Happy New Year to all. And just remember--it's a cycle. We been here before, gonna be here again. Plant gardens and orchards whether you expect to see the flowering or they're gonna delight someone else's eyes. You just do what you can, and hope the markets don't run out of tea.
I ain't yet being bayoneted or shot in the back of the head and tossed in a ditch, or being melted alive by a fruit of science, or being split open like a fish by some liberatory raping.
What we are about to experience is far worse than what people are expecting. Just for starters billions of innocent people have been permanently destroyed by the jabs. They are walking time bombs. These people are friends and family who would not listen to our warning and turned on us instead. These unfortunate people are now under the control of AI connected to the nanotechnology inside of them. They will betray us when the order is given. The jab truly is the mark of the beast. 70% took it. Divine intervention is our only hope.
You are correct, however, only 35% took it, and they are using the 70% as fear porn to get others to...that's why they keep encouraging more illegals in through the Northern & Southern open borders, as there's still too many of us that could overpower their evil plans! If you know of any illegals, try to talk to them as they are not vaxxed, and can be turned with love and the Holy Spirit to join the good people!
I wish it was only 35%. Everyone I worked with took it. I quit. All of my friends and family took it except one. All of my neighbors took it. I thought the 70 % estimate was low. It was almost total compliance in NM and CO. Now all of these people are disabled or dead. Always sick. It’s just sad.
Awe, I am so sorry, Lucy, and there's areas where it may be that high or higher, but I know of a lot of areas that have 90% unvaxxed, so that's probably how it's only 35% across the US population...most of my family too, fell for the propoganda, so that they could travel...and when they knew that I wouldn't fall for that excuse, they made up that our sister Katie, whom is a microcephalic and cannot walk nor talk, had to get vaxxed, because her school required it, and they as caretakers were also required to get vaxxed! Then, they rented a private plane and flew my Dad out to Maine to see his sister 2 or 3 months before he died, and my sister & I that were not vaxxed couldn't go, so we got to see some pics and a video, and luckily, I was able to visit him before he passed...and then my Mom had a stroke 5 weeks later, and my sisters left her in a nursing home until I got up there and had to enroll them into bringing her home so that she wouldn't die alone and it was horrifying, and I never want to speak to them again, but I have to because they took my sister and the money, having the will changed after the flight to Maine, so that I cannot have any say in what they do with her, and they don't really love her, they just do it out of obligation for the money, so I am completely heartbroken, and wanted you to know that this whole situation has been separating the chaff from the wheat to see who is real and a truthseeker, and who will sell out, or not think, etc....so, I look for and expect Blessings & Miracles in the New Year!
I’m sorry for what happened to you too 🙏 That is terrible. My sister also stole everything from me before and after my mother died. We have similar experiences. I’m not giving up either!
PS: Funny thing. Just this minute I'm watching Zane Grey Theater on Grit TV and the episode is about the populace of San Francisco enraged about the failure of the courts to protect them against miscreants and how that has led to vigilante justice which itself is getting out of control.
Wasn't that Jim Hardie's sorta signature, with right hand wave)?
For grins and giggles...I grew up, partially, on Fort George Island, FL. I forget if he owned or leased, but Richard Boone had a house a half-mile up the tract. Never saw him.
I think I've said it before, but one of the things that surprised me the most about being a "full-time writer" is how much reading it would take. But honestly, that's the POINT of being "full-time" in the first place.....now I have the X hours it takes to read a court decision or NGO "guidance" and then "translate" that for the busy people who are actually getting stuff done.
True story, we bought an additional freezer. It’s sits in the garage next to the Pinot Garagio refrigerator/freezer. Mine is the fun freezer, the new one is slowly being stocked with necessities.
The cycle happens a lot faster with better systems.
Our biggest problem is how easily all of our systems of government are corrupted by the powerful colluding entities. We fix this by building our own transparent, trustworthy, decentralized, systems -- --- Network States -- and use Human Swarm Intelligence systems to plug them in and fix them all.
We need to organize against the corruption. That should be something all of us want. We must stop allowing hot button issues to tear us apart and focus on fixing our corrupt operating system instead. Fix government first and the rest will be easy.
Corruption stops all progress for all of humanity starting with science.
Here is how we fix corrupt government in 3 simple steps:
agree, my hubbs drew the line at nail polish but did have bows in his hair, many tiny pony tails and BANGS. My daughters even made a beauty parlor hair do guide. Funny names can't remember them.
The treadmill is real, and there's lots of fancy-schmancy technical terms and jargon about it. Not to mention that the phenomenon has been oh so abused to the point it is now an arguement for neologisms and censorship and compelled speech: "Oh but languages are always changing so how can you object to not being allowed to use insert word here?".
As I said to many a colleague and student: go tell a potato it's a diamond, see what happens. And there was much annoyance. Words don't change the world, they change people - both the ones hearing or reading them and the one saying or writing them. But the potato remains a potato.
But pawsitive it is supposed to be. Our son had a gig with his band during an indoor-festival over the New Year's weekend - that's positive. Gives him a break from work for starters.
Brother mine got home from the conference he attended in San Francisco before Jul, and even got a spot of touristing in - Alcatraz among other stuff.
Gave my wife a kick* as a Jul-gift. She'd only been mentioning wanting a kick from me a dozen times or so.
Mom had Covid - finally - and recovered fully it would seem, though she's still weakend and angry about being that. Since she's got an immunodeficiency problem (cancer-related) that's real positive.
