Curiosities and Controversies: From Cicada Swarms to Political Tumult and Career Crossroads

Embark on an auditory escapade as we explore a cavalcade of curiosities from Michigan's forthcoming cicada swarm to the seismic shifts in political landscapes. Grip your seats while we unravel the peculiarities of nature and society, from 'zombie' cicadas suffering from an aphrodisiac STD to the potential mind-altering effects on local birdlife. Marvel at the revelations beneath Antarctic ice and the incongruous deluge in Dubai. Join us as we chuckle at Pepsi's faux pas and nurture hope for interspecies dialogues with whales. The stakes are high with the sealing of Earth's deepest mysteries and the rumbles of Indonesian volcanoes, all while we ponder the ethics of fast-food controversies and await a stellar spectacle in the night sky.

As we wade through these global oddities, the conversation takes a turn toward the corridors of power with Project 2025 and the implications of a possible GOP win in 2024. Reflect with me on the resilience of American democracy post-insurrection and the pressing social and economic threads interweaving through our daily lives. Contemplate a united path forward through the thorny issues of abortion rights, housing dilemmas, and the college vs. trade skills conundrum. On a more intimate note, I share the leap of faith into a career of passion in cosmetology, underscoring the transformative power of professional satisfaction and the quest for a harmonious workplace. This personal chapter serves as a reminder that, amidst the chaos, each of us holds the key to tailor our destinies and that opportunities abound for those who dare to align with their true ambitions.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Good evening everyone. It's your host, melissa at Strange, strange Beyond Insane. So again, another recap of the cicada phenomena that's going on well anytime now, at least in Michigan. I haven't heard them yet. Now, when we were in Indiana, just what? Like a week and a half ago, I did hear them. All right. So there's like all these crazy fucking yeah, I don't know if you want to call them facts, allegations, all this.

Speaker 1: 0:32

Anyways, at first it was funny about the cicadas. I was like, oh, that would be a really funny episode to do and like tie it with something else. But it's a little more sinister now. Okay, so here it starts. What in the actual fuck? So cicadas are one of the biggest weirdos of insects. Okay, they pee stronger than us. And now they're saying that they can release an STD that can turn them into zombies. That can turn them into zombies. This STD can cause hallucinatory effect on birds that might eat them. The cicada insect invasion will be the biggest bug emergence in centuries. No fucking way.

Speaker 1: 1:23

The periodical cicadas that are about to infest two parts of the United States. And it still goes into saying that these insects are the strongest urinators in the animal kingdom. And if you just get lucky enough to be in a swarm of them this year, since there's two broods emerging. They said it's gonna feel like like really hard. Um, powerful rain on top of you and it's actually them fucking pissing. So that's cute. Um, oh my god, here's a fun fact that they're saying their flows, so their urination flows. They can put humans and elephants to fucking shame. That's a fun fact on that. They said a trillion of these motherfuckers are going to be infesting the US. Okay, this reads cicada map for May 2024. A strange fungus could transform emerging cicadas into salt shakers of death. Zombie quote unquote zombie cicadas with STDs are coming to Virginia.

Speaker 1: 2:40

Zombie cicadas, insect STD that can cause hallucinary effect on birds that might eat them. So we already read on that. Um, oh my God. Um, is this really going to be that big of a fucking deal or is it going to be a letdown? I have no idea. I don't know if I want to be around to experience all this, because I was super excited. I'm a big fucking dork and I was super excited about it with the cicadas, but I don't know if I'm excited anymore. Okay, so I'm going to open back up TikTok, because Kristen, aka Kiki, and I follow this guy. He's like a current news guy. Okay, let me pull him up. Where are you, kiki? Oh, here you are. Okay, this is everything that happens, all right, so this guy is, oh my God, his name is Nick Jackson. I forgot, we're not gonna get into that name. Obviously, it's a different Nick Jackson than I remember from my earlier days of dating. Oh, there goes my phone again. Okay, let me rewind this for you, guys. I'm sorry I'm getting set up again.

