Daily Stoic Week 18

by | Apr 29, 2022 | Advice, LifeSkills, Musings | 208 comments

Last Week

The Daily Stoic

The Practicing Stoic

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How to Be a Stoic

If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool, H/T mindyourbusiness:

The Stoic Challenge

Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.

April 30

“Just as what is considered rational or irrational differs for each person, in the same way what is good or evil and useful or useless differs for each person. This is why we need education, so that we might learn how to adjust our preconceived notions of the rational and irrational in harmony with nature. In sorting this out, we don’t simply rely on our estimate of the value of external things, but also apply the rule of what is in keeping with one’s character.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.2.5–7

It’s important to know what I believe. It’s also important that I know why I believe what I do. I have always had a bias towards freedom and a natural distrust of authority. The more I have studied economics and history, the stronger these beliefs have become. This studying has made me more skeptical of our “leaders” and more cynical about the chances it gets fixed.

May 1

“For philosophy doesn’t consist in outward display, but in taking heed to what is needed and being mindful of it.”
—MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 16.75.15–16

I don’t have a badge I wear to show I am studying and trying to follow Stoicism. The only person that has really noticed a change in me is my wife. As long as it is improving my state of mind and how I deal with problems, it doesn’t matter to me if anyone else knows or not, but it did feel good when my wife has mentioned a few changes she has seen in me, nothing obvious or flashy, just consistent improvement.

 

May 2

“First tell yourself what kind of person you want to be, then do what you have to do. For in nearly every pursuit we see this to be the case. Those in athletic pursuit first choose the sport they want, and then do that work.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.23.1–2a

Why did I start studying Stoicism? Because the world was pissing me off and I hadn’t been taking care of myself. I have been working on anger control and getting myself into a better mood. These thoughts are coming fewer times and not staying as long when they do show up. I have also been able to channel my energy into running and working out, even with my medical setback, if I was not studying Stoicism at the time, it would have been too easy to sink into self pity and not recover well.

 

May 3

“Those who receive the bare theories immediately want to spew them, as an upset stomach does its food. First digest your theories and you won’t throw them up. Otherwise they will be raw, spoiled, and not nourishing. After you’ve digested them, show us the changes in your reasoned choices, just like the shoulders of gymnasts display their diet and training, and as the craft of artisans show in what they’ve learned.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.21.1–3

Stoicism is, at its core a simple philosophy. Can I control it? If yes, then I should do what’s in my power to be correct. If no, then I shouldn’t worry about it. Trying to tell other people about it can get complicated quickly, so I just try to live my life following it and let my attitude and well being speak for themselves.

 

May 4

“How much better is it to be known for doing well by many than for living extravagantly? How much more worthy than spending on sticks and stones is it to spend on people?”
—MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 19.91.26–28

How much do I spend to live in my current lifestyle? How much of that is wasted? I used to do a lot more charity work when I was younger, but opportunities are harder to find now that I am older and everyone I know is well off. I miss doing things to help young Marines and older people. I am sure the chances still exist, just not sure where.

 

May 5

“The raw material for the work of a good and excellent person is their own guiding reason, the body is that of the doctor and the physical trainer, and the farm the farmer’s.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.3.1

Just like Dr.s work with people’s bodies, and a farmer works the farm, I need to work with my mind. If I keep working and set aside time everyday to go through my day, I will continue to improve myself. If I assume I “got” it and no longer try to improve, it will be easy to backslide without realizing it.

 

May 6

“Then what makes a beautiful human being? Isn’t it the presence of human excellence? Young friend, if you wish to be beautiful, then work diligently at human excellence. And what is that? Observe those whom you praise without prejudice. The just or the unjust? The just. The even-tempered or the undisciplined? The even-tempered. The self-controlled or the uncontrolled? The self-controlled.
In making yourself that kind of person, you will become beautiful—but to the extent you ignore these qualities, you’ll be ugly, even if you use every trick in the book to appear beautiful.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.1.6b–9

Who do I  respect and emulate? In real life, my step dad, and a few Marines that I either worked with or for. In history, Thomas Jefferson and Frederick Douglass and many others. If I have good role models, it helps to keep my mind focused and not loose my cool over meaningless difficulties.

 

This week the music is from Manowar. I know their videos and outfits are horrible, and some of their songs sound like they were written in high school:

Manowar, Manowar, living on the road
When we’re in town, speakers explode
We don’t attract wimps
Cause we’re too loud
Just true metal people
That’s Manowar’s crowd

But, if you just listen to some of their other music, they have some excellent songs.

