This is the book I am following.
Another good read.
I like this one also.
Working on this book currently.
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
Jan 29
“At every moment keep a sturdy mind on the task at hand, as a Roman and human being, doing it with strict and simple dignity, affection, freedom, and justice—giving yourself a break from all other considerations. You can do this if you approach each task as if it is your last, giving up every distraction, emotional subversion of reason, and all drama, vanity, and complaint over your fair share. You can see how mastery over a few things makes it possible to live an abundant and devout life—for, if you keep
watch over these things, the gods won’t ask for more.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 2.5
Focus on what you’re doing. I try to be a good husband and can’t do that if I’m always distracted. My wife was talking to me the other day and we both realized that I was not listening. In my defense, the mechanic’s video I was watching started first, but I cannot pay attention to both. Same thing at work, if I have to do something and at the same time I try to listen to my coworkers gossip about whoever isn’t there that day, I end up losing my place and retracing my steps.
Jan 30
“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters—don’t wish to seem knowledgeable. And if some regard you as important, distrust yourself.”
—EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 13a
I am good at this one. I hear people talking all the time about what some celebrity did or recapping 90 Day Fiancée and there were some intense debates about The Masked Singer and they all know I could not care less about any of it. Does that mean I have no extraneous knowledge? Far from it, I still can name every member of Led Zeppelin, Queensrÿche, Iron Maiden, and many others along with a million song lyrics. If I meet someone who wants to talk about history or economics, I can hold my own. Which of these are extraneous? “Don’t Know.”
As an inspector/trainer, it is really easy to think you know the answers without distrusting yourself and verifying it. People usually take what I tell them as correct and for the most part I am, but it’s important to me that I don’t lose that credibility because I didn’t admit I don’t know and look it up.
Jan 31
“Don’t return to philosophy as a task-master, but as patients seek out relief in a treatment of sore eyes, or a dressing for a burn, or from an ointment. Regarding it this way, you’ll obey reason without putting it on display and rest easy in its care.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.9
I try to follow the guiding principles of Stoicism. I had drifted really far away from it last year as a reaction to the COVID madness. I wasn’t sleeping enough, or working out and was generally unhappy. I picked up Meditations, and reading it really did help my self inflicted injuries and bad behavior.
Feb 1
“Keep this thought handy when you feel a fit of rage coming on—it isn’t manly to be enraged. Rather, gentleness and civility are more human, and therefore manlier. A real man doesn’t give way to
anger and discontent, and such a person has strength, courage, and endurance—unlike the angry and complaining. The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.18.5b
This one hurt my feelings. I consider myself to be a manly man. I did 20 years in the Marine Corps, 12 in artillery. I’ve been in a few fights, and have handled myself well in combat. I have endured physical hardships, but have trouble finding the strength , courage, and endurance to keep the rage down. Getting better, but still a work in progress.
Feb 2
“Frame your thoughts like this—you are an old person, you won’t let yourself be enslaved by this any longer, no longer pulled like a puppet by every impulse, and you’ll stop complaining about your present fortune or dreading the future.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 2.2
It’s easier to do this now, I am 50. I try not to let other things run my life. Just because I feel like going to Sonic for a milkshake, I don’t have to, it’s in my control. Conversely, as I try to get back into shape, just because my leg muscles are sore, doesn’t mean I give into that impulse and not go running.
Feb 3
“When I see an anxious person, I ask myself, what do they want? For if a person wasn’t wanting something outside of their own control, why would they be stricken by anxiety?”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.13.1
I used to be anxious about getting promoted to E-7 while I was on active duty. I was damn good at my job, but numbers were always against me. In my four years of being eligible, 4 Marines in my MOS got promoted to E-7. Looking back, I had nothing to be anxious about. I had done everything I could, but I was not a “perfect” Marine like the ones who got promoted. I am much better at this now, it is easier to say to myself that if there is nothing I can do about it, there is nothing to be anxious about. My mother was amazed that I had no trouble sleeping the night before I had a scan to show I had no cancer, and just needed surgery.
Feb 4
“Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.18.21
I am working on this one, if the government decides boosters are mandatory in order to be a contractor, and they follow through with it, I will lose my job. This sucks because I have a very good resume for this kind of work, but nothing in the private sector. I would probably end up doing a paid apprenticeship for diesel mechanics. I have to remind myself the decision not to get the booster was mine, so the consequences of that decision should not stress me out.