Speaker 2: 3:59

Someone just dropped the camera into a hole beneath Antarctica to make an incredible discovery. Camera into a hole beneath Antarctica to make an incredible discovery. Basically, they dropped the camera down so deep that that's technically 2.7 million year old ice that you're looking at. But, omg, lol, so crazy Government is officially denying that cloud seeding took place, as two years worth of rain leaves Dubai underwater. Basically, if you haven't heard about this, dubai has been getting so much rain for the past couple of days that they are flooding like crazy. Worrying. Reason why the deepest hole in the world was sealed off. I don't know. Maybe so somebody doesn't fall in it. They're saying that the temperatures down at the bottom of this hole were so hot that they had to seal it off right literally.

Speaker 2: 4:37

Don't know how to pronounce this word, but pepsi co just officially recalled their sugar-free shuwa ppees ginger ale for containing full sugar. The literal reason for this recall is because this is a zero sugar product that has actual full sugar in it. So good job. Pepsi scientists just had an official conversation with a humpback whale, which they hope to help mankind communicate with aliens. But what did he say? Tsunami alert has officially been issued after a volcano erupted in indonesia, with thousands told to evacuate, which is wild. This volcano is called the ruang volcano and it's had at least five large interruptions in the last 24 hours alone. Give you these daily roundups every day, so make sure you add me and come back to me tomorrow. This is everything that like and subscribe.

Speaker 1: 5:22

Okay, yeah, so I'm just going through here. Okay, here's another one too. This is fucking crazy. Okay, so Chick-fil-A is busted for using breast implant material in their food. They also have pedophiles in Chick-fil-A. Now that they're calling out Um, I mean, this is just like getting fucking ridiculous. Um, and there's like so much more things that I want to talk about. Okay, this is the one that I'm excited about. You guys ready.

Speaker 3: 6:03

I don't know why people are not talking about this, but there's going to be a star in the sky that explodes soon and it'll be so big the entire world will get a chance to see. Experts have already started moving past the solar eclipse to now predict a once-in-a-lifetime nova explosion in just a few weeks. Experts have even pushed up their predictions from a couple months out to now just a few weeks. So be sure to add me so I can keep you guys updated. They go on to mention that the TCRB for short, explodes once every 80 years, so the last time that this has happened was back in 1946.

Speaker 3: 6:31

Experts are saying that the star is roughly 3,000 light years away from Earth in the Corona Borealis. Now the star is considered a once-in-a-lifetime eruption. Because it explodes every 80 years, most of us won't get a chance to see it again. People are making this a big deal because it is going to be visible with the naked eye, so no expensive telescope is going to be needed to view this event. So these scientists have mentioned that the level of brightness of this star exploding will be very similar to the North Star Polaris, and again, it is important to know that no one knows exactly when this star was set to explode but we will be looking to the Corona Borealis or the Northern Crown to watch this event occur.

Speaker 4: 7:21

I'd love to keep you guys updated, so be sure to add me. Okay, now this is another really freaky thing. I know all of us have been watching this, so here we go. Yo what? There have been reports since Tuesday of a huge anomaly moving underwater. The scary thing is it's been active for the last two days, meaning that it's made its way all the way up here near South Africa. To give you guys some perspective, this anomaly is bigger than Texas, bro.

Speaker 4: 7:35

What the hell is going on around here? I have no clue what this could be, but I hope it's not what everybody is saying it is. You guys would be scared if you saw the comments that I was reading. But I hope it's not what everybody is saying it is. You guys would be scared if you saw the comments that I was reading People saying it's a Leviathan, even a Queso Megalodon Godzilla this thing is 2,000 miles wide. Decided to go in the comment section again and look at what they're saying. Look, you guys can read that. Right?

Speaker 4: 7:58

You guys remember the UFO disclosure stuff about the mothership? I never heard of that. About the mothership. I've never heard of that. The mothership is crazy, especially like with all the ufo stuff going on right now. And then look at this one y'all maybe it's something certain release, certain probably just released. I know a lot then, and this one's crazy, and I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had 10 horns, seven heads with the 10 crowns on the swarms and each had a blasphemous name. That's in the bible. Guys, let me know what you guys think like. What could this possibly be?

