aisling

So, apparently, this is my 26th anniversary on LiveJournal...!

That seems VERY weird. I'd say "time flies," but that'd be an understatement.

In the beginning, I poured out my heart here, trying to come to terms with a loveless, ~20 year marriage that was ending. 

The absurdity: My ex- was the one who insisted on a divorce. Meanwhile, I didn't see what those 20 years had done to me as a creative (artist/photographer/writer). How much I'd muted and morphed my self-expression.

This community helped me pour out my feelings and reconnect with my self, authentically.

It was gradual, and — even now — a continuing process.

But this community is where I found friends, and got to know the man who would later — after the divorce — become my husband. (We're still together, and happily married, nearly 20 years later.)

This morning, I woke up with a fresh realization about the importance of communicating — in words and art and life — and doing so, authentically.

So, realizing what an important role LiveJournal has played in my life, I want to say thank you to my many friends — past, present, and future.

And thank you to LiveJournal for being here when I needed you, more than I'd realized at the time.

aisling

So, it's been a busy summer, after a couple of move-move-move years. We've narrowed our location choices, at least in the U.S., for now, but a LOT of busyness is ahead.

Likewise, I'm blogging again at Aisling.net, but — for the next few weeks or so — that may be sporadic. Until we decide on our winter location, we may still spend a lot of time on the road.

Today, I updated my website with news and backstory, much of which you may already know, but here it is: A Return to Art and Blogging, https://aisling.net/a-return-to-art-and-blogging/

I'm also making an effort to visit social media sites (such as this one), but... we'll see how this goes. We're in Dunedin, Florida for about two more weeks, followed by two weeks in Orlando, Florida. And then... probably New Hampshire (USA) for at least a month. 

aisling

We're getting closer to tossing luggage into our car and driving to Florida... and wherever else we decide to spend the next year (or so).

aisling

This week, I learned that the text on book covers needs to be REALLY BIG to be seen clearly when someone — on their phone — is scrolling through Amazon books. And any cover art needs to be easily understood at 100 pixels wide, too.

So, today I'm redesigning all of my latest book covers. (These are the ones under the pen name that I will never admit to. I just call these my "cheesy books." They're not porn or anything... just ho-hum stories that appeal to a specific audience looking for short stories about other people's daily battles. And — wow! — do those readers binge-read! )

But since it's Friday, it's also when I publish my Substack. Today's post includes tips for anyone who'd like to write books — especially Amazon "Short Reads" (about 5k — 10k words long). The detailed info is at the foot of that Substack post. 

And, as with most of my recent Substack posts, there's a free download, usually just a small artsy something-or-other, or one of my landscape photos.  https://artandotherthings.substack.com/p/forward-momentum-yaaayy?r=16jlm

Over at Facebook, I'm seeing a flurry of posts about communities and product ads that may be questionable, as they're not what they appear to be. Instead, they're set up to collect individuals' data and — probably — sell it to spammers, scammers, etc.  (I have not investigated these myself, but did post an alert on my Facebook page, to remind others to do their due diligence.)

And now... I need to get back to my book covers!

aisling

I've already posted about the vitriol that erupted at FB when I dared to suggest that I might resume posting here. 

Today... I don't know why I'm surprised to see a near 90% drop in Likes, comments, etc. on my FB recent posts. 

I'm pretty sure FB isn't showing my posts to as many friends.

(Well, hey, that's just business. FB doesn't want people like me urging friends to look at a different platform.)

But that's when I took a second look at my FB feed. 

What I saw — even among the posts by actual friends/acquaintances, etc. — was unexpected. 

Now, when I compare the quality of FB posts, comments, and conversations, with what I'm seeing here at LJ... it's been  a wake-up call.

About 20% of what I'm reading at FB leads me to smile. Fewer inspire me to comment. 

The rest are a mix of "gosh, that's too bad," and "that's... umm... nice." And I keep scrolling.

