Poll: Know The End of Your Life

by | Feb 16, 2022 | Poll | 208 comments

 

Robert Heinlein’s first published short story was about a man who invented a machine that could predict your demise.

In Life-Line, Dr. Pinero has devised a device that can look at your life through time, described as a “pink worm,” and predict when you would die. There were some complications, such as “reading” a pregnant woman, but in general one could discover how much longer a client would survive.

In the story the antagonists were the insurance companies who we threatened by people cancelling their life insurance until just a few days before their demise, thus throwing actuarial tables out the window.

My question today is not a financial one but a moral one.

If you could determine your date of death would you want to know?

If you did know would you change your life accordingly? For example, if you knew that you had twenty more years left would you be more likely to engage in a dangerous activity such as parachuting or rock climbing?

I guess I fall into the “surprise me” class. At my age I have already made as many preparations as I can and have resolved to live each day as if it were my last.

 

About The Author

The Bearded Hobbit

The Bearded Hobbit

Hubby, Daddy & Grampy; Engineer; Carpenter; Genealogist; Curmudgeon; Hobbit

208 Comments

  1. Count Potato

    “For example, if you knew that you had twenty more years left would you be more likely to engage in a dangerous activity such as parachuting or rock climbing?”

    Wouldn’t that make you invincible? “Fifty bucks says I can punch that bear in the nuts.”

    • Trigger Hippie

      Exactly. I personally find the idea a little absurd. Armed with such knowledge you could literally destroy the laws of physics and/or bend God’s will.

      • The Hyperbole

        It’s a Monkey’s paw thing, “I got thirty years so I’m going to jump off this cliff” , you survive the fall but spend twenty years in a coma.

      • rhywun

        At least you get ten good years after you wake up.

      • The Hyperbole

        Shit, apparently 12 words is how long it takes for me to forget what I just what was I saying?

      • rhywun

        ?

      • Trigger Hippie

        This crowd funded trip to space were I have Musk personally release the hatch to send me into the black with no spacesuit halfway to Mars is going to be the stuff of legend.

      • Zwak, holding the spinal column of JFK wrapped in Marilyn Monroes neglegie

        Or, the machinery of the universe turns clanking in its way to deny you every opportunity to achieve that dream.

      • Trigger Hippie

        Fair point. I just wanted to bring the idea of determined fate to a ridiculous, if not entirely implausible level for some human, somewhere, at some time…

        I’m not a fan of Calvinism.

    • The Bearded Hobbit

      According to the premise of the story you would win. Sub-plots included Pinero trying to keep a young couple in his lab hoping to delay their death. His efforts only made them late and they hurried across an intersection into the path of a bus.

      • kinnath

        You can’t cheat fate.

      • EvilSheldon

        Fate is the loser’s word for probability.

      • Count Potato

        And any attempts to kill them sooner would fail?

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        Apparently, within the subtext of the story. You might spend the rest of your “pink worm” in a coma, however.

      • Not Adahn

        His efforts only made them late and they hurried across an intersection into the path of a bus.

        And her resultant pregnancy is what causes the aforementioned complications?

    • Animal

      Hey! Leave me out of this!

  2. Trigger Hippie

    Absolutely not. I want the day I know I die to be the day I’m either taking my own life or dying to save the life of another.

    • Animal

      I’d rather be shot by a jealous husband. Preferably Kate Beckinsale’s.

      • Trigger Hippie

        *shrugs*

        I’ll happily die to save a woman’s life, I ain’t dying for pussy.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        ^This right here

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        I ain’t dying for pussy.

        I wanna die doing what I do best / what makes me happy!

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        More along the lines of young me: “I want to die at 103 by jumping out of a bedroom window”

      • Swiss Servator

        “…evading the common law husband of the woman who just cooked him breakfast.”

  3. kinnath

    I remember this story.

    Tying back to a prior thread, knowing would certainly reinforce a fatalistic world view.

