GlibFit 4.0 – Core Strength

by | Jul 3, 2022 | GlibFit | 224 comments

Daughter Two just came down with the Unspecified Virus of Unknown Origin (h/t Critical Drinker) so our Fourth of July plans just changed. The barbeque and pool party with her friends is off. I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do with all the food I bought at Costco, but it looks like day drinking and ridiculously large ice cream floats are on the menu.

None of that will lead to six-pack abs but that’s not today’s topic. Core strength is. I’m not going to get wonky defining the core. I’ll leave that for the pedants among us. I’m using the commonly understood idea of your midsection. Of course, the muscles in your abdomen tie into other surrounding muscles. It all matters and strengthening other muscle groups is, of course, beneficial. Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips, and abdomen to work together.

A strong core leads to better balance and stability making daily activities such as walking, running, and sitting much easier. This will make you less susceptible to injuries, keeping your body aligned and minimizing strain on your muscles and joints.

A body that is aligned and upright will make you less prone to have back pain. Your core supports your entire body especially the neck and back. If your core is weak, then other structures of your back will have to work harder to support the body. This leads to muscle strains and back pain.

A strong core leads to good posture. Good posture lessens wear and tear on the spine and allows you to breathe deeply making exercise easier.

Wherever you are on your fitness journey, include some core work. Since the 70s are long past us, I am officially telling you to ignore your grade school gym teacher and avoid sit-ups. They are inefficient and a good way to jack up your back.

Here are a number of ways to strengthen your core:

From a physical therapist

From a yoga teacher

For beginners

Core circuit

Core strength secret

As I get older, and maybe a little wiser, I increasingly appreciate what America is. We have our problems, we are imperfect, we are populated not by angels but by people. And I couldn’t be happier to be here. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been born and raised here. When I hear learned idiots detailing our faults, I can only think they may be right but show me what country has been better. Show me a country more willing to own up to its errors (even if it sometimes takes us too long to do so.) I’m proud or the USA, warts and all.

 

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This week’s music.

 

About The Author

Chafed

Chafed

I'm looking California but feeling Minnesota

224 Comments

  1. westernsloper

    + 1 ab wheel

    • Chafed

      Done right, absolutely!

  2. DEG

    I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do with all the food I bought at Costco, but it looks like day drinking and ridiculously large ice cream floats are on the menu.

    Not a bad idea. A one day indulgence isn’t a problem.

    Since the 70s are long past us, I am officially telling you to ignore your grade school gym teacher and avoid sit-ups.

    Situps lingered into the 80s and 90s. I look back and think to myself, “Yep, yet another thing the experts got wrong.”

    As I get older, and maybe a little wiser, I increasingly appreciate what America is. We have our problems, we are imperfect, we are populated not by angels but by people. And I couldn’t be happier to be here. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been born and raised here. When I hear learned idiots detailing our faults, I can only think they may be right but show me what country has been better. Show me a country more willing to own up to its errors (even if it sometimes takes us too long to do so.) I’m proud or the USA, warts and all.

    🙂

    ‘Murica

    Back to core strength – I’ve done a lot of core work since my disc herniation acted up. Strangely, every exercise has improved except dead bugs. Those have gone backwards.

    I plan to keep training while I’m on the road for FreedomFest, though not with the intensity or regularity that I have been at over the last month or so.

    I’m going to indulge a bit and have another Irish coffee before I start cleaning up the cars.

    OT: Penguin, if you’re out there, you asked about Karlyn Borysenko. Someone over on discord posted this hour or so long video about her. I’m about half way through. I won’t support her run for NH governor.

    • Chafed

      The surprise in that video is he didn’t sink the boat.

    • Penguin

      Thanks for that, DEG. After watching it, I ‘d have to agree. Unfortunately, with the LP as it is, they’ll probably have her take over for Jorgensen.

  3. hayeksplosives

    I read that as”As I get older, and maybe a little WIDER” and nodded vigorously.

    I need to figure out something for my core. I have scoliosis (relatively mild; my brother had to wear a brace, and sister had major surgery at 13, so I got off lucky). It didn’t bother me much in the past unless I walked for hours on a hike or epic errand running, at which time the lower right quadrant of my back would get very painful.

