Weekday

Someone sent me this photo of a sunset in Trinidad, and I thought it would be a lovely little image a break from the snow that I woke up to this morning, and the very chilly day that today has been.  I was quite surprised this morning when I opened my eyes and there was a whiteout… Jerry has been super suspicious today.  He refuses to leave either of us for very long, he’s been pacing and barking and seeming unsettled.  Don thinks it’s because he thinks that my support worker is due, but she’s not here today.  Don managed a good night’s sleep and has extra energy today.  

I learnt last night that my godfather would be undergoing prostate surgery this morning.  I just got a text that the surgery went well and he’s now in recovering.  I’m asking for prayers for his full and complete recovery — another one in his 80s! Many thanks.

I’ve got to sort out my packing tomorrow, as I leave on Wednesday at lunch, so not much time in the morning to do stuff.  I originally intended to just take a carry-on sized bag, but Auntie has several gifts (of course) so it might be easier to take the larger suitcase and a smaller personal item and the suitcase shouldn’t be too heavy.  I’ll decide later; I don’t need a huge amount of clothes, but the weather is in full spring swing, so layers are the order of the day.

I found the AITA subreddit recently, and have been indulging in some schadenfreude in reading it.  I’m amazed at the types of stories that people share — jealousy between siblings, partner drama, problems with in-laws, etc — and even more by the judgemental nature of many of the responders.  AITA is the acronym for “am I the a—hole” and people post situations allegedly in their lives and ask for feedback from the internet.  Part of me is inclined to think that these are mostly bot-generated, and there is an actual bot that starts the discussion by posting part of the original message under the heading “The original poster thinks that this is the reason they may be the idiot… <statement> What’s your opinion?”  The answers are NTA (not), YTA (you are) and ESH (everyone sucks here.).   I know that I’m probably late to this party, like many others, but there are also “influencers” whose content is based on reading AITA posts — which is how I found it, because someone sent me a link to a vlogger who was talking about it.  In addition to this subreddit, there’s one for “bride-zillas”; workplace issues, and so on.  It’s like reading the comments section on Facebook, but on steroids.  I also confess to lurking in the comments section, as it’s all too often hilarious, particularly for some hyperbolic posts.

I’ve deliberately avoided political posts of all stripes, as the comments on those tend to be hate-filled and vicious from the outset.  Like a lot of other people I’m disgusted by the people who hide behind their screens to call for death and violence to others.  You disagree with someone?  Fine.  That doesn’t give you the right to wish them dead or hope that they are violated.  The AITA and similar channels, though, are a little different.  From what I was skimming, many of them are from disgruntled teens/tweens who are looking for support for their angst.  Although, if they’re truthful, there are some absolutely horrible people out there who steal their kids’ savings, throw family members out of the home over seemingly minor disagreements, or seek validation for their insensitivity.  I can’t claim to understand the desire to ask random strangers their opinions on medical/veterinary treatment or legal advice because they would be working from generalizations and unable to address specifics unless personal and private information is shared… but I’ve seen people who say, “I’ve got this symptom, can anyone recommend a treatment?” Which makes less than no sense to me.  At the same time, I can understand asking for advice on certain things like, “Did I say something inappropriate?” Or “Would it be ok if I did this to surprise my partner?” So my readings on AITA sometimes make me think some unkind things, which is when I know it’s past time to stop.  That led to me watching some short videos on moral issues, like dealing with intimate partner violence, overt racism, blatant disrespect, which I watch with amusement as the scenarios are so outlandish as to be comical.  There are videos of people being accused of theft just because of their race, or cheating partners who are outed, or sexist bosses harassing employees… if only it was so easy to spot and correct that kind of behaviour!  

It’s getting quite chilly again after a milder afternoon, and threats of ice during the week… 🙄  As always, at this time of year, I’m tired of winter!  It will warm up soon, and I’m looking forward to that.  My boys are curled in a heap on the sofa, both with their eyes shut, so I’ll let them get a break  Have a good night.