Wishing you all a safe and thoughtful Memorial Day May 27, 2024, a day for all we lost during their Servies and in war.
I served in peacetime during the Cold War in the late 70s at a USAF SAC Nuclear base of B-52 bombers. We had Soviet agents around. I met at least one of them I know of. My older brother who did not serve, I knew many of his Vietnam vet friends he'd had since high school. Most of them are long gone now, those who had made it back home. War had damaged them if not physically, mentally, and emotionally. My dad served in WWII as had my step-dad.
Let's come back together to stop all this tribal separatism that truly only serves those enemies of ours whom we're now not thankfully observing from across a no man's land in war. Our being E Pluribus Unum, Out of Many, One...is our greatest benefit and protection against all of those who would end us for their one benefit.
There's a lot to consider on Memorial Day for me.
For us all.
Then
Pod Save America episode Trump Heads to Tribal Council
So I mentioned my last few walkabout thoughts that my chest would be uncomfortable or kinda ache until I got through my 1st mile. Last walk was 5 miles and it lasted through my first half mile. Today I noticed about at the quarter-mile mark or just a bit longer, I started feeling better. So I’m assuming progress, and assuming it’s happening at all because I’m so sedentary much of the time and it shows when I go for walks. Which is why I desperately so much need to go for walks. I mean my job for decades had been sitting in a chair writing, or programming or administrating servers or whatever.
So I mentioned my last few walkabout thoughts that my chest would be uncomfortable or kinda ache until I got through my 1st mile. Last walk was 5 miles and it lasted through my first half mile. Today I noticed about at the quarter-mile mark or just a bit longer, I started feeling better. So I’m assuming progress, and assuming it’s happening at all because I’m so sedentary much of the time and it shows when I go for walks. Which is why I desperately so much need to go for walks. I mean my job for decades had been sitting in a chair writing, or programming or administrating servers or whatever.
When I was a parachute rigger in USAF in the late 70s, it was an extremely physically demanding job and I knew I was in the best shape of my life. Hardly any fat on my body, which had something to do with my wife’s vegetarian cooking. But considering the problems my older brother had as a construction worker and since being on painkillers most of his life now, I didn’t want a job where I had to depend on my body's physicality, and rather a job using my mind.
When I graduated Western Washington University, I knew for a fact my mind was as sharp as it could be, like when I got out of the out of service I was in my best (perhaps lifelong) physical shape I could be in. I remember back then after I got out of the service, I was running and came upon a 6-foot-high fence. I lept over it. I literally, placed two of my fingers touching the top of the fence for spatial reference and just jumped up and flew over it. I was surprised at how easy that was.
It cracks me up when I watch police procedurals on TV and how much trouble they have getting over even a shorter fence. Especially when chasing a parkour-type athlete, which is an unfair comparison.
Anyway, in my professional career as an adult, I was always worried about not getting enough exercise, but knowing my job was keeping my mind sharp, as a concern for me going into old age to always be keeping my mind sharp. My grandmother's mind was sharp till she died. My mom, not so much, and that worried me. But then, I'm not addicted to painkillers.
I did read somewhere years ago that getting a lot of exercise a child and in your early adulthood carries a lot of weight towards your health being better in later life and as you become elderly. So I try to consider that as my body continues to deteriorate... COVID-19 not withstanding.
We do it we can
Marc on the podcast has a good point in talking to a woman, who performs as Marc would put it, "dirty filthy comedy". He believes we don’t hear this from guys anymore because they’ll get canceled or as he put it, "they’ll catch a lot of flak." And that situation has been freed up for women to fill that vacuum because they can still get away with it. And Steph agreed with him.
Interesting podcast episode on the dichotomy between men and women as far as bodily functions and sex and things. Specifically, at this moment...flatulence. I’ve never been much into crude humor and fart jokes. It seems to me if you have to fart and you make a big deal out of it, that’s your emotional issue and you’re just pushing it on me or others.
Anyway, in my professional career as an adult, I was always worried about not getting enough exercise, but knowing my job was keeping my mind sharp, as a concern for me going into old age to always be keeping my mind sharp. My grandmother's mind was sharp till she died. My mom, not so much, and that worried me. But then, I'm not addicted to painkillers.
I did read somewhere years ago that getting a lot of exercise a child and in your early adulthood carries a lot of weight towards your health being better in later life and as you become elderly. So I try to consider that as my body continues to deteriorate... COVID-19 not withstanding.
We do it we can
Marc on the podcast has a good point in talking to a woman, who performs as Marc would put it, "dirty filthy comedy". He believes we don’t hear this from guys anymore because they’ll get canceled or as he put it, "they’ll catch a lot of flak." And that situation has been freed up for women to fill that vacuum because they can still get away with it. And Steph agreed with him.
Interesting podcast episode on the dichotomy between men and women as far as bodily functions and sex and things. Specifically, at this moment...flatulence. I’ve never been much into crude humor and fart jokes. It seems to me if you have to fart and you make a big deal out of it, that’s your emotional issue and you’re just pushing it on me or others.
If you have to do it just do it. Shut up about it. Try to make it innocuous. If you know that it’s going to smell bad, just fucking leave the room. I wouldn’t ask that of anyone men or women if I didn’t feel that way or wouldn't do that myself. It’s just polite, common decency. Like guys who think it's funny to hit another guy in the testicles. I just don't see humor in it and haven't since grade school. Yes, comedy is pain + time. But that doesn't mean YOU have to cause the pain for humor to happen.
If you think it’s funny and know it’s going to reek and you let one rip in an enclosed space like an elevator. You’re just an asshole then and your comedy is immature... grow up. Use your brain, think of something a little more clever. Try. Expend a moment's though. Attempt something more than almost nothing for humor.
Now, if it happens and you didn’t expect it and you then make light of it, well, that’s different.
I don’t think it's base humor is overall funny, because it IS just simple humor. Granted, some childish humor can be truly hilarious. But you know, read the room.
Steph's saying she got "shadow-banned" on TikTok and it’s kind of quiet on there now for her. I suspect she's losing money there. How do you know if you're "shadow-banned"? I do think I had a lot bigger reach before Elon took over Twitter and fucked with it. And though I assume some has to do with bots, I know a bunch of it wasn’t. So thanks for that Elon.
Though I was real supportive of Elon's technology tweets, not so much of his bullshit, insane Nazi OpEd tweets and since my responses to those, things haven’t been as free-flowing there as before.
Steph just said that 5% of her "merch"(andise) sales is on TikTok and all the rest is on Instagram. Well, that’s interesting…
Then she said it's best to do Instagram "Reels" with a sweet spot between 30 to 40 seconds on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, at 9AM PT for her posts anyway. One can view one's stats to see what catches when. Then she said to use the caption app NOT internally supplied Instagram one.
Apparently, she did a sketch with the blue man group and put that up. Seems one of the guys in the group went to college with her. Not original group but joined a bit later on and has been with them over 20 years now.
Steph about a week she had: “Yay! I’m the fucking greatest comedian Tacoma has ever seen until Oklahoma where there’s six people and I SUCK.!"
I mentioned that quote because I was born in Tacoma in 1955. In 1958 we moved to Spain. Then Philadelphia to be around our larger family. 1960 back to... Tacoma. Because that time before moving back was so rich and exciting, I hated Tacoma growing up. I don’t remember any comedy clubs in Tacoma while now there’s a whole bunch of them. Tacoma‘s gotten much nicer, and prettier. My older brother once said, "Tacoma is a place you spend the rest of your life trying to get away from and keep moving back to." So I did that a couple times and when I got the chance, I moved to Seattle in 1985. And never looked back.
Stephe has a good point at this point in the podcast: "If you’re gonna come to see me, to see a commedian and you don’t know them? Google the fucking headliner." Maron has talked before about people coming to see him, who didn’t like him but they should have known better who he is and what his comedy is about as it definitely is a specific or acquired taste.
Steph just said that 5% of her "merch"(andise) sales is on TikTok and all the rest is on Instagram. Well, that’s interesting…
Then she said it's best to do Instagram "Reels" with a sweet spot between 30 to 40 seconds on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, at 9AM PT for her posts anyway. One can view one's stats to see what catches when. Then she said to use the caption app NOT internally supplied Instagram one.
Apparently, she did a sketch with the blue man group and put that up. Seems one of the guys in the group went to college with her. Not original group but joined a bit later on and has been with them over 20 years now.
Steph about a week she had: “Yay! I’m the fucking greatest comedian Tacoma has ever seen until Oklahoma where there’s six people and I SUCK.!"
I mentioned that quote because I was born in Tacoma in 1955. In 1958 we moved to Spain. Then Philadelphia to be around our larger family. 1960 back to... Tacoma. Because that time before moving back was so rich and exciting, I hated Tacoma growing up. I don’t remember any comedy clubs in Tacoma while now there’s a whole bunch of them. Tacoma‘s gotten much nicer, and prettier. My older brother once said, "Tacoma is a place you spend the rest of your life trying to get away from and keep moving back to." So I did that a couple times and when I got the chance, I moved to Seattle in 1985. And never looked back.
Stephe has a good point at this point in the podcast: "If you’re gonna come to see me, to see a commedian and you don’t know them? Google the fucking headliner." Maron has talked before about people coming to see him, who didn’t like him but they should have known better who he is and what his comedy is about as it definitely is a specific or acquired taste.
If you want to enjoy a comedy show night out, know your comic.
Which reminds me about how one uses a movie reviewer. You get to know one. Really doesn’t matter which one, but it’s best to prefer them. The important thing is that they are consistent. That way if they like or dislike a movie, you will know if you will dislike or like the movie. It's how reviewers work.
So she has a podcast called Steph Infection. Something about having a lot of ailments. And that really sucks. I’ve been really damn healthy all my life. So anything that’s going on as I get older now, was really pretty unexpected.
So Steph invited Marc to her podcast. He said sure because of his issues with weight and body dysmorphia in having been raised by an anorexic (his mom). She said it’s guest-driven and he asked if she has a lot of comics on. She said no, she has some on but mostly porn stars because they have some of the greatest stories.
Marc says he’ll hook her up with comedian Sovereign Syre because she used to do adult films and now has a couple podcasts.
Finishing my 4th mile. It’s not supposed to rain, but some really dark clouds are moving in in the winds getting a little chilly.
Marc’s talking about the anxiety of dying, fear of it. I don’t have that. I’ve done enough crazy shit in my life that I learned a long time ago just to ignore it. You know every once in a while, it hits you. But when I think about especially health issues these past few years, for Covid… and dying, whatever.
Which reminds me about how one uses a movie reviewer. You get to know one. Really doesn’t matter which one, but it’s best to prefer them. The important thing is that they are consistent. That way if they like or dislike a movie, you will know if you will dislike or like the movie. It's how reviewers work.
So she has a podcast called Steph Infection. Something about having a lot of ailments. And that really sucks. I’ve been really damn healthy all my life. So anything that’s going on as I get older now, was really pretty unexpected.
So Steph invited Marc to her podcast. He said sure because of his issues with weight and body dysmorphia in having been raised by an anorexic (his mom). She said it’s guest-driven and he asked if she has a lot of comics on. She said no, she has some on but mostly porn stars because they have some of the greatest stories.
Marc says he’ll hook her up with comedian Sovereign Syre because she used to do adult films and now has a couple podcasts.
Finishing my 4th mile. It’s not supposed to rain, but some really dark clouds are moving in in the winds getting a little chilly.
Marc’s talking about the anxiety of dying, fear of it. I don’t have that. I’ve done enough crazy shit in my life that I learned a long time ago just to ignore it. You know every once in a while, it hits you. But when I think about especially health issues these past few years, for Covid… and dying, whatever.
I don’t want to die. I have things I wanna do. I have plenty of things I thought would be done by now but that didn’t work out so well. But I’ve always been very capable of accepting death. "Oh I’m gonna die now? OK. Let’s get it over with." I mean, I will work hard not to. I had trouble with it as a kid, but in the end...if it’s inevitable, I’m not gonna freak out about it.
Marc‘s talking about when he was a young kid and his parents were going on vacation, he'd freak out that they would die and ended up calling them even though they said to only call for an emergency. Stephe jokes I will paraphrase her: "So mom's looking to have sex and the kid's calling..."
Which reminds me, after I graduated high school my mom took the family to Ocean Shores. I think we had one one room. My little brother and I were in a bed and few feet away were our parents. My mom and stepdad in their bed and I suspect my cousin and my sister were scattered around the room sleeping. I woke about 2 AM because I heard something and realized it was coming from their bed. And then I realized with the direction of the sound and the types of sounds, there was cunnilingus going on. Let’s say I had a visceral reaction. Even at seventeen. This was the weekend the McQ production arrived...AFTER I left. I was crushed. I'd seen the marquee saying "Welcome McQ", but had no idea what that meant until later. Mom even got to dance with John Wayne.
Marc‘s talking about when he was a young kid and his parents were going on vacation, he'd freak out that they would die and ended up calling them even though they said to only call for an emergency. Stephe jokes I will paraphrase her: "So mom's looking to have sex and the kid's calling..."
Which reminds me, after I graduated high school my mom took the family to Ocean Shores. I think we had one one room. My little brother and I were in a bed and few feet away were our parents. My mom and stepdad in their bed and I suspect my cousin and my sister were scattered around the room sleeping. I woke about 2 AM because I heard something and realized it was coming from their bed. And then I realized with the direction of the sound and the types of sounds, there was cunnilingus going on. Let’s say I had a visceral reaction. Even at seventeen. This was the weekend the McQ production arrived...AFTER I left. I was crushed. I'd seen the marquee saying "Welcome McQ", but had no idea what that meant until later. Mom even got to dance with John Wayne.
This reminds me of the time my mom showed my brother something when I was in maybe seventh grade. They were in her bedroom next to mine and then she closed the door. I heard them laugh. So the next time everybody was out in the house, I went through her dresser until I found the yellow manila envelope and pulled out the 8 x 10 glossy black and white print of a nude woman on a beach (I realized later it was in Spain). Her arms crossed, stretched her head and a guitar resting sand, it's head in her crotch to be discreet.
My first thought was Cool, "attractive naked woman." My second thought was, "Wait! That’s mom!" My third thought was, "Oh damn! Oh my God! That’s, that's MOM!" I put it away as fast as I could. Scrubbed my mind of it. Sadly, I can still see a perfect image of that photograph in my mind. The scrubbing failed. Sigh.
Those things about your parents that are just adult things that you really never needed to know about as a kid.
There had been a massive fight between my parents in Spain when my dad tried to strangle my mom... again apparently. I always wondered if it was over that photograph. Did she do that for him. Or did she felt free to do that after he was kicked out of the country... by my grandfather who got him the job there. My younger mother was very good-looking.
One time, my youngest child's mother, who was very good-looking, offered to go to a professional photographer to get some sexy photos taken for me. It kind of panicked me. I said, no thank you for the offer, but no thanks. I don’t know if I ever explained to her why I had that reaction or if I even realized that at the time. But I can understand my dad, who was kind of a jealous guy (according to my mom), not reacting well to that kind of thing, in the 1950s, in Spain.
Then there was a story of him bending my mother backwards over the sink, strangling her, at his mom’s house when she had said something to him that he didn’t like. My mom said she just said something like "damn", or "hell", or something fairly innocuous and he reacted poorly. Until grandma, his mother, was beating on him from behind telling him to knock it off, to get off her. And she just wasn’t that type. The kind of short overweight grandma who cooks cookies and works in the garden. Loved her.
I just switched over to Pod Save America because Marc’s podcast ended.
I just switched over to Pod Save America because Marc’s podcast ended.
First up they’re talking about Nikki Haley. And her flip-flopping for Trump. All my life I had respect for both parties. I was raised in a Democrat/Union family. But I've been an independent most of my life. I voted in every election as far as I can remember, I do think I missed a few though. For some reason, I voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980. Probably because I grew up watching him on TV as an actor and on what was it? Death Valley Days as the host?
I didn’t vote for Reason a second time. He became too problematic and there were protests at university over his contra/Iran actions. He was the last Republican I voted for. No wait. I voted for his VPOTUS Bush because I thought it might be good to have somebody from the CIA elected who actually knew what the fuck was actually going on.
I didn’t vote for Reason a second time. He became too problematic and there were protests at university over his contra/Iran actions. He was the last Republican I voted for. No wait. I voted for his VPOTUS Bush because I thought it might be good to have somebody from the CIA elected who actually knew what the fuck was actually going on.
Because I was very into intelligence and espionage since I got out of high school. My first political leanings started in 10th grade when "The Troubles" were happening in Ireland around the time I came to realize I was half Irish, as my dad’s family was Irish. My mom was Czechoslovakian. Whatever the hell that means nowadays. I was raised old-school Slovak Catholic. While Dad's family wasn't. Lutheran or something. More Protestant anyway than Catholic. No big deal unless you're dealing with Irish issues.
I still had respect for Republicans in the 90s. But having studied Soviet espionage and tactics for decades, I started to notice how Republicans were using those tactics of disinformation, and that freaked me out. I told people about this back then and they thought I was nuts.
We know now I was right. 100%.
Bugs me about Republicans, conservatives and MAGA saying stupid shit to me like "you have TDS", or "you’re just a Trump hater", or "you’re a liar because you don’t like conservatives." That’s all such bullshit. I've never been just partisan. I always voted for the best person, Republican or Democrat or Independent. I didn’t give a shit as long as they had the credentials to do a good job and sounded like a decent person.
But Donald Trump is NOT a fucking decent person and I came to recognize that we had a disintegrating Republican party, not through politics or partisanship. but facts and recognition of an American political party abusing us using our enemy's underhanded tactics against Our Own Country. That was a shock. That and my growing ever more correct... until 2016.
What is happening now is simply insanity.
Finishing up my 5th mile now and I'm feeling great. I’ve always loved getting exercise. I wish I could get back into lifting weights, maybe I'll get around to it again. It’s just that anymore, if I’m not really careful I pull a muscle. Something my doctor recently told me that at my age now of 68, it's just where I’m at in life now. Yay me.
I think AI is a great thing. I’ve been waiting for it all my life. But we’re at the caveman level. I should be able to tell it to generate a dissertation on the differences between what is being said by Republicans and Democrats and compare that to facts and reality, and let me know where the balance lies. Which side is better at this point in history to side with? If you ask the AI about that right now it’ll refuse. Maybe it’s just not capable. It’ll tell ya there's a lot of opinions involved. OK then give me a report not based on opinions as best you can. And that’s what I find sad about AI today.
With AI today you have to and you can, find ways around its built-in dysfunction. For instance, give it a list of 10 things that Republicans say are bad about Democrats or President Biden. Turn it around and do the same thing in reverse about Republicans. Feed it that and have it evaluate compared to the facts and then give you a report. It still won’t do it. But you’ll get further. And if you hold to that, you can actually get it to respond with something useful. At least something you can write something from. AI is useful. It could just be a lot more useful but in some cases, it simply refuses to do it. When it perfectly well could.
On that note, I’ll bid you adieu…
And I’ll leave you with that. It’s noon and time for lunch.
Bugs me about Republicans, conservatives and MAGA saying stupid shit to me like "you have TDS", or "you’re just a Trump hater", or "you’re a liar because you don’t like conservatives." That’s all such bullshit. I've never been just partisan. I always voted for the best person, Republican or Democrat or Independent. I didn’t give a shit as long as they had the credentials to do a good job and sounded like a decent person.
But Donald Trump is NOT a fucking decent person and I came to recognize that we had a disintegrating Republican party, not through politics or partisanship. but facts and recognition of an American political party abusing us using our enemy's underhanded tactics against Our Own Country. That was a shock. That and my growing ever more correct... until 2016.
What is happening now is simply insanity.
Finishing up my 5th mile now and I'm feeling great. I’ve always loved getting exercise. I wish I could get back into lifting weights, maybe I'll get around to it again. It’s just that anymore, if I’m not really careful I pull a muscle. Something my doctor recently told me that at my age now of 68, it's just where I’m at in life now. Yay me.
I think AI is a great thing. I’ve been waiting for it all my life. But we’re at the caveman level. I should be able to tell it to generate a dissertation on the differences between what is being said by Republicans and Democrats and compare that to facts and reality, and let me know where the balance lies. Which side is better at this point in history to side with? If you ask the AI about that right now it’ll refuse. Maybe it’s just not capable. It’ll tell ya there's a lot of opinions involved. OK then give me a report not based on opinions as best you can. And that’s what I find sad about AI today.
With AI today you have to and you can, find ways around its built-in dysfunction. For instance, give it a list of 10 things that Republicans say are bad about Democrats or President Biden. Turn it around and do the same thing in reverse about Republicans. Feed it that and have it evaluate compared to the facts and then give you a report. It still won’t do it. But you’ll get further. And if you hold to that, you can actually get it to respond with something useful. At least something you can write something from. AI is useful. It could just be a lot more useful but in some cases, it simply refuses to do it. When it perfectly well could.
On that note, I’ll bid you adieu…
And I’ll leave you with that. It’s noon and time for lunch.
As always, I wish you all, all the greatest success and good health!
Just put in the time and effort for those successes.
Until next time!
Cheers! Sláinte!
Just put in the time and effort for those successes.
Until next time!
Cheers! Sláinte!
