Bohemian Valhalla: Operatives Of Unknown Origins

In Real Time the Posts that just Published, Two of them, are back down to normal viewership Numbers, which are presentable Stats, but not Crazy high. The Web Crawlers that were showing up and making it look like Thousands of Views per Post was just really unsettling to me, I didn't like it. Since, I didn't understand the sudden Interest in showing up to our Blogs, especially in such outrageously high Numbers? You always expect some Human Lurkers, mebbe the occasional Trolls now and again, or a random Bot... but those Web Crawler Numbers were super High and I found that deeply disturbing. It felt like Thousands of Spies had been sent out into The Land to gather Data on us for unknown Purposes and Secret, perhaps nefarious, Agendas. Yes, I am cynical like that and highly suspicious when shit like that suddenly happens and we don't know Why?

I'd rather nobody show up than a bunch of Operatives of Unknown Origin. *LOL* Yes, we Welcome everyone to our Blogs coz it is a Public Social Media Outlet, and there's really nothing so Special about any of us or what our Blog content is, so, it was just super Weird. I was taking Note of which Posts had the most outrageous Numbers and then re-reading them myself to try to fathom, just WTF?! *Bwaahhaha* I mean, they all had gone into Thousands of Views, but the CDC being Gutted Post was in the Stratosphere... as was the Post Hook Title of Taking that to the Bank. Things that make ya go humnnnnn... Trigger Words like CDC and Bank... that's Interesting. *Raised Eyebrow* The least views was for the Trigger Word of this President's Surname... apparently even Spy Bots don't want to hear more about that Fucker, I dunno? *LMAOROTF* It had Hundreds of Views, but not Thousands, so, even here in The Land Of Blog he can't attract a Crowd! *Winks and LOL*

Listen, I do dangle my Blog Post Title Hooks enticingly to draw some Interest in a Post, that's Why they're called Hooks, they're Bait. *LOL* And you do know that certain Words are gonna be more of a Draw than others, some Topics will Reel 'em in way more than others. The Darker a Post is, or the Worst News or Topics you can Share, the higher the Views. Folks do like them a good Train Wreck, Controversy, Rant, Salacious Scandal or Gossip. The Fluff Posts don't fare well usually, we all know this, it's a Yawnfest for most folks to Read about something Uplifting and frivolous. Tho', the Real Life stuff, whether Good or Bad, always beats out anything not authentic. If you're sanitizing everything before you roll it out, chances are, nobody is Believing you and buying into the Fictional Story being presented as if it was Real Life.

Everybody knows Facebook got to where it wasn't Real anymore, everyone was putting Filters on all their Photos and only showing off the hi-lights of Life. Or... there were the Black Cloud Posters who were such a Downer and needing, desperately craving, so much Attention, that it was pathetic and personally I just can't. I have to Block or Unfriend you if you go down that Path too often and now it fails to incite Pity and just arouses Irritation, Stop it already!!! Knock it off!!! Don't put every piece of dirty laundry out there while you're in a fucking Mood and Upset, then think that the Persons you just had an Online Feud with are gonna now wanna Play Nice and be all Forgiving, what WERE you even thinking?! I see whole Families, Relationships and Friendships compromised by such unnecessary Dramatics and Immature histrionics between certain people. Then they wonder why their Life goes to shit and everyone's avoiding them.

I use The Book Of Faces to keep in Touch mostly with my closest Relationships of Friends and Family and Share Imagery with one another. So, I'm not necessarily Reading the Postings where someone is mad at so-and-so in the Moment, is unable to Mood Regulate like an Adult, and trying to drag other people into the fray. We're not in Jr. High School, Grow Up!!! I'm there to see a Pix of you, your Kids, your Dog or Cat, where you just went on Vacation, Celebrations and Milestones you had, or perhaps what you are going thru that is truly Important to Know and be Supportive of or give sincere condolences for... not the Drama and a Headache you're Creating in your Life or Inviting constantly. There are a scant few folks who we're close to that can be like that, I just don't keep them on a Live Feed. Coz Fuck, that would be exhausting!!! *LOL*

