Friday, February 26, 2016

Siren Kimmie Banned!!!

I was posting links to my latest video recently, as ya do when you make videos; and I noticed I was no longer subscribed to a particular group. In other words, I was KICKED OFF!!! This isn't the first time some ban-hammer-happy admin has decided the way I choose to share my passion for metal detecting did not fit into their idea of participation. Clearly they felt my video links were irrelevant and even a detriment to their community, so I was unceremoniously ejected.

I must confess, I am utterly confused as to why anyone would be removed or banned from a metal detecting group for posting metal detecting videos (or metal detecting related links of any sort). Seems counter intuitive if you ask me. Keep in mind I post maybe one or two links a month (because it takes me that long to get these videos together). So It's not as if I was over-posting my links on any particular group. And I'm not cramming my videos down anyone's throat. More curious is the fact that other Youtubers post links to the group yet seem to be immune from this blacklisting. What gives?

As an obsessed metal detectorist you can well imagine I belong to a lot of groups (some of which I've been added to without being asked). I love scrolling through my news feed filled with finds, videos, jokes and family pics. I don't mind seeing what everyone had for dinner, candids of your pets, your baby, your vacation... even if it is not on topic. It's Facebook...a place to share and be social.

Meanwhile with the number of hours I work, my other responsibilities, and my spare time spent digging and creating videos, there is no earthly way I could possibly comment every day in every single group. Instead, when I see things in my news feed which interest me, I like and/or comment. And I share my videos with each group as A MEANS OF PARTICIPATION.

The thing is, we all have various ways of expressing ourselves. I choose to pen blog posts and produce videos. This is how I share my finds, my passion for detecting, and my creativity. I'm not out there hawking for Youtube subscribers. I'm not trying to sell anything or "make a living" off my channel. I create the videos because I like to share my experience and finds with my groups and friends. Plus it's FUN and a great way to keep a diary and documentation of my finds!

So, boot me if you must. I'm going to continue to do what I do and we'll just have to agree to disagree!

PS, here's my link, go check out my videos (giggles)  Girls Rock Metal Detecting on Youtube

xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting and Nokta Makro Field Team Member)

© 2019 Siren Kimmie/Girls Rock Metal Detecting. All Rights Reserved.

 Check out Girls Rock Metal Detecting at all of these fine establishments:
Online: http://www.GirlsRockMetalDetecting.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GirlsRockMetalDetectingOfficial
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GirlsRockMetalDetecting
Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeRockMetalDetecting/
Nokta Makro Field Team (NOMADS) Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nomadsgang/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsrockmd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GirlsRockMD
Ello: https://ello.co/sirenkimmie

Nokta Makro Detectors: https://www.noktadetectors.com/
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Sunday, February 14, 2016

Happy Valentine's Day xoxo Siren Kimmie

Happy Valentine's Day! Check out the Valentine's Day inspired finds and other goodies in this special Edition of Girls Rock Metal Detecting:  Love is in the Air and In the Ground


xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)
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Monday, January 11, 2016

There's a Starman Waiting in the Sky

It's 6:30 am on Monday, January 11, 2016.  

 My alarm rings… I press snooze.

At 6:32 my alarm rings again, I slide my finger across the screen bringing blissful silence.

I notice part of an instant message that read, "Very sad." 

I click the message to continue.

"David Bowie has died Kim."

 My breath is gone.  
I blankly type a response as I catch myself saying the words out loud.
"Nooooooooo. Oh, no, no…
New record just came out.
No, no, no…"
I type one last resonating word, "Heartbroken."

Numb legs slide out of bed and carry my body to the kitchen.
I turn on the coffee. 
How can Bowie be dead?  
I try to wrap my head around the news.
How did he die? This is a hoax, right?

The gurgle and hiss of the coffee pot sounds like a steam engine in my head.  
The house is dark save for the light emitting from the screen of my cellular phone.

I open the web browser…

 Top news: David Bowie dead at age 69. 
Cancer.
It's no hoax. He's really gone.
Tears begin rolling down my checks.

I can't process it. David Bowie doesn't die of cancer.  David Bowie lives to be like 100 years old, if he doesn't live forever--which I was pretty sure he would!  
But Bowie?  No way! 
Bowie goes out with a blaze of lighting and thunder as the earth shakes and trembles! ...Right? 
After all, he is Ziggy Stardust!  Super-human!  Starman!  
Certainly the entire Universe would have been aware the moment he drew his last breath. It should have woken me from my sleep in a sudden panic!
But no, he died quietly January 10th, 2016.  

 No explosions.  No bombast.  Just gone.

I welcome the hot water of the shower.  
Standing with hands pressed against the wall, holding me up as water rushes down my face, washing free flowing tears down the drain. 
It's all so cliché. 
"Come on Kimmie, you're being a bit melodramatic don't you think?" I imagine him gently chastising.
No, he was an artist, full of emotion and feeling. 
Bowie would understand. 

I step out of the shower, grab a towel, and mindlessly dry off.
I feel duped!  He wasn't sick was he?
No one EVER said he was ill!
No one said he had cancer!

I throw the towel across the room, my movements now angrily punctuated.
I begin to dress as if it's the most distasteful chore--punching my arms and legs into the openings of each garment with a furious thrust.
I yank on my boots and stomp to the bathroom where I rip a brush through my wet, tangled hair.
Why was there no warning?

I'm crying again.

I still don't believe it.
Surely there would have been news before now that he was fighting such a serious battle.

I get it though. If it were me I wouldn’t announce it.
Hell, I'm a private person.  I totally understand keeping this secret.

So why do I feel like I've been tricked--robbed of some very important knowledge that would have made this news a bit easier to digest?
Instead I'm left in complete and utter shock.

I toy with the idea of calling in sick.
What do I say?  "I'm sorry I can't make it in today.  You see, David Bowie has died…"
They'd think I'm nuts!

You must understand.  For me, this is as hard as losing Lennon, in some respects more so because I was so young when Lennon was killed. I didn't have the years in that I do with Bowie.  
Yes, for me this is every bit as shocking as Lennon.
No warning!  Sudden, violent in its own right, and totally unjust.

My girlfriend messages my phone to signify she's in the drive.
I absently grab my things and hop into the car.
She hands me a coffee.  
Thank God for small miracles.
I tell her the news. She already knows.  
We make small talk. A nice distraction.
She promises to help me mourn as she drops me at work.

Is it ridiculous to grieve someone I've never met?
Bowie put his heart and soul into his art, so to say that I knew nothing of him isn't entirely true. In that respect he spoke to me very intimately. 
Plus, he was to be my husband you know.  I jokingly forewarned at the start of every serious relationship, "If Bowie shows up, all bets are off."
Still I never had the chance to see him in person.
I always hoped he would tour again. 
The new record would certainly have included a tour right?
I'd finally get to see him live?

Nope. I will never see Bowie in person. Never. Ever.

I'm crying again.

There is no consoling.  No solace or attempts at pleasantries will make me feel better.
"The genius of Bowie lives on through his music."--  
Of course it does!
"His music is his legacy."-- 
Of course it is!
But he's dead and I’m pissed!
All the amazing music and art he had yet to create...
There will be no more from him.

 I'll celebrate his life later.
Right now I'm going to wallow. 
I'm going to play some of his darkest stuff.
I'm going to cry
I'm going to lament.
I'm going to feel.

xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)
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Saturday, January 2, 2016

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Someone asked me what my New Year's resolution is. My answer is fairly simple. I don't do resolutions. My theory has always been, and I've said this the past 20 years or so... You shouldn't need a special day to force you to do the things you should already have been doing all year long. New Years resolutions are too much pressure. They set you up for failure. Instead make a decision now to do the things you should. Just do it and keep at it-- whatever it is. And if you fall, get the F back up and try again.

 Have an amazing year my friends. Be good to yourself and those around you. And just keep moving forward. Only look back for a moment to remind yourself how far you have come! Xoxo, Siren Kimmie

xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)
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Thursday, September 10, 2015

Spamming and Slamming

A few days ago I let loose the Girls Rock Metal Detecting website upon the masses of Facebook. I have been a contributing member, sharing finds and engaging with other detectorists in social media communities since the day I started metal detecting almost four years ago. I am a video narrator and on other channels and have created banners and graphics for different pages as well as being an active moderator of various Facebook groups. While I did effectuate a profile change when undertaking the Girls Rock Metal Detecting project, and may seem like a new face, I still felt comfortable posting the website, which is completely on topic. I had also received an amazing response from moderators who encouraged me to post links, blog articles, videos, or "whatever I wanted."  Needless to say, I was quite shocked when someone accused me of being a spammer and a non-participant in the groups.

