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Cake day: July 15th, 2023

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  • When hurricane Milton hit I lost power, internet and my cell signal was like using dial up so all online access was gone for about a week. Sent the family to go stay with friends and I stayed behind. With no electricity and no internet all I had was myself. The first 2 or 3 days were tough. I didn’t know what to do with myself so I cleaned and sat outside in the shade to escape the heat. By the end of the week I was in a good place, not perfect, but better than when I started. I was relaxed, my thoughts were clearer, I could comfortably focus on one thing at a time. I think knowing that after I was done focusing on something I could return to a comfortable quiet helped.

    When power and internet came back within 2 days everything was back to ‘normal’. No more peace. No more comfortable focusing. Back to my usual habits. I recommend disconnecting from phones and computers for a few weeks. Give your mind time to get into the habit of not using them, it’s so easy to fall back into old habits, you have to set the stage for new ones to slowly grow, like trending a garden it takes time and effort.

    One of best descriptions of self mental health care was from Rick and Morty. It’s like wiping your ass, or washing the dishes. It’s not fun but it’s something you have to do everyday. You can suffer the pain of doing it, or suffer the pain of having not done it. Front load the pain don’t offload it to your future self. Give future self a break, do some work for him/her and I know they’ll be incredibly appreciative.

    I’m my past when I was at my worst I noticed that I was in a better place when I was around people than when I wasn’t. Be around people/friends if you can. Ask someone to spend party of a day with you doing absolutely anything.

    Exercise until you know you will be sore the next day. I didn’t exercise regularly, but I did notice that whenever I did some physical activity that left me sore the next day, within about 2 or 3 days I was a much better version of myself for a day or two.

    So in conclusion. Do nice things for future self, even talk out loud to yourself about future you like they’re someone else. Disconnect from Internet and tv so your mind can have some time to itself. Be around people, we are social animals, we need to feel like we are part of a group, a tribe, maybe go take some night classes that will force you to work on a project with others. Exercise or do something strenuous.

    Oh and a couple more things, try to establish a regular sleep schedule! Someone mentioned this already and they’re right, change your environment. Your mind and body will default to the feelings it’s used to having in the place it most often has them. As an example, if you’re a home pooper then when you get home your body will go into pooping mode. If you only use your bed to sleep and not look at your phone or watch tv then you will feel sleepy when you get in bed. New environments will put your mind into learning mode not default mode, keep finding ways to keep it from sitting back down into the depression it’s left in the chair. Like that song, you can get used to a certain kind of sadness.

    Okay one more thing, video games. I like playing them but I have a habit of using them like a drug. It feels good to use a drug, and when you hardly feel good why wouldn’t you use it. You will play them again, and you’ll enjoy them more after your mind has had some quite time to itself. You’ll get to play again someday, you just have some mental chores that need tending to first.

    Last thing I promise. Quite time is even better when done in nature. Any nature. Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution designed us to be in nature, part of nature. Quite time means no podcasts or music as well.

    Now get out there and do the dishes, wipe your ass, and do something nice for future self, they fucking deserve it.



  • The thing with American politics is that Americans love, LOVE TV shows and movies. Everything they do publicly has to be framed, presented, and consumed, as if it were a TV show or movie. So that’s what the political machine does. Kamala Harris raised like a $1000000000. A BILLION dollars! What does the political machine do with that much money? It puts on a damn good show and broadcasts it to the world hoping it’s a better show than what Trump is making. So yes you are watching the same show we are. It’s entertaining, horrifying, hilarious, disgusting, sad and hopeful. But if you want to see what the real work is like in politics then you will have to read the book. A LOT of books, and many Americans don’t like to read.








  • Level 1

    2 to 1 ratio.

    2 cups of water, bring it to a boil 1 cup of rice, add after water is boiling Reduce heat to simmer (simmer is less than medium but higher than just warm, on my stove it goes up to 10, I turn it down to 2.4). Put on lid Wait 20 minutes Eat

    If it starts to boil over with the lid on just lift the lid so it will go back down. I add either some oil and salt or some (1 or 2 tblsp) salted butter to the water. People will tell you to rinse the rice first, but that’s level 2, get to level 1.





  • Community college. Took a few classes I never would have normally chosen like art or acting. I was a stay at home introvert who was way past college days, so I couldn’t figure out how to put myself into social situations. But I do like to learn, so signed myself up for some night classes. Ended up dating a few people, made new friends, and married one of them. Night classes bring in the adults who have to work during the day, a few kids too, but I met just about every age group from young to very old. Study groups, group projects, anything that will involve working with or helping classmates, or anything that you think is interesting really. Have life long friends now because of that decision.

    Go back to where you first learned how to make friends, go back to school.


  • Military & Defense Russia keeps trying to replace the bridges that Ukraine destroys. Ukraine is taking out those, too. Mia Jankowicz Aug 22, 2024, 8:47 AM EDT

    A screenshot from drone video shared by Ukrainian special operations forces on August 21, 2024. It appears to show engineering equipment attempting to lay down a pontoon bridge platform on the Seym River, in Kursk, Western Russia, amid Ukraine’s incursion into the region.

