Social Status Anxieties

 In Real Time it's still Sunday Noon, too Hot and Humid to have ever gotten out of my Jammies, I helped with Irrigation earlier and got sufficiently Wet doing that, we had a good Head of Water this rotation.  I didn't know The Son was inviting his Childhood Friend Brigitte, who I've known since she was 14, but this time meeting her 17 Year Old Son and her Mom for the first time, since, they came with her!  So, here I am in Care Bear Jammie Pants and a Neon T-Shirt with no Bra, Dreadlocks looking like Coolio coz I hadn't tamed and tied them up yet... yes, I was a Vision!  *LOL*  They were so entranced with the Decor they barely noticed... it is akin to entering The Addams Family Abode from the Old Black & White Cult Classic Sitcom, only, in Living Color.  *Bwahahaha*

Her Son thinks it's so Cool and thus I am so Cool... Huzzah... a 17 Year Old Handsome Boy's Adoration and Approval is significant validation for my Generation.  *Winks*  His Mom is a tiny little Sprite, as is his Maternal Gramma, and that Boy is TALL, towering over both of them already, he's Basketball Pro Player Height already!!!   The above Pix is the last one taken of Brigitte with my Kiddos and another Childhood Male Friend of theirs in the back.   It's a Photo I particularly like of all of them, they've all known each other since before they were Adults and have remained Close all these Years, Sharing a LOT of History.  I'm actually Surprised I never met Brigitte's Mom before, given that we've known each other's Kids since they were very Young Teens!   Brigitte is helping with Caregiving since her Mom had had several recent Strokes she's recovering from.  She looks like she's doing good in spite of all that.  Brigitte has always been a Single Mom so she's already got a full Dance Card without Caregiving for a Parent.   But, they're very Close.

The Son's Lifelong Friend Q also came over, he's like a Son from another Mother to me so he calls me Mom.  So, we got a lot of Company and they're all in the Pool Cooling off coz Brigitte had moved to Showlow, AZ where it's Cooler, about Two Years ago.  So, she only comes down now to visit Friends and Family still in The Valley.   She Loves Showlow, her Stepdad lives up there so they live with him and she likes Working up there too, it's Cooler and smaller quieter Life and Community.   She said she Needed that, Life had gotten too fast and chaotic here in The City, and it can be, especially for Younger folks.   She was in Need of slowing down Life and to finish Raising her Son in a less Urban Environment, he's a Good Kid and she wants it to stay that way.   She had a very turbulent Youth and doesn't want him experiencing all of that or getting with the Wrong Crowd now he's close to Young Adulthood.  Marina, The Son's Girlfriend, will be over later too.  Mando left, he doesn't like to Socialize and is a very Introverted person like The Man is.

I Messaged him so he'd know Pizza was here and he could hang out with The Man if he didn't want to be part of the Crowd in the Pool.  I didn't know if he was coming back, we honked as he was leaving but he didn't stop, so he may have had things to do.   He worked so hard at helping with the Irrigation I thought he'd enjoy a dip in the Pool and some Pizza for Lunch too... but, I could tell we had more Company that he is comfortable with, so I didn't force the issue to Socialize.  If someone is reclusive and introverted, it's no Fun for them, Princess T and The Man do not like Socializing and usually are Cordial and Brief about it, nothing Personal.  We took some Pixs with The Son's better Camera Phone too so I Hope they turned out better than my Old School Camera shots above, which, aren't too bad really for an Old Point N Shoot.  We enjoy having Company, especially on the Weekends, it decompresses everyone to Socialize some and bond with other people.

  People don't Socialize that much anymore like the Old Days, I think that's why Socialization is problematic for so many Younger folks now?  They Isolate more and become Alienated more, Fearful more and inclined then to "Other" those they have no involvement with and develop more biases, Hatred, and insecurities.   Social Status Anxiety is at an all time high too, it spawned the MAGA Movement, deep rooted Psychology is involved, there's some good Experts expounding upon how that happens.  Social Status, with the Hierarchy and Power Structures in Societies is very important to how some Humans define or view themselves and other Humans.  Humans really are Herd Creatures for the most part with a Hive Mentality. 

 If the Structure they're used to, especially if it granted them Favor, Superior Status or Privilege, gets tipped some, it creates intense Social Status Anxiety and Fear of Losing their Status and perceived Entitlement.  The Victim Mentality then sets in, even if they're not really Victims or being Victimized at all.  And, if the only way you can feel better or secure about yourself is by putting others Down and being Cruel in the Process, you got serious shit to sort out internally with your own Tortured Soul and the Resentment you have in your Heart towards anyone doing well and enjoying equal Status.  For Women, Minorities, the Disabled, Marginalized Groups like the Gay Community and Immigrants, and the Poor, this has always been an American Struggle for that kind of Equality and Social Status.  When they finally obtain some, it's been resented and feared in fact.  The whole "Replacement Theory" that MAGAts seem to Fear most.   MAGA World Leaders seized on all that and exploited it for their Movement... drawing to them those who have that Psychological disposition... and so now here we are.

We can only seek to improve our own interactions with various People who we may be in Agreement with or Disagreement with.  Having to Live in Harmony is something everyone has to want tho'.  It can't be lopsided and one sided, where you want it but the other person does not and makes no effort to either.   I see this as the current Situation with America.  Deep divisions, deeper rooted Psychological insecurities and biases that aren't being transcended and are actually being ginned up by current Leadership.  It's intentionally being Weaponized and a Nation divided within itself is Weaker and more easily exploited and dismantled. Becoz no Unity, and especially any Unity of Positive Purpose exists when so much Polarization is evident and Extremists have the loudest Voice, no respect for the Rule of Law, and have infiltrated high into Government.   And if they can keep Joe Public at each other's Throats and distracted sufficiently, it puts less scrutiny on all the Illegal shit they're doing to Screw America over and reap the Spoils of what they're pillaging.

Anyway, Brigitte took her Son back Home so he can enjoy time with his Friends he misses that still live Locally.  They're only down here for the Weekend and then will go back to Show Low.  I guess her Mom now has Placement with some extended Family here in The Valley, so the Caregiving is being more spread out for the Mom, which is great and very Helpful if it's not all left up to One Family Member exclusively.  I don't know that her Mom can Live Independently anymore, she seems like she's recovering quite well, but still has some Aphasia going on and some Motor Skill impairments from the Strokes.  Mini Strokes exist, TIA's can be more temporary, they are still a Serious Medical Emergency and shouldn't be minimized and often leads to a more severe Stroke.  Mine was kind of inbetween a TIA coz I did have lasting damage... TIA can resolve in Minutes or Hours, mine took 6 Months to Recover Negative effects from and to adjust with what didn't come back afterwards.

Two of my Granddaughters in Mexico, the 18 Year Old and the 17 Year Old, sent me Videos of them doing one of those Carnival Type Punching Bag Machines that measures your Punch Strength.  They're definitely Chips off the ole Block and got my deadly Right Jab.   The Older one Scored almost 800 and lit that thing up with a short Jab that was Bruce Lee Fast.  *LOL*  Anything 800+ is Exceptional Strength and Advanced to Amateur Boxer Abilities.   Elite/Professional would be 900+.  And the Younger one Scored super close to 700, very impressive scrappy little Gals, with no Training, they'd be deadly with Training, they certainly won't take no mess.  *Ha ha ha*  Guys were in the background looking shocked that these Pretty little Thin Teen Gals had that Strong a Punch!  *Winks and Smiles*   The Younger one that Scored almost 700 is pictured Below, she's a Tiny little Sprite.

And the Older one who Scored almost 800 is the one pictured Below, she's quite Tall, so has a Reach on her, but is not a Big Gal in Size either.  Her Jab was most impressive coz she didn't even seem to put all she had into it or behind it and still Scored that high.  *LOL*  It's Fun when they send me short Videos of themselves coz it's like being there with them.   Sometimes I'm sad that so many of our Grandchildren and all of our Great-Grandchildren have never lived close enuf to be with us in Person.  To watch them grow up and spend quality time together, I would have Loved that, if everyone lived nearby and were able to be together, as often as we wanted to be.   You miss so much when you live at a distance from Family and Friends.  We're a Family pretty far flung and spread out across the Country and the Globe, so, I'm used to it, but, I do envy Families who all live Local to one another.  Well, if they all get along that is, I know for some Families, distance is a Blessing.  *LOL*

I'm Thankful to have a Photographic History of them, but they grow up so damned fast, almost in the Blink of an Eye.  Below was one of the Great-Granddaughters as a Newborn... she's already Celebrated her 1st Birthday now and just started Walking Yesterday!   She is a Pretty Baby since Birth, and absolutely Perfect in every way, but I'm completely biased of coarse.  *LOL*   I got to watch her 1st Steps on The Book of Faces Video of it, so, that was kinda like being there too and immortalized by the Granddaughter taking so many Pixs and Videos to document everything.   She said her Kids have the Energy of 16 Squirrels, 2 Crackheads & Sonic The Hedgehog!  *LMAO*

The Older Granddaughter took her Trio of Kiddos to the Zoo.  It looks like a very nice Zoo there in Pittsburgh, I Loved how the Tiger's Habitat looks. {See Below}  The Wildlife World Zoo here in the West Valley, which began as a Breeding Zoo for Endangered Species, is developing more Natural looking Habitats for their Animals too, which I Love that.  They always have a lot of Baby Animals there, since, they are a renown Breeding Zoo that has even brought some Species back from the brink of Extinction and been able to reintroduce them to the Wild where they originally came from, like the Arabian Oryx.   It's still a vulnerable population and Species in the Wild, but the Wildlife World Zoo bred enuf of them to return a Herd back to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula.  

It was once Extinct in the Wild in 1972, now there's a Wild Population of around 1,220, and about 7,000 in Captivity Worldwide.  They're a Beautiful Animal, a large White Antelope with magnificent Horns... and I was fortunate to see a Herd at our Westside Zoo when they were Breeding them for reintroduction to their Natural Habitat.  Arizona's Climate was perfect for these Desert Animals so they thrived here at our Zoo during the Breeding Program and still have a Herd at it.   I feel pretty good that our Local Breeding Zoo is Saving so many Endangered Species and helping them recover enuf our Children, Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren can enjoy them as a Living Species, and not just hear about how they once Existed before they became Extinct, like the Dodo, Tasmanian Devil, Great Auk, and Passenger Pigeon.   The Mountain Gorilla, Black Rhino, Hawksbill Turtle, African Forest Elephant, Sunda Tiger, Amur Leopard, Bornean and Sumatran Orangutans, are among some of the most Endangered Species in the World right now.  May we not lose any of them forever.

I Love going to the Zoo and used to have a Membership to ours, back when it was still affordable.  It's expensive to run and maintain a Zoo, so the pricing now is too prohibitive for me now... taking a whole Family would be quite an outlay.  I'm glad that the Great-Grandkids got to go to a nice one this Summer, it's enriching and gives Children a Love for the Natural World and the Animals of it.   Some of which they may never get to see except in a Zoo setting ever.   I've always been fond of the Primates and the Big Cats.   But our nearby Zoo does have an Amazing Aquarium section too.   They have Special Event Pricing in Summer, but it's quite Late in the Day and I prefer Mornings and don't like Nighttime Visits to the Zoos or the Desert Botanical Gardens either, where I still have a Membership and it's still affordable to.   I'm sad that our favorite Restaurant at the Desert Botanical Gardens, "Gertrude's" Closed in May of this Year, I had no idea and was there in May dining!!!  No idea it would be my last visit.  *Le Sigh*

Of coarse Admission to the Phoenix Zoo is still double that of Admission to the Wildlife World Zoo and I prefer our Westside Zoo so haven't been to the Phoenix Zoo since The Son was in Grade School and he's almost 40 now.  *LOL*   Part of my Problem with the Phoenix Zoo was that during the Day, most of the Animals were not openly visible so... it's kind of the Point of going to a Zoo, to actually See the Animals.   At The Wildlife World Zoo they're always visible and seem happy enuf to be actively Breeding, which is always a good Sign, and it's great to see the Baby Animals in abundance every time you go also.  The Phoenix Zoo opened in 1962.   A lot of American Famous Zoos are much, much Older and much better Rated.  Omaha's Zoo in Nebraska is the No. 1 Rated American Zoo.  The Pittsburgh Zoo where these Great-Grands went does come in at No. 10 Nationally.

