Listen Fat, President Trump makes me want to be a better man.
Naysayers may laugh, but it's how I feel in my heart.
He makes me want to work harder. Learn more. Become stronger. Expand my talents. Think Big. Fight. Not waste my time. Never give up. Become great and leave a legacy.
I got to thinking, during this time of quarantine when many of us have extra time, rather than fritter it away, like doing Meth with male hookers in hotel rooms, reach out to my caterpillars here on .win to tap into this infinite well of knowledge for things we can be doing to MAGA by Making Ourselves Great Again, because after all, what is America? It's not the magic dirt. It's us.
Suggestions for personal, spiritual, family, health, career, education, leisure, and any others are welcome. We may never become as great as Donald Trump, few ever have or will, but let us die trying.
Ever want to write that book? Do it now! Want to make that meme that's been in your head? Make it! Want to read that book on Marcus Aurelius? Meditate that shit.
Have an idea for a cool product or gadget? Start working on it! Want to get in shape? Work out from home. Lift heavy objects, do push ups, get active.
Want to Keep America Great? Vote Trump.
HIGH ENERGY!
My advice to you would be to (if you haven't already) start a garden. It teaches you so much about patience and God's greatness. I spend hours of my time in my garden. The most cherished things in my garden took years to develop, but now I grow and freeze Asparagus and I can Pickles for the whole year, I pick gallon buckets of Blueberries, Strawberries and Raspberries, and I am nearly self sufficient for half the year! My kids will know how to do the same and that's an awesome skill to pass along.
VICTORY GARDEN
MAGA GARDEN!!
Don’t forget to nofap!
How big is your garden?
Ive got an acreage, so its scattered around, but my asparagus patch is about 10'×25' and it produces probably 100 lbs per year. I have 18 blueberry plants in containers (anyone could have that much in their yard), I have raspberries along a 50' fence line, and my strawberries are in 3 spots, each about 10'×10', some in raised beds, some in milk crate towers. I have various other things, okra, 2 4'×4' garlic beds (need more), Cucumbers, Bush Cherries (9 bushes that only began a small fruit last year), tomatoes, dill, peppers, and onions. I grow what we like to eat and I love perennials that come back year after year.
I love pickled asparagus. I used to live in Walla Walla which is one of the biggest asparagus growing areas and have not been able to find that quality since. It really has to be picked less mature and be eaten right after harvest. Yum.
For small spaces research Square Foot Gardening. It's a great way to grow lots of items in small spaces. Really works well. When I had a small home in LA I used it and produced a lot of great veggies
I could use some pointers on pruning blueberries. I know the berries grow from last year's growth, so when I trim I try to leave small branches, but the bushes are getting tall and rangy, I'd like to maintain a compact yet highly branches form.
Do you have suggestions?
What climate are you in? Blueberries like acid soil. I grow currants because they are so much easier and tolerate my dry mountain climate. In fact they grow everywhere I have lived and are super easy, plus I can't buy them in a store. I just grow the black and red as I am not so fond of the white ones. Also raspberries are super easy. I grow the kind that don't need trellising and you just mow them down every winter. Also the erect thornless blackberries have been a huge success. There are grapes for every climate. This is just my 4th summer in this house so my plants are still maturing. My fruit trees may produce a bit this year.
I have the blueberries in a container to avoid our native clay soils. Harvested 13# from 5 bushes last season. I just planted a raspberry along the fence last year, it didn't bear yet and I have no idea if it's a "mow down after the season" variety yet. Something to learn in the fullness of time. I'll have to look into currants. Thanks!
Look into the Caroline variety of raspberries. They will bear in years with late hard frosts because they are fall bearing. Right now we just had snow. Last week was warm. I grew up in the northwest where blueberries are easy to grow and just don't have the patience to grow things that require containers. I am a very lazy gardener. I don't till or dig anymore either, I just put really good compost down and let the worms do my work. It is composted biosolids from the sewage treatment plant with chopped up yard waste. I have never had things grow like they do with a layer of this on my soil, totally amazing.
Caroline are fantastic. I would suggest to grow lots of variety of raspberries and blueberries so you have them at different times.
Summer bearing are "mow down" varieties. Fall bearing actually produce berries in the summer and a larger crop in the fall. They bear in the fall on new canes, then again the next summer on that same cane, then the cane can be cut off at the ground because it will never bear again. If you mow fall bearing then you will only get a fall crop. Summer bearing can be mowed off after they finish fruiting around August-Sept.
I started with blueberries in the ground 10 years ago and had so many problems with rabbits and deer eating the new growth (with buds), so I've been growing them in containers (cloth pots) for 6-7 years now. I didnt prune anything til year 3, now I thin out the bushes so there is space (anything growing back into the bush). Ideally, youd clip off the oldest 1-2 shoots, right at the ground in October, but now is fine (leave it alone once the buds start opening in another 3 weeks). Right now my plants are full of buds on the new growth and I will probably cut the top 10% right off the top, and thin them out. Snip out any weak stuff and leave shoots with lots of buds. Young purplish branches with lots of buds are the best producers. Grayish "woody" thick branches are the worst producers (over maybe 5 years old). Anything growing out wild and bushy with a low amount of buds can be trimmed, that might help your plants. I try to keep them thin enough to be able to stick your hand through if that makes sense.
I put up a huge deer fence around my house and back yard which is working so far. Outside the fence is just deer resistant plants. They move up into the mountains when it gets warm so it is really spring and fall that are bad. Do you have chickens? I really want to get some for bug control and food. I am not a critter person so I am a bit hesitant, but they would add a lot.
