Life Is So Complicated

 I am so into the Autumnal Vibe and Holiday Spirit now that I've attended my 1st Halloween Themed Event!  In Real Time it's the 10th of September and this should Publish around October 4th, which, by then the rest of you might have caught up with me and are then in the Autumnal Vibe and Holiday Spirit too?  *Winks and Laughs*  I start Early when it comes to the Fall/Winter Holidays and keep it all up Late.  In fact, in recent Years I haven't even bothered to take some of it down and put it away in Storage coz I just enjoy it being out.  When you have less Favorite anticipated Holidays in Front of you than Behind you, why not extend them and just revel in them much longer if it brings you Joy?  We NEED more Joy right now with the State of the World and our Country!

While at the Event I talked to a Young Couple standing in the Checkout Line behind me, he had a Shark's Jaw, a nice one, his only item.  He was waffling on spending the $50 on it even tho' his Wife/Girlfriend was saying, just get it Honey.  I encouraged him too by saying, you do know that's a good price for one that large, they're usually around $150?  He did know that, but being Young, and likely on a shoestring Budget, he felt it was overly indulgent and so had been hesitant to spend that much on himself.  He said he usually only attends for her, but didn't realize he'd see so much he'd dig too.  *LOL*  They were a Trendy White Couple, nice looking, lots of Tattoos and he had Gauges in his Ears.  They had a 10 Year Old Rescue Small Dog.

They'd only had her a Year, a Vet Friend had called them that they take their other Dogs to and said her Owner had been put into a Nursing Home.  The Woman's Son is a traveling Businessman and gave the Vet all the Money it would require to either put her Down or find her a nice Home to live out whatever Life she has left, he couldn't Keep her, but his Mother fretted over the Animal still, so he'd rather she go to a good Home so his Mom could have a Peace about their separation.  The Dog was Old and their Vet said he'd pull all her rotting Teeth for Free and make sure she was up on her Shots, if they'd take her so he wouldn't have to put her Down. 

 So, of coarse they did and said she's the Best Dog ever.  She sprung back to a Youthful Spirit once her Bad Teeth were all removed too, her little Tongue now hangs out adorably now she's Gummy.  She looked like a mixed Wire Hair Terrier, with Crazy Hair.  She gets Separation Anxiety now if the new Male Owner is out of her Sight, she's REALLY Clearly Bonded with him, but has Separation Anxiety Issues.  I'm sure she doesn't understand what happened to her long time Senior Owner... and doesn't Trust she won't lose another Human!   I'm not even a Dog Person but she just Won your Heart and was so well behaved and so Joyful to be out with her Humans doing something Special.  Her Joy was so evident, she was Glowing with Happy Energy!  Everyone around was falling in Love with her.

You meet some of the Nicest People standing in long Checkout Lines, so I never mind the Waiting.  This Couple were Darling, he has Cabinets of Curiosities so we had that in Common, Channeling our Inner Addams Family.  *Smiles*  He said it was great to meet someone else who appreciates that Aesthetic, most don't.  This is True, but I told him most will still be intrigued, curious and fascinated by his Collections, so he should still Share them, we do, and it never fails to spark Conversation with any Generation viewing and beholding it.   I get so many Compliments on my Home from everyone whose ever entered it even if it's not their Aesthetic or Vibe.  It's Different than anything they've ever seen and that Interests/Fascinates People regardless of what their own Personal Aesthetic may be.  It is a surefire Conversation Starter.  *LOL* 

 I told him about "Curious Nature", he'd never been, it would be a Store he'd Love.  He used to have a Bearded Dragon, so I told him about Alduin, my Grandson's Beardie who I looked after for a Year when he first moved to Washington State.  And also about his Chameleon, Ivara.  We had stimulating conversation, which was nice, I don't Socialize much anymore.  When our turn came up at the Checkout he said how Nice it had been Talking with me.  I enjoyed our visit too.   Made standing in a long Line go by fast actually and be pleasant, the Time flies by when you're interacting with people while Waiting.  And they usually comment on that fact, whereas just standing there being Anti-Social and ignoring one another is Boring and Tedious, people get upset and restless coz it's taking so long.  Some may even abandon their Purchase if they get too Irritated, so, Why ruin a great end to attending a Fun Event by leaving in a Mood?

   

  I already heard some of the Fancy Ladies grumbling and complaining there weren't enuf Cashiers.  There were, but, there were also a LOT of Customers Buying a lot of things.  But some of the Pretentious sorts want everything to be all about them all of the time and can't stand to be inconvenienced or not have folks fawning over them all of the time, feeling Entitled to preferential Treatment with VIP Status, and it shows.  That kind of Privilege is displayed where ever they are and go, and it's quite Unlovely, I never talk to anyone acting Pretentious and Uppity, we'd have nothing in common to talk about.  Now, you can have Wealth and abundant Success and I know loads of Wonderful Folks who do, who are Dear Friends.   So it's not about the Money, it's about the Attitude of those who have Privilege or Affluence, and have it make them Unlovely Humans to have to endure or barely tolerate.  Coz I am NOT tolerant of Pretentious Fucks at all.  I can more tolerantly Deal with someone being Ghetto and really Hood, than Uppity and Condescending.  *LOL*

I so enjoy Covering these Events on my FB Page and here on the Blog to Stimulate Trade for these Industry Friends and places I Value and Shop at.  So many are Closing and Quitting, due to the shitty Economic Situation, that I want to ensure some ride it out and prosper.  I Support Indie Businesses, Small Business, Artisans, Family Owned Business, Restaurants, which do run on narrow Margins to stay Open, even the bigger ones.  It's important to give them our Support in as many ways as we can.  This Antique Mall does more Seasonally than ours does.  They just have Vendors who get into the Spirit of every Holiday and Season, plus, their Management Stimulates Seasonal and Holiday Trade and has Events.  They also have a wonderful Restaurant there so you don't have to leave to eat.  Ours used to, they don't now, and so folks leave once they get hungry and then they rarely, if ever, come back after the Meal.

I'd say a good 60% of the Vendors in the Antique Mall had Halloween and Autumnal Merch out.  Which really melded well with having the Halloween Event out back in the "Highland Yard Vintage" section, which is a Warehouse also Owned by the Mall.   It was Closed for Summer due to the Heat coz it's a vast Warehouse Building difficult to Cool sufficiently.  It was still a bit too Hot even tho' usually September Temps start Cooling enuf to resume Opening it.  But, it was 107 Today at least, and that was very early on, around 10:00 a.m., so they had to have portable AC's brought in and it was still pretty Warm in there.  Folks didn't complain too much about that, it's Arizona, if you can't take the Heat, this ain't the place for you anyway.  *LOL* 

 I can't take the Cold, so would never consider spending a lot of time in a Cold Climate, I know how I am and what I can tolerate or not tolerate too well.  I like seeing Snow on Calendars and Christmas Cards... I don't have to Shovel Sunshine.  And that suits me fine along with having usually 10 Glorious Months of the Year of Great Weather.  I LOVED the Fabric on the Above and Below Fabric Pumpkins, but they were Styrofoam underneath and priced rather high I thought for inexpensive insides, so I Passed and just took Photos.  Had they been like most Fabric Pumpkins in construction and interior quality of what they are made of, I'd of felt it more worth it.  A pity coz I J'Adored that Denim Fabric with the distressing and they only had the Two like that.  The Fat Round Shorter one only a Dollar less than the Leaner Oblong Tall one.

When I go back on Sunday, if they're both still there, perhaps I'll reconsider and not waffle on the cost?  *LOL and Winks*  I have a figure in my Head of what I've usually been willing to pay for Fabric Pumpkins and these were higher than that Baseline I set for my Purchase of any more.   But, I noticed even in Chazzas, the Fabric Pumpkins have been Priced higher this Year, by a lot.  *Shrugs???*  I'm being super Budget conscious since all Essentials have escalated in Price, so Lord knows I won't overpay for what isn't an Essential now, I'll do without it.  And that is precisely why Businesses and Restaurants are really Struggling now.   When folks are Economically having a difficult time even affording Essentials, they sure as shit aren't spending on Non-Essentials.  And Inflation is ridiculous right now and we all know whose caused this Economic Crisis and Fuckery.  He may have Pretended to make everything more Affordable but he's never Delivered once Elected on the Promises he made to those who Believe his Lies.

He's said the Stupidest and Tone Deaf things ever like he "Loves The Inflation", like he doesn't REALLY know what the Word even Means and who even says that, really, or that it's a Hoax, when everyone knows they're experiencing it?  And that he never "Thinks about America's Financial Situation"!!!  Yikes, that's probably not a Lie, that's a Freudian Slip where he was actually for once telling the God's Honest Truth about himself!!!  And he says that High Costs and Inflation are a "Hoax" and Political "Con Job" pushed by Democrats!!!  What spills out of his Mouth, you can't make this shit up that falls out of that Fool's Mouth and the only "Con Job" going on is his.  People's Reality is what it is, only the most ignorant gullible Fools are experiencing Reality and Believing his fucking Fantasy at this point.  So, they're probably even less tethered to Reality than he is now!  Coz he's not experiencing any Hardship, he's Grifted and Stolen so much during both Presidencies, along with his Family and Cronies, that it Eclipses all the other Grifts and Thefts he's ever done and made him Richer than he's ever been in his Life!!!  The Long Con has Paid Dividends to him.

