The rain falls whether we choose to stand in it or not. So it is with ennui. We control nothing but our own estimation of the things that are out of our control. Happy new year. Henri, le Chat Noir
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Though there might be philosophical and scientific arguments on what constitutes reality, I believe we can all pretty much agree on the everyday 'stub your toe on the furniture while going to pee at night' classical Newtonian Physics version for all practical purposes. It is hard to think too esoterically about the true nature of reality until the pain recedes. I drank and smoked pot for many years and took my share of psychedelics. I don't believe there is a drug I haven't experimented with at least once, outside of all these newfangled ones they have on the street now, which would appear to just turn one into a zombie from my anecdotal observations. I don't regret it either. If I had not, I would have always been curious about missing those experiences. I seem to have managed to get through without any major perceivable damage. I know many who didn't. I will even entertain the notion that psychedelics can open the door to new levels of perception that
Be careful what you wish for and never feed a dragon. I usually stay clear of political posts, but this issue is so pertinent to something I have been mulling over for several years now. I have seen several memes about Trump blowing his stack because he has been kicked off the Colorado State Ballot. I am guessing there is actually nothing he likes better than this development. Trump thrives on chaos and disruption. He is a sociopathic narcissist that craves attention, and he knows how to get it and turn it into power. His picture shows up on the daily news more than any other political player or celebrity and has for years now. Want to destroy Trump? Ignore him. Drop all cases against him and he will scream alone into the night. I am betting he would lose any Presidential bid bigtime, even against a dementia patient like Biden, if we just let Trump rot on the vine. We give him the power of our attention. I am not too concerned about Trump being the new incarnation of Hitler. We are al
1973, fifty years ago, turned into being one of the most pivotal periods in my life. I had just spent the last few years going from a D student in high school who barely graduated to catching up at our local Jr. college and getting into UCSC by the skin of my teeth. The plan was to become a lawyer and live a lovely upper middle-class lifestyle while doing and saying smart stuff. My American Indian princess wife and I had been married the year before and Pocohontas figured she had fulfilled her role as a fantasy figure for a white hippie guy channeling Jeremiah Johnson and now it was her turn. She yearned to be the wife of a successful white, fork tongued devil and move to an upscale hood off the reservation. We were both about ready to become sorely disappointed. I knew I had made a huge mistake my very first week of classes. I am not a natural academic by nature and feel I had somewhat burned myself out in the preceding two years. The bullshitting of both the professors and students
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/24/the-big-idea-why-the-laws-of-physics-will-never-explain-the-universe?fbclid=IwAR0zSKVPog9MWkGHtPZfRmzvfV_eTP94vUbz6imgntbDhLUNXvFjJO_bNbs Having always been awful with math and science in school, I always enjoy articles like this written by smart guys coming up with the same basic ideas I have, only saying it way smarter. Because at the end of the day, every idea we come up with about the Universe has to be filtered through our brain. To quote the great philosopher Emo Philips, "I used to think the brain was the most important organ in my body until I realized what was telling me that."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIk5GXhgUk South Park nails it again with a satire of the Chatbot programs. All these years and they still make their peers look weak by comparison. Their Libertarian streak keeps them able to poke fun in all directions while still maintaining the humanity of the characters. I am always amazed at how they keep abreast of all the latest cultural developments and have been for over 25 years. The last line is perfect and brings it home.
More profound wisdom from Inspirobot generated by AI. Another lesson that has come with age is the observation of the fluidity between heroes and villains. History, time, and unintended consequences soon render all the white and black hats to shades of gray. We invented good and bad guys. In nature there is neither good nor bad guys, just survivors.
At least we have the best backdrop scenery of any Walmart! I had not been inside a Walmart since the 'pandemic' got rolling and they would not let you in without a mask. I always enjoyed the role of being a social pariah and the disgusted looks I got from people when masks were optional, but then they became mandatory, and I was forced to shop for groceries online. Now I am addicted to the ease and efficiency of online grocery shopping and will never go back. The amount of time it saves is amazing too. You don't even lose any of the social interaction benfits, as I pick the groceries up and have developed relationships with the loaders. I arrive at dawn when they are still pretty fresh and chipper. I am not alone in this migration to pick-up and delivery either. The loaders told me how many more people are going that route lately. Last week I needed to get a windshield chip repair kit. I also needed some sweatpants, candles, socks, and a few other miscellaneous items. I dec