Yoga. I've been running during lockdown, and I went to the gym one time when it reopened and felt uncomfortable with the blitheness.
But I wanted something with a strength/posture aspect to complement the running, and so it occurred to me that the cliche for my demographic is yoga, and I found a suitable YouTube channel to try it out.
It turns out that I truly just loathe yoga classes! I cannot get over the ridiculousness of my body contorting in the midst of all the other bodies, and the earnestness, and I never really get over my self-consciousness. But doing it by myself is really nice and peaceful.
I had a bunch of medical tests that were so invasive that they knocked me out for them. I was in one room when they injected me, and the nurse said "You might feel busy". Two hours later I was in a different room and the nurse was waking me up. I haven't gotten results yet.
Take care. Hope they can figure it out.
Best of luck, Walt!
I just rewatched Jackie Brown. Such a great film. This viewing though I was really struck by Robert Forster's performance. It's so understated, poignant, perfect. And I was equally struck by how many of his mannerisms I have. Also the way he is in the world. Acting with care. He should have thrown it all away and gone to Spain with Jackie.
I bet you're dying to hear whether I sat through it without getting fidgety and bored.
I remember cringing a bit when the "how do you like your coffee?" line was used.
7.2 is true - first time I watched it I sat there thinking "who is this guy and why is he not more famous?"
re 7.last
I was reminded just this week by something someone said of the:
Ordell: You know you smoke too much of that shit, that shit gonna rob you of your own ambition.
Melanie: Not if your ambition is to get high and watch TV...
dialogue. It's a great film.
Also, there's something about his character and that atmosphere of that film that reminds me (in sort of a vague tangential mental association way) of _Charley Varrick_.
12 Oh fantastic observation. I have the DVD and I'm going to double bill it with that.
Thanks for the well-wishes.
I just watched "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The ending (which I knew about ahead of time) was weird to me, given the circumstances. It doesn't really make sense, given that Manson is a genuine villain who should have been flung into the sun at birth, but the movie was just such a paean to establishment Hollywood that I wasn't in the mood for it. It was saturated with nostalgia for an era where men were men, and starlets were luminous and barely spoke. I'm probably not being fair to it, though.
I wanted jasmine milk tea ice cream so I went to the ice cream store. I assumed it would have pints ready to go so that customers could get in and out quickly, but it turned out that they had stopped selling pints altogether. The only way to order ice cream was for the customer and the employee to talk directly into each others' mouths for several minutes while the employee scooped the different flavors. Also, no one in there was social distancing. I left and went to a different shop. I now have six pints of ice cream in my freezer, none of which are jasmine milk tea flavored.
Heebie, what speed do you think MLR should be played at? Pineapple Rag said 100 bpm, but that sounds like you're walking through syrup - I'm playing it at 115 which is still pretty slow. MLR says it should be played at slow march tempo but I'm thinking 115 or 120 might be around the right speed. I think Rifkin plays it faster than that.
Mara graduated from physical therapy yesterday, so we can stop the weekly hospital visits. Nia had a psych ER trip that didn't require admission, but they got all her information and if things get worse we can call and they'll admit and let me drive her right to the facility and skip the ER. I've never seen the ER empty before, but it also turned out to be the night curfew had ended and then was reestablished. The nurse doing hospital checkout made sure we knew what paperwork to show if we were pulled over, but we weren't and got home fine. She's holding steady and wants to go protest. She's been asking for that all week and I think some of the daytime ones this weekend should be manageable for her. I'm not sure what the other kids will want to do, though. Mara is deeply frightened about police in general, came back in from chalking on the sidewalk because she saw a police car in the next block and didn't want to be breaking some curfew she didn't know about.
On the ground, though, things are okay. Odile and Lee talked about racism and Lee's worries and so Lee is now very supportive of our relationship, which I hope will make things easier for me. The plants I'd ordered have been arriving and we've got seeds in the ground, so we're working on creating there. I had also ordered an Ikea hammock and so I'm writing this from inside a giant peapod, basically, and it's amazing. I need more breaks from the family and I'm always exhausted and edgy, but I'm trying to just be accepting of that.