Swords in the Wind

The Power of Thy Sword

Spirit Horse of the Cherokee

And my personal favorite:

Hail and Kill

About The Author

ron73440

ron73440

What I told my wife when she said my steel Baby Eagle .45 was heavy, "Heavy is good, heavy is reliable, if it doesn't work you could always hit him with it."-Boris the Blade MOLON LABE

208 Comments

  1. Grosspatzer

    Thanks for this, Ron. WRT to the now gone and forgotten placeholder…

    Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so.

  2. UnCivilServant

    Where’s our placeholder comments?

    This is not fine.

    • The Other Kevin

      Don’t worry, the government has them on file somewhere.

    • Sean

      They think no one noticed.

      • ron73440

        Like it never even happened.

      • Tundra

        Like tears in rain…

      • Ted S.

        On your wedding day?

      • Bobarian LMD

        Alanis Batty? or Roy Morisette?

      • juris imprudent

        Come to think of it, her career did last about 4 years…

      • TARDis

        Not exactly the pleasure model.

    • The Hyperbole

      I’ve learned to accept it.

  3. DEG

    For philosophy doesn’t consist in outward display

    I’m reminded of this bit from the Gospels.

    • ron73440

      It helps being a weirdo, I could not care less about if other people approve of me.

      • Grosspatzer

        It helps being a weirdo old, I could not care less about if other people approve of me.

        At least for me, being a weirdo was not sufficient.

      • ron73440

        It helps being a weirdo old

        It’s probably both.

      • juris imprudent

        Yeah, I’m a little surprised that any stoic philosopher would discuss the opinion of others as validation.

      • ron73440

        I don’t think it’s using others as validation as much as it is saying validation from others is meaningless, so do the right thing regardless.

      • UnCivilServant

        It sounds more like an exhortation against conspicious consumption and towards charity. Though couched in external validation, it does read differently from the introspective focus expected.

      • Gustave Lytton

        The Tao of Richard Feynman.

      • ron73440

        That man’s books should be required reading.

      • juris imprudent

        I assume you mean the books about him or his own, e.g. QED.

    • SDF-7

      That bit is one of my core problems with the Church internally. Lots of pomp and circumstance… VERY VERY much outward display.

      • The Last American Hero

        We live in a modern, post-modern world. Having trappings that help bring you out of it to contemplate religious values is a net good in my book. And having dedicated spaces that can inspire people is a useful crutch towards enlightenment.

    • MikeS

      So don’t stand on the 50 yard line immediately after the game and pray?

      • juris imprudent

        [snort]

  4. Grosspatzer

    “For philosophy doesn’t consist in outward display, but in taking heed to what is needed and being mindful of it.”
    —MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 16.75.15–16

    I don’t have a badge I wear to show I am studying and trying to follow Stoicism. The only person that has really noticed a change in me is my wife. As long as it is improving my state of mind and how I deal with problems, it doesn’t matter to me if anyone else knows or not, but it did feel good when my wife has mentioned a few changes she has seen in me, nothing obvious or flashy, just consistent improvement.

    When (OK, we’re talking about the future here) Mrs. Patzer makes note of a positive change in me, it’s a pretty good indication that I’m on the right track, so keep up the good work.

    And because I am an unreformed idiot:

    “DON’T ANY OF YOU PEOPLE WORK???”

    MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 16.75.15–16 every day from now on, I hope.

    • slumbrew

      I’m multi-tasking, waiting for a process to finish.

    • UnCivilServant

      Admittedly, there are things I could be doing – filing a weekly status report, filling out a server build request, filing firewall requests, trying to figure out what the *bleep* [Redacted] is even talking about.

      But all my mind is willing to do is either cyberloaf or stare out the window at the parking lot.

      • kbolino

        filing a weekly status report

        Ugh. Do not miss these.

        My response to this incessant request: You either know what I’m doing, in which case you don’t need me to tell you, or you don’t know what I’m doing, in which case either you’re not a very good manager or I’m not a very good employee and so at least one of us is superfluous.

      • kbolino

        (my immediate manager agreed but his boss didn’t care and couldn’t be fired anyway)

      • UnCivilServant

        Except, it’s a status report to the project governance board, which does not have day to day supervisory responsibility of my group, but does have responsibility over the multimillion dolar project. Since they have zero visibility to the group’s activities, there are status reports.

      • kbolino

        That sounds perfectly governmental. I wonder which affects decisions more, cozy comped lunches or weekly status reports?

      • UnCivilServant

        Decisions?

        You’re funny. The Governance Board exists to avoid making decisions.