    Nowadays it happens even with minor walking, sitting, and stooping slightly over a work area. I am hoping to find an exercise or therapy that can bring me relief.

    Fracturing my L2-L3 vertebrae in 2019 was probably not helpful either.

    I’m skeptical of chiropractors but I’m getting desperate.

    • Drake

      I’ve been to shady chiropractors (we’ll need to see you every week for a year). And good ones (let’s do this you might need to come back once or twice). It seems to work for specific problems like when one of my hips was out of alignment.

      CranioSacral Therapy works really well too, if you can find a good one. The guy I went to a few times in NJ was great and changed people’s lives.

      • hayeksplosives

        Thanks for your comments. I might ask around town; there are lots of chiropractic clinics.

        I had never heard of craniosacral therapy before, so I looked it up. I have never seen such an unbalanced wiki “article”!! It reads more like an angry screed.

        https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy

      • Drake

        Wow.

      • Drake

        It really did help alleviate my wife’s migraines and joint pain when nothing else was working. But results will vary wildly by practitioner.

      • Chafed

        I’ll second what Drake said and a physical therapist may be able to set up a workout and stretching routine that could help.

      • TARDis

        I had never been to a chiropractor until last year. Last year I had pain radiating down my right arm that was so bad I could no longer sleep on my side. As long as I slept on my back, the pain was minimal. But I hate sleeping on my back. My boss suggested finding an orthospinologist. My C1 was totally off. I thought it was weird at first, but in one visit I was able to sleep on one side. In two visits, I could sleep on both. In three, I had no issues with computer stuff at work. First it was twice/week, then once, then bi-weekly, then monthly. Now it’s when I need it. YMMV. Also, ice on your neck is your friend.

      • hayeksplosives

        Ice is my new go-to for headaches too. I used to reach for Tylenol or advil, but ice is faster and friendlier.

        My trust in pharmaceutical companies has taken a huge hit in the past few years. I quit all my prescription meds except the anti-seizure drug, and lo-and-behold, all my other problems resolved. Good cholesterol, good blood pressure, good blood sugar. Fucking quacks.

      • Raven Nation

        I didn’t have these problems but I was pretty skeptical about chiropractors too (and I still think the idea that chiropractors can heal diseases like cancer is bullshit that should lead to [private] law suits). But my wife thinks that a good chiropractor can help with some things to do with posture, etc. She has a good one here so I went to him last year. And I found it did make some noticeable differences with a couple of long-term problems. as TARDis notes, YMMV.

    • Tulip

      I too have scoliosis. I didn’t have to wear a brace only because I stopped growing, but it was a near thing. I find the exercises where you are on hands and knees then lift opposite arm and leg out straight (right leg, left arm, then reverse) helpful, as well as planks and the Superman pose. On stomach, arms stretched out straight ahead, then lift arms and legs just off floor. They were prescribed by a doctor who was watching my scoliosis. They also said stretch.

    • Zwak, who swallowed your pain, and is asking for more.

      I saw a chiropractor for a period following a work related injury. I don’t use the word quack very often, and generally not about a whole field, but that is (in my eyes) some BullShit. Maybe there are good ones, and I got stuck with a joke, but nothing seemed to be reason or evidence based to me. YMMV.

      Physical therapy, on the other hand, is moving in leaps and bounds, and over the years I have had multiple rounds of it, mostly due to being injured too many times.

      • DrOtto

        Depends on the back cracker. I found a good one in Houston, then he died. Didn’t have a need for one since I moved to the Austin area till early in the pandemic when I got in an accident. Went to my wife’s chiropractor, not only did he have signs up saying you could wear a mask if you felt the need, but that they neither required or recommended masks for the majority of people. Plus the guy was an absolute miracle worker for my back.

    • Chafed

      I can’t say your first reading was wrong.

  4. Animal

    I don’t know about “core strength,” but I spent the morning stacking firewood. Now I’m tired and my back hurts.

    • Chafed

      So you’ve got that going for you, which is nice.

    • juris imprudent

      Helped my barn owner clear a downed tree yesterday. Big old cherry tree hit by lightning (but had a rotten section, full of carpenter ants).

