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Wednesday, May. 8, 2024

7:27am EDT

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Are You Listening???

by Charlie ~

Rated: GC · Book · Emotional · #2181458

A journey of self-improvement - or not.

Sup? I'm Char.
You may know me from timeless classics such as

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and

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I blog for things like

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FORUM

30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS

(13+)
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus
#1786069 by Fivesixer

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Elisa the Bunny Stik

[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]
Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and ya say "how high?"
Ya braindead, ya got a fuckin' bullet in ya head

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

intuey GoT Survivor!

Jul 22, 2023 at 8:05am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Hey Char, It's been a while since I've touched base with you. I'm so sorry for your loss. The last thing people should say is everyone loses their grandparents eventually, or it will get better with time. It's the last thing you want to hear when you're hurting. Death sucks, long-lasting illness sucks! Having to decide to let the person go to keep them from suffering REALLY SUCKS! I think the only ones who can understand truly just how much are those who have had to make that decision. My heart breaks for you.

I'm not religious, but I do have a strong faith in God. I call myself spiritual because I don't agree with all the rules and regulations of religion. I do know I will see my family and friends again, and this is a great comfort. I can only imagine how much more painful the death of loved ones is without this belief. But you're right, it can't be faked. But it is a beautiful thing.

Having mental health issues during times like this makes it even harder to go through. I know what you mean about seeing things that aren't there. I'd walk into a room, and say, "Where's Star?" and she would be sitting right in front of me. When I looked, I swear I saw an empty chair. The mind is crazy. It gives new meaning to a mind of its own

Some time has passed since you wrote this. I don't know when you'll see this but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sending good energy your way. I hope you're doing better. I look forward to hearing from you.

Aiva Raine

Mar 28, 2023 at 9:40pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'm sorry for your loss. I know they are shitty sounding words that don't even attempt to fill or fix, but they're meant in sincerity.

Having lost several people the best advice I was ever given was when life gets too hard- take it at your own pace. If a day is too much- cope with an hour at a time. If that's too much, take it ten minutes at a time. If that's too much- then you deal with one minute at a time. Work through life and grief at your pace. And don't ever feel guilty because you feel sad. And if you can- find one positive in each chunk of time- even if it's something as little as the beauty of sunlight on a leaf or the softness of your shirt. And ask for help if you need it.

Elle - on hiatus

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:29pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Aw, Charlie, I'm so sorry. It's a shit thing to go through whether it's sudden or not. And just because everyone goes through it, doesn't make it easier. It also doesn't take into account that you were closer to them than your parents. Nobody says 'Oh, everyone loses their parents eventually' do they? Surely not. And that's what's happened here really. I'm actually glad you've got an appointment with a professional tomorrow, because they might be able to help you with getting through that initial devastation.

When my dad lost his mother, he really struggled with his own lack of religion. As you say, there is some comfort in believing they've gone to a better place, been reunited with loved ones, that you'll see them again, and so on. For most of my life, Dad would say 'Religion is a crutch for the weak', but I definitely saw him struggle with the finality of it when he lost his mother, the person he was probably closest to.

My thoughts are with you.

1 Like

~Minja~

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:21pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Crazy stuff, grief. If you want to talk about it, message me always.

1 Like

QPdoll

Mar 7, 2023 at 6:21am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I understand what you mean about wanting to tell your grandmother something. I did the same thing after my grandmother passed. I was at home and the first thing I thought was to call grandma. I picked up the phone and realized that she wouldn't answer. It's so tough losing your grandparents, especially as close as you were. I don't have any magic words, but take care of yourself. It's what they would want.

1 Like

Robert Waltz

Mar 6, 2023 at 10:31pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

1 Like

Anni Pon

Mar 6, 2023 at 9:06pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I know it doesn't help any, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine much worse than losing a parent or parental figure. They represent stability and safety, you grew up with them, and you've relied on them for most, if not all, of your life. You're right, the initial devastation will fade and things won't feel so fresh. But, as you know, grief never really goes away. It just becomes a permanent part of you.

It's horrible that you only got a couple days worth of bereavement! That's not even long enough for the shock to wear off enough to START grieving. I hope you have the support of someone else in your life to help you through this dark time. Take it easy on yourself in the mean time, that's all you really can do. Taking care of your physical self, eating and sleeping, is critical. Sleep deprivation and hunger will make things feel a million times worse than they actually are (which, for the record, is already pretty bad).

1 Like

Harlow Flick, Right Fielder

Mar 6, 2023 at 8:56pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

This is such a very human thing, isn't it.

“I think there is nearly an overwhelming sadness to the human predicament.” - Skinny Boy Hill

BOOM! This ain’t no whipped cream pie I’m tossing.

1 Like

Cinn

Feb 20, 2023 at 9:34pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I actually pretty much love this one. Nice, man...

Cinn

Feb 19, 2023 at 11:07am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'd say that more freedom for participants would attract more people. One obvious example that I've never understood is fiction vs poetry. If it's an activity, not a contest, why not allow people to explore whatever the theme of your activity is with whatever type of writing that want to do?

I've actually written for countless contests/activities over the years but never entered... because they inspired me, but I don't fit within the guidelines. Max rating too low, items required (book entries only over here), no poetry accepted, etc.

I know well why people restrict writers' freedom, but they're also restricting the number of participants they'll get. I still just take the inspiration where I can get it.

September 4, 2020 at 4:05am

#992326

That's a misconception...

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Prompt: Write about a weird, cool, unbelievable, or interesting fact you know, but don’t think many other people do.

Ugh, I can't wait for the 3-day weekend. I'm really feeling myself backsliding into how I felt last month and it just sucks. I dunno how much longer I'll last blogging this month, so I better make this a good one just in case.

To make matters worse, the person I wrote about in this entry: "Invalid Entry"

decided that we should 'cool off' while I recover from surgery, so we aren't seeing each other for a few weeks, or longer, depending on whether or not this recovery actually, ya know... happens.

So here we go, let's entertain ourselves. I remember this video from a couple years ago and thought of it right away when I saw the prompt:

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It's a little less than 6 minutes long, so you can just watch the vid if you want, but if not, I'll summarize quickly.

1. No one was burned in the Salem Witch Trials.
This is a weird one because I feel like we hear 'burned at the stake' in reference to this situation, but in reality, 15 died in prison, 19 were hanged, 1 was squished to death. Doesn't make it any less shitty, but there ya go.

2. Buddha wasn't overweight as we often see represented.
The overweight statues and imagery that are often associated with Buddha are actually of a Chinese zen monk named Budai.

3. Also, Buddha wasn't a God, he was just a guy named Siddhartha Gautama.
Also, he was thin.

4. Vomitoriums were not a place where Romans vomited so they could feast more.
They're the entrances/exits of the amphitheatres.

5. Washington never chopped down a cherry tree.
The story is used to prove that he's honest because he admits to his father that he chopped down the tree. Also, his teeth weren't wooden.

6. The Egyptian pyramids weren't built by slaves.
There's evidence that they were built by paid laborers from all different classes.

7. You can't see the Great Wall of China from space.
I don't know where this idea came from.

8. Hitler didn't create the Autobahn.
It was already there, he just helped expand it.

9. Iron maidens weren't torture devices used in medieval times.
They just weren't. The myth basically got built around the ideology that the Middle Ages were super violent and brutal. The first evidence of an iron maiden doesn't exist until the 19th century, and it wasn't used.

10. Einstein never failed math.
They don't go into this in the video, but it was a confusion based on the grading system. In some countries 1 is the best grade and 6 is the worst. In other countries it's the opposite. So when he got the best grade in math, it got confused with the worst.

You can delve way deeper into all of these, so if any of them interest you, look them up to get the full story. I really like learning about myths and where they originated. I feel like sometimes when I say, "Oh hey, that's not actually true. What happened was..." people get annoyed with me.

But I personally welcome the opportunity to learn something new and I'd rather someone tell me if I'm perpetuating a misconception.

This video hits on quite a few of the popular ones, but here's one of my personal favorites not in the video:

There aren't different parts of your tongue that taste sour/salty/sweet/bitter/savory.
I feel like I straight up heard this in a biology class in middle school.

I remember my teacher talking about different 'zones' on your tongue that were responsible for tasting different types of taste.

The original basis for the myth came from a paper in 1901 where a scientist was trying to determine how much stimulus it took to taste things on different areas of the tongue (i.e. the very edges of your tongue vs. the center vs. the tip), but the way the results were presented made it look like he was sectioning the tongue off by type of taste rather than taste at all.

I know there's a bunch more. Anyone have any myths/misconceptions they'd like to clarify?

8 Like • Comment • View 11 comments

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