If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool (h/t mindyourbusiness)
What I’m currently reading:
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
December 24th
“You know what wine and liqueur tastes like. It makes no difference whether a hundred or a thousand bottles pass through your bladder—you are nothing more than a filter.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 77.16
I like beer. as of 20 some years ago, I went from Budweiser to Sam Adams and Killian’s Irish Red. I have since turned into a full on beer snob. I am sure that the author of this line, since he was extremely rich, drank fine wine and not the basic wine that the masses enjoyed. Maybe he is reminding himself that just because the quality and taste are better it doesn’t change its effect on a person. Also it doesn’t make me better than other people because I like a “high quality” drink instead of Coors Light, like the rest of my family.
December 25th
“The mind must be given relaxation—it will rise improved and sharper after a good break. Just as rich fields must not be forced—for they will quickly lose their fertility if never given a break—so constant work on the anvil will fracture the force of the mind. But it regains its powers if it is set free and relaxed for a while. Constant work gives rise to a certain kind of dullness and feebleness in the rational soul.”
—SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 17.5
I read for about a half hour to an hour every day before I sleep. A lot of what I read are history, economic, and philosophy books. If that were all I read, I would probably lose interest in learning. I try to balance it with fun reading. I recently read the absurd The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. (Thanks to whoever recommended it) I am currently rereading the Witcher series. These help me relax and just enjoy reading without trying to learn non-stop.
December 26
“It’s not at all that we have too short a time to live, but that we squander a great deal of it. Life is long enough, and it’s given in sufficient measure to do many great things if we spend it well. But when it’s poured down the drain of luxury and neglect, when it’s employed to no good end, we’re finally driven to see that it has passed by before we even recognized it passing. And so it is—we don’t receive a short life, we make it so.”
—SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 1.3–4a
This is a counter point to yesterday’s quote. If all I did in my free time was watch TV and drink beer, and never read anything with the objective of learning, I would turn into an unhealthy empty person. I think I would look back on my life as a total waste and it probably would seem short because everything would run together. All this isn’t even considering what would happen to my relationship with my wife and children. I do have times where I drink too much and get nothing accomplished on a weekend, but not too often. When I was younger and drank a lot, I was lucky enough to not get hangovers so I was still able to go out and do things on Saturdays and Sundays. If not, I like to think I have the strength of character that I would have quit drinking instead of loosing weekends with my family, but I’m not 100% sure.
December 27th
“It’s a disgrace in this life when the soul surrenders first while the body refuses to.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.29
My soul quit on me a few months ago. I hurt my back, so I had to quit running and working out for about 8 weeks. After my back felt fine, I was nervous about starting again. I began to tell myself, “I’ll start next week”. Next week came and went, but I still didn’t do anything. Looking back and trying to see how long it’s been, I am astounded at how much time I let slip away. I don’t want to be an average 50 something man with a “dad bod”. If I don’t find it within myself to start again, that is where I am headed. Remember, it is not about motivation, it is about discipline.
December 28th
“Everything lasts for a day, the one who remembers and the remembered.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.35
How many funerals have I been to? At the time it was a very sad event. How often do I think about the deceased? Not often. I was talking to my wife about my Grandfather on my Dad’s side because from what she knew of him, my brothers and I have more in common with him than our Dad. Grandpap was a bit of an asshole, and very straight and honest in his dealings with others. I used to visit him every summer for a couple weeks. He actually took me for my first long hair cut when I was 15 because my parents were adamant that I get it cut short every year for school. I hope my kids and grand kids, if I ever have any, have fond memories of me, but I do not expect them to constantly remember me after I am gone.
December 29th
“In all things we should try to make ourselves be as grateful as possible. For gratitude is a good thing for ourselves, in a manner in which justice, commonly held to belong to others, is not. Gratitude pays itself back in large measure.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 81.19
What am I grateful for? My house? My job? My old truck? Kind of, but looking at my life as a whole, the number one thing is my wife. We met when I was 19, and I turn 52 next year. She has never done anything to hurt me and has always done the best she could with raising our kids when I was deployed. When we had problems thy were always caused by external forces and she never turned against me. God knows, I am not the easiest person to deal with everyday. I try to ensure she knows this, but could do a better job. This is a reminder to do that.
December 30th
“To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.”
—SENECA, HERCULES OETAEUS, 231–232
To me, this quote explains the goal of Stoicism. I have learned how to handle minor setbacks much more calmly than I used to and was able to deal with being stuck on the couch for 8 weeks after surgery much more tranquilly than I would have believed possible. If I can keep my inner calm, I can handle what lies ahead. When bad things happen, it is my choice to react badly and make things worse, or to react calmly and help get through it.
December 31st
“Stop wandering about! You aren’t likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you’ve collected to enjoy in your old age. Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue—if you care for yourself at all—and do it while you can.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 3.14
Just reading this book did nothing for me the first time. I went through it rather quickly and did not put any of its lessons into action. It took reading again, going through a week a day, then reading Meditations, then actually reading this one a day at a time and writing down my thoughts while I actually thought about my reactions every day before I slept before noticing actual improvement in my reactions and my state of mind. Learning without action isn’t much better than not learning anything.
Music this week is in memory of my Grandad, who died in 2002 at the age of 80.
These are some of the songs he like to listen to in the evenings when I stayed at his house.
This was one of his all time favorites, we laughed every time.
“In all things we should try to make ourselves be as grateful as possible. For gratitude is a good thing for ourselves, in a manner in which justice, commonly held to belong to others, is not. Gratitude pays itself back in large measure.” – easy to say when you dont have a snowmageddon incoming
Calm down Francis, its just snow
“You know what wine and liqueur tastes like. It makes no difference whether a hundred or a thousand bottles pass through your bladder—you are nothing more than a filter.” – screw you buddy I am a very discerning filter for quality booze. Also Roman wine sucked.
Also it doesn’t make me better than other people because I like a “high quality” drink instead of Coors Light, like the rest of my family. – it absolutely does.
Nope. Doesn’t make me better, it’s a preference. It does mean that I may bring a sixer of something good when I visit though.
my superior taste makes me better than the hoi polloi
I’m pretty sure I am part of the hoi polloi.
An old acquaintance used to claim that the skinhead Oi! call was based on the phrase hoi polloi. I have… doubts about that.
peasant
Yep.
No kings, no queens, no lords, no ladies.
“The mind must be given relaxation—it will rise improved and sharper after a good break. Just as rich fields must not be forced—for they will quickly lose their fertility if never given a break—so constant work on the anvil will fracture the force of the mind. But it regains its powers if it is set free and relaxed for a while. Constant work gives rise to a certain kind of dullness and feebleness in the rational soul.”
All work and no play makes Seneca a dull boy
“Stop wandering about! You aren’t likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you’ve collected to enjoy in your old age. Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue—if you care for yourself at all—and do it while you can.” -I thought good things come to those who wait
There’s a difference between active waiting and passive waiting.
Active waiting: nuking the butter to softness before throwing it in the mixing bowl.
Passive waiting: waiting for the room temp to soften the butter before throwing it in the mixing bowl.
I thought good things come to those who wait
Time preference absolutely determines success.
Why am I talking by myself? Are y’all frozen already? Stoke the fires pour the scotch and get shoveling or something, to get the blood running.
Ha. No one is out shoveling here where it feels (with the wind chill) like -35 F / -37 C
When I transitioned from swill to good beer and drinks years ago, I greatly reduced the quantity and frequency of consumption.
Tall Cans, just because!🍻
But as you get older, your taste buds deteriorate too. I used to be able to tell bad wine from good wine from great wine. Now it all tastes about the same. Saves lots of money (though I haven’t caved to Two Buck Chuck or Barefoot yet).
I haven’t noticed that yet.
I have actually become less tolerant of crappy wines as I have gotten older.
how about mediocre mead
Impossible, his mead is awesome!
*Meadiocre.
We met when I was 19, and I turn 52 next year. She has never done anything to hurt me and has always done the best she could with raising our kids when I was deployed. When we had problems thy were always caused by external forces and she never turned against me.
🙂
we squander a great deal of it
Booze, fast cars and sexy women; the rest, I wasted.
Play Freebird!
But no Stairway!
Denied!
👍
Well this comment is a combination of “Pine is being all Stoic at the moment” and the “frigid” theme from earlier – frozen pipe edition.
I’m in Georgia, and it’s unusually cold at the moment. Now normally the kind of frozen pipes you think of are the spigots around the house, or standpipes in the yard, shed, whatever. Well, back in the Spring, Mrs. Tree wanted me to do a greywater project so that the discharge from the upstairs washing machine could run into a tank that she’d use for the garden. The house is a “walkout basement”, so it looks like plain little 3BR rectangle, but (importantly for the story) there’s a 2BR house in the full basement underneath it, and you can only tell when looking at the end with the garage doors cut into the hill. Anyway, so I cut into the drain line and ran it out to where she wanted the tank, and you can already see where this is going. The line has a trap in it (necessity of geometry, plus keeping critters out), and it froze. I hadn’t even considered that, either when making it or last night. Cue the water flooding the laundry room, only noticed when it started pouring through the suspended ceiling downstairs. Everybody’s coming over for Christmas tomorrow.
Anyway, got it valved back to the normal line and pulled all the tiles and insulation out in the yard to dry. Think I’m going to go get some Brunswick Stew and a beer for dinner.
Yuck. Good luck.
I recommend some harder alcohol
Wild Turkey’s later I’m sure. Mrs. Tree’s best friend gave me a variety pack of different craftish beers for Christmas the other day, so I was in the mood to try one. And it goes with stew and cornbread.
Brunswick Stew – how many squirrels in that?
Possum, heathen.
This is the tame version – just pork and chicken.
That’s Mulligan stew. Whatever the hobo can kill or find freshly dead.
Sorry, brother.
It will make for a good story tomorrow, though.
Sorry.
Chip Roy isn’t very stoic about the nonsense going on in the House right now.
Seems to have a chip on his shoulder.
“To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.”
I often find myself strengthening misfortune – particularly at 3 in the morning. Something to work on.
“Everything lasts for a day, the one who remembers and the remembered.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.35
I don’t constantly think of my loved ones no longer with us but their memory is always present. I will hear a song that my grandma used to sing when waking me up when I was a small child. Catch a glimpse of a Boise State game and remember my dad as that was his alma mater.
That sound a lot like one of my 2 memory-related things – oddities that I’m self-conscious enough to realize are different from normal people. The first (this one) is that to me, almost everything has a deeper meaning/story based on memory. Passing a place or seeing a particular thing always signifies something. There’s almost nothing that doesn’t carry deep meaning; it looks a lot like a very heavy sentimentality. The second is that I remember everything. All of it. All of the details. It’s too much, and means the bad ones stick around.
Happy 109th Birthday to the Federal Reserve!
Fuckin’ shit up since 1913. Since then, the dollar has depreciated by more than 96%.
Think about what a strategic strike on Jekyll Island in 1910 would have done for this country.
Item #6 in particular.
This tests me.
Burn in hell, greenies.
Oh, look, the Cobalt minorminers for EV batteries!
Upper management had decided that we can work from home today. They announced such at 12:30.
better late than never. I mean just a sucker would have gone to the office today anyways.
*looks around office*
Pie would say that any day.
Im getting paid to read you call me a sucker, why not be here?
Extinction event
The omnibus doesn’t even include the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, an incredibly popular bipartisan bill that would have provided a historic $14 billion in supplemental funding for our nation’s at-risk wildlife over the next decade.
These woefully inadequate funding levels show just how little Congress cares about protecting our natural heritage — including curbing wildlife exploitation and habitat destruction, the two root causes of pandemics like COVID-19.
As a policy specialist focused on endangered species protection, I believe what we need is to triple the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budget if we want to truly combat the extinction crisis here at our doorsteps.
Instead, the omnibus delivers a devastating blow to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) inserted what is essentially an extinction rider that allows the U.S. lobster fishery to delay for six years essential conservation actions to prevent fishing gear from entangling and killing these magnificent whales, of which there are only 340 left.
Extinction isn’t inevitable — it’s a political choice. Far too many politicians have made the wrong choice to ignore the extinction crisis. Budgets are a reflection of our values, and this one is a cruel insult to the Endangered Species Act.
Repent. The end is nigh.
How about we revoke the Endangered Species act, so people don’t shoot, shovel, and shut up?
Extinction isn’t inevitable
History suggests otherwise.
These woefully inadequate funding levels
I understand that there are literally billions of dollars being sent to other countries for bullshit that is so far outside the purview of the federal government that it is not even in the same galaxy. Maybe you could get some of that cheddar.
Center for Biological Diversity
Grifter. Wonder how much of their budget comes from the federal govt.
“BIG IRON” but every lyric is an AI generated image
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhBcoQ3wylg
A punchable face for your festivus celebrations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thJ2ocejPko
socialists are just fucking retarded. I try to listen sometimes to see any rational argument. but there aint one. and a fallacy in every sentence.