Anyway, I don't think or dwell upon the Political Shitshow and Fuckening too much or it messes with your Mental Health.  I want to not have my Joy or my Peace Stolen by a bunch of Fascists, Career Criminals and Pedophiles currently in Elected Positions all the way to the Top of our Food Chain in America.   Mebbe 30% of America is Okay with that kind of Leadership and can shamelessly Support it, but I never will be and I feel like that's being on the Right Side of History when it all plays out as it surely will.  May the consequences of being on the Wrong Side of History just have it's Karma catch up with every single one of them.   They will deserve however Karma chooses to Deal with all of them.   I will not have Pity for a single one of them, they had Free Will Choice on which Side to Stand on, and Freely chose Evil and Corrupt to Partner with and Support whoeheartedly.

The Son made a nice Spaghetti Sauce for Dinner in the Crockpot but fell Asleep before making the Pasta, coz he went to Work at 5:00 a.m. and it's 6:00 p.m. now.  So, his Sister is doing that so we can all Eat, and we'll let him Sleep and keep it Warmed up for him later when he Wakes.  His Mental Health lately has been very unraveled and not in a Good Head Space at all.  It's why he often overdoes it on the Drinking but it doesn't drown out his Demons, it kinda just Amplifies them and he's having Arguments with himself when Alone in his Room.  So I knew he'd been Unraveling a lot and we've talked about it.  He's trying to cut back on the Alcohol consumed and not Self-Medicate so much to try to Cope with his Mental Illness and how his Life has just played out, not to his satisfaction. 

 At 40 he's not where he felt he should be in Life after all his Hard Work, he's Worked Hard since he was 14 Years Old.  He's never Married, never had Bio Children of his own, thought his Careers would play out better, thought he'd Own a Home by now.  Have his Life together and not be Living in his Parent's Guest Bedroom with a Part Time Minimum Wage Job and no Vehicle!  Many Middle Aged Americans Feel commisseration of this plight actually, I speak to many of them.   The Niece whose coming from Texas to Live with us soon is feeling the same way in her Mid-40's.   She's a Tech Genius, Computer Programmer, used to doing well in her Career, now things have fallen apart in her Industry and many are finding AI replacing them.  Yang calls it The Great Replacement and Displacement, The Fuckening. 

 The Economy and all we've been going thru on Issues of Life Personally and Collectively, which just has been a lot, an onslaught of A FUCKING LOT, just take a Heavy Toll and he doesn't Cope as well as some of us with it.  I think being a Middle Aged Male he Feels like he should Head Up the Household now and knows he cannot.  He doesn't like that at my Advanced Age, I have to Keep it all Together and Hold it Down instead.  He Worries a lot about me, more than the others.  It Scares him even when I Shake or take a Fall... or don't feel 100%.  And what happened to Mando really hit him harder than he thought it would.  Guy with Stage 4 Cancer still Working like Hell at Charitable Jobs to Survive, knowing he's Dying, and just Riding his Bike while doing a Job and getting Murdered by some reckless, irresponsible Driver in a single Bad Decision that ruins the Lives of Two Families. 

 Struggling with Sobriety and having Driving Restrictions due to his Drinking, he's Glad he can't Drive.  He doesn't even want to until he's able to give up Alcohol and get Sober and KEEP Sober.  He got Clean from Drugs, but knows he's still a Substance Abuser and that causes Collateral Damage in Life, it just does.    So, he has to rely on me to Drive him anywhere, or Walk now, even to Work, and there's Shame in that for him.  He knows it's his Fault he's in that predicament.  Some stuff wasn't within his Control that happened, like what has happened in The Trades... 

But some of it he Owns his part in that has cocked Life up for him... and in some ways for us, when he can't Live Independently and relies heavily upon us again, as a Grown Man, it's Humbling and Humiliating for him so he beats himself up over it all of the time and gets inside his own Head too much, gets too Angry, Self-Destructs and Self Harms due to Self-Loathing.  It's not Healthy.  But if he sees Mental Health Professionals, they wanna put him on too much Medication... last time they had him on NINE... and it wasn't that Helpful with his Illnesses, but it interfered with Work, it was just overmedicating and ridiculous.  Life is so complicated...

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Happy Autumn from the Arizona Desert... may your Autumnal Vibes be Strong my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian