We hope you enjoyed the July 2025 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Many thanks to Orlando Bartro for his contributions to the magazine. We’ve reached the second half of the year. How are you feeling about the future? With the cost of almost everything certain to increase in the coming months, remember; we are a free publication.
We live in uncertain times with global conflicts in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. In the United States we’ve never been more divided. It’s time to stop thinking along red or blue lines and start thinking as human beings. Are we really okay with our government burning millions of dollars of food instead of allowing it to go to starving children? Are we okay with withholding disease preventing vaccines and life-saving drugs? Are we okay with men in masks riding around with guns and targeting ANYONE they choose? Are we okay with people being fired from their jobs and being denied the retirement benefits they’ve worked for all their lives simply because they don’t conform to someone’s idea of what gender means? Well, I’m not, and if it costs me readers, I’ll be sad, but I’ll still be able to sleep at night. Being kind should not be optional depending on the hat you decide to wear or how you express your religious preferences.
When we have pastors going on social media and saying women should not be allowed to vote, and our Secretary of Defense retweets them in support that’s a bridge too far. The 19th Amendment is part of the Constitution. How much do you have to hate the women in your lives to try to strip them of their rights as citizens and human beings?
In this issue we’ll examine the work of psychologist Solomon Asch who examined the effects of social influence, peer pressure and conformity. It explains a lot about what’s happening in our world, and what we can do about it.
Orlando Bartro has more about Stockhausen and how he revolutionized electronic music.
This month, we are celebrating travel. We have an article from Priscilla Goodwin Serra about her recent trip to France and Spain. What happens when you take a group of middle schoolers and their parents to the most romantic city in the world?
Do you feel safe traveling abroad? Do you think people from other countries feel safe visiting the United States in the current political climate? Tourism is one of our biggest industries, and tourism is down. How will this downward trend affect our economy and people’s jobs?
I’ve written an unusual short story with about a trip to Ireland. I hope you enjoy it.
My poem this month is about standing together for the greater good.
We had to say goodbye to beloved cat Milo in late July. His cancer spread too quickly, and he was suffering with no hope of remission. It’s been incredibly difficult to accept, and we miss him terribly. Sometimes adulting just sucks!
For our column, “Happy Birthday,” celebrating the birthdays of famous writers, I selected Oscar Hijuelos the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.
With so much uncertainty in our world, I went looking for answers of a personal nature. What can I do to stay on track and keep moving forward? James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits has practical solutions to help you stay motivated and he offers solid advice. Clear had to overcome a traumatic brain injury to reclaim his life, and he did it one step at a time proving small changes (either positive or negative) add up and become big changes over time. I chose this book to review because Clear doesn’t try to sell you on instants fixes or magic formula’s for success. He admits life is hard, but he reminds us we always have choices. We determine how we use those choices. After I finished reading it, I loaned it to a family member who recently made a major career move.
For July 2025 in “The Twelve Months of Fruit,” I decided to feature another perfect summer fruit that’s also available year round, kiwifruit. Instead of making the usual fruit tart/pizza, I decided to make a delicious kiwi salsa from a recipe I found on a blog with a collection of recipes made using kiwifruit. Simple, colorful, and unexpected.
Our reading recommendations for kids, young adults, and adults feature a vacation/travel/summer theme.
We’re streaming movies from around the world with a vacation or vacation adjacent theme.
Test your knowledge of popular summer travel destinations with our “Where Am I?” quiz.
We’re constantly updating our Author Page to include the latest published works of your new favorite authors, and we’re adding authors. Being able to give authors a free place to display their work is a dream come true for me, so please check every month to see who’s new and what’s new.
Don’t miss our new Artist Page where we will be celebrating creatives and providing their contact information. We will be updating and adding to the list during this month and the following months, so keep checking our new page.
Everything in Between is now available as an audiobook and in hardcover or paperback. The narrator, Louise Porter, does a wonderful job bringing Sabrina and her story to life. I can’t wait for you to have a listen. You can purchase the audiobook for Everything in Between on Amazon, iTunes, or Audible. https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Everything-in-Between/dp/B0DDR8GRWS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TV0J0HCWYT7T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tdRKc5MxwdOobXZOLckDvQ.0BXe9QYH3JnZOn9j0LC6Yy6gCG9UI3lIcRu4KlRnIPs&dib_tag=se&keywords=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook&qid=1725234363&sprefix=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-
I’m incredibly proud of this novel. If you enjoy my writing, you should definitely check it out. Independent authors can’t afford splashy book launches and expensive PR campaigns to make the public aware of their work. Your support is greatly appreciated.
All year we’ve been encouraging you to make informed choices at the ballot box. The election may be over, but insuring we have responsible people in places of authority is a never-ending job. If you’re worried about the capabilities/qualifications of certain cabinet members, please make those concerns known to your Senators and Representatives. You can email or call their office and make your concerns known. We The People should have a say in our future. If you don’t want billionaires to have access to your private information and finances, speak up because it’s happening. Do you want people with no accountability to the American people evaluating how your tax dollars should be allocated and the benefits you will receive? Are you concerned about proposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and SNAP? Are you okay with senators defending these cuts by saying things like, “Well, we’re all going to die sometime,” or “They [my constituents] will get over it,” while they pay little to nothing for the finest healthcare available and will be entitled to that level of care for the rest of their lives? These programs protect our most vulnerable members of society. Let the people in Congress know what you expect them to do to restore our safety, security, economy, and good standing in the world before we have a recession and/or a major global conflict.
If you are worried about the direction of our government, start preparing for the midterms now. Do your research, so we don’t end up with legislators who care more about partisanship than serving the needs of the American people. The League of Women Voters is a reputable and impartial source for information. Check them out before you head to the polls.
Please keep showing up and voting. We will never tell you who to vote for, but we will keep telling you to vote and do your homework! Be an educated not indoctrinated voter!
Which incumbent legislators have actually authored and submitted legislation to benefit Americans? Who’s all talk and soundbites? Who refuses to bring legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives or Senate, so our Representatives/Senators can vote on it? We pay them to conduct the government’s business, not to sit and do nothing. We don’t pay them to do the bidding of political parties or billionaires. Would you hire this person to run your business or trust them to be a fair boss? Would you trust them to make decisions about your safety and well-being?
Now more than ever, I encourage you to watch C-SPAN and get to know the members of Congress, the members of the president’s cabinet, and the leading experts who testify at Congressional hearings. Listen to what they are saying and what they refuse to say out loud. Do they actually care about the Constitution and the people of this country?
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Happy Reading,
Fran