And wonders of wonders, our governement lowered taxes on petrol and diesel from Januray 1st! About 75 cents/Liter, not too shabby and the Sweden Democrats are making noises that they consider this a start, rather than a done deal.
Naturally, the watermelon-parties have been doing the usual skyfall-routine, re: Ze Klimate but they've also been distracted by infighting due to one of the leading celebrity feminists setting up an OnlyFans-account and bragging about it. I've seen some picture... it's hard stuff, real gross and icky. In her home, where her underage daughter lives. While icky and sad, I consider feminist infighting a net-positive.
Well, writing it that way might get the pronouciation closer since the "u" is a long vowel sound.
And it wouldn't be swedish without homonyms: hjul is pronounced the exact same way and means wheel. But not steering-wheel, then it's ratt; pronounced almost the same as rut in english. Rut in swedish is a woman's name however.
And here in the cold, it's not uncommon to have a ratt-muff: a fur-cover on the steering-wheel to keep your hands war. Muff also means a lady's private parts, meaning I get smacked by my wife whenever I suggested warming my hands in the muff when we're in the car.
A kick or kick-sled isn't a smoker's best friend since it's muscle-powered. However, down-hill on the right type of hard-packed snow you can easily get it to go 20mph or more.
Luck be with you if it snags on anything under the snow at that speed since it will stop dead and you'll go sailing thorugh the air over the handlebars.
To the amusement of young and old all around, of course.
(Which reminds me, Rikard: I'd like to get you drunk someday, and just listen. Of course, I couldn't keep from interrupting...and at length, if I'm keeping up!)
I don't drink so as I get drunk anymore - did that way too much in my youth and bought myself trouble with interest.
Having a drink, I'm fine with. And if you think my brain is like a square wheel (sorry, localised idiom - doesn't translate neither well nor good) you should hear me and my friend the West Gute-ish bricklayer when we get going with the ping-pong punning and wordplay.
Being able to mix slang, dialect, swedish, english, swinglish and other languages makes it even more fun.
Heh, speaking of - here's a local play on names/words:
What do you say about someone who interrupts others all the time?
?
They've got Aschberger's syndrome.
Aschberg is a swedish media profile/pundit, known for being a bullish loudmouth who always interrupts his guests/interview-victims. Aschberg = Asperger.
It works in german too: Arschberg = Asshole-mountain.
Yeah, keeping a level buzz was always my problem when young.
Especially when you're with your droogs, out and about. 20 Liter can of mixed spirits, wines, beers, ciders - Witches' Brew and no mistake. Ghetto-blaster boombox belting out something stompy and highly offensive. Devious devotchkas driving you mad with a hint of a chance for the old in-out in-out.
I still remember that feeling... a panzer-engine in your gut and chainsaw buzzing in your head.
As I said to many a colleague and student: go tell a potato it's a diamond, see what happens. And there was much annoyance. Words don't change the world, they change people - both the ones hearing or reading them and the one saying or writing them. But the potato remains a potato.
---------
"You can put kittens in the oven, but that don't make 'em biscuits."
Back when I was on FB, one of my "friends" was a lady who has a few goats. She 'rented' them out as landscaping and posted videos of their work -- amazing what they could do in a weekend or two.
I've lived here, in my parents former home, since 2007. I still haven't been able to get rid of much of their stuff. However, I sure have added to it! Maybe we can trade stuff, so at least we'd have different stuff to look at. 😉😂🤣
None of my business but thought I would share. If you have good Persian rugs, even in very questionable condition, they are worth a fortune. Don’t let any appraiser tell you different. Do a little research, if you have time. They are truly ridiculous right now. There are many that are worth fortunes. It’s not like if you have this one coin, but all the other ones are worthless. It’s more like a small collection of decent rugs is worth tens of thousands of dollars.
thank you..... yes, I know they are worth a fortune.
I have some absolute treasures.
One or three of them are very large, I have a few smaller ones.
Hubbs and I had them all professionally cleaned 10 years ago, while moving my parents to their apartment at Ashby Ponds.
Anyway, I have one large rug that is beautiful. On the back, you can see by the design they managed to make a cross of Christianity that appears only on the back. my mom discovered it many years ago but certainly long after they bought it
Glad to see you are aware.I can’t tell you how many I bought at auctions and estate sales that I made 1000% on. Even tattered messes seem to have a lot of worth.
Been binge watching the annual New Year’s weekend Twilight Zone marathon that started Saturday & runs through midnight today. LOTS of prescient wisdom & morals-of-the-story there, whether about war, the tyrannical power of the State, nuclear annihilation, the power of love, or honor & integrity, etc.
I always thought that the hardest part of trying to re-jigger society will be erasing the incredibly numerous human stories about going against the grain and standing up for injustice. Even more tame stuff like Mulan.
It's cyclical and the pace of the cycle is medium-dependent.
In ancient Greek, every time some playwright had a hit play, every other playwright immediately copied the formula - if not the entire play too. This of course led to audiences becoming bored with the formulaic tripe, leading to up-and-coming playwrights breaking through with plays satirising the "canonical" ones, both in content and methods and so on.
The picaresque novels, same thing. Formulaic, boring, predictable. Then comes Don Quixote and revitalises the entire genre by satirising it (not to mention the political commentary ovious to contemporary readers but lost to us).
