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Blog update from Colleen Markley and YesItReallyHappened.com

So I'm still getting the hang of this tech stuff. I like writing way more than tech-ing, if that's even a verb. Today I sat on the phone with a smart tech person who taught me about things like SSLs (I had known enough to buy one months ago but apparently didn't know there was a whole thing about how to redirect to it), Firewalls (apparently ALL the cool kids have a firewall these days) and a CDN (I forget what that part was). I also learned that I needed to upgrade my PHP from 5.4 to 7.2, so that might be why I spent a good part of the weekend banging my head against hard surfaces as I tried to get my latest blog update to post. Like I said, I like writing more than tech-ing.

So what am I writing these days?

Well, yes, the book is still in progress. That's a story for a different day.

Today I'm excited to share with you that I had an editorial published last week in New Jersey Spotlight supporting the legalization of marijuana. Huh, you say? Yes, it's a bit of a hot topic, and not something that you usually see me talking about. I've never been to a Grateful Dead show and I don't have any funky tomato plants in my garden (honestly I couldn't even get the regular tomato plants to do well this year and am ever so grateful for farmers who are in charge of the food production. Plants are not my superpower).

Sometimes I like to write really funny things to help us all find a laugh. Sometimes it's easier to do that than others. But always, I think we can discuss with respect and logic and ethics. Honestly, when the aliens arrive, we humans are gonna need to stick together.

Blog Update - for your reading pleasure. THANK YOU and Onwards!

A (slightly) shorter version of this was published in NJ Spotlight, an award-winning editorial website that delivers news and analysis about politics and public policy in New Jersey, on September 21, 2018. You can read it directly on their website here. If you're looking for the longer, fuller version, you're in the right spot.
You might have heard already, but my state of New Jersey is planning to legalize recreational marijuana. I think that’s a great idea. And not because I’m a pot head. I can proudly tell my children (and sheepishly admit to my friends) that I have never done a drug in violation of any (state) law. I am 43, and a dorky rule follower. Also, I have trust issues. I can’t even find a dry cleaner that I like, how am I going to ingest a drug when I don’t know who grew it or who bought it from who or what’s really in it? I buy organic apples, use that weird-blue-tinted-but-won’t-give-you-cancer sunscreen, wear orthotic shoes for my plantar fasciitis and get my milk directly from an Amish farmer. I make safe and healthy buying choices for myself and my family. I buy from reputable sources, like to be a locavore as much as possible, and am not going to trust your cousin’s roommate’s supplier. I also don’t eat unwrapped mints out of the bowl by the register at the diner. Who knows where that’s been and who put their hand in it?
But creating an open and safe (and TAXED – have you heard about how much New Jersey needs some cash?) marketplace for marijuana? Which by the way, has less negative impacts on health than alcohol and tobacco? I like this plan for several reasons. Let me tell you why.
Read more on my website here!

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Colleen Markley · Chandler Road · Chatham, NJ 07928-1804 · USA