Happy New Year!

I'm not sure what was going on with me last night.  I'd gone to bed at 9:30, and was woken up around 11:30ish when the fireworks started.  I was laying there and thought to myself, "Self, might as well visit the reading room while you're awake."

I reached for my Kindle because I knew I was going to have to sit and think a minute, and when I picked it up I felt something strange and not belonging to my Kindle.  When I got to the bathroom and turned the light on, I saw that it was my Down Syndrome Awareness wristband. 

 I don't know what I'd done to tear it in half like that, or how my hair elastic had gotten pulled out, but there it was.  

My coworker whose son has Down Syndrome had given me that about three or so years ago, so I was heartsick that it was broken.  Since the fireworks were still going off, I hopped onto Amazon and ordered some more.  I found a five pack and got that, figuring if I break another one, I'd have spares.   

In other news, being that it's New Year's Day, almost everyone will be reviewing their goals from last year, and setting new ones.  My biggest goal for 2023, I think I did pretty well.  Just to refresh your memory, 

Keep scrolling. 

That's it.  Just keep scrolling.  

When I see you getting bamboozled by a hoax you didn't bother to research...I'm going to just keep scrolling.

When I see you posting an obviously photoshopped picture that you didn't bother to verify...I'm going to just keep scrolling.

When I see you passing on manipulated data that you didn't confirm...I'm just going to keep scrolling.

The memes you took at face value, the altered videos, the internet rumors with absolutely no basis in fact, the flat out lies...I'm just going to keep scrolling.

Yep, I'm just going to sit here and let you "upgrade the system" and "kill the ads" by coping and pasting a status, while I just....I'm just going to keep on scrolling.

But don't think for one minute I haven't fact checked you in my mind...

It's meant I've been mighty quiet on Facebook over the year, but I think I've met that goal.   I mean, it wouldn't do any good anyway.  People are determined to believe what they want to believe, no matter how hard you slap them upside the head with facts. 

Not only that, they'll call you with your sourced and verified facts a sheeple, while they just mindlessly bleat off after that Rumble video from a completely unknown dude out in a field, telling them what their itching ears want to hear.  

I was thinking about this very thing as I lay in bed listening to fireworks, mentally analyzing that video of the controversial call in the Cowboys game, and...well, I won't go into it all here, but here's a hint:  you have to analyze referee Brad Allen's body language.  Another hint:  You have to actually watch the video in real time, not the single frame screen shot that is being posted all over the internet. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the controversy, referee Brad Allen said Detroit Lions player #68 didn't report as an eligible receiver.  Detroit coach Dan Campbell says he did.  Allen said #70 reported as eligible.  Campbell says he didn't.  Naturally, everyone is claiming the coach is right, and the ref is wrong.   It's been a rough year for officiating at both the collegiate and NFL levels.  Lots of controversial calls.  Lots of missed calls.  Lots of Madden players who think they're football experts...and that's all I'm going to say about that. 

My other goal for the year was to spend more time reading, rather than playing games on my Kindle.  That one didn't work out so well.  I did read a bit more at home, but not by a significant amount. I'm going to keep on working on that one.  

That was about it for last year's goals.  This year, I'm going to keep on keeping on scrolling, and work on reading more.  I'm also going to try to finish my Alfred's Level Two piano book.  That one shouldn't be too hard, because I'm already halfway through.  Also, providing we get some overtime at work this year, I'm going to get those fences replaced.  But as I said, that one is dependent on how much overtime I get.  

In more mundane news, I got the tree taken down and put away.  I'm sure you'll all be pleased to know it did fit into that new storage box I'd bought.  I had to squish it down pretty hard, but the whole tree fit.  It makes me wonder how they'd fit it into the original cardboard box in the first place.  I never could get the whole thing back in there, and would have to put the top section into a different storage box. 

I guess that's it for today.  I'm going to watch the Rose Bowl and enjoy the last few hours of my vacation before I have to go back to work tomorrow.  

It's amazing how fast 2 1/2 weeks goes by when you're actually enjoying life.