I’ve been checking out T. Rex albums. Previously I had mostly avoided them because of the glam labeling people have attached to the band. I’m really enjoying it.

Mark Bolan was a true artist and his music still makes an impact over 50 years later.

That’s true, but there’s not always an easy way out and criticism for bad choices probably isn’t going anywhere.

Consequences aside, people are so susceptible to perceived benefits that they’ll set aside their morals and values. Obviously this is not every person out there, but I think most of us have anecdotal examples in our lives and in ourselves.

I first noticed the compromise within myself years ago. It’s easy to give a firm NO to extreme changes, but if the changes come a little at a time acceptance can set in. I’ve striven to recognize this tendency at the outset of a choice and stay firm, but it’s still an everyday battle…same as with anyone else. I’m not sure most people recognize that there is a battle of choices to manage.

So it’s Sunday morning and I’m starting to ramble, but I appreciate your reply and I hope we can collectively find exit ramps for troubled folks out there.

• Switchblade

• Motorbike

  –Elton John

My mom was a conservative along the lines of McCain and Romney. My sister and I played a part in converting her, but Trump did the heavy lifting.

Master using it and you can have this

I’ve read that many people with actual OCD don’t appreciate the condition being bandied about as a catch all for others having hangups over trivial things.

A Canadian Snowbird jet crashed ~2-3 miles from my house. It was Friday evening, fresh home from work, and heard the boom. My ex actually saw it come down.

The Snowbirds had been practicing for an air show over the weekend. Investigation revealed the pilot’s restraint harness had come loose, making him lose control.

I think the plot was lost when the piracy/drm wars reached a peak and set new norms. The ‘talent’ that emerged steadily became performers rather than artists and put out disposable, largely formulaic pop made with protools.

Nearly all the mainstream now are what many would have called sellouts prior to all this.

Maybe there will be a move back to quality over quantity. Granted quality music is still being made, but by and large the current listener just wants to jump from the current sensation to the next after the staleness sets in.

Long story long the internet changed a lot of things, attention spans are eroded, and we’re still learning how to deal with all of it.

Does the west wing get better? Similar to OP I watched the first few episodes and couldn’t stand it. It came off to me like the typical big network show of that time, with unrelatable characters, cheesy dialogue, and cliched storylines.

Yet I’ve seen lots of praise for the show…and memes with Martin Sheen’s character that I like. Would you say there’s a point when the show starts to get into its groove?

Mentadent toothpaste. I enjoyed how the dispenser combined the white and blue gels as you applied it to your toothbrush. I liked the taste too.

Also Cremo men’s face moisturizer. I haven’t found another that suits my skin so perfectly before or since.

In both cases I wrote to the companies about bringing back the products, and both wrote back to blow me off.

Are utilities included in your rent? If so maybe the landlady is seeing increased utility usage/costs, and the rental commission decided yep, they’re running a business in there.

Seconded. Oven roasted or air fried, they’re little balls of joy.

I always got boiled ones in the old days, same with spinach 🤮

But many of them didn’t listen, so now we’re all screwed. Hopefully not permanently, but it’s looking grim.

Get up. Don’t fuck around with snooze, those few extra minutes don’t help.

Allow time to reward yourself for getting up. For me it’s word puzzles and coffee before I get ready.

Keep one thing in mind: The male brain isn’t fully developed until age ~25. Speaking only for myself, I experienced real changes when this happened–one of which was deciding to focus on things I wanted to focus on or improve while tuning out stuff I deemed unimportant.

This may or may not be your experience, but I thought I’d share mine with you. Hang in there.

I have never tried meditation intentionally, but I’ve probably reached a similar state through relaxation. You’ve piqued my curiosity so I’ll look into it, thank you

People have said to relax your face and jaw. Take it a step further and relax your tongue from the roof of your mouth. It sounds silly, but I found it works for me.

That was a tip from the other site I saw years ago, and now if I’m tired and have 15 minutes I can usually grab a power nap by keeping this in mind.

I think the birth of Hitler is an easy choice. But I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that eliminating some earlier event could both right another wrong and negate Hitler’s existence.

Aside from that there’s the existence of the internet, which I’m not sure has been an overall benefit to humankind. I think about this often.

Obliviously junking up a scenic area with equipment for an extended period of time, and no doubt expecting exclusive space to do so qualifies in my book. May all the dogs shit on this level of entitlement.

Quality was mentioned, but I’ll add my view. Most everything is disposable now, whether you go with the upgraded option or not. Everyday items, cars, houses, tools, services…we’re surrounded by junk.

At Boeing the bean counters took over, look at them now. Most other corporations are doing the same, just with lower stakes.

It’s not just stuff–it’s interaction too. People are so hooked on throwaway videos, social media, etc that our collective attention span has severely diminished since the internet took hold. I was reading a book recently, and one of the characters described using a tactic of keeping another character off balance in conversation to gain an advantage over them. I feel like this is being done to all of us on the grand scale, intentionally or not.

What I’ve learned is that these trends will continue until we do something about it. I try to bring what quality and value I can to those around me, pass on what wisdom I’ve gained, and be a good influence. Even to strangers when possible. It’s up to us to carry and keep the torch lit.