Cherie's Haunts and "The Green Man " 😊

(PS added on 07/01/2024 - added a photo of the Green Man at Lincoln Cathedral that the Lady Cherie took herself. 😊) 

So after writing the little blurb post below, on my quiet Saturday morning,  I  meandered over to my friend, Cherie's Place.  I just want to give her another plug, today, because we've recently been "having a chat" about scary sculptures, with a focus in the UK, which is where Mon Cherie lives. 

I consider Cherie a very dear friend, whom I've known (online) for nearly ... 15 years now?  I think that's right.  We were trying to figure that out, not long ago, but I think it was sometime in 2009. 

We had both been blogging for a few years already, when we met, but we have seen the best and the worst the internet has to offer; weathering the good times, the bad times, and the truly ugly/crazy times together.  

There was nothing as wild-west lawless as the early days of blogging and watching the birth of social media, right? It was anything goes, and nobody could do anything about it. 

And yet through it all, Cherie remained very steadfast and  disciplined with her blog, resisting the temptation to ever stray and talk about current politics or other contentious subjects (despite others sometimes dropping by to twist posts to mean things they  didn't or trying to turn the discussion there), and instead, she delights us with her photography of serene landscapes, architecture, museums and local fare from her travels, always with a kind word for anyone who stops by - a sort of safe haven from all the darkness?

Mark is also a fan and we hope to meet her and her husband some day, and they can show us in person some of the places she's shown us via photos 😊

She spends all of her spare time traveling and taking professional-level photography to share the beautiful -  and often lesser known - aspects of our world, particularly in her native Great Britain.  

Anyway, we were discussing the origins of "The Green Man" after a particularly scary sculpture was erected of him in Birmingham.

We both thought the sculpture was super scary and odd, very difficult to explain to children, and probably belonged in a museum rather than the street because of this?

And I mean, there's stuff growing out of the little bucket in front his netherparts?

Imagine, you're walking along with like, a 4-year-old, and run across THIS dude - it's nightmare fuel!

This began a discussion about the Green Man also appearing oddly in early churches, particularly in Britain, despite its clearly pagan origin, and what that was about?

So the Green Man (which some know as Pan), is often the subject of horror movies, but most often, he's neither bad or good, he's just the protector of nature, and in some cases, the "God" of nature.  His origins are very pagan, and though we like to think he originated in British or Celtic folklore, in this video link she sent, he can actually be seen in artwork as far back as Ancient Rome and even in the Middle East.

So why in the world does he adorn so many early Christian churches then?

Is it a cautionary tale against him?  Is he a protector like a gargoyle?

The answer is, we don't know, there's no record of why.

I guess they thought we would just know ... and yet we do NOT know. 😂

And in early churches, he wasn't as scary, but became increasingly so, as time went on.

As the video states, in some cases, he does appear quite protective like a gargoyle. In others, something to be feared/warned against.  Still in others, it could go either way.

For instance, note this sculpture in the video of Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, standing atop the Green Man's head at Exeter Cathedral (built in 1400, it is the home of many Green Man depictions).

What does that even mean?!? 😂

Again, we don't know.  

Now, in the Catholic faith, it is Mary that will eventually conquer Satan and evil - so does this mean that Mary and Jesus dominate him/nature?  

Or does it mean they sprang up from him, considering the foliage that surrounds them?  

Or does it mean that Christianity must coexist with nature, but God is still sovereign?

Regardless, in all of these scenarios, I find it interesting that nature is separate, its own force, separate from the will of God - capricious,  yes, but neither good nor evil -  whereas many modern Christians like to believe God controls all acts of nature and even uses it to punish people.

The early church did not seem to think so, or at least that nature was its own entity, a powerful force that sometimes God dominates, but mostly God just allows to coexist?

You sort of get the idea that in early Christian times, they viewed it as God was like "Yeah, I created that, but nature does its own thing now, you just kind of have to deal with ... that."

Interesting stuff!

If in need of a spiritual uplift, take a wander over to Mon Cherie's place, she never disappoints 😊

_______________________________

PS - Cherie sent me a photo she has taken herself of the Green Man at Lincoln Cathedral on her visit there, recently ...

I actually like this one, it's like a rather ornate, beautiful lantern.  

Cherie has a way of taking shots that make it look easy, but it's no easy feat to get that detail despite the backlighting  😊

Catching Up and "Just Keep Swimming"

Thought I'd take a moment, on a quiet Saturday morning, to catch up with my thoughts of current events over the past couple of weeks, as I've been a busy gal lately.

On a personal level, during slow times with work, I've been spending more time at our pool, hanging out with my neighbors, whom I'm very grateful for, I couldn't ask for better.

Then my little sister came into town, this week, and she spent the last two afternoons with Mark and me at the pool, and yesterday,  she brought my almost 81-year-old mom, who plopped herself in the pool with a fabulous hat, just like the younger set.  I hope when I'm 81, I'll be doing the same!

My little sister, Mark, a neighbor and myself decided to act like we did as kids, in the pool -  doing handstands and walking-on-your-hands contests.

