– Just sayin – Page 3 – This Old House 2

Where do we go from here

If you’re not living under a rock here in the US, you know what just happened down South. Brief recap in case you really didn’t see it… Some assh*le plowed into a crowd of protesters standing up to a wh*te supremac*st hate group at their rally. That assh*le was another holier-than-thou wh*te supremac*st who apparently had nothing better to do than to kill one truly decent human being and maim at least 7 others critically.

Sadly, but expectedly (and that’s even worse), our commander in chief blamed “all sides” for this violence, and made sure no one could blame him, adding “this isn’t because of Obama or Trump”.. ( LOL, really, dude?) But…. but… and here’s the important part… he did not denounce, until two days later after he was called out on it by many sources… the haters who actually committed the violence and murder. He did not name them until today. He tried to peg it on violence from “all sides” Why? Because he knows they are part of his base supporters. Kinda like Russ*a. And ain’t that a scary, scary deal.

Regardless – Why so much hate among those people? They weren’t born with it. Perhaps they were raised with it, I don’t know. What I do know is each and every one of us bares some responsibility to help right that ship. It might take ten thousand days and ten thousand ways… but each of us can do something, somehow, somewhere… to say we are not those people. We will not tolerate intolerance.

If you are reading this and you have racist tendencies, stop the nonsense. If you’re religious and a racist.. LOL.. well, there’s a bit of irony, huh? not sure how you rationalize the hypocracy in your own mind. We are the sum of our actions, not the sum of the pigment in our skin, the origin of our ancestors. The history of the white man is not really something to be proud of – we enslaved people, took them away from their own culture and literally enslaved them to do our dirty work. We slaughtered the people who were here before us so that we could take the land they were living on. Hell, slaves built our President’s home! (you know.. the dump.. according to 45). And.. how can anyone.. anywhere.. knowing the horrors what were N@zi, Germ*ny…. idolize such a thing. So unbelievable and yet very very real – that in this day and age, we’re still dealing with this ignorance.

If we were living in the days of slav*ry, if we were living in N@zi Germ@ny, what would you have done then? What are you doing now….

Lately, it feels like we’re being assaulted in so many ways… and this ain’t no snowflake complaining here. What are YOU doing to combat what’s being thrown at us from all angles? We’re not getting reinforcement from the top, hell no. So I guess it starts with all of us.. .at the bottom and up through the middle … let’s do this… let’s be the light in these dark times… Any suggestions? I’d love to hear your words, your ideas on positive action, positive change.

You Can’t Make This Sh*T Up

Is your head spinning yet? ‘Cause whether you support the Orange Scream or you’re like me, saying or thinking a whole lot of WTF’s…. Seriously… WTF… this stuff has to tax your common sense thinking just a little. Besides N. Korea tantrums which could be pretty f-ing serious, Russia.. the state of our Health Care system… The trans ban- I’m not sure what to say about that. It just feels real discriminatory and unfair to me. A 45 supporting friend said to me – the military shouldn’t pay for their gender operations! Apparently 8 million dollars has been spent on that subject. $78 mill has been spent on Viagra and Cialis for their erectile dysfunction. Let that sink in.

This past week alone, just tip of iceberg stuff here – we’ve got one atrocious speech in front of the Boy Scouts of America… another atrocious speech suggesting more police brutality is in order, shall we even bother with the appointment of Scaramucci? He’s so slick I’m surprised his suit stays on him. Maybe that’s why the knots so tight.. to hold it in place/ Jeez in his first week in position he suggested Sarah Huckabee needed help with her makeup and hair – what an absolute ass. He’s such a turd his wife of three years just filed for divorce.. apparently very unhappy about his dance with the new White House. I can’t say that I blame her and I wish her the very very best. Smart woman.

If foul language offends you, don’t glance below. But if you’re a 45 supporter, I guess this doesn’t bother you at all…..

UPDATE: He’s OUTTA THERE! That has to be a record.

I have some happy news to share, but I’m not polluting it in this post.. more later.

Where do we draw the line?

Every time I think — well, this can’t possibly go on, surely someone of authority will stand up and put an end to this nonsense. …every time….. nothing. I keep calling my mother, who is very politically savvy, has been around a while and been involved in politics for many years on local levels. I say… have enough wheels fallen off that bus yet??… and the response is a much more patient one than my own… these things take time, Karen.

