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Sat, Jul 12, 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 Stik to My Own Beat

[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

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 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.

July 18, 2020 at 12:26am

#988447

Everyone gets a boycott

Artist: Coheed and Cambria
Song: Mother May I
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Prompt: Have you ever boycotted a company or product? If so, tell us the story. If not, what would a company have to do for you to boycott its products?

Just to update, I talked to my doctor and he said to stay home this weekend and they'll do a COVID test Monday if I'm still sick.

He said it just sounds like a mild upper respiratory infection, but can't rule out the virus, of course. It's annoying because I've been completely isolated except going to the grocery store (with a mask) for months. Hopefully just a summer cold or something.

So, anyway... boycotting companies. Ah, isn't that always fun. The thing about boycotting a company is that you're like, "Oh, this brand is offensive to humanity so I'm not buying any of their products! Then you find out that brand is a subsidiary of a conglomerate corporation and you can't boycott them unless you stop buying, like, everything that's in the store.

I mean, just look at this chart

and figure out how you're going to boycott Nestle, one of the most evil corporations in existence. It is doable, but it's difficult, and that's just one of the major corporations that control pretty much all of our food. If you plan to boycott all of them for their egregious deeds, I hope you've got a great farm.

This is a difficult topic for me not to soapbox rant about, but it's infuriating. These corporations act with flagrant disregard for human life. They're soulless. Nestle, for example, has been caught stealing and selling water

that it has no rights to numerous times. Stealing from indigenous villages in Canada, stealing from drought-stricken areas in the US. They take the community water supply of these places and sell it for billions of dollars. It's beyond disgusting. Imagine sitting in a boardroom thinking this is a reasonable way to make money.

I won't rant about every corporation that I hate, but suffice to say that I hate most large corporations. If you name one, I can probably write an entire entry of grievances.

P.S. Bayer infected thousands of people with HIV

.

OK, focus, Charlie.

The problem with boycotting is that these major corporations own almost everything you can find on the shelves of a store. In order to find things not made my major corporations, you can buy locally, which is great and all, but it's often difficult to find what you need, when you need it, at a reasonable price point. Also, try having things like internet without using service from a large corporation. Or getting medication without those dollars going to an evil pharma-overlord.

You just can't. Sadly, small businesses are the easiest to boycott. Have a bad experience? Just don't go back and then that company doesn't receive your money anymore. You can't do that with corps that own almost everything.

That isn't to say that you can't attempt to boycott certain companies, to the best of your ability at least. Maybe they'll get $5 from you instead of $30. Anything helps, I guess.

I pay attention to company's politics. Company leaders come out and defend something racist, homophobic, sexist, or just shitty? Thanks for letting me know to avoid your product, I guess. Goya

is my most recent one. CEO coming out to praise a president of a country with 140,000 people dead during the middle of a pandemic that he is still saying will "just disappear"? Not a good look.

By the way, there's an app for this called Buycott

. You just scan a barcode and it tells you which corporation owns the product and gives you information about the corporation + any sustainable alternatives. So if you are interested in "voting with you wallet" as they say, it's pretty interesting.

And in their asking, did you see their lie
The motive, true and earnest side?

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