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)
Didn't fell any trees today at all...not so much from my aches & pains (though they were indeed a motherf***er this morning), but because my right hip kept me up most of the night & then, after 10 a.m., it started raining off & on. "Raining", not drizzling. Can't do any woods work in the rain. It's dangerous enough in perfect weather; rain just makes it more of a gamble.
This project will take some time to do, for sure. I will have to be patient...am not good at that. Phuck.
On the plus side, there's enough open ground to park on my property after all. Right by the mailbox (which needs to be replaced). So I'm in the rental van now...bedded down in the cargo area. Good thing I brought a comforter & scavenged blanket along for cushioning. They don't do much of that but they're better than nothing. The van itself turned out to be a better choice for camping overnight...a pickup truck has no shelter over the cab. Would have to sleep in the driver's seat otherwise.
If I can sleep enough tonight & the weather holds, I'll cut some trees tomorrow & drag out at least a couple small logs.
...No sleeping out in the open, period--the mosquitoes will eat ya alive! 🦟🦟🦟
"If I can sleep enough tonight"
...yeah, if.
@slowdecline48 It's hard to sleep when everything hurts. An air mattress or a mat could help cushion that floor. Wally world sells them pretty cheap :)
@mytwistedsoul I had the same idea while I was lying there...an air mattress would be nice to have. Even if I sleep on a cot, an air cushion would make it comfortable. Finally got some sleep, though...
Being nocturnal is definitely a disadvantage in tree work. 😒 You gotta be up & running when the sun is in the sky.
I'm mostly back "home" now, btw.
@slowdecline48 Glad you were able to get some sleep eventually. Yeah I'm an early riser myself. I'm not happy about it, but I'm up before the sun. Next time you go out you'll be better prepared. I bet your bed felt pretty damn good when you crashed!
The first time I "crashed" it was in the cargo space in the rental van later on Monday morning! 😆 ...I woke up later all sweaty, but I didn't care...ended up going home a bit early in any case because of a phone malfunction. Can't work in the woods if my phone is incapable of summoning emergency help, so I drove back home. Got the d**n thing fixed today...as if I didn't have enough expenses already.
Be careful out there and stay safe … and stay warm. Take your time …. It will take time and recover as you go …. Where are you going to put the logs??
some folks here will help clear land to keep the trees 🌲… Tinywhisper has a great idea re cabin in the woods !!
cheri
@SunShineAlwaysGrateful Thanks. I'm back in town now...the town where my 1BR unit & the anthill it's in is located, that is. The trip wasn't exactly a failure--I learned a few things--but it wasn't a roaring success, either.
On the other hand, my head is still attached to my neck & all my limbs are still on. So there's that.
Glad you are back and did okay …rest up. Success is on a spectrum adjust as necessary.
Almost forgot to tell you: when I finally get some logs back up here, they will initially be stacked on my patio. Once they've lost some of their moisture, I'll debark them at least (maybe mill them into boards, if my old portable table saw can handle it); then they'll be moved to my living room, where they will sit & dry out.
Aww love it!! Just perfect!!
"The CCP bases its economic strategy on a careful study of prevailing trends, but the underlying assumption is that the party can & must use plans & policies to disproportionately benefit the PRC. An example of this outlook in practice is the doctrine of 'two markets, two resources,' which party officials propounded in the late 1970's & early 80's as they were pursuing increased interaction with the outside world, & which continues to be frequently invoked....by Mao's death in 1976, the ravages of his Great Leap Forward & Cultural Revolution had left China poorer than it had been at 'liberation,' when the Chinese Civil War ended on 1949. Mao's successors embraced increased engagement with Japan & the West out of desperation, not admiration, as they sometimes let their foreign interlocutors believe, & in their internal discussions used language that was [clear] about their intentions. Whereas Americans interpreted Beijing's turn to 'reform & opening' under Deng Xiaoping to mean 'gradual liberalization,' senior cadres spoke at home of 'learning to swim without being drowned,' i.e., 'using all foreign factors that can be used for our purposes & taking advantage of the world' while 'sticking to the principles of socialism & the direction of communism.'"
- Jacqueline Deal
...a new short poem.
Strangely, after leaving it behind with the passing of my childhood & early teenage years...lately I've been feeling a quiet urge to read science fiction again.
I don't know why... Sure, some authors came up with fascinating ideas & plots in the 20th century. Most sci-fi writing is still mediocre to atrocious.
