Wasn’t expecting this… 2024 is full of surprises

5 minutes

Friends,

There are a couple of things that I had on my 2024 BINGO ‘oh shit’ card that seemed a little outrageous. But what I didn’t have on it was seeing a man running down I-5, butt ass naked, screaming, ‘Superman is alive.’

To some, that might be an everyday occurrence, but here in the PNW in June- that is a recipe for disaster. Not because there is inherent danger running down the freeway with no shoes on, but because winter is still not over for us… there was a real potential he might drown if he fell into a pothole.

I knew that 2024 was going to be a weird year when I figured out that not only was it a leap year, but there was going to be a total solar eclipse. The craziness was going to come in hot this year.

But going through the news, I found some stories that surprised even me.

COVID-19 made headlines again.

Experts are predicting that 2024 will be the year that researchers are finally going to crack the ‘code’ of long COVID. Which means, you guessed it, new vaccines. Will those be mandatory, too? Will another outbreak of riots and social division hit the mainstream social media platforms and divide this world more than it already is? Maybe. Who knows at this point? I didn’t know the Bear vs. Man conversation was going to make the top 5 stories on the news- but here we are.

New and improved.

Mosquitoes are being ‘modified’ in Brazil to carry a bacteria that will stop them from transmitting viruses. A nonprofit called the World Mosquito Program is running the 10-year program. Now, after living in Alaska, I have a deep-seated hatred for the flying dinosaurs, and I am scratching my head at why we aren’t just eradicating them. But who am I to play god on a winged bloodsucker that Moses apparently thought was important enough to our environmental balance that he brought them along for the ride?

Do you think the team can do something about them flying in swarms and landing on my smores?

Birthdays.

Facebook turns 20 this year. For something not old enough to buy cigarettes or alcohol, it has caused quite a stir in our modern-day ability to share news, thoughts, and controversy. How are we celebrating? Do we sing Happy Birthday? Is there cake? I have questions.

And if you thought that made you feel old, Amazon is turning 30. Yes, the company founded under the name Cadabra in 1994 has finally hit that pivotal moment in growth. The multi-million dollar business that we all love to hate but refuse to stop using because of its one-day delivery service is now middle-aged.

Now, for the record, I don’t hate Amazon. I am a busy woman, and it’s the only way that I can get chocolate-colored tablecloths, book stands, laundry detergent, and doggy treats without having to brave the craziness of Walmart.

Watch out, Disney.

Mickey is free game. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Disney has had Mickey on lockdown with copyrights. This has caused a lot of frustration with Tumbler, sweatshirt, and coffee mug designers because the mouse is iconic, and Disney was known for its cutthroat lawyers. But now, the beloved character will be on Etsy, TikTok, and Facebook marketplace shops, transformed from a favorite children’s cartoon to a ‘hip and edgy’ adult advertisement for beer, football teams, and political endorsement.

Did someone lose a head?

Did you hear about the human skull padlocked to a 15-pound dumbbell that was pulled out of a New Orleans waterway recently? The fisherman also found a handgun and a gun barrel. Police have no leads, but I’m seeing a Netflix documentary in the future.

Or an arm?

Finally, the one piece of news that has me scratching my head is that a 19th-century mummy lost its arm. No, you didn’t read that wrong. The National Institute of Anthropology and History in Guanajuato recently updated its exhibits, and one of the mummies’ arms fell off. The Mexican federal archaeology agency is pissed. They want the mummies because they are considered ‘national patrimony’. The museum doesn’t want to give them up because they are a profitable tourist attraction. A big legal battle has ensued.

If you thought that was bad- the reason they are in a museum is that in 1860, the families of the deceased couldn’t afford the burial fees, and the city took ownership. And THEN sent them on a world tour. No shit, they were here in the U.S. in 2009 as a cross-cultural exhibit.

I don’t know about you, but I stopped there. It was too much craziness for me on a Wednesday morning. Do me a favor- if you hear of anything else- let me know. I have a few spots open on my 2024 BINGO card of ‘Oh crap.’

Until tomorrow, my friends- Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

From Scottish gods to the mystery of Medusa’s life and on to the European Witch Trials, the Raven Society is tasked with finding the truth in history’s inconsistencies. Hold your hats on this epic adventure to save lost souls from being forgotten.

The Writer and The Librarian (Book 1):

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