I just couldn't decide what to call it... "Good News"?, "Made Me Laugh"?, the typical "Good Guys With Guns"?
Just too many possibilities.
The first news story on the first email I opened this morning actually was a 'feel good' story NOT involving kittens or kids! (Well, there may have been kids involved in this story had it not been for a good guy with a gun, but it wouldn't have been a feel good story in that case by any means.)
Here's a link to a story with video taken inside the church in Texas where armed security took out a bad man who pulled a weapon. I almost fell off my chair laughing? (Am I sick or what!?)
Have a good Monday!
UPDATE: I just learned two people were already shot by this asswipe before he was rightfully blown away. I was NOT aware when I wrote this post. Damn it. Still glad he got it like he did though...
***
Monday, December 30, 2019
Saturday, December 28, 2019
2020 prediction
I predict Trump will be president after the 2020 elections. Not because he is necessarily the best, or because of any political affiliation.
It'll be because no one shows up.
America is getting so tired of politics as usual. Quid pro quo for me but not for thee. The rules only apply to the other guy.
The first paragraph of the first email I opened to peruse my morning mail as I drink my coffee this morning concerned the fact that Biden has re-stated that if he is subpoenaed to testify in an impeachment hearing, he will refuse.
Keep in mind, our president is being impeached for asking a foreign government to do him a favor for a favor (quid pro quo) which Biden admitted himself he did with a billion dollars of our money to be given in aid only if they kept his son gainfully employed, and for obstruction of congress for telling subpoenaed witnesses not to show up. Which Biden has just restated he will ignore any subpoena...
Do we even give a fuck? We, the huddled masses, sleeping in our tent cities in some of the greatest cities of the world, just DON'T FUCKING CARE anymore. We know its ALL quid pro quo in government, and has been for the living memory of most of us. We have the Pelosies of government, in an attempt to be 'just one of us' telling us how OMG 'hard' it was growing up. Her daddy a janitor. Having to lie about being an indian to get into college. How poor she was.
Until she got into politics....
Fucking barmaids, living on pay-by-the-hour wages being somehow elected to one of the highest jobs in the country complaining she can't afford to live in her district on 174,000 dollars a year, when she supposedly had to live there in the first place to be eligible to run from there.
Politicians telling us what to wear, what to eat, what to drive, how to this and when to that. Claiming ownership over our lands and proprietorship over our lives, while living high on our hog while we get the dregs.
Not a doubt in my mind Trump will remain president. The question isn't who will run the country anymore, or even who cares. The question is how long we will put up with this shit? Why show up when whoever is voted in either has no concern for anything but their own welfare, or making sure no one else is getting a bigger piece of our pie? And even those who may actually be there to make a difference being to busy fighting for their lives against the other mongrels in the pit in their own attempt to be top dog.
Billionaires and movie star idols in crystal mansions telling those of us toiling in the mud to support their lavish lifestyles while we're to filthy to enter their presence. Making sure we have enough beer and American Idol to keep us bowed and content like cows tethered in our little stalls chewing our cud while awaiting our turn to be milked, so the elite can have the cream while we fight over the whey.
Will it really make any difference? We as a populace no longer even hold our town leaders accountable. Politics has become the task of remaining in power to rule, not to govern, and we as Americans are happy to bow down to the authoritarianism as long as it happens to our neighbors and doesn't affect us. Too lazy, uninformed, or downright stupid to realize its only a matter of time until we no longer have even the pretense of freedom. Apathetically chewing our cud while career politicians and non-elected department 'heads' erode away our freedoms from the very god the were granted us by.
I predict Trump will win in 2020. But what is there left to win?
It'll be because no one shows up.
America is getting so tired of politics as usual. Quid pro quo for me but not for thee. The rules only apply to the other guy.
The first paragraph of the first email I opened to peruse my morning mail as I drink my coffee this morning concerned the fact that Biden has re-stated that if he is subpoenaed to testify in an impeachment hearing, he will refuse.
Keep in mind, our president is being impeached for asking a foreign government to do him a favor for a favor (quid pro quo) which Biden admitted himself he did with a billion dollars of our money to be given in aid only if they kept his son gainfully employed, and for obstruction of congress for telling subpoenaed witnesses not to show up. Which Biden has just restated he will ignore any subpoena...
