Silent Sunday 3/31/24
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Sister Sarcasm
I’m sarcastic. This is a given fact, and if you’ve ever met me in real life, it’s fairly obvious after about 5 minute’s worth of talking.
When I’m at work, in front of customers or certain coworkers, I mask.
Masking – a process in which an individual changes or “masks” their natural personality to conform to social pressures, abuse or harassment.
If I’m in an unknown social situation where I’m expected to “conform” to social norms, I mask.
But catch me in a known, comfortable, or laid-back social setting (ex., with friends, or my kids)? And you’ll get the Sarcastic Sister.
And… I use it to deflect criticism, as well.
In fact, I will use sarcastic self-deprecation to head off criticism from others.
I mean, if I’m cutting myself down… what good is it for someone else to attempt microaggressions & insults?
After all, I got there first, and with far better sarcastic insults about myself than anyone else can come up with. Who knows me better than me? Who knows right where to stick the knife so as to thwart further injury by outsiders?
Yup.
I emotionally cut myself to prevent others from doing so.
That’s priceless logic, ain’t it?
So, to show what I mean, a friend of mine upon moving away, gave me a box of affirmations. In the “advent calendar” style, you can pop one open & read something nice, that’s supposed to boost your mood about yourself.
So, of course, I’ve started opening them, & immediately twisting them.
Cause of how I do.
One day, I decided the shit was deep enough around me, so I’d take it easy on myself…
One of my coworkers asked me yesterday
“How the hell.do you think these things up? Do they just pop into your brain as soon as you read the cards?”
*sigh* yeah.
It’s called Maladaptive Cognition.
There’s always that small “voice” in my brain that pipes up to knock me “back into my lane”.
Another coworker told me I should write “sarcastic self-affirmations”, cause they’d sell like crazy. Meh. I know they might, but why risk yet another form of rejection among so many others?
I usually just shrug it off in front of others, & lay it off to “Well, I’m just twisted.”
They agree, & we go on about our business. They’ve been entertained with my antics, & I’ve prevented someone else from hurting my feelings by beating them down a little myself.
It keeps the hyenas off my lawn.
Sarcasm – the ultimate self defense.
Mute Monday
Keyboard Warrio…. Nah, Whatever.
I can’t decide whether I love or hate social media.
Yeah, it helps me keep in touch with friends & family I don’t get to see much, if ever. And I get it, if I don’t like something about it, maybe I should just get off that platform, right?
Well, it really doesn’t matter which platform you use anymore, there are trolls everywhere.
Shit, Twitter is one of the worst, IMO. It was trolls that put me so far off that platform, I simply abandoned my Twitter account, & walked away without deleting it. *cue dusty wind blowing & tumbleweed rolling across screen*
Instagram is the pressed-plastic, Barbie Dream House version of people’s “lives”. It can be amusing, & I find some great memes there, but I’ve never taken anything there as real. It’s all window dressing, never mind the pins & tape behind the curtain.
TikTok has changed something for me, though. Some days it’s good, & it makes me feel great about myself & the world, and some days, I have to put my phone face down on silent & walk away.
Goddess, don’t even get me started on Facebook. 🤐
My point is, I used to be one of those so-called “keyboard warriors”, out there till the wee hours of the morning defending the downtrodden, and burying the bullies.
Or, so I thought.
But, I finally came to realize, that – Even if you feed trolls garbage…
You’re still feeding them.
You know?
I get it, it’s REALLY difficult to walk away when you see this bottom-feeding behavior on a subject, site, or person’s post that you care about. And it’s SOOOO easy to let your itchy trigger fingers wander over the keyboard & give them a good smack-down. Or what you THINK is a smack-down, anyway, because honestly? They’re probably sitting with their phone in their hand, or in front of their keyboard, giggling to themselves over ALLLL the ATTENTION and validation they’re receiving.
Because it IS validating, in their minds anyway. It proves their existence, & their “nobody gets me, the world’s against me, so I have the right to stand here & yell louder than everyone else”.
