Weather for the day… 48° sunny, nice day for a walkabout
FUTURE NOTE: Woke up feeling pretty good, as if there was no long Covid virus feeling. But still feeling the baseline long Covid, pulse/blood pressure issue, slightly and a little uncomfortable. Popped half a Benadryl, headed out for my, hopefully 5 mile walk. Not feeling that great today on my walk it’s now almost 4 miles. But sometimes when the endorphins kick in I can go the distance. I’ll have to make a decision when I get to 4 miles. Because if my body says I’m done for the day and I keep going, it’ll take me a few days to recuperate. Otherwise, I'll just feel a little out of it for a day and be ready for my next walk the following day.
Back to the Now and Present...
If you’re wondering what I’m talking about in the difference between the long Covid "viral feeling" that sits on top of baseline long Covid, antivirals work for that which sits on top of long Covid. I know it’s confusing. I made it clear in my book “Suffering Long Covid“. Which is in part why I wrote the book which just came out recently on Amazon. Because I kept running into too many people, face-to-face, locally who when the subject of long Covid came up, we’re really clueless. It surprised me. So at least in my book they get some clues. Since it’s geared toward my specific experience, it's also useful for some phenomenologically-based, emotional, physical and data concepts, towards this whole annoying experience.
If you’re wondering what I’m talking about in the difference between the long Covid "viral feeling" that sits on top of baseline long Covid, antivirals work for that which sits on top of long Covid. I know it’s confusing. I made it clear in my book “Suffering Long Covid“. Which is in part why I wrote the book which just came out recently on Amazon. Because I kept running into too many people, face-to-face, locally who when the subject of long Covid came up, we’re really clueless. It surprised me. So at least in my book they get some clues. Since it’s geared toward my specific experience, it's also useful for some phenomenologically-based, emotional, physical and data concepts, towards this whole annoying experience.
I switched today to my favorite hiking jacket that I’ve had for like 30 years or so. It had gotten discolored, sun bleached, from sitting in my car years ago. So I gave it to my youngest because it was just sitting in my closet (I wasn't hiking much, just lots of IT work). A few years later I found they weren’t using it and wanted to get rid of it. So I happily took it back. I threw it in the wash and dyed it dark green and it came out looking pretty close to original, oddly enough. So I got it back! I was pretty happy about that. It breathes. It's great for hiking. Better to use than my commuter jacket I've been wearing lately. Which is great when the weather is very inclement. But on blue sky/not too cold day like this, it's much more comfortable. Just should have not also worn the polar fleece shirt.
Podcast for the day is... the Phenomenology episode of the Dr. "Jay Forrest On Nature Buddhism" podcast. I’ll have to take a listen to his, "5 minute Dharma" versions which he said were very popular. This is an older podcast however. He also wrote, “Secular Buddhism” something ("Secular Buddhism, An Introduction", I looked that later looked). He also has a YouTube channel I'll have to check out.
Dammit. My phone lost the podcast and I can’t find it! I could probably find it on my laptop again later, but not while I’m walking (I tried). Look, I’m trying to find a way to switch over to psychology and phenomenology rather than politics… but it ain’t easy. I did find some decent phenomenology podcasts yesterday but they’re not easy to access on my iPhone. And as I’ve just seen, if I happen to lose it, because I pause a lot, then do voice to text into my writing notes, which I'll move to my blog later, and then return to the podcast as I’m walking. If that's not smooth, that is a problem.
So because I don’t want to spend all my time looking for a podcast right now, I switched over to Pod Save America’s last episode, “2022 is dead. Long live 2024” this being Thursday that would be there Tuesday episode. Future Note: after I got home today's episode came out, “He’s Running (from the law”.
Instagram post for the day...well, I don't have one. However...I'll offer this:
There is a new...Afternoons with Ash Black: Doc Blackwell (Doc Loves the Kids)...up on local Ch 12 BKat TV and YouTube, today. I was interviewed by Ash a couple of months back (Vimeo/YouTube).
Cheers!
As they are discussing this on the podcast, once we get this country fixed as far as elections, districting/gerrymandering, etc. eliminating voter suppression, for poor, or utterly no reasons, or worse… we will see Democrats in power more often. Which is why they do it. These election should not be so close. Come on, so often close 50/50 votes cast? Be real. Because it’s obviously been manufactured to be that way. And since the Republicans are at times in power where there are mostly Democratic districts/states so often (or ever as it shouldn't happen ever), obviously it's manufactured by Republicans due to their toxic conservative beliefs. Look, I’m not against conservatism. I’m against it being toxic. I’m against it being forever-in-power even illiberally so, politics. One becomes conservative, and I’ve said this many times...in emergencies. Otherwise we use proper risk assessment and always move forward, trying to progress, trying to be better than you were. Which Republicans have labeled as ANYthing bad. Conservatives take Communism, Socialism, and call it fascism, as they themselves are adhering to the best fascist models they can find around the world and throughout history. It's bizarre. Otherwise, if they weren't that way, Trump in loving dictators so much, wouldn’t be the leader of the Republican Party. As utterly destructive as that has been. In the past 20 years it seems the only thing the Republicans can do is to be destructive, To themselves. They have achieved that. They turned their illiberal powers to the destruction of democracy in this country. They don’t want this landmass (America the location) to go away, they just want forever control of it (thus making the concept of America go away). Like I said, bizarre.
Look, when decades ago Republicans decided they were too closely aligned with the other party (Democrats), their opposition, they wanted to generate a clear defining line. Now they could’ve gone/gotten better, or gotten worse. But they chose extremism and attempting to destroy democracy. In 2012, from their own "autopsy', when they could’ve again gotten better, they again chose the path they were on, continuing in their downward destructive spiral.
You don’t have to believe me about how bad the Republicans are. You can listen to Mitch McConnell who said in this election essentially the Republicans had put up really bad candidates. We’ve seen how Republicans didn’t have a "red tsunami" as they all projected because America rebuked their destructiveness and divisiveness, and their divisionist attitude. They and their people seem to forget that America is a country unto itself against the bad in the world. Splitting us up on one side, choosing bad, how is that good? And convincing others in their party that the other side is bad, makes no sense whatsoever, but it continues to point out how bad they are being. You don’t lie and purposely skew reality as leaders. Because that will tear a nation apart. But they don’t care. Because they think delusionally, that no matter how much destruction they do, once they gain absolute power they’ll fix it all. Because in autocracy, only "one can fix it". We’ve heard Trump say that, repeatedly. And the party thinks the same thing. Only They can fix it. Democrats don’t believe or profess that. They want a functional, smart oppositional party. As do I. Republicans don't want an oppositional party. It's very, Id-like, immature, childish, and...authoritarian. Instead, there are more and more fighting against this criminal party, this insurrectionist party of seditionist. A divisionist's party. What do they say? Divide and conquer? And what do you hear the Democrats say? "We all need to be one country." And that really, says it all. Yes, Democrats screw up, because they try hard. But at least they try. At least they are, "American".
By the way, I’m not someone who just simply hates. I’m not someone who just hates the opposition. I’m not someone who only hates Trump and the Republican Party. I used to vote for Republicans whenever there was a better candidate. Or Independents. Or, "write ins". The best candidate. I voted for one Republican this election. Because there was no Democrat against him, and he sounded genuinely like a decent guy, in my research on him. And he was an incumbent, anyway. So what the hell. But my point in mentioning this, is that once the Republicans get their shit together again, I won’t be saying things about them like I do now. I'm sure I'll still have disagreements. But if it’s not true, I’m not gonna say it. If the facts don’t support it, you’d have to be a fool, or a cult member, to believe the lies that have been going around, to too often, slurped down by Republicans, thinking it will give them an advantage over those not doing that kind of disreputable behavior.
There's an old legal aphorism that goes, "If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither on your side, pound the table." We can see this clearly in the delineation between Democratic and Republican Congressional investigations and hearings. Republicans do nothing but obstruct the investigations, spew bullshit and conspiracies. As we watched the House January 6th Committee, it was more like watching a court trial with enhancements. But because MAGA Republicans weren’t allowed in there (and thank God), we didn’t hear the conspiracies and bullshit jamming up the gears. And when you consider mostly Republicans and conservatives were the ones testifying, I don’t know how it can be seen as political. Though Republicans spun it like that, describing the Committee as if it was run by them, partisan, political, pathetic. Although it was based within the political arena of a Trump MAGA wannabe autocracy that lead to a coup and insurrection attempt.
Is Trump's Mar-a-Lago actually his own manufactured version of, “The White Lotus“?
We can tell how little progress Republicans have made for two reasons. Trump, McConnell. They chose Donald Trump, and are still affected by him. And they chose Mitch McConnell as Republican Senate leader. Again. After both of those men having done a vast amount of destruction to this Senate and this country.
There’s a condition in children I think it’s called, Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). I think the Republicans have it. Because as they point out on the Pod Save America episode, Republicans got what they wanted for years. They overturned Dobbs, and they got punished for it. Republicans via Trump, put up a bunch of MAGA candidate and got spanked for it. It seems the more they punish themselves they're punished by others. The more they double down, they ask for another and another and another (punishments). But who really suffered for it? We do. US. America.
I believe the podcast is correct about Mitch McConnell, that his two greatest skills are attempts to be obstructionist and raising money from lobbyists. The two most slimy things I can think of in government. You don’t obstruct for the sake of obstruction. You don’t just obstruct to “win the Libs“. You obstruct against bad policy. Period. It’s like that old saying… "Republicans are great at selling bad ideas and Democrats are bad at selling good ideas." Dems (Republicans, too), get it together!
I also have to agree with their comment that Mitch McConnell is no genius. You don’t have to be when you’re in the minority. You don’t have to be when you’re an obstructionist. You don’t have to be when you merely and repeatedly just do what the other side doesn’t want merely to please your people. Which is exactly what Trump did. And he’s no genius either. He’s just that kid in the back of the room that knows how to annoy the shit out of all the other kids in the room. No he doesn’t get most valuable player. Or most popular student. But he does get, most well-known (and hated) student. But people from the outside can take that for something, seeing something completely different. Especially when it's a political machine, dedicated to that, with help from other countries (Russia?) to serve up an illiberal a liberal agent of chaos.
Podcast: Rick Scott’s plan to sunset Social Security and raise taxes on the middle class with his "driving 300 miles to step on a landmine". And he blames McConnell for allowing Lindsey Graham to push that crap about an abortion ban. Losers.
Do you know everyone who is bugged by Trump right now, the Republican Party, Mitch McConnell, Fox News, etc., etc., etc., all this could’ve been taken care of if McConnell had just allowed the impeachment of Donald Trump to go through and then Trump could never be allowed to run for POTUS again. But no, Republicans have been just too fucking stupid to see beyond their own Pinocchio noses.
That’s “corporate thought“ at work again. The mindset that it’s "better to push a product or process and kill people, but make billions, then get sued, pay out millions, then spend millions on ads to rebuild your brand." That’s not how governments should work. When we see the Republican Party do that, with a leader like Donald Trump, an admittedly toxic capitalist and wannabe autocrat, what should one really expect?
Wouldn't it be ironic if Herschel Walker got elected, then realized, or in his rather "interesting" mind, came to believe he could make more money by switching to being Democrat? Because, don’t think for a second if Trump got in, thought HE could get more power/money by switching to the Democrats, that he wouldn't do it in a second.
OK, at 2.5 miles I was ready to quit walking. Almost at the end of 3 miles, the endorphins kicked in finally, overwhelming the long Covid feeling. For a moment I thought I’d stop now. But I think I’ll do the 4th mile. Hoping I get to the end of the 4th mile, and feeling about the same. So wanting to get back to 5 miles, again.
