But sometimes it’s really hard to not say something, isn’t it? Especially when you’re in a group and you want to contribute something to the conversation to indicate that you’re participating, so you just throw some random comment out there and, a moment later, you realize that what you said sounded out of place, or worse, derails the conversation. Or is that just an introvert problem?
I suppose you could apply this quote to a lot of political speeches too, now that I think about it. Overly verbose language and long winded nonsense where the person doesn’t really commit to anything or say anything concrete. The whole point of the speech is to give the appearance of competency and “getting things done”.
Maybe that’s the bedrock of modern American politics though. Nothing ever gets done. I mean, look at today. We had the Daylight Savings Time adjustment again because Congress won’t do even something simple that a majority of people would appreciate. I know I’d appreciate not having to get up what is essentially an hour early tomorrow, because I know I won’t fall asleep on time tonight.
I was looking at the list of courses available on Joint Knowledge Online, an education site for military and government employees, called (iirc) “Using Plain Language”. I think I’m going to enroll in it. When you’re in the Army, you’re encouraged to use basic, plain English so as many people as possible understand what you’re saying. I’m not in the Army anymore, but I can see how the course would be helpful to me. I still interact with the public, after all, and in New York City quite a few people only have a basic English proficiency because they’re still learning.
Jellycat is a UK brand that ships to the US. They have a lot of fun stuffed figures. We saw them for the first time in Strand Bookstore in Manhattan. They stood out for their quality. They have everything from axolotls to beans. If you’re looking for a gift, it’s definitely worth checking out.
I don’t know why but I really liked the happy egg and the deviled egg. The deviled egg was sold out for a long time, but my wife finally saw them in stock on the website and ordered me one. Thanks!
Two men playing jazz in Tompkins Square Park on June 7th, 2019.
This park is located in Manhattan, in what’s now known as the East Village. When I was a kid, the park was filled with drug dealers, addicts, and needles. Now it’s a great place to go with music, dog runs, and green grass in the summer for sun bathing.
Early to mid 2019 was really nice. Sometimes it feels like I’ve been sick since that summer, and I’m just now starting to feel better. I want to start cycling again and spending more time outdoors.
I hope 2023 brings more opportunity and happiness than what we’ve grown accustomed to lately.
Trying to fix problems with Manjaro can be annoying, but it’s an ultimately rewarding experience. I feel like I’m learning something, and it’s nice to know that my hardware is running on software that isn’t trying to sell me something (like those constant prompts to try Bing and Edge built into the Windows 11 desktop).
I’ve had remarkably few problems with Manjaro. I was a little concerned about how Linux might behave, or how difficult it might be to use, especially after previous experiences with Ubuntu a few years ago. Not that Ubuntu is hard to use. Not now anyway. It’s just different from Windows so there’s a learning curve and back then it didn’t run much of the same software that I was used to. Manjaro has a reputation for being a bit more advanced or complicated, but I’ve found that it’s really the most flexible and easy to use, mostly because of the Arch User Repository. Instead of needing to use the command line to install programs, a lot of stuff is just available in the package manager (basically like an app store).
Manjaro has some issues with game support but that’s coming along pretty well now that Valve/Steam has been working on producing the Steam Deck, which I think runs on Arch Linux, which is what Manjaro Linux runs on as well. The critical moment was when EAC and BattlEye said they were going to enable Linux support. Of course, that really relies on game developers enabling that option in their games, but it’s still something, and it’s what’s keeping most of the major games with online components from running on Linux.
I bring all of this up because I was having an issue with my Bluetooth working on Manjaro and I was pretty happy to work through the problem and get it fixed on my own (with some online research). At some point over the last few weeks, the Bluetooth stopped working and I didn’t notice until I wanted to use my headphones to watch Netflix. The system was acting as if there was no Bluetooth adapter installed, but I use a combination WiFi and Bluetooth PCIe card. Specifically, a TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe WiFi Card (Archer TX3000E).
systemctl status bluetooth was reporting:
Active: inactive (dead)
Docs: man:bluetoothd(8)
xxxxxx matroshka systemd[1]: Bluetooth service was skipped because of a failed condition check (ConditionPathIsDirectory=/sys/class/bluetooth).
