The weekend is here, the bar is open, and Linda G. Hill is offering bonus points. Her Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt is challenging, but I like bonus points as much as Corona, so let’s move on with:
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘abash/a bash/bash.’ Use ‘abash,’ or ‘bash’ as a noun or a verb. Bonus points if you manage all three. Have fun!”
If we were having a beer you would be interested in my reaction to recent changes announced by Facebook…why, I haven’t a clue.
“Good afternoon, my young friend.”
“Hmmm, I always worry when you change up the greeting.”
“Me too, Dan. You don’t suppose he gave up alcohol for Lent, do you? He sounds dangerously sober.”
“I doubt it Cheryl, but I know I didn’t.”
“Then a Corona for you?”
“Yes please.”
“OK, Mr-fancy-and-formal, are you drinking?”
“I am Cheryl. Bourbon, Ice, Seltzer, the works.”
“I remember.”
“I just thought I’d remind you, in case you’ve embraced the new era of privacy being ushered in by our friends at Facebook.”
“Dan, I’ll leave this to you while I get the drinks.”
“Is that what this is leading to?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Where this is all heading.”
“This being the so-called privacy initiative Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook is going to embrace?”
“That and the Facebook coin or currency he plans to introduce.”
“Here’s your beer, Dan, and your bourbon. We accept cash and all major credit cards – that would be Visa, MasterCard, Amex and Discover – NO Facebook!”
“Aww, Cheryl, I was hoping to be able to bring up the app, push a button and pay. I guess I’ll have to let Dan pick up the tab for this mini-bash.”
“Nice try, old man.”
“Now that you mention it, we do accept Apple Pay.”
“How do I leave you a tip? I didn’t think there was a way to do that with Apple Pay.”
“There isn’t, exactly. I add the tip to your bill at the terminal.”
“Ha ha – oh that’s a good one Cheryl. I love you like a sister, but I’m not sure I want you deciding your own tip.”
“Well, then, you might not get those cherries in your bourbon.”
“See, this is where you always lose it. Don’t mess with Cheryl.”
“Sorry, Dan, but seriously, letting her decide her own…”
“…Watch it – too late.”
“Yoink!”
“Aww, come on Cheryl, put the cherries back in. You’re just going to have to throw them out.”
“That might feel good – something a ‘sister’ might enjoy doing.”
“OK, I’m sorry. I just meant that it didn’t sound like a good way to handle tips.”
“Our bank wants us to add those stupid little terminals at each table and at the bar. Then you could pay and enter the tip on your own.”
“Wait, the whole transaction without you?”
“Without me, Dan.”
“Please don’t do that. Even if the old man is going to pay.”
“I will pay, I’ll pay with cash. I’ll leave a big tip. Please give me back the cherries, and please don’t do anything to further reduce the amount of human contact in my life.”
“You want human contact? How about a bash on the head?”
“Cheryl. Please, accept my apology. Do you realize how hard it is for me to admit that I should have listened to Dan?”
“OK, here are your cherries.”
“Thanks Cheryl.”
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus.”
“You deserve it. Do you guys think about things like this when you design all this technology stuff?”
“Don’t lump me in with the people designing Facebook.”
“You work in the same field, Dan.”
“You’re painting with a broad brush – I work for an insurance company.”
“It’s all the same. You and your kind replace people with ones and zeros and tell us we’re better off.”
“Perhaps, but I don’t collect personal information and sell it on the Internet.”
“Zuckerwhatever says he’s going to stop doing that.”
“No, he says he’s going to make it harder for ‘people’ to ‘collect’ that data off Facebook.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Facebook will still collect it, and Facebook will still sell it.”
“You sure?”
“A woman tweeted on Wednesday that she changed all her settings as recommended by Facebook, to make her account as private as possible.”
“Go on.”
“Then she shared a fake post indicating that she was pregnant.”
“And then what?”
“11 hours later, she started seeing ads for maternity wear and baby items.”
“So, Facebook lied to her?”
“They would say that they just define privacy differently than you or I do.”
“I would say they are unabashedly lying to profit off the gullible tendencies of their customers.”
“Speaking of profiting from customers. You guys realize that’s what I’m trying to do while you collectively nurse your first round.”
“You’re right Cheryl. Since the old man is paying, I was trying not to get ahead of him.”
“Since when have you been bashful with my money?”
“Cheryl, another Corona please, and maybe some wings.”
“Would you like another splash of bourbon?”
“Of course, and if you don’t mind…”
“I’ll drown a few cherries in there.”
“Thanks Cheryl, you’re the best.”
“Can I enter my own tip?”
