November, Already?

The years are going by too fast

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Oh my God! It’s November already. Halloween is over, and Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day will soon be here. Worst yet, my birthday will soon follow. This March will be my 77th. 

I enjoy the holiday season, but not as much as when I was younger. I can remember waiting for the holidays and my birthday. It seemed as though they would take forever to come. Not now, though. They come way too quickly.

As I get older, my enjoyment of the holidays is clouded by the thought that there probably won’t be that many more for me to celebrate. I think of all of the past holidays I have celebrated. Some were more joyous than others, but I always looked forward to the next one. 

I can’t celebrate like I used to. I can’t drink anymore, but on the bright side, I don’t have wicked hangovers anymore. I can’t eat as much, even though I try. I gain more weight than when I was younger because I am not as active. My parents, some family members, and friends are gone, but I still have the memories.

I love celebrating the holidays with my husband, our dog, my brother and sister-in-law, our niece, and our great neighbors. I am making new memories. 

As I have grown older I have become much more sensitive to those people who are less fortunate than I, and have little to celebrate. My joy is often accompanied by depression because there is little I can do for them. I am just thankful that people are more generous and kind during the holiday season, even though they soon forget.

I don’t always look forward to the holiday season but always feel sad when it’s gone. I feel sad because I know I may not have that many more holidays to come. I also feel sad that the feelings of love and kindness that are symbolic during the holiday season are gone for another year.

But I don’t dwell on my future or how many celebrations I may have left. I enjoy seeing other people sharing their joy and happiness, many for the first time. I also feel fortunate that I have had a long lifetime of warm and happy holidays, something that too many people much younger than I have not had. I feel grateful for the time I have had, and I hope for more. 

We all must count our blessings and live our lives to the fullest, and we must do this every day, not just during the holidays.

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Are You Voting for a President,

Or are you choosing the entertainer for a stag party?

Photo by Timur Garifov on Unsplash

While the media was reeling over Joe Biden calling Trump supporters garbage, Trump and his supporters proved why this statement is true.

Last night at a rally in Milwaukee, in response to a malfunctioning microphone, Donald J. Trump, former President and current presidential candidate, sexually stroked his microphone and then mimicked performing oral sex on the mic as his adoring supporters gleefully giggled in agreement.

America, this is the clown you see at a raucous, debauchery-filled stag party attended by post-pubescent drunks trying to prove their manhood. This is the lounge lizard MAGA wants as their President. Is this something you can be proud of? God, I hope not.

If you haven’t already voted, show your patriotism and your maturity and reject this sad excuse for a human being. Kamala Harris will not embarrass us on the world stage.

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We Are Not In the Same Medium Boat,

We are in the Medium ocean, but with different size boats.

Photo by Anthony Ketland on Unsplash

If you’ve been writing on Medium for a while, you have seen many writers complaining about their stats and earnings. I am one of those many writers who have done their fair share of bitching. The responses to writers experiencing lackadaisical earnings and stats include the phrase,” We’re in the same boat.” I have said that myself. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this phrase is inaccurate, at least in my situation.

People on Medium write for several reasons. Some who publish here earn substantial money, which is an excellent part-time income. They most likely also write for other publications or are accomplished novelists or journalists.

These writers are not novice writers, for the most part. They have many years of experience and have a formal journalism or writing education. I’m not saying they all possess these unique qualities, but most likely, the majority do. They have a solid foundation to shore up their writing. They know what works and what doesn’t. They don’t have to chase the numbers like other less experienced writers. To put this in nautical terms, they are aboard a large, sturdy, seaworthy vessel of experience to traverse the vast ocean called Medium. They are in one huge luxurious boat.

Now, for the majority of writers here, it is a different story. Some use Medium as a side hustle to earn extra income to support their families. They don’t have vast experience or formal training but have skills and ambition. They spend a lot of time on Medium, writing, publishing, reading, and commenting. It’s almost like a full-time job. It’s hard work for little compensation. These writers are in a different boat, not as prominent as the luxurious liner, perhaps more like a sailboat. When the winds are favorable, they have smooth sailing.

