The Slap List and Angry Throat Talkers

There is a sign at a local restaurant that speaks to me.  "Dear Karma, I Have a List of people you missed."  Ever feel like that?

I have struggled off and on throughout my life with the temptation to just haul off and smack someone. I am definitely not the kind of person who would actually do that -- under normal conditions. Sometimes, though,  I have struggled with self-control (especially for injustices against my kids and/or grandkids) and have found comfort in the idea of what has come to be called The Slap List.  I am not sure who came up with this idea or -- if it were just a mutual notion that occurred as a thought shared among good friends - something that came up in conversation.  The origin doesn't matter really as much as the concept and the relief such a list offers to those who have it as an imaginary friend that floats harmlessly close by in case it's needed. I picture mine as one of those wire memo spikes with little pieces of paper -- each one containing a name -- the kind that sits on a desk in an office.  A Slap List is much better than actual confrontation.  It relieves tension and hanging onto "things". Truly.  And ... the Slap List has the additional benefit of adaptability.  People can be placed on or removed from whenever necessary. Personally I must say that I have no one who is permanently on my Slap List ... well ...  perhaps with one exception ... maybe two ... definitely under ten. 

Why have I decided to share this idea with you right now?  I guess it is a pre and post election "thing". The fact is --  I have been observing a lot of angry people both before and after this past November 3rd.  Guess I was thinking that the notion of such a list might come in particularly handy to the group of angry young women, many of whom have some blue hair, who rant of late -- making their voices come from the back of their throats so that they sound sort of weird and other dimensional even when talking at a normal volume. This way of speaking has been adopted by an entire gaggle (perhaps predatory pack is more accurate)  of confrontational young women -- some without blue hair as well. Both the hair dye and way of speaking seems to be gaining popularity.  It's a group trait. Their voices are painful to hear. These voices are scary angry. Perhaps that is what they are going for.  Are they enjoying their anger?  Does it give them a sense of meaning and worth?  They seem to tend to cling to each other for support. They have goals obviously, but ...  I can't help but think that they are cancelling out all the hard work of the previous generations of women who paved their own way, fought their own battles quietly and hopefully with some grace so as to not permanently offend others or terrify small children.  Just an observation. 

None of these scary angry throat talkers are on my Slap list at the moment.  I just feel sort of sorry for them.  I picture them sitting around in groups all talking from the back of their throats, perhaps flipping their blue hair,  and complaining about other people and how much they hate them. It seems to me that they do tend to be intolerant and that they like to think they are right about everything -- every single thing. They are screaming into the wind in a pathetic way.  Sad really. I have thought off and on over the years that it must be a wonderful thing to know for certain that you are 100% right ... about anything beyond the basic right and wrong, dangerous and not dangerous. I will never know what that feels like. 

Anyway -- will they be able to see beyond the world they have created for themselves? Are all blue haired throat talkers in this category? Is it becoming a stereotype? Will they continue this into their old age?  Would it be helpful to them to have a Slap List to relieve tensions or do they just enjoy their distaste of the world?  So many questions.  Now I wonder if I will be on their Slap Lists ... as if they would read or even run across this white-haired "elder's" blog? Seriously -- I doubt that would ever happen.  Fun to think about though. 

Remember when blue hair used to be associated with old ladies trying to keep the yellow tinge less noticeable in their white hair?  Oh my... times change. It is an interesting day and age. Feel free to adopt the idea of the Slap List no matter what color your hair is.  I have found that it can be a very healthy "option". Plus it comes with no regrets since no one really got slapped -- even if they deserved it. Those on the list don't even know they are or have been on it. Maybe Karma will be more careful not to miss anyone. Oh -- and be kind to throat talkers even if they seem to hate you. Then again it might be best to observe from a distance.  Hopefully it's a phase.  

Your Turn

 Okay Democrats... It's your turn.  Show us what you've got on your play list other than bashing your opponents, accusing others of doing things that you have done and are actually doing, and giving away the money of hard working Americans to those who don't work for anything.  Americans put you in office. Some of you who were reelected became astoundingly rich in unexplainable ways while ""serving" the American people. We would like to know how. It's time. It is also time to get to work and do something.  If you even show us a plan and the steps necessary to achieve goals, it would be most helpful. Time to clean up your act and get to work. Stop whining. Stop name-calling. Step up out of the muck and get to work. And ...  speak in English, please. 