“Replace the boot of capitalism with the boot of the state!”–not a good argument.
Happy New Year! You’ve probably heard a lot of talk about socialism becoming more popular over the past few years. There’s a reason for that! The capitalist system has shown itself to be incapable of solving the problems it creates, and more and more people are living a worse life than their parents or grandparents. What’s going on here, and is socialism the way forward?
You misspelled “corporatist/globalist”. And, no. It is not. It is the way to mass starvation and mass murder.
If only there were modern examples of socialist paradises such as Cuba and Venezuela.
how the fuck are the covid lockdowns the fault of capitalism though? I know socialists are morons but still
You can keep digging, but all you’re ever going to find is stupid.
Thanks, Ron. I’m grateful for this series. I’ve learned, and been given a lot to reflect on.
They call it “omnibus.” I call it “ominous.”
play omnibus music
OK.
w0t?
I was hopeful someone would deliver.
Thanks Ron,
I gave up on the Drink about 40 years ago. I learned that my kids were actually pretty nice. Being sober (and no hangovers) has made my life a lot better in most ways. I was a 2 pack a day guy but got away nearly 50 years ago. My kids and grand kids hardly drink and none smoke, for which I am grateful.
I am the class historian of my high school class. A few days ago I was totally up all those friends that are known to be departed, it’s over half. The earliest ones left because of medical problems. A couple died in accidents or by their own hand. The next were the smokers and drinkers, they didn’t make it to or through their 70s. Most of those of us that are left aren’t looking so good.
Looking forward to Honey Harvest though.
Thanks, Fourscore.
Transparency!
Breitbart had the chance to review a directive from DHS that will keep all Customs and Border Protection managers from releasing statistics about the apprehension of illegal immigrants without DHS approval. This includes speaking directly to the public or through social media. In the article, Randy Clark states, “The directive precludes Border Patrol managers from releasing any interim arrest statistics or stories as the decision over the potential end [of] Title 42 enforcement now sits before the Supreme Court.”
According to the article, there has already been a drop in weekly or daily recaps on apprehensions and other news related to illegal immigration by parts of the Border Patrol. The unnamed source who talked to Breitbart said the directive will now give DHS complete control over the narrative, especially after the end of Title 42 and the expected crush of immigrants begins. The source also indicated that any future releases of information could be delayed or massaged to minimize real or potential impacts.
All things considered, I think our government hates us.
What gave you that idea?
They only hate us when we aren’t properly subservient; and the best way to keep us apathetic is to keep us malinformed. It’s all in our best interests after all.
What are the odds Stephanie Kurose (author of that “Muh biodiversities!” screed I linked above) couldn’t give a fuck less about Congolese children working in Cobalt mines?
Every eco-freak hates humanity as much as they love some obscure species. They don’t even have to ever see a wilderness area – just knowing it is off limits from humans is enough for them.
In my experience the people most likely to advocate for unqualified preservation are the ones least likely to ever set foot on it.
Capitalism Doesn’t Cause Consumerism — Governments Do
“You know what wine and liqueur tastes like. It makes no difference whether a hundred or a thousand bottles pass through your bladder—you are nothing more than a filter.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 77.16
I don’t think this has anything to do with booze, but, rather, being exposed to the same thing over and over again. Change it up, read instead of watch, watch instead of read.
I’m going through this right now and I’m not sure why. Up until about a year ago, my favorite varieties of beer were delectable and it was hard to not have 3-4 if I had one. I loved to drink with the seasons; dark and malty in the fall & winter, bocks in the spring, light and crisp in the summer. Now it seems like beer only tastes good in the right context with the right company and even then I only want one or maybe two. It’s good but not great. Not sure if getting married had something to do with it since that’s the only big change in the last year.
It’s a mystery
Trump’s returns display sophisticated accounting whereby income from investments was offset by large, distributed business losses that reduced his tax liability. In 2020, the last year Trump was president, he didn’t pay any income tax at all.
Tax experts say his techniques are not atypical and are just some of many methods that are widely used by people with a lot of money to pay less in tax. These maneuvers can range from using bank loans backed by stock portfolios to obtain cash to combining trusts with annuities to keep money away from the government over the course of generations.
This sophistication is another source of anger for Democrats and is something they want to call attention to through the release of Trump’s returns.
