Anyone enjoying themselves?

[Iceman 2,722]

1 hour ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

I'm not a Branson (also in Mizzou) kind of gal, but Wilson's Creek National Battlefield was memorable. Hard to imagine something now so green and picturesque was the site of such tragedy. Pretty state.

yes, same here.  I saw the signs for the Battlefield memorial and noted it for future returns.

When son was at WP, my favorite memorial(s) were right by Grant Hall, overlooking the Hudson and commemorating the sacrifices made in the Civil War.  It's the kind of thing that sticks with ya...now I want to know more and visit more sites. Well, when that kind of thing is practical again.

 

[BrazilHorn 6,624]

Wife (no pics) and I moved all the furniture in front room against walls and set up yoga studio, hooked laptop to TV and have been streaming classes.

I have taken the kids a couple of times to go fishing, just throwing a line in by Redbud Island or down by Shoal Creek, more just fucking around vs really trying to catch anything.

We are getting ready to start a game of 7th Continent and have been having family movie night, so it could be worse. My oldest turns 13 next week so it sucks for him as no party and can't go out to eat etc but we are making do and he understands what the deal is.

Let's see how we are all feeling once we are locked in the entire month of April.

[Rougarou 594]

The privilege we have as a demographic on this site is showing on this thread.

[Iceman 2,722]

2 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

The privilege we have as a demographic on this site is showing on this thread.

 

I can hardly contain my guilt.

[Celery Man 20,981]

The privilege we have as a demographic on this site is showing on this thread.

Agree and that’s my first and foremost take (looking internally). I’m really lucky that, even working in the aviation industry, my job isn’t in immediate risk and I’m worried about how my cushion has gotten smaller rather than how I’m going to pay next month’s mortgage.

That said, I am a bit frustrated that I’ve had an incredibly busy work week. Software, it’s not a big change for us to work remotely and it’s been crazy, I’ve been working all weekend and I’m irritated because I would otherwise kinda love to be able to experience this calm before the storm thing we’ve got going on right now.

[Wulaw Horn 19,138]

18 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

The privilege we have as a demographic on this site is showing on this thread.

Sure. It absolutely is. I’m not going to apologize for that as I can’t see any benefit from agonizing over all the misery this is causing less fortunate while I’m under shut down. I’m not being flippant here or minimizing others suffering- it’s real- it’s awful- it will get worse. 

Every time I go out to the store to get something (like 3 or 4 trips outside my house in 2 weeks is all I’ve done) I try to practice as many acts of kindness as I can (buying groceries for others / giving money to the cashier and bagger stuff like that) but beyond that there’s nothing I can do. I’ve got two small businesses and if they come through this I will be financially invested in helping rebuild my local community and doing what I can- but for now all I can sit and do is make the best of this and enjoy what pleasures come my way. And be thankful for my blessings. And try to share that outlook with others. Because thinking about and worrying about things outside of your control or ability to help with is corrosive to the soul imo. 

[Armybrat 40,856]

It could be worse. 
A friend of mine (on SS & Medicare) who was living in a 55+ apartment community in Buda had a stroke in early January, was hospitalized, then stuck in a substandard rehab facility in Round Rock. 
Another minor stroke landed him back in the hospital two weeks ago, and now he is in a south Austin nursing home in a double room with a non-functional tv. Plus he is going blind from macular degeneration. When I talked to him he just described it as a “nightmare”.

His sister is a nurse in the area but is currently swamped and unable to help much. No other family and just a couple of us Internet acquaintances. 

[Knoxtnhorn 6,064]

In an odd bit of irony, I'm watching FAR less tv than I normally do.  Mostly because, no sports.  I've completed a couple of 1,000+ piece puzzles.  When free agency news started trickling in, my favorite thing to do was listen to 105.3 (sports radio) and do the puzzle.  

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

It could be worse, we could all be dying irregardless of our privilege.  

The thing that's kind of annoyed me are the countless, Help where trapped with our kids for 4 days,  posts all over FB and several other social media sites.  WTF ? , why'd you have kids ?  to have them entertained by TV, video games, and the interwebz ?  Take this opportunity to engage and do things with them. 

I mean I get the easy humor, but it's wearing thin.  A bit too much truth is coming out of the situation than just humor IMO .  If it sucks to be with your kids so much, ya might wanna look in the mirror, and see the source of their pain in the ass behavior.  End the Sunday rant, PART 1.

 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

5 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

In an odd bit of irony, I'm watching FAR less tv than I normally do.  Mostly because, no sports.  I've completed a couple of 1,000+ piece puzzles.  When free agency news started trickling in, my favorite thing to do was listen to 105.3 (sports radio) and do the puzzle.  

Listening to the rebroadcast of Memphis Georgetown for the national title was kind of fun, yesterday while driving. Mostly because I couldn't remember who won that game.

[Knoxtnhorn 6,064]

3 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

It could be worse, we could all be dying irregardless of our privilege.  

The thing that's kind of annoyed me are the countless, Help where trapped with our kids for 4 days,  posts all over FB and several other social media sites.  WTF ? , why'd you have kids ?  to have them entertained by TV, video games, and the interwebz ?  Take this opportunity to engage and do things with them. 

I mean I get the easy humor, but it's wearing thin.  A bit too much truth is coming out of the situation than just humor IMO .  If it sucks to be with your kids so much, ya might wanna look in the mirror, and see the source of their pain in the ass behavior.  End the Sunday rant, PART 1.

 

I have an engineer friend in Knoxville who works from home.  His one kid is 13 and completely self-reliant.  He absolutely flips the F out every time schools canceled due to weather.  I can't imagine how "bad" it must be for him now.

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

1 hour ago, BrazilHorn said:

Wife (no pics) and I moved all the furniture in front room against walls and set up yoga studio, hooked laptop to TV and have been streaming classes.

I have taken the kids a couple of times to go fishing, just throwing a line in by Redbud Island or down by Shoal Creek, more just fucking around vs really trying to catch anything.

We are getting ready to start a game of 7th Continent and have been having family movie night, so it could be worse. My oldest turns 13 next week so it sucks for him as no party and can't go out to eat etc but we are making do and he understands what the deal is.

Let's see how we are all feeling once we are locked in the entire month of April.

At first, I thought you were going to say you barricaded the doors and windows with furniture. 

[BrazilHorn 6,624]

1 minute ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

At first, I thought you were going to say you barricaded the doors and windows with furniture. 

Maybe next week.

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

1 hour ago, Iceman said:

 

I can hardly contain my guilt.

Assuage your guilt by lending a hand to someone you know who isn’t as fortunate. My daughter has a friend who is a single mom with two young daughters, one of whom has an extremely rare chromosomal disorder. Both her child support and SSI checks got messed up and didn’t get deposited (one was less than half what it should be), so my wife and I are making up the difference. She will pay us back when everything is corrected. We are also giving her some of our hoarded rations, but no TP.

I know, I know...that thread is over there. 

Edited March 22, 2020 by ImissWallyPryor

[Homercles 10,206]

1 hour ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Assuage your guilt by lending a hand to someone you know who isn’t as fortunate. My daughter has a friend who is a single mom with two young daughters, one of whom has an extremely rare chromosomal disorder. Both her child support and SSI checks got messed up and didn’t get deposited (one was less than half what it should be), so my wife and I are making up the difference. She will pay us back when everything is corrected. We are also giving her some of our hoarded rations, but no TP.

I know, I know...that thread is over there. 

Dear Penthouse...

[Homercles 10,206]

2 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

It could be worse, we could all be dying irregardless of our privilege.  

The thing that's kind of annoyed me are the countless, Help where trapped with our kids for 4 days,  posts all over FB and several other social media sites.  WTF ? , why'd you have kids ?  to have them entertained by TV, video games, and the interwebz ?  Take this opportunity to engage and do things with them. 

I mean I get the easy humor, but it's wearing thin.  A bit too much truth is coming out of the situation than just humor IMO .  If it sucks to be with your kids so much, ya might wanna look in the mirror, and see the source of their pain in the ass behavior.  End the Sunday rant, PART 1.

 

I hear ya and after today I’m done venting.  realize that I’ve got a pretty sure job, my family is reasonably healthy and we are stocked.  That makes us better than many out there and I’m grateful.  
 

Venting for me stems from two things...

Those of us with young kids are having to deal with fights/tantrums/drama/diapers/yelling that wears your nerves while you’re trying to work remotely...normally that’s where school/daycare/etc let’s you focus half the day on adult stuff.  
 

Second it’s been raining and al the usual places to take them to engage outside the house are either closed or wet.  No Thinkery, playgrounds, etc.  

Im guilty of venting here.  Beyond the things above to grateful for, I’m also glad I don’t have a newborn like one of my friends...someone always has it worse one way or another.  The time with my kids is precious, but time also blurs the hardest parts of parenting...which changes by age...my friend with the 12yo girl has his own challenges with drama but he’s also not dealing with potty accidents, bathing etc so his texts of them hanging out, drinking and watching movies can irk me as my 3yo’s attention span means a lot more hands on time leaving little time to be an adult whereas my 6yo listens, is self sufficient, self directed and can manage himself if I need to work.  

[Hawndoh 2,386]

I'm normally a homebody anyway so I'm enjoying most aspects of this.

I'm a teacher so work is weird. We are gearing up to start online instruction in earnest this week. But I already had a great home office setup/studio to record videos or create live streams so that part of it has been no problem.

My girls are 7 and 10 and they both had birthday parties canceled, but they play together really well and understand why they have to stay home and have taken it in stride. My older one has had some anxiety issues with it but is keeping it together.

They were annoyed this week when we began our own school lessons with them this week but it's been fine.

I also got them the new Animal Crossing game and they've been having fun with that. They occasionally get to FaceTime with friends and are doing ok.

All in all I know I'm very fortunate. I'm not going to lose my job, neither is my teacher wife. We have enough food and toilet paper for now and I don't anticipate stores going completely empty.

The hardest part for us is that two teachers in the house need to teach via the Internet, and two students in the house need to learn via the Internet and we are all sharing the same computer. So rotating computer time has really been the only major challenge.

I'd say if that's my biggest problem currently then I'm pretty fortunate. 

Things will get more complicated next week as I begin to figure out which of my students can reliably get online and which can't.

[Knoxtnhorn 6,064]

7 minutes ago, Hawndoh said:

I'm normally a homebody anyway so I'm enjoying most aspects of this.

I'm a teacher so work is weird. We are gearing up to start online instruction in earnest this week. But I already had a great home office setup/studio to record videos or create live streams so that part of it has been no problem.

My girls are 7 and 10 and they both had birthday parties canceled, but they play together really well and understand why they have to stay home and have taken it in stride. My older one has had some anxiety issues with it but is keeping it together.

They were annoyed this week when we began our own school lessons with them this week but it's been fine.

I also got them the new Animal Crossing game and they've been having fun with that. They occasionally get to FaceTime with friends and are doing ok.

All in all I know I'm very fortunate. I'm not going to lose my job, neither is my teacher wife. We have enough food and toilet paper for now and I don't anticipate stores going completely empty.

The hardest part for us is that two teachers in the house need to teach via the Internet, and two students in the house need to learn via the Internet and we are all sharing the same computer. So rotating computer time has really been the only major challenge.

I'd say if that's my biggest problem currently then I'm pretty fortunate. 

Things will get more complicated next week as I begin to figure out which of my students can reliably get online and which can't.

We have almost the exact same setup.  Both of us are teachers.  Our kids are 7 and 13.  

We just ordered another Chromebook from BestBuy.  

I agree with your second to last sentence.  It's an odd situation.  On one hand, we're not hurting financially, and we get to spend more time together.  On the other, I feel for those that are being affected at the moment.  

Edited March 22, 2020 by Knoxtnhorn

[Rougarou 594]

3 hours ago, Iceman said:

 

I can hardly contain my guilt.

 

3 hours ago, Celery Man said:

 

Agree and that’s my first and foremost take (looking internally). I’m really lucky that, even working in the aviation industry, my job isn’t in immediate risk and I’m worried about how my cushion has gotten smaller rather than how I’m going to pay next month’s mortgage.

That said, I am a bit frustrated that I’ve had an incredibly busy work week. Software, it’s not a big change for us to work remotely and it’s been crazy, I’ve been working all weekend and I’m irritated because I would otherwise kinda love to be able to experience this calm before the storm thing we’ve got going on right now.

 

 

3 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Sure. It absolutely is. I’m not going to apologize for that as I can’t see any benefit from agonizing over all the misery this is causing less fortunate while I’m under shut down. I’m not being flippant here or minimizing others suffering- it’s real- it’s awful- it will get worse. 

Every time I go out to the store to get something (like 3 or 4 trips outside my house in 2 weeks is all I’ve done) I try to practice as many acts of kindness as I can (buying groceries for others / giving money to the cashier and bagger stuff like that) but beyond that there’s nothing I can do. I’ve got two small businesses and if they come through this I will be financially invested in helping rebuild my local community and doing what I can- but for now all I can sit and do is make the best of this and enjoy what pleasures come my way. And be thankful for my blessings. And try to share that outlook with others. Because thinking about and worrying about things outside of your control or ability to help with is corrosive to the soul imo. 

I'm with you guys. Well, not Ice Man who immediately got defensive. It just struck me as someone who has been reading a bunch of media about the immediate effects that by-and-large surly isn't a site full of poor people or waiters (not that there is anything wrong with that) to have a thread asking if you are enjoying yourselves (as opposed to the poor folks riddled with anxiety and existential fear for making the light bill, etc.).

We are enjoying the time together; staying up late, sleeping in. We've been cooking our meal kit foods (Blue Apron stock is up 200% since this stuff started; HelloFresh is a German company not listed on NYSE/NASDAQ-- I've looked), and getting reacquainted with things like sandwiches and chips and random packaged foodstuffs, being a family that eats out 90% of the time.

I am taking this time to also get some quotes; have had about half a dozen contractors come out to quote on things ranging from new gutters to new fence and landscaping-- keeping social distancing (mostly not even going outside but communicating through ThumbTack or Text) and I figure these guys still have to make a living.

[Eastwood 4,394]

I already worked from home mostly and my wife was stay-at-home, so we're actually both pretty miserable being stuck at home with a 5 year old and a 2 year old. It's more of the same, but amplified because we can't get the kids out of the house. Everyone is slowly going stir crazy. The wife kept the kids pretty active with martial arts, going to the park, the gym daycare, and play dates. We are running out of craft supplies and I guess every family out there is because Amazon has almost everything on back order.

[ernest_t_bass 1,196]

Besides my wife being a slob, it isn't so bad.  My youngest is pretty enjoyable.  My oldest is a 14.5 year old teenage girl (no pics), so that has its ups and downs.

Edit: We live in Ohio and the weather sucks right now.

Edited March 22, 2020 by ernest_t_bass

[Incredulity 11,679]

As mentioned above, my TV has essentially gone to zero.

No sports and I have no interest in talking head critique/anecdotes of the current situation.

 I check google news a couple times a day and the local newspapers website.

[Iceman 2,722]

42 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

 

 

 Well, not Ice Man who immediately got defensive.

You could have just easily said, " Be thankful" or "count your blessings"

You didn't.  The word is loaded and its use is deliberate. I disagree with that with which it is loaded. We have mostly avoided that horseshit in these discussions, but there it was...

Edited March 22, 2020 by Iceman

[Hawndoh 2,386]

One major thing I'm not enjoying is canceled Motorsports. Formula 1, IndyCar, and IMSA are the main sports I enjoy and they were all just about to begin their seasons and now they're all in danger of losing their seasons completely.

Major Motorsports can't reschedule as easily as traditional stick and ball sports so that sucks.

I'm guessing I'll not get to watch the Indy500 in May which I really enjoy.

There are lots of old races on YouTube I can watch but its not the same. 

[Sgt Hulk 13,814]

i'm literally getting caught up on all the things i said i needed to do with there was a worldwide quarantine   legit Ive said those words.  I got through a few books,  I painted my surfboard mural ive been saying i was going to do the last 7 years.  started learning to cook more nutrient dense meals.  launched my fitness website 

[Armybrat 40,856]

3 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Listening to the rebroadcast of Memphis Georgetown for the national title was kind of fun, yesterday while driving. Mostly because I couldn't remember who won that game.

Well, I could start watching some game reruns on the LH channel. Just don’t spoil them for me.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,128]

No, fuck this. My dogs like it, but I'm fucking miserable and pissed off.

[Al_4_ISU 12,473]

I'm an extreme extrovert.  This is my Hell.

[msucolt45 4,063]

I have a wife that thinks we should purchase a new house because interest rates are low. (I work in the O/G sector and could lose my job soon?) Plus our two college kids are HOME since spring break!!!!

I decided since our Boerne trash day is tomorrow for me to work in the garage and de-clutter! I didn’t need any help from them, (they frighten at the word garage), so with beer in the garage fridge, and them fng off in the house, I spent some quality time with my Bassett Hound and 5-6 beers - quality time! Only two black yard bags to show my work, but the hound and I are calmer now!

Best of luck and Hook’em!!

[msucolt45 4,063]

Pics of Bassett are available but none of the others you Surly Bastards!

[F250 28,802]

Pinched a nerve in my ass a week ago working out. I haven't learned to accept my age and decided to do a box jump workout with my teenagers. The previous day was leg day so it was foolish to kick it up a notch with the boxes followed by wind sprints. Currently unable to do any hard workouts which is how I deal with stress. Feeling pretty frustrated at the moment.

 

[SpiralOut 1,818]

So far not much has changed for me.  Working for a company who mainly does contract work for O&G, we got called in for a meeting about how the virus is screwing things up but how really the bottom falling out of oil is going to screw us.  So no more overtime unless we're on a billable job.  Fine by me, I thought.  Instead of waking up at 4 to be in to work at 5:30-6, I can sleep an extra hour and get in a little bit before 7.  I fully expected work to immediately dry up and us to be stuck at the yard, but nope.  Friday I spent 12 hours straight out in the field.  And we'll be finishing up some well hookups this week.

Most of my coworkers are boomers and they aren't taking this virus stuff seriously at all.  I'm out here wearing gloves when filling up the truck, staying away from people as much as I can, and these guys are still acting like it's NBD.  So I fully expect we're going to be down a few people here in a week or so.  Which will mean even more work put on my shoulders unless the lag time from the oil crash catches up and things really do dry up with a quickness.

But hey, I still have a job and can still pay my outrageous rent, so who am I to bitch when people are out there having their lives destroyed?  One of the few coworkers I have who is younger than me has three kids and zero money saved up.  If we start laying people off he's the first to go.  Can't imagine how nerve wracking that must be.

Hope you all stay safe and that everything works out for you and yours. 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

2 hours ago, Homercles said:

I hear ya and after today I’m done venting.  realize that I’ve got a pretty sure job, my family is reasonably healthy and we are stocked.  That makes us better than many out there and I’m grateful.  
 

Venting for me stems from two things...

Those of us with young kids are having to deal with fights/tantrums/drama/diapers/yelling that wears your nerves while you’re trying to work remotely...normally that’s where school/daycare/etc let’s you focus half the day on adult stuff.  
 

Second it’s been raining and al the usual places to take them to engage outside the house are either closed or wet.  No Thinkery, playgrounds, etc.  

Im guilty of venting here.  Beyond the things above to grateful for, I’m also glad I don’t have a newborn like one of my friends...someone always has it worse one way or another.  The time with my kids is precious, but time also blurs the hardest parts of parenting...which changes by age...my friend with the 12yo girl has his own challenges with drama but he’s also not dealing with potty accidents, bathing etc so his texts of them hanging out, drinking and watching movies can irk me as my 3yo’s attention span means a lot more hands on time leaving little time to be an adult whereas my 6yo listens, is self sufficient, self directed and can manage himself if I need to work.  

Everybody needs to vent, it keeps the murder rate in check.

[Steel Shank 9,429]

I just gave some nutrient laced water to some Monterey oaks I planted whilst enjoying a cold Bud Light. So yeah, I'm enjoying myself.

[Brisketexan 105,178]

Responsible for a lot of people -- my family, my elderly parents, keeping a lot of folks employed and working at my business, and I'm an empath.  So I worry about and for plenty of other folks -- we're friends with various folks in the restaurant business, people who work in the hotel industry, wedding industry....all of whom are taking a beating and have no idea what their lives will look like when this is over.

So, this fucking sucks shit through a straw.  Worry and stress have been my constant companions.  And even my blessing (having lots of work to do) is a curse, as I don't even have that much time to unwind.  

We ARE walking the dog for an hour+ each evening, so the physical activity and fresh air is nice.  But this just isn't offering any real "take a deep breath" time for me.  I will take a deep breath when are on the other side.

[Trey3216 15,350]

7 hours ago, Blotto said:

Just toss her a few more tokens, she'll perk right up.

Just watch out for the bouncers 

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

Could be a lot worse.

Got everything we need. Getting stuff done around the house and garden. Sucks that I can't see family, including 84 year old mom. She has an enviable support system where she lives, though.

Oddly enough, we self-quarantined about a week before everything started shutting down, because we had some respiratory crud, most likely not Covid 19 but hell if I know.

Got months of freelance work stacked up, finally able to get at it.

[Wulaw Horn 19,138]

13 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Responsible for a lot of people -- my family, my elderly parents, keeping a lot of folks employed and working at my business, and I'm an empath.  So I worry about and for plenty of other folks -- we're friends with various folks in the restaurant business, people who work in the hotel industry, wedding industry....all of whom are taking a beating and have no idea what their lives will look like when this is over.

So, this fucking sucks shit through a straw.  Worry and stress have been my constant companions.  And even my blessing (having lots of work to do) is a curse, as I don't even have that much time to unwind.  

We ARE walking the dog for an hour+ each evening, so the physical activity and fresh air is nice.  But this just isn't offering any real "take a deep breath" time for me.  I will take a deep breath when are on the other side.

So I’ve been seeing a therapist for about a year and one of the main things I’m dealing with and working through is my anxiety level. I understand what you are talking about as I have a stay at home wife- 3 little kids- 10 people that work for me in my two small businesses etc and so forth. I got to where I couldn’t sleep with the anxiety and worried I would fuck it all up. 

This has been a blessing for my mental health. My anxiety was brought on by “what if I fuck something up and go under” but I’m rational enough to recognize if I go under because of a global pandemic there’s really not anything I can do about that- so I focus not on what could go wrong but making best decisions I can to take what today brings to me, and then worry about tomorrow tomorrow. That’s been really helpful in controlling my anxiety and living in the moment. 

[bernorange 8,362]

2 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

... one of the main things I’m dealing with and working through is my anxiety level. ...

THE BOOK: The Vortex derives it's picture of the whole Universe on the principle of extrapolated matter analysis. To explain, since every piece of matter in the Universe is in someway effected by every other piece of matter in the Universe, it is in theory possible to extrapolate the whole of creation, every Galaxy, every sun, every planet, their orbits, their composition, and their economic and social history from, say, one small piece of fairy cake. The man who invented the Total Perspective Vortex did so basically in order to annoy his wife. Trin Tragula, for that was his name, was a dreamer. A speculative thinker or, as his wife would have it, an idiot. And she would nag him incessantly about the utterly inordinate amount of time he would spend staring out into space or mulling over the mechanics of safety pins or doing spectrographic analysis of pieces of fairy cake. 'Have some sense of proportion' she would say, thirty-eight times a day. And so he built the Total Perspective Vortex, just to show her. And in one end he plugged the whole of reality as extrapolated from a fairy cake, and in the other end he plugged his wife, so that when he turned it on, she saw in one instant the whole infinity of creation, and herself in relation to it. To Trin Tragula's horror, the shock annihilated her brain. But, to his satisfaction, he realised he had conclusively proved that if life is going to exist in a Universe this size, the one thing it cannot afford to have a sense of proportion. And it is into this Vortex that Zaphod Beeblebrox has been put, and from which, a few seconds later, he emerges.

<We hear a hum and a click.>

ZAPHOD: Hi.

GARGRAVARR: Beeblebrox! You're...

ZAPHOD: Fine, fine, fine. Could I have a drink please?

GARGRAVARR: You've been in the Vortex?

ZAPHOD: You saw me, kid.

GARGRAVARR: You saw the whole infinity of creation?

ZAPHOD: The lot, baby, it's a real neat place, you know...

GARGRAVARR: You saw yourself in relation to it all?

ZAPHOD: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

GARGRAVARR: And what did you experience?

ZAPHOD: It just told me what I knew all the time. I'm a really great guy! Didn't I tell you, baby? I am Zaphod Beeblebrox!

[Wulaw Horn 19,138]

6 minutes ago, bernorange said:

 

  Hide contents

THE BOOK: The Vortex derives it's picture of the whole Universe on the principle of extrapolated matter analysis. To explain, since every piece of matter in the Universe is in someway effected by every other piece of matter in the Universe, it is in theory possible to extrapolate the whole of creation, every Galaxy, every sun, every planet, their orbits, their composition, and their economic and social history from, say, one small piece of fairy cake. The man who invented the Total Perspective Vortex did so basically in order to annoy his wife. Trin Tragula, for that was his name, was a dreamer. A speculative thinker or, as his wife would have it, an idiot. And she would nag him incessantly about the utterly inordinate amount of time he would spend staring out into space or mulling over the mechanics of safety pins or doing spectrographic analysis of pieces of fairy cake. 'Have some sense of proportion' she would say, thirty-eight times a day. And so he built the Total Perspective Vortex, just to show her. And in one end he plugged the whole of reality as extrapolated from a fairy cake, and in the other end he plugged his wife, so that when he turned it on, she saw in one instant the whole infinity of creation, and herself in relation to it. To Trin Tragula's horror, the shock annihilated her brain. But, to his satisfaction, he realised he had conclusively proved that if life is going to exist in a Universe this size, the one thing it cannot afford to have a sense of proportion. And it is into this Vortex that Zaphod Beeblebrox has been put, and from which, a few seconds later, he emerges.

 

<We hear a hum and a click.>

ZAPHOD: Hi.

GARGRAVARR: Beeblebrox! You're...

ZAPHOD: Fine, fine, fine. Could I have a drink please?

GARGRAVARR: You've been in the Vortex?

ZAPHOD: You saw me, kid.

GARGRAVARR: You saw the whole infinity of creation?

ZAPHOD: The lot, baby, it's a real neat place, you know...

GARGRAVARR: You saw yourself in relation to it all?

ZAPHOD: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

GARGRAVARR: And what did you experience?

ZAPHOD: It just told me what I knew all the time. I'm a really great guy! Didn't I tell you, baby? I am Zaphod Beeblebrox!

 

 

That reads like hitchikers guide to the galaxy... I don’t recognize any names but that’s my guess... where’s it from? 

[bernorange 8,362]

Yes, Hitchhiker's Guide.  Transcript of BBC radio production.  The book is fantastic and worth a few hours of your time.

Edited March 22, 2020 by bernorange

[Brisketexan 105,178]

29 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

So I’ve been seeing a therapist for about a year and one of the main things I’m dealing with and working through is my anxiety level. I understand what you are talking about as I have a stay at home wife- 3 little kids- 10 people that work for me in my two small businesses etc and so forth. I got to where I couldn’t sleep with the anxiety and worried I would fuck it all up. 

This has been a blessing for my mental health. My anxiety was brought on by “what if I fuck something up and go under” but I’m rational enough to recognize if I go under because of a global pandemic there’s really not anything I can do about that- so I focus not on what could go wrong but making best decisions I can to take what today brings to me, and then worry about tomorrow tomorrow. That’s been really helpful in controlling my anxiety and living in the moment. 

Yeah....I'm well aware that a big source of this is a combination of trust issues (with the universe, God, etc.) and perhaps a related narcissistic God complex of my own.  I mean, what a fucking ego to think that I can solve all this shit for other people, right?  I mean, in practice, I do well -- take the next good action, be decisive, be committed to what you are doing.  That's a decent path to "success."  Not sure if it's compatible with any path to "peace."  I'm shittacular at "living in the moment."  Add it to my extensive list of personal flaws and failings.  

6 minutes ago, bernorange said:

Yes, Hitchhiker's Guide.  Transcript of BBC radio production.  The book is fantastic and worth a few hours of your time.

Hitchhiker's Guide is one of the best pieces of philosophy of our generation.  I'm dead serious.  You have to dig out the gold nuggets embedded within the satire, but it's honestly amazing.  Yes, every time I read it, I laugh my ass off.  Seriously, laugh out loud.  But every now and then, I pause at a passage, chew on the commentary it's making, and sometimes, it's just fucking beautiful.

Also, there's an intergalactic hooker with three boobs, and that's awesome.

[workswithseed 2,108]

I don't remember that in the book.

[Iceman 2,722]

9 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

 

Also, there's an intergalactic hooker with three boobs, and that's awesome.

so that wasn't just in Quaid's dreams?

[Wulaw Horn 19,138]

27 minutes ago, bernorange said:

Yes, Hitchhiker's Guide.  Transcript of BBC radio production.  The book is fantastic and worth a few hours of your time.

I’ve read all the books (long time ago) but don’t remember any names- but that just read like that book.the only thing I really remember from that book is- every time someone says can I ask you a question, I respond with “42”. 

