I am typing this on my tablet, so if the formatting sucks, you are still getting your money’s worth.
If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool, H/T mindyourbusiness:
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
May 7
“God laid down this law, saying: if you want some good, get it from yourself.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.29.4
When I workout and run on schedule, I feel better and have less internal anger. If I look for external things to make me happy, I am setting myself up for failure. When things piss me off, I have the capability to ignore them and concentrate on things I control to improve my mood. Last week, I was irritated about something, so I started giving my wife a shoulder rub and that improved my mood immensely.(not a euphemism, unfortunately)
May 8
“Where is Good? In our reasoned choices. Where is Evil? In our
reasoned choices. Where is that which is neither Good nor Evil?
In the things outside of our own reasoned choice.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.16.1
For self reflection, this makes sense, but if I look at a wider view, this seems a little off to me. For me personally, when I choose to get upset, I am bringing a little evil into my life. The other day I woke up angry and it took a while to get myself in a better state. Last year, I probably would have ruined my whole day and affected my wife. Progress!
May 9
“Let us therefore set out whole-heartedly, leaving aside our many
distractions and exert ourselves in this single purpose, before we
realize too late the swift and unstoppable flight of time and are left
behind. As each day arises, welcome it as the very best day of all,
and make it your own possession. We must seize what flees.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 108.27b–28a
My time on earth is unknown, I could live to be 100 or die while I am typing this. How much of that time do I waste watching TV? How much more time could I spend doing better for myself and my family?
May 10
“Let us also produce some bold act of our own—and join the ranks
of the most emulated.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 98.13b
If all I do is read and study Stoicism, it’s not helping me or anyone else. I think by sharing it here and following it in my life, I am doing some actions consistent with this quote, but I’m not sure they count as bold.
May 11
“The greatest portion of peace of mind is doing nothing wrong.
Those who lack self-control live disoriented and disturbed lives.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 105.7
This is true and I’ve seen it play out in many friend’s lives. If I was a dirtbag, and ran around on my wife, I can’t imagine the stress that would cause me. As long as I live a correct life, I have no secret guilt, nor anything to hide.
May 12
“Kindness is invincible, but only when it’s sincere, with no
hypocrisy or faking. For what can even the most malicious person
do if you keep showing kindness and, if given the chance, you
gently point out where they went wrong—right as they are trying
to harm you?”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.18.5.9a
Ooh, I struggle with this one. When I deal with cruelty or bitterness, it is very easy to snap back with the same tone. I’ts easier to ignore it from strangers than family. My Uncle once described my Mom’s family as “circling a pile of shit, and every now and again one of them would go and stir it up”. I have been mostly successful in cutting them out, but am working on being nicer to my Mom.
May 13
“Every habit and capability is confirmed and grows in its
corresponding actions, walking by walking, and running by
running . . . therefore, if you want to do something make a habit of
it, if you don’t want to do that, don’t, but make a habit of
something else instead. The same principle is at work in our state
of mind. When you get angry, you’ve not only experienced that
evil, but you’ve also reinforced a bad habit, adding fuel to the
fire.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.18.1–5
This is true, repetition makes it easier. I still get flashes of anger when I am trying to do things. I started making a “waaa!” sound to myself to remind myself I am acting like a baby. Since I started doing this, I have become much better at laughing them off and it seems like they don’t happen as often as they used to.
Today’s music is from Diecast. I discovered them on Pandora, and it’s a shame they’re not more popular.
“ When I workout and run on schedule, I feel better and have less internal anger. If I look for external things to make me happy, I am setting myself up for failure. When things piss me off, I have the capability to ignore them and concentrate on things I control to improve my mood.”
^This. Movies and whiskey only go so far. Great timing for this one.
First? A Great first? A fine first?
You were doing great until you decided to celebrate.
Lacks formatting, but I’ll allow it.
It’s a fine first.
/looks at the week of rain
I really would have liked to get some rides in this week. At least I should be able to get one in on Sunday.
When things piss me off, I have the capability to ignore them and concentrate on things I control to improve my mood.
Yes. This is something I need to be better at.
I am definitely better.
Went through TSA on Wednesday and today.
It still irritated me, but not to the level it used to.
“I started giving my wife a shoulder rub and that improved my mood immensely.(not a euphemism, unfortunately)”
*cheese eating grin*
Pro Tip: Spring for a store bought oil to enhance the shoulder rubbing. Do NOT attempt to use home made recipes. Those tend to rile up with wife-folks.
Daily Stoich:
CH4 + 2O2 —> CO2 + 2H2O
Sounds gassy.
