Farewell fickle February! You will not be missed!

Be gone, wretched month of winter madness! 

Hit the road, brutish beast, and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more!

All right, it seems I’m not a fan of February, and I don’t know any sane person who is, so we bid the vicious month adieu with this look-back, and a few out-takes from the Divine Diva Tour, giving another layer of meaning to the term ‘look-back’. We do love a double-entendre in these precious parts. 

It sets us up nicely for tomorrow’s resuming of The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale. We are deep into fairy territory now, so come back and fly with us… 

The month began with David Beckham baring some butt cheek. Bodacious!

The media began the find out portion of its own FAFO journey. Brilliant!

The prime and prep for the posting of the Divine Diva Tour sounded with this playlist. Beautiful!

The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale took flight. Bragadocious!

The body of my youth is missed now more than ever. Brazen!

The Valentine Collection. Bewitching!

The very naked Patrick Schwarzenegger. Bootylicious!

The very porn-free nature of this website. Brash!

The fragrance to embody the desert-like depths of winter. Boss!

As Norma Desmond once proclaimed, “Today’s the day!” She wasn’t ever talking about not spending any money for a day, but times have changed and we are in a dire stretch. It seems the only way we as a people can speak to those in power is through their income, so this is the day we send a message to the corporations running things, and the oligarchs that have infiltrated our government, by simply not spending anything other than on local businesses. It’s actually not as difficult as it initially sounds, especially if you’ve made any plans prior to this as I’ve already suggested. 

Personally, I’m grateful for the spending break – at least, my dwindling bank account is thankful. Inflation, eggs, and gas have all gone way up since Trump took office, as so many of us predicted, and we are all paying the price. 

But not today, Satan! And not for a while – this is my impetus to start saving and stop spending on a more daily basis. There is joy enough to be found without having to pay for it. 

Tomorrow, February 28, marks the planned Economic Blackout originally mentioned in this post, wherein we – the people and the consumers – show what is left of our power. The idea is to not buy anything for 24 hours (or if you absolutely must to do so only from local businesses) in an effort to show the corporations in charge that we still have a voice, and the power of the purchase, to rebel against corporate greed and the rolling back of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts (DEI) such as the ones Target recently eliminated (and are currently paying the price for). 

It’s simple enough: plan today so you don’t have to buy anything tomorrow – whether online, at the gas pump, or some fast food joint – and let the big corporations feel what it’s like when we act as a unified community. As I’ve said before, I don’t know what, if any, real impact this will have, but I myself am guilty of over-consuming and spending, and having a day of not letting anything leave my wallet or bank account is helpful on more than one level. My Amazon orders alone are embarrassingly unnecessary, and it no longer feels good to spend at places like Target or Amazon when their CEOs are clearly supporting Trump’s tax breaks for them while slashing vital programs like Medicaid. Look it all up, as this is what the American people voted for, whether they knew or cared at the time. Too late now.

In the meantime, I’m selfishly taking tomorrow off from all spending, and I’m going to see how long I can go. The truth is that one day of not buying won’t make much of a dent, it’s up to us to revise and modify our daily spending practices. Focus on what is locally available, and make use of what you already have on hand. I’d rather keep it in my own pocket, or spread it around locally, than send it off to the billionaires who already have enough. Here’s a list of upcoming dates and boycotts that may send a message to the people in power. 

The trajectory of a bouquet of flowers is brief and fleeting, and always more precious because of its short timeframe. We often value things that don’t last more than those that stick around, and while it’s foolish to give something with a shorter shelf life more worth, human nature is flawed and rife with such folly. 

I’ve pushed against that, finding beauty and interest in the bouquet that is past its prime, or falling apart entirely. I like seeing the way some flowers dry in place, or lose their petals, or wilt and decay into gorgeously grotesque form. 

We capture the table that looks pristine, striving for the freshest moment, hoping to catch the crest of a flower’s bloom, the first burn of a candle’s undarkened wick. 

What of the beauty of the reality of it all, when it starts to fall apart and become victim to time and air and age? What of the fallen pile of petals, arranged in new radial form, or haphazard abstract wonder? What of the aftermath? There is beauty to be found here too.