I believe that it's projection. I have observed Cloud People treat their perceived inferiors with undisguised contempt; Hillary Clinton really *does* hate you; so does Mitt Romney.
And there are a lot of overly credentialed and under-educated people who pop off and get their bigotry revealed, which makes them even angrier....
Disagree Eric. I don't believe the "cloud people" HATE us. Probably most of 'the great and the good' are, at best, peripherally aware that we exist. We are perceived, I suspect, as minor irritants, impediments to whatever they are about. Until we "interfere" in some scheme. At which time we are, like any other pest, swatted. But as a mere pest. NOT with "hatred".
It has been my misfortune, over the course of my long career, to meet a few of these 'superior' people. The feeling one gets from them is contempt. Sometimes mild. Sometimes extreme. But ALWAYS - contempt.
Like totalitarians throughout history, our lords and masters demand 'respect'. But, failing that, they will settle, as totalitarians always do, for obedience - and fear.
*Courtesy* is the social lubricant that makes civil society work. One should show courtesy to all unless given a reason not to -- "a gentleman is someone who is never rude by accident" and all that.
*Respect* is, as you say, earned, in a one-to-one relationship.
I relate this to what I read about psychopaths – and I experienced, unfortunately. Psychos, it is said, aren't capable of hate because they can't become emotionally involved with others. "Hatred is, like love, a kind of emotional attachment" – I Ching. Normal people cannot understand someone who has no conscience, no inner life based on emotional attachment. Psychos have pseudo-infantile, proto-emotions. They can feel infantile rage, frustration. Their life is a series of games, torture, predatory schemes to get at the mystery of normal people's incomprehensible – and therefore threatening – normality. They are like vampires – the legend of the vampire is an attempt to understand psychopaths. They cannot grow up, only progressively wither. They compulsively prey on others because they have no blood of their own.
Dear Chris, Just returned from France visiting my sister and kids in a beautiful town called Divonne Les Bains. It’s a different world. Zero signs of insanity. Looked at the kids school schedule. Physics , math, geography, history. Deep intelligent conversations with a 13 yr old and 15 yr old. They chuckle at the stories they hear from their mom and dad about the woke crap peddling .
Did plenty of hikes in the Jura mountains. Tons of young teens hiking and picnicking mountaintop . The farmers market filled with people enjoying wine , cheese bread all locally made.
I went off Twitter months ago as well my only Substack is Trish Wood and you. The reality around me even here two hours north of Toronto in a small town called Thornbury on the shores of Georgian Bay doesn’t reflect what I was reading. Dinner parties and gathering with friends never broaches the garbage subject matter.
Now having returned from my sisters village and a trip to Provence my spirit is renewed. Lots of happy people enjoying life , the scenery , the food and wine. I looked at the cafes full of happy people and said to myself “ good luck to them with their great reset . It’s all bullshit. The world will go on in spite of them. Your never going to take foie gras, away from the French, or having a good time in America
The prevalence of screens have made much of the world homebound invalids. You provide an important service by reminding us all that we are not confined by invisible chains, but are "free to move about the country" where reality is so sweet. Thank you.
Me too! I’m lucky to be a chef and not have to sit in front of a screen to make a living but I tell you, after I’ve fed and walked my pooch I settle down to a couple of hours of THIS!
My husband and I took our six kids camping up near Payson, AZ this past weekend. On Monday morning, the key to our dump out compartment broke so I called the Home Depot to see if the key department could make a new key out of two pieces. The lady in customer service told me they don’t have the right machine but “call Ryan who owns Rytek Security. He’s a great guy and I’m sure he can help you out. Or if not, call the guys over at Ace Hardware.” I LOVE that the lady at Home Depot referred me to a person she actually knew. Because Ace was close by we went there and the men running the key department were able to make us a new key. Everyone was so friendly! It’s always great to go to a small town hardware store - it always restores my faith that there are plenty of good people doing things with their hands and helping people out. When we got home to Phoenix we went out for dinner and there were two women at the booth next to us who had rainbow masks on -- in the restaurant. Seemed odd because firstly, they were below the Covid layer that has always existed at restaurants. And secondly, they were all alone in a corner of the mostly deserted restaurant but also sitting nearly on top of each other on the same side of the booth. Anyway, I guess you could say I saw the real world this weekend AND some of the twitter world in living color.
We camped at a dispersed campsite off of Rim Rd near Woods Canyon Lake. It’s just shy of 3 hours away from Phoenix and the drive is beautiful. There are a few lakes all within a 50 mi radius of that area. It’s really wonderful!
If you are in Prescott, and haven’t done it, drive East over Mingus Mountain (unbelievable views) on 89A and down into Jerome from which you can go northeast up to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon , or short hop to Page Springs ( wine country). If you go North from Oak Creek you end up in Flagstaff or farther to Grand Canyon, head East out of Jerome/Cottonwood and that will take you to Payson, Pine/Strawberry and up into Rim country.
I've often thought about what Chris is writing about here. What we see on the ground, our experiences with other people, people not like ourselves, whether it is race, religion, sexual orientation, whatever, is NOT what is portrayed in the news or on TV, and definitely not what is on the internet, fb, instagram, twitter, etc. Pretend they don't exist; you'll be much happier.
To slightly change a phrase from the past: Tune Out, Turn Off, Get Out!
Love your trips and the stories and photos of them. I do agree that we don't hate each other as much as the leftwing outlets claim. Remember, they are all communists or anarchists and their power comes from dividing people up by race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual preference. They have done this for over 100 years and it's a winning formula if you want to destroy a society. But most people know it's not true, by and large, that's why when the media pans the long lines of illegals coming north, or show any from naturalization events, virtually everyone of the people are black, brown, or yellow: very few whites ones. we are th society, with the greatest culture, ever! And you're right: turn off the TV, lap top, I Pad, "hand help device, and go outside and do something, or nothing. Lots of great open spaces, even in large metropolitan areas. Keep taking your trips and sharing them with us.
Just spent a week at a retreat in Texas. Took the Amtrak from California (first time). Two and a half day ride. I loved it. I've always loved my road trips but not driving is even better!
Half the people on the train and at the retreat were of color. We all got along fabulously. Everyone on the train was kind and sociable.
And so it is nation-wide. This is reality. I feel sorry for people who don't know this and are stuck in their twitterverse or wherever. Especially kids.
Too many parents hover and don't let their kids enjoy a bit of freedom and non-structured play or games, etc. They believe there is a kidnapper behind every swingset. Those stories make the news because they titillate. Most child abductions are from non-custodial parents, not some scary dude lurking behind the bushes. Be aware, but don't scare!
As a parent stuck in a blue zone, I can say that the hardest thing about giving your child free play time is that very few of the other children have it. "Go play with your friends" is tough when the friends have ballet at 4:00, painting class at 5:30, and math tutoring at 7:00. In time and with effort, you can find the other families with parents WHO ARE INSANE and allow unstructured time -- so dangerous! -- but wow.
Oh, and, "You need a volunteer activity for your college application!" There goes another ten hours a week.
It's not MANDATORY mandatory, it's just what admissions committees in theory expect to see. They want you to volunteer to show you care. You don't want to show that you don't care, do you!?!?!? My impression is that admissions packages at highly selective universities are trending toward the homogenous.
When my daughter was in high school (2000-2004) I attended a session where parents were exhorted to help their kids log volunteer activities. When asked, the guidance counselor guessed “it’s because we’re baby boomers who’ve spoiled our kids and we are worried about whether they’ll help us when we are older.”
I took her with me to a Habitat for Humanity build in south Atlanta to burnish her resume unnecessarily. Though not handy, we tackled our assigned tasks conscientiously, happy to think we were helping the designated family into a home all their own. The verdict on our labor was disheartening: “good enough for Habitat.” I was genuinely disappointed, not at the verdict on our skills, but the cynicism of the verdict.
Oh, and with her grades and sports, she was easily accepted everywhere she applied, from UNC out of state to Columbia University. That she chose to major in Intellectual Disability/Autism in grad school says plenty about her commitment to service.
The surgeon general's plan to alleviate social isolation (hahahahahaha) includes more funding for public parks. My kid and I went to our local park almost daily when she was little, and maybe 20 times there was another mom or kid there. Over a period of *years.* And 18 of those times, it was the same kid (Brendan) with his mom.
Our small city has the most amazing public city park that I’ve ever seen, including all the big cities and small towns I’ve lived in. It was made possible over a century ago by a wealthy citizen donating the land. We also have a number of other small, and very nice, city parks/playgrounds. A few years ago, part of our downtown riverside area was developed into another city park. They removed virtually all the trees; now it’s mostly sterile mowed grass and concrete. This new park is virtually always empty of people, except when they have music festivals, and when they do, the perimeter is fenced off from non-paying folks. The usual festival ticket price is around $60/person, per day. I find this strange for a public city park.
