a thief among us. #plagiarism

Posted on 21 May 2018 by

wtfYes, I keep a stock image handy for occasions such as this…

Dear Thieving Wanker,

Seriously… what the fuck?

If you want to share a post of mine, the proper and polite thing to do is to ask if I mind if you reblog it. But even if you don’t ask first, at least use Reblog… or Press This.

DO NOT—under any circumstances—copy and paste my words and pass them off as your own.

What you stole from me wasn’t even a poem or anything like that where you wanted to pass off my creativity and talent as your own. It was a personal post! One where I was saying a heartfelt thank you to my friends… It doesn’t even make sense for you to take that as your own.

The “Thank you [list of specific names]” line was removed. The first sentence, “I have been overwhelmed by love, kindness and support over the last few days,” had the word days changed to months. Other than that, the post was identical to mine. WTF?

When things like this happen (and this isn’t the only time it’s happened to me), I lose a little more faith in humanity… and I question whether I should continue posting my personal feelings. Or anything else at all.

Thankfully, when I asked, you removed the post. But this really pissed me off. Hell, you even got a comment on the post and replied to it as though the words, thoughts, and feelings were your own! How can you steal someone’s emotions? Someone’s honest feelings? Maybe the better question is, why would you want to steal my emotions? They are generally unpleasant.

Of course, before you removed the post, I was so angry that not only did I comment asking that the post be taken down, but I also sent an email… and I notified WP. I guess I could have waited to see if the post was removed first. But I was really mad.

Kindly do not do it again. And do not do it to anyone else.

Have a nice day.

~sandra

p.s. – Is this ↓ big enough?

©2018 what sandra thinks

 

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Posted in blogging, rant, writing | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

someone. #poetry

Posted on 20 May 2018 by

I wonder
if I will ever learn
to be someone I’m not
because the someone I am
is not the someone
I need to be

 

©2018 what sandra thinks

Posted in poetry, writing | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

three days, three quotes. #3

Posted on 19 May 2018 by

Thanks to both Wit and Whimsy and Mel at Fiction In My Head for nominating me for the Three Days, Three Quotes challenge.

Here are the ‘rules‘ which I will not follow:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Post a quote for three consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
Nominate three bloggers each day.

Of course I will do the first two… but I never know who to nominate… so… maybe I’ll do one a day… and if my nominees don’t participate, that is totally fine.

Day #3
Forget the ‘superhero humor‘ theme… what I really mean is ‘Thor humor‘.

For my final day, I nominate my friend Diane. Just because…

 

♥
sandra

Posted in blogging, challenge, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

girls.

Posted on 19 May 2018 by

(not my actual girl)

Last night, my daughter called me to her room where she had been crying for at least an hour. I sat with her and she told me what was going on.

There is so much friend drama. And it goes back and forth and continues tonight.

One of her friends was mad at her… no idea why. She couldn’t get an answer. This is a girl (C) who calls my kid all the time. They are on the phone constantly… even in the mornings before school. My daughter has slept over at C’s house for, like, five of the last six Fridays.

C ignored my girl at school yesterday… and didn’t call at all. This morning… back to calling again… today at school, no problem. She told my kid that she couldn’t have anyone over today. Tonight, god knows what happened on the phone with calls and group chats and whatever the hell 10 year olds do… but my daughter is certain that at least one girl is sleeping over at C’s house. Maybe even two… the second one possibly being a girl who was just talking to my daughter earlier about what a jerk C has been lately.

My daughter said, ‘I guess I wasn’t mean to have friends.‘ And she cried. She’s upset and angry and sad and annoyed… all of those things.

Both last night and again tonight, I sat with her… hugged her… listened to her talk and cry. I told her of course she has friends. I said everything will be okay… it will blow over. Of course, I really have no idea. I hope I wasn’t lying.

I know she’s my girl, but I’m not just being her mom when I say that she is the sweetest kid. She is so nice to everyone… even those she doesn’t like… even those who aren’t nice to her. I honestly cannot imagine what reason C (or anyone) could have to be mad at her. God, even though my own two kids fight, she is very sweet to her brother at least 90% of the time… even when he probably doesn’t deserve it! (Don’t get me wrong… he’s sweet, too, but he’s a 13 year old boy who often has a low tolerance for his 10 year old sister.)

Even with me… if my girl so much as senses that I am upset about something, she is right there with a smile and a hug. She always wants to help… to make people happy.

I’m sad for her. It breaks my heart. And there’s nothing I can do.

I can’t fix this for her. I know it’s not mine to fix, but seeing her so sad is killing me. I barely made it without crying myself. Man, I do not have the emotional capacity for motherhood. I never thought about situations like this one when I decided to have children.

She’s only 10. This is going to get worse when she’s, like, fifteen, isn’t it?

Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.

 

©2018 what sandra thinks

Posted in anxiety, life, writing | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

three days, three quotes. #2

Posted on 18 May 2018 by

Thanks to both Wit and Whimsy and Mel at Fiction In My Head for nominating me for the Three Days, Three Quotes challenge.

Here are the ‘rules‘ which I will not follow:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Post a quote for three consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
Nominate three bloggers each day.

Of course I will do the first two… but I never know who to nominate… so… maybe I’ll do one a day… and if my nominees don’t participate, that is totally fine.

Day #2
I guess I’m going with a superhero humor theme with these quotes. Oh hell, you know I’m definitely not going to go with inspirational. *shudder*

Speaking of inspirational, against my better judgement, I’m going to nominate sonofabeach. He’ll probably post sunshine and rainbows. *wink*

 

♥
sandra

Posted in blogging, challenge, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

thanks and smiles and tears.

Posted on 18 May 2018 by

I have been overwhelmed by love, kindness and support over the last few days. It’s been kind of a long-distance intervention. No one called it that… just me. And I’m most definitely not saying that’s a bad thing… quite the opposite. Totally the opposite. It is something I needed. And I wouldn’t have gotten it without my friends.

I have tried my best to express my gratitude… to share my feelings about everything others have said to me. I’m not sure I’ve been able to do that as well as I would have liked because I can’t seem to find the right words. I’ve laughed and cried and just felt a lot of love. I have friends here. Good ones. Great ones. But I don’t think I ever truly knew (or accepted?) how they feel about me… how much they care about me… how they see me, even when I’m not looking. I know now… and I accept.

Thank you Catherine, Meg, Diane, Tony, Marquessa, Rob, Jayden, Suze.

I spend a lot of time worrying about driving people away. I post about my emotions, my fears, my worries often (well, lately it’s been often), and I always wonder when it’s going to be too much. When are you going to give up on me? After what you’ve shared with me this week, I think maybe you’re not going to give up on me. But I still worry about being a burden… about taking advantage of you. But I have some incredible friends who ‘put up with me‘ (I’ll never know how)… they try to help even when it’s impossible… and they always listen. It beats feeling buried all alone.

I want to believe everything my friends have said about me. I admit, though, that I’m having a hard time with it. What happens is this: If I’m so great, why is my life such a mess? Why can’t I take action? Why can’t I help myself? I hear it all the time… if things suck, change them. Do something. Go for what you want. Make it happen. Why do I not know how to do that? Where is my motivation? Where do I get it? Where do I find strength?

I was so smart. I still am. Everyone would always tell me that I was going to do great things… be successful… have this amazing life. But I don’t. Most of my life just kind of happened by accident. I think my downfall was not knowing what I wanted. I still don’t know.

Sure, I can say that I want to have enough money so I don’t have to ever stress about it again. I can say that I want to be madly in love and have someone madly in love with me. I can say that I want to be confident… to love myself… to feel happiness. But what does all of that mean? I just want a hot man who loves and wants me while I sit around on the beach with piles of money and a smile on my face? I need something for me. And I think I’d be a better person if I had that. But what is it? I don’t know. I have never known.

—

It has taken me a long time to write this post. And part of me is afraid to put it out there. Maybe I’m still overwhelmed. But I want you to know that I heard you. I really did. I cried over all the love you’ve shown me. And I cried over my fear that I will fail all of you. I don’t want to say the wrong thing. After everything wonderful everyone said to me and about me, I feel loved… supported… and afraid.

You made me see that there are things about me that people truly like… that I have friends who truly care and wish wonderful things for me. I’m not all alone even when I feel like I am. It helped me. I don’t want you to think it was all for nothing. Hell, I don’t even think I’ve figured out how to thank you enough for such a beautiful gesture.

But I worry. Of course I do. This is me. I am trying so hard… I’ve gone back to read your words when I start to feel down. And it helps again and again. But still, I worry. If I’m not better… if I don’t do better, will you think it was all for nothing? Will you be disappointed in me?

 

♥ much love
sandra

©2018 what sandra thinks

Posted in anxiety, life, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 53 Comments

three days, three quotes. #1

Posted on 17 May 2018 by

I’m trying to write a post (not this one) but I’m having a hard time with it. But I wanted to post something… so… I thought I’d do this… 

• • •

I was nominated by both Wit and Whimsy and Mel at Fiction In My Head for the Three Days, Three Quotes challenge. Thanks to both of you for thinking of me.

Here are the ‘rules‘ which I will not follow:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Post a quote for three consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
Nominate three bloggers each day.

Of course I will do the first two… but I never know who to nominate… so… maybe I’ll do one a day… and if my nominees don’t participate, that is totally fine.

And here it is… my brilliantly inspiring quote:

I shall nominate my dear friend Cyranny… because she is awesome.

 

♥
sandra

Posted in blogging, challenge, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 23 Comments

#1minfiction | be cool.

Posted on 16 May 2018 by

“Oh… look at him…”

“I know. Have you ever seen anyone so perfect?”

“It’s almost painful to watch him.”

“He probably sees us staring at him.”

“I wonder if he knows we’re talking about him, too.”

“I’m thinking yes…”

“Damn! Me, too… he’s coming this way.”

“Oh no. Be cool… be cool!”

 

©2018 what sandra thinks

divider dots. red.

This week’s One-Minute Fiction prompt is ‘be cool.’ 

You can find the details at Lovely Curses.

 

 

 

Posted in fiction, minifiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 53 Comments