This is what happens when genius and quality cocaine align.
Since there are so few alignments in the skies this week, I have to provide other examples of the phenomenon. All we have is the Moon-Venus conjunction and that doesn’t happen until Saturday (have a date then if you can). I also feel bad for Taurus. You only get one month a year and this year as a bonus you get… nothing. Cows get no respect.
When Great Pyrenees and Golden Retriever align
[Editor’s Note: Out of respect for Pesach there will be no fortune-telling this week. Enjoy the cute dog pic, and the linked videos.]
Taurus:
Gemini:
Cancer:
Leo:
Virgo:
Libra:
Scorpio:
Sagittarius:
Capricorn:
Aquarius:
Pisces:
Aries:
So many of you I thought were going to post this first:
Pesach? Is that one of Santa’s lesser-known reindeer?
When I read that, I thought “Wait, Satan has reindeer”?
Well, Santa is Satan’s brother according to one movie.
I’m not sure if the fortune is sufficiently shitty or not. It’s a blank slate that could be anything.
At least the music is good.
I would submit that Sultans of Swing is the best pop song since the Beatles broke up.
It’s a shame that far too much play on the radio ruined it for me.
See also: “Money for Nothing”.
It was truly amazing when it first came out.
I still love it.
FWIW, it’s the only song of theirs, that I’m aware of, that I like.
And yes, it was way overplayed on the radio of my youth.
I’d put it high up the list, but I’m partial to “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” though I suppose it depends on where you draw the line between pop and rock.
Speaking of “SoS” though, it’s the entirely wrong holiday song for today, but I’m sure The Roches were heavily influenced by the song when they worked up their cover of “We Three Kings.” I can no longer hear one without thinking of the other.
Now that I think of it, my indifference to that band may stem largely from my loathing of that song.
Favorite Dire Straits songs: “Walk of Life” and “On Every Street.”
What Tres said. The summer it was released I was stuck in a very small town with limited radio options. I heard that song like ten times an hour and grew to hate it.
Fortunately, I didn’t burn out on “Money for Nothing” and can still enjoy that. The high def version is excellent.
I don’t know if I could narrow it down to one song, but I’d nominate “Our Lips Are Sealed” by the Go-Gos and something like “I Can’t Go for That” by Hall and Oates.
If you believe this I can’t understand why you hate Jaws.
One of my favorites: Skateaway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W16Szy__gBY
“Walk Like an Egyptian” > “Our Lips Are Sealed” (and Bangles > Go-Gos, except for “Manic Monday. Blech!)
“Maneater” > “I Can’t Go for That.” (I occasionally play around with a draft of a novel in which the male protagonist has “Maneater” as the ringtone for his ex-wife.)
I can’t understand why he hates Jews either.
FWIW, it’s the only song of theirs, that I’m aware of, that I like.
Surely you’ve heard Skateaway (as Kinnath mentions). Maybe you’ve heard some and not known it was Dire Straits: Ride Across The River, The Man’s’ Too Strong, Industrial Disease.
Lots of great Dire Straits never made the radio (that I’ve heard). The intro to Down To The Waterline is amazing, Tunnel of Love, Telegraph Road, Brothers In Arms.
I guess I’m presuming that you don’t dislike the songs I listed.
@Grummun
I tried one of your suggestions but to be honest, I just don’t care for their style so am not motivated to look for more.
de gustibus something or other
de gustibus something or other
No worries. Most of the music people* link here I can’t get through more than 30 seconds or so before I close it.
*even people other than Ted’S
Hateful.
And just for that, you get this.
My favorite is Tunnel of Love. I didn’t care for Money or Nothing.
“What it is” (with the extra verse) from the Sailing to Philly album with James Taylor is right up there with Tunnel and Sultans.
Ugh! How am I supposed to know what’s gonna happen this week?
Choose your own adventure!
You can rely on Trump to do something this week that will further outrage those who want to control you and your income and thoughts.
He’s only got 10 more hours to declare martial law!
What are your thoughts on 17-year-old Phoebe Cates?
TIL
When 17 is too old, there is always 16.
You didn’t link to this?
I would have thought this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYMbWDfn8Yo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdgAeys862c
Dire Straits with eye candy
The video for Skateaway is better, in my opinion.
Sixteen, you say?