  4. Draw Me Like One of Your Tulpae, Jack

    If I can’t live forever, then I don’t want to know how I go.

    • The Bearded Hobbit

      “How” is not foretold, only “when”

      • Draw Me Like One of Your Tulpae, Jack

        Or when

      • ron73440

        I just want to know where, then I would never go near the place.*

        *Stolen from somewhere.

      • Swiss Servator

        When God hath ordained a creature to die in a particular place, He causeth that creature’s wants to direct him to that place.

      • ron73440

        It’s probably not a fool proof system.

      • rhywun

        CWAA

        /JK, cowers

      • db

        All depends on whether you put a comma or a colon after the C.

      • Don escaped Texas

        finally someone gets this one right

        I do miss Billy Joe. NewWife had no idea who the hell he was even though a friend voiced a part on Squidbillies. Well, he’s the guy who wrote pretty much every son on Waylon’s Honky Tonk Heroes, a hell of an album.

      • The Hyperbole

        I think of him often, specifically the line.

        Ain’t no need in y’all a treatin’ me this way

        /Rodney Dangerfield

      • KSuellington

        That is probably Waylon’s best album, although Lonesome, On’ry and Mean is a close contender. The height of outlaw country there.

      • Chafed

        I don’t want to live forever but I don’t want to die.

        https://youtu.be/aC2xL3bP2NI

        *Looks around for MikeS for high five*

  5. CatchTheCarp

    Knowing would be a burden I’d rather not carry.

    • The Bearded Hobbit

      Same, same. In that vein we chose to not know the sex of our children before they were born. D2 was a surprise: “My son is a girl!”.

      • Trigger Hippie

        “My son is a girl!”

        This reads as a modern day, proud parent’s Instagram post in my head…

        I’m tipsy. Don’t worry, I’ll be fucking off soon.

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        It’s a quote from a silly movie.

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        Doctor: I have good news and bad news.
        Count Geste: Go ahead.
        Doctor: Your wife is dead.
        Count Geste: And the bad news?
        Doctor: Your son is a girl.

  6. hayeksplosives

    If I knew I only had a year left, some tyrants would be in serious need of protection.

    I’d have to prioritize the list to make the best use of my remaining time.

    • The Hyperbole

      Meh, killing a tyrant just moves the next asshole up the line , better to keep a list of those whom have wronged you personally. There are five or six people that should be earnestly praying that I never get diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

      • Gadfly

        It depends on the individual. Sometimes one person makes a huge difference. Sometimes they’re just a replaceable cog in the machine.

        Although I can’t fault your list preference. Unless I’m on it.

      • MikeS

        Here’s to your health!

      • EvilSheldon

        True, true, but there are a few that’ll precede me into the emptyness just for the aesthetics…

    • mindyourbusiness

      I’ve got a little list;
      They never would be missed…

    • creech

      Even with only a week to live, that gives one plenty of time to go out on the lake and dredge up those guns that fell overboard in that accident.
      Clean ’em up and local petty tyrants beware?

    • Not Adahn

      ^this

  7. Tundra

    Nope.

    I have no interest in knowing. I do like to take steps to live the best life I can, but I don’t want to know the date.

    If anything I prefer the Vikings attitude, where your date of death was determined at birth so why give a fuck? Be the best you can be and we’ll see you in Valhalla!

    • ron73440

      why give a fuck? Be the best you can be and we’ll see you in Valhalla!

      I like it.

      I can’t get too worked up about death.

      I’ve told my wife if I’m ever in a plane crash or something where there is time I will not call her.

      I told her we had a happy time together and that’s more than a lot of people get, so even if I die suddenly tomorrow, it’s OK.

    • The Last American Hero

      I thought the Vikings attitude was “string the poor fans along so long as they keep buying tix and merch”.

    • Gadfly

      TL;DR?

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        They knew from day 1 that the covid stats were heavily skewed toward the old and infirmed, but didn’t care.

        They knew from early on that the death numbers were bullshit, but didn’t care.

