My Own Personal Seven Plagues of the Apocalypse

I don’t understand death and loss.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I’ve gone through the process any number of times and the length of my list of dead and gone is colossal.  I have had careers die.  I have had love and passion die.  I have had my trust and my heart stolen.  I have had friendships drift away.  I have had marriages end.  I have had family that I loved dearly taken away.  Gone are houses, more than a few vehicles, massive quantities of other worldly goods, innumerable pets and most of my sentimental memorabilia.  I have lost my art and my lifestyle, even my freedom for a time (no it wasn’t prison).  Most everything for one reason or another, at one time or another has left me. 

Sure, there were reasons.  It’s not like I don’t take care of or am lackadaisical with what is important and necessary.  I’m not a total loser, only a part-time one.  I’ve worked hard for what I’ve had, but there have been some nasty obstacles to overcome and it’s likely I could have made better choices at different times in my life.  I could make you weep with my tragedies, but what would the point be.  I stopped crying long ago and learned to find a way to keep living.  It’s not like there is really any other conscionable alternative.  You breathe in and out.  You place one foot in front of the other.  You put your big girl pants on and continue.

I’m certain everyone experiences loss and death during their lives.  It’s part of life.  I get it.  I just don’t understand why it has to be so friggin’ hard or why there has to be so much of it.  I mean, you work your ass off and poof!  I learned a long time ago not to hold anything too tightly.  Never get so attached to a person, place or thing that their loss will destroy you.  Not that I haven’t been devastated many times over.  I have simply learned it’s an unavoidable part of life.  Still, this last couple of years, I’m starting to feel like I’m enduring my own personal seven plagues of the Apocalypse and I gotta say, even I have my limits.  I mean . . . really?  When is enough, enough?

Okay, the house burned . . . not all of it . . . what was left of the possessions went into the basement and rebuilding began.  Hey, I got a return on investment for years of insurance premiums.  The basement flooded . . . salvaged what can be saved and moved on.  I had to leave my job . . . so what, I had more time to deal with the rest of the chaos and I’ll get another.  Right?  Oh yeah, the cars that burned with the house and had to be replaced . . . was it really necessary for a tree to fly out of the sky and smash one to smithereens?  No problem, nobody was hurt.  Forget about the furnace that quit working . . . piece of cake . . . it doesn’t get THAT cold and what else are sweaters for anyway? 

It’s just stuff.  Belongings I loved and needed, but things that can be replaced to some degree . . . over time.  Fire, flood, storm, destitution and deprivation . . . did I leave anything out?  None of it is anything I’m gonna lose sleep over and the little every day disasters don’t even qualify for honorable mentions.  Would I have rather not have gone through it?  Of course . . . part-time loser, not mental defective with masochistic tendencies.  To hijack the old saying . . . been there; overcome^(sic) that; got the t-shirt; and donated it to the Goodwill years ago.

I’ve got to say I’m having a bit of a problem with the pestilence.  I call it pestilence, but it’s really the black death of our generation . . . cancer.  It has struck all around me like a pharaoh’s curse.  I’ve thought perhaps it’s just that I’m getting old enough to start anticipating my friends and loved ones will start dropping like flies.  Hell, I’m not Methuselah, just your average middle-aged woman.  I’m not yet so elderly to begin a daily perusal of the obituaries to see who checked out today.  I wouldn’t think I should be partaking of that particular oldster’s pastime just yet.  Besides, it’s not the variety of health issues we expect our elders and peers to experience as youth fades.  It’s just freakin’ cancer.

I know I’m not alone in my struggle.  All you have to do is turn on the tube to see the extent of suffering in the world today.  The media frenzy is crushing with the 24-hour-a-day, play-by-play commentary of the havoc being wrought by man and mother nature . . . earthquakes, floods, tornados, hurricanes, draught, wild fires, oil spills, nuclear meltdowns, government breakdowns, stock market crashes, fiscal failure, home foreclosures, environmental devastation, starvation, terrorism, war, revolution, riots, child and drug abuse, murder and all manner of mayhem. 

We do seem to be circling the drain and I – for one – am getting pretty flippin’ tired of this crap.  Even I need a bit of down time between catastrophes and I’m better equipped to cope than most.  It is incomprehensible to me how some of the peoples of the world are managing to survive at all.  Almost everybody I know is experiencing tribulation of one sort or another.  No one’s sorrow is more or less significant than another’s.  When it happens to you, it is the worst thing you can imagine.

