my journal: various subjects, opinionating, CW at times
The title explains itself.
If you're interested in the ramblings of a middle-aged man with chronic conditions who, at times, sees things a little too clearly for his own good, then read on.
Sometimes I get political, but it won't be all the time.
I don't mind comments in general but if you're going to differ with what I write, that's fine--as long as you can explain your position clearly & reasonably. Rants, shouting & general incoherence will be ignored or flagged, depending on the situation. Try to remember that not everyone else in this world holds your beliefs.
Every so often I may post art or snapshots of projects I'm working on.
If you're still interested after reading all the above, great. (I do wonder at how much time you have on your hands, though)
When it comes to the Near East these days, my only question is: will Israel live?
Meaning, will it continue to perpetuate itself as a home for us, for my people? Because if anything has been revealed by the 10-7 terror strikes & abductions, it is not only that in other nations on the globe we only live there the sufferance of our neighbors, but that this world will always be that way.
One thing to be happy about: as of a few days ago, the upvote ratio is on my side:
So on my laptop there was a notification that it was due for a system update, to Windows 11...considering the machine is over three years old, it seems like junking it & getting a newer machine is the better option.
Gonna do that next week. Also the trip to the property so I can cut down those hanging vines & brambles...maybe log a bit, if time & my body permit it. I'll be back when I'm back, folks.
0948 - It's 6°C outside. That's about 43° Fahr. Jesus on toast!... No, I Ain't goin' anywhere. Not today.
Also, some of the GIFs on the menu here are fantastic...
Some seasoning for the meal:
@slowdecline48 43 sounds almost balmy. Although in your part of the world that would be cold. I've got 16 with a wind chill so it feels 3. It doesn't matter how many freaking layers a person wears. Cold is cold. I hate winter 😬
....aaaaaand that's why I don't live in your state, whichever one it is. 😄 I liked winter when I was living in the Midwest so long ago. Am firmly convinced that only young people like winter, & only until they have to start shoveling snow just to clear their driveways so they can get to wherever they have to go.
A few minutes ago, I finished Hillbilly Elegy.
@slowdecline48 Was it any good?
@mytwistedsoul Yes, it was. It exposes a part of America's underclass that rarely gets any attention...& when it does, such attention rarely comes with any sympathy.
The book has been overshadowed by J. D. Vance's throwing in with the president-elect, but let's not forget he was initially critical of Trump. I suspect Elegy hints at a reason for the author's turnabout...it may not be quite what Vance's critics think it is. Vance pulls no punches in portraying the social ills of poor whites in Appalachia; he grew up amidst real poverty--& the pathology it generates & is generated by. In his avoiding jail/drug addiction/etc. & getting into Yale, Vance managed to beat the odds (with help from his grandparents & others, whom he credits more than once). He got out & moved up. I think when J. D. switched his stance & got appointed as Trump's running mate, it was partly a continuation of his trajectory. Once you become a hot-shot lawyer or senator, you can't go much higher than a successful candidacy for VP.
Though I don't come from the culture that Vance describes, I've seen echoes of it here & there. His people have much in common with African-Americans & Latinos in our worst urban areas (& in housing projects, back when there were housing projects). I've lived in two ghettos in my life so far, & certain aspects of the people--his people--Vance wrote about are sadly familiar.
Elegy is not a pleasant book, but I recommend it nonetheless.
@slowdecline48 I might have to check it out. Thanks Slow :)
Anytime.
...this reminded me about the reading list idea I had a while back. Forgot about it afterward...whoops. 🤪 If I can remember this time it'll have to be after New Year's.
@slowdecline48 Lol that's alright I forgot until you said something 😂 damn sometimers
Woohoo!
...it's finally over for another year. Thank god.
Wonder what to do for New Year's?*...I do kind of want to celebrate a little. It's as good a reason as any. Plus I'm heading toward the big 5-0. Once I arrive, celebration is over. Ain't nothin' good about being 50 or older.
*on the Julian/western calendar, that is.
Edit: woke up after midnight, as usual. 😒
I finished a practice piece (brush lettering) that I started two days ago. As it is about politics, it's probably unsuitable for CupsLand.
Edit 2:
Intellect can give you great advantages in life. However it has drawbacks like everything else...the main drawback is that it effectively isolates the person who has it. When other people aren't "on your wavelength", they might as well not be there at all.
The pollen count has been creeping upward the last few days. My weather app said as much...told what I already knew. Sinuses never lie.
That is likely a reason--maybe not the only one--why even though I've rested here & there lately, I still don't have much energy when I wake up. Phucksticks.
How am I supposed to cut down some of the trees on my land & cut 'em into logs when I'm feeling like this? And get ready to move out? And my allergies are not gonna behave themselves at least through the beginning of March. 🤦🏼♂️
OTC medicines will have to do an awful lot for the next two months. I hate that s***.
[CW: a whole bunch of adult s***]
At 0845 I woke up--for the 3rd time--from the worst nightmare I've had in a while...Jesus on f***ing toast, that was bad.
It started out like an exploitation film from the 1970's & got worse from there.... Bikers. Intimidation. They all had guns while I had a machete of all things (& that disappeared). Run-down neighborhood ruled by some kind of warlord-pimp who leads the motorcycle gang. The largest indoor dogfighting complex ever. Way too many pit bull dogs (I dislike pit bulls in general but will make exceptions with sufficient cause). Pursuit by aforementioned blockheaded beasts. A horde of unkempt cultists in leather jackets--apparently the local warlord's motorcycle gang was a cult leader too. This guy would've made Muhammad look nice by comparison...
After all that, the dream started getting weird...
The dogfight/animal sacrifice facility turned into some kind of gigantic factory for who knows what hideous purpose, built from blocks of a concrete-steel hybrid substance... Guards. More pit bulls. A finance/accounting dept with a blender-like machine for sacrifices that took up a whole room.
...yeah. If you're shaking your head at this point, feel free. I don't know where I get these dreams from, either.
Woke up sweating & tired but I don't want to go back to sleep...or at least not while sober.
Feel free to comment, folks. I know a post like this attracts opinions.
"It is impossible to understand the massive concentrations of political power in the twentieth century, appearing so paradoxically, or it has seemed, right after a century and a half of individualism in economics and morals, unless we see the close relationship that prevailed all through the nineteenth century between individualism and State power and between both of these together and the general weakening of the area of association that lies intermediate to man and the State."
- Robert Nisbet
@iloveyouxx - Today I'm learning, too! 😄 An interesting place you're in there...
I had a rough idea where the UAE was, & knew Dubai was someplace inside it. But that was all I knew. Am picking up other facts now...gotta love these Internet rabbit holes. You detect one thing, find out a few other things, click a few links & down the burrow you go. 🕳️
So whichever part you're in, it is one of seven & is ruled by a sheikh. 🤔 That's old-school, for sure.
The UAE is almost as small as Israel, which it officially recognized in 2020. That's good: you'll get Israeli tourism & investment now...selling oil is great, but it's a nonrenewable resource & so will not last forever.
...from what I've read so far, the UAE sounds like a nice place to visit overall. As an American, however, I wouldn't want to live there. I do appreciate Emirati authorities taking cybersecurity in your country seriously. Unfortunately, while the US government takes it seriously (in theory), to some extent Net security varies from state to state & even from town to town.