Thank you for these suggestions! I'm visualizing what they look like and will give them a try. Was too afraid to cut the old woody stems right to the ground, heh.
berries
https://workupload.com/file/As8PSBGab95
I planted asparagus last year so I am not supposed to start harvesting until next year. Did you wait?
Our didn't even produce well until the third year, that's also how long we were told to wait.
Same here. 2nd year I cut a few, but year 3 was full speed. When I planted, I did 2year crowns, 3yr crowns and seeds all mixed into the area. Not sure I noticed much difference after a few years, and after 7 years now theyre all the same. Mary Washington heirloom variety, so they're always renewing the patch and offer a variety of size (because of rhe varied ages)
Same here. 2nd year I cut a few, but year 3 was full speed. When I planted, I did 2year crowns, 3yr crowns and seeds all mixed into the area. Not sure I noticed much difference after a few years, and after 7 years now theyre all the same. Mary Washington heirloom variety, so they're always renewing the patch and offer a variety of size (because of rhe varied ages)
Rats, I was hoping for sooner lol
They were worth the wait. Eat em right off the stock. Our bed is small, dunno if that makes a difference. There was a lot of good asparagus advice in this thread tho. Great fuckin community.
we are soul pedes. nods i can't wait to get my fingers in the dirt. right after it stops being mud. ('bama here. we got another serious drenching in the last two days.) spring has sprung the last 10 days, and it is just gorgeous here.
This is the best time of year! I have strawberry plants peaking out of the straw and leaves that I cover them with in the fall. I have new raspberry suckers coming up. Plants and trees are full of buds. I love it! I'm in Nebraska and we have had 60s and 70 degree days (and a few still in 40s) lately, things are ready to go.
This quarantine (my last week of WFH is this week, unfortunately and then I've gotta find a job) has been good for me to work on my own writing, so I've got some energy.
Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine in the 1600s
Well, what I'm writing is no King Lear, but I'll take the inspiration.
King Lear
https://workupload.com/file/PDESqX4wUcC
Bigot!
Sorry, having reddit ptsd
Thank you for your service in the Meme Wars.
One of the 5 Good Emperors. Meditations is on my coffee table.
Rome may have had 5 Good Emperors, but only the USA has had a God Emperor.
Art of the Deal is there too.
Can confirm. The best.
Marcus Aurelius
https://workupload.com/file/36he2USXVDd
May sounds trivial, but at 55 I am finally learning to touch type. I am back in college for another degree and I need to speed up my typing. This is also my spring break.
There is no improvement that is trivial.
I have been taking piano lessons for a few years and just like typing it takes me much longer than other people, but I get there eventually. Other skills are much easier for me, I can cook, sew and knit well. I get a high level of satisfaction from getting good at things that are hard for me
Typing
https://workupload.com/file/HdsFcWqnQWC
I re-read this a few times. Powerful advice. Thank you.
damn.
Whatever you did or didn’t do yesterday doesn’t matter. Even if it does, it still doesn’t, because all you have is today now. Pick anything you want to do, including making 3 babies with an unknown woman you’d die for, and if you do a small but sizable amount a day, in 6 months you’ll have serious momentum. In 3 years, insane momentum. Does your age matter? Maybe, but, again, yesterday was already written. Write today!
This. This is how we get our country back from the commies.
I wish we could save comments because I would save yours. I really needed to hear this. You mentioning God touched my heart.
I copy/paste inspirational or insightful comments into a word doc. They are great to look back on.
Smart idea!
What sucks is when you wake up one morning and realize you married somebody other than your soulmate. :(
❤️🙏🏻🇺🇸 thank you, this is so beautiful.
It’s also ok to not want kids. Nothing bolder than recognizing and owning you’d not be an awesome parent, probably raise dickhead kids, and not procreating.
I know I don’t have the patience necessary for children, my kids would suck. They’d know how to safely handle a rifle though.
Edit: wait what’s wrong with porn tho?
Porn seriously harms the people who make it. Funny story, I once worked with a guy who was a very famous porn actor. I disliked him because he was a bit of a dick, he thought it was because I knew about his past, but the reality was I had no idea and found out later from someone else. Harry Reems if you want to look him up LOL. He was a pretty messed up individual and I liked him better after I knew why he was like that, not the other way around. When people buy or view porn they contribute to trashing people's lives. Another factor is that it harms healthy sexuality by creating and artificial standard. This is well documented. I think most people who say they have never looked at it are lying and an instance is ot going to wreck someone's life, but it can be very insidious.
You be you. Parenthood isnt for everyone and there isnt anything wrong with not wanting kids.
Imagine saying this as the hitherto unbroken line of your ancestors weeps
Ride the shopping cart across the parking lot every chance you get, Trust me.
I actually do this
This is one of the best things in life. You know how to live Pede!
I do this still and I am way to old for it LOL. 55 yo pede here
We used to have a real grocery cart, a hoppity-hop, and a big wheel in our basement and we chased each other all over the place on them.
Me too and I’m 50. Lol
I saw an older lady doing this the other day and it totally put a smile on my face.
My first ever sticky...humbled. Thank you Mods. And thank you for this site.
I’m pretty damn liberal, and I’ve had some really quality conversations so far on here without the mods just steamrolling my comments and insta-banning me. Gotta give credit where it’s due, this sites mods don’t suck.
You may be liberal, but you love guns. So we can agree on one thing, and probably many more than the few things we disagree about. Disagreeing is a key element of tolerance. Also, Iron sharpens Iron. Liberals are always welcome here, many of us were or still are (just in the classic sense).