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        I spent part of today working on a monster pine that fell on a livestock perimeter fence. Fortunately the branches helped prop the trunk up a couple feet off the ground so it only smashed the fence halfway down. That’ll keep the livestock in while I work on parting it down enough to drag the trunk off with the tractor while not damaging the fence further.

        My gas chainsaw is being repaired so ended up buying the Bauer brand 20v pole saw and chainsaw from Harbor Freight. I’m impressed. No problem cutting through the branches and the two 5 amp batteries lasted longer than I did. It’s a compact 10” bar though so will have to be creative with cutting the trunk.

  5. slumbrew

    Sorry to hear about your daughter, Chafed – I’m in the same boat.

    Day 6 of the Unspecified Virus of Unknown Origin (I wish I had that voice) but still testing positive.

    Wife and dog just left for Block Island and I’m sadder than I thought I would be. Hopefully join them tomorrow or the next day (though the ferry site is down now, which is not ideal).

    For somewhat obvious reasons, last week was a bust for fitness, save for a row on Monday. And the week before was Saint Martin – I wasn’t a total slug, but I’m definitely in a hole right now.

    Next week!

      • Chafed

        You’re an urban professional with no kids. Take the flight.

      • juris imprudent

        Are they something like this?

    • Chafed

      Sorry the CCP got you too.

  6. Gustave Lytton

    The 11M subscribers of Adriene can’t be wrong.

    • slumbrew

      I didn’t even click though that one – my wife uses her videos regularly.

  7. Draw Me Like One of Your Tulpae, Jack

    Grillin & chillin on Zoom

  8. TARDis

    I am officially telling you to ignore your grade school gym teacher and avoid sit-ups.

    Too late. The damage is done.

    • Tres Cool

      See also my diastastis rectii

      • TARDis

        +1
        We have so much in common, DR and a woman that outweighs us.

      • Tres Cool

        Cellulite is allright!

      • hayeksplosives

        One of my hub’s friends expressed dismay about stretch marks on middle aged chicks (his age appropriate dating pool), and hubs said, “Nah, stretch marks on a chick are great! Think of them as an awesome flame job on a hot rod!”

        Yeah, I admit he earned some bonus points that night.

      • Zwak, who swallowed your pain, and is asking for more.

        Two thumbs up!

      • hayeksplosives

        I learned a new thing today. DR? You Glibs teach us every day.

        (Disclaimer: I’m a non-birthing cis heteronormative XX gurl)

      • TARDis

        cis heteronormative XX gurl

        ^^^ white supremacist confimed

        So, how you doin’?
        Have you seen the movie Alien?

    • Grosspatzer

      I am officially telling you to ignore your grade school gym teacher and avoid sit-ups.

      #metoo. Also, something they called “squat-thrusts” resulted in a torn quad for HS senior Patzer, putting an abrupt end to the soccer season. I was so looking forward to one last year on the end of the bench.

      • Drake

        They wouldn’t let you be crutches-kid on the bench?

  9. Tres Cool

    Jugsy often compares me to her crush, Ryan Reynolds.
    “you’re nothing like Ryan Reynolds”

    • UnCivilServant

      But on the other hand, you are in her life.

      • juris imprudent

        You might go with: your relationship with Ryan Reynolds is between your ears, your relationship with me is between your thighs.

      • Gender Traitor

        Welllll….her relationship with RR is right beside her ears, too, ’cause she has a Mint mobile phone! 🥰📱

  10. hayeksplosives

    It’s a “mild” 95 degrees and 7% humidity here in the desert today. Won’t return to three digit temps until next weekend.

    However, the wind is blowing like crazy, so I’m not going to tempt fate with fireworks. Might drive over to the “official” show tomorrow. Got some tips from the locals on where / when to park. I’m not particularly interested in being part of a mass exodus when it’s over.

    • Drake

      We’ve got 91 and pouring rain in SC.

    • rhywun

      7% humidity

      LOL I didn’t think that was even possible.

      40% here which is low for us. Otherwise I could never tolerate 86º without the AC.

      • Chafed

        Even when the humidity is high, the local street racers add much needed ambience.

      • rhywun

        Mostly quiet today, knock on wood.

      • hayeksplosives

        The trite expression “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity” is absolutely true.

        It’s more comfy at 105 F in the Mojave than 85 F in Minnesota. Waaaaay more comfy.

        One side effect of living here is that I drink water all the time now. Always have a water bottle in hand. I think it’s had a beneficial effect on my system overall; fewer allergies, good digestion, etc. i keep several bottles in the car too in case of a car breakdown in the desert, and I usually polish off 12-16 oz on the drive between Pahrump and Vegas.

      • Trigger Hippie

        You may as well be a straight, Christian, upper-middle class, suburban family man via the early 60’s/pre-Beatles era at this point… you’re Ward Cleaver now.

        Welcome to the club. Let the hate flow through you.

      • Trigger Hippie

        Massive misthread..my apologies. I’m fucking off now…

  11. Zwak, who swallowed your pain, and is asking for more.

    I am now three weeks into recovery from my surgery, which was a repair to L4-5 herniation that had been impinging the nerves in my left leg. Well, I am kinda walking around the house without my cane, if I go out I need the thing, I tire very quickly, and in general I need to tell myself that I am 1)over 50, and 2) have MS. I am not going to heal as quick as I used too, and that’s… OK. I do, however, need to keep up on light anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, take naps, think before I do things like the dishwasher and litter boxes. This whole thing kinda sucks, I have normal people things I want to do, but my wants don’t really count, it’s my bodies needs.

    So, the big goal is too walk around the block today.

    • Chafed

      Just do what you can. There are no bonus points for over exerting yourself.

  12. Old Man With Candy

    Went on my daily hill climb today to make sure WebDom is still in the dust. Which she is. Weigh-in yesterday showed I have 17 more pounds to go until my goal. I am two pounds away from hitting my first milestone (getting under 200).

    • Chafed

      👍

    • rhywun

      I couldn’t take for more than one paragraph the dripping contempt for their own readership that is so clearly on display. Most adults do not like to be treated like children.

      • Sensei

        And that’s unsigned.

        I know you like metro NYC, but its issues outweigh its good points for me. I will miss only a handful of things, one of which is the many cultures.

    • Sean

      That’s because you miscreants on the wrong side of the Delaware don’t know how to behave in public.

      /sarc

      I love how they ignore that gunslinging PA is right next door. Did ya know we even allow cc on mass transit? Perfectly lawful on SEPTA. Bars? No problem.

      • rhywun

        don’t know how to behave in public

        There is some truth to that, methinks. I have eyes.

    • Brochettaward

      It’s funny because when conservatives talk about ignoring a court order, it’s considered disrespect for the rule of law.

      • Brochettaward

        Sort of like how when Democrats claim an election was rigged by the Russians, it’s about concern for our institutions.

        But when conservatives complain about election rigging while Dems brag about how they “fortified” the elections and changed laws across the country through dubious methods, it’s insurrection.

    • juris imprudent

      When I moved to PA, a friend commented on MD: CA politics with NJ weather. And that’s why I moved to the commonwealth.

  13. l0b0t

    Alfred is awesome so far, but damn… it is a tiny place where everyone knows everyone. Also, you can’t get a decent pizza to save your life, except for the pies made by OMWC.

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    • rhywun

      I’m sure I’ve opined on the merits of upstate/western NY pizza – or lack thereof – before. It’s why I always looked forward to Domino’s and Pizza Hut, because they were way better than the local chains.

      • hayeksplosives

        In the 80s, we thought our little Oklahoma town had made the big leagues when we got a Mazzio’s franchise! Ooh-la-la!!

      • rhywun

        I knew Buffalo joined the big leagues when a hole-in-the-wall “New York Style” joint opened on the corner where I lived near downtown, and it was really good. Sadly, I moved away the following year and never went back.

      • Not Adahn

        DO NOT BLASPHEME AGAINST MAZZIO’S

    • Tulip

      I hope it is better than what you left.

  14. Trigger Hippie

    *checks local news*

    Why are local gay people marching in protest for abortion rights? Biologically speaking, the subject is literally outside their purview. Hell, only lesbian couples are physically affected by the SCOTUS ruling and that leads one to believe that if a personal objection exists that means you intentionally inseminated yourself then had second thoughts.

    • rhywun

      Why are local gay people marching in protest for abortion rights?

      Because the left thoroughly co-opted the organized “gay community” decades ago.

    • Sean

      I’m still laughing about hetero sex dominating the end of Pride month news.

    • Brochettaward

      BEcAUSE ThEy R ALLYES!

      Nah, I mean, as much as I mock the left, there’s nothing wrong with any one group marching or standing up for what they view to be the legitimate rights of others. It is, perhaps, more admirable to stick up for rights that have no impact on you personally. While these people may just be another case of the progressive hive mind in effect, I won’t mock them for this one.

      • Brochettaward

        I should add, the gays marching should not pretend to represent all gays anymore than some random Klansman should pretend to represent all white people, even if there is heavy crossover between gayness and being attached to the progressive hive mind.

      • rhywun

        there is heavy crossover between gayness and being attached to the progressive hive mind

        I don’t think that crossover is nearly as complete as the media would have you believe.

        something something silent majority

      • rhywun

        Uncle Bruces.

      • Chafed

        I’m totally unfamiliar with the reference. Who/What is it?

      • Brochettaward

        I assumed it was the gay equivalent of an uncle Tom.

      • rhywun

        I assumed it was the gay equivalent of an uncle Tom.

        Assumption correct.

      • The Last American Hero

        My gay friends and gay neighbors are just to the right of Mao, and equate the Tea Party with the Klan.

        Anecdotal I’m sure.

      • rhywun

        I am a different anecdatum, along with many of the men I have dated.

        I’ve dated a couple leftists, but the vast majority were apolitical and one was unapologetically not leftist.

      • Trigger Hippie

        Fair enough.

  15. Aloysious

    Chafed, a suggestion for a tasty treat for you and your daughter: the peach Melba.

    It is the shizzle.

    Happy 4th.

    • Chafed

      Thanks Aloysious.

    • Raven Nation

      Well, that seems to suggest that these journalists WANT social conformity.

      They probably still love Thoreau too.

      • Sensei

        They also structured reporting so as to avoid reporting cases that are asymptomatic or don’t require medical care.

      • Brochettaward

        It’s strange that there were some countries, mostly non-white countries, who seemed more interested in NOT inflating their case counts and death counts. crazy irresponsible, if you ask me. I mean, how do you gin up hysteria if people don’t see scary big numbers on the news every morning about how many unclean there are?

      • Sensei

        At the time it made Big Orang Man look bad. Obviously, it would be no problem getting the genie back in the bottle when the time came.

      • rhywun

        Yeah, hard pass.

      • juris imprudent

        They probably still love Thoreau too.

        Not nearly as much as they love themselves.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Other factors like restricting testing and test capacity.

  16. R C Dean

    “I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been born and raised here. “

    Same where. Especially when and where I was raised – small town Texas, late sixties to 1980ish.

    “I’m proud or the USA, warts and all.”

    Yeah, but its eroding over time.

    • hayeksplosives

      People are still risking their lives to get in here every day.

      But we are in need of a return to what made us great. When I dig around in my brain for the most important thing that needs correcting, education is at the top of the list. But how? The government-run schools have every incentive to keep it as it is, not to teach history or civics honestly.

      Perhaps we could educate through well-produced videos that kids an adults could stream, where they really do learn history? The Carter years weren’t that long ago, and during that time it seemed conceivable that Communism would prevail.

      I’m currently reading “Stalin’s War.” Fascinating how much FDR admired the USSR. What a dick. But I digress. The point is that the neat paragraph in your “social studies” textbook doesn’t go anywhere near the facts and the events of WWII and its aftermath.

    • westernsloper

      “I’m proud or the USA, warts and all.”

      I used to be. The last two to three years has cured that.

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        ^ Proud of lockdowns, curfews, and mandatory injections of a myocarditis inducing drug? Perhaps the no-shit coup that was staged on election night for the 2020 election? Or the banana republic style imprisonment without trial and prison guard beatings of those who protested on J6? Perhaps we can be proud of egging Russia into a nuclear conflict over the need to launder 40 billion in taxpayer dollars for the pockets of the American political elite? Maybe a silver lining is the positive court decisions that came through last week, but I’m hardly proud of the SC justices for doing their damn job.

        I’m proud of my local community. I’m proud of the local business owners that refused to post mask signs on their doors and the customers that supported them. I’m proud of my neighbors that supported one another through difficult times. My local community in no way resembles the monstrosity that the federal government leading this country has become. I’m also very glad to have found this online community

      • Trigger Hippie

        ^

      • rhywun

        Debbie Downer

      • Chafed

        Thank you.

      • westernsloper

        ^

      • Swiss Servator

        I love my country, I don’t care for it’s government all that much.

      • Sean

        I’m generally having a good time. Some of y’all need to move somewhere (state or region) better.

      • Sensei

        Similar to Swissy, family needs make that difficult.

      • Sean

        I’m just saying there’s plenty of good left in the country. Despite what the commie rat fuckers are trying to do.

      • Swiss Servator

        Parents and in-laws are getting needier every day. I am not moving for years.

      • Sean

        Sorry Swiss.

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        Sorry to hear that. My father in law passed last year and my wife is trying to convince her mother to move near us and the grandchildren. She’s been digging in her heels about leaving.

      • Ted S.

        To be fair, all of MIL’s friends probably live there.

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        My country seems hellbent on trying to destroy my life and that of my family. Fine, let’s take out government. And then we’ll need to take out what else… the media, the educational systems, religious organizations, entertainment conglomerates, health care industry, telecommunications, virtually every urban center, and a substantial percentage (~30%) of my fellow citizens. I’m sure others could add on to that list. That’s quite a bit of our country.

        For me personally, I’m not seeing a lot left here other than my own local community and others like it. And communities like this one. Both types are more like an oasis from the current state of America, rather than being representative of it.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Both types are more like an oasis from the current state of America, rather than being representative of it.

        Yup. You can find good folks just about anywhere, but they’re drowned out by the mating call of a thousand idiot assholes, at least everywhere I’ve lived in the last decade.

        I’m under no illusion that we were a nation of rugged, entrepreneurial philosopher-theologians in the past, but it feels like the balance of assholes to everybody else has shifted in the unfortunate direction

      • DrOtto

        So much this.

    • juris imprudent

      Growing up in CA in the 60s and 70s was pretty damn good too. It didn’t hit the point of no return until the turn of the century.

      • Zwak, who swallowed your pain, and is asking for more.

        This. Growing up on the Cali coast in a small college town was truly magical. Late 70s, early 80s, it was the best of times.

  17. Raven Nation

    Hmm, thanks for the warnings about sit-ups. I’ve still been using those as part of core strengthening. I’ll need to watch those vids soon.

    • Chafed

      There are a ton of videos for core workouts. I’m glad to steer you away from sit ups.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Sorry tried to say hi…bad internet

      • westernsloper

        Bummer. Looked like you guys where in a fun place.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yes sir!

    • Ownbestenemy

      Dammit

    • Chafed

      Lol

    • Sean

      Everyone who keeps getting jabbed, deserves their VAIDS.

      There, I said it.

  18. Gender Traitor

    I am officially telling you to ignore your grade school gym teacher and avoid sit-ups.

    ::runs up to Chafed and gives him a big ol’ hug::

    Here are a number of ways to strengthen your core:

    From a yoga teacher

    A few years ago, I took a core-focused yoga class offered at the medical center up the road from home, and jeeminy criminy did it kick my butt! 😓 Thanks for including the exercises FOR BEGINNERS!

    • Chafed

      You made my day.

    • Sean

      That didn’t move the needle on my outrageometer.

      • Sensei

        There a plenty of other access control devices you can mount on the windshield or plate.

        I hate car stickers. I need one for my parking and I always align it and tape it so as not to remove the defrost grid when I update every damn year for another $500.

    • hayeksplosives

      So now even cars have to get the mark of the beast?

      I admit i live in an HOA neighborhood. But it has only $360 a year fee, and that goes for the park, pool, and community center.

      The higher the HOA fees, the more they interfere. $360 is pretty chill.

      • TARDis

        Yes it is. Mine is $900 because of EPA bullshit.

  19. CPRM

    Finally got my desktop up and running! Yay!

      • Ownbestenemy

        We will try again

  20. Brochettaward

    I will First until I can First no more…and than I shall First some more.

    • Brochettaward

      No one else knows what it is like to have so much raw talent in the tip of their fingers. It is, in some ways, a very lonely feeling.

      • Ted S.

        Constantly feeling yourself is very lonely, isn’t it?

      • Brochettaward

        You will never know what it feels like to have the most powerful reproductive organ ever conceived by The Great Firster in your hands. You are but a man. I am…First Of All Firsters.

      • TARDis

        Q’s firsts are better today. You can do better. I believe in you. Step up. Bring it. Make us proud.

      • Ted S.

        I don’t believe in him,

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      You should probably take some zinc.

  21. kinnath

    Burgers were grilled. Beans were baked. 20 people in the house for the first time in 2 1/2 years.

    Saw my niece’s kids for the first time ever.

    I am whooped.

    • hayeksplosives

      Family can be exhausting!

      Here it was pan seared salmon, nutmeg&honey carrots, pears, and cottage cheese.

      Maybe not traditional, but tasty.

  22. grrizzly

    Wow. I almost flew to Europe in coach for the first time in 9 years. But about 24 hours before the flight, business seats became available. At least I don’t have to make this sacrifice to see my mom in Switzerland… where else Russians and Americans can meet at the time of war.

    • hayeksplosives

      Nice!!

      My best transatlantic flight experience (this was way before iPods and other entertainment means) was a British Airways flight where I had a coach ticket, but the flight was almost empty. The only reason they flew from Heathrow to Chicago was that they needed the plane there!

      So we all just spread out. I lay down across 5 empty coach seats with the armrests raised and slept like a baby. Free wine, too!

  23. Gustave Lytton

    Pretty sure the Linguoer YouTube channel is partially or entirely fake.

    • rhywun

      OFFS. Too late, hon. That schtick is fast becoming passé.

    • Gustave Lytton

      I don’t know who is more delusion, Markle or someone thinking she has an actual shot merely based on her money making deals.

    • UnCivilServant

      Unless you can hide in a basement all campaign season and keep your mouth shut, you’ve lost, Ma’am. You are your own worst enemy.

  24. The Late P Brooks

    Scouts’ Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.

    • Gender Traitor

      Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts? (Or are they still allowed to specify a gender?)

      I’m still stashing Thin Mints in preparation for such an emergency.

      • rhywun

        Hm. An office benefit I miss.

    • Gender Traitor

      Are we quite sure the current pope isn’t pro-choice?

      • Gustave Lytton

        A student of liberation neonatology?

      • rhywun

        I wouldn’t put anything past that guy. He seems… an unusual choice.

      • hayeksplosives

        Pope Francis: the guy who ruined the rhetorical question “Is the pope Catholic?”

      • Gustave Lytton

        Hah! Just hemmed and hawed this evening when my wife used the phrase.

      • UnCivilServant

        I don’t think Antipope Frank is. Pope Benedict probably is.

      • hayeksplosives

        Yeah, I’m not even Catholic but I was a fan of Ratzenberger, or “Papa Ratzi” as he was dubbed.

        Fave Benedict quote: “Wherever politics tries to be redemptive, it is promising too much. Where it wishes to do the work of God, it becomes not divine, but demonic.”

      • Chafed

        Lol

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      The same deference wouldn’t be given to almost anyone else but God loves politicians and the powerful, it is known.

  25. hayeksplosives

    Are any of you crazies still doing the holiday late night zooms?

  26. Mojeaux

    Okay, people. I am home with XY. The experiment failed but succeeded but failed and there is still drama afoot, mainly the car that decided to break down in the middle of BFE South Dakota. Mr. Mojeaux is still in Sioux Falls and will be until he can get the car fixed, which certainly won’t be tomorrow.

    • Chafed

      That seems quick. Why did XY bail out so quickly?

      • Mojeaux

        He was expecting his girlfriend to go with and she backed out, then he realized how very alone he was going to be.

      • Sean

        Wait, that’s the M. Night Shyamalan twist?

    • Plinker762

      I spent a Sunday night in Sioux Falls waiting for the Napa store to open on Monday so I could put a new alternator in my ’68 Coronet.

      • Mojeaux

        Tomorrow’s a holiday, though, so… No idea when he’ll be home.

    • MikeS

      Oh no. That’s a quick turnaround. What happened?

      • Mojeaux

        See response to Chafed.

        Just not ready to tackle the world after all, at least, not alone.

      • Gender Traitor

        ***SIGH!!!*** I’m so sorry it didn’t work out! 🙁 (And for this you gave up a trip to NY for The Party?? 😢)

  27. MikeS

    DAILY QUORDLE ROUNDUP™©®
    (The ‘Wait…what?’ Edition)
    #160

    Champs
    QuordleBot 19
    The Hyperbole 19

    Grosspatzer 20
    grrizzly 20
    Grummun 20
    Ted S. 20
    whiz 20
    Cannoli 21
    Not Adahn 21
    rhywun 21
    Sean 21
    TARDis 21
    Grumbletarian 22
    Ozymandias 22
    Dr. Fronkensteen 24
    kinnath 24
    l0b0t 24
    trshmnstr the terrible 24
    one true athena 26
    JG43 28
    Tulip 28

    Chump
    MikeS 120

    Quordle stuff happened.

    • Sean

      Good help is hard to find.

    • whiz

      Of course the big news is that I eeked out a win over NA to retain the Quordle championship belt. Props to NA for having the low average for last week.

      • MikeS

        Yeah, sorry I didn’t expound more last night. It was a very busy and late day. Congrats on the title defense.

  28. Old Man With Candy

    I will neither confirm nor deny that last night with WebDom, lOBOT, and Spud caused me damage.

  29. Tulip

    Daily Quordle 161
    6️⃣5️⃣
    4️⃣8️⃣
    quordle.com

    • The Hyperbole

      Daily Quordle 161
      5️⃣6️⃣
      4️⃣8️⃣

    • Not Adahn

      Daily Quordle 161
      6️⃣8️⃣
      4️⃣7️⃣
      quordle.com
      ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
      ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
      🟨🟨🟩🟨🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
      ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
      🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩⬜🟨⬜
      ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨
      ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    • Grosspatzer

      Daily Quordle 161
      5️⃣4️⃣
      6️⃣8️⃣
      quordle.com

    • Not Adahn

      Just from the link headline, that doesn’t seem unusual.

      • Sean

        “Light on details.”

      • Ted S.

        Well, maybe not that many bodies.

  30. Gender Traitor

    Good morning, Sean, NA, Teh Hype, Tulip, and (::very softly::) Old Man!

    Another lovely morning here at TB – once again got out here in time to see the sun filtering through the neighbors’ trees off to my left. Lots of birdies singing. Hoping to see more mammalian wildlife (at least of the non-raccoon variety) after yesterday’s fox and bun-bun sightings. Also hoping nearby neighbors won’t be inclined to do early yard work on a holiday. Hope to stay out here as long as meteorological conditions are comfortable. (It’s predicted to be a scorcher.)

    This afternoon I’m strongly considering indulging in my annual urge to watch 1776 on TCM. Might even leave that channel on for The Music Man afterward.

    • Sean

      Mornin!

      • Gender Traitor

        ::raises Santa mug – because it’s bigger than average – of iced mocha latte:: Anything special in your morning mug today?

      • Sean

        “because it’s bigger than average”. Quite the setup…

        Nope, nothing special in my mug. I don’t usually drink until after 8pm*.

        *exceptions made it if we’re out at a restaurant or such.

      • Sean

        Hrm. Strike that “it”.

    • Ted S.

      This afternoon I’m strongly considering indulging in my annual urge to watch 1776 on TCM.

      Other than the virtue-signaling “To the Right” musical number….

      • Gender Traitor

        ::searches memory, comes up blank:: Am I forgetting something, or have they edited in a new scene recently?

    • Ted S.

      He’s not married, is he?

  31. Tres Cool

    suh’ fam
    whats goody

    • Grosspatzer

      Yo! Tall Covfefe!

    • Gender Traitor

      Good morning, homey! Are your poor dogies suffering from nearby fireworks? (Someone needs to come up with effective ear protection for the pooches!)

    • rhywun

      How stunning and brave of them. 🙄

      Remember when people thought that returning abortion law to the states would end the discussion of it as a “national” issue? A more innocent age.

      • Tres Cool

        One time I was at a Planned Parenthood and locked my keys in the car.
        You shoulda seen the looks I got when I asked if I could borrow a coat hanger.

      • Sean

        That avatar…