Richardson's Pamela, same thing. Smash hit that gets copied in style and content by everyone, until Shamela comes along upsetting the apple cart. To say nothing of when Fanny Hill is published in 1748 - oh me oh my. Even by today's standards, it's pretty hard-core as porn goes. And it arguably kickstarts the genre of porn-with-plot, both in literary form as well as using images.
Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther, same thing. And then during the 19th century with printing having become simple and dirt cheap comes the penny dreadfuls, pamphlets and eraly pulp novels - the market becomes flooded and no-one can easily find /the/ formula anymore, leading to scrabbling and floundering and the founding of publishing companies and radio, movie and eventually TV-studio companies.
And re-inventing of formula yet again, and here we are with Disney spending billions to earn tens of millions, while Godzilla-1 mops the floor with american movies, despite premiering at a limited amount of cinemas for a very limited time, not to mention being a subtitled movie.
Expect a couple of formulaic flops this year (or cancellations of high-profile projects, and things changing during 2025.
Sorta like having to stay after class in grade school and write a hundred times..."I wil not ..."
Scary to contemplate what other stuff is coursing through your gray cells to be able to spit these goodies out each day. I'll just take the end result so I can sleep better.
Neither of us has it in our nature to ever give less than 100% effort in winning, but I am happy to say that we *are* true boardgamers in that defeat never bothers. That said, she shreds in Scrabble (being more of a know-it-all than I is (usually) reason no. 2), and I have a 6 game win streak in Castles Of Mad King Ludwig, but my competitive gal only ever wants another go!
Very sweet. Helps to have a pal during these not so settled times. We do crossword puzzles together... my $5/month to the NY Slimes for their word games.....also good for our aging brains.
We heartily recommend a boardgaming hobby for a happy married life. 4-player games with other couples are the bomb (shouldn't that be a boomer term?). Check out boardgamegeek.com, or find your FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store, *not* videogame store) for helpful suggestions, or...we'd be happy to suggest when you and the Mr. are ready.
As for crossword puzzles, unfortunately, we are incompatible. She insists on ink, and I my precious mechanical pencil.
In the category of probably too optimistic, Pollyanna is looking forward to the release of the Epstein List... that should disable some of these power brokers...Bets on whether Bubba is admitted to the ER in the next 72 hrs??
Well, here’s my hopeful wish...That Bubba does get “exposed” as Doe #36.... and that will trigger Hillary’s famous “ If I go down, I’m taking half of Washington with me”....Clinton is not going to be the only politician named.... not popping popcorn yet, but it’s at the ready....
SimCommander, this is the year when you will really shine! Some kind of famous, influential, significant ‘something’ is going to blossom out of your Substack writings, and we Screamers will be smug that we read you in the early days!
Honestly I have zero desire to 'make it big' or become the face of anything. (I think people have a nose for the grifters these days....they're the ones pretending fire alarms are confusing or defending Trump's tweet about a new FBI building)
I'm a zillion times more worried about the spread of the ideas and conversations than of my "brand".
Michael Faraday is a history professor at George Washington University specializing in terrorism. His FBI agent wife Leah died in the line of duty in a Ruby Ridge-style standoff, and Michael now lives with his 9-year-old son Grant in Reston, Virginia. He is still friends with Leah's partner Whit Carver, and is dating his former graduate student Brooke.
Upon finding a severely injured boy named Brady stumbling in his neighborhood, Michael rushes him to the hospital, where the wounds are determined to be caused by fireworks. Michael meets Brady's parents, structural engineer Oliver Lang and housewife Cheryl, discovering they are his neighbors. They become friends, and their sons join the Discoverers, a Boy Scouts-style group.
In casual conversation, Oliver expresses his sympathy for Leah's death by displaying potentially violent anti-government beliefs. This, and the cause of Brady's injuries, arouses suspicion in Michael. He also finds blueprints in Oliver's possession that are not for his purported building project, and receives misdirected mail suggesting Oliver lied about his college years. Brooke and Whit dismiss his concerns as paranoia.
---------
That's the basic setup, and I don't want to spoil the move -- it's quite good if a bit unbelievable.
Anyway, to get back to the point (and trying not to spoil it), at the very end of the movie there's one of those "people talk about the guy in the news" segments, and the person being interviewed was actually involved in the plot.
Ever since, I've thought it was weird whenever we see interviews with the neighbors who say "He was so quiet, we just never saw it coming."
You and me, brother, you and me, 2 (two) peas in a pod.
I do make a few resolutions, always out of the blue on this, the laziest of days, and never really substantial/specific/goal-like. More like general sentimentalities.
While I think 2023 was mostly terrible (other than our perceived awakening), 2024 will be much worse, so I resolve to make it through to what this optimist says will be one of the greatest years in human history, 2025.
Who knows? Maybe I'll actually suffer the drunken streets this New Year's Eve, and find a girl to kiss like that sailor in the famous black and white on VE day photo. (Yes, Dear, looking at you!)
"(for our own good, of course)" (Because I love parentheticals, I guess...)
No matter how *good* things get in human affairs, there will never be a shortage of "good" things on which to spend our (always limited, no matter how "good" things get) treasure and time.
The problem of leaving those endeavors to *government* to direct is that to the State, my pockets are bottomless and my dwindling time belongs to it.
A lot of times the parentheticals get inserted after the first draft and I'm re-reading it :)
As for the rest of your post, you've nailed it as usual. Once we accepted the idea government can take any of our wages, it then just becomes a negotiation of how much they 'allow' you to keep.
God Almighty do I love goats.