Well, hell… how much “time” do we all need to believe what 45 is telling us every.single.day… that he is unhinged, that he is vindictive, that he lies, he tweets inappropriate, obnoxious absolute crap that is an embarrassment to our country, that he’s destroying the integrity of the office he holds, that he has the tolerance, patience, and virtues of a flea… and you know, that comparison is not even fair to fleas. Their infestation and leaching off other creatures is for survival means only. They don’t know any better.

What an absolute a$$. What bothers me more, is witnessing fellow Americans cheering his hideous behavior on. This isn’t just about policy, folks. I am not a republican hater, I am not a far lefter, I’m not a “Snowflake” crying because my party lost. I don’t have a party. WE ALL LOST when this idiot came to dismantle the integrity of our country. He’s not making America great again, he’s dismantling it with his total disrespect. And make no mistake, that was his goal. That was Bann*n’s goal.. and we’re letting them get away with it. How very, very tragic. It’s horrifying to watch if you’re a person who actually gives a shit about decency. That word in particular.

This latest twitter sh*tstorm with the Morning Joe show and Mika B…. I will say I think the media has taken far too much power, slanting the news toward their own leanings for a long time – that’s wrong. I think making fun of the President’s hand size is childish. They aren’t the leader of the free world, though. The POTUS… should have the wherewithall to refrain from such vile responses… the world is watching. He works for We the People, not the other way around. We deserve better… we deserve a responsible adult to respresent us, not a whining narcissistic bully.

WTF. W…. T…..F.

I adopted another dog in part, I think, because I am desperate to see more of and be part of and encourage the GOOD in people. This weekend I will support a rescue down in Georgia by adopting one of her charges and make a monetary donation to her rescue to help with expenses. This woman goes without nice things so she can pull yet another of the 1000’s of homeless dogs/puppies that are throw aways. I will meet two ladies at a commuter lot in New Haven after they have driven over 30 hours with about 30 dogs who have found a new life is waiting for them up North. If you’re not familiar with the I-95 corridor running north to south and vice versa – it’s a jungle. And it’s the fourth of July weekend – God Bless Them.

I’ll keep you posted on -Sally’s- arrival. Not sure we’ll keep her name yet.. have to meet the little girl to know if it suits her. She doesn’t know it as her name yet, so we’re good there. This picture was sent to me just now by her rescue… she’s on her way to transport pick up. I’m in love already. See you soon, Sally girl.

I’ll be bold here and ask one thing of you…. No matter what your political affiliation, please above all else, stand up for and demand truth, integrity, decency.. from our leaders. Please don’t condone childish juvenile bully behavior. Our children are watching, the world is watching….. the integrity of our future depends on it.

Be well, friends, and have a safe holiday weekend.

The Greatness…. it’s Yuge.

Just curious… at what point exactly is it safe to assume no one believes absolutely everyone but the POTUS is a liar? The guy who contradicts himself constantly, lies to the public openly, documented, not fake news when it comes out of his own mouth, those guys you all thought were swampy until they stood next to 45, the guy who throws his own people under the bus when it suits him, that guy. Jesus, NO ONE is going to want to work for him. I’m surprised we aren’t yet seeing resignations left and right. Unless… could it be true, the swamp is even swampier than we thought?

And…When does it feel justified to believe anything the news came out with if it were about the opposite party, but if it’s about your guy, it’s all fake news? When does it start getting uncomfortable to defend this bullsh@t, even if you believe in his policy?

R*ssia…. is going to provide us with transcripts? Because we can’t rely on our own government (specifically the POTUS) to provide us with the truth?….

What a zoo.

I am what a Pre-Existing Condition looks like

Have you been paying attention to just exactly what this is that the idiots in Washingt*n are trying to pass off as Healthcare? Some members of the GOP admit they didn’t even read the damned proposal before they voted. Holy sh*t, isn’t that what they’re getting paid very well for? Isn’t this thing important enough to read the fine print, let alone the big print all the way through ? If you voted for the Orange Scream, is this what you hoped for? Basically, if you’re a woman, you ARE a pre-existing condition. If you’re poor, if you’re sick, if your child is sick.. you’re f*cked. One idiot in particular said in slightly different words, if you’re sick it’s your fault – poor choices!

WTF.