At one point, we decided Mark was the judge, and that his name was "Igor," the Russian Olympic judge for pool hand-standing/walking.

"You vill do handstand and valk until I say stop.  I must break you."

 😂 😂 😂

Super fun, for us old fogies - Staycations can be fun!

Then we had City BBQ barbecue by the pool, last night, with some Southern caramel cake to top things off - mmmm. 

No pictures, obviously, because everyone was in bathing suits, and I have a hard enough time being that uncovered around my neighbors at such a small pool (I feel like I'm in my underwear!)

Speaking of my nearly 81-year-old mother - the debate?

So ... I turned it off.  

My first thought was, "Oh my God, Biden doesn't look well or steady."  

In fact, I felt so sorry and worried for Biden, I almost cried.  

My second thought was, "Okay, Trump behaved slightly calmer than in prior debates, but he still will not answer a single question asked of him, using his time instead to attack Biden with outrageous lies, and no one will redirect him or make him answer a single question."

"Same old Trump song - like an old song stuck on repeat loop, just slower now, hopefully wearing itself out."-

My third thought was "Is this really the best we can do?  Two rich elderly old farts who barely know where they are, forget about what's really going on in the everyday lives of the American people."

Sigh.

So I turned it off, I think my anxiety/disgust over this has now reached maximum capacity.

In other news, the Oklahoma state superintendent has ruled that the bible must be taught in schools.

Our forefathers are rolling in their graves. 

They oughtta be focused on teaching better American history!

Because this country was the first founded on separation of church and state for a reason - most of our original settlers came here to avoid religious persecution in their original countries for practicing Christianity in a way that other Christians didn't agree with, as well as people of other faiths settled here to avoid persecution as well.

You know the Jewish kids are like "Sigh. THIS again?"

Okay, conservatives - you wanna go there?

Well, then put in the Talmud/Torah, Native American Mythology,  African mythology, the Ramayana, the Qu'ran, and the teachings of Buddha, too - and while you're at it, why don't you read them and find how similar some things actually are, particularly the teachings of Buddha. 

Lord, preserve us from our own ignorance.

Otherwise, my plan is, I'm going to follow Dory's advice for now and "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." 

"Brats" Love

 

So my husband and I just finished watching "Brats," the Andrew McCarthy documentary on Hulu about the impact of being labeled as the "Brat Pack" had on all of the involuntary members. 

Some takeaways?

It almost seemed like the others were trying to "counsel" Andrew McCarthy on the negative impact this label had on his life and career, advising him to be grateful, rather than the reason they agreed to be a part of this documentary, which was to commiserate. 

(For the record, I don't think that Andrew is ungrateful for the good stuff, and in fact, mentions many good aspects -  I think that he's also just addressing some thorns in his side from those days.)

In particular, Rob Lowe behaved as if nothing bothered him, life was great back then and one big party, when we all know that Rob's personal life crashed and burned in a big way, especially after a video of himself with an underage girl went viral, even before the advent of social media.

Perhaps that was his point - there are worse things that can happen to your career that you can survive than a jealous journalist pigeonholing you?

Which is true - but he never actually said that - when perhaps he should have, because instead, he sort of came off like life was great,  he took nothing seriously, so then it was like "Well, why did you agree to be in this documentary about the downside of being labeled the Brat Pack, then?"

And behaving like life was a party, taking nothing seriously, is exactly what David Blum wrote about them and doesn't exactly help Andrew's case, now does it?

In fact, I got the sense that they DID actually all feel the same way Andrew did, even just agreeing to be a part of this (when some didn't), but they just didn't want to be honest about it on camera, either due to professional "press" training, to spin everything into a positive, or perhaps just out of fear that everyone would pronounce this a "white privilege," problem or a "Poor little rich and famous kid" problem, rather than realizing that for better or worse, that there were repercussions of being labeled a "brat pack" member that shaped the rest of their careers and lives in various ways. 

I mean, despite Rob Lowe and Demi Moore perhaps being arguably the most film-successful of the group, when people meet them, they still quote lines from their Brat Pack days, rather than anything else they've done, and that has to bother them.  

I mean, they realize it comes from a place of love, and yet those brat-pack days still somehow defined their career and did pigeonhole them somewhat.

Regardless, this is a story of Andrew McCarthy trying to make his peace with it - and I think what he was actually seeking was not feeling alone that this label kept him from being taken seriously for other roles and hindered his career.

Unfortunately instead, though others signed up to be interviewed - knowing the content was about how that label stuck and pigeonholed them -  they refused to really discuss the extent of it, on camera, at least.  

They just sort of politely nodded along, but spun it into a positive, which is what all actors (and athletes) are trained to do when the camera is on.  

However, Andrew's entire point was that there are real people behind these roles and articles - but if no one but Andrew is willing to let us see the real them, then the Brat Pack label will continue to live on.

I get it, the more personal you get, the more that gets written about you out of context, by people who imagine they know you - but it's also true that what people don't know, they make up -  at least you get to speak for yourself on this one?

Regardless, Andrew decided that perhaps it would help to go straight to the source - the journalist who labeled them "The Brat Pack" in a rather harsh New York Magazine article he wrote about them in 1985 - David Blum.