One suggestion ...  you might start with cleaning up all the Democrat controlled large cities and with exposing and eliminating Democrat fraud across the country as well. Visible justice would be ideal. It would also be nice if you even acknowledged that rural America exists. It would be nice if you stood for the American people ... all of them. Your To Do list is long indeed.  Let's see you get to work.  You have two years to show us what you've got.  Don't waste our time. We are not interested in smug preening and foot stomping. We are interested in good work for our country. We are sick and tired of you working against progress because you can't speak one sentence without bashing the current leadership team.  Grow up people and get to work.  Compromise is not a myth.

America is watching. Our patience is limited. Our tolerance for your political bologna has been exhausted.  We are sick of your "hearings" where you interrupt constantly and speak over  -- not allowing a person to answer a question. It would be perfect, too, if you could remember that the United States of America is a Democracy, not particularly by and large tolerant of Socialist ideology.  It's time to serve all Americans you represent. 

Not Perfect - But The Best

Fear mongering across the board -- not just Democrats... not just Republicans... not just mainstream media and not just current political campaigns or even advertisers who want you to be afraid that you smell bad or are in some way inadequate if you don't buy certain products. Those seeking to control others seem to be floating around us everywhere. It has been that way for too long now. Was it always?  Will it always be? I don't know about you, but I am sick of it. Time to take a breath and put the fearmongers on the back shelf of the junk closet and shut the door.  

• Y2K Doomsday -- we all know how that did not end.
• Environmental Crises now proven not to exist
• Covid so-called vaccines that did major damage to many
• Global Economic ruin that doesn't really loom on the horizon

Then the more recent...

• Aliens from outer space hiding among us
• AI threat to humanity
• Evils of runaway technology
• Potential Grid Collapse and Cyber-Warfare

The list could go on and on, but the basic facts are that fear is commonly used in an attempt to manipulate and control. Politicians especially like to fear monger and they monger most effectively while shouting.  One frowzy looking white haired politician even appears to spit for emphasis while shouting his doomsday messages.  Again -- I am sick of it. I do not want to be a lemming... or any part of a herd or pack of trembling followers.  

I have decided that I will not be controlled by nasty fear mongerers. I don't want you to let them make you afraid either. There is a difference between evaluating evidence logically and trying to control through fears that are most likely unfounded or definitely exaggerated.  Time to stand up to all conniving manipulators.  This seems particularly relevant at this time -- just a few days away from midterm elections.  

We need to be aware of real dangers -- like the threat of the DSA who make their goals perfectly clear --  typed out neatly in black and white and published for all to read. These are not imagined dangers. I have read the threats they have written ---some of which they are trying to walk back now. Are they lying now just to get elected? Hmm....  Yes. Obviously.  Do they now control the entire Democratic Party?  Scary thought.  I am not sure that I know the answer. I am not sure how to find out. Guess we will find out come November 3rd..

Think people. Then get out and vote for the lesser of the control seeking manipulators. This is America.  We are a free and independent people. Don't let the government control you. You control the government. Take a Stand. Earn your own way. Focus on what has been accomplished, not on what is yet to be done.  Be Patient. Refuse to be cancelled by anyone. Prove this refusal on election day. Vote to preserve the American way of life and all the freedoms that includes.  America is the best country that has ever existed  -- not perfect -- but the best. We continue to strive to be even better. No wonder people want to come here. Recognize that good work takes time. Let's fight to keep the American Dream alive and strong.  Don't be tricked into giving your power to the fear mongerers. Beware of false promises.  There is truth in the 19th century adage ... There is no free lunch.... 

At this stage of the journey, I figure I can tolerate just about anything, but... I want the best for my wonderful children and grandchildren and on... for yours as well.  Please .... vote against anything that smacks of socialism. It's has never worked anywhere; it won't work here either -- except for power hungry "leaders".

Makes Sense To Me

 Perhaps the title of this week's blog should be "Things I Should Get Rid Of But Don't" ... or maybe "I Have My Reasons".

I have been struggling with cleaning out my closets for many months now.  I think about it, but don't take much action.  Then today I was looking around my home and noticed that there are a lot of things that could go that are not in closets. Want to be clear on one thing ... my home is not cluttered; it just holds a lot of "stuff" that I tend to hang onto. 

Let's start with bottles.  I have gathered up too many old, small bottles from here and there over the years -- mostly that I have found while walking in fields or along old dusty roads in the few months here that don't have snow.  Why do I keep them?  I like looking at them. That is also why I keep photographs from over the years in baskets sitting around here and there. I simply like them handy when I feel like looking at them.

Then -- there are things I have found in my yard  -- trinkets and odds and ends that I like to think were dropped by crows that like me and pinecones that I religiously gather whenever they fall.  It's not every year... so the pinecones are special.  Why do I keep them in baskets in my garage?  I make "stuff" out of them that probably only I appreciate, but ... I like them.  Oh -- I also put them in the bottom of pots before adding dirt when I repot plants.  Why? ... because I tell myself they must have nutrients that are good to enrich the soil and make for healthier plants.  I, by the way, have no idea if that is true or not... or maybe I read that somewhere.  Don't care.  I tell myself a lot of things that make me feel good about what I do.  Doesn't everyone?  They should.

Am third and the last for today -- are the piles of homemade afghans.  Some are on the couch (always at least two), others on beds throughout the house and several neatly folded for future use in the big closet.  I cannot even count the number I have given away over the years. I think three of them have even gone to college. Why do I have so many?   Because I find that knitting or crocheting them is fun and has the added benefit of keeping my fingers, hands and wrists from solidifying.  Oh --and they keep me warm while I am working on them on snowy, cold days ....  I like to think that when anyone wraps him/herself up in one that it is a hug from me. Every member of my immediate family has a Mom/Nana afghan. I have even made afghans for my pets over the years.  Why?  It's what I do.

Guess we all have our "things".  Multiple junk drawers come to mind as do jars of buttons from 4 generations, multiple hammers and assorted tools, too many old pens, favorite clothing that should have been cut into rags years ago.... Now that I writing about this, I think any list could be pages long.  My list could be.

At least I don't keep creepy things like snake skins that I have found over the years. I put gloves on and throw them into the trash and then shiver for a few minutes. What I do have hanging around the house, in the basement, in my garage, and in my little red barn makes perfect sense to me and... that is all that matters really. I like my stuff and I like it around me for whatever reason.  "One man's junk is another man's treasure."  (I also love old proverbs.)

It's Weird

 Was looking around on Amazon the other day only to discover a mug with "It's weird being the same age as old people" boldly printed on the front. It got me to thinking about becoming what appears to many as being an "old fart' and wondering how close I am and if I will admit it.  (Brief pause...) Actually I think I may be there and have no trouble admitting it.  I sometimes think I would wear the Old Fart hat with some degree of pride and a pretty good sense of humor.  (The thing is ... I just don't wear hats... or hardly ever.)

What makes me think I belong to this senior citizen group -- other than my age?  It's simple really.  I love paper maps -- have an entire drawerful even though I rarely go anywhere which involves the need for a map.  Sometimes I take them out to just look at them and to see where things are in relationship to each other.  My Geography skills have deteriorated.  (I also have an atlas. I love it.)   Then there is the fact that I adore receiving hand written letters and write them myself if my fingers are having a good day.  Another clue -- I have fond memories of the days of S&H Green Stamps and phone books. And... I have a manual pencil sharpener screwed to the wall of my garage.  I remember the days of wet wool mittens and polyester was yet to come. We ironed everything including handkerchiefs.   Yep -- I am of that vintage for sure and committed to it. Like I have a choice....

Perhaps I should buy the hat I also saw on Amazon that reads...  "Hang in there. It gets worse."  The only thing I am completely sure of at the moment is that those of a certain era need to stick together. It's a matter of support and of just plain fun. We appreciate many of the same things. Those things bond. We "get" each other and laugh at the same things without any explanation needed.  It's nice really.  Very nice. 

Today I am heading to a monthly gathering of my graduating class. I am looking forward to it big time.  So fun.  Am also feeling thankful ....  

Hope for the Technologically Challenged

Last week's blog was about setting goals and trying to move forward in positive ways.   So..  of course I reminded myself of that when looking at the box containing the WiFi extender that I had ordered from Amazon... the one I had been looking at for several days as it reposed quietly on the kitchen table.  The key words here are "looking at".  There is an important difference between "looking at" and figuring out what to do with it.

