What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

I’m starting something new; perhaps not a weekly thing because there’s not always something eating at me, but bi-monthly sounds good to me. I’m sure I can come up with something new each time. It’s not as though I’m new to complaining! I snagged the title from one of my favorite movies, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? If you haven’t seen it, you should.

Today, being Monday and all, sounds like a great time to start What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

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1. People are in an uproar over musicians and/or actors speaking up for a cause or voicing their political opinions. They seem to think because they are actors and/or musicians that they don’t have the right to speak up/out. I have read comments like, “Just do your job and shut the fuck up,” or “Who cares what you think?” Well, don’t they have just as much right to speak their minds as any lawyer, garbage man, postal worker, doctor, computer tech, etc.? Maybe everyone should just shut the fuck up and do their own jobs, then? Come on. It really gripes me when anyone is put down for having an opinion. That opinion doesn’t have to be the same as yours or mine. We’re all different. And the way I see it is, if a public figure (actor, musician, etc.) can actually speak out and help solve the problems of this world, then fucking let them.

2. Racism really sticks in my crawl. We are all the same inside. Our blood is red, our bones are the same. We all have the same dreams, the same problems, the same feelings about family and friends. There is no reason to use brutal force on a man who is handcuffed and on his belly on the ground. There’s no reason to put a knee on the back of a man’s neck, ultimately causing his death. There have been so damn many cases of unnecessary brutal force by police officers but still, the problem continues. I know that the majority of police officers are good but the bad ones are fucking things up for the rest. What the hell is wrong with people? I have to admit that several years ago when the Black Lives Matter movement began, I was one to say “All Lives Matter” and I regret that because I wasn’t getting the big picture. Then I read something that changed my mindset. “ALL LIVES WON’T MATTER UNTIL BLACK LIVES MATTER.” That has stuck with me ever since. I’m so sick and tired of people being mistreated or killed because of their skin color. If you’re a racist, then educate yourself OR kindly unfollow my blog and all of my social media accounts. I want nothing to do with you. (And that has nothing to do with a ‘difference of opinion’ but everything to do with racism and hatefulness.) Below is a graphic I made for my Facebook profile. You are free to use it if you like. Just save to your device like you would anything else.

3. I’m curious, folks. How many blogs do you follow and do you actually read them all? I feel guilty when I can’t read one of the blogs I follow. I try to follow only those I know I can read regularly, but sometimes I miss a post (or a few). Just know that if I follow your blog I will do my best to read your new posts as they are published.

4. On the subject of blogs, I have redesigned mine. Nothing spectacular but I wanted to switch things up a bit. If you’re reading this from the WordPress reader, you can click here to check out the new look and tell me what you think. I wish I could change text colors and I’m having trouble getting certain widgets to work, but I’ll figure it out eventually. Hahaha.

5. My computer is pushing its luck since yesterday. I think it wants to be pitched out of an open window or dropped from a high cliff. It’s responding slowly, sometimes taking 2 clicks to get it to recognize that I want it to do something. Usually when I have this type of problem, it’s done being fussy in a couple of days. I always think, maybe it’s doing updates. I check but there’s never any indication of that. I always run a scan to check for viruses, malware, etc., but PC Matic finds nothing. It does a great job at finding and removing crap that could really cause a problem. I am thankful for that. I suppose I just need a new desktop computer. I could use the laptop but it drives me bonkers, too. Maybe tomorrow the pc will be back to normal. Maybe it’s menopausal, like me.

6. Hot weather is creeping in. It was nearly 100 degrees the last 2 days! What gripes me is that every stinkin’ bug known to man always seems to find its way to my bedroom. I must spend 20 minutes before bed just smacking flies and spiders, scooping up beetles and throwing them out for the cats to play with, and damn near killing myself trying to capture crickets! If they would just stop jumping! I’m just thankful I don’t have a Praying Mantis problem!! Those things give me the heebie-jeebies!

Photo by Brandon Phan on Pexels.com

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Well, there you have it. That’s What’s Eating Aunt Debbie! What’s eating you these days?

11 Blogs I Totally Enjoy!

A “professional” blogger once said that it was a mistake to write a personal blog. My thought on this is that you should write whatever the heck it is you want to write. I happen to love personal blogs! There are many, MANY popular personal blogs out there, so how can it be a mistake? Most of the blogs I read and enjoy the most are personal. I love that someone is willing to share their journey with me. It’s a great way to learn about others’ opinions, troubles, ideas, etc. – and to build new friendships, as I have done here on WordPress.

I decided to share with you a list of some of my favorite blogs. This is in no way a complete list because there are so many amazing bloggers out there! The blogs on this list are WordPress blogs and those that I read most regularly, for one of several reasons: 1) They resonate with me personally, 2) They make me laugh, 3) They’re informative, 4) They’re intelligent, or 5) They’re inspiring. They may even be a combination of those things! I can’t always read each and every blog in my Reader every single day but I do try as often as possible.

It was not my intention to hurt anyone’s feelings, so please don’t be upset if your blog is not on this list. There will most definitely be other lists in the future!

In no particular order:

 

Do check out these wonderful blogs and I personally invite you to drop a link to your blog with your comment below! It’ll give everyone a chance to find new blogs to read, including ME!

10 Year Blogaversary

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I started blogging! Of course, no one read my blog back then because I kept it rather quiet. I wasn’t writing for anyone but me and it was therapeutic. It was personal. I was going through the worst time of my life and blogging was a way for me to release it, send it away.

I signed on to WordPress on August 16, 2008. My very first post came just a few days later. I remember that day and I was in a panic. I’m pretty sure what I was feeling was close to how a parent of a missing child feels — the panic, uncertainty, fear, worry….and then in my case, anger set in. Give it a read and you’ll understand what I mean.

Anyway, it wasn’t until a little over a year ago that I decided to step out of my comfort zone and make my blog more ‘visible’ to others. I started interacting with other bloggers and my number of followers increased. I also started a Facebook page for this blog, so that I could more easily share with my friends and family.

I never started blogging to gain followers. I like that some people follow and interact but the number isn’t important to me. I like to connect with people on a more personal level. I like that some people can identify with what I’m writing about or that they find it humorous. I don’t care about those who think personal blogs are boring. I’m not blogging for them. I’m blogging for me and those who care to read it.

I’m not a people pleaser anymore! If someone doesn’t like my blog, for whatever reason, they don’t have to read it. I don’t read blogs that are boring to me, either. I also don’t read blogs that shamelessly beg for donations, or always promote some product, unless of course, it’s something I am interested in purchasing). And blogs that spout the same information over and over again? Boring. I’m not saying those blogs don’t appeal to some people; they most certainly do, but they don’t appeal to me.

I appreciate those who read, follow, and comment on my posts. I just wish I had more time to read all of the wonderful, insightful, and humorous blogs out there!! Please feel free to include your blog URL in the comments below!

Thanks for reading my friends!! I appreciate you more than you know!

~~Deb

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