Unfortunately, at age 23, a young, naive Emilio Estevez mistook David's professional interest in him as friendship (which David admittedly let him think) and invited David to an ill-fated dinner with Rob Lowe and Judd Nelson, and the rest is history.

I have to tell you, Andrew showed remarkable restraint with this guy, who began the conversation very clearly still jealous of all of them, particularly in the looks department - his jealousy was obvious, particularly of Rob Lowe. 

Andrew kept trying to find the human part of the guy and yet there was none to be found - the guy was still immensely proud of himself, even after Andrew explained how impactful his article was on their careers, especially as early-20-somethings. 

I mean, the least the guy could've said was "I don't feel I did anything wrong, but I'm sorry it impacted you so negatively" or SOMETHING, but nope - still overly proud of himself, still an asshole.

Andrew even relented on a few points from David's perspective, but David offered nothing.

In fact, he essentially doubled down.

When Andrew explains that it felt like the moment he lost the narrative to his own life, and further, asks him if he thought it was a bit mean-spirited, David literally replies: "Eh, sticks and stones ..."

WTF, are we 12?

(In David's case, yes).

At this point, my husband said "Okay, Andrew, time to turn off the cameras and just punch this MF in the mouth"  😂

Ya know, if we've learned nothing else from Trump's presidency, we should've learned that words CAN hurt you, they can ruin careers, reputations and lives, even if not a word is true. 

However, in the end - and I'm not sure Andrew realizes this - it was glaringly apparent that Andrew isn't the one stuck back in 1985, spinning his wheels - David Blum is.

Still stuck in immaturity and jealousy of better-looking, more famous men, still stuck in his one shining moment article, where he repackaged someone else's phrase, landing him his own 15 minutes of fame, based on theirs. 

Thus, I pronounce Andrew the winner of that exchange - having the bravery to gain insight into his life, career, and himself (or at least trying to) - which is something David Blum can never do.

In fact, if Andrew looks at this just right, it's because of David Blum that he has become the better person he is now, than he was then.

Although the stuff David blanketed-generalized them all with what wasn't true about Andrew specifically  - who actually did have a brain and acting training, he went to NYU and acting school - Andrew wasn't the person he is now, much of it having to do with his alcoholism since age 12, but after treatment, he's apparently a changed man. 

It's funny how the worst people in our lives can result in making us into better people, isn't it?

We can let them make us bitter or or better - our choice.

Now - those who know me well know that I had my own little brush with fame at age 12 - nowhere near "Brat Pack" level, and yet it was enough for me to never want anything close to fame again. 

It changed all of the relationships in my life irrevocably.  I never knew who was really my friend, even family members changed towards me. 

Suddenly, people who had no interest in me before wanted to be seen with me, my new best friend, my favorite cousin; or conversely, they liked me before, but the moment I hit any sort of fame, they suddenly have all of these reasons why I'm not so great and they're better, feeling they need to openly feel free to share this publicly with me (but really, to make themselves feel superior).

And all the cruel things that are said and done, which at the time, never once occurred to me might have been said and done out of jealousy,

I thought, "Who would ever be jealous of ME?"  And yet looking back, in a few cases, it was likely the case. 

And the thing is, although I was smart/sane enough to realize none of the new "love" I suddenly was receiving from people wasn't real, at the same time, what I did NOT realize was that any of the negative things presumed about me may not be true.

 I thought "This is the way I must come across, maybe this is true and no one has ever had the guts to tell me?"

You know, the bad stuff is easier to believe about yourself than the good, right? 

But looking back, if it was done in a loving way, then no  - but most of the time, it wasn't -  it was hurled at my head publicly or said or written behind my back in "slam" or "burn" book, being passed around, or written on bathroom walls (which was all we had before social media).

Now, that should have let me know it was a result of their own issues, but it didn't -  I took it to heart and began to believe them.

Regardless, point is, I begin to let these things define me. 

I let other people define me, instead of realizing the cruelest things said and done weren't done because I'd hurt them in some way, nor even as constructive criticism to help me better myself - they were said and done either by people who either didn't know me but presumed to or they couldn't see me clearly out of their own issues. 

I think the same could be said of David Blum - his article is clearly written by a person that walked into that dinner with a preconceived notion of who they were and thus didn't disappoint himself, tearing them down out of obvious jealousy, making them all sound like untalented, fame-hungry, stupid, shallow people.

And unfortunately, some of us sensitive types let it hurt us more than others, and I also think that not having a stable, nonvolatile base home environment to help you combat that also plays a role. 

But you know what the ugly truth is?

Some of us ALLOWED other people to define us, pigeonhole us, limit us - so in the end, we limited ourselves by believing what was said about us.

In fact, I developed the crippling social anxiety afterwards that has plagued me most of my life that has only gotten better in recent years.

Of course, we were just kids - I was only 12, they were in their 20s - and there was no guidebook, and in my case, no guidance. 

My parents didn't even take me to the audition, my friend's parents did.

But a few years ago, I finally decided that I would no longer allow anyone else to define me, especially people that don't really know me or can't really see me clearly out of their own issues - I get to define me.