Then, some writers don’t write for the money. They could care less about their earnings. They write for the love of writing and are happy only to have someone read and appreciate their work. They are floating along the ocean on a comfortable raft close to the shore, not caring where they go.

Others, like myself, write on Medium as a hobby, with the extra benefit of earning a little money. We don’t spend as much time on the site and don’t feel compelled to be here all day. We write when we feel like it. We don’t make a hell of a lot of money, but again, we don’t need to. Yet we still rant and rave in those times when we aren’t earning much. We are all in another type of boat, a pleasure craft. We don’t go boating every day. Just when the weather is good, and we have the time.

Lastly, some writers on Medium want to make a lot of money but don’t necessarily know what they are doing. They join, write, and publish without assuring their work is correctly punctuated and with acceptable spelling and grammar. They don’t read the work of others, nor do they comment unless it is a nonsensical, irrelevant, sparsely worded response. These people are aboard an unseaworthy dingy riddled with holes. They meander at sea until the boat sinks, and they swim away, giving up on their voyage.

Other boats on this Medium ocean are not engaged in a safe and pleasurable cruise. They are pirate ships whose only aim is to steal from all the legitimate sailors at sea. They fly not under the skull and crossbones flag but under AI flags. There are no humans aboard these ships, Only artificial beings pretending to be humans to plunder our hard-earned rewards.

So, I will no longer use the terminology of being in the same boat. We are not all in the same boat. We are on the same ocean but in different boats.

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What Genre of Writing Succeeds on Medium,

It may not be what you think

Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash

When asked what they like to read, people say fiction, nonfiction, science fiction, mysteries, poetry, etc. Naturally, their favorite authors are those who write in their favorite genre. When writers, especially novice writers, join Medium, they try to emulate their favorite authors or try something different.

We all remember how excited we were to tell family and friends that we started writing on Medium and how they asked, “What’s that?” We then explain how Medium lets us write about anything we want.

After we’ve been joyfully toiling daily to produce what we think are masterpieces of literature, we realize something. No one is reading our stories. We search the Medium site for answers. We see all kinds of advice. We need more followers. We need to publish more often. We need to engage more. Reinvigorated, we get right to it. And still, no one reads our work.

We begin to look around and see who the more successful writers are, the ones who get the most attention and earn the most money, at least according to them. We discover a new genre of writing that only some people outside of Medium have ever heard of: writing about Medium itself!

We begin to realize that most of those articles we searched for advice are very popular. We also realize that the one article we wrote about our questions or frustrations with Medium was our most popular and lucrative article. A light goes on. Why not devote all my attention to writing about Medium?

To hell with becoming another Hemingway, Grisham, or King. We can become famous writers in the new writing genre called Medium. So, now, when friends ask what kind of articles we write? We can proudly say, “I write about Medium?” And then laugh all the way to the bank.

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The Polls Are Tied,

But what do they really say?

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The latest election polls are tied, with Harris and Trump receiving 48% of the vote. To most people, this means that this will be an extremely close election. But to many, his means so much more.

When people are asked why they support Harris, responses include her support for reproductive rights, her sane, steady leadership, her support of a robust healthcare system, she has proven to be a strong supporter of the middle class, and her willingness to work with Republicans, and she would be a unifier.

When asked why they support Trump, people’s responses include a better economy under Trump, the fact that he will prevent immigrants from Africa and South America from coming across the border and that he’s a strong leader. Overwhelmingly, people say that Trump is like them; he talks like them and has the same values.

We all know how Trump talks and what his values are. He calls immigrants vermin, rapists, and criminals. He mocks handicapped people. He brags about sexually assaulting women. He denigrates women. He calls service men and women, veterans, and those who gave their lives for our county suckers and losers.

