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Wed, Nov 19, 2025

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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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#2030442 by Not Available.

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 Turkey DrumStik

[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 Grateful & Blessed

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

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 Pumpkin

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

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.

Turkey DrumStik

Feb 19, 2023 at 10:26am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I've had decent participation with Journalistic Intentions (even though I know my prompts are sometimes considered "difficult"). I do think that there's been a bit of a shift in regards to contests and activities, where people have been more open to admitting they find some setups too restricting or that they feel intimidated by contests. I would love to be in discussions to address those issues, but so far I haven't been invited.

April 23, 2020 at 8:35pm

#981869

Unthankful Thursday

Artist: Bright Eyes
Song: Nothing Gets Crossed Out
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

"JAFBG" Prompt: Screw gratitude. List all the things that you're NOT grateful for right now.

I'll preface this rant by saying that I have a lot to be grateful for right now. However, I'm still going to complain as I please, so, what's up.

Here's my list of things I am NOT grateful for right now:

Like a pendulum.
I cannot deal with the fucking back and forth on shit right now. Like, "Hey, maybe we should open shit up!" "Wait, maybe we shouldn't!" "Maybe we'll be back at work in mid-May." "Maybe we'll still be working from home in August."

Fucking hell. It's so agitating to me that companies that are perfectly capable of telework are even waffling on this issue. I've been working 50 hours a week from home and I've been way more productive than I ever was at the office, cuz guess what? I don't have people distracting me all day by showing up in my office to talk about sports or some shit.

And yet, even my manager and coworkers are regularly 'evaluating' whether we should stop teleworking. Why the fuck would we? What is the urgency? We're still fully operational. No one has been laid off or furloughed. Like, we're fucking chill so maybe just chill?

Not to mention all the states that are going back and forth on whether to open up or when. I get that it's a big decision. It's an important decision. But in my opinion, if your daily growth rate of cases is still increasing, why are you even discussing it like it's reasonable to open up? I mean, I know why, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating.

I'm basically an expert.
To go along with the above, you have all the people who just do not fucking get it. I took a ton of economics courses at university and I'm still limited in economic knowledge. But what I will say is that rushing to open up is not going to help the economy. I heard a coworker say gem the other day:

"If we don't open the economy up soon, there isn't going to be an economy to open up!"

First of all, what? There's always going to be an economy, it could just be in a depression, in which case it will eventually cycle out. But that's pedantic. What I mean to say is that:

A) Just because you say "Okay, the economy is now open!" that doesn't actually mean anything. There are an absolute boatload of people who are not going to run out to restaurants and shopping centers when the lockdowns lift. People are scared. So, yes, it's great that they think they're going to save the economy by allowing people to get a haircut, but we still have to see how that plays out. Everyone I've talked to has told me they won't be rushing out to do things that aren't necessary.

B) Even if people DO rush out to do non-essential activities, there's no saying that in two weeks or a month those areas won't be absolutely swamped with the virus. In which case the hospital system will become overloaded, lockdowns will have to be re-instituted, and there will be a huge loss of life. Ostensibly, the result of that would be further economic collapse. Then when the lockdowns lift again, people are even more terrified to go out, and guess what? Even more economic collapse. So, nope, not grateful for these 'experts' and the same goes for the "We should all just go out and get it at the same time so it will be over faster!" crowd.

Loud neighbors.
Oh man, what a terrible time to have obnoxious neighbors. My downstairs neighbors are fucking terrible people and here's why. They absolutely blare dupstep music, like, con frecuencia. I was on a conference call and someone on the call was like, "Um, are you listening to music?" Well, fuck me, Debra, I'm not trying to be.

I've asked them multiple times even before the pandemic to turn their music down because it's shaking my floors and walls. I even almost got into a fight with the dude back in January. It bothers Kira a lot more than me generally speaking, but now that I'm home 24/7 and I'm trying to work, it's even more aggravating.

I also happen to be a petty little bitch so I've been waking them up at six o'clock every morning by accidentally dropping shit on the ground and exercising. Perfect time for jumping jacks, right?

They said that I keep waking them up when they're trying to sleep. Bummer, bro!

Social media and the 24/7 news cycle.
I don't pay attention to social media, unfortunately, I live in a society. Family members and friends are fucking constantly sending me stupid shit they saw on social media or unreputable news sites. I don't know how many fucking times I've been like, "Oh, hey, that's bullshit and here's the unbiased evidence from 2 fucking seconds of googling. And then they're just like, "Oh, I thought it was real."

Based on what??? You thought it was real because someone on Twitter whose profile picture is a potato in sunglasses posted it? Why the fuck would you think that's a legit source of news? Just today my ma sent me a link to some sketchy-ass site that said the virus will be killed by 75 degree fahrenheit temperatures. I immediately looked at the site and it had like some super weird Russian propaganda and a bunch of other false news claims on it. When I pointed that out she said the same thing everyone says, "Oh, I didn't see that. I thought it was real."

GUYSSSSSSS, fucking read something other than the headlines or one-liners while scrolling through stupid shit on your phone. Dig in even just a tiny amount. It will do you so much good in filtering out complete and utter trash.

Not everything is about the virus.
And at last, the final thing I'm not grateful for at all right now. The fact that everyone is using this virus as an excuse for fucking everything. For example, I and many other people I know, have attempted to get healthcare and support for chronic conditions that are pre-existing to this virus and been totally brushed off.

I had a telehealth call with my doctor earlier this week because their office is closed. I told him that my asthma doesn't seem to be under control very well right now and I'd like to know what my options for treatment are at this point. He said, and I'm quoting, "Maybe you're just stressed out and anxious because we're hearing that a lot now with the virus."

My dude... I have fucking ASTHMA. You are the person who diagnosed me. I'm asking about treatment for the condition you diagnosed me with, and you're brushing it off by saying maybe I'm anxious? My breathing is balls right now. Wanna help me take care of that as my doctor? I've heard the same from several friends and family members who have made attempts to get treatment for various things. We can't just spend the next however long until we get a vaccine brushing off healthcare for other medical ailments. That's a fucking problem.

The future has got me worried, such awful thoughts
My head is a carousel of pictures
The spinning never stops

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