 What exactly is spam?  "Electronic spamming is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited messages (spam), especially advertising, as well as sending messages repeatedly on the same site..." "It is named after Spam, a luncheon meat, by way of a Monty Python sketch in which Spam is included in every dish. The food is stereo-typically disliked/unwanted, ..." Thank you Wikipedia! I think it's safe to say that I was not hurling canned meat at anyone so we'll go with the electronic definition of spam. I was not selling anything and I never posted the link more than one time to any group. While it is true, I did post the link to multiple groups, I am an active member in these groups and wished to share my website with each group much like I do with finds, videos or blog articles. Those of us belonging to multiple groups have grown accustomed to seeing posts more than once, accepting this as a harmless side effect. (We could get into semantics about how there are way too many metal detecting groups but I didn't create the Facebook world I just reside in it -- Plus I love the variety!)  Next, speaking to relevancy, as a member of a "metal detecting group" there is an assumption of risk that you will see metal detecting links (gasp!). However, an amazing little tool known as a "scroll bar" allows you to scroll through posts until you find something that catches your fancy. Bottom line, your personal lack of interest in a post does not make it spam.

 There are two things an innocent bystander may not know about me: 1) I have a tremendous passion for metal detecting and 2) I have an out-of-control creative side that regularly assumes full dominion over my being, plunging me into projects it feels will sedate my artistic cravings. From this, Girls Rock Metal Detecting was conceived. While it is true, the idea was born out of a vision to provide a platform for female detectorists to fully express themselves, it would be disingenuous not to point out the benefits I am being afforded. Girls Rock Metal Detecting has tapped into a side of me that has been dormant for some time--The imaginative artsy side who is so excited to have a reason to write, create graphics, produce videos, engineer film and sounds, and to interact with others in a hobby that is truly inspiring. The one thing I am NOT getting out of this is money! I never intended for Girls Rock Metal Detecting to generate a revenue of any sort. I have long since learned that it is difficult to find a job in the arts that actually pays the bills, so I must hold down a 40 hour a week career to keep a roof over my head.  I truly believe, because this project is not money driven, what I am doing comes for a pure and true place in my heart (as corny as that sounds). I hope this honesty translates through the videos and my social media content. I realize not everyone will understand and appreciate what I'm doing, but I really hope you'll give it a chance.

xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)
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Monday, August 31, 2015

Building Up or Tearing Down

I have never claimed to be overly mature.  I’m a proud member of the Peter Pan generation and I refuse to grow up.  I like toys, I love to play and I plan on staying young forever (if only at heart).  I fully encourage this behavior in everyone.  However, I do not subscribe to the mentality of keyboard warriors, who hold fast to cliché cliquey high school ignorance. 

 Social media, historically, has been a breeding ground for spreading hate and nastiness because it comes with no real consequences.  You can say something unkind to another person and walk away from the keyboard into your own existence; never having to answer for your behavior.

 Mean girls (and boys), fueled by jealousy, boredom or a complete lack of social grace and etiquette, take every opportunity to tear others down.  It's quite sad really.  I cannot imagine any person truly feeling GOOD about themselves as they are belittling or insulting and hurting another human being.  There is enough hate in the world, that here, in the metal detecting community, where we all have something in common, you would think everyone could get along. Instead there are accusations of staged finds, back biting and tormenting behavior that leaves me shaking my head on an almost daily basis.

Meanwhile, I will just sit back and watch karma sort it all out.

 xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)
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Monday, August 24, 2015

Wood Nymphs and Other Tales...

She is continually asked what she finds so intriguing about metal detecting.

 What is the appeal?

This particularly humid summer day leaves her considering this question as sweat drips down the small of her back and hair clings to her face.  She mindlessly brushes a wayward stand out of her eye, leaving a streak of dirt across her cheek.  Mosquitoes and other biting insects buzz around, attempting to make her their next meal.  She shakes her head in response and notices a twig which she plucks from her now disheveled do.  Her knees and backside are dirty and she is pretty sure she has an entire beach-full of sand and earth in her shoes, bra and panties (how it gets there is a mystery)!  

 She glances down at broken, mud-encrusted fingernails, taking note of her arms, now covered in thorn scratches and bruises for which she has no recollection of their origin.  By days end her entire body will tell the tale of running around like a wood nymph, navigating briars, hoisting over fallen trees, sliding down crevasses and climbing steep hills. Anyone in their right mind would say this sounds like a horrid way to spend the day.

Breathing in deeply, savoring the smell of dirt, brush, pine and leaves, her mouth curves up in a knowing smile.  Metal detecting puts her in touch with history, this much is true.  She loves digging up relics and imagining what life was like those many years ago.  But the truth of the matter is, beyond the thrill of the hunt, being outdoors, in the dirt, having an intimate connection with nature—what BETTER way to spend the day?

xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)
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