Happy New Year to all. And just remember--it's a cycle. We been here before, gonna be here again. Plant gardens and orchards whether you expect to see the flowering or they're gonna delight someone else's eyes. You just do what you can, and hope the markets don't run out of tea.
Exactly. People have gone through worse, and now we are the people here who will get through this.
I ain't yet being bayoneted or shot in the back of the head and tossed in a ditch, or being melted alive by a fruit of science, or being split open like a fish by some liberatory raping.
I think I'm OK.
You live in the oddity of New Hampshire as I recall. The only part of New England not devoted to censorship and genocide.
Precisely. But the demographics is changing apace. Fortunately I'm in the tarnishing years now.
That's funny. I was born already tarnished.
Took me awhile but I've caught up to you now.
What we are about to experience is far worse than what people are expecting. Just for starters billions of innocent people have been permanently destroyed by the jabs. They are walking time bombs. These people are friends and family who would not listen to our warning and turned on us instead. These unfortunate people are now under the control of AI connected to the nanotechnology inside of them. They will betray us when the order is given. The jab truly is the mark of the beast. 70% took it. Divine intervention is our only hope.
You are correct, however, only 35% took it, and they are using the 70% as fear porn to get others to...that's why they keep encouraging more illegals in through the Northern & Southern open borders, as there's still too many of us that could overpower their evil plans! If you know of any illegals, try to talk to them as they are not vaxxed, and can be turned with love and the Holy Spirit to join the good people!
I wish it was only 35%. Everyone I worked with took it. I quit. All of my friends and family took it except one. All of my neighbors took it. I thought the 70 % estimate was low. It was almost total compliance in NM and CO. Now all of these people are disabled or dead. Always sick. It’s just sad.
Awe, I am so sorry, Lucy, and there's areas where it may be that high or higher, but I know of a lot of areas that have 90% unvaxxed, so that's probably how it's only 35% across the US population...most of my family too, fell for the propoganda, so that they could travel...and when they knew that I wouldn't fall for that excuse, they made up that our sister Katie, whom is a microcephalic and cannot walk nor talk, had to get vaxxed, because her school required it, and they as caretakers were also required to get vaxxed! Then, they rented a private plane and flew my Dad out to Maine to see his sister 2 or 3 months before he died, and my sister & I that were not vaxxed couldn't go, so we got to see some pics and a video, and luckily, I was able to visit him before he passed...and then my Mom had a stroke 5 weeks later, and my sisters left her in a nursing home until I got up there and had to enroll them into bringing her home so that she wouldn't die alone and it was horrifying, and I never want to speak to them again, but I have to because they took my sister and the money, having the will changed after the flight to Maine, so that I cannot have any say in what they do with her, and they don't really love her, they just do it out of obligation for the money, so I am completely heartbroken, and wanted you to know that this whole situation has been separating the chaff from the wheat to see who is real and a truthseeker, and who will sell out, or not think, etc....so, I look for and expect Blessings & Miracles in the New Year!
I’m sorry for what happened to you too 🙏 That is terrible. My sister also stole everything from me before and after my mother died. We have similar experiences. I’m not giving up either!
PS: Funny thing. Just this minute I'm watching Zane Grey Theater on Grit TV and the episode is about the populace of San Francisco enraged about the failure of the courts to protect them against miscreants and how that has led to vigilante justice which itself is getting out of control.
That circle game thingy...
Like the human nature displayed in the Alexander Tytler cycle?
I wish I lived on a different part of it.
The ride has been pretty damned good so far.
Time to pay the bill.
Gotta love Grit. One of the few channels we watch these days.
...like the full circle analogy too ;-}
Someone please tell me why the cosmos has not deemed me worthy to have Dale Robertson.
Greatest pompadour on TV ;-}
Good day!
And you see how life has matured me?
When I was young I wanted Jack Palance and Richard Boone.
Good day to you too!
Wasn't that Jim Hardie's sorta signature, with right hand wave)?
For grins and giggles...I grew up, partially, on Fort George Island, FL. I forget if he owned or leased, but Richard Boone had a house a half-mile up the tract. Never saw him.
Mmmmm. Jack Palance.
Well...you *are* worthy, after all, and my opinion matters more than the unreliable cosmos.
Nailed it, as usual.
Please, Society, just keep those supermarket shelves stocked...
If you haven't started, now is a great time for planning on when they aren't.
Worst case scenario, you pay less for your food than you would in 6 months.
Done and doing, but I'd rather be my naturally lazy self, 90% thinking (reading) and 10% action.
(The greatest humans, the ones on which my type depends for happiness, are 50/50s.)
I think I've said it before, but one of the things that surprised me the most about being a "full-time writer" is how much reading it would take. But honestly, that's the POINT of being "full-time" in the first place.....now I have the X hours it takes to read a court decision or NGO "guidance" and then "translate" that for the busy people who are actually getting stuff done.
An invaluable service to peeps like me. It's exactly what I mean when I say I owe you.
Of course, I could count reading as action, since it interrupts ny dreaming.
A man of action I would then be!
Freezers don’t work when the power goes out. Hopefully you have generators too!
And generators won't run without fuel...
Yes. I don’t think very many people will survive. It’s almost impossible.
stocking up and loading for sure. I have a freezer too. Hubbs and I are ready to sit tight in our big old house full of stuff.... to purge
True story, we bought an additional freezer. It’s sits in the garage next to the Pinot Garagio refrigerator/freezer. Mine is the fun freezer, the new one is slowly being stocked with necessities.
