Saturday, February 25, 2017

Death of a Bachelor

Hey, Friends.

I went to a concert last night.  Now, normally I don't do whole posts about such a thing unless it is Heffron Drive , but I'm going to make an exception on this one.  I went to see Panic! At The Disco last night with a friend at Mohegan Sun Arena. Why am I making an exception on this one?  Because I know my niece will be dying of jealousy.  She went to see them last year, and pretty much lived in that tour t-shirt a majority of the summer.  (And they played with Weezer!  I'm freaking jealous, and she didn't even invite me to get my ass to Texas and go with her.)

Anyway, this post is pretty much for her benefit, and anyone else who may have wished to go to the concert.  If you have no interest in the band you should probably just skip this whole thing.  Honestly, I also need to get all of this off of my phone because it is taking up too much storage space.

Let's start with the pictures first, shall we?


Saint Motel opened, and they were fantastic.



Not familiar with them?  You should give them a listen.



Next up was MisterWives -- new to me, but I enjoyed them as well.  And then we heard them on the radio on the drive home, which was cool.



Next was a moment of fascination watching this happen.


I don't know how I have managed to never witness this before, but it was really cool to watch them go up and situate themselves up there.  

And then it was time for Panic! At The Disco.

Hell yeah!























I made a video, Friends.  Kind of shitty camera work on my part, but you'll have that.  It was mainly to send to my niece at some point, but might as well share it here.



Someone was also handing out these hearts before the show.

It did look pretty when they were all lit up during the song.


Since we had a VIP package, we also got gifts.  I guess you could consider this a spoiler alert if you are going to a show and don't want to see.

Tote bag, guitar picks, vinyl, and a t-shirt

I got home around 2 am.  Much less traffic driving in the middle of the night, although I could have done without the patchy fog and bits of rain.  Can't really complain though, as the concert was worth it.

I rounded out my exciting night (or would it be morning at that point? Whatever, you know what I mean.) with a bowl of chicken noodle soup before passing the hell out.  

And that brings us up to date, Friends.  So far I have had a shit ton of coffee today so that I resemble a human being.  I blame my cat (Jazz-kitty) for being evil and deciding that I really needed to wake up at 8 am because she could hear the birds outside.  I have a ton of things I need to do, but there might be a nap in my future -- not gonna lie.  

Thursday, February 23, 2017

It Doesn't Feel Like February

Hey there, Friends.

I was lucky enough to have the day off today and it was gorgeous!  It really did not seem at all like February in New York since it was 70 outside.  Beautiful, sunny weather and blue skies -- it was awesome.  I decided that I really needed to get outdoors, so I  went to Minnewaska State Park for a little hike.

I took a lot of pictures, Friends.  Fair warning in case that is going to kill your computer/phone/device-of-choice waiting for them to load.  I normally have very bad luck and it is overcast when I go, but it was so beautiful today I couldn't help but take a ton of pictures.  It was a very odd feeling to be wearing a t-shirt, breaking a sweat, while hiking snowy, icy trails around a mostly-frozen lake.

I'll post these in the order that I took them.  Feel free to pretend that you were with me if you would like.  Or don't.  I'll never know.


I was feeling artsy at the beginning, so black & white



Pretty bridge, and the snow should give you an idea of what the trail looked like a majority of the time.


Pine cones overhead


Tree on the edge


Hello, Hudson Valley!


Cliffs overlooking the Hudson Valley


Now hanging out on the cliffs overlooking Lake Minnewaska


Looking down at the frozen lake




Why yes, I did stand on the edge of every rock I could find


Looking across to the parking area, the start of the hike.


Looking down at trees



Lower view, different direction


I'm sure there are people who would wander out there if there wasn't a sign


At the shore


I was up there, Friends.  You can see the tiny little people.



Same place from across the lake



Some green amid the snow



Okay, so it's a bathroom....but it looked so pretty with the sun and the melting snow



Through the trees.  Starting the last trek uphill and back to the parking lot.


That's what a majority of the trail looked like.  A snow/slush/ice combo, depending on how much sun it had gotten.

