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Mike Driver
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Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
$LAYYYTER
EXPECTATIONS
Discoholic šŖ©
Aqua Utopiaļ½ęµ·ć®åŗć§čØę¶ćē“”ć
Fai_Ryy
The Stonewall Inn
Jules of Nature
#extradirty
todays bird
Love Begins
Product Placement
Origami Around
cherry valley forever
Stranger Things
The Bowery Presents
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@blooper0223
The new red scare
Some dogs are dumb as posts (my parentsā dog Blackie certainly qualified, though her mom Pepper was smart), and some cats are so smart they seem evil and calculating to those who are not inclined to the feline. Much depends on nature and nurture, so a broad generalization like this fails. Image found on YourDictionary. Many, including me, have warned about the dangers of broad (hasty, in theā¦
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Past imperfect
Sometimes the letters just jump off the desk and attack me, which is a miracle since most are now email and I no longer print them out. Image found on SAFE California. Most of my time on the job is spent editing letters and columns, reading proofs, writing, and combing through submissions. Iāll admit I donāt always answer my correspondence in a timely manner (and there are some people I justā¦
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It's just too hot for this crap
Accurate. GIF found on giphy. The simple fact is that I was not built for heat. Besides being old and fat, IBS can make things ā¦ complicated (to say the least; sharts are a very real danger) in summer. Add to that my general persnicketiness when the summerās heat bears down, and you have the makings of the ultimate curmudgeon. And you kids, get off my lawn. Except Iām pretty sure the bulk ofā¦
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On patriotism
Patriotism isnāt predicated on whether you support a particular political party. Image found on CatHealth. Since Saturday is the 250th anniversary of our nation, I would be remiss not to talk about the true meaning of patriotism, especially at a time when so many are espousing a Christian nationalistic version that belies the ideals of our forefathers. I was in kindergarten in the lead-up toā¦
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Trigger-happy (with trolls, anyway)
I mean, seriously, the signs have always been there. Sometimes you discover things about yourself in the most ordinary conversations. While updating bestie Sarah (by text, since she moved away š) on my progress with two new cat-sitting clients/fur-kin, I noted that though they were still wary of this new person in their house, they were perhaps āstarting to understand Iām just an overgrownā¦
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No column today
I needed to burn off excess columns, and play with the sweet girls Iāve been watching (Iāll be home prepping for the next gig by the time you read this). Back next week! Ruby is just the sweetest. I have no idea where Phoebe might have gone.
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Pride Month is nothing to fear
I look kinda worried here. No surprise. My mama always told me I came out of the womb worrying (and two weeks early, spoiling her plan for a baby in each week of January, so yeah, Iām impatient too). It should come as no surprise, then, that I worry about my family (blood and chosen) and friends who are part of the LGBTQIA community, all the time, really, but especially during Pride Month.ā¦
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Fun with words
Get a load of the size of the Etymology Monthly! Cartoon by John Deering. Itās been a while since Iāve been truly nerdy on the Voices page. OK, gleefully word-nerdy; I have been civics-nerdy recently, such as my column onĀ democracyĀ a couple of weeks back (that was aĀ littleĀ word-nerdy, but serious). But a recent visit with a friend and one of my fur-nephews introduced me to a type of speech Iā¦
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On newspapers
Even my favorite Doctor is rolling his eyes over all this crap. GIF found on giphy. Sometimes my eyes roll so much that I fear Iāll have to catch them before they tumble out of my head and provide one of my fur-nephews or nieces with a fun new toy. Good luck getting the dust and cat hair off those. In the comments on myĀ columnĀ last week, my original troll (he of the āgame, set, match, I win,ā¦
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On democracy
Just say no to the know-it-alls of the world who donāt, in fact, know it all, and insist on correct definitions. GIF found on giphy. Itās been a while since Iāve talked about cognitive biases. Considering that Monday is Memorial Day and we have people going around claiming the United States, for which military members and others have fought and died, is not a democracy, perhaps itās time Iā¦
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Between sinusitis, fatigue and a backlog of guest columns, I decided to take the week off from writing.
Bridging the gap on credibility
Human, this bitch slap is for your own good. Stop believing everything on the Internet! On the other hand, cat GIFs are one of the best things on the Internet, so believe in those. GIF found on LazerHorse. The Internet is great for many things: bringing people together, streaming entertainment (I donāt have cable, so thatās how I watch TV), allowing quick access to products and services aroundā¦
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What's normal?
This would be a good definition. Yet MAGA trolls keep trying to pretend theyāre normal. Image found on DIY.org. If thereās one thing Iāve learned over the past few decades of observation of partisans, itās that people who describe themselves as ānormiesā usually arenāt that normal. While once used by alcoholics and people with disabilities to refer to those without such, since about the earlyā¦
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Why we don't feel safe
Readers of my newspaper column will notice I didnāt have a column today; I had been thinking about writing this, but knew it needed more thought, so I leapt at the chance to run an Earth Day column from a friend. Then I thought that perhaps the topic would probably be too much for a family newspaper, so it will just be here. While I might pick up some of the threads next week for my column, Iā¦
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Facts first
It really costs nothing to be kind. If you canāt do that, at least donāt be a douchbag. Image found on Walden University. As much as talking about kindness the past couple of weeks has cheered me, itās time to get back into more serious matters. Weāve spent several months with no shortage of letters, thanks largely to the craziness (not the fun kind) going on in the world, but that somewhatā¦
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Ditch the anger and smile
This has been me a lot lately when I open up social media or read the news. GIF found on Tenor. As I write this, I have no idea what the next few days will bring, especially considering the profanity-laden post made by the president over the weekend, plus the one Tuesday promising āa whole civilization will die tonight.ā No one ever said he was a diplomat ā¦ except maybe him and those who kowtowā¦
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Choose kindness over pranks
That was just mean! I think Iāll cough up a hairball in his shoes. Image found on Meme Center. April Foolsā Day once was really fun at the Democrat-Gazette (and elsewhere). My mentor and friend (and other mom) Mary Hargrove and I were notorious for newsroom pranks on the day. More than a few batches of plastic bugs were deployed (sorry, Danny, RIP), desk drawers turned upside-down, and fakeā¦
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