HARD EARNED YEARS

Good morning.

*Please forgive the grammatical errors.

MSN did a remembrance reel on Les Binks but mistakenly used a photo of John Sykes in one of the clips. Sigh. John Sykes also died, last December. Les Binks died last month. How anyone confused John Sykes for Les Binks, is beyond me. Talkin' 'bout my generation, son! Add to that, a makeup content creator thought Madonna was the go-to 80's makeup icon. His comments, including mine, corrected him by informing him Jon Bon Jovi & Susanna Hoffs (Bangles, Walk Like an Egyptian) are more accurate 80's hair/makeup icons. Madonna, where I grew up anyway, were fashion icons for 8-12 years olds, not older teenagers. Dear younger generations, just go ahead and continue ignoring us GenX'ers. We prefer it that way. Likewise, I'm about to unsubscribe from First We Feast because I have no idea who are in the last twelve videos. My new favorite Youtuber is Ray William Johnson. If you're like me and like a quick story check it out. 

(sigh)

That orange sourpatch dongleberry posted AI photos of himself as the new Pope and then of himself as a Star Wars Jedi Sith, red light saber. You knowww, there are certain things old white men should not do and those are two prime examples right there. I eye-rolled so hard I almost gave thirteen-year-old me a brain aneurysm. 

AND

As I've written before, if the Catholics want to preserve the integrity of Catholicism (yes, this protestant does see the irony of what I just wrote) nonetheless, the Pope should always be European with lengthy European lineage. Non-Christians will never understand why I say this for the same reason kids today don't understand the importance of not tearing down statues like Robert E Lee. By tearing down statues and trying to modernize Christianity you're completely ignoring history and then what happens when history repeats itself (because it always does) or worse when prophecy becomes fruition. Non-Christians weighing in on who should be the next Pope is like women weighing in on how men should get proctology exams - entertaining as that might be. As much as I would love to say only young people don't appreciate the consequences of their actions it's not just pretty young people problems, it's all people problems at every age. On one hand people complain they can't afford a house, but on the other hand they're all Instagram famous going on luxurious vacations and make living out of a van look glamorous. Is it, "My van's espresso machine broke. The struggle is real!" Or is it, "I have to choose between shampoo and body soap this week. The struggle is real."

Between 1999-2003 I had a dream job. I didn't appreciate it then because I was too busy feeling awesome instead of feeling grateful. I worked in a cubical with three other people, all men, one was a left leanings conservative, two were so annoyingly far left-wing Democrat even JFK would have been all, "Get the F out of my house!" five minutes in, and then myself who at the time was a trad-wife in the making. Meaning a 1980's Republican. I was raised in a Midwest Christian conservative environment in the 70's and 80's. Where I grew up even if you voted Democrat, you were still conservative don't fool yourselves. Back then you didn't believe in IR relationships, alcohol and tobacco and firearms were good, drugs bad, you still thought women shouldn't work, you were pro guns and hunting, The word "God" was put on everything, liquor stores were closed on Sundays (still are!) and you thought abortion was worse than cutting off a man's penis. So yeah, Republican. I don't remember what sparked the topic in my cubical, but we got into a rather heated debate over how hippies hurt the anti-Vietnam war movement (Google it) rather than help it. Much like how protests then and now make great news, policies not so much. The problem with hippies, and protests, are 9 times out of 10 you're just a big crowd in the way of people going to work, picking up their kids, going to the doctors, never mind all the traffic jam preventing ambulances from going where they need to go. The point of a protest isn't to hurt the American people from living their daily lives, it's to get the attention of law makers, right? RIGHT? If you're going to protest war, Vietnam or any other war, how much impact are you going to make (to law makers) by getting high, drunk, painting your body and VW bug for photo ops, and blocking traffic? And Hoo-wee! Did I get push-back from the lefties in my cubical! I'm sorry fellas, did I offend? Don't mind me then, I'll just shut up now and go back in the kitchen barefoot and bake a home-made apple pie with cinnamon, and really, would that be so bad? Who doesn't like homemade apple pie with a big ol' dollop of vanilla ice cream? Plus, I'm from the Midwest I like being barefoot.  

In this day and age, the internet is your friend. Use it. Geez-Louise, I liked one comment by an anti-Trumper and now this dude is in every single one of my social media timelines, everywhere. Can't seem to get rid of him. "Get the F out of my house!"

In 2017 I changed political parties. That orange inflatable tube donkey is about as Republican (and Christian) as a box of hand wipes in the San Francisco tenderloin. 

ANYWAY

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. That's it. I just wanted to say his name. Everyone else has been saying it lately. I was feeling left out. From what I've been hearing in his interviews he seems aiight. Some of those other Cardinals though... There will be fighting words for sure if one of them becomes Pope. Look fellas, just do what the entire globe wants you to do and pick an Italian. Why are there so few Italians in the ring? I mean, it's Rome. I thought having a Roman priest in any Italian family was like the Mount Everest of bragging rights. Maybe that's only New York. Whatever. Just pick an Italian even if he has a "China problem", big deal. Half the men who were dating in the 80's contracted a "China problem" and while there is no cure you can discreetly buy medication online that suppresses an outbreak... or so I hear. Regardless, maybe not pick someone over 70 years old. We're dealing with grandpa over here in America and he refuses to take his meds. 

