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)
About 20 minutes ago I cut down a tree...It fell the opposite way I had intended it to.
Boy, do I love living dangerously. 😕😒
@slowdecline48 Oh man. Glad you're here to tell about it! It's freaking scary af when that happens! It didn't hit anything of importance did it?
😆 No, Twisty... It just hit the ground. I was already off to one side & walking away fast. Of course you know the basic "hinge" technique of cutting--you know more about felling & bucking than I'll probably ever learn--the tree was attached to the base. It just went the other way. I'm just happy it didn't pinch the bar. Already had to replace the stock bar & chain earlier this year! 😂
A few minutes after that, I cut a limb off the oak tree near the NW corner of my plot. It was probably more dangerous overall but I'm still intact & breathin'. That tree I will let stand...it just needs some trimming here & there. If I do it right, the oak will become a first-rate home for songbirds. Already got plans for the thickest part of the limb...
@slowdecline48 take care of yourself, Uncle Slow. no more accidents
@unassumingEyes Oh honey, I wish I could make that promise...but I can't. I will definitely keep my eyes & ears open & (hopefully) refrain from doing anything stupid...beyond that, I cannot make you any guarantees. Once you cut the hinge in the base of the trunk & the tree starts to move, there's no stopping or redirecting it. The Murphy Factor can't be eliminated...best we can do is shrink it down.
However, I'm still here. 😃 Please read my response to Twisty.
@slowdecline48 I trust you'll take whatever precautions are possible...the rest is left to hope about
Didn't need this...a slight headache & pressure today. A comparatively mild flareup. I was gonna clear some brush & add the most recent load of rubble to the pile (it's all on the ground rn)...so much for that. Hopefully I can still do it later this afternoon.
....weird dreams.
Not nightmares, just surreal dreams. Who knows if I'll remember any of 'em a year from now...
A couple nights ago, I thought of my dog...it's been a few years now. But I still miss him once in a while.
In other unimportant news: I talked to a young girl here in town...she's from Gujarat. India.
Man...immigrants show up everywhere now!
I wish I didn't have to sleep...
SECURITY ADVICE
Hey, folks...I have a question for you: when was the last time you changed your password?
At least one of you, maybe more, is worried about other people looking at whatever you posted in Cups-Land. Well that's what a password is for...to make it difficult for anyone outside your intended audience (those you trust or like among us Cupsians) to read what you write here. Your password is your first line of defense against unauthorized parties' snooping! If you haven't updated it in a while...better take care of that.
Your password shouldn't really be a password, but a passcode. There's a difference: a word can be "read", or guessed, or otherwise understood by human minds. A code is just a string of characters to which none of that applies. Your passcode should not have your birthdate, your name, your dad's name or anything else that anyone can guess; it also should not be limited to letters of the alphabet. It should be longer than the minimum required length as stated by the website/platform where you have an account. Your passcode should be something like
vE736?XruS-2@/I
See? No one would figure that out...even password-cracking programs wouldn't have an easy time getting through it.
You should change your passcode regularly, too. Once a month is okay under normal conditions. If Cups (or whatever platform you're in/on) gets hacked, change your passcode immediately.
...now why are you still sitting here & reading this? Go & update your f***ing password, ya yutz.
@slowdecline48 good advice! 😂
@slowdecline48 how do you remember all those passcodes? xD i just use words with random numbers (never updated them in my life 🫣)
@unassumingEyes I don't. What I did was, I designed a form with three "columns": platform/website names in the left one, my online handle (or e-mail the acct is connected to) in the central column, & the passcode for each in the right one. That is my "master form". I went to a Fedex shop & used one of their photocopying machines...made a bunch of copies of the master form. Each copy I use to help me keep track. Every time I change all the passcodes I pull a fresh form & fill it in, then destroy the old filled-out form. Every time I do this I'm all by myself, so there's no prying eyes anywhere.
The above procedure is what works for me, but you don't have to do exactly as I do. No doubt you're more at home with modern tech than I am...you could figure out an all-digital version of my procedure, certainly. I do it because I don't want to store passcodes on my laptop as whenever I'm online with it, there's a possibility the laptop could get hacked...these days there's probably ways to secure it. Random passcode-generating programs exist, so you don't even have to come up with 'em yourself if it's difficult.
Do you have quite a few online accounts? I do...
@slowdecline48 i have a few accounts. I use a set password for my "known" ones and three different passwords for those like cups
I hate headaches.
...
Also - when someone starts telling me a conspiracy theory, I no longer take anything that person says seriously & consider him/her basically an ignoramus.
@slowdecline48 So does this mean that birds really are real and there aren't any lizard people? 😳 Joking, joking... 😂
Hope the headache gets better soon
@mytwistedsoul Thanks. It mostly is...for now. You know how chronic conditions are.
No, the birds aren't real: they're all spy drones being run by the CIA--which is itself a puppet agency, secretly controlled by a hidden Jewish cabal. They're the same guys in charge of the Int'l Monetary Fund & the WHO. Ask anybody; they'll tell you...
@slowdecline48 Lol! Tbh I don't even need to ask they'll tell anyway. Omg the levels of antisemitism is unfreakingbelievable. There is so much anger and hatred in the world right now 😔
You're right... A better (I hope) response will be in the latest entry.
For practically the entire time the Religion & Spirituality forum has been open, I've avoided it & kept silent...(I still don't think it's the best idea Glen &/or the mods have ever had)
But--you knew it would occur--one of the mussulmans in there just had to post about the Israeli-Hamas war. The motto "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free". Most people here don't know the history & meaning behind the motto, but I do. So I responded. We shall see how it goes.
@slowdecline48I don't know the history exactly but I do know the meaning behind it
"there is so much anger and hatred in the world right now"
- @mytwistedsoul
There is, yes... 😔😒 I try not to stoke the fires, really I do. But as long as human nature remains the way it's always been, anger hatred & prejudice will remain among the unpleasant parts of the human condition. That is one of the reasons why people come up with religions. One of the purposes of religion is to tame the baser aspects of ourselves, & thus make us civilized. (Just how successful they are at it is, of course, another discussion entirely)
If someone hates you--especially when it's not for anything you did, but for who & what you are--it is only natural to return fire. Many people disapprove of such behavior, however what are the options? If you sit there & take it on the chin then you are weak; MLK Jr. preached pacifism & refusing to hate in return...noble, perhaps, but look what happened to him. (Also, the "moral witness" tactic depends on having a sufficiently large audience to align with your cause & make the situation change. It worked for African-Americans in the 1950's to late 60's...doesn't mean it'll work as well for someone else now) Thus we return to the problem at hand: how to deal with hostility without transgressing the bounds of civilized* society?
*more or less
@slowdecline48 Being hated just for existing... That's a really good question
The headache cometh again...not quite as bad, as of now. But it's still going. The difference is I'm indoors & lying down right now...we shall see how things play out.
It mostly goes away at night. At one time that wouldn't have been an issue....but you can't trim trees (or cut them down) & do other things on the land at night. What I do is risky enough in the daytime already...what to do... 🤔 I could go back out there again in a bit & try to do the rest of what I started, once the temp goes down a bit...
It's ruining my day. FML
Why I responded in that thread: the true meaning of "from the river..."
@slowdecline48 Exactly! And you mentioned 10/7 and the reply was cringe worthy
@slowdecline48
UN reports of Palestinian Casualities vs Israeli Casualities since *2008* (way before 10/7), along with causes, ages, civilians/soldiers, straight from their own site.
To call it a tragedy and yet respond to it with the same thing everytime (10/7) sounds pretty double sided
Not fighting. God knows i dont have the energy for that. Just- 10/7 wasnt against "unbelievers", wasnt against Jews. It was against Israeli attacks, plain and simple. Not me saying it, the UN is.
@unassumingEyes If by "double sided" you mean "having concern for both parties" then yes, I do. My priority is Israel but the Palestinians have a solid case--a %age of Israelis would agree. (Some of them are involved in antiwar efforts &/or connecting to Palestinians in various contexts. More communication & less fighting, etc.) Neither side has a monopoly on suffering...or virtue. I could say why the Pals get the majority of casualties most of the time, but I won't...presumably you've heard it already.
This discussion isn't even supposed to be happening on here; debates on current issues & political agitation are supposedly against Cups rules. As you've seen, however, those rules aren't always enforced. 😒
We'll see what happens over the next couple weeks or so. If the admins decide to be arbitrary then who knows, I may not be here for much longer...at this point, if I lose this account I wouldn't give a damn.
@slowdecline48 i wouldnt fault you for worrying about both. The Israelis have a right to a home and safety (just not via settlements in Palestine- why even?). Or well- the good ones, i guess? And I didnt approve of the way 10/7 was carried out either: civilians are never supposed to be the target. I see that day as very desperate for both parties.
But even tho I dont fault you for that, what I meant is the...oddness of needing to reply to a post supporting Palestine with a mention of 10/7. That was two years ago. Alot of Palestine supporters dont approve of Israel's existence- obviously- I didnt myself until I read that book i told you about (I Shall Not Hate). But Ive also seen a lot of Palestinian supporters who believe the Israelis should be given some other land. You cant evaporate them into thin air, anyhow
You'd be surprised how much cups forums are monitored. Um, either way, i hope they dont do anything drastic to your account if this all is seen 😀
Opted for one more day in this old room, before going back out to my land. I didn't feel quite ready this morning....it's the only reason I have. Well, that & to make sure I'm mostly healed up.
The next bathroom trip is gonna be an ordeal. The usual s*** (literally!).
Got some image editing & online stuff done today. Now my head hurts just a little & I gotta lie down...at least it's not like it was yesterday & the day before. (Tuesday really sucked)
Also - a new haiku.