“Trump’s returns likely look similar to those of many other wealthy tax cheats — hundreds of partnership interests, highly-questionable deductions, and debts that can be shifted around to wipe out tax liabilities,” Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has sounded similar notes about how taxes work in the U.S.
That’s why they have been desperately trying to simplify the tax code for fifty years.
“Trump’s returns likely look similar to those of many other wealthy tax cheats ”
Well, let’s find out: Nancy? Mr. Gates? Chuck Schumer? Release your returns. If you’ve got nothing to hide, they can serve as a baseline by which to judge corruption.
Now do Nancy Pelosi’s tax returns, see how much they differ. Fuck, put yours up there, Wyden. I bet once you married into NY money shit changed for you, huh?
(I think it would be HIGH-larious if the R’s put Nancy’s (KKK*) taxes up for review by the masses next year.
*Kaustic Kunt of Kalifornia
Wyden looks like a living ghoul these days
LOL!
I heart the internet.
I’ve been reading everyone on here scoff at how the principle welfare queen dressed to address congress. Is that what he wore? Are we actually meant to believe he left the front line and flew half way around the world without time to change? We really do live in clown world. Hell, he should have smeared cami pain on his face and wore a helmet
He’s LARPing as an operator. Fucking theater.
Lol
“At the core of the problem is a discrepancy in the ways types of income are reported to the IRS: opaque income sources frequently avoid scrutiny while wages and federal benefits are typically subject to nearly full compliance. This two-tiered tax system is unfair and deprives the country of resources to fund core priorities,” she said in a statement on congressional tax compliance proposals in 2021.
This is why we need to ban cash and (private) crypto, and force every single transaction in the economy onto a digital Federal Reserve ledger.
+1 Mark of the Beast
You ain’t kidding. That’s not even funny.
Mo, that’s why I stayed pureblood, its coming.
Merry Christmas
It is the easiest measure of your social credit score.
But, Santa, I don’t want to be a Stoic…
1 more hour of work and I’m off for the rest of the year,
Yippee!
Just short of 2 hours for me here.
It appears to be snowing.
A little wind now and then and the snow comes out of the trees, still lots to go. I need to clean up the yard but just too damn cold right now. Gonna warm up in a couple days. I’m going to need propane in a few days, need to have a clean driveway but I can wait. Now the forecast includes a freezing drizzle in a few days. Weird winter.
The blue jays peck around the windows and doors, sounds like someone knocking very lightly. I don’t know what they are after but I did see one eating a chip of ice. Maybe they are needing water and breaking off a little ice, I don’t know.
That’s fallout.
The glories of having a kid who drives. She decided to go out in 1F for pizza so I asked her to pick up her dad’s Christmas stocking candy. She said, “Didn’t you forget last year, too?” Um…did I?
I have not left the house in 3 days and now I don’t have to go out today, either! w00t!
Checked the input and output pipes for the furnace (it’s high efficiency, there is no chimney). Both are clear and unobstructed.
Drove into town to hit Lowes to grab some space heaters to keep the temp from dropping anymore.
HVAC folks are not returning calls yet.
Good news it that it starts to warm back up on Sunday.
Ours went into “cycle suckage” this AM, so out I went to find the problem. The combustion air intake was pulling in moisture-laden air from the exhaust (they’re too close together and at the same height, so when the wind blows in just the right direction…). The moist air was condensing as frost at the intake, and eventually clogged it up.
Gonna have to do something about that — otherwise we can’t leave the house for long periods of time when it’s cold.
The gas fireplace has stopped working, too; similar problem — the pilot produced just enough moisture (and the vent on the roof is far enough away to be really, really cold) that the combi intake/exhaust vent is frosted up, choking off combustion air and exhaust, triggering the safeties. Nothing for it at the moment — I’m not climbing on the roof just to clean that thing up.
Yo, I managed to hire two new employees this week.
Yay me.
Fingers crossed they stick.
Yup.
I’m amazed, with the holiday week and all.
I’ve got three days off for Christmas!
And I got all my errands done before the temperature fell below freezing. Unfortunately we’ve got a bit of water in the garage from all the rain, and I have the fear that’s going to freeze up before it can flow out.
When can we ship the closeted psychopath to the Ukraine front lines?
https://news.antiwar.com/2022/12/22/sen-lindsey-graham-says-ukraine-war-will-only-end-if-putin-is-taken-out/