They enjoy being polarizing, & watching as people around them start spinning in circles, popping off at them, while they’re safely munching popcorn behind their screen.
And, it’s absolutely infuriating to others, when the trolls refuse to back down, or inflame situations higher.
But – in cases where it’s just trolling? And not actual internet terrorism? And, by terrorism, I’m talking bullying, harassing, doxxing, stalking, etc… ( and yes, all genders are guilty of this)
If it’s just some Incel wanting to start a virtual fisticuffs for funsies?
Shunning works.
Blocking works. I’ve blocked so many strangers on social media, because I’ve seen them being trolls to other people. I’m just glad that so far, there’s no numerical limit to how many people I can block, or I’d have hit that wall on Facebook years ago.
Blocking these people doesn’t just keep me from responding to their infantilism, it means I don’t have to see it, & they can’t see my stuff, either, at least on FB and TikTok.
Hmm, (hot take) this is just another method of using the INFJ door slam…
Humorous rebuttals can sometimes work, too, if you can figure out a way to totally confuse the troll, & get them off balance.
I had one make a not-nice comment on one of my tiktoks, once, smarting off about something that was totally irrelevant to the video, was supposed to be personally hurtful, & posted in such a way as to make them look like the victim of bullying if I responded defensively.
Instead, I snarked back with an overly-sweet, totally sarcastic, comment, that was impossible to twist without watching me rolling my eyes while typing.
I got an apology *shrug*, & an “I’m sorry, I had a bad day”. Not a valid excuse to be an asshole to a stranger minding their own business, so I responded again with
“Yup, I was amused, honestly.”
Nothing pisses trolls off like having others being mildly amused at their antics, instead of being offended.
Anywho, I try my best, these days. When I see someone being a jackhole for no apparent reason, I practice aggressive passivity.
I clench my fists (and usually my teeth too), I take deep, slow breaths, & I do one of 3 things.
1. Scroll on, because it’s not worth the hassle to engage.
2. Block/Shun, because the person is a jackhole, sexist, racist, homophobe, tinfoil fanatic, whatever, & I don’t need that kind of stress in my already stressful life.
3. Snipe back with so much sugar and tart they lose their teeth. (I got really good at using words to insult people without them realizing it when I was young)
I’m not out here, trying to change people’s minds about how they handle trollish behavior, I’m telling you my way.
But, if I could add one request?
Please don’t feed the trolls, because they end up making everyone else feel sick when they grow from it.
TikTok has me by the Eyeballs.
Silent Sunday 3/8/2020
GamerNerdgirl
So, I’m an admitted nerdgirl.
I love learning new things, love researching things I’m interested in, and weird facts stick to the inside of my brain like Velcro.
But, I’m also a gamergirl.
I used to play games a lot when I was little. Pong, we had it. And an Atari, with about 30 cartridges. My parents got rid of it when we moved from IA, to ND, & I didn’t play anything for a long while. Fast forward, & I started playing games again when my ex-husband introduced me to them in 1997, when we were dating.
And my love for RPG (role-playing games) was cemented then.
I think it truly stems from my love of books, as I see games as a way to actually participate in the stories.
And, I get to kill shit.
Best stress-relief ever.
For the last few months, though, I haven’t been playing any of the games I have. I think my depression was weighing down on so much in my life, it just kind of took over everything I enjoyed & wrenched it from me.
Now, however, I’ve started to get some of my spark back.
It’s slow-going, because this bout of depression was – really bad. And I know it’s going to take a while to come all the way back from that.
But, I’m starting to get my games back.
Fallout 3, 4, & New Vegas, are some of the ones I enjoy in the apocalyptic genre. The storylines are really good, and they’re “open-world” games, which means I can go where I want in the map, & don’t have to follow a set agenda.