Classical Gas – Mason Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEzyrpfrPEI
==14.7:1
Methane is a bastard gas.
/my first engineering job was in the propane industry.
Propane accessories too?
Dammit Bobby!
I discovered a new test? exercise? for my stoicism/self-control yesterday.
When I’m driving, I say just awful things about other drivers – call them names, curse at them, etc. Why is that OK just because they can’t hear me? And most of the time, ist unjustified, really – there’s actually a good enough reason why they are slowing way down, trying to change lanes, whatever (although that one guy – what hell, dude?). And I generally can’t say I haven’t done pretty much what I am bitching at them about, at some point.
This hit me as I was starting my drive home, and I thought “I need to at least not say it out loud.” And then I did, three more times in the next 10 minutes.
So, I’ve got something to work on, as far as tolerance and equanimity goes. Hopefully, the self-control to not say it out loud will eventually soak in so the urge to say it fades.
And none of this would have crossed my mind if it wasn’t for ron’s Daily Stoic. So, thanks, ron!
Nah, they deserve it. People are asshoe.
I find softly yelling at my fellow drivers; things like
“C’mon you stupid fuckin’ prick, it’s the long skinny pedal on the right hand side!
There’s only one shade green, you inbred fuck!”
To be zen like and relaxing. A release.
My Dad taught me how to use ALL of the cuss words by watching him drive when I was a kid.
I do find that in most cases, I am restrained enough to not flip the bird.
That can get you shot in Tucson. I think I have finally convinced Mrs. Dean to stop doing that.
Shooting people who flip her the bird?
Heh.
Don’t ask, don’t tell, is my rule.
I always feel like the driver in front of me may have died and the car is gently rolling to a stop. That is the only reason I can see for driving 5-10 MPH under the speed limit int he fast lane. I must also learn to be Stoic about it.
For a couple of weeks, my drive in to work coincided with a short-bus route. The bus driver insisted on doing 30 on a road where the speed limit is 45. If it hadn’t been 5:40 AM (and no, I don’t know what the bus was doing out at that hour), the guy would have had a long line behind him
I try to tell myself they must be having a bad day to be driving like that. Doesn’t always work, but thinking about what must be wrong to make a right turn from the left turn lane entertains me a bit and I don’t get so annoyed.
Sigh. I’m probably one of the “problem” drivers. I try to do my best, but a) I was never a good driver to begin with (I have a hard time keeping my attention on things) and b) for the last 6-7 years, I haven’t really had to commute at all for work.
Even though I live in a large city, I don’t do much (or any) “big city” driving. I mostly just drive on local roads and if I am freeway driving it is because I’m heading out west to the hinterlands.
Around Christmas I was forced to drive in rush hour freeway traffic and was just as terrified as when I was a rube kid who was visiting from The Prairie.
All I can say in my defense is…. “I’m a better driver than my wife. No matter what she tells you”
Lets go visit Atlanta, we can sit in traffic.
Wife and I drove through Atlanta this January on our way to SC.
Uffda, all reports of crazy drivers there were proven to be – if anything – an understatement. Since the wife was with me, we were able to cruise along in the HOV lanes pretty well. But watching the other traffic was scary as hell. Everyone would be screaming along bumper to bumper six lanes wide. Then all the traffic would be at a standstill because there was an accident.
I could see places that have super fast, congested traffic because everyone has learned how to deal with it. Atlanta has NOT learned how to drive fast and not have a lot of accidents. Why do they still insist on driving like assholes?
(Miami is still the worst place I’ve ever driven).
I can’t decide which was more dangerous to drive in Kabul or Baghdad. No, wait…it is Rockford, IL.
If a fat man in a Hawaiian shirt runs along side of your car and asks if you need emergency resuscitation, just wave and say “Hi R.J.!”
Run on the passenger side so I see you. I’m usually staring off at other stuff.
“Anyone out fishing on that lake? Wonder if they are doing any good”
“That shelter belt looks like prime pheasant cover, wonder if any dumb ones are out in the field gobbling up grain?”
“There is that yoga studio with the glass windows in front”
“I wonder if that is a trail down there? Wonder how a guy could find a spot to park so he could walk there?”
“When did that liquor store open up?”
I find that I’m cursing way too much.
If you watched me while I’m driving, you’d think I was some loon talking to himself when I’m really just going “Are you @*&^%@ kidding me?” Usually at the radio….
Probably need to tune out the news for a few years.
It’s well known that highly intelligent people curse more than stupid motherfuckers.
Mother-fucking-A, you are goddamn right!
Driving for me is mostly muscle memory, so I can space out to an extent because I’ve traveled that road a gazillion times, but I don’t really ever space out-out. As for directions to places I have never been, I let “Bossy Lady” (Google maps) do my thinking for me. It does help when you know how highway signage works (e.g., signs on the left side of the pilon for left exits) and you can take your cues from those.
Depends on my mood whether I want silence or music while I’m driving. Very rarely do I listen to people speaking.
The Google Maps voice changing gender in the middle of a direction always throws me off.
Wait, what? That has never happened to me. I don’t know that I could deal with directions with a voice other than Bossy Lady.
Yeah. Google Map voice on mine and the girlfriend’s phone will change between a male and a female voice. Sometimes in the middle of a sentence.
Brian Blessed recorded a voice for the GPS I owned befoe this one.
It got a bit distracting when the instructions ended with “AND DRRRRIIIIIIIIIIVVVVEEEE!”
I love that voice. Every time I hear him on a GPS I think of Flash Gordon.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O6uOHnxf85g
Funny, RJ, I always think of this… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaVD3iBz7CU
My electronic drum module has a built-in metronome that counts off the beat in a female Asian voice. I call her “Yoko.”
Can it count past four?
Eight
Not last I checked, and I turn the metronome on as seldom as possible because she’s annoying.
I can only count to FOUR!
I agree with you RC. That is one of my biggest problems RE: rage.
Try to think of the reason why they’re doing what they’re doing, see them as people instead of obstacles and you might have a better time of it.
I think I was better this on morning’s drive. That’s basically what I am trying to do.
The one thing I doubt I’ll have any tolerance for is the morons who are texting while they drive. I may replace my beep-beep horn with an airhorn, just for them.
Being annoying is a lot different from being dangerous. I think anger at the latter may be more justified… but probably won’t change anything I’m afraid.
I generally don’t get angry driving, unless you are a slow poke in the fast lane, or worse the Express toll lanes, then I hate you.
I stopped getting angry at other drivers once I began carrying. As soon as you honk your horn or if someone sees you yelling, you’ve contributed to the situation and then lose your right to self defense without duty of retreat. It was much easier to give up the anger than to give up the right to stand my ground if anything transpired.
There is much truth to an armed society is a polite society.
R C, don’t know if this would help but it might. It’s an exercise from Epictetus: Pick out an inanimate object of some kind – a rock, say, or a coffee table. Verbally abuse it. Call it everything but a child of God. Whatever it is, it don’t feel a thing. And after a bit, you realize you’ve wasted time and energy on something that don’t matter. After a while, the urge to do it passes off.
Diesel just hit $6.49 per gallon at the local Shell station. HOLY MACKEREL!!! I need me some stoicism, stat! Thanks Ron; I’m really digging these and they are truly helping me keep centered and avoid splerging out in rage fits.
Can’t you just feel the economic recovery coming?
Yes, in 2024, maybe.
It cost $150 to fill my truck after I got it all put back together.
That hurt.
I have thoughts like this every day. I try to do the best with the time I have, but I often fall into traps of laziness or focusing on trivia. I need to do better to keep moving forward and making progress.
I used to spend a ton of time playing video games. At some point I said to myself words to the effect of “You’ll have plenty of time when you’re 95 and your body can’t do anything but sit in one place and play video games. Do something else now. Plus, in 50 years, the games will be way better.”
Eh, people will still be playing SNES games in emulators…
Ha ha ha! Yes, this is correct. I kind of peaked at PS1, all of which is playable on emulators.
You laugh, but I still occasionally play Doom or Doom II using a source port on Linux.
I was being totally serious.
Relevant.
Tetris tournaments are still a thing in 2022.
People are porting Fallout 1 into the Fallout 4 engine: Latest update.
People still play chess and card games. A shitton of slop from the same era will be left by the wayside as people opt to carry forward what they regard as the best entertainments.
I am serious too. Also if you are in Texas, I have head to head Tetris on the cocktail table.
What do you have on the cocktail table if we’re not in Texas?
Whiskey and chips, which you must view at a distance via Zoom.
You can play Tetris on the UPM-155 beacon test set if you know the key combo to bring the program up. It was claimed it was put in there for diagnostics
I still play SNES Zelda when I have a Nintendo hooked up. It’s one of the best games ever made.
I have never managed to finish a zelda game on any console.
I even owned the original gold NES cartridge for Legend of Zelda, but that game beat me.
I can probably count the number of games I’ve finish-finished on one hand. None of them is a Zelda, that’s for sure.
I still play a series of RBI Baseball on my NES with a friend once a year.
Ah, Tecmo bowl.