And I hope that Andrew is at least beginning to do the same.  He's off to a good start with this documentary.

Bravo, Andrew - thank you for being brave enough to confront your bully from years ago (and showing such restraint, despite him still clearly being an unempathetic, narcissistic douche), as well as for being brave enough to get a little vulnerable with us :)

Happy Father's Day!

 

107 World Comedians Meet The Pope ...

My husband is Catholic, so we watched the entire parade of 107 comedians, from 15 countries, line up to meet him.

(I was raised Southern Baptist, then charismatic Word of Faith -  then became agnostic -  but I am Episcopalian since 2007, which is close enough to Catholic, right? 😂) 

So I recognized the American and British comedians meeting the Pope - it was interesting to note how nervous they were.

Among the Americans I recognized were Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jim Gaffigan and two of his sons (which the Pope seemed to get a big kick out of), Conan O'Brien, Kathleen Madigan, Tig Notaro, and British comedian and screenwriter, Stephen Merchant.

It was invitation only, and I was trying to figure out why these specific comedians?

Then I realized that most of them are, or were raised, Catholic: Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who is half-Jewish and half Catholic, raised Catholic), Jim Gaffigan, Kathleen Madigan, Conan O'Brien, Tig Notaro, Stephen Merchant.

Others went to Catholic school (Whoopi Goldberg) - or they played Catholic characters in a positive, funny way (again, Whoopi Goldberg).

The only exception was Chris Rock, which stumped me on a connection. He wasn't raised Catholic, never went to Catholic School, is agnostic, and was in the film "The 13th Disciple," which many Catholics felt was disrespectful - perhaps a clue can be found in the Pope's speech below?

Maybe the Pope just thought the movie was funny anyway?

Also of note, he certainly did turn the other cheek with Will Smith, didn't he? 😂

But there are other notable famous practicing Catholic or former Catholic comedians who were curiously NOT present: Practicing Catholics like Jimmy Kimmel and Steve Carell, Ray Romano, Kevin James - with Steve Carell even being the star of the 2007 faith-based comedy, "Evan Almighty." 

Ricky Gervais was raised Catholic, but is now an atheist (but then so is Stephen Merchant, who was there).

Also, Rob Schneider just converted to Catholicism (but is also now a right-wing conspiracy theorist.)

And although Tig Notaro is still a practicing Catholic, she's also openly gay, a Catholic Deacon performing her wedding ceremony, and yet she was invited despite the church's stance overall on gay marriage.

So not sure why some were not there - scheduling conflict or not invited, perhaps considered too political or too harsh or too outspoken of an atheist (Ricky Gervais)? 

Or maybe the Pope personally finds them funnier?

Regardless, the Pope said to them:

Dear friends,  

It is my pleasure to welcome all of you, and to express my gratitude to those in the Dicastery for Culture and Education who have organized this meeting.  

I hold you in high esteem as artists who express yourselves through the language of comedy, humour, and irony. Among all the professionals working in television, cinema, theatre, print media, with songs, and on social media, you are among the most loved, sought after, and popular. Certainly, it is because you are very good at what you do, but there is also another motivation: you have and cultivate the gift of making people laugh.  

In the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to spread peace and smiles. You are among the few who have the ability to speak to all types of people, from different generations and cultural backgrounds. 

In your own way, you unite people, because laughter is contagious. It is easier to laugh together than alone: joy opens us to sharing and is the best antidote to selfishness and individualism.

 

Laughter also helps to break down social barriers, create connections among people, and allows us to express emotions and thoughts, contributing to building a shared culture and creating spaces of freedom. You remind us that homo sapiens is also homo ludens! For playful fun and laughter are central to human life, to express ourselves, to learn, and to give meaning to situations.  

Your talent is a precious gift. Together with a smile, it spreads peace in our hearts and among others, helping us to overcome difficulties and cope with everyday stress. It helps us find relief in irony and go through life with humour. I like to pray daily with the words of Saint Thomas More: “Grant me, O Lord, a good sense of humour”. I ask for this grace for every day because it helps me approach things with the right spirit. 

You also succeed in bringing about another miracle: you manage to make people smile even while dealing with problems and events, large and small. You denounce abuses of power; you give voice to forgotten situations; you highlight abuses; you point out inappropriate behaviour.

 

You do this without spreading alarm or terror, anxiety or fear, as other types of communication tend to do; you rouse people to think critically by making them laugh and smile. You do this by telling stories of real life, narrating reality from your unique viewpoint; and in this way, you speak to people about problems, large and small.  

According to the Bible, at the beginning of the world, while everything was being created, divine wisdom practiced your form of art for the benefit of none other than God himself, the first spectator of history. It is described in this way: “I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men” (Prv 8:30-31).

 

Remember this: when you manage to draw knowing smiles from the lips of even one spectator, you also make God smile. 

You, dear artists, know how to think and speak humorously in different forms and styles; and in each case the language of humour is suitable for understanding and “feeling” human nature. Humour does not offend, humiliate, or put people down according to their flaws. While communication today often generates conflict, you know how to bring together diverse and sometimes contrary realities. How much we need to learn from you! 

The laughter of humour is never “against” anyone, but is always inclusive, purposeful, eliciting openness, sympathy, empathy.    

I am reminded of the story in the book of Genesis when God promised Abraham that within a year he would have a son. He and his wife Sarah were old and childless. Sarah listened and laughed inwardly. Abraham must have done the same. However, Sarah conceived and bore a son in her old age, at the time that God had set. Then Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; every one who hears will laugh over me” (Gen 21:6). That is why they named their son Isaac, which means, “he laughs”. 

Can we laugh at God? 

Of course, we can, just as we play and joke with the people we love. 

The Jewish wisdom and literary tradition is a master in this! It is possible to do this without offending the religious sentiments of believers, especially the poor.

 

Dear friends, may God bless you and your art.

 

Continue to cheer people up, especially those who have the hardest time looking at life with hope. Help us, with a smile, to see reality with its contradictions, and to dream of a better world!

 

With heartfelt sentiments, I bless you; and I ask you, please, to pray for me."

That was rather beautiful, actually - very cool!

Staycation ...

Oops, I didn't load the picture properly on first publish, here it is ... 

Not sure we'll be able to vacation, this year, but Mark had the day off yesterday, and after completing my work, we decided to traipse over to our community pool, which isn't as crowded during the week.  

It's small, but nice, right?

My neighbor and friend, Sarah, was there, along with her son and his friends, and we had a great time, laughing at nonsense and throwing quarters and dimes in the pool for the kids to dive for. 

At first the kids were like "Aw, man, just a quarter?" 😂

I was like, "Yeah, but they rack up if you find enough, it's like finding treasure.  When I was a kid, we used to dive for pennies! Imagine how long that took to find enough for a candy bar!"

Then I thought to myself "Oh, no - have I really reached the grandma phase where I'm like 'When I was a kid, stuff cost X.'"  😂

By the end of the day, though, they were like "Oh, wow, we have $8 bucks now!"

I was like, "See?  Not enough for an electric scooter, but enough for a candy bar or pack of gum, right?  And now they have those machines where you dump your coins in and it converts them to dollar bills, so you don't have to stand there at the counter and count out your coins!"

(It's also a fun way to teach kids to put in a little work/effort to earn money, right?)

Mark, who still uses Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil - which I call his "Melanoma Oil" - fried to a crisp, such that we can't go back today, he's a lobster. 

(But that's okay, I have work to do on my flowers, which didn't fare well during the cold spell recently.)

I, however, used my waterproof 30+ SPF and got a slight bit of color (plus I alternate between under an umbrella table or wear a hat) -  but no burning, despite being about 3 shades more fair than him.

Thus, I think I may have successfully convinced him that the risk of melanoma increases as we age, and that melanoma is a fast killer, it metastasizes elsewhere fast,  if not caught in time!

Sometimes hanging out at home can be just as fun as a vacay, and I'm grateful for having a pool and great neighbors! 

(Well, on days the small pool doesn't get too crowded.)

Biden, Proving He's Still The Whitest White Guy In America

So President Biden hosted an early Juneteenth concert on the White House South Lawn, and this clip of him went viral.

Kirk Franklin - a popular Christian gospel singer, was performing "I Don't Want To Love Nobody But You" - meaning God, mind you - all you Trumpers who stake your flag claim in Christianity and say  we Democrats are godless.

A Christian gospel singer performed on the White House lawn - end of!

Everyone was dancing - Kamala and Doug, Billy Porter, the Floyd family - but Biden just stood there smiling like a typical white guy.

He reminds me of nearly every white guy I knew in college, standing with his beer against the wall while everyone else danced, except at 81😂

You see?  We Democrats can tease about Biden ourselves, because we know he's not perfect - it's called having a sense of humor.  

You should try it, Trumpers!

I'll give him somewhat of a pass for that, though, for age -  and I doubt our other geriatric candidate, Trump, would dance either. In fact, I doubt he'd even hold a concert or show up, and definitely wouldn't dance either, especially not with George Floyd's family.

If Trump did dance, I'm 100% sure it'd be the white man's overbite ...

The fact that Kirk Franklin performed reminded me of his song "Smile," which I haven't thought about in a long time, the video always making me laugh. It's a recreation of a scene from Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America," the church-basement fundraiser scene. 

If you've never been to one of these Baptist church-basement fundraisers, especially in the South -  white, black or mixed, doesn't matter, they're all the same - you're missing out.

They're always entertaining, just not usually in the way they're supposed to be 😂

My husband has had a rough week, this week, so I played this song, this morning, and sang and danced like a member of the Temptations, demonstrably acting out the lyrics, until he smiled, then finally laughed.

Ah, mission accomplished! 😂

Kirk Franklin - "(I Know God is Working So I) Smile"

LYRICS

I dedicate this song to recession
Depression and unemployment
This song's for you ...

Today's a new day, but there is no sunshine
Nothing but clouds, and it's dark in my heart
And it feels like a cold night

Today's a new day, where are my blue skies
Where is the love and the joy that you promised me
Tell me it's alright

I almost gave up, but a power that I can't explain
Fell from heaven like a shower

I smile, even though I hurt see I smile
I know God is working so I smile
Even though I've been here for a while
I smile, smile
It's so hard to look up when you been down
Sure would hate to see you give up now
You look so much better when you smile, so smile

Today's a new day, but there is no sunshine
Nothing but clouds and it's dark in my heart
And it feels like a cold night

Today's a new day, tell me where are my blue skies
Where is the love and the joy that you promised me
Tell me it's alright

I almost gave up, but a power that I can't explain
Fell from heaven like a shower now

I smile, even though I hurt see I smile
I know God is working so I smile
Even though I've been here for a while
I smile, smile
It's so hard to look up when you been down
Sure would hate to see you give up now
You look so much better when you smile
Smile for me
Can you just smile for me
Smile for me
Can you just smile for me

Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
(And while you're praying)
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
(Look in the mirror)
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
(Always remember)
You look so much better when you smile, come on

I almost gave up, but a power that I can't explain
Fell from heaven like a shower now
I smile, even though I hurt see I smile
I know God is working so I smile
Even though I've been here for a while
I smile, smile
It's so hard to look up when you been down
Sure would hate to see you give up now
You look so much better when you smile, so smile
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Oh oh oh you look so much better when you
Smile

See I just want don't you to be happy
'Cause then you have to have something you haven't been
I want you to have joy ... 'cause can't nobody take that away from you
I see you smile

Jimmy Kimmel Confirms Dr. Phil Said The Opposite on His Show

 Two posts below, I had said that despite Dr. Phil fawning all over Trump in his interview with him, I was certain that he previously insinuated that Trump was a narcissist on a late-night talk show.  

In fact, I told Mark and my little sister privately that I was pretty sure it was Jimmy Kimmel.

Here is Jimmy Kimmel confirming it, last night ... 

And here's a clip of Dr. Phil on his show.

I think there's a more recent one that I can't find, and note I said he  "insinuated" it - he never actually says he's a narcissist, he just offers the diagnostic criteria for a narcissist and says that there's a "short list" of "personality disorders" that come to mind for Trump ...

So what gives?

We know he's a quack, but why is he suddenly so rah rah about Trump and enabling him after saying that?

Or is he, like Jimmy Kimmel half-jokingly stated - just messing with Trump? 

That would be a very, very effed up thing for any psychologist to do to anyone, licensed or not, even Trump - because it helps no one and the first rule of counseling is "do no harm," just like medical doctors.

And the public wouldn't know the difference, which is what's important here. 

Or is he just saying whatever to whomever to try to stay relevant and famous?

Regardless, super irresponsible!

Good news, though -  my memory is intact, my insight and judgment  are intact - Dr. Phil DID insinuate this previously on JK's show, a few times!

Hooray, I'm not crazy! 

(Well, I'm a little crazy, having been professionally diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety, but at least I'm not THAT crazy, anyway 😂)

However, I am worried about Dr. Phil's memory, insight and judgment now.

Physician, heal thyself!

The Caitlin Clark Controversy

*Edited - videos added.  

So we have an interesting dilemma on our hands.

(Not really, it's just interesting to me, the boxes and labels people try to pigeonhole other people in, especially during these times.)

On one hand, some of my fellow Democrats - particularly other women - are saying she only gets this much attention because she's white and pretty.

On the other hand, we have Republicans saying to stop that race-card talk.

Caitlin herself says nothing - she just does her job and plays basketball. 😊

(In fact, we don't even know where Caitlin stands politically because she doesn't say. )

Then the decision was made to keep her off the Olympic team.

Though politics could play a role, it's also possible that it may not actually be as much of a snub as it appears and it might not have  anything to do with her race OR the controversy.

Because all of the US Women's Olympic team players are already actively playing members of the WNBA - but Caitlin was just drafted.

Some may not be aware, but professional basketball players were not allowed on the US Olympic Team until 1992 - since then,  it has actually become somewhat unusual for a college basketball player to be on the US Olympic Team versus professional basketball players.

Regardless, Caitlin herself isn't letting it bother her, so why are we?

She's just focusing on starting her first year of professional basketball, which she will now get paid to do  - because it's not going to be easy for her, her first year, it never is - it's next-level basketball with all the greats.

But you know what I think about all of this noise?

I agree with Charles Barkley. 

I mean, the girl scored the most points ever - male OR female, black OR white - in NCAA Division I College Basketball history!

Unfortunately, it may be true that she's considered more marketable because she's white and pretty - but she really is THAT good, too!

Is she a saint?

No, she can be just as scrappy and trash-talking as any other basketball player, male or female.

Should she, or any other player, apologize after they do so?

Only if they injure someone else - otherwise, that's basketball - and this is the sport they signed up for, male or female - if you can't hack the scrappy stuff, don't play.

If you want to talk about race coming into it, take a look at THIS ...

Yes, Chennedy Carter shoulder-shoved Caitlin to the floor after a play (watch the right-hand side of your screen) ... BUT ...

Caitlin actually did worse to another player, in another game  - a two-handed shove to the floor  (also at the right-hand side of your screen ) ... 