Another tragic victim of Trump’s heartlessness
The nation’s health department is slashing its full-time national workforce from 82,000 to 62,000. Among them were Giagnorio and her colleagues in her agency’s 10 regional offices around the country that helped deliver services through programs such as Head Start and emergency assistance for low-income families.
“The poor will become even more poor now,” Giagnorio said. “If we’re taking away social safety nets, what is the end result? If we’re not helping homeless people anymore, will they freeze to death in the winter? Is that what we want?”
——-
But she doubts she will be able to find a public sector salary anywhere near the $117,000 she made and doesn’t know how her skills translate to the private sector. She worries about losing the health insurance that covers her family and having to pull her daughter out of Maastricht University in the Netherlands after her first year.
WEEP FOR HER.
and doesn’t know how her skills translate to the private sector
You don’t say…
Oh I think she knows, all too well.
Ya know, as libertarians, I’m sure we all constantly hear something along the lines of: “But the government works for us; they’re just an organization devoted to our well-being! If you don’t like something the government does, you can just vote to change it.”
But when someone finally starts cutting some staff, all we get are sob stories about how this isn’t good for the government employees. Pretty clear that the Left views the government as a beneficent society FOR government workers. It’s a way for them to get a great paycheck, pensions and benefits that are bankrupting states, and in most cases, a “job” that has very little pressure to deliver results.
Kind of wonder what the point of these stories is. I guess anti-Trump people could have their outraged bumped up a few points. Other than that, it’s hard to see anyone who even vaguely supports Trump suddenly having their view changed by this kind of story.
She worries about […] having to pull her daughter out of Maastricht University
That’s gonna keep Trumpers up at night.
Don’t get my gf started about the parasites involved with the head start program…she was just on a tear about it Friday…
That’s the government program that has been a complete failure, right?
One wonders what the hell it has to with the Health Dept. Perhaps they stashed it there to hide it.
Thoughts on 17yo Phoebe Cates?
If she were my daughter and you came around wagging you dick I am gonna cut it off. Use all of the reason/rationale/explanation you want. I will let you talk. Then I will cut your dick off.
[says man who never had 17 year old daughter]
Really? That is news to me.
*counts grey hairs*
So did you keep ’em in a jar? Or was she smart enough to keep the boys she liked away from you?
She was smart enough and finally brought home the right one. I am sure there are lots of things I dont know about those years and I am fine with keeping it that way. Married, 3 kids, lives in West Monroe. We adopted 2. The other one is single, no kids, lives in Austin, works for Apple and does very well for herself.
https://youtu.be/5jWTRUBRjWU
Meanwhile, in Germany…
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/gun-confiscation-afd-supporters-germany/
Germans have gun rights? Wow, that is two things I learned today.
My wi-fi (not home) is blocking that lol
If she were my daughter and you came around wagging you dick I am gonna cut it off.
“Locked in basement for years, woman escapes captivity by digging tunnel with bobby pin.”
At 16 if there’s a will there’s a way. There always seems to be a will.
There sometimes is retribution however. My daughter had 3 girls. I did not feel sorry for her.
Members and supporters of the right-leaning Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party are now facing mass gun license revocations. The reason? The German government has labeled the AfD a “right-wing extremist” group—a political designation that suddenly makes its members “unreliable” under the country’s gun laws. And just like that, firearms must be surrendered or destroyed.
The Redcoats waited too long to disarm their political opponents, and look how that turned out.
Now we can make ‘You know who else disarmed Germany’ jokes?
Damn, I was just gonna…
The shameless ignorance is unbelievable.
Next thing you know they’ll make those AfDers wear a special symbol.
Aaaand that’s another reason to not believe the anti-gun brigade when they say they want a registry purely for information and crime-solving purposes. Once you have the records of everyone who owns a gun, there’s little else that really stops you from confiscating them. It starts with “icky” groups first, but it doesn’t stop with them.
Thankfully such a list wouldn’t be remotely possible in the US thanks to the the ability to do private transfers and build 80% receivers. They could crack down as hard as they want and still wouldn’t even get half of them.
You’d be surprised at the number of boating accidents.
“I see you have a bank account. It would be a shame if we had to freeze it until you comply with our dictates.”
And it wouldn’t be just for guns either.
He’s only got 10 more hours to declare martial law!
Holy cow, that’s hilarious. It sounds like a screenplay proposal Martin Scorsese and Robert Deniro cooked up.
I can’t wait!
Read that as Martin Scorsese and Robert Deniro co
oked upScrolling through the google nooz, I see a new talking point: “Nobody wants those factory jobs Trump keeps talking about!”
Scrolling through the google nooz
There’s your first mistake.
They are still trying to figure out why they lost, aren’t they?
I see Walz was offering some kind of religious retreat style come to Jesus meeting so they could mourn and figure out why their lunacy wont sell.
Hint: stop lying your asses off gaslighting people and peddling communist clap-trap.
But then they wouldn’t have anything, would they.
Sure, easy for Walz to say. He has a fall back position.
He can teach in an inner city school.
Not when Starbucks or Buc-ees is always an option!
Work is hard and stuff. Undignified, too.
https://x.com/mariasacchetti/status/1913677766635016268
Maybe they should go home.
This. They way overplayed the sympathy card.
Go. Home.
Not when Starbucks or Buc-ees is always an option!
That laid off HHS woman would look good behind the register at Buc-cees. I’m sure she’d be a model employee.
The same people that told everyone else to fuck off and learn to code are now vying for our sympathy.
from the pants-shitting article about Trump
***
The militia members are your neighbors. The difference between them and you? These neighbors own and have been training with AR-15s. You and your friends? Not so much.
***
But but but I’ve been told repeatedly that a bunch of yahoos with rifles can’t overthrow the government.
It’s these moments of accidental honesty that I truly savor.
This merits a re-run:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2n4RnXTS1A
My neighbors? The horror. Which ones? Where do they train? That sounds scary.
These things are horrifying Safe driving.
just for fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olHI-y3bDaM
https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2025/04/20/iowa-gov-signs-bill-allowing-18-year-olds-to-own-carry-handguns/
Congrats Iowa.
huh. MA gun laws should have prevented this shooting. I mean, gun grabbers would never lie right?
From the ‘Not doubling down hard enough’ desk: A month or so ago the Dem party support was down to 31%. Obviously they weren’t hitting it hard enough so they redoubled their efforts to flood the country with alien criminal monsters, have boys beat up girls in sports and let the creepy little fucks into the girl’s showers and changing rooms. Now their support is up to 25%. Maybe they should bring back high-end luxury hotel rooms for illegals who scream ‘Death to America!” on the taxpayer dime. That should do it, right?
Please, keep it up.
I never understood why some people hate Jackson Pollock so much.
I mean, dislike, sure. De Gustibus and all of that. But some people just fucking hate him.
I can’t speak for everyone on this, but for me it’s an interplay of two factors.
First, I look at what is objectively crap that I could do. Second I hear people praising it as somehow anything but trash. The efforts at hype generates an ever increasing distain and disgust towards something I would have otherwise laughed at.
OK, do it then, if it is so easy.
And, why is it trash?
Aside from being ugly, it is meaningless and chaotic, taking no effort or skill to implement.
I prefer art to embody A: realism, and B: an exhibition of skill, talent, and practice in the craft.
Why don’t I do it? Because I don’t want to bring more trash into the world, and I dislike selling garbage via blowing smoke.
Well, for one, I find it beautiful, and I find that beauty in the chaotic presentation of it. I see a lifetimes worth of skill, talent and practice involved, and, considering the number of people who are fans of his works, I am not the only one.
Realism, like dwarves and magic?
Also, I am not doing this to start a fight, I genuinely want to know.
You know what, I am coming across as a dick. Sorry about that.
realism like what I turn my eyes to looks like something that might physically exist, not that it is something that actally exists.
I don’t know where you see talent, practice, or beauty in the splatter. It is an unfortunate drop cloth stretched on a frame. This is likely the unbridgable divide between the two sets of people.
Zwak, I can appreciate that you find beauty in it. I find beauty in a lot of things that are ugly at first glance. If something catches my eye and keeps it, then it’s got my attention, but I’m still not going to call it beautiful if it’s not. HOWEVER, that is just a labeling preference.
I don’t find Dali’s work beautiful, but I do love it. It speaks to me. When I’m gobsmacked or whatever, I say my watches are melting. It’s an apt visual for how I’m feeling right then. Usually people get it after a second or two of looking at me funny and then laugh and go, “That’s exactly it!” Its chaos is every dumb dream every human ever had.
I don’t find Escher’s work beautiful. I find it mesmerizing and technically intriguing. Its chaos is orderly and precise. I’m going to look at it for a LONG time. I’m going to study it. (They did a 3D representation of the staircases in Labyrinth.)
To me, Pollock looks like a right mess. A lazy one. There is nothing there that draws my eye.
My mother is a pianist (I used to be—I coulda been a contendah!). Her go-to is Chopin, Mozart, and Liszt. I’m … not a fan of any of them. We can agree on Beethoven and DeBussy. Me, I REALLY love Bach, Rachmaninoff, and Orff. She’s with me on Rachmaninoff, she can take or leave Bach, but she WILL NOT countenance Orff. To her, Carmina Burana might as well be Led Zeppelin to her because it’s so raucous and discordant. For me, it’s damn near orgasmic. (But, I mean, this is a woman whose ringtone I set as the cannonade from the 1812 Overture and she thought that was hilarious and wonderful.) My dad liked The Grand Canyon Suite by Grofé and I’m still trying to match that music up with the Grand Canyon and not succeeding.
I don’t know where I was going with all this business. I’ll stop now.
Moj, The Grand Canyon Suite really keeps my attention. But then I have spent multiple weeks below the rims in all four seasons. So the “dawn” brings back memories and mental images of dawns I have witnessed. Same with the storms and even the mule train part of the score.
A big mahalo to you since I have haven’t listened to it for some time. Now I’ll listen to it again.
I have the same opinion of him as I do of Dire Straits.
“not my cup of tea”
I don’t hate the guy. His stuff is worthless. So what. To each his own etc.
As for ‘I could do that’ it is true. I knew an art guy in school that did that style. The guy was as talented as a door stop but his Pollock stuff was indistinguishable from Pollock’s Pollock stuff. He gave it up because, in his words, no challenge. Believe me, coming from him that is saying a lot.
I started to think about this when I started trying to get back in the publishing game.
You know, when you don’t have the internet and you’re at the copy shop and post office most of the week, dumping your paycheck into Xerox machines and at Office Max, you have NO IDEA how many people are out there doing the same thing you are, KNOWING that YOU are just one envelope away from Stephen Kingville. Or at least, Danielle Steeltown. You just KNOW you’re gonna hit the right slush pile just right, and you are so much BETTER than all those other losers.
Anyway, so I got online after about 10 years of not querying, and I saw ALL THESE PEOPLE doing the same fucking thing I was doing way back when—only now you can do it by email immediately and query many publishers at once and I thought HALLELUJAH! OMG then I saw the writers’ fora and the critique groups and there were exponentially MORE people than I ever imagined and I’m competing with them and the BAD part was, they didn’t suck.
So. There were a lot of really good writers out there, and there were only a few publishing spots and I went, Wait. This is just a lottery. Was it always? Because it wasn’t about the total number of writers trying to get published. It was total number of REALLY GOOD writers trying to get published, people who deserved to be on a shelf who could’ve sold a lot of books with a little marketing to the right readers.
Okay, so we come back to art.
There are probably A LOT of artists who can do exactly what Pollock did, right down to whatever emotion his work is wringing from people. I bet @TOK can, because obviously HE knows how to make the sausage. Just as talented, just as skilled, but just not SEEN. I will admit I pooh-poohed Picasso until I saw his earlier work when he was not being an absurdist, and I saw it live.
But my point is, Pollock isn’t special. I’m not special. Many artists can actually do what he and I do, and do it just as well or better. Very few artists are truly special, but they had to get eyeballs on them somehow.
I can’t say what Pollock’s work is like live, and I’m still waiting for an answer as to why it’s moving in person.
I will say this, though. If you have to see in IN PERSON to GET IT, it’s not accessible to the vast majority of people who would like to appreciate it. Not all art must be accessible, of course, but that’s the intellectual hierarchy of it, isn’t it?
The part that bugs me is when the people who hit that lottery do suck.
At least be a better writer than I am, it’s not a hard ask.
I’m neutral on Pollock. Even a tie-dye shirt is more interesting to look at and harder to make. Jackson Pollock t-shirts also exist, but I’ve never seen anyone wearing them.
You should come by for nachos night. Everyone is wearing a Pollack T shirt!
You should come by for nachos night. Everyone is wearing a Pollock T shirt!
Other than Queso Orange, Salsa Red, and Salsa Green, what colors are you painting with?
I’m with ZWAK on this one. Also agreed to each his own – but for those who hate Pollock and/or find his work ugly – have you seen a painting or only reproductions? As I stated earlier this week when the subject came up – I am aligned with OMWC statement that I never really understood until I viewed in-person.
Where does the goalpost move after being unimpressed in person? Where to after that?
A simple question isn’t moving a goalpost – and I don’t think it is a stretch to say that there is a difference between seeing a photo/reproduced image versus an actual painting.
Perhaps you missed the to each his own?
It is a change in goalposts. in fact the question itself conflicts with your ‘to each his own’ statement. It is half a step from the official gallery standpoint of “The massess are too ignorant an uneducated to decide what art is and must be protected from unapproved materials in favor of curated ugliness”.
Pollocks all look the same
How many Pollocks does it take to change a lightbulb ?
Never mind the Pollocks.
I saw Van Gogh’s stuff in person. I was shockingly unimpressed.
Hey now. I like Van Gogh.
One of my favorite Van Gogh paintings
https://www.vincentvangogh.org/the-red-vineyard.jsp
Although, I have never seen a digital image that comes close to seeing it in person.
This is a relatively good image.
Ahhh….Bach!
You should see some of the crappy Renoirs that Barnes has in his collection (in Phila.) Some still lifes that look like a fourth grader painted them. Other Renoirs are, of course, sublime.
I never understood why some people hate Jackson Pollock so much.
I don’t hate him. Some of his stuff is kind of cool, but I am not awestruck, as I am by Turner.
Did Pollock ever look at one of his works and say, “Fuck, that paint splat is 1/8″ from where it’s supposed to be. I’ll have to burn this canvas and start from scratch”?
I think he burned all of his stuff once in a drunken fit. Then he sobered up and made a bunch more. (dammit)
He did not even bother to pick the dead flies off his paintings. Oddly enough, there is whole school of modern art dedicated works about dead flies.
https://www.thedeadflyproject.com/2018/
***
This is Damien Hirst’s Armaggedon. It is composed of dead flies and glue.
Scott Burdick’s gave a speech “The Banishment of Beauty” that is available on Youtube. His thesis is that modern art is driven by critics and investors to the detriment of classical beauty. He contends museums and galleries actively avoid art considered realistic or beautiful.
***
https://richmondlikethecity.blogspot.com/2010/10/dead-flies.html
Burdick’s speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tMtV5p0s4E
Sorry, couldn’t find a transcript of it.
https://twitchy.com/amy-curtis/2025/04/20/minnesota-truck-make-assassinations-great-again-bumper-sticker-n2411647
Keep it up, assholes.
Those assholes deserve woodchippers and one way helicopter rides.
You want *real* art?
Watch this:
https://youtu.be/irvBexGqAQ4?si=RwYKhTDCIrGOF0rA
It is important that today , of all days, that we remember.
He has Firsted.
Im glad I dont believe this bullshit, saves time reading
What a coincidence. That’s how I feel every time there’s a Yusef article.
Had a lovely evening unveiling the boys’ lamb cakes to their parents, to much avail. Was able to watch them be brothers while helping a pair hide confetti-filled eggs in the yard. (Ya break ’em and it unleashes! Fun toy-thing, made a deeply satisfying *crunch* as it shattered when stomped.
Adults got to talking and things got slightly political. I kept my voice down as bro several times mouthed his disdain and Trump’s DC. I did perk up once when they were talking about historic issues for women. How it got there, I don’t remember. I pretty much simplified my idea that men also had it shitty, back in the day, especially. If they were lucky enough to win, they were all laborers and forced soldiery unless they had the Money and Power to escape ’em. My point was to show that life is hard and shitty for everyone, not just women.
No one said anything, but I doubt it was well-received. Colin was talking about his strong “alliance with women,” prompting an internal grimace. I shouldn’t have said anything, really, but I don’t ‘think’ I crossed too far over any line. (Which means I likely puked over the ones *they’ve* created in their minds. Or one implanted into ’em by their clergy, swallowed with honor and *pride.*
Yuck. Well. So it goes. It was a lovely evening, with the fun spreading into all arenas of family life. (Except The Aristocrats.)
I understand being stuck in self-censorship in meatspace. I’m stuck in it too often. I find it has a secondary effect. When I comeplaces like hre, where people are more willing to allow others to speak their mind, I overcorrect, becoming more outspoken, and more prone to getting drawn into arguments because ‘dammit, someone in wrong in the internet’.
The switch from publically phlegmatic to privately vitriolic makes me someone I don’t like in either setting.
I hope you find a happy medium with your own meatspace fellows.
I really feel for you, Ev. My mothers family is like that, and while it has been decades since I spent any real time around most of them (my mother and my last cousin excepted) it always was some version of that. At some point, if only for your self respect, you just have to put your head down, and charge at the red flag. And, yes, it can be hard with many feeling hurt, for both sides.
But, it was glorious when, at my great uncles memorial at UC Berkely, they were anointing the the new face of the Sierra Club on one side, while my fairly drunk brother was going on about racing dirt bikes across the Nevada desert. Sometimes you just have to Go For the Gusto.
+1 Schlitz
As for the gusto, both my legitimate love and respect for all family members, and that I’ve been back in their nest for ~four outta the last five years doesn’t put me in any position to cast stones of any sort, shattering my own glass house as it were.
One especially fun bit, particularly with the 4yo Mini-Ev, is all three boys fundamentally understand that I’m very much *not* their father. Have tons of physical and mental overlap, but with completely different personalities and interests. We didn’t have that chat ’round them, but they like that I’m somehow *completely* different, but… still almost a twin of their dad? Little ideas that I have, and I do express all the non-political ones, can inject the sparks of new ideas.
When their time of rebellion comes, with the oldest now 11, I’ve kinda well-slot myself to be The Cool Uncle. I’m pretty much their dad, but I don’t follow ‘any’ of his rules. Almost too easy. (Just the groundwork laid, but I’ve developed a strong relationship with all three, but particularly the youngest. I was in Asia when the other two were this young.
The eldest is my brother’s son., both in personality … and in name.. kinda. Instead of Colin Jr., he named him after his own middle name. (Like we don’t see what he’s doing. But the rest of the world doesn’t! He thinks he’s so goddamn clever. (He usually is. If I’m the Rogue, he’s the Palladin. (Strong, though unbecoming, and wielding his careful machinations to ‘guide’ the humans near his orbit.))
Just because of my natural off-beat self, life and experiences, I throw a much-needed curveball into everything Colin *is.* I have nothing sinister in mind, but I’m naturally an over-the-top, sit-com Opposite of Colin. And much like Kramer and more, we’re often the (perhaps accidental) way of dropping jaws, getting laughs and revealing truth.
It’s the part I’m born to play! Especially with Ezzie, I’m aware I only get this chance once. Swing for the fences, but I know I can’t hack at everything. Sometimes bunting, subtle, yet pointed quips or insights, or even silence(!), is the safest play to win hearts-and-minds. It’s a difficult game, but now’s the only chance I’ll ever get to play.
In Little League, I rarely ever struck out. Well, I’m in the batter’s box now with the boys, and for all my flaws, I ain’t gonna strike out looking with them.
Jeebus, wont you ever stut up?
Most of the grievances of Feminism are things that happen to both men and women. It usually just looks different for men.
You mean I’m not really going to get a mel privilege check?
You can dress up in a sexy body suit and go up to space in a giant penis.
Katy Perry? Maybe, but a sexy suit just makes you, sexy?
How about this?
We are all born the same – naked, screaming our heads off and trying to figure out what the hell is going on around here. You dont get a practice run, we all have to bumblefuck our way through on the first go. Everything else in the world is either trying to kill you or get something at your expense. Fair is a made up word that doesnt mean anything. Just about the time you think you have it figured out everything starts hurting like hell and falling apart. Nobody wants to hear your shit anyway.
Grievances. Waaaaah. Cry me a fucking river. Life is hard for everyone. No, I am not giving you my money.
My SiL specifically mentioned there being differences between the Male Gaze and the Female Gaze.
I noted this, but correctly knew to not even look at any-distance of pole to use if I wished to poke. Being *any* *living* organism is hard as fuck, with most never whiffing ‘success.’ Life is inherently hard for everyone, and has been throughout all of history. Our material and technological lives have improved near-infinitely, but it’s still an intense existence. And even if you *have* M&P, cancer+ kills kings and yeoman alike.
Dad just reminded me if I noticed that the eldest stayed, in silence, with the adults on the porch when we did-indeed have that chat. He, also wisely, didn’t say anything, but there were no distractions from our conversation. I’m hopeful, but not optimistic, that my words held import.
I *did* unintentionally impart a few catchphrases for the youngest. One is just a simple “Atta boy!” that he now *loves* to say. I also ONCE told him Dad’s birth name (and not the middle name he’s always went by) and how Dad HATES that other one. Youngest figured out it and has sparingly used it to poke Dad in a funsy way, especially as Dad has been trying to get us to adopt the nickname he gave himself. A huge sports fan, my old baseball coach, and a sports reporter back in the day, decided to bestow “Big Daddy” on himself. No. Good job, Mini-Ev. Pop-Pop doesn’t deserve the self-made satisfaction.
Different teachers and personalities have diverse points of view! (That aren’t allowed to be included with any sort of equity.) Mine is best used to poke holes in the flimflammery of others, perhaps.
you do not get to pick what other people refer to you as. If you’ve cultivated any respectg, you can ask “don’t call me that”, but that’s about it.
You certainly don’t get to dictate nicknames (or pronouns)
@Suthen
According to my parents, I was so quiet when I came out, the doctor and my parents thought I was stillborn. The doc had to hit me extra hard to get me to make sound. But yeah, definitely an outlier.
Also the doc’s pants fell down. Perhaps that was an omen.
Preferred pronouns are nonsense on stilts. It’s like the old Chinese story about the cruel eunuch who pointed at a deer, called it a horse, and killed anyone who called it a deer.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%8C%87%E9%B9%BF%E7%82%BA%E9%A6%AC
The best rebuttal to feminists to ask one: what rights, here and now, do men have that women don’t have?
Ha! Suthen and I, two horses in harness on this one.
Also! The 11yo said he’d really like to drive around a parking lot to learn. Dad agreed and I added that when done with a bit of snow, and in an empty lot, and I made clear to say you can learn how to control the car in difficult conditions… that it was fucking fun as fuck to do donuts in the snow in mall parking lots growing up.
I *know* everyone on the patio knew and agreed. It was met with an odd silence, like doing something SO DANGEROUS(!) could not be encouraged in any way.
The eldest, I hope and believe, noticed their lack of response, when prior, all had elicited ‘something.’ Inception, Colin Jr., I’m planting my own seeds, as well. Colin Sr. ain’t the only one at work. *smug strut*
Jesus, shut up already
I have often asked “They is the tonsure such a stupid haircut” I’ve decided that it was inflicted by an Abbot who’d been mocked for his male pattern baldness to humiliate the other Monks in the name of humility but was born of wrath.
I confess, it might have instead been born of pride and vanity whereing said Abbot wanted to hide a bald spot.
As I recall a certain Brian was once asked to cure a bald spot. He didn’t. But then he had a lot of other things going on at the same time.
HEY ABBOT!
Shaved heads, long beards, etc are meant to show non-attachment to current fashion and thus other worldly things, so I read. It also helps keep out impostors and aids identification when not wearing the usual garb.
That’s what they want You to think, but priests and monks are only human, after all.
I should have included a link for maximal irreverence.
I do have this odd schism in my brain where my default will conjure up the platonic ideal of a priest in absense of other evidence, but I am equally aware that these men were just as subject to the foibles of regular humanity as you or I.
Easter on April 20. I dunno who was doing more business today, churches or the dope shops.
I might have stumbled upon something interesting:
https://platedlizard.blogspot.com/2025/04/perfect-squares-and-factorization-of.html
My key insight was realizing that geometrically, semiprimes can be visualized as both rectangles and perfect squares that are missing a square-shaped piece from one corner.
Culture Wars Boogaloo #1: On April fourth, the Idaho State Legislature passed House Bill 96 saying, I’ll paraphrase, only certain official flags can be flown at government buildings. Boise mayor flouts the law, leaving up a ‘pride’ flag and a ‘donate life’ flag.
Activist replaces Pride, Donor flags at City Hall with “Appeal to Heaven” flag.
Interesting way to protest, I thought.
Culture Wars Boogaloo #2: Boise Mayor Lauren McLean has stood firm in her decision to keep the Pride and Donate Life flags flying, despite threats from Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador that she might be putting city funding at risk. McLean appeared in front of City Hall at about 11 a.m. and quickly removed the “Appeal to Heaven” flag and uncovered the two others, according to video footage.
All this according to Idaho Pravda, so who knows what’s true.
Let us see how the ultra conservative ultra right ultra wingers respond. I personally think the Progressive Christians far outnumber the traditionalists around here, but we’ll see, I guess.
They “uncovered the two” other letters in the’Appeal to Heaven’ flag?!
DUH. The ‘APPEAL TO EVAN’ flag is getting lots of likes, clicks, purchases. Hot-seller. They hates competitions with me precious.
(I’ve only appealed for a few myself, but the gist of my gumption attracts talent.)
We had a nice Easter at the course today, pink and blue colors, a nice San Diego day
Gummint should only fly gummint flags (national, state, city).
Anything else is BS politics.
Commie Pope now burning in hell
Wakey, wakey Glibs!
Get out there and have a great day.
☀️🕶️☕️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypr18UmxOas
🎶🎶
Good morning, Sean, Ted’S., U, Stinky, and ChipP!
Morning, GT. How goes?
So far, so good. It’s a payroll week, but as it gets later in the month, I’m hoping things quiet down a bit at the office. And I just remembered – my boss will be at a CU convention in Columbus today through Wednesday, so that increases the chance for a little peace.
How are you?
They rebooted my office computer at some point over the weekend. (-.-)
I found I left my $200 noise cancelling headphones out on my desk again over the weekend. (Thankfully they were still there).
I’m in a particularly curmudgeonly mood this morning, but would rather not be. I have been contemplating taking a vacation just to get stuff done around the house, but I’m not sure I have the leave to spare.
I hope you have enough time off that you could take at least a little. It just occurred to me that we ARE in the middle of that fairly long spell between Presidents Day and Memorial Day as far as official work holidays are concerned. Then, if your employer now does Juneteenth, you’ll have three in pretty quick succession. But that still seems like a ways off from now. 😕
I have this friday off so I can make my permit appointment with the judge. (Hopefully I’ll know when I can get the actual permit once that’s done. The clerk/secretary/person I spoke to said it should take 15 minutes for the conversation, so finger’s crossed it’s a pro forma meeting.)
As long as that appointment doesn’t end up with a lot of waiting around, that should leave some time to get at least a little done around the house! 🙂🤞
Oh, hey, the 17th was my anniversary date with the state. I got a whole week of personal leave. (It refreshes each year on the date you first started working at the state.)
😃👍🥳
I don’t want to sound like I’m celebrating. Though I hope the next pope is a Christian.
Nah. He stacked the college to prevent that.
🤔
Now I have the mental image of the traditionalist Cardinals breaking out the long knives, sacrificing of themselves (spiritually) to clean out the heretic priests from the college.
Seriously, Commie Pope was no bueno.
He went on about climate change and advocated globalization to fix it, criticized anyone who thought borders were worth talking about, sided with Gaza after Oct 7 2023, and generally was a commie POS.
Single-handedly ruined the joke “Is the pope Catholic?”
Advice to next cardinals at conclave: no more Jesuits, read the room, and stop kowtowing to Islam.
This, written about a month ago, is a worthwhile primer on Francis and the state of the Church.
Well RIP, it’ll be interesting to see what route they take with the next one.
A cross between Christianity Today and Sojourners?
Hopefully not with a universalist who blesses a Vatican nativity scene with Jesus swaddled in a keffyieh
https://www.timesofisrael.com/vatican-nativity-scene-showing-baby-jesus-on-a-keffiyeh-removed-after-backlash/amp/
Yikes, forgot about that one.
Yeah, I think a bit more traditionalism is in order. Recognize the other guys politely, but don’t kowtow to them FFS.
Thoughts and prayers to his wife and kids
He wasn’t officially married. Whether or not he had any Cardinal-“Nephew”s around, I’m not sure.
It’s a Monday.
Why did I set my alarm for this? Oh, right, I have to go to work.
Please leave me alone today, Ted, I’m not really in the mood.
Please let me know when you’re in. I’d like to give you a call.
suh’ fam
whats goody
I’m actually doing a site visit for a LOCAL (-ish) project. Finally.
Good morning, homey!
How local is local-ish?
Xenia/Fairborn
Dayton
Oh heck, homey. That’s local. I go that far to get my oil changed at the dealer.