You know, yesterday was fairly hectic, and although I wasn't near one of my twice yearly depression phases, I was pretty exhausted and edgy last night. Then a friend sent me this, which I had not previously seen, and I laughed until the endorphines ran out of my eyes. TRIGGER WARNING: The following video contains strong language, inappropriate use of words that George Carlin could not say on TV, and your typical white, cis-gendered stereotypical US suburban college educated female single issue voter. (If the admins want to take this down, I am not offended in the slightest, but you were warned.) I think it important for us to understand how insane our world has become...
It's the whole "talking to a dead person while recording yourself for a tiktok video while driving" that demonstrates to me the absurdity of narcissism on sooooooo many levels. Clearly, this woman (and gazillions of similar thought) needs Jesus. Which leads me to seriously think about my role in the "ministry of reconciliation" that Paul addresses in 2 Cor 5. In my wonderings, I noted that often my consideration of the " new creation" in 2 Cor 5:17 has often been all about me, me, me, when in the context, it is all about being newly created so that I can be an instrument of reconciliation.
As an aside I mourn the general illiteracy, whether willful or not, that fuels the current social discourse. Where I live folks will quote the latest conspiratorial sound bytes with great vehemence. We are headed for a certain reckoning, imo. I refuse to join family members in their collective drive to build underground bunkers where they can stockpile guns and hide from the looming social apocalypse instigated by ignorance. I prefer to die with my wits or at least my integrity intact.
Yeah, the underground bunker is too tough to build and keep dry. Plus, if they find you in it, it just became a $200K coffin for four. Just look at the Maginot Line for historical reference... The general lack of literacy and general education that fuels the #ME ME ME ME ME generation(s) is indeed amazing. Like you, I'd rather die with my wits, integrity, and the bolt locked back on the M-4!
In terms of 'insane' this is pretty tame. The content warning is fine, imo. We're all adults. (Video below is SFW. Unless your workplace is woke, or doesn't like comedy, then it's definitely NSFW, possibly even NSFL.)
There's more 'Rowling is a transphobe' rhetoric going on over here concerning her new book. When asked if the activist/representative had read it in a TV interview, he said he hadn't, before once more insisting on X, Y, Z concerning the book and its content. Has anyone watched that Brave New World TV series? It's making its way over here on October 2nd, and given the book's content, I'm a little concerned about giving it a go.
The whole issue of Rowling and her so-called transphobia seems to be more about her complaining about language being redefined and protecting the rights of biological women. As with so much else it's one thing to do what you want to do in private but when it comes into the public sphere sooner or later we have to have the discussion about where one set of rights ends and another begins. If an individual with facial hair and fully functional male anatomy is allowed to simply declare they are female, walk into the female changing room and watch biological women undress something is wrong. It's not transphobia for a biological woman to not want to be watched while she undresses by an individual who is visibly male. It's not transphobia to not allow a violent rapist to be imprisoned in a women's jail because they just announced they identify as female. Perhaps there's another discussion in there about why we expect people to undress in front of total strangers in any setting and why we expect college students and old people to share bedrooms. But, you know, Rowling clearly isn't woke enough to ignore nuances so she has to be silenced.
I got some more window work done. I took out the fiberglass stuffed around the window frames and replaced it with a proper window foam. At least the guy who installed the windows had put sealant around them - probably the only corner he could have cut but didn't. I need another can of window foam - the one I had was a little elderly and had to be encouraged to spray properly. At present I'm seriously wondering whether to press on with the house project and finish it properly, fix it up as quickly as possible, or try to sell the place as a project. The noise from the road is really getting to me lately. Part of the problem is that there are lots of trucks on the road and part of it is that when the house was built there was no such thing as a truck so road noise wasn't a consideration. It would be really nice to be able to open windows to let fresh air through - during the recent spell when it was hot during the day and cool during the evening it would have been nice to just open windows and let the cool air through, but that would also have let in even more noise and all the exhaust fumes from the road. The trouble is in my town it's hard to find very many places where you can be confident you won't get trucks thundering through.
if you are referring to expanding foam window sealer, I found that immediately placing the tube & spray nozzle in acetone and dipping the can in acetone each time I use it saves a few bucks. The area where I live is evolving into one big truck.
We were just watching the Challenger documentary series on Netflix recently. In the context of some of the earlier posts on lack of literacy and ability to talk, I was struck by a the eloquence and tone of Reagan reading a speech in regard to the loss of the crew and Shuttle. I don't think it was unusual for most politicians back then, but it was almost jarring when transposed to our modern discourse.
Yep. Public speaking, whether from a prepared text or extemporaneously, is a real art. I've done both, and from my perspective, the reading from a prepared text is the more difficult, although extemp for any length of time past about 5 minutes requires probably even more preparation. Words have real meanings, and the variety of words in the English language that carry real nuance and color in a particular context are sadly missing from modern rhetorical exercise.
That's the stuff. I coaxed it to spray more by doing exactly that - it's a reusable foam gun with replaceable cartridges, so I soaked a piece of paper towel in acetone and pressed it hard against the nozzle while I opened it. It didn't get it back to the full vigor of a fresh can but did get enough life out of it to work with three windows. Acetone is handy stuff to have. It's good to be able to go to the hardware store and buy a gallon of it. I don't remember being able to do that in England. Acetone is also a great accelerant when I'm burning scrap wood. I don't know just what it is about the WHOOMPH sound it makes when it ignites but I find it strangely pleasing.
There's a little bit of pyromaniac in every normal healthy human boy. I remember fondly the eyebrows and hair on the back of my hands that I had once in my childhood met WHOOMPH on more than one occasion!
I think I'd stick with diesel. Non-explosive. We use it all the time in field camps for burning garbage.
I remember in my teens someone once asked me if I smoked. My reply was that I didn't but things around me had been known to.
Sounds a whole lot less fun. I used to use isopropyl alcohol but ran out of it, and found acetone does the job just as well. It just means I need to keep a safe distance when tossing a lit match into the barrel.
As a youngster my precocious old man was ordered to remove all the snow from the backyard to facilitate some plumbing work, so he sprinkled the entire area with coal oil and fired it up. The garage burned to the ground but there was not a lick of snow to be seen.
For as long as I can throw a lit match into the barrel from a safe distance I prefer the WHOOMPH from the acetone to the slow burn of something more, well, sensible.