 ... and yet despite both women being fouled appropriately for their similar behaviors in separate incidents, people still demanded a public apology only from Chennedy. 

The difference in public reaction thus proves the existence of both our white fragility and our racial bias. 

However, note that Caitlin herself isn't crying and whining about it, demanding an apology like a Karen - she said none was required.

That is because she knows she's done the same and this is basketball. 

Now, I'm not condoning violence at all - I'm saying we live in a culture where more aggressive men are steered toward sports to "channel" their aggression, and we assume that there aren't any  aggressive women, that aggression in women is pathologic.

Yes, more testosterone stimulates aggression - but women have testosterone, too, at varying levels.

Plus temperament and personality can come into play with aggression.

What "channel" do women have for their aggression?

Well, it should be sports, too.

On the court, where it should be, and then leave it there. 

If it was off the court, then we'd have a problem - but that's what sports are for, channeling energy and aggression - male OR female.

In fact, I'd rather see that on the court with women, too, rather than the usual passive-aggressive girl-world way of  "smile in your face, but pour something in your coffee later,"  which more aggressive  types of women do because they know they have nowhere to be aggressive that's socially acceptable 😂

Not me, I couldn't play basketball if my life depended on it, I'd likely cry or soil myself every time someone fouled me, and I'm not aggressive unless you're in my face, and not just momentarily, but for way too long. 😊

But some women, like Caitlin, will blow your mind!

And hey, have we ever seen this much interest in women's basketball?

No, we have not - so let's not pick it apart and ruin it by dissecting it too much and quabbling with each other, like men expect?

Yes, we have gender and race inequality in America, both of those things are true - but one step at a time?

In fact, I snicker to myself that so many white male Republicans have suddenly taken an interest in women's basketball because of the race politics. 😂

So a bunch of men that think women should "know their place" and that their only purpose and talent in life is to stay at home, have babies, and take care of them,  are suddenly all rah rah over Caitlin Clark playing basketball!?! 😂

Good - yes, please - watch her games, see what women of all races can do versus what you believe, even if you're doing it for political reasons.

Because then maybe someday, when we're past all this, we will all be able to appreciate talent for talent sake, rather than focusing on gender OR skin color.

And now to my more fervent fellow feminists - now, would ya look at that?

A pretty girl has sports talent AND a brain, can you believe it?

Why should we have to choose between our looks and a brain or sports  - can't we care about all of that? 

Women come in all different shapes and sizes with different gifts, just like men - we don't need to help misogynists out by pigeonholing ourselves, too, now, do we?

Our culture tends to believe if a girl is pretty, she's not smart or can't play sports and vice versa.

And if you all have a disagreement, direct communication with each other to work it out privately first, at least try, but otherwise, let's support each other, ladies - we need all the support we can get!

And y'all realize all of this controversy sounds to men like jealousy and petty nonsense, right?

In fact, some are saying this is why women shouldn't play, they ruin the game with petty nonsense.

Don't help them out!

And to both political sides -  assuming she must be gay because she's a tough female athlete?

We don't know whether she's gay or straight -  she's never been linked to anyone, male or female - and frankly, it's none of our business and doesn't matter.

Thus, I don't know much about her, but I think I dig this girl - not only because she's likely a better 3-point shooter than any college basketball player ever, male or female - but because she just does her job and leaves people guessing, making fools of themselves trying to shove her in any neatly-labeled little box 🤭

Now if she comes out later with a bunch of MAGA BS, I'll eat every word I just said, but for now, kudos to her for leaving us guessing and not allowing us to pigeonhole her.  😂

Bad Medicine: The Quackery of Dr. Phil

So I watched the Dr. Phil/Trump interview last night.  All I can say is both of them sounded like lunatics.

I already thought Dr. Phil was a quack - who doesn't have a license to practice psychology, by the way - but now we have proof. 

I have to say I didn't watch the full interview because when he said he called Biden to tell him to "stop this nonsense" against Trump, told Trump that he was "thick-skinned" and "unaffected by criticism," I turned it off.

Because first of all, it doesn't take a psychologist to be able to see that Trump doesn't take criticism well.

Secondly, what arrogance, to call the White House, like "I'm Dr. Phil, you should listen to me, I'm a talk show TV doctor, even though I don't actually have a license to practice."

Thirdly and most importantly, Biden has zero control over what the courts do, especially the state courts and is NOT weaponizing the DOJ.

If Biden and the Democrats controlled the courts and the DOJ, and these cases were politically motivated, don't you think they'd stop the prosecution against Biden's own son, Hunter, right now??? 

Or what about the DOJ and FBI currently prosecuting Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, from New Jersey, for improper foreign gifts or obstruction of justice, hmm?

Don't you think Biden and Democrats would stop that one, too?

And lastly, once again, the jury was approved by Trump's lawyers, and his lawyers did a terrible job at defending him.

I find this so odd because I just saw Dr. Phil on a late-night talk show about a year ago, and he was insinuating Trump was a narcissist, and I was like "Well, at least he got one thing right."

So what's with the 180?

And he's usually so controlled-calm with his quackery, but he sounded like a full-on lunatic himself!

And he now who delusionally believes he convinced Trump not to take revenge on his enemies, despite the fact that Trump clearly was not having it.

So now he's enabling a narcissist, in some kind of effed up folie a deux - wonderful!

I do worry about idiots that don't understand that Dr. Phil isn't actually licensed to practice psychology and is a quack, putting his stamp of faux psychological approval on Trump, but what can I do about that?

Nothing.

Just waiting (and praying) for the scales to fall off eyes so that people can see Trump is NOT, in fact, made of gold; he's a con man and criminal and has always been, and definitely not our new Messiah.

I can't believe this was aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network - you should be ashamed of yourselves, TBN!

If God and the Jesus I've read truly approve Trump as their guy, then I would lose my religion and renounce Christianity, I'm not kidding! 

Thanks, Dr. Phil, for trying to gaslight America!

Dude - that emperor is buck naked -  and if you think he's wearing gold robes, then physician, heal thyself! 

I really hope this is the end of your fraudulent con-man career - I can see what you two have in common!

Postscript to a Post About My Trip To Chichen Itza ...

Some of you may remember a post I wrote on my trip to Chichen Itza in the Quintana Roo, Mexico in 2002?


For those who haven't, it's HERE.


You can read the full story in that post, but briefly, this is an updated postscript to that post.


We had hired an authentic Mayan guide (Spanish name "Abel"  - can't remember his Mayan name, difficult for me to pronounce) to give us a private tour. He was an archaeology student at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Merida.


During our tour, we watched many people spill their beer, nachos, and potato chip bags all over El Castillo/Temple of Kukulcan, while climbing up and down it, not bothering to clean up after themselves.


I watched Abel's face fall and apologized on their behalf, as most of them were American.


He informed us that the temple used to be painted red, green, and gold, but years of neglect by the Mexican government before it became a public park, combined with then allowing the public to tromp all over and through it, wore it down to unadorned stone.


He also informed us that San Gervasio, the catholic church just outside of Chichen Itza, was built with stolen stones from Chichen Itza, and he vowed to never step inside.


I apologized for this travesty as well. I'm not Catholic, but we Christians in general have behaved badly with other cultures and faiths in general, in our conquest and demand that everyone follow our faith.


We hit it off fairly well, Abel and I, and he told me that I was different than most Americans, respectful, and asked why I wanted to come to Chichen Itza.


I told him that I had read about it years ago and became fascinated - not with the alien conspiracy stuff, of course, but its other mysteries, among them being the identity of "The Bearded Man," for whom a temple was created - Mayans had no facial hair, so who was this person  - an unrecorded missionary or Viking?  (Abel believes it was an unrecorded Viking - for why, read the post.)

Or why their architecture was so similar to South Asian/Indian architecture, as well as why they depicted elephants with trunks in their artwork, despite them not being indigenous to Mexico? 

Was it tales handed down from ancestors who had seen them in land-bridge theory? Or were they mastodons, which did exist much later in Mesoamerica than we previously thought?


And of course, to marvel at how a Precolumbian civilization, so isolated from the rest of the world, was able to be so advanced in astrology, mathematics, and engineering that the Spanish marveled when they arrived, and to this day, our astronomical observatories are shaped exactly like Mayan observatories, because it's the best way to view the stars from all angles at different times of the year?


I had told him that I had also always wanted to see the mighty red clay jaguar with jade eyes inside the temple as well, but I didn't want to offend him, plus I didn't want to contribute to its degradation.


However, he encouraged me to go, because I had such a love and respect for his people - plus he said it was being discussed that soon, they were going to close it off so that no one would climb it again.


Then he gave me his blessing, and our whole conversation is within that post, but the gist of it is, Abel literally said, "Go - Voya con Dios, your God and mine - go climb that temple and see our mighty jaguar that you have come all of this way to see and always wanted to see!"

"And you may be among the last to see it. I will not go with you, but you have my blessing, on behalf of my people.  In your case, showing us so much respect, we are happy to share it with you,  you're the right kind of people."  😊


In return, I told him that when at the top, after climbing the outside, I would kneel at their altar, but say a prayer of repentance to my God, asking for forgiveness for what for what we did to their people.


I also promised Abel that like him, I would never set foot in St. Gervasio, built with stolen stones from Chichen Itza.

And I did exactly that.  I don't think I mentioned kneeling at the altar in the post, but I did exactly that, not caring what anyone thought about it.

Anyway, the update - so I just now learned that they did indeed close El Castillo/Temple of Kukulcan to the public in 2006 - you are no longer allowed to climb the inside to see the jaguar, nor climb the outside to the altar.

Which means that in fact, Abel was right - I am among the last of the general public  to ever climb to the top, both inside and outside!

I don't consider myself a lucky person at all; in fact, quite the opposite.

But what a privilege, what a blessing, right? 

And I'm so grateful that I received an authentic Mayan's blessing to do so!


I don't have a picture of the jaguar (flash photography was not allowed inside the temple, plus there was literally a chain-link fence in front of it) -  but here I am, having just descended from the top, both hands raised in some combination of the triumph of having climbed it, gratitude, and pure joy 😊