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#FridayThoughts: Haven’t been my favorite

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It’s FRIDAY! So #TVWatch this week is Thanksgiving-themed, and I’ve ranked the Bob’s Burgers holiday eps in order of my favorites here in “Thrill the turkey.”

And now Friday.

Twitter seems to be on the thinnest of ice. I haven’t made a definitive move to another platform, I’ll hang with Twitter until there’s no Twitter, I think, but after that, I will make sure you can still find me on other platforms. And of course I’m always here.

Well not always, that just made me picture myself hanging around the blog, waiting. A funny head image.

When I started writing this morning, the sky was low with heavy, dark clouds but now that I look up from the screen, it’s pretty sunny. There are still clouds, but who knows if they are serious about it.

It’s been a very volatile week and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to calm down soon. Speaker Nancy Pelosi passed the leadership torch to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the perfect person for the job; Twitter seems to be going the way of the dodos because of one particular dodo, though who knows if it’s accidental;nand Republicans somehow solved all the problems they kept bleating about before the election because now their only issue is Hunter Biden’s laptop.

So.

And I have to say without reservation the last few years haven’t been my favorite. It’s amazing how much people you’ve never met can impact your life, both for the bad and for the good.

That’s it for me this week, I hope you have a good Friday and a great weekend. I’ll still be here Monday even if Twitter isn’t there.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.

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#LoveforLeslieJ Indeed Or Twitter: The Place for Bullies

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A reminder, on Friday I’ll be participating in a Comedy Book Week Q&A on Facebook! Please come join us!

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You probably know I’m a fan of Twitter. And that I’m a fan of comedy in many forms. So what comedian Leslie Jones is experiencing just makes me…sad.

In case you didn’t know, “people” are up in arms about the “Ghostbusters” reboot with a (GASP) all-female cast. And by people I mean boys who think women are taking away all the good toys, like voting, and leaving the house without an escort. And comedy.

To pile on, apparently there is a faction targeting Leslie not only because she’s funny, not only because she’s a woman, but also because of her race. And their tweets are vile. VILE. From any point of view. The things that people are saying to someone who should be basking in the realization of her lifelong dream are simply stomach-churning.

What I don’t understand is how people think it’s OK to talk to someone like that. And even worse, Twitter apparently refuses to do anything about it.

Oh I know where you’re going. I can see it from a mile away.

“Free speech!” and “The First Amendment!”

Well…no.

Despite the common misconception that freedom of speech means you can say anything you want at any time without consequence, that’s not true. All the First Amendment does is protect us from government interference with our speech. And even that can be limited, if the state’s reason is compelling enough and the restriction is narrowly tailored to prevent infringement that goes further than necessary.

Like the old standby, yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. First Amendment or no First Amendment, the government can prosecute you.

But Twitter is not the government. Twitter is a corporation that can manage its user agreement as it sees fit within the law. So why doesn’t it ban users, like so many other sites, for abusive behavior?

There is no question that the barrage of tweets sent in Leslie’s direction are abusive. Why would Twitter want to be the best bullying platform on the planet?

Twitter mobs come and go. But lynch mobs — and that’s what these tweets sound like — shouldn’t have a platform anywhere.

Check out  my full-length novels,  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), and the sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) which is now available!

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

 Sign up for my spamless newsletter!

 

TV Talk: Twitter

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It's a bird! Get it? TWITTER? Eh. Everyone's a critic.

It’s a bird! Get it? TWITTER? Eh. Everyone’s a critic.

Nope, it’s not the name of a show you’re missing. Though for any TV execs in the room, have I got a pitch for you!

Twitter is an amazing tool. It can bring you news before it’s news; it can instantly link you to people with similar interests; it can act as a source of endless amusement with various hashtag games. It can even bring love, as two of my friends found.

(What’s that, hypothetical reader? Did I maybe nudge them in the direction of magic? Why yes, yes I did, funny you should ask).

But my favorite use of Twitter is television.

You might have noticed that if you’re following me on Twitter. I’m currently live-tweeting five days a week — at least when I’m home to do it — and TV has never been so much fun.

From reality shows like Real Housewives of etc. and Below Deck random flavors to my science-fiction staples of “12 Monkeys” and “Orphan Black;” fantasy newcomer “Wynonna Earp” and soapy satire “UnReal,” I hunker down in front of my keyboard, mind my hashtags and tweet away.

Some shows are much easier to live-tweet than others. “Real Housewives of New York” (RHONY for those in the know) doesn’t really require eyes on the screen. With “12 Monkeys,” looking away for a second is impossible.

Still, no matter where you are in the world, you are suddenly at a viewing party, and the best thing is you don’t even have to share your snacks. Everyone has opinions, from the super-snarky to the truly insightful, and everyone’s invited.

A little hesitant about the idea of live-tweeting? Don’t be! If it’s too much to tweet while you’re watching, you can always wait for commercials. Be interactive, read and respond to other tweets, retweet the ones that tickle you and reciprocate when someone does the same with yours.

Easy-peasy.

And just so much fun. The best part? You can support your favorite shows, as well. A strong Twitter fan base probably helped to rescue “Nashville” from the great TV beyond.

So see? You’re not only having fun on Twitter. You’re helping.

Check out  my full-length novels,  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), and the sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) which is now available!

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

 Sign up for my spamless newsletter!

When Twitter is my Favoritest

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I didn’t think I’d like Twitter. And I didn’t.

At first.

I warmed up to it slowly, following people, getting some followers. And then I connected with people, and thought, hey, this is not so bad. Not the best thing in the world, but not so bad.

And then I decided to try live tweeting TV shows. It was like the heavens opened and sent a single, gorgeous beam of light. I had found it.

The perfect way to say those things I say out loud to myself while watching TV, but out loud to the world. It’s amazing. If you think it, you can tweet it.*

*(Note: Please, for the love of all that is holy, unholy or mildly perforated, do not tweet everything you think. You do not want to be the originator of the Tweet Heard Round the World Before You Couldn’t Hear Anything Else Because Everyone Is Talking about That Tweet But Not in a Good Way. And yes, there was a probably a shorter way to say that).

True, you have to actually be home at the time the show airs to really have the fun of live tweeting, and yes, there are those thingies, “commercials” I think the kids are calling ’em these days, though prefer to think of them as very short films with a particularly strong viewpoint. It’s not a flawless system.

And I also haven’t mastered the art of tweeting two shows at once, though it appears that some people do, so there are nights where I have to make some heavy choices. What can I say, life is full of hard decisions.

But if you love your shows, and you find yourself saying things to your television even though it can’t hear you — unless it’s a smart TV, then it’s listening to everything you say and storing it, and no I’m not making that up — you might as well say them to all the other people doing the same thing. That’s what Twitter’s for, right?

I think. Honestly I have no idea. All I know is it’s fun when a show is on.

Check out  my full-length novels,  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), and the sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) which is now available!

Sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Twitter Gets its Beak in Me

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So I’ve been so wrapped up playing with Twitter that I nearly forgot I had other things to do. Like writing this blog post. Oops.

But I’m here now, and the fingers are going, so that has to count for something, right?

Right?

Maybe. I think I’ve gone past the Twitter Terrors into the Tweeting Tentatives, where you start trying things out, seeing what happens when you push the button. So far, no major disasters, but the day is still early.

We’ll see how it goes. Meanwhile, I can see how something that is supposed to supplement and enhance your work could slowly creep, with a quick check here and another there, until it is taking over your entire day. That’s the thing with technology.

The more you embrace it, the more it embraces you.

And yet I wouldn’t go back to an era before technology. I don’t even want to go back to an era before my most recent smartphone. I learned I can pretty easily tweet from it.

Oh dear. Wish me luck, or come dig me out of my feed. Whichever.

Need a little mystery in your life? Check out  Her Cousin Much Removed, or sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

 

I’m Sure Every Twitter Pun is Taken

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Well, two years after signing up for Twitter, I’ve decided to try using it. I’m speeding toward the heady heights of double-digit followers. These are exciting times.

I can’t really tell you what my Twitter hesitation has been. It just seems like something other people do, something that’s happening out there. Well, now it’s here. I’m pretty sure I’m doing it wrong.

It’s funny how awkward new things feel at first. It’s a lot like trying to squeeze yourself into a zigzag box: all of the corners are in inconvenient places for your bendy-parts. And then you realize you’re looking at it wrong, you only have to turn the other way, and voilà!

Or, at least, I hope so.

I’m not afraid of new technology, but I do hate the phase when it’s cumbersome and unyielding. Maybe I don’t like not knowing how to do something right away. Maybe I’m not a fan of the learning curve. I want to be learned, darn it.

Anyway, feel free to point and laugh. Oh, and follow me on Twitter.

Need a little mystery in your life? Check out  Her Cousin Much Removed, or sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!