Memorial Day will be about that day and not all this preparation. THIS will be the week to get everything ready. Ready for what? SUMMER, BABY!
We got shows to do, people to see, fun to be had... it's going to be AWESOME!
Since the paperwork is out of the way, now the focus is on getting show-ready, spring cleaning, power washing, and seed planting. We are going to enjoy LIFE this summer. YES. WE. ARE.
Happy week everyone...
Love,
T
Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!
Here's one of the things Zachary gave me...
I love it! It was the only one of the things he would allow me to share here. LOL. (The artwork, two books and very cool necklace were just for me.)
I'm playing catch up a lot here. I think it's mainly because I've been working hard at some paperwork that was so overdue, it was controlling my life. I had to focus on that.
This was the week I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Focus = important.
Much Love,
T
It's basically "back to work" around here. There is a lot to catch up on - paperwork, Spring cleaning, organization, exercises and such. It's not very exciting, but the tulips are up!
We got a lot of work done on our vacation.
Well, some of us did.
I need a vacation from my vacation.
Wishing you a great week!
Love,
T
What can I say? I'm catching up again.
There was this:
and this:
There were Easter Egg hunts, yard cleanups, visits, and drives. There was more than time would allow me to write down.
Hope you all had a great holiday.
Love,
T
IDK if that's a good title but this is the main thing for last week...
"Peachy" because of the Peaches & Herb song.
"Peachy" also because we are talking about an orange guy.
One more thing... I've heard some call it a "sad day." Why? It's not sad. It was a sad day when millions of Americans were conned into voting for a criminal. It was sad that he won the election with assistance from a foreign adversary. It was a sad day every time he committed crimes and incited violence and encouraged hate. It was sad when he spread misinformation and people had to suffer the consequences of believing him.
Today sad? No. Today was a good day.
Wishing you a beautiful week...
Love,
T
xo
Let me try this another way. Here's a poem:
Guns N' Roses wrote a song.
Guns N' Roses' song was strong.
It has relevance right now.
Many unaware of how.
Title tracK from album six.
Last lyrics had to be fixed.
Algorithms listen hard.
One wrong step can get yoU barred.
Watch the film and understand.
Unfriendly leaders now shake haNds.
Critique your thoughts, as one mature.
A nation tries to be secure.
That country's leaDer wears a smirk,
as if his plan's aboUt to work.
Users in the millions call
for making chaNge in next year's fall.
The sinking, tragic, irony...
Success here makes us all LESS free.
That's all I have to say about that. This time I'll put a picture of a cute puppy at the top. Maybe then it will be allowed some views.
Love y'all,
T
Users speak of making change
Some were not allowed to hear.
I've seen it too many times recently. People are viewing the response to a "national security threat," as a loss of freedom comparable to what one might expect from an authoritarian government. Please stop it.
A possible ban of TikTok is not a loss of freedom. I am a TikTok user and have both enjoyed the app and spent a lot of time on it. I can also understand some of the potential danger.
During the pandemic, the platform served to connect so many thousands of isolated people and provided desperately needed relief and entertainment. Much of the community I've come to know there feels like family. I've seen people break down in tears at the thought of losing that lifeline. Some people are angrily raging about the possibility. Other posts on the subject are extremely suspicious.
When unfamiliar accounts pop up and start talking about our country in negative terms, while praising the app, I raise an eyebrow. Do we all remember the effects of Russian propaganda on social media systems in 2016? Think of that and realize that the home nation of the foreign company who owns that platform met with one of our adversaries just today.
Many people may not take the idea of a threat seriously. What advantage could there be in knowing the latest dance craze and who partakes? Please remember 2016. This is not all fun and games. Remember history. There are some disturbing trends happening and you can see them when you put different pieces of a puzzle together. We know what propaganda can do. We know how dangerous misinformation and bullies can be. We know how sophisticated artificial intelligence is and what can be done with biometrics. I have seen accounts on Twitter recently that seemed to flip their script. "People" who were all about mindfulness and peace began promoting diabolical content, much to my dismay. It was disappointing to lose what felt like a friendship. We have to remember though, some of these accounts may not even be real people at all. AI can generate people who look remarkably real in videos. It can make people do and say things on video that they did not do or say at all.
Debates are happening in live feeds, posts and comment sections about every kind of topic imaginable - from parenting styles, to the existence of God, to the latest bills being passed, political spins and protests. Misinformation is a dangerous thing and we have NO IDEA how the algorithm might be manipulated. Hateful comments, heated arguments and personal concerns for safety enter my feed on a daily basis. I can only imagine it getting worse as the big election year approaches.
Click here for "Is TikTok really giving your data to China?" from the Washington Post
I do not believe we will, as a country, be able to withstand another 2016 or four more years of wannabe dictator hell. We have seen a lot of crazy things happen in the last few years. People are working hard just to survive and absolutely not verifying the information that comes into their feed before commenting and/or passing it on. Some are well-intentioned, just trying to connect or be sympathetic. Some are out for engagement, likes and followers. Some just spew negativity and hate. Some are real, some are not.
We as individuals, obviously do not have the same ability to put it all together in the way a big data analysis system can. We don't even think of things that way, but make no mistake about the fact that there are some seriously devious motives for wanting that kind of data. Our habits, likes, dislikes, biometrics, motivations and grievances can combine to provide our enemies with a playbook that can serve to destroy us.
We are not in possession of all the facts. We need to trust those who are. We need to elect people who are trustworthy. We need to recognize potential hazards and choose our long term future and safety over the immediate gratification of an entertainment app.
I love TikTok, but the leader of China just met with Putin today. I'm okay with losing the app in favor of OUR free country. (I say this even as we continue to lose rights in so many states and fight to regain them.) Don't get anything twisted. If we lose a much-loved app, It's not a loss of freedom. It's to protect the freedoms we have left.
Much Love,
T
Before I could blog about it, things on TikTok devolved further.
There was an accusation made by a creator with millions of followers. She suspected a well known and loved member of the LGBTQIA community with over 600k followers of their own... of grooming children and seeking to be alone with them for purposes of abuse. She strategically edited some of his posts to support her theory.
Thousands of people chimed in with their own opinions and videos, some accusing, some defending each party. Anger, hate, fear and ignorance flooded in. The issues began to pile up in layers.
I gathered some facts and prepared my own response, but then the video I was going to directly react to disappeared. In its place was the original accuser in tears. According to her, she received a threat of harm in an email and the threat included knowledge of her personal information and that of her two children. She seemed visibly shaken and in distress. She said that she had taken down all her accusation videos and issued an apology, saying she wished she and her family to not be harmed.
This added even more layers to the entire series of events. I stitched my own response:
1. THREATS ARE NOT OKAY.
2. TARGETING INDIVIDUALS IS NOT OKAY.
3. FALSE ACCUSATIONS, OR ACCUSATIONS WITHOUT PROOF, ARE NOT OK.
4. PEOPLE ARE NOT GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT. They are INNOCENT until proven otherwise.
5. Fear and assumption does not warrant public accusation.
6. Hate does not help.
7. People tend to rush to judgement instead of seeking to understand and gain knowledge.
8. With a large following, comes responsibility.
9. Karma WILL COME FOR YOU.
10. There are many facts about the LGBTQIA community that escape others' attention.
11. Misinformation spreads like wildfire.
12. Algorithms perpetuate conflict and the engagement that comes with it.
I could go on and on. Can we PLEASE seek to understand each other before we go rushing to judgement? It is WAY too easy to put others in danger and people in the LGBTQIA community already face danger.
Click here for: thetrevorproject.org
It is an unfortunate and tragic fact that some children need to seek help escaping from the adults who physically and emotionally abuse them. If you suspect abuse - report it to authorities immediately. Wild and public accusations, without any proof, can be extremely dangerous. If someone makes you uncomfortable because of the way they look and you can't understand them, there is an incredible opportunity for you to learn something. The world will be a better place when we first seek to understand each other. People in the LGBTQIA community are NOT DANGEROUS by virtue of the facts of who they are. To assume so is ignorant and hateful.
Please think.
Be safe,
Love,
T
I know there is an obvious and deliberate type, like what we see on certain "news" channels. This was different. This was sneaky and stealth-like. This seemed to be someone (or something) casting a wide net, building trust and then drop kicking a bunch of people into agreement. It may have been a troll farm or AI.
Please be careful out there. Stand your ground while staying safe. Do NOT allow hate to grow. We must NOT allow it to burn freely. Love is stronger. Stand in Love.
Love,
T
This caught my attention on our way back from the museum in NYC.
"God optional" - interesting. Here's a section from the "about us" tab on their website.
"Fourth Universalist is non-creedal, which means you are welcome no matter what you believe, so long as it is bounded by justice and love. We see wisdom in the world religions as well as in each unique person. We want to be the friendliest congregation in town, warm and inclusive, while taking seriously the many challenges we face as individuals and as a society. We want to make a difference in the world, spreading hope, joy and love."
Click here for Fourth Universalist Society, NYC website
Thoughts?
Love,
T
It's always a whirlwind.
This week's standout was the ice skating though...
Have a great week everyone!
Love,
T
To whoever has the nerve to criticize a pregnant Rihanna, up in the air, looking fabulous and sounding EXACTLY like the record...
I made a video.
Have a great week!
Love,
T
Again I am late. In my defense... the week this blog represents was a whirlwind. I had a travel show and SURPRISE... Russ was nominated for a Grammy. Who knew? We did not.
After a lot of panic and scrambling, we managed to get to both events.
Good times... Good times.
Then before you knew it...
Then they were playing Rick James in the arena!
Much Love,
T
This... is why I have to focus and fall behind on my blogs sometimes.
"The Grace."
I heard this saying today on the news. The context was that sometimes we have to give ourselves the grace to care for ourselves - to forgive ourselves, to allow ourselves time and space to take care of our own needs. It comes to mind looking back on the last few weeks here.
I'm working to catch up with blogs. It's been ridiculously crazy around here, but I made it. I got through the holidays, birthday parties, furnace breakdown, an oil spill, three voice specialists, a toilet clog, a call from the school nurse, a trip to the orthopedic surgeon, and an out of town show! Something had to give and thankfully, it was social media instead of me.
I had to focus on all those things in addition to healing myself. There was no room to spare because losing sleep was not an option. I made it though! We make it eventually. One of the tricky things is doing it without stressing. I'm trying to give myself the grace.
Hope you had a Blessed week.
Love,
T
P.S.
Ooh! Here's another good song...
I have never been so far behind with blogs. Sorry.
This is an attempt to catch up.
😂
All I can say about this week, is that it was exhausting.
Love y'all...
T
I was referred to a new doctor's office and called for an appointment. First I was told there was no doctor there by that name. I left a message for the referring doctor that I would need a different number.
Before I heard back, I called another number I found and was told that I just needed a script. Appointments were made with the staff under the doctor's direction and not with the doctor himself. I called the referring doctor's office back to change the message. As I began to explain, the answering service receptionist cut me off, left me on hold for 10 minutes, then came back and said she had left a message for the doctor to call me back. I tried to politely explain (mildly polite) that that was not actually what I wanted and made the correction. A new message was left for the referring doctor (third one).
The next morning someone called saying they were from a doctor's office and needed all of my information. Never one to trust questions on an incoming call, I said I would need to call the office back before giving out any personal details. After two or three tries, several messages and different numbers, I finally spoke to someone. She tried to look me up in "the system."
After waiting and relaying my information twice, it occurred to me that whoever had called earlier was someone looking for my information to put in "the system" and that I probably wasn't in there yet. She said, "if they called you, you must be in the system already." I went with that. After not being able to locate me, she said someone would have to call me back.
I had to wait for the next day for someone to call me back, but by then I recognized the number on the caller ID. It was the new doctor's office in need of my information. She said she had to put me in "the system."
After it was all done, I asked if I should call back the scheduling office to make an appointment. She said, "No. They will call you. We have a system."
They did not call me back to schedule yet, but the person who put me in the system called back to ask for the details again because she had missed a number and it wasn't working in the system as a result.
I have not heard back yet. I'm going to call them because I don't trust their system. 😂
In other news, an upcoming performance with "The System" had to be changed (due to unforeseen circumstances) and we (The Original Stone City Band / Bad Boys of Funk) hope to see Mic Murphy sometime soon. Stone City will still be performing that show with a host of other acts.
Blessed week...
Love,
T
P.S.
Russ just told me it's Mic Murphy's birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Life - without it, nothing else matters.
Continued prayers for Damar Hamlin.
Click here for ESPN's "Damar Hamlin showing 'signs of improvement' Buffalo Bills say"
Amazing things happen when we all come together in prayer.
Blessed be...
Love,
T
