What Concerns Me Most About The Next Election?

 

The fact that fake Trump-supporting Republican electors were caught in 7 states, fraudulently pretending to be electoral college members.

Even if Trump wasn't behind that OR January 6th, he curiously neither condemned nor supported investigation of them; in fact, he's promised to pardon them, if elected.

IMO, this should "trump" any other accusation that has been made of Trump, and it should be enough to dissuade people from voting for him - but it's isn't?

Further, it floors me that that anyone in America would be okay with that, Christian or not (that is, if they even know, because right-wing press often doesn't report it).

And yet despite letting him getting away with it, and thus, increasing the likelihood of the same happening again (or worse), I'm still voting, taking a picture of my completed ballot, before turning it in 😉

Why I Don't Support Trump, Though a Christian?

 

I was asked this question recently, and I was reminded of my answer again today.

Well, in addition to fundamentally disagreeing with his stances (based on things he mostly made up anyways) -  as well as proving himself repeatedly a deranged narcissist, a threat to democracy and a menace to society - from a Christian perspective, I can sum it up in one sentence ...

Because Trump is, by Christ's own definition, a "thief in the temple."

In fact, the only time Jesus suspended his compassion was with anyone who personally profited from/exploited the faith for money and selfish gain and/or abused that power -- moneylenders in the church courtyard cheating the congregation, powerful Pharisees and Sadducees showing favor to the wealthiest temple members who made them rich and condemning the poor. 

In fact, he called them out publicly and even chased them out of the temple with a whip, calling them "Thieves in the Temple, in his father's house."

Also, Trump wins/gains power by sowing seeds of lies, fear, and hatred - something Christ would never do  (nor would he ever support anyone that did, and you know it).

But you know who would?

Christ's nemesis, whom scripture describes as the "Father of Lies."

Sure, "the devil" will get you everything you want in this world, demanding your own selfish rights, ahead of others  - just sign/vote here to forfeit your soul?

And no ... I do NOT accept the Christian excuse that he's an imperfect messenger carrying the Christian message/agenda - sorry.

Again, not only because he uses lies, hatred and fear to gain power, but because although it's true that biblically, sometimes God used "imperfect"  people to enact his purpose, those people were always willing to make sacrifices to help others, even willing to lay their lives down for them - something Trump would never do.

In fact, Trump has made no sacrifices and is unwilling to sacrifice anything.

Everything Trump does is for his own personal gain, power, money, and glory. 

Also, if I saw any attempt at Christian behavior whatsoever from Trump, any personal, heartfelt Christian conviction in his speeches, any remorse for past and current crimes/sins, any hint of compassion for humanity, I might consider it -  but I don't.  

I see nothing but grandiosity, narcissism, shameless self-promotion, bearing false witness against anyone who doesn't support him, sowing seeds of fear and hatred, and willingness to commit any crime or undo any law - including the constitution - just to win an election/stay in power. 

In a nutshell, if there was a picture of a thief in the temple in the bible, I'm pretty sure it would be of Trump's fat, smug face, and my soul is disturbed nearly ever time the man opens his mouth.

Anybody got a whip?   😂

Thus, I return the question to you - why is YOUR self-purported Christian soul  NOT disturbed by Trump?

It's Pumpkin-Pickin' Time!

 

We used to always go to Boyd's in Versailles, which is now Eckert's, but they don't have the little train or many rides or games anymore, so we're going to one in Georgetown that's supposed to be better for kids, because I'm going with my neighbors and their kids.

I LOVE fall, it's my favorite time of year - can't wait!

(Still adding pictures as everybody trades the ones we all took ...)

So the good news is, according to the above photo, my hair is finally growing back out after my self-hair-cutting disaster? 😂

(However, my skin looks terrible - much older after getting COVID in August 🥲 Time to change moisturizers! )

But we didn't take a whole lot of pictures anyway, because we were too busy having fun!

That little sprite in the center of the above pictures (doing the peace sign, which I taught him lol) and his parents and new little baby brother live directly across the hall from us, so we get to see him every day.  

He was very shy at first, but I'm now his crazy, fun aunt from across the hall, which is awesome - I always wanted to be the crazy, fun aunt! 😂

Now, he runs and hugs me every time he sees me, then shows me how fast he can run or how high he can karate kick, or he'll pretend to Spiderman-web me, or tell me the floor is lava, so then I have to immediately run and jump on something to avoid the lava, which he finds hilarious! 😂

They are the best people and friends, truly.  I have truly been blessed to have the best neighbors ever! 😂

He had the BEST time and is at the age where he laughs 1,000 times a day 😊

So he was a little scared there'd be spooky stuff, which scares him, but there really wasn't, so he had the BEST time - zip lines (which I did with him and the boys), roller tubes that one or two people can run in, bouncy houses, pumpkin, sunflower, and gourd picking, kettle corn and apple-cider-donut eating, corn maze meandering (where I  hid and made crazy animal noises or called his name in a crazy way so he could come find me).

SO fun to do these things, but especially when you're with kids!

Can I also just say there's no graceful, ladylike way to get out of a zip line? 😂

And yet I'd do it again - SO fun!

On "PC Terms" Vs. Jim Crow Days

 

After an uncomfortable conversation today, I just want to add something I should've said, if I was going to say anything at all (which I shouldn't have).

I didn't bring it up, but I questioned something that was said.

So what I wish I would've added is THIS, if I was going to say anything ...

So the reason we don't use old terms for non-white people is not because we're worried about "correct" terms, but because these old terms remind them of a past when they were segregated, treated badly and considered inferior, and those terms were used derogatorily.

I understand updated "PC terms" may be difficult to keep up with, but if you're an empathetic person, then you'll be sensitive to their experience and care whether or not you're bringing up painful memories of being segregated and treated badly.

On the other hand, if you're NOT an empathetic person, then think about it this way - using these old terms spares you both awkward discomfort? ?

Otherwise, if we're ever going to move forward in this country, we have to be willing to have uncomfortable conversations to promote better understanding.

I agree, there's a time and place, but again, I didn't bring it up :)

____________________

PS 

I always bristle when I hear the term "colored."  

I think it's because this term started during the Jim Crow Law era and segregation -  and though it's true that it was self-used during the the Civil Rights Movement by people of color, the term was later rejected, due to its origin being a white-created derogatory term. 

I'm especially surprised when white people who have married a person of color, have biracial children and/or adopt children of color use that term, in this day and age, and don't seem to even be aware that the term might bring up bad memories or sound derogatory for their spouses or kids. 

For example, I had a very dear friend who adopted a child of color and sometimes resorted to calling him her "colored" child (but corrected herself).

At first, I thought it was regional or because of her age, because she was otherwise the most empathetic person I've ever met - but it  also became clear that she had no clue about the experiences of people of color and wasn't willing to listen, including that of her own son.

She especially had no clue about the extra power imbalance of that  parent-child-of-different-races relationship -  meaning that in addition to being the parent in power, if anything went wrong between them, society would  likely automatically take her side, just based on skin color.

Over time, it became clear that she thought it her role was to save him out of poverty and teach him how to behave (white) properly, and that he should be extra grateful to her versus her other children, if that makes sense? 

(This is one of the varying definitions of "white savior complex.")

And what let me know this were some things that came out of her mouth while angry at him, despite being, as I said, otherwise the most empathetic person I knew. 

For example:

"He's just acting like his people. They talk to their children terribly."

My mouth literally dropped open.  I'd never heard her say anything like that before.

Then she asked me if I thought she was racist, because her adopted son said she was.

*Gulp*

 

Me:  "Well, I think there are varying degrees of racism: There's racism with hate and fear, there's racial bias, and then there's ignorant cultural bias where we're just unaware of black experience, which all of us white people could work on."

"In your case, I think you're righteously angry with him about some stuff he's doing - BUT - those things don't have a thing to do with skin color." 

"So honestly?  I gotta say ... I don't think you're racist overall, but what you just said -  blanket-generalizing all people of color in a negative way and calling them "his people" -  does sound somewhere between racism and racial bias?" 

"Because, I mean, not ALL people of color, talk to their children badly, they're just as diverse in personality and temperament as we are, just with a different skin color."

 "AND - many white parents talk to their children badly!"

"Case in point - how MY mother has talked both to and about me, which you've heard yourself???"  

"So in fact, that's proof that talking to your children badly has NOTHING to do with your skin color - white people may just be better at hiding it behind closed doors."  

 

 

Friend: "True, good point, like how P talks to me.  But I'm NOT racist!"

 

Me:  "Okay.  But you did ask me what I thought.  Like I said, I don't think you're hate-and-fear racist, but what you said did sound somewhere between racism and racial bias." 

"But regardless of what I think, the issue is your adopted son of color feels that you are, so maybe ask him why he thinks that, hear his experience, without getting defensive?" 

"Because I know you're mad at him for doing certain things - and though I agree he shouldn't be doing those things -  those things have nothing to do with his skin color." 

"So there's this thing known as "white fragility," and it's when we white people are confronted on something we did or said that was offensive to people of color, we tend to get defensive and act like WE are the offended one, instead of listening and keeping it about THEM initially being offended." 

"The truth is, no matter how anti-racist we think we are, we were all raised with inherent cultural bias, in a society where racism has been institutionalized, to the point we white people often don't even realize it or that we've gone along with it - so it's important that we self-examine and  allow others to educate us on their experience."

Then she just got quiet and said she'd think about it and she had to go lol.

She did ask me what I thought, so I had to be honest with her?

And quite honestly, it really takes another white person to gently explain why something isn't okay, because they don't seem to hear it from people of color (which is also proof of racism and/or racial bias).

And if we sit there silently, then they think it's okay, right?

So we never talked about it again, I'd made my point, and we were still very close (this person has since passed on).

Though that incident secretly bothered me - just reeling from the cognitive dissonance of this person being the most empathetic person I know, but at the same time, her empathy for people of color came from a place of superiority.  It was really hard to reconcile all of that in the same person.

What was especially interesting is her son-in-law was Mexican and she had a special reverence for Mexican people, legally here or not - but with people of color, they were a people that needed her guidance as a white person?

This person has since passed on, and I still don't know how to balance all that within the same person who was my very close friend, and yet I still loved her dearly :)

NC Militias VS. FEMA (and Active-Duty Soldiers Now Replacing National Guard)

 

Y'all, this is a true story, about people believing false stories without verifying them, and then becoming violent about it.

I have now verified from two personal sources that there genuinely are North Carolina militia threatening - and even shooting at -  FEMA workers, after Trump and others said that FEMA were stealing donations and funneling money to the Ukraine (among other false accusations)!

In fact, one of my sources is evacuating his family out of Western NC as we speak, and also says the National Guard is being pulled back so that active duty can come in and guard the workers/suppress the situation.

People, we have GOT to stop taking politicians' words so seriously and as gospel truth - people are getting hurt on both sides! 

Having been helped by FEMA myself, at one time, I know they are there to help people after national disaster, not take your money.

And if you DO suspect a FEMA worker, or workers, to be doing something off, then report them for investigation.

Why some people's immediate reaction is "Hey, Billy Bob - hop in my truck and bring your AR-15" is beyond me.

Again, we do NOT want a civil war - but if y'all push us and we have to defend ourselves, we will.

And good luck fighting active-duty soldiers now, NC militias, if you do.

Don't start nothing, won't be nothing. 

Zoe Wilson, the 8-Year-Old Who Drove Herself to Target 😂

I've had a super busy week, so I probably won't get to the horror-movie series for a bit, as we're going for a mini-hike on a local trail today, but this story - which actually made the NYT today - made me laugh-out-loud for a full 10 minutes!

Now, if I was the mom, I'd be freaking out!

But since I'm not, although scary and dangerous, you have to admit - it's also hilarious!  😂

So apparently, one early Sunday morning, while the rest of the family was sleeping, 8-year-old Zoe Wilson was worried about learning multiplication and was trying to get in some extra practice, when her iPad quit working. 

So instead of waking up the rest of the family, she apparently said to herself "Everybody's still Sunday sleeping, so you know what I'm gonna do?  I'm gonna get in my mom's purse and get her keys and wallet, and then I'm gonna drive myself to Target to get someone to fix it or buy a new one, get myself a Frappuccino - AND - I'm taking the family dog with me!"

And that is exactly what she did - drove herself to Target in the family SUV, with her dog in tow! 😂😂😂

Her mom, Tangie, quickly woke up and realized that Zoe, the dog and the car were missing, but she had no idea where she was, so the family was searching the neighborhood (the neighbor's Ring camera recording Zoe backing out of the driveway) - and Tangie called the police herself.

In the meantime, the store realized she was there by herself and also called police, and when they arrived, there she sat, calming drinking a Frappuccino, happy as you please! 😂😂😂

The police scolded her, but also found it "impressive" and "cute" and then posted this to Facebook ...

Very cool of them  - it's nice when police actually act like human beings 😊

Absolutely frightening for a parent, but you gotta give it up for Zoe's intelligence and industriousness - no barrier is too big for Miss Zoe to climb!

However, Mom - you DO know you're gonna have to stay one step ahead with THAT child at all times, she's almost too smart and "driven" (pun intended) for her own good!  😂

_______________________

PS - Spare us the parent-shaming, folks - it was early on a Sunday  morning, and she got up earlier than everybody else, and clearly, this kid is clever, way beyond her years!

I've gotten up early in the morning, even on Sunday morning, since my early 20s, true, but so has my daughter - and sometimes, she was up before me!

You learn your kids and learn to trust your kids, to a certain degree  - but who wouldda thunk that she - or any 8-year-old - would even be capable of figuring out how to drive herself to Target, and without incident?

No one - including the police - so give it a rest.

If the police weren't too worried, then you shouldn't be!

_________________________________________

PPS - My husband, Mark, just reminded me that early one Sunday morning - while everyone was still sleeping - he got the keys to his Mom's 1973 Mustang GT from his mom's purse, and then drove to all his buddies houses in the neighborhood and went joy-riding all over Detroit!  😂

However, he was 12 years old.

(He also was, of course, grounded for like 6 months. 😂)

But no one, including the police, would think it even possible for an 8-year-old to do such a thing - and to do so without incident - but clearly, Zoe is exceptional!

Best Horror Films: Part 1 - Best of All Time (In My Opinion)

So I've mentioned here before that there are 2 things I'm snobby about - film and architecture.

For those who haven't read those posts, this is because I figure if you have enough money to do either, do them right - don't just be throwing up poorly-crafted crap, in our faces, needlessly assaulting our senses to make a buck, right?  😂

I have also mentioned before that I was once an aspiring screenwriter, so in order for me to consider a movie "good," it has to have virtually no flaws:  No untied loose ends, no guessing the plot, who's gonna die first (or at all), or whodunit in the first 10 minutes, along with great acting, great dialogue, great camera angles, great sound, great editing, great lighting - all of it, with no flaws.  

Leaving questions at the end is okay, because it sets up for a sequel, but none of that "imagine your own ending" nonsense (which mostly makes me think they were too lazy to think of a good ending or ran out of time).

So Mark and I are also horror/psychological thriller movie fans - more paranormal ghostie stuff or psychological thriller than slasher - and it's spooky season!

Why do we like these films?

Like roller coasters or Halloween itself, it's safe fear that you can laugh at yourself about later, with the jump scares. Plus, most of them could never happen in reality.

With that said, I'm going to do 3 posts with 3 lists:

Part 1:  Best horror films of all time.

Part 2: Best in the last decade. 

Part 3: Best released in the past year thus far. 

Of note:  

I have mostly left off slasher film franchises like Halloween or the Nightmare on Elm Street films, because I'm not a big slasher-film/gore fan, with the exception of one. (Well, technically 2 on the list could be somewhat slasher-ish, but with more story and less gross gore.)

This is because they're usually more silly than scary, suspending our disbelief a little too far with a certain degree of implausibility, more gore than story.

Also, much to my husband's dismay (and despite his obsession), no zombie films - although South Korea's "Train to Busan" is worth an honorable mention. 

And of course, old Bela Legosi and Boris Karloff, 30s-style stuff isn't on the list, because although considered somewhat scary at the time, there was still a silly-scary element to them that kept you from taking them too seriously?

Also, a pet peeve - when a new filmmaker borrows a story, a plot, a scene or even an effect from an earlier film and tries to pass it off as their own; thus, any film that's done that, will not be on this list.  

With that said, Easter Eggs are okay - little nods, paying homage to prior films, silently crediting them, is okay - but ripping off a story line, a plot, a scene or an effect completely, without crediting the original, trying to pass it off as your own with new/younger viewers,  is not okay. 

Lastly, I chose the following films based on my opinion, despite whether or not critics and audiences agree (though they mostly do),  because I thought they did something unique or innovative that we hadn't seen before (at that time).

Lastly, they will be listed by name of film, filmmaker, and stars (if any).

So without further ado, I give you ... 

BEST HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS OF ALL TIME (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER):

Alien and Aliens - Ridley Scott and James Cameron - starring Sigourney Weaver. 

(I pretend the third movie in this trilogy, plus the later "resurrection" one don't exist. 😂)  

Of course, long-time readers knew these two movies would be on the list, as they are among my favorite of all time in general,  for many reasons, much of which I've written about before, so I won't belabor the details again here.

The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter -  starring Kurt Russell.  

The story of workers at remote research station in Antarctica, who are visited by a shape-shifting alien, which can take the form of the organism it consumes, any organism, either in full form or combining several life forms into one giant amalgam beast of twisted horror.

 We've come a long way since, special effects wise, but still good - something about that human head,  sprouting spider legs, scuttering across the floor (stkk stkk stkk), gives me the willies still today - aaaak!

The Shining (1980) - Stanley Kubrick adaptation of a Stephen King novel  - starring, Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.  

Nobody does creepy, psychologically disturbing like Stanley Kubrick, and nobody does evil psycho like Jack Nicholson.

Also, Shelley Duvall's fear seemed real (because it was - Stanley Kubrick was supposedly verbally abusive of her and she already had mental health issues).  

There's just an overall "haunted" feel, a cold ambience feel that's very effective, with music vs. no music at appropriate times.  

In the 80s, it was popular to run the soundtrack throughout the film, during action or climactic scenes, but Kubrick played around with this, only giving spooky music at the right times; other times, leaving you with nothing but the sound of Danny's big wheel rolling down the hallway, faster and faster until you just knew something would show up around that corner.

Also, Jack Nicholson's frozen psycho face haunts my dreams? 😂

The Blair Witch Project (1999) - BUT it must be seen in the theater for full effect  - Eduardo Sanchez, Daniel Myrick. 

The first of its kind, the "found-footage" horror genre, making it appear more realistic, made its indelible mark upon filmmaking.  You had to see it on the big screen for full effect. (In fact, I got a little nauseous with the shaking camera for extra spookiness).

This one does leave questions at the end, which normally bothers me, but in some cases, it sets up for sequels, but none of them compared; and by then, found-footage films were a common thing.

Thus, even after the sequels, I'm still left eternally wondering "Why TF was Mike just standing there, facing the wall, at the end?"

You know what I'm talking about?

At the end, Heather is the last member of the group standing, still carrying the camera, rushing in the house to see if any members of her group are alive and still in there, and when she makes it to the basement, there is Mike, standing there facing the stone wall, then we here a "whack" and the camera drops, and we hear a thud, assuming Heather has been killed and is dead.

Was he kept alive (and possessed) as bait?  Was he just hanging out? What the ??

I guess we'll never know, because I was hoping the sequel would tell us, and not only did it NOT tell us, but it was ... bad.

The Exorcist (1973) - William Friedkin - starring Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow. 

Although tame compared to today's movies, back in the day, people ran screaming from the theaters, and people born after don't seem to understand it was first of its kind.  An innocent child being possessed by demons was an entirely new (and controversial) concept on film.

The Silence of the Lambs - Jonathan Demme - starring Jodi Foster, Anthony Hopkins.

More psychological thriller than horror, but still some jump scares to be had, plus something about Anthony Hopkins' depiction of an  unpredictable-yet-controlled psychopath is almost scarier than Buffalo Bill, the serial killer that he was trying to help Agent Starling catch!  

And let's not forget, Best Picture Oscar in 1991, plus Oscar-winning performances by both Foster and Hopkins - rare for a horror/thriller flick. 

Psycho (1960) - Alfred Hitchcock - starring Anthony Hopkins, Janet Leigh. 

Speaking of psychological thriller/horror films, despite my distaste for slasher films, if you're going to do it, do it right, in Hitchcock's master-of-suspense style. 

 

The Haunting (1963) the original, not the 1999 remake - Robert Wise.

Again, mild by today's horror standards, but something about the camera lying on its side in the moonlight, as if you're seeing it while lying in bed yourself, filming the carved crown molding that eventually looks like eyes as it zooms in, in pareidolia (the psychological human tendency to make faces out of objects or when there are none), while the ghost of the fire-and-brimstone preacher vehemently preaches on, in the distance, is super scary in a realistic way - plus what happens just after (watch the film to find out). 

Here's a hint "Stop, you're squeezing my hand too tightly, it hurts!?

"That's not me!"

Aaaaak!

Scream (1996, the original) -  Wes Craven - starring Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette and more.

Now, I know I said earlier I'm not into slasher/gore stuff AND my dislike for rebooting old horror movie tropes we've already seen, but in this case, this movie was innovative, in that the killer(s) used that horror movie knowledge base that we all share - particularly the stupid decisions the characters usually make in them - to commit their crimes and tell us a new story - plus the dialog was occasionally funny!

Hereditary (2018) - Ari Aster - starring one of my favorite actresses, Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne.  

Holy Mother of God, this movie scared the sh*t outta me - and not in a fun, laugh-at-yourself kinda way - so much so that it hung on me for days after, I had nightmares as a adult.  

This is only horror movie that I will never watch again - IMO, the scariest movie ever made!

Nope, no thank you, never again, but you be my guest!

Hereditary Satanic curses that apparently leave no free will, people beheading themselves, beheaded children?

Nope, nope, and nope. 

Super disturbing - and yet still, I can recognize that it was a superbly well-made film.  

Masterful acting by Toni and Gabriel, ambience and lighting were their own character, little nuances going on in the background that if you blinked, you'd miss (Annie, the mom, climbing up the wall in the dark room while the lighting is focused on her children sleeping - naaak!)

Next Up:  Best horror flicks of the last decade - and be prepared, South Korea and The Netherlands are gaining on us and the UK for making great horror flicks!