http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo Mon, 09 Nov 2026 15:05:18 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/1973/my-prolonged-absence-from-nt http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/1973
Learning of Dowser's death, today, jerked me back to some sort of "reality." By that, I mean that I have pretty much avoided "social media" since dumping Facebook over a year ago. More than that, however, I should probably explain that I have another "excuse." That excuse is that I have been busy and extremely preoccupied with health concerns, both my own and my partner's, a dear soul you knew on the Vine as "RV" ("Remote Viewer").  Health wise, I'm hanging together. I have chronic A-Fib (irregular heartbeat), and have had it non-stop for one year and 40 days. I've done some research on the condition, and there are others who have had it for ten years or longer. The condition hasn't kept me from doing anything. In fact, it has encouraged me to aim for better fitness. I exercise regularly, watch my diet, maintain a healthy weight, and do whatever I feel like doing. So, while the whole fitness routine can be time-consuming, it has had good results.
Earlier this year, my partner, RV, learned she has Parkinson's Disease. That is really a scary condition, but when I realized that people can live with it for many years, I worried less. I'm sure many of you know who Michael J. Fox is... a really good actor, who also has Parkinson's, and who has done a LOT to help others who have it. Parkinson's hasn't slowed him down, and it hasn't slowed RV down, either. But, it has added some time-consuming activities to her life, and to mine, as well, because I need to be present for her and that also means I need to learn what she learns, when she learns it. I go with her to her group meetings and exercise programs, as well as to many of her doctor appointments, just as she has always done for me. Fortunately, Parkinson's doesn't interfere with her ability to drive.  My own condition, A-Fib, has kept me from driving because I am at a very high risk of a stroke, something I really don't want happening while I'm behind the wheel. Thus, I gave up driving over a year ago.
Apart from her Parkinson's and my A-Fib, things are actually going very well, here. Every day is a gift, one we appreciate to the max. We even indulge in some TV bingeing, watching a show on Netflix, "Lucifer," that is just plain fun! We set aside Sundays to binge it, over and over and over... and, no, I don't feel even a little guilty for that!
Anyway, I hope I can find some time to spend on this site a whole lot more than I've been doing. At least now y'all know a little bit of what has occupied my days that has kept me from indulging in many of the things I really do enjoy, like NewsTalkers!
Much love to all of you!
]]> Mon, 09 Sep 2019 19:13:10 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/1757/farewell-facebook http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/1757
Well, today I did something I didn't think I'd have the nerve to do: I deactivated my Facebook account. What made me do it, instead of allowing the full year to pass before re-thinking it, was all the pop-ups telling me who had posted what to where... they popped up while I was in email, while I was on a different web site, while I was playing freakin' Solitaire, for Pete's sake! There was no escaping the clutches of a site that was getting a reputation for pulling down peoples' accounts without warning, often for no reason. Well, perhaps they thought they had reasons: the assumption that the account-holders were bots, or were of a political persuasion they disagreed with, or they were (horror of horrors), Russians!... any excuse to create unnecessary misery!
I'll be honest: I was growing ever more paranoid. I reduced my participation to keeping people informed of my health condition, or posting cute things (hamsters, mice, other cute critters), refusing to entertain anything of a political nature, even on political groups to which I belonged. I began to worry that my friends would suddenly vanish without warning. It got to where I was afraid to look through my Friend List, afraid that someone would have mysteriously vanished. 
Finally, I realized that there was no future for me on Facebook. Frankly, I have serious doubts that Facebook can survive its current situation. I have friends (in "real life") who abandoned their accounts eons ago, because they foresaw this sort of debacle and wanted no part in it. I was the lone hold-out... I truly enjoyed the interactions with truly wonderful folks there.
But, that is finished now. If any of them bothered to read my farewell article, they know to search for me on NewsTalkers, or Steemit, or Minds. I haven't abandoned social media entirely. I will miss the wonderful folks on Facebook whom I called "Friend," because I had the best friends, ever, on that site. And, if they choose to join us here, I will welcome them with open arms and a big, achy heart.
And, now, I need to start doing stuff to avoid thinking about that site. For now. How about I post something cute? Yeah... cute will do it.. 'cause I have to do my evening chores now, anyway!

]]> Wed, 29 Aug 2018 15:42:14 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/371/nasty-virus http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/371 I guess this is the real reason some genius invented retirement. The really good thing about retirement is not having to call in sick when you know you shouldn't go anywhere. It is so nice to be able to hit the sofa and count an hour's worth of Z's any time you get the urge. Believe me, I've counted way more than an hour's worth of Z's, lately!
Anyway, I don't know if my lack of a presence here has been noticed or not, but I somehow got logged out, and had the devil of a time getting logged back in, and mostly didn't feel good enough to mess with it.  That is, until now, when I did manage to log back in.  I do wish this site would not automatically log you out without your actually requesting it... it's the only site I know of that does that.  So, if I should disappear again, trust that it isn't voluntarily, but that I got logged out and then couldn't get back in...
And now it is time to get more of those Z's I mentioned. Adieu...]]> Mon, 26 Oct 2015 18:15:26 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/86/adios-sayonara-adieu-so-long-newsvine http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/86 Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:04:08 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/71/newsvine-is-hemorrhaging http://thenewstalkers.com/bitemore-gfotwo/blog/71 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:59:37 -0500