Coffee and Accountability

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I've decided to make a new kind of OT. I'm going to try out the idea for a few weeks to see if y'all like it.

It's called "Coffee and Accountability" because it's going to be an online version of a practice Kate and I do together called, well, "Coffee and Accountability," or, C&A.

It all started because Kate bought me a journal to match hers. It's a journal that includes tools for stating goals, setting priorities, tracking positive habits, and, of course, scheduling appointments. Kind of like a datebook, journal, and self-help book all in one.

We decided we would use the books together, meeting in the morning (usually), over coffee. We'd set plans for the upcoming week: goals we want to pursue, chores we have to get done, and positive habits we want to establish. Then we'd meet, each day if possible, to check in with each other and see how things were going.

In retrospect, it's amazing how much we hold each other accountable without pissing each other off. Somehow, we hold each other accountable without getting judgmental (mostly!). If I could bottle that and put it in the water supply, I would. C&A can also be a great way of tracking our energy levels. As a person who's rebuilding her body after a double organ transplant, and a person who's trying to drag herself up out of a serious depression, it's pretty important to keep an eye on your energy and try to increase it.

Why have I made this new OT series? Because I've noticed that a lot of folks are finding the terrible corruption of the political world is just too much to bear. After a while, people become exhausted by ingesting so much negative information. It's like a new kind of burnout that comes from simply knowing things. I certainly experience this myself, and it presents me with some thorny moral problems.

I seem to have some vague, unexamined moral notion about information. It goes something like it's my duty to the world in general, and to the American civitas in particular, to discover and understand as much of the truth as possible. I bet I learned this in some elementary-school civics class. It's a nice idea, and arguably essential to the long-term survival of any republic, but when the truth is radioactive, it becomes a problem.

radaway.png

Possibly the real problem is that this moral notion belongs in a republic or democracy, and not in an oligarchy.

I haven't solved this moral conflict. If I intended to simply bury my head in the sand, I would, of course, no longer be here. My spit-and-string temporary solution is to reduce my intake of data by only keeping up with a few issues. I consider that limitation a necessary one for my health. To stay on the side of the angels, I make as sure as I can that, when I do present data, it is accurate and honest. I do not, however, consider the matter closed, and I will probably continue to struggle with this issue in future iterations of this Open Thread.

I should make it clear that I'm NOT declaring this OT a No Negativity Zone. People are free to post any information or opinion they wish. The only difference will be that my essays in this OT will be basically positive. They will focus on self-care of various kinds, and, obviously, will include Kate's and my C&A process. I hope that this will also be a space where readers can share their own personal goals, dreams, and self-care.

We've gotta start a positive space somewhere. I begin with coffee, friends, and talk.

Speaking of coffee, I thought y'all might like this:

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Raggedy Ann's picture

I loved the video - thanks for introducing me to her!

I like your new topic. I love coffee and I love accountability! I try and live in my truth, which makes me accountable.

Enjoy the day! Pleasantry

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15 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Raggedy Ann

I was afraid nobody would!

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Lookout's picture

I start every day with coffee (3-4 cups), and some days with accountability. Some days I like to take off and be unaccountable. My system is to keep "to do" lists...some short term like tomorrow or this week (things like groceries to buy and small tasks). Other lists long term chores and goals. Somehow writing them down helps me organize.

Today there's a light snow on the deck and cars. Still spitting a bit. It is 22 F this AM and not going to get above freezing till tomorrow. Not planning on doing much as a result. Already turned on the lights over the seedlings, and veggies are covered in the garden, so they should ride out the freeze as well. Plan to call my Mom and a friend or two, but no big goals today for sure.

Hope y'all are having a good one and wishing all our friends suffering severe weather all the best and a quick return to warmth!

PS. Any one drink bulletproof coffee? The version I make as my last cup of the AM uses a tablespoon of grassfed butter and a shake of salt. (Recently learned coffee depletes your salt). It really helps delay my hunger and push my first meal of the day till 11 or 12.

Edit to add:
I buy whole bean organic coffee and grind beans each morning just before brewing coffee. I use a melitta cone and unbleached filters and pour through boiling water. We love it and so do our guests.

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13 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

@Lookout

Do you use grow lights over your seedlings, or just ordinary lights (LED/traditional/cfl?)

be well and have a good one

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7 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Lookout's picture

@enhydra lutris

Of florescent (shop lights) and incandescent down in the window in the mechanical room with the hot water heater (keeping them warm)...not perfect but adequate.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/hpgen/fluorescent-lighting-...

combining with incandescent broadens the spectrum useful to plants.

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7 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

@Lookout

back, so I'll have to try CFLs and proper spectrum LEDs or something.

Thanks.

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4 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Lookout

It is 22 F this AM and not going to get above freezing till tomorrow.

Ugh!

OTOH, freezes do have their place. Even down here, a few freezes a year does wonders for keeping the bug population down.

We are having extremely weird weather--big thunderstorms and tornados in the winter is a really weird thing for Florida. But at least it means the aquifer is getting built up. (In the summer, too much of the water evaporates in the heat, unless we get a *really* wet summer like last year). And I would prefer almost anything to drought and wildfires, which is what we had for most of the 90s and the early oughts.

Some days I like to take off and be unaccountable.

That is an intrinsic part of our process, too. I forgot to talk about that! Well, that can be a topic for next week.

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10 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Lookout That's the ticket. And note: MCT oil or ghee/butter are excellent solubilizers of all the good stuff in cannabis. I'm perhaps not as "accountable" as usual after drinking it, but I definitely get shit done on weekends, so there is that. I hadn't heard of the salt trick, I think I'll try that. Thanks.

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phillybluesfan's picture

[video:https://youtu.be/eDFJp1oa7qM]

Sarah Vaughan - Black Coffee (1949) - The Overjazz Channel aims to offer only the best recordings of the begining era of modern music. Re-discover genius compositions from the parents of todays music like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday or John Coltrane. Subscribe for free to stay connected to our channel and easily access our video updates!

The Overjazz Channel on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/overjazzrecords

on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/OverjazzRecords

on Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/OverjazzRecords

on the web:

http://www.overjazz.com​ - The Overjazz Channel aims to offer only the best recordings of the begining era of modern music. (Re)discover more genius compositions from the parents of todays music and subscribe for free to stay connected and easily access our video updates! - The Overjazz Channel on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/overjazzrecords​ - The Overjazz Channel on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OverjazzRecords

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Few are guilty, but all are responsible.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Prophets

enhydra lutris's picture

@phillybluesfan

be well and have a good one

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6 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@phillybluesfan

Wow, what a great thing to start the day with.

How have I missed out on this woman all these years!

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

enhydra lutris's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

of discs each of Sara Vaughn, Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald in the vehicle at all times. Made traffic better and everything

be well and have a good one

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7 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

RantingRooster's picture

Fuck a bunch of getting out and cutting down on my "to do" list. It's way too cold. I'm fortunate the power hasn't gone out but my internet is down and my cell is my life line.

I'm having coffee and hoping I don't run out. The gas station closed last night and everything in the neighborhood is closed as well.

[Video:https://youtu.be/2tNoSmlnxwQ]

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13 users have voted.

C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@RantingRooster

that I'd forgotten to include the part about days off--or "chill days," as Kate and I call them.

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

RantingRooster's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal at 4 degrees yep that's a chill day! Crazy

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8 users have voted.

C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@RantingRooster

up
6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@RantingRooster

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6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

mhagle's picture

@RantingRooster

I was just thinking about you after hearing there are many in the metroplex who have been without power for a day or more. Don't listen to WFAA much but they reported that there were no outages in Highland Park. Fancy that!

Here 60 miles south of Dallas, we are experiencing the revolving outages. Power is out at the moment, These have been lasting about 40 minutes every 2 hours. Fortunately we have a fireplace, plenty of wood and also have 3 small gas heaters in the house. Keeping animals warm enough is a priority. I knew early on that I had to let the greenhouse go. The two electric heaters and kerosene heater only brought it up 20 degrees. When it gets below 0 that is not enough! So I picked in my tomatoes, herbs, and sprouting seeds and said goodbye for a few weeks.

Sounds like Fort Worth is getting hit particularly hard. That WFAA report talked about the power plants not being winterized and that there are guidelines the state set, but because of deregulation, they are not mandated.

Power just came back on. Better go finish baking the cornbread for hubby.

Stay safe and warm everyone! I-m so happy

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12 users have voted.

Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

lotlizard's picture

@mhagle  
Eighteen-wheelers smashing / sliding full speed into heaps of already stopped cars in the I-35W express lanes. Over 100 cars and trucks involved. Grim.

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10 users have voted.
RantingRooster's picture

@mhagle The power has been fine. I'm assuming we've been lucky.

I do live at a "business", but our power has been on the whole time. The gas station across the street had their power go out the other night, right as I was about to get some bread. I need my bread dammit! lol.

It's the internet that has been the issue for me. I just got it back today. So far it's been consistent. But it's been hit or miss since Sunday.

I did manage to get to the grocery store yesterday. Wow, what a freak out that was.

They only had 1 entrance open and the lines inside, gosh I've never seen them so long. I've never seen the shelves so bare either. The lines were from the very front, wrapping all the way to the very back.

I was lucky and managed to snag a self checkout spot that only took 30 minutes. But sadly, there was no bread. Not even hot dog buns. I did get some flour tortillas. They work in a pinch.

I had stopped by Walmart and the line to just get in, was wrapping around the building. I wasn't going to wait in 8 degree weather to go to WalMart.

Thanks for thinking of me.

Drinks

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3 users have voted.

C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote

mhagle's picture

@RantingRooster

I was just thinking about you after hearing there are many in the metroplex who have been without power for a day or more. Don't listen to WFAA much but they reported that there were no outages in Highland Park. Fancy that!

Here 60 miles south of Dallas, we are experiencing the revolving outages. Power is out at the moment, These have been lasting about 40 minutes every 2 hours. Fortunately we have a fireplace, plenty of wood and also have 3 small gas heaters in the house. Keeping animals warm enough is a priority. I knew early on that I had to let the greenhouse go. The two electric heaters and kerosene heater only brought it up 20 degrees. When it gets below 0 that is not enough! So I picked in my tomatoes, herbs, and sprouting seeds and said goodbye for a few weeks.

Sounds like Fort Worth is getting hit particularly hard. That WFAA report talked about the power plants not being winterized and that there are guidelines the state set, but because of deregulation, they are not mandated.

Power just came back on. Better go finish baking the cornbread for hubby.

Stay safe and warm everyone! I-m so happy

up
4 users have voted.

Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

mhagle's picture

@RantingRooster

I was just thinking about you after hearing there are many in the metroplex who have been without power for a day or more. Don't listen to WFAA much but they reported that there were no outages in Highland Park. Fancy that!

Here 60 miles south of Dallas, we are experiencing the revolving outages. Power is out at the moment, These have been lasting about 40 minutes every 2 hours. Fortunately we have a fireplace, plenty of wood and also have 3 small gas heaters in the house. Keeping animals warm enough is a priority. I knew early on that I had to let the greenhouse go. The two electric heaters and kerosene heater only brought it up 20 degrees. When it gets below 0 that is not enough! So I picked in my tomatoes, herbs, and sprouting seeds and said goodbye for a few weeks.

Sounds like Fort Worth is getting hit particularly hard. That WFAA report talked about the power plants not being winterized and that there are guidelines the state set, but because of deregulation, they are not mandated.

Power just came back on. Better go finish baking the cornbread for hubby.

Stay safe and warm everyone! I-m so happy

up
2 users have voted.

Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@mhagle

Stay as warm as possible, Marilyn.

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5 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

lotlizard's picture

https://www.qwant.com/?q=awful%20lot%20of%20coffee%20in%20brazil&t=videos

The Slate Star Codex Astral Codex Ten saga: people from the New York Times insisted it was part of their job to dox a blogger who wanted to stay anonymous. He deleted his entire body of work in response and took his case to the Web. From his vantage point, here’s what ensued.

https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/still-alive

(The lyrics interpolated throughout are, of course, from the Jonathan Coulton song Still Alive, closing theme of the video game Portal.)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2tn5uu

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7 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@lotlizard

looks like a fun link.

be well and have a good one

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6 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@lotlizard

I'd totally forgotten the Muppet Show version.

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5 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

What was I thinking!??! While I loved the book, (the style, the energy and ‘The Edge’) the subject was altogether too relevant to what is happening today in politics. Like, didn’t we learn anything about the abuse of political power in the last 49 years?

There were some great laughs to be had however, like the ‘holding pattern’ to land at LaGuardia that turned into an aerobatics tour of Times Square, but the takeaway feeling was none the less of extreme deja vue of the worst sort.

I realized that I needed to make a conscious effort to reestablish contact with the here and now and put some distance between myself and the growing sense of pending collapse and hopelessness that was becoming ubiquitous. After all, if we can’t find a way to enjoy at least parts of our lives, what’s the point of worrying about the big problems that seem to have no solution?

I seem to have noticed an uptick in intolerance here on the C99 forum. Perhaps it has begun to sink in that Biden/Harris is not the tonic we were hoping it could be, and that preventing meaningful transformation is clearly the real objective in DC. Or perhaps it’s just me, in the shadow of the story of McGovern’s drubbing, feeling very much like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Finding a laugh here and there, time in each day to enjoy simple moments of presence, and time to share something positive with another human being are increasingly important in my day, even if it means turning my back on the terror of our situation from time to time.

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16 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

usefewersyllables's picture

@ovals49

HST nailed that one, and it has proven itself to be an immortal work of journalism. I'm scheduling myself to re-read it once again in the summer of '22, to inoculate myself against caring about the midterms. Everything old is new again.

Coffee. I've never been able to drink it, as it comes off as far too bitter for my palate to handle. Not that that stopped me from getting my jolt, though. Literally. My favorite form of caffeine for a long time was a can of Jolt Cola with two No-Doz dissolved in it... My cardiologist put the kibosh on that a while back, so I've been decaffeinated for going on 15 years now. I do miss it.

And that brings us to time for an obscure and oblique musical reference.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ3qWmycGq4 width:300 height:200]

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12 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@usefewersyllables

One day I'd been taking it to stay up all night studying for an exam. Next morning--after 2 or 3 hours of sleep, tops--I was walking to my exam and stopped off for a Big Gulp. Diet Coke, I think it was (I'm horrified by how much of that stuff I drank in my 20s and 30s, and hope to God I managed to dodge whatever health bullets the Nutrasweet fired at my system). Anyway, I had forgotten about the No-Doz and drank the whole Big Gulp. For the next few hours, my hands were shaking and I was so irritable that I almost alienated everybody at work!

But man, I'm sorry you can't drink caffeine anymore. Do you have another warm drink that you favor? And are you so uncaffeinated that you can't have chocolate?

up
8 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

usefewersyllables's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
I (cough, cough) choose to ignore my cardiologist's orders when it comes to chocolate. That was simply a bridge too far. But caffienated beverages are indeed over for me. Sigh...

Aspartame is nasty stuff. After years of drinking aspartame-sweetened sodas, I developed a sensitivity to formaldehyde. The allergist who identified it asked how long I'd been making surfboards, in order to get so overexposed that I would develop that sensitivity. When I answered "never", the next question was "Alright then, how much diet soda do you drink?". Ouch. Don't touch it anymore, either.

I don't have any favorite warm drinks, anymore. Club soda is my workday sip.

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9 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@usefewersyllables

I'll allow myself one.

Monsanto. Those bastards.

Damn company! What about our lives, you son of a bitch!

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@usefewersyllables
From Medscape:

Aspartame is a widely used artificial sweetener that has been linked to pediatric and adolescent migraines. Upon ingestion, aspartame is broken, converted, and oxidized into formaldehyde in various tissues. We present the first case series of aspartame-associated migraines related to clinically relevant positive reactions to formaldehyde on patch testing.

I’m with you on sticking with the chocolate addiction. Any small caffeine downside is amply offset by beneficial antioxidants and fantastic flavor. I prefer dairy free dark chocolates: Trader Joe’s Pound-Plus Belgium Dark Chocolate bars are a staple in our home and less than $5 per pound!

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8 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

snoopydawg's picture

@ovals49

before they pulled it? How did it get made in the first place? Lots of things look like a no brainer in hindsight. Hey have you noticed that the baby food poisoning story has gone away already? What’d it get a whole 2 days of coverage if that?

The fda lets bad drugs stay on the market for a long time before they pull them because of the damage they cause. Vioxx was one drug that caused heart attacks and they knew it and only pulled it when enough doctors and staff started writing op eds. Bad food keeps getting to the store before it’s pulled. And I will never forget the dawg food poisoning that they knew about but kept secret for over 6 months.

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6 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Jen's picture

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg They just talked about the baby food last night on the local news. They had a pediatrician on saying that it's all safe. Something about how there's heavy metals everywhere and there's no way to avoid them all. But she said at least twice that it was still safe to feed to babies.

ETA: Here it is...local news

When I searched the news site for "baby food" it also pulled up stories from 2017 and 2018 about arsenic in baby food.

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1 user has voted.

Is it great yet?

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@ovals49

for the last several years:

After all, if we can’t find a way to enjoy at least parts of our lives, what’s the point of worrying about the big problems that seem to have no solution?

I've got a LOT to say about that (though no solutions, exactly), but now I'll just say that you're right. If we have no joy in life--even if that life is about to end in a few years--there's little point in living, unless, of course, one MUST live because of responsibilities (like family responsibilities, people being economically dependent on one, children, ill people, etc.) Obviously, you can't let yourself sink for the third time if you're holding other people's heads up above the waves. But even then, it's really highly desirable to have some joy in life. I know that sounds obvious and simplistic, but in times like these, it's worth stating. Especially in a country like ours, which still maintains its inheritance from some of its most dour forebears, who seem to have thought that pleasure, fun, and happiness were rather dubious moral propositions.

up
6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@ovals49

what do you mean by intolerance here at C99? I don't mean to be a blockhead, but intolerance of what?

up
4 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
I had popped in briefly after taking a few days of total internet time-out to see about how Impeachment #2 was going. The demeanor of the ‘discussions’ seemed more contentious than I expected. Nothing like TOP, mind you, but a but disquieting compared to my time-out.

up
5 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@ovals49

Many disagreements, but just one major divide (that I know about). I have mostly ceased to talk directly about the divide, because the truth is that neither side is likely to change its mind unless something changes unexpectedly and drastically in American politics. One side of the divide has had its trust in institutional politics so severely damaged that it would take a while of consistent, persistent, and fundamental positive change on the part of the establishment to rebuild the burnt bridges. The other side is likely to remain the same regardless of events, with perhaps a few individuals falling away here and there on occasion--mainly because one's personal sense of atrocity is, well, personal. A particular thing might be so out-of-bounds for me that it ends trust forever, while for you it might be just offensive, and vice versa. However, those few defections are likely to be quiet ones--in my experience, the loss of faith tends to make people go away in silence (though a few rage against the dying of the light). Anyway, such defections will make little impact on those who are left. And that's true on both sides, actually; it's just that the disillusioned side is likely to take longer to recover faith and hope than the faithful are to fall away. What I mean is that recovering lost faith requires more than one good thing to happen. You are rebuilding something. Whereas losing faith can happen in one horrible moment, if the thing that disillusions you hits you hard enough (back in the day, for a lot of people, it was the sight of a little Vietnamese kid running, on fire, through the war zone).

up
9 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

snoopydawg's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

If so I’d love for you to expand on this if you care to. Not just this, but your whole comment/point.

I have mostly ceased to talk directly about the divide, because the truth is that neither side is likely to change its mind unless something changes unexpectedly and drastically in American politics.

I know which side I fall on and you’re right. It would take a lot for me to trust the system again. But not long. Democrats can gain my trust by doing what needs to be done and not what they want to do. Odds are slim, but I’m not that far gone that I have lost all hope that things will get better.

Interesting topic and comments that have gone where it has.

up
6 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@snoopydawg

but not right now; I just saw your comment and it's nearly 2 in the morning. Smile

up
2 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@ovals49

Finding a laugh here and there, time in each day to enjoy simple moments of presence, and time to share something positive with another human being are increasingly important in my day, even if it means turning my back on the terror of our situation from time to time.

I think I'm arguing that we must turn our backs on the terror of our situation from time to time. Our brains are not really built to handle constant, unresolvable stress. And I'm starting to think that the constant barrage of political horrors and the 24/7 "news cycle" that delivers the horrors and lies are intended as a kind of cultural shock and awe. But I'm one of those conspiracy theorists. Smile

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13 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

snoopydawg's picture

@ovals49

After all, if we can’t find a way to enjoy at least parts of our lives, what’s the point of worrying about the big problems that seem to have no solution?

I came to this decision today. Things are looking up so start looking forward. Aye aye skipper! Sail ho.

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5 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

enhydra lutris's picture

accountability would be best approached after coffee. I want my mind firing on all 3 or 4 cylinders if I am going to try to give an account for things.

Pre coffee getting to the bottom of things --
Q - what were you doing yesterday about 2 o'clock that made such a racket?
A - Hell, I dunno, was I there?

Journals are weird and funny things. Some are designed for free form, blank, lined or dot-grid pages and others, enhanced planner style, have an inherent format. Some take the former and, in full or part, use and adapt them to be the latter and there are those who take planners and just write random shit all over them. Also too some are ephemeral to varying degrees and some aree intended to be a permanent record.

That's not going anywhere, just an observation, I'm currently fiddling aound with numerous ideas, usages, and plans for using one or more. There's that oh so intrusive word again, "Dammit Captain, I'm retired, what's with this plan shit?". Hah!

It actually sounds like a fun thing, perhaps, remembering always that:

Life is too important to be taken seriously

(Oscar W.)

I appear to be rambling, but it is possibly my day to ramble (checks schedule) - yep. My scheduling/planning technique, to be explicated at some point in some sort of long-winded comment or essay involves blocking out time, mostly not as in "at 2:15 blah blah (20 MINUTE APPT)", but as in "allow for about an hour to do blah blah at some point" while carefully blocking out 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours. Voila! rapidimento ye day is fully blocked out and shit do I have a lot of free time Wink

Speaking of which, I do have a little list on the table that says coffee, queso, oregano, saltines, butter, blueberries and cleaning supplies, so I'd best hit the road before it gets too damn crowded out there.

Lovely OT and great idea, thanks mucho

be well and have a good one

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10 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

lotlizard's picture

@enhydra lutris  
https://www.diamondbakery.com/collections/soda-crackers

Why? Beats me. All I know is, we ate ’em as kids, I eat ’em when I’m in the Islands, and I miss ’em when I’m not. Along with SPAM®, of course.

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8 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@lotlizard

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5 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

enhydra lutris's picture

@lotlizard

talk about SPAM(tm), I'll just say it's 19 bucks a case at Costco, that I've visited their museum in Austin, Mn. and own a classic logo T-shirt as well as a tie-dyed version.

be well and have a good one

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7 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

@lotlizard

it. The following may have something to do with its demise:

be well and have a good one

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4 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

lotlizard's picture

@enhydra lutris  
who did much to brighten my freshman year in college had her records.

One of her routines involved a take-off on a Salvation Army mission band. “I do not smoke anymore! I do not drink anymore! I do not lie in the gutter [pronounced ‘gutto’] with men! — I just stand here beatin’ this g–d—ed drum! ♫ Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah, put a nickel on the drum, save another drunken bum. ♫ Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah, put a nickel on the drum and you’ll be saved.”

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6 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@lotlizard

include the birth or death of one of their "generals" in my Monday OT just so I could put it in the playlist.

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5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

snoopydawg's picture

@lotlizard

Soda crackers. Spam...yuck and shudder. Whenever mom went on a diet so did we kids. Spam and cottage cheese on peaches and lettuce. Ugh. Cottage cheese gets in my mouth. My favorite dish was mashed potatoes and hot dawgs. Yum yummy yum yum. And EVERY Friday we had canned salmon. It was so dry. How dry? Why did we eat it every Friday? Grandpa was catholic and it was forbidden to eat meat on Friday. Why? Who the hell knows why some man made that up. But people obeyed for centuries.

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9 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@enhydra lutris

I get hung up on specific times to do things, and I think it screws with the overall process.

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6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cassiodorus's picture

from Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer:

https://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Agroecology-Understanding-Agricultural-Bio...

Now, me personally, I don't drink the stuff. Too intense. Chocolate would be more my speed, if there weren't a pandemic going on.

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5 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Cassiodorus
"shade-grown" concept.

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4 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

magiamma's picture

Just saw this

India’s dramatic fall in virus cases leaves experts stumped

https://apnews.com/article/india-dramatic-fall-coronavirus-cases-199585f...

India, like other countries, misses many infections, and there are questions about how it’s counting virus deaths. But the strain on the country’s hospitals has also declined in recent weeks, a further indication the virus’s spread is slowing. When recorded cases crossed 9 million in November, official figures showed nearly 90% of all critical care beds with ventilators in New Delhi were full. On Thursday, 16% of these beds were occupied.

That success can’t be attributed to vaccinations since India only began administering shots in January — but as more people get a vaccine, the outlook should look even better, though experts are also concerned about variants identified in many countries that appear to be more contagious and render some treatments and vaccines less effective.

Have a good one, y’all

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8 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@magiamma

Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
--Wendell Berry

Praise then darkness, and creation unfinished!
--Ursula Le Guin

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

earthling1's picture

has become a feature, not a bug. Keep us all deluged with bad. We are being sensitized.
I liken it to one of those serrated mallets used to tenderize meat smashed against our brains 24/7, turning it to mush. Unable to function properly anymore. It all glases over after a while, only the most surreal stand out or recognized as really bad.
I welcome your new concept of Coffee & Accountability as needed therapy to counterbalance the ugle shit we find ourselves wading through everyday.
Again, I'll refer to JcT's floating flotsam saving us at the last moment posted at the bottom.
Thanks for throwing it out to us, CSTMS.

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12 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@earthling1

Again, I'll refer to JcT's floating flotsam saving us at the last moment posted at the bottom.
Thanks for throwing it out to us, CSTMS.

Thanks again to JtC for keeping it going.

And I'm glad this idea might actually be helpful.

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8 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

CS in AZ's picture

What an excellent idea!

I don't drink coffee myself, only because (sadly for me) I do not like the taste of it. I can drink it only if I add enough sugar and milk to basically hide the flavor, but at that point I might as well just have a milkshake.

So I take my caffeine in other forms but I do love it! When I was first diagnosed with high blood pressure a few years ago, I was advised to stop using it. Arg! I did for awhile, but it didn't stick. Now that I've removed 60 pounds and eat a much better diet, my BP is improved and I now have about 200 mg a day of caffeine, usually in a hot tea, and what a difference it makes.

This reminded me of the very interesting book I read recently by Micheal Pollan, Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World. It's a short read but fascinating.

Here's a short video of him talking about "plant drugs" such as coffee, tea, and cannabis which is great:

[video:https://youtu.be/2KtYJ0c0lCk]

If anyone has a bit of time to watch a longer interview about the Caffeine book, this one is also very good:

[video:https://youtu.be/M_BNmD1IEac]

He says caffeine, coffee in particular, fueled the industrial revolution. His book details how. Highly recommended reading.

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6 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@CS in AZ

because we were doing drugs? I don't recall all the specifics of the cool things said by people in that movement.

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8 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

CS in AZ's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

There's a lot of videos available where you can hear McKenna explain it in his own voice, ranging in length from less than one minute to hours-long talks he did. As he tells it, it is a compelling and attractive theory. I have considered it to have merit even though not a proven or even widely accepted idea.

Here is a really great discussion (about 8 minutes) on this topic between Joe Rogan and Michael Pollan, which is interesting and entertaining (if you like this sort of thing).

I love McKenna and I love Pollan, so it's great to see Pollan take on MeKenna's ideas with respect even though he thinks that theory is wrong.

[video:https://youtu.be/HqLcdUo_RIQ]

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7 users have voted.
lotlizard's picture

@CS in AZ  
https://www.qwant.com/?q=desmond%20morris%20naked%20ape

Sort of crying out for a third “ape” pop-anthropology premise to round things out?

But seriously, McKenna and Pollan are two guides I very much cherish too.

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3 users have voted.
CS in AZ's picture

@lotlizard

“The anthropologists got it wrong when they named our species Homo sapiens ('wise man'). In any case it's an arrogant and bigheaded thing to say, wisdom being one of our least evident features. In reality, we are Pan narrans, the storytelling chimpanzee.”

― Terry Pratchett, The Globe

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8 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@CS in AZ That's *awesome*!

up
3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

lotlizard's picture

@CS in AZ  
https://www.qwant.com/?q=bonzo%20bedtime%20reagan&t=images

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-pan

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1 user has voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@CS in AZ

I hadn't heard of that one. I knew his Botany of Desire, of course.

up
6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

ggersh's picture

up
9 users have voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@ggersh

if they don't feel like it. You could just hang out with me while I'm being accountable.

And anyway, like I said, I forgot to talk about chill days.

Stay as warm as you can.

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

The electricity has come on at my home, although it blinked on for 30 minutes earlier this morning. No guarantees it will stay on.
Perhaps the heat from the house might melt the ice in the water pipes, if the temp gets above freezing for a few hours. One can hope...
I am still at the office, just in case. I may be ok with all my food in the freezer staying frozen.
I have been to coffee plantations in S. America, Central America, Africa, and the Caribbean. I am hooked on Colombian coffee. Jamaica Blue Mountain is the best, but it is too expensive. I hate to buy it too often, since it ruins me for other coffees.
Chat and plans for the day is a given at my house. Accountability is for us to address internally. If we want to brag on our accomplishments, we share.
As for the effects of bad political news, when was political news positive? Why get depressed or anxious about it when it is extremely unlikely to be any different than the shitty news of yesterday, last week, last month, all the way back to 1963. It is a way of life.
Joy. It is out there. People tend to overlook very little joyful things. Doesn't the flock of robins in the snow make you smile? Seeing rabbit tracks in the front yard? Woohoo! People send me jokes in emails. Music shakes the walls at my house. We cook.
We travel.
We are about to pack up and leave the office. Well, that's one good thing!

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6 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@on the cusp

Was wondering how y'all were.

up
2 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

mimi's picture

for anything. I am so darn tired and exhausted that I only accept text messages, no phone calls.

I wish you all that you don't suffer under the power outages. We have also lots of cold, snow, flooding etc., but it is rather rare that power is lost.

I am not following the news anymore. A day without hearing anything about covid, Trump, Capitol riots, Diden's smooth talk and Pelosi threats is a good day. So I make my days good ones these days. It's not worth the trouble for the time being.

Stay warm if you can.

Peace.

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6 users have voted.

Thanks can't stop.
It's good to turn down the noise!

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4 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@QMS

but man, does it go against the grain for me.

Choosing not to be informed. I need to think this one over....

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1 user has voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

FWIW, k.d. lang also covered "Black Coffee"

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Gba61V2nQ]

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1 user has voted.