Here is a cheesy video from one of the bands I mentioned in the article.
I think their first four albums are some of the best metal albums ever made. Not so much the ones after those.
I knew the tune before clicking, very cheesy
They are one of my favorites, at least everything before Empire.
“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters—don’t wish to seem knowledgeable. And if some regard you as important, distrust yourself.”
That’s a lot of wisdom in a short sentence.
Thanks, Ron!
That approach worked with the few Federal Judges with whom I had to interact.
That’s why I don’t give advice. I also have no knowledge of the bands or members you mentioned, though I sold plenty of their records
There’s a lot of wisdom that I don’t know. Thanks
Yeah, that one stood out to me too.
Especially in my new job where I am an “expert” in a niche area but am a clueless newb in much of the rest. I’m not planning on taking knowledge I don have, and I’m not being cocky about what I do know.
Playing the idiot is a very useful way to get the answers you want when somebody isn’t good at responding to detailed questions.
Me: “in my experience, most implementations have widget X acting as a proxy, is that how it works for your system?”
Them: “No, widget X is a dynamic undergirded gateway, it gathers requests for further processing at widget Y[…]”
—
Me:”I don’t know anything about widget X, can you explain it to me”
Them: “Widget X is a dynamic undergirded gateway. Are you familiar with how a web proxy works? It’s kinda like that. […]”
Them
I am working on this one, if the government decides boosters are mandatory in order to be a contractor, and they follow through with it, I will lose my job.
At this point just lie. Add it to your vax card and carry on. I am of the belief the mandates will all be overturned in the end. Diesel mechanics make good scratch though so not a bad choice. Especially if you can get into the oilfield sector.
Thanks for the stoic readings. It is not something I am familiar with.
Agree.
If I lie, that would give them cause.
Might not happen, they still haven’t came back at me for refusing to provide my vax number.
At this point just lie. Add it to your vax card and carry on.
I wouldn’t, because they can easily (and will) check their database. And can charge you criminally.
I love these but reminds that another week has yet gone by and it felt I just read the one prior. Thanks Ron!
I was gonna go immediately OT but my peepee was slapped the other day.
You’re not into that?
Not when it was Swissy…he isn’t gentle.
Liar. I heard you love the rough stuff.
Its true if you have been on when my wife gets froggy and comes on the Zooms.
I thought the holes in Swiss cheese were for fucking.
* makes note not to accept any sandwiches from Teds’s *
“January 28, 2022 at 11:33 am”
Go for it.
Is it 30 minutes? I always thought it was an hour.
30 minutes
30 minutes unless otherwise noted is the etiquette we have tried to follow for some longish time now.
When you say things like that I picture us all mulling about someone’s parlor, wearing smoking jackets, puffing on pipes, polishing our monocles, and saying “Hear, hear!”
“Yes the leather is as soft as a baby’s bottom. We bring in a baby quarterly to confirm.”
Good day sir! I see you had your orphans tailor you a new suit. Mighty fine, mighty fine. What are we milling about, we have gold coins to count.
/Hurumph. By jove, I think he’s got it.
Huzzah!
🙂
Love the Daily Stoic, Ron. Thank you!
(Saves me from having to read it again. I went through it twice – two years, back to back. Set it right next to The Throne and never missed a day! Second year my wife read the whole thing, too. Her first intro to the Stoics.)
P.S. The one about anger also stings me. He’s right, though.
On the thirty minute rule…
Has anyone actually cramped up from going swimming too soon after eating? Or is that an additional piece of nonsense health conventional wisdom?
I think that’s bull. Though you shouldn’t exercise right after eating. Your body is using a lot of resources to digest the food, so your performance will suffer.
It is not a rule, it is good manners we had hoped would be adopted by all.
“With Major Lawrence, mercy is a passion. With me, it is merely good manners. You may judge which is the more…reliable.”
“… thar more like guidelines.”
Only Geoffrey Rush could deliver that line and probably the only line in the movie that was worth noting.
I’m sure there must be some role he was just utter crap in, I just haven’t seen it.
He even sold a mockery super villain in Mystery Men.
That’s a good one. I never have, and I constantly ignored that rule in young adulthood. Maybe that rule only applies if you have super low potassium? Eat some bananas for lunch!
I’ve heard many credible doctors debunk that one.
As a kid who grew up with a back yard pool, in sweltering Oklahoma heat we kids would exit the pool long enough only to snarf down a grilled cheese sandwich and take a bathroom break, and then we were right back in the pool.
Yep. I was a water baby. If I were to guess the origin, it was a means to slow down the kids bit, that is all. So the best way to do that? Tell them they will basically die if they jump right back into the water.
Bathroom break?
I keed!
Old Karens’ Tale.
I am formally requesting that Old Wives’ Tales be renamed and repurposed.
I second the request.
For Not Adahn: I think Bullshit! did a bit on that.
That should be Old non-Gender Specific Partner’s Tale.
Vintage Gender-less Ambiguous Co-Mingling Tale
Garbage. Same as the “wisdom” of needing to wait 30 minutes after eating to exercise. If that was the case, there would be a lot more waiting around for distance running/riding.
Now… eating a big meal, and pushing really hard will most likely have some negative results.
I’m on my 17th 5.5 abv beer. What stoic? What the fuck is a stoic? I’ll kick his ass if he ever comes around here!
Easy there, friendo!
Seconded. Time for a water, I think!
5.5? Piker
/Cheers!
Hope you get the new job. Switching jobs usually gets you a bigger pay increase than remaining at one.
Pint or 12 ouncers?
Good Lord, I hope 12oz!
If he said 12oz, I was going to call him a small cat.
Just kidding. 12 drinks is my absolute limit.
Take it easy, Fes! Most Glibs will be unable to donate an liver meat to you.
750mL
What’s that, like a shot?
17 actually. Don’t ask me why I know. I did extensive research during my 4 months of 2 weeks to flatten the curve. Ah 2020, seems like just last week.
I don’t do it anymore, but I once drank a case of Sam Adams and was still sober enough to make a 24 bottle beeramid.
I’ve been thinking about the anger thing a lot this week. There are a lot of angry and hateful people around, and reading about it makes me tense and anxious, and also angry. But being angry back only makes me feel bad and adds to the problem. I think “gentleness and civility” in the face of anger is a better approach. But it’s difficult.
It is. Especially if you cannot avoid such people. I generally am able to totally avoid angry peeps, but there are situations where you cannot and their anger infects you.
The anger one definitely hits home. I was an angry child and thus, never really in control. Case in point, I was the best player on one of my hockey teams when I was 14 and I let anger take control of me and I hit another player over the head with my stick on their helmet. I was suspended for a game and benched for the rest of the year. After that, I vowed that anger would never get to the point where I wasn’t in control.
I am externally a pretty calm person, but I do get angry and I tend to stew about it. My middle daughter is very perceptive and she can tell by my body language when I’m angry. Some small gesture, the way I hunch my shoulders or something. And she will call me out on it.
My wife can always instantly tell with me, no matter how hard I try not to show it.
When the twat who nearly wrecked me flipped me off, I was pretty happy that I didn’t react, and only felt kinda peeved at being flipped off. I was more torqued that he nearly wrecked me.
By the time I got home, my tits were about 98% calm.
I had a teenage girl change lanes and I barely was able to miss her, then she stuck her tongue out at me.
I was too flabbergasted to stay angry, more questioning myself “Did she just stick her tongue out at me?”
This is definitely something I need to work on. When sharing the news of the progressive crap fest we labor under with my wife, I tend to lose my cool and raise my voice.
I guess “manliness” doesn’t apply to yours truly, but I find that the easiest way to remain gentle and civil is to keep a sense of humor even about news that we Glibs tend to call “nut punches”.
I know there are deep springs of humor among the Glibs; maybe sometimes we should tap into those springs preemptively before reading the news.
I lost my sense of humor long ago.
That probably explains why you like my jokes and music links. 😉
*snortlaugh*
LOL That I do.
Maybe I lied. A bunch of you all make me laugh every day.
With us, or at us?
?
With us, or at us?
Meh. I’ll take either one at this stage of life.
I will add that remaining cool and civil when the other side is losing their shit. Well, there’s a little extra satisfaction to be had in that.
Well, there’s a little extra satisfaction to be had in that.
As well as tactical/strategic advantages, and it often gets them even more would up. I go for an affect of mild amusement when the veins start popping out of the other guy’s forehead.
I am working on this one, if the government decides boosters are mandatory in order to be a contractor, and they follow through with it, I will lose my job. This sucks because I have a very good resume for this kind of work, but nothing in the private sector. I would probably end up doing a paid apprenticeship for diesel mechanics. I have to remind myself the decision not to get the booster was mine, so the consequences of that decision should not stress me out.
Just remember: There’s nothing wrong with a hearty “LET’S GO BRANDON!” if such a thing comes to pass. Actually, it’s called for even if such a thing doesn’t come pass.
They see me trollin’…
Dr. Fauci is the central character in this new @GovRonDeSantis 60-second campaign ad that first aired at 0649 today on OAN.
Thanks Ron – I need to be stoic for the next few weeks. Somehow selling our house now involves a lot of drama – and I fucking hate drama.
Congrats on finding a sucker who wanted a house in NJ!
Best of luck on the house sale!! I recently went through that myself, so I feel your pain to some extent.
The worst was being told by the realtor all the things we needed to change in order to sell quickly and at a good price. The changes were expensive, and I don’t like drama, so I told the realtor privately only to address those options and questions to me, rather than to my husband and me.
That took the stress right out. I know that wouldn’t work in most marriages, but I do the financial fretting in this partnership.
Keep stoic-ing on! Good luck ?
We started out smooth – good offer from normal people. It went off the rails with the appraisal that was $95k below the sale price. The realtors sent the appraiser a bunch of recent sales nearby that were comparable, but he refused to change it. At that point we thought the sale was off but their realtor told us they’d find a different lender and we would close a month later than planned. So we cancelled our plans in January to go find a rental and just waited…
…until they decided to come up with the cash to keep the original loan and close date. Now it’s a shit-show of closing, renting our own house for a month from the buyers, finding a place to move to, and hoping nothing expensive breaks during that time. We had a pretty good fight with our lawyer who threatened to quit. I had been the calm stoic through it all, but lost it with his crap. My wife talked us down separately.
Honestly – good problems to have; better than seeing your sale price take a big hit.
They tried that and we laughed. The offer we accepted was not the highest, just the one we thought most likely to have a smooth closing (silly us). If they had pulled out, our realtor would have immediately called the Bergen County couple who made the ridiculous offer.
Smooth closing – sorta like a plane landing; every one you walk away from is a good one.
Good luck with the house sale!
#metoo
*weary sigh*
Me too.
Good luck.
It’s no fun, but being in a new place sure is.
Now entering Hour 2 of a 4-hour Managers and the Law webinar class. Ugh.
It’s not just that clip from Judge Dredd?
“The law is an ass!”
“Next topic: Negotiation”
Korben Dallas style – https://youtu.be/9TyxxLHfBwE
I have 15 minutes until the end of my day. I flexed my shift a bit this week (I only have to put in 40 hours so the past couple of days I put in 10 hours so my Friday would be light. I am thinking it is going to take me 15 minutes to walk to my car.
On another note, one of the spam texts about wanting to negotiate a price for my house was received yesterday. I replied that I will negotiate 1.5 million for the house. They didn’t respond. However, our house has doubled in price since we purchased it. I am hoping it keeps that value for another 2-3 years and the kids are gone and we sell it to some dumbass Californian (Not you HE!) while the state continues to go downhill and Lake Mead dries up.
From what I hear from coworkers, house prices in Vegas will indeed continue to go up, even outside inflation.
Water rights are going to be a big deal indeed in coming years…
A proposed solar farm abutting Pahrump is strongly opposed by residents because the solar builders need cooling water from the underground springs that Pahrump lives on. The electricity would be sent to California, so the interstate bickering is already starting.
Yeah the Totally Not Helios One Fallout New Vegas solar farms along the Nevada/California border were a huge contention between the states.
some dumbass Californian (Not you HE!)
Too late! HE is now a cynical Nevadan.
So, Pittsburgh claims the bridge on Forbes Avenue that collapsed this morning carries approximately 17,300 cars per day.
I can believe that, but would think based on its location, that the traffic would actually be more than that. However, let’s go with their assertion.
If that bridge were a toll bridge, with a $0.50 toll, at the end of the year, the total proceeds would be $3,157,250. If 10% of that were spent annually on maintenance for that bridge, and the remaining invested at a return of 8% annually, at the end of ten years, there would be a balance of nearly $50 million, which would go a long way to replacing the bridge. If the toll were $0.25, the balance would be at around $50 million at year 16.
