Update for Everyone VIII: He who laughs have the last laugh

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Managed to meme myself into going skiing despite the fact that I haven’t been for 12 years and can’t ski. Pro-tip to the youngsters - if someone asks if you go skiing, don’t say “yeah I love skiing, haven’t been since before the pandemic tho :’( “, when in fact what you should really be saying is “I can’t ski further than a foot without eating yellow snow”.

Just went skiing myself! I only started in the '20-'21 season though.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

All the Bengals fans came out if nowhere when Burrow started winning where were they when Bengals were losing

The low Approvals of Biden is not the final outcome it's still 9 mnths from the Election

[Cassius]

Managed to meme myself into going skiing despite the fact that I haven’t been for 12 years and can’t ski. Pro-tip to the youngsters - if someone asks if you go skiing, don’t say “yeah I love skiing, haven’t been since before the pandemic tho :’( “, when in fact what you should really be saying is “I can’t ski further than a foot without eating yellow snow”.

Just went skiing myself! I only started in the '20-'21 season though.

Nice one! My issue is more having claimed to be an experienced skier - oh well, I’m sure everything will be forgotten once the Aprés Ski gets underway.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

303/235:map doesn't mean 303 it means plus or minus 303 not below 270 but could be as high as 413 the Murray poll clearly shows that's Rs aren't 13 pts ahead on GCB 50/37 if they are they are plus 5 not 13, and Biden isn't at 39 percent they underpoll Blk and Latino voters D's get 44 percent of White vote clearly Minorities which include Females are the D base

If the map follows the 303 track SUNUNU is gonna lose to Tom Sherman, I would love to see one of those ARG polls in Sept for NH Gov it always gets close D's or Rs running in NH in the end, Hassan is gonna pull Sherman over the top

[Hope For A New Era]

With the health problems I've been experiencing lately, I've really been thinking a lot about what it must be like to suddenly develop a lifelong disability (an accident that leaves you paralyzed, or something).

Obviously my problem is not nearly so severe, and hopefully is temporary, but it's affected my life a lot. I've been ill for nearly two weeks now and it's very difficult for me to go to class because it seems that even when I sit down in a chair there, my heart rate doesn't want to go back down (after rising near 130 while walking there). So I've been attending online when I can, but that doesn't work for all my classes, so I've missed several of them. And I can barely do anything else. Last week I went four days without leaving my student accommodation except once to grab something from my car.

I often sleep with the window open at night despite the cold (I like the fresh air and the sounds of the world outside), and last night (Friday night) I kept hearing people walk by, talking and laughing. They're living so freely, and I just completely took it for granted until it was suddenly gone.

I can't imagine how horrible it must be to suddenly develop a permanent disability with no hope at all of getting your former life back. I've had only a small taste of what they must be experiencing and I am miserable.

On a happier note, my medical appointment is on Tuesday (the 22nd) and I have been very slowly and gradually feeling better over time. Hopefully we can get this resolved soon. I'm still working on the assumption that this is just some kind of really weird virus, but the heart stuff really scares me still (myocarditis? yikes).


Just some thoughts that I wanted to write down somewhere.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The D's are in the brink of total control of the Govt if we win in 22 and we can't fix the problems this country we should be kicked out of office, but we need a Wealth tax to raise the cap on SSA and create a 401 K on SSa we deserve it. That's why I voted D not based solely on COVID we all have bacteria in us that kill us and feed on our corpse when we die and when you visit grave you are talking to a skeleton

That's why Jews made Ossuary boxes to preserve not the person but the heritage eventually skeleton will dissolve over time too.

Control of the Govt isn't a tied Senate with the Filibuster in tack that's silly

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

I really f*****g hate trying to park in Downtown Chicago

[Mr. Smith]

ORD -> IAH

I thought you only did United...for some reason.

Also, IAH...you gots to do HOU. But then, you didn't use MDW either so...

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Another thing about this Biden 41 percent Approvals it's so funny that Vaccinated Bear post daily 41 percent tracking polls and its a 303/235 map minus 270 plus 413 and Biden isn't running for reelection D's in battlefield states are most D's are outpolling Biden in the battleground not one Battleground 302 have Rs been above 50 WI 47/47 PA 44/42 Fetterman Hassan 43/36, and D's are leading in NV and AZ

Trump won the Senate with a 40/57 Approvals because it was 5 percent unemployment like now, Govs and Sens are entrenched as I said before in blue and red states due to 5 percent unemployment we lost VA Gov only because our Federal Candidates weren't on the ballot only State candidates were


GCB is now 42/34 plus 8 D but if it's 5o or below Approvals it's a 303 map if Biden is greater than 50 it's a 413 map just like when Biden was at 57 before Debt Ceiling fight Crist and Fried were leading in FL 53/47

[Santander]

ORD -> IAH

I thought you only did United...for some reason.

Also, IAH...you gots to do HOU. But then, you didn't use MDW either so...

I fly American when I feel patriotic. I will never fly out of poor people airports... Gatwick is as low as I'll go. Also, the center of my life when I'm in IL is the North Shore, so no point for me to go down to MDW and slum it on sh**twest or a Delta regional jet.

[Mr. Smith]

ORD -> IAH

I thought you only did United...for some reason.

Also, IAH...you gots to do HOU. But then, you didn't use MDW either so...

I fly American when I feel patriotic. I will never fly out of poor people airports... Gatwick is as low as I'll go.

Only Megaopolises then? ...Fitting I guess.

[Wikipedia delenda est]

I just got back from a dance at my university where all they played was terrible rap club stuff, and like Morrissey in How Soon Is Now? I stood there awkwardly by myself. So I decided to go up to the DJ and asked him if he takes requests, which thankfully he did. I asked for Blue Monday and a few songs later it came on. I often dance alone in my room to music by New Order, The Smiths, and Pet Shop Boys, so to hear that iconic opening of New Order's masterpiece in a room full of people was enough to get me jumping. If only for a few minutes, I felt absolutely free - like I was really living, for once. Other people looked at me but I didn't care; in fact, I rather enjoyed it, but once the song ended everything was back to normal again. I was - I am - nobody, who knows nobody and nobody knows. I am cripplingly shy, autistic, diseased in the bowels, and friendless. That's who I've always been, for years now - an outsider looking in. The mere thought of going up to someone in the cafeteria and introducing myself terrifies me, though God knows I still think about it over and over again. If you're someone who engages in social interaction, has friends, and goes out and has fun - in other words, the normal range of human experiences - you really, truly, have no idea how lonely and alienating life can be. I'm seeing a school therapist on Monday and I hope and pray that, for once in my life, something good may come out of it. Lord knows it would be the first time.

[Aurelius]

I just got back from a dance at my university where all they played was terrible rap club stuff, and like Morrissey in How Soon Is Now? I stood there awkwardly by myself. So I decided to go up to the DJ and asked him if he takes requests, which thankfully he did. I asked for Blue Monday and a few songs later it came on. I often dance alone in my room to music by New Order, The Smiths, and Pet Shop Boys, so to hear that iconic opening of New Order's masterpiece in a room full of people was enough to get me jumping. If only for a few minutes, I felt absolutely free - like I was really living, for once. Other people looked at me but I didn't care; in fact, I rather enjoyed it, but once the song ended everything was back to normal again. I was - I am - nobody, who knows nobody and nobody knows. I am cripplingly shy, autistic, diseased in the bowels, and friendless. That's who I've always been, for years now - an outsider looking in. The mere thought of going up to someone in the cafeteria and introducing myself terrifies me, though God knows I still think about it over and over again. If you're someone who engages in social interaction, has friends, and goes out and has fun - in other words, the normal range of human experiences - you really, truly, have no idea how lonely and alienating life can be. I'm seeing a school therapist on Monday and I hope and pray that, for once in my life, something good may come out of it. Lord knows it would be the first time.

