The "Idle Janie" Journal - Days 86 through 90
The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 86
“The Take Out Fiasco”
As has been the case with many of us, my household in NYC has seen a dramatic uptick in takeout over the last 6 months. The streets up here are now speckled with really cute outdoor seating for all of the restaurants which still can’t have indoor dining. Some streets are even being closed to allow for more tables to stretch out into the streets, so that the restaurants can somewhat return to normal. It’s quite quaint!
But any day that it rains, there can obviously be no street dining. And in those cases, many of us are ordering online to have food delivered — as so many of us have done throughout the lockdown.
This past week, we ordered a late breakfast one morning — the usual fare of eggs, bacon, home fries and toast. What we didn’t ask for, but what was automatically included, was a free cup of coffee, wrapped in plastic and put in a paper bag, which was then added to the large plastic bag in which the entire delivery was placed. Also in that bag? 3 sugar packets, 2 creamers and a small stirring stick for the coffee we didn’t ask for; 2 of those utensil plastic packets that contain a napkin, fork, and knife; and a handful of extra napkins. Add to that the food container, and you basically have a bunch of unnecessary refuse headed straight for the wastebasket.
Takeout is a convenience. And during the crazy last 6 months, it has also proved invaluable. I understand that any order placed incurs waste — thereby making each household’s carbon footprint a bit heavier. And I wish there were a way around this, but let’s face it: the food delivery industry is here to stay, and is a billions-dollar industry.
I understand the notion of “convenience items,” and sure, it’s thoughtful for the restaurant to provide everything you might need to enjoy the meal they prepared for you. But a good portion of these “convenience items” go straight to the trash in my household — and I’m pretty sure that’s the norm for most of us. I use my own utensils, not the cheap plastic ones they throw in the bag; I don’t use chopsticks that come with Chinese food; and we keep our own store bought condiments in our fridge, so we don’t need those single-serving packets thrown in as well. It all just seems so incredibly superfluous.
That being said, I’d like to make a suggestion that should be implemented as FEDERAL LAW — a VERY easy idea that would positively impact the environment and reduce our nation’s carbon footprint. Whenever you order takeout, either via phone or internet, the penultimate page of the order should have a comprehensive list of convenience items to choose from. You can have ANY and ALL of those items if you need them — but you should be REQUIRED to ask for them. With such a law, nobody can hold the restaurant accountable if they neglect to include napkins or forks or whatever. It is ENTIRELY up to the customer to convey their needs. Want 20 napkins because you’re eating messy wings? No problem! Do you need soy sauce for your sushi? You got it! Do you require a straw for your soda? Great, it’s in the bag! Ketchup for your fries? Fantastic!
This seems like a much more environmentally friendly approach to an industry that already produces way too much waste — waste which is simply pointless, as much of this refuse goes completely unused. A tree is cut down to make a bunch of napkins, and most of these go straight to the trash without ever crossing a human hand or mouth. Such a pointless existence for that tree. But thanks for the bit of oxygen you provided before being hacked down!
So there you have it — one simple solution to the environmental catastrophe we potentially face. Don’t you all agree this is a good idea? Or am I taking crazy pills here?? 😉
Unfortunately, of course there’s gonna be a bunch of YAHOOS who have a problem with ANY law being passed that will “further encroach on their civil liberties.” And they will bicker and argue and scream and complain and say, “Who the hell are you and what right do you have to impinge on MY freedom to add to the city dump???? YOU CAN’T TAKE AWAY MY RIGHT TO TRASH!” Seriously, I guarantee this would cause outrage. Because people are stupid.
What the hell do these people have against the environment, anyway??
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
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The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 87
“A Nation Of Misogynists”
Just seen on a female friend’s facebook post:
“New pickup line for 2020 - ‘My what a beautiful mask you have! Has anyone told you that today, because I hope I’m the first!’” I guess it was unavoidable, but I’m also sure it’s been happening since day one of mask mandates. Luckily, my friend stated the guy was “charming,” so there was no ill will. However, that isn’t always the case. In fact, it rarely is.
Living in NYC, where women being harassed by men is an all-day every-day occurrence, I wasn’t surprised when I started seeing numerous posts by women saying something akin to “I hate that we have to wear masks, but at least I no longer have to deal with men telling me to smile all damn day.” That whole “telling women to smile” was one train I never boarded, and I always thought it was ridiculous. WHY must women always be smiling? I’m sure I’m not the first to ask this — literally millions of women up here beat me to it — but maybe I’m one of the first MEN to ask this question. And an important question it is, so let’s ask again: WHY MUST WOMEN ALWAYS BE SMILING?
I have always been an advocate of women. Most of my best friends over the course of my life have been women. And yes, I’m a musician so I’m “in touch with my sensitive side.” I honestly understand women more than men. I just don’t get the whole “man’s man” world we live in. It therefore irritates and angers me when I have to read my female friends’ posts about confrontational interactions they have with men simply because they weren’t smiling. Or they didn’t respond in a way that positively acknowledged a comment. Or they simply ignored them altogether.