I don't know if you have ever tried going on a hike on snowy, slushy, icy trails in your sneakers, Friends.  It probably wasn't a wise move on my part.  It's not always easy to keep your footing on the uphill and downhill stretches -- especially on downhill turns.  It was a weird sensation at times.  It would be really warm, and then when the trail turned into a shaded, more snow-covered area, I could actually feel the cooler air swirling around my legs.  Kinda trippy. I'm rather proud of myself for managing to make it through the entire thing without face-planting or falling on my ass. I think my Fitbit should give me an extra bonus of some kind.  It took much more energy than usual to keep my footing while hiking on that rather than regular ground.

To cap off a beautiful day, there was an amazing sunset.  (Yes, I was already back home at this point.)



Were you lucky enough to have such beautiful weather today, Friends?  I hope you were able to go outside and enjoy it -- at least for a little bit.  If you had shitty weather?  Sorry.  That stinks. Look at the pretty pictures and dream of nicer days ahead.








Monday, February 20, 2017

What Is the Point?

Hey, Friends.

Did you have a good day?  I know it was a Monday.  Hopefully it wasn't too bad.  I'm actually in a pretty good mood, which might be hard to tell after reading this post.  Consider that your warning. This is probably going to wind up as kind of a rambling rant.  If you're in a good mood, you might want to skip out now.  Maybe you find my blathering amusing and can't wait to see what set me off this time.  Your choice.  I wash my hands of all responsibility if you choose to read on beyond this point.

There are many things that have contributed to this airing of grievances list of complaints discussion, but it can be most easily covered regarding Instagram. (We'll go with discussion, since you are free to agree or disagree in the comments!)

"But you love Instagram!"  I do, Friends, I do.  Probably more than I should.  That does not mean that it and/or its users are infallible.

Before we get to the rant/ramble portion of things, let's start with this:



For those unfamiliar with Instagram (and I really don't know who that would be at this point), that is what I see when I look at my Instagram profile.  I honestly don't think anybody was unaware that this was my account.  I post stuff here pretty regularly, and to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, which is where most of you fine folks are coming from. If there was any confusion then consider this to be me lifting the veil of mystery and clarifying it for you.  Ta da!

This brings us to the first item of our discussion, Friends.

Public vs. Private

My account is public.  That means I don't care who can see my photos or my profile.  If I did, I certainly wouldn't be posting it here.  

  • I'm never going to post something that I would not be cool with the whole world seeing. If you're that worried about it, you probably shouldn't be posting it anywhere on the internet.
  • I like people being able to discover my pictures, just as I love to discover other accounts.  There are some incredibly creative people in the world.


That's really all it comes down to, for me.  There are many reasons why people may choose to have a private account, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  Whatever makes you comfortable.

Since my account is public, I have actually been contacted a few times by people asking permission to use my images.  First, the fact that they actually asked permission and gave credit is amazing! I can't even tell you how many stories I have heard about people having their work used without permission -- and I'm not talking solely about Instagram on this matter. Every time someone asks it usually results in a mixed reaction on my part: squeeing in excitement and doing a little dance of joy (which I can totally get away with as I live alone and there are no witnesses to silence later) and disbelief that someone actually wants to use one of my pictures.  On purpose.  Where other people will see it. It doesn't happen very often, but it's a pretty cool feeling.

Side note, Friends:

It's never okay to use someone's work without their permission, or to take credit for it, or to leak it online.  Let's take a trip to the music industry for a hot second. Just because you paid $1.29 for a song on iTunes does NOT give you the right to then upload it to a website and cheat the artist out of future sales.  You're a horrible person if you post songs that haven't even been released yet.  

And we're back.

If someone has set their account to private, that means they are probably going to be a little bit selective as to the people they give access to viewing it.  If you make the cut, consider it a privilege. The person either knows you or trusts you enough to let you in.  This in no way gives you permission to share their posts all over the place. Not only is that reprehensible and rude, it makes you an asshole.  Why? I'm guessing it was not done with any consideration for the person you are actively screwing over.  I would assume that in 99% of the cases it was done to try to make yourself look cooler by sharing something private, or because you want to use it against them -- these are not mutually exclusive, either.  If someone allows you to follow their private account?  Keep it private. Consider it your job to prove that their trust in you was not misplaced.

Followers

Remember the picture above?  I have 309 followers, at the moment. You can see that clearly listed, and it will show up if you were to look at my profile.  I'm perfectly happy with that number.

What annoys the hell out of me are the spam messages that get posted as comments -- more so on Instagram, but it happens on Twitter as well at times -- offering me "followers".  I tried being polite at first, when it looked like it was posted by an actual person, and explaining that I wasn't interested. Didn't get any results. Now I just block the accounts.  This can turn into a mess very quickly, I've learned, as blocking one account sometimes leads to multiple other spam accounts finding you.  

I have 309 followers.  Do you honestly think that is because no one has ever made me such a grand offer before? 

 "Thousands of "real followers" for free!  Just click the link in my account!"

 "Buy 10,000 followers!"

"Click the link in my bio to learn the secret to getting thousands of followers!"

No.  No to all of it.  I have zero interest in your bullshit.  I prefer to have actual people who like the things I post and choose to see more as my followers. Many of them are friends and family which is very nice.

I do not, and probably never will, understand the fixation people seem to have with the number of "followers" they have on Instagram or Twitter.  What the hell is the point?  Do you sleep better at night knowing you got more followers that day?  Are you somehow a better or cooler person than everyone else that has fewer followers?  

There are actually apps that exist to help you track this crap!  I've seen the posts on people's Twitter accounts when they pop up in my timeline:  "3 people followed me and 5 unfollowed me this week powered by whatever-the-app-is-called."  Why is it that important?  And if you are really that obsessed with knowing, why in the world would you want to post it in public?  I can see the appeal if you are a business and trying to gauge your market.  But as just a regular person?  I feel a little bad for you. There are a lot more important things in life than the number of people who do or do not "follow" you on social media.

The Porn Accounts

Do you get these, Friends?  I can't be the only one seeing these.  Someone randomly adds you or likes a photo.  I have few enough "followers" that I can and will click on the profile to see if it is:

 a) someone I know and I don't recognize the user name
 b) an actual account and not some random spam shit
 c) someone whose posts I dig and might want to follow back.

I cannot tell you how frequently it leads me to an account of a scantily clad woman. There are either a few pictures of half-nakedness going on, or it is a "private" account.  The bio is almost always some variation of an offer to click a link to view their webcam.  Sometimes they go all out and have a bio with their age, sign, etc.

I don't know why I get these things -- I'm sure it's a bot and because my account is public. My user name is pretty generic.  It's not like I post anything remotely like that myself.  

I'm not your intended audience, scantily clad porn bots.  I'm a heterosexual female. I have absolutely no interest in what you are selling.  You will be blocked immediately.  I don't want your creepy comment lingering on my picture.  My nephews use Instagram.  I don't need them randomly finding your account via mine either.  That is not a conversation I want to have with my brother and sister-in-law.  

The Comments

This is really more about my fellow users of Instagram than Instagram itself.

Reminder, kids:  If you comment on a post, other people can see that.  Even if your account is set to "private", if you comment on a public picture it will be visible to all. Maybe you were already aware of that fact.  You might want to think carefully about what you are saying and/or how you are phrasing it.  Better yet, maybe think twice about whether you want to post it at all.

I'm a comment reader, I will admit it.  I read comments on other accounts.  I don't do it all of the time.  Sometimes I'm intrigued by the caption they used and want to see the reaction they are getting. It might be a political post.  It might be an account with millions of followers, and their post got like 784 comments in 5 minutes -- gets me curious as to what that many people could possibly have had to say that quickly.

It's not always a good decision on my part to read the comments.  Sometimes it is amusing, many times horrifying.  People do not hold back on their opinions, for good or for ill.

Just use your brain if you're commenting.  Be sure of what you want to say before you post it.  You might not get any response from the person who posted the photo, but I've seen a lot of instances where it struck a nerve with another user and ugliness ensued.  No one needs your squabbling in their comment section, and no one involved ever comes out the better for it.

Also, please try to remember that there is such a thing as privacy.  Yes, someone may have posted a public photo.  Whatever information they chose to share about it in the caption is what you get. Didn't give a location?  They don't have to. Doesn't matter how curious you are about it.  You can ask, but don't be rude if you don't get an answer. Did they post something that intrigues you about their personal life?  Doesn't matter.  If they wanted you to know, they would have shared that fact with you. You are not entitled to know.  Trying to suss out whether the other person in the photo is a significant other or a sibling?  None of your damn business.  If they want you to know, they will share that information with you.  I don't care if it is the biggest celebrity you can think of, or how much of their life they share with the public -- they still deserve their privacy and to share what they wish.  