The cycle happens a lot faster with better systems.
Our biggest problem is how easily all of our systems of government are corrupted by the powerful colluding entities. We fix this by building our own transparent, trustworthy, decentralized, systems -- --- Network States -- and use Human Swarm Intelligence systems to plug them in and fix them all.
We need to organize against the corruption. That should be something all of us want. We must stop allowing hot button issues to tear us apart and focus on fixing our corrupt operating system instead. Fix government first and the rest will be easy.
Corruption stops all progress for all of humanity starting with science.
Here is how we fix corrupt government in 3 simple steps:
https://joshketry.substack.com/p/how-to-fix-corrupt-government-in
Yeah. Sure. The problem is human nature.
Of course, people are trying to cure that with AI but like weeds breaking concrete apart, life can't be thwarted.
We can just hope to civilize a sufficient percentage of each new generation being born to hold onto some of our gains.
If you didn’t already see El Gato Malo’s latest Substack, it’s worth a look for the kitty references. I admit the nail polish on the guy threw me off but I love the message. https://open.substack.com/pub/boriquagato/p/newyears-resolution-be-a-house-cat. We should all resolve to be house cats!
I did see that and loved it. Tornadoes made of knives.
That was a great video…dude definitely has cats!
Re the nail polish, I'm guessing that guy has young daughters. It didn't look like a professional job, haha
agree, my hubbs drew the line at nail polish but did have bows in his hair, many tiny pony tails and BANGS. My daughters even made a beauty parlor hair do guide. Funny names can't remember them.
My bride was annoyed to no end when I’d let my girls do it.
The treadmill is real, and there's lots of fancy-schmancy technical terms and jargon about it. Not to mention that the phenomenon has been oh so abused to the point it is now an arguement for neologisms and censorship and compelled speech: "Oh but languages are always changing so how can you object to not being allowed to use insert word here?".
As I said to many a colleague and student: go tell a potato it's a diamond, see what happens. And there was much annoyance. Words don't change the world, they change people - both the ones hearing or reading them and the one saying or writing them. But the potato remains a potato.
But pawsitive it is supposed to be. Our son had a gig with his band during an indoor-festival over the New Year's weekend - that's positive. Gives him a break from work for starters.
Brother mine got home from the conference he attended in San Francisco before Jul, and even got a spot of touristing in - Alcatraz among other stuff.
Gave my wife a kick* as a Jul-gift. She'd only been mentioning wanting a kick from me a dozen times or so.
Mom had Covid - finally - and recovered fully it would seem, though she's still weakend and angry about being that. Since she's got an immunodeficiency problem (cancer-related) that's real positive.
And wonders of wonders, our governement lowered taxes on petrol and diesel from Januray 1st! About 75 cents/Liter, not too shabby and the Sweden Democrats are making noises that they consider this a start, rather than a done deal.
Naturally, the watermelon-parties have been doing the usual skyfall-routine, re: Ze Klimate but they've also been distracted by infighting due to one of the leading celebrity feminists setting up an OnlyFans-account and bragging about it. I've seen some picture... it's hard stuff, real gross and icky. In her home, where her underage daughter lives. While icky and sad, I consider feminist infighting a net-positive.
*A kick is a type of sled.
*A kick is a type of sled.
------
This confused me even more when I misread "Jul" as "Juul"
Well, writing it that way might get the pronouciation closer since the "u" is a long vowel sound.
And it wouldn't be swedish without homonyms: hjul is pronounced the exact same way and means wheel. But not steering-wheel, then it's ratt; pronounced almost the same as rut in english. Rut in swedish is a woman's name however.
And here in the cold, it's not uncommon to have a ratt-muff: a fur-cover on the steering-wheel to keep your hands war. Muff also means a lady's private parts, meaning I get smacked by my wife whenever I suggested warming my hands in the muff when we're in the car.
(Not drunk, just warm and full of food and mead!)
Here in the US, Juul is an e-cigarette company. I was trying to make the connection between sledding and (presumably) quitting smoking.......
Hahaha!
A kick or kick-sled isn't a smoker's best friend since it's muscle-powered. However, down-hill on the right type of hard-packed snow you can easily get it to go 20mph or more.
Luck be with you if it snags on anything under the snow at that speed since it will stop dead and you'll go sailing thorugh the air over the handlebars.
To the amusement of young and old all around, of course.
this sled sounds like a freaking blast!
I love sledding skiing and ice skating.
I'm sure there's someplace in North America where you can get one. Finding a place to run is a different matter of course.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kicksled
(Which reminds me, Rikard: I'd like to get you drunk someday, and just listen. Of course, I couldn't keep from interrupting...and at length, if I'm keeping up!)
Wahl, sur, therein lies a tale...
I don't drink so as I get drunk anymore - did that way too much in my youth and bought myself trouble with interest.
Having a drink, I'm fine with. And if you think my brain is like a square wheel (sorry, localised idiom - doesn't translate neither well nor good) you should hear me and my friend the West Gute-ish bricklayer when we get going with the ping-pong punning and wordplay.
Being able to mix slang, dialect, swedish, english, swinglish and other languages makes it even more fun.
Heh, speaking of - here's a local play on names/words:
What do you say about someone who interrupts others all the time?
?
They've got Aschberger's syndrome.
Aschberg is a swedish media profile/pundit, known for being a bullish loudmouth who always interrupts his guests/interview-victims. Aschberg = Asperger.