Most people we know in Real Life don't even Blog or know what a Blog even is and I'm Fine with that too. This is a whole different Community and I Like it that way. For a brief time some of the people I knew in Real Life had a Blog too. I found that even tho' I knew and liked these folks in Real Life, their Blogs didn't necessarily translate to me liking their Blogs tho', it happens. *LOL* I had a scant few Friends who did Follow my Blog regularly and we'd discuss my Posts when they'd Read one and wanted to weigh in on whatever I'd Written or Shared. They were not Bloggers themselves, but did like The Land of Blog as just being Dear Readers. Mostly they were such Kindred Spirits that my Blog content was something they actually enjoyed on The Regular. The Two Closest Friends who were avid Dear Readers of the ole' Blog too, now are deceased and I miss our talks about Blogs and Blogging.

One was a fellow Extreme Caregiver... who Died before the Husband she was a devoted Caregiver of and her Daughter had to take over until he finally Died too. The other was a Dear Co-Worker who was just very Close to my Family and knew I Shared things here that I don't always Share in Real Life. I'm more Private in Real Life, imagine that... I Blog about everything and anything here. *Bwahahaha* Anyway, both Friends were so unexpectedly taken that I remained in Shock for a very long time about their sudden Deaths. I'd talked to each of them only Hours before they expired suddenly!!! Life can end on the turn of a Dime like that for some, others linger and it's expected for a long time before it actually happens. Mortality is unpredictable like that. I miss both of those Friends so much and sometimes it's so hard to Believe they've been Gone as long as they have now. We became even Closer due to our Land of Blog visits. This Community is Special like that.

I do sometimes wonder what happened to folks in Real Life and in The Land Of Blog that I've lost touch with? I do Hope they're all Well, but, once someone goes Off the Grid you never really know for sure unless someone else informs you of whatever you didn't know about. Sometimes I don't think I wanna know, if it's Bad News, you know? With some folks there's so much Shared History until there just isn't anymore. Others will be in Touch and Close for a Lifetime. Others go On and Off The Grid like a Yo-Yo. I do always suspect the Yo-Yo folks lead a Double Life that you only know in part? No matter how long you Think you've Known them. I've known some folks that cycle in and out of everyone's Lives every so many Years. Disappearing suddenly and going Off Grid, then materializing after long absences and yet, as if nothing has happened and picking up where they left off YEARS ago. It's very Strange, I don't Ask and they don't Tell. I can only speculate. *Winks*

I was wading thru Photo Archives and ran across some way back Blasts from the Past I'd completely forgotten I had of Friends and Family. When I look at some of the "Adopted Relatives" of Old Photos I have Rescued of other folk's Families and Friends that they tossed and now someone has altered for Halloween Props, I can only say I Hope that never happens to our Old Photos of Loved Ones. I enjoy my Prop Photos, which are Fun, but I do wonder whatever happened that the Families and Friends got to a place where they discarded the Old Pixs like Trash, or they somehow ended up hawked in some Antique Store, Chazza, or Boutique? Way Below in this Post are some Old Pixs of Family, the ones I Cherish are of Grandparents that were very Superstitious about having their Photos taken and so very few even Exist of my Paternal Grandparents and my Maternal Gran-Gran. Each of their Cultures being very wary of being Photographed and so they're always so somber in the few Images ever taken, like it was Stealing their Souls.

