Privacy! Please! March 20, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Humor, Nature.comments closed
Excuse me!
Can’t you see this stall is occupied?
What must a bird do to get a bit of privacy while in the loo?
Seriously!
Move along people . . . there’s nothing to see here.
I mean it! Scat!
Don’t make me come over there . . .
Unless you’d rather I used your head as my head, that is.
Dear Gabby . . . March 20, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Fiction, Humor, Joke, Mindfulness.comments closed
At PiP’s request, let’s focus our attention on Blog Etiquette for a moment.
Dear Gabby: I just read a post that makes me furious. I am spitting mad. What should I do?
Signed, I.Rate
Dear I.Rate: People will not always see eye to eye. That’s a given in life. I suggest that you take a deep breath, count to ten, and ask yourself whether your anger will matter a year from now. Love, Gabby
Dear Gabby: I just read your advice to I.Rate and I disagree!!! You think you’re so smart but you are no smarter than anybody else on the internet!!! Are you a psychiatrist? A psychologist? A therapist? A counsellor? No! No!! No!!! No!!!! Why don’t you leave the advice giving to the experts???? Signed, Man on the edge
Dear Man on the edge: You sound upset. Are you having a bad day? Week? Month? Year? Life? Or did you just forget to take your meds this morning? Stop picking on Gabby. She, like most of us, is doing the best she can.
Signed, Fan of Gabby’s
Dear Fan of Gabby’s: Thank you for that. You have obviously learned to counter negativity with positive energy and warmth for your fellow man, especially for those on the edge or at the end of their rope (even if the rope is of their own making) . Peace and love, Gabby.
Dear Gabby: You know NOTHING about me!!! I am not at the end of my rope. I am just defending myself from your insidious attacks on me and my kind. I’ve been reading your column for awhile now and you don’t know what you are talking about half the time. I’d get as much or more out of reading that stupid comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Signed, Man on the Edge (a/k/a the Mad Hatter)
Dear Fan of Gabby’s: Stop being such a suck up!!! You’re just being nice to Gabby because you want to make ME look bad. Well I won’t stand for it. Why don’t you mind your own business? No one here cares what YOU think. You have just as many enemies as I do. Signed, Man on the Edge
Dear Man on the Edge: What do you mean? Calvin and Hobbes is my favorite comic strip. I’d rather read it than anything.
{{pfffffflllllllbbbbbb . . . .}}
Signed, Hobbes
Dear Man on the Edge: Take a chill pill. Signed, Dr. DoRight
Dear Dr. DoRight (or should I call you Dr. DimWit? . . . or maybe Dr. Doofus): What are you? One of those New Age Practitioners??? Do you practice what you preach??? Why don’t you go CHILLAX before I take an AXE to you? Signed, Man on the Edge
People, People: Move Along. There’s Nothing to see here. Signed, Officer Bar Brady
Dear Officer Bar Brady: Who put you in charge??? You have no jurisdiction here. Go back to South Park where you belong!!! You’re a disgrace to law enforcement every where. The only police officer on the planet worse than you is Chief Wiggins. Signed, Man on the Edge . . . Waving a Gun
Dear Waving a Gun: Put the gun down and put your hands in the air. You’re under arrest. Signed, Kenny (deputized by Officer Bar Brady)
Dear Kenny: {{B~A~N~G}} Signed, Man with a Smoking Gun
OMG, He killed Kenny!
Quote to Ponder:
When asked what he thought of Western civilization, Gandhi responded, “I think it would be a good idea.”
What do you think?
Related posts: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Case of the Public Scolding * WP Weekly Writing Challenge ~ Dear Abby
The BEST Way to Deal with Tantrums March 20, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Mindfulness, Spirit & Ego.comments closed
If you’re a parent, or around young children, you have faced the occasional tantrum. A child is over tired, over cranky, and unable to see “reason.”
Adults, too, throw the occasional tantrum or hissy fit.
Instead of debating as an intellectual exercise, they engage in hair pulling and mud-slinging.
They refuse to re-evaluate their unsupported stance even when faced with ample evidence which would encourage a more rational being to reconsider a narrow-minded or skewed viewpoint on the world.
Here’s the BEST way to deal with tantrums and reclaim your peace of mind:
1. If it’s your EGO throwing the hissy fit by resorting to name calling and ad hominem attacks, press the PAUSE button. Give yourself a time out. Step back into the role of disinterested observer. Count to ten. If that doesn’t work, count to ten thousand.
Relax. Breathe. Repeat.
Most arguments are NOT life and death matters. Regain your perspective before continuing to press forward.
2. If the tantrum is being thrown by a child, reclaim the reins. Give the child a time out until they have become rational and reasonable again.
3. If the tantrum is being thrown by an adult who is acting like a child, walk away. Ignore them. Put some distance between their nasty, vituperative comments and your peace of mind.
But what if you walk away and they follow you?
Well . . . if you’re blogging on WordPress, you can press the PAUSE button for them. Here’s how:
My Blog -> Dashboard -> Settings -> Discussion -> Scroll down to “Comment Moderation” and put them in the “Time Out” box.
Once they are in “time out,” their comments will NOT post to your blog unless and until you approve them.
In short, you’ve shifted the balance of power. You have reclaimed the reins. You are free to approve or dis-approve each comment by that individual.
Once they have calmed down, and returned to their senses, you can remove them from the “time out” box.
Or not.
Your blog. Your rules. And your peace of mind at stake.
Quote: Dalai Lama Quote (The Blue Lotus Cafe)
No rules. Just write!
How about you? Have you ever had someone try to hijack the discussion on your blog by calling you names or insulting others?
How did you handle it?
Spirit Lights The Way 