Random Raves XLII: How Amazingly Unlikely is Your Birth!

[Snerk]

A good scalp massage is one of the best things. It's right up there with a back scratch. My life has way too few of these.

 

[Takhisis]

if you use more than one monitor

Insanity!

 

[Narz]

edit: I'm still basking in the glow of that glorious scalp massage omg so good

A good head rub is awesome!

 

[Synobun]

My boycott of all things news has been paying off better than I expected. I genuinely thought it wouldn't change much at all but instead it's significantly reduced just how down I feel about this world. A big drop in existential dread and misanthropy.

It does make me mostly useless for context-dependent discussions about the present now. But it's tough to feel bad about that when I also no longer need to deal with perpetually existing in a state of "Jesus take the wheel" when I hear the latest development of some atrocity or someone in a position of authority exerting their influence to endanger others.

Occasionally I get whispers of things happening, like the stock market drop or the Roy Moore debacle, but it's been reasonable enough to contend with thus far.

 

[Kyriakos]

The title of this thread reminds me of a line by Euripedes, iirc "The absolute best for man would be to never have even been born. But the second best is to die soon".

 

[The_J]

My boycott of all things news has been paying off better than I expected. I genuinely thought it wouldn't change much at all but instead it's significantly reduced just how down I feel about this world. A big drop in existential dread and misanthropy.

It does make me mostly useless for context-dependent discussions about the present now.

It's still possible to keep up a little bit .
I don't do much of it either, and still am aware of a few things. Not many, but a few important ones .


Rave for myself: Had a great weekend in Luxemburg, visiting a friend with other friends .

 

[Lexicus]

 

[Takhisis]

My boycott of all things news has been paying off better than I expected. I genuinely thought it wouldn't change much at all but instead it's significantly reduced just how down I feel about this world. A big drop in existential dread and misanthropy.

It does make me mostly useless for context-dependent discussions about the present now. But it's tough to feel bad about that when I also no longer need to deal with perpetually existing in a state of "Jesus take the wheel" when I hear the latest development of some atrocity or someone in a position of authority exerting their influence to endanger others.

Occasionally I get whispers of things happening, like the stock market drop or the Roy Moore debacle, but it's been reasonable enough to contend with thus far.

People need to slow down. If you want to play it on a higher difficulty level then stop having a cellphone.

 

[Snerk]

Why stop there? If you really mean business, stop using electricity.

 

[Takhisis]

And not post on CFC? Traitor.

 

[Synobun]

People need to slow down. If you want to play it on a higher difficulty level then stop having a cellphone.

Definitely. I spent a little over 3 years with a phone that couldn't be properly used. I had a wifi app for calling but the wifi here is spotty. Calls were... challenging. I finally got a phone with actual minutes on it this past December. It's been nice to not need to feel anxiety over phone calls anymore.

 

[Takhisis]

Yes. I can still use the phone with the local wifi but there's no line. No calls, no WhatsApp, no checking social networks on the bus. My Internet connection comes with a landline attached (or possibly the other way around) and that's it. Stress levels came down immediately once I got rid of the line.

 

[The_J]

Rave for myself: Had a great weekend in Luxemburg, visiting a friend with other friends .

Completely forgot: While we were out in the night drinking, I received (well, no, I read) my emails (yeah, was tired), and got notified that one of the papers with my name on (only second author, but anyways) got finally accepted .

 

[Gori the Grey]

The title of this thread reminds me of a line by Euripedes, iirc "The absolute best for man would be to never have even been born. But the second best is to die soon".

Here's a poem by Philip Larkin:

They eff you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extras just for you.

But they were effed up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens, like a coastal shelf.
Get out as quickly as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

(from memory, so if you look it up on line and something's a little different, go with what's online)

 

[Zkribbler]

Death to rats!

Rats live high up in coconut trees. Lately, I've been out of money a lot, and it's been raining a lot, so I haven't been able to keep my trees trimmed. But now, I have both money & sunshine. Two guys have been working for two days harvesting coconuts and chopping away dead fronds.

Last night, my dogs were having a turkey shoot as rats tried to evacuate. Every 15 minutes or so, there'd be a ferocious growl as another rat as dispatched to Rat Hell. I didn't get much sleep bbut, man, I was happy.

 

[CurtSibling]

I have not read a news story since last September, and I feel much better for not having the daily diet of doom.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Something happened in November that you might want to know about, though.

 

[Lexicus]

Something happened in November that you might want to know about, though.

The one year anniversary of the orange one's election?

 

[Gori the Grey]

oops, I did the math wrong.

which is odd, because ordinarily, I feel as though (with all the drama of the past year) we're longer than a year since that fateful November 2016,

 

[Takhisis]

It's a year, two months and a few weeks iirc