Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.—Benjamin Franklin
What’s this? We’re not talking about Thanksgiving? No, we’re not. Everyone else is doing that. We’re going a different direction, heading for the new year. We’ve only five days left for the #POTD after today, remember?
The whole #POTD concept has created some challenges this year and at times it has been extremely difficult to make sure there were different pictures going up every day. That’s why we’re going to mix up the format a bit next year to give us a little more flexibility. The end result is likely to be more content, not less, but with fewer restrictions as to exactly what we’re posting on any given day. So, there’s one thing right there to look forward to in the new year.
I still am amazed every time I see this photo and am reminded that we achieved this level of tone with just the light coming through the white blinds of a window. I don’t have another set anything close in topic or tone to this one, though, so it has been difficult to find a theme into which it would fit this year. Otherwise, you would have seen it much sooner than now.
Speaking of new years, here’s a list that’s not likely to be duplicated anywhere else.
5 Ways To Make Your New Year Better
Stop believing everything you read on the Internet.Â
Not only are there more satire sights than ever, there are innumerable websites posing as “news” that are simply nothing but a bunch of lies. Vaccinations save lives, and do not cause autism. GMOs increase production and do not introduce chemicals into the food. Unless you have an allergy or celiac’s disease, you can probably eat gluten. Stop being so damn gullible and paranoid.
Don’t rely on the computer to help you make friends.
Social media is great for keeping up with friends and family, but it’s not the best place to meet new people and make new acquaintances. Get out. Do things. Meet people in person first and then, if they’re not douchebags, add them on social media. Doing it the other way around only increases your anti-social tendencies and isolates you further from the real world.
Do something you’ve never done before.
Most of us are so stuck in a rut we don’t even realize the depth of the rut we’re in. The new year gives you a wonderful chance to at least add a touch of variety by doing something different. Take up glass blowing. Train a cat. Chase ghosts. Train a cat to chase ghosts into blown glass. Almost everyone has something on their bucket list that can be done this next year. Go ahead and do it!
Vote the bums out.
2016, in case you’ve been living under a rock, is an election year. That gives you a wonderful opportunity to make a difference. There is absolutely no reason to re-elect anyone. This Congress has been the worst ever about failing in their responsibility to take care of the American people. State legislatures downright suck. Change that. Don’t re-elect anyone. Just do some research before you vote for stupid.
Read something longer than a damn list.
Ever ask yourself why there are so many lists on the Internet? The answer is because that’s what most people are likely to read. You don’t want to be bothered with details, just short headlines. As a result, you’re growing dumber by the minute. Details matter. Details keep you informed so you don’t support stupid, racists, closed-minded bigots. Go deeper than the headlines. Maybe even read a book or fifty.
I could go on, but statistically lists with more than five points get half as many readers as those with more than five, and those who do read longer lists typically abandon them less than half-way through.
Aren’t you glad I didn’t give you another list of things for which you should be thankful? That’s one list you really should create for yourself. If you’re getting your thankfulness list from the Internet, you need to re-examine your life. Seriously. Â The new year will be a lot better if you start doing more things for yourself. Consider that a bonus point.
Now, go enjoy the rest of your day.
Morning Update: 09/21/24
Today is technically the last day of summer. The high here in Indy is forecasted to be 91 degrees. Tomorrow’s high is 80 and it falls from there for all next week. It’s time to start making chili and making sure the kids have jackets with them when they leave for school. I’m not aware of anyone who is terribly upset. The past couple of weeks have been oppressive to the point that even the dogs haven’t wanted to stay outside very long. Autumn will get a cheerful welcome here tomorrow morning.
There were some storms to our near North last night. In fact, I was sitting in the front yard for a while, enjoying the light show. After a particularly entertaining flash of lightning about a mile away, though, Hamilton decided that he was quite done and the anxious pup demanded we go back inside. We never did get more than a few sprinkles here at the hose.
I’m starting to feel better. In fact, I felt well enough last night to devour about three-quarters of a rotisserie chicken for dinner. That may be the most I’ve eaten all week. I’m still congested as hell, though, which makes breathing difficult, which tires me to the point of complete exhaustion. I’m glad my bed is comfortable, but it’s getting to be too familiar.
There’s not a lot of impactful world news this morning. This fact-checking article is probably worth a couple of minutes of your time, but it’s not likely to sway anyone’s vote. I don’t know if Hamas is getting a breather as Israel goes after Hezbollah, but they’re not showing up in any headlines this morning. There is a bit of an “oops.” Iran did not include mobile launchers with the close-range ballistic missiles that Washington last week accused Tehran of delivering to Russia for use against Ukraine, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. Pardon me while I giggle at that one.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is getting some blowback over its criticism of GMO foods. Critics are saying that important evidence wasn’t considered in determining the safety of the foods. However, one is right to question the ties those critics have to major food conglomerates. Here’s the thing: GMO foods are cheaper to farm and therefore easier on the pocketbook, which is stretched to its limit. Are the risks worth the savings? Who do you want to believe?
The truly disturbing articles this morning are all local. Here’s a list of headlines from Indy’s CBS affiliate:
If anyone was thinking about moving here, those headlines would be enough to cause one to pause. For those of us already here, we hold our children a little closer and make sure their phones are charged when they leave for school. One piece of good news: Marion County proposal would let police impound cars used in street takeovers. I wholly support this idea. Here’s hoping it happens.
Of course, this afternoon/evening is full of football. I have a problem, though. Tennessee visits OU this evening. I have reasons for supporting both teams, but they’ve never played each other enough for there to be an established rivalry. For whom do I root? When OU plays Texas, we root for OU. When OU plays Oklahoma State, we root for the Cowboys. Those are easy. But this one? I dunno. I do have a sinking feeling that the Volunteers are likely to run all over the Sooners, but counting the Sooners out is never a good idea. The game doesn’t start until like 7:30 local time, though, so I doubt I’ll see much of it.
Between now and then, I think I’ll sleep. There doesn’t seem to be a good reason not to. The twins seem supportive of that idea. The dogs are already back to snoring. Seems like a waste of time to not join them.
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