I can't believe I'm saying this, but ...

The media seems to have been getting it right. 

The 'two sides' are at a flat-out, nyeh-nyeh-I'm-not-listening-to-you-I'm-right-you're-wrong-I'm-big-you're-small impasse.  They. Just. Don't. Want. To. Give. In. 

Period. 

C'mon, government people, do something.  Something.  Maybe like Thomas Dewey did in his 1948 presidential campaign (against Truman), 'take the high road?'  Well .. then again, he did lose that election, no matter what the media thought was going to happen (and printed before it happened):

I didn't hear anybody say anything I haven't already heard for the past few weeks since the partial government shutdown began.  This is extra annoying to me because I got up from a cold-and-flu-medicine-induced sleep to watch these two 'speeches' that I hope my tax dollars didn't pay for. 

And I'm sick.  No.  Really sick.  That's why I'm taking this cold-and-flu stuff.

And I still set my alarm(s) up to watch the disappointment.

So there's that.

For historical purposes (in case anyone actually reads this in the future after most people have forgotten about this whole wall-thing), there was a mention by POTUS of a 45-minute meeting tomorrow.  I guess we'll have to stay tuned and see if anything comes out of that.

NOTE:

While I try not to discuss my political leanings via this medium, I am strongly reminded of the words of Rodney King:

Or The President ... or Jack Nicholson or whoever said it ...

JM(M)

Oops ... *now* what do I do?

I'll be okay if I go out of my way to call her "ma'am" even 

if I see her at the other end of the block or something, right?

What bothers you?

Bill Murray, Actor and Urban Legend

Stuff that bothers me ...

1. The year goes too fast. 
   It's almost like the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day." 
   Wasn't it just this time, last year?  Two years ago, even?  It's a blur.
   
   
2. Commercials.  Period. 
   I know why they're there, but there's gotta be a better way.
   
   
3. People who drive in the left lane until too late to get off at their exit without causing a traffic slowdown for miles behind them. 
   Some people just make a mistake, I get that. 
   But those with no regard for those behind them bother me.  Tailgaters fit in here, too.
   
   
4. Chinese fountain pen prices are going up astronomically.  $1 a year or so ago, $3 now!?
   
   
5. Reading about and listening to a politically polarized nation and not knowing if there's any difference between 2019 and 1969.  (Look here:  Headlines from 1969)
   
   
6. People who take too long to answer their e-mails.
   
   
7. People who hardly use e-mail anymore because, in their personal and work-life, they are able to communicate with everyone in their life via text messages or some other texting application on their smartphone.
   
   
8. People who don't use e-mail. At all.
   
   
9. People who lie.  If you slept late, just say so.  If you don't like something, just say so.
   
   
10. The time it takes for new seasons to be completed and released on Netflix. 
    I have a rule:  a program has to have been running for at least two seasons with a fourth on the way before we'll start watching Season 1, Episode 1.
    I might expand that to 3.
    
    
11. People in charge of stuff who clearly shouldn't be in charge of said stuff.
    
    
12. The meager salaries paid to elementary and secondary school teachers.  Our teachers are a back-up to failed parenting. 
    The limitations placed upon them over the past 20 years or so is the cause of many of the problems in our country. 
    Maybe not some of the bigger ones, but maybe those problems, too.
    
    
13. The fact that I'm not able to add to this list of what really bothers me in the words I really want to use because I'm not yet at a point in my life and career where I'm willing to accept the possibility that I'll have to meet and deal with someone with whom I'd rather not meet nor deal.  But there are some sissy-ways around that.

I recently watched a Netflix documentary about the actor Bill Murray.  It explores the urban legends about the actor 'showing up randomly' in various places around the country and, in a very low key manner, engaging with the public and always brightening up the lives of those with whom he shares his time. 

In that documentary, the filmmaker points out a recurring improvisation theme in many of Mr. Murray's movies (he is famous for improvising lines in his movies) - which seem to parallel his personal philosophy.  It is one that I would like to embrace more fully:

"It just doesn't matter."  -- Bill Murray

JM(M)

Wow! Can they do this?

I've heard of them closing National Parks but this is crazy.  How'd they do that?

Do you need to relax? Look at this:

This is a non-moving image.  Or is it?  Maybe you're just stressed!

