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)
Interesting Link of the Week:
@slowdecline48 There is 623 pages😭
@azurePond 🤷🏼♂️ There are writers out there who desperately need an editor.
@slowdecline48 Let them write 1000 pages—just normalize adding a summary at the back, with bullet points and diagrams like decent human beings😭
S***.
We have a storm system in the area this week...cooled the afternoon quite a bit yesterday. But right now I can't take advantage because the usual reason...Am lying down in the truck right now, parked in what will be a shady spot in an hour from now.
Jesus in the girls' locker room, I need some f***ing sleep...
@slowdecline48 
@slowdecline48 Ok... the second part actually makes the first part make sense now.
@azurePond? Sometimes I'm creative with expressions of amazement, exasperation/fed-up-ness, disgust, etc...Since I'm not a Christian, the phrase "Jesus Christ!" doesn't make much sense to me. "Christ on a cracker" works but is an old standard.
Two days ago I found out the gas station (same one I scavved from earlier) had removed all the pumps & was set to replace them all...figured maybe the construction crew will rip up the lot & I could get more concrete for infill. On Wednesday, despite my being tired I drove into town & sure enough...
I plundered their dumpster. Twice.
This morning I neatened up the pile a bit.
Today I'm tired, & sore in a few places. That's alright. I don't mind...Better to suffer for a reason than for no purpose whatsoever.
What to do, what to do... Scav more rubble, or cut trees? 🤔
If I'm gonna be honest, cutting trees & brush might be more important right now...
...Moses & Jesus in a Cadillac, I'm bored right now...
@slowdecline48 A Cadillac? 😂 Why am I picturing them dress liked 2 p*mps 😅
Bored? Who's got time for that?! 😂
@mytwistedsoul 😭😭
[cw: adult subject matter]
(Stay outta this, Eyes)
@mytwistedsoul Thass right, man... When the Second Coming happens, it will be truly pimptastic! Jesus will have his 'stache & goatee razored off with nice clean edges, Moses will wear a cream-colored silk suit with a fedora to match...they will arrive in a deep purple Caddy with a leather interior, V-8 rumbling under the hood.... Both of them will, of course, have their curvaceous b**ches in tow...so much better than "clouds of glory".
(Now you're starting to understand why I would never make a good Christian!) 😃
Normally I don't have time for boredom but lately I haven't been able to do much work on the land, as in the daytime we keep getting "heat advisory" warnings--the index has gone over 109°!--& I can't do it at night because it would wake up my neighbors for sure. Imagine someone just down the road felling trees at 1:30 in the morning... I've been finding other things to do, but still.
Right now the bed of my truck is half full of rubble. Gonna see if I can dig out any more properly-sized chunks before I drive back home & toss it all on the pile.
Remember, folks: I have to unload & stack all the concrete, too.
Currently inside my truck, parked in the lot of the Wally World in town...waiting out the rain. And what rain it is!...
- If there's anything I am truly fed up with, it's night sweats & IBS... If my body was a car, it would either need a total overhaul or get towed to a junkyard.
- Coming up on a half-century of trips around the sun, I've learned a few truths. One of them is that while emotions are a basic part of being human, they're also considerably overrated.
I had plans for today...it was gonna be a productive Sunday. But I started flaring up this morning, & now it's too hot to do anything outside. 🤦🏼♂️
...gotta park in the shade somewhere. F**ksticks.
Now I'm back home, on my land. Still feeling a bit blah.
One thing that's changed about me: in my 20's, whenever I was driving & saw roadkill I didn't care...a bump in the road, & nothing more. These days, whenever I see it it makes me sad....am no bleeding heart but now, it always brings me down a bit when I see the carcass of a deer, dead for no reason.
[cw: pol stuff, unmusical violins]
A few weeks ago, I responded to a quite valid rant in another journal here about selective outrage...(You know who you are) In the exchange that followed, the author of the rant asked incredulously if Jews have really been harassed & bullied by activists on American college campuses. As an open followup:
Yes. Seriously.
This kind of thing really does happen in the US.
Nor is it the worst example:
Like I said, some things never change...only the 🐗💩 excuses do.
If someone wants to advocate for the Palestinians, do it. If you honestly care about them that much, great...you're a compassionate person. H*ll, at this point I'm pretty disturbed by the war myself, & am wondering if Netanyahu & co. are using it as a way to stay in power instead of ending it & getting the remaining hostages home... Many millennial & Gen-Z Israelis suspect the same thing--that's why they've been protesting in Tel Aviv & other areas for weeks now. So if someone is convinced the Israeli gov't is doing wrong & innocent Palestinians are paying the price, fine...go ahead & say so. Take it to the streets if you must.
But do not use the suffering of the Palestinians as a smokescreen for your antisemitism. You are not helping anyone--Palestinians least of all--by doing so. There is a difference between legitimate protesting & going after innocent people. We see you for what you truly are.
@slowdecline48 Oh I have seen such anti.semi.tic posts. I’ve seen people online even questioning whether the Jewish gen0cide ever happened. That’s not just antisemitic... it’s cruel, dehum@nizing and anti human. Why erase the trauma of one group to support another? These are both human tragedies. In fact you could argue that the Jewish gen0cide, the African gen0cide even the Indian famines under British rule all taught us something about the consequences of dehumanization. We’re supposed to learn from them... not repeat them and certainly not question "whether they actually happened" when people who went through it are still alive. It’s like my old 'tomato is a fruit or vegetable' analogy but with actual human lives at stake. Saying I’m against antisemitism doesn’t mean I support what’s happening in G@za. I am against antisemitism and I also strongly oppose Netanyahu’s government— not Netanyahu the jew (even that phrase is problematic when you boast of secularism yk). And yet somehow... people out there with barely two brain cells to rub together still can’t process this simple idea that everything is not a binary.
Summary for the last 2 brain cells - criticizing Netanyahu’s government is not antisemitic. But when that criticism becomes a vehicle to spread hatred against Jews, it is antisemitic and it makes you a terrible human being. I am against what's happening to those children in gaza.. the famine, the genocide.... I am not against the jewish people. And no, my opinion is not sitting on a fence. Moral clarity isn’t about picking a side... it’s refusing to be blind. And if your empathy needs a target, not a principle, it was never empathy to begin with. * mic drop *
@azurePond terrific response...unfortunately, the "binary" thing is a common mistake: the black-&-white fallacy.
@slowdecline48 Yes... also the reductive fallacy or oversimplification fallacy
All this, & English isn't even your first language?? Amazing...
@slowdecline48 Thank you, Slow Decline... to be fair, I started learning English in nursery and grew up in an English speaking environment so that helped a lot.
Flareup this morning...f¢@§ me.
....
...at certain times in one's life, reality sets in.
@slowdecline48 Damn... Sorry to hear this Slow.
Good thoughts, Twisty...I appreciate it. I'll get through this s***. I've made it through everything else so far, & I'm still on this side of the grass.
One thing I've learned so far this year: You can lie down inside a vehicle & get some rest even when it's hot...as long as there's a breeze. Air movement is key. When the air is still, is when you'll sweat like a hog.
@slowdecline48 A breeze does make a big difference that's for sure.