Almost zero of the big name liberal politicians are actually aligned with liberal ideas. Pelosi and Schumer are establishment scumbags, and a lot of the newcomers are WAY out of line with liberal ideas too. It’s nuts man.
Real question I've posed to some of my leftist friends (still love them), Would a classic Liberal like John F. Kennedy feel at home in today's Democrat party?
I guess they know he wouldn't react very well, so I've heard him compared to Trump and #MeToo and all sorts of nastiness, the purity spiral is wicked.
Yes and no. JFK came from an extremely wealthy, politically established family. In that sense he’d still fit right in with today’s politicians.
The #metoo stuff, yeah the dude wouldn’t last very long in the internet age imo, I think he’d def get Weinsteined.
If you mean liberal in the traditional sense, as in liberty and freedom, then most of us are liberals. If you mean liberal as in leftie socialist crap, well, not so much. Either way, welcome.
It's a good reminder. Looking too long at the world can cause disquiet. Thank you for the timely encouragement.
Read a little each day, from a wide array of genres and periods, but read the Bible everyday.
Especially if you're gonna read the news next.. read the Bible first :)
I will try to find PDFs or audiobooks for people if they tell me what they're looking for.
You don’t ever have to drink again.
That was such a foreign statement to me when I was in alcohol induced hell. I didn’t know an escape from drinking all day, every day. Lots of people can drink and be merry and leave it alone, but I couldn’t. Some fine people at AA helped me break the cycle, and to understand my own alcoholism better. I haven’t had a drink since.
Then this virus cancelled all the AA meetings I was attending for support. I read from the book Alcoholics Anonymous every night before bed, and that helps. There is temptation abound to drink away the quarantine, and load up on wine and liquor. But I just want to tell you that you don’t have to, if you don’t want to; and there is a way out.
Stay strong Pede. This is powerful stuff. I haven't completely given up drinking, but President Trump has really helped me in this area. I've seen what he can accomplish by not drinking and it's been really inspiring to me. Lean on your boy, The Donald (and Jesus!) and they've got you. Be proud you turned your back on that life, not many are as strong as you.
Thanks. I had quit on my own for a short while and thought drying myself out would allow me to return to normal person drinking behavior. I was wrong, and it quickly became worse than ever.
I still have alcohol in my house. I don’t run and hide from it. There is wine in my fridge for cooking and because my wife enjoys an occasional glass. I now know that it’s just not for me, because I know what one will do, and I have no intention to go back there.
Stay strong, pede! We're proud of you and rooting for your continued victory over the bottle.
I used to put my shoes under the bed at night; it'd force me to get on my knees and pause a few seconds a couple times a day.
Stay strong pede! Best wishes!
I have not had a drink on over 30 years. My life is so much better. Congrats on your sobriety
I cleaned out my garage and started a mofoing garden!
Victory garden
It used to be a thing
I loved that show. We watched it every Saturday.
It was a thing long before the show. People planted them durig the war and rationing to supplement the food supply
I've been working hard on my vegetable garden, and getting lots of free vitamin D from the sun in the process.
Garage organizing
https://workupload.com/file/zqEYfyZydnx
I'd like to add to the list of potential self-improvement activities: Shitposting. I got myself some freeware image and video editing software, stocked up on rare Pepes, learned how to download Twitter and YouTube videos, and am trying to hone the shitposting skillz to a fine point.
REEEEEEEEsist!
Can we do the NPC meme again and Troll Twitter? Please?
👍👍👍
Always a favorite around here!
Gimp for memes
https://workupload.com/file/TvEENCN3Mf5
Learn to code.
(I did years ago and currently a JS developer.)
Good advice. Not quite coding, but I got Creative Cloud and currently learning Adobe After Effects.
Good wishes pede!
Any other suggestions?
Learn to fix the computers these guys use.
IT starts off as desktop tech stuff, and rapidly shifts into management of service assets unless you go the engineer route.
reeeeeeeeeeeee
hahahah
Read a book Plato's republic is something that is truly classic.
Many other books as well. Aristotle's ethics, Catholic republic: even if your not a Christian very good, 12 rules for life
Best get ebooks from kindle I got the complete works of Plato for 50 cents.
If your not a reader then physical work may be your thing or mix it up you have the time.
Of course writing this, I really need to clean my room. ;) have a good one.
If you really want to get into the underbelly of today's satanic elite I'd suggest 'Mass Control' by Jim Keith. We are living with sick sick people.
ty!!
to all pedes, i take reccs on BEST books, especially in: sci-fi, classic lit, history, and illuminati/clowns/MK/mafia/vatican
bonus points if there is an online version available free.
I LIVE FOR BOOK RECCS!!!!!
Brace yourself.
The Sparrow. May Doria Russell - hard to pigeon hole this one but it's one of the best books that a lot of people have never heard of. Sci Fi with a spiritual twist.
Consider Phlebas. Ian M. Banks - hard, thought provoking sci fi
Certain Prey. John Sandford - police procedural. If you are sick of flu news and want to escape for awhile. Sandford's books are great. Kind of like watching Hill Street Blues, but set in Minnesota.
Station Eleven, can't remember the author off hand If living through an actual pandemic isn't enough for you, this is a post apocalyptic novel about something very similar to what's happening to us right now. Unusual take. I found the writing beautiful. I wouldn't read this if you live in Manhatten.
Forever, by Pete Hamill. I would read this one if you live in Manhatten. Kind of historical fiction with a mystical element. I love this book. Also, Snow in August by Hamill.
On more, for no particular reason.
Night Over Water, Ken Follet. Haven't thought of this book in ages but something made me think of it, just now. There must be a mental link to current events. WWII probably.
Also, you have inspired me. I'm going to make a post about the best apocalyptic novels of all time. Spoiler, #1 is Alas Babylon by Pat Frank.
Tell me three books you like and I'll tell you three books you might like.
oooh only three...
ill have to go by best of genre for more than three
Most Beloved in Lit
disgrace by coetzee / idiot by dostoyevsky / master and commander by obrien / daisy miller by henry james / dead souls by Gogol / THE BRONTES EVERYTHING / All Vonnegut / Catch-22 by Heller
(note but I do enjoy lighter lit like McCall-Smith, Flannery O'Connor, Maugham, Trollope, Flaubert, Mark Twain, not so much Austen)
most reviled (lit category)
Heartbreaking work of staggering genius (Eggers) / Atlas Shrugged (full of herself and pretentious and she wasted my time) / david copperfield (too much style and immersion, not enough substance to the plot) / Anything by John Updike / Margaret Atwood
Most Beloved SciFi
Count Zero by W Gibson, and about 2/3rds of Gibson was good. Some were meh... / SNOW CRASH YEAHHHH / Hard Wired by Walter Jon Williams / Foundation Series / Dune
SciFi Reviled
Most of Phillip K Dick / Ray Bradbury / Phillip K Farmer
Action / Cop / Mystery / etc loved:
Agatha Christie / Some Clancy / Georges Simeon / Lillian Jackson Braun (shut up idgaf) / Godfather books / Some Grisham
Not so much: Earl Emerson / Books that read like i'm 5 / PD James / Nelson DeMille
Notable Mentions: I loved the Twilight series (tyes i can explain myself on that), I love Dave Barry, I love Douglas Adams. I hate Terry Pratchett. I thought LOTR was ok. I thought Once and Future King was pretty decent, but not my writing style. I adore Diana Wynne Jones.
Reading right now: My son has been badgering me to read his Eragon series, so I'm reading that.
Next up unless I change my mind: Anna Karenina.
Was that too much? I can't help it I am a huge book nerd. What I hate most: Nasty endings with an emotional toll, like The Old man and The Sea, White Oleander, East of Eden, etc. But if its a black nasty ending dripping with irony its OK.
edit: also hate multi-generational books. I do NOT want to drop characters partway through and pick up new ones, like the Narnia series or whatever.
This Tender Land, William Kent Krueger. Best book I've read this year.
Bernard Cornwell, The Archer's Tale. I've read all of his, but this was probably my favorite series. It was called Harlequin in the UK, I think.
Dan Simmons, Hyperion. Like Snow Crash, it's a sci fi classic. It didn't start a genre, but similar to Gibson and Ian m. Banks, I think it's prescient. Also, did you know that Elon Musk likes to name his space craft and recovery vehicles in the manner of Bank's Culture ships.
Much of Martin Cruz Smith's stuff is beautifully written. I wrote about ten thousand words on something one day, then read a bit of Polar Star that night and wanted to cry because his writing seemed so effortless.
An off the wall suggestion for you is Lawrence Block. When The Sacred Ginmill Closes, A Walk Among the Tombstones, all of the early Scudder books are gritty and real, and his Bernie Rodenbarr books are fun and light cozy mysteries in the style of Christie but more fun and less murder.
Enjoy, I'm going to check out Gogol and Diana Wynne Jones from you list, as I haven't read them.
i love these reccs, all of these are getting hunted down and read, hyperion first. yuuuuge TY!!
My pleasure. Hyperion is one of my top three favorite Sci Fi books. Along with Speaker For the Dead and Peter F. Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction. I'm kind of into sentient ships.
Dune is awesome, and Diana Wynne Jones is awesome. I don't usually see too many mentioning her.
Any Lovecraft love on this group, by the way?
Lovecraft love here. I have a jillion Lovecraft audiobooks if you're interested.
That's neat! Where did you get them from? I'm interested in Lovecraft audios.
The Eragon books were fun. You sound like a homeschooler.
i am now! I think its good for kids to go to school for the social aspects, but we have always done supplemental lessons at home because the teaching is inadequate.
It's not easy when your kids grow up to stay bonded over common interests, so I read the books they like and I got them all into Magic the Gathering early on, so we all have something to do together as they grow older.
I homeschooled my kids and have long believed that all responsible parents home school their kids whether they send them to school or not. I would have friends who taught their kids every bit as much as I taught mine claim they could never homeschool full time like me. The social aspects were never an issue for us because my kids were is no many activities. That can be difficult depending on where you live, lifestyle, personalities etc...
And once you've read Consider Phlebas you also realize it's just an introduction to the world and you get to read, like, nine more books. Excession, Matter, and Surface Detail are tremendous.
I'm sure you know this, but just in case:
SpaceX has two operational drone ships and has a third under construction as of early 2018. Just Read the Instructions operated in the Pacific for launches from Vandenberg; Of Course I Still Love You operates in the Atlantic for launches from Cape Canaveral. A Shortfall of Gravitas is under construction. As of 17 February 2020, 38 Falcon 9 flights have attempted to land on a drone ship, with 30 of them succeeding (81%).
It's always fun to see this generation of sci-fi fans putting references to the current contemporary canon into other creative works, but it's definitely something even better to see everything the SpaceX team is accomplishing!
I suppose they're saving Killing Time and Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints for future, spicier ships :)
Ive heard Wealth of Nations, and anything by Thomas Sowell are very good.
Also everything George Orwell, Animal Farm is crazy good.
Thomas Sowell! Yes, I only know him from his brilliant quotes. Been meaning to pick up a book by him or watch more interviews/lectures on YouTube.
Replay by Ken Grimwood
A man dies and wakes up back in 1963, 18 years old again, gets to re-live with all his old memories. Amazing.
Holy cow, this type of book is my jam. Thank you. If you haven't seen Looper, watch it (Bruce Willia/Joseph Levitt)
That sounds great!
Asimov’s Foundation series, for Sci-Fi
Hm, Dune fan myself. Both are tremendous though.
Foundation was great. Like LE Modesitte Jr forever hero, R.M. Meluch, Ian Douglas and of course Robert A Heinlein's starship troopers totally not the movie but probably to mainstream for this list.
A. G. Riddle's Pandemic and the sequel Genome very good and appropriate for today.
Virtually any C.S. Lewis. "The Integral Trees" by Larry Niven seems timely to me.
Cooking! Sewing! Budgeting! Figure out what your local farmers are growing and learn to cook seasonally. Learn how to sew on a button and patch your jeans and hem your trousers. Take an honest look at your finances, accept that they reflect your values, and make changes according to who you really are.
I cannot tell you how many of my generation live without these basic life skills. We can honor our grandparents by at least implementing a few of the practical lessons of the eras they lived through.
i learned how to make my own laundry soap. and its a good thing too because my supermarket was OUT last week.
im baking the bread at home now, and i discovered Tangzhong method bread. My life has changed forever. I will never bake bread any other way again. If anyone is baking the bread at home and hasnt heard of this.... TRUST ME. DO IT.
I've been doing a lot of baking at home lately, too. I'll have to check out the Tangzhong method - I've never heard of it before.
also, i would just add, that i also always replace some of the sweet in the recipe with about a T of honey. It acts as a humectant and just gives it that little extra je ne sais pas.
King Arthur Flour has so many great bread recipes on their site, and a lot of them have a Tangzhong option now. Worth checking out.
Thanks!
It’s a bummer when a recipe doesn’t turn out well, especially when the ingredients are hard to come by these days.
Soap
https://workupload.com/file/3VE39PNuT9s
bread
https://workupload.com/file/6wa9WnX97tA
Beautiful and timeless advice. Seasonal cooking sounds quaint and home-like. Really warm.
You know I'm ashamed to admit that I can't sew a button or patch jeans...
I really do believe it would honor my grandparents and great grandparents (two of whom I knew well) to be able to do these things. Thank you.
It's something I miss. My hands shake now and I can't do things I used to love, like embroidery.
blessings and healing prayers your way, pede!
You are so very welcome! I knew my great grandmother, too, and am thankful for ways to connect to her even all these years after her passing.
Seasonal Cooking
https://workupload.com/file/pkXBv6mrmtp
My suggestions are staying positive, eating well, and having faith 👌
Take this time to be mindful.
Actually sit down and read a work of classic fiction that you were "supposed to" and didnt.
I put off reading Dostoyevsky for the longest time, and I had been missing out. I picked up The Idiot and could NOT put it down. Now I know why Russians are so dang proud of their literature. After that I wanted to read more Russian classics, so I read Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol. It was freaking great.
Also wonderful and highly underrated in the world of classic lit is Somerset Maugham.
You guys are giving such good advice. I also have a lovely old copy of The Idiot sitting on my shelf I haven't touched. Bringing it to my nightstand now.
i guarantee you you will not ragret, pede!
If you want to do something for others, I know a way you can help the thousands of grandparents raising grandchildren (many single like me). I'm 67 and now teaching a first and second grader and have to be super careful about social distancing because of my age and the fact that without me, these kids go to foster care. If I have to be quarantined, there's no one else I'd rather be quarantined with, but by bedtime, I'm exhausted and craving a few minutes alone. I keep thinking if someone would just read to them at bedtime, I could sit and wind down in the evening like normal people do. There are some famous people recording stories, but well, I'm not trying to indoctrinate my kids to the celebrity culture, so I'm not so interested in them. Normal people would be better, I think. It could be fun. Kids don't even need good stories. Whatever books are in your neighborhood Little Library would do as long as you have fun with it. If it sucks, say so. The kids would think that's funny. You could also make up stories, or write your own children's book. Kids are easy to please and goofy. This might be a good idea, or it might be a really bad one that just seems good in my current state of exhaustion.
I've been a nurse over 40 years, so I was lucky to learn very young about what matters in the end. I now have the advantage of 67 years of life experiences. I've lived in a trailer and I've lived in a 6000 square foot house. I was happier when I lived in the trailer than when I lived in the giant house. Now, because of spending a huge chunk of my retirement trying to help my addict daughter and then on lawyers to save her children, I'm back to living on a tight budget. But this time, it doesn't bother me because "stuff" has never brought me contentment and I have enough to pay the bills. t seems trite, but money really can't buy happiness. You need enough to not worry about monthly bills, but beyond that, being in the company of people who make a lot of money just tends to shift your focus from inner things to materialism.
I was always grateful I had a job that mattered; a job where I could make a difference in other people's lives. But really, you don't have to be in a profession that's considered a helping profession to change people's lives. Mostly, you just have to listen and care. It's all most people want and need, and you can do that in any job.
What's saved my sanity and kept me stable and resilient more than anything is that I learned to meditate when the Beatles made it trendy in the 70s. I was 19 and it changed my life forever. It's the best thing I ever did and it has stood the test of time.
If I were to suggest one thing to do during the quarantine, it would be to learn to meditate. You'll be of more use to the world if you can carry inner peace with you, no matter the circumstance.
This was rambling, but you seem like a very good-hearted person who indeed does have much to offer the world. I wish you the best and much happiness along the way.
