These Rambling posts are starting to look about as sparse as my collection of journals. I have maybe, like, five or six journals. Some of them are 100% filled. Some of them are partially filled. One of them was a starter journal my parents gave me when I was eight years old or something. It might’ve had thirty pages in it—not even enough for three entries per month. It’s possible I didn’t even fill that one. What can I say? I’m not much of a Dear Diary kinda person. More of a Dear Dairy kinda person. Dear Diarrhea? I dunno.
When I launched this website back in 2018, I thought for sure I’d fill it up. Maybe a post each week. Certainly a couple posts each month. But man…this has been a tough few years y’all! I’m drained. I feel like I’ve had my brains sucked right outta me.
I Blame Social Media
I watched this show on Netflix called The Great Hack. Holy criminy, you guys! I had NO IDEA what was going on. I mean, I had some idea what was going on. I knew social media—Twitter and Facebook especially—had turned just NASTY the last few years. Trolls and gas-lighters and fake news and conspiracy theorists and flat Earthers and just…ugh…*gestures around* all of it. Not only did that movie validate what I’d been thinking, it showed me WHY it was happening. Our online activity is monitored, tracked, and used against us to manipulate our thoughts and decisions. That ain’t cool, dawg! (Are the young kids still saying “dawg” these days? I’m sure they are.)
And this isn’t conspiracy…
I know…I KNOW! It sounds like conspiracy. But it’s documented fact, investigated by an actual senate oversight committee with witnesses and whistleblowers and testimony and a hearing and everything. It also feeds into the Mueller Report. Foreign entities meddling in global elections and all that, including Brexit and the 2016 US elections. I just knew there was a janky reason for Trump getting elected. And it’s like, ever since that happened, the manipulation has been ongoing and relentless. True, Cambridge Analytica is no longer around in its original form, but you just know someone stepped into fill that vacuum. I know I’ve felt the effects of it: the anger, the frustration, the anxiety, the hopelessness. Every single time I go online. I’m sure you’ve felt it too. It’s not just our imaginations, folks. Online platforms are actually targeting us. I don’t know about you, but I hate the idea that my own online activities are being used to make me think and feel certain ways. It’s affected me emotionally, spiritually, physically… I mean, just go back and read how many times I’ve posted about being down and depressed the last few years! Hell-OOO!
I’m Deleting My Facebook Account At The End Of This Year
Probably my Instagram account too, although I’m still having reservations about that. I don’t see much trolling and hate on IG. But there are a crap-TON of stupid dancing girl TikTok videos I could do without. Ugh. So. Dumb. On the other hand, I do get some laughs out of the funny memes out there. We’ll see. I also haven’t decided about Twitter yet. On one hand, I follow a lot of politicians and news anchors on Twitter, and it’s sort of my go-to platform for news and information. On the other hand, politicians have staff who post content on their behalf, so the information isn’t actually from them. Also, I’m fairly certain said staff NEVER reads the responses or retweets, so there’s no actual back and forth dialogue happening. It’s all one way, meaning it all flows downhill to us. And it’s all carefully crafted and worded to deliver a specific targeted message. So again—manipulation. And do I really need that kind of messaging in my life? I say I do not. And it’s not like I’m any kind of influencer or anything out there. I don’t really have a following, and no one really cares what I have to say. Real conversations don’t actually happen anymore so, really, what’s the point? So, yeah, Twitter’s probably gone too.
And don’t even get me started about all the psychological studies that have been done on the addictiveness of post Likes. You know what I’m talking about. Checking your feeds every ten minutes just to see if anyone has commented or liked or otherwise reacted to something you posted out there. It’s called a dopamine hit and, yeah, it’s a thing—people get addicted to it. I don’t need that taking up my time either. I got crap to do, man. I can’t be wasting time on that stuff.
I Had Really High Hopes For 2021
With a brand new administration in the White House and vaccines rolling out across the country, I thought for sure we’d never have to hear about Donald Trump or Covid again. They’d both just sort of fade quietly into the background. Sure, Trump would probably start another reality TV show because that attention whore just cannot stay out of the spotlight. But at least I wouldn’t have to watch it. And once everyone got the vaccine, Covid would just starve itself to death. But then came Stop the Steal and the January 6th Insurrection and the Delta variant and the anti-vaxers and the Omicron variant. OMG! Just. So. Exhausting. I’m honestly looking forward to being social media-free in 2022. I’ll keep my website fo’ sho’ because it’s MINE and I control the content. And I’ll definitely focus more on my writing. Oh! Hey! Speaking of which…
Did You See This?
That’s me! Listed there among the Semi-Finalists! (Tiny print…second name down. *squints* “Oh yeah! Now I see it!”) Woot woot! I’ve entered the Writers of the Future contest a handful of times. So far I’ve had four rejections and one Honorable Mention. Now I get to add Semi-Finalist to the list. I opened up the email and had to read it, like, eight times before I realized what it said. I thought for sure it’d be another Honorable Mention. (Another rejection didn’t seem very likely because, well, to be honest, it was a pretty good story IMHO.) “And which story was it?” you may be asking. And I’ll tell you…it was The Keeper of Bordertown. Yes, that one, the very story that was launched back in the days of my 52 Week Story Challenge. Of course, it was a much-expanded version of that story, not really at all what you see over there. Way longer and WAY better, I think. I’m hoping you get to read it one day in some magazine, because that would mean someone bought it and published it.
Oh…and the best part about being a Semi-Finalist in the contest…? The story will get critique notes from Dave Farland, the contest’s coordinating judge. So he’ll tell me exactly why the story didn’t get much further in the contest, and give me some ideas on how I can improve it for selling to the mags. I’m excited.
What Else…
The kids will all be here for Christmas. I’m taking some time off from work to enjoy the holidays with them, and I’m just REALLY looking forward to getting away from all the craziness for a while.
I guess maybe that’s it? As Forrest Gump so eloquently stated, “That’s all I have to say about that.” If you haven’t already, get vaccinated. And if you’re already vaxed, get boosted. And get your flu shot too. I’m so done with the anti-vaxing mentality. For real. If you’re an anti-vaxer, just don’t even talk to me right now. I just can’t even. I mean, best of luck to you and all, but if you get sick at this point, don’t come crying to me is all I’m trying to say.
Hey I hope 2022 brings you love and happiness and joy and stuff! Got any cool plans for the holidays? What are you hoping to get out of the new year? I’ll have to post something next month about my predictions for the new year, because there was no way in a million years I could’ve ever seen any of THAT coming in 2021. (Although I was REALLY hoping JFK would come back from the dead and save us all. Freaking Q-spiracies getting my hopes all up like that.)
Later!
Just watched your families episode of Homestead Rescue! Give the people an update!! Is your house liveable?
Ah yes, Homestead Rescue. I did talk a little more about that whole experience over here. Good times, man. Good times. We were actually already living in the house when the Raneys and the crew came out. Now that I think about it, I suppose “livable” is more of a sliding scale. An update for the people, huh? Hmmm…I mean, if the people are demanding, I suppose I could accommodate them. Keep checking back. You just never know…