Editorials

~To Brag or Not To Brag
~Road Side Drama
~Pit of Depression
~Working together
~That Little Room
~Interrupting Nature
~E-book Scams
~Damaged Store Goods
~Afraid of the Police
~The Future of TV and Movies

To Brag or Not To Brag

Originally created: April 3rd, 2022 at 2:46pm

A few weeks ago, the big news from my little state was that a famous person, let's call him M, was spotted around our capital city, even visiting a local taco joint, and those pictures found their way onto FB with him posing with the staff. And one of the radio stations even asked their FB followers if any of them have spotted him.

Sure, it is a big deal to meet a famous person, I've never met one, at least not that I know of, but I hope I would be respectful to the person if I ever did.

For me, this visit wouldn't be that big of a deal if there was a concert or some convention he was in town for. But I don't think there was something going on in town. I think he was in town because he is from here and was probably visiting his family that still live in the area.

It's too bad M can't come home for a visit, and maybe even an escape from the stresses of his job.

Now I don't know what happened, I wasn't there, and I'm not dissing the place, but I hope the manager of the taco place asked M when he was leaving town and waited until then to post those pictures so M could have had the freedom to walk around town.

If I was in M's shoes and had the manager ask me this, I would have a higher opinion of him and his business, willing to visit again, and even tell my famous friends how considerate they are about the privacy of their patrons. But if otherwise, seeing the pictures on FB within minutes of the visit, I would be less likely to personally go back to the taco place on my next visit.

The same could be said for the radio station. They should've waited until M left town before they started asking their listeners if they spotted him.

Maybe M was just in town for a simple visit; a birthday party, or maybe it was because of something else, something more personal, but having the taco place and the radio station letting everyone know he was in town might have created a headache for M and his family.

I'm sure there are many who know where his family lives, especially those die-hard fans who aren't ashamed to sit out on the sidewalk just for a chance encounter. So now M's visit was no longer simple, and if it was something serious, it was no longer private.

Now M isn't the only person from my state to become famous, there are a few others, and it's great that our little state, only really famous for pigs, cows, and corn, can say M, and T, and O, all came from our state.

But don't we want them to come back for a visit? Wouldn't that help our state if we can show respect for famous people? They are rich, so they can help out our economy. They could even say, 'hey, this town I'm from, the people are really respectful, and the town would be a great setting for this movie...'

There are a few places around where movies were shot, and a few of them now are tourist attractions, bringing money into the town. Yes, I will say that some of those visitors may not be the most respectful people around, and interfere with the day-to-day life of the town, but to make money, there are some sacrifices, and that's what a community should be willing to make and then work together to keep it from becoming a major issue.

Honestly, though, I would rather see our small towns and big cities be more welcoming to famous people. Leaving them alone so they can have the same freedoms that we non-famous people have. We don't have to worry about being harassed while we walk down the street, having cameras shoved in our faces, or being grabbed, so why can't we be better and protect them as we would our fellow townsfolk. Small towns are notorious for knowing who should be there and who shouldn't be, and if they stick together, they can keep out those who would shatter the peace of small-town freedoms.

Road Side Drama

Created: September 30th, 2021 at 8:04pm

Yesterday, on my way home from work I was just outside of town when I noticed a car pulled off to the side of the road, flashers on. Out of courtesy, and the law, I got over to the left lane, slowing down. As I passed, I saw a young lady at the trunk of the car throw her hands up as if something was amiss. And that young lady was my niece.

Now here was my dilemma as I drove by. My brother, her father, basically wants nothing to do with me because I agreed with a person close to our family, who he was rude to, on a Facebook post about him, at that time, not financially ready for another pet.

Needless to say, that comment of mine opened up a can of worms, and he even called me up threatening me and that other person, ordering us to go over to his house so he could ‘put us in our place’. And of course, he also brought up things from our childhood.

I’ve never denied that I was a bitch of a sister, just as our older brother and sister never denied that they treated me like shit also, but I have tried over the years to make up for my actions. I've helped him out a lot over the years, but that night he threw the past in my face, as did his daughter, that young lady on the side of the road. She sent me Facebook messages, yelling at me for being mean to her dad when we were kids, and for denying it, saying I didn’t care because I didn't go to her father's house that night.

