The resident mechanic narrowed it down to either an alternator or a battery, and, first thing in the morning on the 4th of July, headed to a near-ish parts store. And came home with an alternator and a battery. After a morning full of inventive language, every single word of which George happily stood next to him and lapped up ("MOM! You should HEAR the words Dad is saying!!!!!" "Yeah. I imagine they are going to get worse, kiddo.") the van was eventually put back together and running again.
I was sitting in it, re-programing my clock, when it began to make terrible noises. The language surpassed pg-13 and headed right into R and Mature rated, as Bearded Man hauled out a mauled belt that had just disintegrated. Which entailed tearing the van apart again, and heading 20 miles away to the parts store again.
Anyhow. By the time the van was fixed, we really weren't in the mood to go anywhere, and, you know what? It feels darn nice to just stay home with no place to go, so, we were just going to sit at home and enjoy the relative break. Until, of course, we wandered around the corner later, to watch some fireworks at a friend's house. But otherwise, we were staying put.
It was an added bonus, that my sister and niece wandered over for a few hours. Happily, my sister and I sat out on the patio, feet kicked up, and chatted for a few hours.
We talked about everything, like we normally do. The excitement of one of our brother's weddings this approaching Friday, Back to school shopping, pets, kids, housework, our jobs. You know. Just chit chat. All the while, our cell phones were casually thrown on the table at our elbows.
A few different times, we were talking about our kids. Getting them to do chores, or, sibling arguments, different funny stories. George was playing nearby, and I had to keep telling him to stop tormenting his brother, stop throwing the ball into the neighbor's yard, no, you may not use the dog's run as a zip line. You know. George stuff.
Eventually, my sister and niece went home, and we began to make dinner. I noticed my phone was blinking, and picked it up to check a Facebook message. As soon as I opened Facebook, I got the creeps, but laughed outright. I called my sister:
"Bri! I need to tell you a story."
"Okay."
"A few weeks ago, I was talking to one of our brothers, and he was telling me his phone is creeping him out. He told me that smart phones listen to you, as well as track you. If you happen to be inside Kohl's - bam! There are Kohl's ads on your social media. If you talk about something - what do you know - that same thing just happens to appear in your social media ads - or, really, whatever app you might have that has ads. Or even if you look up a news website."
"What??? That is SO creepy!"
"He said he started paying attention, because, he was talking about something recently at his job, and, low and behold, there was ads for a subject that normally wouldn't be there, and he started watching what he said around his phone, to test it out. Sure enough - there were ads that connected to recent conversations! So, I said, 'you know, you are right?? Just the other day, I was talking to Bearded Man about a TV show he was watching, and, the next day, I was really surprised to see a blip on either Facebook or MSN, regarding exactly what I had said! The wording was verbatim to what we had said the night before!!!' So, we started testing it out, and, Kaila and I were noticing the same things!"
"Wow." said my sister "You know, now that you say that, I have noticed the same stuff, but, not really made the connection before."
"Well, anyhow, you know how we were talking about our kids, and I was trying to keep George in line while you were here? And all the conversations about when the kids argue or trying to get them to do chores sometimes?"
"Yeah?"
"I am going to send you a screen shot, okay?"
"Okay."
And I sent her a screen shot of an ad for this:
The 1 Simple “Switch Around” Trick
That Eliminates Your Child’s Defiant Behavior
You’re already a great parent. You’ve done the hard part. Getting your kids to realize it is much easier than you think. This Free Guide shows you The 1 Simple “Switch Around” Trick that other confident parents are already using to eliminate defiance and build better relationships with their children.
Get specific, targeted skills to end defiant, disrespectful child behaviors…and become a happier, more confident parent.
When it comes to dealing with a defiant, argumentative child, you need a definitive plan of action plus the proven tools to help you quickly and dramatically take charge of negative behaviors. Without screaming, punishing, and pleading!Behavior Management Coaching delivers the exact tools and skills you need to deal with a defiant child or one showing signs of ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder). Our mission is to help desperate, frustrated, stressed out, and exhausted parents make real changes in their child’s behavior.
Our proven, easy-to-follow parenting techniques help you discover:
- How to stop constant defiance and power struggles without a barrage of punishments
- The secret to ending constant arguments, bickering and yelling
- How to end the embarrassment of tantrums and acting out in public
- What it takes to stop verbal or physical aggression, name-calling, threatening and anger issues
- The quick and easy parenting solution that can deliver significant changes quickly
- What it takes to prevent future problems and issues with you, teachers and other adults
Picking up the conversation again, we were both laughing but we were both a little shaken by this. "We talked about Vodka and Captain Morgan, Ri. Why didn't we get ads for those?" Pointed out my sister.
"I know, right? The kids aren't going to change, so, why not really help us out, and give us alcohol coupons?"
"We talked about jobs and bills and being stay at home moms - why didn't it pick up on how to be a stay at home mom?"
"Nope. Apparently our phones think our kids are a real problem."
Since that conversation, I've noticed ads for new cars. (Apparently my phone has had enough of my van's nonsense, and is recommending a nice SUV) and, ads for new laptops, after we had a conversation about whether we should let Joe use his savings to buy his own computer.
Anyhow, feeling a little foolish, I left my phone at home later that evening, when we wandered around the block to a friend's home for fireworks. I explained what had happened, and she nodded and told me I was not a person who sounded like they wore aluminum foil on her head. She described the same experience that a friend of hers had with a smart TV. He tested it in front of other people, and talked about spaghetti. The TV played a commercial for spaghetti sauce almost immediately. He mentioned a specific brand of soap, and, the TV played a commercial for that brand of soap.
I don't know. It's almost fascinating, to see what my online ads are for anymore. I went through and turned off every app permission I could possible turn off, and still have a working phone, but, the ads continue to happen.
Anyone else out there notice this? Creepy? Or, a sign of the times? Big Brother, or, over reacting conspiracy theorist? Crazy, or, "Now that you say that... you're right???" Normally I am the first person to roll my eyes at things like this, but, seriously. Pay attention! Maybe you will notice it too!
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