Let's Pretend to be Happy

Trump as Marie Antoinette [AI Generated]

Wow, what a great country to live in where the president shares an AI video of himself literally shit-bombing the American people after a record-breaking 4 million strong protest! Embarrassing, really freaking embarrassing! It did my heart good to see pictures of and hear about solidarity protests in other countries like Britian, Germany, Canada and Brazil!

Then on the eve of 42 million Americans losing SUPPLEMENTAL NUTITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) benefits, many of whom are working poor, yes, many work full-time, some even work multiple jobs to make ends meet! Trump & Co. had a Great Gatsby party! They really don't care. They think it's funny.

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With every protest I learn to make a bigger and better sign. Two sides of the latest one.

They tried to call the No Kings Oct. 18th protest a "Hate America" protest, but that couldn't be farther from the truth! We hate what the Trump Administration is doing to America!!!!

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Okay, enough about that! I went to one of my favorite places to be distracted. Originally, I went because I saw on their website that they had a funny "German Luck door" for $15.00, which seemed reasonable, but alas! It was made of plastic, not iron, not even wood! So, I just took pictures of it for you and some other pictures for your viewing pleasure, to take you along with me. (Inspired by Ms Nations, of course!)

I was thinking about all of you, trying to imagine what you might say and what might strike your fancy. If I haven't said so before, Your friendship means the world to me! I really love this group!

I'm trying to convince my son to do university in Germany after he graduates from HS and to just stay there, anywhere else in the world, but here. What scares me most is that he turns 18 in 2028 and will be required to register for Selective Service, which means if this psychotic administration tried to initiate a draft for military service, he would be prime picking.

Shit! Here's those pictures I was talking about! Back to a nicer topic...

This large ornate piece appears to go over something, but I'm not sure what. A sideboard? A church something, something?

Some old British fellows. I forgot who the tag said they were. I was just so disappointed that the grey-haired fellow was not John Cleese as some character.

Look out guys, he's a Topper!

Drinking accruements. What are we drinking?

I'll never forget the sad tale of Norell Hardy having to go on stage right after learning of the death of his infant son who was sick with some kind of cold or flu. They told him that he didn't have to go on, but he said he would and give the best performance of his life because his little guy was watching from upstairs (in Heaven). RIP, Sir.

A vintage sausage maker.

(Somewhere within all of us lives the humor of a 13-yo boy.)

I was really tempted to get one of these scales. Reminds me of the childish days I used to fantasize about being an old-timey shopkeeper.

And finally....

This is the thing that brought me out to the salvage store. I'm not mad, only disappointed that it wasn't $15 and made of wood.

Mago can give us a proper translation, but it's something like

 "Knock upon this door and wish for good luck"

and this is what you get.

It looks like he's got a balloon coming out of his butt, but it's a German penny (or equivalent.)

Ta-ta for now!

Learn to Swim

 

I'm sorry most of all to the Ukraine. I'm sorry that the U.S. has failed to be your staunchest ally and supporter against Putin's aggression. You deserve good allies! I'm ashamed and disgraced that we will no longer be the dependable allies we once were to our oldest counterparts around the world.

This country is consumed by greed. It is both pernicious and infectious. I hope that other countries will do better. I feel no pride for being American on this day. After all that my family has fought for and sacrificed for this country, none of it seems to matter!

The Young One

 There's been a lot going on around here and for the first time in 23 years I'll be sleeping alone for an unknowable amount of time. My other half needs to take care of family in another state. I will hold the fort. Make sure the dog gets her walks...keep a regular schedule for the whippersnapper who is now a proper young teen coming into his own sense of self. 

The era of my heydays began in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s. (Ahem, I might be turning 50 this year.)

The song playing in my head after dropping Mister Prox off at the airport:

As a teen, I went wherever I wanted, often by bus, all over town with my yellow Walkman usually listening to either Joan Jett & the Blackhearts or Pat Benatar.

The Lost Boys movie came out in 1987 and was Rated R. I snuck into the movie theater TWICE to watch it because who didn't I have a crush on in that movie? So many cuties! "The Coreys", Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz.

And Diane Wiest really was the perfect mother in that! I love her for her normal but strong mom vibes!

My sexual awakening was thanks to the Goblin King.

❤

I hope you are all well. Take care!

Doughnut Names

 

This song is lyrical brilliance! "All the doughnuts have names that sound like prostitutes." 

Tom Waits sings in his signature style like an old workhorse that's been smoking ten packs of cigarettes a day.

This song lyric is the first thing that comes to mind when I contemplate the question, "What's in a Name?" 

I love the name Ms Scarlet and I wouldn't shorten it. I also see it as uniquely your own and nothing to do with that selfish child-woman Scarlet O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. My birth name is a bit old-fashioned for my generation that is filled with "Heathers" and "Jennifers".

My MIL knows how we feel. Being a twin, her sister got the fun, easy-going name and has had a lot of boyfriends and husbands taking her out to fine dining and shopping while my poor MIL just got the name "Beatrice." It's taken her over eighty years to scrub all documents emblazoned with this name. She went with something short and simple, but her out-sized personality makes it uniquely her own. I think perhaps we would be less quirky if we didn't have names that made us so determined to define ourselves differently. In my book, quirky is a good trait along with originality.

In the video below. All the dancers are wearing black and often dancing in sync and yet we see their originality in small details like their face, hair and moments of non-synced dancing.

I like to feel online like how this song makes me feel when I listen to it. Still part of a group, but original, nonetheless. Playful and maybe more than a bit mischievous, but not with the intent to cause any harm.

This video also reminds me of one of the funniest mistakes I've ever made. I was corresponding with a woman from the city permitting office by email and in response to a question I told her to "Just dance it off." I have no idea what I'd meant to say, but that wasn't it and autocorrect had clearly failed me. I apologized profusely and lucky for me she had a sense of humor, and all was well. 😅

In closing, "Roxy" is a good name for a fox, a donut, or a prostitute, which is preferable to being an uptight bitch. 😏

Anger is a valid emotion.

I navigate the daily fallout from the overturning of Roe v. Wade through the constant bombardment of news stories I can't ignore. It's obvious just how little the Conversative Christian Anti-abortionists understand about the human body, especially the female body.

The Sorrow - 

Most women don't discover they're pregnant until six weeks at the earliest! There are many reasons why a woman may not be able to successfully carry a baby to term. Sadly, ectopic pregnancies are common. This when the embryo attaches outside of the uterus. I had an ectopic pregnancy. A planned pregnancy and a baby that I very much wanted, but the embryo had attached itself inside my fallopian tube. Not only does this make for an unviable pregnancy, but an incredibly painful and danger position to find myself in. It was heartbreaking. After the miscarriage I drove around crying a lot while out doing errands so I could be alone and so my 18-month-old son, wouldn't get distressed seeing mommy cry so much.

Since speaking to other women about my miscarriage, I've discovered how common miscarriages are and how often abortion medications are needed to bring closure to an unviable pregnancy. There are many reasons why a pregnancy might not get to full term.

The Rage - 

Sometimes we get pressured and bullied by spouses and family members to get pregnant regardless of the risk factors. Some of us live in unsafe environments subjected to rape, domestic abuse, and an environment full of other violence and hazards. Some of us can barely take care of ourselves let alone a tiny human completely dependent on us for their survival. Even ~financially well-off~ women don't always have the social safety needed to be a good parent.

We have to make difficult choices all the time. Striping us of our autonomy only breeds hate and resentment.

If I could, I would rip out my uterus and ovaries and throw them at the feet of the Supreme Court Justices! I don't want or need these parts anymore. You can have them!

So I rage...

I also stand in solidarity with the transgender community. Clearly autonomy is important to me and I respect the autonomy of others. Who am I to tell them what they should think or feel about their own bodies?

Transgendered Lawmaker Silenced in Montana

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/montana-transgender-lawmaker-silenced-again/vi-AA1ai9xq?ocid=msedgntp

Lives are not being saved by these laws on our bodies, they are being destroyed by a power-hungry oppressive minority.

This final bit is for First Nations, after watching. Human Chair, aka Ningen Isu it was recommended to me to watch a video by Bloodywood. I didn't know I needed to watch an Indian Folk Metal band raging about respecting women but I did. I've been to India, I've caught a glimpse of both the horror and the beauty there.