I don’t know how any member of the Rep*blican party can feel good about the soulless group currently representing them… how did such a ruthless, soulless, heartless, clueless group obtain such power again. Apparently we don’t learn important lessons from history, we are doomed to repeat them. When did enough of us decide that decency, democracy, fairness, common sense, truth, justice and THE AMERICAN WAY… was worth throwing under the proverbial bus because -change -. What -change- did we bring on that was worth forgoing our core values, our very decency. Why are we turning a blind eye? Why is nepotism suddenly OK. Why is the POTUS lying about little things, big things, getting our HISTORY wrong, pissing off world leaders at random, tweeting ridiculousness in the middle of the night… and getting away with it – how is this OK? What happened, America? WTF happened?

You know what’s worse than the joke below? ….

the fact that it’s actually what he said.

****************************

The further a society drifts from the truth…

The more it will hate those that speak it.

–George Orwell

Funny thing – when I talk like this, I am often accused.. and I use the word accused… of being a Liberal. A Democrat. As if those are dirty words. I’m actually none of the above. But hell, when you express concern for human beings, for decency, for fairness… for inclusion, … if that’s what you want to call me? It means the republican party doesn’t represent any of these things. So I’ll take it.

Believe people when they tell you who they are.

Invisible

When you’re not extremely old and your voice sounds fairly normal, being hearing impaired is an invisible handicap that can frustrate others as well as yourself. I’m not using the word “deaf” because I do still hear some things….this hearing impairment of mine is such a strange thing. According to the various hearing specialists I’ve seen, I am deaf. Language deaf in particular. What -language deaf- means is I don’t hear all the parts of speech anymore, so when someone is talking to me it sounds as if they’ve got both hands over their mouth or like I’m hearing their voice through water. I’ve lost all mid and high tones completely, so I hear only the base of things, music included. To top off that annoyance, I have tinnitus… bells and whistles, crickets, chirps and tweets go off all the time in my ears, 24-7. That’s my brain’s way of creating the sound it knows I should be receiving from my ears. Since no sound is coming from my ears, my brain MAKES the sound to compensate. Crazy, right?

For me, the loss of music is the worst. I used to play instruments and absolutely loved music, so many forms of it, too. Sometimes I can still tell you what song is playing in my vicinity just by the base it presents. The song itself I know only from memory.

So.. the invisible part. When you have a handicap that’s invisible.. more often than not, you are on the receiving end of other people’s frustration with you, not their sympathy. Now, I don’t want people’s sympathy – Lord knows there are worse things in life than being “deaf’. I am so grateful for the life I have, in so many ways. There’s no denying, though, that the frustration displayed by others on occasion gets old.

A few days ago I was at the grocery store and apparently the clerk asked me if I had any “gold coins”. I didn’t hear her and kept looking down at my purse trying to find my scan card. When I looked up she was staring at me with a pissed off look. I recognized the look and said “I’m sorry, I’m hearing impaired. Did you say something?”… She then repeated the line, and because she wasn’t using her mouth much I couldn’t read her lips. Not her fault, but I had to say it again… “still didn’t get what you’re saying, I apologize… can you try one more time? ” and she said loudly and clearly.. “are you for real?” The person behind me kindly touched my arm, looked me right in the eye and spoke clearly using her mouth expressively… and I got what she was saying. One stupid line took three minutes and a snarky comment to get past.

My part time job is as editor of a local publication. Part of my job is having to interview people to highlight their business here in town. I have a very understanding employer, and because of the hearing issue, I conduct interviews through e-mail and it’s worked out really well… most of the time. I send a series of questions, simple questions that are easy to answer, which are answered in return e-mail.. .. and I spin an article out of the info. Sometimes… the message is lost on the person I’ve contacted for the interview.

Recent conversation via e-mail:

Good morning! Below you’ll find a few questions regarding the profile article that will appear in the ____. Please answer at your convenience in return e-mail and I will put together an article and get it back to you for review.

*I prefer to interview in person – call me.

I understand, but as we discussed earlier, I am hearing impaired and prefer to gather information via e-mail so that I have all the details correct. Should only take a few minutes of your time, you have a week to get it back to me. Thank you!

*Can’t you just call my secretary then? I hate typing.

I can’t call her but if you forward this e-mail to her or give me her e-mail, she can answer the questions too. Whatever works is fine with me.

* How about you just come in and we can talk in my office?