When I’m seriously in the mood for taking out bad guys, these are my go-to, as there’s a whole lot of baddies to get in them. It’s pretty much the core of the plotlines for these games, so they’re perfect for that.
If I’m looking more for “story”, or leaning more towards wanting the fantasy worlds, I load up Elder Scrolls Oblivion (I’ve played this game SOOO many times, all the way through, I could probably be a tutor for noobs.
If I’m looking to go “old school”, I fire up Final FantasyX & X2. Classics, and, in my opinion, 2 of the best put out in the Final Fantasy series.
I have a couple of other games in my cabinet that I love, but don’t play often anymore, mostly because I have beaten them, & they’re such long-playing games, I just don’t feel as passionate about them as the others.
Now, you gamers out there will notice that all of these are “single player” games.
Yep. I don’t play well with others & run with scissors when I’m gaming.
*sigh* I have control issues, alright? I don’t respond well to getting ordered about while I’m trying to play a game.
So, I’ve mostly stayed away from MMORPGs. (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games)
I tried, when Elder Scrolls came out with their MMORPG.
*sigh* I just couldn’t take it.
Too many people running around, no one I trusted to play with – it irritated me enough to make me stop playing.
But…
And this is a BIG hesitation,
I’m trying again.
This time on my phone.
I found a game that’s got such gorgeous graphics, & the story seems engaging enough. The fighting style will take me a bit to learn, as it requires both thumbs on my touch screen, so that’s awkward. I have to watch where I’m touching, because there are no physical buttons.
Gah, I wish they’d just put this on a console.
ANYWHO –
The name of the game is Perfect World.
It first came out as a PC game, I guess? But, since I don’t PC, that don’t fly for me. So here it is.
I’ll give this the benefit of the doubt, and try it for a while.
I’ve been looking for a new RPG to play, and this might fill that role.
I only play it at home, since it would suck data like a desert cactus in a rain storm.
So, maybe if I take it slow, give it time to settle…
We’ll see.
I’m just glad I’m starting to get my GamerNerdgirl back on.
I missed this chick.
Snake Bite!
It’s funny what the cessation of pain can do for your perspective.
And for your attitude.
It’s hard to realize just how much your attitude is affected by pain, until the pain stops.
Now, I’m not normally someone who goes around recommending products for anyone.
I might try new things for myself, say they “work for me” or don’t, or whatever, but I don’t try to tell anyone else whether they should use something or not.
But – I’m breaking that “rule” today.
I’ve also never come right out and publicly endorsed a product on my blog.
I’m doing that today, too.
Any of you who’ve been reading my blog for very long, know that I have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands.
I’ve been seeing a Rheumatologist for a few years now, and get steroid shots in my hands about every 6 months, just to keep the pain at bay. I also take daily anti-inflammatories to keep the swelling down. (My fingers get like little German sausages without them, and sometimes even with taking them – it’s yet another cause of discomfort, pain)
There is also a prescription gel that I have that’s supposed to help with pain. It does…a very little bit, but not to the extent I need anymore. It’s just not strong enough.
Well, I’ve been putting off going to see my Rheumatologist, because it’s kind of expensive, even with insurance, and I’ve been in a lot of pain. My thumbs, mostly.
Most people don’t realize just how much they rely on their thumbs for everything their hands do.
Pick up a stack of files?
Pressure on your thumb.
Lift a pitcher of juice out of the fridge?
TONS of pressure on your thumb.
Typing, which I do all day for my job, and typing on cell phones. Yes, different motions, but both rely on thumbs.
Getting dressed??? Try it with your thumb taped to the rest of your hand once, just to see what I’m talking about.
Luckily, the worst pain is in my left thumb, and I’m right handed, so at least I can “wipe” myself without pain. Geez.
Ok, so we’ve reviewed why I need pain relief.
Now, here’s the WHAT.
*I’m not getting paid to endorse this, wasn’t asked to endorse it, and the makers have no idea I’m writing this blog post. (I’m sure they have zero clue who I am, so, why would they know what I’m writing?)*
This is CobraZol.
And I’ll tell you right now, I’ve tried at least 4 other “arthritis pain relief” things that did- Zip. Nada. Zilch.
2 different types of daily supplements that were supposed to “boost your immune system, slow degeneration of joints & lessen pain, as well as 2 completely different type of creams. None of them worked – At. All. Binned- all of them.
But, the first time I rolled this stuff on my hands?
THE. FIRST. TIME.
Within 5-10 minutes, I had fucking relief from the pain.
The shoulders-falling, breath-blowing, muscles un-knotting, instant-smile kind of relief.
I found it on Amazon, & decided to give it a shot, after the last stuff I’d tried failed to live up to its hype. (I tried a hemp-derived cbd cream, no joy, & a strong smell, it went in the bin).
The CobraZol wasn’t expensive, just a little under $20 for a 2oz. roll-on bottle, so I figured, if it didn’t work, it wasn’t a big loss, right?
Well, I’ve been using this now since Wednesday night, so – approximately 3&1/2 days, & haven’t had to use my gel once, which is normally used 4 times a day. My hands have felt amazing, just some lingering muscle soreness (which could honestly be the beginnings of carpal tunnel, too, as I’ve been noticing some tingling & numbness in my fingers for about a week or so).
Ok, so, for those who noticed the name of the product. YES, it does mention COBRA.
The list of ingredients are on Amazon, as well as on the bottles, but, here are the main active ones:
Arnica
Capsicum
Rattlesnake venom
Bushmaster venom
Indian Cobra venom
Yes. 3 different types of venom. You read that correctly.
No, I don’t want to hear negative comments.
You see, I’ve done some research on this (I am a Google research nerd, don’t doubt).
I know the benefits of arnica and capsicum, so didn’t have to research those. (Witch, remember? I’ve read up on herbs, tinctures, & homeopathy)
Snake venom being used and useful for pain relief, however, I wasn’t familiar with, so I fucking looked it up. I don’t just buy things because some yahoo on the internet says so.
(Sorry, my mother had some things to say about this, or rather, we had a passive aggressive non-discussion about this, so I’m still a little tender around the mouth)
If you go look, and no, I’m not putting links in here, go look it up yourself if you want to read about the benefits of cobra venom in pain relief, you’ll find that there are many studies being done into how cobra venom, and even black mamba venom, have a better analgesic value than morphine, with fewer side effects.
A BETTER ANALGESIC VALUE THAN MORPHINE WITH FEWER SIDE EFFECTS.
Big pharma’s going to haaaaate that.
But, anywho.
Even if I couldn’t convince my mom that this was worth trying, I did convince many of the women in my office. I even got one of the others to try it, & she was convinced after about 20 minutes, when the pain she’d been having in her back for about a week was seriously reduced, & she had a better range if motion again.
She got on her Amazon account right away & ordered some for herself.
If that’s not a convincing endorsement, then I don’t know what is.
All I know right now, is that CobraZol works for me. The pain is so much less, which makes me feel better, & brings my mood up.
And lately? Anything that can bring my mood up is pretty much gold.
If that means snake venom?
Then…bite me.
I’m A 3-d Printworthy Genius.
I swear, someone needs to patent the shit that comes out of my brain.
And by someone, I mean me, of course.
Because then I’d be a gazillionaire.
I went to see my rheumatologist today about my hands.
I’ve had osteoarthritis for a couple of years, now, and have seen a couple of specialists. Last year, I got shots in not only my thumbs, but also in a couple of fingers. (The ones you don’t want to randomly show off to people, because they might get offended if you don’t explain, first, why you’re flipping them off)
Needless to say, the shots don’t last forever; osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that causes the cartilage between the bones to decay, allowing the bones to rub on each other. Causing pain, sometimes lots and lots of pain, and some swelling. Although, with my osteo, the swelling isn’t so bad, the aching & pain is.
