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)
Pro tip: If you shop at 99-cent stores to save money, that makes sense in many instances. Plastic containers, however, are not among them. If you must buy plastic or Tupperware-type boxes/tubs/etc. to put things in & help organize your stuff, spend enough to get good containers that will last.
Among the items I bought at the local Dollar Store almost three weeks ago are a plastic box to keep canned foods & spices in...hasn't even been a month & the damned thing is already falling apart around the edges.
Tired & a little bummed out tonight... *sigh* It is what it is.
@slowdecline48 
@slowdecline48 Sending you good vibes. Do you want to talk about what's got you bummed? (It's ok too if you'd rather not)
Eh, it wasn't anything specific...
My dad used to say "sh|t" every so often when he got old. Once I asked him why & he said "just sh|t! Do I need a reason?" 😆
@slowdecline48 True 😂
Though I'm a bit dazed this morning, I have to thin out some of the small trees on my parcel anyway because the weather waits for no man...by mid-May the heat will be brutal. My plan is to cut 'em, then lop off the branches & use the resulting poles as a framework for a shelter. Will probably layer the outside with brush, branches, etc. so as to increase water resistance & keep bugs from coming in. Will have to work on this tomorrow, too.
It will require the chainsaw.
If I had the time or sufficient faith, I would pray. Now I gotta make sure the saw is okay...if it is then I will don the armored jeans, work boots, earplugs etc. Adios!
@slowdecline48 good luck! And be careful 😀
@unassumingEyes Oh yeah...always gotta be careful in this line of work.
Edit: am tired & have a headache...call it a flareup. I just took some ibuprofen. If I'm better in a half-hour then I'll get to work; if not then I will start tomorrow for sure.
I just feel like 💩 right now. 🤦🏼♂️
At least I cleaned the saw...& adjusted the bar & chain today. Took half the morning getting most of the dirt & gunk out.
@slowdecline48 Hey if you're feeling poorly maybe just take the day off? Best to rest and recoup instead of pushing yourself. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day
@mytwistedsoul Yeah, I kinda don't have a choice today...been lying back in the driver's seat for a while now. I nodded out at one point.
@slowdecline48 Nothing wrong with that. You had a pretty busy day yesterday running errands and getting other stuff done if I remember correctly. That can tire a person out just as much as working. Tomorrow is another day 😊
New pic...first creative effort in a while.
Also if you look up "doggerel" in the Poetry forum, you'll find my thread there. I posted another chintzy rhyme there yesterday.
Accomplishments of the day:
- Murdered quite a few immature pines & oaks in the northern end of my parcel. The idea is to thin them out & let a few remaining ones grow big & tall.
- Adjusted the bar on the chainsaw & sharpened the chain prior to the above.
- Discovered the remains of an old septic system by accident (at least that's what I think it is). Upon stepping on the wrong spot, it swallowed my leg!...talk about a nasty surprise.
I hammered a piece of rebar into the ground near the hole this afternoon & spraypainted the top end, to mark the area. - Cut up the oak(?) I felled in the central area of the parcel over a month earlier (before I gave up the apartment).
@slowdecline48 That sounds dangerous! Glad you made it out with just a nasty surprise and not a full disappearing act! Your leg is okay, right?
@azurePond It still worked the last time I checked, yeah 😂
Rural life has its risks...but then, urban living isn't completely safe either. Never has been.
I almost wish someone caught my sudden level change on video at the time...it probably looked funny. I went "yahh!"
@slowdecline48 You would've gone viral as a GIF 😭
@azurePond 😂
@slowdecline48 Damn man 😳 Really lucky you weren't hurt or worse. Good thinking in marking it. Hope there's no more hidden surprises like that 😅
@mytwistedsoul I hope there isn't either...of course, one should never assume that is the case. I doubt there are any other subterranean pits in my parcel but who knows... There's plenty of debris to trip over already...vines & rotten tree trunks, mostly.
@slowdecline48 Hey! I have to admit I'm extra glad to read your words today. I was a little concerned you maybe went the route of Timmy and fell down a well or something. Yeah it sucks when you can't see what's under your feet. Rocks or roots or vines 😬 Be careful out there
"the route of Timmy"?... 🤨 But I'm not in a wheelchair...
@slowdecline48
From Lassie? The kid's always getting into trouble and the dog always rescues him 😁😂😂
After momentary inspiration, I made a meme. (Yes, it's a safe link)
Am dizzy this morning...guess I shouldn't be surprised, as yesterday was a long day & a long drive back to my land. Got things to do as always, but frankly I need more rest right now...
@slowdecline48 
Take rest and Take care!!
One of the few upsides to being chronic: you learn how to get things done even though you're feeling like 🦮💩... It's not quite bad enough to shut me down for the day, but enough to slow me down. Time management definitely helps...like, start a task that basically completes itself & then do something else that requires your attention while task #1 is percolating along. One of my usual tricks.