A lot of wisdom here. Thanks for mentioning meditation. The Beatles, like our GEOTUS, weren't perfect, but they did a lot of good, and their music can instantly change someone's mood to happiness. They did "turn on" a lot of people to meditation, which I think gets a bad rap in our country. Just a way to be yourself, the real you, not the thinking brain you. Turn off all the noise for a moment here or there, and just be you and be still. It's nice.
That was NOT rambling. That was a really great thing to hear. TY elderpede. I am one of those people who likes to shoot the shit with the elderpedes. Youngns are tiresome. And stupid. Even when I was a child, I wanted to hang out with the grown up pedes and the elderpedes. Screw retards. You guys are way more fun.
Meditate huh.
why does that sound so hard to do? I got shit to do. I don't want the Arrests happening without me.
But, come to think of it, there are a few answers I've wanted that I knew I could only get by going awake to the other side, just this past few months. But I was just lazy and didn't. I always think I will do it before bed, but then I end up face first in a crossword or the comment section of the Zero Hedge.
Try out some audiobooks! There are great ones for kids.
Here is a lovely children's audiobook (A Single Shard)
https://workupload.com/file/PbDQDWTuzFC
I gave up porn for lent and I haven’t cheated and I feel much better. Porn is such a distraction. And can lead to some serious sick perversions
Tough talk. Real talk. One of the few taboo subjects around these days. Trump talks about the invisible enemy a lot recently, and porn is a ghost-like enemy too. Thank you for coming clean and sharing your story but maybe it will help some of us get over the embarrassment and recover our lives.
there was someone I fancied once, and I never let him get serious with me because I knew he had a problem with that and I would never be enough. On top of that, it makes men extremely predictable and unimaginative, like they all read how to do it out of the same manual. I do not like it. I will not settle with a man who has this problem. Period.
I never told him that either.
Take that shit to the bank, boys.
EDIT: oh, and i can tell if you have a problem with it by the way you are in the sack. Males who have a problem with that all approach sex the exact same way, and I can't describe it, but I can tell immediately. It is boring, and makes you seem generic.
Imo the extreme anti-porn thing of recent years is contrived. It’s a base thing that a lot of people will and do abuse, like drugs and alcohol and sugar. Sex is even older than those. Some people get a jerk off and move on, whether they watched a video or not. It’s basic shit. Obviously a teenager “learning” about sex watching hardcore porn vids 50x a day is bad. So is drinking a liter of vodka by noon. Doesn’t mean vodka is fundamentally evil.
Look into tantric sex. Men hold back to retain life essence.
Listen dumb, here's the deal. Three things. Number one, come on man. Number two, that's just malarkey, number three, I WROTE THE CONSTITUTION,, ME! Number five, Barack America is a good friend of mine, he helped with the cockroaches and the thing, you know. So make sure to go vote for Biden/Corn Pop 30330 for US Senate, or else go vote for the other Biden. And that's it, period. If you don't like it then you're full of shit, we can take it outside man. Lastly, I-- my times up. Why am I stopping? Got it Jack? Period! PERIOD!
THIS WAS TOO HILARIOUS!! You got an amazing amount of Biden into one comment. Brilliant. Period! PERIOD!
👌 It's 'Biden for Dummies' in 100 words or less.
You mean "I'm the guy who wrote the constitution." I don't think I've seen him go through a paragraph without saying he was "the guy who" did something.
Excellent point, I'll make sure to tweak it like that on the next one I do.
We need a subdonald to discuss this type of shit, its great and sometimes politics just wears you out, you can charge up again, talking book recommendations, etc. Im sure it will help .win start ranking even faster
the "subs" will be referred to as "DonJr"s
HAHAHA We have the best folks, believe me!
ahah perfect!
Love this idea. These are some of the smartest and best people around, having them as a resource on a variety of topics all in one place would be amazing.
Basically a MAGA braintrust
If there are any pre-meds lurking, it's a great time to study for the MCAT 😁.
Ah, the memories
Brush up on your US civics - The Federalist Papers are possibly the most valuable insight and spirited defense of the founding of this country and its government system and philosophy of diplomacy as it was meant to be implemented.
Read up on other Presidents - The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt is a good place to start; it's a damn brick of a book, but the author is remarkably thorough and makes the whole read a page-turner about one of the most badass men to ever sit as President.
Classics, classics, classics. Dig up one of those books you "never got into in high school" and re-read it, or actually read it. Maturity and want of learning (as opposed to obligation) can turn a former chore into a lifelong favorite read.
Facet and polish the mind, and you will find brilliance.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET THIS PATRIOT A BRICK! THAT'S 166561 BRICKS HANDED OUT!
We are at 23.4599006668711942657726688% of our goal to BUILD THE WALL starting from Imperial Beach, CA to Brownsville, Texas! Let's make sure everyone gets a brick in the United States! For every Centipede a brick, for every brick a Centipede!
At this rate, the wall will be 1831.51206873105473610074132 MILES WIDE and 488.114342493193466097974817 FEET HIGH by tomorrow! DO YOUR PART!
I concur.
Get audible and get in the habit of listening to the great courses while doing menial tasks. Incredible how quickly and easily you will expand your knowledge on such a crazy wide variety of subjects. The great courses series is really amazing. I listen while walking, cooking, cleaning the kitchen, driving, etc.
That’s why the courses are better than books. I can’t concentrate on doing something and a book but the courses are made to keep Your attention. The pacing is better and there’s often a Socratic quality.
My favorites are “Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition” and “Redefining Reality: the intellectual implications of modern science.”
Both great.
Also, though many libraries are closed, many also have free online books and e-audio books that are available during this time. Check them out if money is tight.
