Posted in Home Sweet Home, tagged Aging, Beer and wine, Bright ideas, Complaints, Out of the house, Peeves, Politicians, Rednecks, St. Louis on February 19, 2023| 2 Comments »
Dear Savannah:
Mardi Gras in St. Louis reminded me of you.
It’s definitely like St. Patrick’s Day on River Street.
The only thing different is that St. Louis had a parade with actual floats (not politicians in convertibles).
Though I won’t be able to experience St. Pat’s with you this year, you clearly are in my thoughts.
Love always,
Beth
Posted in Politics, tagged Advice, Bright ideas, Bureaucrats, Complaints, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Customer service, Disorders, Fear, Government, Media, Nudity, Obsessions, Outfits, Parasites, Pecking order, Peeves, Politicians, Politics, Rage, Rednecks, St. Louis, White people on January 18, 2023| 3 Comments »
Dear Rep. Ann Kelley,
What — and I mean this sincerely — the f*** are you doing?
WHY would you propose a change to the Missouri House of Representatives rules that forces women to cover their arms?
And you are a woman. What the heck?!
Let me get this straight: You lost your mind over requiring people to wear masks a couple of years ago to stop the spread of COVID, but now you are forcing women to wear sleeves?
You claim it was to clarify language to be “equal” to men. (By the way, you really should hire a PR person or copy editor or SOMEONE to help you with your writing skills.)
Sure it was.
I can’t believe it was adopted 105-51. (Note that the House is made up of 116 men and 43 women. Party affiliation for reference: 111 R, 52 D.)
I can’t believe you wasted any time on this at all. Have you seen the state rankings? Just look!
30th in Education
42nd in Public Safety
42nd in Healthcare
I swear to God — you are affecting my healthcare: my mental health!
I really don’t know why I’m surprised at either of the things above. It’s so much easier to control women and what they do and wear rather than tackle big issues in all people’s lives. Right, Ann?
What an embarrassment this is for the state. You want to be in the international consciousness with this foolishness?
I’m so glad my representative didn’t vote for this nonsense. (Granted, I think he was absent that day.)
Pull yourself together, please. Focus on important issues.
Sincerely,
Beth, a Missouri resident with sense
Posted in Politics, Religion (or lack thereof), tagged Church, Complaints, Fear, Government, Kids, Media, Outfits, Parasites, Peeves, Penises, Politicians, Rage, Rednecks, Signs, St. Louis, White people, Writing on October 25, 2022| 9 Comments »
Dear Beauty (and those with similar viewpoints),
I read your blog, posts, etc., because your beliefs are so different from mine. I’m really trying to understand. To find some common ground. It’s really hard, though.
And you clearly aren’t seeking dissenting voices. (I’ve mentioned before how you won’t approve comments that disagree with you. That’s your prerogative, of course.)
In your latest post, “The War For Young Minds” (no hyperbole there 🙄), you lament a part of “Hocus Pocus 2.”
Unpopular opinion: Your mistake was watching “Hocus Pocus 2” and not because of any drag queens. The original “Hocus Pocus” is unbearable.
But I digress.
Here’s the thing (and what I wrote in a comment that you deleted):
This doesn’t affect you. Drag queens do not impact your quality of life. A trans person living his/her/their life does not harm you in any way.
Let’s talk about the pejorative “woke.” Why is it so wrong to show people who are different from ourselves on TV and in movies? Why is representation threatening to you? Why does it bother you that a person wants you to use preferred pronouns in reference to him/her/them?
I know you are super religious, so let’s talk about a quality of God you’ve mentioned: never making mistakes.
You know what does affect children? The fear of being killed in school. There was a shooting Monday at a school three miles away from my house. That’s 40 school shootings this year, in case you are keeping track.
For someone who is so devoutly pro life, I would think you would care about that.
I have never once worried that a drag queen was going to kill me or children. In fact, drag queens have improved my life with meat prizes.
You know what else affects children? Predatory behavior.
I would think that Christian Republicans like yourself would care about that too. But no, that concern is selective, political, engineered and manifested for personal gain.