The bridge in question was built in 1970–51 years ago. After 51 years, our little toll bridge will have generated over $700 million after 10% maintenance expenses.
Is there any reasonable argument for public funding of this bridge?
Oops, made a mistake there…I used a 1% annual expense for maintenance (off by 10 error). With 10% expenses, after 10 years the balance will be $15 million, and after 51 years, $43 million at $0.25 toll. At a 50 cent toll, the numbers are $30 million and $87 million.
The real question is how a bridge under public maintenance ended up in such disrepair.
The nitwits argue that greedy capitalists would leech the money out and never take of the asset, all the while ignoring the shitty steward known as the government that allows ridges to completely fail.
See also: the I-35 bridge.
That’s not much of a question in Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania. I think the state takes a lot of money that should go to infrastructure and puts in into other stuff.
PA actually got sued by the Federal government a few years ago because of the way they used taxes collected on aviation fuel. The Fed gov requires states to spend aviation taxes on aviation infrastructure maintenance and improvements as a condition for receiving Federal funds for aviation infrastructure. PA was just pushing all that tax revenue into the general fund. They got spanked by Fedgov. Is suspect similar things happen with ground transportation infrastructure.
And that doesn’t even consider the extremely exaggerated/inflated costs for road maintenance by contractors that are favored by the state and localities. I think that is full of all kinds of corruption.
It varies by state, but you have no idea.
Back in the 80’s, the major paving contractors and road builders would meet annually at the Homestead resort in Virginia. There they would decide who got what upcoming project and set their pricing for the year.
If I were independently wealthy, I would spend a bunch of time trying to root out corruption in public contracting in this state.
You’d have to use a portion of that wealth to hire personal security.
Knowing some of the people involved in that industry, you are certainly correct.
Too local news.
It’s a start, but I have a feeling that it would be used by PA native contractors to exclude competition and probably worsen the corruption situation.
As bad as that situation was — I don’t think a local could’ve made it worse.
I still hold my breath when I cross over the new I-35 bridge.
Interesting story about that project.
They used very high dosages of fly ash in the concrete mix for the structure. So much so that the concrete would not cure without applied heat.
Then they used ground heaters and wireless temperature monitoring to carefully control the curing of the pour like you would in a chemical factory. This way they avoided the runaway curing that can occur in bulk concrete pours which leads to overheating and cracking.
That’s probably one of the most solid concrete structures in the country now as fly ash makes the concrete much harder and resilient over time.
An I-35 bridge here had a strut failure during rush hour in January of 2003. One end dropped about 18″ and people were stranded on the bridge. Traffic was backed up for hours and hours and hours in both directions. It was the most-used bridge over the Missouri River. Anyway, I was running an office full of delivery drivers and they gave me the heads-up. I already went an alternate route home to work, but it also meant I had to go UNDER the bridge. Anyway, I got home on time, but nobody else did. A couple of cars were totaled (where the bridge dropped), but nobody died, so that was good.
I drove over the old one the morning of the collapse. I still get the willies crossing the new one.
All the readers comments in the relevant articles are about how Trump and the republicans had 4 years to fix the infrastructure and did nothing, and about how stoopid republicans are opposed to St. Biden’s infrastructure bill and will doom the country.
They of course don’t know how many infrastructure budgets and bills over the decades have been pillaged for non-infrastructure activities, and the real problem is that they do not want to know either.
Kill switches in cars is part of the infrastructure bill…
Most assuredly from nobody who knows a damned thing about how infrastructure gets built.
It’s akin to people who think electricity comes from an outlet.
And then people act surprised when every public project in America goes 10x over budget and takes 40 years.
Trump and the republicans had 4 years to fix the infrastructure
And Obama and the Dems had 8 years to fix the infrastructure, and Bush and the Repubs had 8 years . . . .
Let’s just cut to the chase – the government fails to maintain infrastructure.
Racism?
I guarantee that would be an argument for this particular bridge, or at least they’d argue discrimination against the poor, as it connects some more “affordable” neighborhoods to the interior of the city–including several University campuses.
I’ve seen this before. When PA talked about making US-422 between King of Prussia and Pottstown toll in order to pay for widening the road and maintenance of the widened road, it was shouted down with, “I PAY GAS TAXES FOR THIS!” and “I PAY CAR REGISTRATION FEES FOR THIS!”
I poked around on the Intertubes and found the bridge is city owned, so some of those complaints probably won’t apply but I’ll bet you’ll hear them.
PA has some of the highest gasoline taxes in the US. It was sold as a solution to fund the roads and maintain the infrastructure.
“Collected from the state’s gas tax, the Motor License Fund has long been a major source of funding for the Pennsylvania State Police. In 2017, as much as 65 percent of the state police budget, approximately $1.2 billion, came from the fund, WHYY reported last year.”
“$4.2 billion in gas taxes diverted to state police, Pa. auditor general determines”
https://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/4-2-billion-in-gas-taxes-diverted-to-state-police-pa-auditor-general-determines/article_e9b82f67-b82c-5ce7-a85d-9364f8de564e.html
Yep. See also what I mentioned above about the FAA suing the state about misallocation of aviation fuel tax proceeds.
If the bridge were to connect NY to NJ, 5% of the annual revenue would be spent on maintenance. The rest would disappear somewhere never to be seen again.
It would be seen again, at Jaguar and BMW dealerships, some marinas…
…with real estate agents, travel agencies, jewelers, off-shore banks, etc.
I just re-did the calculation assuming 5% maintenance spending, with the rest held in trust at an average 8% return on investment…
10 year balance is $39MM. 51-year balance is just a hair under $340MM.
5% of the annual revenue would be spent on maintenance
Sure it would. I mean, 5% would undoubtedly go to somebody’s brother-in-law. But actually used to maintain the bridge. Pull the other one, its got bells on.
Silly question I know, but what happened with the Obama infrastructure money?
It saved or created millions of jobs!
They are still making the shovels ready.
Most of it went directly to the states to fill their budget holes. Can’t have government spending go down just because the tax revenues go down because the economy’s in the shitter, now, can we?
???
Airport in Brainerd, MN got a makeover on the terminal. 2 flights in-out per week day. About 30 people per flight. Nice looking facility though.
I can think of a few… oh, you said reasonable.
That was my thought too, even without doing the math. . Why the Hell do you need a government bailout for that? Can you not maintain it? Must we all pay for the incompetence of that state?
OT: Photos of WWI battlefields 100 years later.
Not in annoying “slide show” format either, thank goodness!
I suppose with scant resources, filling in trenches and craters wasn’t a priority in the immediate aftermath compared to rebuilding towns and housing. Now the fields are green and grown over. Haunting.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/104289641/over-horror-nature-grows-after-100-years-the-battlefields-of-wwi-are-fading-into-greenery
Great photos.
But, but, BUT, MAN destroys the earth – it can’t ever recover!!! /Say the morons that haven’t visited Mt. St. Helens.
Sic transit
Most transit projects are sick, yes. Corrupt too.
We visited Verdun a few years ago. The craters in the ground are something. They are everywhere. That must have been hell on earth.
Some of those battlefields are surrounded by modern day agricultural; they just go around the deeper craters. They still find human bones now and then, and the bones are added to the ossuaries that typically are located on more formal cemeteries.
The Lochnagar Crater (Somme, France) is a good example of this. #3 photo on this page.
https://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/world-war-i-battlefields-100-years-later/amp/
That’s incredible.
Brits were not screwing around:
Created by British tunnellers who dug a 600 m (0.37 miles) tunnel to reach a point under the German lines where they then placed 50,000 lbs of high explosive…
Great photos,thanks!
Hey, I like those before and after slides, when they’re done well.
Took the rest of the day off because I’ve had quite enough of January at my job, thank you very much. At the nearby Barnes and Noble because they’re closing in a couple of weeks (due to landlord issues, not low sales.) Half off everything – what classics should I snag before they’re cancelled? (Already have Huck Finn.)
Unless you’re taking Monday off too, you have one more day of January to face.
Yes, but the big annual gotta do’s are done. I have to work Monday because of payroll, but at least it’s a routine payroll – not full of pay increases and “incentives.” (Don’t call them bonuses!)
“Quo Vadis”
No luck on that one, but did find Democracy in America, which seems ripe for cancellation in more ways than one.
Rumi
No 1984 or Animal Farm. Probably already memory-holed.
Our B&N closed about a year ago, but moved several months later to what used to be the Olive Garden. The B&N was taken over by Burlington Coat Factory, which moved from another building. No, I don’t get it either.
I read these all on the day they come out and forget to go back and read them daily as apportioned.
Appreciated.
Stoicism? I evented Stoicism, you son of a bitch!
Then I invented it,…you son of a bitch!
Oh yeah?
I’ll event you… wait, I had something for this.
I never learned to spell, you son ov r botch!
I hate restaurants that use “protein” as a synonym for meat. I do not want to choose my protein. Or my carb. Or whatever. Use normal English, you fucking dirty hipsters.
You don’t watch any foodie shows, do you.
Not anymore. I’ve started to sour on ATK. Well, more than I already had.
If politicians can’t take huge pharma bribes, how are they supposed to get by?
EU watchdog accuses Ursula von der Leyen of ‘maladministration’ and orders her to hand over secret texts she sent to Pfizer’s CEO during efforts to buy 1.8billion Covid jabs
Fixed it for you, remember, they just want to be our “public servants”.
They do not in any way, shape, or form try to enrich themselves at our expense.
If that happens, it’s just blind luck.
I found a reason we must send Ukraine’s men to war and defend their people
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD8AR-uaxgA
Well played,
Cheers!
I don’t know, it seems kinda nippy there.
That recipe is missing blood from grating the potatoes. At least according to Lithuanians.
Russia is none too shabby – https://youtu.be/9UDYFt_8ycw
Quite beautiful, actually.
Nice place, modern. Looks like the Yatuks could illegally sneak across the border to Alaska.
Not showing anger or annoyance is difficult for me. I get very red in the face and head. According to my wife I also get un-intentional “mean face” when I’m angry. Unfortunately this same as my I’m thinking intensely face.
Heh. My wife will look over at me cause I am focused on something and always ask “why are you angry?” I am not! I am focused.
always ask “why are you angry?”
Admit it, it does kind of piss you off when she does that.
It does, I actually become perturbed by such a comment.
My wife had friends that were scared of me because they thought I was angry.
These women never saw me angry, they thought I was because I don’t smile and make small talk like all their husbands do.
You wouldn’t like me when I am angry.
I was told several times at parties that I was scary looking. This was before they talked to me or heard me talking to others.
Well irony has died again.
“Yes, woke hysteria has now reached such a crescendo that even the 20th century’s most famous warning about tyranny is falling victim to its tyrannous habits. RIP satire, you had a good innings. Orwell’s classic book has been slapped with a trigger warning at the University of Northampton. Students are warned that it contains ‘explicit material’ that they might find ‘offensive and upsetting’. ”
https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/01/24/now-even-1984-comes-with-a-trigger-warning/
Those people are like Winston’s wife:
For a second I read that as Winston’s Mom…….
Winston’s mom is smarter than that.
Our Winston? He seems to have a one track mind.
Offensive? Its the part about pints vs liters isnt it?
Upsetting? I agree. I have only read it once because I found the ending so upsetting.
—
‘I arst you civil enough, didn’t I?’ said the old man, straightening his shoulders pugnaciously. ‘You telling me you ain’t got a pint mug in the ‘ole bleeding boozer?’
‘And what in hell’s name is a pint?’ said the barman, leaning forward with the tips of his fingers on the counter.
‘Ark at ‘im! Calls ‘isself a barman and don’t know what a pint is! Why, a pint’s the ‘alf of a quart, and there’s four quarts to the gallon. ‘Ave to teach you the A, B, C next.’
‘Never heard of ’em,’ said the barman shortly. ‘Litre and half litre — that’s all we serve. There’s the glasses on the shelf in front of you.
‘I likes a pint,’ persisted the old man. ‘You could ‘a drawed me off a pint easy enough. We didn’t ‘ave these bleeding litres when I was a young man.’
‘When you were a young man we were all living in the treetops,’ said the barman, with a glance at the other customers.
There was a shout of laughter, and the uneasiness caused by Winston’s entry seemed to disappear. The old man’s whitestubbled face had flushed pink. He turned away, muttering to himself, and bumped into Winston. Winston caught him gently by the arm.
‘May I offer you a drink?’ he said.
‘You’re a gent,’ said the other, straightening his shoulders again. He appeared not to have noticed Winston’s blue overalls. ‘Pint!’ he added aggressively to the barman. ‘Pint of wallop.’
The barman swished two half-litres of dark-brown beer into thick glasses which he had rinsed in a bucket under the counter. Beer was the only drink you could get in prole pubs. The proles were supposed not to drink gin, though in practice they could get hold of it easily enough. The game of darts was in full swing again, and the knot of men at the bar had begun talking about lottery tickets. Winston’s presence was forgotten for a moment. There was a deal table under the window where he and the old man could talk without fear of being overheard. It was horribly dangerous, but at any rate there was no telescreen in the room, a point he had made sure of as soon as he came in.
“E could ‘a drawed me off a pint,’ grumbled the old man as he settled down behind a glass. ‘A ‘alf litre ain’t enough. It don’t satisfy. And a ‘ole litre’s too much. It starts my bladder running. Let alone the price.’
‘You must have seen great changes since you were a young man,’ said Winston tentatively.
The old man’s pale blue eyes moved from the darts board to the bar, and from the bar to the door of the Gents, as though it were in the bar-room that he expected the changes to have occurred.
‘The beer was better,’ he said finally. ‘And cheaper! When I was a young man, mild beer — wallop we used to call it — was fourpence a pint. That was before the war, of course.’
‘Which war was that?’ said Winston.
‘It’s all wars,’ said the old man vaguely.
—
YES. More of this.
https://www.oag.state.va.us/files/Opinions/2022/22-004-Youngkin-issued.pdf
I was really planning on moving if Mcauliffe had won.
You know his people would have found the FYTW clause.
The universities are going to freak.
I’m 90% certain they’re receiving CARES Act funds that are dependent on compliance with vaccination mandates.
And we all know they’re leftist pricks.
Look, I don’t know what the hell happened to my YT algorithm..I blame Straff… NSFW? If work cares about women in bathing suits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbuUf1rVcG8
It’s too bad that bridge didn’t collapse when Biden’s convoy of armored Suburbans was driving over it.
The #tinfoil in me finds it quite curious that a bridge collapsed when the president was scheduled to talk about failing infrastructure….I guess it could happen so perfectly. No deaths, only minor injuries and a backdrop to fleece the American people.
The #tinfoil in me finds it quite curious that a bridge collapsed when the president was scheduled to talk about failing infrastructure
It wasn’t just me?
Looks like the effective part of “safe and effective” is coming under fire in the major journals now.
From the Lancet
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00813-6/fulltext
Of particular interest (and this is pre-Omicron)
https://els-jbs-prod-cdn.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/cms/attachment/44540f4e-9b88-4a7d-bc4d-784c2876fa9e/gr2.jpg
“Although the risk of infection after vaccination, and even more of severe illness, remains low, the gradual increase in clinical outcomes related to SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests that the booster campaign should be accelerated and that social and individual protection measures against COVID-19 spread should not be abandoned.”
You have to ignore their conclusions as they never stray too far from the narrative.
Let the data talk.
Inflation, what inflation?
From one of my manufacturers.
Hmm. I just had some part pricing drop.
I about fell over.
Store-brand 48-oz containers of ice cream went up from $2.79 to $3.09.
Supply chain issues meant there were no 1 lb. bags of shredded mozzarella.
They had store-brand sliced lunch meats, too, but those containers were $3.99 for a 9 oz. package when they used to be rather less.
$4.99/lb for chicken wings.
Chicken wings.
Fuck that noise. Again, buy the whole chicken and break it down. My wings cost me $.89/lb and some work.
I needed to laugh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrzx_CMmTkc
Better than the original
We intend to have new pricing that goes effective on February 1st, May 1st, August 1st and November 1st this year.</em
"Price quotes good 'til end of day."
People are awesome #3432425622234
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Ew68AyKko
Keanu’s neighbor is lucky to have him cause when the Zombie Apocolypse happens, everything will be fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR9D4TsniUA
I wonder if I would be that good with an unlimited ammo budget and unlimited range time. I’d love to find out.
I can haz Halle Berry rooting for me too?
Those girls might torpedo my concentration.
But I too would love to find out!
I love how they are cheering him and his face is….I can do better
Same here.
That is some fine shootin’, though.
I like that he really put the effort into preparing for John Wick. It shows in the final product.