        They were confronted from early on with what would become the Florida “targeted response” and they didn’t care.

        Birx, Fauci and the third doctor had a pact to all resign if any one of them was terminated.

        The vaccines are pointless if you’ve had covid. The vaccines are riskier than they are effective for everybody but the elderly and the infirm.

        Masking children has zero impact on covid, but has negative knock on effects, and is child abuse.

      • Fourscore

        “the elderly and the infirm”

        The missus and I skipped the vaccines and the masks (as much as possible). We obey the rules of good health.

        Eat as best you can
        Sleep as best you can
        Wash your hands as needed
        Avoid little germ factories

        We’re well past the best used by date but that spoonful of local honey works miracles.

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        A spoonful of honey makes the medicine go down…

      • Spudalicious

        I couldn’t stop at just a spoonful.

      • rhywun

        Avoid little germ factories

        I’ve always followed this one. For multiple reasons….

        OK, the hand washing thing too – but not obsessively. I just like clean hands. But I also agree with the opinion that you can take this stuff too far such that it backfires.

        I mean, in the Before Times I rode the subway every day. It doesn’t get much more petri dish than that.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        It should actually be “the elderly and infirm”, because supposedly the otherwise healthy aren’t at too much risk, no matter the age. I’m sure this got circulated around here before, but he mentioned that 2/3 of the Covid deaths had 6+ comorbidities.

      • Gadfly

        Thanks for the summary. The fact that they knew the numbers were bullshit, that there was that pact, and that they didn’t care about targeted response is news to me, the other stuff is not. There really should be a reckoning on all the reckless, negligent, and abusive behavior on the part of those in power, but I’m not holding out hope.

    • Chafed

      Thanks for sharing that Trashy.

    • Tonio

      Thanks.

      Would be super nice if you could write this up as an article.

  8. mindyourbusiness

    Your may put ’em on the list – you may put ’em on the list:
    And they’ll none of them be missed – they’ll none of them be missed!

  9. pistoffnick the refusnik

    I don’t care when I go
    I never expected to make it this far
    It’s ALL gravy now

    • The Bearded Hobbit

      You and me, bro. You and me.

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        I’ve lost track of how many times I should have died and, yet, didn’t. So I figure I’ve been living on borrowed time for years.

      • Threedoor

        I feel like that occasionally. I do love with the pain from those incidents.

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        Time

        And then one day you find
        Ten years have got behind you
        No one told you when to run
        You missed the starting gun

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwYX52BP2Sk

      • Threedoor

        I used to hate Pink Floyd.

        I was wrong.

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        blockquote>I used to hate Pink Floyd.

        I was wrong.

        Yes, you were wrong.

      • db

        One of the most powerful songs I know.

        My GF and I were talking about it last week–she asked, “do you think, when they wrote it, that they knew how real that was and how it would get more real over time?”

        I said something to the effect of “I’m not sure; they were in their lat 20s then, and may have had an idea, but that’s why we’re still talking about this, nearly 50 years later–it is true and it is universal.”

        I think it’s one of the most consequential songs ever written. And I consider PF to be my 3rd favorite band ever, not even up there with Mr. Peart’s lyrics, but close.

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        Those were the days, my friend
        we thought they’d never end

        Nice!

      • Mojeaux

        Nice!

        You know, the funny thing about that song is, when I was a small child, I totally got the point of the song. I really did. I thought I was better because I WOULD fight and never lose. It never ever occurred to me I’d become the old lady.

      • db

        I saw Rush live on that tour. That intro was so amazing. I was upset they didn’t play the entirety of Anthem, but it rocked so hard the part they played was enough.

        I think I saw them at Blossom outside of Cleveland that tour. Great venue, and I had relatively close seats.

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        There is NO such thing as TOO OLD
        Only older…

        If the music is too loud,
        you are somewhat old!
        If the task is too tough,
        you are tougher.
        If the seas are too rough,
        You are rougher!

      • Mojeaux

        I saw Rush Snakes and Arrows tour. I wish I could have seen them at least once more.

        Lessee, list of acts I want/ed to see live:

        Steely Dan (*waves to MikeS*)
        The Carpenters
        Janet Jackson

        Maybe Journey

      • Threedoor

        That song hits Moj.

        I still hate the band Rush

      • Mojeaux

        I still hate the band Rush

        Condolences.

    • blackjack

      Yeah, I’m deep in O.T. also.

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        Late in the 90’s there was a traffic accident involving a car that was the same as my wife’s. A neighbor called me and said, “They are doing CPR on her.” I panicked and left work for the accident site, at times driving over 100MPH. On the way I went through the phases of death including bargaining. I am not necessarily religious but I prayed, “God, if you let her live then my life is yours.” When I got to the accident it turned out to not be my wife but I consider God’s side of the contract to be fulfilled. I owe Him my life and am ready at any time to fulfill my end.

        BTW, I have never told another living soul this story.

    • pistoffnick the refusnik

      I’m not saying I’m ready to hang up my spurs yet (actually, bad metaphor, I don’t really like, and am allergic to, horses, and I find cowboy boots silly and non-utilitarian).

      There are more:
      adventures to be had,
      seas to be sailed,
      asphalt to be chewed,
      motorcycles to be owned,
      women to be loved,
      mountains to be climbed,
      cabins to be built,
      books to be written,
      songs to be learnt,
      places to travel too,
      jokes to be told,
      good food to be eaten…

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        to. too. two. tue.

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        …people to do.
        places to meet…

      • pistoffnick the refusnik

        Also horses are unlike (actually, inferior to) sailboats. If you tell a sailboat to go to port, it will generally go to port. If you tell a horse to go left, it might go left, it might go right, it might stop to eat some grass, it might buck your ass off, it might refuse to move.

  10. blackjack

    Without having a solid understanding of the nature of the (if any) afterlife, I can’t say it’s beneficial to know when this life ends. I lack the ability to suspend my morality, even knowing the worldly consequences would be moot via my demise. I could likely do things considered illegal assuming I knew them to be moral and helpful to my survivors. I think the fact of having to consider such things would be massively detrimental to the mind and soul. Things work perfectly as they are and messing with that could cause any number of bad outcomes. I’m not smart enough to even consider most of them.

    • rhywun

      I think the fact of having to consider such things would be massively detrimental to the mind and soul.

      This.

      It would mess with your brain.

    • EvilSheldon

      Things work perfectly as they are…

      Truer words have rarely been spoken.

  11. Zwak, holding the spinal column of JFK wrapped in Marilyn Monroes neglegie

    I don’t think I would bother to learn. If indeed it can tell, then there is nothing I could do about it, so why bother?

    Anyway, reminds me of this quote from Blood Meridian:
    This is the nature of war, whose stake is at once the game and the authority and the justification. Seen so, war is the truest form of divination. It is the testing of one’s will and the will of another within that larger will which because it binds them is therefore forced to select. War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence. War is god.

    A forcing of the unity of existence.

  12. Drake

    When it’s my time, G’Kar and I will strangle each other.

    • Threedoor

      Beautiful.

    • Chafed

      *Tear forms in corner of eye*

  13. Yusef drives a Kia

    I don’t want to know, this is why I don’t go to the doctor, stupid maybe, whatevs,
    /I want to be a Cylon raider

  14. kinnath

    The appeal writes itself

    Jurors in former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s libel trial against The New York Times became aware during deliberations that the judge overseeing the case had ruled that it should be thrown out, the judge said in an order on Wednesday.

    U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff said that after the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the Times in the case on Tuesday, one of his law clerks learned that some on the panel had received alerts on their phones on Monday when Rakoff announced, outside the presence of the jury, that he planned to toss out the case because Palin’s lawyers had failed to prove their case to the high standard of evidence required in libel suits against public figures.

    • kinnath

      “The jurors repeatedly assured the Court’s law clerk that these notifications had not affected them in any way or played any role whatever in their deliberations,” wrote the judge, who is an appointee of President Bill Clinton and joined the court in 1995.

      The judge issued his order Wednesday afternoon after he discussed the issue in an interview with Bloomberg News.

      “I’m disappointed that the jurors even got these messages, if they did,” Rakoff said, according to Bloomberg. “I continue to think it was the right way to handle things.”

      The judge told the news service that “at most three” of the nine jurors saw the news alerts about his ruling. It is unusual for federal judges to conduct interviews about cases that are pending or when appeals are expected.

      • Don escaped Texas

        it’s going nowhere but I won’t kick and scream if she wants to waste her time and money that way

        no matter what anyone thinks about the case, the ruling, or the particulars, she’s just not going to prevail

        precedent does not care at all about public figures, 9 times out of 10 the defense would be granted summary dismissal, and it’s not going to be overturned for her even though the facts are not flattering for the NYT

      • Swiss Servator

        So anyone can just play dumb and have at it…Mayor Lightfoot rapes cats! Oh, a typo ..”rates”. We’ll wait until trial and say “oopsie”.

    • rhywun

      Intersting… I wasn’t clear on whether he actually told the jury his decision or not.

      So… I’m not at all sure she really has a case, but… this judge’s behavior stinks to high heaven anyway.

      I do not at all understand what he was doing.

      • Don escaped Texas

        he didn’t tell

        but it just flashed on someone’s phone even though they weren’t searching for it or looking at news

    • Drake

      The impeachment writes itself too.

  15. Spudalicious

    No, I have enough shit to deal with.

  16. The Last American Hero

    This was covered in the movie Krull. Hard pass.

    Also, putting aside your own death, even seeing other future events could mess things up royally. For instance, if I could have known in advance what some exes who mistreated me would do, I probably might have conducted myself like a total asshole and not acquitted myself honorably in the situation.

    • slumbrew

      Do I get a glaive? Because that would be cool.

  17. Fourscore

    “My uncle knew exactly when and where he would die, to the minute”

    “C’mon, man, no one knows that. How would he know that?”

    “The judge told him”

    /Flip Wilson

    • pistoffnick the refusnik

      “When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror, like the passengers in his car.“ — Jack Handy

      • Trigger Hippie

        +1 Ted Kennedy (almost)

        That’s beautiful.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        But then he laughed so hard, saw you swingin’ from the Gallows pole!
        Five in One,
        One in Five,

  18. Fourscore

    Every morning I’m surprised when I wake up. Look in the mirror, “god damn, it’s good to see you”

    I still have a few things left to do but I got all my big projects around the house done. I want to hang around for a while longer, just to see what happens. I’ll probably be disappointed.

  19. Gadfly

    I would want to know. But I do have a weakness of curiosity: I want to know everything, even the things I know I’ll regret knowing. I’m lucky I’m not a cat.

    And it would change the way I live my life. Not that I would engage in more dangerous behavior, but if it was sooner than I expect I might do a few things differently. I’m a procrastinator by nature, and having a deadline is a good motivator to get off my ass.

    • rhywun

      Yeah, I’m a world-class procrastinator. If I knew I was gonna die in 20 years I’d sit on my ass for 19 years and 11 months.

      /um…

  20. Fourscore

    Most of all I’m grateful that the Golden Age Virus hasn’t set in. At that point life is over, as far as I’m concerned.

  21. db

    I think it’s interesting that in his later years, Heinlein would write about the multiverses, which would seem to contradict Pinero’s claim to be able to sense an echo back from “the” world-line of a person’s life. In Heinlein’s multiverse, there are multiple, infinite bifurcations in each life that would preclude such a thing, unless there were some limitation to a device peculiar to each timeline that would only return results pertinent to one dominant line that follows through all future bifurcations. That would seem to imply a “preferred timeline” that shouldn’t exist in a multiverse.

  22. db

    I’m not sure if I would want to know how long I have to live.

    A simple linear regression through the death ages of men in my paternal line has me living 49 years (two years from now) so if I live longer than that, I’ll consider everything beyond that a priceless gift.

    • Mojeaux

      Since my dad’s side of the family (of which I am very much like in temperament) all die young, I thought I’d be dead by now, so I didn’t plan for a future. I told my cardiologist this, and he said, “You better start making some plans.”

    • EvilSheldon

      Considering their general health and wellness level, both sides of my family are incredibly long-lived. Part of that is due to Dad’s multiple redundant sets of organs (he has three kidneys and two femoral veins in his left leg, that we know of…) but part of it has got to be just good old clean living.

      • EvilSheldon

        But yeah.

        ‘I live each day as I would never die.’
        ‘And I live each day as I would die tomorrow. Which of us is right?’

      • slumbrew

        Huh.

        TIL EvilSheldon is the spawn of some sort of super-soldier.

        That secondary heart has to be handy.

      • EvilSheldon

        It’s apparently not common, but not terribly rare either. During gestation, you start to split into twins, but something happens to interrupt mitosis and you end up with some extra internal parts, maybe functional, maybe no. Or else you wind up stillborn.

        Many people with this condition go their entire life without knowing. Pop didn’t find out about the extra kidney until he was in his late sixties.

      • Threedoor

        Is he part Klingon?

      • EvilSheldon

        If you were to meet my father, afterwards you would probably believe anything anyone tells you about him.

      • Not Adahn

        Note to self: ES’s is 100% more vulnerable to leg shots than normal.

      • rhywun

        I wish I had three livers.

      • Tres Cool

        My liver is so black, it still rides in the back of the bus.

  23. straffinrun

    I’ve never trusted anyone over 30.

  24. Brochettaward

    When you evaluate yourself at the end of the day, the first question you should ask yourself is….did you First today?

  25. Timeloose

    I don’t want to know when I will go. I have good and bad genes for longevity and some chronic issues that make long life possibly not so fun. I will have no genetic legacy so I don’t have any impact on the world beyond what I can accomplish and inspire and help others to accomplish.

    I will continue to provide, love, be loved, have fun, and live a interesting life until I don’t. I’ll keep learning new things and trying to make the world around me just a little better.

    I hope this doesn’t sound sad or depressing, as it is not intended to be.

    Here is my favorite song about death from an album about death.

    https://vimeo.com/22430396

    • Zwak, holding the spinal column of JFK wrapped in Marilyn Monroes neglegie

      Excellent choice in tunes. I am a huge Nick Cave fan, and he only seems to get better with age.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd51SEljBU0

      Probably the prettiest song I know. I wish I had played this at my wedding.

      • Timeloose

        That album took me some time and maturity to appreciate.

    • Threedoor

      Cave is underrated.

  26. LCDR_Fish

    Random note going back to the inflation discussion from morning links.

    I do recall in the late 90s/early 00s, there were some deals online that were inordinately good compared to the prevailing economics. On the one hand you had some insane deals from a lot of etailers for dvd sales at insane markdowns – and that’s before looking at the columbia house rackets that were going on – at dvdtalk.com someone wrote a script that generated an excel file of every single title they offered and the MSRP – allowing folks to buy all the $40 dollar titles for a dollar and then buy one or two extra 19.99 titles before immediately canceling their account. Wash, rinse, repeat (I believe I did that a handful of times in college — I know some folks did that dozens of times – especially returning expensive titles for in-store credit at other retailers or selling on ebay/half.com).

    More to the point though – I don’t think inflation was too high at the time, but at the dawn of online banking, I was able to get a savings account (or two) through ING Direct (now part of Capital One) for 5% APY – and free money when I set up the initial deposit. The rates stayed around that high for a number of years too – although I don’t recall if I ever had more than a grand or so in either of them at the time. Still keeping them for convenience/management purposes/etc.

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      Now that’s a Pilf for me, oh yeah

  27. slumbrew

    I suppose I’d like to know if only so I’d know if I’ve saved enough for retirement.