You would think I was trying to formulate a plan to save the world or something when all I wanted to do is to be able to access the Internet from the back guest bedroom and perhaps out on the back patio. Technology scares me.  Even trying to deal with it is a personal challenge.  

The thing is -- the description of this "thing" said easy installation. Easy?  As I understood it, all I had to do was plug it into a wall socket and push one button to activate the connection to my current router and extend the WiFi capabilities.  Whoever wrote that description lied.  I hope they, at some point in time, find themselves confronted with a box they are trying to ignore -- a box containing something they want to figure out, but are struggling with... a box that haunts.

Here's what I am thinking as I write.  Today is the day to stop rereading the six step instructions and get it done.  If I fail, I have options.   I can try again tomorrow or ...  I can beg for help from my grandkids or wait until my son comes from Indiana for Thankmas -- whichever opportunity for help comes first.  

~~~~   So...

Day One -- After rereading instructions for the who knows how many times, I plugged the extender into the wall socket - the first of the 6 steps described in the instruction booklet. TA DA!  Success with that first step -- plug in and turn on. Downhill from there.... worked on it off and on all day.  It was total failure as the flashing blue lights on the gadget indicated, but ...   I succeeded in not taking a hammer to the device and ... after considerable thought ... opted to try again tomorrow  I did, however say a bad word ... just one ... but it was a beaut.

Day Two -- Repeat of utter failure.  Tried working through my router directly rather than through my phone.  So much for suggestions found on YouTube.

Day Three.  If at first you don't succeed, ask Chat GPT. It was a good "listener".  I described both methods I had tried unsuccessfully.  It offered a step by step  method that sort of combined working through my phone and through the router - the two methods I had tried with no luck.  Chat GPT is smart and easy to talk with... conversational really. Success in under five minutes.   Ta Da!!!  Nothing quite like the solid blue lights of a working WiFi extender.

My conclusion?  Chat GPT offers hope to the technologically challenged and doesn't talk to you like you are an idiot.  Refreshing.  AI (Artificial Intelligence) that really is intelligent.  Yep  SI (Super Intelligence) is more apt when talking about Chat GPT.  

I am advancing.  From now on -- I am going forego instructions written by someone for whom English is a second language and also skip YouTube videos.  I am going straight for "the" Chat GPT.  I wonder if it could motivate me to clean out my garage?  Might be worth a shot. 

Ain't No Place for Sissies

 Was it Bette Davis who said that "Old age ain't no place for sissies."?  I mean, if you are "lucky', you get to that stage where you sometimes forget how old you are, start reminding yourself to stand up straight when slouching is easier  ... and ... to pick up your feet if there are throw rugs in the room.  Considering this and other things you are thinking of-- perhaps it is time to take a personal inventory.

Challenges are not just for younger people and neither are goals. With that in mind - as well as from talking with others -- I think that many people function better with a To Do list -- hardest things at the top of the list so that if you do only that one thing in a day, you know you did something that matters. You did the hard thing.  That's important -- to know that you can.   Ever feel that way? (It's also fun to check things off the list... morale boosting.)

It may be easier to sit, but actually it is way more rewarding to get up and move a bit if possible,  and to accomplish things or to make the effort ... to realize once again that you are in charge of your own life and can decide what it will be and become. Or -- you do the best you can do.  Every age has it's own unique challenges. Aging is no exception to this. ( Notice the difference between the words "growing up" and "aging"? Huge...)

Actually  -- if you think about it, "the later years" are not or may not be, the hardest time of one's life. (Even thinking back to the adolescent years makes me shudder a bit...)  Think back and realize what you have accomplished in your lifetime in spite of what your trials and tribulations were/are,  and then set some goals, figure out a way to overcome some of the current challenges. That is what you have always done in your lifetime.  Don't stop now. Modify if necessary, but continue on. Perhaps these challenges are just another path to personal growth of a positive nature. We can do this.  Trying counts.

It's also okay to talk to yourself.  Actually I think that is what I am doing with this week's blog. 

By the way ... BlogSpot tells me that From Pencil Box to Keyboard, had almost 2000 views this past week and over 7000 views in the month of September, 2026 - the highest ever.  I have no idea why.....  Seriously ... Thank you, once again, for reading my ramblings.