Speaker 1: 8:28

Yeah, I've been kind of like watching this story about this anomaly passing through, and now they're having people on I'm not even going to say names, but I'm sure you guys have seen it. All this UFO shit is like a cover up and there's something malicious going on. I don't know if, like, they're pumping shit in the air to make us hallucinate or make us crazy, or what the mass hysteria is about. I don't know if we're prepping for something. All I know is that 2024, from the rip, since it started, it has felt different. I think that a lot of things are just coming to light, obviously right, and I think Hollywood is burning and politicians are being called out. I think everyone's being called out. People are pointing fingers. I think technology has gotten so amazing and scary good that this is why you're seeing all this shit now, and I don't care. I have said it over and over and over the sky is different than what it was before the pandemic and I can't explain it.

Speaker 1: 9:34

There's a lot of different things that are going on. You see drones all the time. I mean, are they government drones? Are they personal drones? I have no idea. I do not. I don't fuck with them, I don't appreciate them. I wanted to shoot one in our backyard a few years ago. It was flying, hovering over our yard and of course, my husband's like, well, you can't technically shoot it down, dude, they're lucky I don't live out in the fucking country in the boonies, because I don't like that shit Ain't. No drone should be hovered over your backyard. But I will say this in hindsight I guess a lot of the drones are finding things, finding this, all these mysterious things going on in the world. I'll just say in a nutshell I don't know, it's, it's crazy.

Speaker 1: 10:19

Um, there are some other stories that I have that I want to open up. Um, you know, I again I, I don't know if, like I said, technology is just so good that nobody is safe or can hide anymore. They can't hide anything, hide anything. Um, I got a couple more stories. Okay, just doing a million things at once here on my phone, like always. Okay, all right, I want to bring up the 2025 project, 2025 project, all right. So the project I'm sorry, it's project 2025 is a collection of policy proposals to reshape the executive branch of the US federal government, and an unprecedented scale in the event of a Republican victory in the 2024 US presidential election, whatever that means? Um, all right, so let me get to another article. Okay, so right, here is the threat of project 2025. All right, open this up. All right, the january 6 2025 project. Okay, the day democracy dies question mark.

Speaker 1: 12:04

The state of American democracy is well past the point of caution or concern. It is wavering on the brink of collapse, and democracy scholars owe the public a candid evaluation of the impending threats to our system of government. For all practical purposes, american democracy may die on January 6, 2025. Unless deliberate and concerted steps are taken to avert this crisis, the January 6th 2025 project will strive to clarify how we get here, how serious the situation could become and what practical steps can be taken to strengthen our democracy. So so the mission statement is basically January. The January 6, 2025 project seeks to understand the social, political, psychological and demographic factors that led to the January 6, 2021 insurrection and continue to threaten the stability of our democratic system of government. Through our research, teaching and public engagement, we hope to offer an assessment of the state of our democracy, an insight into how to protect and strengthen it, with special emphasis on how to prepare for the attack on our electoral system that will likely occur on January 6, 2025.

Speaker 1: 13:32

I mean, it's going to be a fucking shit show, right? I made a post on Facebook today. It's a picture of a sign in the middle of the yard. It says I'm an asshole, I'm not running for anything, I just wanted a sign and I'm going to actually get that made and put that. Well, paul's probably not going to let me put it in the front yard, but I'm going to definitely put it in the backyard because, um, it's just fucking crazy. It, I mean I laugh now, but will I be laughing later? Um, it's just so crazy. The anti-abortion voters, um, the Supreme Court, the Roe versus Wade thing Um, I mean, this is just. I mean, what about our fucking economy? Right, so right. Here it says um, voters who are dissatisfied with the economy and angry about immigration, but who may not identify as religious or even as conservative.

Speaker 4: 14:36

And.

Speaker 1: 14:38

I'm not going to say any names in here or presidents, I don't want to get into that. But you know we're going back and forth. Now we're back at square one. People care a lot about abortion and contraception and gender identity and fucking marriage and religious language and social policy, and you know, look, whatever the fuck you want to do, do I don't care. Okay, I'm in my own corner. I'm just a little person in this world. I just feel like we have way bigger fucking issues in this world than to go back and forth, back and forth.

Speaker 1: 15:13

I have been saying for years why do we not unite on the front line together? We should all somewhat be on the same page. What we need, what we want, practical right. But you know, like when we were camping again with Michael and Kevin, michael was reading something on the Roe versus Wade thing and I'm just like, why are we fucking going? Like, why do we keep going backwards? And I understand, everyone's got a voice, everyone wants to be heard, everyone has different political views and again, I don't fucking care, um, it's not going to make me not like you, like you, um, I've always been kind of in the middle. But the real question is like, why is everybody talking about this Project 2025? So left wing media seems to be up in arms lately over Heritage's presidential transition project, better known as Project 25. And people want to know what in the fuck is actually going on. And again, I'm just going to kind of like do like a very brisk. It's basically the plan is structured around three guiding pillars or themes, each pointing toward the I'm sorry, toward and promoting student success at every level of the institution. So this is the strategic plan, if you will. So this is supporting campuses, communities, shared vision, right here. Okay, let me get down here. So, basically, promoting student success at every level of the institution. It is built on the foundation of an approach that empowers us to be persistently innovative and effective in promotion of every policy and practice that will improve academic quality, promote student success and institutional communication and efficiency. Okay, that's fucking great.

Speaker 1: 17:16

Like, not a lot of people. Like there's still a lot of people that don't go to college, can't go to college, can't afford college, don't want to go. I think we need to build our foundation back up with trade schools and bring back the fucking trades. Like the men need to be men Again. Like a lot of men don't want to work in. You know trades and labor, jobs and they are just as much money. They are just as important. You start work right away. You go through your program, you know you don't have a bunch of debt. If you want to go to college, great, but like that's always the center of political. You know the college and the education and I totally get it.

Speaker 1: 17:57

We're also not seeing kids evolve right now. Right, we're in a really shitty, shitty time. Houses are like out of this world expensive. A lot of teenagers late teens, early twenties, mid twenties, even thirties cannot afford fucking apartments or having to move back in with their parents. They're having to have a bunch of roommates. Everything is inflated. Um, I mean, we're like we're in crisis. We need something, needs something needs to fucking change and I really hope we see it with this election. Um, I don't have my hopes completely up, but that's pretty much rant over about political shit. But, um, this Project 2025, I what I take on this too.

Speaker 1: 18:46

And then, like I was just on Mr 420's live earlier and, um, people are like scared as shit about the TikTok ban and I had a guy comment on Mr 420's live and said, hey, melissa, like do you think the ban is going to happen and do you know exactly when it is? And I said I wouldn't worry so much about the actual TikTok ban, because who the fuck's going to do that in election year? You know, paul, my husband brought that to my attention. Like, yeah, you're fucking right. Like why would they ban TikTok? Now, he just told me last night, paul, I did not know this. The last that I heard is that Biden was on board with banning fucking TikTok. Well, now Paul's telling me he's singing a different tune and he knows that if he wants voters and he wants popularity, he needs to get in tune with TikTok.

Speaker 1: 19:34

And now, all of a sudden, the bastard's like oh yeah, I'm totally cool with TikTok and I have a TikTok. Not that it's really him, whatever his, you know his team or whatever is on TikTok. But I mean for one, I don't think any of the presidents should be on fucking social media. Okay, like, that's stupid, that's like an amateur move. Um for two, how are you going to say you're with the TikTok ban and then all of a sudden get on TikTok and be like, oh, vote for me, vote for me, I'm great. How are you going to take TikTok away from the world. Okay, how is anybody? I was saying, fuck, weeks before they were talking about the TikTok ban, which they've talked about it before too. But I was just like ranting and raving in the kitchen while cooking one night. I'm like, look, elon Musk bought Twitter or bought into it, whatever. Now it's X. Okay. So come on, elon Musk, buy into fucking TikTok. Well, a rich American man, woman, I don't care anything. They, whatever you identify, as will some American, please buy TikTok, because we love TikTok I have.

Speaker 1: 20:44

The algorithm is pretty much on you, right. You kind of can create your own storybook, if you will. I use it for cooking, paranormal crime, entertainment, friends. I've met friends on TikTok that I, you know, associate with. Just, you know, we haven't gotten to meet physically yet. I mean that would be really cool. Actually, you know what we should vote Like? We should start, like everybody, like a meet and greet that people that know each other on TikTok. We should all meet up in the middle, somewhere where everyone's from. I don't know where the middle would be and you know, just shoot the shit, because you take TikTok away from me and I'm not going to be a happy fucking American. I can tell you that much right now. I understand the China thing. I understand what they're saying. I get that Okay, but there's a lot that could be done.