I’m making a formal request and sending out into the universe. 

Do you hear me higher power that I’m not sure how to address properly?  If you’re listening, I know a whole lot of us down here could use a break, so if you could/would . . . please.  I know I’d appreciate it.  We could use a hand, big time.  Anything would be a nice start.

While I’m waiting on an answer, I don’t plan to just sit on my duff.  I’m going to care for those in my charge as best I can; help others whenever and wherever I may; and try my damnedest to just breath.  To that end, I’m going to resurrect this all but abandoned blog.  Writing is precious to me and I love blogging.  I just let the calamities in my life squeeze it out.  I’m doing it for me and hope it will not be morbid and morose.  It may seem trivial to some, but there isn’t much I really have any control over these days.  This I do, so I will.

Dear Readers, I wrote this the end of September with the intent of posting it then but just kept putting it off.  I decided I had stalled long enough.  I don’t know if my higher power is working on getting us a little relief, but you all have been vital in my efforts to revive this blog.  MDR’s rebirth has exceeded my wildest imagining.  I will never be able to truly show you my appreciation, but I do . . . Thank you.

Note:  The first smart ass that points out there are only six plagues here will immediately have a plague visited on them.  I’ve already made the arrangements.

Fashion Felonies to Avoid by a Repeat Style Offender

I’m in no way qualified to impart fashion advice.  I concede this because I produced, in my one act of procreation, a fashionista.  I have considered perhaps she may be a changeling, but my ego wants to take some credit for the divine creature purported to be my daughter.  She is a legit fashion maven.  She works in the industry and, unlike her unemployable mother, is much sought after regularly receiving offers to work for companies from New York to San Francisco.  I’d post a picture for your adoration, but she’d kill me.  She claims my Internet activities are part of the reason she’s still in therapy . . . that and 18 years of unlimited ridership on mommy’s crazy train.  She periodically expresses concern regarding my wardrobe and does what she can to steer me away from the more significant faux pas.

Now that we’ve established I am most certainly stylistically challenged . . . yes, that is me pictured above and pearls are too appropriate for every occasion . . . I can claim the benefit of my offspring’s guidance and believe myself capable of identifying some of the more egregious mistakes one can make when it comes to what you should and should not wear outside the privacy of your own home. 

Warning:  Some of what follows is NOT for the faint of heart or those with a weak constitution.  Continue at your own risk!

The classic jammies at the grocery store.

They may be comfy and warm and absolutely adorable, but we must not for any reason go to the store or anywhere else in our PJs.  The girl on TV can go to school in her pajamas, but that is because she is not leaving her house.  No, you cannot wear the bottoms with a tank top.  I know, they look like cute plaid, flannel pants, but I have been assured people will still know they are jammies.  The only exception is patronage of the local Walmart.  Wally World has received special dispensation for its customers, but you must go and return directly with no stops, not even for gas or fast food drive-thru.

Leggings, Tights, Yoga Pants . . . a rose by any name.

I know, I know.  I love my yoga pants and tights.  I have an array of colors and thought I was rockin’ the old lady bod in my leggings, boots and oversized sweaters.  I guess it’s one of those styles that – no matter how cool it was in the 80’ – has to be put away with the leg warmers.  It’s not fair, but only hookers or very young girls can pull this look off.  Unless you are under the age of six or a crack whore, you may only wear them for their intended purpose . . . yoga, jogging and other workouts.  No, you can’t be cruisin’ around pretending you just left Pilates.  Take a look at the picture . . . would you be buying that story?

The classic plaid shorts paired with socks and sandals.

Just like many other “oldies, but goodies,” no . . . not just no, but hell no!  Why guys?  The standard for men’s attire is not high.   Even a fashion retard like me can see this is wrong, but every summer there are the dissenters that somehow manage to convince themselves its okay.  It’s not okay.  Dudes, you are embarrassing your families, friends even total strangers.  If you insist on wearing shorts with socks, I have two words for you . . . Charlie Harper.  Google it, if you have to.  As for the sandals, if your feet are so ugly or cold that you need the socks, lose the Birkenstocks.  Only one group gets a pass here and that’s the Vets on Veteran’s Day.  They’ve earned the right to wear anything they want on their special day . . . except . . .

The pinnacle of crimes against humanity.

No passes.  No exceptions.  No special dispensation.  Never, not ever, no, NEVER!  Speedos should be illegal!  No one really looks good in them.  I don’t care how buff you are, it’s all about the package.  Fellas, you know what I’m talking about.  You either end up looking like a pervert, some poor under-endowed loser or these guys.  Do you think super-bling man there is over compensating?  Oh wait . . . we can see that he is.  Talk about leaving NOTHING to the imagination.  The only thing worse than Speedos are man thongs.  If you really want to put your junk on display . . . find a nude beach.  Please, somebody get me a fork.  I need it to gouge my eyes out!

The Great American Butt Crack.

Man, woman, alien?  What can I say?  It sneaks up on you.  You are powerless to avoid it.  You can never turn away fast enough to prevent the image from being burned into your retinas.  Once a phenomenon reserved for hairy, old plumbers, now its spreading like a virus.  There are so many solutions . . . jeans that fit . . . extra long T-shirts (they make them) . . . belts . . . squatting down rather than bending over.  I don’t care how you handle it.  Just, please, handle it.  You see some dude or chick and you’re thinking, “Nice ass.”  Then they bend over right in front of you, out comes the butt crack, and the moment is lost . . . forever.  Not sexy, just plain gross.  The only person in all of history to do it with charm is the little girl in the Coppertone ads and she isn’t bending over.  If she was, it would probably be gross too.

There you have it.  I don’t think it’s asking much.  The fashion monkey’s looking pretty fine about now.  Isn’t she?  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Just a Few Observations on Playing Nice in the Blogosphere

A little history to get ya’ll up to speed.  My baby here . . . Miss Demure Restraint . . . will be four years old on December 1^st.  She’s been a bit schizophrenic in the past, but she’s responding well to medication.  I guess in a lot of ways she’s a reflection of my personal head space.  So what does that say about me? Yeah, I’m a little on the crazy side, but then what sane person gets on the internet and blindly writes to an audience that may or may not be there? Only a whack job exposes himself to the potential rejection trauma such activities may and sometimes do result in.  I think being a little nuts is an inherent trait in the artistic temperament.  That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Anyway, MDR was rolling on down the road, enjoying the ride and ran head on into a block wall a little over two years ago.  An incident, I can only describe as a “cat fight” broke out between a couple of commenters on one of my posts.  I have to take responsibility as I had the power to not approve a comment, but was intimidated by the “acumen” of the commenter throwing the first punch.  Then I felt obligated to approve the offended party’s response.  Long story short . . . things got ugly . . . fast.  I posted an apology and removed the comments, but something was broken I couldn’t fix.   I struggled for a short time to continue, but it just wasn’t the same after that.  I pretty much quit blogging until the beginning of last month.

I have made every mistake known to man in this blog, maybe even a couple nobody ever thought of.  Some of the comments on yesterday’s post got me to thinking and that can be dangerous even painful.  Yes, the smell of burning brain cells fills the air as I sit pounding away on the laptop.  I figure I have from agonizing experience learned a few things which I feel compelled to share.   I have to start with a disclaimer . . . there is NO wrong way to blog.  What I offer here is just a little common sense (I know the ultimate oxymoron) and suggestions on applying the bloggy golden rule . . . treat your fellow bloggers the way you wish to be treated. 

1. Turn on your comment moderation function.  You are responsible for the content of your blog and that includes the comments.  Comments can be rather like an untended child.  You take your eyes off them for a minute and they will run into the street directly in front of a bus.  There are trolls out there people!  They can overrun your blog in no time at all.  Some of you are fully capable of dealing with them, but make it a conscious decision to leave your front door unlocked.  Don’t imagine for a moment they wouldn’t do it to you.  Well, maybe not you Androgoth.  Any troll taking on a vampire king will quickly regret it.  You don’t have to approve a comment that is offensive to you, your readers or your other commenters.  Don’t fall into the trap I did of being intimidated into approving something you aren’t comfortable having as a permanent part of your blog.
2. Respond to the commenters on your blog.  Come on, it’s not hard.  Somebody has taken the time to read your blog and leave you a comment.  That’s a big deal . . . for me it is.  There are many ways to accomplish this.  The easiest way I know is to reply to the comment on your own blog.  You can do it as part of the approval process.  If you have time to approve the comment, you can at least say “Thanks.”  I have known some people that send an e-mail response.  I just got one yesterday, as a matter of fact.  Still others will go to the commenter’s blog to respond.  I freely admit I have failed in the past to take this simple step.  I have no excuse, but stupidity and failure to engage my brain.  I’ve learned it is important to let people know their effort was appreciated by acknowledging them.  Duh!
3. Comment on your commentors’ blogs.  I figure if they spent their precious time on me, it’s the least I can do.  I was never so impressed as when a couple of the “pressed to death” bloggers not only responded to my comments on their blogs, but actually managed to take the time to visit me and leave a comment.  Sure I hadn’t gotten to their blogs through “Freshly Pressed” and didn’t even see their “pressed” posts until much later.  Still, these guys found a way when they were dealing with an overwhelming response burden.  I think I can safely say we all love comments.  It feels good.  Payback people . . . payback.  Take the time.  Read a couple of posts.  Find something you can comment on.  The upside is you may find some interesting people and places you will visit regularly.
4. Make relevant comments and don’t spam.  Read the posts you comment on.  Personally, I don’t want to sound like a lame, inappropriate blog monkey.  Get a feel for the tone of the overall blog.  I would never comment on Always Curtsy When You Sneeze or The Waiting the same way I comment on Angry Rant or Barking in the Dark.  It’s fine to say, “Love the post,” but try to say something pertinent about the post you are commenting on.   Never make a comment simply to promote your blog.  Its spamming, rude and jackassary in the extreme.  You have a link back to your blog when using your WordPress account or by providing your URL.   Set your Gravatar up to include your blog.  Don’t just show up and say, “You should see my blog . . . assclownspammer.com.” 

Okay, this post is now officially way too long, but I have to say one more thing.  The people you see commenting here are the best.  They have taught me to be a better member of the blog community and as different as each of them is, I believe, they represent what blogging should really be about.  They are also some of the best damn writers I’ve had the pleasure to read.

Play nice and people will play with you.  Be an ass clown and they will take their ball and go home.  Oh yeah, it never hurts to link to your buddies occasionally in your posts.  So, now for the fun part . . . its your turn.  What do you consider proper blog etiquette?  What are your pet peeves?

Where Have All The Bloggers Gone?

I must confess a horrible obsession.  I can’t leave the stats on WordPress alone.  This is not limited to my personal blog stats anymore, but has now expanded to include the general WordPress stats (i.e., bloggers, new posts, comments, words posted).  These numbers change daily.  I have been following them compulsively since the great “pressed to death” event. You may have notice that in October the “Freshly Pressed” featured blogs went unchanged for an extended period of time.  The trend I’ve noticed has disturbed me to the point of paranoia.  I have sought solace from my blog friends, but succeed only in having instilled some of them with trepidation matching my own.  

I have scoured the forum looking for any explanation, but haven’t had the gumption to actually pose the question to the WordPress gods.  You don’t tug on Superman’s cape; you don’t spit in the wind; you don’t pull the mask off that ole Lone Ranger; and you don’t mess around with . . . well, you get where I’m going with this.  I don’t know what would happen if I pissed them off, but I don’t imagine it would be good.  No “Freshly Pressed” for you! Ever again!  I might simply vanish from the face of the Blogosphere like one of the bloggers in the stats.  I may well wake up to find disembodied horse head wallpaper on my laptop.  All my posts could mysteriously be turned to drivel.  Oh wait, most of them are drivel already.

Where have all the bloggers gone?  When I started blogging again, the beginning of last month, there were something like 409,000+ bloggers.  Over the course of about three weeks the number dropped to 403,000ish.  That’s around 2,000 per week vanishing without a trace.  So that rate of decline could be accounted for reasonably, right?  Even if this downward spiral continued at a steady pace, it would take almost four years for everyone to be gone . . . plenty of time to reverse the trend. 

Alarmingly, that number escalated to roughly 2,000 a day gone, lost, absent, MIA!  At this startling new rate of loss, there will be no one left in just over six months.  Perhaps my concern is unfounded.  I don’t know exactly where the money comes from to keep the power on at WordPress.  Perhaps some wealthy philanthropist foots the bill to keep the juice flowing for all of us fat, dumb and happy bloggers.  I’ve always believed in the concept of “no free lunch.”  So far as my experience with WordPress, it’s been an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord with no end in sight.  At what point will WordPress be “hard pressed” to keep the steam trays full? 

Last Week:  The best of 396,236 bloggers, 439,873 new posts, 475,710 comments, & 104,765,675 words posted today on WordPress.com.

Today:  The best of 357,326 bloggers, 426,717 new posts, 449,361 comments, & 103,793,313 words posted today on WordPress.com

Do the math . . . the ranks of the missing is running over five thousand a day now.  We are shrinking!  Is everybody leaving for other destinations?  Facebook?  Goggle+?  Blogspot?  Is WordPress becoming obsolete? I don’t know what’s up.  Does anyone else know?  Anybody, anybody?

Late Breaking Update:  WordPress is making a remarkable comeback.  The new stats for today:  The best of 408,784 bloggers, 418,064 new posts, 448,969 comments, & 100,717,797 words posted today on WordPress.com.  That’s . . . like . . . over 50,000 bloggers back.  It is obvious that I have no clue what these numbers are all about.  Or maybe the WordPress Gods are trying to reassure me.  You never know.

Where, Oh Where Has My Internet Gone?

I’ve become accustom to the laptop sounding like a 747 at take off when I power it up, but the internet beastie just sits there quietly doing whatever it does.  What possible reason could it have to electronically implode?  No stress, no strain.  It’s never been dropped on its head.  It’s never been sprayed with soda or showered with food crumbs.  It’s never been on any of the seven hour road trips bouncing around the back of the Kia shoved between boxes of vintage treasures.  Nobody ever fell asleep on it drooling into the keyboard.  Nobody ever stepped on it or kicked it across the room.  Nobody ever sent it a virus.  It just sits in the corner and works.  It is also by far the newest piece of technology I own. 

“Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage.”  Okay, push the Diagnose Connection Problems and wait.  Contact your Internet service provider . . . have they ever tried to contact my ISP or any ISP for that matter?  After 30 minutes of patiently explaining to some moron with a script that I cannot connect to the internet, I am finally transferred to an idiot that wants to remote access my computer.  Okay, I’m no freakin’ computer genius, but doesn’t my current problem prohibit that?  After 30 additional minutes of escalating frustration, the ISP monkey figures out that he can’t remote access my computer.  They are sorry, but it must be a hardware problem.  “Please hold while we transfer you to hardware support.”

Ten minutes of promotions telling me about the plethora of amazing products and services offered by my ISP and 20 minutes of explaining the problem only to degenerate to pitiful begging not to be transferred back to the moron with the script, I’m told, “Please turn the unit off and back on.”  Right, just crawl under the end table after moving the coffee table to shove the heavy-ass, over-sized, oak-framed chair-and-half out of the way.  It is, of course, now necessary to continue my troubleshooting efforts under the table as the connecting cables and cords are too short to pull the beastie out to comfortably examine it.  I soon determine there is NO on/off switch.  I am smart enough to locate an on/off switch should one exist, but convincing the yahoo on the phone of this is a monumental undertaking.  “Please unplug the unit from the power source, wait 5 minutes and plug it back in.  That will resolve the problem.  If it doesn’t, call back.”

Do I have to tell you?  After 30 minutes of not-so patiently explaining to a second moron with a script that the hardware yahoo was wrong and the plug/unplug operation failed to result in a satisfactory resolution and the idiots that want to remote access my system will be of no help, I am finally transferred to a hardware baboon.  Baboons have a greater level of expertise than the monkeys, morons, yahoos and idiots combined.  This baboon requests I locate a long, slender “poking device.”  Now “poking device” turns out to be a technical term for paperclip.  Locate the small hole in the back of the “unit” and insert the “poking device.”  This should result in resetting the “unit.” 

Hurray!  Success!  With the assistance of the ISP baboon, I have now erased the program set up I paid the Geek Squad to perform.  Why did I pay the Geeks for this service?  I paid so I would not have to fight my way through confusing instructions and hours spent on the phone with my ISP to get the beastie to perform in the manner it was advertised to.  ISP baboon assured me it is a quick, simple process I can perform myself.  No problem, just locate the now-long-gone instructions I received at the time of purchase or simply go online to get a copy.  Did I mention I had no Internet connection?

Thanks be to those kind souls that are the friends of the friends of the friends that donate their time and energy to the benefit of penniless strangers in electronic distress.  My savior is only twelve, but due to the genetic manipulation of your species by the master computer planning to take over the earth, this child was born with a knowledge of technology that four years of college and 20 years of working with the beasties has still eluded me.  I don’t know how this wonderkid did it, but I’m back and hope it will be a long, long time before I experience my next foray into the world of computer troubleshooting.   All I can say is . . . Bless the beasties and the children.