I understand that might be easier for you, but I will still be attempting to read your lips and write on the paper at the same time, I fear I won’t get the information correct, really need the article to be accurate.

* OH, I see.. just bring a tape recorder and you can write it down later!

I won’t be able to hear the tape later. Any chance you can just type the answers to the few questions in an e-mail? I pulled the rest off your website.

Mind you… all this was e-mail back and forth. Already he had typed almost as much as if he had just answered the questions initially in e-mail. I haven’t heard back yet… probably because he’s frustrated.

Last Saturday night I took one of our dogs to the emergency vet. The jury is still out on whether she’ll be OK, we go back to the vet today. Anyway… the receptionist had multiple piercings on her lips, big hoops and little studs, my God that had to be uncomfortable. As you can imagine, I’m staring at her lips to try to decipher what she’s saying. I do this with anyone I meet. She doesn’t know this, of course, and by her demeanor it’s clear she thinks I’m staring at her piercings and has taken offense. I realize what’s happening and say “I’m sorry – I am hearing impaired and need to read your lips to get through the conversation, that’s why I’m staring at your mouth, I should have explained, I apologize”. She then smiles and says.. .OOOH…. that’s ok then! I thought you were being rude.

I was chaperoning at one of my son’s dances. A few other moms I had not met previously were there as well. The next day I got an e-mail from a good friend – “Hey, I guess you were chaperoning with (insertname) last night. She called me this morning and said – Wow, M’s mom is a real bitch. Several times when I tried making small talk she just flat out ignored me!. My friend has a great sense of humor, laughed and said – She’s deaf!!…. and I had to laugh too.

*sigh. I hate rude people. I hate looking or behaving like a rude person, yet that’s the impression people get around me on occasion. Sometimes I think I should just wear a sign that says – I’m deaf. Out of frustration I actually had a tee shirt made that says Deaf on the front, and Still Deaf on the back. Then I realized it sounds like I’m frustrated, so I never wore it.

For my family, it’s just as annoying for them as it is for me. Can you imagine having to repeat yourself sometimes three and four times to get a simply line of communication across? Daily? Or how about that closed caption scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen, always.

What I have to stop doing is the apologizing. Bad habits are hard to break, though. It’s not other people’s fault that they can’t see my handicap, but it’s not my fault that I’m deaf either. I can’t change my hearing status, but I can certainly stop apologizing for it. NOTE TO SELF.

Blossoming

New England has seen one wet Spring so far… everything’s pretty soggy ’round here. The leaves are beginning to pop and pollen would coat everything right about now if it weren’t so rainy. The grass is a vibrant green and the horses are loving the pastures…

My tulips are blooming in the border gardens and the peach trees are just bursting…

The vegetable garden beds so far have yielded an abundant weed crop… and the 500 onions are coming along… we’ve got some work to do out there.

The chicks were moved out to the garage a few weeks ago, and now reside in their own little section of the Egg Plant. There is bird mesh separating them from the big girls until they are about the same size – approx five months old. The Mr. built a small make-shift coop for them so they are protected at night. It’s basically a big plywood box with a door and holes in it.

Amazing how fast chicks grow – this little girl (Florence) is a Dark Brahma, the feathers on her feet are adorable.

I’ve been letting the big girls out to free range when I’m out there cleaning… it’s so good for them but the coyote and hawk population around here makes it treacherous.

And because I gotta be me, let’s talk about this unpleasant subject for just a moment…. how’bout that interview 45 gave Reuters yesterday in regard to his first 100 days?…. I said from the very beginning…. I don’t think he wants the job! (And I really didn’t think he’d get it)…. Why would a man of his temperament want all the restraints the POTUS position will bring to his life? He would hate it!….

So I have to tell you… I do get just a little satisfaction from reading this yesterday…

*sigh. He’s gotta be him, too.

New Chick Hut and holy twitter storm, Batman

Today I ran around like-a-chicken-without-it’s-head looking for a new box to house the chicks in on our summer porch. They’re growing like weeds!… First I stopped in the local hardware store – nothing big enough but they let me look through the dumpster anyway. Much appreciated. Then I headed over to Stop and Shop and asked the grocery store clerk if they might have a box from old deliveries I could buy or take off their hands. Turns out they recycle all boxes at 7 a.m. every morning, where they are all crushed in a compactor. So, If I want to get there at 6:30-ish a.m. tomorrow I could get a big box from them. I appreciated the tip, put that feather under my cap and moved on. Next was Ocean State Job Lot. Now.. have you ever been to one of those? Everywhere you look, and I mean everywhere you LOOK!!!… are a hundred boxes of varying sizes, mostly filled with “stuff” they are trying to sell, and some others that are randomly scattered and waiting for a purpose .. or something. I thought – cinch! I can get one here for sure, right?