I just like to say, if anyones thinking of catching Covid, or worse long Covid, maybe consider something else…
Podcast had a good point. There’s a good chance we can take the house in 2024. Some might say, just let Republicans keep saying and doing the things they’re trying to say and do. They'll just hand the House back over. Much like they did the Senate and other state offices this 2022 midterm election. The best thing you can have as opponent is one who is their own worst enemy, and not just ours.
Here’s something else to consider, Russian active measures in social media against democracy and specifically America, has paid off for them so very well. Helps to have leadership in America helping with that. Thanks, Trump & Republicans! Their goal as with Trump's goal and some of the Republican Party has simply been, evoke chaos. Because when there is chaos you can seize things, like power, position, money. But what the Russians got in the end was this Republican Party. They actually turned an American political party against their own country. They elected someone like Donald Trump. They said an insurrection was a political protest, after being terrified that day and quickly saying it was bullshit, that Trump is responsible, but then breathing a few "breathes" and then a few days later, went right back to kissing his ass. Russia, Putin, and their cyber force should really be on the front cover of Time and Fortune magazine for the "Best ROI in History" of subverting a foreign enemy. And WHY are we enemies? It doesn't have to be like this. They're just like the Republicans now in that, to oppose western democracy always, to just be against anything they're for, even good ideas. And that's, just stupid and counter-productive for all involved. Hone the best ideas together, then make them succeed! Stop worrying about who came up with the ideas.
Also, get ready for the Republican investigation after investigation after investigation about absolutely nothing, ever wasting more American tax dollars over...absolutely nothing. I don’t even know what they’re going to come up with yet (to be sure, Hunter Biden, sigh...Good grief, what's the FBI for?). But you can be sure in the end, it’ll be absolutely nothing and they'll claim massive findings (while nothing will functionally come of it, or if anything does, it will be minor compared to the noise they make about it gearing up the "investigations"). I guess the people who claim to be the law and order party, or in Trump's case, president, as Trump is so often like the Republican party, to point fingers at others and call out THEIR crimes, all while Republicans (or Trump) are the ones executing those crimes. It's all so elementary school level
The Republican Party knew very well that election denial and anti-abortion nonsense was a losing agenda. But they did the same, as did with Trump, sitting back and waiting to see if it all goes well for them... who knows, maybe? Not even playing it out, thinking ahead to see how damaging it would be for them (and America, but they're really not worried about THAT). Obviously they don’t care about America, because they're a Party of narcissistic sociopathy led by the First Narcissist Himself.
Republicans are already saying they’re going to hold the country hostage over the debt ceiling in order to get concessions on taxes and the social safety net. While Democrats aren’t socialists, Republicans regardless, are anti-social programs. As I’ve explained before, as we mostly all KNOW, those are two vastly different topics. Every single country in the world NEEDS social programs. Why are they so anti-democracy and anti-help citizens? God knows they want to help people who are rich or corporate. Citizens founded this country. Citizens made these corporations. But once they become corporations they do everything they can to abandon the citizens for profit. And that’s what we mean by toxic capitalism and "corporate thought". It’s abusive and lends itself to conservatism which apparently easily wishes to slide into autocracy. WTF? We keep seeing that in recent decades from Republicans, again and again and again…why are so many Republicans authoritarian curious?
My post in another location...
Nazi Germany failed during Hitler's rise & fall to be informed on what they were supporting, to find a moral compass.
MAGA Republicans failed during POTUS45 supporting a mental & moral defect in a toxic capitalist & faux conservative.
While even "religious" people could not see their own failings in their greed for power & relevance, to push toward theocracy, rather than democracy, in aiding an autocrat.
Because that's what they did and what it was about. They compromised themselves to get one or two things, and closed their eyes, on what else Trump did.
Christianity IS essentially a capitalist autocracy.
Capitalism turned toxic, turns conservative and that, when toxic...is autocracy
Regarding Christianity being capitalist as with some other religions. Buddhism doesn’t fall into that. In Christianity you do something on earth so you like, "get a certificate" or something, imaginary ones that forgive you. Most noticeably in Catholicism. "God Forgives". So that after being a murderer, when you’re dying, you get to go to heaven. How is that not capitalism at work? You "pay" into belief now, you're paid off in much better Heaven. In Buddhism you try to be aware of all you can, always better yourself in the best possible ways. Do not confuse my Buddhism, which is my Buddha dharma beliefs and readings... with the majority of the world's versions. Especially, those who grew up with Buddhism and turned it into a religion. It is not a religion. No, I don't buy into reincarnation. Buddha says, use your common sense and don't believe bullshit others push on you. Look, I'm no rabid Buddhist. I use it at a touchstone, to orient with. All other religions I surveyed for decades failed. Anyway, that’s the thing about humans. Because of our inherent OCD and pattern recognition capabilities, we always try to turn everything into a religion. How do you think religions got started? Because there’s a God? Please. Why (how?) do you think conservatism and capitalism have become so corrupt and toxic? Because we’ve tried to turn them into religions. We can’t recognize it for the most part. We won’t recognize it, typically we just refuse to. But we apply those beliefs and we port that pattern in our mind, over to those things. Some do that with humanism. We'll do it with anything. To be sure, when going up against a great force, once has to be dedicated, of a single purpose. But you have to occasionally reorient. At least those into humanism, humaneness, compassion, are leaning towards care about humans rather than just the exploitation and destruction of them.
Trump has been tough to go against because those who do are afraid of not him, but what he could do with his MAGA base. I don’t think some of these people who want to be president in 2024 care so much about that anymore. They’re emboldened, now. And if they do to Trump what he’s doing to them, but they do it better (because it’s really not that difficult to be smarter than that man), then he could easily lose. It’s not that Trump is that smart, it’s that he has the personality of a bully who spent his entire life perfecting a skill. Being very good at a skill looks like genius from those who don’t know about it or who haven’t practiced it. But trust me, Trump's dumber than you think. It's just that he's learned some techniques to appear a certain way, and to scare off anyone shattering that illusion, if not destroy them in the ways that person most fears. He is after all, a serial predator.
Damn. This is a long blog today. I still have to do a quick run through edit to make it readable and fix so may of my "voice to text" errors. Some of which are hilarious or frustrating or just downright annoying and angrifying. I’ve also been trying to get away from politics more into psychology and phenomenology. I don’t want to be working on the blog much when I want to be editing my book on my film, “Pvt. Ravel‘s Bolero“. I'm having a lot of fun writing that. So much more fun than writing a book on Covid. Obviously. Not to mention, where I had to incessantly review the past two years of miserable Covid experiences and near death moments. So much more fun to write about the Arts. Ah well…
OK I started on my 5th mile. Now...I can do it. I Could push myself. But I think I’ll regret it tomorrow, if not later today. It's better to air on the side of caution with long Covid. Push yourself as much as you can, but don’t be stupid.
Good call on my part. Just as I got onto my home block, my left ankle started aching. But that’s more due to not walking the 5 miles more than anything else. How do you get back up to 5 miles a day? Deal with a little discomfort. Also the air quality today is indicated as "good" but like one click down from, "moderate". So it could be that in walking 4 miles I’ve kind of done 5 miles worth of breathing not the best are, which really affects my long Covid (it inflames something that aggravates symptoms). So that together with over exercising it can make for a really, really uncomfortable few days of healing up from it. I miss the days of over-exercising a bit, hurting a bit, feeling good, healing up and doing it again tomorrow. But...getting older, healing takes longer, and hopefully long covid is on the way away.
Regarding my coat today, it would’ve been perfect if I just hadn’t worn my Costco flannel fleece shirt under it, as it is just a little too sweaty for my taste (see, I said, "taste" but voice to text put in, "teeth", but then. that's funnier, "too sweaty for my teeth", right?).
Cheers! Sláinte!
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