Bloggage · Life · Links · Mental health · Notions · purchases · Rant · Social Media

Decisions

This is just a small follow up from the post on the 25th of Jan – It’s time to nuke my X/Twitter accounts – I’ve two – one where I’m me and one where I’m not me and therefore a little bit more me. Yes I know that makes no sense whatsoever!  So a quick explanation – on my This Is Deirdre accounts all over the internet – there is a social circle of people I know and they know me (they think). but the thing is I have very thin skin and find ribaldry difficult.  So if I say that I like something and somebody takes the mick and makes fun of that – I’ll just never mention it again because I just don’t want to have to put up with that.  So in order for me to like what I like without have to put MY head above the parapet, I found another name and that profiles likes the things that i like without the fear of ridicule from my friends and acquaintances.  Funnily the ridicule of strangers doesn’t bother me – I just think who the hell are you – and Blocked.  So I have ME and a me in a few places. For now it’s X that’s getting targeted.  I know lots of people have deleted their accounts – well we’re all on Bluesky so a sidestep and keep moving forward – actually Bluesky (https://bsky.app) is waaay better!  I’ve kept both X accounts for different reasons – the ME account – I’m not sure why I just haven’t – I suppose it’s ’cause there are people on there that I like to follow – so yeah I’ve been reluctant – I’ve had the account for YEARS – just checked – I joined in 2009 – now in fairness I’m not a prolific user so my absence won’t make an overall difference.  I’ve had the me account since 2013 – and that was even less of a user – but this one was kept because of one single tweet I made and didn’t want to lose.   Sentimental isn’t even in it!! For the past few weeks I’ve been watching the absolute CarCrash that is America and I just can’t be part of X.  I just can’t.  Everything I’ve read has just given me anxiety – I really think that there will be boots on the ground before his 4 years are up – and the 22nd amendment will have been shredded – I hope I’m wrong – I hope I’m very very wrong.  Last night I decided it’s time – X has to go and so this morning I’ve requested my data and while I’m waiting for that to come in – I’ll go through my follow lists and see if I can find folk elsewhere.  Once my data is secured, the accounts and the apps are all going to be deleted. Like I said in the overall scheme of things it makes no difference – however it does mean that I can look myself in the eye and know that I’m taking a small stand. I’ve also downloaded all of my books from Amazon so that they are mine and not under the control of somebody else’s decisions as to what is and isn’t appropriate, what cover should be on it etc.  I think the only time I’ll be using Amazon for shopping will be to source something and go directly to the shop or the author etc to purchase.  Jeff Bezos doesn’t need my few quid (again not exactly a prolific user) but it soothes my soul.  Mind you the ebooks might be a bit of an issue – I’ll work on it. I’m also contemplating jettisoning my gmail accounts – the me & ME – so I’m investigating alternatives – for my I’m looking to go a bit more Eurocentric ’cause I’m not liking the way the Tech bros are all queuing up.  It’s making me feel a bit queasy and uneasy – so right now I’m looking at what https://european-alternatives.eu/  has to offer.  I think I don’t mind paying a minimum fee and having secured rights.  Again like I said – it’s all being looked at. Is this all a knee jerk reaction – possibly. Is it an exaggerated reaction – no I’ve long wanted to make my internet a little bit more Europe based/Europe Sponsored so it’s time – it’s the push I’ve needed.
Bloggage · Life · Mental health · Notions · Rant · Social Media

Moving Over

The past evening or two I’ve been going through the list of folk I follow on X and looking to see if they have made the jump to BlueSky. Some have and some haven’t, some even got skipped, and that it possibly the part that made me happy.
Looking at the list and the batches of people – I can tell what I was watching or what was popular at the time – it’s like strata. However I’m a polite hoarder – and while I was interested in some folk at a specific time they have moved on, as have I, and the interests diverged.  My problem is that I find it difficult to unfollow after that – not impossible though – but it just feels like I’m being mean.  I know – totally weird!
Anyway – I could say that after the latest exploits of Mr Musk, I’ve decided to jump ship, but given that I was a poor user of the app in the first place, I can only say that it’s given me a bit more impetuous to move house to BlueSky.

What I like about BlueSky is the different feeds – and the different manipulations you can have.  I have friends that repost a lot of things and some of it is outside of my interest base, so I can jump to an only posts feed that shows only the posts that they have written something in – yes it can have repost in it –  but it gives a context as to why it was reposted.  Or there’s the Mutuals feed where you see the posts of the people you follow, that follow you back.  There’s also feeds for interests that doesn’t only contain the people you follow – it is open to all in sundry, introducing you to new people, ways of thinking, opinions – helps reduce the echo chamber.

My next mission is to see who, from my FB F-list, is on BlueSky, because as with twitter I’m less and less on FB too.  I’m not mad about Meta and it kills me because I loved Instagram.  I’m a photos girl (girl – ha!  ok – photos lady) and the massive push on videos & reels is just putting me off – Why they just couldn’t develope a new app to rival TikTok – they could have used what they had as a foundation but instead they mashed out the photo aspect and it’s now all videos or selling stuff.  I’m still there ’cause I love the feed that I’ve collected.
I can’t help but feel that FB destroyed the internet (ok that might be a bit strong) While it made is accessible to all, it homogenised it – gone are the various websites – the individuality. People no longer site hop, it’s all there in their feed. I know on Livejournal we had our friends page but each journal was created to the users taste – the different templates – (the same as here on WordPress)  – your profile where you could list things you were interested in etc. Some of that is on FB but it’s not for people to find you or you to find them -it’s for companies to sell you things, to use the information – it’s not about friends it’s about profits, Metas profits. It just gives me dystopian jitters.

They know that people find it hard to step away from the familiar, to strike out on their own. It’s funny but moving to another app (no matter which or why) it really does feel akin to emigrating – you’re leaving all of your friends and family behind and you can just hope that some of them will find you again.

Bloggage · general · Home · Instagram · Life · Music · Photography · Rain · rain · Seasons · Weather

Rainy Days

This is probably a post that should be over on the blog with the photos, but I decided that this was the place I wanted it to be.

I love nothing more than a rainy day.  It’s even better if I’m sitting inside – a cup of tea in hand, cosy socks and slippers – if it’s in the cooler months, add a warm jumper or oodie – maybe watching some old film.  It all invokes that mood of being cocooned and safe.  It’s possibly part of that Hygge definition – that cosiness is highlighted against the not so cosy weather outside.

The above is the stereotypical notion of being indoors when it’s raining.  However, for me, I like to sit next to the window – if there’s a stair to be sat on that’s a double win, but I like to be next to the window to watch the rain.  Not the rain outside, but the raindrops coursing down the window.  It’s hypnotic.  It allows the mind to wander away and come back to what’s in front of you.  Watching how each trickle can distort the background, how some will join up and become larger and change the pattern it leaves behind.

I love the comfort and the solitude it invokes.

This little video/reel was recorded one evening, using the time-lapse option on my phone.  I like the increased sense of movement that you don’t always get with rain – and because it was still early evening the light outside was sill bright enough to see beyond the window.  So click on it – press play and enjoy the clip of music that it going with it.

 

Bloggage · general · Instagram · Life · Links · Notions · Social Media · Twitter

Consolidation

The internet feels as if it is changing again.  There’s things I miss about the (my) early days – I miss websites, I miss LiveJournal – when your friends page was just your friends posts, in the order they are published.  Facebook is still just a small amount of people reposting other peoples posts – there’s no personal content – there’s nothing to show you how your friends are.  I know I’m as guilty as others but I do post updates too, which seems to be a rarity.  I love Instagram, but it now all seems to be about businesses – I just want to post photos with no alternative reasons.  I fell away from Flickr but I think I will go back to it – because I take more photos than I post and I should post a bit more, so I think Flickr will start being a home for all sorts.  I like TikTok but I only watch, I don’t do tiktoks – the closest I get to it is when I hear my alarm clock at night but that’s more ticktock than tiktok.  I’m also on Twitter but I’m hearing that there are death knells in the offing.  I’ve signed up to Mastadon but haven’t actually figured it out and I’m not sure I really want to.

So that is my lament.  My other lament is the fact that I’m terrible at blogging – I am – the previous post is from Easter and it’s only a miracle that it’s Easter of this year!

I’ve renamed this blog from Comfy Corner to My Corner of the Internet and I’m going start posting here with hopefully a bit more frequency.  The reposts from Facebook, the updates, the brief updates that would be twitter, a few reposts of other peoples work on the likes of Insta & TikTok – my own photos from insta & flickr will be over on the photo blog.  I am too spread-out and it’s time to start to consolidate it all.

I’m tempted to say Stay Tuned to this station but going on my previous record, I won’t be that cruel!  However, I do hope to do better!

Cats · Home · Life · Photography · Social Media · Uncategorized

A grand cup of tea

www.facebook.com/677287782/posts/10152459424452783/

She might be gone but she’ll never be forgotten- my lovely little Pip helping herself to an unguarded mug of tea 😸

Bloggage · Celebration · Holidays · Life · Not Taken By Me · Seasons · Twitter

Stations of the Cross 8 – 14 (via Rev. Richard Coles)

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248613587058216961

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248621427860754434

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248634812971220993

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248638461751496707

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248640633167843328

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248644666955829258

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248648241345966083

 

Bloggage · Celebration · Links · Not Taken By Me · Seasons · Twitter

Stations of the Cross 1-7(via Rev. Richard Coles)

It is that time of year again when the lovely Reverend tweets his Stations of the Cross.  I have always been stunned by his choice of photos to illustrate the message.

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248506062166089731

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248518197743104001

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248531222395043845

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248535478690820097

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248563932232548353

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248583228333621250

https://twitter.com/RevRichardColes/status/1248589227920707585

 

 

 

Bloggage · Books · Friends · Life · Links · Reading · Twitter

A Little Light Reading

There have been many times, when I was in work, that I wished I could just spend the afternoon reading my book.  It seems the reading bug has bitten again – this should been seen in a celebratory light however as I’m working from home at the moment it means falling for temptation is all too easy.  This morning I spotted a tweet from a friend:-

https://twitter.com/johnreppion/status/1247302792391405569

– and he’s right!  There is something comforting in that vintage detective fiction.  In the last day or two I’ve been reading a J.Jefferson Farjeon book from the British Library Crime Classics.

The Z Murders

Sometimes he can be a bit florid in his narrative and that made it a little difficult to get into, however the chase has started, and I don’t know why, but I am thinking it might be something a long the lines of The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan – we will have to wait and see – not that, that’s a bad thing I must add.  As I’m a slow reader this will take me a while yet – but I’ll let you know how I get on…

Sadly I must return to work and the book has to be left in a different room, just so I’m not tempted to pick it up for a minute/hour or two.

J.Jefferson Farjeon Book List

John Reppion. (Who is also a good read!)

 

Bloggage · Celebration · Childhood Memories · Films · Life · Links · YouTube

Ethel & Ernest

I love the work of Raymond Briggs!  So it is with great joy and glee to read on the Ethel & Ernest blog that there is a trailer for the up and coming film by Lupus films.  October 28th is now in the diary and I can’t wait!!!!

 

(Trailer via Flickeringmyth)

Bloggage · Instagram · Links · Not Taken By Me · Photography · Social Media

4 on Instagram

Every Saturday morning I go through my instagram feed for the week, this is no small endeavour!  Here is a selection of 4 – I love the way they dress their photos and their lighting is exquisite, they make me smile 🙂

@localmilk

@silverpebble

@zynp

@permillion44

 

 

Personal blogs of the ladies above:

Zynp365
SilverPebble etsy
Local Milk
Sadly nothing for Permillion44