When Florence Comes Calling

As of this writing, Hurricane Florence is spinning in the Atlantic southeast of Bermuda. Jim Cantore has landed at Wrightsville Beach in Wilmington NC and the MIL is now glued to The Weather Channel in Davidson County NC. She doesn’t really show it, but I can tell that the hurricane has her wringing her hands deep inside. She’s asked if we’ll have running water if the power goes out. She’s made checks on emergency lights. She has inventoried the toilet paper and calculated the amount of solid waste that each of us will produce. She is in "prep mode".

Jamie is a bit worried too, but she’s better at not letting it show. She was happy that her oldest Sam got in from Wilmington, NC at 4 O’ Clock this morning. She didn’t want him riding it out. But she has had her moments… “Where are all the flashlights? Why don’t we have enough batteries? Do we have enough food for the dogs? Why aren’t you prepared?”

So yeah, I’m a little ill-prepared. I’ve always been. I’m sure that I’d feel differently if I lived at the coast, but here in the left bosom of the Piedmont region I feel relatively safe. Sure, there could be some fallen trees and hopefully not on our property. I just don’t expect things to be down for days. So, call me a little optimistic.

But to appease the wife and calm the rising fears of the MIL, I’m headed out today for some provisions. Some batteries, some dog food, some beer, some beverages that end in "A-Rita" for the MIL, and I’m having the pool water tested.

I’d like to close the pool as soon as possible, but the hurricanes make it difficult. I remember that we had the same problem last year that delayed the closing for a week. Every day this week has chances of rain. But if I can get that joker closed today, I will be lactating with excitement all night long.

I’d like to keep it open until the first weekend in October, but the nearby trees like to cast aside their leaves right into the pool. I’m constantly pulling out about 20 pounds of fallen leaves every single day in September. That includes the skimmers as well. And since we had that cool spell, it started earlier in late August this year.

So yeah, I need to get this day kicked in the butt.

And by the way, I was jonesing for a little Facebook action yesterday. It’s an immediate go-to when I find a quiet moment. But I managed to resist the urge to log in. It’s kind of nice, but there’s part of me that believes that I’m missing something by not being part of the Facebook world. I’m starting to comprehend exactly why the younger kids don’t care for Facebook. I definitely feel like I’m in a form of rehab, but the detoxification feels pretty good.

I'm Blah, Blah, Blah'ed Out

Have you ever paid attention to those grand gestures that people make on Facebook?

You know, the ones where they proclaim that they’re going to take a break. Not the normal ones, but the ones where folks go into all the bitchy details about the unwanted drama. The ones about “friends” spreading lies.

Well, I’m joining the ranks of people taking a break from Facebook. It’s not because of so-called drama or friends lying. The politics are what is getting to me.

I’m tired of hearing about the National Anthem debate with knee-taking. I’m tired of hearing about Kaepernick. I’m tired of seeing all of the Nike memes. I’m tired of the liberal posts. I’m tired of the conservative posts. I’m especially tired of the Trump posts.

Yes, I like to stir the pot a lot of the times. But I do try to steer clear of politics. Political posters just seem to be the ones that are just patting themselves on the back for their own beliefs. No one is changing their minds about where they’re standing politically speaking. So why do those people continue to do it unless it’s self-back patting?

Allah forbid that you actually try to engage in a civil discussion. For some reason, people that don’t agree with your point of view will insult you immediately. IMMEDIATELY. There just can’t be an exchange of thoughts or ideas without the obligatory insult. And in my experience, it’s usually from the conservatives. And as their clueless leader would say, “Believe me. It’s true.”

I’m a Libertarian and folks on the left hate me sometimes for being an overly conservative clod. And then sometimes, like during this taking a knee/Anthem thing, the right hates me for being a “libtard”.

So, I’ve reached my breaking point with Facebook and I’m taking a sabbatical. You’ll still see some updates from Instagram and maybe Untappd, but I’m signing out this evening and not sure about when I’ll be back. It’s not like I’m still working in social media these days.

I thought about just unfollowing everyone that post political stuff, but a lot of those people are the folks that I want to keep up with whether we know each other in real life or not. And sometimes I get sucked in because a lot of stuff that people are posting is incorrect. It kind of makes me sad that people just blindly follow things as the gospel without even swiping a finger for some actual research.