Lackadaisical:
The local Cleveland Gaming Classic has a Tecmo Super Bowl Tournament as part of the festivities.
NES*
Also TI instruments… now you’ve got me going down nostalgia lane.
Pong yesterday, Pong today, Pong forever!
Yo, this is a new one:
3 spam phishing emails in a row, for Gunbroker.
Watch yer inboxes.
Thanks for the heads-up. I’ve got a couple of searches open that notify me. I’ll go straight to the website if I get pinged (probably not a bad rule for all those “notify me” things).
You’ll never get me to change my Epicurean ways.
Like Thomas Jefferson?
https://newepicurean.com/suggested-reading/thomas-jeffersons-letter-to-william-short-october-31-1819/#Thomas_Jefferson_to_William_Short,
That looks interesting, I will read through it on my next flight.
Well, I only had two interviews today instead of the three originally planned. On the plus side, the midding candidate finally responded to an email and we rescheduled.
If they miss that one, they get a no show.
Speaking of Dog & Pony shows, do you do the Official Show Check for all candidates? Or does HR pre-screen them for you?
We do not make physical contact with the candidates.
We do not
Sounds like weasel words to deflect my attention away from Candidate Fight Club
Hey, he didn’t say the candidates don’t make physical contact with each other.
*breaks pool cue, throws on floor, closes door*
What was Sir/Dame Not Appearing in This Picture’s lame excuse?
None given.
I’m annoyed that there was no effort by the candidate to reach out to us when they knew they would not be able to make it. The invite came from my work email, so there was at least one point of contact available. But I did offer to reschedule when I asked where they were. So there’s another invite for monday.
Really, it’s the “No Call, No Show” element that makes me disfavorably disposed at the moment.
Open the next interview with that.
Such an important one. Habits are the foundation of happiness and success. What I especially like is the concept of not simply stopping bad habits, but replacing them with something else. So good.
Thanks, Ron the Stoic!
This is very true.
Daily Quordle 102
4️⃣5️⃣
7️⃣3️⃣
quordle.com
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At least I can do well someplace.
#metoo
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same. and 5/5 waffle. Was a nice way to start the day.
8️⃣4️⃣
6️⃣7️⃣
And for my next trick, I will read through an intro to pharmacology textbook that is written at an 8th-grade level. This should be fairly quick.
Is that the one where the deep insight “e-payments are made electronically (or whatever)” came from?
written at an 8th-grade level.
What we used to call “brainiac” textbooks back at Memphis State.
I didn’t know Kamala was in the textbook biz.
I think you’re overestimating her. She really seems genuinely stupid, in addition to being lazy.
Bringing this over form the morning linx:
“Trump Proposed Missile Attack To Wipe Out Mexican Drug Cartels, Mark Esper Claims”
…and everyone in the room orgasmed? I still remember the Syrian missile strikes and what a tongue-bathing they gave Trump for that. Idiots.
The problem with the cartels is that they don’t have any nukes. Takes all the risky fun out of it.
Also doesn’t require ships or foreign bases.
Problems that can be solved are of no interest.
Trump “proposed” a lot of scatter-brained thow-offs to solve problems, usually just to get the negotiations started.
It was how his “art-of-the-deal” worked.
This was not news.
When I’m driving, I say just awful things about other drivers – call them names, curse at them, etc. Why is that OK just because they can’t hear me? And most of the time, ist unjustified, really – there’s actually a good enough reason why they are slowing way down, trying to change lanes, whatever (although that one guy – what hell, dude?). And I generally can’t say I haven’t done pretty much what I am bitching at them about, at some point.
One day, long ago, my girlfriend and I were out driving around Albuquerque, doing stuff. We come to a four way stop, and the guy in front of me just sits there. And sits. And sits.
I did not blow my horn or anything, but I said, out loud, “Why won’t he go?’
She: He’s just trying to piss you off.
I: Well, it’s working.
One fine summer day, driving along with my wife and toddler son.
Son: “Daddy, what does ‘pick a lane, asshole’ mean?”
Me: “Uh…”
Wife: *flat stare*
So what you’re telling me is I should shut down this computer and do something?
I’m not sure I like the sound of that.
https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/931352880
Sexy, not $6k+ sexy, but still…
And it’s still got 2 days left.
That’s got a folding stock AND a thing that goes up. * faints *
If that’s full auto, that’s not a bad price. Yet.
Judging by the safety (which only has on and off) its probably not (unless there is no semi-auto mode). If its not full auto, touting it as “pre-ban” is misleading to say the least.
There are very few 5.56mm transferable machineguns available at less than $15k. Certainly not a Galil, though.
