Windshields and Rearview Mirrors

Sorry, I hope you can all find this.  I've copied and pasted from my post the other day and I hope this turns out.  Someone told me they had a hard time reading on their phone.  I have the text as black and the background, I think, as white.  But, in trying to fix that my post from 9-24-20 got really messed up.  I'm trying to re-do it here.
Original - or somewhat original post from 9-24-20

I hesitate to share with you about a project I'm working on.  But, then, I realize by the time my project is done, most of you will have forgotten that I shared this.  I'm really putting myself out there with this one.  The fact is if I decide to scrap the whole thing, my hesitate could become embarrassment.  But, here we go... 

Maybe, like many people this year, I've had so much time on my hands that I felt the need for a project.  Remember a few months ago, I talked about how we all need a plan.  Something to keep us busy.  A new flow for our days.  So here's what I'm working on... I'm working on turning that old blog into a book of some sort.  Obviously it will not be on the best seller list.  If I go through with this, I will be using a "self publishing" company.  I'm reminded of my Great Aunt who turned her journals into a published book of memories in 1994.  Long before self publishing was really a thing and I would guess long before she ever looked at a computer. I'm sure her manuscript was hand written.

As for my book project, we'll just see how this goes. There was a lot going on besides just a 628 mile move and settling in to small town life again.  We were also going through the difficult process of becoming empty nesters. So I feel there's a lot of life, living, adjustments, changes, emotions and that ever present roller coaster that can be tucked within the pages. Again, it won't make the best seller list, and it may only be for A.J. and Abby and future generations - much like my Aunt's book. Fortunately for me, much is already written as the blog itself is there.  However, I'm doing some editing and adding a lot of commentary between some of the blog entries.
As you can imagine, reading through this as I edit and add to it, I find a lot of things that stir my emotions.  I'm reminded of some incidents that I'd forgotten.  Some of the memories reminded me of a few other things that I didn't put in the blog.  Mostly out of respect for another person's privacy.  There are many posts that put a smile on my face.  Today.... as I edited... a few tears welled up.
I'm up to the end of April 2007.  We closed on our old house around that time, and all 3 of us left the house for the last time.  This was the house where a 3 year old became a 20 year old in the blink of an eye.  And as I said, there was a lot of emotion between the lines.  Among my best quotes from those days was this: 
"We 3 don't need a common address to be a family."
A good quote since the month of May that followed that late April closing had the Sanson3 a bit scattered.  AJ was in Milledgeville, GA finishing his semester there.  Thankfully by this time in the blog timeline he had decided to move north and finish his education at Edwardsville.  Jack had filed his retirement papers after the closing and would still have a month - the month of May - before he could be officially retired. The AT&T rules back then were that you had to give 30 days notice for retirement.  But, because he had so much vacation, he could take a couple of weeks off and would travel north to meet the movers at the rental house.  Then he would return after a couple of weeks and work a few more days until his official retirement.  I was the homeless girl still in Conyers and because of Jack's timeline and the school system, I would be there for the month of May to finish the school year.  I had a few offers for a roof over my head from several friends.  The one that I accepted was from our friend, JoAnn, who offered a finished bedroom in her basement for me (and later for us) for those few weeks.  I liked the idea of having some privacy.  Not that I wouldn't have had that at our other friends, but it seemed to be a bit more private than some of the others.  I could have spent a week here and week there, etc, but staying in one place for the whole month, with all else that was going on, seemed best.  Her daughter also came home from college about that time so JoAnn, a newlywed of about 4 weeks, would have a house full. I am still so thankful for all that she and Dave offered.  It was nice to have a private place when needed.  During the week, she and I and Dave were all working, so we really weren't in each other's way.  I made plans each weekend to go somewhere to get out of their hair and give them some weekend privacy.  We had friends who had a lake house and I went there one weekend.  I spent Mother's Day with A.J. at his college apartment - cleaning his college apartment!! LOL  I only spent one weekend with JoAnn and Dave, but we had plans for an adventure together that weekend and headed to a North Atlanta suburb that had great garage sales.  And finally when Jack came, he and I took a mini-weekend trip over Memorial Day to Andersonville and Warner Robbins. Then, it was time to go "home".  As for A.J.'s move, the original plan was for him to join us in Illinois in July, but he eventually decided to move right after Memorial Day, too.
As I was working on this project today, there were tears as my editing and reading reminded me of those last days in our old house.  We closed on a Monday.  A.J. had come the day before for one last visit.  When he walked out and went back to school, there was little emotion.  We had about 7 days or so to vacate after closing.  Jack left the house for the last time on that Thursday morning - with little emotion.  I left on Thursday afternoon after the movers had come and gone - with a lot of emotion.  Here is an excerpt from that blog of 4-27-07:
Unlike the men in my life, when the movers left, I walked through from room to room and sobbed a bit. Looking at the wallpaper borders, the paint colors, seeing empty rooms but imagining the life they all once had. I guess it's harder on us women, because, as the heart and soul of our homes, we put our hearts and souls into them. I was the decorator. I picked out all the wallpaper borders. At some point, over 17 years, I painted every inch of every wall. And since I touched every inch with the heart of a woman wanting to make this house a warm and friendly home for her family and friends, it's harder for me to rip my heart away from those walls. But I did.
And now, focus on the future.  
The windshield really is bigger than the rearview mirror.