The ones of my Welsh Gran-Gran I didn't realize I had been given. I think my Welsh Uncle sent them to me to be the Keeper of when he got to be in his late 80's. Since he had so few of his Father, my Gran-Gran didn't like being Photographed, and my Uncle's Sons probably wouldn't have Preserved them like he knew I would? There's also one I was given by a Paternal Aunt's Kin when she passed, that was in some of her Photo Albums they didn't want. My Aunt was a long time Widow and thus lived with my Uncle first and then my Dad, since, Culturally Brothers took Care of Single or Widowed Sisters as was Custom to. I hadn't realized there was one of my Maternal Native American Grandma in formal Western Clothing. Stark White Stockings which made her heavily Tribally Tattooed Legs look like White Legs on a Dark Woman, and long Sleeves which covered up her heavily Tribally Tattooed Arms too, her very long Dark Hair tied back, looking very Westernized and not like herself. She looks quite uncomfortable and unnatural in such austere Westernized attire. She definitely did not like her Photograph taken.

She's standing with her last Husband, she had Married a White Man later in Life, after outliving her much Older Indigenous Husband, and long after my Dad was Grown and in the Military. I remember her White Husband was originally from Arkansas and talked funny and very slow, with a thick Southern drawl. He was 6'7" Tall, a very Big intimidating looking Man, told us to call him Pappy. We met him for the first time on the Reservation in the early 1970's, he was a Man of fewer Words than even my Grandmother, so, not much was said. They made for a very unusual and unlikely looking Couple. She'd had a very hard Life, Married Off as a Tween, and so was a very hard Stoic unemotional Woman who always looked so stern, and to me, Scary. I was literally Afraid of her and I could tell she looked at me with disapproval, since I'm her least Indigenous looking Grandchild and some Tribes don't approve of and shun the Mixed Race among them.

She didn't much like White People, and I was really surprised she Married one. She really didn't approve of nor like my Mom at all, who Dad's Family thought was a scary Welsh Witch who'd Hex them all. *LOL* Mom didn't like Dad's Family either, she didn't understand the Culture and way of Life and she sure wasn't living on a Reservation after having visited one!!! I don't blame her, first time I went there I had complete Culture Shock too, no running Water, most still didn't have Electricity, not very Welcoming of any Non-Natives... I "Get It", but, it wasn't very comfortable either and I remember being on Edge if I wasn't with a Paternal Relative while there. The same Vibe is here when you visit any of the Reservations actually. Just spend Money at the Casinos and don't stray or get out of the Vehicle, that's the Warning you'll get even from the Tribal Police in some Tribe's Sovereign Nations. Some Tribes being more Sensitive about anyone on their Land whose not a Tribal Member.

The Son jokes that tho' he's got many Friends from various Tribes, and he's got a Navajo Girlfriend, he won't go drinking with his Indian Male Friends on the Rez even when they Invite him to. He's just not "Indian Enough" and doesn't want anyone getting so loaded they will give him the side-eye for being of Mixed Race, and think playing Football with his Head might be where the Night is ending? His Girlfriend wants to take him to her Reservation to meet the rest of the Family, but he is hesitant coz the Navajo Rez is vast and he doesn't know how far in her Relatives live there? *LMAO* She thinks it's Funny, but, I told her last time I was on the Rez with The Man, we found a Human Jawbone Roadside! And the Special Team the Reservation Police sent out there to try to find the rest of whoever it was, told us they'd found numerous Human Remains out there and had NINE Missing Persons in that Area Alone, so, don't ever get out of your Vehicle. We've not been back since, The Man was like, Honey, I didn't know the Rez was that dangerous, so, don't expect me to ever go visit any of your Dad's Relatives now, Okay? *LOL*

And now Below are the Rare Images of the Two Grandparents from each side of the Family who Hated having their Pixs taken. And one of Yours Truly at the Age I was when I last visited my Dad's Reservation. And only the Year before that was the last time I visited my Mom's Family in North Wales as well. Neither being a part of my "World" really, you're in that Interracial/Intercultural Limbo of sorts, and so I always felt between Worlds and Cultures in either. Tho' Proud of both Heritages, I realized early on that each considered me neither fully Welsh nor fully Indian. Connected by Bloodlines, but not 100% a part of either one. And Society tends to want to define each of us... and when they can't... and you don't fit into a Category handily, it's often problematic for a lot of them.