Open Thread - Friday, October 6, 2018
“So long as they (the Proles) continued to work and breed, their other activities were without importance. Left to themselves, like cattle turned loose upon the plains of Argentina, they had reverted to a style of life that appeared to be natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern...Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.”
- George Orwell -
I feel like a sucker, paying attention to The Supreme Court drama. The whole thing leaves me feeling funkin' rough.
After the July motorcycle trip, I bottomed out for a bit. Slowly, I got back to the gym. Our weather cooled off a little, I reinitiated the walking program and tuned the funk out!
The world needs me wandering. One day during the motorcycle trip, I crossed the Blue Mesa Reservoir and was climbing Colorado 92 up Black Mesa when I came across a motorcycle rider down in the road. It was a German tourist, on a rental Harley Davidson. He said deer had run out. He was not hurt, but could not pick up the motorcycle. I helped him pick up the motorcycle, pulled out some tools and realigned the stuff on the handle bars.
As I continued up and down the road, I passed through Aspen and made my way over Independence Pass. On the east side of the pass, I came across a Ducati Multistrada rider with a flat tire. I pulled out the tire plug kit, patched his flat and followed him back to the highway.
This week, in an effort to not look at the Internet, I walked to the local brew pub. When I arrived, I ran into a couple of friends having dinner. I heard some commotion, and my table mates facial expressions suddenly changed and eyes got big. I turned around as the pint glass shattered on the floor and the man behind me was in the process of faling over backwards, and pulling down a high top table. I remember assessing the situation, and determining he was falling backwards. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, I stepped behind him, hooked him under the arms and caught him against my chest while the table crashed to the floor. Is it funkin' me?
Octoberfest this weekend! Have a great weekend! I will.
The thread is funkin' OPEN.
Comments
Good morning, Tim ~~~
If Kavacakes thought he was in the twilight zone, I say, welcome to OUR world. You've now been exposed to life in the 99% lane, but your privilege is about to pay off, buddy. What an absolute shit show. We, the people, are the zombies in this show. As I profess - without revolution, bend over.
I'm walking around a bit more in my soft cast. A shoe is in my future - about three weeks away. I'm anxious to be grateful about it.
Off to soak in the hot springs of Truth or Consequences this weekend. The brewery there should be hopping tonight. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend.
Have a beautiful day and weekend, everyone!
"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
You should come by the pub
My buddy is a podiatrist. Although the hot springs are probably better for healing.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Damn - wish I could
I need all the consultation I can get! Better yet - consultation over a beer!
"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
I am looking forward to Octoberfest
Schwarzbier is back! Judge says:
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Hola, Tim. We're back from out 19 days of travel/travail,
as the case may be. Glad to see that you do good samaritan stuff when you're out and about as our experiences these days are much more mundane: "no, that's a sea lion, otters are much smaller and don't come ashore". Sedona is beautiful, and expensive. Quelle surprise.
Tons of catching up to do here - thanks for the tunes and the OT.
TAke care of yourself and have a great weekend.
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 --
You mean you were down here while we were up there?
Our trip was of similar length; 19 days of planes, trains and automobiles, even a ferry leg in Washington. We stopped to watch the Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas, just north of Cambria.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
Heh, we made the same stop for elephant seals ourselves.
Looked like all juvies, thought about ano nuevo, but figured that it was the wrong time of year and wanted to get home.
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 --
Cool
I am already working on the next trip. My B-I-L recommended Sedona, but motorcycle July dessert.
During the motorcycle day described above, Colorado 92 on Black Mesa, there was a plethora of small rodents, everywhere! Everything from chipmunks, to little things about the size of golf balls, mice, marmots, ground squirrels and more. Just after I helped the tourist, I drove by a white tail deer standing along the road. I saw him, 8-10 pts, from afar and was going about 10 mph and passed within about 10 ft. He just turned his head and watched me drive by.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Hey Tim. Biker fraternity.
Anybody who rides knows how foreboding and anxiety-ridden it can be breaking down. No shelter, possibly no tools (or in my case, know-how), and possibly no repair shop in sight.
Even Triple A, of whom I have been a member for years after too many van breakdowns, didn't even tow motorcycles (I think just recently in NYS they reinstated it). I mean, the whole idea of even having AAA is to have peace of mind as a motorist! What could be more reassuring to a motorcyclist than knowing they'll tow you? Short shrift for the two-wheelers. Total BS. Complained a couple of times in the form of dictating a letter to them on the phone.
When I first starting riding I had my younger cousin on the back. We were going down a county road when he began to say "I think there's a blue flame coming out of the side." I just brushed it off for a moment or two. When he repeated it another moment later I looked down and saw that the pipe had fallen off and he was right. Holy shit. I don't know anything about motors or repairing, etc. I just ride and have friends who do (just don't have any aptitude whatsoever for anything mechanical, the polar opposite of my brother).
No more than maybe 10 minutes were we on the side of the road when a bike pulled over. Told him what happened. He went back down the road, retrieved the pipe and tightened it back on. When I offered him some dough he empathically declined and made me promise I'd do the same for someone else. That was my real foray into the bike fraternity, which had nothing to do at all with wearing all the latest HD gear.
Ben Harper lays down a haunting, powerful #BlackLivesMatter ode to victims of police
brutalitymurder.I'm with Harper. Stop obscuring what is really happening. As George Carlin admonished in his amazing piece about the use of euphemisms it's beyond time we start paying a lot more attention to the soft language being used by the rulers and then disseminated in the mainstream by their courtiers in the press and advertising to obscure real horror and crimes. $hillary's "Soft Power" foreign policy term comes to mind as a chief example and blood-boiler of exquisite, deliberate concealment; there are so many (might be a good idea for an essay...hmmm).
Call it what the funk it is.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
Hey, Mark ~~
I feel that vulnerability in my car! I only drive it. If something goes wrong, I wig-out! I hate car problems - maybe because I have a 50 mile commute (one way) to work. Unfortunately,I am highly dependent on my vehicle.
Great tune by Harper. We need more of this type of activism in music - like we had in the 60's. I became more of an activist BECAUSE OF the music out there. They were singing America's true anthems. Harper's song is a classic example of an anthem I'd stand for.
Hope you and the kids are well. Enjoy your day and weekend!
"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
I know the feeling
I nearly ran out of gas in SW Kansas. I was aware of the challenge, and making really good time
, when I saw a mileage sign and realized I needed to
slow down and get better gas mileageenjoy the scenery more. Speaking of county roads, that morning I took a county road connecting US400 and US160. It was 1.5 lanes of blacktop, no lines, through the fields and over the railroad tracks, speed limit 65 MPH.Later, when I was in the Sierra Nevada (Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite), sometimes when I would pull in the clutch the engine would die. I think it was some combination of altitude, smoke, modifications (booster plug, K&N, slip on, servo buddy) I have done to the motorcycle and CA gas. It quit doing it, after a day of stress.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Somehow I missed that yesterday was St. Francis of Assisi’s day
and therefore also World Animal Day.
Josh Mitteldorf’s blog Daily Inspiration reminded me.
https://dailyinspirationblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/day-of-the-animals/
A lot of churches will have “Blessing of the Animals” services this Sunday, where people, particularly children, are invited to bring their pets.
You don't say?
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
The local Episcopal church
is doing a blessing of the animals this Saturday. I have heard that people even bring horses and donkeys to it.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Heh
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Heh heh
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Funkin' Animals
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Bad Pig
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Good day, 99%'ers
This morning we did a different route on our walk. I let my walking partner set the route, but it is usually predictable. Today we walked through a neighborhood very close in that is probably the poorest area in the downtown. The local food bank, the Sharing House, is located in that area.
This town is known as the city of volunteers and the people here are generous in their support of the Sharing House. But, seeing the Sharing House, I was once again reminded how obscene it is that in the richest nation on earth, nearly 50% of our population either lives in poverty or is on the edge of poverty.
Tim, you shared your strength and skills with strangers in need. It is too bad more people in this country, particularly the wealthy people, aren't willing to pay their fair share (via taxes or living wages) to give those in need a better quality of life.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
It was weird
I think, my years of wrestling and Judo, enabled me to instinctively recognize the falling man's balance and know that he was falling backwards, then the grappling took over and I stepped into the fall. The only thing I can remember consciously thinking was, "This guy is going to get hurt". Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
The beer tender was already on her way, turning the corner of the bar. She was amazed, and relieved, that disaster was averted. I like to believe their are plenty of helpful people.
I also believe, the guy at the pub was lucky he was next to me. I think the conditioned responses from wrestling and Judo are what enabled me to act quickly enough to avert a nasty fall, and maneuver balance and leverage to prevent the fall. It sure looked like he was about to bounce his head off the concrete floor.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -