Month: January 2024

Hi there, my dearest friends! Welcome back!

As I stated at the end of my last post, if horoscopes are your bag, then this is the post for you.

If you study the movement of the planets or know anything about planets being in certain signs, then you know that Uranus has been in Taurus since 2018, and will remain there until 2026. 

I won’t give a breakdown of what to expect in each sign. However, I will leave that at the end, along with other sources. 

So. Let’s get this planetary party started! 

In a nutshell, “when Uranus is in Taurus. Taurus is a sign that likes things steady and stable, and isn’t the best at handling big, sudden changes … but big, sudden changes are what Uranus is all about! Taurus would prefer to stick to the status quo and keep doing things the way they’ve always been done.”

In other words, Uranus is known for change and upheaval and even revolution; whereas Taurus, which is ruled by Venus, is more about wealth, money, comfort, and stability. And any Taurus worth their salt will tell you just how much we HATE, LOATHE, and DESPISE change! We LOVE our routines and our creature comforts. ♉

The last time Uranus was in Taurus was well… gulp… from 1935 to 1942. Now, gee. What was going on during this time? I couldn’t imagine. 🤔

And if you really don’t know, then let me help you out.

From 1935 to 1942, we saw the rise of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. We were also witness to the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II, and lots and lots of invasions. Well, I wasn’t, but you catch my drift. 😂🤣

So, needless to say, these were pretty dramatic times. 

Breaking Down the last time Uranus was in Taurus!

In 1935, the United States was essentially still in the middle of the Great Depression.

Around the world, we saw countries invade other countries: 

Italy invaded Ethiopia. 

Britain invaded Ethiopia. 

Germany invaded Poland. 

Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. 

Germany was just downright mean back then.

Sadly, the Jews in Europe were persecuted. Millions of Jews died during the Holocaust, which began in 1941.  

Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which brought the United States into World War II, as if we didn’t have enough problems at this point.

So, the last time Uranus was in Taurus was a hot mess, needless to say. 

And it isn’t like it’s a big bowl of vodka-filled cherries now.

Let’s make some comparisons: 

1935 – the rise of Hitler versus now - the rise of a certain lying, cheating, insurrectionist, racist, rapist criminal. 

1935 – Great Depression versus now – well, it would actually appear that the economy overall isn’t doing too badly. And the markets seem to be holding steady, as far as I can tell. By all means, correct me if not. From what I understand, the Fed has cut interest rates, which is a good thing. The only thing of concern would be if certain stocks took a meteoric rise, leaving others behind, that may not be so good.

1941 – the U.S. is literally bombed into World War II versus now – Russia has been at “war” with Ukraine for nearly the past two years. And there are whispers of war between the U.S. and Russia and/or China.

For me, the most chilling part is the Rise of Hitler versus the rise of that “thing” since 2015/16. That to me is the most scary and sinister part of all of this. Not to mention, the horrific rise of the MAGA Republicunt Party. Yeah. I said it. This is MY blog post, and I’ll say what I wish. So, there! 

That orange asshat has already stated that on Day One of his “presidency,” he’s going to be a dictator. The things that he has espoused are disturbing and frightening, just like Hitler. 

The polarization in the U.S. and yes, around the world, too, is indeed alarming. And it has been the highlight since 2016 and it has definitely gathered steam, imo, since 2018 when Uranus went back into Taurus, again for the first time since 1935.

The question is in the coming years, will what happened in Nazi Germany to the Jews happen to those of us who are marginalized ? 

Will there be another Great Depression? 

Are we looking at more wars? And specifically, will there finally be the dreaded World War III?

Should we worry?

I try to not get into the worry territory as much as I used to, so I will say no. HOWEVER, I will say this: Be careful. and watchful and as they say, stay vigilant. 

So, let’s keep our chins up with some potential positives of this astrological transit.

• Major technological expansion in banking, such as cryptocurrency advances, and in online banking.
• The rise of more innovation in food solutions and sources, such as in – wait for it – AI robot packing and even drones shipping food, community gardens, hydroponics, and “instant” foods.
• Creative downsizing in housing, portable housing, and time-shared spaces.
• And the biggie, imo, technological advances! I mean, isn’t that what the future is supposed to be about? There could be increased automation and, again, AI-robot technologies will perhaps be front and center.
• And one we should all hope for – and that’s affordable clean and renewable energy!

So, in summation, is this really a good thing or will it turn out to be somewhat of a disaster like the last time? Time will tell. I think if we keep our collective heads and VOTE, then we will be all right. And also, be prepared for change, but make sure it is a positive one that will help all of us and not something horrific that will hurt us.

And by all means, don’t continue to allow our governments and politicians to lead us down a path we do not want! 

Thank you. That is all.

Before you exit this post, I welcome you to join me over at my Derek Store, by clicking on the banner below. Thanks! 

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That’s it for now. But please join me next week when I tackle GRUDGES!!!! You definitely won’t wanna miss that. So, in the meantime, take care and, as always, please be mentally well!! 

Sources:

Uranus in Taurus

DEREK’S DISCLAIMER:  I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals.  These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance.  Thanking you in advance!

I do not own the copyright to any songs or videos listed here. 

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:  There are products on this page.  By clicking on the links, you will be redirected to that page at no cost to you.  However, I will receive compensation if you purchase something (which I hope you do 😊).

Hello, all of my dear friends and readers! I hope all of you are doing well in 2024 thus far!

Alonely?? What the hell does that mean? Well, it’s a combo of Alone + Lonely. And I came up with the word to signify that just because one is single and “alone” doesn’t mean that you are lonely.

In other words, to quote one of my dear friends, “You don’t need a man!” Or woman if you’re a hetero male, lesbian or bi. 😁😂🌈🌈🌈

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, you know all of the attention is going to be on couples. Yawn. 

I made a bold statement in one of my blog posts at the end of 2023:

Society says you’re not complete unless you have someone. After all, people congratulate you for being coupled, yet they do not congratulate you for being single and being able to stand on your own. They think being alone signifies weakness and that NOBODY wants you. However, if you are coupled, married, partnered, etc. you must truly be something special. 

Please click on the banner below to read the full article. And yes, it is about me chasing men throughout my gay career. You can also access Parts 2 and 3 within this post in the dropdowns from Blog Posts from 2023.

The Derek Chase – Part 3

At any rate, as the saying goes, just because I am single and alone, doesn’t mean I am lonely. I first heard that wayyyyyy back in the day during an episode of Good Times, where Florida and Thelma were trying to fix Willona up, because they thought that since she was not married (any longer), that she must be in need of a MAN!! 🤣

That is when Willona uttered the line, “just because I’m alone, doesn’t mean I’m lonely,” which sort of stuck with me all these years. Too bad I didn’t pay much attention to it, as it would have saved me a lot of grief and heartache.

You know that society tells you and pounds into your head that we are sexual creatures and that we were built to be mated and coupled and shacked up and shit. However, if it doesn’t happen or hasn’t happened YET or what have you, people look at you strange. They regard you as not good enough. Or perhaps you regard yourself that way, because you know the couples are having a bloody good time loving each other and being… coupled. I’m being sarcastic. 😉😂

There is NOTHING wrong with being single. And there is NOTHING wrong with you if you are still single. It has taken me all these YEARS to realize that I am still a wonderful being, an OUTSTANDING creation on my own. That the idea of someone “completing me” is sort of ridiculous. I feel complete as Derek!!

And I will not disagree that it would be fun to have a partner. But I am no longer holding my breath. At 56 years young, I am enjoying my life as is. Believe me, I have plenty to do and to accomplish. 

I am really starting to dig being single. Being surrounded by so many couples (and of course having it thrown in your face constantly on social media), I can say I truly appreciate being on my own. I LOVE not having to answer to anyone else. Not having to be responsible for anyone else. Not having to worry about or take care of someone else. It is actually quite freeing.

And nope. I don’t see any downsides of being single. If you are talking about having a companion to accompany you to places, bitch, I have been taking myself to the movies, restaurants, and on vacations, et al since my 20s!!! Heck, I took myself to Europe back in May of 2022 for my birthday!!! 

I am not saying I’m against being coupled. If it happens, it happens. However, I am no longer waiting/pursuing it. 

Ooooooo watch out, Derek! Because they say that is when “it” happens. You find the one when you’re not looking or least expect it. Well, he ain’t showed up yet! 😁😂😂 Not to my knowledge anyway. And I ain’t changing who I am and how I am or my behavior. I am super focused on MY life and MY healing and MY career. 

Going back to the meat of the post, about not being lonely, that’s another thing, I am surrounded by people. I go out and I am ALWAYS going to see people I know. I connect with people on social media. I connect with friends via texting. I constantly speak with my mother and aunt.

But Derek, it’s not the same as, you know, a MAN!!! I know, but I am so used to it that it doesn’t bother me anymore. It is what it is. And again, I am SUPER BUSY with Derek stuff. 

Besides, I get plenty – and I do mean – PLENTY of attention from MEN!!!!!  

And that is it for today. 

Before you check out, please stop by my online store, The Derek Store! 

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Please come back next week when I delve into Uranus being in Taurus, and what that really means. So, if you are into horoscopes, then this is the post for you! Until then, please be safe and mentally well! 

DEREK’S DISCLAIMER:  I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals.  These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance.  Thanking you in advance!

I do not own the copyright to any songs or videos listed here. 

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:  There are products on this page.  By clicking on the links, you will be redirected to that page at no cost to you.  However, I will receive compensation if you purchase something (which I hope you do 😊).

Welcome back, my fellow fighting-the-good-fight-to-stay sane friends! 😁

As promised from last week’s post, which you can click on the banner below, I decided to write about healing our childhoods. 

The previous post was about how being an adult can really suck, but I also included ways to recapture your childhood. 

Being an Adult (Really SUCKS)!

This week is the healing. 

If you feel that you don’t need to heal your childhood or even think it’s possible, and/or your childhood was hunky dory and a slice of 24/7 heaven, then by all means disregard this post. 😉

However, there are still many of us with ghosts, slights and hurts from our past. And I don’t EVER want to hear ‘oh just get over it!’ Or ‘let it go!’ Or ‘that was in the past.’ That is NOT helpful, and much easier said than done. 

What a lot of people don’t realize is that you can still carry your childhood into adulthood. And this time I am not talking about recapturing the positives from that era. I am talking about the negative stuff that may still be buried underneath.

I don’t want this to turn into a “let’s blame everything on our childhood and/or mothers/fathers” kind of post. This is intended for clarity and understanding and of course, healing. 

Underlying Fear and Anxiety

Perhaps the reason so many of us are so fearful today, as well as filled with anxiety, can be attributed to our childhoods. (And not just the political climate or the bad news we hear on TV.)

If you were raised by parents/caregivers who raised their voices a lot and/or shouted, whether it was at you or in general, maybe you grew up feeling anxious whenever someone raised their voice. Maybe it makes you feel nervous and fills you with dread.

Perhaps you were raised with a doom and gloom caregiver, like I was. I love my grandmother Costella Julia Ward to death. BUT she was filled with such anxiety and dread, she kinda passed that on to me. When I was a child, I literally couldn’t be outside playing two feet away from the house when she would come outside and yell for me. 

“Derek, where are you??? Stay where someone can see you!!” 

Heck, her voice was so powerful, a lot of times she yelled from inside the house, and I could still hear her!! 🤣

My point is that sort of anxiety came along with me into my adulthood, and I am just now realizing it and doing something about.

The Low Self-Esteem

The constant nitpicking by your caregivers.

The whole “you’ll never amount to anything!” Or in my case, this is what I heard from my grandfather “you’re going to grow up to be sorry.”

All the “teasing,” which to a little kid can be belittling. 

Comparing siblings. A parent/caregiver should. NEVER. DO. THAT!!!

All of the above can leave a child feeling worthless and give them such extreme low self-esteem, that it is very possible they may grow up to make some pretty horrendous choices when it comes to friendships, relationships, etc.

Codependency

Oh Lord another biggie. Codependency is when you become emotionally attached to a partner for ALL of your needs. Webster says this is related to a person you become attached to who needs support because of illness or addiction. HOWEVER, I believe this can apply to just about any circumstance. 

I have certainly been codependent in my relationships, especially with regard to friendships. In these one-sided friendships, I was like the sidekick, the 2nd wheel, the Stan Laurel to someone’s Oliver Hardy. The Barney Rubble to someone’s Fred Flintstone. It was sickening. 

Of course, if you were raised by alcoholic and/or drug-addicted parents, the codependency might certainly be even stronger. 

In other words, you need to be the saviour in the relationship. 

Feelings of guilt

How many of you grew up with parents or caregivers who made you feel guilty about every little thing? Yes, the whole cliche/stereotype of the Jewish/Italian mothers making their children feel guilty, especially in adulthood. 

You know it definitely works in childhood, too. 

You had better do such and such or ELSE, basically. And of course when you drag God into it, watch out.

“God’ll shorten your days for being disobedient!” Okay, that is also fear. That certainly can make a child feel guilty, and of course, scared.

And with along with guilt typically comes his brother shame. Shaming children is most certainly an “effective” way for parents and caregivers to get their children’s attention, and to attempt to correct behaviors. But in the end, all it does it cause adults who were shamed as children, to feel shame as adults. 

Having your voice silenced!!!

“Shut up!” 

I was told that constantly growing up, especially when it was perceived that I was “talking back.” And I know a lot of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Oh, sperm donor, er my father STILL tries it. Except he tries that shit with EVERYONE in our immediate family. 

“Let me finish.” 

No, bruh, we aren’t even going to let you get started. 

Needs not being met – particularly emotional needs.

I pretty much got everything I wanted as a child. However, when it came to emotional needs, I don’t think so. I can guarantee you that all the above I have talked about thus far, pertains to me, too. 

No one in my household talked to me; they talked DOWN to me. I was yelled at. I was told off, essentially. I was told I was worthless. No one really took the time to talk to me about life, about how I was doing, what I was feeling. No one took the time to discuss with me my goals and dreams for my future. These are so damn important when you are raising a child! 

The People Pleasing

‘Let me say and do the right thing so I can make everyone happy.’

‘I had better not make waves or I will not be liked or even fired,’ if we’re talking about a job. 

‘I’d better keep my mouth shut about something that is truly bothering me, or I’ll lose this person.’ Yep. Going back to having your voice silenced. 

This probably comes from childhood where you tried your level best to not make waves or not make your parents angry, etc. Walking on eggshells, so to speak to KEEP THE PEACE. I did it in relationships and friendships, too. 

And quite frankly, I am sick and tired of trying to keep the doggone peace at my old age! 

Disappointments

Being disappointed hurts, no matter what age you are. However, to a child, a disappointment can have much more devastating effects. We have all been disappointed by something or someone. It is going to happen. And in my opinion, the disappointment comes in the form of some sort of expectation that is not fulfilled. But again, what if it happens and you are a child? And it happens constantly?

I think it goes back to what we have discussed thus far from the above list. I believe it really hits you in the self-esteem department. And if you grow up with numerous disappointments, then as an adult, you expect the same. ”Why should I expect any different? It’s just going to be the same old thing. I am not going to get what I want.”   

So. I have painted a pretty horrid description of what your childhood could have been, I mean other than the fun stuff. And I understand that adults have their own issues to deal with. And if you have to raise children, then suddenly there is this kid with all its needs. Oh boy! 

My grandmother had to deal with the fact that my grandfather cheated on her left and right, and sired outside children as a result. And some other pretty horrible stuff that he put her through. So, having to raise me was indeed an extra burden, since she had already raised her own children.

But the “damage” has been done so to speak. And the next step is recognizing all the above, all the patterns and underlying feelings you brought with you from childhood. 

Let’s Start the Healing

I am healing my childhood by first of all actually remembering what it was like in my household. I am not angry about it. I am remaining detached from it as I relive certain events. It is almost as if I am watching a TV show, or one of my soap operas. 📺📺📺

I try not to get angry, though in my dreams I sometimes get pretty angry when I see some of them, meaning my grandparents and aunt who raised me. And I think it is residual anger from that time. I don’t feel the anger consciously. 

The next thing I do is not offer excuses – you know, the whole “they did the best they could” kind of thing. I don’t think that’s actually very helpful, whereas forgiveness is. However, I do recognize that there were certain circumstances in my household that had NOTHING to do with me, such as my grandfather’s affairs, which kept the household rather tense. However, I still was hurt.

Which brings me to another point, acknowledge that hurt. Admit to yourself such and such and this and that hurt you. And take it a step further, and say it caused me to feel this way later in life. Or to behave this way. 

I also tell myself that I am NOT my past or my childhood. I am not the negative stuff that occurred. I am not the pain. I am not the negative feelings I may feel now. 

And that’s just it: They are FEELINGS! It is okay to feel how you feel. It doesn’t define who YOU are!!!!

And as I discussed in last week’s blog post, I recapture the POSITIVE and HAPPY parts of my childhood, which are MANY and outweigh the horrible stuff. 

And this is very important: I separate the “okay, I know I did something wrong in my childhood where I deserved to be punished” versus the being yelled at and belittled for no reason. And being able to discern and recognize the difference. 

In summation, I realize I only scratched the surface covering some of the (potential) negatives from childhood, as there is so much that can definitely affect us as children. 

I think one of the most important things to realize in healing the child within is to love yourself. I know. The cliched love yourself first thingy. Hey, it’s true, though. 

Take charge of your life and know and understand that as an adult, you can now speak up for yourself and advocate for yourself. You don’t owe anyone anything; however, you owe yourself all the love and support possible.  

Well, now before you skiddaddle, please check out my online store!!! 

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That’s it for today. Thank you for keeping up with me. I greatly appreciate it. Come back next week when I talk about how being single doesn’t mean you’re lonely. In the meantime, please stay safe and be mentally well! 

P.S. click on the sources below as they really give some valuable insight on how to heal your inner child. 

Source:

DEREK’S DISCLAIMER:  I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals.  These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance.  Thanking you in advance!

I do not own the copyright to any songs or videos listed here. 

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:  There are products on this page.  By clicking on the links, you will be redirected to that page at no cost to you.  However, I will receive compensation if you purchase something (which I hope you do 😊).

Hello all! And Happy New Year 2024!! Or as I like to say HAPPY NEW QUEER!!!! 🌈🌈🌈❤️❤️😂

I do hope that it is going well for all of you, thus far.

This will not be a New Year’s post as I’ve done in the past. This post is diving into being an adult, as the post suggests. But even more than that, I am going to discuss bringing back our childhoods. That’s right. Because you can, you know.

I know you’re all saying, “but wait a minute, Derek. You cannot go back in time to your childhood, like there is some sort of time machine.” 

And you would be correct about that. How I wish we could time travel. Perhaps one day. However, although you cannot do it via time travel or in your physical body, you can in your mind, heart and soul. 

Let me go back to the title of this post and reiterate how much it can REALLY and TRULY suck being an adult. 

The bills you have to pay.

The responsibilities, ESPECIALLY if you are a parent.

Trying to make ends meet.

Having a job.

LOOKING for a job – so you can be a responsible adult who pays those horrible bills, takes care of their children, and trying to make ends meet.

Paying those HORRID taxes!

Paying rent.

Buying these expensive-ass groceries. 

Keeping up with your car payment.

Keeping up with car repairs!!!!

Maintaining the overall care of your car.

The expensive gas that goes into your car!!

You get the picture.

And you are probably depressed right about now. 

But wait! Then there’s … DEATH.

Over the years, how many times have we seen our childhood icons pass away before our very eyes. And I don’t know about you, but with the passing of each and every actor, actress or musician or just public figures associated with my childhood, I say that another part of my childhood has just died, too.

Sadly, you watch as your parents and caregivers pass away, which can be extremely hard for many of us. 

Of course nothing or no one lasts forever, and the (quickly) passing time shows us that. And it also shows us that all of us are indeed mortals and will not be here forever. And that we are all getting old and one day we will all… well. You know.

Okay. Now, I am sure you are all TRULY depressed at this moment! 

Because it SUCKS to grow up and get old and pass away. 

But how come you can’t get some of that past back? Those Golden Years? Those fun times as a kid?

How do we know it is not actually good for our mental health? 

Let me address the whole ‘you can’t live in the past’ BS. Hell, you can do whatever you want to, as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody, particularly yourself.

Returning to one’s childhood is different for different people. 

Perhaps it is running and playing in the rain. (I hate rain, so that wouldn’t be me.) Tee hee

Or maybe it is playing board games.

Maybe it is playing other childhood games like Red Rover or Hide ‘n’ Go Seek, fun outdoor games like that.

Skateboarding, which is now rollerblading or bike riding, which by the way adults still do!  

You see, children love to PLAY! And be loud and free. We, as adults, “grow” out of that and/or grow up, which we adults SHOULD grow up. But we lose our spontaneity and freedom and imagination. We inhibit ourselves. We now realize that the whole world is watching us and is expecting us to be grown up and have all the answers. To be almost perfect. And to definitely be responsible, but again, we lose that spontaneity. 

We also lose that wonder and amazement about our world and surroundings. For example, a drive to the grocery store is automatic, boring and mundane. A chore, bore and snore. Something we HAVE to do. However, why not take the time to REALLY look at your surroundings on that trip to the store? Forget about traffic. Forget about what you need to pick up from the store. Forget about the potential crowds at the store. Forget about the bills and responsibilities, for once. And just be. Take a really good look at your neighborhood as if you are seeing it for the first time.

And while you’re at the store, take a good look at that, too! Have fun with it. Make it a game! 

I see why people get pets. Talk about a childlike wonder in watching your pet grow and playing with your pet, even with all of the responsibility (and cost) of caring for one. I want another dog SO badly, by the way.

Diet!! Oh boy, we are all so OBSESSED with eating “right.” Eating our vegetables, losing weight, cutting certain foods from our diet, etc. Well, how about for once just eating like a child? I am not suggesting doing this all the time, but every now and then take a break from your normal eating routine and eat that candy or potato chips or chicken nuggets. Whatever you ate as a child. And of course, some of us already do this. 🤣

But perhaps take a break from the “adult” eating and indulge. Or as some people call it, their “cheat day.” 

What is Derek doing to recapture his childhood/youth???  

One way I have been doing this is through MUSIC!!

By now, you all should know how much music means to me. Whether it is music I listen to or music I can literally play myself on an instrument, music has always and WILL ALWAYS be extremely important to me. 

We will start with the music I listen to.

Girl!!! It’s all about the 70s and 80s and yes, the 90s, too. But if we are talking childhood, then that would be more 70s and 80s. And if you REALLY know me, I absolutely CANNOT stand the music of today. Or a lot of the artists. YECK! They. Are. HORRIBLE! I don’t care how many people worship them. And I will not name names. But let’s just say that I do not worship at their alter. Now, I do have a few exceptions, very few. But to me, there’s nothing like music from the 70s and 80s.

With regard to that Golden Era of musique, I am not the only one who feels that way. 

After all, if you are a Gen Xer like moi, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about, because we were lucky, blessed, privileged – all the positive things – to have grown up with the music we did!!!

Moving on to the music I play on my instruments. 

Once again, if you really know me, then you know I can play several musical instruments. My main ones are the trumpet, which I started on; the clarinet (mine is broken now and I MUST get it repaired!!!); the flute; and the alto saxophone. 

And I still have SCORES and SCORES (pun intended) of sheet music from my past, especially when I was in junior high, high school and college. And yes, I do pick up my trumpet every now and then and relive the good old days of playing in bands of the glorious past! 

Christmastime finds me playing the greats of my previous band era, particularly when I was in low school. (High school)! LOLOL

Next up: NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS!!

I did an entire post on this back in 2021. 

THE RETURN OF THE NANCY DREW AND HARDY BOYS MYSTERY STORIES!!!

It think it was during the pandemic starting in 2020, that I returned to my love of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. When I was a child of the 70s, I devoured the series, starting from the very first one of both. And by the time my brother came along in ’78, my parents were going to Toys ‘r’ Us to get his Pampers. 

And while they were purchasing his Pampers, I would always saunter over to the book section and browse the wonderful mystery series. And they basically had the ENTIRE series, which at that time, went up to about 54 or 55. And I began purchasing and collecting each and every one of them.

It wasn’t long before I had amassed quite a stack of them, hell a whole bookshelf’s worth! 

And when I wasn’t buying them in Washington, D.C., I would go to the Anson County Public Library and check them out!

I was OBSESSED!!

Then the TV series came out in 1977, starring Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy, and Parker Stevenson as Frank Hardy, and Shaun Cassidy as Joe Hardy. I was THRILLED!!!!

Returning to them in 2020, I started reordering them, picking up where I left off in the late 50s. I took about a year break from ordering and reading them. And I have restarted recently. I am now well into the mid 80s!! And there are over 120 of them in all!

I cannot talk about Nancy and the boys without bringing up the Three Stooges. 

Again, you can thank the pandemic of 2020 for restarting this one. I started rewatching on YouTube, and remembered how HIGH-LARIOUS they were/are!!! 

The next thing I knew I was gorging the ENTIRE series again, like a child. But it didn’t stop there. Because YouTube kept snatching them away (licensing, I suppose), I decided to order the entire series on DVD. So, big FU to YouTube!! 

So, I can watch whenever I want. And after putting the series back up on YouTube and it was up for a while, they have now snatched it again! Thank Goddess for my DVD’s! 

The Stooges have gotten me through dark times during this pandemic and beyond. Heck, they’re on in the background now!! Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk! 🤣😂😂😂

And fortunately, MeTV shows two hours of Stooges on Saturdays, starting at 6 p.m.! 

I have also discovered I am not the only Stooge fan. Several of my friends are, too. There is a fansite on Facebook that I am a member of, and there are so many fans there of ALL ages! People in their 60s and 70s (and I’m sure beyond) admit to their love of the Stooges and how they STILL watch!

When I was a young’un, I focused on the crazy antics of Curly, and Moe’s bossiness, and Shemp’s silliness. However, these days, I’m a Larry Fine fan. Rewatching now, I see just how funny he really was. And, once again, others agree. Other fans are rewatching Larry and developing a whole new appreciation for the “Stooge in the middle.”

I cannot continue this post without giving honorable mention to my love of One Life to Live, which I was introduced to in my childhood. Actually, soap operas in general were introduced to me – by my grandmother Costella, of course – during my childhood.

It really started with Days of Our Lives and Another World, and then I began focusing and gorging myself on All My Children and General Hospital. Then I began paying attention to One Life to Live at the height of the Viki/Niki stuff in 1985! And I have been re-hooked ever since. 

I did a blog post on the soaps recently. See the link below:

The Art of the Soap Opera. Trash or Revolutionary???

In summation, I must say that with all the tumult and tragedy going on in the world, with the CONSTANT wars and us being forced to take sides, and the economy and rising gas and food prices, and POLITICS, which has become rather sickening, as well as the ENDLESS mass shootings that NO ONE seems to be really doing anything about – I can see why I am now returning to my childhood. It is just safer. 

The 70s and 80s TV!!! HELLO!!!!!! So MANY iconic TV shows, too numerous to even mention!! (I STILL pretend I’m bionic, and I STILL think of myself as one of the Angels!!! And I DEFINITELY STILL SPIN LIKE WONDER WOMAN!!!!) 🤣🤣🤣 Let’s face it, the television shows and music of yesteryear were GOLDEN, CREATIVE, AUTHENTIC, MEMORABLE, AND ICONIC!

The shit of today, not so much. 

And I gain SO MUCH from reliving my childhood! I am happier and at peace, even if being an adult overall still really SUCKS!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Before you leave, PLEASE check out My Derek Store. You never know what you’ll find. 😉

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That’s it for today. And since we have been talking about revisiting our childhood, please come back next week when we delve into HEALING our childhood! So, stay tuned! Until then, please be safe and mentally well! 

DEREK’S DISCLAIMER:  I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals.  These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance.  Thanking you in advance!

I do not own the copyright to any songs or videos listed here. 

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:  There are products on this page.  By clicking on the links, you will be redirected to that page at no cost to you.  However, I will receive compensation if you purchase something (which I hope you do 😊).