1. You know these 40 things posts have been throwing me lately.
2. Guess what day I started this one. Go ahead, guess.
3. Did you guess MONDAY?? It’s a freaking miracle.
4. Just kidding, it’s me ignoring a load of laundry, that’s what it is.
[….commence very long pause….]
5. And just like that I missed Tuesday entirely so let’s see what we can do with Wednesday.
6. But hey, glass half full, at least I remembered to start early. That’s progress.
7. And me seeing the glass half full is also progress so yay for me.
8. I’ve been fighting my printer all day.
9. Well, technically I’ve been fighting an insurance website then a form then the printer then the website then the printer again.
10. There’s nothing quite like an error message reading “ink/toner low or empty” beneath half full status bars on every color.
11. Fine, the black ink might be a wee bit below halfway, we’ll switch that one out. So I did. I put a brand spanking new black ink cartridge into the printer.
12. Know what the level read then? A wee bit below halfway.
13. Really, Leroy?? (Yes, for these purposes I named my printer.) No ink?! THEN WHAT’S SMEARED DOWN MY ARM FROM YOUR TEST PAGE, HUH??
14. [insert primal scream here]
15. It’s been a delightful round robin sort of day.
16. Seven felt a little puny on Tuesday.
17. Boy kitty even turned his nose up at soft food for lunch.
18. He licked the juices because yummy-to-cats seafood smell but that was it.
19. After a day of fasting Seven sequestered himself under the dining room table.
20. This elicited Patrick Swayze-like feelings of Nobody puts Baby in a corner! but I tamped that down and let him be.
21. I went to sleep wondering if I’d need to swoop him off to the vet but Seven was up to his usual tricks the next morning.
22. All the critters were extra snoozy Wednesday afternoon but I say there’s no arguing with a long afternoon nap, thank you very much.
23. Social media’s all aflutter with news the House passed a bill that could lead to banning TikTok.
24. Listen. I’m 53 years old. I’m not TikTok’s demographic so hopefully my reaction can sidestep the whole those damn kids and their TikTok dances response.
25. Congress has been in varying degrees of gridlock for I don’t know how long.
26. We have any number of issues that need attention. Hunger, homelessness, gun violence, global warming, healthcare, women’s rights, just to name a few.
27. There are important conversations to be had, conversations that can’t even get a foothold in Washington.
28. But TikTok? Well that lit some sort of fuse and got actual legislation.
29. But the Chinese! The communism! The data mining!
30. Okay, I’d try to break this down but I’ll do poorly. Here are two videos that help dig below the surface on that Ban TikTok movement.
31. For kicks and giggles let’s pretend this is actually about data. What sort of state secrets could China amass from data mining my account?
32. If they have zero capacity for nuance they’ll assume all 53-year-old white American women are interested in how a kindergarten teacher would run congress, skit comedy, something called EduTainers, cat accounts, lawyers, iconic court transcript readings, MLM spreadsheets, neurodivergents, parenting comedy, Keith Lee restaurant reviews, healthcare humor, hairdresser TikTok, Am I The Asshole stories, chef reactions, competitive dance, queer and gender identity spaces, The Daily Show, sign language accounts, and basically any teacher TikTok content.
33. There it is, folks, the snapshot that’ll destroy America as we know it.
34. All snark aside, I’m absolutely a TikTok fan.
35. Some of it’s lighthearted fun, good for a laugh, and we can all use a little more of that in our lives. But as much as I love the fun I appreciate the access to education more.
36. I’m deeply grateful for Black creators who use their platform to share their knowledge of life, history, current events, politics, and Black joy. Several are running an invaluable master course on deconstructing whiteness and white supremacy.
37. I follow accounts of queer, trans, and gay creators who help me better understand their communities simply by sharing their day to day lives or commentary on current events.
38. Scrolling TikTok is like wandering around a library with limitless resources. Fiction, nonfiction, any topic under the sun, it’s all there. Looking for community? Got it. Looking for opposing viewpoints? Got that too.
39. Where else can you find a recipe for copycat Pop Tarts, the fifty part “Who TF Did I Marry?!?!” series, orange cat behavior compilations, fight the patriarchy inspiration, narcissist guidelines, and Alabama rush details all in one place? NOWHERE else. Just on TikTok, baby.
40. If you’re already on and have a favorite creator I’d love to hear your suggestions. Happy Friday, everybody.
Riddle from the Middle 
About printers – we have one that’s being rather finicky lately – sometimes it immediately prints what I want it to print, other times it wants to nap when I need it to work. And, mind you, I don’t ask that it do its job all that often, so it’s not like it’s over-worked. And that “ink might be low” message – copout. Ink is fine. Find a new reason to not perform when asked.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Right?!? I’m gonna need a dry as bone ink cartridge to buy this. Those things are EXPENSIVE too!
LikeLike
Good 40 for Friday. You make me laugh my friend. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sadje. Have a wonderful weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You too my friend 😍🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been dealing with forms connected to my retirement in June, for weeks, due to my. lack of tech skills, mostly. the world makes it so challenging to begin or end things. I consider this my retirement hazing
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, retirement hazing is an excellent term for it. Sometimes it feels like we’re left to handle the biggest moments, whether people think we’re capable or they don’t want to intrude I don’t know. I’d be happy to try to help or (because that’s weirdly intrusive for a blogger friend) I’ll be here rooting for you. You can do this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you and thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person