Sorry, that last bit was a rant.  It's a pet peeve of mine.  Everyone has different comfort levels on what they choose to share and what they wish to keep private.  That should be respected regardless of who you are.  I've always thought of it more as being thankful for what people choose to share with me.  

Let's just end it here, Friends.  I think I'm about out of steam for rambling and ranting at the moment. Maybe you agree with me, maybe you don't.  You have the option to comment.  I promise I'll read them, even if I don't respond.

Give yourself a cookie if you actually made it this far reading through all of this.  


Sunday, February 19, 2017

It's the Best I Could Do

Hey, Friends.

It was absolutely gorgeous here today!  Temperatures in the low 60s in February? You have to go outside and enjoy that if you have a chance.  It would be damn near criminal to sit inside and miss it.

There are lots of places to go out and enjoy nature in this area.  The winter kind of limits the choices a bit.  It snowed a lot not too terribly long ago, and all that snow still lingers.  Many of the parks and hiking areas do not plow or clear the trails of snow, so that makes finding a bit of outdoors to enjoy somewhat more interesting.

I knew I wanted to be by the water.  I was craving some time to chill out, listen to the water, and have some solitude with my thoughts.  There is no ocean or beach conveniently nearby, but there is the Hudson River, and that was going to be the best I could manage.  Of course, that's pretty much where everyone else was going to head to enjoy such lovely weather.

Forget the waterfront in Poughkeepsie.  That will be crowded.  Easiest place to get to, especially for those with no car.

Walkway Over the Hudson is out, too.  I know that place is going to be a mob scene: nice weather, and they actually clear the snow.  Everyone and their uncle will be there.  Plus, you're really over the water, not close enough to hear the waves.

I decided to head across the river, take my chances in one of the parks over there.

I was right about the Walkway -- I could see the line of parked cars on the Highland end stretched down the street.

So I headed farther North.  Scenic Hudson has some great parks, and hopefully the sun would have melted the snow enough to be able to walk around a bit.

I decided to try Esopus Meadows Preserve and Lighthouse Park. I've been there before, and if the snow has melted enough I could get right near the river.  There never seems to be nearly as many people enjoying the parks on that side of the river (or I am just incredibly lucky in my visit times), so finding a bit of solitude should be easier.

I made a good choice.  There were a few cars there, but I only saw maybe 10 other people the entire time I was there.  A few people had kayaks they were getting ready to launch, others were out walking their dogs.  It wasn't hard at all to find a spot to just sit in the sun, listening to the waves lap the shoreline.

Of course, I had to take some pictures before I left.  You didn't think I would miss out on that chance, did you?


In case you need directions.


Looking North up the shoreline


It's a beach, of sorts


I love the look of the tree roots


The lighthouse


View from the little wooden bridge


Closest thing to a beach I could find


Think an entire tree washed ashore

I was sitting on said tree, relaxing and just enjoying the warmth of the sun and the gentle sounds of the water, when I heard what I thought sounded like horse hooves on pavement.  Seemed kind of strange, as I don't know that many people around here just ride horses down the road.  I hadn't seen a horse trailer with any of the parked vehicles.  To be fair, it wouldn't be the first time I had come across someone on horseback in a public park.  I looked around and only saw two people sitting at a picnic table. 

After getting my fill of the sun and the river, I decided to head back to my car.  Up ahead I could see the two people from the picnic tables, and they had stopped on the footbridge to take pictures of something.  I waited for them to finish and move along, wondering why they wanted to take a picture of a cement building so badly.  I got my answer when I got closer to the bridge.


I knew I heard horses!

Honestly, it was kind of a relief to see the horses.  I mean, the sound of hooves on pavement is pretty specific, and I could not figure out what else the noise could possibly have been.  It gets better, though.

The horses were pulling a wagon!

