Tag: Taylor Swift

Posted in Blogs, social media, Star Wars

Very ME!

Posted on by D. Parker

I have always been me and despite many attempts to make me not me, I still seem to manage to be me. That’s not always a good thing. Read some of my stuff, comment, critique, praise, ignore, puzzle, or just do whatever you want. That’s my blog bio entitled, “Very Me”; has been since 2013…

Taylor Swift’s song, ME! is making ME rethink my Very Me title, so I’m running a contest to help ME pick a new blog bio title, with no prizes whatsoever, except knowing you’ve helped ME!

Connection comes with risk. Always has, always will. Connecting offers up our minds, hearts, who we are, who we want to be, who we don’t want to be – all wide open! Connection has many benefits: love, happiness, acceptance, companionship…but there’s a flip side, we also open ourselves to: rejection, disappointment, ridicule, pain, and a whole other host of suffering.


Do the best you can
until you know better.
Then
when you know better,
do better.
~Maya Angelou

I’m wrong a lot,
no, maybe wrong
is the wrong word.
I’m on a persistent path of change.
Sometimes I want that change.
Sometimes I don’t.
Sometimes I’m not even aware
things have changed until…well,
that’s another story for another day.

None of this means we should stop trying to connect. Connect cautiously.

Beware, connection machines like:
Taylor Swift,
Ryan Reynolds,
Cristiano Ronaldo,
Selena Gomez,
all the sundry Kardashians/Jenners,
Kanye West,
Ariana Grande,
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson,
Camila Cabello,
various ‘Royals’,
Jordan Peele (new Twilight Zone, nice and out there),
Beyonce,
each and every Marvel hero and villain
Anyone see or want to see Avengers: Endgame?
No spoilers.
Now waiting for Toy Story 4?
The Big Bang Theory or Game of Thrones finales? (The Big Game of Thrones Bang Theory?)
They always have us waiting for something;
Disney, Apple, McDonald’s,
Toyota, Microsoft, Wendy’s,
Visa, Post, Nike, Samsung,
ACME, Kraft, Mastercard,
BMW, Trump, LG, Walmart,
Sony, Burger King,
Volkswagon, Huawei,
Warner Bros, etc. –
are all about selling.
Fluff connections.

People love the rich and famous (or simply infamous), or hate them (or love to hate them), often for all the same reasons, and pay way too much attention to them and way too much money (even money they don’t have) to be like them. Connection should bring us together for the greater good not just to make us want to buy more goods.

Social media whips people into a frenzy of, er, frothy connection with a cultivated, data-driven mix of: exaggerated praise, repetition, cruel attacks, misunderstandings, FOMO, repetition, deliberately aggressive language, SEO, influencers, native advertising, gossip, repetition, etc. True connection isn’t about massive numbers, they might be impressive, but what do they really mean?

People are people,
no matter their title,
bank accounts,
wheels,
clothes,
or what they use to connect.
It’s choice,
your connections to make.
Like blogging, you put an offering
of your mind and heart
into a blog post,
press Publish
trying for a real connection.
Good stuff: readers feeling something (yeah!!!),
comments, follows, shares, likes.
Bad stuff: readers feeling something (shudder!!!),
rude comments, unfollows, threats.
Sometimes, simply silence, like digital crickets
(in blogspace no one can hear you blogscream).

Newsflash, you can’t get any connection without beginning. If you want to connect, find people with common interests, start a club, join a club, (except a serial killer club, skip that meeting and report it); find people you’d like to know, not just those you think you should know. If you want to blog, write a blog post. Publish it (this part is super important). Connect with other bloggers, readers, etc.

Here are a few of my past, umm, attempts at connection…

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/04/10/im-hooked-on-a-feeling/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2017/01/06/im-not-inclined-to-resign-to-maturity/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2019/03/25/welcome-to-your-life/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2016/06/10/cant-you-just-pretend-to-be-nice/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/08/27/message-in-a-bottle/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2019/01/26/two-can-keep-a-secret-if-one-of-them-is-dead/


https://yadadarcyyada.com/2016/09/16/you-had-me-at-cake/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2013/08/31/fibromylagia-is-just-another-word-for-lazy/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2017/02/02/theres-no-crying-in-blogging/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2019/02/06/dont-stop-me-now/

But wait, there’s more!