It’s been excellent child rearing time I got baby boys at home.
Stay away from carbs and sugar
READ: BASIC ECONOMICS BY SOWELL
Just added to my audible library
The first chapter very clearly explains the role of free markets in setting prices and efficiently allocating scarce resources, and why centralized government sucks at that. Meanwhile dems are now calling for nationalized distribution of medical supplies, and trump is trying to explain to let the market do it, which dumbasses don’t understand since it’s not something you can explain in two seconds.
YARD WORK!!
100 Push Ups
100 Crunches
100 Bodyweight Squats
Daily.
Break it up into 10 or more increments and rotate.
Go.
I hope you have recovered, Pede.
fuck you, allright im in.
name checks out.
Spiritual - Start reading the Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas. He essentially sought to answer every single question that a person might have if they were to assume that Sacred Scripture is true, and he successfully does so without contradicting himself in any of its 4,000 pages. Coolest of all is that he did it during the Crusades when Christianity was under attack. There is no other book like it. If I had to make an analogy, it’s kind of like how the Federalist papers explain America. He explains Christianity.
I would also highly encourage anyone to read CS Lewis’ non-fiction books. He does a similar thing but is much less meticulous about answering every question with precise wording and format. Instead Lewis answers the biggest questions and does so in an easy to understand way.
Peter Kreeft is probably the greatest person currently living at doing what CS Lewis and Aquinas did. He’s another good one to check out.
Stumbled across an amazing quote today by Kreeft, had never heard of him, now the 2nd time in the same day. Sold, am checking him out. Also will spend more time with Aquinas, very belatedly. Thanks pede!
I LOVE YOU NO HOMO
note to self: bookmarked af
The Abolition of Sanity C.S. Lewis on the Consequences of Modernism
https://www.amazon.com/Abolition-Sanity-Lewis-Consequences-Modernism-ebook/dp/B07QDF2Y92/
Been workin' on a lil solar farm, 2 panels up so far, 280Wh battery. It's neat and will come in handy during SHTF.
Haha, due to inexperience and lack of knowledge, I failed to produce enough solar power to keep my remote project working. 10W panel doesn't produce enough amperage per day to keep 14Ah battery charged for more than 3 days with a continuous 0.2A load.
Awesome! I've been wanting to play around with solar for a long time. How did you get into it?
I just did a bit of searching and reading. I thought it would be complicated, but turns out it's all pretty much standardized at this point! Just get a couple of panels, I recommend 100W, from wherever you can find them cheap (I used ebay). Renogy and HQST seem to be popular brands these days. Then you just need a charge controller, again they're all pretty standard so just pick one that will work for the voltage and amperage for your panels. Then connect to your batteries, and connect the beefiest inverter you can afford to the batteries. That's pretty much it, but again do some searching and reading to get a grasp of all the details. It's kind of addictive, I think I'll keep adding to my setup when I have the money for it.
Awesome info. Thanks!
I've been doing a lot of kettlebell swings and military presses, mostly to blow off steam, but I can already see some changes in ~2 weeks of progressively more restrictive isolation.
I'd recommend "enter the kettlebell" by Pavel Tsatsouline" for an intro. If you can make it to a sporting goods store or even like a Walmart you can find the beginner sizes for sale.
i dont have oneand were on lockdown. i do have a fairly large cat that might be down for this, though.
no but seriously. im having the opposite problem, im getting fat on lockdown because i had to give up my diet. i need an exercise program or vid thats doable by a bloated hufflepuff. something that wont wreck my back.
anybody have ideas?
You can order kettlebells online!
If you (or your kid) has a Switch, try Ring Fit Adventure? It's a fitness game. Could be nice to play with the family as well.
Hey, KBs are supposed to be good for that! I've never wrecked my back though. YMMV.. heh.
I liked Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade.. very thorough approach to body weight stuff.
Wow...thanks! Core strength is so important and probably my main weakness. About how much time do you put into it per day?
It may take some time to learn. I've been a lapsed gym rat for almost a decade now.
That said, if you go hard you can end up pretty smoked in ten minutes (and wake up the next day rest to go at it again..) Tim Ferriss ('the four hour body' which is another incredible book) puts the minimum for fat loss around 30 minutes a week iirc.
Pavel's book can be found online. Though if course I recommend you pay the man, I confess I read it before I bought it. Well worth the money.
I would actually recommend Simple & Sinester, revised edition, another book by Pavel. It's a dead simple program with lots of information on technique and progression. You can tell the dude is based af too. Also check out his podcast episode with Joe Rogan, they go into detail about exercise
I'll second that! I just couldn't remember if he walks you through the progression to learn the movements in that book too.
Actually took some time and listened to a few chapters of the Word with morning coffee. Amazing how it makes the day better hearing from your Creator first thing.
This is some fine advice! Put an audiobook Bible on during morning coffee? Will try tomorrow!
Good idea, Fat. If you want to learn to code, I highly recommend egghead.io -- honest to GEOTUS no relation to the site at all, but I've used it and bought subs for my team members, and it's a good way to level up esp. on web development.
Another suggestion is AWS certification. There are lots of training outfits out there for that, too.
Although my career is far from software/hardware development, I got so much personal sense of accomplishment integrating hardware and writing simple software for an ESP32 to control an automated chicken coop. I hadn't written code since mid-90s but ground it out in the evenings over 3 months. It was an awesome, if frustrating at times, experience.
The Udemy app has a ton of incredible course content for musical instruments.
I bought a 60-hour course on intermediate to advanced guitar for like $8. While self-quarantining I have been working my way through it. The value is freaking unbelievable. You would pay a fortune in lessons for much of the same information, at less convenience to you. The quality level is high and the material is comprehensive and not just a bunch of aimless YouTube vids.
Check out Udemy courses.
We are cooking up like a gourmet mo-fo at our house!! Trying new recipes, being creative with using what’s in the pantry, lots of healthy, tasty, homemade food from scratch. Freezing leftovers for later. Even though I’m a good cooks, we had gotten into the habit of picking up food to go or eating convenience stuff like frozen pizza, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, etc. Made homemade lasagna (really time intensive so hadn’t made one in awhile), along with fresh breadsticks, roasted veggies and salad. Teaching my kids to cook as well.
Teaching your kids for the win! Good for you.
taught my youngest how to make bread this week as well. I must say, he hated it, kek. More of a cook and less of a baker. Me too actually, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do, so I try to enjoy baking. My hands are really getting too delicate for kneading, but it's not unfun... at least it smells really nice.
My Mom was into baking bread, she had a breadmaker machine, she would let the machine do the kneading (the muscle work) and then she would take it from there.
Yep, like xmetalgod said, you don't have to give up breadmaking just because kneading is too hard on your hands.
The bread machine's dough cycle is great. It's even more convenient if your machine has a timer. Put in the ingredients, set the timer, and come back to dough ready for shaping, final rise, and baking. Great for fresh dinner rolls without being tied to the kitchen all afternoon.
If your goal is teaching someone how to bake, I think a stand mixer with a dough hook is the better option. The mixer does the hard work of mixing and kneading for you, but you'll still have to show your student how to do everything else. Add in a quick explanation/demo of hand kneading, and your student could make their own bread with or without the stand mixer.
work out and buy more ammo!
Skipping the commute by working at home is such a timesaver!
This is going to be a coming thing if it works for your company. Saves them money, too.
Air fryers are magical, perfect steaks every time for no prep time!
Improvised prisoner workouts?
Read books. I’m currently reading the federalist papers. 500 pages of dense political philosophy
Live intentionally.
I've been working from home and doing whatever tasks my coworkers email me, and playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I wish I could cook (I do know how to), but I hate sharing the kitchen with my family, it's awful. If I was alone in an apartment this quarantine would be a 100 times better.
Damn. this post is very sticky worthy. Love it
I LIKE YOU A LOT. This site is keeping me sane. Great attitude.
Lift heavy things and put them down, repeat. Read. Buy stocks. Keep in touch with friends & fam. Give blood (Red Cross is really short right now)
I am trying make my small suburban plot as productive as possible. So I decided to learn to raise chickens for eggs (and maybe meat if things go wrong) . I just finished designing and building a chicken coop and run out of recycled construction materials. I don't recommend doing construction during the winter. It sucked, but at least I was my own boss, that counted for a lot.
I only paid for hardware and electronic supplies. The electronic supplies were to learn about electronics and automate the coop doors, water filler, and lights. It works.
Now that it's complete, I look back and wish I had the same kind of drive at my day job to learn and do, as I did on this personal project.
I asked myself, "Could I be a fraction as rich and successful as President Trump if I find something to work on for myself as tirelessly as I did this coop?"
Poultry
https://workupload.com/file/8WdDYmAxM3G
This is a post that GEOTUS would be very proud of. Good thinking, OP. I’ve read and upvoted every comment. I’m thankful that I did not get furloughed and am able to work from home. I did have to take a pay cut but I’m happy to share the sacrifice if it means our company can weather this storm and be around for the future.
To add to the great suggestions here, I suggest you check out Hillsdale College’s free online courses. They are a wealth of knowledge. https://online.hillsdale.edu/
I love free online courses. Thanks for sharing!
leave your mark in society, not ON society.!! -DON TRUMP/
I've been reading books and taking online courses to learn a new skillset to take my career in a new and better direction
Any recommendations on sites for online courses? I'm a big fan of free online courses/self-education.
Not really for free ones other than Youtube. But there are lots of paid ones out there, many are not all that expensive. Udemy, Lynda, Coursera, LinkedIn Training, and CBT Nuggets to name some.
Thanks! Very helpful. I never heard of LinkedIn Training or Nuggets before now.
It's actually LinkedIn Learning
I'm working from home (software developer). If funding runs out I'll start working on something of my own. I've also been reading along with the PragerU book club (Man's Search for Meaning, Hamlet, currently slogging through Pride and Prejudice). Getting the yard in shape, and going to plant my first garden this week. Cleaning, organizing, painting the dining room, etc. Tons of projects to keep me busy. Oh, and cooking a lot more than before. Exercising to fight off the COVID-19 lbs.
I hadn't heard of the PragerU book club, good rec! Everything you're doing sounds very Americana and enjoyable, living the dream!
Those eye correction exercises that promise to give you 20/20 vision doing only simple exercises and meditation, yet Wikipedia calls "pseudoscience"?
All of them work and have worked for millions in the east.
Not even recommending a specific programme - pretty sure any would do.
And it's incredibly cool to achieve something that society says is impossible and beyond science.
No reason why any self respecting person would wear glasses.
you reminded me i was going to try this. There is also a lady who does finger yoga on youtube, and people say it works for arthritis and lessened mobility in hands.
Thanks pede!
Are you serious clark?
Love to you, friend
Corn Pop Pony Soldier Push Ups Cockroach! And you're full of shit Leg hair, Jack! Let's take this outside Obambi gave me a charm bracelet with pizza on it, which is why I'm running for the Thing, you know Senate sniffing my granddaughter bad dude and this is my sister-wife, PERIOD!