ask China how that's going for them. 

It's a no win situation. 

I finally did it.  I stopped watching television news.  Go ahead, accuse me of burying my head in the sand.  What can I do about it anything anyway when we are ordered to stay at home?  We all live in a virtual world.  My virtual world just happens to exclude television and social media political posts.