My 3 Favorite Childhood Books & Why Reading Is (Still) Fundamental

 3.  The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack & Kurt Wiese (1933)

My aunt would read this whenever I stayed at her house, and it always managed to chill out my hyperactive behavior (I was always EXTRA turnt at her house for some reason--probably because she had a huge in-ground pool & tons of games).  She also had a backyard full of ducks and a mean goose that almost bit my finger off, so I always associated this book with her.  🦆🪿

Ping is a duck who's always last in his family to board the boat home after feeding on the Yangtze River all day, which earns him a whipping by their human owner.  So one day he decides to run away rather than face his punishment, which almost ends with him becoming someone's dinner.  Moral of the story:  It's better to face up to minor consequences than to run from them and potentially get yourself hurt (or worse).  Ping was included in the Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children in a 2007 poll. The illustrations are colorful and immersive and the story moves quickly to keep young readers engaged.

*Due to the age of the book, there may be issues with how Chinese people are portrayed--I can't remember--but there's a good chance it would be considered insensitive bordering on offensive today.  I'm not sure that whipping ducks is a real practice over there.  

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2.  Corduroy by Don Freeman (1968)

This one was a favorite at my maternal Grandma's house.  She lived in "the city" where I longed to be so badly even from a pre-school age.  And this book reminded me of "the city" in several ways, mainly because it was set in an urban shopping mall.  It also featured a Black child and her mother as the main (human) characters, and it did so in a way that was totally natural and non-political despite the author being a white man.  No awkward AAVE or other forced/unnatural content--just a sweet story about a child who wants to buy a teddy bear who's a little imperfect. After her mom says no, they go home and the bear goes on a late night adventure through the mall searching for his lost overall button. 

Like Ping, Corduroy was included in the Top 100 Picture Books for Children and it's not hard to see why when you read it.  I always felt like I was about to go on a Big City adventure when my grandma broke this book out, and we often did, to Toys R Us, the park, the grocery store, her giant church with the tiny grape juice shots... even her backyard was exciting, with its hanging tree swing and strawberry patch.  Side note:  Maybe this is where my love of abandoned shopping malls started?!

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1.)  Mister Dog by Margaret Wise Brown (1952)

Coming in at #1 is a little-known Little Golden Book by beloved children's author Margaret Wise Brown.  My paternal Grandma would read it to me when she came to visit nightly when I was a toddler & I got completely lost in its illustrations and storyline, which followed a dog named Crispin's Crispian, a human-like canine. 

The plot is simple:  A dog with no owner who belongs to himself does whatever he wants every day, an idea that was ALWAYS appealing to me.  As grandma read to me, I'd imagine the day when I'd have my OWN place and could do the same.  Glorious.  On top of that, Mr. Dog was extremely particular about his schedule, doing everything in a very deliberate order:  eat breakfast, play with the other dogs, put everything in its right place--"the cup in the saucer, the chair under the table, the stars in the heavens, the moon in the sky, and himself in his own little bed.”  VERY appealing to an autistic child who, at age 2, already had a set of rituals I'd scream and cry about if they got disrupted. 

I was surprised to see opinions on the internets are more, uhh, split on this book, with one blogger calling it the "worst book she's ever read" lol. (Take the paywall off that article and let's have a fair debate, lady!)  People are entitled to their (wrong) opinions, but Mister Dog will always hold a special place in my heart as the book I read until it damn near fell apart.  The pages were worn and the spine discolored.  I admit, it's a bit eccentric with its strange names ("Crispin's Crispian?") and gritty illustrations of a weary dog in his open robe looking a tad hungover (see below), but that's what makes it special.  To me, a weirdo.

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Brain Food vs. Brain Rot

Can't spell "brainrot" without "AI"

These were only 3 of the many, MANY books that I owned as a baby/toddler that were read to me on a daily basis.  I had no siblings until I was 3 1/2 and didn't go to daycare or preschool, so I had no contact with other kids until a pretty late age. This made reading and educational kids' shows like Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow & Mister Rogers' Neighborhood all the more important for my early development.  By the time kindergarten testing rolled around, they said I could skip to 1st grade, but thankfully my mom vetoed that idea.  (I was good academically but socially and emotionally?  Notsomuch).  😬

Think of reading, writing, drawing/doodling and educational TV as brain food while "smart" devices, AI, loud/bright/"silly" non-educational programs, computers, video games and internet = brain rot.  Like sugary treats, these things may be okay in extreme moderation, but they have an innate addictive quality and will rot your teeth (brain) out in abundance.  

The 1,300-lb elephant in the room

But my days of being read to by family members were in the mid-late '80s. Nowadays with smartphones, tablets and other internet-connected devices in every hand & pocket, parents rarely make time to read books to their kids unless it's to do their homework for them.  They rarely teach them special songs, random facts or other things that help their competence and imagination grow.  Just shove a sippy cup of juice/soda in their mouth, give them a device with a well-charged battery & walk away.  As one commenter put it, smartphone addiction is "a(n) epidemic of child neglect that's being normalized".  And it's being normalized because the adults/parents are the ones most addicted.

Reading, watching videos or playing games online is NOT the same as reading a book, writing with pen and paper or playing a board game.  And in excess they're harmful to the developing brain.  Countries like Sweden are reverting back to pen and paper in schools because of the disruption of brain development, increased attention deficit & processing problems in students taught primarily online. While being tech-literate is important in today's world, there's no question that you can go too far with constant access to online devices and their notifications, updates and "on-call" texting capabilities that become a 24/7 distraction.  

Admitting the Problem:  The 1st Step 

Someone sat down and made this meme when they could've just gone outside.

People often reminisce about the "good old days" of their childhood and how they didn't know how good they had it before smartphones, as if some foreign enemy nation is imposing this lifestyle on us.  Good news:  IT IS A CHOICE. 

If that's really how you feel, you have a problem (denial; addiction) and you need to own that, not make an excuse like "Durr I have to have my phone on 24/7 for my job!" or similar.  If that's actually true, get a flip phone with calling/texting capabilities and use a laptop for your internet needs at home, and leave it at home.  NOBODY needs to be online all the time.  Everyone born before 2007 lived in a world without smartphones--Millennials and older generations all grew up without them and did just fine.  (Better than fine, judging by our literacy rates).

I'll be the first to admit, I've been terminally online since we first got a PC in my house at age 15.  The internet is more addictive and life-altering than any drug I've tried, which includes a helluva lot of them.  I divide my life into "Pre-Internet" and "Post-Internet" periods the way the world measures time in "Before/After Christ", not only due to the amount of time I spend online but the overall impact that time has had on my daily life... even when compared to the "hardest" drugs or most addictive experiences I've tried.  (I lived in Vegas for years so I know a thing about instant gratification via gambling, shopping, clubbing, etc).  My vice is the device.  I managed to get in a lot of trouble as a teen in a time before social media even existed, so it terrifies me what kids could get into today with all that unsupervised internet access. 

This post is about promoting books, not dissing the internet so GO READ SOMETHING & make sure you foster a love of reading & unstructured play in the kids in your life!  Stupid is never cute. 💕

To Everyone Celebrating the Midterm Outcomes:

To everyone celebrating the big midterm blue wave takeover, if we don't see the following by the time their terms are up, I'll need you to admit that none of this shit makes ANY difference whatsoever:

- Abolish ICE
- Cease construction on border wall
- Universal healthcare option
- End aid to Israel for weapons/war 
- End the war on Iran
- Rehire government workers fired by DOGE  
- Restore CDC and other regulatory agencies to pre-Trump functionality
- Release uncensored Epstein files in a timely fashion
- Bring Epstein clients to justice



If conditions don't materially change, you haven't actually "won" anything.  And I guarantee we won't see even one of these changes, and everyone who voted for these losers will justify it by blaming the other party.  Because you've all got Stockholm Syndrome and don't want to get your lazy asses in the street like France and do what needs to be done.  Funny how the Right can make things happen but the so-called Left never can, isn't it?  

[Cannabis Review] - Lucky Elk: Blue Nerdz Premium Indoor Smalls (7g)

 

As promised, here's my honest review of Lucky Elk's Blue Nerdz THCa Premium Indoor Smalls (7g).  I ordered after enjoying the White Runtz so much.  Blue Nerdz is described as a cross between Blue Sherbet x Zkittlez (my fave lmao) clocking in at 31.42% THCa.  It's an indica-dominant hybrid with a blue raspberry-rich scent and purple-blue hue.  This actually sounds closest to the Zkittlez strain I had and loved so much.  It's recommended for evening use (which means NOT sedating for me) with a candy aroma.  Blue Sherbert = a cross between Blue Cookies x Sunset Sherbert, the latter of which I've tried and liked very much.  (Cookies strains are generally well tolerated too).