Maybe the issue popped up when I decided to be edgy and switched to kernel 5.16? I installed a few Bluetooth utilities and switched to kernel 5.10, but it still wasn’t working. I opened the case and poked the connectors on the hardware to make sure they were plugged in the right way and then all of a sudden it worked again when I booted up the computer.
Was a cable loose? Did it just need a few reboots for everything to settle in correctly like some other people mentioned on the Manjaro forums? Who knows. I’m going to leave 5.16 alone though, just in case that was the problem. I switched back to 5.15, which is going to be a long-term support kernel and I’ll just leave it there until another LTS kernel comes along. Unless there’s some really compelling reason.
It’s odd, though. Linux is getting a lot more support for gaming, while at the same time the global silicon chip shortage is making it nearly impossible to get GPUs at affordable rates. I hardly play games at all anymore and I’ve been putting more time into other activities, which is both good and bad. It’s not that I can’t play games, but when I know that I’m getting a substandard experience, it’s really hard to fully enjoy myself, and I’m not going to spend $1600 on a GPU that should be $400.
So, I’m putting time into other activities, like reading more and catching up on shows that I’ve been putting off. Also, meditating again, and hopefully I can get back to exercising regularly. I’ve been feeling pretty worn out and rough for the last 6 months or so.
Sometimes grief sits in the body, like you’re carrying all of the guilt of every lost moment and lost opportunity as weight that manifests as fatigue, a burden, a fog that sits on your mind like a tightening rag.
I’ve always really enjoyed her sketches and art. This is a really old one and she’s come a long way since she made this doodle, but I like it because I see us and our cats in it.
At this point, vaccine mandates are just about control.
We don’t live in monarchies or dictatorships. People have a right to make their own choices about medical procedures. Let them make their choices and deal with the consequences.
COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere. The sooner we stop pretending it is, the sooner governments have to stop abusing their authority.
This is just the new PATRIOT act. Soon, they’ll want to track everyone’s movements 24/7. For safety.
We live in Europe and don’t have such a thing…
Like said, the government isn’t some monster or alien.. It’s people chosen by us.. Why is this an issue? It’s also the law you need to wear cloths in public right? Or is that also a first step to TOTAL control about every single aspect of your life..?
Sorry but I really don’t get this way of thinking. What do the vaccine and tracking people have to do with one and another? There’s microchips in the vaccine? Sats can track vacinated people? What?
The issue at stake is bodily autonomy. The State shouldn’t be able to force you to undergo a medical procedure that you don’t want.
Even if nothing else is in your control, you at least should have rights to your own flesh and blood. That’s not the same as putting on pants before going outside.
And the tracking is in the Vaccine Pass apps that are mentioned in the article that you shared. I see this as a first step towards governments normalizing this level of surveillance.
And with this precedent, what’s next? It’s ok to jail people who don’t get an annual flu shot? The State gets to say who is allowed to have children? That sounds absurd, but in the US, we fought that fight already.
The only business the government should have in healthcare is in providing access, not in demanding compliance.
A little follow-up:
The conversation ended there, but just to clarify one thing, in the US it has previously been illegal for those considered mentally handicapped to have children. It has also been illegal for mixed race couples to have children at different points in the past here.
When you let the government start dictating what medical procedures you must undergo to take part in essential activities (work, shopping, being in public spaces), you open a door for the government to take further liberties with that power. It sets a precedent.
Every time the government says it just wants to do one thing related to one group of people for a specified time, that’s never the end of the overreach of power. The US was founded on the principle of limited Federal government. All powers not specifically set forth in the Constitution are reserved to the States that make up the Republic. The government is going to constantly look for ways to accumulate more power.
That’s why there are constant calls for more regulations, restrictions on gun ownership, and demands for backdoors into encrypted communications networks. It’s about control. Controlling citizens. Anyone that’s been paying attention should know by this point that no matter who gets into office, it’s always more of the same. That’s why nothing meaningful gets done even when one party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House. That’s why money keeps getting dumped into pet projects instead of programs that would actually improve quality of life for average citizens. There’s the government and then there’s the rest of us.
