There are ten bills coming up for vote in California next week. They are publicly available for viewing. But they are not widely known. These bills are truly alarming.
These bills were publicly discussed in the tonight’s informational meeting live streamed at the trucker’s convoy in Maryland.
The discussion re: these bills can be found at the 8:33 mark in the video.
Please watch this and pass it on to everyone you know. If they pass it won’t stop with California. I’m in Canada and I’m horrified. I can’t do anything from up here but I can spread the word to my small audience hoping you will pass it on far and wide.
Watch at the 8:33 minute mark to hear the ten items up for vote.
Pass it on.
These truckers are heading to California in the next few days to help spread the word.
The goal was/is to post everyday but I messed up, again. I was distracted, playing a computer game while listening to a live streamer.
Oh no!!!
Five minutes wasn’t much but I gave it my best shot. I moved fast but apparently not fast enough. Hitting publish at 11:59 didn’t do it for me. Oh well, there would be no worrying about today’s post being on time. (big smile)
While I would like to have a perfect record, the world won’t end if I don’t manage to post everyday. The new plan is to cut myself some slack, still try but don’t stress. It’s much too late to change some habits. Besides I like being lost in whatever is going on in my little world. Usually a book or a three hour podcast.
Three hours sounds daunting but I really like hearing about things that are new to me. Some of the posts are fresh every time; like Carey Nieuwhof, his is usually only an hour long but he has interesting guests and he is an exceptional interviewer. No two podcasts of his are alike and even when he has repeat guests it’s because they have more to talk about. Carey is a long time favorite.
Then there is the three hour podcaster who is new to me, his You Tube name is Viva Frei. He is quite the character and he hangs out with other interesting characters. He is a lawyer turned hopeful politician and since he didn’t win his first try at an election he has turned serious attention toward his online presence. Most of the conversations center around politics and legal situations. His co-host is an American lawyer who is also his friend and business partner. These guys are both characters and will, in small ways, be shocking to some, I’m sure. That’s all part of their charm. Wild haircuts, blind dogs and cigars they can’t light up. They are highly intelligent and knowledgeable. “Boring” quickly kills my interest but so far I’m still watching and enjoying these guys and their guests.
The third one gaining the most attention from me is a podcaster I’ve mentioned often. She is from Ottawa and covered the Trucker’s Freedom Convoy there, never having done such a thing before. Her brother started the channel and enlisted her help with streaming 24 hours a day. Charlotte was out on the streets late at night in freezing weather walking blocks and blocks so we could see what was going on. To warm up she would find truckers or others on the ground to hear about their stories and why they were there.
As events in Ottawa wound down the American effort was started. Once their convoy reached Maryland Charlotte traveled down, for an indefinite period of time, to report on what is happening with them.
Her abilities have blossomed with the experience she is gaining as a live streamer. It’s not as easy as she makes it look. Charlotte is nineteen and a university student with a deep well of resolve and determination. This morning she left Maryland to return to Toronto to write exams. This gal is amazing. She has acquired a loyal and devoted audience who pay attention to where she is, what she eating (or if she is eating), and who in her presence is paying attention to her. She has a ton of moms and dads watching out and worrying over her. They do it because she has captured their hearts. She appreciates and relates well to her audience. Actually, even the in-person people she is hanging out with everyday are vigilant in making sure she is OK.
The channel shared with her brother is ZOT. The plan after exams is to cover the story in the next place that needs it. The US convoy may even see her again.
There are a ton of live streamers out there and ZOT is one of the best, both Charlotte and her brother Matt have worked hard to make it successful.
There is much going on out there that is never mentioned in mainstream media. This is an amazing opportunity for potential journalists. Right now it’s easy to break into the industry and gain experience and a following with the new and modern ways of reaching people. Grass roots people want to know what is going on in their world. It’s amazing that polls show some of these podcasters have larger audiences than mainstream media. This is totally mind blowing.
Charlotte is unsure of what her future holds but journalism is definitely on her radar and we all know she would excel if that was her choice.
So there you have it, another unplanned fixation. lol
It was fun.
