Category: Arts & Entertainment

Happy Thanksgiving, I think

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Happy Thanksgiving, I think

Happy Thanksgiving, I think

 

By David L. Shadrick

 

It seems that every newspaper headline is bad news and every social post ends in screaming profanity. I’m terrified of what Trump will do next. I feel like I’m being dangled over the fiery medical abyss. I’m 64 years old and my health is mediocre. Trump’s thoughtless and cruel assault on  healthcare, thank God so far isn’t effecting me. I got lucky enough to be pretty sick. Sick enough that so far I’ll be able to keep my Medicaid. That doesn’t mean this last 11 months hasn’t been living hell, every day besieged by media reports of the loss of medical coverage for millions of Americans; was I going to lose my needed care givers? What about my 26 medications? Or my hospital coverage? Every day has been an ‘effing nightmare. This is not the way our government, or any government, is supposed to treat its citizens.

Despite the hairpulling bullshit going on in Washington I do have several things I am happy and thankful for this year. I’m glad 7,000,000 plus  protesters took to the streets to protest Trump and his policies. I am thankful Donald Trump has cankles. I am thankful Donald Trump and MAGA lost every election in our last election cycle. I’m glad the congress overwhelmingly voted to release the Epstein files. I’m glad that the Trump fever seems to have finally broken and he is showing signs of audience weariness. Holy Moly even MTG is questioning our mango tinted captain of chaos.

So, besides the above mentioned issues I am happy we have the first American pope, and that he’s a baseball fan. I’m happy for my prayer group. I am happy for all the support they provide me. I’m thankful for getting out of the hospital in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Despite all the chaos there are still good things happening. I just need to look a little harder for them. I know its a good time for me to eat a lot of turkey and then take a long nap.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

Worst Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals

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Worst Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals

Worst Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals

Well, it looks like there’s going to be a lot of Trump and GOP paraphernalia crowding retailer’s shelves across the country as the MAGA nightmare seems to be doing a nose dive with even the diehards like Marjorie Taylor Greene. Keep an eye open for any of these great deals coming your way Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I guarantee there will be orange everywhere.

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

  1. Trumpopoly – be the first to go bankrupt and steal from the community chest; all the cards you draw are “Get Out of Jail Free.”
  2. Mar-a-Lago tree ornament, its orange with an iconic mushroom shape.
  3. Trump lollipops – or should I say suckers, burnt orange flavor.
  4. Elon Musk Ken doll, watch out for the chainsaw.
  5. JD Vance Alan doll, oh my, Erika Kirk may want to pick up a couple of these bad boys.
  6. Melania doll – comes with a mini Hustler magazine and accompanying plastic surgeon doll.
  7. “I Beg your Pardon, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” dance mix, sung by “The Donald” himself, on DVD.
  8. Tesla wind chimes made from recycled Tesla parts.
  9. MAGA cap, scarf, and glove set.
  10. Trump toupe – you, too, can be an orange haired monster.
  11. The pet rock returns – ICE are using the little creatures to break car windows.
  12. Trumpmania game I hear they’ll be going 10 for a dollar.
  13. “My Ding A Ling” (is now president) party dance show mix “…I want you to play with my ding-a-ling…”
  14. Tesla ride-on scooter.
  15. “The Donald” shit show shower head.
  16. Donald Diapers – he’s a big boy now.
  17. Worst Little Whorehouse in Washington DVD with special guest appearances by various friends and lovers.
  18. A giant tub of Republican mixed nuts.
  19. The barrel of monkeys from the 1960’s has been reinvented – a Barrel of MAGA’s.
  20. Another retro game, “Blockhead!” is back.
  21. Big Mac toaster oven, just like the one at the White House.
  22. Trump golf clubs with knitted orange head covers.
  23. Melania fashion and decorating tips for the “Karen” coffee table book.
  24. Melania charm school gift certificate.
  25. Orange haired big gut balloon bouquet.

HATE-Maya Angelou

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Hate,

it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.                                        Maya Angelou                     

                                                                            

 

 

Women of a Certain Age-Thanksgiving Edition

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Women of a Certain Age Thanksgiving Edition

Women of a Certain Age-Thanksgiving Edition

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

  1. If you still the baste the turkey with butter, you might just be a woman of a certain age…
  2. If you make dressing stuffed inside the bird without fear of salmonella, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  3. If you call it pumpkin pie seasoning, not pumpkin spice, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  4. If you don’t understand why there is a pumpkin spice latte, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  5. If you wear a ruffled apron to take the turkey out of the oven, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  6. If you make your own green bean casserole, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  7. If you don’t understand why an already deceased cooked turkey needs to rest, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  8. If you have no idea what the hell a tofurky is, nor do you want to, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  9. If you start stocking up on canned pumpkin beginning November 1st, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  10. If you make mashed potatoes from scratch, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  11. If you know a way to slice cranberry sauce to camouflage the can indentations, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  12. If you recall the first Butterball turkey talk line, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  13. If you remember the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, well, your certainly of a very certain age – happy 100th birthday to that iconic celebration…
  14. If your Thanksgiving table has polished silver, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  15. If your Thanksgiving table has starched and ironed linens, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  16. If your Thanksgiving table has fine bone china and crystal stemware, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  17. If your Thanksgiving table includes refrigerated crescent rolls from a poppable can, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  18. If you join the men watching football only after the dishes are washed, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  19. If you make stuffing by cutting up four loaves of bread a couple days before the holiday and then let them get stale, you might be a woman of a certain age…
  20. If you have no idea what umami is and don’t want it on your Thanksgiving table, you might be a woman of a certain age…

Mom Said

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MOM SAID

Sometimes You Just Gotta Smile

“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today-or tomorrow.“

                             Will Rogers and Margaret Williams

 

My Mom, Margaret Helen Brown (Ruffe, Williams 9/22/1909-9/22/1988), said a lot of really wise and often funny things. So, this morning as I’m scanning the internet for a special quote I saw this from Will Rogers, “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” Wow, I think what my Mom said was an improvement on Will Rogers. She would often say, “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today- or tomorrow.” I like it; I hope you do to.

 

You are the Revolution

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You are the Revolution

You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”                                Ursula K. LeGuin

                                         

Let Go of Compulsive Goal Setting

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Let Go of Compulsive Goal Setting

Let Go of Compulsive Goal Setting. . . and be Happy

By D. S. Mitchell

 

Self Help

The other day, I was pawing through a box of books I had stored in the back of my closet and was trying to decide if they were something I should drop off at The Salvation Army or go to the trouble of pricing them to resell on Amazon. As I debated the question I came upon Stephen Shapiro’s 2006 self-help gem, “Goal Free Living: How To Have The Life You Want Now.”  It has been at least a decade since I read the book, but as I flipped through the pages I remembered it distinctly, and thought it would be a great reminder to pass on to my readers to help them enjoy the closure of 2025. If you’re a compulsive goal setter, burdened by could of’s, should of’s, and would of’s now might be the the right time to put all that baggage aside and take a new look at how we prioritize living our lives.

First Person

Stephen Shapiro is the first person that I can remember that gave me permission to release the religion of goal making that permeates our culture, and try to live without the restrictions  of a set of goals or rules for success. I have been told since I was a kid, that goals of all kinds, big, small, wildly ambitious were all within my reach. I just had to want that dream bad enough. The rule seemed to be,  if you can visualize it, you can have it; if you don’t know what you want  (can’t visualize it), you might as well be lost at sea without a life preserver.

Not So

Shapiro disputes this time worn American myth.  In fact, Shapiro argues that if you want to be happy in its most broad interpretation, you need to throw that “five-year plan,” and the “life-time to do list,” into the garbage can. Originally Shapiro was a motivational researcher.  While doing interviews with business leaders for a book he discovered that after interviewing 150 of the country’s most successful people and traveling over 12,ooo miles the most fulfilled people were also the most spontaneous,  and believe it or not, the least goal oriented. What?  How could that be true?  It goes against everything I’ve ever been taught.

Taking a Detour

After interviewing those 150 successful people in all fields of enterprise, from all parts of the country, Shapiro discovered that most of the successful people had taken a circuitous route to their eventual success, and it seems that the circuitous trip was what made the result, all the more satisfying. Shapiro became convinced that the key to happiness comes from checking out the back roads and detours, both literally and figuratively, without fear of changing course. Shapiro is convinced that following goals may lead a person to financial wealth, but there is a good chance that if you follow the plan unquestioningly you will lose yourself and potential happiness.

Continue reading

Erotic Thriller Series

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  Embracing the Spider

Fire Mountain Books is proud to announce the publication of EMBRACING THE SPIDER. EMBRACING THE SPIDER is the dramatic conclusion of the Spider Series.

If you loved 365 Days and couldn’t put down the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, we promise that you will also love Chasing the Spider, Stalking the Spider, and Embracing the Spider. Erotic Romance, Erotic Thriller, Billionaire Romance, Unbridled Passion, Provocative Thriller.  Seduction guaranteed.

Time To Break For A Smile

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Time To Break For A Smile

Time To Break For A Smile

By D.S. Mitchell

Things have been dark around here the last few posts, so I think its time to give ourselves permission to smile. First, the shellacking of Trump in last night’s multi-state elections gives me hope. At least 60% of the American voters disapprove of Trump and his activities. People are paying attention and they don’t like Trump’s lawless, blatant, corruption, DOGE, soldiers on our streets, masked ICE thugs disappearing people, tariffs, inflation, foreign policy, and they are sending a powerful message to Trump’s White House. Open the damn government. Continue SNAP; and on and on, and on.

So, folks, let’s lighten the mood and here are 25 things that always make me smile. How about you? Make your own list. Smiling with a grateful heart is an important part of happiness.

25 Things That Make Me Smile

1.) Winning.

2.) Putting pennies in a jar, and watching it grow.

3.) Being smart.

4.) Acting stupid.

5.) Living in a vacation town, in the off-season.

6.) Blackened hot dogs. Yum. Yum.

7.) Slow dancing.

8.) Pyramids of tea sandwiches.

9.)  Knowing when its time to work; and when its time to play.

10.) Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter.

11.) Edibles.

12.) Raindrops hitting a pond.

13.)  Cookbooks with food stains on favored recipes.

14.) Front row seats.

15.) Rational thinking; easier said, than done.

16.) Following the Estate Sale signs.

17.) Giving.

18.) Sharing.

19.) Sharing childhood remembrances with a childhood friend.

20.) Order over chaos.

21.) Wild strawberries peeking up in the flowerbeds.

22.) Prime Days.

23.) Self-debates.

24.) Mail-in voting.

25.) Legalized cannabis.

 

EMBRACING THE SPIDER

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Embracing the Spider

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

Fire Mountain Books is proud to announce the publication of EMBRACING THE SPIDER. EMBRACING THE SPIDER is the dramatic conclusion of the Spider Series.

If you loved 365 Days and couldn’t put down the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, we promise that you will also love Chasing the Spider, Stalking the Spider, and Embracing the Spider. Erotic Romance, Erotic Thriller, Billionaire Romance, Unbridled Passion, Provocative Thriller.  Seduction guaranteed.

The story quickly seduces the reader into Sky Evenson’s world as an FBI’s 10 Most Wanted fugitive. It’s a roller coaster adventure as the reckless young heroine flees cops and killers. The Spider Series is a coming of age tale, played out in lakefront mansions, desert haciendas, medieval castles, and cheap hotels all while in the glare of a nationwide manhunt. The Spider Series is hot enough to keep you turning the pages, scary enough to make you want to cover your eyes, sexy enough to turn you on, and dangerous enough to send you on a 10,000-mile flight to avoid prosecution.

D.S. Mitchell, Author-Erotic Romance, Erotic Thriller, Romantic Thriller

Chasing the Spider was my first full length novel. Mostly thanks to time on my hands with the COVID-19 quarantine. I was excited to tell Sky’s story and the story of the men in her life. It soon became obvious that the story would take more than one book and quickly morphed into a three book series.

I had fun writing the Spider Series with all its provocative romance, thrilling suspense, and sensual, heart throbbing adventure. Books: (1) Chasing the Spider, (2) Stalking the Spider, and (3) Embracing the Spider. I promise you that each of the novels has an equal amount of romance, intrigue, head-spinning, and heart-twisting action. Someone I know called the series dark romance. If that sounds like fun, check it out. Take one, or all of them, with you to the beach, take them with you on the plane, but definitely not for the office. Sexually explicit.

A Bit About Me

I am a retired RN living on a beautiful lake in Southern Oregon with a dog named Lily, a Leopard Gecko named Herb, a blue Budgie named Rocky and my old best friend Dave. In addition to writing sexy suspense thrillers I am also editor and primary contributor to Calamity Politics.

www.chasingthespider.com

I know you’re busy, the holidays are coming, but please take a couple of minutes and check out https:www.chasingthespider.com where you will find the entire first book online. There are also several erotic short stories by me on the site and those of other writers. If you are interested in submitting an erotic story for that website, please query me at ditchawk@aol.com. No compensation offered, but you keep all your publication rights and can publish elsewhere at any time without obtaining permission.

Coming Soon!!!!

One last thing. My next book is with my son, Damen W. Mitchell. Our project; many years in the making, is a dark futuristic adventure series. Book One, Alt Control: Reclamation  will be published sometime in early 2026. Be watching for it. It’s quite a ride. With Alt Control: Reclamation the target audience is 12 years plus. That’s right, 12 years plus. The book is filled with lot’s of manly adventure, meaning lots of violence and mayhem. These guys are too busy for sex but lots of time for other mischief.

Love and thanks to my Readers. DSM