Would you drive 15 miles to a person's house who just threatened you?

What they said to me, was so bad, I made hard copies of the messages and the original post.

Anyways, long story short. Over the last, damn 3 years now, they have shunned me, and freely talk shit, mostly about me, but also my husband, and our son. They even walked right by me at Walmart, saying I don't know what, but the guy next to them heard and gave me a shocked look.

While, for the most part, it doesn't bother me, just makes me trust others less, but what does is that people seem to believe what they say.

And that is why it took me about a mile or two to decide if I should turn around and help her out. But I did it, asking myself how it was going to bite me in the ass in the future. Honestly, though, I didn't do it for her, I did it for my dad, fearing that she would call up Grandpa, an 80-year-old man, to help her out on the busy highway. I was there, I could help instead.

So I turned at the next highway crossing, braving the speeding traffic, and circled around, pulling up behind her car only to find that she was not alone, there was another girl and her dad with her, him already changing the tire.

I got out of my car anyways and only she talked to me, the girl and my brother only giving me dirty looks, and never said a word. I was honest and told her I stopped so she didn't have to call Grandpa, but she was nice, said thank you for stopping, and they had it all under control.

I went back to my car and drove away.

And now I wait.

I know neither of them would've stopped for me, they would've driven right on by laughing. But now, because of things said and done, I wonder if maybe that is what they could be telling other people I did to them.

And how many of those people will believe them.

Pit of Depression

Created: May 27th, 2021 at 8:16am

I fell into the pit of depression first thing yesterday morning. Amazon was having a deal on a projector, and just the other day, when the family and I were sitting out back having our first fire of the year, I was talking about getting a projector so we could sit outside and watch movies.

But this morning, as I debated about getting this machine, a thought hit me. Who would actually watch it with me? My husband would sit there, but his eyes would be glued to his cell phone screen, and my son, he doesn’t care much for movies, so his eyes would be on his video game.

And even if I invited my friends, would they even come?

I did have one of them tell me that I lived too far away, and since I came into town on a regular basis, I could come to her house when we wanted to chat.

The crushing sensation I felt in my chest when she said this to me, I hid behind sarcasm because that was the only way for me to keep the tears at bay. But because I loved her so much, and her friendship meant so much to me, I went to her house. I always went to her house.
It’s been so long since she’s been here, I wonder if she even remembers where I live.

So that memory woke that demon of doubt in my brain, and it was happy to remind me that after she told me this, I started to think that because I lived too far away from her, then maybe my other friends also believed I live too far away from them, and they didn't want to drive so far to see me when I worked in town. So instead of inviting them over, I felt as if, if I wanted to be their friend, I had to go to them because it was easier for them.

That's the kind of friend I want to be. One who would think of them before me, who would do anything for their friendship, even ignoring the feeling that it never seemed as if they thought of me.

It was those thoughts that had kept me from asking for help when my husband had surgery a few months ago. I knew I couldn't ask my friends for help because I live too far away and making them drive over just to help me with chores wasn't fair to them.

But that demon in my thoughts wasn't done there, it wanted to pull me farther down into that pit of depression, so it added the idea of if something happened to my family, like we caught COVID or something, how long would it be before someone checked in on us? How long would we be left to suffer because we live too far away? How long would it be before my friends realized we were gone?

With those thoughts in my mind, my throat tightening as tears burned and blurred my eyes, I closed my browser and walked away from the computer.

While I might have saved 70 bucks, I lost a few more pieces of my heart and spirit to that pit of depression.

Working together

Created: April 1st, 2021 at 9:09pm

Once again, my local community page got my attention, complaining about their neighbor's yard light.

Just like them, their neighbor is entitled to a security light, so to protect themselves and their property, and it might be necessary that said light shines on another person's property, but the owner of said light should take into consideration of their neighbors, and listen to their neighbor's complains, and unless that person is just a jerk in general, the only other reason they would be a jerk about the light is because the light's owner wouldn't listen, wasn't considerate and was a jerk themselves, and purposefully pointed that light at their neighbor's window.