It works in german too: Arschberg = Asshole-mountain.
Ooops, it's midnight. Time for bed.
This is exactly why Tim wants to drink with you.
;-)
Good, we'll skip the drunk part!
Arse-burger works for anglophiles.
*Never* liked getting drunk, nor too high.
Good thing, too, considering my addiction to laying about.
Yeah, keeping a level buzz was always my problem when young.
Especially when you're with your droogs, out and about. 20 Liter can of mixed spirits, wines, beers, ciders - Witches' Brew and no mistake. Ghetto-blaster boombox belting out something stompy and highly offensive. Devious devotchkas driving you mad with a hint of a chance for the old in-out in-out.
I still remember that feeling... a panzer-engine in your gut and chainsaw buzzing in your head.
As I said to many a colleague and student: go tell a potato it's a diamond, see what happens. And there was much annoyance. Words don't change the world, they change people - both the ones hearing or reading them and the one saying or writing them. But the potato remains a potato.
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"You can put kittens in the oven, but that don't make 'em biscuits."
I've always loved that saying!
Ack! Not kittens please! (But I get the point).
The Christmas tree disposal crew video is a good reminder of how quickly a negative (how do we get rid of this tree?) can turn into a positive.
Back when I was on FB, one of my "friends" was a lady who has a few goats. She 'rented' them out as landscaping and posted videos of their work -- amazing what they could do in a weekend or two.
I need that for my yard!
I'm sensing a business idea -- Who you gonna call? GOAT [something that rhymes with busters, or maybe just busters? We bust your tough landscaping?]
You're all welcome to this small glimpse into my brain. (This speaks to another comment in the thread)
Rent-A-Goat Lawn Service. (Not unlike Rent-The-Chicken http://www.rentthechicken.com/ )
GOAT Clusters. Because it would have to be a whole cluster of goats to clean out a yard.
Dusters? Flusters? Hucksters?
Clusters could work because then you rent out the whole cluster at once!
I would like my rented cluster to be pygmy goats. They're tooo cute! 🤗
For bulk clusters, find us at Costco.
G.O.A.T. goats, inc.
You bleat, we eat.
Take a seat while we eat.
Eating your greens away.
So...goats have fresh breath after Christmas. Who knew?! 🤔😉😂
lol
The kitten, oh my!!! How absolutely frightening to think that kittens get picked up and taken in for snacks, yikes. I will erase that from my brain.
i must be a very very sensitive person because sick animals make me sad, and dead ones, I try to tell myself they are sleeping.
Happy Monday. Oh yes, a new year. Well, I have only one goal this year. Down size.
My house looks like a junk shop with mom and dads stuff here as well as our stuff.
We have persian rugs rolled up looking like dead bodies wrapped securely in king size bed sheets.
What to do.
It will be a process and let's see how long I can hold out
I am positively certain I will not run out of weekly and monthly goals I have set to this endeavor.
I am aiming to make a massive dent. I have it all planned out here on a tablet, ready to make the check offs each goal.
Good times.
Other than that, this is gonna be a superrrrrrr shitty year. The left is gonna go nuts and shit all over everything. I am prepared.
I wish all of you, every one of you the very best days of your lives this year.
Just do stuff that makes you happy and try to not add any fuel to any fires if you know what I mean.
Yep. We know who our people are, time to take care of them.
I've lived here, in my parents former home, since 2007. I still haven't been able to get rid of much of their stuff. However, I sure have added to it! Maybe we can trade stuff, so at least we'd have different stuff to look at. 😉😂🤣
Well once you get rid of stuff, there's so much more room for stuff.......
Oh, don't worry, I have stuff awaiting room in storage units.
I feel your pain.
I have to admit, I am not getting rid of any fabric. I have good stuff
I smoke the good stuff *first*. The rest is easy to toss; no sorting required.
(Sorry.)
None of my business but thought I would share. If you have good Persian rugs, even in very questionable condition, they are worth a fortune. Don’t let any appraiser tell you different. Do a little research, if you have time. They are truly ridiculous right now. There are many that are worth fortunes. It’s not like if you have this one coin, but all the other ones are worthless. It’s more like a small collection of decent rugs is worth tens of thousands of dollars.
thank you..... yes, I know they are worth a fortune.
I have some absolute treasures.
One or three of them are very large, I have a few smaller ones.
Hubbs and I had them all professionally cleaned 10 years ago, while moving my parents to their apartment at Ashby Ponds.
Anyway, I have one large rug that is beautiful. On the back, you can see by the design they managed to make a cross of Christianity that appears only on the back. my mom discovered it many years ago but certainly long after they bought it
Glad to see you are aware.I can’t tell you how many I bought at auctions and estate sales that I made 1000% on. Even tattered messes seem to have a lot of worth.
I have no idea where you come up with this good stuff...guess that's one reason why I tune in.
Great way to kick off a new year (sans headache)!
So right back atcha' SC.
It takes an entire day of sifting through the other stuff in my brain. (Part of me just wants to type END THE FED x 1000 in every post.)
Ooh, I'd still sub and post my screeds!
and this is why I never write on my substack.
Life has been pretty speechless lately :-P
Happy New Year, Commander. More videos of dogs, ducks, and pigs!
That was before some animals were declared more equal than others. 😉
(That one was too easy! Thank you, Charles...)
Been binge watching the annual New Year’s weekend Twilight Zone marathon that started Saturday & runs through midnight today. LOTS of prescient wisdom & morals-of-the-story there, whether about war, the tyrannical power of the State, nuclear annihilation, the power of love, or honor & integrity, etc.