I wonder is this qualifies as scribbling? (this weeks weekly prompt from Sunday Scribblings)
Sometimes the goal we’ve set for ourselves does not materialize but something better does.
It’s easy to feel discouraged when the hoped for outcome does not happen. Watching something unfold I’m hearing this sentiment express.
As a uninvolved observer I’m seeing community happening where there was little to none. Individuals are being reminded of what can happen when they work together as a team.
I almost forgot! My daily post to keep the numbers rising for days in a row. Story of my life. Forgetting.
The reason I wasn’t paying attention is from wanting to know what is going on in the world. Podcasts. Some encouraging and some not so much. My favorites are the live streamers who film what is going on without adding commentary or opinion.
I think You Tube and their rules on content actually do us a favor. Actions speak louder than words. Simply watching is enlightening.
Peaceful, in the truest sense of the word, has more effect than any of us realized. We have been able to watch it happen.
This is one of those days when I have nothing on my mind to say so I’ll just start talking and see what happens.
I know I mentioned this yesterday but I can’t get over how quickly the snow melts when the temperature rises to zero and the hot sun shines brightly. The sun really is hot here. It’s crazy. It can be freezing and short sleeves still work when you are standing in the sun.
With these bright days the furnace has hardly been on and at one point today the inside temp was 74 F. At the moment (9:45) it is still 71.
Another thing that is crazy? I measure inside temps and fever temps in Fahrenheit and outside temps in Celsius. I measure mileage in kilometers and fuel in litres, fabric and everything else in inches and yards, and food in pounds and ounces – sort of. It seems like I have an identity crisis. I probably do but I’m not planning on resolving it anytime soon. I’m happy just the way I am. Probably because I wasn’t thrilled with the whole change to metric in the first place. This mixed up system is my mini rebellion.
On to another favorite topic – books. I haven’t been doing well with my book a day goal. Two reasons, mainly. I’ve been busier at work as my workload has increased. I’ve very happy about this for multiple reasons. On top of that, I’ve once again been spending time watching live streams of the people’s convoy, this time in Maryland USA.
I’ve been following ZOT You Tube channel, Charlotte is the host and she does an amazing job. Everyone LOVES her. She loves people, and she is fearless. This causes a great deal of anxiety among her viewers, as well as the people she hangs out with on the ground. Everyone is looking out for her and they let her know. They pay attention to where she is, who she’s with, and what she does or doesn’t eat. This probably makes her even safer. Today she streamed for over twelve hours. From the time she left her hotel until she closed her car door to go back.
This beautiful girl is amazing and, she has publicly shared – she is nineteen.
I tune in, leave it on in the back ground all day, and stop by to watch when ever I have a few moments, or hours. They have been doing a peaceful protest for about three weeks. Everyday they drive what is called the beltway, around the capital. That’s it. Drive the route and then back to the speedway in Hagerstown MD. The authorities know the plan every day and they stick to it, no surprises. There are a few counter protesters who try to provoke a fight but it hasn’t worked. Today there were people in a field throwing large bricks of some sort on the road, One of the trucks was hit and suffered radiator damage. The big trucks with him all stopped for support. Live streamers caught it all on video and they were able to identify the perpetrators. These guys couldn’t have gone far (which doesn’t seem all that smart) because the police were able to arrest them easily. Charlotte was in one of the lead trucks so we got to see this happening.
It was a long day.
They arrived back to a noisy speedway. There were time trials going on for the big race coming up next weekend. The guys in her chat were urging her to go see the cars, her welfare in mind-caregivers were saying go eat first. She opted for food first but it was challenging because there are always people at every turn waiting to talk to her. It’s a bad thing and a good thing. She is very gracious to everyone.
Charlotte was a newbie at live streaming when she started taking daily shifts with the convoy in Ottawa Her progress has been amazing. She has a gift for relating to people and drawing out their stories. I can see a future for her in journalism if she ever decides to go that route.
The protests have been peaceful in both places and the amazing thing out of it is – love wins. A soft answer turns away wrath is really true. Hatred is confused by love. We watched this happen in both places and it was encouraging.
