An end to football season.

 

There is something primal inside most people, especially from Pennsylvania, that prevents them from cheering for the Eagles. Even with players like Jalen Hurts or Saquon Barkley and decent guys for coaches like Nick Sirriani. They are all perfectly deserving of a Super Bowl win and that's fine. Good for them! 

But to cheer for the Eagles just always feels wrong; Philadelphia is not "Pennsylvania" in the same way that Chicago is not 'Illinois". No one actually likes the Eagles. It physically hurts a little to see them do well....however, like in 2017, they deserve this, so good for them.

The reason for last night's trouncing was simple: The Chiefs didn't deserve to be in the Super Bowl. They had a weird, easy schedule for the first half of the season which set them off on an undefeated record, giving some false confidence. They had the media and the headlines on their side with a potential 3-peat. They had Taylor Swift, pulling in attention and fangirls and fanboys, making them the "popular" team. They had some over-confidence in their abilities. 

And then they had the refs. I'm not saying cheating was blatant but cheating was subliminal for sure. The NFL changed their rules about calls last week, after the Chiefs win over Buffalo, when it came out that the wrong calls had been made. Sure, the Patriots had deflate-gate, but the Chiefs had little nudges from the refs, pushing them across the finish line most weeks. 

So it kind of was what it was and was incredibly annoying to live through for the last 5 months but it all came to a head last night when you could see the talent just wasn't there. Sunlight is the best disinfectant right? 

I was trying to think of what this reminded me of: it's kind of like when we were told by the media that Kamala Harris was the most popular choice for President and was installed by the Democrats instead of holding a primary and then she lost altogether. 

Yeah, you can install your candidate, you can install your team, but when you put them up against actual talent (or policies), the truth is revealed. Just like Donald Trump winning the popular vote, it was heartwarming to see how everyone across the country came out to create a wide tent and support not-the-Chiefs. 

(That's pretty deep for a Monday...I'm expecting 2-3 snow days this week so fingers crosssed.)

Two guilty pleasures.

1. Politics. I ride an adrenaline high on election nights. It's the weirdest thing. I picked up this hobby of following politics around 2016, but I always paid attention from about 2000 on. I remember following 2012 pretty closely on Twitter. With podcasts and live coverage and tracking of the electoral map, I really went for it in 2018, 2020, and 2022. It's like an actual hobby. On debate night last week, the season started. 

2. I love Nordstrom Anniversary Sale season. It's funny because I don't have an N card and I don't buy from the sale. But I love seeing what other people are buying and I love reading the lamenting about how quality has gone so far downhill. That being said, here's what I would want if I were shopping the sale (no affiliate links here)...

All Saints Tote (though if I had the access and unlimited funds to spend on bags at this second, I'd get the leather one)

SuperGoop pack

Treasure and Bond Knit Top

Free People Sweatshirt

Hourglass Blush (I have this and love it, so I would like the mix of colors to play around with instead of a single palette.)

Zella Pocket Joggers

This is the literal definition of window shopping here because I can't buy any of these things anyway! They'll all be gone by August when the sale opens up to everyone. I could see splurging on that nylon All Saints bag post-sale though. 

Do you shop the N Sale? Do you...follow politics? 

Favorite Follows: If you're "politically homeless"...

A few weeks ago, when I wrote a political post, I shared what I think but I didn't give a lot of context as to where I got my information. I think it's important to share and spread factual political knowledge, so here we are: I'm going to give a round-up of where I get some opinions on the political news of any given day. 

Truly, my favorite source is usually The Daily Wire. I don't agree with every premise the hosts and writers put out there, but it's a good jumping off point if you generally have a conservative lean. 

What I'm sharing today, though, is a lot of classical liberals (civil liberties under law but with complete economic freedom) and libertarians (the government stays out of most things). A few of them describe themselves as "politically homeless" because everything is so polarized right now. 

Steven Crowder [Facebook, Twitter]

Steven Crowder falls into the more conservative realm for sure, but he's also pretty libertarian in many ways. I am not a fan of his daily show because I despise morning talk radio with the heat of a thousand suns and his show reminds me of that. But his Change My Mind videos are, indeed, mind-changing. I watched the entire backlog a few years ago and have kept up with current episodes ever since. Steven is a fantastic debater and uses discourse with facts and logic. It completely changes the way you think about talking to a person with different political beliefs. Because he's Canadian, he will destroy your universal healthcare argument in a split second. I like that you can't get a lot past him. 

Bridget Phetasy [Twitter]

She's a liberal in California who speaks true common sense. That shouldn't be controversial, but it is these days. She's also a comedian so many of her posts are really funny. 

Dave Rubin <<< Watch this! [Twitter, Facebook]

Another liberal in California. I've never heard a person speak the language of common sense more clearly than Dave Rubin.  His book is on my 2021 non-fiction TBR list. This interview from a year ago with Brandon Tatum is a good one. If you're unfamiliar with him, he's a gay liberal and he's married to a man, and he's been called out repeatedly for being "too conservative". I HIGHLY recommend The Rubin Report on Youtube if you want long-form political discourse. 

Stephen L. Miller [Twitter]

Probably my favorite follow on Twitter for his humor, logic, and quick takes. He writes for The Spectator, NY Post, contributes here, there, and everywhere. He has a podcast too but I've never listened because it's one of those Patreon-only deals. 

Bethany Mandel

A homeschooling Orthodox Jewish mom of four. She has a lot to say about family, school, and (most recently) how lockdowns are not good for any of us and definitely detrimental to our kids. I like reading what she has to share. 

I also follow many liberals and leftists on Twitter (not really on Facebook or Instagram) because I think it's more than important to get the other point of views. 

I could round up my favorite more conservative follows but I have a feeling many of you are in the politically homeless camp right now :/ If you feel that way, check out some of the people I've linked above. They're a fantastic jumping-off point if you don't like the mainstream media but don't consider yourself to be on the right of the political aisle (when it comes to being a supporter of Donald Trump). 

Who is your favorite political follow?

A political post.

I can't imagine there's a person out there who doesn't at least care a little about politics at this moment but here is my political post. I don't want to be too repetitive here, but it seems too important NOT to talk about.  

Obviously, we all have preferred candidates. Obviously, we all have a preferred set of policy based on our values. Politics matter because policy matters because policy affects people and people matter. (as said by Allie Stuckey). 

Do I think a Biden/Harris administration will be good for the country? 

I don't. 

Sorry, guys. I think some of you saw Donald Trump as the antithesis of what you believe you believe (if that makes sense) and thought the other direction would be better. I'm not telling you what you believe; I'm suggesting that the media in general skews a certain way and if you pay attention to any form of media, you're inclined to think the way they want you to think. This is similar to how many Americans don't actually understand what BLM means and what the founders of that movement believe. No one outright tells us these things and unless you have the time or interest to really dig in, a person doesn't often get all of the information.

There's nothing wrong with disliking Trump. I don't love the guy. I like his policy. Remember, policy matters because people matter because policy affects how we live. 

This is a really shallow example... for all of you who love your Amazon Round-up posts: you know that Biden/Harris don't believe in capitalism, right? Or, maybe Biden does deep down? Harris just believes in leftism. Those who will run the show are the radical left and they are the ones who believe in socialism. If you like to shop, you voted against your interests.

I saw a tweet by someone on the far left that said she was stress-shopping during election week and she *knows* capitalism is "bad" but she couldn't help it. Okay? 

^This is a very low-level example of how it's impossible to square away a Biden/Harris vote if you don't know what you believe, just because others are telling you that Donald Trump is a fascist (note: a fascist dictator cannot simply be voted out of office in a Constitutional Republic). AND...one more note about fascism...for all of the folks who are calling the current President a fascist, many of them are also calling for nationwide lockdowns and mask mandates, which is actual fascism and totalitarianism. 

However:

Under Biden/Harris, I think taxes will go up, I think rights will start to disappear or be questioned in a way that they previously haven't been...school choice will disappear, jobs will vanish, gun rights will diminish, and free speech will be in jeopardy. Foreign policy will circle the drain. We will be dealing with Iran, Russia, and China again; there's a reason why those countries don't like Trump. They knew Obama/Biden was an easy administration to manipulate. Biden has a horrible foreign policy record. Harris has no foreign policy experience and I wasn't particularly hopeful that she was willing to learn about it after hearing her nothing answers in the VP debate. 

I won't get into the character and personal corruption of Biden/Harris (there's a lot), because I'm thinking about the well-being of the country and the well-being of the country doesn't need to rest on the personal life/interests of the President. 

The good news: Coronavirus will be effectively handled now, I'm sure. Biden said he will shut down the virus. If you listen to any left-wing pundit or leftist, Donald Trump was personally responsible for the mishandling of the response to the coronavirus, which is fascinating because it's still running rampant in Europe. Now that Biden will be in charge, mask mandates, more lockdowns that will absolutely destroy businesses and lives, and school shutdowns will happen. 

Those who are calling for lockdowns are missing nothing but their social lives. I'm assuming most can work from home. If we're going to speak of privilege in 2020, that's where we need to start. 

And to those who believe school shutdowns/virtual learning is good: what exactly is good about it?* Kids aren't learning and parents are stretched to their limits. School isn't daycare but parents rely on it so they can go to work. This is making life unbearable for many families. 

Alllll of this to say: If you have spent 4 years being permanently angry and bitter and morose and depressed and ...I don't know...just plain mad, you have wasted 4 years. 

I didn't like Obama. But I thrived personally and professionally during his administration because very little of his Presidency affected my day-to-day life at first. Maybe I was young and naive? Probably.

I lived in 4 states, traveled the country, got married, taught at 5 schools, got two dogs, started a blog, made hundreds of friends and acquaintances, experienced highs, lows, etc. 

He had very little to do with the state of my happiness. Politics should not be the end all, be all for your happiness. But some policies affect how we live more than others do so we can have the discussion of what Obama did that wasn't great if you'd like.  

However, if you are a Christian, you fall into an entirely separate category. Politics is NOT our end-all. It is not the goal. By saying God is sovereign, I'm not saying just to turn to God and not care about what is happening in our country; we should care. It's our duty as citizens. I'm saying that this does not surprise God (just as coronavirus and the whole of 2020 was not a surprise to God). He is sovereign over all of it and all of us. 

A few things to note though, because I would be remiss if I didn't mention: To those acting as if Biden is our personal savior...he's not. To those saying a Catholic is back in the White House and that's...good? Um, he was denied communion because of his stance on abortion. He is less Catholic than me concerning his actual beliefs, and I'm not Catholic at all. 

If you are a Christian and you weighed the options and you voted for the party that stands for abortion up until the point of birth (and don't say it never happens..if it never happens, we don't need legislation for it), I truly don't know how you fit those puzzle pieces together. Your vote is your vote; I'm just curious. It's ironic that this comes from the party who also says "science is real" as a tagline. This is something else I don't understand: Like, literally, who doesn't believe in science? Since "climate" is synonymous with "science" these days, no one is actually denying a changing climate. Will the world end in 7 years because of the climate? Doubtful. 

My point: 

If you voted for Biden and are upset about how close the election was, it may be a clue that there are a lot of people out there who disagree with your political beliefs.** Disagreement over policy doesn't mean racist, xenophobic, transphobic, bigoted, or whatever else. The entirety of the United States is not your specific cohort on the internet. I follow an equal number of liberals and conservatives. I consider it to be important to understand all sides of an argument and not cement myself into a bubble. 

Feel free to comment (or email me if you don't want to comment!). 

I welcome productive discussion!

*COVID is a whole different topic and I'm not going to voice all of my opinions on that in this post. 

**Worth noting that states have not certified their votes yet and the "projected winner" is not the same as the "President-Elect". 

{Currently} in June

Feeling... lots of anxiety, nervousness, etc. Meh, right? 

Wearing... I went back to the most tried-and-true mascara I've ever used: Maybelline Full 'N Soft. It just works well for me. I do like the Honest brand mascara, especially to touch up the tips of lashes, but the primer is too heavy for me. Plus, Honest seems to make the biggest difference with lash length, and I like lash fullness, if that makes sense. 

Buying... I grabbed these shorts from Target the other day and went back to return them for a smaller size. They run big. I should've tried them on in-store. But I do like them. 

Craving... margaritas. They are my go-to during the summer months. 

Confession: I packed the wine glasses and fancy glasses months ago already because we never, ever used them. So we drink our margs and our wine out of plastic tumblers these days. 

Discussing... my thoughts. 

You know how people always say that you're complicit if you're silent? I think that if you're defending Antifa, you're complicit. If you're defending looting and rioting and defacing property, you're part of the problem.  If you're defending those actions, you're also part of the problem when it comes to all of the innocent people who were randomly attacked and beaten this past week, as well as having their livelihoods destroyed. The media is 110% complicit in this. 

If you want to protest, protest. No one, who I can imagine, believes that a police officer should be able to put their knee on the neck of a perpetrator and suffocate them, no matter their skin color. Everyone seemed to be in agreement over this! Then the protests started, which is completely understandable and sometimes necessary to facilitate change

...then the riots started. 

The following tweets more or less encapsulate my thoughts on the situation in our country right now: 

I'm not offended by anyone who disagrees with my thoughts..this is still America! I have a feeling we all agree on the basic tenets anyway. No one believes racism is good. Period. 

I would love to have an actual discussion with someone, though. 

If you want to chat, let's.  

Linking up for Currently

My not-viral, but-still-impressed-me tweet.

This is from like two weeks ago. Currently the 6 or 7 ring circus that is impeachment is still incredibly boring and pointless.

I didn't actually mean to defend Donald Trump. I meant to point out the ridiculousness of Nancy Pelosi. But I think this came off more as a defense of Trump. Whatever. I mean, it's not wrong.

If you know me, you know that I am not a Trump fan, but I'm unflinchingly conservative in my political views. Therefore, I was trying to get the point across that this impeachment is just a goal-post-moving, waste-of-time turkey trail that is meant to generate headlines and sway independent voters. (I don't think it's working?)

Also, I tweeted this while I was getting ready to take a nap.

I might have even punctuated it wrong.

Oh well.

The point is that you can't ask someone to prove they are innocent after you've accused them of a crime and, failing that, claim they're guilty of a charge on which no one is very clear to begin with.

That is an actual witch hunt.

The common practice back in the day was to throw suspected witches into ponds, and if they floated, they're guilty. If they sunk, they're innocent, but they drowned so oh well. They were suspected and suspected is as good as guilty when trying witches. And suspected is as good as guilty in 2019 politics as well.

My short-lived Twitter fame:

If you want to follow me, it's almost all political, a little bit of sports and TV, and sometimes something funny or dog-related.

Are you on Twitter? It's a cesspool sometimes but it's like 17+ levels up from Facebook.

Why "free" college isn't a good idea

This whole campaign platform of "free" college and forgiven student loan debt is a false promise. 

I can *almost* see some sort of partial debt forgiveness depending on your GPA (see below), career field, job placement, etc. Almost. But it'd be a slippery slope if the government starts attempting to pay off personal debt. Personal debt is the result of personal choices. If I had thought that the government was going to pay off my student loans, I would've went to a more expensive school. I knew I'd be saddled with loans on a (God-willing) teacher's salary, so I made the choices that reflected that fact.

Mortgages that are too high with too much interest or are upside-down are also a result of that student loan debt: people were buying houses 10 years ago that they couldn't afford, as soon as they got a real job, and then they have a too-high house payment on top of that student loan debt.

