These Strange Feelings

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

Many years ago, a second cousin and his wife immigrated from Portugal to Brazil (I think. I was six years old when the following bit happened, so I don’t remember precisely) not permanently but till they could earn the money to dig themselves out of a hole, and get money to buy a house and start a business.

It took them longer than anticipated, but twenty years later they headed back to Portugal with enough money to pursue their dream.

Apparently he had been homesick the entire 20 years, and was really excited about being back.

He had a heart attack when he could glimpse the Portuguese coast out of his airplane window. He was dead by the time they landed.

Why am I telling you a grim story?

For the last two days a lot of my circle has been wondering why they feel panicked, distressed, whatever.

We dodged a bullet, as real as the one Trump dodged in Pennsylvania.

So why didn’t we go “Oh, well, that’s done, now life goes on” and return to our normal tasks?

Well, in my case because I have lingering asthma (or an asthma like syndrome, since one of you in the comments said that might be it) from the triple infection, things are weird and slow, and I still haven’t been able to concentrate to write. But what about the rest of you?

This is why I told the story above. Thing is, we weren’t sure, and even those who were fairly hopeful, well, the abyss on the other side was so deep, etc…

Joy is stress, just like grief is stress. A shock is a shock, and your nervous system is dumb. It goes all the way to the dinosaurs, and it has no clue if it’s a good shock o a bad shock. It just knows it’s a shock, so your peaceful life is disrupted, and next thing you know something will eat you.

It’s been a heck of a four years. And we’re not fully out of the woods. If you’re near a disputed house race, keep your eyes on it, and call attention to it. We need the House to turn this corner as we need to.

Meanwhile, yes, the election turned out well. Better than we could imagine.

But it was a shock to the system, and your system is being all irrational.

Take it easy, as if you’d been ill. Treat yourself kindly. Let you get used to this, and then you’ll be ready to fight again.

You’re not abnormal (no more than the rest of humanity.) It doesn’t mean anything hire. Your nervous system is just acting as if you were a startled dinosaur.

Be kind to the dinosaur, and give yourself time to get back to work again.

146 thoughts on “These Strange Feelings”

  1. I’ve been having episodes of what I’ll call “thoracic discomfort” since mid-late 2021. (Timing? Hmmmm …) Always concerning, but never bad. Tuesday and Wednesday morning, it came on me strong enough to finally be called pain. I was wondering whether, if something I was deliberately not informing myself about went the wrong way, I might end up a case of “died suddenly.”

    Then I saw the election returns. Within a couple of hours, my thorax was feeling fine.

    I don’t say this as a contradiction to you, Sarah. I entirely believe that good stress can have deleterious effects like bad stress does. On a list I read once of life-event stressors that can harm your health, Christmas was listed. Not at the level of divorce, death in the family, or moving, but there. Given what I go through with seasonal shopping, I have no trouble seeing it there.

    So no, don’t be surprised if stress is still getting to you. Some of it will even be the bad variety: some of the familiar games are being played with Senate races, and probably the House too. But don’t stress about the stress. Nobody wants to die of recursion. <wink>

    Republica restituendae, et, Hamas delenda est.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I discovered I was having “silent” panic attacks–all the physical symptoms without the fear.

      I wonder if that will abate now?

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Turns out my “thoracic discomfort” was due to real blockages in my heart arteries. If you’re getting them after Wednesday morning’s revelations, then you should get it checked out, soonest.

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      1. No heart symptoms at all. No pain, no numbness or tingling; blood pressure, oxygen levels and pulse remain steady. No indigestion, even. Only that odd pressure.

        Stress is a trigger. It doesn’t happen often, but more often in the past few months. I’m hoping it goes away entirely now.

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      2. Mike, the pangs aren’t localized in my heart, or even my chest. Some I will get under my ribcage. If it’s artery blockage, it’s a lot of artery blockage, and my overall physical condition does not point to that.

        I will pay attention to it, but I’m not that concerned, at least not since the Election Clutch-Up passed.

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        1. PAY ATTENTION TO THAT. WHEN I IGNORED IT I PASSED OUT TWICE BEFORE I FINALLY SAW MY DOCTOR. 12% HEART FUNCTION.

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  2. Flip side of this: relief from stress can also cause issues. For those feeling only relief, let yourself down easy and not too fast. Shock is not your friend. Don’t dump the adrenaline too quickly.

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  3. We have been in a collective abusive relationship for almost two decades (I’m looking at you, Obama). The point is: you are normal but it’s going to take some time.

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    1. Trying to point that out on X…that the, “Oh, of course now you need to,show grace/move on/reach out,” is abusive behavior. The next step is, “Well, I guess you aren’t much of a Christian since you won’t forgive me (when I’m not repentant at all) – hypocrite!”

      It’s abusive, and it’s another attempt to weaponize niceness, and I’m tired of it.

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      1. “Well, I guess you aren’t much of a Christian since you won’t forgive me…”

        Yeah. Seen that before, wasn’t much impressed by any of it.

        Consider the tiger. Cow-sized predator that eats humans. Do we let tigers walk around downtown? No, we do not. Mr. tiger is going to get sh0t. For sure.

        Do we -hate- the tiger? No, we don’t. We like them. We make nice places for them to live, where they can do what they want. We visit them, we wave, we feed them treats on the weekend.

        Just not downtown.

        We forgive the tiger, AFTER safely dealing with him.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Forgiveness in an abusive relationship does NOT require putting yourself back in harms way. Nor does it require an assumption that because I forgive, the other person has necessarily changed.

          Arm up. The abuser likely remains an abuser, and any statements to the contrary should be approached with extreme caution.

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          1. These are the people who lied. They are still lying. If anything they are lying more.

            One of the Usual Suspects amongst the Puppy Kickers was waxing lyrical about deplorables being allowed an opinion, and how the USA was no longer a nation that could be allowed to host a WorldCon. (But Chengdu was just fine, right?)

            Should us Puppies extend an olive branch to that guy? Not even if he was drowning and the branch was on fire, in my humble opinion. We should walk a mile out of our way to stay away. Which is why I didn’t mention who it is, bro does not get a free click from me.

            It’s not a grudge. It’s simple self defense.

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              1. I was thinking nicely trimmed olive branch upside the head too.

                But it would be a waste of energy. Even the heartiest of beatings could not penetrate bone that thick. Like trying to pound sense into a bowling ball.

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            3. It’s funny how some of the left is now asking questions that rhyme heavily with the Forbidden Questions, like “Hey, where did all those 2020 Dem votes go?”

              Official Party Outlets like the AP are desperately shushing and waving their hands, but the questions are being asked, and by those crazy righties this time.

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        2. Forgiveness and mercy are only effective from a position of strength. And even then, are often regarded as weaknesses by the loser, who is planning on the next chance to do the victor in even as he begs forgiveness and mercy.

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            1. So much this. I recall very vividly the abuse rained down on Tea Partiers, and then on vaccine refusers and conservatives in general, and I am not inclined to be merciful.

              As ye sow, so will ye reap.

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Yeah. I do recall the Tea Party, and all the zero coverage they got.

                But now, here we are. Did you see who the new Border Czar is going to be? ~:D

                I really hope that #OrangeMan lets out all the super-secrit stuff he’s got on #ShinyPony. Dates and amounts transferred from Beijing to Ottawa. And names. Lots of names.

                Just in time for the Canuckistanian elections. That would be some sweet, sweet justice.

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          2. There is that assumption that forgiving has to always mean that the villain or perpetrator then will be allowed to go on without any punishment. Where does that come from anyway? You can forgive somebody and still punish them for what they did, whether it is by law and something like locking them up, or in personal relationships like going for no contact from then on.

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          1. Texas only repealed that as a defense to murder about 20 years ago. In other States it is known as jury nullification, and Judges HATE it.

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          2. There has to be at least one movie somewhere where the hero says “I forgive you” and then shoots the villain. Or says that while the villain is hanging from the ledge and starting to slip, or any similar position, and begging for mercy, and the hero says that and then just continues watching as the villain loses his grip and falls.

            And probably more in written stories. I don’t remember ever running across one, but they have to exist.

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            1. And I mean stories where the hero would be sincere with what he says, maybe adding something like that he forgives, but considers it impossible to let the bad guy live because he is too dangerous, something along those lines. Or something like “I forgive you, and I am sorry but I have to do this.”

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              1. In the fifth season of Babylon 5, Garibaldi falls off the wagon and bad things happen because of it. And Sheridan and Delenn’s response is, “We forgive you, but there have to be consequences,” and he’s let go.

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              2. Then again, there is:

                “Did you kill him?”

                …

                “I let him go.”

                Commando, said by Matrix after dropping Sully off a cliff.

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      5. If someone does not want forgiveness, we are not bound to give it. Yes, I have the research to back that statement up – see the post here, please: https://carolinefurlong.wordpress.com/2024/03/08/faith-in-practice-in-worldbuilding-how-do-you-show-a-religion-in-action-part-4/

        I’m not much of a Christian if I forgive someone who says they want forgiveness when they are lying to my face. Someone who uses emotional manipulation does not want my forgiveness and, therefore, they are not entitled to it. End of story.

        If someone wants “grace” or for me to move on, then they get to make the first move to earn it. Oh, they don’t want to do that? Then guess what? (Stage whisper) I’m not obligated to give you something you don’t want. Bye.

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      6. “Well, I guess you aren’t much of a Christian since you won’t forgive me (when I’m not repentant at all) – hypocrite!”

        Cue flipping tables and moneylenders being scourged with whips… :twisted:

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  4. In my case, my celebration is muted because I am minded of that old military aphorism: The enemy gets a vote. And, make no doubt about it; the Left is THE enemy. I fear the next few will be moments of “where’s the other shoe?”

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      1. I fear that in the best case, it won’t be over for two generations. That’s the very best case. Marxism is an evil religion whose creed begins with envy, but does not stop there.

        We need to be strong enough and determined enough to stop them from wreaking harm while still keeping our real virtues, both for ourselves and to show the indoctrinated masses an alternative.

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        1. You have to find ways to get to the children, teens, young people in general. That is what has gotten us where we are, the leftists seized the education system, and keeps on producing people who have been more or less brainwashed.

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          1. An upsetting thread on Twitter: a Californian teacher had a racist, shouting meltdown in class, accusing the students of having privilege, wanting to be white, having sexist, racist parents (from context a lot of the students are Hispanic), and so on. The kicker? He sponsors an “AP mental health,” group.

            The school says it’s investigating.

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    2. THIS

      Where are the peaceful fiery protests? Waiting for Jan 6 or Inauguration Day? Just low on bricks and delayed? Deciding it’s more effective when it’s invisible? or worse at some random day/location?

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      1. I believe the foreign agitators who stirred the pot in 2020-2021 have wisely decided to let things cool down a bit. Say about 4 years and 72-ish days.

        Because Trump is the guy who wants peace, and therefore believes wars should be won quicky, decisively, and by -us-.

        And the nukes are just sitting there.

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        1. I think the money to pay the protest pros dried up. The Kammy campaign possibly might have sucked it all up, with their $1Billion raised and spent since she was couped-in. The Russians might really be hurting for free funds due to the sanctions and the war. The Chinese might be in more economic trouble than is apparent.

          Why not all three, you ask?

          Indeed.

          Liked by 1 person

        2. The Donks spent something like a billion five on Harris, plus more for all the other Donks.

          Small wonder they cut back on pallets of pavers and Cosplay.

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      3. I think they are still in a state of shock, having failed to plan for this eventuality. Inauguration day sounds like a good point for them to recover and launch their “initiatives”.

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        1. Agreed. They also went nuts on Inauguration Day in 2016, though the media pretends nothing unusual happened that day. I expect them to repeat that this time.

          They might also be waiting for the results of the last House races. The Republicans are ahead at the moment, but don’t yet have a majority. If the Dems get a majority, and think they have enough to refuse to certify the election results…

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        2. Our response should be more “Judo” or “Akido” than “Kung Fu”.

          Grace to the mild, flip the wild.

          I refrained from wearing my best red shirt to work the day after the Election. Wore instead neutral colors not affiliated. Avoided any show. Mostly Leftroids, and they seemed kinda bummed, so spent day being my usual dour self with occasional humorous quips.

          Everyone knows who won.

          And can always send “All your base belong to us” as needed.

          Waiting for House results. If it too is Repub, going to “all your base” a very deserving Large Mouth Bass. Because Justice.

          But not the ordinary ones. Mercy is a thing. Conversion is best.

          Liked by 1 person

      4. According to my info, they were trying to start (in several Dem-ruled cities), but got stomped on, HARD, by law enforcement who apparently weren’t fearing the wrath of the overlords who are in cahoots with the thugs . . . . .

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        1. From the one video from Seattle that went around on X, it wasn’t a riot, it was barely a tantrum. Looked like about 10-20 Antifa types and a whole lot of cops throwing people to the ground.

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          1. Auntie Teefa screwed the pooch. They backed off and let the LEOs catch up in tactics and rules of engagement. Now, they dogpile the ScheissTruppen before they can get rolling. “BlacBloc” attire might as well say “Bustem Danno”. And all departments now know the Auntie Teefa “leaders” hide as “medics”, “waterboys”, and “press/observers”. They harvest -those- first, and lobotomize the mob.

            Also, Cadre have been identified, are monitored, and often have been turned. Peekaboo.

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  5. I am feeling much better . . . the regular order of stupidity is still expected, just had that edge worn off, not making it comfortable, but not as painful. Being a cynical old grouch (since my 20’s, really), this is now a regular level of feelings for me

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  6. I’ve been feeling good, thank God… I think I front-loaded most of the stress before the tally. Will keep an eye on that old dinosaurian nervous system, though. Thanks!

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  7. I do not think things will immediately get better (some things may but the vast majority of things probably will not). Indeed, look at your post from yesterday…they’re probably going to get worse first.

    But I’d sure rather have the “worse” under Trump than under Harris.

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  9. Jesus said “Let not your heart be troubled”.

    He was -not- counseling living as a blissninny. He was warning against -worry-. Its corrosive, and the Enemy exploits it. Crap gonna happen. Folks gonna get by.

    He Reigns. At the end, HE Wins. You are executing on His plan. Be of good cheer and play your part. Joyfully. as He wants us to be.

    Smile in adversity. If you can laugh in the face of the Monsters, you are doing well. Be of good cheer. Be an example.

    Yes, I know some folks are wired for “dark”. Pot, meet Kettle. I am speaking from firsthand. Our host comes nowhere near the “doom” I can imagine. But its bunk.

    The Enemy -cannot stand- laughter, and -mockery- is anathema. So be of good cheer and buuuurn that poo-head. If nothing else works, be cheerful out of spite for the enemy.

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  10. Spot on, Sarah. Both my sister and I have felt like we have low grade flu since the election. Unmotivated, feeling punk, not sure why. Not the euphoria of 2016, but a deep sigh of relief and a growing happiness. I think that’s why Jimmy being sick hit me so hard, it’s like “Oh FFS now what!”

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    1. How is your dear kitteh companion?

      On the mend and getting better every hour? ❤️

      Its hard to rejoice in sufferings and the crosses we have been given, but we should be in awe that we, of all people, have been tasked with living in times such as this.

      Himself is counting on us to carry out His perfect will.

      What an incredible honor we have been given!

      Every single set back and trial has been given to us for our eternal benefit which, for me anyway, is a very comforting thought.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh, gosh, he’s doing ok. Slept hard all night, gave him his anti nausea pill this morning. He ate a few treats, kept them down, now he’s asleep on the bed snuggled against the pillows, atop an electric blanket heating his behind. The times make it harder to endure, but you all made everything OK yesterday with your offers of generosity and love. Really appreciated.

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  12. Personally, I have been feeling MUCH better since Wednesday morning. My faith in Humanity is restored after watching us all behave badly in 2020 with Covid. Myself included, I must say. They really got me that time. I’ve been salty about it ever since.

    But now is is very clear indeed that a healthy majority of Americans are not blind and deaf. Thank God.

    And no, I do not think 51% is the number. That’s barely half. I think the number is more like 60%++, because the magnitude of corruption in American election is looking to me like 20%-25% or so. All the vote-by-mail states? Oh yeah. Major cleanup needed.

    The last couple of days we’ve been watching the unhinged rants from all sorts of places where all those that work for the enemy are STILL trying to pretend that their lies are the truth, that #OrangeManBad is literally #Hilter (yes I spelled it wrong on purpose ~:), that we who did not support #HeelsUpHarris are rubes, disgusting, stupid, deplorable, garbage, and etc.

    I’ve known they were lying for a long time. What’s changed for me is that EVERYBODY ELSE knows they’re lying too. 60% of America told them to shove it.

    The other 40% of people who drank the bong water and are all-in for The Blob, my condolences losers. These are like the characters at the end of The Last Battle who can’t enjoy the banquet because they are keeping their eyes shut. Eventually reality will b1tchslap them so hard they’ll wake up, or not. As for The Blob itself, the joke is over. They will scream and kick, but they can’t win.

    Being a Canadian, my battle continues. Revealed yesterday, the recent elections in British Columbia were corrupt and the BC NDPee Party did not in fact win anything. We shall see if this revelation stirs anything in the Demented Dominion.

    Our next election will be like Tuesday. The media will lie, we will ignore them, and the criminals will be removed. One way or another, the lies will end. Go team!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. And don’t forget to go hang out with friends. Or go find/make friends to hang out with. It literally builds a chemical buffer in your system to handle shock and stress.

    I’m going to hazard a guess the 2nd cousin mostly worked his behind off in Brazil and did not build a circle of friends there because he was going home any day now?

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  14. Hard to tell what’s shock and what’s being sick, honestly. I do feel a bit of relief, but also, “Right. So when’s the next shoe?”

    Not helped by the fact I’ve honestly tried to make friendly acquaintances at work, and… yeah, that has gone badly. Sigh.

    So. Reading!

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  15. The first time I had a “happy shock” like this, I got stupid drunk celebrating with a co-worker, fell off his 12-foot balcony onto the lawn below (without injury!), and didn’t wake until the next day. I’ve moderated my celebrations since.

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  17. It took me a while to figure out an analogy for why I feel much like you do, Sarah.

    I’m a Marine on Iwo Jima. We’ve taken the island. After a long and exhausting fight, but we have it – we’ve raised the flag on Mount Suribachi, the airfield is being put back into operation, the beaches are cleared.

    But the enemy is still dug into the caves that riddle the island. It is going to be a hard, long slog to dig them out of there; they’re only going to increase their stubborn resistance. In my case, those are the cartel-owned politicians like Governor Hobbs, SoS Fontes, Sheriff Nanos.

    In the meantime, we also have to deal with the soldiers that are technically on OUR side, but are too fearful to do what is necessary – barely useful, if that, to provide covering fire while the real fighters advance on the bunkers. For me, those are the feckless local Republican Party apparatchiks, and the ones like McConnell and Johnson.

    Then there are those that are not-so-secret sympathizers with the enemy, and will do whatever they can to sabotage the effort. The Bulwarkers, the Collins, the Murkowskis.

    It is going to take a LONG time to completely clean out this lonely island of freedom. Even longer than Iwo Jima. At least TWELVE years of tiring, unceasing combat, and we’ll still be finding the odd ones that managed to hide out.

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        1. Battle off Samar, Escort Carrier under direct fire from IJN -battleships-, random gun director petty officer “The Captain is sucking them into 40mm range!”

          Later, after the IJN quits and turns away, sparing the Taffy-3 group from annihilation, , random Sailor says “Dammit! The’re getting away!”

          Americans, the Sultans of Snark.

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          1. Chesty Puller, USMC, Chosin Reservoir, 1950:

            “We’ve been looking for the enemy for some time now. We’ve finally found him. We’re surrounded. That simplifies things.”

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          2. That was 80 years and a couple weeks ago. I need to finish watching Battleship New Jersey YouTube videos covering it.

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    2. There is a backstory to the Iwo Flag. (from accounts I ran across). The first flag was too small to be seen. One Marine was sent back to the beach. He came back up Subarachi with a larger flag off a USCG landing craft along with a 20′ length of heavy schedule 40 pipe. There should be a painting of him with weapon slung over his shoulder, carrying the pipe over the other, American Flag cradled in his right arm, and a cigarette dangling from his lips. The caption should be “Just doing my job, Mac”.

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      1. Hmm. I’d heard of the two times (one the real one, the other for photo op), but not what happened in between.

        However, the famous photo was obviously from close range. So that might be yet a THIRD story…

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  18. I know I should be feeling better these days.

    Trump won. Harris is going to be a bad trivia question in a few weeks. The Usual Suspects are acting like idiots on social media and we’re watching the beginning of the recriminations in the Democratic Party. A lot of us are seeing actual…well, results coming down the pike. Our startup is starting to see actual money movement, which means I might actually get paid again this year.

    But…I also know that it isn’t over yet, and that is having me whipsawing, making it hard to work, hard to write, hard to concentrate.

    Soon enough, the Democrats are going to finish knifing enough of each other to start aiming themselves at an external enemy-the Republicans, Trump supporters, and anyone that caused them to lose the election. Be prepared for everything from blacklisting to character destruction to maybe a homicide or three. Even if it means burning down what little they have left to get us in the flames.

    The job market is going to be insane for the next year or two, no matter what. Take what you can get, get ready to move when you can.

    Be assured that any attempts to do mass deportations and/or mass immigration enforcement is going to see many billable hours from lawyers fighting it in court.

    And people are going to go even crazier as we get closer to the inauguration and actual start of the next administration. Be calm, be polite, be patient, and be ready.

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    1. I second that. Things are going to be… way too interesting. And fiscally tight, geh.

      ATM in order to keep working on my writing I’m going through and trying to do things that need to be done to tidy up the story without needing a lot of creative input. For example, checking the timeline of events as the plot unfolded, so I don’t have characters off a day (or week!) when they mention things in various reports they have to make. Or, as I’m working on right now, neatening up the bibliography into regular format instead of a book list.

      Though checking the timeline did have an amusing result. “Wait, the characters went out near dawn, they didn’t go that far, but I have them coming back at sunset-!”

      “…Ooo. They were dealing with a fay critter. And we know those guys can steal time from you. Write it in!”

      About 4 sentences, and I have Added Appropriate Weirdness and avoided a timeline plothole. Progress!

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      1. I’m in the point of the story where the first big plot token has been cashed in and now I have to talk about things like…stats and perks and flaws and equipment and show just enough behind the curtain to explain what the RPG in this LitRPG story is…

        The temptation to push past is there, but I know that I can’t.

        At the very least, I get a chance to put in details…

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          2. Some details, as promised!

            Before he could finish that sentence, there was the sound of something huge shambling out of the forest, and an angry bellow the size of a building erupted to his right side. Kevin looked, and gasped in horror, taking a step back off the path and onto the grass in front of the house.
            Whatever it was, it was huge. Kevin been close enough to an adult African elephant as a child and knew what a large animal looked like. This thing was about as large, it not larger. And nothing that large should have been able to move that fast. It looked like several dozen loose water balloons full of black goo, eyes and teeth and the occasional tentacle lashing out at the air and tongues licking and eyes looking at everything. He was sure only a few of the eyes-far too human looking and blood shot-were looking at him but more than a dozen eyes in a single creature was far too many for anyone.
            And it was fast. In less than a minute, it had burst out of the tree-line and was half-humping, half-rolling towards him. The cacophonous babble of screams and clashing ivory daggers for teeth and hisses was louder than the broken trees and cracking branches. And that was only slightly more disturbing than the wave of smell that came from the monster, a horrific mixture of rotten pork, fermented moldy garlic, burning tires, and some terrible sweet smell that he could only describe as acidic dark molasses.
            Kevin stepped back again and looked around in a panic, realizing that he might not be able to make it to the door and escape back to Portland before it smashed the house and him. The creature made one last, large leap and just as it came to the stone ring it slammed into something like an invisible wall in the air. The stones, the ground, and even the air seemed to shudder as the creature hit, a shock-wave of compressed water vapor shimmering in the air as the creature rebounded from the barrier. There was a roll of thunder, almost deafening at point-blank range, and by some miracle and using the spear as a crutch, Kevin stayed on his feet.
            The creature pulled back, moaning in what could only be pain, broken teeth falling out of its mouths and massive purple bruises on it’s black skin appearing. But, it began to build up speed for another lunge, aiming directly at Kevin again. Kevin looked around and started to move towards the portal, hoping that the barrier would hold for just one more impact…
            …when a jolt of pure electricity went through the hand and the arm holding the spear.
            His hand painfully flipped the spear around, and his legs moved into a throwing posture, his right hand cocking back to the full extension of his arm. He could feel every single joint involved screaming in pain, but he couldn’t stop and…
            …before he knew it, his arm had moved, his body had twisted, there were all sorts of pain in new directions, and he had thrown the spear. For a brief moment, Kevin felt like he was about to fall over, yet he managed to stay on his feet in a stagger.
            The spear was moving far too fast for a “mere” hand throw, but for the briefest of moments, Kevin could see the spear flying through the air. It went through the barrier like it didn’t exist, and struck the creature right in it’s center of mass. The spear seemed to…hang in the air for just a moment, the tip barely penetrating inside it’s skin. It hung there, the shaft vibrating like a tuning fork.
            Then, the creature exploded outwards from the tip of the spear, gore and bloody, steaming gelatin erupting from the creature’s back exactly where the sphere had impacted. As the spear tore through it’s body, the spear seemed to dissolve, shrinking downwards into nothing as the very last bit of the spear vanished into a puff of vapor as what was left of the creature collapsed. The remains of the creature, a formless goo that started to dissolve into streams of blackish smoke that drifted away from the stone ring, vanished in a few moments.
            Kevin realized, just as the pain really hit his body, that he had fallen onto his knees. Then he fell over onto his hands, feeling the pain in his right hand as he lifted it up, overworked muscles shuddering to reveal that most of the surface of the right glove’s palm was badly scorched. He peeled off the glove, but other than how much it hurt from all the motions he did, he couldn’t see any other damage.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Whoof!

              Not as many details here, but… the timeline fix appears!

              A gnarled hand-blur dipped, merging into the larger shimmer of the body. Rippled out again, a pale cotton sack coming into view, like a carp rising to the surface of a pond.

              Fingers snatched the coins, and were gone.

              Ha-neul blinked, and took a deep breath, as birds started calling once more. Glanced at me as clouds thinned, hints of sunlight dappling leaves in gold and jade. “He’s gone?”

              I listened. Felt. The forest here was still uncanny, but…. “Yes. For now.” Though I winced, when had the light shifted-?

              A chill raced down my spine. “Ha-neul. West is…?”

              “Still that way-” My musketeer cut off the words, cursing under his breath at the angles of shadow; falling twilight, not the early morn we had known mere moments before. “He stole our time!”

              “Pray it was worth it.” Another glance, and I crouched to wave my hand above rough cotton, searching for any trace of malevolent gi.

              None. Oh, there was power, I could feel it. But a warm power, if rough. Like wrapping a bearskin about you in the gust of winter wind. Carefully, I undid knotted laces.

              Liked by 1 person

  19. I read Simon’s piece about justice without revenge and just listened to Trump’s plan for a truth and reconciliation commission. This makes pragmatic sense to me. I’d love to see them all hang, but it’s probably best for the country that they not hang. Essentially, we’ve just fought a civil war and it’s time for reconstruction. For myself, I’ll never forgive nor forget, but having their crimes publicized will have to do and opening the Stasi files can only be good.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Some of them need to hang. Attempted global murder is not forgivable. Nor are communist coups.

      We can either strip their and their family assets, or review suitable historical punishments.

      (The ones that are pedophiles still get the wood chipper…)

      Liked by 1 person

  20. First have the doctors cultured the multiple bacteria you have teasing you? Please rest, I have a lung disease too, I understand the need to do rather than sit. The next 69 days are going to be nerve-wracking. The liberal elite can do anything. What switches will they flip? Will the liberals shut done the VA to punish the garbage for their disloyalty? Feel better. Get a kitteh pile and cuddle a Dan and maybe you’ll sweat out the gribblies.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. My sense of relief is due to that enough people have woken up to the shear size of the shenanigans that have been happening over the last 2 score years.

    When we, (small Texas team), audited voter rolls and results, then investigated the details in 2018, 2020, and 2022, it felt like we were tilting against windturbines with toothpicks. Nobody in power wanted to change the status quo of the Uniparty

    This has changed for the better.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. For anyone who has time, patience, and a gentle touch, now is a golden opportunity to reach out to leftists who have had their entire worldview upended. A lot of them are doubling down, but some are actually trying to understand how the media, their social circles, etc. could all be so wrong. Great chance to open some eyes.

    Like

    1. Trump adroitly did this, bagging various former Donks to his team. The man learns fast.

      Example to follow. If we are willing to forgive, we may gain serious allies. Trust but verify, always. But we are willing and able, so we should.

      Besides, it helps isolate the crazies for further reduction by other means. (Kzin Grin)

      Never press a beaten foe too hard. Always provide the opponent a way to quit, sparing your forces the need, and cost, for massacre.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. We can gain allies from former blue teamers, but some serious work needs to be done to deal with the RINOs and their rich backers.

        Traitors do more damage and steal more votes than enemies.

        Like

      3. Never press a beaten foe too hard. Always provide the opponent a way to quit, sparing your forces the need, and cost, for massacre.

        I think you should ask the Israelis how that worked out for them. They wasted a LOT of lives by NOT taking their foes at their word.

        Like

        1. They do exactly that.

          That the idiots seldom quit is o them not the Israelis.

          -Beaten- foe. -quit-. Key items.

          But who is Sun Tzu to lecture on war….

          Like

          1. The foe didn’t quit. The Israelis mistakenly provided mercy to people to whom lying to infidels is a religious practice.

            Like

          2. Oh, and Sun-Tzu had a far better understanding of “beaten” than you’ve ever displayed, so there’s that.

            Like

  23. Thank you!

    I have been wondering what was wrong with me, feeling exhausted despite sleeping well, wanting to eat poorly and take naps. It’s my lizard brain reacting to stress.

    Bad lizard! Take a nap and quiet down!

    Liked by 1 person

  24. It’s been a week. It started with the All Saints worship, J.t. Cat getting his annual well-kitty visit (he needs his ears and teeth professionally cleaned, Oh joy), then the election, then the weather, a computer system at Day Job acting wonky in all the wrong ways, the weather making people act wonkier …

    As I told a coworker “Tarzan put it so well. ‘ArrrrrghEEEAAAAAAAAheeeeeaheeeeeeeahhhhhh!!!’.” He blinked hard, then laughed mightily. No wonder I fell into bed over an hour early last night.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. The first Gamergate was roughly ten years ago. Yesterday someone on X posted a picture of Zoe Quinn, and made a comment about how her sex life caused massive changes in the game industry dynamic.

    Surprisingly (to me, at least), a lot of people didn’t recognize her name. Explanations were provided by people in the comments. The number of “Gamergate started over something this stupid!?” comments were surprisingly large. The media has gone all in on obfuscating what started Gamergate, and people who are genuinely curious have a difficult time finding out that it started when gamers asked why reviewers were sleeping with a game developer (that reviewers liked, but players hated), and the response was basically, “Shut up, misogynists!”

    Like

    1. Ugh. Reading the Wiki article on HER was painful, and Wiki used “they” are HER preferred pronoun. Both of my sons were fully indoctrinated into the preferred pronoun garbage in college. I almost want to call the people born in the 1990s the “Broken Generation.”

      Like

        1. Mine too. Number two son likes to say his pronouns are I and me since he’s not a psychopath.

          In other new, word is that Biden f-cked over the party for bouncing him by endorsing the camel thereby sticking them with the candidate they didn’t want. My bet is that the candidate they had in mind was Mooch, and then Obama could have been the first president to become First Lady.

          evil will oft doth evil mar.

          Liked by 1 person

  26. I’ve been enjoying a serious case of political schadenfreude. In all truth though I worry about the division between people. Having large numbers of Americans hold each other in utter contempt because of politics is terrible and I don’t see a good way to reconcile or deescalate*. I am relieved Trump won but we’re still in for nasty weather.

    *That doesn’t mean there isn’t one, just that I don’t know what it is.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The best sign I see out of all of this is that the nasty weather hasn’t begun yet. A couple damp-squib protests in predictable places, and that’s been it. Heck, the Chicago 1968 rerun we were supposed to get at Chicago 2024 was a huge underperformance too. Could it be the heart’s gone out of the American Sturmabteilung? Might they have only the energy for blue-on-blue recriminations?

      I don’t see any clear paths to de-escalation or reconciliation, either … but if the other side decides to just give up and quit kinetically hating us, I am willing to accept the miracle and work with it.

      Republica restituendae, et, Hamas delenda est.

      Like

      1. We’ve been in a state of Cold Civil War for some decades now, and it can’t end until one side or the other is defenestrated from the Overton Window. So it is going to require something like most of the other side just giving up, with the remnants becoming completely marginalized politically. They’d have to become as irrelevant as those who want to repeal the 19th amendment, or who want to re-implement the anti-miscegenation laws.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. This. There’s no narrative in place to stoke the flames, like there was in 2016 and 2020. The media might be able to cobble one together in the next few weeks, but it’s going to be an uphill battle given the election results. They’ve used all their best ammo already, and now their base is demoralized and pointing fingers.

        Like

        1. Once the dust settles, and the scope of the loss sets in, they will knife fight for who is king snake. Then they again turn to destroying Trumo and any other opponents.

          Day ending in Y.

          I suspect also that Trump has a game plan to keep them busy. He may well have invested in better intel, and potentially has the goods to … upset some folks carefully planned reps. It’s a big part of the DC game, and he was a novice last time.

          How dirty does Trump 2.0 play? I hope he has something …. clever.

          Like

          1. He’s got the momentum, and we know he has a few major moves he can make early on to shake things up (declassifying files, hiring and firing, etc.). Here’s hoping he can capitalize on his enemies’ lack of direction.

            Keep your memes ready and your popcorn where you can find it in the dark.

            Liked by 1 person

  27. Monday: Confidence

    Tuesday: Confidence with a creeping dread that I was being overconfident and everything was about to go horribly

    Wednesday: Overwhelming relief

    Thursday: Watching people go through stages of grief

    Today: A good friend who happens to be gay DMed me on Facebook, and when I wouldn’t swear that I voted for Kamala Harris said she couldn’t be friends with me anymore, and now I’m very upset and saddened.

    Look, I understand that gay (and trans/queer/whatever) people have been propagandized for literally years about Trump, Republicans, conservatives, Christians, etc.

    And it’s certainly true that there are 4chan-type a**holes who are saying stupid and offensive things to gay people right now. (And they should be thoroughly smacked.)

    But this is like when a Democrat wins, and stupid people start saying things to conservatives like “we’re going to put you mouthbreathing morons into camps” and “we’re going to take all your guns away”. And then Republicans/conservatives get in a fret and say things to each other like “OMG they’re going to put us into camps, OMG they’re going to try to take away all our guns, what are we going to do”. But soon enough the a**holes fade into the background noise and we stop taking counsel of our worst fears and switch to a more rational discourse.

    I just really wish there was a way I could actually tell people who I love and value to calm down and they’re going to be fine without just making it worse.

    (And if you tell me that I should just drop them because they’re not worth being friends with in the first place, f*** off.)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, some of them may not be worth it. You’re the only one who can decide that, though, so I’m not telling you what to do. Just consider that there needs to be a hard limit to how much of this nonsense you’re willing to put up with. (If they’re willing to cut you off over something like this, were they ever *really* friends? On the other hand, maybe they’re just working through some difficult feelings in a rather shitty way, and they’ll come around in the end.)

      I also have some loved ones who are way, way, way too worked up about this whole thing, and I suspect that time is going to be the only thing that works. Not much I can do about it, and it sucks.

      Like

      1. We too have loved ones who have drank the KH Koolaide, unfortunately. We’ll find out Sunday.

        Sunday is the family party for mom’s 90th (Nov 14). Youngest sister and her brood are the liberals (don’t know if they are registered R or D). The other nieces, now that they have their own families, and careers are more conservative (unfortunately two work for Nike in Portland) now. Don’t know how they voted. Know their parents voted R along with us and mom.

        Deal is “no making mom/grandma cry”. Which means do not bring up politics. Now if they do, no way can either of us keep our husbands quiet (I won’t try).

        I get where mom is coming from. Growing up in a huge extended family that blended in both parental sides with extra set of cousins grandparents, there were differences of opinion. This was during the Nixon years … The shouting was epic. Mom never took it well then, she doesn’t take it well now. Current version we’ve never gotten into shouting matches.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Well, some of them may not be worth it. You’re the only one who can decide that, though, so I’m not telling you what to do. Just consider that there needs to be a hard limit to how much of this nonsense you’re willing to put up with. (If they’re willing to cut you off over something like this, were they ever *really* friends? On the other hand, maybe they’re just working through some difficult feelings in a rather shitty way, and they’ll come around in the end.)

      I also have some loved ones who are way, way, way too worked up about this whole thing, and I suspect that time is going to be the only thing that works. Not much I can do about it, and it sucks.

      Like

    3. But this is like when a Democrat wins, and stupid people start saying things to conservatives like “we’re going to put you mouthbreathing morons into camps” and “we’re going to take all your guns away”.

      Small difference: The stupid people saying those things aren’t randos on 4chan: They are lawmakers, governors, Cabinet secretaries. You know, people with the ACTUAL POWER TO DO THOSE THINGS.

      Liked by 1 person

    4. Friday: Bat-poop insane behavior and savage vitriol observed online and in person. Even neutral people were targeted.

      100 years of conditioning and belief in the media and the government isn’t going to be undone in a week by being nice to the blind insane that are currently gungho about punishing the “garbage” people on the right.

      Liked by 1 person

    5. You want to take away my liberty?

      You want to take away my weapons?

      You passed an executive order or even legislation that makes it ‘legal’ for you to do so?

      Molon labe.

      My name is Michael Houst. You killed my country. Prepare to die.

      Like

      1. Well bless their hearts.

        Watching them taking a flying f(honk!) at a hornets nest would be amusing.

        Like

    6. I agree with Ing. You’re the one who determines how much you “love and value” these individuals.

      The part that worries me, as snelson pointed out below….these aren’t internet randos yipping. Some of the ones saying these things are the governors and other Powers That Be.

      I personally don’t lie, and anyone who either assumes that I have OR demands that I do so just lost any chance at being a close or trusted friend.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. People who are under the delusion that these people deserve mercy should read this. If you want your loved ones sacrificed, allow these people to have any authority what so ever.

    This is not an “isolated act”, and it’s not a conspiracy; it’s a consensus that they hate us and we deserve to die.

    Well, not my family, not my friends, and not my country.

    https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2024/11/08/report-fema-official-directed-relief-workers-to-bypass-homes-displaying-trump-signs-n4934124

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      1. The story is apparently, given the time period, this movie was pitched to some of the execs who greenlit it as a sendup of Patton, mocking him and emphasizing the more extreme aspects of his WWII history.

        Obviously that’s not the way it was directed, nor edited together, but it’s fascinating to me that even then they had to, well, make stuff up to get the studio people to give them the production money.

        Like

        1. We may have been fighting the wrong enemy (Germany) all along. But while we’re here (on the Soviet border), we should go after the bastards now, ’cause we’re gonna have to fight ’em eventually.

          Liked by 1 person

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