Speaker 1: 21:47

We have enough fucking rich people in this world like plentiful rich that could help us out with TikTok. But yeah, so we had the super eclipse. We have the star exploding, we have this crazy shit going on with the cicadas. We were in a leap year. Um, did I mention I quit my job? Oh, yeah, I already said that. Quit my job, um, very peacefully.

Speaker 1: 22:10

Um, and, by the way, you guys, I will say this, a pandemic did help us all reach this limitation in our brains where we now know, like I'm 35. I don't know how old everyone is listening but like we're not in the fucking times where, like you know granddad, granddad and great granddad and you know all these people, that you could retire, you know after 40, 50 years and you're going to stay at the same place, like that's not how it fucking is. They don't make it easy like that. It's just not practical, right? And one thing that I've learned I'm a hairstylist and I have worked in, you know, franchises, and I've worked for Fantastic Sam's, I've worked for Supercuts, I've worked for Great Clips. Tomorrow, I'm starting at a barbershop. By the way, in the state of Michigan, as of two years ago, it is legal for us cosmetologists to work in a barber environment and learn how to shave, straight razor, do all the barber techniques. I'm super excited. Actually, I'm fucking stoked to really heighten my skills. So this is going to be great for me.

Speaker 1: 23:15

But getting back to why I quit, I quit very peacefully. I didn't know that day I was going to quit. I mean, I've had it in my mind for a few months Like, hey, this is not the place for me. First of all, the business itself was not growing. There was no room for me to grow there. Same issue I had years ago when I was at the other place in like a corporate environment. And I will say this if you look it up, it always says the number one reason why an employee will quit, hands fucking down is because of management and higher management, the boss, whatever you want to say it, higher than that Normally. That is why people fucking quit. Excuse me, they leave, they search around.

Speaker 1: 23:58

Also, money. I'm going where the fuck the money is, wherever the money. Money finds me. Money loves me. I love money. Money will always come to me affirmation. You should always say it every day. It does help. I do have my cinnamon little hacks that I do. I do meditate. Like I said, I'm really big on affirmations. Now I have been for a long time, for at least a couple of years. I will go where the money flows. I will go where I am welcomed. I will go where there's as less drama as there can be, and you're going to have a little bit of drama. You're going to have some hiccups in your jobs. Everyone, we all know this.

Speaker 1: 24:38

But when you go to work and you're working on clients all day, you're the only person there. You're running the show, okay. You're answering phones. You're checking in. You're checking out. You're cutting hair, you're styling hair. You're running the show okay, you're answering phones. You're checking in, you're checking out. You're cutting hair, you're styling hair, you're sweeping up hair, you're cleaning, you're doing the laundry, you're vacuuming, you're doing this and you're running the show for the big boss woman and she calls you constantly on the work phone with drama, bitching about another worker, this or that, yada, yada, yada. When your boss is calling you at inappropriate times, four to five hours after your shift, and want to be on the phone with you for three hours. That is not fucking normal. That's not like your normal bullshit at a job.

Speaker 1: 25:22

So again, I will say it over and through and through and through I will never get comfortable. I will never fucking stay somewhere. That I'm, that I'm just not like wanting to go to when I'm busy cutting, cutting clients, styling, doing anything with hair, I don't, it literally doesn't bug me right? I'm not thinking of anything. I'm in my happy place, I'm in my creative zone, I'm in my money box. It's me and the customer or the client, whatever you want to call them, just like at home, my little salon down here, slash podcasting room that my dear husband made me and he did all my salon stuff. I'm very blessed for him, very, very grateful. He's completely supported me through everything. Right, he supports my decisions. Um, and I'm I'm going to stress it, I'm going to say it out loud for the people in the back on here tonight Don't fucking kill yourself, don't kill your mental state for a job that would replace you in a second.

Speaker 1: 26:29

Okay, don't do it. Be and, even if it's not just about money, be happy, be comfortable, want to go into work. You know you, the wanting to go there, the not just dreading to go home, and you know that's where I'm at at 35. And let me tell you, I have a cosmetology license. I can fucking go anywhere. I'm a jacket of a lot of trades. I've done a lot of different work in my life, been in a lot of different areas of you know, labored some office, I mean whatever.

Speaker 1: 26:58

I am not going to be an unhappy person Into my 30s. I am very peaceful and loving and warm and happy for the most part. Everybody's got their shitty days, okay, but I never let a shitty day be permanent. I always tell myself tomorrow's a new day, tomorrow's a new day. I am grateful. Not only am I alive, but I'm living, and that's the kind of fucking energy that I came into in 2024. And that's where I'm going to leave it. I'm going to go into it every other year, every year after this. That's the kind of energy I'm going to fucking stay in. I will match energy. I will leave energy. If the energy is chaotic, I'm gone.

Speaker 1: 27:35

And you know there's a million jobs out there that appreciate me or anyone else next to me, anybody listening. Always chase after what you want. Don't fucking settle. And that's when it comes to work. If the management's not right, the boss, the higher boss, isn't right. If the feeling isn't right, if it's, you know, hostile, if it's drama, if it's coming home and you're dealing with it at home like leave, fucking leave. Don't ever get comfortable, like bye, see ya.

Speaker 1: 28:09

But yeah, so you know I have a lot more to talk about, but I'm going to bring this to a halt and, um, like I said, tomorrow I start my new job and then I got some hair to do Saturday. Um, actually, christina, aka Harry she's been on here a lot of times, my little ghost buddy. Um, so, yeah, she, uh, so she's coming over for a color. I got some, you know other hair to get done and out of the way. Before I start an actual schedule again, um, as of yesterday no, I'm sorry, as of today I've been off of work for one week and I've still done some hair on the side.

Speaker 1: 28:50

Um, but let me tell you I feel like I've been off of work for like six months. I have been overly relaxed and you know it was brought to my attention like well, that's how chaotic your fucking schedule was, that's how it was. Just chaos all the time there. So I have had a nice break. I've gotten to just chill out and you know, for the most part, my my bills are paid and you know, allowed, and you know, for the most part, my my bills are paid and you know I'm ready to make money again.

Speaker 1: 29:20

But that's another thing too, like when you need to to reset, you need to reset and unfortunately, like all the little road trips that we were going on in like the last four months or whatever, you know, like just three days at a time. You know, I have literal my friends fucking seen this firsthand. I'm getting text messages. I'm getting, oh, will you please call me? It's like, you know, I'm not even in the fucking state of Michigan right now, like why are you bugging me, knowing that I'm gone, trying to relax, so being on these little mini vacations with my friends, cause I do the little things with them, and then Paul and I do our big trip the end of summer, why are you bothering me? You know, and it's like when I'm, when I'm away, I was relaxed and as soon as I hit that work, that where I was at my ex job, the minute I got into that fucking building, it's like like boom, you know. And then I'd be like, well, what happened when I was gone. You know why does why? How can this all go to shit in three days? So again, you guys, I am very relaxed, though I don't sound like it because you know I am very hyper. You guys know my ADHD squirrel, squirrel moments that I have.

Speaker 1: 30:34

But yeah, with that 2025 project and all this political shit being talked about, I hope, I pray, I'm setting my higher self to the, I'm affirming it, I'm putting it into the universe my good vibes, my love, everything, my energy. I hope 2025, I hope 2025 really starts to pave the way to a better day. That's poetic, but I really hope we start seeing some positive changes, just positivity, in our economy. I think we're all used to the gas being high. We're pretty much used to the groceries being, you know, expensive as shit now, but this inflation, like it's got to reach a point, some kind of limitation here and things we gotta. We gotta go up from here.

Speaker 1: 31:26

So when I find out more about that and I, you know, through the months, when we hear more, you know we'll we'll be on here doing more episodes, on here doing more episodes. But yeah, I mean, I'm always, I'm always down for a good time on here to talk about, like, crazy current events and things that are happening. So, yeah, you guys again, email me at ghost sisters 2124. Again, the email is ghost sisters 21,. 24 at Gmail. You guys, if you look up strange, strange beyond insane, you can listen to any of these episodes on any platforms that you listen to your podcast on. And if you type in um, strange, strange beyond insane, you'll see my Tik TOK will come up YouTube channel. And again, you guys, um, give me some feedback, give me some suggestions, some topics, and again, again, again, again, hop on here with me and shoot the shit, because I love interviewing people, I love having co-hosts and yeah, so that's about it. So thank you guys for listening. Tune in. We'll be chatting soon.