Demanding on pain of job loss, homelessness, and starvation that citizens get vaccinations is unconstitutional and illegal. It’s also immoral. Demanding that children get a vaccine that has a higher rate of harm than the virus it protects against is evil.
There’s obviously a lot of creative license going on here, but the idea and execution are both amazing. There’s a lot of this type of music available on YouTube and I feel like I could get a good work out in while listening to this. It’s a lot more motivating than the popular workout playlists on Spotify and YouTube Music, anyway.
When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.
When I read this quote by the Dalai Lama, I thought about the times that I’ve lost my patience and said or done something that I immediately regretted. The embarrassment and guilt from those types of situations can sit with me for days while I rehash them in my mind and wonder about possible outcomes.
Obviously, there’s another problem there of living in the past instead of living in the present, which isn’t healthy on its own, but all actions have consequences. I think this is something the Buddha was aware of and is an important part of the idea of karma. The things we say and do that we might wish we could take back not only create guilt and bad feelings between us and other people, but, according to Buddhist teachings, they also add negative karma which can come back to visit us in this life or the next.
So, sure, live in the present, but it’s also important to help that along by not doing things that anchor us in the past. In other words, spending more time listening and thinking before speaking or doing so that we don’t get stuck in a cycle of worry and anxiety. I’m not saying that to preach to anyone. It’s more of a personal reflection and a reminder to myself to be vigilant as a means of improving my mental clarity, focus, and quality of sleep.
I’ve come to believe that simplicity is best, and the simplifying process doesn’t have to be restricted to discarding or giving away unused goods, it can also be a simplification of mental burdens by removing unnecessary worries and stresses by doing and saying the right things at all times. It’s like that old adage about not lying, so you don’t have to maintain the mental burden of remembering which lies you’ve told to which people.
As for what the right thing to do and say is, well, that’s more subjective and depends on context.
I lived on the second floor of this building in Bell, West Germany as a kid in 1986/1987. It’s sort of an odd feeling, thinking that I lived in a country that no longer exists. This was during the Cold War and on the front lines of nuclear annihilation, but I was too young to know about that.
If you’re not familiar with what I mean, Germany was divided into East and West Germany after World War II. East Germany was controlled by the USSR and West Germany was controlled by the Allies, and later basically just the US. The US still has military bases in Germany today, actually, which is pretty unpopular with the Germans. When I lived there as a child, the Air Force base we lived on had to be fenced in because of large and violent protests by Germans.
Sky News coverage of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1989, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the United Soviet Socialist Republic, East and West Germany were reunited into one country again. Shortly after that, my family moved back to the United States, so I don’t really have any memories of living in Germany after reunification, but I do have a lot of wonderful childhood memories of living in Bell, which was (and is) a small town west of Frankfurt near the French border.
I remember playing with the sheep in a nearby pasture, climbing cherry trees, eating crab apples straight from trees, breaking and smelling fresh scallions in the field behind our home, building snow forts, and rhubarb growing in a garden across the street. I remember finding my first pet, a stray cat, in an alley down the street from our building. I remember a truck that came around regularly with fresh meats, fresh breads, candies, and desserts.
I remember playing with German children and starting to learn to speak German before we moved onto a US Air Force base and I, sadly, forgot it all. Now all I know how to say is, “Guten morgen” and “eine bier bitte”, but one of those I learned as an adult, because German beer is amazing! I’ve started using Drops to learn (and relearn) some German.
Germany was a really amazing place to spend a good chunk of my childhood. Living in a place where I could walk on dirt paths through the woods and daydream, where we went on field trips to thousand-year-old castles, where we could go hiking in the hills where knights and pilgrims traveled, had a big impact on my interests and outlook that persisted long after we moved away.
I’ve been back to Germany once since I was a kid, and it was just on a layover at the now closed down Air Force base that we moved to from Bell. Sometimes I think about going back to enjoy the country, but I wonder if it would be worth destroying my childhood memories with reality.
Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog 