Guilty on 34 Counts

Watching the hush money trial in New York been interesting from a legal perspective. While this isn't a political post, politicians and voters are involved to a certain extent.

However, what fascinates me are civilian reactions to a trial. They clearly and terribly demonstrate that we need to bring back civics education to classrooms.

Yeah, yeah. I know why the school boards are eliminating civics classes. It's the same reason the southern states made it illegal to educate slaves. Knowledge is power.

On the other side is deliberate, willful ignorance. The folks who don't bother to research the law or the situation and literally make up shit.

You see, something similar happened to DH a couple of weeks ago. Two of his sisters sent him texts. One blatantly asked him to do something illegal as the executor of their father's estate. The other one accused him of mismanaging the estate and gave him a list of demands that either have nothing to do with his role as executor or would cost the estate more money than necessary.

Now, I don't believe either sister came up with these ideas on their own. I'm pretty sure I know who the instigator is. Proving it is the problem because the sisters will lie to protect this person and to hide their shame at being manipulated.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Here's the thing--at a certain point, people get tired of being used. The point is different for everyone, but when it is reached by the majority (in the in-laws' case, the other three siblings), the manipulator no longer has any power.

Even die-hard MAGAs have their limit as shown by the juror in New York who only looked to Truth Social for his news.

The AI Problem

I've been thinking long and hard about the use to AI in our society. Frankly, it's up there with PLR (AKA Private Label Rights). It's a cheat.

People have spent years perfecting their skills in the arts.Working hard. Finding their voice. All in order to provide something unique to society and culture. But now, anyone can create something by stealing the work of those artists who put in the time to learn how to paint, write, sculpt, etc.

To quote Dr. McCoy, "According to myth, the Earth was created in six days. Now, watch out! Here comes Genesis! We'll do it for you in six minutes!"

And as Dr. McCoy feared in The Wrath of Khan, humankind overstepped themselves. The Genesis planet destroyed itself in the sequel.

The Marcus team took shortcuts to provide the Federation with a faster way to terraform planets. The Klingons feared Genesis would be turn into a weapon. They were  both right and wrong at the same time.

Does any of this sound familiar?

To further exhibit Big Corporations' plans for AI, Apple recently aired a commercial where all artists, scientists, and well, all of humanity are crushed between the two parts of a laptop. It's not a comforting feeling.

My laptop cannot make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. It cannot conceive of mixing chocolate and cinnamon because that's something Mexican abuelas would do, and AI carries white male biases.

Give me a damn robot that will clean the bathroom for me, so I have more time to create! I want to come up with new cookie recipes. I want to sew outfits for my OOAK character dolls. I want to write stories.

AI is taking away our fundamental humanity by taking away our imaginations. So, no, I don't agree with it. My inner McCoy says this is a very, VERY bad idea.

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States. It's supposed to be a day to honor those who died in our country's wars. Instead, the day has turned into a weird orgy of politics and picnics. 

Because of a phrase I hear repetitively on this day, I'm going to make a suggestion that will raise the ire of some of you, so please read through my reasoning before you launch into a tirade.

Please don't tell a service member, "Thank you for your service." They've become meaningless words in our society.

The same people who say them vote for candidates who go out of their way to take away the services our veterans need. The same people who say them are careless about the constitution the service members uphold. The same people who say them don't have the courage to join any of the military branches.

Instead, DO something to show your appreciation!

Does your Vietnam vet neighbor need his yard mowed? Does the Afghan veteran in her wheel chair need ramps to get into her school, place of worship, or home? What about giving the kids who are currently serving and who frequent your restaurant or shop with their spouse and children a discount?

Please give the service people you know a little help. It means so much more to them than empty platitudes.

And if you already do, thank you.

Prince in May

No words needed.

Art and Propaganda

"All art is propaganda; on the other hand, not all propaganda is art."  - George Orwell

According to Orwell, I write propaganda. According to a review on Amazon, I write feminist propaganda. According to me, I write stories that entertain me. So, who's right?

We all are.

GK and I discuss the topic quite a bit. It goes back to when we home schooled. I tried very hard to provide a neutral voice in his lessons, which frankly, I found it difficult to find in various sources.

Take Christopher Columbus for example. He underestimated the circumference of Earth and believed he'd found India when he landed in the Bahamas. He wasn't the first person from Europe to explore the North American continent. He wasn't the last.

During GK's lessons, I pointed out the successive rises and falls of Columbus's reputation. His stubborn insistence that he was in India. How Amerigo Vespucci had a better PR system, which was why the two continents were name America.The reintroduction of Columbus by the original Thirteen American Colonies as a major explorer. The more recent analysis of his role in the slave trade.

The problem is even contemporary account of Columbus are rarely in agreement about him. There were those who resented his relationship with the rulers of Spain. There were those who were jealous of his wealth. There were those who thought he did the Christian god's work by converting the native populations of the Caribbean.

What it comes down to is there's no such thing as an objective human viewpoint. Each person's observation is colored by their own experiences. That means out of 8 billion people currently on the planet, you're going to have 8 billion opinions on the story of Columbus.

So, am I writing feminist propaganda? Well, or course, I am! I'm not a man. I can study them, but I will never, ever totally understand them. I'm a cis-het woman, so my viewpoint comes from that angle.

But part of being a writer is learning how to express viewpoints other than my own. That means showing other types of masculinity. Rey, the shy bookworm. Arthur, the neglected genius. Tim, the billionaire who lost everything. Miguel, the widowed handyman. None of these are what my reviewer considered real men, but I love them because they are based on men I've known through the years.

So, who's really the propagandist here?

I'm sticking with my version of propaganda because I want to promote a viewpoint of kindness to our fellow human beings.

Sam Adams

And no, not the beer.

Over the weekend, DH and I went with some friends to see Michael Rapaport at the Liberty Funny Bone down near Cincinnati. Awesome venue! We've been there before. Michael put on a good show.

However, his warm-up act Sam Adams was totally hilarious! When I got home, I started rolling through YouTube and found several clips of Sam's shows. I highly recommend checking him out.

Prince in May

Sometimes I wonder if this is a reply to Janet Jackson's "Control".

Banging My Head Against the Wall

For the last month, I've worked very hard to stick to a diurnal schedule. Taking exercise classes in the morning and going to bed at the same time as DH has helped. Part of the reason is so I can unpack boxes without waking DH because even if I'm super quiet, Princess is Bella treats every item suddenly appearing in her domain as a threat.

Silly puppy.

However, I'm finding that I'm not getting much writing done. We're back to DH consulting me on various items. Or simply plopping down on the chair next to me to talk about his day without any regard to what I might be doing.

*Sigh*

I feel like I'm caught between two worlds, and I can't do either well.

Plus, I've got friends who want to visit, but none of them actually live anywhere near me. That means traveling by plane, train, and/or automobile.

Maybe it's a good thing we're getting away for the weekend. I'll take my mini laptop with me, and maybe find someplace quiet to write.

Bitchy Sisters-In-Law, a Long Weekend, and a Comedy Show

It's been insanely busy around Chez Harden lately. DH has been working the day job full time, doing the timekeeping for the high school lacrosse teams (who just finished their season) and our semi-pro football team the Flag City Phantoms (who started their season a month ago), and trying to wrap up his parents' estate despite things still popping out of the woodwork.

I figured it was time for a break this coming weekend. DH planned to take Friday off to deal with a certain investment company, which is making him jump through a bunch of hoops to release the money due to the estate. He contacted the attorney for advice on how to deal with this particular entity, and she gave him suggestions of what to try first before wasting money on her fees to go medieval on the investment company's ass.

Only for DH to get texts from his two oldest sisters that essentially accused him of mismanaging the estate assets. This despite the fact  he updates all the sisters about what's happening on a regular basis. This despite the fact that in Ohio, the probate judge must approve everything before ANY disbursements can be made to the heirs.

The irony of all this is (1) I used to be a probate and estate planning attorney and (2) my own parents died during the same five-year period as DH's. It took fifteen months to wrap up my parents' estate, and they didn't have half the assets my in-laws' had for DH to deal with.

Even better, one of the sisters wants DH to do something illegal with the estate's money.

*facepalm*

I am so glad we have tickets to see comedian/actor Michael Rapaport this weekend with some friends. We might even squeeze the new comedy IF is the theaters. Anything to cheer up my man.

Yep, we definitely need a break from life.

Monday Movie Mania - The Fall Guy

Ahhhh! The 1980's. The good ole' days. When men were men, and violence filled the airwaves!

The Fall Guy takes '80's male toxicity and twists it around so it's an delightful ode to the movie stunt profession. Loosely based on the series that was Lee Majors' follow-up to The Six Million Dollar Man, this flick doesn't take itself too seriously. Frankly, it's nice to see a movie with more practical effects than CGI while at the same time, acknowledging the massive changes in the movie industry.


******


SPOILERS


******


PROS
1) This is the first romantic action comedy movie since Romancing the Stone that had me laughing my ass off.

2) Ryan Gosling proved he has true comedic chops in Barbie (I don't count Crazy, Stupid, Love), but this movie with Ryan as Colt Seavers cements his talent in that arena.

3) Hannah Waddingham was delightful as the insane producer of the movie Metalstorm.

4) Ever since I saw Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada, she can do no wrong in my book. This role also gives Jody more power than she had in the series.

5) Lee Majors and Heather Thomas, the stars of the original Fall Guy series, made pitch perfect cameos. I only wish Douglas Barr had also been included.

6) All the little Easter eggs relating to Lee Majors' career had me laughing my ass off.


CONS
1) We needed a little more of Winston Duke as Dan, Colt's best friend and the stunt coordinator of MetalStorm.

2) They should have used Lee Majors' version of "Unknown Stuntman" instead of Blake Shelton's remake. Nothing against Blake, but Lee's version, or his own remake, would have added to the treasure of Lee Majors' Easter eggs.


This is the first really unexpectedly fun movie I've been to at the theater since the pandemic started. Overall, I give The Fall Guy 10 out of 10 stars.

From the Beginning

The title song from Prince's fourth studio album.

Super Cells and Twisters

Last night's writing was lost to the tornado-producing super cell that passed through our area. At least, we didn't get any hail like Illinois and Indiana. We're fine. I just spent the day trying to get caught up on things.

Take it easy folks. You never know when Mather Nature is going to drop a house on you.

Mammogram Time

Yep, that's right. I had my annual mammogram this morning. It'll be an annual event until I die or have my right breast removed.

It's the crap a breast cancer survivor faces.

I was in and out in roughly a half hour. A nice young lady named Michelle took the pictures and ran back to speak with the radiologist. Part of that half hour is giving the radiologist a chance to check my pics and compare them to the last several sets. Make sure there's no hinky business that need a further exam by ultrasound, a needle biopsy, or a core.

With the ultrasound, I only get slimed. The other two hurt like a mother.

Even though the mammogram is an annual, expected event, the fear comes out. The night before, I lay awake in bed and wonder if this will be the time the medical team will find something again. No matter what I do, what techniques I try, what sleep aid I take, rest doesn't come.

I went to the diagnostic center on four hours of sleep this morning. Luckily, it's only a mile from our house. If I didn't have to cross a major highway, I could walk there.

A couple of hours after I got home, I was out cold in my recliner. The exhaustion from fear eventually catches up with me.

I just wish I could avoid the fear.

Prince in May

Then came the reclamatiion of his name.

Some Early Fake Holiday Wishes

First of all, every single holiday is made up. Yep, they are. So, I chose the holidays that are fun and/or have a spiritual meaning to me. In this case, May 4th and May 5th are on the weekend this year so here's my early holiday wishes for you!

AND

Puppy Healing

Princess Bella had a rough Saturday. Between the pain pills and the soft food, the poor girl had some digestive issues. However, she's doing much better now. Back to her old rascally self and wanting to play.

Yesterday, she seemed determined to catch up on all the play time she missing over the weekend. Unfortunately, both DH and I were trying to catch up on a multitude of work tasks, and she was rather put out by our lack of attention to our real needs.

Alas, there's never enough time to do everything one wants to do within the spare twenty-four hours per day. Including spending the entire day playing with one's adorable pet. 

Today I must plug in some words on the current wip and start cleaning the house before GK and Grandpuppy arrive in two months.

Oh, and finish making my last two Christmas gifts for friends who have been waiting patiently.