      • juris imprudent

        ^^^ THIS. The Army version is Council of Colonels which report to General Officer Steering Committees (1-2 star level and 3-4 star) – none of which make actual decisions. That is worked out at the Action Officer level (O-4/O-5). The most expensive rubber stamps tax dollars can support.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Council of Colonels sounds like a ruling junta post-coup.

  5. Ted S.

    This week the music is from Manowar. I know their videos and outfits are horrible, and some of their songs sound like they were written in high school

    They probably were written in high school.

    • ron73440

      But not all of them.

    • Drake

      I have Die with Honor on my gym playlist. It keeps me moving on the elliptical.

      • ron73440

        They are either really good, or mind numbingly bad, sometimes on the same album.

  6. Tundra

    “For philosophy doesn’t consist in outward display, but in taking heed to what is needed and being mindful of it.”

    In yet another Stoic/Christianity crossover:

    And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

    But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

    And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

    Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

    One of my favorite features, Ron. Thank you!

    • ron73440

      DEG would agree.

      You’re welcome.

      • DEG

        🙂

        Thanks for writing these Ron!

      • Tundra

        Lol.

        Great minds, I guess!

      • DEG

        Yep.

  7. Hank

    “Manowar, Manowar, living on the road
    When we’re in town, speakers explode
    We don’t attract wimps
    Cause we’re too loud
    Just true metal people
    That’s Manowar’s crowd”

    I didn’t know Epictetus was in a metal band.

  8. DEG

    Very important OT news: Oktoberfest is back!

    The world-famous Oktoberfest is to take place again this year in the Bavarian capital, Munich, after a two-year break caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

    Announcing the resumption of the festival, Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter said he had had a hard time making the decision because of the war in Ukraine, which could make such celebrations seem inappropriate.

    He said that no coronavirus restrictions would be imposed on visitors as there was no legal basis for doing so.

    • The Hyperbole

      as there was no legal basis for doing so

      Why let a little thing like that stop you?

    • Rebel Scum

      caused by the coronavirus pandemic

      That’s not what caused it.

      Don’t get too excited. We will be having more virus theatre/tyranny come autumn.

  9. juris imprudent

    The sale of Chelsea FC may have to be postponed so that it can be serialized as an absurdist TV comedy.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      That ain’t right.

    • ron73440

      How do you decide, that’s what I want to get good at?

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        It’s China. It’s decided for you.

  10. Rebel Scum

    Ffs…

    Can’t even watch the NFL draft without being bombarded with Ukraine Propaganda

    • Ownbestenemy

      We are setting this up for one ‘mistake’ to happen that will be putting American boots on Ukrainian soil

    • Ted S.

      Yeah; I noticed that too.

      • hayeksplosives

        I can’t deal with it anymore. I’m going to resume wearing my Russian orthodox cross necklace and might even put on my Anisimov jersey (Russian national team) just to remind people that “all things Russia” aren’t necessarily bad.

        And, oh by the way, all things Ukrainian aren’t necessarily saintly.

        Now I want a vodka martini.

        Can’t we (USA) just butt out?

      • juris imprudent

        Can’t we (USA) just butt out?

        The US people? Sure. The US govt? Not so much.

      • Rebel Scum

        Listen Jack. This is about defending freedom and democracy from a ruthless, uh, you know the thing.

  11. Ownbestenemy

    Today has been a headache of a day. Tech called out sick so I have my coordinator out working on equipment that has been down for a week. Started calling in people offering OT to assist and no one available. So next step is for me to go out there and toss off the management hat and put on the technician cap. It’s a safety issue cause of the climbing and in a radome. The guy out there just messaged me “cover your ears….I fixed it”. Which means he climbed alone.

    Some stoics would serve me well right now.

    • Ted S.

      He was showing initiative.

      • Ownbestenemy

        I would have done the same thing.

      • juris imprudent

        A few more years of government service will beat that out of him.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Needs more passivity

        “cover your ears….it’s fixed”

    • hayeksplosives

      Ugh. I feel ya.

      I can be lax with silly rules and paperwork that does more harm than good, but, working with high voltage, high explosives (and now nukes), I do NOT allow for safety violations.

      I don’t ever want to be on the receiving end of a phone call about a fatality due to corner-cutting again.

      I have terminated the employment of a more senior employee than I over that shit.

      • Tres Cool

        Yup. Ill sometimes (and have been) lax with my own safety on the job, but Im an asshole to employees. “Where’s your fall protection? Hard hat? Safety glasses?”
        “Im not going to be the one to go to your house and inform your family you died at work today.”

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        I’ve got many stories.