The screen on my phone keeps blacking out. It's been like this for a few days now. Took it to an electronics/phone repair guy in town last week...apparently he's pretty good at what he does but there wasn't much he could do for this motherf***ing c**ksucking pus-nutted limp-d**ked oh-so-delicate phone. 😒
(Can you tell I don't get along with modern technology? IMNSHO it went off the rails by the end of the 19th century, if not earlier)
Finally drove back today to where I bought the phone (svc provider). I couldn't remember if I'd purchased insurance on the device...turns out I did. Who knew it would actually be useful?
The new phone should arrive next Monday. If I go dark between now & then, don't be surprised.
@slowdecline48 Totally not laughing 😁 that is a very inventive cuss 🤭 These phones are something else aren't they? You can do anything on them (just about) but lord love a duck if you touch it the wrong way or drop it you're fluffed
I appreciate the good vibes, Mr. Twisty. The land project is going slowly because of interruptions such as the above. I'm nowhere near it right now, because after driving back up to where I bought the phone it seems ridiculous to go all the way back down to my land, only to return to this town (just below Jacksonville) on Monday...when the replacement phone will likely arrive. Waste of gas, especially considering the mileage I get. 😆 Been sitting here in a Waffle House working on my laptop...& trying to decide what to do to avoid a long pointless round trip.
@slowdecline48 It makes sense not to drive back and forth. It eats up time and gas. Maybe do some wash if you have some or stock up on some provisions?
I did the rest of my laundry yesterday...can't stock up on provisions right now. That'll have to wait until Tuesday if not after. All that's left is resting up, & maybe a little art if circumstances allow...
@slowdecline48 That string of curses ought to be recognised as a modern free verse poem — aptly titled “Planned Obsolescence Effed Us All.”
Have you heard of the Phoebus Cartel? They were a group of lightbulb manufacturers who basically kick started all this nonsense of products being deliberately designed to have a limited lifespan. They're the ones to blame for your screen blackout. A literal Bulb cartel.. I wish I was kidding!😭
@azurePond I've heard about the real-life conspiracy in the beginning of lightbulb manufacturing, but I didn't know it was called the "Phoebus Cartel"... Seems like a lame name for a secret group of business magnates, but then that was during a time when parents gave their baby girls names like "Eustace"...
@slowdecline48 I dunnooo know—do cartels usually announce themselves with names like that? But there were trials and some businessmen got punished or something… I dont quite remember... But that's how the name got famous.
Anyway... Phoebus means light—it’s also another name for Apollo. So whatever else they were... they clearly had a decent grasp of the classics!
Also… who names their daughter Eustace? Eww. Not to be that person but Eustace is definitely a male name. I actually know a Eustace—lame name, honestly—so now I’m just confused. Isnt that a male name?😭
@azurePond Maybe I had it confused with another 19th-centuru name that no one use anymore. 🤷🏼♂️
@slowdecline48 Oh I think I have got it !... Constance... It kinda sounds like Eustace.. and Constance was a popular girl name in the 19th century🤷♀️
Right. Constance, & Mildred, & Harriet, & Henrietta... 😆
@slowdecline48 Yeah I agree... businessmen without ethics are the worst kind of plague..
Life subscription cancelled? LOL I am going to use that phrase from now on...
PS : Los Zeta sounds like a sorority😭
Am indoors again. It's nice but artificial...
The key is to enjoy the perks of civilization without becoming attached to them...that is the trick I must learn. Once the replacement phone arrives, this will be over & I'll be out on the land again.
Really need to erect a shelter this coming week. Summer is almost upon us...I don't want to sleep inside the truck during the hot months. Avispado is fun to drive (sometimes) but for living quarters? 😐 He's certainly not the worst but he is decidedly second-rate.
One bad thing about being on an antibiotic: no alky allowed. It's the Eden effect. I didn't particularly want to drink...until I got this prescription. Now I cannot do it until after the last horse pill.* 🤦🏼♂️ In Genesis, if God really did not want Adam & Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge then He should never have put the tree there to begin with! To forbid a vice automatically makes it tempting.
*Seriously, the tablets are huge.
Two more reasons to stay inside & take it easy today:
- I can sleep in. Out on the land I don't get to do that.
- Today is Sunday...the church people will be out & about.
...will definitely use the truck's A/C plenty in the next three to four months.
A few weeks ago, in the other online community I'm in I encountered a word in one of the forums I had never seen before. Today, I learned what ensh!ttification means.
@slowdecline48 I've never heard that one either. uh I'm not going to point any fingers anywhere but yeah 😂 😅
@mytwistedsoul No need to point fingers: we already know how it goes...
Right now I'm looking at you, Adobe.