The other awesome thing coming out of this is the changing relationship between the US and Canada. On a grass roots level.
On a personal/individual level we’ve had good relationships across the border. As a body/country, in general, we were neighbors with a passing acquaintance. With all of the events over the last four months we are becoming neighbors with a strong friendship. It’s amazing to watch it unfold. To hear people expressing such love and appreciation is a very emotional experience. Watching ZOT for hours we get to see these expressions over and over.
How can you tell I am just a little bit wound up by all of this.
I watched the goings-on in Ottawa til the end (hoping there will be more) and I will watch Hagerstown to the end too. It gives me, and others, hope in this crazy time.
Well, it seems I could go on and on but…
I’ll save some for next time.
There are many live streamers out there, start with ZOT and you will see others pop up too. Check them all out.
Wholy! The snow melts fast around here when it warms up and the sun shines hot. It has been in the minus teens celcius the last week or more and today it’s 6 above. It’s awesome.
So happy to see shingles and decking starting to show.
I haven’t been out much but when I went last, the snow banks on the side of the roads were difficult to see over. They will be shrinking fast.
Spring is not far off and we couldn’t be happier.
Haven’t looked for books yet today but will in a bit.
What a shock! Time change happened and I wasn’t paying attention. With so much snow in the yard it just seems wrong.
Maybe I am the only one out of sync with the season, my house plants are all starting to grow and bloom again.
I don’t think it’s me. -16C and two feet of snow?
I had things on my mind to chat about, honest, but all this talk about time and weather has derailed all rational thought. I’ll go for coffee and a bite to eat, maybe that will help.
This is hours later and it didn’t really help. I wanted to have something upbeat and light to talk about but it’s not happening. For a number of reasons
I was reading and liking a book but it didn’t qualify as positive because of the ongoing distressing events facing the characters. It turned out well in the end but since I feel other’s emotions …
And then…
A You Tube podcast was impactful this week. But it too deals with a serious subject.
At one point in the video the conversation was centered around brokenness and a new idea (at least to me) was put forth. I don’t remember the conversation enough to quote it, and that can be a good thing. The question was: in regard to story, are we living and defining ourselves by our old story or by our present story? Most of us are living with our old story.
That’s true for me, when I stop to think about it. The abusive story of origin is the first place my thoughts go when asked about my life. In many ways the old story does define me because of the depth of emotional damage. Like a crippling spinal injury, in some areas it will color the way I do life for as long as I live. On the other hand though, my life as a whole took a 180 once we were removed from the situation. The idea put forth in the video was that we need to write and live by our new story. I can see the positive difference it would make to my view, and the world’s view, of me if I did this.
Replacing the old with the new will take some getting used to. It sounds easy but to do it successfully the insecure view of myself will have to change drastically. That will be the hard part. I think I like the idea enough to give it an honest try though.
Here is the video with the helpful conversation. The part referring to writing our new story happens in the last 10 minutes. Everything else is worth listening to as well. This is a leadership podcast but they cover so much more and it all applies to everyday people like you and me. Although who is to say we aren’t leaders? They say we should look behind us and if someone is following we are a leader, never mind that it isn’t a recognized leadership. The opposite is also sometimes true; there are a few in recognized leadership positions who, if they looked behind, would find no one following.
But leadership is not the focus here, the need for writing our new story is.
Ian Morgan Cron is talking about his latest book and in it he spends time on the idea of writing our new story, explaining why it is a worthwhile and life changing exercise.
The Story of You: An Enneagram Journey to Becoming Your True Self
Drawing on his training as a psychotherapist and his own personal experience, Ian Cron explains how you can:
rewrite the self-sabotaging stories you tell yourself about who you are,
free yourself from the tyranny of unconscious childhood messages, and
overcome the self-defeating patterns of behavior that prevent you from becoming your authentic self.
With this powerful tool, Cron shows us how each type can shed their broken stories and harness their unique power within to become who we are truly meant to be, shedding the unhappiness we accumulate by trying to live out of the wrong story. Filled with examples from people whose lives have been transformed for the better, Cron maps out a guide for using Enneagram wisdom to reauthor your life and experience deep inner transformation, healing, and happiness.
Rewrite the story of you and find the freedom in becoming your true self!
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His first book in this series is also helpful.
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery
Ignorance is bliss―except in self-awareness. What you don’t know about yourself can hurt you and your relationships―and even keep you in the shallows with God. Do you want help figuring out who you are and why you’re stuck in the same ruts? The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system with an uncanny accuracy in describing how human beings are wired, both positively and negatively. In The Road Back to You Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile forge a unique approach―a practical, comprehensive way of accessing Enneagram wisdom and exploring its connections with Christian spirituality for a deeper knowledge of ourselves, compassion for others, and love for God. Witty and filled with stories, this book allows you to peek inside each of the nine Enneagram types, keeping you turning the pages long after you have read the chapter about your own number. Not only will you learn more about yourself, but you will also start to see the world through other people’s eyes, understanding how and why people think, feel, and act the way they do. Beginning with changes you can start making today, the wisdom of the Enneagram can help take you further along into who you really are―leading you into places of spiritual discovery you would never have found on your own, and paving the way to the wiser, more compassionate person you want to become.
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There are varied opinions on the value of Enneagram. I’ve gone into it with an open but discerning mind and have found much that resonates and is helpful to me.
I have a tendency, like many others along with me, to beat myself up. Brutally sometimes. Learning more about who I am and how I tick has made a world of difference in the way I view myself. More tolerance, less critical, kindness.
I’m looking forward to growing with the latest book.
I hope you will find this as helpful in your journey as I do in mine.
Nature is amazing. It’s mind boggling sometimes to see how intricately plants, animals, birds and even people are designed.
It’s an Amaryllis plant that has me watching in wonder these weeks. I’ve never had one before so the way it works is all new to me.
The bulb was fairly large, about the size of an orange. It came with a nice pot and soil, along with instructions. The bulb had already started to sprout but it looked like it was coming out the bottom of the bulb which was a little weird. I didn’t know what that meant or what I should do so I left it and now we have some extra leaves showing up.
Back to the bulb proper though, the first sign of life on the top was an standing-upright stack of leaves. Not very big, about 1/2 inch wide and a couple of inches tall. It took a few days for them to grow and then they just sat there doing nothing. This confused me. What are you doing?
Eventually something began to sprout right next to the little bunch of leaves.
To make a long story short, very quickly, once it got started, the bright green sprout grew to be a tall stalk. The stalk had a pod on the top and it was curious to see what it was planning on doing. Before long it began to break apart. Everything moved so fast you could almost see it grow.
The pod kept opening until there were five beautiful flowers.
Meanwhile the small vertical stack of leaves began to grow.
The flowers are almost done. There is one left and the leaves at the bottom are growing quickly. The instructions say to cut away the stock when the last one is done.
We will be left with beautiful foliage for the rest of the season.
It is like an orchestrated dance this plant goes through.
Which leaves me wondering. How do the parts know when it’s their turn to grow?
It’s a mystery and I can’t help but marvel at the beauty of the dance.
Click Bait. A skill I have not mastered but really should. It would help draw in unsuspecting new people, or even lure back some I haven’t seen in a while. Click bait has a good reputation for attracting attention. On the other hand, it has a bigger reputation for being a total liar. I have first hand experience so fact checking will not be necessary. All those times I took the bait, listened to the very end only to realize I’d been had. If any attention was given to the person or subject promised, it was but a blink of the eye and I missed it entirely. While I wouldn’t mind grabbing more attention myself, my guilty conscience for lying to make things seem special would be a killer.
So what is taking up thinking space in my head this week? Ukraine is on the minds of the whole world. I like keeping track of what is going on. Click bait stuff has been going on. People in a hurry to put something out when they had nothing were forced to improvise. Oops. Who knew someone would recognize those pictures from another place in another time.
I’m not so sure anyone has really figured out the truth of what is going on with this situation. I’m hearing many voices with as many “expert” opinions but I’m not hearing consensus, even on a small scale. When the truth finally comes out, if it ever does, there will be more than a few people saying the same thing. So far we are not hearing it.
When I ponder this for a while, it seems there are a whole lot of things going on, most of them under the table. I’m sure we would be shocked if we learned who the real players and influencers were in all of this.
It’s easy to worry about where the world is going but when it comes right down to it there is nothing in my power to do that would make any difference to the outcome. Worry will do nothing but destroy my life. We need to care, pay attention, and pray earnestly for the innocent people caught up in the flying debris, but we can’t let worry consume us. What good would we then be if trouble ever did come knocking on our door?
I have to give myself this lecture on a regular basis as I walk away from one more podcast on the whole scenario.
I’m focusing, briefly anyway, on my everyday life and I’m finding it gives me a mental boost in the right direction.
My frig, after many months, is now free of the long haired residents I was loath to deal with. (my grandsons will be impressed.) (procrastination is my middle name) A few closets and shelves have been sorted through and are looking better once I tossed some things I haven’t used in years. (I’ve found expiry dates as old as 2014!)
There is something about accomplishing tasks I have been avoiding forever that makes life suddenly seem good, very good in fact.
Who knew such mundane and inconsequential things could be an outlook changer?
Another of my current fixations. My first time ever growing an amaryllis.
A little beauty is another unexpected game changer.
I’m wishing some unexpected game changers for you too in these turbulent times.
Damian Karlsson, the oldest of Those Karlsson Boys, has decided it’s time to settle down and start a family. Rachel Perkins has captured his attention, but she won’t even give him a chance to romance her. It seems to Damian she feels something for him, but still she resists. Damian is determined to find out why.
Though she is attracted to Damian and even finds his pursuit of her flattering, Rachel is equally determined to keep her secrets close to her heart. Betrayed in the past by men she’s loved, she isn’t prepared to take that risk again. But when her secrets are forced out in the open, will Rachel discover that forgiveness and trust are worth the risk when it leads to love?
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Some days are less than fruitful. Like today.
One is not much but I guess it’s something.
It’s discouraging searching these days because the big push is toward what amounts to soft porn. I know I keep harping on this but it’s frustrating. I don’t have anything against affection. I would appreciate it intensely if I had a significant-other in my life. The trouble is the focus in these books is on including as many swoon-worthy moments as possible, and to be perfectly honest, it’s boring. I don’t want to keep reading the same thing over and over. I want you to tell me a story that is strong and real, the kind to draw me in and make me forget I don’t live where the story is happening.
The writer loses me every time there is another swoon worthy moment. And when it happens often, not only has the spell been broken but now I’m irritated and impatient too.
I realize there is a market for these kinds of stories but surely to goodness I’m not the only reader out there wanting something more than what they are offering.
My beef is more with the site I’m searching than with the authors. (the site shall remain nameless) because the algorithms are set to push the kinds of books I don’t want and to hide the books I do want.
And that brings up a sore point that really gets me worked up. I don’t appreciate someone trying to push things on me, trying to force me to buy whatever it is they are selling. The makers of search engines try to do that too. Force me to use the engine of their choice. NOT happening.
That’s the reason I’m finding so few books these days. It’s like searching a hay stack looking for a needle. I’m mad and out of there in about three minutes flat. OK, so that was an exaggeration but it’s not too far from the truth. I used to spend a lot of time searching through different pages looking for books I hadn’t read. Now I’m down to just minutes before giving up.
My frustration levels rise pretty quickly when I’m pushed but now that I’ve let it all out … I think it’s pretty funny.
We still don’t have many new books. Major disappointment.
There will be good books again another day though. I’m an eternal optimist when it comes to books.
They can’t hide always.
I would share my current read but it is turning out to be one of those books. Way too much time spent on PDA.
That’s probably what set me off on this rant in the first place. It’s not the worst offender I’ve seen but sadly, it’s getting there. Sadly because it has so much potential to be a really good story. And sadly because I try to weed out books like this early in the decision process, before they make it onto my TBR pile.
OK, I’m done. I’m going back to hurry through reading this book to see how the interesting parts of the story end.
For the Love of Books 