But these new LED lights are as bright as the sun. If you're going to use them, think about that. And the most intelligent thing to do, and most helpful for everyone, is before you install them, talk to your neighbors, get their feedback, and maybe you all can work together to protect all of your property. That's what a neighborhood should do.

But that's a fairy tale.

Because of how neighbors treat each other, (I lived it when I grew up in small-town Iowa, cops called because us kids on the block were playing Frisbee on the side street, listening to the radio, in the middle of the afternoon,) I never want to live in town again and have to deal with all of that whining and backstabbing I see on that community page. And how snarky some of those comments are, it's no wonder its neighbor against neighbor.

But sadly helping each other out isn't part of our society anymore. It seems as if it is frowned upon and avoided unless you're getting something out of it.

Last weekend, the kid and I were at Menards. We were sitting in the parking lot eating our lunch before going in and we witnessed a gentleman trying to get some plywood in the back of his truck, and upon noticing him having issues because of the strong wind, I rolled down my window and asked him if he needed a hand.

He looked at me in shock, as if his ears couldn't comprehend or believe what I was saying. A few seconds later he declined, saying that he had it, so I went back to eating.

Then on our way back out, another guy was seeming to be having issues getting his boards in the back of his truck, that wind was trying to make anything and everything into a kite, so I asked if he needed any help. He also looked shocked that I had asked, but he also declined.

Yes, I know, men don't want help, especially from a woman. But maybe they were worried that we'd steal something from them. Trusting strangers are now stories of the past.

Anyways, fast-forward to the other night. I alone made a stop at Menards after work to pick up 9 bags of dirt for my flower garden. I loaded them up on the cart all by myself because there were no employees there to ask for help, and I wasn't going to wander around looking for someone only to have them tell me that they will call someone from that department. Been there, done that, and waited for ten+ minutes.

I pulled that heavy cart halfway through the store, because they had closed the garden center's cash registers, to the checkout. The cashier never asked me if I needed any help to get those bags in my car. I would've loved help, but I also saw no one around to ask.

I dragged that cart full of dirt across the parking lot to my car. A guy who was parked right next to me, walk right on by as I was tossing in the second bag. He looked at me, and kept going without a word, getting into his car, and I'm guessing watched me because he didn't leave until I was finished and in my car.

During this time a man and girl, went to their truck parked a few spaces away from me, and while he proceeded to toss the bags of stuff they had bought into the truck's bed, the girl got into the cab, leaving him to do it, but even though he was finished before me, he pushed his cart into the corral, that I was parked right next to, he looked at me with four bags left, turned around and went back to his truck without a word.

Was he thinking that because I already did 5 bags by myself, what's 4 more?

Now I am scared that one day I won't be able to do it by myself, and even though people would be all around me, nobody will lift a hand to help.

I'm a stranger to you, but how would you feel if you found out that was your mom or dad in my shoes?

That Little Room

Created: March 25th, 2021 at 5:32am

I don't know if it's me or just old age setting in, but the other day a memory flashed through my mind about the torture me and my siblings endured as kids when dad, with a magazine in hand, walked into the bathroom.

Sometimes we were given notice, but most of the time we were upstairs in our rooms doing whatever we were doing when we realized we had to go pee, and after thundering downstairs, we found ourselves facing a closed door, and the weight in our bladders grew heavier when our father told us he was in there. Seconds went by and we knew he wasn't going pee.

It was the wait we dreaded, not the smell. The minutes that dragged by, the pacing, our mom yelling at us to go find something to do, (dad would yell too if we knocked too many times). But each of us knew that if we walked away we would lose our place, but me being third down in the age range usually meant I would be pushed out of the way if my older brother or sister wanted in, even if I was there first, dancing as I waited by the door.

Now older, I do understand why dad sat in there for so long. It was an escape, a place where he could sit and relax, read those jokes in his magazine while hiding from the world for those few minutes, that seemed like hours to those waiting.

As a kid, I got my job done and ran back to my toys, but now I, and my family, (and just about everyone else) find ourselves hiding away in the bathroom of all places.

But there are heated seats and cushioned seats, round and oblong seats, plus memory foam floor mats we can sink our tired feet in, and soft and strong, and sometimes moist, TP for the after.