I always thought that the hardest part of trying to re-jigger society will be erasing the incredibly numerous human stories about going against the grain and standing up for injustice. Even more tame stuff like Mulan.
Very true!
It's cyclical and the pace of the cycle is medium-dependent.
In ancient Greek, every time some playwright had a hit play, every other playwright immediately copied the formula - if not the entire play too. This of course led to audiences becoming bored with the formulaic tripe, leading to up-and-coming playwrights breaking through with plays satirising the "canonical" ones, both in content and methods and so on.
The picaresque novels, same thing. Formulaic, boring, predictable. Then comes Don Quixote and revitalises the entire genre by satirising it (not to mention the political commentary ovious to contemporary readers but lost to us).
Richardson's Pamela, same thing. Smash hit that gets copied in style and content by everyone, until Shamela comes along upsetting the apple cart. To say nothing of when Fanny Hill is published in 1748 - oh me oh my. Even by today's standards, it's pretty hard-core as porn goes. And it arguably kickstarts the genre of porn-with-plot, both in literary form as well as using images.
Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther, same thing. And then during the 19th century with printing having become simple and dirt cheap comes the penny dreadfuls, pamphlets and eraly pulp novels - the market becomes flooded and no-one can easily find /the/ formula anymore, leading to scrabbling and floundering and the founding of publishing companies and radio, movie and eventually TV-studio companies.
And re-inventing of formula yet again, and here we are with Disney spending billions to earn tens of millions, while Godzilla-1 mops the floor with american movies, despite premiering at a limited amount of cinemas for a very limited time, not to mention being a subtitled movie.
Expect a couple of formulaic flops this year (or cancellations of high-profile projects, and things changing during 2025.
They don't make TV shows like they used to...
Nope Timothy, they don’t. And a lot of TV shows & movies made “back in the day” could never be made now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsg29nIkl5o
"All right, we'll give some land to the niggers and the chinks, BUT WE DON'T WANT THE IRISH."
Cracks me up EVERY SINGLE TIME
So...quotation marks are just as important as commas.
Let's eat, kids.
Good thing Mr. Brooks was born when he was born.
There’s a great comment under the video presumably from someone in Ireland,
1 month ago
A message from the government of Ireland to it's natives. Absolutely bang on.
Just watched Royal Wedding. I'm dancing in my dreams.
True that.
"Married with children", imagine the 20-somethings having an earful of Al Bundy at the shoe-store.
Don't know it it counst as "back in the day" but it was the first that sprung to mind as a "could never be made today"-show.
The Golden Girls is a perfect example of that. What a trip those gals were. How they ever got through a taping, I have no idea.
That's why I only watch the re-run channels. MeTV, Antenna TV, Rewind, etc.
But I sure do miss The History Channel and Animal Planet.
If you no longer have cable but can stream, you can get History Vault for $5 a month last I saw. I would never be w/o History Channel.
No streaming service.
Really fun to see so many stars who were either already established or just getting started, all so young
From that same era, Route 66 and Naked City are also good for that. Robert Duvall, Christopher Walken, Dustin Hoffman. . .
Where was the TZ marathon??? Dayum, I missed it.
SyFy! Still going on today, Owain!
No sleep tonight...
What channel?! Name of channel, not number.
I think Pluto had a thing going too with TZ
Thank-you! I was afraid it would be on something I can't get.
SyFy!
Thank-you! That's what I was afraid of. I can't watch.
Same. Why has "science" fiction devolved into nothing but ridiculous horror.
Because 1) ai writing, 2)all others have low intelligence too. It’s so tedious. I was a huge consumer of Sf but struggle to read fiction anymore.
O no! It does look like you can get some episodes on Pluto. I’m watching from YouTube TV
I don't have them either. I'm 100% antenna/free TV.
I'm jelly. The Mrs. needs the background noise. (In the *other* column, iykwIm.)
Tubi is good too, free but w commercials. If you like going down the rabbit hole. Lol
Except for our (US) debt and spending problem, which are significant, the flip can come quickly.
DJT 2024
25 in 25
Sorta like having to stay after class in grade school and write a hundred times..."I wil not ..."
Scary to contemplate what other stuff is coursing through your gray cells to be able to spit these goodies out each day. I'll just take the end result so I can sleep better.
https://media.giphy.com/media/L3JzrrgSvH6Yh68BRA/giphy.gif
Here's my Monday happy, especially for all you boardgamers (the no. 3 reason I married the Mrs.).
We exchange 2-player boardgames typically (I know, how romantic, eh?), and this year hit jackpot with the thinky trick-taker Fox In The Forest.
Wow! What a great couples game, hard for one partner to get better at and therefore win consistently, which can ruin a couples game.
And...the Mrs. *is* a fox (boomer alert), the no.1 reason. (Making sure she reads this now...)
It only ruins the couples game if you're upset about Mrs. Tim winning all the time ;)
Neither of us has it in our nature to ever give less than 100% effort in winning, but I am happy to say that we *are* true boardgamers in that defeat never bothers. That said, she shreds in Scrabble (being more of a know-it-all than I is (usually) reason no. 2), and I have a 6 game win streak in Castles Of Mad King Ludwig, but my competitive gal only ever wants another go!
Wait, was being competitive reason no. 2? Hmm...
Very sweet. Helps to have a pal during these not so settled times. We do crossword puzzles together... my $5/month to the NY Slimes for their word games.....also good for our aging brains.