“…”
If you’re like me and itching for spring, check out Cheryl’s lovely images and words. The gallery includes some of the critters from around the homestead.
No Facilities 
As always – a great job with the prompt (psst – how much was Cheryl’s tip?).
MiMi is looking a bit shy ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Cheryl always gets a nice tip but I’m sure she deserves more. MiMi wants to sleep in the sunshine. I want to take pictures. It’s not a good mix.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is there anyone out there that thinks a company that earns $4M per ‘day’ isn’t selling what is being posted by 2.27 billion active users? I guess there must be since there is still outrage at what they are doing with personal information being posted. Let the poster beware. :-) Your four-legged family members are going to have their schedules interrupted when you retire. :-)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks Judy. The latest news from FB (this morning) is that if you use your phone for Two-factor authentication, they sell you phone number to advertisers !!
The other inhabitants of this house keep pointing me to the garage. I’m not sure they’re ready for all day Dan.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well, isn’t that special.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Crap. Thankfully I haven’t.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whaaat?! This is a new one to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
CNET has an article today about how 2-factor, using your phone, with Facebook would be dangerous if you’re concerned about privacy.
LikeLike
Oh for the love of … another proverbial nail in the cross for FB.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Quite frankly there are some people that should be replaced with ones and zeros! Then maybe the delete button would work better.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Ha ha – oh Pam. I sense a Shady Quip germinating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
hee hee hee Where do you think my ideas come from?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t remember ever seeing Maddie with another dog. She seems to go along well with the neighbour. Beautiful dog too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. The fence helps. They can be nice like this, but often, kind of them starts barking and it all goes off the rails. That’s Chinook, he is a handsome boy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In all honesty, I cannot in good conscience bash this post, Dan.
Well done.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha ha ha – Bonus points for that comment!
LikeLike
There were so many things enraging me about Facebook that I ultimately dumped the whole thing a year ago. I don’t miss it! There are some “friends” who have an aversion to email/text, so I guess without messenger I’ll never hear from them again. So be it. And yes, i still see plenty of ads, but they’re based on my reading habits and google searches, not on private conversations! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I understand, Paula. I have limited my interaction with FB to the few friends that I wouldn’t hear about via any other platform, and two private groups. I share as little as possible, but I still feel the hooks. I ignore online ads like I’ll get electrocuted if I click on them. Thanks for the comment.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Boy, you ran this prompt right up the flag pole!! Excellent! Hope Cheryl wound up with a generous tip!
Privacy? I don’t think we’ll ever see it again. A couple of generations from now kids won’t know what you’re talking about. It’ll go the way of rotary phones, vinyl records and cursive writing. So sad and so very scary.
The 3-M’s are in rare form today. “How long do you work?” is a great photo with the perfect caption. I didn’t realize MiMi’s ‘cradle” was so high! Good thing she’s not prone to nosebleeds! 😜 Maddie and her friend Chinook make a beautiful couple. He is one handsome fella. Is MuMu getting less camera shy, or are you getting craftier at taking her picture?
I love the shot of the squirrel sitting on the fence behind the forsythia……at least I think it’s forsythia!!
Enjoy today Dan. Rain and more rain tomorrow, but at least there’s no shoveling required!! Hi! to the Editor and Faith.
🐾Ginger 🐾
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ginger. First off, it is forsythia – you have a good eye. The squirrels were hungry yesterday. By now, they are usually picking stuff up off the grass, but it remains under a frozen blanket. They were taking a peanut and basically saying, “hang on. I’m gonna eat this one and then you can give me one for the road.”
Maddie and Chinook have an on-again-off-again deal going. Sometimes they meet at the fence to say hi and sometimes, they start barking and growing and running around. He is a handsome boy, and he likes to get petted at the fence.
MiMi has always liked to be up high, so I built that cradle high for her, It’s a pain, particularly when it has to be cleaned, but she loves it. I was able to pick MuMu up yesterday and put her on the sun shelf. She didn’t stay long, but she came back a few times to yell at me for not brushing her.
Every online venue is a sinkhole for privacy, but Facebook is insidious. I do have some friends who only interact through FB, so I stay, just to keep tabs with them, but I share very little. I’m not worried (I share a ton of stuff here) but I just don’t like adding to their coffers.
Cheryl (the real bartenders behind the scene) always get a good tip, from me and from my “buddy” – I have a soft spot for bartenders, especially since CT law lets owners pay them significantly less than minimum wage.
LikeLike
LOL – excellent take on the prompt, Dan! I’m getting tired of the swimsuit ads I keep seeing, so I better check my settings again. If I didn’t have to monitor a Facebook page for work, I think I’d ditch it. Happy Saturday – hope the storm we’re getting today loses steam before it gets to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Shelley. We have a “wintry mix” mess coming overnight. It may keep us homebound until noon-ish, but the rest of the week looks good – highs in the 40s and lows not much below freezing.
Ironically, even though they could easily tell when you return from vacation, you’ll probably see swimsuit ads until July.
LikeLiked by 1 person
40’s sounds nice, and those lows allowing for slow thawing sounds good too. I’m afraid you’re right on the duration of ads. :-(
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reinforcing my plans to take a Facebook brown out. I think I’ll start cutting back today. Mimi looks like an expert at staying cozy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Joanna. I have been limiting my time and the amount of information I share on Facebook for a while now. Other than staying in touch with a few foiks, there’s nothing to gain.
MiMi is the master of comfort. Actually all three M-girls find ways to settle in for a nice nap.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay…I’m back again, I’m ready to join the bashing now…! Last night I saw a commercial on TV for Sheez. So I used Chrome on my phone to look them up. Now this morning when I looked at Facebook, there’s a commercial for Sheez. GRRR… Okay, thank you for being a safe spot for me to bash!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s absurd, Shelley. But it’s also stupid. They already know you looked them up. You’ve made a decision, they should know that. If you’re anything like me, a few more ads and you’ll take Sheez off your list permanently.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you! Maybe it could be a drinking game to see whose Facebook page could come up with the funniest ads from random searches on their phones? I know…we’ve both got better things to do with our lives than that! Cheers to Spring!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll drink a toast to fair weather for travel and a slow, steady thaw back home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tried this last week on “the best wings” for my area. Even restaurants are getting in on the action. They all have FB pages. I may soon be turning FB off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Pay no attention to the kitty behind the curtain” lol so cute. Ummmm, not that I like to even utter the FB word but they have gone psycho. I am so relieved I ditched that environment over a year ago now and though I miss our one group there, there is nothing else I miss for a second.
Those machines are all over Florida already at places like Chili’s, Appleby’s and Olive Garden. I don’t like them. PS Did you catch the final season of The X Files? If not, ask Faith about the one where Mulder ticked off the ribots at the sushi bar. The entire episode was shot with about three sentences spoken. It was pretty cool. And very scary in a sarcastic Mulder way. Happy aweekend Dan. Nice job with the prompt! 👍🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Cheryl. The chains have those machines here, too. I don’t like them. FB is psycho. I stick around for the group, and because I monitor our company page. I did not watch the X-Files, but I’ll ask Faith. She might make me watch it. I hope you’re enjoying your Free48
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Dan. What’s not to like so far? Writing in bed and about to go for coffee. It’s raining so again no outdoorscursion but there are always projects. As a techie you would enjoy that episode. It is both humorous and scary….happy weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thought provoking post today. I’ve been trying to get my sharing from WP to FB to start working again. Now I’m thinking who cares. Try as I might to get people to join me here, they won’t. I pop on to FB rarely these days to visit old friends.
Those pay it yourself machines have affected the livelihoods of wait staff. Our last visit to Chili’s had only three attending the whole place. Still there was no wait for a table and service was exponentially faster but it was sad. If that even makes sense.
Yet I bag my own groceries even though that too put someone out of work. I have to wonder what jobs of the future will even look like. I didn’t realize you worked for an insurance company. Me too. How bout we trade places and I retire? Nope. Ah well. Happy Saturday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha – laughing at that last suggestion. Oh my, no. Entry-level jobs used to teach kids (like us) so many lessons you can’t learn in school of look up on google. “Alexa, how do I not be a jackass?”
I’m spending less and less time on Facebook, but I check our company page and one for an association I belong to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, every time FB says they’re doing something to benefit users, I grab my wallet and hide in the closet with a security blanket over my head.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good approach. The latest is their push for you to use 2-factor authentication. They suggest using your cell phone, but then they sell your phone number. This was just reported today.
LikeLike
Ah the love-hate FB thang. I also rarely do much there but art… The art groups are great. I go to them, monitor the biz pages, and not much else… If they want to fill my pages with ads for art supplies and fountain pens I am kay with that… And yes, I never ever ever click on a FB ad. Lately I get emails from them (yes really them) where they tell me I have not been posting enough. HMPF.
I think the era of privacy is over. And young people do not even understand the concept of an invasion of our privacy. Gads I feel old. Good post. I had a hard time with this one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Kate. I get those emails, too as well as multiple attempt to get me to pay to make sure more people see my blog posts. I’m not buying it.