0845 hrs is way too early to be up.
Am sick of hearing the maintenance staff running whatever machine they're running right now...
Today is unit "inspection" but I can't get myself to care...probably because I know it'll take under three minutes & is cursory to the point of being useless.
...need more sleep.
Slight pain & sensations of weightiness in my head, along with the vertigo today, so I ain't doin' much. Will try to get a few things done tonight.
On the other side of the coin, I got some good news... It's a bit expensive, but good nonetheless.
@slowdecline48 Glad you got some good news Slow 😊
THOUGHTS ON CURRENT EVENTS + A RATING
Re the people thinking about fleeing the country:
- They don't have nearly enough skepticism to see through the ubiquitous 🐂💩 of the Internet Era. Most of them wouldn't consider such drastic measures if legacy & Left media hadn't convinced them that Trump is the Antichrist.
- For those who are serious, gooood luck. You will need it. The US is not the only nation that has been grappling with immigration problems, but unlike us, others (mostly outside Europe) have been increasing the requirements to gain citizenship. This includes Canada & Australia, the two most popular destinations for "progressive" refugees. I can tell you for certain that Australia is nowhere near as welcoming to migrants from the US as it was two decades ago.
The above experience occurred about two days ago, & only confirms my position that Walgreens is the Wal-Mart of chain pharmacies.
I am so tempted to post a few of the spicier GIFs on here...
Couldn't resist this one...spirit me away to your casbah, Sheherazade.
Uugghhh...
Why the flare-up this morning? No one needs this 💩.
I have things to do...this takes time I cannot afford to waste.
So far I drank some water, edited five screenshots on my phone & put the finished images in the output folder. Hope I can get more done before the clock turns over. Chronic illness sucks monkey balls.
@slowdecline48
It's prolly tinnitus 😮 my dad has it too, but not ringing but more like the sound of a fan
Definitely tinnitus. I was introduced to that word with the initial (& erroneous) diagnosis in early 2017. The reeeeeeeeeeee never goes away...it just gets worse during flare-ups & whenever my ears pressurize. Then I gotta swallow to take the edge off.
@slowdecline48 That does suck 🐒balls! 😵 I feel you on that brotha...Especially when you got some 💩 you wanna do and the chronic illness/pain goes "Nope, not today!". There's really not much we can do in those moments except (try) to relax and even then...that can be challenging...Dang, that sucks... I do hope that you feel better later in the day and able to do what you wanna do, or maybe have a rest day today. Can relate.
[CW: current events, Near East, my pol]
Remember - you don't have to read everything just because it's posted in the journal. If you disagree with my position, fine...good, even. This world would be quite boring if everyone had the same stance on every issue. Speaking of that, opinions are like bodily orifices: everyone has several, & they usually stink. (That probably includes mine) 😏 With that out of the way...
- Score one for the good guys. Yes, even with Netanyahu & the more ethnically chauvinist members of his administration. (I don't like 'em either, but the government =/= the Israeli people.)
- On the same note, the Shi'ite theocracy of Iran =/= the Persians & other Iranians. Got nothing against Iranians in general; I've heard they're quite hospitable as a rule. Surely there are kind, fair & cultivated people in Iran, as in every country on the planet...
- ...their government, however, is horrible. While I'm not a fan of intervention in other sovereign nations, for the good of the entire Near East, the Iranian regime has got to go. If the Ayatollah & SAVAK ceased to exist the region would settle down, at least for the near future.
Does anyone here see a parallel with the current election & any previous ones? A commenter (not in Cups) brought this up...I found it interesting. A partial quote:
"We had insane inflation, gas lines, Iran hostages etc. country was a mess (sound familiar??). Needless to say [Ronald Reagan] won the election. Ran again in four years later on the slogan “are [you] better off now than [you] were four years ago”. Won that election by winning 49 of the 50 states...."
- Anthony Parisi
🤔 It's interesting to me, whether this could be a recurrence. If it is then we should take note of it, as recurring patterns in history are often key to successfully predicting future events... One should not lean too heavily on prediction, of course. Humans are not robots; they're predictable (esp. in large groups &/or if they're uneducated) but only to a certain extent. Past that, the rulebook goes out the window.
When Reagan beat Jimmy Carter, that was the beginning of 12 years of Republican rule. It wasn't uncontested, of course--that's why we have Congress. But they did largely direct the nation for a dozen years. I wonder if that'll happen again in this century...