Okay, I get that it might not seem terribly exciting to you, Friends.  But seriously? You do not see that shit every day around here.  This was both fantastic and surreal.  I'm so glad I decided to venture out to this park today!  If I had gone anywhere else I would have missed out on seeing this.  It's kind of ridiculous how seeing something so unexpected can make me so giddy.

I hope you had a good day as well, Friends.  Maybe you found something awesome that brought you a little unexpected spark of joy as well.  I sure hope so.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Phone Notes Part V

Hey, Friends.

It's snowing here, again.  Been trapped in the house all day and I'm bored.  I'm not going to thrill you with any pictures of the snow today, sorry. Okay, maybe one that pretty much covers my delight at having to deal with more snow.




Instead, I decided that we could have fun looking at all of the random shit that I wrote as a note on my phone at some point.  You like those, right?  Hope so!  If you've been here a while then you know the drill.  I'm going to share the flotsam that was going on in my head.  If I remember what inspired it, or why I even made the note in the first place, I'll try to explain.  Some are pretty self-explanatory this time, I think.

1.  I sometimes check my phone, certain that I heard it going off, only to discover that it was a phantom sound and nothing is there.  Other times I can sleep right through the alarm -- and I use the really annoying alarm sound.  I don't understand how people can wake up to music.  I've tried and it never works.  I end up incorporating it into my dreams as a soundtrack.

2. It's 19 outside (feels like 10).  I wore fleece-lined leggings & a wool sweater to work in an attempt to stay warm in the building.  I go to Stewart's (it's like a convenience store, for those not in the North East) after work to buy gas.  Apparently they are having an ice cream sale -- and they are really pushing it.  Like I must have been asked 3 times if I also wanted to buy some ice cream.

No.  I very much do not want to buy ice cream right now.  No, I'm sure I won't want any tomorrow either.  I just want to pay for my coffee and the gas and leave.  I want to go home, drink my coffee, put on warm clothes & wrap myself in a blanket.  I'd like to feel warm again at some point.  Ice cream has no part in that plan.

3. **Fun fact:  this was apparently written at 2:01 am, on a random day back in September.  I could elaborate on it further, but I'm not going to.  I'm a little iffy on even including it.**
Past hurt and disappointment.  Time passes.  Trust once broken is a hard thing to regain.  I expect too much.  Setting the bar lower and lower and still I manage to be dazzled as he flies spectacularly beneath it.

4. Neighbor calls: "Did you see the thing?  The thing in the road?"

Okay, I know exactly what this was about.  My neighbor called the other night, convinced that she had seen a "big thing" crossing our road, down near my house.  This was about 10 pm.  She had been outside walking her dog, and it freaked her out enough that she and the dog immediately headed back inside.

No, I did not see the thing.  

She continues, telling me that it was bigger than the cats that roam the neighborhood.  That it seemed bigger than the cats, but not as big as her dog, but it didn't walk like a dog.  What could it be?

I told her I thought it might be a raccoon.  They are around here.  I saw one in my backyard over the summer, and they can get pretty big.

She was already moving on.  What if it was the bear?  We never did find out whether they caught it or not.  I tried to reassure her that it wasn't a bear, and that a bear should be hibernating right now.

She tells me that is was big, and it was dark colored.  "Maybe it was a coyote? Oh, what if it tries to eat the cats, or attacks my dog?"

Okay, there is the remote possibility that it might have been a coyote, but I'm not telling her that.  That will in no way help me to calm her ass down. I reiterated that it was probably a raccoon.  Yes, they are dark colored.  Fucking anything is going to be "dark colored" when you are looking at it at 10 pm. Maybe it was a stray dog.

It could be damn chupacabra for all I know.  I didn't see it.  I kept telling her it was probably a raccoon, and just to be careful when she is out walking her dog.  

5.  Every day I secretly hope that something random and awesome will happen.  And I drink coffee -- lots and lots of coffee, just to make sure I don't miss the little spark of awesomeness when it happens.

6.  Did you ever encounter someone and you can't even wrap your brain around how they are real? Overheard a conversation, and I was absolutely just as dumbfounded as the one participant.

Person 1: So, what do you do?

Person 2: I'm John's girlfriend.

Person 1 is tapping away on her phone

Person 2: I thought you looked familiar!  Where do you work?

Person 1: I don't work.

Person 2: Well, then do you go to school or something?  Volunteer?

Person 1: No, I don't have time for that.

Person 2: Okay....but then what are you doing all the time?

Person 1: I told you, I'm John's girlfriend.  *continues texting*

It continued on.  Apparently that is literally all she does is be this guy John's girlfriend.  She lives with him, doesn't work, doesn't do anything else.  When he is away on business she lives with her parents.  Chick had to be in her 30s.  She doesn't have time for a job because when he has to go to Albany for work, she rides with him to keep him company in the car, and so they can have lunch together.  No, they don't have any children or anything. She was texting John, who was like 20 feet away on the other side of the room.

WTF people.  I'm really trying not to judge here, but how is this even possible?  I get that maybe they are just crazy in love with each other.  Apparently they have been together for a couple of years. She was there with John, but she didn't know anyone so decided to just sit down and wait until it was time to go. 

How can you literally have no life, zero things to do of your own?  What can you possibly have to say to each other via text that can't wait until later?  You're in the same damn room -- you can literally see each other!  What happens if you break up?  You have no money, no job. 

The whole idea kind of broke my brain.  I get that they are (I assume) in love and want to spend as much time together as possible, but it seems incredibly strange to me.  How do you not do anything else with your life?  I get that they are in a relationship, but that doesn't mean that you totally lose everything about yourself.  Maybe I'm wrong.  I'm single, so what the hell do I know.  Maybe she's actually brilliant.


Thursday, February 9, 2017

Snow Day!

Hey there, Friends.

We're having a little bit of a winter storm here today, Friends.  I have the day off from work because of it.  I'm happy to have the day off, but I don't look forward to the snow removal process.  I was perfectly happy with the weather we were having yesterday.  Welcome to the Hudson Valley, Friends!  50 degrees yesterday, snow drifts as tall as my hip in the driveway today.

I woke up this morning and looked outside, hoping that maybe all the forecasts were wrong and we weren't going to get all of the snow.  My hopes were dashed rather quickly.  Imagine opening your front door to see that the snow is creeping onto your front porch, driven beneath the porch door by the wind.

Not what I want to see first thing in the morning.


Screw this.  Time to make some coffee before even thinking about dealing with the snow at all.

As I was in the kitchen making my much-needed coffee, I could hear the birds outside chirping and squeaking like crazy.  I really thought that one of the feral cats that roams the neighborhood was out there causing chaos.  No sign of any cats, but apparently the birds like to hang out on my back steps.

Shelter from the storm

After having some coffee I decided to bundle up and head on outside.  At the very least I was going to have to fill the bird feeder since I had a lot of feathered friends visiting.  Might as well take a wander down the street and check on the state of things while I'm out there.

The birds were definitely out, in full voice, and waiting for some food.

Hang in there, buddy.  I'm working on it!


I shot some video of my stroll for you, Friends.  Enjoy it from the warmth of your home.  (And if you're sitting on a tropical beach somewhere reading/watching this? Don't tell me.  Just know that I'm jealous.)

The tree creaking is seriously creepy


I'm pretty sure if I had to go to work today, I wouldn't have made it off of my street. If I did somehow manage to get there, I never would have been able to make it home again -- got to go up a pretty good hill in any direction

View from the top of one hill


The other direction is more picturesque


When the main roads look like that?  Pretty safe bet your is street is low on the priority list.


Those would be the hip-deep snow drifts forming in my driveway.


I shot some in slo-mo, too, just because it seemed pretty.  Well, until you hear the bizarre background noise that is the creaking trees.










It wasn't until I had already determined that it was too damn cold to be outside for any longer that I bothered to check the weather.  We've covered this before,  but I honestly amaze myself at my continuing inability to look at the temperature before deciding to go outside.


Feels like 11.  I'd say that qualifies as cold.

Don't be like me, Friends.  If you're going to go out and prance about in the snow like a fool, check the weather first.  Maybe reconsider and go when it is a tad warmer, or put on more layers.

At least the birds are happy and fed now.

Enjoy, little guys!

I'm going to drink some more coffee and attempt to thaw out.  I'll have to go back out to deal with the snow removal and dig out my car at some point, but that can wait for a while.  

Enjoy your snow day if you have one,  If you have to go out in this: be careful and safe travels!