I’ve recently noticed math tutoring ‘shops’ turning up in strip malls. My first thought was, “Don’t parents send their kids to school to learn math?” I’m an old lady who still believes in ‘the three Rs’.
Sometimes the parents over schedule because the kids fight & act disagreeable if they have too much free time (sadly... My grandkids), but I am glad they take music lessons because they play beautifully!
I seldom post comments on the various blogs that I read. I am retired and live in SC near Charlotte, NC. My wife and I, now that the worst of Covid is gone, go out now...mostly her...she likes to shop (ha, ha). I do the grocery shopping and other trips she asks me to make, plus a few days a week at our public golf course. Everywhere both of us go it's like 'pre' Covid. People are nice. Regardless of their gender, ethnicity, etc, when I open a door for them they say 'thank you'. They open doors for me and/or my wife and we say 'thank you'. People are civil in the stores. We don't hear much about shop lifting/violence. None of the stores in our area are closing due to shop lifting/etc. No one is protesting about 'Nazi' police, DEI and/or systemic racism. People are nice...just like before Covid. My wife and I both comment that there are lots of 'Hiring Now' signs. And we know a number of our extended family who don't want to work because their 'public assistance/support' and/or other family members are allowing them to not work...but that's another story. These days, when I read 'headlines' about violence, etc...I'm thankful that we live where we do.
While I was still in the prison of the North, I drove around nearly every day, playing very bad music with the windows down. I don't know that it kept me sane, but it gave my family a break from me. I attribute any healing in 2020 to time at the lake with my daughter and worship with the Wesleyan church that never shut down, but moved its services to a drive-in (and then came back inside in the middle of the summer). I owe those people more than I can ever repay.
San Mateo County (on the south border of San Francisco County) threatened to fine (perhaps imprison?) those who ventured more than 10 miles from their homes. In the first year of the lockdown, before moving from San Francisco, I took many drives down the coast through San Mateo County laughing at the signs telling me to turn back.
Driving to relieve stress is uniquely American. It's what made my Chinese born wife fall in love with this country.
Yep sure did! And don’t forgot our ring of steel around Melbourne to stop people leaving. Insanity at its finest in Aus. I’m pretty sure we’re the lemmings of the world
I actually went back to delivering papers (driving in semi-rural areas of my state) during the lockdown. It kept me sane. Driving is what I do to get away, to keep from going crazy, to keep peace in my house.
Yes. Hubs and I rode our motorcycles WITH NO MASKS ON to the horror of fellow citizens of our midwestern city. We spread germs up one street and down the other; rode by public parks with kiddie rides all taped off from enjoyment. We felt like badasses. Crazy now...
Are there any parents bold enough to take away all the technology their kids are addicted to? Gluten free? Hell, they should be cellphone free, it would do them much more good! How about any new parents or about to have kids? Dare to not let them plug in? Make a promise to yourself now so you can stick to it no matter what the "other" kids are doing. There is so much more to life than what's online.
Agreed, there is a limit to everything. Generally speaking, little kids don't need those devices, and pre-teens and teens should be limited. My kids loved to play different games on the computer and we just had a time limit, then their music practice, and playing outside or whatever.
What do we think about AI, is that going to make looking things up too easy? Will writing reports or essays be a thing of the past? If all a student has to do is "google" it, then they don't learn anything. Remember having to read books and encyclopedias and then put it into your own words? Too much technology teaches laziness, just like spell check, which isn't always right, btw. Even this that I'm typing tries to predict what I'm about to say and put it in for me. OK, do we even need to type anymore? No, there is voice recognition of course, there are many things good about technology, it is, of course, how it is used.
My teacher friend noticed how kids started acting different when parents used devices to babysit so they wouldn't have to interact with their kids or otherwise get them interested in something else like riding their bikes, reading a book, or exploring the woods. She said the kids' attention span dropped dramatically, they always were looking for movement, lights, stimulation, etc., they couldn't sit still for even a short time, unless they had a video game or similar device to stimulate them. Many have warned about the dangers of various technology, including the inventors of these things, they don't let their own kids use them! That should tell you something.
