Constant Wishes

No matter which Hol(y)days you celebrate

(or Sainted traditions you may have Nicked)

to share, maybe laugh and make it through

 the frenzies of this Season

(and regardless of the color,

shape, size, meaning of your symbols),

may this Day (and Night) and Year(s) Ahead

be MERRY, bright and prosperous

... and Peaceful. Always that.

New Winter Blues

"2% or 1% of 0.2% can always be used to destroy a human being, when there are no barriers, when there is no perspective and no context." - U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas

* * *

The other day, someone contacted me to rent an apartment I own.  After going through all of the usual motions -- proving the property is mine to offer, sharing references, sending this person a link with photos ... then agreeing on a monthly price and informing the renter what I'd require to move forward, and move into my property ...

The renter informs me that he "decided to do a quick google search" ... hopes it's some kind of "misunderstanding" ... but "can still not justify moving forward with this transaction".

... There are three (3) posts bearing my name on Ripoff Report.  Since 2010 -- although really, not until I became able to emerge from shell shock in 2013 -- I have fought, and won, to remove damaging items about me online.

About "Jeff Glovsky", personally; not negative "yelps" or scathing "reviews" about my underperforming, badly managed and ultimately failed business nearly five years ago ... but disgusting name-calling, insulting and bullying against my personal reputation ... hobbies, interests, friends and family, loved ones ...

The fallout from these emotional attacks launched in 2010, both publicly (online) and through private, chiding emails to which I would find myself waking each day, and then literally fearing, continued for years ... until enough became far more than enough, and I finally crawled out of my shell-shocked torpor.

This is something that the aborted renter I mentioned, probably doesn't know (not that it would've made any difference to him):  that I've fought, and WON.  To remove -- Delete.  Permanently. -- other nasty, unwarranted, damaging, emotional, false and defamatory misinformation about me from the internet.

Why?  Because it wasn't a full picture and/or wasn't accurate - and nobody has unfettered "freedom of speech":  to attack or defame, and destroy my name, or anyone's name online because they can ... or especially, believe they "should".

But what's still out there about me online -- and still alarming to potential renters, colleagues, friends and partners ... disarming potential -- is also inaccurate; the statements which still publicly fester, contributing still to permanent damage and loss of income and opportunity (not to mention respect) ... are lopsided, if not wholly false.

Doesn't matter ... The three (3) complaints about me on Ripoff Report remain, and they remain visible.

So the abortion I mentioned ... the failed renter ... informed me the other day he wasn't renting my apartment.  "Not a problem," I chirped cheerily.  "Hope you find what you're looking for!"

He then proceeded -- seriously.  Because I asked him, "Are you joking?"

"Not in the slightest," he chirped to me, cheerily --

then proceeded to suggest that I let him stay in my apartment free for a couple of months -- "plus some cash", he offered grandly -- in exchange for his help with "online reputation management".

"We offer a guarantee on this service as we use lawyers and legal documentation to have the result removed from google," he babbled.  "If you are interested in the proposition I can send you some case studies."

If not for the risible opportunism (and rank inappropriateness) ... the guy's earnest cluelessness ... the assumption and presumptions he'd made, with his mind up:  case closed, black and white, righteous and wrong ...

I'd have laughed in his face.  My rancid, hot breath bringing sting to his eyes, as I leaned in to offend him.

The same way he nonchalantly offended me.

“Lunar (New Year)”, ©Jeff Glovsky

Winter Mood(s) II

“Tundric Technicolor”, ©Jeff Glovsky

“Winter Landscape”, ©Jeff Glovsky

“Lunar (New Year)”, ©Jeff Glovsky

“Heat Loss”, ©Jeff Glovsky

“Afterglow”, ©Jeff Glovsky

Winter Mood

Mixed emotions at the holidays ... I get cheesy when I get to Wisconsin;

to the ever-grey, ice blue winter town I grew up in ... If I had thought, nearly thirty years ago, that this would be my 'homecoming':  riding in on an overnight bus, in a blizzard ...

"Dancing Pines", ©Jeff Glovsky

I might not have bothered to leave in the first place.

Happy, always, to spend time with loved ones and families, and rekindle friendships, renew plans and dreams ... Generally less happy at being halted:  my plans and dreams, and life overall, kept on ice until the middle or end of January.

It's at least until then that the world has its annual slow-down, if not shut-down, imposed upon it.

Pope Francis is everybody's friend this year ... He'd be my friend if he could scale back the celebrated winter holiday period to a distinct and manageable 10 or 12 days (like the song):  from roughly December 22 until January 3, there's Christmas Eve/Day, New Year's Eve/Day, face-stuffing holiday parties, Kwanzaa ... That's more than enough time to be spending with families, rekindling friendships, binge-eating and drinking, and driving snowmobiles!

Do we really need most of the month of January to begin to straggle back to work?  And all of December, to put work off until 'next year' or 'after the holidays'?

Bah, Humbug!

Between developing businesses, hassling with creditors, battling and trying to surmount past failures and prioritizing which promises to keep to loved ones and families -- not to mention those made aware, and part, of my biggest past failure -- my days are literally 25/8, and my year needs to have at least 400 days.

Frustratingly, it doesn't even approach 3-6-5.

Nonetheless, I'm nonplussed.  Keep creating and working, doing, being and living through the imposed slow-downs, if not shut-downs ... That's all I can do to keep sane, keep alive.

When families become not enough, friends flee to enemies and goals and promises remain unmet, I keep trying, to meet them ...

and keep alive.

"Pooped", ©Jeff Glovsky

12/24 MERRY CHRISTMAS 12/25

& Happy Holidays

2 0 1 3

December's Children

A big and special Danke to some dedicated 'likers':

M. Funk FineArt // Photography

seedbud (Leaf and Twig)

Ming Wang Photography

Leanne Cole Photography

Thank you for checking out and checking into, regularly liking ...

New Time of Year

"Winteresque", ©Jeff Glovsky