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/01/04/so-youve-ruined-your-lifenow-what/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/06/21/how-to-get-your-book-published/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2014/03/20/25-ways-to-stay-alive-in-a-horror-movie/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/04/22/all-the-ways-im-told-im-stupid-everyday/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2014/08/25/rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2014/04/07/you-know-youre-obsessed-with-game-of-thrones-when/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2016/05/25/crapathy/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/04/19/50-things-to-get-busy-doing-before-50/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/02/20/compassion-never-goes-out-of-style/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/08/22/umbrella/

So shake it off, we know All Too Well that Haters Gonna Hate. Connect anyway…Look What you Made Me Do, I’m blogging again.

Ways to contact me (on my ‘home’ planet):  darcyyada@gmail.com

I’m a perfect twit (on come on now, no one is perfect):  https://twitter.com/yadadarcyyada

Rarely there, but almost always baffled by humanity: https://www.facebook.com/yadadarcyyada

The desert where I wander (mostly looking for desserts):  http://www.pinterest.com/dpark2/

I really don’t mind
if you want to send ME
free stuff
(trying to sound
cool about it, but…
I love free stuff!).
I gratefully accept
promotional materials,
but respectfully reserve
the right to decide whether
said promotional material
are suitable for my blog.
100% honest reviews
and the opinions,
thoughts, and beliefs
will be my own,
not that of the provider,
party, or manufacturer.

Donations also gratefully accepted (but certainly not required) to offset blogging (not chocolate) costs. Help save the endangered broke and obscure bloggers who once roamed the internet free. It’s Paypal, for anyone including, but not limited to eccentric billionaires who want to adopt a broke and obscure blogger.

Bloggers struggling (like ME!) with the new “Block” or “Gutenberg” Editor on WordPress, yes, it’s difficult, if anyone tells you differently they have a Premium account, are a computer genius or maybe they’re a computer!

Is it worth it? I don’t see it. Classic Editor, basic and awkward, yes, but this is waaaaaaay more time-consuming.

Easier for those new to WP, ha, like they care, we’re all just lab rats in their data experiments. Wish they’d bring back the editor from 2013 – fast, easy, so very very easy. I did this post as a test, what do you think dear readers, stay with this or go back to the Classic?

Oh and I almost forgot, please follow my blog https://yadadarcyyada.com

Goodbye Peter Mayhew,
forever in our hearts
as Chewbacca.
“GGGWARRRHHWWWW.”
“AAARARRRGWWWH.”
“RRRAARRWHHGWWR.”
Indeed, words to live by.

On Star Wars Day
(isn’t that every day?)
May The Fourth Be With You
(and Happy Revenge of the Fifth,
though I prefer to
celebrate on May 6th,
after Cinco de Mayo,
makes more sense).
Hope each day
treats you kindly.

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Posted in Blogs, Books, ebooks

The Curse of Time

Posted on by D. Parker

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Time shambles forward, clumsy, cumbersome cogs crushing us beneath its graceless bulk. At least that’s what it feels some days. Other days it feels like “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” (Groucho Marx?). We just have to hope for the best as the big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff (thank you Doctor Who, you always have right wordsies for every situation) drags us along on its universal joyride.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Spending time reading M.J. Mallon’s first book in the series, “The Curse of Time: Bloodstone”, I must warn you, could fill you with magic and mystery, intrigue and imagination, romance and possible fear of ruination and the worst part, you may not be able to put it down. Start reading only when you have time (hint: make time).

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

I started following Marje’s (M.J. Mallon) blog https://mjmallon.com ages ago (a great choice if I do say so), but despite being a fellow blogger I have to give an honest review. I honestly enjoyed it and I know the prejudice some people have against YA so let’s call this YAH (Young At Heart)…Paulo Coelho wisely told us, “Don’t waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”  Same goes for books, read what you want to read. https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/This book has young people, yet the themes, feelings, fears, hopes, and dreams are ageless, timeless. It brings you instantly into the seeming dysfunction and discovery of Amelina’s life; knowing there are layers and layers to peel back. I like when an author gives me a page-turner so chock-full of fantasy and mystery I want to flip to the end just to see, to know – I don’t ever do it but I love when I want to.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Einstein probably said, “Time is an illusion”…

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Time is an illusion, magical and never more so than when absorbed in a cool book.
Time is also a puzzle and Marje captures that perfectly by using puzzle pieces instead of chapters.
I have only one real issue, I hate to be nitpicky…where’s the next book? I’ll wait because we know, time spent with a wonderful book is time well-spent.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Time teaches too, I recently learned that pigs do fly, well, at least glowing pigs fly. I’m so lucky, not only to have the gift of my blogging community/family but sometimes it gets even better, they send me two of my favourite words,  free books!!! Other words I love together? Universal Healthcare! Tons’o’pasta! Free chocolate!

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, an astonishing blog and book presence https://teagansbooks.com/ sent me another amazing book in her Atonement, Tennessee series, https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/Snort (we all make that sound when we laugh sometimes, er, don’t we?) Stories, The Glowing Pigs. I fell in love with pigs reading Charlotte’s Web a zillion (true story, a zillion) times,https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/ but this made me fall all over again…and these ones glow (my son has questions about glowing bacon and not in a you-live-in-the-Simpsons’-Springfield-sort-of-way). If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Atonement, Tennessee, I respectfully suggest you rectify that immediately. https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

There are a few problems with Teagan’s work,
1) They’re captivating, possibly addictive,
2) You might get the urge to go to the nearest animal shelter and rescue a calico cat, in hopes it might be as wonderful as Lilith – don’t worry, all cats are magical and wonderful, they’ll tell you so each and every day…

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

And 3) You’ll want to move to the spooky, magical, charming Atonement and be plum disappointed when you find out it was all created in Teagan’s mind (ie. Atonement In Bloom, organic and locally grown).

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Grunt, snuffle, snort, I hope to visit again and again (this needs to be a TV series…needs to be) https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Speaking of time, Doctor Who is back (and the nerd crowd goes wild!). The Doctor is clearly written as an attention-challenged, arrogant lost boy, but so far, Jodie Whittaker is taking up the mantle and charging forth, fast-talking, befuddled and so far, bloody fun. I am beyond pleasantly surprised (Oops, I love when that happens!).

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

One could almost forget this season’s forgettable villains and companions, shaky camera, over-bright colours and inconsistencies…I said almost. Maybe we need more Captain Jack and kittens? https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

In the 4 plus decades I’ve watched Doctor Who, some Doctors are better, and some, well, let’s not get into it now, time will tell.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Blogging also takes a lot of time (and energy) https://yadadarcyyada.com/2015/10/23/if-i-could-save-time-in-a-blog-bottle/ https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Yet I keep coming back for more… https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/08/22/umbrella/

“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Seriously, Dr. Seuss, even my 5 year blog anniversary flewn by… https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/09/05/oops-i-did-it-again/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

I guess time can be a curse or gift, depending on how you use it.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Posted in Books, ebooks

See You Again

Posted on by D. Parker

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/Sorry I’m not sorry…Not sorry I took a blogging break to question myself. I was seized with a feeling, a feeling that I had nothing else to say…I know that doesn’t stop some folks, but I didn’t want to waste my time or yours, you know, overstay my welcome. https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/Then lately, everything I read or watched seemed to have the theme of atonement, redemption – maybe my brain was begging to reclaim my blog, atone for not believing in myself, redeem my poor little lonely blog sitting here, hoping against hope, to be read, so I thought, what the heck, a few more posts couldn’t hurt (er, famous last words?).https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry a couple of wonderful bloggers/authors, Teagan and John knew just how to lure me back, putting down Reese’s Pieces, or in this case, books/ARCs, to lead me back to blogging (Be Good).