Edited March 22, 2020 by Wulaw Horn

[Wulaw Horn 19,138]

22 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah....I'm well aware that a big source of this is a combination of trust issues (with the universe, God, etc.) and perhaps a related narcissistic God complex of my own.  I mean, what a fucking ego to think that I can solve all this shit for other people, right?  I mean, in practice, I do well -- take the next good action, be decisive, be committed to what you are doing.  That's a decent path to "success."  Not sure if it's compatible with any path to "peace."  I'm shittacular at "living in the moment."  Add it to my extensive list of personal flaws and failings. 

Yeah man, this is probably your biggest failings as a man and a believer (it is mine and I think many other successful people) I would guess- confusing yourself with God and taking on shit you aren’t meant to take on. It doesn’t work. It can’t work. You aren’t responsible for this. You suck at it. So don’t do it. It’s not Helpful and not good for your mind, body or soul, or really for anyone else. 

Now- ask me how I stop doing this and I will give you a blank stare bc I sure as shit haven’t figured it out- but it’s in my prayer life daily and something like this clarifies it. 

I guess what that shows is while I might have a titanic sized ego I’m not so far gone as to believe I can control the health of the world. So that’s good. I just have enough ego to think I can control my life- those of my family and employees and people who come into daily contact with me. 

We should probably both go into 12 step program. Only for us instead of something cool like booze or drugs or strange it’d be trying to control life for us and everyone else. But conceptually I think it’s the same. I think I’m an addict and so are you, probably, from witnessing you from afar for 15 or 20 years. 

Edited March 22, 2020 by Wulaw Horn

[Brisketexan 105,178]

12 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

I don't remember that in the book.

Quote

Eccentrica Gallumbits is the far-famed triple-breasted whore of Eroticon Six. Some people say her erogenous zones start some four miles from her actual body. Ford Prefect disagrees, saying five.[1] It is possible that the Big Bang was actually one of her orgasms. She wrote The Big Bang Theory - A Personal View by Eccentrica Gallumbits and It's Just One Boob After Another.

 

[Brisketexan 105,178]

7 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Yeah man, this is probably your biggest failings as a man and a believer (it is mine and I think many other successful people) I would guess- confusing yourself with God and taking on shit you aren’t meant to take on. It doesn’t work. It can’t work. You aren’t responsible for this. You suck at it. So don’t do it. It’s not Helpful and not good for your mind, body or soul, or really for anyone else.  

Oh, it's so hard to pin down what my BIGGEST failing is....but yeah, this particular one certainly has a fair claim to the title.  Balancing my role as subject to a higher power....but also knowing that I am commanded to act as an instrument of that higher power, to the best of my ability (and oh, what a limited ability)....I'm really, really not good at that.  At all.

Quote

Now- ask me how I stop doing this and I will give you a blank stare bc I sure as shit haven’t figured it out- but it’s in my prayer life daily and something like this clarifies it. 

Yep.  I can absolutely see and voice that flaw in myself.  I can see that I am consistently driving towards the cliff at breakneck speed....and if you ask me how I stop that, I look utterly clueless, because I am.  I just know I need to work at it. Like, a lot.

Quote

I guess what that shows is while I might have a titanic sized ego I’m not so far gone as to believe I can control the health of the world. So that’s good. I just have enough ego to think I can control my life- those of my family and employees and people who come into daily contact with me

Well, the cool thing is that I ALSO get to be ashamed of the fact that I know that vanity and outsized ego are an essential part of the recipe of my own personal stew of flaws.  So, I get to layer some guilt and shame on that as well.  I mean, when I can squeeze it in.  It usually happens when I'm trying to go to sleep.  Or the instant I wake up.  Peace is....elusive.  Particularly these days.

Edited March 22, 2020 by Brisketexan

[tbone_ 14,134]

Lucky here. Kiddo is 13 so mostly self sufficient. Try to avoid listening to her and mom fight by holing up in the guitar room upstairs or rehearsing with my singer who lives one street over.

 

She watches her next door neighbors vacation house. They are never there and won’t be for a while. We have our duo stuff set up there and have been drinking and rehearsing. It’s a good respite.

 

Work sucks but other than that all good.

 

Also it’s Phoenix and the weather is perfect so I drive around in the convertible. Another good respite.

 

 

 

[52-80 19,205]

I worked from home whenever I want.  But now I just feel a whole lot less guilty about it.

Doggie loves it, since she gets way more walks. 

And we live next to the water so it's nice for me as well to sniff some sea breeze when there's daylight out.