        Dad fired a guy one time because he had one eye and was using a weedeater without safety glasses.

        Guy stood under a seized forklift load and started messing with the chains, you can guess what happened next.

        Mechanic stood in the bucket of a skid steer and started messing with the foot pedals that control the bucket action because they were sticking.

        Guy threw a cup of gasoline into a very large carboard box lying on its side on a hot, summer day and then walked into said box to light it.

        And on and on….

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yep it pissed me off he didn’t wait for me to come out. Thanks for saving me the trip I guess but its my job as your manager to support you.

      • Sensei

        …but its my job as your manager to support you.

        That’s what good middle managers realize. Their job is to allow you to do your job and keep the organization off your back. Unfortunately many don’t.

    • db

      I used to work at a power plant, and in the area for which I was responsible were some sludge pipelines in spaces that weren’t technically confined, but probably should have been. These pipelines had the potential to collect hydrogen sulfide gas, which is extremely toxic, due to sulfur reducing bacteria that could grow in our process. To control the bacteria, we could add a biocide to the process, which we did frequently. Additionally, we had safety procedures to ensure the sludge pipelines were flushed with clean water thoroughly before being opened up for service on the pipes or pumps.

      Several years after I left that place, three men were killed in the underground tunnel where the pumps for those pipelines were located. Evidently the state of maintenance had become so poor that they got backed into an operational corner and didn’t “have time” to do the flushing (and I suspect the biocide addition had been curtailed due to budget cuts). Apparently as soon as they unbolted the flanges on the pipeline they were overcome by H2S fumes, which is enough to cause immediate cardiac arrest (H2s can cause cardiac arrest within 48 hours of exposure even at low levels). Two of the men were brothers and one was killed in a foolish effort to go down the tunnel to save his brother.

      Safety shortcuts are a very bad habit to condone.

      • TARDis

        Sometimes you have to be Right Bastard/Total Bitch about it. It’s one thing to be endangering only yourself, but when someone is a menace to others….

  12. UnCivilServant

    -.-

    I’m trying to follow up on an obscure reference for inspiration (or rather just new material for my brain to chew on that usually churns out story ideas) and the link is to a book in untranslated 18th century academic latin. But at least it’s available free online…

    Dare I trust machine translation?

    • MikeS

      Do 4 or 5 different machine translations and compare?

      • UnCivilServant

        I’m not even sure if the content is worth the effort for my end goal.

        (And right now I’ve got a work meeting… boo who schedules a work meeting friday afternoon?)

      • MikeS

        And Friday afternoon, no less. Should be grounds for immediate termination.

      • Gender Traitor

        ::suffers flashback to Friday afternoon QS9000 meetings – for which she had to take minutes – back at Delphi Automotive. Old facial tic returns::

      • UnCivilServant

        There, there, the meeting is over. Nothing more need be done.

      • Ted S.

        Hawt.

      • Tres Cool

        QS is almost as worthless as ISO.

        Wasnt Firestone QS9000 when they made all those tires that blew apart and killed people ?

    • Sensei

      Modern Romance languages do fairly well with machine translation.

      Japanese is awful.

      On academic Latin I’d guess somewhere between the two.

      • UnCivilServant

        I fed pieces through the machine. Some parts were legible, some parts made no sense, and portions were untranslatable and the words merely carried over.

  13. Rebel Scum

    Nice takedown.

    Never touch another man’s vehicle.

    • Ownbestenemy

      That was a hell of punch.

      • TARDis

        The dumbass must have have been poo-faced. The punch was practically telegraphed in 4K.

    • Ted S.

      Nice shirts.

  14. hayeksplosives

    “Just as what is considered rational or irrational differs for each person, in the same way what is good or evil and useful or useless differs for each person. This is why we need education, so that we might learn how to adjust our preconceived notions of the rational and irrational in harmony with nature. In sorting this out, we don’t simply rely on our estimate of the value of external things, but also apply the rule of what is in keeping with one’s character.”

    —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.2.5–7

    This is a good one to contemplate.

    Immediate example: wear a mask or don’t; up to you. But don’t be pushing the decision that resulted from your rationale on me.

    • The Last American Hero

      Except the Stoic position on masks was that we should wear them because there’s no use fighting public policy and it’s a minor inconvenience for you and a lifesaver for your fellow man.

  15. Rebel Scum

    Bird Flu 2: Avian Boogaloo

    A man working on a farm in Montrose County is the first person in the U.S. to test positive for avian flu, also known as H5N1, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said.

    The department said the man is mostly asymptomatic, reporting only fatigue. He is now isolating and taking the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

    The department said the risk to people from this virus is low, as H5 flu viruses spread mostly among wild birds and poultry, and do not normally infect people or spread from person to person.

    Take your vitamins and get over it.

    • hayeksplosives

      Wait—I read 2 days ago that the one devastating our raptors (mostly owls and eagles) was H1N8. I definitely recall the “8”.

      Are they being sloppy in this writing or just trying to be sensational?

      • ron73440

        Are they being sloppy in this writing or just trying to be sensational?

        Both?

      • hayeksplosives

        Huh. The site I read a couple of days ago has replaced the specific strain references with “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)” .

        Again, too early to know, or deliberately obfuscating?

      • Rebel Scum

        China
        Originating
        Viral
        Infectious
        Disease

    • Ted S.

      How long until the usual suspects start shrieking for lockdowns?

      • Rebel Scum

        I’m shocked they aren’t already.

    • TARDis

      Fuel+Oxygen+Heat. Duh.

  16. kinnath

    Daily Quordle 95
    6️⃣7️⃣
    5️⃣4️⃣

    back to par

    • Ownbestenemy

      I don’t do these enough and that bottom right was a hail mary for me

      Daily Quordle 95
      7️⃣3️⃣
      6️⃣8️⃣

  17. The Late P Brooks

    Can’t we (USA) just butt out?

    Haha, you slay me.

  18. The Late P Brooks

    I remember when Democrats and their fellow travellers thought messianic American foreign policy was bad.

    • juris imprudent

      Uh when was that? Since they invented it.

    • The Other Kevin

      Only because it was politically expedient at the time. When GWB was president, it was useful to oppose his foreign policy. Then came Obama, now Biden, and the same foreign adventurism is embraced.

  19. Sensei

    Apologies for the OT Ron, but this was too good not to share. And MSM wonders why a large chunk of the population doesn’t trust them.

    The Rise and Fall of the Star White House Reporter

    “Jen [Psaki] is very good at her job, which is unfortunate,” one reporter who has covered the past two administrations from the room said. “And the work is a lot less rewarding, because you’re no longer saving democracy from Sean Spicer and his Men’s Wearhouse suit. Jawing with Jen just makes you look like an asshole.”

    TW – Politico

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      Sean Spicer and his Men’s Wearhouse suit.

      Voice of the every man right there.

      • db

        Yes, that left a bad taste in my mouth. These fucking people.

    • juris imprudent

      no longer saving democracy

      Find someplace very high and pitch yourself from it.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Gone are the Tweets that sent newsrooms scrambling. So long to the five alarm Friday news dumps that had editors frantically rearranging weekend plans.

      Well ya when you just ignore anything and everything along with just reprinting what Strawberry said, I can see how it has become boring.

      • MikeS

        So long to the five alarm Friday news dumps that had editors frantically rearranging weekend plans.

        Good grief.

        a) The Trump admin sure as hell didn’t invent that tactic.
        2) Team Biden also employs this tactic.

      • MikeS

        Well, that was easy; here’s a nut-punch from just this afternoon to prove #2:

        FBI Conducted Potentially Millions of Searches of Americans’ Data Last Year, Report Says

        An annual report published Friday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence disclosed that the FBI conducted as many as 3.4 million searches of U.S. data that had been previously collected by the National Security Agency.

        Senior Biden administration officials said the actual number of searches is likely far lower, citing complexities in counting and sorting foreign data from U.S. data. It couldn’t be learned from the report how many Americans’ data was examined by the FBI under the program, though officials said it was also almost certainly a much smaller number.

        The report doesn’t allege the FBI was routinely searching American data improperly or illegally.

        The disclosure of the searches marks the first time a U.S. intelligence agency has published an accounting, however imprecise, of the FBI’s grabs of American data through a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the 1978 law that governs some foreign intelligence gathering. The section of FISA that authorizes the FBI’s activity, known as Section 702, is due to expire next year.

      • db

        The report doesn’t allege the FBI was routinely searching American data improperly or illegally.

        An that’s the problem. The laws are written with so many weasel words that there can be legal justification for nearly any abuse.

      • wdalasio

        Yeah, you’ll notice that word “routinely”. So, what, if they only do it on occasion, it’s all good? And when is it no longer “routine”? One out of five searches, one out of ten? Four?

      • Tres Cool

        “Routine” always fucks people over.

        Marshall, Will, and Holly
        On a routine expedition
        Met the greatest earthquake ever known.
        High on the rapids
        It struck their tiny raft.
        And plunged them down a thousand feet below.
        To the Land of the Lost.
        To the Land of the Lost.
        To the Land of the Lost.

      • Tres Cool

        3.4M people is around 10% of the US.
        A decent QA/QC number.

      • MikeS

        The article also goes on to differentiate between searches and people. So, in practice, it’s probably 10’s of thousands of people who account for all the searches. One is too many, but at least it seems relatively limited. Of course, that’s just the searches they are admitting to,

      • Tres Cool

        w/e….you dont even math, brah.
        I had to sensitively account for the under-represented peoples of color and latin(x)

        Also, Ive had too many beers and its bedtime.

      • kbolino

        The section of FISA that authorizes the FBI’s activity, known as Section 702, is due to expire next year.

        It’s only been renewed half a dozen times since the Bush administration, but yes it’s totally going to lapse this time.

      • Gustave Lytton

        data that had been previously collected by the National Security Agency

        Buried headline

    • juris imprudent

      The result was the forming of the White House Correspondents’ Association, an institution explicitly devised to protect and promote the interests of those reporting on the president.

      Which was nicely accompanied by a picture of a circle jerk.

    • MikeS

      Jawing with Jen just makes you look like an asshole

      Actually I think it makes her look like a bitch, but you do you, sycophant.

    • db

      What a disaster our “Fourth Estate” has become.

      • juris imprudent

        Not a one of them are embarrassed by the Ben Rhodes revelations about how he played them.

      • wdalasio

        Yeah, I forgot about that one. The dude basically called them a bunch of stooges who’d drink strychnine if he told them to and he’s still not persona non grata in media circles. At some point, Democrats are going to figure out that they can walk up to the press and ask if they can screw their spouses. The journalists will volunteer to do clean-up duty.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        They are stooges.

        They’re nothing more than Democrat Party fan-bois who are more concerned with dropping names to their own social circles than they are with reporting. In fact, reporting is the last thing they want to do.

    • wdalasio

      What’s the actual evidence that Jen Psaki is particularly good at her job? I mean, if lying with a straight face is her job, yeah, I suppose she’s reasonably competent. From what I can see, it’s mostly a matter that she’s popular with the press. But, that’s mostly a function of the fact that she’s dealing with a mostly compliant press that act more like PR flacks for the Democrats than adversarial journalists. In terms of being able to give answers or address issues on her feet, Kayleigh McEnany seemed much more talented. But, she wasn’t part of the DC mean-girls club making snide comments about people’s “Men’s Wearhouse suit”.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        What’s the actual evidence that Jen Psaki is particularly good at her job?

        Uh, dude, that’s the narrative. Who are you to question the narrative?

      • Rebel Scum

        ‘D’ next your name = good

        ‘R’ next to your name = bad

        ‘Member how they treated Melania (an actual model) versus Michael – uh – Michelle?

      • Fatty Bolger

        McEnany was quite good. I don’t watch these briefings all that often, but every time I did happen to see one of hers I was very impressed.

      • Rebel Scum

        It was the binders.

      • Rebel Scum

        I so wanted her to walk in one day and say “Alright, cuntes. Let’s get this over with. ” or something to that effect.

      • Fatty Bolger

        lmao

      • Tres Cool

        Clearly Im self-loathing and hate myself, but by G_d…….still would

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Yes, clearly…

      • Ownbestenemy

        The hits keep on coming for me today. Third technician called out sick and with very generous rules that the government allows, not much I can do. On top of that, HR says no one submitted a qualified application to my old position and instead gave me two guys that aren’t even training in the discipline we maintain…fuck a duck this day sucks.

      • Ownbestenemy

        And of course…*pounds head into desk*

      • Tres Cool

        HIRE YUFUS !

      • MikeS

        I’m with you, Tres.

      • Tres Cool

        WE OUT HERE !

      • rhywun

        lying with a straight face is her job

        That is the entirety of her job but yeah the only reason she looks at all “good” at it is because the sycophants in front of her don’t call her out on all the lies.

      • wdalasio

        My thinking is he wrote this about a year too late. When you’ve got a guy in the White House with approval ratings in the thirties and the press corps acting like his bi**hes, this sort of thing just doesn’t fly.

      • Ownbestenemy

        I am thinking that is exactly why he wrote it at this point. We are bleeding billions to Ukraine, approval for his whole administration is in the tank, Title 42, DHS Ministry of Truth, DHS Attack the Parents Squad, … all of it barely any of the populace probably is aware of so you run this as if everything is calm and just goes so smoothly with the WH.

