my journal: various subjects, opinionating, CW at times

As usual I can't sleep normal hours... "NFFN"* Will crash after the sun rises, like a proper bat. So we'll keep it brief:

1. Yesterday was a Meniére's day, but late in the afternoon I got on my bike & rode to where my pharmacy is anyway. On the way there I had a full-on flareup. Muy brutale. ☠️ I half-sat on the top tube & slumped over the handlebars, arms neck & head dangling limp...but I did not fall. The old bike held me, bless her. Eventually I arrived, got the medicine & vegetables, rode home slowly. Stopped for dinner on the way because I had no choice. Remember this: while physical pain can be horrible, you can handle it. Pain should be treated, but not feared. It is unworthy of your fear.
2. Also got pulled over by local cops when I was about 3/5ths of the way home. Cyclists are supposed to ride on the sidewalk, apparently...the bike gutter is reserved for e-bikes & any bicycle otherwise motorized. This is the first area I've lived in with such a law.
3. Have read the occasional complaint about bad Listeners, here & there. After reading the most recent responses to my quiery thread...I'm starting to understand them. Not everyone with Listener status here should have it.

Have you ever spent years & years in pursuit of something to which you believed--knew--you were born to do, only to question it because of changes in your own life? And in the world around you?

It's disconcerting, man...

I might've been slightly naïve in the beginning. In retrospect I'm not too surprised. But, Moses on a pogo stick...what a letdown. Even in a community meant to be a sanctuary & place of support like this one, someone can set himself up as an enemy. And will, sooner or later. Cups is made up of humans, after all. And humans are, well, the same way they've always been, most likely always will be.

I don't currently own one but as I've done so many times before, I'm thinking of that t-shirt I saw decades ago: "the more people I meet, the more I like my dog."

It doesn't matter who are, what you say or what you do...just by being yourself, you will inspire antipathy (or at least genial contempt) in somebody, sooner or later.

In more positive news, the price of silver has risen a little over 9% in a year's time...

Is it weird to feel sad about the Byzantine empire being wiped out?

I'm not Eastern Orthodox Christian, nor have I ever been. So I don't have a religious motive. But from what I've read about the "Eastern Roman empire", while it wouldn't quite measure up to modern secular standards it was a truly great civilization for a good few centuries. It was certainly more refined & sophisticated than its replacement.

Snapshots of my commentary. I rediscovered Yahoo news (when you open an email acct, you can comment on news articles). Not a top-tier source but as a general overview, it works. My stuff has the purple lines on either side. Now if I can only keep myself from wasting time in online pseudo-brawls with people I don't even know...

Before I forget: thank you, @tearstruck & @iloveyouxx, for all the "hearts" on my posts. Am not sure why you like so much of what I write here, but it's flattering.

...aaaaaannnd I was up most of the night. Again.

If I fall asleep around 10:30, I inevitably wake up before 1 a.m. & stay up until after the sun rises, waiting for the crash.

Most of my life I've been happy to be nocturnal. Now it's getting old AF.

I sometimes go down online rabbit holes, too...good thing I'm not into conspicuous consumption. If I was, late-night escapades on Amaz0n, Et$y & wherever would leave me penniless.

Did you ever start cooking something that takes a few hours to make, then get tired about halfway through?

Moses in a jockstrap, I'm so fed up with this 💩...

Lately I haven't even had the urge to paint, or draw or anything.

As of four minutes ago.

Well well well...the NASDAQ seems to be humming along today. It is one of the more reliable indexes for the US stock market itself, so that's good news.

Random Thoughts

Tonight I lost my earbuds...the usual pair, that is. Good thing I got the extras from my laptop/sketchpad bag. The 2nd extra pair are in the bike bag. I still want a couple more to stash someplace.

@MistyMagic mentioned custom earbuds in a different thread...sounds like a great idea. It also sounds expensive. I'll have to check, but am fairly sure I can't buy any this month. Got expenses as it is.

I wanted to ride today (yesterday--it's 0-dark-hundred now) but it was raining off & on. Maybe when I get up in a few hours if it's not too hot. Now I remember the days when I rode for miles & didn't care about the weather... I hate to say it but chronic illness + aging will turn you into a candy-a.s.s.

OTOH I first learned how to ride when I was nine years old, was a regular cycle commuter in two of the cities I lived in, have ridden in driving rain, snow (yes, really--the axles froze every time I stopped), have had two bikes stolen from me as an adult, gone down a bunch of times & the 9th or so time I did, I was almost run over in the street--& still held onto the s°°°ty retail job I was in at the time.* (It was not boring) Though I don't ride like I used to, I still do it despite being crippled with permanent head pain, vertigo & tinnitus. At this point, what more do I have to prove?

Had an afternoon appointment that was 🐂💩 but one of the staff generously cancelled it after I'd been there for too long. Will have to check my account when I get up. It wasn't a completely wasted trip, however...I found a pizza place shortly afterward. It was a bit pricey but with inflation for for over three years now, what isn't?

...I know I'll find those old earbuds only after buying a backup pair...

I have no specific statements about current affairs at this time. We all know the world is screwed up, always has been & probably always will be. Humanity can't help being the way it is.

...lately I've sort of been feeling like this song.

*Not for very long after that, however. Nearly getting killed has a way of clarifying one's priorities.