Battle Fatigue

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

I wasn’t going to write a post at all today. I had a post lined up by my friend Richard Bledsoe (whose book I put in first place yesterday, and regardless of how you feel about modern art you should read his book AND give his art a look. Here, my own taste froze in the baroque, but his art speaks to me and when I have money I intend to … okay, not make him rich, but buy him a lot of coffee. I think because his art is “real”. I don’t know how to explain it better.) But he sent me the post, and yesterday I opened the email and stared at it, and could see it had an attached document, but couldn’t tell HOW to get to it. This was in microsoft which I’ve been using since — oh dear — older son was in diapers.

Then this morning I had an email meltdown from a friend which was so uncharacteristic — she’s one of your good soldiers — that my brain clicked.

These were just the most obvious symptoms, but a lot of people around me have been losing their minds. Arguably more so than during the lockdowns, or at least in a completely different way, including raging libertarians who are panicking at government “shrinking too fast.”

And I realized I needed to write this. Because I need a good talking to, and as usual I’m going to give it to you guys. Why? Mostly because screaming at myself worries Dan and that’s bad for him.

So, sit down. Put down your rucksack. Take a load off those mud encrusted feet. I just made us some coffee, and it’s a 100% virtual King Harv’s (I need to order. I actually managed to run out before noticing) not the dirt and twigs you’re used to getting here in the trenches.

Now, take a deep breath. Another. Doesn’t that feel good? What? The stench getting to you? Well, sure, but you know, at this point the deaths are no longer happening. We’re fighting back. Smoke a cigarette. It will dull the smell, and again, here in virtual land, it has no bad effects.

Yes, the WWI imagery is intentional. I’ve also realized why it’s been so much on my mind.

What a month, no? And on the back of four years…. Well….

Look, guys, I’m going to say it again: Change kills. Even good change. People are as likely to drop dead of a heart attack after they get married as they are after they get divorced or widowed. Your body is a dumb beast. It doesn’t get “good and bad” it just gets “change.” And, ooh, boy, it hates change. Remember that our mind and body are perfectly tuned to the neolithic (evolution is that slow, yes, which is why I giggle at people that say kids are getting stupider or that people “no longer have the ability to–” whatever. That’s upbringing and culture. People don’t change that fast genetically.) And in the neolithic, when things changed very fast, either your game of choice had moved to other pastures leaving you and your tribe to starve, or the volcano had erupted, or them over there with the weird habits had just moved to your land and were trying to kill you and take your women (or kill your men and take you.)

Probably the worst change is one that comes after years and years of no change. Particularly bad no change. How do I put this? Um… the Bible, right? Whether you believe in it or not, it’s a foundational document of the West, so you probably know the story of the Israelites being delivered from Egypt, by the Lord’s strong arm that parted the Red Sea so they crossed dry shod, then drowned Pharaoh and his chariots and his horses and men. You know it, right? Well, I’m going to submit to you those people were walking wounded. And there were very good reasons for the generation that remembered being slaves to die off before they entered the promised land.

But I submit to you even without the sojourn in the desert, even if they’d been delivered dry-shod to Canaan by a mighty wind or something, they would have turned against Moses and tried to crawl back to slavery. In fact, there’s a very good chance it would have been worse and their culture and group would have fallen completely apart. Because the change would have been too great.

Again, tying back to World War I, it wasn’t the relentless charges into the machine gun fire that destroyed people’s minds. It was the hurry up wait hurry up wait, etc. You could go for weeks in the trenches, where it was relatively safe if you weren’t stupid enough to light a cigarette at night, and where your biggest dangers were dysentery and foot rot, and then there was the charge, and win or lose, it messed you up badly.

So, tying back to us, yeah, our situation is less — way less — physically dire than that of the people in the trenches. But psychologically, we have a lot in common.

I don’t know about you, but around three months of the Biden interregnum, I hunched my shoulders and went “I will survive this” and stopped resenting the endless showers of shit every day, where it felt like exactly the opposite of the sane or survival-enhancing was being done every single day. Our country was being stabbed to death with nail scissors, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. But this being Biden who, before he was demented was already an evil and spiteful piece of shit in human form, each stab came with a giggle and a humiliating insult too, all while his lackeys in the media told us he was the bestest, most humane and gentlemanly president ever. So, we endured.

I’m going to tell you right now, I wouldn’t have endured without having been vouchsafed (it wasn’t a vision, and it wasn’t words, it also wasn’t exactly a feeling, but from where I was and the …. what it was, I knew it came from the Author) the day before the 2020 lockdowns that we came out of this okay, and that the republic would be restored and “better than before at any time since the funding.” I’d have gone to pieces around 2022. As was, I’m embarrassed to confess how I often doubted the vouchsafing (I am a woman of very little faith) and lay awake at night wondering if I was the worst of traitors for stopping my hotheads from going boogaloo.

November was a relief, but I have to tell you, part of me still expected something awful to happen. Just less awful.

And then a month ago– At first there was popcorn. And I must tell you, though I am not happy with the situation in either Israel or the Ukraine, I’ve looked at what is going on, actually going on, and have hints of what Trump is seeing behind the scenes (not fully, of course, I don’t get briefings, alas) and what he’s doing might be the best that can be done. And domestically…. well, domestically… it’s all I’ve prayed for and more.

So why is there that sense of panic behind the eyes, why are some of you emailing me to tell me you’re tired of winning? Why are otherwise sensible people who are committed to liberty throwing themselves into an irrational fury on social media and telling us they voted for the scalpel, not the chainsaw?

That last one is actually a clue — and I’ll revisit this in the action points — the phrase gets repeated over and over again, in that exact formulation. The people I’m hearing it from are not leftist psy-ops operatives, but there is a psy-ops going on and that phrase is one that is being implanted, to fit into the unease in people’s minds, and be amplified. You have to learn to recognize psy-ops people, because explaining it to you will take more than a post, let alone a paragraph in this one. (Yes, I’ll do it, if you insist.)

And yes, I do get that almost all of us either have a job in the periphery of the government or have someone close to us who does and whose jobs are now in jeopardy, and people need to live, feed the kids, pay mortgage, and no matter how much they want to cut government, a lot of people are panicking.

The extent of the upheaval, how far cutting government affects everything? That’s the problem. Right there. The government has been swallowing the nation. And the government doesn’t generate wealth, regardless of what the left thinks. It only consumes it.

We HAVE to cut government, because otherwise the nation is going to collapse. The urgency of the need is not just because there are elections in 2026 but also because I can read between the lines of official reports and if you can you know the nation is already collapsing. Hell, if you have adult kids you know how bad it is. For all the “kids these days” jobs are scarce, pay like shit, and the kids are crafting survival out of bailing wire and spit. IF they launch at all, which a lot of young men don’t. Yes, men specifically. But for all that, the women can’t marry if the men are hiding in the basement, and we’re fast reaching the Biblical thing where (quoting from memory pardon me) in the end times “four women will lay hold of the same man and say ‘we’ll support ourselves, only call us by your name and remove this oprobium from us.'” The government has sucked the economy dry and because economy is how we live, it’s now sucking everything else.

I suspect before this is done, we will pray the chainsaw was enough. Because I think there are entire areas where dynamite and depth charges will be needed to clear the snarl.

Sure, people are going to find themselves cast adrift, and there are going to be people looking for work, where there is none, and trying to…. craft life out of bailing wire and spit. The kids have an advantage there. they’re used to doing it.

IF this is done properly — so far seems to be — and if we are in time — I think we are. The vouchsafing thing — then the period of total confusion and people scrambling to survive will be brief. Fortunately it’s looking like it will hit Spring and Summer, by design or fortuitous chance. Fortuitous because while heat can kill, in the US climate cold is the greater danger, and disruption in anything that might disrupt those systems make me shudder. (Calm down. I don’t expect the systems to be disrupted unduly. It’s just a possibility when supply chains are redirected/cast adrift.) And the cutting back of regulations and the strangling bind of excessive taxation on the economy will make us take off like a rocket… to Mars. Honestly I think the biggest hold back will be people calming down enough to take advantage of the opportunities. In that spirit, I’m going to stop blathering and give you action points to help, okay? And if I miss some (I will miss some) feel free to put coping strategies in the comments.

1 – Calm down. Realize your brain and nerves lie to you. You’re panicking because things are changing too fast, not because the change is bad. It only feels bad, because there’s a lot of it in a very short time. When you feel yourself starting to panic, stop away from the news. I don’t cotton to “touch grass” — there’s insects in that grass, people, and I’m allergic to every single one of them — go and do something real, with your hands if you can, something that prepares you better for any upheaval that might or might not hit you. I don’t know. Cook some meals and freeze them. Go organize your files. If all else fails, do as Jerry Pournelle advised in 2012: go make your house really clean. The environment influences your mind, and an orderly environment WILL help.

2- Don’t make any sudden decisions. This is usually told to people who have just gotten married/divorced/widowed/had their house burn down/moved. DON’T MAKE ANY SUDDEN DECISIONS. Because you’re as likely to choose wrong as not. You might think you’re all “with it” and functioning fine, but you’re not, not really. You are actually reacting, not acting independently. And part of the reason you’re reacting is because you’re trying to create calm. Any calm. And destruction is a sort of calm. There’s no peace like the grave. Your instincts know that. So, don’t let them rule. No, you haven’t had a personally disastrous thing happen, but fast change all feels the same to the caveman in your head. DON’T. JUST DON’T. It might feel super-urgent to sell your house and move across the country; to change jobs; to get it on with the new guy/chick; to get a divorce. Don’t. If it’s the right thing, it will still be there in six months. Chill. Kick back. Go do something else.
Now you might have to move, because you lost your job. Or your spouse really did die. Or…
If you can, do it slowly. I know it will not always be possible, but if you can, punt back to rental somewhere quiet that you have pleasant associations with, while you get yourself together. (Which now I think about it is what the Hoyts have been doing for 3 years and change now. Hanging out in a quiet place where we already had friends. The overwork and other insanity hasn’t helped, but the slowing down and being recluses a while has.)

Don’t make sudden decisions unless absolutely needed to avoid bankruptcy or death!

3- Beware psy-ops. I know you feel panic at the back of your head, because if you’re a regular reader here, you’re a political addict. BUT the panic isn’t real. Part of it is that you can’t even keep up with the news, and you’re afraid. You’re used to bad things being done from above, and you fear it will happen again.
I won’t lie. Some of Trump’s decisions WILL be bad. He’s human, for crying outloud. Which is why having too much power in the president is a bad idea, and I hope that will get fixed. BUT for now… well, he had four years to think about it.
All of the “panic now” I’ve seen have been very slick psy-ops. I have to do posts on it, but for now rules of thumb.
a) If someone is trying to get your to URGENTLY respond, they’re not your friend. b) If they supposedly want you to “stop” or redirect Trump — could you stop the lockdowns? no? Then how can you stop this? — what it’s actually aimed at is turning people against the administration. c) if you hear the same phrase/sentence repeated over and over? It’s a psyops.
You can either dive down and find where it’s bullsh*t (Did you know Trump did NOT tell Ukraine they were responsible for the war and all his comments were sensible-ish? No? I didn’t either till this morning.) Or just ignore it. The chances of a psy-ops having got hold of the truth aren’t zero, but they’re not super high, either.

4- PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE. Okay, maybe not a case of keeping your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark, though to be fair, I wouldn’t say that’s not needed, since the left is losing its mind.
SO PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE.
At the most basic level, prepare as though you expected a really bad storm that can last a month or more.
I have a friend who thinks a serious destruction of global supply chains means the end of civilization. I think it’s because he comes from the East where things are more depleted and densely packed. But even there, I think it’s because he grew up in a land of unlimited abundance where people don’t fully grasp the things other countries have survived.
Look, my friend might be right. But family history tells me he’s not. Even if things go completely tits up, the US will almost for sure survive, and other countries surprisingly will too. And we probably won’t even lose that much population.
Family history? Well, the “in living memory” thing. Portugal is a tiny country, and by the fourteenth century they’d eaten most of the edible wildlife that was bigger than a pidgeon into extinction. It’s changed some, partly because of feralized pigs, but that is not important for the early twentieth century. When the country went bankrupt. Not a little bit. Like, bankrupt-bankrupt. Like, money wasn’t worth anything levels of total fuckuppedness. I grew up with stories of entire families (some of which went on to be wealthy beyond all reason) surviving by eating soup made of weeds pulled from the ditches. I suspect, though no one talks about it, a lot of people ate rat. I know for a fact a lot of people ate sparrow (which can’t be eaten into extinction, it turns out.) And I suspect the frogs weren’t safe either. I’ve also read enough memoirs of people fishing for their supper and going hungry for days when the fish wouldn’t bite.
The US, regardless of what you think, has way more resources than that. Park geese alone can feed entire small towns for months. Deer are a nuisance. You might think there’s not enough of them, but I bet you there are. Again, people have survived on less. Hell, Parisians survived on rat for some time during WWI. We’ll live.
Though, returning to “prepare”: I found out — why didn’t he ever tell me these stories before — while I was in Portugal how our family survived in “style”. As in, while other kids were on the edge of starvation, my dad and his brothers and sister were at risk of being pudgy, and all of them grew taller than their generation. Apparently my great grandmother was as paranoid as I am. In fact, the more I hear about her, the more I wish I’d known her. There’s a “resonance” there. She kind of sensed what was coming, and ordered a lot of flour of various kinds — corn and rye among them — and she set up to raise a lot of chickens. She learned to make bread. She reduced the flowerbeds to a minimum and grew diversified vegetables (on that Portugal has the advantage having a better climate than most of the US.) She pulled the family through on bread, eggs and vegetables, with extra eggs to trade for stuff like milk.
So, look ahead, find what you can do to make your survival sustainable. (Now a ton of us can’t raise chickens. But people give courses on how to hunt and how to fish. And you sure as shooting can can and buy dry protein and a few sacks of rice that you store properly. It won’t be the best diet but you won’t die.)
It will give you something to do. And hey, maybe things will turn around so fast you wont’ need it.

5- Don’t berate yourself.
I know a lot of us feel super-indulgent and stupid when we aren’t charging forward 100% of the time. And panic makes that worse. But these aren’t normal times.
I haven’t cleaned my house in over a month. Now some of you are going “so”? Well, I normally clean every week. Partly because we’re ADD AF which means left uncleaned/unorganized things get piled on every surface, and they don’t make any sense there, so then neither of us can deal with it. We start living in “hoarder house”. This is not good for anyone. To make things worse I’m allergic to household dust, and my asthma and eczema go crazy if I don’t clean at least every two weeks.
Well, I haven’t, and it’s because I’ve not been able to get my mind/body in gear to do it. That changes today, because it has to. But right now I can’t even THINK with the mess.
And I’m mad at myself for it. And I shouldn’t be. Because–
Well, I know I’ve also been sick, and my thyroid went nuts (or the opposite of nuts that means it decided to go on vacation) but seriously. Things have been weird. Like, I can’t sleep enough. Always feel “off”, forget how to do things that are obvious (like find the attachment in an email) and am so tired by nighttime that sometimes I read my contributions to Instapundit with some interest in the morning, because I don’t remember anything I typed.
My book that has been finished since October hasn’t been fully edited by me yet, and hasn’t gone to betas yet, and now part one won’t come out till April, and argh.
My substacks are dusty and probably everyone is unsubscribing.
Like that. And I’m having real trouble giving myself grace. But I also know this is not my normal slacking off.
I bet a lot of you if not all are going through that.
Well, give yourself some grace. I suspect you’re at very little risk of indulging forever, but for now, don’t berate yourself too badly. You’re walking wounded. Remember that. Forgive yourself a bit.

6- This will be even harder than giving yourself grace, but pamper yourself a bit.
Look, last time I sent through hell without galoshes (it happens on the regular, because of the professions we’re in, but also because I’m a dumbass on social interactions) in 2018 when I managed to get fired twice in a week and other rapid change (not all of it bad but some VERY bad) was happening in the family, I became obsessed with “soft and warm.”
This week I’ve been unpacking boxes that got mixed up with the library boxes in the climate controlled unit. Let’s say the local goodwill is getting a lot of soft, warm coats. I don’t know how many bodies I thought I had, but it’s like I went through “More soft! More warm!” (Fortunately most of my buying was in thrift stores, so the expense wasn’t crazy, but really. I’ve donated twenty indoor-coats and at least as many outdoor coats, and I’m still finding boxes.)

Now, that particular obsession was…. odd. But I guess coats felt more “needed” to me than oh fancy tea; nice drawing paper, a trip tot he zoo. Because those felt outright indulgent. And time off? But couldn’t I tell I needed to earn more money?

Yeah, whipping yourself and yelling at yourself won’t fix this. (Though if that’s your kink, who am I to judge.)

Take time and do things you like and enjoy. Try to keep it small and inexpensive, unless you are very well off. (At least one billionaire used to read here on the regular. Don’t know if he still does. If he does I’d like to point out he doesn’t contribute to the fundraisers. Probably thinks it would spoil me. I’d like to assure him it wouldn’t. Just pay off the kids student loans and maybe allow us to take A vacation. Nothing fancy. Let’s say a week by the sea.)
Just allow yourself to buy the fancy tea. The good coffee (as soon as I’ve cleaned, I’m going to order.) Buy a bar of chocolate if you can indulge, and have a square a day, at a set time, and really enjoy it. Go for a walk, even if you really “don’t have time.” Pet the cats. Or the dog. Even someone else’s cats or dog. Buy the fancy yarn. Start a new crochet project, and use it as a reward. Sit down for ten minutes and listen to music. Really listen. Read a book. Indulge.

In one of the worst and most broke times in our lives, my husband bought me a coffee table book on the work of Leonardo DaVinci. Just flipping through the pages and looking at the pictures did more for me than all the crazy striving I was also doing.

7- I know there’s a sense of “I should be working, because I CAN” that’s militating against this. I understand it. the hunching your shoulders under the shower of shit years didn’t exactly lead to productivity. And it wasn’t just me. A lot of writers and artists went silent. And now we’re waking up and feel like we must do all the things, all at once.
Don’t.
Look, I get it. I’m trying to edit, redo my covers, investigate how to do earcs linked to my (paid) substack, establish my own shop (I need to figure out platforms) get out of KU exclusive, redo my blurbs, re-typeset all the books (And the fact atticus is being a butt doesn’t help anyone.)
But after a while that’s just over committing and stopping everything, combined with self flagellation and not giving yourself a moment to recoup.
TEMPER YOUR ENTHUSIASM. Yes, I know that’s really hard for writers and artists, and also we’re finely tuned instruments to what’s going on in the world. that’s why we do what we do. So we know there’s urgency.
Now I think about it, this is probably also affecting investors like BGE and I’d be shocked if it’s not affecting a lot of the rest of you.
You feel the earthquake, and you want to run. You want to do ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME.
We’re in a time and place where history that had been held back has broken the dam, and we’re producing more history per day than entire years in the past 50 or maybe more. And of course you want to do all the things.
Secure your mask before helping others, or even doing all the things. Give yourself grace, pamper yourself and PACE YOURSELF.

FESTINA LENTE. Make haste slowly. Rejoice that the creativity, the urgency are back, but don’t rush. Pace yourself.

Humans are persistence predators. Pursue your missions at a sustainable pace and relentlessly. You’ll get there. And you won’t be dead when you arrive.

Now go back to the trenches. Yes, you can take the cup of virtual coffee. We’ll get through this. You got this. Go deal.



182 thoughts on “Battle Fatigue”

  1. I have forced myself to buckle down and to do book events this year — a couple of bookstores, to apply the latest book for the Giddings Word Wrangler selection, and to try and finish two books.

    I’m still feeling a little out of it, though – my daughter thinks that the traffic accident that wiped out Thing the Versa (which was not my fault – a careless driver t-boned poor little Thing) badly shook me up more than I will admit.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I had a fuel pump die on me at freeway speeds and after the last iteration of fallout from that (other sudden losses of acceleration due to other factors exacerbated by the hard-to-diagnose $50 part issue that was the probable cause of the fuel pump dying), it took me almost half a year to relax while driving on the highway.

      Not even an accident, and beyond the sudden jump in heartrate while doing the necessary things to get the car off the road to a relatively safe thing, not a huge deal.

      So I totally believe that an actual T-bone accident is going to mess you up for some time.

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    3. One Saturday in November ’15 I was t-boned by an idiot talking on her cell phone as she blew through a red light. Through the grace of G-d no one was hurt, but the Taco was totaled.

      I refuse to go through that intersection on Saturday mornings, still. And I always, always, always look eight ways before going through that intersection at other times, because you never know.

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      1. There is a weird double curve, road starts to curve, very short straight piece, then continues the curve, just south of Junction City, on River Road. Spun out on that corner in March 1977. Speeding was not involved (per the county bus driver behind me, who complained to the responding police he’d been irked I slowed down slower than he thought was needed … He was wrong). Driver experience, lack of, sudden spring deluge and oil on the road, was the cause.

        Please note, this was almost 48 years ago. I still avoid that section of River Road. In fact I absolutely refuse to drive it!

        Part of the problem is had I not been wearing the lap belt (at least the ’66 had that) I’d probably been killed. If I’d been in a lighter vehicle, I’d been in the hospital. As it was, walked away shaken, and sore. So did the German Shepard in the car with me. She was not restrained, but she was in the foot well behind me which kept her in place. I guaranty our current vehicles are not as heavy as that old ’66 4 door Chevy Belair.

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        1. They’ve smoothed that curve out into a single curve, and it is quite visibly pitched now. I think they smoothed it out by making the whole danged thing wider. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that accidents at that point were the cause of a redesign, because that’s the usual reason.

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          1. When I had my accident the homeowners in the house on the outside of the curve were absolutely shocked to find me and the dog on their front porch, alive. The driver side of the car took out a substantial big leaf maple out of their front yard. Tree missed the house. For a visual that was the door post, and door, behind the driver, smashed into the tree on the right passenger side of the road, over a shallow ditch, and more than a car length into the yard. Backdoor jammed a foot into the back seat, and OVER the foot well (I was more afraid of the shock to the dog, than I was for myself. But she stayed put per training until the car fully stopped). A skid spin started at 25 MPH. Physics is a witch.

            Reason why they were surprised? They’d seen results of other accidents where the drivers were killed, missing the curve altogether, taking out electrical poles along the road. Homeowners running because they heard the tree brush the house. Two just the week before. As is was, I was dang lucky. Car hit the tree just right on that door stanchion between the driver and back seat doors. I bruised but because of the shock, not from the door caving in on me. Smaller or lighter (today type) car? No lap belt? Results would have been different.

            Yea, not surprised they “fixed” the corner. RR goes from pretty much due north to west to enter JC just beyond there. Pretty much a square corner, that plus the rain squall, is why I had slowed down to 25 MPH from the 55 MPH coming into it.

            Oh and my thoughts? “We are getting the hell out of this car! …. Dad’s going to kill me!” It was my car. But still, 19 year old me …. FYI, dad was just glad we were okay. OTOH that car sat out front of the house as everyone mom & dad knew brought their teen drivers or soon to be drivers by.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Wow.

              Looking at it now, there’s no house from River Road facing that outside curve, just one on Lovelake. (And in terms of ditches, those ones aren’t shallow, either.) I wonder if there was an eminent domain deal as part of rounding that curve. (Google Maps helps the memory, because I’m usually the one driving and paying attention to the road, not the houses.)

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Yes. Looked at areal map. House seems to be gone. Buildings further out are too far. House was N of RR, W of Lovelake Road, in that corner. RR did not have the right turn lane for Lovelake road back then.

                It does not make any sense for us to take RR to/through JC these days. Best to take Prairie Rd to where it crosses 99 at the light and turns into Hwy 36. Because we are further NW of River Road then my parents house (where I was commuting to OS from in ’77 … yea, that worked out well … NOT! For reasons, was forced into the commute.) There are a couple of other options between Prairie Rd and Hwy 99 too besides Irving, like Awbrey Rd, where the Oregon Horse Center is. But where Prairie Rd jogs at Hwy 99 from the east, there is at least a major intersection stop lights that makes it “easier” to cross hwy 99 safer (Irving has stop lights at 99 too, the other intersecting roads, not so much, and Hwy 99 is, mostly undivided (sections with divided barriers is new over last couple of years) 4 lanes through JC.

                Liked by 1 person

  2. I’m in that place, and part of it is *we just bought a franchise*. So far, so good: we aren’t breaking even, but it’s only been open three weeks and weekends are slowly filling up (Slowest times are 1-4 p.m., just had our first, “Sorry, no tables available,” breakfast day).

    And I’m not really involved. Our son is managing, being one of those, “build life with spit and baling wire,” sorts and learning the (not) joy of having to let people he likes go because they overhired. Or dealing with things like a cook learning his mother just died (that was yesterday; she’d fallen and hit her head and…). And my beloved is financing, advising and trying not to do too much of either.

    So my place is mainly as support to both of them, and watch. I’m not sure either of them realize how stressful that is. Oh, and we have our son’s dog and we’re going to ConFinement, and son is working and not quite living with girlfriend in no-pet apartment and talking about taking him to the pound, and….

    *Sigh.* That’s not even counting the political stuff. And yeah, the fear that Trump will wear down, though Vance is looking better by the day.

    Am out trying for that bit of grace right now. But time to get up and run errand for spouse.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oh. You’re going to Confinement. Great. We can commiserate. We want to (eventually) set younger son up in his own business, but he’s not even ready to talk about it yet.

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  3. I have to say, I didn’t vote for the scalpel.

    I didn’t vote for the chainsaw.

    I voted for a motherfrackin’ WOODCHIPPER. Painted red because red means it chips faster.

    I voted for a large block of C4 on the doors of all the three- and four-letter agencies.

    I voted for a GBU-27 Paveway III Laser-guided right down the alimentary canal of the Deep State.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. I voted for the Deep State to get an enema with a fire hose. :-P

      I quietly celebrate the progress of Elon and The Donald. Kash Patel was confirmed yesterday, yay! After he directs the FBI to perform a self-colonoscopy, I look forward to what he will refer to Pam Bondi for prosecution. I await release of the Epstein Files, and a proper investigation of that ‘suicide’.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I’d say they’re about to get one…. with salt water.

        https://redstate.com/streiff/2025/02/21/two-trump-executive-orders-put-unnecessary-agencies-and-harmful-regulations-on-borrowed-time-n2185843

        Trump signed two Executive Orders Thursday that focus on rolling back the role of the federal government beyond its statutory functions and ensuring that those efforts are emphasized across all departments and agencies. The orders are titled “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” and “Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Regulatory Initiative.”

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Awaiting release of the Epstein files? I count myself mildly disappointed that the client list has not been released already. (That being roughly 26 hours after confirmation.)

        I’m usually mildly allergic to disruption, but DOGE is a stiff shot of antihistamines. If there is a pace of the blitzkrieg through the bureaucracy that is too much for me, they haven’t reached it yet.

        Faster, please. I want to find out what my limits are.

        Republica restituendae, et, Hamas delenda est.

        Like

        1. IIRC, early statements indicated that some names are going to be redacted because the individuals in question are cooperating with the government. Presumably these are individuals who were largely guilty of just stupidity (as in, being too friendly with Epstein), and who would suffer otherwise unwarranted public embarrassment if their names were revealed on the “List”.

          Like

          1. In a word, uh-oh. Any kind of redaction will be bad news. With a partial redaction, the media will trumpet that it was done with partisan intent. (And who’s to say they’re wrong? Posterior-covering is not limited to one party.) Of course, the previous regime used a full redaction to cover its own miscreants, but that had the appearance of being equal. (And the deep suspicion that it was not.)

            I am suddenly not as enthusiastic as I was.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. problem is that there will be a *ton* of people hondid nothing untoward, but who did some kind of business with him or had some other tenuous connection. I remember one leak of it a few years back that had a man on it whose sole connection was receiving a call from Epstein’s plane. Turned out it was his brother, Epsteon’s personal chef, calling to wish him happy birthday.

              you need to vet some of this stuff, because there are going to be *hundreds* of casual connections on the list.

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              1. List needs to be categorized.

                • Who was a guest on Epstein’s plane?
                • Who was a guest on Epstein’s island, or other venues?

                Keyword is “guest”. Not employee. Not victim. Not was called from locations. Not general contact. Although “employees” and “victims” have some culpability of not reporting; OTOH the trauma …

                By the definition of “general contact”, even President Trump is impacted. Even though that was contact because Epstein visited a public property venue that President Trump owned, and President Trump ended up banning Epstein from all Trump public venues because of a complaint by ONE employee (one employee’s harassment does not a pattern or legal case make. Ultimately part of the pattern, but nothing a business person, even Trump, could put together as a pattern, except after the fact.) This has been litigated in the venue of public opinion until it just disappeared. President Trump has the clout to survive such casual contact. Others do not.

                Thus, IMHO (who am I anyway? Means nothing.) Names released with HOW related to Epstein, with names redacted on the casual contacts. Just like the “proven called from plane/island by employee, nothing to do with Epstein or co-defendants”, Cook, grounds keeper, etc. With latter “proven to be mushroom” (kept in the dark and fed BS).

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          2. If there are ANY redactions, the MSFM will immediately start shrilling about Trump and his cabinet. If there are no redactions, they’ll scream that the client list was altered.

            My guess is that the Epstein files have either been purged or are in the process. The alternative is that certain individuals are refusing to acknowledge Kash Patel.

            Liked by 1 person

        2. Had to get the cabinet confirmed first. Probably won’t see it until the budget gets passed.

          The teasers are warnings to play ball. The guilty know who they are.

          Consider that there may be enough compromised congresscritters to prevent a quorum. If so, when the agenda bogs down, expect the list to come out, then congress isn’t in session and the recess appointment flood occurs.

          He needs one good SCOTUS ruling first, telling minor judges to stay in their lanes. I think the key players all see that now.

          -Then- the major clean outs happen.

          And once Congress has enough for a quorum, expect a big list of recommended impeachments.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Hopefully all of this clarifies what I’ve been saying in one form or another since 2003 when we watched the State Department interfering in Iraq:

            Until the President has the same hiring and firing authority as a private sector CEO over the civil service, no one we elect matters. I hope Trump guts them like a fish.

            https://www.nysun.com/article/can-trump-say-youre-fired

            Mr. Dellinger argues that federal law shields him from being fired except in cases of what Judge Jackson calls “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office” — which nobody alleges in this case. The thicket of laws that purport to protect Mr. Dellinger, and other federal employees, include the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, Judge Jackson said. She put a hold on Mr. Trump’s attempt to fire Mr. Dellinger.

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      3. Thank you for choosing a better and more descriptive noun for the upcoming pruning of the Executive Branch. Corporate (coprolite?) Media has settled on the term “purge” to signal their opposition to reform. We can signal our support for reform with the even richer term “enema.”

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    3. Thiiiiiis. All this.

      …I’m also amenable to Vlad’s Forest of the Impaled. But then I am a bloodthirsty type when my dander’s up. And I’ve had to live through decades of social manipulators getting what they wanted while I scraped by. Some of which they did by directly stealing from me.

      Find all the government bleeding funds and cauterize it. More, more, faster.

      But yes. So much fatigue. I’m just trying to finish the one project I’m working on, and write down notes for everything else that I’ll hopefully be able to use once that book is done.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I was thinking more of an Arc Light B-52 strike. And another. And another. And another.

        I want devastation of the Deep State to the point where not just the rubble bounces…I want the rubble pulverized so small that it CAN’T bounce.

        Yeah, I’m not nearly as nice a person as I used to be after the past ten years.

        Liked by 1 person

          1. The National Gallery. That started out as a donation by Mellon, iirc, who had been specifically collecting paintings from around the world specifically to create the initial collection for the Gallery.

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    5. Agree! The chain saw is a nice start and then C4, det cord, and bunch of TNT… you get the drift. I’m sorry, there will be some collateral damage and like cancer, some good will go out with the bad. Still, it’s time for flame throwers and shaped charges – maybe the occasional bureaucratic tactical nuke as this is the window to make actual change and a difference.

      Also, agree that it is NOT time for sudden (unless totally needed) changes. Having just lost the spouse I’ve had that told to me many times already and it’s true. Hold your position or even advance if you can a little bit but no major actions until it is the “time” for it.

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        1. Heads on pikes works; so does A La Lanterne. As for bumper stickers, I tend toward rear-window decals. I currently have four (all from a couple of years ago): “We the People…Have Had Enough”, “I Will Not Comply”, “My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter” and “Who is John Galt?”

          Yeah, the last two are sort of contradictory, but I never promised consistency.😉

          Liked by 1 person

  4. That having been said, Wife Unit’s Ren Faire has been going very poorly the past six weeks down in Floriduh. It’s just been snakebitten massively (not literally, although that’s about all that hasn’t happened). New location, very poor vendor setup, incompetent(ish) management, it’s all combined to keep sales at about half of last year’s. Combine that with higher expenses due to her Chromebook and tablet getting lost or stolen, some house repairs we’ve had to do, and general emotional issues for all of us and it’s been rough. Honestly, reading the lamentations of the woke has been the best part of our days since 1/20.

    Change is scary. Change is especially scary knowing that the Deep State and their allies on the Left would happily crash the economy if they could just pin it on Trump regardless of the effects it would have on the people they allegedly “work for.” The past years have fortunately shown us just how amoral and immoral our opposition is, and while the clarify is useful, it’s also truly frightening.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Brevard Renaissance Faire, in Melbourne, FL. This is the last weekend. They used to be in Wickham (sp?) Park in Melbourne but a county commissioner managed to get them run out after last year because of a few NIMBYs (and he probably didn’t get enough kickbacks) so they had to find a new location in the city, and it’s not gone well. Location is fine, setup and running thereof has not been good. We doubt she’s coming back next year, it’s been that bad.

        Her business is Foxfire Fancies. She sells woven bead jewelry.

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        1. I’m sorry I missed it, but honestly I wouldn’t have been able to get there before now.

          I’ve had a clunking noise under my car for a bit more than a month, kept on jacking it up, checking the suspension in fear that a wheel was going to fall off. Brought it in as one of the CV joints was bad, but the clunk didn’t go away.

          Last weekend, one of the heat sinks was loose on the exhaust, so once again under the minivan I went. I bumped the spare tire, which is on winching system like a lot of pickup trucks, and heard the familiar CLUNK.

          Several minutes of creative language later, I tightened up the spare and the noise is gone.

          Still need new bearings, but that’s on another months credit card bill.

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        3. Bummer.

          We were involved with a Ren Fair for years. It’s always a tossup, you can’t predict what people will buy.

          (I should add we were running the SCA side of. Lions Club fundraiser).

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  7. And all I’m worried about is what they’ll say at he neurosurgeon on Tuesday. I’d like to have full use of my right arm again.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. May your doctors, specialists, nurses, and technicians have skill beyond expectation, competence and wisdom besides. May Himself lend them skill and steady hands.

      Like

  8. Had a whole bunch of personal life stuff crash down on me last year, and still sorting through the aftermath.

    Apparently the hobby I’ve picked up is WH40K minis and 3d printing. Turns out fillament is a bit like yarn. I don’t really need that PA6-GF glass fiber nylon, though I do kind of want it…

    Though, apparently carbon fiber PLA does not deform when annealed, so I might be able to get the same temperature resistance out of that, if it is also cheaper…

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Middle brother is getting into it too, and WH40K. He was going to be running a Black Templars army, entirely printed (basically space crusaders) but ended up finding a, and I quote, Space Dudes on Hogs model on one of the file sites. And we’ve ended up printing a bunch of them to figure out settings and filaments.

        So yeah, now he’s got an army of space crusaders, on motorcycles. Now all we need to track down is Armored Space Bishop on Motorcycle with Beating Stick, and he’ll be good to go…

        Liked by 2 people

    2. I’ve been advised that 65F is a bit too cool for a 3D printer to perform at optimum. Considering that (in a good year), Winter is shop season, and 60F is aspirational for temperature, it’s out. $SPOUSE mentioned that my life would be a lot shorter and more painful if I set it up in the house (looks at bedroom/office/hamshack/computer/storage and says “where?”), it’s a pass.

      Sometimes, it’s nice knowing that a given hobby really isn’t a good idea.

      Like

      1. If not buying one of the enclosed printers (new cheaper of which enclosed 3d printers keep getting announced), you can buy a pretty cheap vinyl zip-closed enclosure, and with some terrarium heaters intended for lizard owners, get whatever temp you need kept pretty steady.

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        1. I’d put mine out in the garage, if there was a garage, which there isn’t.

          What with night time temps recently running down in the -20’s … an enclosure works, if you can keep temps from running too high in it.

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    3. Other than a fear that the enemy gets a vote, I’ve felt pretty good about the chainsaw/MOAB going on. It’s the damned weather and Murphy jacking things up to 11.

      Major snowfall starting Feb 1. 36″, combination of wet and dry snow. Several dozen very large branches (chainsaw grade), plus a collapsed dog kennel from that. I was able to save the fence panels, but the framing is largely toast.

      Part of the fun was our propane “wood” stove dying. Diagnosis said it was a bad valve. Found one online, ordered, but balked at swapping. (Key differences, not documented by the manufacturer. It’s better, but Write the Fricken Manual, dudes!) Still a problem, leak in the pilot fuel line. Shop can’t find a new assembly (obsolete stove, company was recursively Borged), but “Ask the customer; he found the valve!” They did, and Amazon has it.

      Protip, job possibility: These are good service people, but they have no clue as to what’s available online. They need a purchasing person who can run a search engine and can separate the oats from the digested horse-feed.

      Meanwhile, the ice/snow jam on the barn roof held on to the chimney braces when the mass fell. No more chimney. Another pro to call.

      Clearing snow has been close to a career. With the tools available, it’s 2′ at a time to clear, and there’s maybe 1000′ of drive (some easier, much harder to do). Doing that outside triggered a bout of bronchitis. Spent much of yesterday in the ER, got a treatment, and had to get to town today for the full set of meds. So, plenty of medications, and Rest, dammit!

      I’m resting.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. Hey, getting random out of production parts is quite relevant to 3D printing. Especially if you want justification to play around with technical materials.

          One of us! One of us! One of us!

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          1. It’s actually turning itself into a side gig. People keep asking me what they should pay me for things I ginned up for them out of my hobby, the figuring out of which I have to learn how to do…

            Liked by 1 person

      2. Do not screw around with propane! Especially if you have a basement. Natural gas is lighter than air and tends to leak “up and out”; propane leaks down, and can build to an…ummm…interesting level before you know it. Better to reach LEO a different way…

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        1. Yet another blog mentioned the Toptes gas leak detector (don’t have the ‘zon link handy, but it’s there and affordable) and I bought one. Used it in the early debug stages of the old valve, though the pro used Mark I nose plus a flame check to catch the pilot line. (Yikes!) The supply line to the stove is closed until the new pilot tube line is in place.

          Natural gas isn’t an option. There’s a pipeline that’s not too far from us, but unlike another town where the NG people connected them (a big NG pumping station is near there, and I suspect some favor trades), $TINY_TOWN doesn’t have any leverage. Two (maybe 3, Ferrell is big, but not sure if they sell bulk here) services are in the county. (Amerigas was dominant, but is losing market to a regional supplier that’s not batshit crazy. We swapped a dozen years ago, got better prices and better service.)

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          1. Good to know you’re being cautious. (But a flame test?!? Oy… Sounds like using a match to look into the gas tank filler neck.)

            My comment about NG was just an aside; a lot of people don’t know there’s a difference.

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      3. Got a better chance to review the doc’s notes. Bronchitis is part 1 of the problem, while Pleurisy is part 2. Getting a bit of relief from nebulized Albuterol (though may not need much), making me very glad I had a machine left over from 1997 adventures, and that I had a hint a few months ago that I was going to need it and got it from the storage shed.

        That shed hasn’t been opened since late January. I think I have a couple weeks before I need to get in there. The meds should have done the trick by them. I hope.

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          1. I’m trying. Am going outside for dog walkies but that’s pretty much it for outside. (Had asthma back in the late 90s for a similar issue. Not identical; I can breathe cold air, but exertion is a nope.) Pleurisy is a stone motha.

            Taking the meds and my trusty (circa late 90s, again) nebulizer is doing the Albuterol shuffle as required.

            And, working on the TBR stack (adding and subtracting. Whee!).

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  9. An now you know why the Feds wanted you to attend Jan6. Because you were suppressing boogaloo bully Feds. Fuckem.

    Folks, If you see a post by someone ostensibly “on our side” that has the effect of disheartening you, encouraging you to give up, encouraging you to get violent, “boog gonna happen”, “system cannot be repaired”, or “we gottta reign in Trump!!!” Its a psyop.

    Lots of other psyops. Loser fuckheads have nothing better to try. (L gesture) Losers. Suffer and whine, bitches. Bite the pillow time. You will never recover from what Trump and companions do to you next. While we grin and watch, and cheer. Maybe Hogg can give you one of his pillows. Oh snap, he raised all that money and delivered …nothing. Kinda like, all y’all nowadays. Only with less money. (L gesture)

    Be a Happy Warrior. Shitpost the Fokkers. (Yeah, those fokkers flying Messerschmitts….”) Sure, lots of hard work to do. That woodchipper wont feed itself! (grin) Sure, Trump is going to annoy everyone sooner or later. Its a gift. When it is your turn, just image how bad it is for his enemies, deliberately, versus supporters accidently. The cat walks under your feet because she likes you, not out of some sinister malice. (No really. Miz Kitty said so…)

    Lots of work to do. And we keep expecting the crap that was previously inflicted. They will certainly try … “Bird Flu! We said Bird Flu!!! 11!! Why is nobody panicking? uh oh…”

    So watch for that “abused person” response. Come up with your counter programing. Redirect the flinch into something positive. If you feel a panic, a doom, its likely false and rooted in some psyop. Stay the course. Counter shitpost. Because they will do anything to change our course. Which tells you we are on the right course. The flack is heaviest over the target. We are still on the approach. They see us coming and they know we will get through.

    Never Quit. Take care of your feet and boots. Scour that bayonet or hatchet nice and shiny, so the bastards see their doom flashing in the sunlight. (Metaphorically people, I mean shitpost!)

    Be Happy Warrior! Hooah!

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  10. Things have been going too well. I’m too Irish to be comfortable with that.

    Trump is making progress against the leviathan, JD Vance seems more than solid, cabinet picks are making it through, fraud and waste uncovered etc.

    So why the gnawing existential dread?

    Maybe it’s because I have been sick more or less since January 1st. Maybe because I sense this is the calm before the actual storm. Or maybe I just can’t believe things will actually be allowed to get better.

    But, cleaning my house would be great. It needs it. I’ve only had the energy to go to work and cook, so it’s pretty grim. The weather is finally going to be conducive to throwing open some windows tomorrow and letting the fresh air in. If I can mop some floors too… and DUST… luxury!

    In the meantime, “May God bless us, every one!”

    Liked by 1 person

  12. You wrote this for me, it feels like. Uncertainty is a butt kicker. Constantly rethinking plans and other plans and what if what if what if….

    The words helped. A lot. Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. sigh.. I’m an every silver lining has a cloud sorta guy. Been hard to enjoy all the winning because I keep waiting for the counterstrike. That said, they have to keep moving fast to keep the enemy off balance, but it’s hard.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I HOPE the administration realizes they’re going to BURN through people. A couple of them already look like they went through hell in a month. weirdly not trump and vance. Elon is looking punchy.

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      1. Trump appears to thrive off of pressure and stress. People noted that he’s probably the only president in memory that actually looked *better* after his first term. Contrast that with Obama’s full head of grey after he left office.

        Vance is still a young man, relatively speaking. And Usha appears to be a great helpmeet for him.

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      3. Elon has several other reasons for being punchy:

        https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2025/02/21/concerns-about-elon-musks-safety-n2652609

        This week, the U.S. Marshals Service officially deputized Musk’s private security team members, granting them the rights and protections typically reserved for federal law enforcement officers. Musk currently lacks a U.S. Secret Service detail, which has restricted the capabilities of his personal security team in Washington, DC. However, following the recent deputization of his security personnel by the U.S. Marshals Service, they now have expanded authority, potentially allowing them to carry weapons on federal property.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. “U.S. Marshals Service officially deputized Musk’s private security team members, granting them the rights and protections typically reserved for federal law enforcement officers.“

          –

          Good.

          “According to a law enforcement source, this change also means that the Marshals Service could face legal responsibility if any issues arise with the security detail.“

          –

          And it would be any better if something happened where his security detail couldn’t carry (concealed or not)? The policing service, be it secret service, marshal service, FBI, or local, wouldn’t be (figuratively) gutted for not preventing whatever? Seriously? Someone isn’t thinking things through. Obviously the US Marshals Service isn’t stupid. Musk isn’t entitled to secret service coverage. He is entitled to having his own protection. Be nice if that protection can do its job!

          “deputize private security personnel, especially since they are not active law enforcement officers“

          –

          Anyone willing to bet against them being inactive law enforcement? One level or another? I’m not.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Those quibbles are battlespace preparation for false accusations of misconduct. On another hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if a similar deputization has been done for Trump’s private security.

            Liked by 1 person

  14. While it hasn’t been *great* medically speaking, and I’m down in sinus infection again, at least my beloved is finally feeling well enough to write. Life is good.

    I personally found that I could consolidate all my online time trying to track that God-blessed hyper manic Trump and his team to one update a day, delivered in cheerful tones instead of psy-op laden doom: the Coffee and Covid substack:
    https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/feeling-the-heat-friday-february

    This is the worn-down time of year, but I’m giving myself grace: naps on weekends are okay. The cat is right; I could curl up with her and let a few hours go by on the weekend, and feel better for it.

    Of course, now she’s telling me I need to get off the internet and go investigate the fridge, because half & half lives in its depths, and I have thumbs to get it for her…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good to hear Peter is better. Now take care of yourself; I’m looking forward to many more good stories from both of you before I leave to meet some of my ancestors!😉

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I, for one, DID vote for the chainsaw. I’m also scared spitless now that that it’s roaring full throttle and throwing sawdust and wood chips everywhere, because those things are dangerous. A lifetime of looking over my shoulder and keeping my head down and my mouth shut so that I don’t become the next one to get the pink monkey treatment…it leaves a mark. I came to terms with the idea that everything would continue to suck and found a sort comfort in it. As I’ve said elsewhere, nothing in life has prepared me for winning like this. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be—not made any easier by people I can’t do without, who have bought the leftist propaganda wholesale. It’s good to be reminded that ANY disruption of sufficient magnitude can cause stress.
    So…acting on the excellent advice in this blog post, I have skipped a weekly meeting that I don’t really have to attend and have been out walking in a rare bit of winter sunshine. Getting my ears frozen because it’s freezing and the wind is blowing, but maybe it’ll help…as long as I get back inside before I get frostbite.

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  16. Re the scalpel argument … that is just what a hoarder would say, to be very careful about getting rid of things that used to be good or that you might need … and the result is no decluttering and continued hoarding, which of course is the hoarder’s objective, addict that he is. Pres. T is staging an intervention. Pray for him, that the addict’s dealer and crew don’t get a chance. Apologies for torturing two metaphors.

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  19. Re: No. 6. My indulgence for the week has been to walk to a nearby bar/restaurant and have a drink or (or maybe three… is reason I walk, not drive) generally on Friday and also have their fish & chips. Last week, I skipped it due to weather and economics (paying down a card as fast as I reasonably can). I felt that glitch for the week. Today, things might be a bit tight, but had my fish & chips and a very nice porter. Thing should get easier – with tax refunds appearing, more is getting paid off faster. [Yes, once I have things clear or at least reasonable, I do need to see about changing withholding a bit.]

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    1. Must be time for Lent, I’m craving fish.

      Not that I give up much, since I’m already in a keto-vore lifestyle which is saving my life.

      I’d love to find a place that cooks fish in tallow, but I may have to commit to yet another home cooked meal.

      Like

    1. WPDE indeed. I lost probably five tries this morning at a long comment about post-WWI before running out of time and giving up, all to the random-backspace-deletes-allofit thing.

      Like

  21. I might be guilty of trying to do all the things. Finished goofy python course, managed to set up the one thing I wanted python for, moved onto SQL on the theory that it might be marginally useful for day job, pulled out the Teach Yourself Ancient Greek and debating whether to add that to the mix now or wait until I’m further along with SQL. Two WIPs hovering around 7K-ish out of 50K, which seems decent based on where I was at this time in previous years. Got a gym membership. Finally found a satisfactory template for printing notebook pages with and *might* move up from putting covers on bought text blocks to actually making text blocks.

    I find your overstocking on warm coats strangely reassuring because the equivalent thing for me has been “buy and or make all the pretty notebooks and stock up on clicker pens,” and I’ve been hoping that was not premonition based.

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  22. I haven’t seen this many people in shock and worry since 9/11. People on both sides. The events are overwhelming to everyone, even to those that wanted this to happen.

    If you aren’t currently grossly affected by Trump and Team trying to save Western Civilization, pace yourself and take some breaks to chill and relax, since this war is going to take awhile, no matter how fast the EOs are signed. 100 plus years of damage reversal takes time.

    And Trumps actions aren’t crazy. They are painted as crazy by people that have denied biology, accounting, economics, history, geology, truth, justice, beauty, etc…

    If you want to see real crazy, go check out Reddit.

    A bunch of rabid drittsekk pedos on the main page and on the Texas subreddit making everything political… But these people don’t live in the real world except as NPCs still on the plantation as house negros to the Satanic Blob masters. They are just mad we won’t continue on as slaves.

    “Please come back taxpayers!”

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    2. Pleased it is not just talk this time but action. So tired of GOP just paying lip service while trying to slow down the Government Monkey not kill it like they should have.

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    3. Reddit is in total meltdown right now. They completely flipped out after the election, with politics basically being pushed onto numerous forums that had nothing to do with it. There was ample evidence of political bias even before that if one cared to look. But from what I hear, they’re basically shoving it at you now.

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  23. My youngest son, who happens to be afflicted with severe trannyism, is terrified he’ll be fired from his job as assistant school librarian because of Trump & Co. So, of course, my wife, who is massively co-dependent, is also hysterical about it. Meh. It’s almost enough for me to go ice fishing to get away from the drama.

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      1. In one ear and out the other. And the LGBTQ+ cabal has most trannies convinced that transitioning = treatment; so, they never seek any alternative especially as said treatment is 100% in alignment with their hallucination. Can you imagine any other mental health counseling that would tell a schizophrenic that, ‘Of course you can step off a tall building and fly like a bird?’?

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        1. Unfortunately, yes I can. A friend of my daughter struggled with the dysphoria mental disorder for years before it became cool to be trans. After Olbergerfel The mental health pro he was seeing went all-in on him transitioning. I remarked that this was not a long term plan for success, and was scolded because “The Professional” had spoken. Plain fact was the boy was gay, repressed about it after a horrible childhood with a father who got married in camo gear and brutalized his family. I have met a few mental health counselors over the years and all of them were in the profession, i think, to find out what was wrong with themselves. Sad.

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        2. You’re probably right about in one ear and out the other. But it’s like corporate Compliance Training: “You’ve been told, you’ve acknowledged that you’ve been told, and if things go South in the future, it’s all on you. Have a nice day.”

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  24. Just to be absolutely clear, I wanted and still want the chainsaw, the woodchipper, the neutron bomb, and Samson to tear down the entire edifice. As fast as Trump & Co. are going, it’s not fast enough, because there is SO much to be done.

    As the late, great Robert LeFevre put it, aim for zero. If you manage to get to anarchy and find some government is actually necessary, you can start one with a phone call.

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      2. Dear governmental idiot and grift-funded-media-enablers: I did not choose to kill your hostage puppy. If you choose to kill the puppy because your governmental bungling and fraud was so terrible that you couldn’t even do your puppy-related job properly, and the puppy is worse off than when you started…

        Well, it’s still your choice to kill the puppy, not mine. So yelling “If you cut my funds, the puppy gets it!” is still on you.

        I, meanwhile, stand by my time-tested stance that we should Let Africa Sink:
        https://www.kimdutoit.com/2017/05/05/let-africa-sink/

        I know, you’re terrified, like anyone running grift, that if you’re not showing up every day, someone might find out what’s going on… and if you stop helping, people might discover they’re better off without you.

        But I just don’t care anymore.

        Liked by 2 people

  25. I’m already there. The couch…well recliner…I slept on for a year went away at the end of January. This February has been and continues to be a struggle just for basics, and I’m having to throw a Hail Mary just to try to stabilize the situation. Job is a joke but can’t find better for whatever reason. Support network has dwindled to nothing. I keep getting told to trust in the divine, but every time I try I get kicked again. It’s just old, and I’m tired with no place to lay down my burdens to rest.

    And yet…and yet…I keep getting this feeling…”get past this and things finally get better”. It makes no sense. I can’t see how it works. But it’s all that still keeps me going right now, though it feels like my body may give out before long.

    These are, indeed, the times that try folks’ souls.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. I, at least, expected another 2020 style steal. When that didn’t happen, I expected a REAL Jan 6, by them, on us.

    So far the biggest real one seems the deliberate lefty sabotage of egg laying chickens.

    Yeah, I think we’re gonna make it.

    Like

  27. People seem pretty cheerful in my area, but it’s a red county. People are a little nervous about how this will affect WPAFB contractors and civilian employees, but so far, so good. (Probably because contractors always work with uncertainty.)

    Like

  28. “We HAVE to cut government, because otherwise the nation is going to collapse.”

    …because right now it spends fifteen million dollars a minute, most of which we don’t actually have.

    I can remember being aghast when Larry Niven talked about our government spending “a million dollars a minute” just on social programs. I couldn’t believe it. I did the math, and to my horror, Larry was right.

    I may even be wrong–on the low side–with overall expenditures of fifteen million a minute, now. (Or, at least, before Go Brandon was kicked out.) But there are 525,600 minutes in a year, and spending $15,000,000 in every one of them cannot go on. This nonsense has already mortgaged the fortunes of six generations…two or three of which haven’t even been born.

    It has to stop. Sorry about the Hostage Puppy and all the people losing their jobs, but it’s nothing that the middle class hasn’t had to endure for the last five decades.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. I don’t expect the systems to be disrupted unduly. It’s just a possibility when supply chains are redirected/cast adrift

    I was pondering recently how bad things would be these days if all of the supply chains had not been overstressed past fracture back during the COVID recent unpleasantness.

    That economic shock, followed by low level abuse by the Brandonites, I think has tempered things to be a lot more flexible while not cracking.

    Like

    2. There are some… backchannels, let us say, in large scale supply chain management. I hear things. There are worries, yes. But there are also people working the problem that are very invested in things not rapidly disassembling whilst the plane is in the air, as it were.

      Will there be hiccups? Good blobs and little fishes yes, there will be. Some, perhaps, even worryingly large. But mainline supply chain infrastructure is aware of the critical points. There are backups, worse in all ways than the primary ways of doing things, but they work.

      Give it time. Pray, if you might happen to be the praying kind. But don’t be thinking mass death, starvation, and roaming nomad bands of cannibals. It will not be getting that bad. More like, prices hiked here and there more than usual, some tightening of belts, a metric frackton of layoffs in non-mission-critical areas, perhaps.

      I expect us to come out of this better than we went in, for the most part. Just the getting there will be a might testy at times.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I believe that the way the “workarounds” were described in “The Last Centurion” were a lot more accurate depictions of how a society like the US responds to emergencies than I thought at the time I first read it.

        Liked by 1 person

  32. You have my sympathies for your stress, as do all your troubled friends, but I have to say that my main concern right now is that the speed of the present changes will be dragged to a crawl before they get to the important parts of the beige dictatorship (as Charles Stross called it before the passage of Brexit freaked him out, poor man). I’m glad to see the crazy judicial rulings against the Trump administration being challenged; it will be even better if some of those judges get removed from office. So I can’t wish for you all to be spared this attack of future shock, but I wish you all the fortitude to survive it!

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  33. What gets me are the over-the-top lies, and I find myself wanting to believe them because it would be easier. And what if they’re right, who am I to think I might know more than all the esperts, and what if they’re wrong and they know it and they’re just that insane, and I think no one could be that evil.

    And then the evil is confirmed and I don’t want to believe it because it would be easier.

    Mom was like Sarah’s grandmother. While she didn’t have chickens she did have a massive garden and 26 Costco packs of TP when she passed away in 2016. My siblings rolled their eyes and called her a hoarder while they carted toilet paper and other supplies to their cars in 2020. Dad and I barely had to buy anything except perishables until he left in 2021.

    I continue the tradition on a different level, with a 3 acre homestead and thirty chickens.

    But yesterday I realized that I have to back off the political stuff. Between the hostage situation and Kash Patel, I was close to breaking down. Good, bad, good, bad, it was causing emotional whiplash.

    So today I have stayed away from politics, and I will do the same tomorrow and Sunday. Maybe by Monday I’ll no longer be dreaming about those tunnels and waiting for the axe to fall.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. “four women will lay hold of the same man…”

    It’s seven in the original, but who’s counting?

    The stuff that turns up about this is an interesting clash of problems. In one corner, you’ve got people like the Tate brothers, who are poster man-childs for the “screw every woman you can” attitude. They attract attention from young men because the Tates effectively flip the bird to a system that – as you note – effectively emasculates men. But at the same time, their attitude is a toxic one, and ultimately selfish. In another corner, you’ve got those who insist that women don’t need men anymore than fish need stairs. Women should ignore men, focus on their professional desires, and fill their sexual needs with the toy collection. This attitude is similarly toxic and selfish. And from what I’ve heard, around about 40, there’s often a panic onset as the woman in question realizes that for some reason she really, really wants a kid, and yet she’s past the age when child-bearing is easy, and is also old enough that the men interested in being new fathers are no longer paying attention to her (in part because they are also aware of that age and child-bearing relationship thing).

    The other singles are all somewhere in between, trying to fumble their way through the relationship thing while these two loud and opposing corners bray loudly, and while the progressive culture does its best to humiliate the male sex.

    I don’t know what passes for good advice on the feminine side of things these days (aside from “Keep your legs closed until he puts a rock on your finger,” and “If you’re still not engaged after two years of living together, he’s never going to propose.”). But just over the last few days, I saw what I thought was a good piece of advice for single “nice” guys. And that was, “Pick at least one positive trait that you have that might make you look strong to a woman. And then focus on building up that trait.” The idea being that a woman that guy is interested will have something to admire, and a reason to look up to the guy, instead of thinking, “This guy’s nice, but useless.”

    On a somewhat related note,.. for all the talk of the gender imbalance in China, I had something pop up into my YouTube page yesterday. It was a video talking about women in China who should be easily able to find a husband… but can’t. The woman described at the start of the video had been a popular pretty girl in school, had a successful career as a doctor, and had her own house and car… but she was 37. And therefore she was too old. I didn’t watch the rest of the video to see what other examples of ignored women they had, but a quick trip to the page of the person who put up the video found a number of similar videos, with things like a match-making event in China that drew 800 women… but no men. I’m guessing age was again an issue there, though I didn’t watch that video.

    Evidently problems getting married aren’t restricted to the West.

    And now on an unrelated note…

    What’s going on makes me anxious. I know stuff needs to hurry. But I also know that some stuff can’t. I worry about how long it will take the Left to cobble together an effective strategy to slow, stall, or otherwise delay DOGE long enough to make it useless. And I want to take the chainsaw to everything, all at once, even though I know that isn’t feasible.

    Meanwhile, I’m stuck here feeling a sense of anxiousness, and literally not able to do anything. Even basic fitness as self-improvement is out. I started lifting my (not that heavy) dumb bells again, and promptly hurt my shoulder (impingement, I think). So I can’t even do that right now.

    It’s frustrating to feel that the only thing I can do at the moment is twiddle my thumbs.

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    1. One more thing…

      I’m watching the recent Ukraine stuff with a sense of puzzlement. Trump already said that he wanted to try and end the war, so that part doesn’t surprise me. What does surprise me is that when Zelensky met with Trump in December (iirc), Zelensky seemed satisfied after coming out of that meeting. And now both appear to be extremely upset with each other.

      Obviously I’m missing something. And I’m of the opinion that it’s more than just sloppy reporting by the press.

      Like

    2. RE 40 onset strong empowered single child-free female panic disorder:

      There’s just been a small flurry (flurriette?) of vids come across my lately-very-oddly-slanted YT “recommended” list of aggregation videos of child-free independent empowered single women at or near that age 40 reproductivity wall posting vids bragging about how they are “hacking” that horrible system (which is obviously the patriarchy’s fault) and using “cheat codes” as…they are freezing their (40yo) eggs. Tada! No more ticking clocks!!

      As friends with women who tried with their much younger eggs to do IVF, and experienced much drama, I wish these women the best of luck when they eventually get around to it.

      Like

      1. There’s also been a recent push against men looking at women who are even a few years younger than the men in question. Claims are that this “push” largely comes from women who are getting a bit on in years, and are concerned about the fact that men their own age are checking out women who aren’t.

        Given that my Dad was eleven years older than my Mom when they got married (and they had a long and successful marriage), I roll my eyes and ignore all of it. :P

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Nothing new.

          Paternal grandfather was 15 years older than grandma, and grandma was well on her way to being an “old maid” (when your only local options are cousins …) in her mid-20s. My maternal grandparents were unusual in that grandpa was only two years older than grandma. Both grandmothers were teaching away from where they grew up (not far, but still) when they met the grandpas.

          My great-uncle was 8 years younger than great-aunt (WW2 widow).

          Hubby is 4 months shy of 5 years older than I am. Younger sister is 4 years 4 months younger than her husband (he is 6 months younger than I am).

          Liked by 1 person

        2. There’s probably an element of that, combined with young people looking increasingly ludicrously young as one gets older. But there are also indicators – I first saw it in my Bollywood phase, but it’s been taking hold in the west as well, especially among anime consumers – of guys showing a vocal preference for more infantilized and non-threatening females, and not really making any bones about the sexual component of their interest.

          Liked by 1 person

          2. A friend said he lives by the half plus 7 “rule.” He also complained bitterly that women only wanted him for his money, while flashing his bling at me. Then I saw who he was dating.

            Serioisly. Bait ypur hook for baracuda, that’s what you’ll get.

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            1. Yeah, the manosphere types and those who listen to them often have valid critiques of the increasingly shrill standards modern pop culture hold women to, but the manosphere fails to see the ways in which they themselves internalized and attempt to “live down to” the standards modern pop culture holds *men* to.

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              1. Some, yes. I’ve seen others recommend self-improvement for men, and playing up how the ideal for a man (as depicted in male-oriented romance stories) is to prove himself worthy of the woman that he’s pursuing.

                That doesn’t mean devoting himself to feeding her peeled grapes and chocolates as she lounges on the cushions. But it might include slaying a dragon.

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                1. Yeah, the manosphere’s emphasis on self-improvement is a good idea, one certain kinds of feminists seemed to have jettisoned in favor of “I deserve everything because woman.”

                  Look, I have no patience with the idea that all women need to be mothers and homemakers (we can start with Dorothy Sayers’s discussion of what a large portfolio “homemaking” was in the pre-industrial and early industrial world), but career and homemaking are both work, which means developing skills of whatever kind and using them, oftentimes in situations when you’d rather be doing something else.

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            2. Pretty much.

              I mentioned the “pick a strength and work on it” suggestion above. It’s also worth noting that the strength that you pick will influence the kind of woman that you attract. If your strength is “I’m rich!”, then you’re going to attract gold diggers.

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    3. I just saw a click-bait thing that had as its teaser a girl who took the TikTok advice of dropping the dating apps and going to Home Depot and looking like you need help.

      Apparently, this is a potential strategy for getting a helpful guy who might actually be able to fix things. Which is better advice than the majority of dating “hacks” I’ve seen, let’s be honest.

      (It’s a good thing I met my husband in college. Otherwise, I don’t know if I’d ever have managed a partner…)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Same.

        I’m lucky he hung around after graduating in ’72. Heck I didn’t even start there until ’74. He was working seasonal at Sweet Home USFS district and planting trees for Starker winter and early spring. He is not the reason I transferred the summer of ’78 from the other district. Bonus. We were dating before summer of ’78. But wasn’t the reason. (Mutual friend who also worked at the Sweet Home district, recruited me. Plus major problem with lack of housing at and around the other district. Major Problem. I’d lucked out the first two summers. Third summer couch surfing/tent in backyard/illegal staying in condemned bunkhouse, and I wasn’t the only one working on crews that did not have housing. I said “not again”, and bailed on the other district. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of seasonal help for Sweet Home commuted from Corvallis/Albany/Lebanon, including all 3 of us, but at least they were there to commute from.)

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Unfortunately, what that click-bait thing fails to take into account is that if a guy tries to be helpful at Home Depot, there’s a good chance that he’ll get called out for mansplaining, or some other similarly stupid so-called sexist thing, by the very woman that he’s attempting to help.

        There are reportedly (I haven’t seen any myself) female streamers who go to the gym, set up a camera to film themselves, and then try and bait a guy in to offer assistance. The moment a guy does, she lays into him for “sexist” behavior – even going so far as to sic management on him. Unfortunately, this has led to some situations in which a woman at the gym actually was in need of help, and had to wait until another woman offered assistance since all of the guys were afraid to ask if she was okay.

        Liked by 1 person

  35. One woman is hard enough but seven?
    Please whatever I did to deserve that I am truly sorry and promise to never do it again. Seems I’ll have to start working out again, anybody know where I can get about a ton of vitamin E and thank god don’t need the blue pill. Still If my country calls on me I will endeavor to persevere. No, I am not seeking volunteers ladies, damn maybe I can look pathetic enough and they’ll avoid me.

    ….tee hee….

    Like

    1. Heh.
      Harem anime has had me explain to my daughters that every guy fantasizes about having a harem.

      Right up until they have their first serious girlfriend.
      After that, they have nightmares about it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Heh. Women are lovely, wonderful creatures, the best of them are. And there is the potential in every human being to strive for and even reach such heights of virtue in all things.

        But we pair up for reasons beyond simple economics. It is naturally a part of who we are. The roots of humanity, the bits and bobs below active thought and examination are mysterious at times, but this one seems easy to me.

        Men and women pair up because the union of the two is greater than the sum of both parts. Take any moderately successful relationship and see. The two make each other better. They reinforce the better parts of each other, they weather the storms of the worst. In whole, they steady each other, which humans need. Stability is necessary. Change is inevitable. But the former is what makes life possible.

        Find the right one, and you will never find the need for any other. It’s that good, when it’s right.

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        1. I think pair bond mating is probably the thing that finally separated proto-humans from chimps and other great apes. There’s still genetic coding for what the apes do – top male gets all the females, and top female bullies lower status females so they stop ovulating – but the pair bonding successfulness overall ended up letting humans finish evolving and walk out of Africa to, well, live everywhere.

          Liked by 1 person

      2. Tenchi Muyo was once considered the basic originator of the harem anime (and wouldn’t be now largely because it’s old enough that many people likely just aren’t familiar with it). And it should be noted that while Tenchi loves all of the girls, it’s also made clear that dealing with them is a serious headache for him.

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    2. Note the wording. 7 women shall take hold of one man. That’s their desperation. Doesn’t mean you have to make a fool of yourself.

      I believe the proper answer is “No thank you,” and a quick retreat.

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    3. One woman is hard enough but seven?

      I’ve said for years that Islam allowing 4 wives might have been designed to produce suicide bombers….. 😇😏😁

      Liked by 1 person

  36. Sara, the one item you left off your list is keeping your sense of humor. Far too many people face life’s tribulations with grim seriousness. A joke, an obviously exaggerated rant, a wry comment, a sly understatement does much to relieve the tension

    Like

  37. Oh, good.
    I’m not the only one wanting to tackle five different types of creative projects, and chasing my tail too much to meaningfully advance any of them.

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  38. Good advice, Sarah.

    I’m not experiencing any of that panic – maybe it’s because I’ve become immune to their attempts to set their narrative catch-phrases, or because I trust the Trump team to make a mockery of them. I don’t mind the speed of change, and wish it was faster.

    The snakes will keep fighting us because they don’t want to lose their gravy train, but it may be dawning on them that the false fear of prison they kept accusing Trump of may become their “truth.”

    Even though we won and things are going well, everyone needs to remember to respond to their nonsense with a lot of laughing and pointing – that might help stave off our own panic while we watch theirs.

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    1. “dawning on them that the false fear of prison, and bankruptcy, they kept accusing Trump of may become their “truth.”“

      –

      You are welcome … FIFY

      Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch …. FWIW

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  39. On the psyops post, do write it, but not now. Just my own humble opinion. It will be needed, yes, for a great many who haven’t grown up with the crude, ham fisted psyops dancing around the more subtle ones, the ones you only realize years later have their hooks in you. It will be worthwhile, even, for many of us to re examine things as they are, because yes, we ARE being lied to. And no, you don’t hate the media, the bureaucratic state, and the traitors nearly enough.

    On that note, while outwardly calm around here most days, inside I am not. The wrath and righteous anger within me is not yet sated. It has not even yet BEGUN to be enough. Tired of winning? Brothers and sisters, I say to you we have barely even STARTED.

    There is much yet to do.

    The courts are yet to be tamed. They were never intended to be the blunt instrument to rule over the other two branches. The cowards in Congress have yet to show the balls they should have to seize the power of the purse and start defunding things left, right, and center. Yes, even beloved projects of my own. They’re corrupted, too. Defund. Throw it out. Start over from the ground up. IF it turns out they are wanted and needed more than our own damned money.

    The IRS still stands. I want it gone. Completely. Utterly.

    The lobbyist remains as an institution. While I may relent on hanging all the bastards, I want them out of a job.

    Journalism as it was is dying. Stick a stake through its heart and chop of the head. Stick the head on a pike as a warning to the next idiot that tries the same. Metaphorically speaking. Much better to use them as an object example, perhaps.

    There remain many, many quislings. Find them. Investigate them. Try them. Punish them. Deny them any further office. Let them work for a living for once in their pathetic lives.

    I’d like to see the second reinforced. All carry laws, all permit laws, all such infringements removed. If you can carry it, you can carry it. Amend the Constitution if you want to limit it to small arms. As it stands, it covers cannon.

    Declare any city that defies Federal authority on things like sanctuary cities for criminals to be in open rebellion, and treat them accordingly. This will upset many. My sympathies are few.

    I’d also like to see a Constitutional Convention on things like a balanced budget, and a few even more unpopular things. Term limits are not my hill to die on, but it’d be nice to have for a change. Putting Congress on notice that their paychecks are linked to the performance of the economy might be a game changer. Inflationary and deficit spending would tend to dry up rather quickly if the gravy train stops there.

    Of course this would heavily imply that alternate sources of income would be heavily monitored. One should not go in as an elected bureaucrat at $120k or or so and come out a multi-millionaire within a handful of years absent some rather obvious miracle.

    I want DOGE to hang a spotlight over every bloody inch of the government and expose every thin dime that is spent. I will accept some minor illusions for covering black projects of believable provenance, with a heavy dose of skepticism. But mostly? I want the abuse exposed. Top down, from every angle. Every ugly detail.

    I could care less about the $5k dividend. STOP WASTING MONEY. Quit using it for pet projects. Quit using it for illegal bribery, graft, and out and out theft. Quit spending so much on everybloodything. End the fed. End the IRS. Stop giving money to our enemies, to useless causes, to people that hate us, to people that think we are stupid and gullible, to the grifters and con artists of the political class.

    I want the cuts deep in spending. Spread that wide. Pedal to the metal. More cuts. Less spending. Don’t tell me what you’re doing for me. That is what you are doing to us. I don’t care. Stop spending money on everything. Then only start back on the very, very few things that are critical. Really critical.

    And while I’m at it, I want people to stop referring to LLMs as “AI.” There are less likely things that have happened, sure. But while I’m dreaming here, might as well.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. One should not go in as an elected bureaucrat at $120k or or so and come out a multi-millionaire within a handful of years absent some rather obvious miracle.

      It’s really sad how many people are incurious about that basic fact.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. End the fed. End the IRS.

      Happily, that seems to be Trump’s exact intention. He’s straight out said that he plans to end the IRS (and I mean, post-inauguration, he’s said that), and is considering putting Ron Paul in charge of auditing the Fed. Which, since Ron Paul wants to end the Fed, seems like Trump is aiming at that, too.

      We’re only a month in. And while what has been achieved is (hopefully) civilization-changing, there is so much more to do. And Trump is not slowing down.

      Like

    3. “I’d also like to see a Constitutional Convention on things like a balanced budget…”

      Bad idea. Take the issues one at a time via the Amendment process. A Constitutional Convention can do literally anything, up to scrapping the Constitution and writing a new one. Or scrapping it and not writing an new one. Any bets on whether it would get hijacked by statists with all their wet dreams included? I’m not willing to take that chance.

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Change? I’ve been in IT since 1976. Now that’s trauma. Ups and downs. Booms and busts. Great jobs and crappy. Same with managers and teams. Had cancer twice, was divorced (worse than the cancers) and remarried (coming up on 26 years by the grace of Our Lord). But now I need to do that RHPS “Just a jump to the left and then a step to the right” thing (yes, from 1976) and pick up my rusty sword and relearn to code (Python, BitBucket, Ansible, Terraform, and other arcane horrors from the clouds instead of what I did previously)…

    Learn to take advantage of change. It’s gonna happen; but you can’t just “lay back and think of England”. Especially these days.

    Find a friend who needs a kind word or something else you can give. Or even a stranger you see at the gas station or grocery. Try to limit your grumbling to your quiet time in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7); but remember how God answered Habakkuk, so be careful what and how you ask. God does answer.

    Maybe I should be retired, dead, or wiser; but I assume I’m here to help someone and also to learn more. The latter being why I hang out in this crowd. Some of y’all write pretty good stuff. A lot of the rest wrote books I haven’t started because I have a limited budget and not nearly enough time.

    The change won’t stop, so we can stop worrying. We’re here for s reason. We don’t need to find the reason, just do what is right. It’s going to work out for us.

    Liked by 1 person

  41. Loved this post. Started laughing at “had to stop screaming at myself because Dan doesn’t like it”. By the time I got to the coats I was howling. You have a great way with words. Now I shall continue my day with my coffee and chocolate. Cheers.

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  43. If this goes through, it’s the biggest and best change of all. It might even turn me into a ray of sunshine….. Naaahhhhh. 🤔😏😁

    https://instapundit.com/704203/

    BIG: Trump calls for national paper ballot elections – cost just 8% of the cost of electronic systems, can produce accurate auditable results on election night, and have invisible security features that prevent counterfeiting.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. If that does go through, Illinois (my fingers tried to type ‘Killinois’ for some reason) and California will secede. They loves their Precious Election Fraud, they does, they does!

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      1. The Constitution expressly grants states the right to determine how elections are conducted. The only rule that it imposes is citizenship as a requirement for voting for federal offices.

        Unfortunately, I don’t think Trump can impose paper ballots from the top down.

        I said the same when the Dems were trying to push their own election rules through Congress back in 2021.

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          2. I’d also like to note that in spite of state control over elections, SCOTUS has never had any problems telling them who’s running in them via judicial re-districting.

            🤔🤔🤔

            Liked by 1 person

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