Happy Freedom Day

 Well, it would be if we still HAD all the freedoms we had a couple of years ago. I posted this back then, on the 4th of July, 2020, and it still holds true. We may be able to shop and gather and whatnot again, pretty much as we did before, but why we had to stop in the first place is beyond me, when riots and shopping at big box stores was ok, but heaven forfend we go to a funeral or a birthday party or a local small town shop. I've been an "essential worker" throughout this whole dang thing, and let me tell you, I didn't feel essential at all. I felt BURDENED, and not by Loki's glorious purpose, either. Burdened by overwork, by stress that has yet to die down or off, by worry and fear about what is going to happen next, how am I going to be able to keep food on the table, and wondering why in the bleeding heck I continue to put up with all the crap.

Well, as of a few months ago, it hit me just how sick and tired of all the corporate B.S. I truly am, and I've been less and less quiet and meek at work. I speak up. I speak out. And boy howdy, when The Company did a survey last month to "take the pulse" of the employees, they did not get high marks from me, nor did they get kind comments. I was BRUTAL in my honesty, and there was rather a deep blue cloud around my laptop when I got done with my commentary on each question. In reality, I'm doing what's called quiet quitting there. I show up and work and do just enough to keep from getting in trouble or getting fired. So I'm a "good, solid worker" but not "exceptional." I'm saving my energy as much as I can for when I get home from that craphole so I can work on my shops, and the stress is somewhat lower. I'm relaxed and happy working on my business. 

Filed for the sales tax license tonight. Have to wait for them to send me the stuff to get into the online thing for it so I can set up that account, and pay the filing fee for the license. Gonna be weird doing that every month, since local sales are zilch anyhow. So there will be no sales tax collected for Arkansas, nor forwarded to the state. Though once it gets to where I have enough sales to warrant it, I will be paying for help with it. There's a company called TaxJar that does all the calculations and paperwork for you, just pop into your account and connect it to your sales channel(s) and there ya go. It does all the math so you don't mess up and allows you to file on time and correctly so you don't make booboos. I am trained as an accountant but it's been a while since I've done sales taxes and I prefer doing it all online when I can so it's not all messed up. Did it a lot when I was still in Michigan, and it made things SO much easier to do plug and play with the numbers so they came out correctly. Saved the clients a lot of headaches as well.

Overall, it was a quiet day today. Ran to the store for a couple things I forgot Saturday, and they're still out of rutabagas, so my pasties tonight will be baggie-free. Bummer. Soon as I post this, I'm heading to the kitchen to start prep because it does take a bit to get all those little buggers folded and sealed with egg wash before you can bake them.

I did get a good bit done on all three Etsy shops today. Giving up on Redbubble. The commissions are not worth the time to set stuff up there. I was only getting about fifty cents profit off each sale and that's just not enough unless I sold a gazillion products a month and I was barely getting visitors, let alone sales. So that's something to do after I post this as well, is fix the gadget here for the link list. Eh, no biggie.

I'm working a lot on the upcoming holiday products. Christmas, of course, but also on Halloween as it's coming up in just a few months (and I want a LOT of doggie bandanas ready for that), plus Thanksgiving (same as Halloween). I have so many darned zip files to unpack and sort out, I'll be at it for a good long while even doing as much per day on that as I do. I'm so full of self-doubt some days that I can make a living off the shops, and others I'm so geeked out about them that it's hard to stop working on them long enough to eat or sleep. It's just because they haven't taken off yet, I'm sure, but geez, there are days I'm wondering if I should do more than mugs and dog bandanas and (eventual) cat toys and Christmas ornaments. Especially on the pet lovers mug shop and the armchair traveler shop. I just keep plugging away on mugs and telling myself that sooner or later, things will happen, that it's just a matter of time before it all comes together for me.

*****

This is the post from 2020, though Fakebook seems to think it's from a year ago (2021), even though the date shows as 2020. 

I'm posting this as public, since I believe all of my friends already know the truth. This is copied and pasted. I respectfully request that all my friends do the same:

Why Do We Celebrate the Fourth of July? Independence Day!! How independent are we?

This is true! People are afraid of people.. unless at a riot.. it’s pathetic.

When you ask why? - It’s just a mask:

.....”It's just a mask" can turn into "it's just a vaccine" very quickly. And it will, you can bet your bottom dollar on that!

In less than 5 months, our government has successfully divided the country into "obedient mask wearers" versus "selfish people who refuse to wear masks".

"It's just a mask, you guys". It's for "the greater good"!

Where have we heard this phrase before?💡

In less than 5 months, our government has dictated what events are acceptable versus unacceptable to attend. Riots are OK, family funerals are not. Standing in a graduation line is a "safety hazard", but feel free to line up at Walmart, Lowe's, and Home Depot -- but not at your mom-and-pop lumber yard and certainly not at your little, local restaurant.

But it's "just a mask" & "safety precautions", you guys.

In less than 5 months, our government successfully facilitated the closing of family-owned businesses while granting authority to large corporations that they have invested interests in.

It's "just a mask" and "safety precautions" you guys. Oh, and here's a measly $1200 that we stole from you in the first place. Enjoy!

In less than 5 months, our government was able to successfully sway the population into believing that a CASHLESS SOCIETY is a good thing! This, all in the name of a government sponsored virus.

In less than 5 months, our government closed down public schools, and has "restructured" school moving forward under the guise of "public safety" from a "virus". These same schools fed children crap per the corrupt USDA food pyramid. But "health" matters when it comes to a government sponsored virus! 💡

It's "just a mask" & "heightened safety precautions", you guys.

In less than 5 months, our government demonstrated how easily people assimilate to "guidelines" (that have NO scientific premise whatsoever) when they are fearful.

What was up with all that toilet paper?

It's "just a mask" & "6 foot social distancing", you guys. Oh, and dooky paper.

In less than 5 months, our government has successfully instilled fear in a majority of the population in America.

But citizens are not "afraid" of the people in power who are responsible for the removal of their "freedoms". Instead, they're fearful of their neighbors and family, human touch, and fresh air.

There are thousands of viruses that *could* affect the population, but these viruses do not matter because MSM didn't say they do.

It's absolutely terrifying to me that so many people do not question authority because they see that authority as "all knowing." It's even more terrifying that these same people rely on corrupt "leaders" to be led, thus lacking all critical thinking skills/independence.

Slaves to the system that keeps them oppressed.

How quickly history is forgotten and repeated!

What's most problematic to me about all of this is that the people who are wearing masks "for the greater good" will be the first to sign up for this shiny new vaccine that's had Ø longitudinal safety tests against an inert placebo. What's more problematic to me is that this Vaccine MAY be the deciding factor in life moving forward.

You thought a mask was inconvenient? Wait until you're told that you cannot enter a store without proof of the Covid-19 vaccine. Wait until you cannot go to public events, or travel, without proof of having received this vaccine. (Addendum from 7/4/2022 - or GET A JOB!)

To everyone that doesn't believe this is possible - do you understand that our government just successfully dictated to people WHEN they were allowed to be outside, where they were allowed to go, and how their children would be educated, in less than 5 months? And that a majority of the population followed blindly because they were told to do so.

You're kidding yourself if you believe that they're not going to repeat this behavior with a vaccine.

If people have not protested the occurrences in America over the last 5 months, they will assuredly continue to abide by unsubstantiated "guidelines" that will include a vaccine.

It’s never been about safety and greater good. Open your eyes.

*****

And here are today's pictures!

The Burj Khalifa a couple of years ago on July 4th.