Enjoy some Democrats tying themselves in knots trying to pigeonhole Kathy’s new mate. I think the gentleman in question is a little confused about it himself.
How do these people even manage to dress themselves?
They don’t, they have aides for that.
Can someone throw a bucket of water on her?
Also, is he freakishly tall or is she shrinking?
Dunno. Never heard of the guy.
Just looking at the video on the site. She was speaking into some microphones at head height and then he was standing there with them at his waist.
I’ve also never heard of him. Seems to be the go-to for LGs. Otherwise you might get me-tooed.
With any luck she’ll resign in disgrace for having tried to enrich her hubby with that Bills grift. And we’ll find out more about this guy.
He was my US Rep.
Idiot RINO who lost to him in 2018 ran a campaign almost entirely on the fact that Delgado did a rap video in his youth.
That sounds about right for this place.
Lazy LOL of the day!
“…my partner in truth…”
I rolled my eyes so hard I’m now blind.
Another WHCD Covid recipient:
She’s clearly following good advice.
Lol, from January:
She follows that up by saying her booster was only 6 days old.
Perhaps if she hadn’t blasted her immune system into gray goo with the booster, she could have avoided that second case.
And the third
Seriously, how do these people not get that they are now immuno-compromised from the vaccine? Catching COVID three times should be near impossible with a properly functioning immune system.
Are they really catching covid or simply failing the PCR test?
Well she says she was sick the first two times.
She follows that up by saying her booster was only 6 days old.
Which I think means that any effect it would have is minimal.
Shortly after an injection is the time when the vaxxed catch covid. If it’s within 14 days then their infection is counted as among unvaxxed or unboosted.
??
The vax compromises the immune system at least temporarily. And there are some who argue that it can hinder the development of a natural immune response to COVID in the long term.
I was fine (as far as I could tell) for months after getting J&J last June.
Then I got the J&J booster in November, was bedridden for a day, and haven’t felt really “good” ever since.
Have had lots of breathing problems and have had to use my nebulizer a bunch, which is not normal for me unless I have a known illness. Saturday I had to go to the ER due to SpO2 in the 80s. Took a series of antibiotics and steroids, but am still waking up with ~80s SpO2.
I don’t know if it has anything to do with the vaxx or not, but my asthma is now trying to kill me.
Mrs. Dean has breathing problems periodically. The air quality in our piece of the desert, at least, can be surprisingly bad. Microdust kicked up by the wind, wildfire smoke (sometimes from far away indeed), pollen . . . .
Weird how that seems to happen so often though. *fits thin aluminum head covering*
I wonder how much of that is true.
A former Atlantic writer would never lie.
Without those boosters she’d have had it SIX times.
And killed a dozen grandmothers.
And died three times. At least.
I don’t generally wish people ill, but I’m tempted to make an exception in her case.
Ioffe was a horrible human being even before the covid era.
Are these people just coughing on each all day or something?
It seems to be a giant circle jerk, so . . . .
She should wear a mask.
So many options.
Julia’s got that “I sucked Joss Whedon’s cock for a Buffy cameo” look to her.
Is the derp peaking yet?
Yes:
OFFS!
Best two out of three? How useless are these fucking tests??
I have a friend whose wife is a physician. He got a sore throat/cold and tested positive for COVID. She got a sore throat/cold and tested negative, multiple times over about a week. He repeated the test a few days later and still tested positive.
How good are the tests? I don’t know if he just used an at-home test, but I imagine his wife had to have a lab test (she works in a hospital), so…
I gotta get out of this place… oh, hey, it’s quittin’ time!
You ain’t got to go home, but you got to get the hell outta here.
Ugh I wish.
Co-worker did something stupid again and I have to pick up the pieces. His reward was checking out at lunch time.
Like, checking out for good?
He better be back Monday, or I’m fucked. I’m already covering for another developer who just left for 2 weeks vacay.
*wonders if I’ll ever get a two-week vacay, ever*
*decides against the move to Belarus that would probably be required*
I hope you at least get to cut the cake too.
Nice! I am going to try and leave early. Crazy week here. I also have post-camping trip spiders all in my car. So I am going to go on safari with my Harbor Freight tennis racket bug zapper this afternoon. Should be fun.
Park it in the garage. Close garage doors (turn off engine first).
Open all doors and the trunk.
Set off an insecticide fogger or two (the garage probably needs it anyway).
Go into house, crack cold beer.
If it gets any worse, that is exactly what I will do. I even have a spare dry smoke fogger. Although spider safari with the Harbor Freight racket is pretty damn fun.