    Special Operations Forces of Ukraine/Telegram Ukraine says it is destroying Russian pontoon bridges in Kursk before they can even be constructed.

    On Wednesday, Ukrainian special forces released a video compilation that appeared to show attacks on several Russian efforts to build pontoons, or temporary floating bridges.

    “Where do Russian pontoon bridges ‘disappear’ in the Kursk region?” wrote Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces Telegram account, adding that its soldiers “accurately destroy them,” according to Reuters’ translation.

    The claim comes after reports that Ukrainian forces had destroyed three permanent bridges over the Seym river in the western Russian region, in an apparent effort to isolate Russian forces there.

    The footage, which Business Insider was unable to verify, was shared on the 16th day of Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory.

    As of Monday, Ukrainian forces were “striking pontoon bridges and engineering equipment in the western part of their operational zone in the Glushkovo district,” the Ukrainian think tank the Centre for Defence Strategies reported.

    Satellite imagery seen by the Associated Press showed pontoons at two locations along the Seym.

    One of them, between Glushkovo and Zvannoye, was visible in the imagery as of Sunday — but by Monday it had disappeared, with smoke rising nearby, the news agency reported.

    The images were shared on X by Radio Free Europe reporter Mark Krutov:

    A low-res @planet satellite image taken today, Aug. 19th, shows that the Russian pontoon bridge between Zvannoye and Glushkovo in Kursk oblast is gone, with smoke rising 500 meters away from where it used to be, on the ‘Russian’ bank. Makes sense if we speak about the withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/YxtaNeyOzh

    — Mark Krutov (@kromark) August 19, 2024 Ukraine says it has captured just under 500 square miles of territory in Kursk, and has set up a military headquarters there, in a sign that it intends to dig in for a while.

    On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he intended to create a buffer zone in the region.

    The bridges destroyed so far are all along the Seym; their destruction appears to be an attempt to pin Russian troops between Ukrainian-controlled territory, the Ukrainian border, and the river, the AP reported.

    The footage shared by Ukraine’s special forces on Wednesday appeared to show drones targeting engineering equipment on the banks of the Seym being used to lay down the temporary bridges.

    Other clips show vehicles — presumably carrying the necessary equipment — also being taken out by drones.



  • When first I learned of the tower at Bok Tower gardens I thought, how ostentatious of a man to build himself a tower. But then I was given the rare privilege of standing at it’s precipice. I get it now. I felt like a wise wizard, like Saruman, looking down at the world. If ever I am able I must have a tower, if only to drink my morning coffee and wonder from above at the majesty of the world beneath me.

    I also played a short melody on the bells, from house of the rising sun, before being asked to stop touching everything.

    It was a long time ago, so my memory may not be exact, so I’ll try my best to describe what I saw, also I was not allowed into every room, but I did sneak away and take a peek behind a door, it was a broom closet.

    The inside had very intrically carved antique furniture, dark brown, maybe mahogany. I was not allowed to open the cupboards, I did, it was empty. Blue or teal mosaic tiling on the floor, a white marble bathroom tucked away in the corner with I believe golden fixtures. The metal staircase wound up along the sides into the reaches of a Gothic vaulted ceiling. It didn’t feel like a church, it felt more like being in a Freemason temple. Oh the front door is golden or brass and I believe there is a grave at the front as well.

    The next floor contained the Gardens archives. I was not allowed in and only saw a dim and lonely room with desk and lots of papers or books. I wish I could have spent several days in there rifling around.

    Next up was the old cisterns that used to be used to collect rain water from the roof and water the gardens. They look like giant steampunk iron containers. Not much in there but assorted boxes and such. I wanted to bang on the containers, but tempered myself.

    I do not remember the next floor very well, I think there was a mildly modern office, with a windowed door? I think remember seeing the American flag, but the memory is hazy.

    Next up was the library. I was excited when I heard the word library, and disappointed to learn it was the largest library of Bell ringing music (I don’t know the proper term for ‘Bell ringing music’). There were also some books and such, but wasn’t as interesting looking as I had hoped, and we didn’t spend time there.

    I do not remember the next floor at all, perhaps because it was unremarkable or because the next floor was where I really wanted to be, the very top.

    Standing at the balcony was breathtaking. The bells were to there and of course they were a sight to themselves, but the view from the edge was…inspiring. I wanted to be able to stand up there every day, every sunrise and sunset. The sun was near to setting by that time, as we were touring after hours, so the lighting was perfect. I could see the houses and trees and fields stretched far into the distance. I didn’t want it to end. I needed a staff! I needed a throng to command or a people to assure, or even better, a quiet life locked in my tower studying the mysteries.

    The world needs more towers. I do not understand why today’s rich have not built themselves great and beautiful towers for study and art instead of ugly sprawling resorts for decadence and indulgences. Every city and town should have one for the people as well. We could use some perspective, and inspiration.

    Bring back beautiful towers!

    And wizards!