By contrast, skimming LJ posts in my Friends feed — and the comments at them — those are far more likely to be thought-provoking. Even inspiring. 

How did I get lulled into thinking FB was a place where people shared innovative ideas and views? And why am I surprised now...?  (Rhetorical questions.)

I mean, I knew that the Zuck's social media career started with his "Hot or Not?" app on Harvard University's social feed. That's where he encouraged people to rate the appearance of fellow students, etc. (Ref. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/4/hot-or-not-website-briefly-judges/ ) 

aisling

On Facebook, my friend Heather shared an ad for these sandals. 

I could NOT believe they were real. 

There is NO way I'd wear sandals that look like... what... a cow's hoof? Maybe a horse's?

But, looking to see who started this bizarre joke, there those sandals were... on the Givenchy site. And at Saks, and so on.

And — drumroll — they sell for $2350. (U.S.)

I am NOT kidding.

aisling

Lately, we've been hearing about real estate investors sinking a lot of money into properties... back when they thought the Covid "remote work" trend would last, and the economy would continue growing.

But... that's not what happened. Now, rental prices are falling, often putting corporate landlords in a difficult position: losing money on those Covid-era investments.

And houses are sitting, empty, because few buyers can afford the asking prices... or anything close to them.

Now I'm seeing this "opportunity", where people can invest as little as $100 in real estate... and then supposedly reap a portion of later profits. https://moneywise.com/investing/real-estate/invest-vacation-rental-homes

Umm... it looks to me like those past investors are hoping to lure enough hopeful new "investors" to help dig themselves (the owners/landlords) out of the hole they're trapped in, now.

Do NOT be fooled by this.

aisling

Before our next move — which could be tomorrow, or in mid-June, or sometime in-between — I wanted to catch up on my artcards.

So, 11 more cards are going into the mail today. Tomorrow there will be more.

(For now, the sign-up list is closed. I'll open it again when we get settled... wherever that is. Likely destinations: Florida or Salt Lake City.)

Each card is a postcard, handmade (hand painted, lettered using my Rapidograph pen, each card has a different quote), and sent — as-is — via the U.S. postal system. Here's one of them. 

aisling

Apparently, admitting that — at least for now — I'm posting at LJ again... it's very polarizing for some people.  And, as much as I'm in favor of free speech, I'm deleting over-the-top comments at my Facebook page, because the vitriol is just too much. 

In general, the polarization in the U.S. is horrifying, and the contagion... I dunno. The longer this continues (and intensifies, and spreads), the more difficult it is to heal from, much less reverse. 

Seeing it at Facebook is yet another reason I'm here. And yes, this will be my only "ick" post like this. 

I just needed to publicly acknowledge what's going on, and my reaction to it. People can say what they like on their own Facebook accounts, but on mine...? No, even as open-minded and how much I champion free speech... there is a limit. 

aisling

So, I'm seeing Facebook friends muttering about moving away from Facebook, due to the heavy advertising.

I'm leaning in that direction, myself, but don't want to lose contact with friends who rely on Facebook as their #1 social media site.

That's why I was chatting with ChatGPT this morning, weighing the pros & cons of LJ, since — as pretty much everyone knows — it's Russian-owned. 

I mean... is it really an issue, and — if so — how significant?

Here's one reply from ChatGPT about why people might return (or sign-up, if new) here:

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Ironically, some people returning to LiveJournal are doing so because:

• they miss slower internet culture,
• chronological feeds,
• longer writing,
• smaller communities,
• and less algorithmic manipulation.

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In terms of security, ChatGPT said there were no major concerns, just the usual:

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Anything posted there should be treated as potentially accessible to:

• platform admins,
• data breaches,
• or government requests under Russian law.

So:

• don’t store sensitive personal info,
• don’t reuse passwords,
• don’t post private financial/legal details,
• don’t use it for confidential organizing.

Honestly, that’s good advice for any aging social platform.

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