So I tap on the shoulder of one salesperson and ask politely if I could have one of their many thousands of boxes for chick rearing purposes.

She said “oh nooo, we don’t sell our boxes, we recycle them.”

Me- Oh, that’s great! and my purpose would be a recycling of sorts, no? Plus, I am more than happy to PAY you for a big box, I don’t care how beat up it is. Can I do that? PAY you for one of the ones I see sitting around?”

“No”… she says… “We really don’t give them to anyone, ever.”

“What about that one over there, it’s really beat up and looks like you’ll be throwing it out soon, I can tape it back together and use it, would that one be OK?”.

“No. We use them all”.

Can I talk to your manager? Maybe He or she would be OK with me buying just one.. for my chicks.

Manager is called – but doesn’t come to see me. The message is relayed.. “We recycle our boxes, we don’t give them away or sell them.. to anyone for any reason.”

Now it might appear right here that I think I’m something special and for ME they should make the exception. I’m really not thinking along those lines, honestly. No.. as I’m standing in that Job Lot looking at about 1,000 boxes, some full, some half empty, a whole f*ing stack of them in the middle isle EMPTY – I’m thinking it’s overkill to stick to your guns and not let a person buy a F-ING USED UP BOX for her baby chicks.

But.. sometimes you just gotta let it go.. so I went.

Next stop was our trusty Appliance salesman who only had top and bottomless boxes last time I stopped in. This time he had one that was indeed bottomless, BUT.. at this point I am more than willing to improvise.

And Improvise I did…

My old Egg Plant sign has withered away, so I put a new one up yesterday… just some stuff I found on sale at Michaels. (love that store). Now I may be crafty, but patient I am not. So this will need to be touched up a bit.. letters crooked, splattered paint around the edges. A job for another day…

That about covers my egg-sellent adventures for the day…

Meanwhile.. back in The House… Agent Orange is twittering so fast as the FBI discusses lack of wire tap findings and possible R*ssia connections I’m surprised his fingers haven’t fallen off yet.

Can we all agree it’s really childish and very un-world leader like to tweet horrific accusations with no evidence to back them because you saw it on Fox News?

Can we all agree Russia wants: our relationship with our allies compromised…check
NATO undermined…check
Our world wide respect shaken…check …..

I will say it again- I love my country. I want to respect our leader. I think respect is earned and I think respect for the powerful office he holds is his responsibility first and foremost. I honestly believe not one single person on my friend list would conduct themselves the way 45 does if placed in that position, not one. Forget the news, forget policy, what does your conscience tell you. .. what does the decency you were raised with tell you.

*sigh

Chairs and Chicks and Checks and Balances

I must confess I did not have a personal caning experience with the Western Union Operator stools we picked up recently. Nope. I chickened out. When we took a closer look, it was possible I could really screw up the wood when trying to get the old embedded caning out of the seat . We found a furniture doctor in a nearby town that does caning and he did a great job. I just need to use some sort of treatment oil to keep the caning supple – tung oil is recommended or a furniture polish with high oil content.

Have you ever marveled at how birds develop so quickly from egg to flyaway? The typical wild bird takes about 21 days from the time the egg is laid in the nest till they are feathered enough to fly away from the nest. That time period does vary among species, but it’s an insane growth rate, don’t you think?

That’s K discussing Domestic Policy with Emmeline.

As for chickens – they are considered mature between the ages of 16 and 20 weeks. If you’ve experienced raising chicks, you know that their growth rate is amazing. The changes are witnessed daily. When they were day old chicks they had no wing feathers – if you look closely, just five days later, look at their wings –

I’m happy to report that Nora, Florence, Emmeline, Elizabeth, Rosa and Coco are doing well. I give them one mashed egg yolk daily with a little grit mixed in, plus they get medicated chick feed and plenty of clean water. A Heat lamp is necessary at this stage but as they mature the heat source is slowly raised and then removed before they move out to the coop.