I don't think the Phoenix Zoo is even on the List.  *LOL*  Anyway, it was a good day with Company staying until late.  The Kids made an excellent Dinner of Steaks, Poblano Chile Pasta, and Mashed Potatoes.  I have been binge watching some of the rest of EXTANT with Halle Berry.  I'm almost finished with Season 1, don't know if NetFlix has Season 2 or not?  Just checked, Yes, it is... Season 1 has been long, but enjoyable.  I like the whole Cast, but the one Actor really looks so much like a Younger Kurt Russell that I wondered if he was his Son, apparently he's not, but the resemblance is uncanny.   His name is Maury Sterling... no relation to Actor Kurt Russell, just a strong resemblance IMO.   Actor Pierce Cagnon, whose a Child in the Series, is only 4'2" at Age 20 according to Stats on Actors.  So I wondered if he was a Little Person and Older than he looked in the Series?   But, Google said that Height was recorded when he was still a Child Actor.  He's a good little Actor tho' and Adorable in the Series as the AI Child Humanichs Project Prototype.

EXTANT {2014}, said most of the same things about AI that they're saying about it now, as far as concerns and potential dangers about it.  I think there's been concerns about it for a long time now and what was feared about it is now coming to pass.   I have major concerns about AI and I won't voluntarily use it at all becoz of my concerns.  I think it is inevitable that it's being used too much already, and they already know that it has the capacity to make things up when it doesn't have Data about what it's asked about, that's scary.   And makes it as unreliable and potentially harmful as a Human whose making shit up and passing it off as factual.   It also has learned to protect itself from us... another disturbing thing it's 'taught' itself to do so quickly.   Anyway, I won't debate it with anyone, if they assume the risks to use it voluntarily, it's their prerogative to.  But, I don't want any Human passing off what they used AI for as something they came up with themselves without proper due diligence to make sure of the accuracy and safety of whatever it is Artificial Intelligence gave them.  I think it's Lazy.

Anyway, Moving On... it's here now and we'll HAVE to Deal with it, good, bad or whatever comes up with using it... or misusing it.  And you know anything can be misused as easily as it can be used for Good.   Our Local Grocer had sent me a $14 Off Coupon to use thru the end of the Month and after other Sales they had on what we needed, I Saved $73, not shabby and now we're fully stocked with our perishables too that we were out of or low on.  Kroger's "Private Selection" Brand had the best Boxed Poblano Chile Pasta for $2.99 a box, it was a big hit with our Guests, they all took pixs of the Box so they could look for it next time they're Grocery Shopping.  The PS Brand of boxed Pastas has many other Gourmet flavors and I've bought just about all of them and never been disappointed.  Everything you need is in the Box.  As a Side Dish with other foods it can serve 6-8 people for Three Bucks a Box, not bad.

We always seem to have someone over at Mealtimes so it stretches a Meal when you can find something that feeds more "Extra" folks, without having to throw more Water in the Beans.  *LOL*  We had a house full all Weekend and a good time with the Guests, so it was a very nice Weekend of Socializing.  The Man and I don't get out much so we enjoy it when we can have people just come to the House instead.  He even Socialized some, which is Rare for him.  But, sadly, tho' The Son's Girlfriend has been by many, many times now, Yesterday he didn't know who she was, as if seeing her for the first time.  She understands coz she has a Relative with Dementia, so she didn't personalize it, but he swore it was a "New" Girl coming to see him and he'd never seen her before.  We joked with him that the other Girl, whose a Lifelong Friend of both of our Adult Kids, is Hispanic that came for a visit, and The Son's Girlfriend is Navajo, and they don't look anything at all alike.  *LOL*

And Princess T pipes up, and everyone Laughed like Hell coz this is a True Story, "Well, remember when Grandpa would go get me from Grade School and couldn't tell which one was his, coz almost all the Girls were also Mexican with long Hair like me too and he thought we all looked alike?"  *Bwahahaha, he did have Traumatic Brain Injury, to be Fair*    That is an Honest to God True Story and I always worried he'd try to take the Wrong Kid Home with him!!!  *LMAO but that would have been really bad and perceived as a Kidnapping!  Some Old White Guy snatching up Pretty Little Hispanic Girls at the Grade School!!!*   So, we'd tell him to just wait for HER to see Him, since, he'd be the only Old White Guy in the Historic Barrio, so much easier to pick out, and she'd just come to him.  *LMAOROTF, potential disaster averted*

 

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Blessings, Love & Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian