Natural Selection At Work Constantly

 

I'm Two Unpublished Posts ahead again, whoop whoop!  I took a lot of Pixs while at our other Antique Mall too but haven't downloaded them.  Also took The Man to "Cracker Barrel" for Dinner last Night and we had their Pot Roast, which is Two Meals for each of us really, their portion was quite generous.   His looked more Editorial than mine, and quite different I think, you be the Judge:

His

Mine

I thought my Gravy even looked different Color, even tho' we both ordered the exact same thing... my Gravy looks Darker Brown and so did my Pot Roast Chunks I think.  Don't you Agree?  Mebbe Two different batches?  I mean it was good, it just didn't even look like the exact same Meal had been ordered when it came to the Table.  "Cracker Barrel" was deserted on a Tuesday Night and at that location they have the Tables too close together.  And tho' it was damned near empty, they sat us behind another Table where I could barely wedge into my Chair without bumping the Lady sitting directly behind me!!!  It was too cozy to sit that near a Stranger.  

And there was only one other Couple in the Restaurant at the Table right beside us too.  The Two Close Couple were a Young Interracial Couple and not bothersome at all, talking low, except for the close proximity, not their fault, it wasn't a problem.  However, that other Couple, who were an Older White Couple, were fucking annoying.  They complained about everything from the moment they sat down, being total Karens and asking to speak to the Manager before they even ordered their Food!!!  WTF... whatya gonna complain about then?  When they finally did order they acted like they'd never used a Menu in their Life!  What is Wrong with People!!?

They got annoyed coz the Woman wanted the "Chicken & Dumpling SOUP" and it's not a Soup, it's an Entree!  So the Sweet Waitress, waiting on all whole Three Couples in the whole Restaurant, was explaining the SOUP Options and that the Chicken & Dumplings weren't a Soup, they were an Entree selection.  She wanted to be sure the Woman understood what she was ordering, but they only got annoyed at her, demanding the Chicken & Dumpling Soup, which wasn't a fucking Option!   Since they'd already asked for and talked to the Manager, the Waitress was trying to be long suffering and Polite.  Pretty sure she knew if the Woman got an Entree and it wasn't a Soup, she'd blame her even tho' that's what she Ordered.

The Husband then got ridiculous about his Order too, having her explain everything, in detail, of what is was... like he didn't know what Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, or fucking Pork Chops are!!!   They weren't Foreigners, they were Old White Bread Americans, with no noticeable Accent, they knew what that shit is, they were just being total Assholes on Purpose.   Finally they Ordered something and kept being incessantly Negative thru their whole damned Meal, and they'd gotten there after us, so, it wasn't like they would be leaving before us!!!   It was worse than sitting next to Misbehaving Children in a Restaurant, I swear!!!  *Le Sigh*  The Man kept glancing up at me coz he knew I was getting my last Raw Nerve Worked.  *Ha ha ha*

Proud of Self and Patting Self on the Back coz I just Ate, without saying a Word about any of it.  *LOL*  We aren't big Talkers when we're Eating anyway, so we usually get finished before Tables of people who chit-chat thru an entire Meal.  I don't like having a Meal with someone who can't shut up and wonder how they ever Eat?   I mean, you can't Talk and Eat at the same time and they hardly take a breath to quit Talking, let alone shovel any Food into their Mouths.  And mostly it is a Monologue and not a Dialogue, so at least you don't have to respond and can Eat your Food while it's still Hot.  *LOL*   Tho' I have seen entire Tables of Talkers and that is Interesting... and usually too Loud as well, oblivious of how rowdy they become usually to other Patrons around them.

In some Restaurants the din gets so Loud of everyone Talking rather Loud and all at once, that it's just not pleasant and becomes Sensory Overload, and The Man definitely can't handle it with his TBI.   Or if everyone around you is so Loud that you can't hear anyone at your Table Talking in a normal Inside Voice, that is respectful of not having other Patrons have to hear your whole private conversation.   And don't get me started on folks who turn on their Cellphone to Music while they Eat, like we all wanna listen to their Music Playlist!!!  Or have their Phone Call on Speaker Phone Loudly!!!  What ARE they even fucking Thinking?!  Being considerate, kind and respectful is definitely falling out of Favor!!!  Mebbe half isn't Unlovely, but a great many are and they're out there!

I'm looking for more Vintage Valentine's Candy Boxes, they're scarcer than Hen's Teeth tho'.  They didn't have a single one at our Antique Mall or our Sister Store in Downtown Phoenix.   The Two Pictured Above I found at "Merchant Square" Antique Mall in Chandler and were the only Two in that whole Mall as well, so I Bought both.  I only Wish I hadn't Sold my Small Collection of them in 2015 to help fund a Move and some Medical Bills that The Man had racked up and Insurances didn't cover, but, I did.  I have Sold Off some Primo Objects to cover whatever hadda be Covered at the time and you just accept it is a Means to an End sometimes and part of the Investment Objective of having it.  You can't Keep it all.  Lord knows I've tried.  *Winks*

They were mighty Proud of this Collectible Mandala Brand Bottle, which I Loved, but back when it came out you could purchase it for that, filled with the Tequila.  *LOL*  They are highly Collectible tho' and since they make a different one each Year, often Cost more than they did full of the Liquor.  So, I won't say they were out of Line on what the going Value is for Resale, but, I'm not a Player at $125 for an Empty Liquor Bottle, that's for sure.  *Ha ha ha ha*  I did Pony Up this Halloween for a Full One of a Collectible Grim Reaper Doubled Sided Collectible Bottle of Tequila tho', for the Bottle, the Adult Kids drank the Booze.  I had to assume, for the Price, it was some good Tequila, but I can't say for sure?  *Bwahahahaha*  I thought I'd Save it for New Year and they had it drank long before then.

Loved this Jose Cuervo 2011 Wooden Box, but didn't wanna pay what the Vendor was asking in spite of the Fabulous Sailor Jerry Style Tattoo Art on every Side.   Well, I did want it so I Trawled Online and found a Charity site by Vinnie's {St. Vincent de Paul} called Despina that they Sell some Products Online, and got it for just Three Bucks and reasonable Postage, and the proceeds go to a Charitable Cause I've Supported for a long time thru their Brick & Mortar Chazzas around the City.   Back in Da Day, they even used to have an Antiques section in their big Shop in Downtown Glendale, which used to be renown for it's Antiques Shops back then too.  Until a Chinese National bought up all the Historic Commercial Buildings and doubled Rents or didn't renew Leases to make everything Vacant so it blighted the area and he could Buy up everything else more Cheaply.  It's tragic now.  Anyway, got my Box.

Aren't these Mid-Century Mod Hanging Lamps reminiscently Killer?   I had some like these back in Da Day, so had a Flashback of an Old Apartment.  Didn't everyone have the equivalent in 60's-70's?  *LOL*  The Young Prince is settling in and Cheering Up considerably now.  He had the best time ever at Karaoke with his Dad and Stepmom, he said best ever since his 21st Birthday actually.  He's reconnecting with the Community he knows well and has Friends in.  Which had been absent in New Mexico, even tho' he'd lived there a couple Years, there had been no meaningful connections or Friendships formed.

  That's huge when you feel Isolation and the Home Life isn't even good either.  Even tho' our Home Life was good at the Villa McManse, the Community it was in wasn't Welcoming or Friendly.  You made NO meaningful connections and there was NO sense of Community whatsoever, so it was Isolating and I HATED it.  But he said even there he and his Sister made some Friends, good and lasting Friendships too, in New Mexico he wasn't able to at all.  Not for Want of Trying.  And tho' he's a Schizophrenic and so is his Mom, both of them don't like being Alone coz their Psychosis is worse and they have nobody to bounce off asking if something is Real or perhaps they're being Psychotic and having Hallucinations? 

 They both are Aware enuf that they have Hallucinations, but can't always differentiate what's a Reality and what is the Mental Illness Manifesting what they See, Hear or Imagine the Word around them is doing?  They will often ask one of us, "Do you see that too?", and if we don't, then they may Calm Down enuf to conclude that it's a Psychotic Episode and they don't have to be so Alarmed and Paranoid about whatever it is they saw or heard and we didn't.  It can Spook me tho', coz I'm Mentally Ill as well and I am also Superstitious and Believe in many things of a Paranormal Nature.  So, when they see it, even if I don't, I Question myself, IS it there and I just can't see it?  Is it something Paranormal?   *LOL*

Here he has Community, he has Family, he has Friends, and that is indeed Priceless and why we moved back to this particular part of the City and Area.  We know a lot of folks here and even met some New Friends we now Cherish and bonded with too.  You didn't get that at all out there in Rural Affluent Subdivision Hell, and not for Want of Trying either.   He and his Sister get along great and so they're reconnecting too and catching up with each other.  Now they're both Grown Adults they're even closer than they were as Children, and they were always close as Kiddos too.   They have the kind of Relationship as Siblings that me and my Brother always had, we were the Best of Friends and enjoyed each other's Company so much that people often thought we were a Couple and not Siblings coz we were always doing stuff Together as Adults.  *LOL*  The Man even thought at first we were a Couple.

 

 

My Mom and her Older Brother were very Close all their Lives as well and my Uncle was only 11 Months Older.   My Uncle became my Dad's Best Friend, his 1st American Friend actually, and introduced him to my Mom when he brought my Dad and another Friend of my Dad's from the Base, Home for Dinner one Day.   Ernie Triggs was my Dad's other Friend and was a Black American, my Mom's Family had never before seen or met a Black Person or a Native American so Ernie and my Dad had a lot of Fun making stuff up that Mom's Family initially Believed. 

 They told them they were the "American Night Fighters" coz they were harder to see at Night coz of their Dark Complexions!!!   So the American Military used the Units of People of Color for Fighting at Night!!!  *Bwahahahahahaa*  Well, in those Days my Dad was in a Black Unit of the Military, it's not like they had Native American whole Units and things weren't very integrated back then either and were segregated with Americans.  So it sounded Believable to Mom's Family.  *LOL*

Below is Princess T with her Friend from the Old Neighborhood of the Villa McManse, Crazy Pamela, who once threw a Bible at Princess T when they had an Argument during a Sleepover at Pamela's.  The Young Prince, when his Sister came Home early and told us what happened, just deadpanned, "Well, it was the Right Book..."  *Bwahahahaha*  His Little Sister would be Pre-Demonic at times and Crazy Pamela got her Nickname from me coz that Child was seriously Bipolar and on a lot of Meds for it back then so she often didn't get invited to anyone's Home to Play but ours.  A little bit of Pamela, as a Young Child, went a very long way, let us just say.  Her Family were Wonderful tho' and often took our Granddaughter on Vacations with them as Company for Pamela.  

Pamela turned out really well as she Matured and mellowed quite a bit with her Mental Illness.  She's Bright, Pretty, Personable and Fun... tho' the Girls have drifted apart in recent times, they do keep in Touch some.  Pamela Dates her Childhood Sweetheart still, same Boy she always Liked since Jr. High School!   Part of why the Girls drifted apart is Pamela always wanted desperately to fit in with the Affluent Mean Girls and Princess T wouldn't give those Bitches the Time of Day and didn't think Pamela should either, coz they didn't treat Pamela Right.  So, since Pamela hung out with that Crowd, as they got Older, Princess T would only get together if it was just the Two of them.  

We'd run into the Group at Malls sometimes when Princess T was Shopping with me.  Tho' Pamela was always Delighted to see us, her "Friends" always threw unspoken Shade towards Princess T, jealous I'm sure, I can spot Envy when I see it.   Not a single one of them could Buy Style, even tho' they had all the Money in the World to Buy Fashion.  You must Possess Style, you can't Buy it.   They were what Princess T refers to as very "Copy & Paste".   *Winks and LMAOROTF*   And even tho' Pamela is a Big Made Gal, she's Fearless about her Fashion Sense and always looks Adorable, so she and Princess T had their own Unique Vibe and Style all thru Jr. High and High School, they were not Copies, Pastes, or Imitations of anyone.   

And The Mean Girls were so obviously Envious of that level of Confidence to be Fearlessly Authentic to Self.  And Princess T never wanted to "Fit In" coz she mostly doesn't Like Peopling.  *Ha haha*  And really didn't Like THOSE pretentious little spoiled rotten affluent ratchet Bitches.  I Delighted in making them feel uncomfortable and insecure, which I can even do with a Smile, coz I'm Wicked like that if you Play me or mine Wrong.  *Winks*   I know, Mean for a Gramma to do that... but, I didn't Like them either... or their pretentious Bougee Parents.

  Most of them thought I was a Voodoo Practitioner and were legit afraid of me when we lived there at the Villa.   So they didn't Dare to say anything Mean to my Grandchildren in front of me.  Behind our Backs they did.   But, I could tell by their Unspoken Shade being thrown, that they would have liked to had I not been Present... and risk that mebbe I'd put a Hex or Curse on their Asses so they Wisely kept their Wisecracks or Passive Aggressive Sniping to themselves and between themselves.  *Bwahahahaha*  

 Their Parents being the Fundie types of Religions that thought we, his Grandparents, should be Praying The Young Prince's Gay Away... coz, you know, it Works like that.  *Eye Roll and Seriously, they Believe that kind of shit and said it to him when he was only 14!*   I did tell the Parent that told him that I'd Light her Ass on Fire and Hex her to a Hell on this Earth she'd have to Endure and never Escape from the Torment of while she was still among the Living, if she EVER said anything that inappropriate to my Grandchild again.  She never did after that.   Guess she wasn't absolutely sure her Brand of Bad and Homophobic Whack Religion would Save her from that, so she wasn't risking it?   *Winks and Smiles*

Princess T would always tell Pamela, to built up her Confidence, you got Back Girl, and some JayLo Ass going on, that's a healthy Badonka Donk you got back there.  *LOL*   She was worried that Pamela would develop an Eating Disorder coz a lot of those Rich Girls had one to try to stay Skinny and become someone's Trophy Starter Wife one day, like their Moms.  Princess T laments that she's got the Hips and Ass of a 14 Year Old Boy, just like her Mama.  *Ha ha ha*   For the longest time she couldn't even find Adult Clothing that fit her, which, when you're a Fashionista, is hard to look Fierce in Children's Clothing, so she'd buy Adult Clothing and Alter it to her more diminutive Size so it would fit.

  It was a lot of extra Work, and still is, coz I think she's still a Size 0.   I can relate coz at that Age, at around 20, I was a Size 1 and everything they ever got in that Size, would be only 1-2 Pieces per Store and always in Black!!!  Why they make the Tiny Sprite Gal Clothing in Black I couldn't tell ya?  Luckily our Happy Color in this Family happens to be Black, so we didn't mind.  *LOL*    And The Young Prince told me why Princess T's Gay Boy Posse likes spending their Money on her Freely to keep a Pretty Girl in the Gay Boy Group, it attracts Men.  *Bwahahaha*  OMG I was Laughing to hard coz I didn't even think of that aspect of it, it's like why so many Straight Guys took Home Economics and Straight Girls took Shop Classes, Right?  *LMAO* 

The Kiddos made Street Tacos for Supper Tonight and they turned out excellent.  They made Chicken ones and Beef ones, with Seasoned Blend of Tri-Beans as a Side.   I'd gotten the Cutest Colorful Plastic Taco Holders in a Bagged Lot at Princess T's Chazza, matches Fiesta Ware perfectly for a very Festive presentation when you're having Tacos.  Each one can hold Four or less and there's about a Half Dozen or more Colors.   Here's about Six just like it that TEMU Online Sells in Sets of Three for a lot more than I Paid for my Dozen in every Color they must have made.  I've seen them with Designs too like Paisley Prints and Zarape Prints. Mine was a Secondhand Find but they looked like they might have never been used. 

I have Two Boxes filled with Inventory to take in to the Antique Mall for my Locked Case and Showroom, so I'm getting ready to do that right now and get it out of the way.    NEXT DAY:  The Antique Mall was so Dead on Wednesday Night I didn't take long to get everything into my Case and Showroom, then just visit with Vendor Friends who were working their Night Shift and lamenting how Dead and Slow it was.  They're all struggling and with Rents going up 6% for 2026 I suspect some may give Notice if they're simply not making Money?  That said, I know some who tend to Vote Red no matter what or who and when they lament about their Economic Woes intensifying I do like to passive aggressively remind them this Administration is making poor Financial and Economic decisions for the rest of us while enriching only themselves.  Can't Help myself, gotta do it.  *Winks*

 

They all know I'm a Retired Bank Executive and also Retired from a large DA's Office too, so, they know my Background in Finance and the DOJ, so over the Years have often asked me what I think.  So, I will, if someone Solicits Advice or initiates that Conversation, spit Truth.  Coz, who knows, if they're only watching Faux News and buying into the Spin Doctor Propaganda they're not Hearing or being Exposed to much, if any, actual Truth and Evidence.  And people can be so uninformed it fosters Ignorance and Misconceptions, when they're being shamelessly misled.  And you don't know what you just don't know in Life.  So, if someone can illuminate some of it for them, I always hold out some Hope that it will stimulate enuf curiosity to then jump start their ability to do some Critical Thinking and discernment, so as not to be Spoon Fed Bullshit and Lies all the time and run with it as Factual.

  

One such Female Vendor I know and I've always Liked her, but know her Politics don't align with my own, stopped to discuss how awful her bottom line has been and how concerned she is about financial matters.  So, she Opened the Door for me to sneak in some unpleasant Truths she might not have even acknowledged or heard from any reliable Sources?  *Winks*  Some will run off coz they can't handle the Truth, no matter how subtly and delicately presented, since I always try not to make it sound Partisan or Political, Just the Facts Ma'am, as Detective Joe Friday would say in the Old Show "Dragnet".  *Bwahahaha*  It works well when you approach it that way since you might actually then be Heard rather than met with instant Defensive Posturing and Politics they're rabid about.   I'm an Independent Moderate, so I could give Two Shits about anyone's strongly Partisan Politics... or someone's Religion either.

Sidenote: The Vintage Marbles Vendor who had Canning Jars full of them was mighty Proud of their Cache of them coz they wants $40-$80 a Jar, yowsah!!!   Talk about looking for that End of the Rainbow Marble Collector where Money will be no Object!!!  Damn!!!!!!!!!!  *Ha ha ha*

But I do know how Cray-Cray both Politics and Religion have become and can be for the Devout of either... with extreme biases and unwavering devotion.   To my Surprise she lingered a long time and heard me out, since I was making Sense to her and since I didn't make it sound Political at all.  Just Facts laid out for her to then ponder, let percolate, and perhaps, by Midterms, Vote according to updated information she now has at her disposal to make better decisions upon.  To Know better can make you Do better, Ignorance isn't Bliss, it's just Ignorance.   And it spawns, replicates and perpetuates more Ignorance.

That's all we can do when we know someone is so deeply entrenched that they're now part of the Problem they're desperate to Change.  But will never have a Solution if they keep doing the same ineffective or detrimental things and expect different results, being complicit in what's gone Wrong.  That's Insanity and they'll doom themselves and contribute to their own suffering and demise really.   Offering them an Offramp to Exit when things have gone completely Sideways on the trajectory they're on, but they can see no Way Out on their own, and their Brakes have Failed them, is all we can sometimes do for some of them.

I think opportunities like that will come up more often as things worsen to a degree it not only Touches those who helped Create much of this, but, hits them upside their Heads hard, to where they must take notice now, or go down with the Shipwreck.   Most Humans, will instinctively go into Fight or Flight Mode when faced with actual personal Crisis that does Touch them directly.  So long as it's someone else, they'll be like those Herds on the Serengeti who are just grazing as Lions Stalk, and so long as they're not the intended Target right then of that Predator, they act like they're actually Safe.  Eventually it can and often will BE them that is the Target, they just are too Ignorant to realize they ARE the Prey.  And you'll either be Predator or Prey in much of Life unfortunately, there's not much middle ground to Hold.  Humans are at the Top of the Food Chain and some, well, Natural Selection will just Take Out to thin our Herds.  I see many who likely are NOT gonna make it thru all of this.

I'm a firm Believer that Natural Selection is at Work constantly... and since you can't Fix Stupid, the Stupid and the intentionally Uninformed, are the Prey that will be Taken Out by Natural Selection.  Their Survival Instincts and way of Being is just not conducive to having a long Run quite often, unless they have Dumb Luck.  *LOL*   To be sure we do have a gaggle of the Dumb Luckers still around who've managed to stay Alive in spite of their State of Being.   But, we also have some Apex Predatory Types too who have had a long Run becoz they exploited the Hell out of their Prey along the way and it's really been quite the Buffet for them over their Lifetime. 

  Sadly, our Political System is filled to the brim with those Predatory Types and they see The Herd as something to cultivate for their own desires and Feasting upon... or Kill just for the sake of Killing if they're that way inclined.  There are some Predators that don't Kill to just Eat or Survive, even if Full, they Kill for Sport, or Trophies, or becoz they just like Killing, too much.  We have one of them occupying the White House now.   And he will never be satiated, his Thirst for Power and Money, of eliminating Prey he wants to punish and exact Revenge upon so they'll be out of his way, knows no bounds and has no boundaries.  A Rouge Predator makes everything Alive around them Unsafe. 

*******

To survive all of this Fuckery, you better then have a Plan... Dawn... The Bohemian