This twitter thread was sent to me by Mousebumples.
It’s definitely worth a read.
Not sure who needed to hear this but I hope there is someone who it helps.
I hope there is someone who takes this advice borne of experience.
I hope there is someone who will get out this weekend and carve out those moments; and I hope they’ll let me know.
//
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) September 19, 2020
Read the whole thing:
One thing I learned when things were hardest: The harder things are in your life, the more important it is to compartmentalize and be fully present for even brief moments of happiness.
1/
It might be for only 10 minutes at a time. It might be just standing out in the grass watching the wind move the trees.
Might be walking your dog or listening to an album.
2/You have to have those carve-outs – and you have to throw yourself into them fully.
You have to suppress whatever gets in the way. You have to push past any guilt as if you should not be having even moments of feeling happy in the midst of terrible times.
3/When it comes to surviving terrible times and things:
The only way out is through.
And the only way through is to keep pedaling.
And you can only pedaling if you have the energy for it.
4/And nothing refuels like even brief moments of happiness.
It is a running vaccination against hopelessness.
So, if you have plans this weekend, keep them.
If you have a thing you can do that you enjoy, do it.
5/And throw yourself fully into it.
That does no disservice to the struggle. It keeps you healthy and well enough to stay in the fight.
6/For me, the respite has been times# with my son (when I have him) and time in nature (when I don’t).
Today, it’ll be a morning soccer game. For that few hours, I’ll be totally immersed by even more of a conscious decision than usual.
7/This afternoon, when he’s off playing PS4, I’m going to take a shitload of pictures of birds in my yard – not because I need more pics of cardinals but because I need the salve of compartmentalized moments that refresh.
8/If you’ve never been ground down to a paste by prolonged stress and hardship, take my word for it on this…
You will endure far more successfully if you consciously feed your soul with moments of fully present happiness – even if you have to force yourself.
9/Not sure who needed to hear this but I hope there is someone who it helps.I hope there is someone who takes this advice borne of experience.
I hope there is someone who will get out this weekend and carve out those moments; and I hope they’ll let me know.
Omnes Omnibus
This is why things like respite threads are useful.
OzarkHillbilly
Truth.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Yep. I thought twice before scheduling the movie thread I had planned for tonight, but I scheduled it anyway.
I just can’t think about only hard things all the time.
NotMax
Fortune cookie version:
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
– Winston Churchill
.
debbie
I’m about to go out and pick up a new iPad mini to replace the one that’s been hanging on by not even a nano-thread. Trying to set it up (correctly this time, I hope) should keep my mind off things.
NotMax
Plucked from downstairs.
Lazyish weekend respitey open thread? Cool.
File under Things Which Never Caught On.
;)
Smalla
Great advice from The Hoarse Whisperer. For me I’ll write five letters for Vote Forward and I’ll meet a friend, outside of course, for a beer.
Baud
I’ve been following this advice 24/7 for the last 20 years. It helps.
donnah
I follow Hoarse on Twitter because he’s wise and he’s quite funny. I am finding myself consumed by politics more than ever because we have so much to lose, but I do take time for my own well-being because stress is a silent killer. I spent yesterday playing cards and board games with my mom, who’s 85 and she misses her church friends and her volunteering and dining out. I literally haven’t gone anywhere except her house and the post office since March, trying to keep her safe. And I’m fine with that.
For myself, I started a new rug hooking project. This past August would have held a big rug show and one of the exhibits was going to be a tribute to the 19th Amendment. I didn’t have time to make a Suffragette rug for it, so I’m doing it now, starring Susan B Anthony. I’m using my home quarantine time to get it going and I’m loving it. I watch old episodes of Forged in Fire while I hook and I’m happy as a clam.
Being creative is a great way to turn away from the news and rebuild your spirit.
Gvg
I weeded my front yard yesterday. That made me happy. I find weeding soothing. It was an overcast day and cool for Florida. Once started it was hard to stop so this morning I am kind of aching. It’s a good thing though. Might be easier to enjoy because don’t think weeding is fun, but you have to know yourself.
I also stayed up late reading. Weekend night. Tonight I have to be responsible and go to bed on time….
Nicole
Oh hey, I just mentioned this thread in one of the other posts, but I didn’t remember who did it. I’m glad Mousebumples was paying attention more than I was. It is a really encouraging Twitter thread to read.
MazeDancer
From long experience, can vouch that it can be so hard to release focus on “the thing”.
For many people, there is a misbegotten idea that fixing, changing, solving “the thing”, will solve everything. Set them free.
This can have the nice “twofer” of both projecting the original traumas that created “the thing” and distracting from the original pain.
It’s part of why being too busy to do anything but keep on doing is the drug of choice of highly successful people who can’t face their traumas.
Thus, taking time away from “the thing” is not desirable. Opens to pain.
Now, if you are not traumatized, and just overwhelmed by Trumpness, taking time for goodness is required.
Because in both cases, your body cannot handle the stress forever. Your body will get sick if you do not help it with some good stuff.
For me, good stuff includes cooking, discovering new things, cats, and interneting.
RaflW
My partner’s dad has been in and out of the hospital (mostly in, as he is now) for about 40 days. His mom’s birthday was yesterday. We threw a family takeout-pasta backyard lunch for her, and then in the evening after her dinner visit to the hospital (she is allowed to visit, thank goddess), just the dude and I did a fire pit hangout with her.
We have to drive home today, but we know how crucial it was for her to have an hour here or there of family time and a fancy fruit tart to say — you really made it another revolution around the sun. You matter even as you pour your attention and care to the man you’ve been married to for 53 years.
jeffreyw
We’re going to take an hour or so to review the take on some wildlife cameras. Most of it will be of birds at feeders.
evap
I went out for my weekly long run this morning and it was 55F!! The previous coolest morning temp in the past 5 or so months was 66. It felt so good to run in cooler temps and my route went through a wealthy area nearby. As I ran, I noticed a bunch of Biden/Harris, Jon Ossoff, and BLM posters in front of the multi-millon dollar houses; four years ago there were some GOP candidate signs in front of some of these houses, but there was not a single one today. It gave me a bit of hope and I managed to shake off some of the sadness, rage, stress, and fear that have consumed me over the past few days. Nothing like a good run to improve ones spirits!
MagdaInBlack
@Baud: Yup.
NotMax
@donnah
Piece ‘o relevant history.
donnah
Here’s a link to the new rug design, and the first stage of hooking:
https://imgur.com/gallery/wnihBHO
I’m hooking it as a primarily purple monochromatic, but I’m adding yellow golds in specific areas like the roses because the Suffragettes used purple and gold as their colors in pins and banners. It’s fairly large, two by three feet, so I’ll be at it for a while!
WaterGirl
@debbie: New toys are good!
mrmoshpotato
Are you ready for some fooootbaaalllllll (and brunch)?
Dorothy A. Winsor
I’m writing again, which helps. While I’m doing that, I can’t think of anything else.
Eunicecycle
@donnah: So much detail! It’s going to be lovely. I can’t wait to see the finished art!
Phylllis
Crossing my fingers that the humidity has broken a bit early here in SC; it was too cool to have coffee and read the paper on the screened porch this morning. My weekly respite is a program on PBS each Sunday morning called Journeys in Japan. It’s usually a single traveler visiting an area in Japan I’ve never heard of. A lovely, quiet program that seems to reset me for the week.
Steeplejack
The final stage of the Tour de France got under way a little while ago. Just about to have the ceremonial start. Recommended as respite video wallpaper. (It’s on NBC Sports.) The outcome has already been determined, so it’s all about the spectacle: a somewhat leisurely ride into Paris, then eight glorious laps on the Champs Élysées from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe. And great scenery all along the way. They’re showing gorgeous châteaux now.
Mousebumples
Glad to pass this along, and it’s great to hear what people are getting up to. I gave my daughter an extra snuggle yesterday since she was already asleep when I heard the news Friday night.
I’m on call this weekend, for work, so less time to unplug and embrace the little things. But my anniversary is next week, and we’ve made a plan for a “special dinner” – takeout, from a favorite local restaurant, after our daughter’s bedtime. And, presuming our ballots arrive by then, that might be part of our anniversary night too. ?
jackmac
Thank you for this. It’s a beautiful fall day here in the Chicago area (60s, sunny, clear blue skies) and I’m going to take a walk and enjoy it and put aside the bad news and Republican fuckery.
Steeplejack
@donnah:
Great design!
Steeplejack
@Phylllis:
Journeys in Japan is a great show. If you have NHK on your cable system (if you have cable), they have lots of other good documentaries, quiet and otherwise.
Kathleen
@evap: I totally agree. A good run cures all. I like this fall weather also.
Kathleen
@donnah: I was thinking about you the other day and wondering how your quilting projects were going. You’re so talented.
SiubhanDuinne
@donnah:
I don’t know why, but I’ve always assumed HW was she/her.
MomSense
Went apple picking yesterday, which is one of the great joys of living in the country. We took a beautiful walk along the ocean yesterday and I’ll do the same today before I head home.
My youngest is set up now with his oldest at my dad’s place. The library is full of amps and guitars. My youngest son’s good friend is going to join him here for school every day (he has been quarantined about 10 minutes away and is also attending remotely) which is a very happy thing. His dad is bringing him over this afternoon and is going to help him set up his drum kit here. This place is going to be rocking every day and that makes me super happy.
Kathleen
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I have Writers’ Group on Wednesday so I have to write something! I’ve been noodling about a satiric piece involving God and Lucifer having a press conference and how the media react to each of them.
SiubhanDuinne
I hope you’ll take and share frequent pictures of The
Rake’sRug’s Progress.ETA: Obviously, I should have scrolled down to your #18. That will be challenging, and beautiful.
germy
@SiubhanDuinne: I always assumed Hoarse was a woman because he mentioned having custody of his son and an ex-spouse who was a narcissist.
Phylllis
@Steeplejack: I don’t, but SC Public TV has several channels, one called ETV World, and they feature a good bit of NHK programming.
NotMax
@Kathleen
The ultimate in both siderism reporting?
Jim Appleton
@NotMax:
In bed.
Steeplejack
@SiubhanDuinne:
He’s a him. Has mentioned his son calling him “dad,” and I think he posted a picture of himself on his recent birthday.
WaterGirl
@donnah: Thanks for the early peek at the start of the new creation! I’m sure it will be lovely.
SiubhanDuinne
@donnah:
Is there a kind of rough rule-of-thumb formula that converts canvas size into hours/days/weeks of hooking?
UncleEbeneezer
I’ve been listening to, and loving the first three episodes of the You In Danger Gurl podcasters featuring comedian Janelle James. James has been a regular guest on TheBlackGuyWhoTips podcast for years, and I think she is absolutely hilarious. YIDG is basically a show where James and a guest review an erotic thriller and celebrate it, goof on it and joke about all the obvious red flags that the characters always ignore right from the beginning. She also discusses red flags from real life relationships. Anyways, it’s SO MUCH FUN. So naturally, when my wife confessed she had never seen Fatal Attraction, I insisted we watch it last night. We had a good time with it though we had to skip the bunny scene.
Chris Johnson
What the Trumpsters want is bad for them. They are not thinking it through because they are Russia-backed traitors and to some extent they’re serving their real boss BY going down in flames with a thousand screaming flying monkeys.
If they, like Republicans of decades ago, were actually serving their own ends then they’d be stuck with some difficult decisions. Like the Lincoln Project folks. Trump is forcing those folks to be AGAINST getting a wingnut Supreme Court justice. The only way he’s able to do that is by being literally their worst nightmare of imagined Hillary, but on the right (except, he’s not. He is ONLY for himself and this is his doom)
That’s perspective. These people are the baddies. In the historical view, they are sub-Nazi, plus they’re serving a hostile country. It’s RIDICULOUS. Their only hope is to dial it back, but they can’t because they’ll be found out or overwhelmed electorally, because they really are trying to wreck the country and everyone in it, because they’re at war with us (Republicans and Democrats alike).
These are times to buckle the hell down and be brave. It’s like Iraq: so you think you can win the war, can you win the peace? And Bush’s people took that for granted and they couldn’t. Buckle down, because you don’t know what resistance even means yet but we are all going to find out. The truth is that we, Americans, are really tough and really determined and really good at fighting fascists.
The Trump people can be embarrassingly fucked now, in electoral terms, and run away somewhere to snipe and commit terrorist acts from the sidelines as they expected to do in 2016… or they can be more fucked than they can possibly imagine, as they try to hold an occupied country that did not stop being America.
Courage.
Ken
@NotMax: Andrew Paul at McSweeney’s has a related series. It starts not so much with bothsiderism as normalizing the evil, then transitions to more topical subjects.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Kathleen: LOL. Very topical.
My group meets every Wednesday night too, but I only get to read every three weeks or so
Steeplejack
@Phylllis:
One doc that stuck with me was done around the year-end holiday at a bus station in Hokkaido (northern Japan). Just brief, random interviews with people about where they going and what they were doing. Very touching.
P.S. Wild Hokkaido! is a good nature show.
Phylllis
@UncleEbeneezer: Totally tracking that down. I have a 1-hour commute each way and audiobooks and podcasts are my jam.
SiubhanDuinne
@Steeplejack:
Thanks. I don’t follow HW regularly so had not seen those. I’ll try to adjust my genderizing controls
ETA: OTOH, @germy #35!
donnah
@SiubhanDuinne:
Thanks to all for the encouraging comments!
The time it takes to hook of course depends on the overall size, but the degree of detail and amount of hooking in and ripping out also factor in. I also tend to hook the “fun” parts faster, because I’m eight years old. I expect to work my way down to the voting women next and then the roses and save the lettering and backgrounds for last.
With this much open time, I’d like to get a lot done. I do have one October workshop left, so that will take some time away. I expect to finish it by early next year, but who knows?
UncleEbeneezer
@Phylllis: It’s really fun. I hope they do Dead Calm at some point.
Xavier
I listened to a 2 1/2 hour livestream by The Rifters (on FB). They played “No Woman No Cry” for Justice Ginsburg. That in particular was very moving, but the whole thing was good for the soul.
Chris Johnson
And yeah, the Mousebumples thread is how you do it. We’re gonna win. The details will make up the history books. Buckle down, mask up, survive, fight like hell and remember, it took 3.8 years to beat the Nazis once we joined that war, and 8.4 years to beat the Confederates when we WERE that war.
The only way the traitors could possibly hold out nearly that long is if they were playing it smart, and they can’t.
THAT is why you should rest, and stay well. We ain’t the baddies. We’re going to win.
NotMax
@Steeplejack
One friend and I were addicted for years to watching Soko Ga Shiritai, which ranged over pretty much any topic one could mention. A sampling.
Phylllis
@UncleEbeneezer: Ohmygod, have not thought of that movie in forever. Someone should program that and Sleeping with the Enemy back-to-back. I’d totally binge it.
WaterGirl
@donnah: I am curious, did you end up going to the workshop that you talked about recently? The one you go to every year, but weren’t sure you should go to this year.
NotMax
Whoopsie doodle. Code fix.
@Steeplejack
One friend and I were addicted for years to watching Soko Ga Shiritai, which ranged over pretty much any topic one could mention. A sampling.
germy
When I first encountered Hoarse, I assumed he was a woman because of the son and the ex-spouse. But I eventually caught on when he started posting “Dad” comments.
NotMax
@UncleEbeneezer
Permanently jocularly referred to whenever it should come up in our little group here as Dead Clam.
Immanentize
@NotMax: another fortune cookie which I have on my computer monitor:
“Don’t despair. But if you do — Work on in despair.”
Matt McIrvin
@Chris Johnson: I honestly expected this to be the moment that the Lincoln Project abandons us and stabs us in the back. They haven’t.
Kelly
Currently on the Oregon Coast, Fogarty Creek State Park
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MinythZguWCxsoUbA
No official announcement but many people talking to the people doing the safety work say we may be able to go home to the North Santiam Monday or Tuesday.
Leto
@donnah:
Yes, it will keeeeel… ;)
@Steeplejack: @Phylllis: There was a program that came on the NHK channel where they followed a cyclist around a specific provence in Japan. The cyclist would explore a few different towns, show a few local things that the Provence was known for, and there was always incredible scenery. I’d still love to do a short tour like that.
I’m also watching Le Tour and they just showed a commercial for “COME VISIT MYRTLE BEACH!” Uhm, no thanks. My parents recently spent a week at Surfside Beach and I worried about them. They were being safe, but still, no.
Steeplejack
@SiubhanDuinne:
Also, his ongoing Twitter “feud” with Tony Posnanski has a very guy vibe.
NotMax
@Immanentize
Despair is for a flat tire.
;)
Steeplejack
@NotMax:
Looks good. Bookmarked.
Ruckus
I have to compartmentalize stress because of health issues. Which is pretty much the point of the post.
Actually all humans need to do this but many of us do not. I find that physical work helps. Like actually going to work and making things, because I have to concentrate on the work and not getting injured but that focuses the mind and while there is stress involved it is a different kind and for me has decades of learning to focus on that and nothing else. It’s the nothing else that is what you want. It’s not as good as real relaxation or working out but is effective for stress reduction. Cooking and eating a nice meal can help. Anything to remove the major issue we all are stressed about for a few minutes or even hours.
I stay away from BJ and twitter more now than normal, just to take away one more point of stress.
Steeplejack
@Kelly:
Beautiful landscape.
SiubhanDuinne
@Steeplejack:
Will take your word for that; I know nothing about it.
Steeplejack
@Leto:
Cycle Around Japan. Videos here. They have a new one about once a month.
Chris Johnson
@Matt McIrvin: It’s not hard to understand. They would love to go with their instincts, but they can’t. Trump is ten times worse than any corrupt Democrat has ever been, and the worst thing is he really is a narcissist traitor with no impulse control.
They can still be real Republicans, and they are in fact real Republicans, but they’re not stupid. Aiding Trump means doom, the ruin of everything they’ve ever cared about. It’s obvious. It’s also obvious that he’s going straight beyond anything they would ever have approved of, and shit like scorning vets and war dead and replacing capitalism with banana republic monarchism is simply not what they signed up for.
It hurts the Lincoln people to give up the prospect of Supreme Court control, but it would come at a terrible price. Trump kills EVERYTHING he touches. He’s killed their political party. We’re lucky: he only fights ours. They are forced to realise they’ve got to burn their party to the ground: it’s a zombie, what they loved is dead.
Phylllis
@Leto: I have to go to North MB in late October. Hubby usually goes with me because there’s a steak place and a really cool German restaurant we love. Unless conditions improve a lot, I’ll be going on my own and eating either hotel food or takeout.
Cheryl Rofer
A long thread on my observations with my camera trap. I change out the memory card every morning and check out what’s come by.
Jinchi
And it hurts less because they wouldn’t have to give up the reality of Supreme Court control. There are 5 conservatives sitting on the court right now, and will be for the forseable future.
zhena gogolia
@Chris Johnson:
I dreamed last night that the Trump regime sentenced me to the gulag. So I guess it’s all getting to me.
I wonder where our gulag will be? We don’t have anyplace totally suitable.
MagdaInBlack
@SiubhanDuinne: Somewhere on his twitter feed I found a little rundown he did about the last 10 years, and the hell it was and how he got thru it.
raven
I’m gonna watch the Bears!
Leto
@Steeplejack: YES! Oh man, down the rabbit hole… :)
Kathleen
@NotMax: Not even both sides. Guess who they fawn over?
donnah
@WaterGirl:
i am actually not going to go because I would have to fly. I worried that she might be disappointed, but she was very gracious and said she understands. There’s another rug hooking teacher who is still traveling and she’s taught there this summer, but I just can’t risk it.
I do have one left, in October, but I can drive there, it’s held at the owner’s home and the group is small and prepared to wear masks. I expect I can be safer there.
Kathleen
@Dorothy A. Winsor: We only meet once a month and are very informal. One of our group retired and moved to Las Vegas. She’s working on a mystery novel series and trying to get an agent for her first volume. She’s in 3 Writers’ Groups and they’re very structured and helpful to her. I hope her stories get published.
Redshift
We’ve had a regular Sunday dinner with a group of friends for years. We switched to zoom for several months, but lately we’ve been having socially distanced outdoor dinners together, which is much more of a respite.
Steeplejack
Jets flying over the Champs Élysées trailing blue, white and red smoke!
Kathleen
@NotMax: Ha! Well played!
Leto
@Phylllis: Avalune and I spent our honeymoon in MB and went back each anniversary for a few years. While we were stationed at Shaw, we’d hit MB during the summer with the kid, spend time at the beach, and water parks. Idk, maybe next summer we can entertain a trip back down there but I still think that’s a big maybe. If we do go, I’ll have to ask you for the name of that German place. Would love to have a good schnitzel.
Kathleen
@Chris Johnson: Love this.
scav
Another phrase that: might help once in a while is A change is as good as a rest. Not to go so far as to ignore the need for pure respite, but sometimes one can just surf the manic onto a safer wave and negotiate an easier calm-down from there. Plus — occasionally — some actual useful stuff gets accomplished on the distraction wave. Sublimation? An unusually active form of meditation? Possibly. Sure, some people may use the technique to avoid their problems, but it’s not the roads fault if people take it to the wrong destination.
Redshift
I’ve started reading Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology compilation. It is delightful and absorbing.
Steeplejack
@MagdaInBlack:
It’s linked at the top of his profile.
Also, a picture!
Kathleen
@zhena gogolia: 666 Fifth Avenue?
Omnes Omnibus
@Leto: I have lived in the north for the vast majority of my life and when I see MB I think Manitoba. It’s the semis.
Steeplejack
@Leto:
Yeah, I almost got sucked into one. Bookmarked for later.
MagdaInBlack
24 years ago my husband would have been watching the Bears. (tv sound down, radio on, he said the tv anouncers sucked)
One month later he was dead. Shortly after, I lost the ability to enjoy things. I could see the rose was red and beautiful but “so what” was the reaction. It took a very long time for appreciation to come back, and that’s when I learned to look for the small moments of joy in everyday things. Now I pay attention for them, and surprise surprise, they come all the time, in the most surprising ways. It takes effort to compartmentalize the pain, but eventually it comes
Today Im thrilled to death that the volunteer pepper in my little compost pot, had produced little peppers =-)
dnfree
@donnah: thank you for sharing the plan. I remember when you shared some of your work before and it was stunning. Please keep us posted!
Kathleen
I must confess my most relaxing escapist past time is watching L&O franchise and NCIS Los Angeles. OK and Chicago PD. Criminal Minds, sometime. What can I say. I’m a Proud Plebian.
Kathleen
@MagdaInBlack: Thank you for sharing your story and your wisdom!
Jess
The great thing about this advice is that once you’ve gotten through the bad times, you’ll find that you’ve trained yourself to be a happy person. At least, that’s what happened to me coming out of a period of prolonged darkness about 20 years ago.
MagdaInBlack
@Kathleen: I have to say the worst part was losing the ability to enjoy reading, which was my escape. TG that came back, Can you imagine!!
Leto
@Omnes Omnibus: I refuse to recognize Charleston, WV. There’s only 1 Charleston and it’s in SC. It’s similar to Manhattan. NY not Kansas. :)
raven
Omnes Omnibus
@Leto: Look man, I am not militant about it. It’s just where my mind goes.
MagdaInBlack
@raven: Exactly. Altho Im mad at him now, because OH! the conversations we would have over the CF that is our government now ;- )
Kathleen
@MagdaInBlack: Oh yeah! That must have been so tough. Your story is a wonderful reminder of how things can change for us. I too easily get locked into “I’m going to feel this despair forever” so I need reminders like yours!
Kathleen
@raven: That brought tears to my eyes.
zhena gogolia
@Kathleen:
Oh, no, that’s where Alfred Drake’s agent used to have his office. I wouldn’t want to enforce the negative associations.
WaterGirl
@donnah: I’m relieved to hear that was your decision. Good!
Sure Lurkalot
I was not able to focus enough to read novels for many months but I just finished The Overstory and I’m delving in to Deacon King Kong. After that back to nonfiction with Money for Nothing teed up from the library.
I make masks for friends and family…currently working on Halloween themed masks for the kiddos. I’ve also commandeered one of my partner’s cameras he doesn’t like so I’m reading the manual (seriously, it’s more computer than camera), and trying to experiment. Finally, I also walk a lot and bicycle but the bad air has really hampered these activities.
All these things have helped dial back my anxiety to about 7 on a scale of 10.
Omnes Omnibus
@zhena gogolia: We have camps where we keep asylum seekers.
Jess
@Chris Johnson:
Word. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Even if/when we win this November, we need to see it as a likely turning point in the war, not the end of it. We need to win the peace by finding way to bring peace and justice to our fucked up and deeply damaged country.
WaterGirl
@dnfree: In case anyone missed the original post or wants to take another look at donnah’s work:
https://balloon-juice.com/2020/07/24/celebrating-jackals-the-fine-art-of-rug-hooking-by-donnah/
raven
Breaking!
Live updates: Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she doesn’t support filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat before the election
After the election. . .let’s talk.
Jeffro
I’m with THW…it’s important to unplug from the internet as much as possible (and NEVER turn on cable TV news networks of any kind. Ok, on Election Night, but that’s it! =)
I’m going to watch a little football, re-read the end of a great book I finished earlier this week, and then make some lasagna. Mmm mmm MM!
MoCA Ace
@Ruckus:
My respite is typically fishing, woodworking, gardening, and cooking. Like you I need something to focus my mind and keep me busy at the same time. I have tried meditating but that fucking orange POS keeps barging in. This week I plan on harvesting and processing wild rice. A couple hours in the canoe harvesting then several days of good outdoor physical activity to process it. Last winter I laid up about four cords of firewood hauling it and splitting it by hand. Excellent stress reducing activity and at the end of every outing I would sit there and admire the now slightly taller woodpile.
WaterGirl
@raven: These people need to clarify what they are saying.
If they say the next SC justice should be put forth by the person who wins in November, that’s great.
Unless they say that, they are just saying they don’t want to vote before the election, and it leaves them wide open to allow a lame duck president to put forward the next SC justice. All that does is get them off the hook on taking a position before people are voting, but it certainly is not a principled stance and should not be cause for relief.
There is a huge difference between those two positions, and everyone needs to nail them down on which one they are taking.
Leto
@Omnes Omnibus: Haha, that’s what I’m saying too. Same as living here in PA now: a lot of the towns have English names, so when I hear them I’m thinking about the UK.
J R in WV
@germy:
I always assumed the narcissist was a female. My MIL was pretty far gone as a narcissist, the one I knew best as it were. History, individual experience, kind of defines the way we see things. This thread (from Hoarse Whisperer) is really good.
Late last night, I frequently wake up in the middle of my sleep period, 3 or 4 am, I turned on the ActBlue front page to watch the money raising score going up. It was restful, $10 at a time, then a short jump to $100 from time to time.
This morning donation speeds went up pretty quickly, and now it can be $10,000 a second at times. I find it as restful as waves on the beach, as it is evidence you can see of people caring enough to send their very best, cash monies, to work for justice and fairness in the current election. Right now ten grand takes about 3 seconds. Just wow!
I’ve been using Actblue to donate to candidates since I first found them. I only wish my individual donations could somehow be applied to the Balloon Juice totals for DougJ’s donation threads!!
The Golux
@RaflW:
Immediately brought this to mind.
Jess
@MagdaInBlack: I hear you. My recovery from the Dark Ages felt very similar. One day I saw one of those “Life Is Good” tshirts and realized that, in fact, life was good, and that I could feel it. Welcome to the other side–Hallelujah!
WaterGirl
@J R in WV: They can if you use the thermometers in the threads for the candidates that have BJ threads. For the rest, sure, there’s straight-up ActBlue.
LuciaMia
Looking forward to the Emmys tonight. Yup, itll be remote, but it hearkens back to more normal times.
Soprano2
Sometimes you have to live one hour at a time to get through. I think from now until January is going to be like that at times.
Last night we went to the first symphony concert of the season. Everyone wore masks, seating was distant and not in the seats we’ve always had, there was no intermission and at the end, we were dismissed by row, and it was WONDERFUL. They are also doing a streaming option for those who don’t want to attend in person. I’m so glad they’re doing this rather than saying “It’s too hard, no season this year.” Covid is going to be with us for awhile, so they have to figure out how to do st least some things.
Jess
@J R in WV: Like counting sheep, only better! I’m going to have to give this a try.
Steeplejack
@LuciaMia:
On one of the promos someone (Kimmel?) said, “No one will go home a loser tonight. They’re all at home already!”
LuciaMia
@donnah: Incredible!
JMG
Alice and I went out to a restaurant for the first time in six months. It was chilly for outdoor dining, but they moved one of the propane heaters closer to our table and it was ok then. Also the martini helped. A cocktail, couple glasses of wine, Wellfleet oysters and steak. It was glorious, especially when they took the dishes away and I realized I didn’t have to wash them. Of course, there won’t be outdoor dining much longer in Massachusetts, so I’m glad we finally bit the bullet and did so at least once before winter. Haven’t seen Alice look so happy in weeks. Great to see.
bemused
@Chris Johnson:
What the trump voters want, another four years of trump and corrupt, self-serving Republican legislators, is also bad for them, very bad in countless ways.
Decimation of their Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.
More and more gigantic tax cuts for fat cats and dribbles for them until the fat cats have gobbled up all the money.
No infrastructure projects.
No pre-existing conditions.
No USPS.
No climate change mitigations, more devastating fires, hurricanes, tornadoes.
Unending pandemic(s).
Economy, employment crushed for decades.
And so much more.
Of course, very few dumbasses will figure this out. Most will just blame Democrats and liberals.
Yutsano
@Omnes Omnibus: I thought the same thing. I don’t even have your excuse. I lived in South Carolina when I was a kid. It’s why I have a slight Southern accent while none of my brothers do.
J R in WV
@Cheryl Rofer:
Those southwestern critters seem to have the most amazing tails, both the pair of Sonoran Red Foxes AND Mr Skunk have amazing tails. I got a short series of photos of a red fox one evening as we left the building site in Cochise County, the tails on those critters are amazing, larger than their bodies by far!!
Jeffro
@WaterGirl: Pelosi is already floating the idea of having impeachment proceedings ready to go on 11/4, to prevent any lame-duck SC nominations (since impeachment takes precedence in Senate proceedings)
GOOD
pat
@Soprano2: What about the musicians? I wonder how they are rehearsing and performing so close to each other, probably blowing into instruments.
LuciaMia
@Ruckus: Making your own homemade wine has many advantages.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Omnes Omnibus: There’s always the old “relocation centers” from WW2.
raven
@Yutsano:
Vacantly occupied, sat on the beach til my body got fried
Dreamin’ of your pretty eyes up in South Carolina
I can’t pronounce my r’s or g’s when I’m speakin’ Southerneese
Honey do, Honey, come and do me again
J R in WV
@Leto:
Have you ever been to CRW, Charleston WV? I was in Charleston SC for a couple of weeks of Navy fire fighting school, which was fascinating material to learn, I paid very close attention because it was a subject that, followed properly, might save not just my life but all or many of my shipmates.
I did find a bus to downtown, stopped in the USO, which in 1971 was pretty dull. Having seen both towns, I would far rather live in CRW, in WV, more culture, actually, than SC. Maybe because I’ve learned where to look for it here. You can’t learn a city in one weekend…
Plus hills covered with oak and hickory here, and the river between the hills. Charleston SC is so very flat, and so southern in both the good ways and the bad ways.
WaterGirl
@Jeffro: I want them to do anything and everything to stop the bastards. If it’s some bullshit procedural move, that works for me. Literally anything non-violent works for me.
Leto
@Yutsano: people are usually surprised when they learn I’m from the Charleston area. I worked really hard not to have a Southern accent. My parents were the same way. BUT… catch me around 12-1am and certain words will bring it out, guitar being the best one. Was hanging out with friends one night and out came, “Geetar”, and I’m pretty sure every head snapped around with a singular question asked: what did you just say? Haha
raven
@J R in WV: Yea and Charleston had a disco named , gasp, Garden and Guns!!!
raven
Damn, just got notice I didn’t get tickets in the 2021 Masters Lottery!
Brachiator
@bemused:
The American plutocrat class got exactly what they needed in Trump. An amoral clown who could actually convince his base that they are on his side. These poor dopes really believe Trump when he says that he will “protect” Social Security. But one of his first acts if he were to be re-elected would be to try to abolish the payroll tax and begin undermining Social Security. He will continue to attack the Affordable Care Act, if the Supreme Court does not overturn it altogether.
What the plutocrats would prefer is high employment at low wages.
Again, all this just makes it essential that Trump be defeated in November. And I think that citizens are getting the message.
We just have to keep on pushing the get out the vote message.
oatler.
@Redshift: 
“With a shake of the hand, I could be Mr Wenesday”.
zhena gogolia
I suppose you guys all know that Portman is falling into line with Mitch.
Sister Golden Bear
@Phylllis: Journeys in Japan is also extremely restful for me as well. It’s got such a different pace and rhythm than Western shows.
I need to get back to watching it.
It’s available on NHK’s website.
Omnes Omnibus
@zhena gogolia: He wasn’t on anyone’s list of possible holdouts as far as I know.
Mel
@WaterGirl: Thank you.
Leto
@J R in WV: No, never have. You were there just a few years too early. I grew up in ceramic/artist’s shops and arts festivals. (Have any interest in wood turning? One of the country’s premier wood turners lives in Charleston. She’s pretty awesome.) Charleston has definitely grown further as they’ve had to expand via tourism, so they’ve done a lot to attract visitors outside carriage rides and colorful homes. If you’re looking for hills, that’s the Midlands. Places like Columbia in the middle of the state. We have a lot of good lakes all around where people go boating all the time. We had friends near Shaw AFB who owned a home on one of the rivers and we could take their pontoon boat all the way down to Charleston. Couple of hours just putzing along. Enjoy a great meal, turn around and head back.
But like you said, it’s southern in both good ways and bad. That hasn’t changed. I want to believe Jamie Harrison can overcome that odious fuck Graham, but it’s SC.
Sister Golden Bear
@SiubhanDuinne: Lots of people had assumed Hoarse Whisper was a woman because of his empathy, emotional wisdom, and absolute devotion to his son.
Here’s to non-toxic masculinity.
Brachiator
@Steeplejack:
Cool link. Thanks. A local tv station here in Southern California used to run Asian programming. It’s good to find some remnants of what they used to provide.
zhena gogolia
@Omnes Omnibus:
I thought he was on somebody’s.
narya
I’ve followed Hoarse for awhile; I think the narcissist is actually an ex-boss, not the ex-spouse. Yesterday I made a mini tart Tatin, with farm share apples and a rough puff pastry that came out really well; gonna make another one for today’s dessert, then freeze whatever’s left of the puff. Dinner last night was chicken breast with a “salsa” of olive oil, ground cherries, parsley, lemon rind, plus kale w/ onions and spinach, and some roasted purple potatoes. Dinner today is going to be salmon, with a curry (lemongrass, ginger, red curry paste, a little fish sauce, coconut milk) and broccoli. Last night we watched multiple episodes of Schitt’s Creek (which is making me laugh out loud); Friend is currently listening to his Packers play. And, for the first time in years, I’m contemplating doing some kind of needlework. Each little step is a tiny piece of a bulwark against rage and despair–which is not to say that rage and despair never occur, just that I canNOT live there all the time; I did that in 2016 and I just can’t.
donnah
@WaterGirl:
An artist couldn’t have a better agent! Thanks for all you do!
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
Only some fool’s. Portman is as dedicated to the cause as they come.
mac8
@zhena gogolia: Portman pretends to be a moderate Republican along the lines of the gov. here in Ohio, Mike DeWine (who took the pandemic seriously) and Kasich. So there’s always someone hoping he’ll be sane on the latest issue, only he never is. I hate him more than Trump at this point. At least Trump never hid who he really was.
Amir Khalid
Tony Jay and I are happy chappies right now. Liverpool just comprehensively outclassed hosts Chelsea to beat them 0-2 in the Premier League. And Alisson Becker saved a penalty!
debbie
@zhena gogolia:
He always does.
Mel
@donnah: Your rugs are absolutely amazing!
Leto
@Amir Khalid: Did Puslic play? I know, Chelsea player (eww!), but he’s the highest profile American player atm. I also cheer him on because he played his youth football in the same English town that Avalune and I lived.
WaterGirl
@Leto: I hear the phone ringing on line 1. That may be Albatrossity, he might like to have a word with you.
WaterGirl
@Kelly: There will be a fire thread tomorrow, I’m hoping that at least some of the news will be good.
Nancy
I needed this reminder. Thanks.
Sister Golden Bear
@MagdaInBlack: A shorter version of Hoarse’s life story, and what he’s gone through over the past decade, is pinned at the top of his feed.
https://twitter.com/TheRealHoarse/status/1168200691489398784
Ruckus
@J R in WV:
Was stationed at Charleston SC for 2 yrs.
I agree, definitely not the same as Charleston WV. Of course having lived there for that 2 yrs I may have had more than enough time to form a less than great memory of the place. There were a couple of really great restaurants, one that I could afford to eat at… But on the whole, not my cup of anything.
Leto
@WaterGirl: Haha, anyone who calls me knows my answering message: “Charleston, WV can suck it! Leave a message.” Beeeep
Baud
Moved to next thread.
Leto
@Ruckus: I’m honestly trying to think which one was worse: Charleston Naval Base during any time or Keesler AFB post Katrina. Hmmm… need to think on that a while longer. :P
MagdaInBlack
@Sister Golden Bear: I knew Id seen it on there somewhere, thank you
and Steeplejack too.
WaterGirl
@donnah: You are most welcome! I figure that not everyone reads every thread, but everyone should get to see your beautiful art. :-)
MagdaInBlack
@raven: You made me pull up ” A Pirate Looks at 40″
..got to stop wishin, got to go fishin….
Amir Khalid
@Leto:
Christian Pulisic didn’t start, wasn’t even listed as a sub. He might be out injured. Chelsea definitely could have used him today. Chelsea could also have used a decent keeper; that second goal was a free gift from Kepa Arrizabalaga to Sadio Mané.
Ruckus
@germy:
Narcissism is a human trait/disease not a male human trait/disease.
I believe that because of our culture it presents itself a bit more obviously in males. I’ve known women with more than a trace of it. Not many fortunately.
Leto
@Amir Khalid: I looked him up and I think he was still dealing with his hamstring injury. Hope he’s back to form soon. Glad your guys did well though.
raven
@MagdaInBlack: Like this?
MagdaInBlack
@raven: ?????
Exactly like !
raven
@MagdaInBlack: Goin back in 10 days!
bemused
@Brachiator:
They have binary thinking and are pretty deficient at reasoning out difficult issues to begin with. They are authoritarian followers with a ton of rage, resentment, bigotries and self-centeredness. Easy pickings for trump to play them.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Brachiator:
NHK is pretty good about keeping lots of show episodes on their site for viewing on demand. I think this is a good list.
J R in WV
Keesler AFB. While my ship was in rebuild at Ingalls in Pascagoula, wife’s health care was at Keesler, as were any clubs for military folks. We went to one club once, but I drove her to medical appts at Keesler at least once. Better than Charleston Navy, which I believe is long gone now, but for the Nuke school, which my Nephew attended and graduated from with flying colors.
Now a Nuke Lt on a fast attack boat IIRC. Carries a .45 all the time while on board, which is interesting.
Kathleen
@zhena gogolia: It’s a property now owned by Jared Kushner/family!
zhena gogolia
@Kathleen:
Yes, I know. The street number is now sadly meaningful.
raven
@J R in WV:
Jimmy Buffett-The Pascagoula Run
“Billy pulled in in a Jaguar Red convertable sixty-five Headed home to Mississippi, he’d been around the world That black sheep uncle of mine His ship had come in, he was looking to sin”
Kathleen
@zhena gogolia: (Holding heart) I have to sit down. The shock is too great. ////s
I’m going Full Metal Debbie in my email to Portman.
Yutsano
@Leto: Every time I open my mouth when I go to Canada, “Oh you’re American aren’t you?” Every. Single. Time. They can hear my accent faster than anyone, and to them it sticks out. It really comes out when I’m tired, when I’m drunk, and when I’m anywhere near the South. I’m amazed it didn’t pop out when I was in Maryland last year.
FelonyGovt
Painting a garden picture and reading, putting myself on a Twitter embargo, and generally avoiding most of the news this weekend. It’s wonderful.
Brachiator
@Steeplejack (phone):
Definitely bookmarking the site.
There was a fun series I used to watch, two guys and a young woman sampling the foods that were specific to different regions of the country. Amazing amount of diversity.
What I miss most are Japanese historical dramas.
Ruckus
@Kathleen:
Maybe it’s my upbringing, or possibly my response to that might be the better reason, but I’ve always tried to look on the bright or at least the brighter side. It can get tough some days, like now for example, but if I freaked out at all the crap that happens/happened to me, I’d be a puddle on the floor. I’m not going to recap, just suffice it to say there is a list. Thing is everyone has a list, some longer, some worse, but everyone has a list. And yes one can be too pollyanna as well, life is a balance at the end of the day, but I’d rather laugh than cry. It’s just more fun.
MagdaInBlack
@Ruckus:
That everyone has a list is something I try to stay mindful of. Every single one of us are walking wounded for some reason, just the scars aren’t always visible. And yet, we get up every morning and look for the beauty, because without it….. well, we’d be ….republicans ?
Ruckus
@MagdaInBlack:
On your last sentence, after because, is a terrible thing to think about. I’ve been hit head on by a truck, and I mean me, not in a vehicle. That wasn’t as bad as the thought of being a republican.
But you are correct, if all you ever do is look in the rearview mirror at what was or what might have been, you never see the possibilities, or even the reality. The old saw about you can’t go home is true, the future is the only direction time goes in. I think that some people fear that future so much because all they see in the mirror is a bit of fluff, of nothing, and that scares the hell out of them. They have a life and it means nothing. trump’s life means shit because he’s always lived in the shadow of others, all the while talking about how great he is. He compares himself to others and always comes up short so he compensates with bullshit. But now the bullshit is front and center and he can’t hide it, doesn’t know how, hasn’t got a clue or even a clue in how to find a clue. He’s stuck in his circle of bullshit and it’s obvious to everyone, some are just denying that, because their circles are all bullshit as well. That’s a truism BTW, a circle of bullshit is always just a circle of bullshit, nothing more.
MagdaInBlack
@Ruckus: Trump is a walking wounded too. Once upon a time he was a little boy who just wanted to be loved. What he had to do to get any semblance of that is why we have what he is today. Doesn’t mean I sympathize or excuse him. Just means that’s what did it.
Kathryn La Barre
Thank you for posting this. A balm for the dark days ahead.
WaterGirl
@Kathryn La Barre: Welcome!
The first comment has to be approved automatically, but now that I have done that, any other comments you make will show up immediately.