Let Me Apologize In Advance

So, there are a few things I need to get out of my system. Some of you may take offense, honestly I don't give a shit. Some of you may recognize yourselves, what can I say. Hopefully we can all move on once I've said what I feel like saying.

Oh yes, she's in a mood.

Social Media. I know I've vented about Facebook on Facebook. But that was then, and while some issues that were relevant back then have disappeared (read: unfriended), there are still a few things I cannot understand why people do on social media.

First, On Twitter, I don't care how many new followers you have or how many people stopped following you. When the app you have that tells you who's coming and who's going asks you if you want to tweet that vital information... just hit NO. It serves no purpose to me other than add volume to my timeline. And honestly, it kinda pisses me off.

On Facebook, parents, I truly do not give a shit whether your child has indeed taken one today or four. Chances are I don't even know your kids, and I really don't need to know if they are having a shit-a-thon, or a puke-a-thon. You all do realize that nothing is ever really gone from the internet, don't you? Do you really want your child having their bowel movements going viral when some kid in their class finds it a few years from now? Or you people fresh out of surgery. Do we really need to see the scars from that hip replacement so fresh and oozing? Just stop.

And photos. You guys post way too many pictures of your kids. Not because I don't want to see them, but because I can see ones I shouldn't be able to. And that means every perv out there can too. If I choose, I can see photos of friends of friends of friends. That's way too far down the line to be safe.

And then there are all the posts about where you are, when you will be there, and who will be with you, and who won't. Way, way too much information. People can learn your house is empty, your kids are at a sleepover, your husband is away. Seriously, time to be smarter than that. Post in generalities, tell the story after you are back, not every detail before you leave. When I post about road trips, I try not to say who's going or who's left behind... until after it's over.

Let's not forget the share this post crap. Share if you have a loved one with cancer... are you kidding? Who doesn't? How the hell does sharing a photo of a sappy saying, help anyone with cancer. It doesn't, so why not save that energy and send a message of encouragement over to the person you know who has cancer. Maybe if we all posted just a little less crap asking people to share, we would get more of the posts that FB deems unimportant and blocks from our timelines.

Well, I feel a little better, sorry if you don't. For me, social media is a necessary evil, but make no mistake about it, there is a lot of evil out there. Not every part of your life needs to be documented online for eternity. Take a breath and think before you hit post.

As a wise woman always tells me, "Less is Best."
Indeed.

Just Crossing the Bridge: Memorial Day

Repost of a repost, because it's Memorial Day... and I remember,

(May, 2013). Last week as I took off on the road trip to see Springsteen, I crossed the old wooden bridge over the Delaware River, on my way to pick up the Drum Mama. The Veterans were there selling their paper poppies for the annual Memorial Day fund drive.

These days, the soldiers are mostly Korean War Vets, sometimes younger ones, but the World War II Veterans are for the most part, gone or incapable of standing and handing out the red flowers for more than a brief period of time.

As I approached the bridge, there were several Vets taking donations. When it was my turn to donate, a Veteran whose navy colored suit seemed to overwhelm his frail body, turned to me and offered the poppy. This man who had probably seen battle, the Depression, and lived a lifetime of highs and lows, was thanking me for the dollar I placed in his pail.

Easily close to ninety, his eyes were still as blue as the day he enlisted. Blue the color of my father's eyes. My eyes immediately filled up, and I could barely get the words "thank you sir," out, over the huge lump in my throat.

For the past couple of years, I've reposted the same blog about Memorial Day, There is a reason for Memorial Day, we honor those who have given service, or their lives.

Remember What Memorial Day Is All About
(First posted 5/19/12)

It's that time of the year again. This weekend and next, all over the country, Veteran's will be outside supermarkets, at bridges and in other assorted places looking for donations in exchange for a red paper poppy.

The story of the poppy is something like this. In Belgium during World War I, in the midst of the war ravaged battlefields, wild poppies grew. Their bright red color served as a reminder of the blood shed in the fight for freedom. The poppy has since become a symbol of all the human sacrifice by the men and women in uniform.

The poppies that are distributed today are made by hospitalized veterans and they receive a small stipend for their work. For some, this is the only supplemental income they receive. All funds taken in by the sale of the poppies are used exclusively for the therapeutic and financial benefit of veterans.

Each day we lose more and more men and women from the generation who fought in World War II. Those that are left grow more tired every day.  As we get closer to Memorial Day Weekend, please take a poppy from one of these brave veterans and give a donation.

And when the veteran looks at you and says thanks...please look back at him, straight in the eye and say "No, Thank You."

Sniglisms: Part 3

I haven't done any ranting in a while. I've been busy, and I guess a little oblivious to what is going on around me. But this past week a few things caught my eye and I thought I should talk about it. See if you agree.

Yesterday I went food shopping for the weekend. Since there was no chicken on the menu this past week, there was no doubt it would make an appearance this week. Looking at the selection, which was marked as being on a 40% off sale, I saw this variety family pack. You know the one that has 6 drumsticks, 6 thighs, and 6 wings. I wasn't really interested in that particular assortment, but the price caught my eye. $17.55...huh?

A  very young worker from the meat department was putting out more chicken and when he heard my WTF is the price of this chicken remark, he said something to the effect that I should buy it because it was ON SALE. I wanted to smack him upside the head.

While we're on the subject of food, I thought of this last week when the two popes were being made saints. Be glad you don't live in my brain. Hasn't it been a while since someone found Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich or potato chip, and put it up on ebay? And here I am saving some cash for this very reason.

This is for the women, primarily the more mature (as in older, not more grown up) ones. WTF is with the size of calcium pills? Take a Vitamin E and no matter what the dosage, it's a little tiny pill. They give race horses smaller pills than the average size calcium supplement.

And lastly, earbuds. Do they make earbuds that actually stay in your ears? I have not had a pair yet that do. Usually one bud will fit fairly well, but the other... not so much. Are my ears out of whack? I'm not sure but I have heard from others that they have this problem as well. So why can these technological geniuses not create earbuds where you don't spend 95% of the time adjusting them?


There were a few other things that bothered me this week, but perhaps it's time to do some more constructive work. So that's my list, what's bugging you?

In case you missed them: Sniglisms Part 1 and Sniglisms Part 2. And where it all began...And On a Thursday, She Created Sniglisms
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