Based on what I’ve read FROM THEM: when a man approaches a woman and the response is literally ANYTHING other than “tee hee” or “oh thanks for the compliment” or “gosh you’re just a real neat funny guy” — then the man will get angry, aggressive, and even sometimes violent in return.
WHAT is it that gives men this sense of superiority, this feeling of entitlement, that they expect a conversation or feel they deserve a response from any and all random women they approach? THINK ABOUT IT, GUYS: these women are approached by men literally dozens (if not hundreds?) of times EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. On every street corner, in subway cars, in grocery stores, in bars, at church, in the park, in the department store, in the deli — basically a woman can’t go ANYWHERE outside of her apartment without a full-on onslaught of horny aggressive men harassing them.
So, what makes YOU so special? That out of all those other men, YOU are going to be, or should be, or will be the ONE guy who finally breaks down her barriers?
FELLAS. I get it. WE’RE MEN. And we’ve been raised by a culture to always be manly. And we have hormones raging from literally the age of 13 until we die. And — AND — we are surrounded ALL THE TIME by incredibly beautiful sexy attractive pretty cute shapely provocative awesome women. It’s a “heavy cross to bear,” to be sure. And I’m sorry that you have to deal with the heavy oppression of that affliction.
That being said, it’d be one thing if the cultural norm were such that “Okay, women, be prepared. You’ll have to deal with this every day, but you can just ignore it — unless we actually win your attention or affection, in which case you can choose us!” But NO. The actual cultural norm is that if a woman ignores these advances, if she doesn’t say “thanks” to every compliment, or god(ess) forbid if she is just having a bad day and snaps back at you — THEN SHE IS A BITCH. Automatically, without hesitation, men constantly fly off the rails at women if they are unsatisfied with the response to their unwelcome advances.
I can’t say I’m surprised that this is the overall national trend right now given that our country is currently run by discriminatory misogynists with a level of arrogance and overcompensating virility unparalleled in our nation’s history. And that we might literally see a society soon transformed to look like “The Handmaid’s Tale” in the coming years. But the thing is, I’ve been reading these posts from women SINCE SOCIAL MEDIA DEBUTED.
Oh, and of all of those women I’ve been friends with? I’d say probably 90% of them opened up to me about being sexually assaulted at some point in their lives.
Let’s face it, guys. We can do better. And we need to.
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
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The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 88
“The Taliban Is Here”
I was just watching a video on facebook, in which there is a group of women standing on a street corner holding signs with the likes of “Women belong in the kitchen” printed on them, accompanied by a man spewing scripture verses through a megaphone about men being the head of the household.
Remember those photos of ISIS fighters from several years ago, driving around in pickup trucks waving flags emblazoned with Arabic phrases and prominently displaying guns? We’re now seeing that on the streets here in America, just with much bigger shinier trucks, different flags, and lighter skin color.
A few weeks ago, a 17-year old white kid followed in the footsteps of many previous trailblazers of like mind, and took an unlicensed semiautomatic weapon into a public place and ended up killing several unarmed strangers. He was hailed as a hero for this act, and conservative Christians started a fundraiser that has raised in excess of one million dollars to cover the cost of his legal fees.
Trump and apparently the entire Republican Party are now poised to ram a Supreme Court judicial nomination through the confirmation process as quickly as possible, and have chosen a woman who belongs to a Catholic “covenant community,” in which men are deemed “head of the household” and women are expected to submit to said head.
Let’s be historically honest here. This is no longer a political party. It is a loosely affiliated nationwide cult, positioning itself for a religious and racial coup de tat. We were told to be scared, because Sharia Law was going to infiltrate the highest levels of our government. Well, they were correct. It's just that it's with the Bible, not the Koran. That and a bunch of damn guns.
So, yeah. All those brown people on the other side of the world you’ve been taught to fear? They’re actually white.
And they’re here. Now.
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
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The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 89
“Don’t Believe The Hype!”
32 years ago, Public Enemy gave us this important message, one which rings true now more than ever.
Last night in Greenwich Village, NYC, there was yet another peaceful BLM protest which was completely overrun by police officers — to the point where said officers even aggressively spilled into a nearby outdoor dining area, knocking into tables and scaring customers who had nothing to do with the protest whatsoever. The protest — wholly peaceful and remaining in one location — apparently numbered only 50 or so people, but was countered with well over 100 cops.
We’ve now seen way too many videos of instances like this, and it is simply inexcusable. The “boys in blue” are supposed to “keep the peace,” but seem increasingly the instigators. Then some handpicked puppet gets on the news claiming the protestors were out of control, and got what they deserve.
But are you sure about that?
Yes, these nationwide protests often have accompanying rioters and looters. And local law enforcement, as well as the media, will tell you it was “those BLM” folks.
But are you sure about that?
More and more evidence is surfacing pointing to white supremacist groups — such as the “Proud Boys” — as complicit in these violent acts of destruction sweeping the nation. A peaceful march of hundreds simply asking for an end to police brutality against defenseless Americans is strategically followed by agents provocateurs and LITERAL NAZIS intent on starting another civil war. Then the politicians, almost seemingly following a script, will pin these acts on the protestors, without evidentiary support. Protestor = violent agitator.
