A lot has been happening since the last season, including the implosion of my housing situation (though something really needed to give).  Total strangers and people who barely know me have been more supportive and kind than alleged friends and an ex who claimed to want to be my friend.  When that happens, it's time to do some housecleaning.  As I use some choice words, I figure I should label this one "explicit."

This is a pic I took of a building that burned down a while back in my neighborhood and was subsequently demolished.  Yes, this is symbolism.

It seems the gray kitty was older than we thought he was.  He definitely didn't act it and was purring when I petted him even up to the end, hence him being the Betty White of cats.  This pic is from when I first met him in 2020 when I came back to NYC to assess if there was anything left to bother staying for or if it was too much of a hellscape to bother.  Those were happier times for him.

I also discuss "The Wonder Years," melting cynicism and how the Lord Almighty works (at least if you're saved, which isn't a complex process).

This isn't even my full soapbox on it since I forgot to mention the lack of accessibility to voluntary sterilization but figured it was appropriate to do this episode in light of the recent Supreme Court leak (which is also a separate topic I have views on).

The pic depicts how abortions happened when they weren't legal.  The coat hanger has become symbolic with unsafe abortions.

Just as it says: I can finally speak freely about some things with the Energizer Bunny deciding he'd rather block me than actually accept some relevant facts of life (such as any friendships you have with an ex post-breakup are totally at the leisure, time table and control of the dumpee, not the dumper), engage in any meaningful self-reflection or recognize that he may not be operating with all the relevant facts (such as why I asked what I asked recently).  I definitely saw some psychological projection in there.

In short, men are stupid and I finally have a real chance at healing from this man's cluelessness.  Can't help but wonder whether his ex and/or his kids have seen some of this stuff.

I took this pic at a restaurant I went to in NC.  This might have been the same day my nephew's grandparents showed up for lunch and they + my sister publicly embarrassed him.

I'm sure everyone is familiar with that quote "Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about."  It's been applied in everything from discussing addicts to sex abusers; I'd like to know why children living in those situations are supposed to "be kind" and enable the ADULTS who failed them.  For context, I grew up with an alcoholic father and while I was a very smart child, I wasn't exactly capable of getting a job and my own place to live at 7 years old (when I told my mom she should get a divorce after we had to flee our home from my father while he was in another drunken rage).  This is just one example of where that ethic is not so great when applied to real life.

The title says it all: don't minimize or lecture someone else about their lived experiences if you want anybody to not do the same thing to you or believe that you are worthy of human consideration.  Trying to change this basic reality just furthers the same things you hate.

The pic is of a guy I saw protesting outside the Westchester Supreme Court (which also houses the Westchester Family Court) back when I was doing court appearance work; I think I had morning and afternoon cases that day.  He clearly had a grievance but I have no idea who asked him further about this or acted like they cared.  He wasn't there long enough to get approached by law enforcement.

I recently watched the documentary "We Need To Talk About Cosby" as well as a video response to it.  This episode isn't about assessing Bill Cosby's guilt or innocence; I just wonder whether someone could replicate Cosby's position in his time, his impact on the cultural landscape and operate as he did with nobody taking any steps to punish him for his crimes until many years later.  

This leads to a few more related musings like what would happen right now if you went to the police and said a public figure raped you last night/2 days ago/some very recent point in time + had all your physical evidence i.e. you did everything right.

The image is of the infamous "Serial Rapist" note that was written on Bill Cosby's Hollywood star when the rape allegations were getting big time attention and all the women started coming forward.

This is a guy I noticed everyday when I started my job on Wall Street.  I feel he epitomized the image I have of Wall Street so I dubbed him "Mr. Wall Street."  Not my romantic type at all but me approaching this guy one day was a huge emotional leap for me and something I'm still proud of myself for having done even though he didn't become some new friend & it wasn't a particularly positive interaction.

Recorded this episode much earlier so the timeline isn't quite accurate on events but the point remains the same & the good news is still applicable.

I have a rather complicated history with this holiday and realized I hadn't done an episode about it.  Fortunately, this one was good but still sad because the Energizer Bunny wouldn't have ditched me or ignored it like other guys in the romantic orbit did.  At least I have guy friends who acknowledged it and made me feel loved.

These are some chocolate covered strawberries I ordered for myself (10 in total).  Not cheap but if nobody's getting you any, you might as well get some for yourself.  These were but 1 part of my single person's ritual.

My actual experience going to a gun range to take a course on pistols, learning about gun safety, doing shooting, etc.  This also leads me to my stance on the 2nd Amendment as it relates to self-defense, particularly if you are in a "vulnerable" group prone to being victimized & in the context of the "defund the police" cheerleaders.

This pic is of a random decal I saw one day making fun of the stick figure family decals you see on cars.  Dudes like that are WHY we have a right to protect ourselves.  If one of those adults had a gun and knew how to shoot, that guy with the chainsaw probably wouldn't be able to terrorize other families (unless he's Freddy Kreuger, of course).