Do we even give a fuck? We, the huddled masses, sleeping in our tent cities in some of the greatest cities of the world, just DON'T FUCKING CARE anymore. We know its ALL quid pro quo in government, and has been for the living memory of most of us. We have the Pelosies of government, in an attempt to be 'just one of us' telling us how OMG 'hard' it was growing up. Her daddy a janitor. Having to lie about being an indian to get into college. How poor she was.
Until she got into politics....
Fucking barmaids, living on pay-by-the-hour wages being somehow elected to one of the highest jobs in the country complaining she can't afford to live in her district on 174,000 dollars a year, when she supposedly had to live there in the first place to be eligible to run from there.
Politicians telling us what to wear, what to eat, what to drive, how to this and when to that. Claiming ownership over our lands and proprietorship over our lives, while living high on our hog while we get the dregs.
Not a doubt in my mind Trump will remain president. The question isn't who will run the country anymore, or even who cares. The question is how long we will put up with this shit? Why show up when whoever is voted in either has no concern for anything but their own welfare, or making sure no one else is getting a bigger piece of our pie? And even those who may actually be there to make a difference being to busy fighting for their lives against the other mongrels in the pit in their own attempt to be top dog.
Billionaires and movie star idols in crystal mansions telling those of us toiling in the mud to support their lavish lifestyles while we're to filthy to enter their presence. Making sure we have enough beer and American Idol to keep us bowed and content like cows tethered in our little stalls chewing our cud while awaiting our turn to be milked, so the elite can have the cream while we fight over the whey.
Will it really make any difference? We as a populace no longer even hold our town leaders accountable. Politics has become the task of remaining in power to rule, not to govern, and we as Americans are happy to bow down to the authoritarianism as long as it happens to our neighbors and doesn't affect us. Too lazy, uninformed, or downright stupid to realize its only a matter of time until we no longer have even the pretense of freedom. Apathetically chewing our cud while career politicians and non-elected department 'heads' erode away our freedoms from the very god the were granted us by.
I predict Trump will win in 2020. But what is there left to win?
Sunday, December 22, 2019
I HATE yams
No, I really hate yams. I don't like the mushy texture, they taste (to me) like chicken shit smells, with added sugar. People who do eat them tend to smack, and the color is reminiscent of what I used to remove with the diaper from my baby's butt.
And don't get me started on the scorched marshmallow topping they put on this hated so-called vegetable!
So. Imagine my chagrin, if I happen to be at a liberal table at a Christmas dinner, and some well intentioned idiot actually passes me an otherwise perfectly good casserole dish filled with these filthy things? If I take some, I can practically guarantee that they will go to waste, as there is no way these are invading my sensitive taste buds. And if I don't, and push the dish away, what if it actually offends the otherwise reasonable sensibilities of the person who in some perverse sense actually thinks they are food?
Okay. This may be a bit off kilter. Its not as if I snatched the casserole dish and started flinging spoonsful of ugly orange mush against the festively decorated walls of the family dining room. Nor did I damage a perfectly serviceable receptacle bashing it into a million pieces against the offending liberal's head. (The 'serviceable receptacle' being the dish, not a liberal's head. Just wanted to make sure that was understood....). In this latter case, it would not just be my personal sense of taste, or my own feelings that are in danger, it is a case of destructive mischief at the least, and assault with a deadly vegetable at the worst, and such behavior should be punishable.
But I live in Michigan, was raised by reasonable parents, and have been taught a certain sense of decorum during my upbringing.
I would politely refuse, mumbling something about being allergic to any disgusting foodstuff that looks and smells like baby shit, and those who enjoy this sort of gustatorial infestation would have that much more to themselves. Good on 'em.
But those who enjoy yams don't care if I don't. They don't tie me to the chair and make me watch them eating them with such obvious enjoyment, while they smack their way through mouthful after mouthful. They do not degrade me for my preference for white potatoes, possibly with gravy, white or brown, and accuse me of vegetable bigotry.
Not so the LGBTQ+etc 'community'. And thank goodness I don't live in fucking IOWA! Where a 'repeat offender' is facing 15 years in prison for burning a gay alphabet flag. (Google it, too many hits out there for me to reference one...)
Okay. He shouldn't touch something that doesn't belong to him, and should have learned this in kindergarten. He has no right to tell others how they should feel, or what they should put in their mouths. Yams or otherwise. And he should be punished.
But fifteen years?
Well, says the public defender, its a hate crime.
WHO SAYS? Why do the gays and queers and lesbians get to be offended to the point that burning a piece of rainbow colored cloth deserves prison time, but burning the flag I gave 13 years of my life defending actively, and passively for all of my 55 years is regulated to 'freedom of speech'?
And why is it that real physical communities that have had all types/colors/sexes/ages/income levels since the development of the area are less important than the one fucking household containing a pair of same-sex lovers? How the hell are they more a 'community' than the entire block of diverse persons and personalities?
I'm not against gays. Any more than I'm against people getting old, or being young when they're born. I don't care how much money you have or how much you don't. The color or your skin will always mean less to me then your caliber as a person. And I don't care if you like guys, girls, or (consenting, age-appropriate) goats. I don't personally want to see you sucking face in public. Or any other body parts. I find it annoying. And therefore, I look somewhere else and let others deal with you making a spectacle of yourself. Wear plaid with stripes if that's your thing. I can and will keep wearing bluejeans and flannel shirts. You be you. Or as that great American, Popey the Sailorman, was wont to say: I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam! (apparently, he had no taste in vegetables either... he actually thought spinach was a food group. But YAMS!?) He never denigrated Wimpy for his oral addiction to hamburgers, or cared what Bluto did in his bedroom behind closed doors. Nor did he ever try to body shame Olive Oyl for her anorexic proclivities. Just went about his own business. Hell, I don't like tattoos, but you'll never hear me putting him down for his tasteful and non-discriminatory anchor tat.... He yam what he yam, after all.
And I don't think the fucking government has any right to prosecute 'hate crime' any more than it has to prosecute 'thought crime'. Thoughts, feelings, morality, NONE of them are any of the governments business. Nor mine. Nor yours for that matter.
How a person feels is no one's business but their own. Their actions, should they prove intrusive or abusive or downright criminal are. And should be addressed appropriately. But adding terms like 'hate' or 'intent' or 'potential' to crime is wrong, and only hurts the majority. You know; those of us who, through no actual fault or intent, hate.
Like yams for example.....
And don't get me started on the scorched marshmallow topping they put on this hated so-called vegetable!
So. Imagine my chagrin, if I happen to be at a liberal table at a Christmas dinner, and some well intentioned idiot actually passes me an otherwise perfectly good casserole dish filled with these filthy things? If I take some, I can practically guarantee that they will go to waste, as there is no way these are invading my sensitive taste buds. And if I don't, and push the dish away, what if it actually offends the otherwise reasonable sensibilities of the person who in some perverse sense actually thinks they are food?
Okay. This may be a bit off kilter. Its not as if I snatched the casserole dish and started flinging spoonsful of ugly orange mush against the festively decorated walls of the family dining room. Nor did I damage a perfectly serviceable receptacle bashing it into a million pieces against the offending liberal's head. (The 'serviceable receptacle' being the dish, not a liberal's head. Just wanted to make sure that was understood....). In this latter case, it would not just be my personal sense of taste, or my own feelings that are in danger, it is a case of destructive mischief at the least, and assault with a deadly vegetable at the worst, and such behavior should be punishable.
But I live in Michigan, was raised by reasonable parents, and have been taught a certain sense of decorum during my upbringing.
I would politely refuse, mumbling something about being allergic to any disgusting foodstuff that looks and smells like baby shit, and those who enjoy this sort of gustatorial infestation would have that much more to themselves. Good on 'em.
But those who enjoy yams don't care if I don't. They don't tie me to the chair and make me watch them eating them with such obvious enjoyment, while they smack their way through mouthful after mouthful. They do not degrade me for my preference for white potatoes, possibly with gravy, white or brown, and accuse me of vegetable bigotry.
Not so the LGBTQ+etc 'community'. And thank goodness I don't live in fucking IOWA! Where a 'repeat offender' is facing 15 years in prison for burning a gay alphabet flag. (Google it, too many hits out there for me to reference one...)
Okay. He shouldn't touch something that doesn't belong to him, and should have learned this in kindergarten. He has no right to tell others how they should feel, or what they should put in their mouths. Yams or otherwise. And he should be punished.
But fifteen years?
Well, says the public defender, its a hate crime.
WHO SAYS? Why do the gays and queers and lesbians get to be offended to the point that burning a piece of rainbow colored cloth deserves prison time, but burning the flag I gave 13 years of my life defending actively, and passively for all of my 55 years is regulated to 'freedom of speech'?
And why is it that real physical communities that have had all types/colors/sexes/ages/income levels since the development of the area are less important than the one fucking household containing a pair of same-sex lovers? How the hell are they more a 'community' than the entire block of diverse persons and personalities?
I'm not against gays. Any more than I'm against people getting old, or being young when they're born. I don't care how much money you have or how much you don't. The color or your skin will always mean less to me then your caliber as a person. And I don't care if you like guys, girls, or (consenting, age-appropriate) goats. I don't personally want to see you sucking face in public. Or any other body parts. I find it annoying. And therefore, I look somewhere else and let others deal with you making a spectacle of yourself. Wear plaid with stripes if that's your thing. I can and will keep wearing bluejeans and flannel shirts. You be you. Or as that great American, Popey the Sailorman, was wont to say: I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam! (apparently, he had no taste in vegetables either... he actually thought spinach was a food group. But YAMS!?) He never denigrated Wimpy for his oral addiction to hamburgers, or cared what Bluto did in his bedroom behind closed doors. Nor did he ever try to body shame Olive Oyl for her anorexic proclivities. Just went about his own business. Hell, I don't like tattoos, but you'll never hear me putting him down for his tasteful and non-discriminatory anchor tat.... He yam what he yam, after all.
And I don't think the fucking government has any right to prosecute 'hate crime' any more than it has to prosecute 'thought crime'. Thoughts, feelings, morality, NONE of them are any of the governments business. Nor mine. Nor yours for that matter.
How a person feels is no one's business but their own. Their actions, should they prove intrusive or abusive or downright criminal are. And should be addressed appropriately. But adding terms like 'hate' or 'intent' or 'potential' to crime is wrong, and only hurts the majority. You know; those of us who, through no actual fault or intent, hate.
Like yams for example.....
Friday, December 20, 2019
I like mowing
I've always enjoyed mowing. I go into a sort of Zen state as I walk behind the mower, usually starting on the edges and making smaller and smaller circles, squares, triangles, whatever shape the lawn happens to be, until I devour that last little bit with the hungry blades of the unstoppable mower.
This year I've told my landlord I'm more than happy to mow the open lawn and various walking paths cut through the acreage. He has a zero turn mower which should take my Zen mowing to a whole new level.
And with the zero turn mower already here and ready to go, I'm looking forward to it.
I just need to figure out how to convince him to upgrade to THIS:
This year I've told my landlord I'm more than happy to mow the open lawn and various walking paths cut through the acreage. He has a zero turn mower which should take my Zen mowing to a whole new level.
And with the zero turn mower already here and ready to go, I'm looking forward to it.
I just need to figure out how to convince him to upgrade to THIS:
Saturday, December 14, 2019
I'm thinking my turtle is gonna see a lot of blog time...
This one is his impression of Superman:
 |
| Up, up, and awaaaaay! |
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Virginia gauntlet?
This article ( https://www.theorganicprepper.com/virginia-lawmakers-threaten-2nd-amendment-sanctuaries-with-national-guard/ ) by Daisy Luther is fairly provocative. It references Virginia SB16,
a bill to literally expand the definition of an assault rifle.
Which is the ultimate gun grab in my estimation as there is no such thing as a rifle that is not an "assault" rifle. It's like terming a stone you pick up to bean your neighbor with an assault rock.
Or stabbing someone in the eye with an assault pencil.
Intent of the weapon holder, folks.
Not the weapon.
Daisy asks the question: who wants to die on this hill?... Things could get ugly.
 |
| https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB16 |
Which is the ultimate gun grab in my estimation as there is no such thing as a rifle that is not an "assault" rifle. It's like terming a stone you pick up to bean your neighbor with an assault rock.
Or stabbing someone in the eye with an assault pencil.
Intent of the weapon holder, folks.
Not the weapon.
Daisy asks the question: who wants to die on this hill?... Things could get ugly.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Social Security: A microcosm of Government
How does this work exactly?
My yearly Social Security Disability COLA (Cost of Living) raise notification came in today.
1.6 percent. Which raises my total monthly income to a generous $1362 per month.
And my Medicare went up 9 dollars from $135 to $144. Or 6.6 percent. They grant 1.6 percent and raise my cost FIVE PERCENT more.
So by giving me a 21 dollar raise to cover the rise in cost of living: Food prices, gas prices, rents, mortgages, hookers, etc, which ALL went up (at least I assume hookers are charging more, they gotta live too...) they figure that covers the cumulative amount of EVERYTHING going up, and one thing I know for certain is that's a helluva lot more than 21 bucks. THEN take damned near HALF of that back.
Government at work. Give a little, take a lot.
I'd gladly give up the 12 dollar a month increase if it would somehow help drain the fucking cesspool that is our government.
Thank god they have no term limits, get their pension for life even if they serve one fucking term, and vote themselves raises all the time to meet the needs of their "average joe" lifestyles. Even a fucking bartender, going from hourly plus tips, to 174 THOUSAND a year congresswoman's salary, whines how she NEEDS 4,500 dollars MORE to meet her 'marginal' needs.
And while we're at it, lets pay reparations for slavery and giving the common cold to Indians, make sure criminal illegal aliens get free EVERYTHING, pay off everyone's college loans, provide free houses, money, food, and puppies to every living human on the face of the earth, and let our vets die in the streets to show our appreciation of their service!
Ain't Government grand?!?
My yearly Social Security Disability COLA (Cost of Living) raise notification came in today.
1.6 percent. Which raises my total monthly income to a generous $1362 per month.
And my Medicare went up 9 dollars from $135 to $144. Or 6.6 percent. They grant 1.6 percent and raise my cost FIVE PERCENT more.
So by giving me a 21 dollar raise to cover the rise in cost of living: Food prices, gas prices, rents, mortgages, hookers, etc, which ALL went up (at least I assume hookers are charging more, they gotta live too...) they figure that covers the cumulative amount of EVERYTHING going up, and one thing I know for certain is that's a helluva lot more than 21 bucks. THEN take damned near HALF of that back.
Government at work. Give a little, take a lot.
I'd gladly give up the 12 dollar a month increase if it would somehow help drain the fucking cesspool that is our government.
Thank god they have no term limits, get their pension for life even if they serve one fucking term, and vote themselves raises all the time to meet the needs of their "average joe" lifestyles. Even a fucking bartender, going from hourly plus tips, to 174 THOUSAND a year congresswoman's salary, whines how she NEEDS 4,500 dollars MORE to meet her 'marginal' needs.
And while we're at it, lets pay reparations for slavery and giving the common cold to Indians, make sure criminal illegal aliens get free EVERYTHING, pay off everyone's college loans, provide free houses, money, food, and puppies to every living human on the face of the earth, and let our vets die in the streets to show our appreciation of their service!
Ain't Government grand?!?
Sunday, December 8, 2019
WTF is SHTF? Is it TEOTWAWKI? And how much do we Know It to begin with?
I'm a prepper. Big news there, anyone who reads my blog should know that by now.
I'm NOT a survivor. Or let me rephrase that: EVERYBODY alive today is a survivor. Breathe much lately? Than yer probably surviving.
The only way one doesn't survive is by not breathing. AKA dead. Which I'm not. Yet, anyway.
But prepping, at least for me, isn't about surviving. Surviving is about staying alive. And its pretty amazing the lengths life will go to in order to remain alive. For those afficianados of Jurassic Park, remember, Life will find a way. Then grow up and become big enough to eat you. The point of prepping is to not be the one eaten.
Some folks tend to confuse limited with limiting. The house I'm in now is limited. Wood heating, which means I have to make sure the fire is going. There is the option of electrical heat, but the amperage I have available is limited to 20 amps. And if I want to run my coffee pot, refrigerator, occasional microwave, and/or hotplate range, I have to switch around to not pop the breaker. So I just keep the heater off.
I don't have cable. I don't have satellite. I did break down and splurge on ROKU so I can use my Netflix and Amazon Prime accounts on the TV here. Don't need it, but its nice. Hell, the antenna installed by my landlord picks up almost 50 channels from Detroit. Granted, there are usually only three shows on, but its STILL fifty channels....
(Actually, there are a LOT of shows, I'm just not enough of a TV watcher to be interested in any more than about 3 of them...usually those where I'm learning something.....)
There are limits to living here. But despite that, its NOT limiting. We're not cramped in a 30 foot fifth wheel! There's actually 10X that space here. Doug, my benefactor/landlord, said it was 300 sq ft. Which used to seem small to me, but after a year in a box, this is HUGE!
Did I mention I have to fill a water reservoir from a hose I have to run to the outside of the main house? Once filled, it will last probably 2 weeks. I don't know for sure, because I've filled it at the halfway point so far, and am learning to be frugal with water. But even this isn't limiting. Just limited in my usage. And its a good exercise in case there comes a time when even that isn't an option.
I believe my dad would have called it self discipline. Which he was very fond of telling me was a good thing. And teaches me responsibility. Which was another thing he seemed inordinately fond of telling me I should pursue.
Oh, and I have chickens! They aren't laying, and I'm telling myself its because I just got them, they're still adjusting to the move, and its fucking COLD, but either way, if they don't lay eggs, they're still edible, just takes a little more effort than cracking a shell on the counter. Got em free, so I'm ahead of the game there in any case. But if I don't get some hen fruit soon, I'm gonna use some of my water reserves to start a pot boiling....
But, like usual, I digress...
For those of you who are still looking at the title of this post, scratching your heads and trying to figure out what the fuck it all means, this is for you. Spelled out: What The Fuck is Shit Hit The Fan? Is it The End Of The World As We Know It?
And having made sure every one is on the same page now. Metaphorically speaking, as we are obiously at this point all on THIS page, let me enlighten you on the point of this post and title:
The end of the world as we know it is: As WE know it. Not as others understand it. The "world" is different to every single person, creature, insect or animal. And every breath taken is different than the one before or the next you'll take.
Am I living in a mansion by the sea? No. But I'm warm, I'm fed, and I had a fairly decent bowel movement this morning right after rolling out of bed which started my day off pretty damn good, thank you very much. I got a couple beers in the fridge, one of which I'm gonna pop as soon as I'm done rambling here, and a sweet wife who is not currently annoying me, but will as soon as she reads this post. (She subscribes, so.....)
And my life is GOOD. Its not the end of my world. And its a far cry from Shit Hit The Fan.
I've lived that. Get shot sometime, you'll figure out what I mean. THAT will end life the way you know it, I GUARANTEE! Just make sure it don't end LIFE, period. That will kind of defeat the purpose of this experiment in the first place. Please hold all questions until the end of class, when all will be ignored until the pop quiz. Thank you.
I think more folks should sit down and figure out what's important. Go ahead and take that next breath, I'll wait. What do you smell? Taste? (I guess that last would depend on whether you're a nose or mouth breather.... no judgement here. You do you!)
Now close your eyes. Can you still picture the last thing you saw before this little exercise? Is that the last thing you will ever see? Probably not, just open your eyes. But what if it was? Is it something worth seeing for the rest of eternity? I have a computer screen in front of me, but thankfully have been blessed with good peripheral vision. To the left is my dog snuggled into his blankie on the floor, and to the right is my wife with her headphones on, watching South Korean soap operas on her phone. Both sides bring me happiness for personal and separate reasons. Until my wife reads this and finds out I outed her addiction to foreign soaps to the world, and hurts me.
And I'm secure in the knowledge that I can handle whatever comes. I don't have everything I've ever wanted, but I have everything I need.
So let me end this by saying: The world ALWAYS, every second, ends as we know it. Every second brings new discovery and new problems and new joys. If all you're doing is breathing, you AREN'T living.
That's just surviving.
I'm NOT a survivor. Or let me rephrase that: EVERYBODY alive today is a survivor. Breathe much lately? Than yer probably surviving.
The only way one doesn't survive is by not breathing. AKA dead. Which I'm not. Yet, anyway.
But prepping, at least for me, isn't about surviving. Surviving is about staying alive. And its pretty amazing the lengths life will go to in order to remain alive. For those afficianados of Jurassic Park, remember, Life will find a way. Then grow up and become big enough to eat you. The point of prepping is to not be the one eaten.
Some folks tend to confuse limited with limiting. The house I'm in now is limited. Wood heating, which means I have to make sure the fire is going. There is the option of electrical heat, but the amperage I have available is limited to 20 amps. And if I want to run my coffee pot, refrigerator, occasional microwave, and/or hotplate range, I have to switch around to not pop the breaker. So I just keep the heater off.
I don't have cable. I don't have satellite. I did break down and splurge on ROKU so I can use my Netflix and Amazon Prime accounts on the TV here. Don't need it, but its nice. Hell, the antenna installed by my landlord picks up almost 50 channels from Detroit. Granted, there are usually only three shows on, but its STILL fifty channels....
(Actually, there are a LOT of shows, I'm just not enough of a TV watcher to be interested in any more than about 3 of them...usually those where I'm learning something.....)
There are limits to living here. But despite that, its NOT limiting. We're not cramped in a 30 foot fifth wheel! There's actually 10X that space here. Doug, my benefactor/landlord, said it was 300 sq ft. Which used to seem small to me, but after a year in a box, this is HUGE!
Did I mention I have to fill a water reservoir from a hose I have to run to the outside of the main house? Once filled, it will last probably 2 weeks. I don't know for sure, because I've filled it at the halfway point so far, and am learning to be frugal with water. But even this isn't limiting. Just limited in my usage. And its a good exercise in case there comes a time when even that isn't an option.
I believe my dad would have called it self discipline. Which he was very fond of telling me was a good thing. And teaches me responsibility. Which was another thing he seemed inordinately fond of telling me I should pursue.
Oh, and I have chickens! They aren't laying, and I'm telling myself its because I just got them, they're still adjusting to the move, and its fucking COLD, but either way, if they don't lay eggs, they're still edible, just takes a little more effort than cracking a shell on the counter. Got em free, so I'm ahead of the game there in any case. But if I don't get some hen fruit soon, I'm gonna use some of my water reserves to start a pot boiling....
But, like usual, I digress...
For those of you who are still looking at the title of this post, scratching your heads and trying to figure out what the fuck it all means, this is for you. Spelled out: What The Fuck is Shit Hit The Fan? Is it The End Of The World As We Know It?
And having made sure every one is on the same page now. Metaphorically speaking, as we are obiously at this point all on THIS page, let me enlighten you on the point of this post and title:
The end of the world as we know it is: As WE know it. Not as others understand it. The "world" is different to every single person, creature, insect or animal. And every breath taken is different than the one before or the next you'll take.
Am I living in a mansion by the sea? No. But I'm warm, I'm fed, and I had a fairly decent bowel movement this morning right after rolling out of bed which started my day off pretty damn good, thank you very much. I got a couple beers in the fridge, one of which I'm gonna pop as soon as I'm done rambling here, and a sweet wife who is not currently annoying me, but will as soon as she reads this post. (She subscribes, so.....)
And my life is GOOD. Its not the end of my world. And its a far cry from Shit Hit The Fan.
I've lived that. Get shot sometime, you'll figure out what I mean. THAT will end life the way you know it, I GUARANTEE! Just make sure it don't end LIFE, period. That will kind of defeat the purpose of this experiment in the first place. Please hold all questions until the end of class, when all will be ignored until the pop quiz. Thank you.
I think more folks should sit down and figure out what's important. Go ahead and take that next breath, I'll wait. What do you smell? Taste? (I guess that last would depend on whether you're a nose or mouth breather.... no judgement here. You do you!)
Now close your eyes. Can you still picture the last thing you saw before this little exercise? Is that the last thing you will ever see? Probably not, just open your eyes. But what if it was? Is it something worth seeing for the rest of eternity? I have a computer screen in front of me, but thankfully have been blessed with good peripheral vision. To the left is my dog snuggled into his blankie on the floor, and to the right is my wife with her headphones on, watching South Korean soap operas on her phone. Both sides bring me happiness for personal and separate reasons. Until my wife reads this and finds out I outed her addiction to foreign soaps to the world, and hurts me.
And I'm secure in the knowledge that I can handle whatever comes. I don't have everything I've ever wanted, but I have everything I need.
So let me end this by saying: The world ALWAYS, every second, ends as we know it. Every second brings new discovery and new problems and new joys. If all you're doing is breathing, you AREN'T living.
That's just surviving.
Friday, December 6, 2019
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