From the Lucky Elk site.

I ordered on Oct. 2nd and it was shipped on Oct. 5th.  I received it on the 9th.  I got a $5 discount due to my previous purchase (or possibly my previous review?  Not sure) which was appreciated.  This order was for the Premium Smalls, which appear to be slightly higher-grade than the "Everyday Smalls" I got last time.  The difference, according to the site, is the hand-trimming of the Premium Smalls.  And these DO look worlds better in terms of size and general shape so yeah, difference noted.

Packaging is stealthy as per usual and festive for Halloween.  The smell is utterly divine, reminiscent of blueberries & citrus candy.  Potent too!  Buds are deep purple with light green trim and utterly coated in trichomes.  Unfortunately they're not even halfway dry and certainly not cured, though that's fixable with a little time to "breathe" outside the bag.  Not sure if the inclusion of a moisture pack is responsible for the wetness or they're just not being dried all the way, but it was definitely not easy to break up and didn't burn too cleanly at first.

Effects are marvelous--not too sedating for morning use, although that probably means it's too sedating for morning use for most people because I'm weird.  Mood is lifted but I'm still functional and able to text, which I have to do when my aunt hits me up unexpectedly.  Munchies are moderate and the comedown is virtually non-existent.  The high kinda reminds me of this amazing Sour Diesel I had way back in 2007 on the West Coast that put me in a great headspace and was ideal for daytime use.  In any case, I'm digging it.  Pain level is diminished too, and it was about a 6-7 earlier.  

Premium Indoor Smalls

Blue Nerdz goes great with coffee or other "a.m." substances, as the mellow smoothness balances out the rough edges perfectly.  Low doses are entirely functional while higher doses will have you feeling no pain.  It's got all the great traits of an indica without the mind-dulling stoniness or sedating comedown.

Interestingly, this is not the same "Blue Nerds" listed on Leafly, which includes two variants:  Runtz x Original Zkittlez and Watermelon Zkittlez x Forbidden Fruit.  It's also not the same Blue Nerdz THCa as the strains listed there, which include a variety of crosses sold by Super Greens Hemp Co.  I'm not crazy about the fact that so many vendors slap the same random name on unrelated strains (be creative!), but that's how it goes in a totally unregulated industry where strain names are neither patented nor indicative of continuity between batches/growers.

Overall, Lucky Elk's Blue Nerdz THCa Premium Indoor Smalls are probably my fave of all the THCa strains I've ordered, though it's a close call between these and the White Runtz (also Lucky Elk).  Poor dry job notwithsdanding, there's absolutely nothing to critique here except maybe the handling time.  I really need to stop buying weed on the internet now, but the damn upcoming ban is triggering my hoarding tendencies.  I'll never use all this by myself!  Now I just need a cutie to get 😶‍🌫 with.

Price:  4.8 of 5 stars

Packaging/Stealth:  5 of 5 stars

Shipping Time:  4.6 of 5 stars

Effects:  4.9 of 5 stars

Aroma:  4.9 of 5 stars

Overall:  4.95 of 5 stars

Blue Nerdz

Here's my ranking of all the strains I reviewed recently: 

#1.  Blue Nerdz (Lucky Elk)  🥇

#2.  White Runtz (Lucky Elk)  🥈

#3.  Bolo Runtz Trim & Shake (Black Tie CBD)  🥉

#4.  Pineapple Express (Elevated Hemp Co.)  🏅

♏♇🦂🤎🌑 November Donations

 Hey Psychonauts! 🧑‍🚀  It's November 1st, and you know what that means:  Giving Season.  Drop your donations at the Bitcoin addresses below, or request my CashApp address via DM @BannedintheUSSA on X.com.  All donations are totally anonymous and go toward the costs of operating this blog.  See ya on the 15th!


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The Misogyny of "Homosexual Heteroromantic" Women

 

(Replace "gender" with "sex" because what you feel like inside your mind doesn't factor into raw sexual attraction or orientation). 

Now.  In this screed I'll focus specifically on WOMEN of the "homosexual heteroromantic" orientation since that's the one that affects me, a lesbian.  First of all, I don't buy into this "split attraction model" at all.  The idea that you can be purely sexually or romantically attracted to one sex with absolutely no crossover does not ring true to me, but stranger things have happened.  I'm sure somebody somewhere feels this way.  However, I find it incredibly misogynistic/lesbophobic to only be sexually attracted to women and will call it out as such.  Why? 

Real homosexual heteroromantic flag

Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you get a pass for viewing women purely as sex objects with zero desire to date, settle down with, commit to or marry us.  Viewing sapphic relations merely as a porn category is no different than what heterosexual men do--it trivializes wlw relationships and is hugely disrespectful to us as human beings.  We don't exist to be used as sex objects and then discarded before you develop feelings.  The belief that a relationship between two women is not as "real" or good or serious as a male/female one lies at the heart of this alleged orientation... that women are good enough to fuck but not good enough to love and take home to meet mom and dad or build a life with.  You're viewing women through the same sexist lens as your heterosexual male partners, and nothing could be more misogynistic.  Finding lesbian sex repulsive and "sinful" would honestly be less offensive.  

If you can find a like-minded woman who only views you as a sex object, great.  But you damn sure better iron that out before getting involved in any capacity because not disclosing such a vile thing before sex borders on deception and assault.  The vast majority of people do not operate like that, compartmentalizing feelings like romantic love, platonic warmth, sexual attraction and basic respect.  Sex is the most intimate act two people can engage in, so there's bound to be some feelings of affection that develop between women when it occurs unless one or both of you is a psychopath (or the sex is really really bad).  That's not to say one night stands or meaningless flings can't happen between women--they absolutely can and do--but to make an entire orientation/identity based on sexualizing women is beyond gross.  Even men don't (openly) do that.   

Also, I highly doubt that the opposite is true--that you never have sex with the men you become romantically involved with because you lack sexual attraction toward them.  No man alive would tolerate that in a relationship lol.  And no sane woman would put up with being used to fulfill some pornified fantasy and then discarded for a "real relationship" with a man.

On Perfectionism, Control & Finding The Middle Path

Some things can't be controlled.  I say that as a long-term sufferer of OCD... not the self-diagnosed "I'm so OCD, teehee" kind but the "there's this brain surgery you could try" kind where even psychologists et al. have run out of (good) ideas.  The "wash your hands until they bleed" and "count every calorie that goes into your mouth" kind that has resulted in inpatient stays many moons ago.  Needless to say I'm familiar with the list-making, nitpicking "planning" activities all Type A peeps do from a young age.  To be clear, I'm not knocking goal-setting with clear deadlines.  That's one of the most effective ways to actually accomplish long-term objectives & turn abstract dreams into concrete realities.  It's a matter of degrees.  But again, not all things can be accounted for ahead of time, or controlled. 

This is something I've learned the hard way after turning down promising experiences due to it being the "wrong time/fit/vibe" only to majorly regret it later.  Sometimes I let others influence my decision when I absolutely should not have--overly negative people who were likely jealous or afraid THEY would lose their control over me if I'd taken the opportunity.  Also, when I examined the real motivation behind my avoidance/rejection of said opportunity, it was often down to my own anxiety and fear of the unknown, which is what all the planning and control is REALLY about in the first place.  If you account for every possible pothole and speed bump ahead of time, you can avoid catastrophe!  Make flawless decisions, generate flawless outcomes...

Except none of us is psychic.  We don't have a fucking clue what tomorrow will bring.  What seems "flawless" and foolproof today can prove cringe and regrettable in a month or year.  Things that look ideal on paper can be miserable in real life.  Plus, the planning itself can be a path to nowhere.  If you put all your focus on the distant term and then get a terminal disease or end up paralyzed in a car wreck without having truly LIVED, what good is that?   I'm not saying you should jeopardize everything you've worked for by breaking the law or doing other reckless shit, but it's important to maintain a sense of balance and aim for a well-rounded life.  To actually LIVE while working toward distant goals.  As the saying goes, those who live in the past are depressed; those who live in the future are anxious.  Only those who live in the present moment are truly content and at peace.
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The Middle Path

Extremes are for suckaz

Balance, moderation.  The middle road.  These concepts can be hard for people with high-achieving personalities, OCD, perfectionism or any degree of these things.  Maybe you come from a family or culture that pressures you to be the best, whether athletically, academically or in some other respect... parents that tell you 2nd place is for losers.  Any grade but an A+ is as good as an F.  That you must be the prettiest, thinnest, most popular girl if you want to be Prom Queen/Homecoming Queen, and do whatever it takes to get there.  You find that they're generally right:  being the best requires hard work and sacrifice. 

And then you get out in the real world and realize these values don't really align with your own and, worse, they were actively harming your mental health.  So you go to the other extreme, doing just enough to get by and prioritizing your happiness above all else.  "Slacking".  Indulging, living for the moment.  Actively rebelling against everything you were taught.  But this doesn't feel quite right either.  

So you come back to the center and do your best to create a life that feels authentic.  A simple life that honors your values & biological rhythms without being overly indulgent.  And still, people judge and criticize.  But this time, you step back and examine THEIR motives.  You realize they're just as screwed up as anyone and if they truly cared, they would only offer advice when asked.  That only unhappy people who refuse to examine their own flaws spend their time picking apart other peoples' daily lives, appearance, relationships, the state of their finances or homes. 

Instead of being hurt by their words, you put up emotional boundaries and refuse to let them drag you back to that hellish place of perfectionism where your inner critic drives you to self-harm.  You quietly congratulate yourself for simply surviving to this big age and having things to show for it--a car, a roof over your head, clothes, electricity, food in the fridge, your sanity (most days).  Amazing friends & immersive hobbies.  And then you go right back to painting your nails a funky color, reading your Tarot cards or whatever oddball thing you were doing when they tried to disrupt your peace.  💅

This is what healthy separation from toxic loved ones should look like.  It's definitely harder when one or both parties suffers from mental illness or other problems affecting mood & behavior (substance abuse, cognitive disabilities, religious brainwashing, ADHD/autism, etc) but it's still doable.  And bonus:  you don't have to cut them out of your life forever to put up these boundaries!  If they really love you, which they usually do, they will eventually come around.  You can see them on your terms, and interactions will generally be far more pleasant than when you lived under their physical/financial/emotional control.  

(My OCD is mostly manageable on a day-to-day basis but can "flare-up" during periods of acute life stress or physical illness.  From the outside I may look like an underachiever with a "who cares" attitude, but I've worked very hard to cultivate that attitude because it's my greatest defense against the "demon" of perfectionism and dangerous thought loops that got me hospitalized multiple times as a teenager.  I have some very specific triggers and as long as they aren't being set off by actual events, I'm generally fine.  I have family members whose every waking moment is consumed by OCD rituals so I'm grateful for the peace of mind I do have.  I just wish people without mental illness/developmental disabilities would start trusting those of us WITH these things to be the experts on our own lives.  We know what we're capable of and what we aren't, and we want you to treat us with the same respect and grace you treat everyone else in your life.  Hold us accountable when we fuck up, don't hide bad news from us because you assume we'll "freak out".  Talk TO us, not ABOUT us.  If we want advice on how to run our lives, we'll ask.  Same as you).

Another Shitstorm: Sexually-Transmitted Diarrhea Sweeps the Nation

It's happening again (or should I say, "crappening" again):  Another self-induced outbreak in the U.S. is being met with laugh reacts and emojis by a science-denying public of infantile plague spreaders.  This time sexually-transmitted in nature.  A spate of articles warning of treatment-resistant "sexually transmitted diarrhea" are making the rounds, and already the denialism is loud.  "Just in time for midterms, eh?!"  "More fear porn, no thanks!"  "Just when we got over the cyclospora" etc. 

Unfortunately this self-induced shitshow (sorry, last one) is all too real, and it's not hard to imagine what's causing it but I'll go ahead and spell it out for the slow ones in the back:  oral-anal contact.  And for the REALLY slow ones:  putting your mouth & tongue in/on/around someone's asshole.  Which an increasing number of people, including otherwise "vanilla" heterosexuals, does these days.  Why?  Dear God, why?  Presumably because it's talked about in popular music and depicted in porn and people are utterly incapable of not following idiotic trends without a second thought, even dangerous sexual ones.  







(Specific) Causes

This shouldn't require a tutorial

So what pathogen is the actual CAUSE of this particular diarrhea?  That's the scary thing:  it's not just one, two or even 3 bugs to blame.  There are so many fecal-oral diseases that are not spread via other types of sex that it's a bit disturbing how anyone ever thought this was a good idea.  Why Sex Ed classes aren't warning specifically against oral-anal contact is beyond me when so many people suffer from chronic GI diseases like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and C. diff, which kills between 15,000-30,000 Americans per year and infects half a million.  It's a well established fact that viral/bacterial infections can trigger diseases up to and including colon cancer in people under 50, so this should all be taken a lot more seriously. 

C. diff is just one nasty infection that can be spread this way.  Here are a few more that have been linked specifically to treatment-resistant diarrhea:

Risk > Reward

Historical Precedent:  Gay Bowel Disease 

In the late '70s and early 1980s right before the dawn of AIDS, gay men were afflicted with what was then termed "gay bowel disease," (notice any familiar bugs in that link?) a collection of colon and rectal diseases spread by anal sex and oral-anal sex.  They were also discovered to have astronomically high rates of Hepatitis B compared to the general population.  And then, of course, came HIV/AIDS which was also transmitted more readily via anal sex than other types.  It was even labeled "GRID" or "GRIDS" (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome") in the earliest days.

Of course, viruses and other pathogens have no knowledge nor preference for one sexual orientation over another.  Not all gay men engage in these practices and many heterosexuals do, which has always been the case.  But this is even more true today in the post-AIDS world of on-demand porn and open discussion of sex practices like "eating booty" among celebrities and influencers.  More people engaging in these dangerous practices = more cases of these diseases regardless of sexual orientation, and it won't stop with fecal-oral disease.  (See: monkeypox).   

And those diseases do not remain restricted to consenting adults who engage in these acts; they inevitably spill over into exposed children and babies, elderly people, immunocompromised patients and others.  So even if YOU don't engage in these behaviors, you could still be affected directly or indirectly, such as by increased antibiotic resistance or transmission outside of a sexual setting (food or water contamination).  That's why none of this is the least bit funny.

Women know all too well how getting even tiny traces of backdoor bacteria in the urethra will cause a burning urinary tract infection that can progress to the bladder, kidneys and bloodstream if left untreated.  Well, the same happens when you get it in your mouth: it enters your stomach, small and large intestine and multiplies, causing acute illness that can become chronic or even fatal in severe cases.  Antibiotic-resistant means just that--there are no or very few treatments that work, and those that do may leave your gut in a terrible state after the fact. 

Harm Reduction

Exit only

This is normally where I'd tell you some convenient ways to reduce your risk while still engaging in the behavior, but that's just not possible here.  Part of harm reduction is being able to honestly weigh the risks vs. benefits of a given activity and discern when the risks are just too high to justify engaging in the behavior.  This is certainly the case with some drugs:  toxic inhalants like paint, glue and computer duster; carfentanil, krokodil.  Putting your mouth or tongue on somebody's anus is comparable in terms of disease risk.  It doesn't matter how well they clean the area--it's impossible to remove all traces of infectious pathogens, which are invisible anyway.  No amount of temporary pleasure is worth possibly contracting and spreading a deadly or debilitating disease like antibiotic-resistant diarrhea, C. diff, Crohn's disease or the bacteria that cause colon cancer.

This isn't about being biased toward a sex act I don't like or being homophobic (newsflash:  I'm gay).  It's about basic hygiene and common sense.  We're already facing a huge disease burden due to low vaccination rates, antibiotic resistance, lack of universal healthcare, climate change and its downstream effects (vector-borne disease, biodiversity loss, etc) & these shady BSL labs that constantly have "leaks" and safety breaches.  The last thing we need is more preventable transmissible disease. 

With all this hippie dippie talk about the "gut-brain connection" and the "microbiome," overlooking dangerous sexual practices like this is hypocritical bordering on ludicrous.  If you want to be taken seriously, you must be consistent.  This isn't a problem probiotics and kombucha will fix.