A Social Dilemma - Documentary

Just the other day, my daughter-in-law made a suggestion for a documentary/movie:
"The Social Dilemma"
I fully agree with her that everyone needs to see this documentary.  I shared it with some administrators with the Carlinville School system as a documentary that ALL kids should see.  I suggested they add this to their technology curriculum - with a couple of days for follow up discussion.  A couple of them had already heard about it.  
This is found on Netflix.  If you don't have access to Netflix, let me know.  

This documentary focuses on what's happening with Social Media as the big companies like Google, Facebook and others can not only spy on your internet habits, but gear you towards sites, videos, etc. according to your habits and according to where you are searching from.  It's as simple as this... we all know as we type in a search in Google, it will pop up with suggested words to complete our search entry.  Based on where you are located when doing this, you will get different suggestions.  In some areas if you type in Global Warming, it will suggest to finish your search with the word "hoax".  In other areas you'll get a different suggested ending.  All based on the demographics of your area. It will also consider your Social Media viewing habits when making suggestions.  Not only do they watch what you click and browse to, but, they can even go so far as to record how long you may look at a picture on the screen and decide why that captured your interest. So let's examine that for a minute.  If, while browsing through Facebook, I linger too long in viewing or reading about Biden, then future suggestions may send me to "pro-Biden" sites provided what I viewed was in fact pro-Biden.  Or maybe I've lingered a bit or read more on pro-Trump pictures and stories, therefore, it will suggest more pro-Trump sites and news reports. Therefore any sites or news reports on the other candidate that are suggested would be anti-whomever. THIS more than anything - according to this documentary - is what is dividing our country.  We only tend to see the side and sites that feeds our agenda.  Scary isn't it?
(By the way, if you are like me, there are some Facebook friends who are off the charts on political commentary and you can - for as long as you want - "hide" their posts.  It makes for a much more pleasant Facebook experience.  Trust me.)

We all know on some level about how our preferences and internet habits are being monitored.  For example:  In our house we have a desktop computer, a laptop and my iPad.  These are the devices most used for internet browsing, shopping, etc.  So, no matter which one I use - because they all go through the same WiFi router (that info is not in the movie - I just know this) - if I've been browsing for shoes online on the desktop, then the next time I'm on the laptop or iPad, my sidebar ads suggests sites for shoe shopping.  I would assume you've all noticed this in your own homes and browsing.  Jack only uses the laptop in his browsing and sports page reading, which is why Facebook sends me a lot of suggestions for sports news.  But, last year when I was shopping for a strapless bra for the dress I had for AJ & Abby's wedding, he rather enjoyed the ads that popped up on his sidebar during his browsing.  LOL  

The misinformation nightmare paragraph:  My career in educational technology began around 1995. The internet was fairly new, e-mail was fairly new.  But even back then (this is where you find out how smart I really am), I felt strongly that we should be teaching students how to research and decide what information is true and what is not.  There was a lot of misinformation on the internet from the very beginning.  I attended a tech-ed seminar around that time where a presenter demonstrated this.  He used a common (then) search engine for "Martin Luther King".  The first suggested site was something like "dr-king.org".  This would be the one that most students would go to and unbeknownst to them most likely the one that paid the most to the search engine provider to achieve that top spot.  It took us to a site that, while it shared some common know facts about MLK, quickly changed in the next paragraph on how destructive and demonic of a man he was. Further investigation: in those days the webmaster's email was required, small and at the bottom of the page.  This one showed an e-mail such as:  joesmith@thisthatwhatever.com.  So when the presenter of this seminar went to "www.thisthatwhatever.com" on the internet, it was a white supremist group. So that's who owned "dr-king.org" and was sharing this misinformation that most people would believe to be a legitimate and factual information site on Dr. King.  That's when I knew the most important thing we educators needed to teach our students was how to make sure you are looking at a legitimate site for the subject at hand.  Case in point... I ALWAYS use mayoclinic.org when looking for medical information.  Webmd may be okay, but even it is a bit sketchy.  Don't just go willy-nilly and pick some website from a search engine.  Some will just try to sell you the miracle cure for what ails you.  Plus, so many people don't realize how easy it is for a web link to say one thing and look legitimate and take you somewhere else.  Here... try this one:  www.waltdisneyworld.com

This is why if you get an e-mail from some company... your bank, your credit card, eBay, whatever - with their very own logo - that says "hey we need you to log into your account and fix something...", then provide you a link in the e-mail....  DON'T do that!  If you want to check it out, call the bank/credit company, etc.  OR go away from the e-mail, open your internet browser and go directly their website.  And you really shouldn't even do that, but if makes you feel better... whatever.  If you don't understand that last sentence, then delete the dad-gum e-mail and move on with your life.  I used to tell teachers way back when that I - yes I - can create an e-mail just like that and link it to my own database to gather their log in information. I remember having to tell one teacher - who got an e-mail from "eBay" and went out and changed her password - to come to MY computer, log into eBay and change it NOW.  My computer was the only one in the building that could go around the firewall and allow legitimate access to the real eBay. If you can't log into eBay from your classroom school computer because our firewall blocks it, what makes you think you can do so from an e-mail????  

Isn't it a good thing I use my powers for good and not evil?

The saddest part of this documentary is how quickly the suicide rate has increased, especially in young girls.  The timing validates a correlation to how Social Media interactions make them feel.  Not enough "likes" on your post.  The bullying and comments made by others.  Please, please, please parents of young people remember this:  A: They don't need a cell phone until it becomes a convenience and comfort for YOU the parent.  Like when they are high school aged and starting to branch out with their friends occasionally on their own.  And B:  they shouldn't have ANY kind of Social Media until they are 18+ and/or out of high school.  They are not emotionally ready to handle it.  We all know many adults who are not emotionally ready either.  So what makes you think a 12 year old can?  If you already do this and they have an account - YOU can monitor their time and information.  YOU!  Find out how and do it.
I guess that was the SoapBox paragraph.

Phones are another issue. They have become "Digital Pacifiers" for many people, especially the 40 & under crowd. Someone tags them on Facebook - it dings - they look!  Someone sends them an e-mail - it dings - they look!  Someone tweets - it dings - they look! And sometimes this is through a wristwatch they wear and it and dings, dings, dings while they are sitting with the people they love the most!  Which is more important?  These are notifications that can all be turned off.  I don't understand why the younger and supposedly more tech savvy group doesn't know they can turn off or monitor all those notifications.  Your phone should be a tool for your use, not something that manipulates your time.  

Now, having said that, my phone is near or beside me at all times. Why?  1. It is the first phone number on my mom's CareLink (little emergency push button thing around her neck).  2. I have a child out there in the world and although he's 33 with a lifelong partner who now outranks me, I always want to be available should either of them need anything. 
But, I use it as a phone.  (occasional camera, calendar - that syncs with my e-mail app) but rarely as an internet device.  As for the phone part, I have specific ringtones for my family and a couple of close friends.  So the generic ring, I can ignore if I chose.  The only other notifications I get are text messages. But, again, I have specific tones assigned to the most important people in my life and can ignore the generic ding.  I also have it set for Do Not Disturb between 10 p.m and 8 a.m. EXCEPT for people who are listed as my favorites.  (Including CareLink).  After watching this documentary, I adjusted a few more settings. If you want instructions on making your own notification modifications, check the website for your specific model.  It's out there... be careful.

A couple more things that drive me crazy on how people use the internet. Parents should NOT be posting pictures of their newborn babies or toddlers in tubs with exposed... well you know.  THAT my friends IS child pornography and I'm amazed at how many people don't realize that.  It is the legal definition of child porn and it doesn't matter if the parent is the one posting it.  Number 2:   If you want to look at reviews for a specific product before making a major purchase - please don't go to the product manufacturers site to look at reviews.  Do you really think they'll share the bad ones???  Find an independent site for those reviews. But, find more than one and you'll still have to maybe use your own brain because sadly even those reviews can be monitored and adjusted.  Especially if the company pays enough. 

I hope if you watch this documentary you don't jump off a roof with a gloom and doom attitude.  This media browsing / "Big Brother monitoring" can all be adjusted or fixed by legislation.  Again, this is where you'll find out how smart I am, as many years ago, I would often say the internet is moving faster than the legislators can keep up and regulate it.  But, it needs to be regulated and quickly.  Now having said that, there have been many internet policies created.  But not enough, not fast enough and we need many, many more. 

Documentary notes:
Documentary glossary:  AI = Artificial Intelligence.
There are 2 industries that refer to their customers as "users" - illegal drugs and the internet. 

Got ya!!!

 Now, click here: back to post

to go back. 

Mom's 90th Birthday

I found this may be the best way to share the pictures and video for all my non-Facebook friends.

I hope this works!   Enjoy!!

Our local Shell stations in town will put up greetings when requested.   Some guy drove by and told her the sign was wrong - it should say "60".

Our friend, Angie makes great cakes!

Yes, my sister-in-law, Tina, repurposed her 60 tiara. 

Zoom time with all the grandkids and great grands.  

Getting ready for the parade. 

Mom and her 3 "babies".