Gramma - An Historical Overview

My grandmother, Mary Thomas, was born in 1906 and when I think of everything she witnessed and experienced it just boggles my mind. Her family had kerosene lanterns and wax dip candles for light, chamber pots under the beds and an outhouse. Hauled water by the bucket to heat on the wood stove for baths. Almost everything they ate they grew on the farm, pretty much. They read books for entertainment, because radios didn't become available until 1920, and even then, a poor farmer could not afford one, or the batteries. Great grandpa had two mules and a wagon, and now and then they would take the twelve mile trek to the nearest town to buy staples. The trip took about two hours each direction, so it was a rare thing.

In those days, young women on their periods used rags, or hand sewn pads that they would pin into their underpants and then wash after use. There were no tampons. No Kotex. I remember Gramma being rather horrified to discover that I was using tampons when I was 15. She thought it would take away my virginity. My virginity had not been an issue for about a year by then, but I did not tell HER that.

When Gramma died in 1998, people were spending entire days chatting with strangers on the internet over on the other side of the globe. People were starting to carry a telephone in their pockets. My uncle, with whom she lived, commuted 50 miles each way to his job in his Toyota pickup truck every day, a trip that would have been unthinkable with a mule cart.

And then all the history that happened. Two world wars. The great depression. The rise and fall of the Soviet Union. Numerous presidents. The Civil Rights struggle. Women getting the vote and slowly gaining something that is just NOW starting to resemble equality in the workplace and the world. Vietnam, Korea, the Gulf War, and all of the little undeclared wars we've had our sticky fingers in. FLIGHT! Man on the Moon. Explosion of Space Shuttle Discovery. Television. The cold war and the arms race. And the disarmament of the nuclear stockpiles. I know she breathed a sigh of relief over that one. I wonder if she ever just looked at all the changes going on and wished things would just SLOW DOWN a little. I wonder if she ever paused to ponder just how much was happening and how amazing it was to be alive to see it all. She was pretty amazing, so I am rather certain she marveled at what she saw happening, and cheered for any sane progress we made.

How do you do, I see you've met my...

I have never been the kind of person who wears makeup every day, or even every week or every month. I don't think I've used any makeup since my son Ian's wedding three years ago, to be completely honest.

All of the makeup I own has gone manky, crumbly, melty, scary looking. Today I threw it out.

As a teen, I used Wet and Wild, which had every item they sold priced at a dollar. The quality was about as you'd expect, but hey, I could afford it! As an adult, I used to buy expensive cosmetics. Mary Kay, Sephora, etc, for those rare times I would wear it. And I would buy it ALL: Foundation, concealer, powder, three dozen shades of eye shadow, blood red lipstick, two shades of blusher, brown pencil eyeliner and black/brown mascara.

I knew how to use the stuff, and had a pretty good hand with the makeup brush. I liked the result and how I looked in it. I did not like the fuss and bother involved. The twenty minutes in front of a mirror, the serious skin care needed every day to prevent damage to the skin due to cosmetic use, the witch hazel scrub every night to remove the makeup and dry the zits the crap caused if I used it daily.

Lately, my lips have been chapping for some reason. It's annoying, and I was about to buy some chapstick when I remembered how very much I hate the taste of the stuff. So I bought a couple of 98 cent dark blood red lipsticks instead. Because I wanted to.

I won't be using any other cosmetics, can't be arsed. But I look forward to the arrival of my FrankNFurter red lipsticks. :)

Labubulla, Pukemon, Cabbage Bitch Babies, and Fucko Pops

I do not understand these weird ass trends. Beanie Babies. Pokemon cards. Pogs. Furby.

I don't understand why people clamor for the latest fad. I have collected Funko Pops, but not because they were popular, and I have never in my life sought out "rare" Funkos for collectible value. I just buy ones like Mister Rogers and Iron Man, because I like those guys. I have a Larry Bird Funko that is my favorite in my collection. It cost me $12, and is worth about $3 because (bad me!) I took it out of its box. I unbox ALL of them. Because this is for ME to enjoy, not for being hoarded. I recently gave away a bunch of my Funkos as my tastes have changed and I have run out of shelf space what with all my tchotchkes of various types.

I even had a couple of Beanie Babies, a little grizzly bear, and a rottweiller. And I tore the tags off them. :P It's not about monetary value. I see NO point in buying something and hiding it away to keep it pristine for future value.

And yes, I have a few albums full of the enamel pins I have purchased over the years. I use them on my purse and my denim jacket, and switch them out sometimes for a change. They're just bands and shit I like, not valuable.

In 1995, I knew a woman who paid $120 for a Charizard Pokemon card, thinking it would become really really expensive and eventually pay her daughter's college tuition. You can buy a mint condition one on eBay right now for $30. Oops.

In 1985, people were screaming for Cabbage Patch kids, and spending $3-400 for them on the secondary market. Now, on the secondary, you can get one new in box for $180. Still a lot, and not worth it. That stupid doll is NOT going to pay for your retirement some day, dipshit.

My first husband's best friend paid $500 in 1987 for a statuette of Bob Hope holding a golf club. He kept it in the box, in a plastic bag under his bed for security, because he was certain it would be worth thousands of dollars after Bob Hope finally croaked. I've never heard a word about the thing since the one time he showed us the box, but I am thinking it is worth maybe $50 now. (Just checked eBay. $45.)

I don't understand collecting for status. If you LIKE something, why would you not put it out where you can enjoy and use it? Make it make sense!

Apple Cider Memories

This is the SHIZNIT!

I used to go apple picking in Amherst every autumn. Then we would go to our friend's farm in Shutesberry where he had an old fashioned wooden cider press, and make the best fucking cider!

Those were marvelous days. Cool crisp air, but warm sun. Leaves beginning to turn. Apples heavy on the trees. Macintosh, of course. Climbing orchard ladders and choosing apples without worm holes, because I'm fussy like that. Laughing with my Dad and our friends. Then back to Robert Brown's farm, where we would throw all the apples into the press and take turns cranking the press down to squeeze the juice out of the apples, leaving a pulpy mess behind that Robert would feed to his pigs.

Then into the farmhouse with the fresh pressed cider, toss some into a soup pot with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and sit around the fireplace drinking hot mulled cider, eating fresh popped popcorn, and more laughter and love and fun. Those were absolutely great times and I sorely miss them.

Can't get good cider in Texas (OR Macintosh apples!). All the cider they have looks and tastes just like regular apple juice. Here's a pic:

Apple Juice. That is all.

I miss that thick and pulpy tart brown cider. Man, that's the stuff!

I mean, we DO hate him, but...

Live your life in such a way that if an escalator stops, you don't assume it's because people hate you.

And the same goes for Evangelicals

 

Alex Jones is crazier than ever

 

This image is NOT AI generated!

We all knew he was a Nazi sympathizing asshole, but he's gone full Nazi now.

Alex Jones claims his new Lex Luthor/Adolph Hitler mashup look gets women so turned on that he thinks they're ready to throw their panties at him.

Unfuckingbelievable.

These people are deranged. I guess when you lose EVERYTHING because you're a lying scumbucket, you also lose your fucking MIND.

CNN’s Abby Phillip Stunned By Trump Fan Complaint: ‘I Don’t Even Know What To Say’

Originally posted at https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/cnns-abby-phillip-stunned-by-trump-fan-complaint-i-dont-even-know-what-to-say/ under the Creative Commons non-commerical attribution license, and shared per CC rules.

CNN anchor Abby Phillip was stunned by Trump fans on her panel claiming that playing Vice President JD Vance’s words amounted to “tearing people apart,” issuing an emphatic and bemused rebuttal.

VP Vance was among several people who rushed to place political blame for the shooting at an ICE detention facility that claimed the lives of two migrant detainees.

Vance said, of political violence, that “We got to stop it. And that starts, unfortunately, at the very top of the Democratic Party.”

He made other remarks suggesting that Democrats’ “political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement.”

On Wednesday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip hosted a panel comprised of Bakari Sellers, Ben Ferguson, Kristin Davison, Adam Mockler, and Dan Abrams to discuss the issue.

When the objection to Vance’s quotes being played came up, an incredulous Phillip said, “J.D. Vance’s words are tearing people apart? Is that what you’re saying?”:

KRISTIN DAVISON: We have to include the media and social media. The fact that tonight the first thing we started talking about was J.D. Vance instead of what actually happened is irresponsible and we have to start holding them accountable.

(CROSSTALK)

DAVISON: Why do we — why is that right where you go?

MOCKLER: It’s the vice president.

(CROSSTALK)

DAVISON: That’s immediately — that’s immediately tearing people apart.

(CROSSTALK)

FERGUSON: This is serious. If we’re going to talk about this, why not look into —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: J.D. Vance’s words are tearing people apart? Is that what you’re saying?

DAVISON: No, no. You going right there instead of saying —

(CROSSTALK) PHILLIP: Are you implying what the vice president said is divisive?

(CROSSTALK)

MOCKLER: Ben, you know who’s words —

(CROSSTALK)

DAVISON: I’m not saying you don’t get there.

(CROSSTALK)

DAVISON: You didn’t do Gavin Newsom’s comments against ICE.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: All right. Okay. Listen. I don’t even know what to say. He’s the vice president of the United States.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: We’re going to play — we’re going to play his comments. All right.

Before the Next Body Count: Why Trump Must Be Impeached, Convicted, and Removed Immediately

 

Donald Trump belongs in prison. Plain and simple.  He looks good in spray tan orange, so an orange jumpsuit should really suit him.

Donald Trump is not just a constitutional breach, he’s a walking escalation trigger. The man has already ordered extrajudicial killings on the high seas near Venezuela, targeting alleged drug traffickers without trial, without due process, and without congressional authorization. Now, draft legislation is circulating to give him retroactive cover for those murders. That’s not law, it’s legalized vengeance.

And it doesn’t stop there. Trump has praised Rodrigo Duterte, whose ICC charge sheet includes state-sanctioned murder of alleged drug users. Trump’s admiration isn’t rhetorical, it’s aspirational. He wants that power. He’s already testing it.

Additionally, he is threatening the UN because a fucking escalator and teleprompter broke down.

Meanwhile, constitutional lawyers have compiled 17 articles of impeachment detailing Trump’s abuses: illegal detentions, unlawful deportations, defiance of court orders, dismantling oversight, and corrupt campaign practices. This isn’t politics. It’s a blueprint for authoritarian rule.

The threat isn’t theoretical. Trump has already floated plans for forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza. He’s weaponizing executive power to provoke international conflict. The fuse is lit. Congress is holding the match.

IMPEACHMENT IS NOT OPTIONAL. IT’S THE FUCKING FIREWALL.  

The Constitution doesn’t cap the number of impeachments. Trump has been impeached twice. He can, and must, be impeached again. But this time, conviction and removal are non-negotiable. The Senate must stop playing defense for a man who treats war like a campaign stunt.

If Congress fails to act, they’re not just complicit, they’re collaborators. The world doesn’t need another strongman with nukes and no impulse control. It needs accountability. It needs restraint. It needs Trump out of office before his next tantrum becomes a global catastrophe.

IMPEACH. CONVICT. REMOVE. DO IT NOW.  

Before the next executive order comes with a body count.

I don't drink

 I hate the taste of alcohol and how it makes me feel.

I'd much rather commit felonies. ;)