Oooh Dump-o.

Re-open Alcatraz, eh? They can't even keep air traffic controllers employed, what makes Dump-o think he can keep prison staff employed at Alcatraz. This dude reverse Midas touches everything his pudgy orange fingers peck at.

Do I sound grumpy-er than usual? I kind of do, I guess. I thought being old people would automatically just leave me the F alone to die or whatever, but no, people get all in my business for no reason whatsoever. I'm just over here doing my thing, staying out of everyone's way, and people gotta get all into my personal stuff and in my business. Trust me, I'm not an interesting person. I'm boring. I do the same five to eight things every week. Week after week, after week. Nothing exciting. So what's the deal? Even if I advance my religious studies and try being a Reverend by the time I'm 60 years old, I'll be even more boring AF - and yet somehow that will make people even more desperate to get in my business. I don't think y'all understand how it works. I get into YOUR business. Save YOU from yourself. If people lived as boring as I do, crime would be wiped off the face of the Earth forever. I literally have nothing to steal. I live a life of poverty. I attach myself to nothing. Actually, if the orange inflatable tube donkey keeps it up you all will be living a life of poverty too - only yours won't be by choice. This time next year eggs will be $40 a carton.

The LA County fair is in town. After I relocate back to AV next week I'm going to spend a few days in Pomona just to attend the fair. Looking forward! I miss Minnesota state and Valley fairs. They were good times. And, I want to take a few days to go on a camping excursion (somewhere). Spend a few days with nature. I might keep booking a room in AV like I've done before just to keep the room as my base, then hop on a train and travel cross country and back. We'll see. I had a cancer scare back in late March. Got a cancer screening and after a month of waiting I finally got the results back. Benign. That was my second cancer scare since 2012. Back then the doctor found a small tumor on my uterus. Also benign. The clock is ticking down for my generation. 56-years-old and the clock is ticking down, know what I mean. I've been writing furiously. Need to finish my book. At least finalize half of it. Make an attempt to find a publisher before I go through the hassle of publishing it myself. I don't do the business end of my creative works all that well. I'm uninspired and unmotivated to talk to people who aren't artists even if they're the ones who put you out there. It's like chewing gum. I'm cool with it for the first ten minutes and then I need to spit out and do something else.

Did you know there is a pastry called Nuns farts. There is. Nuns Farts. And there is a meatball called Farts of Portingale. You're welcome.

I WONDER

Do kids today have any idea what a woman aging gracefully looks like? If you need a perfect reference of a woman aging gloriously natural look no further than Pamela Anderson. This is a woman who has done questionable sinful things in the past. I am a woman who has done questionable sinful things in the past. For the last five years I have devoted my life to becoming a better person as I believe so has she. I read the comments people left after seeing short clips of the historic "it girl" at the Met Gala and unlike her pinup girl peers, Ms. Anderson has decided to age naturally leaving people (strangely) confused. Why? Still? Even after a few years coming out in public saying she's had enough and is going natural, still people are confused? According to Google Pamela Anderson is 57 years old. I'm 56. I can't speak for Ms. Anderson, but competing with 30 years olds, while I still could for maybe five to seven more years, is a battle I don't care to invest in. I have more important things I want to do with my life. Perhaps Ms. Anderson, and other women our age, can relate. You can still be your best at any age, it just looks different after a woman turns 50. At that age a woman will either choose to battle with 30 year olds for beauty street cred or at last finally be comfortable in her own skin. Those of us who choose to be comfortable in our skin looked at women before us who chose to do battle with women half their age and let's just say the outcome of these battle ridden women legit look like they did battle, many battles, and lost every single one of them tragically. The ones who survived the battles don't look so good now - ten layers of heavy dark makeup to cover surgical scars and years of insecurity, wearing barely-there dresses found only in the poorest third world exotic dance clubs, and hair so terribly over processed nothing would probably grow back if they cut it off and tried starting over. The tragic tale of women growing old isn't the growing old part, it's the not accepting it, part. I was a "face" girl. Some gals are "legs" or "tall & skinny" but I was a "face" girl. The funny thing about that is, I have a big ol' mole on my nose now. Noticed it about ten years ago growing in and it just kept growing. I thought about having it surgically removed but nah. It is what it is. I much rather see Pamela Anderson looking and feeling natural, glowing, and free from battle, than the "it girls" before her who chose battle and lost.

Older women have something young gals won't have for another 25-30 painfully hard earned years, knowledge and wisdom. You can't buy it, my loves. Oh no, you have to earn it the hard way. You have to live it. You can be full of young arrogance insisting you know better. That's okay. We see you and we wish you well. God bless.

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, 
vanity of vanities; all is vanity
-- Ecclesiastes 1:2