But are you sure about that?
Yes, there are some REALLY ANGRY BLACK FOLKS out there. And these folks might get caught up in the melee. They are just tired of the predictable cycle of police brutality videos coming out like clockwork, so yeah, SOME of them might join in on the rioting and looting. Of course the cameras are there, catching it all on film. And then the narrative is something like “black people all over the nation are rising up and destroying private property.”
BUT ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?
Here’s the thing. And I hope this little bit of logic will go a long way in making this point. YES there are some black people out there screaming “F*** the police.” YES there are some black people throwing bricks through storefront windows. YES there are some black people setting cars on fire. But these folks are A MINUSCULE MINORITY vis-a-vis the entire movement. You can’t point your finger at a few agitators and pin their behavior on an entire movement of millions who are simply clamoring for justice.
But you know what? There are “bad apples” among the blue ranks nationwide as well. And those who are castigating BLM are often saying “Blue Lives Matter” in response, refusing to give credence to the sad, WELL DOCUMENTED truth that there are equal agitators among police ranks as well — and justifying any and all such behavior of cops through any means necessary.
What’s true for one is true for the other. The “Bad Apple Theory” CANNOT apply to only one side. Yet, the news narrative, the political spin, and highly curated subjective social media posts will tell you otherwise. And some of you have actually been fooled into thinking that literally EVERY SINGLE POLICE OFFICER is good, and that EVERY SINGLE BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTOR is bad. Time for you to wake up.
Public Enemy got it right 32 years ago. There are at least 2 sides to every story. If we’re gonna get anywhere as a country, then a lot of us need to recognize this, and try practicing a little impartiality for a change. Try opening your eyes and ears — and for the sake of all that is holy, SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN FOR A CHANGE.
By the way, just one year later, Public Enemy gave us another good piece of advice, again one that is begging to be heeded, now more than ever: FIGHT THE POWER.
Friends, this is the same message Jesus delivered. If you’re unclear on this, try reading your bible again.
It’s kind of hard to miss.
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
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The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 90
“The Finish Line”
What a marathon! 90 days straight — except for that one day where I forgot to actually post what I wrote LOL (I doubled up on posts the next day.) And a handful of “days off” when I needed to clean, so I posted older blog entries. Here’s what’s next (if you missed it, when I mentioned it last week or so).
Some of you saw my pilot episode of “David, the Irate Hippie.” This will be a companion series to accompany and augment this 90-day writing journal I’m wrapping up. My hope is to give the readings a second pass here, to reach a wider audience. So for each day of the “Idle Janie Journal” there will be a video where I address the subject matter for that day, in my own particularly idiosyncratic fashion. I have already recorded a few and sent them to a select group of friends for suggestions and constructive criticism. I’m not going to re-record those, but am taking suggestions to heart (they are a bit long!) in hopes of curating a video series that will be captivating and entertaining.
The IDEA will be to start posting these soon, and again to do so for 90 consecutive days. However, I’m not going to pressure myself with that deadline, so they will simply air when they air. Alternatively, I might also double-up and post more than 1 per day, as my ultimate goal is to then write a song for each entry. So 90 writings, 90 accompanying videos, and 90 songs on subjects ranging from politics to food to the Grateful Dead to coronavirus to alarm clocks to veterinary costs and everything in between. I’m so curious how many of you have actually followed most, if not all, of these entries!!
I’m hoping that the video series will direct more attention to the writings over which I’ve labored for so many hours — that more folks will watch the videos, laugh at me and with me, ponder what I’ve said, hopefully feel just *a bit* uncomfortable with the subject matter at hand, and then choose to read the actual written portion for further context. Then maybe they’ll share it, and heaven forbid drop something in the virtual tip jar. 😉
All of this will be my last great push to procure some kind of sustained funding or financial assistance for the WORK that I’m doing. It will be time for the higher power, the universe, the world, and this society to decide if my time should be spent writing, singing, playing, and just being an artist in general — or if punching a time clock, sitting behind a desk, and being a cog in the machine is seriously to be my lot in life.
I vote for the former, and I’m putting that out to the universe again in hopes of a favorable response.
I’ll soon be setting up a Patreon page to procure said funding. Once I have a few of these videos under my belt, maybe folks will decide to chip in so that I can reach that desired final goal of 90-90-90. Of course I won’t “stop working” at that point. And if you’ve been enjoying the written portion, fear not! I will still be writing, whenever I can find time. Those will just be uploaded to my regular blog site, and not part of “Idle Janie’s” writings. She has served me incredibly well these last three months. 🙂
For what it’s worth, I’m also in the process of posting ALL of the Janie material on that blog site — but for that site in particular, I’m also including photos from my international travels over the last few years. I’m quite pleased with my photographic eye, and have received not just a few compliments on my work in the past. So, add 90 photos to this artistic creative soup! I’m a quadruple threat! LOL
If you’d like to check out those photos (and the Janie entries) just let me know and I’ll share the link. Otherwise, I hope you all will tune in for the videos! I’m excited to sink my teeth into those, and then the songwriting portion!
Thanks for your encouragement and support, and be seeing you soon on the youtubes!
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
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