Without having researched the origins of this image, I reposted it here because its journey around Facebook spreads the message that stressed people will see movement, non-stressed people will not.

The post was then re-edited this morning (it was originally just this image because I think it's so cool) because I've run across some examples of people who need to CTFO or CTFD (did I just make those up or are kids using those already?).

On this particular morning, after reading so many arguments and accusations about so many numerous silly things (both on various news outlet posts as well as on Facebook -- although there doesn't seem to be much of a difference lately!), my trip-wire went off (hence this post) after a particularly significant swat during my 'morning surf.'

First, some background:

3 pens featuring the signatures of the signers of the Declaration of Independence

I use fountain pens.  Solely.  Just fountain pens.  I might sometimes sign a purchase receipt in the store with the Bic (or whatever) is handed to me, but even then sometimes I'll use a fountain pen.  I began using them in early 2017 for various reasons and just found the experience so ... enjoyable and enriching (?) that I made the concious decision to go all the way.  So I guess I'm a "fountain pen geek."

Some more fountain pens

Now, that said:

To learn more about fountain pens, find good deals, learn about where to find good pens and vintage ones, I scour eBay, Amazon, a few stationery stores and a few online pen stores (some with a brick and mortar presence, some who are only online).  I also joined a few Facebook groups populated by fountain pen geeks like me.  SIDENOTE:  Interestingly, but probably not surprising to many other than *me,* some of these Facebook groups appear to have been discreetly created *by* some of the online and brick & mortar store-people who sell fountain pens!  Duh!  Who'da thought?

Back to my point:  most of the "Fountain Pen People" have been all, with this one new exception, extremely enjoyable and engaging folks with a plethora of reasons for preferring to use fountain pens.  Most all have stories to tell and questions to ask which are (almost) always interesting to read about.  I visit one or two of these groups on an almost daily basis as part of my nightly (or morning, in the case of days off and weekends) Facebook feed-surf and often find some very interesting discussions, etc.  Many times someone will ask a question in a group and folks are always quick to help out with answers.

Except, apparently, for my question to the Admin of a Facebook group about a question posted to her group (of which I am, sadly, no longer able to call myself 'a member') called "Cheap Thrills: Fountain Pens Under $20."  I only name the group because ... well ... I wanted to.

Now, mind you, while most of the pens discussed in this group aren't all that thrilling, it's the fact that one can get a hold of fountain pens and related items for less than twenty bucks (when they are sold elsewhere for *more* than that) is an attractive idea -- something you might want to know about, right?  So that's why I joined the group.

Here's how I ended up not being in this little group for fans of cheap fountain pens:

First off, here's the Admin-Nazi's rules.  You need to read them to understand the question someone asked and then *my* question which resulted in my being threatened with banishment for questioning authority :

Cheap Pen Group Admin-Nazi's rules:

Earlier this morning (last night, maybe) a person posted a question to the group:  

"If you had $50 dollars, what would you buy?"  

Initially, you might think this directly violates the "$20 Rule," but does it?!  I was *immediately* a fan of this person's question because it livened up the otherwise rather dull and repetitive drone of the group.

See, while the group rule states " -- it's just that $20 or less has to have left your pocket, no more," one must assume that this person could be asking about multiple "less than $20" purchases which total $50 or less ... maybe over several days, even.  And certainly the group Admin's rule can't mean that you may only post about the one and only singular time you bought something fountain pen-related and it'd better have been less than $20.  

I asked the person who posted the question:  

"$50 like as in several items under $20, right?"

The group Admin pounced on me:  

"NO!  I've addressed this question MANY times before, $20 is $20, blah blah blah ... if you cannot understand this you will be removed from the group!" 

"Ah!  Thank you for the explanation," I replied, "my Facebook feed has grown a bit too long -- and in your group's case:  in the tooth." and I quietly faded away.  

I'm pretty sure that, had I answered the Nazi-lady, I'd have been justifiably booted from her group for pouncing back ... it's her group, assaults aren't tolerated, I wouldn't think (in addition to any numbers bigger than 20).

Interestingly, the lady who posted the question "If you had $50 dollars, what would you buy?" is still there.  The moderator who echoed my thought and inferred "You talking about pens cheaper than $20 and maybe some ink, etc.?" (and answered her at length!) generate no response.  It must be just me.  

I'm such a troublemaker.

JM(M)

What?

Are the members of 

the U.S. House and Senate 

being referred to as "leaders?"

I suppose if the word "leader" is kept restricted in its use and only uttered in phrases such as: 

" ... leaders of the House ... " or " ... leaders of the Senate ... ", that's okay.

But, the last time I checked, I'm pretty sure these folks were supposed to be elected representatives put there by the people who voted for them and the word 'servant' more applicable to their tasks at hand.  But then I've been wrong before.

Leaders?

JM(M)

"Do what you can't."

Some motivation for you.  And me.
(This was, technically, my post for 3 Jan, but it went up before midnite, so ... )

JM(M)

"Pick something you know how to do, you can do well, and that you can make money doing."

Probably the first words of advice that still regularly ring in my head are those from a friend of mine given to me over thirty years ago.

It was a version of the graphic above, but my friend's version was (in answer to my complaining about not knowing what I wanted to do after we graduated from high school):

"Do something that you know how to do, that you do well (hopefully), and that you can make money doing it!"

So I became a U.S. Navy Journalist and messed around with that for 20-odd years.

Rating badge for 'Navy Journalist' (they no longer exist)

I write how I talk.  Or so I've been told.  And I'm pretty sure I like it that way.

A Facebook acquaintance objected to how I worded one of 3 choices on a poll I presented to a group in which we are both members:

"John, words matter - pick better ones."

She didn't like the 1st option:  "Do you use 'anything that writes,' based upon the occasion (pencils, charcoal for sketching, a pen of some sort for other stuff, etc.)?

So I suggested a rewritten version:

"Do you use any natural or man-made object used for or created with the intent of written communication or creative expression, including, but not limited to any one type of such item?  (Those who prefer to use a fountain pen or a charcoal stick or a rollerball pen, ballpoint pen, colored or regular pencil or any other such utensil selected for its unique relevency and appropriateness to the task at hand on any specific occasion as the situation calls for" would check this option.)

Fortunately, she thought that was funny (it could have gone south!).

I am also very fortunate to be able to be in touch with my 12th-grade English/Literature teacher (from 1980something).  After I recently expressed my lack of interest in "The Oxford comma," he opined:

"Sacrilege, John.  I thought you wiser.  Remember that good folks do not judge others on the basis of race, color, creed or gender, but they do judge them on the basis of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.  I hope that you never become tired of other conventions like run-on sentences, periods and capital letters."

I replied:

"I *do* love my run-on sentences which can often be SO much fun but also misinterpreted if they're not built correctly because people don't always 'get it' ... see what I did there? But, as we sail into 2019, I will be sticking to my guns and not using the Oxford comma if and when opportunities arise to make that decision while writing because I don't like it, it doesn't 'read like I speak' and it's a point of contention which often starts fun conversations like this one. :)

"As you are likely well aware, my long-valued mentor and friend, I've always been a bit of a rogue when it comes to rules that I don't like - and this last portion of my reply (after the hyphen about 10 or 11 words back, depending on how you count) is strictly here to give a lil more *oomph* to the bit about run-on sentences. I'm also not quite sure about hyphenated words, so I usually create those when, where and how I choose. :)

You were right all those years ago: "Mediocrity is boring."

I received an e-mail from him just this evening that was so personally motivating ... I'm not sure as of yet whether or not I will ever share it with anyone ... but I will say this:

Regardless of what I thought in high school, he likes what I write.  Even if I am a smartass about it a lot of the time.  I guess when you're over 50 it's sometimes called "witty."

Moral of the story:

"Go with what you know."  (Something another person told me that I've never forgotten.)

JM(M)

2019: Nobody uses e-mail anymore?

Really?  Nobody?  This is news to me.  My sister recently expressed the same observation alluding to the fact that I communicate with our mother via e-mail, but she's strictly a 'text message girl' and, heaven forbid, that text message be via Facebook's Instant Messenger.  After recently sending her a text from my cellphone (because she doesn't often use Facebook or it's messaging feature) I believe I remember her asking "Since *when* do *you* use text messaging?  I thought you used Facebook Messenger?!" with a similar that 'when did you become current' inference.  This is my *older* sister!

So I did some 'Googling.'  I can't decide if there's really a disappearing act (e-mail's) going on or if it's a concerted effort by corporate America to 'make it happen' in an effort to pave the way for whatever the next 'thing' is to be.

I think the problem people imagine is that their information is not secure and that any one of many people between themselves and the recipient of their e-mail  can be snooping.  Encryption very simply and effectively prevents this.  Could it be that all those who predict the downfall of e-mail are unaware of hope to use it properly to protect their data?

Here's an interesting video:

Why email is obsolete and Steve Jobs knew how to fix it

Perhaps because I work for the government and most of my emails are, indeed, encrypted (not a big deal, you can encrypt your Gmail or even your AOL e-mail) is the reason I don't understand the problem that my sister and others see with e-mail (as they understand it is to be used)?  

Is it that they don't know how to protect their 1s and 0s from Ivan or Abdul?  Or is it that they think it's much more efficient to tap out a line or two (in a code that resembles their mother language but with a lot of the vowels missing - LOL, OMG, BFF, ROTFLMAO, ETC. See what I did there?  :)

We shall see!  My Googling seems to uggest that some folks think e-mailing will be replaced (by something nobody yet knows about) by next year (2020) -- if only they knew, as my sister does:

Nobody emails anymore!

... more later (when e-mail disappears). 

What is a blog and why bother?

Why MyLifeandTimes.Org is here

I may have covered this before, but I thought that this graphic *almost* covered the reasoning behind why I put stuff here.  That reason is:  I wanted to have a 'platform' to stand on and "say" stuff whether or not anybody read it.  It's a very similar disorder, I think, as I saw displayed by people on my first visit to Times Square way back in the day.  Those people were just standing around on their boxes (their platforms) and ranting about whatever - the end of the world and stuff.  I'm not sure if the boxes on which they stood were 'soap boxes,' but I think you get my point.

When I found out about 'blogs,' I thought "Great!  Now I don't have to worry about losing my freakin' notebook (didn't call it a journal or commonplace book back then) *and* I can type faster than I can write - I can back up, delete and change stuff faster.  Little did I know that, for some odd reason, I'd flip my preference back to analog over digital (which is why I hadn't been blogging for so long).

And now I sort of combine the two.  Sometimes something that I post here or see online (on Facebook for example) gives me an idea that I want to write about and put into a journal - and sometimes it's the other way around.  But what gave me the idea for *this* post was something that the 'Star Wars Blog' graphic did *not* mention.

And that is this:  It's all become about money.

After performing my due diligence prior to choosing "Innovative Journaling" as my source for my journaling kit (now called my "Davinci kit"), I'd also researched different types of journals what people do with them (Bullet Journals or 'Bujos,' for example are beyond me -- a system of setting up one's notes and schedules and stuff for those who don't know how to do that, I guess?), I also wondered what the difference was between journals and diaries.  Then I discovered 'commonplace journals' which have been around for literally centuries and are quite different from both journals and diaries.  (Check the links in the previous sentences if you'd like to poke around at those differences)

After educating myself about journals and diaries (and blogs) I happened upon one of those 'suggested searches' that Google gives you when you're looking for other stuff.  That suggested search was "What's the difference between a journal and a blog?"

I clicked the link and found what you might expect:  the analog journal is more private, the blog is online and public, blah blah blah.  But what I've noticed is this:  blogs, unlike their original purposes, have become blatant efforts to make money.  I even tried it.  "Google Adsense" (or whatever it's called) sent me an e-mail to tell me how easy it was to put ads up on my blog tailored to both what my topics were about and also based on the 'clicks' of the visitors.  I figured:  "Why not?"

Humorously, after about a year, they sent me an e-mail notifying me that I was no longer qualified to have ads on my blog!  Why?  Not enough clicks.  Not enough traffic!  In other words:  the portion of any money that Google was to have received based upon traffic on my site wasn't enough so they didn't want to play with me any more.

Back to my research on analog journals vs. blogs, I continued to poke around at other blogs and, with few exceptions, they're all an attempt to sell something.  I'm not sure why, but I was disappointed.

So this here blog is my way of opting out of what other blogs do ... except of course for that link with the monkey which is a blatant request for donations!  LOL!!!

As this is the last entry for 2018, I guess it is only appropriate to close by expressing my wish that you have a happy new year or that you are already having a good one -- no matter which year you're in!

JM(M)