Thank you, Mrs. McFarland.
We heartily recommend a boardgaming hobby for a happy married life. 4-player games with other couples are the bomb (shouldn't that be a boomer term?). Check out boardgamegeek.com, or find your FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store, *not* videogame store) for helpful suggestions, or...we'd be happy to suggest when you and the Mr. are ready.
As for crossword puzzles, unfortunately, we are incompatible. She insists on ink, and I my precious mechanical pencil.
Viva la difference, eh?
In the category of probably too optimistic, Pollyanna is looking forward to the release of the Epstein List... that should disable some of these power brokers...Bets on whether Bubba is admitted to the ER in the next 72 hrs??
As ever, I remain cautiously optimistic about the situation. A lot of powerful people want that list to stay secret.
Tough shit. I’m tired of this tantric level game of blackmail influencing how our politicians vote to protect their disgusting asses.
Agreed!
Won't happen ever. Epstein got the goods on both party establishments.
Well, here’s my hopeful wish...That Bubba does get “exposed” as Doe #36.... and that will trigger Hillary’s famous “ If I go down, I’m taking half of Washington with me”....Clinton is not going to be the only politician named.... not popping popcorn yet, but it’s at the ready....
Happy New Year to everybody!
SimCommander, this is the year when you will really shine! Some kind of famous, influential, significant ‘something’ is going to blossom out of your Substack writings, and we Screamers will be smug that we read you in the early days!
Honestly I have zero desire to 'make it big' or become the face of anything. (I think people have a nose for the grifters these days....they're the ones pretending fire alarms are confusing or defending Trump's tweet about a new FBI building)
I'm a zillion times more worried about the spread of the ideas and conversations than of my "brand".
“He was always modest and down-to-earth” we’ll say when questioned by the paparazzi...
This is sort of random, but have you ever seen Arlington Road?
I live in Loudoun County and we have MANY neighbors and acquaintances
that work for the government... and a few that work against.
It is a common mix around here. I know Arlington very well and Reston is just 8 miles away
We need to flip those numbers.
No, and I just checked, it’s not in the local library, so please, tell me about it...
I can't do much better than this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_Road
Michael Faraday is a history professor at George Washington University specializing in terrorism. His FBI agent wife Leah died in the line of duty in a Ruby Ridge-style standoff, and Michael now lives with his 9-year-old son Grant in Reston, Virginia. He is still friends with Leah's partner Whit Carver, and is dating his former graduate student Brooke.
Upon finding a severely injured boy named Brady stumbling in his neighborhood, Michael rushes him to the hospital, where the wounds are determined to be caused by fireworks. Michael meets Brady's parents, structural engineer Oliver Lang and housewife Cheryl, discovering they are his neighbors. They become friends, and their sons join the Discoverers, a Boy Scouts-style group.
In casual conversation, Oliver expresses his sympathy for Leah's death by displaying potentially violent anti-government beliefs. This, and the cause of Brady's injuries, arouses suspicion in Michael. He also finds blueprints in Oliver's possession that are not for his purported building project, and receives misdirected mail suggesting Oliver lied about his college years. Brooke and Whit dismiss his concerns as paranoia.
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That's the basic setup, and I don't want to spoil the move -- it's quite good if a bit unbelievable.
Anyway, to get back to the point (and trying not to spoil it), at the very end of the movie there's one of those "people talk about the guy in the news" segments, and the person being interviewed was actually involved in the plot.
Ever since, I've thought it was weird whenever we see interviews with the neighbors who say "He was so quiet, we just never saw it coming."
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If you're one who sails the high seas when required, you might check out https://movie4kto.net/watch-movie/watch-arlington-road-free-61337.5446606
I have no idea what's there it's just a suggestion.
Wow, thanks SimCommander - I didn’t know Watch Series existed! See, day 1 of the new year, and you’ve already done a service to your subscribers.
*Will* be?
Am.
yes
Dang, M. Sim.
You and me, brother, you and me, 2 (two) peas in a pod.
I do make a few resolutions, always out of the blue on this, the laziest of days, and never really substantial/specific/goal-like. More like general sentimentalities.
While I think 2023 was mostly terrible (other than our perceived awakening), 2024 will be much worse, so I resolve to make it through to what this optimist says will be one of the greatest years in human history, 2025.
Who knows? Maybe I'll actually suffer the drunken streets this New Year's Eve, and find a girl to kiss like that sailor in the famous black and white on VE day photo. (Yes, Dear, looking at you!)
same page as you.
Gonna just stay well above the sewage
2024 will give a whole new meaning to "surfing."
I like the 'goat meal' Christmas tree disposal system.
So do they!
Having been a Nubian goat owner, I concur. They are great pets also.
"(for our own good, of course)" (Because I love parentheticals, I guess...)
No matter how *good* things get in human affairs, there will never be a shortage of "good" things on which to spend our (always limited, no matter how "good" things get) treasure and time.
The problem of leaving those endeavors to *government* to direct is that to the State, my pockets are bottomless and my dwindling time belongs to it.
A lot of times the parentheticals get inserted after the first draft and I'm re-reading it :)
As for the rest of your post, you've nailed it as usual. Once we accepted the idea government can take any of our wages, it then just becomes a negotiation of how much they 'allow' you to keep.
So we are different, too!
See, I write them on the first draft, extemperaneously like I talk.
Believe me, you don't really want to hear me speak. ;-)