No longer do we take in a magazine or a newspaper, it is now hand-held video games, cell phones, and tablets, and we'll sit there, already finished with the job, playing away, losing track of time. In our house, we know we will, so we try to give each other a notice before closing the door, announcing that we are going to take the throne, so others can get in there for those quick jobs.

Though now I have a concern. We have an old tablet, four or so years old, one of those that if it gets wet it's not that big of a loss because it's slow and outdated, that we use just for the bathroom, (the camera disabled and lens covered for privacy), but over the last year, every time one of us sits on the throne, starting up one of those games on that tablet, an advertisement for toilet paper, laxative, or fiber will play.

Interrupting Nature

Created: March 22nd, 2021 at 11:43am

As I was driving into town the other day, I noticed that a farmer was tearing up one of his fields to put in more drainage tile (pipes) so to keep the field from being a lake after a heavy rain.

So now instead of the rainwater naturally filtering slowly through the soil and rocks, depositing pollutants before they made it down into the water table, this rainwater, full of nitrogen and all of the other chemicals the farmer had applied to his field over the years, is draining into these pipes, flowing directly into the creeks, which feeds right into the lakes and rivers, where we get our drinking water from.

Hmm, could there be a correlation between how contaminated our water is and these drainage pipes the farmers put in their fields that have suddenly become lakes?

But why have these fields suddenly become lakes when five, ten years ago, the water drained all on its own without leaving too much of a mess?

In my neighborhood, after a heavy rain, you will find the ditches full of water that has come out of the fields. If you follow this fast-moving water along the ditch, it’s directed under the road through a pipe, meeting up with the ditch water from that side of the road creating a creek, which then meets up with a stream of field water coming out of a pipe, and these two then join up with yet another creek that has been fill by even more runoff.

All this water, after more twists and turns under roads and by farmers' fields and pastures, where even more water joins, it all goes right into a lake where people fish and swim.

The area where the water enters the lake looks more like a marsh because of all of the sediment, and little islands have formed and are expanding every year. At the other end of the lake is a dam, and the water flows over, once again traveling downstream as a creek, and this creek, which also gets water runoff from the area, feeds directly into the river.

You know, the rivers do swell so quickly anymore. Could there be a correlation?

Could these drainage tiles be doing something to our water table? Rainwater is no longer allowed to drain naturally, so how are the aquifers filling, where is the water that fills the natural springs coming from? The natural spring a few miles away is now contaminated and isn't safe to drink until it clears. I think it's been contaminated for almost a year now.

I wonder if there could also be a correlation between these drainage systems in the fields and how dry the ground is? I know that after the farmer put in a tile system in the field next to our house, we don't have a lot of well water anymore, and what we do have is full of contaminants and isn't all that safe to drink. Plus, the fields in my area are looking parched, dry, and sandy, and when there's a storm, a lot of dirt washes away, right into those drainage tiles, into the ditches, and then they have to dig out the ditches so all of the water will drain away.

E-book Scams

Created: March 11th, 2021 at 10:59am

It's not that big of a shock anymore when I see someone is using another's success in the attempt to profit. When our local video store was still open, it seemed as if every time I went in to see what new movies were there, I'd come across a movie title that I recognized, then upon further reading discover that it's not the movie I thought it was but a cheaply made movie, (I am not talking about the 'B' movies, those are intentionally made that way), that copied the idea of the 'Hollywood Blockbuster'.

There's been multiple ‘end of the world’, shark, robot, alien, ghost, monster, and countless other successful high-quality made movies that have been copied by others whose budget could hardly pay for actors who could at least hint at knowing how to act, with graphics that look more as if they belong in a movie made in the '50s.

Now I'm not saying that it's completely wrong to put your own spin on a movie or storyline, you can't help when something inspires you, and even more so when you are intentionally making fun of said movie or genre. There's quite a few of those, and they are not hiding their intention, it's those movies whose titles, plots, and/or ads are so similar, that it would be easy to mistake them for the real blockbuster they are copying, that I am talking about.

But sadly, it's not just movies anymore.

I have stumbled across numerous books whose titles, and/or book covers are so similar to those on the bestseller's lists, that if I wasn't paying attention, I would have bought. And again, you can't help it when you see something that inspires you, but when you knowingly copy something that has 'struck gold', altering it enough so you can claim it's different, just so you can use its fame for your profit, is so dishonest!
Today, I almost got snagged into buying one of these books. At first glance, I thought it was by one of my favorite authors. Even the blurb sounded like a book he would write. And as I was about to hit the buy button, I stopped and checked the page count. That's something I do now because even successful authors and publishing companies will sell a 60-page e-book for 2 bucks, (which I believe is a rip-off, but that's an entire other entry,) but for the price, 200 pages sounded like a good deal.

But that was when I noticed the E at the end of the first name. That single letter changed everything. That famous author who I thought wrote the book, didn't have an E on the end of his first name and never had.

This book I almost bought was written by a person who is probably trying to scam the fans of the famous author, but because they have an E at the end of their first name, they can claim they are doing nothing wrong.

So, to all of my fellow readers/book hoarders out there, we all need to start taking the time to double-check what we are buying, especially when it comes to e-books.

Not all authors, successful or Indie, are out to scam us readers, but it's up to us to watch what we are doing so those who are trying to scam can’t make any money.

I know it's so easy to just tap that buy button but before you do, take a breath, check out the page count, and those other little details.

Damaged Store Goods

Created: March 11th, 2021 at 10:52am

The other day there was a post from a woman who bought a water toy from a local store during a 'tent sale' admitting the box was damaged. Upon getting it home and set up, she discovered that the toy had a huge hole, smelled, and was undeniably a used then returned product. Even though she knew from the signs posted by the store that all sales were final, she believed, and hoped, that the store didn't know of the reality of the damage and contacted them about the issue.

The store's response, 'All sales are final.'

So, who do you blame: The store, the dishonest person who returned the item knowing was damaged, yourself for buying something knowing that there could be a problem, but the deal was worth it?

The first person to blame is the A-hole who returned it. So many people do this with a variety of things, clothes, shoes, toys, even sump pumps. I bought a package of printer ink with a damaged box from a local store, and when I got it home, I discovered the sealed bag was opened, and the cartage was empty. So, some ass hat bought the ink, then returned it with their empty cartage inside, probably claiming it was the wrong size, and got their money back. The store FAILED to check to make sure it was an honest exchange and tossed it back on the shelf and I paid the price, twice, because I had to buy another cartridge of ink.

The sad part of this is that that store scammed me again with printer ink, but this time it was the parent company itself by placing a generic printer cartridge sealed in the name brand box, and of course that cartage was also empty. So now I am VERY careful of what I buy from that store, and I will never buy my printer ink from them again, or any damaged box without thoroughly checking the contents, and I do this at all stores now. And if something looks used, even if maybe just tried on a few times, I'll find one that looks as if fewer hands have touched it.

Here is another example: After a wet spring, a store I worked at had people coming in for sump pumps because their basements flooded, and a few days to a week later, those same people were bringing them back, water leaking from the machines, all claiming that the pumps wouldn't work, and even though I knew it was B.S., as did the manager, he still ordered me to refund the money to those people, and each of those pumps were sent back to the manufacture, while our shelves were left empty. I was not happy for him allowing those people to get away with that. I flat out told him that he should at least test them before giving the money back. His response was a hate-filled glare. And the next spring, when basements flooded once again, our shelves were empty, and a week later, defective sump pumps were returned. Those people returning those pumps won big time, but the store and the manufacture lost a lot of money!

People are so dishonest anymore, and if you show any type of honesty, they will hold it against you and will try to take advantage of you, but if you call them out on their dishonesty even in privacy, oh Lord, you will feel their wrath, and they will drag your name through the mud to anyone who will listen! And a lot of people will lend their ear.

My advice, watch what you buy! And some things should not be bought at certain stores, because they buy cheap so to sell cheap, and they will cut corners. The laziness of some employees, that's a whole other blog.

Stores, you need to stop being lazy and step up! Stop allowing people to scam you, it is the same as stealing! It hurts not only the store, but the companies supplying the products, and people who will end up buying the damaged goods and have to pay higher prices so you can recover your losses due to your laziness. I know your staff hates it when I come to the counter, requesting to look at an item in a damaged box, had a snappy older man get huffy with me yesterday because I requested this, but at another place, as we were investigating, we discovered things were amiss, and I ended up saving them 60 bucks that I could've got for 20 if I didn't ask for an inspection.

Afraid of the Police

Created: March 7th, 2021 at 9:24pm

The other day I couldn't help but overhear a conversation where a young lady, noticeably high-level autistic, was telling another woman about her fear of police. I stopped what I was doing because I wondered why she was afraid of the police. She was a young woman, protected by her family because she isn't able to be on her own, and I believed that because of her disability her family would've taught her that the police are there to protect her because we all know there are those who would love to take advantage of this young woman because of her disability.

Well of course all of the drama plastered on the news about the police is the first reason that popped in my head, but then I thought, could there be another reason, one learned from friends and family that has nothing to do with what is on the news.

Imagine you're flying down the highway going 74 in a 65-speed zone and see a cop sitting on the side of the road, what is the first thing you do? You cuss because you're afraid of getting a ticket, and you blame the cop for being there, and then blame him even more because you see those lights flashing behind you.

The cop is the bad guy for pulling you over, not you for knowingly breaking the law.

Now think of your kids who are sitting in the backseat of your car. They are hearing you cuss and swear about getting pulled over, and it's scaring them. Kids pick up, they notice, and they can feel your fear, and that scares them even more, so now they are afraid of the police because the mean policeman had pulled over their mom/dad for no reason because you weren't doing anything wrong even though you knew you were speeding.

Not only have you taught them to break the law, (Yeah, I know, speeding no big deal, right? Those limits are just a suggestion because you are the best driver, and you have the best car in the world, and you're in a hurry, and your business is the only thing that matters.) you have also taught your kids to be afraid each time they see a cop.

Think about how many times you have had your kids in the car, and you started to cuss out that cop you just drove by because you were thinking he was going to pull you over because you might/were doing something wrong.

And if you weren't such an ass and disrespectful to the cop after he pulled you over then he wouldn't be an ass in return. Remember your kids are in the backseat, seeing and hearing everything, and they learn from you. You show fear and disrespect because you're an idiot who breaks the law, then your kids are going to do the same thing, but that fear and disrespect they saw from you is going to be intensified by them, and they will pass it down to their kids, to their kids, multiplying through the generations.

But if you don't intentionally break the law, you won't be so afraid of the cops now would you, thus neither would your kids. Sure, I don't want to get pulled over and get a ticket, I can't afford it, but I also don't intentionally speed. I try my hardest not to go anything higher than 5 over the speed limit, but sometimes it happens, and I slow down as soon as I notice.

I don't want to break the law, they are there for a reason, but if you speed every day to work, then you deserve to be pulled over.

Only criminals should be afraid of the police.

The Future of TV and Movies

Created: March 7th, 2021 at 9:16pm

The other day my son asked me if I heard about the new movie that while it's in theaters, the studio who owns it has also put it on their streaming channel for thirty bucks, but to watch it you also have to have a subscription. Though, if you think about it, if you had a big family or filled up your house, that would be cheaper than going to the theater.

So, what does this mean for the future of television and movie theaters, to entertainment in general?

A few years back the craze was digital instead of standard definition for your TV, and the government ordered it to be switched, giving those of limited income a free box for their old TVs, because without it, or a brand new expensive digital flat-screen TV, or paying for cable, they wouldn't be able to watch TV anymore.

I was one of those people who needed a box, but I still ended up having to pay for cable. This was an issue I never heard talked about on the news. I never heard it mentioned that not everyone was within range to get the channels without a powerful antenna! I was able to get two channels, a third if the wind was blowing from the right direction. We did pay for a few different antennas that said we'd get reception, but still didn't and we gave up, having to watch TV through cable. I know we weren't the only ones having this problem. A lot of people were, but there was no help from the government in funding antennas for these people. Maybe because they'd have to supply entire towns.

Now we are in the age of streaming. There are so many channels out there right now. Some are free and others you have to pay a monthly fee to watch, and even some of those have options where you can pay more so you won't have to sit through commercials.

After multiple price hikes, and very bad customer service involving trying to scam me out of more money so I could watch my local TV channels, I got rid of my cable and paid a lot for an antenna that was powerful enough so I could watch my local TV channels and more, but we also went with a couple of streaming services. One costs me ten a month, (though I had to downgrade this one because the price was going through the roof and is now the first on the chopping block because of its cliffhanger series), and the other service, seven. I've tried other popular ones, giving them a few weeks or months with a price discount, but for the most part they didn't seem worth it.

OK, going off the intended topic.

The reason I am worried about the future of TV is because of these streaming services. Yes, I agree, they are so convenient. You got a whole bunch of shows to watch just on one, and you can binge an entire series.

Even though it affects the quality of these streaming channels, and they are dependent on it, I’m going to sum up the issue with the internet: Not all providers are honest or dependable. Some will slow your speed, make you pay extra for this or that, or fails all of the time, especially during high traffic, and charge high prices, that they raise every year but never improve their service.

Back to streaming.

There are more entertainment companies with streaming channels coming out with their own series, and that list keeps growing. But now all of these companies are starting to make or keep their own shows to themselves. If I want to watch a certain show, I’ll have to pay for that streaming channel. Almost gone are the days where you can watch certain cartoon movies on any other streaming channel but theirs.

But will these companies continue broadcasting their channels for free over the local airwaves? Commercials, they get money out of those. In an hour block, the show runs about thirty-forty minutes leaving you to watch thirty-twenty minutes of commercials which they get paid for, but you'll have to sit through fifteen minutes or more of commercials if you're streaming those channels, unless you're paying to remove the commercials.

A lot of these streaming channels are now the only way you can watch certain shows because they won't air them. Yes, some do not have a 'TV' channel, and the streaming service is the only way you can watch it because they won’t allow anyone else to show it. Or if they do air it over the airwaves, you have one chance to see it, and if you miss it, you'll have to pay to stream it.

Look at what the video games industry has done.

You have to pay two-five hundred for the console, then forty-eighty for a game. But if that game is a multiplayer shooter you have to have internet and you'll have to pay the console's subscription fee of twenty-sixty for a year; if you don't, that game you just bought, you can only play the training mode. That's it, that's all you get for your money.

So now you're paying for the subscription, and there's all that DLC that can make your soldier more powerful. You are getting yourself blown to bits because everyone you're playing with paid for that tank.

Right behind you, as you blow a hole through that building with your new tank, your three kids are crying because they want to play. Because most games are now only one person, play-on-line- multiplayer, one subscription per-player only, now you have to buy three more consoles, three more of the same game, and three more subscriptions so they all can play together, and you're going to have to shell out that extra cash because your daughter wants her tank to be pink.

It is kind of scary when you think about it. I know it's drama, but it does worry me that one day I might have to pay for each channel I want to watch. Now maybe I'll still be able to watch those old shows over the airwaves. You know, those ones that are in black and white, or so corny that you spend more time rolling your eyes, and for thirty minutes of show, you’ll sit through forty of commercials. But then again, with society today, most of those shows will no longer be allowed to be aired because they are offensive. You know that hunter who's always looking for that rabbit, or that canine crashing into that mountain after the bird ran right through it. Those types of free shows, aired around commercials, are going to be few because it seems everything is offensive.

I know there's not much I can do, it would take the entire nation to stand up and object, but we are so glued to the screen that I don't see it happening. And when people finally take notice, it's going to be too late. The video stores have already folded, so what about going out to the movies? There's not a lot of drive-ins left, and now after COVID the theaters are suffering, and that knife from the streaming services is pressing against their necks.

The world of entertainment is changing, and I don't like where it's going! Everything seems to be becoming dependent on the internet, and that's not a good thing. What would happen if the wrong person/group got a hold of that and controlled it? They would now control us, everything we do.

The one thing I can do is collect books. The real books made from paper. Nobody can control what is already written down unless they take it away from me. (And they are trying.) Ebooks can be changed. They can be edited at any time the publisher/author wants. Those of us who read ebooks know this because we get notices that there's an update for a book or two, or three... And if we haven't already read it, and then re-read it, we won't know what, if anything, was changed.

I know not everyone likes to read, but you only need one person in a group to read the story aloud. But then again, people are becoming dependent on the visual, so we no longer have a reason to use our imagination, we let the TV screen do it for us.