The girls got their pandemic-EBT cards today. Because they're on Medicaid and their school covers breakfast and lunch, we get some relief. I hadn't looked into how much it would be, but it should cover almost 2/3 of our monthly spending at the grocery store, which will make life easier for now for sure. At this point it's a one-time payment, but it sounds like it may continue if schools stay closed, which our principal expects they will at least for the older girls. I'm still leaning toward enrolling them in the alternative school for the year, but I have another two weeks before I have to do that.
Still doing fine here. Yesterday it was finally clear enough that I could do some significant sanding, which was good since it's supposed to start raining again today. Our recent worrying uptick in resident cases has started to taper off, it seems, but there's also been a surge of cases in nonresident seafood workers so that's worrying too.
You start with significant sanding and then use finer and finer grit as you move to insignificant sanding.
I stuck my head above the parapet on the mask issue again. Next week will be interesting.
Alive and well here. Our mask denier council person was just shut down on a 6-1 vote, so at least that's looking reasonable. My wife's employees have asked for this weekend off (one only today); so there are some good things that people are looking forward to.
Actually, in local good news, Kings & Sequoia National Parks will be opening up; we're planning a weekday in a week or two (after the first crush) to get out and explore nature a bit.
One of my game groups is exploring getting together in person for a roleplaying game. After a discussion with my wife, we agree that it's not ideal, but that I'll probably go -- I may just have to shower immediately on returning and similar minor concessions. I'm looking forward to it... and it really seems like lesser exposure risk than the already permitted dine-in-restaurant experience, though there's probably some motivated reasoning there.
Up again before 3 am (spontaneously as I'd forgotten to set my alarm while drunk) for my walk around the marina with Pola...
24: But masks? And distance? I think proposing sharing a quarantine bubble is a big step for a budding relationship.
quarantine bubble
We usually call that a reservoir tip.
And back again. Another 5 miler. My engine trouble light came on as I pulled into my garage which sucks. My mechanic is in the industrial area which has been closed off for the past few months and even if he is open I'm wary of taking taxis should I have to leave the car overnight.
27 Anywhere between 9 and 11 but usually on the early side. My sleep patterns have been fucked up since this started and I regularly awaken before 3 am even if I go to sleep past midnight.
Appalled by the police in the US, like everyone else I know.
Bought a second bike from a bar owner who had the frame hanging on his wall. No bottle cage yet, so haven't been on a longer ride with it.
Dear lord it's just past noon and 113 F outside.
I guess the lockdown has its advantages.
Researching the issue with my Mini in 28.1 I find out that one of the things that can make the engine maintenance light go on is a loose gas cap and I did get gas maybe 10 minutes before it went on so I'll try that and see how it goes before contacting my mechanic (who's a friendly Lebanese guy and will absolutely insist I bring it to him but if no need then I'd rather not take the chance. I have a severely limited COVID bubble here and I intend to keep it that way as long as I can.
Data Studio? I wonder how long Google will take to suddenly shutter that and delete all your stuff.
Heebie, what speed do you think MLR should be played at? Pineapple Rag said 100 bpm, but that sounds like you're walking through syrup - I'm playing it at 115 which is still pretty slow. MLR says it should be played at slow march tempo but I'm thinking 115 or 120 might be around the right speed. I think Rifkin plays it faster than that.
Oh, good question. I'll get out the metronome and think about it.
The trio is still the hardest part for me, and my favorite part of the whole song is the last bit after the trio. I almost find it poignant how much I love it.
When we were home last week, my dad told me that his favorite Joplin song is Paragon Rag, so I'm motivated to tackle that one next.
I know my media complaints get tiresome* but boy boy did the whole way yesterday's job report got covered chap my ass. (Of course the WH's naked exploitation was "worse"--May's 2.5 million jobs are the most new jobs ever recorded in a single month..) Aside from the formulaic issues I was just annoyed by all the "unexpectedly good" stuff. While I admit it was somewhat "unexpected" to me as I had not really thought about it, but upon a moment's reflection, sure, it makes sense that some proportion of the massive job losses earlier would be recovered as re-openings start.
*I'm just always attuned to what implicit messages my only-semi-paying-attention friends, relatives, acquaintances, and former co-workers are probably receiving. (Such as that one of Bill Barr's "goals" is to remove political bias form the DOJ and FBI.)
**I am not thinking it was deliberate under-reporting but more that the process and models don;t really work in extreme situations like the present. (I think another example was either Q3 2008 or Q1 2009 which although initially "bad" was later adjusted to show a much more significant decline. And it was potentially politically relevant as the preliminary numbers were what informed the stimulus "debate" (which whole thing invokes rage just thinking about it now).
There was also the part where Trump name-checked George Floyd in the most offensive way possible.
36: I was also irritated by how the stock market jumped. It's like having your cake and eating it too. "oh, you guys are having a great stock market because you think the coronavirus is over" plus "oh you got ANOTHER boost as if you hadn't been thinking it was over all along"? (I'm sure it will automatically readjust on Monday, but still.)
36: People were predicting 20% unemployment. The market's reactions are relative to expectations.
The real story here, which no one will ever talk about, is that the stimulus measures that the Democrats forced into the stimulus bill were incredibly effective.
We've been hovering at the 1,500-1,900 case range for awhile now. And testing above 4,000 and sometimes 5.
my favorite part of the whole song is the last bit after the trio. I almost find it poignant how much I love it.
Yes! Something about how the steady march alternates with the syncopated bits -- from measure to measure and from left hand to right hand -- feels so joyful. And it's really fun to play. Very satisfying under the fingers.
39: OK. So maybe more unexpected than I gave credit for. (Also I meant for this to be in the Immediate Summer thread.)
But this person has it right on this deranged video (from Kudlow, I think, right?) Looks like a Saul Goodman bit.
I know my media complaints get tiresome
This seems so unlikely that I'm going to call for a vote.
Not that I can call for votes, or anything.
Ditto, JP. I also appreciate the fact that I can outsource much of the media-watching to you and then look at what I want to only.
Tim got a hair cut yesterday. The barber's wife was able to work at home, so they did ok. Prices up $2, and Tim gave him double what he normally would. His son was home from chiropractic school and tracking the appointments.
On the contrary, highly tiresome. Stormcrow should post exciting geography trivia for his penance.
My brother-in-law just died (cancer). Age 37. A really good, decent man.
My condolences, Mossy. That sucks.
47: My condolences as well, Mosst. I hope he was comfortable, But it sucks to die so young. Best wishes to your sister or sister-in-law as well.
That's so wrong. Please accept my condolences, Mossy.
I'm sorry to hear about your brother in law, Mossy. My condolences.
Sorry, Mossy. I know you aren't strongly connected to your family, but I hope you're able to grieve his loss in a way that works for you.
43: I'd put the failure of the media right at the top of the list of causes for the decline and fall, and I have a pretty much inexhaustible interest in the topic. I am stunned and delighted that the Cotton thing cost Bennet his job, and I think it's really important that it did.
Sorry to hear it, Mossy. Good, decent relatives are a treasure.
Mossy, I'm sorry for your loss. That's awfully young.
Mossy, I am so sorry. That is so very young.
Sorry, MC. C'est dur de mourir au printemps tu sais.
Also, Stormcrow, I rather vicariously watching awful news through you. I would develop an ulcer.
Yes. I can't even watch (as opposed to read) the news.
Sorry about your brother-in-law, MC, and best wishes for your sister in coping with his loss.
Or, your wife? Come to think, BIL is ambiguous.
I've had that thought, too. It's got the advantage of being symmetric: If John is my BIL, then I am his SIL, even though our pathways differ. I think of it as Knight's moves.
Probably not the clearest comment I've ever written.
Sorry, mc.
54 Is it the market, or simply centrist dope preferences, that makes the major papers highlight conservatives as regular columnists? I have no problem with fact based opinionating from a conservative perspective, on the occasional as-needed basis. But bad faith conservative regulars who have pretty much have to make mountains out of molehills -- if not of fake molehills -- to fill their content obligations, that just seems to normalize bad faith discourse. Or are hate-clicks really that good for the advertisers?
66: I literally said the words "like a knight's move" in my head before writing 65, but decided I couldn't explain how it made sense.
65: I refer to Tim's brother's wife as my sister-in-law. Is that appropriate use or just confusing. Is it more correct to refer to her as my brother-in-law's wife?