I’m safely guessing that whether you are a supporter of the current administration or as offended as I am by them, you’re as disgusted with all the turmoil in the news regardless. When Washington is in total chaos, we all look like fools and I really, really hate that. We as a nation are collectively so much more than that circus. It does not represent We The People and yet we all will be held accountable.

Here’s a thought – All this Russia-gate crap, the denials, the accusations, all of it from both sides of the proverbial isle….. I don’t know if it holds any water. But…. why initially omit or lie about meetings, why deny Russian interference in our election process which was proven and even Agent Orange admits occurred now… Why not just release your damned tax returns so that all those who are using that as a reason they don’t trust you and believe you have Russian ties can be set to rights by your proven innocence? Isn’t that what Obama did for the Orange Scream when he accused him of not being born in America? When you are accused, you provide proof of innocence. When you refuse… who wouldn’t draw the conclusion you’re hiding something?..only natural, and so easy to set the record straight.

As for accusing the previous POTUS for illegally wiretapping your private residence before your election ON YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT, and without providing any evidence, well.. that kind of behavior is dangerous, reckless. This man is everyone’s President – at the very least he owes the larger half that did not vote for him behavior and actions that will give us some sort of ability to be able to trust him. So far, he’s done nothing, has not provided a thread we can swing from in an effort to weave a fabric we can all respect regardless of policy views. Any man in the Presidential position owes that to all the people of this country. Ain’t happen’n from what I can see.

I have friends who voted for Agent Orange and for varying reasons. I still respect them, regardless because I understand and commiserate with their gripes about our government. The ones I don’t respect are those who will defend absolutely every single action of this new administration, no matter how intolerable it would be if it were anyone else. First, lets kill all the hypocrisy.

Finds for Stella

When we bought the cottage, for a small additional price, some of her “stuff” came with. After purchase we discovered most of it needed to go in the dumpster as mice had taken up residence. A few pieces were reworked. The dining table and chairs were well worn but still in good shape other than refinishing. We know a woodworking guy who has a nifty machine that -sprays- a refinish on furniture, cabinets, etc. The finish is beautiful, better than I could have done with a bucket of paint and a brush. We figured the cost to have him do it would be cheaper than buying a new table and chairs, although indeed more money than if I had done it myself.

Well. That’s not exactly how it went. While it looks terrific!… turns out the cost was the same as if I had gone out and bought a new table and chairs. One would think the person doing the work would let you in on that before you commit to it…as the whole purpose was to save money. Live and learn. At least it’s one less bulk of furniture clogging a landfill, right?

Now that we’ve got both bedrooms squared away except for mattress purchase, we still need a couch and chair for the sitting area. Do you call it a living room when the whole cottage could fit in a living room? I am loving this tiny house nation we have joined, really loving it. Right now progress is at a halt until the weather warms. That’s when we’ll get to finish varnishing walls and sanding and restaining floors. With the water shut off for the season, I can’t even wash down the bathroom and kitchen. So…..

I love Homegoods – always find something unique and cool and usually for a very good price. A few days ago I needed some retail therapy even though the wallet would beg to differ. Why not go scrounge around for a few ‘house warmers’ for the old girl. My goal is to not have much clutter, and most things should be functional. Also, if they can have meaning, even better.

Find No. 1 – the bedding is going to be ivory and neutrals with a navy bedskirt. My mom and I are born and raised (Staten Island) New Yorkers, even though we moved to CT long ago. She will be spending much time at Stella too – I was looking for a nautical pillow or two, but this one is even better – It’s a good size, so no need for more. Meaning, functional, attractive – score!

I got this big blanket basket and soft seafoam colored blanket for under $40. Who can’t use a little cozy now and then.

I’ve tried, but can’t seem to close this post without chirping about that insane rant by the President yesterday. Holy cow, he’s come undone. If you don’t think so, I got nothing. This is way beyond differences in policy ideas, tightening the security belt, swinging over to the right. For anyone to think it’s OK to behave and speak and slander and lie in the ways that he does as PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED STATES, that’s just not digestible no matter how you try to spin it. I’m not even gonna bother getting into the details. I’ve learned it just doesn’t matter – if you choose to turn a blind eye, you will be blind. Me? I will keep my eyes wide open.

*sigh