      • wdalasio

        I’m not so sure about the lack of awareness. Yeah, they probably don’t know all that stuff. But, I’m pretty sure they know about the inflation, the impending recession, the schools pushing woke BS and a few other things. The only people you’re going to be trying to convince, at this point, is other people already in the tank for the administration. But, maybe that is the point. It is Politico, after all. The Democrats’ big worry, at this point, has to be their coalition blowing up with everyone trying to grab a lifeboat (progressives writing them off as “they failed because they weren’t progressive enough”, moderates trying to run as “a different kind of Democrat”, etc.). Projecting an image of normalcy, rather than acknowledging the collapse, is probably a reasonable course.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Everything they do at this point is just to maintain their base. They’ve given up on the middle, which says that they know the news for the next six months is going to suck.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Good points. What you and Scruffy said its all to maintain the base of bat-shit crazies.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        And I can’t believe I typed “no-nothing”.

        Must be Friday.

    • Rebel Scum

      Jawing with Jen just makes you look like an asshole.

      Funny. Jawing with McEnany made you look hysterical and retarded.

  20. TARDis

    Because the world was pissing me off and I hadn’t been taking care of myself.

    That sums up my last decade nicely.

    Thanks, Ron.

  21. trshmnstr the terrible

    One of our law firms has apparently gotten the hint that we’re gonna fire their asses as soon as we sign on a new firm. Their work has gone from distant last in the law firm stable to now being as bad as our outsourced drafters in India.

    Good news is that I don’t have to send any more work to them. Bad news is I still have to review their pending work.

    *brews another cup of coffee and straps in for a long afternoon*

    • Sensei

      Buckle Up Buckaroo

    • UnCivilServant

      waitwaitwaitwait.

      Your company had a firm in india drafting legal documents? As in paperwork where small changes in verbiage have big impacts on effect?

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        And no, it’s not a firm. We hired them in-house. Because, you know, having to go through HR to end our relationship with them is much better than simply firing a vendor.

        The law firm we’re firing is a US firm that has struggled with us for a while. One of the partners is lazy and gets backed up, which results in awful work product. Any time your work product is comparable to the team in India, it’s not a flattering comparison. We could hire high school students to do a better job.

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        I’ve often heard concerns voiced that the rise of remote work within the US will just hasten outsourcing to cheaper places like India. This is exactly why this concern realistic for many industries.

        Many of my clients already have subsidiaries in India that do what I do. Despite already having their own employees available to work at no additional cost (or minimal) to their budget, they still choose to pay very much more elsewhere. The final product isn’t remotely comparable.

      • rhywun

        And the reverse – outsourcing to wherever has hastened the rise of remote work in the US. What’s the point of going into an office when I don’t work directly with any of them?

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        The final product isn’t remotely comparable.

        That’s where the issue arises from. Metric based mentality. A count is a count is a count. Except that it isn’t.

        For our situation, why have patents? Mainly 4 reasons: 1) keep others from stealing our tech; 2) carve out a bit of space in the tech field for future development; 3) squash upstart competitors; and 4) sale/licensing.

        Outsourcing a patent application to somebody who doesn’t natively speak the language and who hasn’t bothered to study the laws accomplishes none of those things. Well, I guess we could sell the patents to trolls, but even they usually don’t want the horrible ones. However, we hit our numbers reliably, every year. For a GC with other priorities and a COO trying to run half the company, they’re happy when we can flash a number on the screen and an associated cost savings. Everything else is just noise to them.

      • Nephilium

        /looks at the responses from Indian help desk workers and Philippines help desk workers

        I know which I would lean towards.

      • slumbrew

        I can recommend getting some Costa Rican remote workers.

        They’re almost all great.

      • rhywun

        Belarus is mostly good too. We’ve got some rock stars there.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Whoa! Whoa! Belarus? Good? I think we’ve found the pro-Putin Nazi!

      • slumbrew

        Engagement contracts for ad-hoc contractors

        I have spotted your interest.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        Who has time for anything but piecework nowadays?

      • slumbrew

        I assume “$20, same as downtown” would qualify as a binding contract.

      • Tres Cool
      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Now you’re speaking my language! Of course, a halfway decent template gets you 90% of the way there without all the math.

      • Gustave Lytton

        +1 Legal Zoom business model

      • Swiss Servator

        I can’t decide if I should hiss and run away, or push for us to get that.

      • slumbrew

        You may rest a bit easier knowing it’s only for Singapore.

        For now.

      • Sensei

        Noticed the same!

      • MikeS

        That link was shockingly pedestrian.

  22. UnCivilServant

    Eh, whatever, workday’s workweek’s almost done.

    I’ve decided that my goal for this weekend is to finish as many incomplete short stories as I can. I’ve got my eye on three where I know the rest of the story but just have to actually write it.

    • UnCivilServant

      Welp, I’m done here. I’m going to pack up and head on home.

      Later people.

  23. Tres Cool

    From the prior post WRT to Kale- when I make collards I use my pressure cooker.

    1 cup chicken broth
    1 bunch collards, stems removed and cut into approx 1/4″ pieces. Leaves cut into approx 1 1/2″ ribbons
    minced garlic to taste
    1/2 large white onion
    generous hunk of diced smoked ham cottage butt
    1 tbsp. bacon grease

    Toss leaves on bottom, stems on top, then onion, garlic, ham, and grease. Cook under pressure for 15-20 minutes
    Release pressure, stir, and feel the soul.

    • Tres Cool

      /helps to drink beer and listen to Freddie King during preparation and cooking

  24. The Late P Brooks

    “And the work is a lot less rewarding, because you’re no longer saving democracy from Sean Spicer and his Men’s Wearhouse suit. Jawing with Jen just makes you look like an asshole.”

    Psssst. Guess what, Shirley. You always looked like an asshole.

  25. TARDis

    Done in 2.
    Lewdle ?? 101 2/6
    ⬛⬛???
    ?????
    lewdlegame.com

    Inspired by stoicism and Psaki.

    • rhywun

      I found a game I can luck out in – unlike that other one. ?

      #Worldle #98 1/6 (100%)
      ??????
      https://worldle.teuteuf.fr

      • TARDis

        I cheated and looked at map to start. I didn’t know that was a real country.

      • rhywun

        They do “territories” too. Which is where they usually get you.

      • TARDis

        Ah, good to know.

    • TARDis

      Which woke streaming service will deliver us the sensational story of this amazing hero. The part will be played by Juicy, I hope.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      It’s just embarrassing at this point.

    • Tres Cool

      At least Snoopy vs. The Red Baron was creative.

      • Tundra

        It was awesome!

        So is this.

        I’ll never forget my son as a toddler laughing his ass off at that scene.

        I think I’m gonna order my new grand-niece all the Charlie Brown specials. Thanks, Tres!

      • Ownbestenemy

        Charlie Brown is such a treasure

      • Tres Cool

        Since Snoopy popped-up in the sidebar after that, Im truly convinced that Germans are all evil Nazis.

      • Tundra

        German is such a lovely language.

        ?

      • TARDis

        Dogs barking as it were.
        As they say; You can say the most evil things in French and it sounds like you wish to make love, but you can say the sweetest things in German and it sounds like you wish to kill someone.

      • rhywun

        Eifersüchtig!

      • Nephilium

        When the girlfriend and I were in Vegas, the day we went to the strip, we were in one of the shopping areas. In there near a brewery (which is why we were there), was an art store. Hanging in the window was an original Charles Schulz sketch. I asked the woman inside just for a ballpark price. She said she could give me the exact price, which was staggeringly out of my price range ($39,500).

      • TARDis

        Ouch. That’s pricey.

        My brother and I got an eight book hardcover boxed set for Easter in the early 70s. We read them yearly. We refused to part with them. It was actually 16 books because after reading half-way through, we had to flip it over to read the other book. I think we put them in a the Army thrift store when we were in HS. I wish we hadn’t.

      • MikeS

        The World War One Flying Ace was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. I had a Snoopy and the Red Barron book, too. I gotta find that and keep it with my And To Think That I Saw It On Mullberry Street.

    • Ownbestenemy

      At least Vasily Zaitsev was real

  26. R.J.

    Heh heh. The one night Hayeksposives shows up to movie night, it’s a Steve Smith takeover with a USA Up All Night grade film. Sorry! I am on vacation on Lake Texoma. It’s all STEVE SMITH’S fault!

    • DEG

      I finished it today. It was… odd. Though it had its moments.

      • R.J.

        Neph is next week. After that I have some “higher quality “ new films like ‘Enter the Fat Dragon’ and ‘Black Sheep.’

      • R.J.

        I had to get that one out of my system. Although STEVE SMITH was angry that I confused Bigfoot and a Rapesquatch. I had to take a sensitivity training class. By sensitivity training class, mean….

      • TARDis

        I actually enjoyed Comrade Dracula. I was expecting a comedy, but it was okay anyway. Do you have a list of movies? I’ve missed most of them, but for now I’m off on Fridays so I can watch.

      • R.J.

        Hmm… let me put together a list of every Thursday movie and a link in the forums. I have been asked about that a few times.