I have experienced similar issues, although milder. College went pretty well socially for me, but through my entire four years of high school I had no friends at school. Every time I move to a new place (which is very often in this stage of my life) it takes me a long time to get settled again, and by the time I move again it's like I've finally started making real connections and I lose all the progress I've made once again. Feel free to message me anytime. If you do, please know that I am not very good at just listening and providing sympathy, and I am much better at providing advice.

[Aurelius]

In a week I am moving back in with my parents for a few months, the immediate cause being financial issues caused by a drop of work hours over the past few months from 60 a week in December to 32 starting this week, with no real prospect of getting more hours anytime soon. When I was working so many hours I was doing fine financially despite the low wages and extreme expenses of living in a ski town, but this made me realize enough is enough and it's time to move on anyway. This gives me a golden opportunity to make some much needed changes to my life, as described below.

I was planning to do some road tripping in the summer of 2020 after graduating from college, but a combination of the pandemic and associated restrictions, poor financial discipline on my part, and severe mental health issues that popped out of nowhere in late 2019 made that impossible. (I did still manage to push through and graduate on time, somehow, but in retrospect I still don't know how I pulled that off). Didn't happen last year either, but this year I am determined to finally make it happen. I expect to leave after my sister's graduation in late May and finish it up by September. I have about $6,000 saved, which is less than I would like, but I am determined to pull it off somehow.

That will be about 3 months I will be living with my parents. In that time I have five main goals.
1) get my mind back in to the stuff I studied and plan to start a career in.
2) find some short term gig work related to the former to save up a bit more money for the road trip and get my foot back in the door work wise; while on the road trip I plan to be continuously applying for full time software engineer jobs with the intent to start at such a job in the fall.
3) sort through all the crap I've accumulated over the years; sell what's worth something, throw away or donate what's not, and keep only the things I truly want or need.
4) get my truck back in proper order after getting messed up in all kinds of ways by two Tahoe winters; this will cost 4 digits
5) work on a number of personal issues I have identified over the past few years:

poor financial discipline - proneness to impulse buys, buying way more food than I need and having a bunch of it expire, forgetting to cancel subscriptions, failure to fully economize, etc.
mild hoarding tendencies and more broadly a habit of accumulating way too much stuff
inertia - it's very hard for me to get started on something, and once I do it can be hard for me to stop
initial overcommitment followed by lack of follow through; coming up with grand plans, having those plans consume my life and mind for a short period of time, and then completely failing to execute on them
poor diet, and middling physical health due to inconsistent effort and time commitment
laziness and susceptibility to instant gratification
poor sleep hygiene, sleep cycle management, and self-discipline on these matters
inefficient use of time
cyclical internet/tech addiction - it gets bad, I have a come to Jesus moment and get it almost completely under control for awhile, then it gradually gets worse again and the cycle repeats
shyness, tendency toward withdrawal, and social anxiety (this is vastly improved from my high school years, but I still have a TON of work to do)
slovenliness and failure to stay organized and on top of things
being overly afraid of putting myself out there and taking risks - I still haven't had a sip of alcohol in my life at 24 due to being overly cautious from observing a trend of substance abuse in my extended family, and despite finally accepting myself as gay for good two years ago after years of doubt I still haven't made any moves toward any kind of anything at all

This will be (I hope) a more structured environment than the chaos I am currently living in the midst of, and hopefully will allow me to focus more intensely on these things. As for short term work, I have identified some websites (fiverr, upwork) which I have begun making profiles on, and on upwork specifically due to its seller-bids format I will begin soliciting specific gigs in a few days. I have a degree in computer science from a top 30 university and I plan to work for a couple years as a software engineer to get my foot back in the door and then figure out what exact direction I want to take. I have also discovered that my true passion is history, specifically US history, and I have done a lot of intense self-directed reading over the past year and a half; I have some interest in becoming a writer of general-public-oriented works of historical literature (a la David McCullough, H. W. Brands, Ron Chernow, Gordon Wood, David Hackett Fischer etc) and am considering going to grad school at some point to study up on US history, do my own research, and give that a try, but first I want to do at least a few years of tech work, first to finally get a career started and also because that is the much safer option.

I have epiphanies like this once or twice a year. I am exceptionally hard on myself in many ways, but that is in large part because I frankly have exceptional skills and talents in some areas and I feel I am not putting that to good enough use. I am tired of living like a slovenly pig (I'll spend hours cleaning my room, then it'll explode again a few days later, and I also have way too much stuff - it's probably gonna fill my entire F-150 when I pack up for the move). Usually when these epiphanies happen I put some effort in for a few weeks, try to build some habits, and try to bring more order and structure into my life, but within a month or two I'm back to the status quo. This time I am determined to make real changes and make it stick, and get my life truly under control and guided by my real desires and long-term goals rather than all of the things I mentioned above. I am now 24 years old, the clock is ticking, I am almost halfway through what many people say is the most formative decade of their life, and I am tired of frittering away my days and months achieving nothing in particular. I am starting to really think hard about how to go about that, but any advice is much appreciated.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Good luck, Cody, and good goal setting - I hope you will your way to execute. A lot of relatable stuff in there. 'Inertia' is an interesting one that I've only just realized is a problem for me. I have basically no ability to will myself up in the morning for work especially when I've been going at a still incomplete personal task, but once I do, I'll work 12 hours straight and ignore my other tasks.

The clock may be ticking, but I think most people feel that way through their 20s and may not get their real start until nearly 30. I think you have a big mulligan given the last two years. I also think the work experience you did have in place of it is a great life experience for a short-term period, although I recognize it may be less than ideal.

[Conservatopia]

Was going to post about my tinnitus but after reading about other people's financial, social, mental and health problems (of which I have no experience with) I think I won't bother.

I guess it's easy to take for granted how good our own lives are sometimes.

To HenryWallaceVP: you'll find a way to connect with people, you'd be surprised how many other people in the world are as into history as you are. I have no idea how hard it must feel to be as lonely as that but seriously you're a great chap and definitely people will see that in you. Most people aren't jerks and I'm sure you'll make great friends. I don't know what else to say. Perhaps this would have been better in pm.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

It's so funny that just because users made an R Nut map on the compiled map that it's gonna happen,it's not, I just made a D Nut, there so there you have I made a D NUt and it's gonna happen


ITS 9 MNTHS TILL THE Election there are more poor people than rich people D's need to stop being fooled by Trump he is a Billionaire has more money than most Prez combined he should never be Prez or RS should not get the Gavels back in 22


Evers, Whitmer and Shapiro and Polis abd Sisolak are gonna win
He who laughs have the last laugh he, ha, ha, ha

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

I'm honestly just vibing rn

[Aurelius]

I'm honestly just vibing rn

-snip-

Username checks out

[afleitch]

Back home from the surface of Mars Florida.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

My uncle decided to celebrate TUESday 2/22/22 by getting two tattoos of twos wearing tu-tus (one also has a toupee) at 2:22 from a tattoo parlor called Two Pillars Tattoo...

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Waitlisted.

Better than a rejection.

And meanwhile, several job interviews coming up.

[Aurelius]

Just 5 days till the big move.

Good lord how have I accumulated so much crap in just a year?

[Hammy]

Got the bill for the shop, it wasn't near as bad as I expected, especially having them done a full check of everything. Some expensive stuff, but some can be put off:

Battery - died during 2020 from not driving and just got a cheap one-year one, been signs that was going for awhile
Thermostat/gasket/spark plugs/ignition system - likely reason for the check engine light coming on
four tires - been put off for several years
front end alignment - also been put off

I imagine the tires/battery is the bulk of the cost here.

other stuff:

front struts - not getting these done any time soon, I've had the car for a decade and they've been making noise since the test drive
rear brakes/cylinders - need to get these done next month, I skipped them twice already during two front brake replacements.

[President Johnson]

I plan to attend a pro-Ukraine demonstration tomorrow afternoon, which is scheduled to take place in front of the Russian consulate in Stuttgart (capital of my state). Initiators are the youth wings of the SPD, FDP, Greens and CDU as well as the Young European federalists (pro-EU youth organization).