I have never once worried that a drag queen was going to molest my children.
So spare me your outrage. All I see is hypocrisy.
If you profess to care about children, you need to care about the children going to school worried about their safety. And children being preyed upon by grown men. And the ones who are LBGTQIA.
Some children may even grow up to be drag queens. If they are lucky. 😉
How do you explain to a kid why men are dressed as women? You say, “Because they want to.”
It’s as easy as that.
I mean, who cares?
Right. You do. Too much.
“Woke agenda.” Sigh. Drag is “harmful.”
Look. Listen.
Raise your children the way you want. Have the experiences you want to have. Surround yourself with likeminded people. Believe in and celebrate God. That’s your privilege. But know that it is YOUR responsibility to watch over your children, not Disney’s.
Someday, I hope your view of what’s appropriate, acceptable, “normal” and worth attention will change.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Beth
*Thanks, Aerosmith!
Posted in Random, tagged Bureaucrats, Complaints, Customer service, Government, Nudity, Out of the house, Peeves, Politicians, Politics, Rage, Signs, St. Louis, Suggestions, Travel on February 13, 2022| 2 Comments »
Dear State of Missouri Government:
LAWD have mercy. Y’all make being street legal SO DIFFICULT. Worse BY FAR than Georgia, and I didn’t think that was possible.
My suggestion for a new Missouri slogan: More backwards than Georgia.
Let’s recap:
I bought a car. In Ohio. The finance company owns the title. (So I thought, because that’s what the dealership said.)
Your tag office wanted me to have the finance company fill out a special form, have it notarized and sent back to me so I could take it to you.
Your tag office also wanted me to get a property tax waiver.
Your tag office sent me here:
But they needed the form from the finance company too.
I spent two weeks trying to get a human being at the finance company to help me. No luck.
Then one day I come home from work, and there’s a FEDEX envelope on my welcome mat.
It’s from the dealership. It’s my official car title. Sitting RIGHT THERE in front of my door for the world to take.
Good LORD!
So I make an appointment and go back to the highlighted office.
Nope.
That’s the COUNTY office. I need St. Louis CITY. Downtown.
Fine.
I take all my paperwork and go to City Hall.
It’s not Room 110.
It’s Room 115.
Once I got the waiver, I went to Room 111 to get the actual tag.
Then I waited again to get my Missouri driver’s license. Y’all charged me $28 for the privilege. And took two hours of my life.
Good news: It’s over. Lamar and I are legal.
(Lamar is my “new” whip. 😉 He and I are getting along just fine. But I did cry when the junkyard came to get my old girl.)
But I now see exactly why so many people here drive around with temporary tags.
Please add that suggestion box. I’ve got thoughts.
Your exasperated new neighbor,
Beth
Posted in Travel, tagged Bureaucrats, Death, Disorders, Fear, Ghosts, Government, Out of the house, Politicians, Politics, Travel on October 19, 2021| 8 Comments »
Dear Jenny,*
Thanks for the tour of the Missouri State Penitentiary Saturday night. You took 28 people on a wild ride through the site’s terrible past. More than 168 years of torture at the hands of the government and factory owners. Delightful!
The tale of the young woman starved in the “blind cell” was more horrifying than the prospect of any phantoms, as was the experience of being in there — especially knowing that of the thousands of keys needed for the prison doors, there are only four left. Four!
What was as incredible as your stories was the fact that I was the only guest wearing a mask.
Not only is COVID not gone, but I’m not interested in breathing in 168 years of lead paint, asbestos and general prison dust.
Thanks, but no thanks.
And it’s not like anyone was social distancing either. Not even the ghosts.
While you were at one end of Death Row talking about shifting floor shadows, I was having my own spooky moment.
I moved to the back of the tour to get away from a lady who insisted on being right at my elbow. I wasn’t alone. There were about four or five people on my left, with everyone else on the right.
You made us all put away our phones, and you turned off your flashlight.
It was so dark.
But I felt fine. I was surrounded by people, after all. I FELT THEM near me.
But then my left side got really cold. Just my left. My right was warm.
The guy on my right took out his phone.
In the light from it, I realized there was NO ONE STANDING NEXT TO ME ON THE LEFT SIDE.
So that was fun. 😬
I was glad when the tour got going again.
The last stop was the gas chamber — same as it was for 40 inmates.
No ghosts here, which is surprising.
I was also surprised to learn that residents nearby were told to leave their houses for four hours when an execution was scheduled.
Cyanide in sulfuric acid is a bitch.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your knowledge. We all learned something and some of us even got the ghost add-on package.
Your creeped-out guest,
Beth
*I cannot hear this name without hearing it the way Tom Hanks says it as Forrest Gump: “JEN-AY!”
Posted in Apartment life, tagged Advice, Apartment life, Atlanta, Bright ideas, Complaints, Customer service, Death, Family, Fear, Kids, Movies, Out of the house, Parenting, Peeves, Politicians, Rage on October 10, 2021| 2 Comments »
Dear Mid-America Apartments:
I hate you with a white-hot rage. The temp of a thousand suns.
I hate you like Bette hated Joan.
I hate you like a high-school boyfriend hated shirts with sleeves (much to my father’s chagrin).
(I hate you so much, but I still don’t hate you as much as I hate Mitch McConnell.)
You installed “smart locks” a few months ago. Ours has never worked properly. Your maintenance folks have been out to fix it more than four times.
Last night, it wouldn’t open. Period.
I called the emergency line. Twice. Eddie called too.
Someone will be right over.
Someone did not come over.
Someone called.
The someone: We don’t do lockouts. We only do emergencies.
Me: This is an emergency. Our lock isn’t working. We need to get into our place. Don’t you have the special key to get into the garage?
Him: No. You’ll have to check with the leasing office.
Me: They don’t open until Monday.
Him: I guess you’ll have to wait until Monday.
Me: How are we supposed to get into our apartment?
Him: I don’t know. We only handle emergencies.
Me: This is an emergency.
Him: We don’t consider this an emergency. Don’t you have the garage door opener?
Me: If we had that, I wouldn’t be calling you, would I?
I hung up on him.
I mean … WHAT the ACTUAL F?!
So we borrowed an extension ladder from a friend. I hummed the “Mission Impossible” theme while Dominic shimmied up and saved the day.
We should not have had to do this. Your emergency line people should actually have the capacity to help.
And you should have installed locks that actually work.
I can’t wait until our lease is up. I will NEVER recommend your company/complexes.
Beyond vexed,
Beth
Posted in Travel, tagged Coronacation, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Crushes, Family, Food, Friends, Government, Hormones, Jesse's Divide, Kids, Media, Music, Nudity, Obsessions, Out of the house, Pandemic, Parenting, Politicians, Politics, Reality TV, Signs, Technology, The Brits, Travel, White people on August 31, 2021| 5 Comments »
Dear Friends and Family,
As many of you know, I’ve been taking what I’ve termed “murder-prevention trips” during the pandemic. As I’ve mentioned, I’m an extrovert who likes to travel. The pandemic was hard for me for those reasons, as well as the fact that my children and I were all up on each other trying to work/study.
(First-world problems, I know. We did not have nearly the issues that many, many other people had. But this was my reality, and I’m acknowledging its difficulty.)
I’m not an indoor cat.
Look at what Dominic got me (on his own!) to commemorate my latest trip:
When he is good, he is very good indeed. (And when he is bad, he is horrid.)
Where did I go? England. Boris said I could.
Plus, my favorite band was playing their first gig in a billion years (i.e., 18 months).
I am such a huge Anglophile — constantly amused and/or impressed by the things I find. This jaunt was no exception.
I’ve promised Gideon a birthday trip there in May, COVID willing. Maybe he’ll be as delighted as I am with the cultural differences.
Have a great week!
Beth
Posted in Advice, Politics, tagged Advice, Church, Complaints, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Death, Disorders, Fear, Government, Media, Pandemic, Peeves, Politicians, Politics, Rage, Requests, Travel, White people on August 8, 2021| 2 Comments »
Dear Folks Who Won’t Get the COVID Vaccine:
I’ve created a handy chart for you to help in your decision making.
Look. Listen. We all had to get vaccinated to start school. What is the sudden problem? And you don’t want to show proof? We’ve all had to show proof of vaccinations our whole lives for school. It’s a public safety issue.
We also have had to show proof of identity when flying. And driving. And returning to the country. And voting in many places. (Hey, Georgia!)
So what’s the big deal with vaccine passports? We’ve had vaccine records for years!
We already have government mandates for safety (OSHA, seat belts, helmets, speed limits, etc.).
But some of those things only protect the individual, while others protect, well, others.
Vaccines protect you and others. Many diseases are gone because of vaccines.
Please get yours so we can all get back to normal. And so, you know, you won’t DIE.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Beth
Posted in Advice, Parenting, tagged Advice, Aging, Complaints, Family, Friends, Hormones, Kids, Media, Music, Outfits, Parenting, Peeves, Politicians, Politics, Pop Music, Rage, Requests, White people on March 21, 2021| 5 Comments »
Dear Mom of College Friend (and anyone else who shared this meme),
Most of the time, I scroll on past all the crazy things you post. I was taught to respect my elders, so I don’t want to call you out.
But I have thoughts about this meme.
I know you and loads of your kind (aka white Boomers) are clutching your pearls over Cardi B’s Grammy performance and the song in general.
I have thoughts about that too:
All of this is so silly to me. All my life, I’ve heard older people lose their minds about music, video games, books and whatnot having a negative impact on children.
You know who should be worried about children? Their parents. Period.
I’m far from perfect, but I do frankly address topics like sex, drugs, etc., with my boys. I’d rather they hear the truth from me, as uncomfortable as it may be for them and for me.
So stop worrying about what other people and their children are/are not doing, and mind your own business.
Also, perhaps consider getting out of the meme game.
Sincerely,
Your daughter’s friend
*People actually complained to the FCC about the performance. Get a grip! It’s the Grammys. What do you expect? Everyone knew Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion were going to perform. Just change the channel if you don’t like it.
Posted in Politics, tagged Atlanta, Bureaucrats, Complaints, Games, Georgia, Government, Media, Out of the house, Pandemic, Peeves, Penises, Politicians, Politics, Rage, Rednecks, Technology, Twitter, Voting, White people on February 24, 2021| 2 Comments »
This guy. Rep. Barry Fleming. UGH. He’s from the Georgia city that has the Laurel & Hardy Museum. His efforts would be a comedy if his fellow Republicans weren’t serious.
Dear Georgia GOP,
Hey, y’all! Georgia voter here. What you are doing with your omnibus elections bill is ridiculous. I know you are upset that President Biden won the state in November and Senators Ossoff/Warnock won their seats in January, but you can’t just change the rules because you lost.
Except you can, because that’s what you do (*cough* gerrymandering *cough*).
There was no voter fraud. That’s been proven over and over.
Stop being sore losers. Just mobilize your base and register new voters. You know, like Stacey Abrams did.
I’ve voted in every election. I voted absentee in November because, you know, PANDEMIC. I took a picture of myself at the ballot dropbox because I know how y’all like to pretend ballots are being returned by others. 🙄
Forcing a voter to make a copy of his/ her/their ID or get a witness for a signature IS NOT GOING TO STOP FRAUD.
Reducing early voting IS NOT GOING TO STOP FRAUD.
Eliminating no-excuse absentee voting IS NOT GOING TO STOP FRAUD.
It just makes voting a hassle for everyone.
Even the Georgia Secretary of State — a man in YOUR PARTY — says y’all lost because of unfounded conspiracy theories, not because of fraud.
Stop making it harder for people to vote. You should be reducing barriers. But I guess you aren’t interested in a fair fight. You want to rig the system.
Huh.
That’s funny.
That sounds like someone I’m glad is gone.
Do a better job of promoting yourselves and your platforms. Then more people might vote for you.
It’s not likely to be me, though, because you waste time on stupid stuff like this.
Be best.
(🙄)
Beth
Observe and report 