Because they've been busy paying off debt, they've been using credit cards. Is credit card debt forgiveness next?

To advertise "free" college is ridiculous. You can't promise that because someone. has. to. pay. for. it. There is no incentive to get yourself through college in 4 years, accruing as little debt as possible, if taxpayers are footing the bill. It's creating even more of an enabled population. I don't care if college is more expensive than it used to be; go to college for something you can actually use to get a job. If you major in English and hope to become a writer, that's your own fault. Major in English, become a teacher, and then become a writer. Find a job that will pay for your advanced degree if you want one.

We've become far too wishy-washy. I knew I wouldn't make a lot of money as a teacher. But I knew I'd be able to get a job eventually because it was an actual career path.

Higher education was never supposed to be free and accessible to all Americans. That's why you have to apply to college. Also, our public school system? Not great. I wouldn't use that as a jumping off point. Plus, it's not free. Taxpayers fund it and it differs from state to state and town to town and district to district. Also, maybe colleges should just stop paying their professors so much. 

I'm telling no one to work their way through college. Even 15 years ago, I couldn't have done that and costs have only gone up.
I'm telling no one to "learn a trade". Sometimes college is the best option, not trade school.
I'm saying that if you want to go to college, go to college for something that will result in an actual job. You know, learn to code or something.

I also saw something that said 18 year olds are going to college because "all the neighbors' kids are" and that's why new adults don't jump into the real world right away. Going to college is safe and keeps you under your parents' umbrella for a few more years. I get it. I did this. I even lived at home during college in order to save money and I had virtually no living expenses. That was a choice I made because I understood that college was expensive and I didn't want to spend my life paying it off. It would've been much more fun, I'm sure, to live on campus. It was hard to justify when the campus was only 40 minutes away, though.

But I also graduated with tuition loan debt and it was paid off within four years because of the choices Scott and I made after getting married. Scott graduated with more debt that me. It was also paid off within four years. We need to teach 18 year olds to look for careers, not majors.

When I mentioned this to Scott, he said Yeah, I paid your college loans off. True. We used the extra salary he received (combat pay, hazardous duty pay, separation pay) from his 11 months in Afghanistan in 2012 to pay off all of our loan debt. Of course, that was a choice we made. We could've bought new cars or shiny things or taken multiple vacations or just squirreled it all away in a savings account...and we'd still, to this day, be paying off both of our student loans each month, dragging it out and making it as painful as possible.

If you really want to make a case for pseudo-free college, perhaps, after college is said, done, and graduated, those who made it through with a 3.75 GPA or higher could have a portion of their loans forgiven.

THAT is incentive. You need to have some sort of skin in the game. "Free" college isn't a good idea because it's not requiring anything of anyone and is holding no one accountable or responsible for their choices.

Also. College? Not a basic need. That's the type of misleading language that results in everyone going to college to major in whatever they feel like because they feel like they should.

I did read every word of this proposal. It's...enlightening. 

3 Friday Favorites + Funny Stuff

1. I never thought I'd admire Alyssa Milano. Especially after Dianne Feinstein brought her out as a show pony back in September.

But seriously, good. for. her. Someone needs to take a stand against the known bigotry of the Women's March. Maybe if Hollywood does, they'll slowly fade away into their own racist obscurity? I'm not saying you're an anti-Semite if you're a Democrat, of course. But the powers-that-be of the Democratic base definitely have anti-Semitic ties.

I think it just discredits everything the Women's March stands for. Especially since they're not fans of white women either.

Also, I'm perfectly capable of understanding, researching, and voting for the candidates I choose. I don't need "help". 

2. We started season 2 of Making a Murderer. It was so good that one episode turned into three and then I went to bed at 11:30pm and that was a colossal mistake.

3. I got this planner from Target. The idea of "planning" 2019 is both terrifying and laughable. However, I need a place to write things down. So here we are.

Sometimes I can't actually remember if I've posted these "funnies" before. There may be some repeats.