I will most likely keep my Messenger open. I’ll still be on Snapchat. That app is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I have so much fun on there. Join me, if you will. I feel that I’m going to have more time to do all the necessary things that I need to do around the house. And I may just find out that I absolutely LOVE being off Facebook. Who knows?

Django Django

I have a love/hate relationship with social media.

I love that I can reconnect with friends that I’ve lost track of during the years. I love that I can post the silly thoughts that pop into my head. I love that I can live vicariously through someone’s vacation or event pictures like concerts. I love that I can keep track of my relatives and with what’s going on in their lives. I love writing stupid comments on the local television news postings. I love seeing the pets of my friends. I love that most people see social media as a fun place with tidbits of information.

Thank goodness there’s a lot for me to love. But on the other hand…

I don’t like seeing people constantly moaning and bitching about something that went wrong in their day. How it’s the norm for their lives. It’s one thing to inform everyone about a health issue, but stupid stuff like every day setbacks don’t really call for Eeyore to grab a bullhorn for a blast of negativity. I’ve seen people post things about doing good and remaining positive only to counter that posting a few hours later with a negative blast about their ex or how the Universe won’t allow them to be happy.

I’m starting to dislike the religious postings where they’re convinced that Christianity is under attack because they believe some talking head on some agenda driven website or some broadcast network. I used to find them amusing, but the lack of actual information being tossed around in those postings alarms me. A&E and even the NFL have become fodder for this ridiculous movement on social media. I’ve even jumped into a friend’s discussion only to be insulted by someone fighting and making a stand for Christianity. I guess when you refuse to face the real facts you must do what Jesus would do… Call someone an idiot. I’m too lazy to look up the actual verse, but I think it’s in the Book of Matthew somewhere.

If you disagree and try to present actual facts, you’re labeled a liberal or even worse… Someone that voted for Obama. For some reason, Christianity goes hand in hand with propagandist right wing media.

And for the record, I haven’t seen any Jehoviah Witnesses, Catholics, Episcopalians, or Mormons jumping on that band wagon. But according to my Southern Baptist upbringing, those cats are wrong and they’re all going to Hell anyway.

I’m not attacking. I’m using my experience of growing up for 18 years in a Southern Baptist church. I cannot tell you how many times that I’ve heard about other Christians being wrong and bound for Hell.

I also don’t care for the “I’m so happy in my relationship that I must post daily about my undying love and affection”.

Shut. Up. Who really wants to hear that every day?

It’s the opposite of the Eeyore types and that bothers me as well.

First thought that comes to me… Yeah, who are you trying to convince?

Second thought that comes to mind… Was everyone in your past that big of a douche that when someone comes along and treats you better you must constantly rave about them on social media?

“My husband brought an iced tea to work just for me. I love that man! He’s the greatest in the world. Birds fly above him chirping away as my heart sings.”

Are they posting for the benefit of their partner? Does the partner need some sort of validation or reassurance?

Third thought that comes to mind… Must you be so damn open with everything?

And oddly, those are the types that post lots of their doings on social media and yet have a problem with adding Netflix to their Facebook because they don’t want everyone to see what they’ve been watching.

I don’t get it. But I have blocked those types from popping up in my newsfeed. I just don’t care for candy-coated turds looking for some kind of weird approval about their relationship. Just limit that brand of affection to birthday and anniversaries please. I have never been a fan of the PDA (Public Display of Affection).

Then there’s the selfie types that must post pictures of themselves daily. I don’t like those either… Unless they’re selfies of attractive women. And the more cleavage the better.

Hey, I’m fueled by testosterone and these are MY likes and dislikes.

The vaping selfies are the most peculiar to me.

There’s the constant political poster. It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle they're on, they have an ax to grind. And grinding that ax in public will eventually cause someone to stop in their tracks and realize they’re on the wrong path.

Uh-Huh.

I must stay away from those types. I’m a Libertarian and that means the left and right hate my opinions. So I’ve gotten in the habit of blocking those people so I don’t get involved. It benefits no one really.

And finally, there’s the excessive hashtaggers. Whether it’s Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook they must hashtag every possible word in the posting. #YouKnow #What #IAm #TalkingAbout #?

The rule is – limit yourself to three hashtags per posting. The rule is about eliminating social media eyesores. But I say nothing with the hopes that they’ll eventually find out some information about proper hashtagging.

Do you agree or disagree with any of these?

Leave a comment and exorcise your discontent. I promise not to call you names or insult you.