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

Atonement in Bloom, like the first book in the series (it is a series, please please please say it’s a series), roars and purrs with mystery, magic, hope, and intriguing characters you just need to know more about (unlike some people). This book review would not be complete without advising you of something quite dire indeed – this book should come with a warning label, “Read at your own risk, addictive and time-consuming in the best way possible”. Not sorry I’m not a big fan of flowers, never was, but I do like hedge mazes or a cool Labyrinth  (yes, including the awesome movie with David Bowie and the muppets) and this book had enough twists and turns to do any of those, even the Royal ones, proud. This is one of those Indie books, like it’s predecessor, that should be made quickly (but well) into a series of hit movies, starring, just to throw a few names out there: David Tennant, Aden Young, Norman Reedus, Nathan Fillion, Richard Armitage, John Krasinski, Ian Somerhalder, James Spader, Chris Pratt, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Roday…I’ve got a whole list (you know that’s right) and of course be these books should be and remain #1 on every Best Sellers List, magical and otherwise. They are simply the cat’s meow.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • John W. Howell is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word, you will never be sorry if you visit his blog and books. https://johnwhowell.com/author/  His latest book, The Contract (Between Heaven and Earth)  is co-authored with Gwen M. Plano http://www.gwenplano.com/  (I look forward to reading more of her work as well). https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/It’s a complex story that could be hard-to-follow, perhaps because it’s such a unique fusion of the natural and supernatural, but instead this tactile and celestially charged story has wings that fly in a metaphysical rush through love, hope, honour, action, and mostly, redemption. It was one of those, I’ll-just-read-a-little-more-maybe-a-few-more-pages-just-one-more-chapter-until-I’d-devoured-the-whole-book-and-had-to-write-this-book-review-or-my-version-thereof type things. Heart-thumping, in more ways than one. I can clearly picture The Contract  as a movie, or a Netflix series (hint hint Netflix, get this before Hulu, Amazon Prime, Playstation Vue, HBO, or someone else gets it).

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry I’m honest (even in book reviews, though I’ve severely tempered my extreme, sometimes remorseless bluntness over the years, so please, send me your books). Remember when honesty, truth, facts, used to be a good thing? If you think you have a valid point, or story, or belief, or you didn’t break the law, why lie?

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry life isn’t fair (doesn’t mean I won’t complain about it now and again…and again?).

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not overly sorry I didn’t get everything or give everything.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not much point being sorry I screwed up and will do so again.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not even slightly sorry I have opinions and can still compartmentalize, be objective and effective…as can many others. #sorrynotsorry

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not particularly sorry I’m dumb about some things and smart about others, addicted to chocolate and gifs and memes and books…also, not sorry I’m not: young, rich, stunningly beautiful, stick insect thin, famous, infamous, or quiet.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry I ignore the trolls, their utter and intense cruelty, while still feeling slightly nauseated that people are so angry, so hurt, so pathetic that they have to lash out at others to feel better, or maybe just to feel anything?

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry I found the staggeringly absorbing TV series,  Rectify  Sundance/Netflix starring the remarkable Canadian-Australian actor Aden Young (in looks a cross between Nathan Fillion and Tom Hardy, but quite different from either, and I say that as a fan of all), https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/also, Abigail Spencer, Clayne Crawford, Linds Edwards, J.D. Evermore, J. Smith-Cameron, Nathan Darrow, Caitlin FitzGerald, Adelaide Clemens, Luke Kirby, as well as an impressive amount of Deadwood  and The Walking Dead  (idea for a new show, The Walking Deadwood? ) alumni. This is a compelling cautionary tale of how our carelessness with people can start chain reactions of brokenness. That despite unspeakable (but needs to be spoken of, long and loud) cruelty and injustice, you can find hope, kindness, justice, and even, redemption, sometimes in the most unlikely places. If this doesn’t fix in your mind how easily life can come undone and redone, I surely don’t know what would.https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry I believe piracy is not a victimless crime, but shiver me timbers, charge less, yo ho ho and we’d buy more, you scurvy dogs!

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry I don’t know everything. I can’t rectify all mine and the world’s problems. I can’t readily atone for all my alleged “sins”. Partly because I don’t see some of them as sins, my truth isn’t your truth and your truth isn’t my truth. Partly because time takes care of all that – a memory is not a fact. Perhaps I’m reaching an age where I’m unapologetic, but that’s a story for another day.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/

  • Not sorry to see you again.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/07/15/see-you-again/