Unfortunately, by the time they’re in high school (maybe earlier) even some of their IRL activities are dependent on them having smartphones. Team sports, dance classes, camp counselors, and other extracurricular activities are organized and communicated on apps like Band or GroupMe or such. No more phone trees (who else remembers those?). And at school, teachers send updates via Remind and expect students to take photos of the whiteboard with their phones.
Last week, reading a history of the French Revolution, I realized that if you lived 100 or more miles away from Paris, chances were you paid very little attention to those events, and until your taxes were due, maybe they didn't matter to you. The wars that followed were different, and if your local elites were forced out of power, that impacted you. But, the general idea is that keeping your head down and living your life has its appeal.
Love this. We were out in Wyoming last year and a woman dishing up ice cream for us said “why do they keep telling us we hate each other?”
We don’t. Talk to real people, in real life, and you’ll know the lie for what it is.
“Why do they keep telling us we hate each other?”
YES
I believe that it's projection. I have observed Cloud People treat their perceived inferiors with undisguised contempt; Hillary Clinton really *does* hate you; so does Mitt Romney.
And there are a lot of overly credentialed and under-educated people who pop off and get their bigotry revealed, which makes them even angrier....
But the average people don't hate each other.
Disagree Eric. I don't believe the "cloud people" HATE us. Probably most of 'the great and the good' are, at best, peripherally aware that we exist. We are perceived, I suspect, as minor irritants, impediments to whatever they are about. Until we "interfere" in some scheme. At which time we are, like any other pest, swatted. But as a mere pest. NOT with "hatred".
It has been my misfortune, over the course of my long career, to meet a few of these 'superior' people. The feeling one gets from them is contempt. Sometimes mild. Sometimes extreme. But ALWAYS - contempt.
Like totalitarians throughout history, our lords and masters demand 'respect'. But, failing that, they will settle, as totalitarians always do, for obedience - and fear.
Yep. Contempt and disdain. They don’t consider us worthy of the energy of hate.
It always drives me nuts when people ‘demand respect’. Respect must be earned.
*Courtesy* is the social lubricant that makes civil society work. One should show courtesy to all unless given a reason not to -- "a gentleman is someone who is never rude by accident" and all that.
*Respect* is, as you say, earned, in a one-to-one relationship.
I relate this to what I read about psychopaths – and I experienced, unfortunately. Psychos, it is said, aren't capable of hate because they can't become emotionally involved with others. "Hatred is, like love, a kind of emotional attachment" – I Ching. Normal people cannot understand someone who has no conscience, no inner life based on emotional attachment. Psychos have pseudo-infantile, proto-emotions. They can feel infantile rage, frustration. Their life is a series of games, torture, predatory schemes to get at the mystery of normal people's incomprehensible – and therefore threatening – normality. They are like vampires – the legend of the vampire is an attempt to understand psychopaths. They cannot grow up, only progressively wither. They compulsively prey on others because they have no blood of their own.
Ignore the sarcastic caption: https://twitter.com/dom_lucre/status/1663006891528671232?s=20
That was pretty cool.
Not too surprising after all it is Texas.
This was marvelous!
This is what I see where I live...people joining forces TOGETHER for good!
It’s a big part of their long game: Divide and Conquer.
“A house divided cannot stand.” Abraham Lincoln
Dear Chris, Just returned from France visiting my sister and kids in a beautiful town called Divonne Les Bains. It’s a different world. Zero signs of insanity. Looked at the kids school schedule. Physics , math, geography, history. Deep intelligent conversations with a 13 yr old and 15 yr old. They chuckle at the stories they hear from their mom and dad about the woke crap peddling .
Did plenty of hikes in the Jura mountains. Tons of young teens hiking and picnicking mountaintop . The farmers market filled with people enjoying wine , cheese bread all locally made.
I went off Twitter months ago as well my only Substack is Trish Wood and you. The reality around me even here two hours north of Toronto in a small town called Thornbury on the shores of Georgian Bay doesn’t reflect what I was reading. Dinner parties and gathering with friends never broaches the garbage subject matter.
Now having returned from my sisters village and a trip to Provence my spirit is renewed. Lots of happy people enjoying life , the scenery , the food and wine. I looked at the cafes full of happy people and said to myself “ good luck to them with their great reset . It’s all bullshit. The world will go on in spite of them. Your never going to take foie gras, away from the French, or having a good time in America
It is all bullshit, but very aggressive bullshit. Physical escape is important. The places you describe here sound incredibly pleasant!
That’s why they want 15 min cities…sorry for being a bummer
A young girl I worked with moved to Thornbury in September to work at a cafe/bakery! Small world or is it😉
The prevalence of screens have made much of the world homebound invalids. You provide an important service by reminding us all that we are not confined by invisible chains, but are "free to move about the country" where reality is so sweet. Thank you.
Well I do blame Chris (and a few other authors) and all the other commentators (like you) for an hour of screen time just about every day.
I don't think that counts...:)
Me too! I’m lucky to be a chef and not have to sit in front of a screen to make a living but I tell you, after I’ve fed and walked my pooch I settle down to a couple of hours of THIS!
My husband and I took our six kids camping up near Payson, AZ this past weekend. On Monday morning, the key to our dump out compartment broke so I called the Home Depot to see if the key department could make a new key out of two pieces. The lady in customer service told me they don’t have the right machine but “call Ryan who owns Rytek Security. He’s a great guy and I’m sure he can help you out. Or if not, call the guys over at Ace Hardware.” I LOVE that the lady at Home Depot referred me to a person she actually knew. Because Ace was close by we went there and the men running the key department were able to make us a new key. Everyone was so friendly! It’s always great to go to a small town hardware store - it always restores my faith that there are plenty of good people doing things with their hands and helping people out. When we got home to Phoenix we went out for dinner and there were two women at the booth next to us who had rainbow masks on -- in the restaurant. Seemed odd because firstly, they were below the Covid layer that has always existed at restaurants. And secondly, they were all alone in a corner of the mostly deserted restaurant but also sitting nearly on top of each other on the same side of the booth. Anyway, I guess you could say I saw the real world this weekend AND some of the twitter world in living color.
Where did you camp near Payson? I have to be in Arizona for family stuff in July, and will have a couple of free days -- trying to find places to go.
We camped at a dispersed campsite off of Rim Rd near Woods Canyon Lake. It’s just shy of 3 hours away from Phoenix and the drive is beautiful. There are a few lakes all within a 50 mi radius of that area. It’s really wonderful!
Thanks!
Get up on the Rim, as we used to say. The Mogollon Rim north of Payson. My ashes will be scattered there, eventually.
If you are in Prescott, and haven’t done it, drive East over Mingus Mountain (unbelievable views) on 89A and down into Jerome from which you can go northeast up to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon , or short hop to Page Springs ( wine country). If you go North from Oak Creek you end up in Flagstaff or farther to Grand Canyon, head East out of Jerome/Cottonwood and that will take you to Payson, Pine/Strawberry and up into Rim country.
I used to live in Payson. Sigh. Missing it💞
A friend of mine just moved there to escape from Phoenix's blue insanity. He loves it.
I've often thought about what Chris is writing about here. What we see on the ground, our experiences with other people, people not like ourselves, whether it is race, religion, sexual orientation, whatever, is NOT what is portrayed in the news or on TV, and definitely not what is on the internet, fb, instagram, twitter, etc. Pretend they don't exist; you'll be much happier.
To slightly change a phrase from the past: Tune Out, Turn Off, Get Out!
That slogan would make for great merchandise, just saying.
"so oftentimes it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key; but me, i'm already gone" - eagles
"Twitter's not a real place."
Your work is medicine. Grateful.
Love your trips and the stories and photos of them. I do agree that we don't hate each other as much as the leftwing outlets claim. Remember, they are all communists or anarchists and their power comes from dividing people up by race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual preference. They have done this for over 100 years and it's a winning formula if you want to destroy a society. But most people know it's not true, by and large, that's why when the media pans the long lines of illegals coming north, or show any from naturalization events, virtually everyone of the people are black, brown, or yellow: very few whites ones. we are th society, with the greatest culture, ever! And you're right: turn off the TV, lap top, I Pad, "hand help device, and go outside and do something, or nothing. Lots of great open spaces, even in large metropolitan areas. Keep taking your trips and sharing them with us.
Danny Huckabee
Just spent a week at a retreat in Texas. Took the Amtrak from California (first time). Two and a half day ride. I loved it. I've always loved my road trips but not driving is even better!
Half the people on the train and at the retreat were of color. We all got along fabulously. Everyone on the train was kind and sociable.
And so it is nation-wide. This is reality. I feel sorry for people who don't know this and are stuck in their twitterverse or wherever. Especially kids.
Too many parents hover and don't let their kids enjoy a bit of freedom and non-structured play or games, etc. They believe there is a kidnapper behind every swingset. Those stories make the news because they titillate. Most child abductions are from non-custodial parents, not some scary dude lurking behind the bushes. Be aware, but don't scare!
As a parent stuck in a blue zone, I can say that the hardest thing about giving your child free play time is that very few of the other children have it. "Go play with your friends" is tough when the friends have ballet at 4:00, painting class at 5:30, and math tutoring at 7:00. In time and with effort, you can find the other families with parents WHO ARE INSANE and allow unstructured time -- so dangerous! -- but wow.
Oh, and, "You need a volunteer activity for your college application!" There goes another ten hours a week.
So... a /volunteer/ activity is mandatory?
Sounds like that university should invest in some tutoring in english?
It's not MANDATORY mandatory, it's just what admissions committees in theory expect to see. They want you to volunteer to show you care. You don't want to show that you don't care, do you!?!?!? My impression is that admissions packages at highly selective universities are trending toward the homogenous.
When my daughter was in high school (2000-2004) I attended a session where parents were exhorted to help their kids log volunteer activities. When asked, the guidance counselor guessed “it’s because we’re baby boomers who’ve spoiled our kids and we are worried about whether they’ll help us when we are older.”
I took her with me to a Habitat for Humanity build in south Atlanta to burnish her resume unnecessarily. Though not handy, we tackled our assigned tasks conscientiously, happy to think we were helping the designated family into a home all their own. The verdict on our labor was disheartening: “good enough for Habitat.” I was genuinely disappointed, not at the verdict on our skills, but the cynicism of the verdict.
Oh, and with her grades and sports, she was easily accepted everywhere she applied, from UNC out of state to Columbia University. That she chose to major in Intellectual Disability/Autism in grad school says plenty about her commitment to service.
The surgeon general's plan to alleviate social isolation (hahahahahaha) includes more funding for public parks. My kid and I went to our local park almost daily when she was little, and maybe 20 times there was another mom or kid there. Over a period of *years.* And 18 of those times, it was the same kid (Brendan) with his mom.
Our small city has the most amazing public city park that I’ve ever seen, including all the big cities and small towns I’ve lived in. It was made possible over a century ago by a wealthy citizen donating the land. We also have a number of other small, and very nice, city parks/playgrounds. A few years ago, part of our downtown riverside area was developed into another city park. They removed virtually all the trees; now it’s mostly sterile mowed grass and concrete. This new park is virtually always empty of people, except when they have music festivals, and when they do, the perimeter is fenced off from non-paying folks. The usual festival ticket price is around $60/person, per day. I find this strange for a public city park.
I’ve recently noticed math tutoring ‘shops’ turning up in strip malls. My first thought was, “Don’t parents send their kids to school to learn math?” I’m an old lady who still believes in ‘the three Rs’.
Sometimes the parents over schedule because the kids fight & act disagreeable if they have too much free time (sadly... My grandkids), but I am glad they take music lessons because they play beautifully!
I seldom post comments on the various blogs that I read. I am retired and live in SC near Charlotte, NC. My wife and I, now that the worst of Covid is gone, go out now...mostly her...she likes to shop (ha, ha). I do the grocery shopping and other trips she asks me to make, plus a few days a week at our public golf course. Everywhere both of us go it's like 'pre' Covid. People are nice. Regardless of their gender, ethnicity, etc, when I open a door for them they say 'thank you'. They open doors for me and/or my wife and we say 'thank you'. People are civil in the stores. We don't hear much about shop lifting/violence. None of the stores in our area are closing due to shop lifting/etc. No one is protesting about 'Nazi' police, DEI and/or systemic racism. People are nice...just like before Covid. My wife and I both comment that there are lots of 'Hiring Now' signs. And we know a number of our extended family who don't want to work because their 'public assistance/support' and/or other family members are allowing them to not work...but that's another story. These days, when I read 'headlines' about violence, etc...I'm thankful that we live where we do.
I lived in San Francisco and moved to Florida 2 years ago. I feel very lucky.
Imagine turning San Francisco into a place people want to escape. It's a dark miracle.
Mr. Bray -
as the Black Crows sang; 'Jealous Again'
I feel like you're taunting us now with all these awesome photos...I think this is your 4th time in as many months.
On another note:
Did anyone else spend countless hours driving around during covid trying to make sense of what was happening? It kept me sane.
While I was still in the prison of the North, I drove around nearly every day, playing very bad music with the windows down. I don't know that it kept me sane, but it gave my family a break from me. I attribute any healing in 2020 to time at the lake with my daughter and worship with the Wesleyan church that never shut down, but moved its services to a drive-in (and then came back inside in the middle of the summer). I owe those people more than I can ever repay.
San Mateo County (on the south border of San Francisco County) threatened to fine (perhaps imprison?) those who ventured more than 10 miles from their homes. In the first year of the lockdown, before moving from San Francisco, I took many drives down the coast through San Mateo County laughing at the signs telling me to turn back.
Driving to relieve stress is uniquely American. It's what made my Chinese born wife fall in love with this country.
Australia had, and enforced, rules like that. Unreal.
Yep sure did! And don’t forgot our ring of steel around Melbourne to stop people leaving. Insanity at its finest in Aus. I’m pretty sure we’re the lemmings of the world
I actually went back to delivering papers (driving in semi-rural areas of my state) during the lockdown. It kept me sane. Driving is what I do to get away, to keep from going crazy, to keep peace in my house.
yeah, roll down the window and play some tunes...or play nothing at all and "listen" to the hum of the machine and nature.
And stick your head out the window like a dog sometimes....lol...:]
Pop the top hatch in the pick-up and stand up in the seat!
The wife threatened to drive into a tree should I do it again.
Though, she did smile when she said it.
try going pee in a Gatorade bottle while driving. my wife love's that maneuver
yep, i've done that too! :)
Yes. Hubs and I rode our motorcycles WITH NO MASKS ON to the horror of fellow citizens of our midwestern city. We spread germs up one street and down the other; rode by public parks with kiddie rides all taped off from enjoyment. We felt like badasses. Crazy now...
Dont worry.
You killed no more than a thousand people!...lol....;)
The news really is fake
Are there any parents bold enough to take away all the technology their kids are addicted to? Gluten free? Hell, they should be cellphone free, it would do them much more good! How about any new parents or about to have kids? Dare to not let them plug in? Make a promise to yourself now so you can stick to it no matter what the "other" kids are doing. There is so much more to life than what's online.
Do it all the time. But it's not realistic to totally unplug because imo that puts them at a competitive disadvantage with their peers.
But when they are unplugged, it's amazing how much better their behavior is ...well except the first 15 minutes.
Agreed, there is a limit to everything. Generally speaking, little kids don't need those devices, and pre-teens and teens should be limited. My kids loved to play different games on the computer and we just had a time limit, then their music practice, and playing outside or whatever.
What do we think about AI, is that going to make looking things up too easy? Will writing reports or essays be a thing of the past? If all a student has to do is "google" it, then they don't learn anything. Remember having to read books and encyclopedias and then put it into your own words? Too much technology teaches laziness, just like spell check, which isn't always right, btw. Even this that I'm typing tries to predict what I'm about to say and put it in for me. OK, do we even need to type anymore? No, there is voice recognition of course, there are many things good about technology, it is, of course, how it is used.
My teacher friend noticed how kids started acting different when parents used devices to babysit so they wouldn't have to interact with their kids or otherwise get them interested in something else like riding their bikes, reading a book, or exploring the woods. She said the kids' attention span dropped dramatically, they always were looking for movement, lights, stimulation, etc., they couldn't sit still for even a short time, unless they had a video game or similar device to stimulate them. Many have warned about the dangers of various technology, including the inventors of these things, they don't let their own kids use them! That should tell you something.
Well said. Agree
LOL!
Unfortunately, by the time they’re in high school (maybe earlier) even some of their IRL activities are dependent on them having smartphones. Team sports, dance classes, camp counselors, and other extracurricular activities are organized and communicated on apps like Band or GroupMe or such. No more phone trees (who else remembers those?). And at school, teachers send updates via Remind and expect students to take photos of the whiteboard with their phones.
Breath of fresh air--thank you!
Last week, reading a history of the French Revolution, I realized that if you lived 100 or more miles away from Paris, chances were you paid very little attention to those events, and until your taxes were due, maybe they didn't matter to you. The wars that followed were different, and if your local elites were forced out of power, that impacted you. But, the general idea is that keeping your head down and living your life has its appeal.