    I’ll be low-key pissed if I die at 58 having saved a bunch for retirement.

    • slumbrew

      I mean, I’ll be dead, so not _that_ pissed. But still.

    • Threedoor

      Those REMfs haven’t seen shit.

      • straffinrun

        A panel of scum bags that send boys off to fight in some shitty war sit there and lap up the tears of a cop who got beat up. Boo fucking hoo.

      • Threedoor

        IF, he even got beat up.

      • straffinrun

        I’m trying to think positive thoughts.

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      What a pussy,

    • Chafed

      I was really hoping it was an Airplane clip.

      • straffinrun

        Sorry. How about a hydroplane? *skip to 5:15

      • Tres Cool

        What the hell is wrong with you people ?

    • Tres Cool

      About :30 in, I could feel the bile rising to the top of my throat. I shut it off.

  28. The Bearded Hobbit

    Thanks for all the comments, folks.

    Can’t recall who said it: “It’s not the years in your life, it’s the life in your years.” Make the most of yours.

    Live well, friends, and embrace each day.

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      Huzzah! Life is a good thing.

  29. robodruid

    Love Heinlein.
    I would rather know when I die, life would be easier.
    Good Morning all. Up at 2 to let sheep into barn, hard falling back to sleep now.

  30. Tres Cool

    suh’ fam
    whats goody

    • Sean

      *waves*

    • Gender Traitor

      Good morning homey, Sean, & ‘bodru!

      Debating whether I even want to try to go to the Y after work. I always have to park on the moon, and it looks as if it’s going to be raining…all…day…

      • Tres Cool

        You can swim through the parking lot.

        Mornin’ pimp-juice.

      • Tulip

        You’re going swimming so….does it matter if you get wet?

      • Gender Traitor

        Ackshually, I haven’t been swimming lately – just going to the exercise room. Swimming was getting too rough on my ridiculously expensive hair.

      • Tulip

        I totally get that.

      • Sean

        Mornin’

  31. Sean

    No.

    Maybe. BTDT.

    Mornin.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      That’s the spirit!

    • Ghostpatzer

      Kindly fuck off!

      • Not Adahn

        It is needful for you to be doing the fucking off?

  32. Ghostpatzer

    Mornin’, reprobates.

    Don’t need to know the hour of my demise. I’ve already dodged death twice; knowing that the time can come at any moment has made me realize the importance of living each moment as if it were the last one. I also don’t fear or dwell on death. It’s coming whether I like it or not and I have no say in that. What I can control is how I live, and I try to focus on that

    • rhywun

      Now do “non-profit” colleges that overpromise.

      LOL.

  33. Tulip

    Dog has surgery today. Fingers crossed

    • Ghostpatzer

      Good luck, Babs is a good one.

    • Sean

      Awww.

      I hope it goes well.

    • Gender Traitor

      Oh my goodness yes! Hope all goes smoothly!

    • Tres Cool

      Been there. Good luck.

    • rhywun

      ?

    • limey

      Best wishes to the Tulip dog.

    • Ghostpatzer

      Huh. Who knew OMB was recruiting Canadians in his latest attempt to overthrow the government?

      • rhywun

        Trump’s super power to inhabit your head doesn’t obey silly national borders.

      • Not Adahn

        Since CA is using US politics to justify their actions, can we just get it over with an annex them?

  34. Not Adahn

    Of course I’d want to know. What’s wrong with you people?

    In addition to the whole avenger/blaze of glory thing, it makes planning for retirement soooo much easier. The inflationary models for the price of hookers & blow are really terrible oput past 18 months.

    • Not Adahn

      Hyde Park Bar and Grill in Austin has (had?) a huge fork as their sign., What makes this even vaguely interesting is that they would routinely change the food speared on top of said fork.

      • Ghostpatzer

        they would routinely change the food speared on top of said fork

        I hope so. Otherwise the smell would discourage potential customers.

  35. Sean