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)
new macro photo.
[cw: adult humor]
What I would like for a Halloween gift:
A
in a nice comfortable
@slowdecline48 Hey if she has a sister.... Let me know lol
@mytwistedsoul If she has a hot sister, I'll send the sister over to your place. 😎
@slowdecline48 Thanks! 😎
I guess the work I've been doing lately is having an effect...(see previous entry)
The corrupt pursuit of late-in-life pleasure has commenced.
(Actually it started early in October)
Let the middle-aged male silliness roll! 😁
[cw: religion, pol, my raw opinion]
A decision by one of my Cups friends* has reaffirmed my earlier conclusion, bolstered by my studies of history & living through the post-9/11 era, that no religion should ever have any kind of civic authority anywhere. Or official status. To put it bluntly, no devoutly religious people should be allowed in any position in government. No exceptions.
Just about every time clergy (or any group with an otherworldly belief system) have occupied the halls of power, it has been to the detriment, & at times the displacement &/or annihilation, of those of a different belief or otherwise not in the official religion of the society in which they lived.
You don't have to look hard for evidence; every major civilization that mankind has built has stains in its record. Consider the various discriminatory laws, vicious myths & countless pogroms which Jews had to endure in European Christendom for > 1.5 millennia, up to the early modern era. By the same token, would you want to be a Jew or Christian in "Al-Andalus"--Islamic Spain--outside the courtier-class minority favored by the caliphs?... No, you would not. No sensible person wants to live within an officially oppressed class for his/her whole life.
Nor is this limited to the West. When Akhenaten ruled ancient Egypt his regime tried to forcibly replace Egyptian polytheism with the sun worship Akhenaten preferred. (It didn't outlast his rule) And let's not forget the extermination of the Cathars by the Catholic church...or the wars of the Reformation & Counter-Reformation. They were the most destructive wars ever waged in Europe prior to the 19th century. It didn't stop since that time, however: look at how India has changed under Narendra Modi & the BJP-led government since 2014. (Pity the Muslims who reside in India today...if you don't know what I'm talking about, websearch "Hindutva")
Religion may be a positive phenomenon overall, at least for those who follow one. But every time it is given a privileged position, every time its believers gain control of a government, the results are bad, worse or catastrophic.
Count me in for purely secular authority, & for strict limits on the role of religion in the proverbial public square.
..
*You know who you are, hon.
Today was supposed to be a Big Day, but my tete-a-tete was rescheduled to Friday....let's see if it actually pans out. But anyway.
At a local antique shop I picked up an old Dutch oven. A big one. And heavy. No one manufactures ironware like that anymore...certainly not Lodge, which is the largest cast iron cookware maker in the US, if not the world. It's heavy enough that with the lid on you can do bicep curls with the thing! I might even use it as an exercise tool... But seriously, you could. The only thing is I'll have to strip off all the old grime & rust, then reseason it. With grapeseed oil if I can find some.
Will post pics if anyone is interested.
Am tired this morning, & I hate it when bottom feeders make promises they don't keep....probably never intended to keep.
I'm lying down in a tent now...will most likely spend most nights like this, at least for the next year or two.
If I can't keep these foam pads then I'll have to find other comfortable bedding of some kind...
[cw: undead, Elvis]
Maybe you think you're hot s***. You may have served in the Marines, you might've come up the hard way in a dysfunctional family & had to scrounge & fight for everything you have, you might've gone through all kinds of trouble & survived to tell the tale... You may be tough. But you ain't tough enough to stand up to
(Read more about it here)
Am staying warm tonight, which is good... Odin's jockstrap, is it frigid outside...9° Celsius! Even the air inside the tent is cold.
@slowdecline48 You should get a little camp wood stove for your tent. Amazon has some nice ones for not too much and you could cook on it if you wanted to :)
@mytwistedsoul Wouldn't the smoke build up inside the tent?
As for cooking, trust me...a few options have emerged in the last few weeks. 😃
@slowdecline48 They come with stove pipe but your tent might not be a good fit. You could get a little propane heater but I was thinking more long term and using an available resource (wood). Those little propane tanks don't last long. So it would get expensive. I've heard good things about diesel heaters that they run a lot longer on a gallon of diesel but need a power source. Maybe a reflective insulation mat inside would help keep it warmer? I hate being cold lol