I have wondered the same thing. Sitting around at family events with my ex-in-laws, I'd end up talking to my SIL's husband as the other outsider to the complicated family dynamics, and I was always puzzled about whether he was my brother-in-law. Ultimately decided that I thought he wasn't, and given that both intervening marriages are over, we've lost touch.
68: I don't think you have to resort to "the market" as an explanation -- though that surely plays a role, as does the oligarchy and the Overton Window and other stuff.
There is, however, a deeply ingrained professional imperative among journalists to present "all" sides. These days, it is a matter of genuine concern among serious* institutional journalist types that they are unable to find a minimally responsible voice for Trumpist conservative views. That's how the Cotton op-ed came to be.
I have said for years that in order for real change to take place, people needed to start picketing the New York Times -- and canceling subscriptions. I really am amazed at Bennet's firing, and the public protest surely played a major role. My guess, however, is that the decisive factor was the protest from within the Times itself. Establishment journalists are finally waking up to the inadequacy of Establishment Journalism.
*"Serious" is used entirely non-ironically here. These are smart people who have thought very hard about their professional obligations, even as they come up with an obviously wrong answer.
It's not just "minimally responsible" that's the problem. There's also just a severe shortage of Trumpists who can write and enjoy it. And Stephen Miller already has a job.
74: Steve Bannon is still out there! After this Bennet/Cotton thing, though, I guess the door really is closed for him to get a respectable op-ed sinecure.
71: I mean, I hate her, and Tim dislikes her with less venom, so I would be happy not to have her as my sister-in-law.*
*Of course, when I e-mailed her to ask her if we could have ground rules for when we engaged at Tim's Dad's funeral, because she had refused to speak to me the week before, she didn't answer my e-mail. But she did ambush me in the kitchen in front of her daughter ask to have a meeting the day after the funeral so that we could discuss the e-mail and situation "as a family." Puke.
76: I almost ended my comment with "That just leaves Steve Bannon." At any rate I think he would want the NYTimes gig but is an actual example of being too extreme/toxic for even the NYTimes op-ed page. But I think Bannon is the exception and most of the problem is that they can't find competent Trumpist writers (beyond tweet length). Until they start allowing opera that are hateful memes with no more than a few words.
Many things Trump wants cannot be expressed in what used to pass for conventional polite society. This is only a problem if you are committed to publishing things expressing Trump's positions.
I don't know what the NYT would say if Bannon applied for a job, but I don't think the answer is nearly so clear cut.
65, 66, and 69 are clear. I'd refer to my ex's sister's spouse as BIL.
78 seems right also. Publishing Ted Nugent's online musings would be about right, or maybe those of Kid Rock.
The Poynter Institute is justly regarded as a sophisticated exemplar of professionalism. Here is the sort of thing erudite journalists say to each other.
In fact, I'm sure they'd hire him, or at least very seriously consider doing so, confident that readers should have an opportunity to hear what he has to say.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that NYT readers do not have access to any other media, and at the same time, conservatives have no other platforms for getting their message out. If the NYT doesn't print rightist propaganda, how on earth would readers even know it's out there, much less what it has to say about the flaws of science/rationality/liberalism.
More seriously, in my youth, conservatives adopted an air of intellectual superiority, say that the rest of us were unrealistic and emotional, and they were the ones looking at the hard truths and hard choices. It was bullshit then, but the Reagan and then Gingrich revolutions completely gave that game away, with their embrace of aggressive anti-elitism. Of course, it's only gotten worse, but lots of people over 60 seem to be having real trouble finally accepting that conservatism is first and foremost bad faith in the service of money and power.
Up at 3 am again for another walk around the marina with Pola...
84.1 is not even remotely possible, come on! The New Yorker couldn't even invite him to a one-time event without its writers threatening mutiny. Bannon is a vulgar, gleeful neo-Leninist agent of destruction who would never stoop to flatter any sliver of the New York Times readership, which is the actual role of all its conservative columnists. They'd be (literally) more likely to hire Peter Thiel.
I mean, maybe they all socialize with Bannon, what do I know? But I just can't see it.
And back again, close to 4.5 miles.