Most days, my hands feel as though they’re just meat bags full of busted glass.
And over the last couple of months, I’ve developed a problem with my grip, especially in the mornings.
Osteo sucks. It really, really does.
ANYWHO!!
ON TO THE BRILLIANCE!
I went to the Dr., and he gave me a shot in each thumb again. ….and it hurts. As the afternoon wore on, it hurt worse, aching all the way up to my elbow by the time I got home, driving me to tears.
BUT, I came up with a BRILLIANT, SCIENTIFIC answer to the problem!
Ok, so my first idea…if they can make fake boobs – just make them smaller, & put them in where the cartilage is supposed to go…isn’t so brilliant. I can just imagine – the implants get put in, and a short while later – – POP! yeah… Not going to work.
BUT! My piece de resistance…
3-d PRINTING!!
Everything is being 3-d printed these days, so why not cartilage replacements?!?
Look!
They can 3-d print a whole hand! All I need is the little cartilage bits between the joints! C’mon! Waaay less work for the printer, right?!?
They can make prosthetics with a 3-d printer, but not cartilage??? What’s wrong with this picture??
Nanoparticles!
They can 3-d print Nano-fucking-particles! And yet they’re not curing arthritis?!?
I’ve cured arthritis, here, folks.
Where’s my damn Nobel Peace Prize??
Drag Me To…
I went to my very first Drag show on Saturday!
*SQUEEE*
Ahhhh…that’s better.
I’ve wanted to see a live drag show (as in, Yaaass, Qween!) for years – ever since I watched the original 1978 movie version of La Cage Aux Folles. I saw this one late night on cable in my early twenties, & was immediately riveted.
This feeling was reiterated when I saw Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar.
And again by the Robin Williams and Nathan Lane version of La Cage Aux Folles, retitled in English to The Birdcage.
Needless to say, I’ve had a healthy fascination with Drag Queens for a long time.
Hairspray? I prefer the original version with Divine, Rikki Lake, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, and Sonny Bono. C’mon, I mean RIC OCASEK from The Cars was in it, fergawdssake!! (Yes, I’m a child of the 80’s, and not ashamed of my musical upbringing, thank you)
And, I was recently lead to Todrick Hall, who has the voice of an angel, and the attitude of…well…
Y’all should watch his YouTube video called Straight Outta Oz. It’s straight outta this universe amazing.
Of course, I love RuPaul, and discovered others through the Drag Race, like Bob the Drag Queen, Alyssa Edwards, Miss Fame, Kim Chi, and others too numerous to mention here.
Anyway, back to the Drag Show.
It was put on as a fund raiser by a local Relay For Life team, and they called it “Cancer is a Drag”.
It was 4 hours of knock-down, drag-out (pun totally intended) hilarity and fun.
I didn’t want to leave my seat the whole 4 hours, even to pee, for fear I’d miss something!
And the Queens and Kings were amazing! They lip synced, they joked, they played games & got the audience revved up and involved.
I was blown away.
And, I can’t wait till they come back.
I just want to hug them all, tell them how much they’ve given me, how brave and inspiring I find them, that they can be so OUT LOUD, and UP FRONT right in people’s faces! Especially in conservative places like the city and state I live in.
(North Dakota’s a red state, y’all, and sometimes it’s so conservative it’s claustrophobic)
So, here’s the best of the pictures…I know they’re not the best, but when you’ve got #QWEENSINMOTION…well, you do the best you can.
These were not all of the performers, but I wasn’t able to get great pictures of everyone – a lot of the pictures I took came out blurry due to the dim lighting, the strobing light effects, & the constant movement of the performers. It was really difficult to get still shots!
I sincerely hope these ladies and gents know just how appreciated their performances were on Saturday, & they’re willing to do this again really soon. Because I’m kind of addicted to the whole experience, now.
Even though I ended up going to this alone, I never felt left out.
And that, was the most amazing part of it all.
Brea's Air 