He admires Hitler and wishes he had generals like Hitler. He has said women who’ve had abortions should be pushed. Trump’s administration has asked the Supreme Court to legalize anti-gay discrimination and not protect transgender rights, according to Glaad.

Recently, four-star Marine General John Kelly, Trump’s former Chief of Staff, in an interview said Trump thought Hitler did “good things” and that Kelly thought Trump “met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator.” As expected, Trump replied to Kelly by calling him a “degenerate and lowlife.” Once again, whenever someone disagrees with or criticizes Trump, he responds with belittling name-calling.

Now, back to those poll results. What the results really mean to people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, non-Christians, immigrants, and women who plan on having a family is quite apparent. 48% of the American people, some of your friends, neighbors, work colleagues, and even your family DON’T WANT YOU HERE!

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What Will the News Media Look Like in 2025

If Trump wins the election

Photo by ThisisEngineering on Unsplash

In January 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th and final President of the United States. He immediately began working on his retribution list, carrying out his promise to punish those who had been disloyal to him. He is acting with impunity thanks to his hand-picked Supreme Court, which granted him dictatorial powers.

His first official act was to nullify the Constitution and replace it with Project 2025. He has directed his Justice Department, now known as The Department of Revenge, to arrest former officials and political opponents, including Harris, Biden, Obama, Liz Cheney, and others, who are charged with treason and will be summarily executed.

He then set his sights on the media. As promised, he revoked the broadcast licenses of CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC. The Public Broadcast System was abolished. FOX News, Breitbart News, and Newsmax are designated as the only broadcast networks allowed to report the news. The Washington Post and The New York Times are no longer allowed to publish any news that Trump’s Truth Ministry has not approved. Local and hometown newspapers are under the direct control of the Truth Ministry and will function at Trump’s pleasure.

Social media and other internet sites that previously allowed open political discourse will now be under the watchful eye of newly appointed Free Speech Czar Elon Musk. X and Truth Social will now become the official mouthpieces of the Trump Regime. The world-famous social publishing site Medium will no longer publish any articles unflattering to Trump, his family, or his handlers.

The names of anyone who has written articles considered unfriendly towards Trump or his agenda will be handed over to Musk for possible imprisonment or execution. AI-written articles will encouraged over those articles that could be regarded as woke or inclusive.

Dear Leader will continue to carry out his policies of mass deportation and denial of fundamental human rights to people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and non-Christians as time, his health, and JD Vance permits. I will attempt to report on further developments here on Medium if Musk hasn’t caught up with me yet.

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I Have One Particular Pet PEEve

And it’s about some of my fellow men

WikiMedia Commons

At my age, I have accumulated a lot of pet peeves, but there is one that really pisses me off. And it refers to my fellow male adults.

I have the misfortune of suffering from IBS, which necessitates me frequently having to visit the bathroom, wherever I may be. I think I know where every bathroom is located within a 40-mile radius of my home. Yesterday afternoon was another one of those times. I was shopping at Costco, spending much more money than I intended, when
I suddenly felt the urge to go to the bathroom.

I sprinted, the best I could, to the bathroom, which was located at the far end of the store. Luckily, all of the stalls were empty. Entering the first stall, I noticed the toilet seat was down and soaking wet. It was the same for every single damn one of the five toilets! I had to take paper towels to spread on the entire seat so that I wouldn’t be sitting in some lazy SOB’s pee.

There were plenty of urinals in the bathroom, so why did so many damn lazy men see the need to use the toilets? I see the same thing at Walmart and Lowes. Okay, maybe you’re shy and don’t want any other men looking at you peeing, or perhaps you’re afraid Donald Trump will come in and compare you to Arnold Palmer. I understand.

If, for some reason, you need to pee in a toilet, don’t be so damn lazy. Please bend over and lift up the toilet seat instead of peeing all over it. No one wants to sit on a seat covered with your pee. Ask your mother to give you a refresher course in toilet training.

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