LikeLike
Love those kitty expressions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks
LikeLike
Excellent use of the prompt, Dan. Loved the photos too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks John. Pictures of these guys laying down, are pretty easy to get.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But heartwarming
LikeLiked by 1 person
You need a picture of Mimi and Mumu together. You probably have and I just missed it. Cute babies. But special place for Maddie – big dog lover.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This might be the last photo we have of them together, and it was taken years ago. https://nofacilities.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/kitty-girls.jpg
Maddie gives the girls a hard time, so they mostly stay in special places until Maddie is asleep in her crate.
LikeLike
Fully understand. Thanks for sharing the photos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They really are like twins.
LikeLiked by 1 person
MiMi has one long sock (front right paw) and she often wraps her tail around that. MuMu is heavier but it’s hard to tell sometimes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Zuckerwhatever! Love it. Happy Saturday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jan. It’s been a nice easy day. I hope you’re enjoying yours.
LikeLike
The photo of MiMi’s nose is so darn cute! Wow. Does she jump up to her sleeping platform? I’m with, Ginger. I didn’t realize how high it was. And you built it?! Haha! The looks she give you….they so make me laugh. Ya know, I know a lot of people say FB keeps them in touch with people they would not otherwise be able to connect with, but all this stuff with Zuckerwhatever……I suppose it is so with anyone online, but FB seems to be in the news constantly about privacy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lois. MiMi jumps about halfway up and then climbs. When she gets to the top, she flips and flops into the cradle. She has some of the funniest looks. I swear I got a chill from her shadow in behind the curtain. FB is trying to look like they are getting better while maintaining the revenue from selling everything they know about us.
LikeLike
The ads that mysteriously appear on Facebook and websites I visit that “just happen” to reflect a recent (offline) purchase or conversation I’ve had are creepy. But, I’m sure Facebook and our other digital overlords have our best interests at heart.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The disturbing thing, Janis, is that Facebook has none of our interests at heart. They just want the money that our information can bring them. That they can “educate” us on how to be more careful with our personal information and at the same time, gather that information and sell it, really bothers me.
LikeLike
I guess I forgot to use the sarcasm font in my comment. They, of course don’t have our interests at heart. We are only bits of data for them to sell.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did pick up on the sarcasm. I guess I was just in the mood to rant a bit more about this. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love my sisters but I would never allow them to decide their own tip. Actually, I would never tip them – that is because although I love them, I remember all the nasty things they did. It is the joy of being served by strangers, you don’t know all the nasty things they did.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a good point. Still, I’d rather have them than a tableside box with no attitude at all.
LikeLike
Well, what do you know, Facebook lied to us! Again. Still. I left years ago and encourage everyone who is still there to do the same, but am ignored by the very people who are being taken advantage of the most. Go figure…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to be there because I’m involved with several business pages. I just keep winding down my participation level. I resist all attempts to get more involved.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post, Dan. Shame on FB. And many WP users can’t post to FB because their posts are suspicious or some kind of a possible violation. Can you imagine if a post about Maddie was bounced? Don’t get me started – apologies. Cheryl deserves a huge tip!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jennie. I have to monitor Facebook for work and for a couple associations I belong to. Other than that, I try to keep a fairly low profile. I keep in touch with a few folks who only show up on FB, but I add very little. Cheryl (all the bartenders) are well-treated. We don’t want to see the day of black boxes on the bar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well said, Dan. As your post said, human contact, please! My FB is really just to see photos of family and friends. I feel sorry for the WP users who are having problems. Kinda like guilty until proven innocent. High fives to Cheryl.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for many of the lock-outs. I’m not sure how they make those decisions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know. Pretty crazy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Facebook Schmacebook. I’d rather focus on the photos of the adorable furry ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is about all I do out there. That, and I have a friend who posts old photos and imagines us all in them. It’s kind of fun, and I don’t think the algorithms have caught onto us yet.
LikeLike
I tell ya, my last status on FB was probably May of last year, maybe April. That’s how to be private on FB. Course, if I type to friends on their FB, about their interests, I get ads for that too. It’s really only safe to like and play word games, hm?
Maddie and squirrel and MuMu AWWWW! MiMi is darling, and her nose pic is the best :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, and MiMi thanks you. She likes being the cutest of the bunch. I don’t post much new stuff on FB. I check in on friends and sometimes I comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Facebook follow-up – As I mentioned in replies to some of the comments on Saturday’s post, an article published by CNET on Saturday, made Facebook sound even worse than I had. The […]
LikeLike
Every time I read or hear about what Facebook is or isn’t doing to milk our data I am ever so glad I deleted my account years ago. I haven’t missed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I visit as little as possible. I’m starting to get “you haven’t posted” messages. I mostly catch-up on a few friends and check the pages I’m responsible for.
LikeLiked by 1 person