Desensitized

As we deal with yet another mass shooting incident here in the US, the question arises again: have we become desensitized to these shootings? Sadly, I think so. They're so frequent that when another one happens, there's the initial outrage, thoughts and prayers, and then it's back to business as usual. The ever-changing news cycle just moves on to the next big thing. Remember when Ukraine was the big news? That's old news now. Yes, we still see coverage of the war, but not like we used to. The media moved on to the next big story: abortion and the Supreme Court, Buffalo, and now Uvalde. It's sad that people can't do their grocery shopping or send their kids to school without worrying that they'll be shot. The violence is out of control in our country.

I have mixed feelings about gun legislation. I grew up in a household with guns. (My father is from the South.) I do think legislation needs to be put in place to allow for responsible gun ownership, but I also know that many felons don't get their guns the legal way, so any legislation wouldn't impact those folks. As I grow older, I've been thinking more and more about getting a gun myself for protection, but the one question I haven't answered is whether I think I could actually kill someone. If it got to the point where I had to pull a gun on someone and the situation was kill or be killed, could I actually pull the trigger and do it? And I won't be a gun owner until I'm able to answer that question with a definitive "yes." Also, if I did get a gun, I'd make sure I took some lessons to learn how to use it properly. I'm not going to "wing it" with something like that. I'd want and need instruction in how to properly operate a firearm.

Some people are crazy and the sad thing is you might not know when that crazy person turns that craziness on you until it's too late. 

Where's My Mail???

I'm purposely avoiding blogging about the evilness going on around the country with shootings and everything else right now. Instead, I'm using this post to complain about the US postal system. Ugh.

I have problems getting my mail for two reasons:

1. The mail carrier puts my mail into my neighbor's box (his name is David and mine is Davis, so I guess there's confusion). In any case, if this happens, I have a slim chance of actually getting my mail back because my neighbor is a few cans short of a six-pack. Seriously, there's something wrong with him and I keep my distance from him. On on the one occasion that he got my mail and actually returned it, it was left in the lobby, out of the envelope it came in, so everyone could see how much I owed for a doctor's visit. Thanks, Crazy Neighbor!

2. The main reason I think I don't get mail is not my neighbor, but the US postal system. They just have a lot of shady folks for them these days. Sorry, but it's true. I get a preview of my mail before it's delivered and I was supposed to get my 2023 license tab yesterday. Did I get it? No. I also didn't get some mail from Verizon that was expected. I got mail yesterday, but neither of these two items arrived. I believe they were stolen and someone out there has my 2023 license plate tab and whatever Verizon sent to me. Once, my bank sent a new ATM card to me and the envelope had been opened and it was in my mailbox opened. The only reason it wasn't stolen, I suspect, because it wasn't a Visa/Mastercard ATM card. It was just an old-school ATM card and without the PIN, it wasn't worth stealing, so the postal employee/thief left it. 

I've also had credit card statements not arrive and other things. It's never junk mail that doesn't come. It's always important mail that doesn't seem to make it to my mailbox. I don't even get much mail anymore because of the problems I've had. Most of my statements are sent to me via email, but I do still get some things in the mail, like my license tab. Next year, I'll go directly to the Secretary of State and get my tab renewed. I went today to get a replacement tab since my 2023 one was, apparently, stolen. 

Escape from Alabama

I've been reading about the Alabama prison guard and inmate who are on the run together. This situation is ripe for a made-for-TV movie. I kept reading that the inmate looks like Jon Hamm and he does! He looks like Jon Hamm's estranged brother or Jon Hamm if he wasn't rich and famous but broke and working as a mechanic in some small town. Ah, Alabama. The gift that keeps giving. 

I have a love-hate relationship with Alabama. My father is from there and I have been a frequent visitor to the state all my life. I have also largely enjoyed my time in Alabama. I enjoyed visits to my grandparents' farm when I was a kid and I enjoy going to see my father and other family now as an adult. I'll be there next month for a visit. However, Alabama politically is a nightmare. It's MAGA country. Ugh. I know I'll probably end up moving there if I have to care for my father and stepmother at some point, but I dread the thought of actually living there. I remember being at a fast food restaurant with my father in Alabama and Fox News was playing on the TV screens throughout the restaurant. Uh again. There are things I dislike about my current state (Illinois) also, but at least I don't have to worry about seeing Hannity or Tucker on the  multiple TV screens when I go to get a hamburger from Wendy's or something in the Chicago area where I live.