Randomly Posting Stuff Cause You Feel Like It

[C0LLETTE]

Gosh that was fun , Pearl. Thank you I throughly enjoyed every minute of it .

Where is all that strength and courage when we need it? We need a few more Amazons or Viking women. Waiting centuries between having some heroes to cheer is just too long.

[LOQUI]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bV0MMHfwfU

-bV0MMHfwfU

[GeorgiaMa'am]

. . . but not really about the Covid19 virus:

Radiolab, a public radio show and podcast, is presenting a show that heavily features Dr. Fauci. However, the portion with Dr. Fauci focuses primarily on his involvement with the HIV/AIDS virus crisis.

This week's episode, "Ashes on the Lawn", examines what current movements can learn from the LGBTQ community's efforts during the HIV/AIDS crisis about mobilizing large groups of people and gaining media attention. ACT UP was especially vital during this period of our history, garnering attention with actions like the AIDS Quilt, dumping ashes of HIV/AIDS victims on the White House lawn, and a day-long demonstration and burning in effigy of Dr. Fauci. Dr. Fauci had the same job during the AIDS crisis that he does now - head of the NIAID, and he has advised six presidents on HIV/AIDs.

You can find "Ashes on the Lawn", and other Radiolab episodes (which are all usually very interesting and produced with high quality), at radiolab.org (http://www.radiolab.org). (Scroll down to see recent podcasts.)

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/131317768_205971831083452_3848820459164638554_o.jp g?_nc_cat=1&ccb=2&_nc_sid=9267fe&_nc_ohc=vk87cKg7TJIAX8VKjHl&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&oh=bd9e24345712657c4440747afcf09d68&oe=60044422

[GeorgiaMa'am]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/131317768_205971831083452_3848820459164638554_o.jp g?_nc_cat=1&ccb=2&_nc_sid=9267fe&_nc_ohc=vk87cKg7TJIAX8VKjHl&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&oh=bd9e24345712657c4440747afcf09d68&oe=60044422

Is that Johnny Depp? If not, it sure looks like him. He's looking pretty skanky these days.

[Orema]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWD6uh1XQAAh0CG.jpg

Pat Parker and Audre Lorde.

[Orema]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWD6uh1XQAAh0CG.jpg

Pat Parker and Audre Lorde.

I wrote studs in the title when I posted this ... that’s my wishful thinking. They were lesbians, of that I’m certain.

[LOQUI]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUp3y_BWpRY


eUp3y_BWpRY

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/131443968_3605658659528529_5745942814258055446_n.j pg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=SGz1RUBjWbAAX-vURSG&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&oh=975f25302f67a1729c74504d270c889c&oe=600E44CE

[homoe]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3a/6a/df/3a6adf1314ff5f7bf3899be9af9711d7.png

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Bette Midler does the definitive version of this song, IMHO.
qYNvsUxWjpc

[PlatinumPearl]

Russia's Frozen Ramen Challenge Returns in Below-Zero Temps.


https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/article_1360/86/PSX_20201229_171054.jpg
Doshirak, a South Korean brand of instant ramen, has been a Russian favorite since the 1990s.


To read the full article and see more pics click here (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/12/30/russias-frozen-ramen-challenge-returns-in-below-zero-temps-a72520).

[Kätzchen]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BiC8fKjDIeg/UMfOUpskS3I/AAAAAAACUAU/Y-4hlRzpJt4/s1600/Agn%C3%A8s+Boulloche+-+French+Fantasy+painter+(1).jpg

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/134944826_243118430514508_5031738898458881284_n.jp g?_nc_cat=1&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=cJatIY88XYAAX-oO4Q1&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&oh=82ee3d2e74f9fc2045a104a25100c809&oe=601E03A0

[Orema]

https://i.postimg.cc/1z1NC2Kx/merlin-173498025-166b0950-ffc4-400a-ba2b-36aa3f048587-super-Jumbo.jpg
Ibtihaj Muhammad, the Olympic medalist. Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Ibtihaj Muhammad (born December 4, 1985) is an American sabre fencer and member of the United States fencing team. She is known for being the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics.

[Kätzchen]

Imagine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrpvq6xef2A)

by John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Imagine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrpvq6xef2A)

by John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

A timely and good reminder for all of us. It's important to remember what we're living for, especially when it's all too easy to be completely cynical in the face of crap like what happened this past week at the Capitol.

[Bèsame*]

The pylons at Los Angeles airport and other buildings downtown are lighting up blue for Tommy Lasorda. He was a Dodger from his cap to his cleats. I was lucky to have seen many games at Dodger stadium. RIP

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElXlGHlUYAARIli?format=jpg&name=medium

[Bèsame*]

oB2_j7c0d70

[FireSignFemme]

https://galeri13.uludagsozluk.com/669/donald-trump_1433957_m.jpg

[Stone-Butch]

What a perfect picture of the extended family. Ahh, home sweet home.

[Kätzchen]

XSTMicnIvyQ

[Bèsame*]

https://ftw.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2021/01/mountain-lion-photo.jpeg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1

Nevada wildlife scientist captures "Where's Waldo" moment. Can you spot the mountain lion?

[Stone-Butch]

Under the first rock on my left.

[Orema]

Less than 99 hours to go before he’s out of office.

https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20210120T09&p0=900&msg=Inauguration+2021

[Kätzchen]

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ignatiansolidarity/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/22160129/%E2%80%9COur-lives-begin-to-end-the-day-we-become-silent-about-things-that-matter.%E2%80%9D-180x180.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://pics.me.me/let-us-not-seek-the-republican-answer-or-the-democratic-39677487.png

[Bèsame*]

HffdKgO-i8k

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/140752386_3921410684536177_7602727927710706716_n.j pg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=mbM4UZxE3C8AX_JcFQ_&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&tp=6&oh=877140e20b9d813c7d9fb16513a90058&oe=602DB382

[Stone-Butch]

How very very true that is.

[PlatinumPearl]

F3NuBfWI3Co

[Bèsame*]

Today is the..

21st day of the
21st year of the
21st century.

[homoe]

https://www.lesschwab.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-LesSchwabLibrary/default/dwa5f5ed7c/images/learningCenter/article/content/les-schwab-lady-dig.jpg

[homoe]

https://image1.masterfile.com/getImage/NjczLTAyMTQzNDA0ZW4uMDAwMDAwMDA=AIcJ5P/673-02143404en_Masterfile.jpg



https://image1.masterfile.com/getImage/NzAwLTAwODY1MTAyZW4uMDAwMDAwMDA=AIavV8/700-00865102en_Masterfile.jpg

Say goodbye to them palm trees and that ocean and hello to.....

https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/Blizzard-to-Hit-New-England-this-Coming-Weekend-2.jpg

[VintageFemme]

I was born under a full moon.

The last time my birthday fell on a full moon was 2006.

The next time my birthday falls on a full moon will be 2044.

I hope I get to see that one last time.

[Gemme]

https://image1.masterfile.com/getImage/NjczLTAyMTQzNDA0ZW4uMDAwMDAwMDA=AIcJ5P/673-02143404en_Masterfile.jpg



https://image1.masterfile.com/getImage/NzAwLTAwODY1MTAyZW4uMDAwMDAwMDA=AIavV8/700-00865102en_Masterfile.jpg

Say goodbye to them palm trees and that ocean and hello to.....

https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/Blizzard-to-Hit-New-England-this-Coming-Weekend-2.jpg

That's what garages are for!

I think she should look out for things like this.

w5kanYYvzr4

[Orema]

That's what garages are for!

I think she should look out for things like this.

w5kanYYvzr4


Thank you, Gemme and Homie. I think I’ll be okay with the snow. I purchased a car 2 years ago and I have only put 5000 miles on it. I don’t drive much. Especially now that I’m no longer working.

What’s a little more concerning is a bear was seen roaming around in 2018 in the county I’m moving to and the bear population in the Lower Peninsula has increased 47% since 2000 to 2,112 bears.

A shopping mall is nearby and I’m hoping that will deter bears from showing up in my area.

Anyway, the area is lovely in the spring, summer, and fall. Just a couple miles from Lake Michigan. Very touristy and I like that. Sorta like San Diego without the bears, snow, humidity, convertibles, and delicious Mexican food, but lots of cheery tourists.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

A shopping mall is nearby and I’m hoping that will deter bears from showing up in my area.

Uhm . . . because the bears will be too busy shopping at Bath & Body Works?

Or because the bears will be afraid of the people buying guns at Dicks Sporting Goods?

[Orema]

Uhm . . . because the bears will be too busy shopping at Bath & Body Works?

Or because the bears will be afraid of the people buying guns at Dicks Sporting Goods?

Because of the activity of the shoppers!

[C0LLETTE]

Gosh, until recently we were being unusually visited by folks from Russia.
Seems now it is the Ukrainian turn.
Welcome Robertarirl.
Please extend my personal welcome to George and Fredarirl. Can they be far behind?
Hope to see you often till someone else realizes you are here.

[Jedi]

https://news.avclub.com/its-jurassic-park-but-all-the-dinosaurs-are-pee-wee-he-1846141134?rev=1611762432977&utm_campaign=The%20A.V.%20Club&utm_content=1611773104&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3mKAAnoqA0jmDDaW1bmcS836GoCWAyBof_cubLI EPYbAaK9AAMdDZrdT8

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Because of the activity of the shoppers!

Oh . . . duh! Of course! I get it now.

[homoe]

Because of the activity of the shoppers!


Oh maybe that wasn't even a bear Orema! Perhaps it was just homoe visiting back there in Michigan in her big old brown burley fur coat, in a less than pleasant mood...

[Orema]

Oh maybe that wasn't even a bear Orema! Perhaps it was just homoe visiting back there in Michigan in her big old brown burley fur coat, in a less than pleasant mood...

Now that's the kind of bear I would welcome—moody or not!

[homoe]

Now that's the kind of bear I would welcome—moody or not!


~~~:giggle:...

[homoe]

https://i.etsystatic.com/22012654/r/il/27e9df/2374248430/il_794xN.2374248430_6jah.jpg

[homoe]

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bbeb9bfe5f7d15fbadcf0cc/1564410952560-JRROW7RVDYYXP4XFLYC1/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kNmw6ZmSnrIOJruOJJXzJuYUqsxRUq qbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8GRo6ASst2s6pLvN Au_PZdKeF2m1y5TVqXCTL-xazfzSXMV2u9aNq21RRDjPN5lJjhLra2mGFHtVEZDHaBzxtio/d0406ccd640133206128e81d122f9613.jpg

[homoe]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/95/a2/5a/95a25a289bdeecef71493fecb244a399.jpg

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/156436509_4040300709313840_7650085853136885775_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=EUQha746lUAAX_gifG_&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=74cfbd3be0d85840b4f045a26e3c293e&oe=60678774

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4FvGIfxO4y282rglodjEHCkIFh3tH_ cTPDMIuSiOihye2zIpU-PKPfoz5VA&usqp=CAc

[Orema]

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/hbF0GbIaajZJzYHy9gXB2g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0Ny45MDUxMzgzMz k5MjE-/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/GbSUs7V9_7X87h63jLXqow--~B/aD0xMzY2O3c9MjAyNDthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/wwd_409/b3fb6d31e6172c5df9b5bca52b7d6d74

[PlatinumPearl]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D0BPm_7XQAEP9_f?format=jpg&name=small

[Orema]

This chart shows the rate of gun ownership and deaths from gun violence in several wealthy countries. Which dot represents the United States?

https://i.postimg.cc/43zWVdL3/26-QUIZ-GUNCHART-Q-super-Jumbo.png

By The New York Times | Sources: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, Small Arms Survey, World Bank

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/26/briefing/news-quiz-march-madness-vaccinations-gun-violence.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
________________
ANSWER:

It’s A. The United States has the highest rates of gun ownership and gun deaths of any rich nation. It’s also the one where mass shootings — like the ones in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo., this month — regularly occur.

The other countries are Canada (B), Germany (C), Russia (D) and Japan (E).

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/166589799_506875330653340_5366919001631599677_n.jp g?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=WQWYBzFd3GsAX_-07uF&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-1.fna&tp=6&oh=62fcd6e43ae5e2bc9505c4ef227bccbe&oe=608A4949

[Bèsame*]

http://shequotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/22Life-is-art22-Helena-Bonham-Carter.jpg

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/167014264_1431636430501951_6237459960139734636_n.j pg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=IKALCQcPLS0AX_JH0SN&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-1.fna&tp=6&oh=112947fb14392c07dfc768f7eae3b0b1&oe=6089293F

[C0LLETTE]

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/167014264_1431636430501951_6237459960139734636_n.j pg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=IKALCQcPLS0AX_JH0SN&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-1.fna&tp=6&oh=112947fb14392c07dfc768f7eae3b0b1&oe=6089293F

YESSSSSS Totally yes....and as you get older it gets worse.

Young "know-nothings" are constantly patronizing me, most men (of all ages ) are constantly patronizing me.

How the Hell do you think I got to this age, this financial security, this ability to provide for my family, without you, despite you....you morons?

Don't answer that cause I'm sure you have no idea what it took.

[MrSunshine]

Vbd0FcnFfO0

[Genesis]

ulBDMJj-ag

These penguins are awesome!

Origina article here: https://www.dailypaws.com/pet-news-entertainment/zoo-animals/penguins-visit-chicago-seafood-restaurant?utm_campaign=dailypaws&utm_content=link&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=606cd6b6382dc900017f7eaf&fbclid=IwAR2ovGu3k9B4KHql7t0LD-t87GJNiF5HlPWfv-e81GKkMsrapAyjGDJA4pg

[Kätzchen]

m3OqvYsyK-4

The 1st super moon of the year is coming Monday night;
April's ~~>>>> Pink Moon.

[homoe]

l_frEU8LYxM




Regina King knocked it out of the ballpark last night, PLUS she was smokin hot!

[homoe]

rpmWmak8pss



What a class act!

[Bèsame*]

3TM6y0j-DqY

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcShPNQJTHHNmTgY6vg9MBCBRuVQgEdSJ ShGPg&usqp=CAU

[firecat242]

Just a reminder that May is National Masturbation Month. Enjoy.

[Stone-Butch]

Just remember Sunday is mothers day. Always the second Sunday in May.

[PlatinumPearl]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0s1NAsX0AI5wZv?format=jpg&name=small

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/183326657_10159256545439886_4682243728058382840_n. jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=e3dJlEr5obMAX_Gnf6H&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-1.fna&oh=9150899a12da740e8dbb34fdd9b696d5&oe=60BF5434

[homoe]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a1/52/b1/a152b10ab3294da79c9156d296b55d60.jpg

[homoe]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0e/73/c4/0e73c4b5163f9218e6b4441a24335637.jpg

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/186036010_309219767324715_7016160011041206004_n.jp g?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=EcGTcMFqy8QAX9FLgLn&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&tp=6&oh=d18cae4d42e77352e9e1e56bb5a83fb7&oe=60C5CDFA

[Kätzchen]

https://estatesalesfl.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/antique-perfume-bottles.jpg

[Kätzchen]

https://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/164445-Tea-Lavender-Macaroons.jpg

[Orema]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP. NIkfRzMEI9PfI7xsQRMhOAHaI-%26pid%3DApi&f=1

Love this poster image promoting Lydia R. Diamond’s adaptation of Toni Morrison’s ‘Bluest Eye,’ now an Aurora Theatre audio play.

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/storystudio/sponsoredevents/adv/?prx_t=HpMGAiSlLATqoQA&ntv_eg=6*4;

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/187241017_319786739510535_7249881997014565596_n.jp g?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=6VVpsyoc490AX9-GTPQ&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&tp=6&oh=40706e7814cbbb12cc2beb882cc63536&oe=60C88D50

[Gemme]

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/187241017_319786739510535_7249881997014565596_n.jp g?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=6VVpsyoc490AX9-GTPQ&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&tp=6&oh=40706e7814cbbb12cc2beb882cc63536&oe=60C88D50

That's a different way to socially distance oneself.

[FireSignFemme]

That's a different way to socially distance oneself.

I'd hate to be a janitor or housekeeper there, looks like it would be very labor intensive. Extra, extra labor intensive.

[FireSignFemme]

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-fb7b831e86e9b576863fe52623b6bf4a

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/182346637_2233882666743137_8973398210583142183_n.j pg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=piPc7okqyZEAX8ZK1Br&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-1.fna&tp=6&oh=f7082ed9282f3733b3dfae3ed6439d5b&oe=60D1EC5F

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/190349601_1474172009581726_6939126961860107498_n.j pg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=Y4Ji-G7qONIAX_QeHMC&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-1.fna&tp=6&oh=69b6a5d5e2809e57bc36289cfddf464e&oe=60D68FC5

[Kätzchen]

jEnd8JIMii4

[homoe]

https://sep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-94387763560218/nothing-against-men-card-23.jpg

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/189324097_1470353373296923_6580792547670727718_n.j pg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=_-q-hMwZZQsAX-HJKDN&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&tp=6&oh=1a2db78911b495dd92b0153cfa22eafb&oe=60E27707

[Orema]

https://wwmt.com/resources/media/41b0db1a-cf29-44b1-a9ff-d002885e9e0e-medium16x9_AP21158074687543.jpg?1623069783472
Simone Biles competes on the uneven bars during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sunday, June 6, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

[Bèsame*]

jVfF-Ut9kdY

Incredible 30-Second Safari Spot from Sherwin-Williams took 5,600 Hours and 24 Artists to Produce

Sherwin-Williams has another installment of the “Color Chips” campaign, which transports you into an African jungle alive with bright, colorful animal life riding on the tagline “Where will color take you?”

Created by McKinney along with Buck Studios, the work comprises nearly 30,000 paint chips and was worked on by 24 production artists putting in a total of 5,600 hours to make a magical 30 second creation.

[Gemme]

https://wwmt.com/resources/media/41b0db1a-cf29-44b1-a9ff-d002885e9e0e-medium16x9_AP21158074687543.jpg?1623069783472
Simone Biles competes on the uneven bars during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sunday, June 6, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

"I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles."

Love. Her.

[Orema]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhRQHnDXsAAB2f_?format=jpg&name=900x900

I got eight points but of the eight things, there is really only one that I want to do.

I received seven points for not doing the following:

– Broken a bone
– Fired a gun
– Gotten a tattoo
– Zip Lining
– Been on TV
– Been on a cruise
– Been skydiving

There was a time I wanted to take a trans-Atlantic cruise but I’m developing an irrational ocean phobia in my old age (think Titanic) so that ain’t gon’ happen.

Have occasionally thought of enhancing a scar I have with a tattoo but it’s more of a fantasy than a serious desire.

Have never wanted to do anything else on the list of things I’ve never done.

[PlatinumPearl]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E9YmwqRWUAANGyu?format=jpg&name=small

[PlatinumPearl]

https://pbs.twimg.com/ad_img/1431471470593515521/oz_oKmjc?format=jpg&name=small

[JDeere]

2.5 days till my road trip!!!

[kittygrrl]

one j17CUVoONsQof the most beautiful creatures on the planet

[kittygrrl]

oXn1XxuAZEA&t=348s

[Orema]

The writer, Amanda Gorman, in an image from Estée Lauder.

https://i.postimg.cc/dtK86T2X/02-GORMAN-estee-lauder-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Ms. Gorman is the newest spokeswoman for the beauty brand. Credit: via Estée Lauder

[kittygrrl]

lots of2iWbldt8oSUwhale tail

[Kätzchen]

bn9F19Hi1Lk

:hk19:

[kittygrrl]

SR0mznc3gg0

[Kätzchen]

https://i.pinimg.com/474x/7a/81/6f/7a816f53497e3b24ad9837594fe7649c--spider-silk-spider-art.jpg

[Stone-Butch]

I trust NO politicians as most of them are like criminal defense lawyers, liars. We are having our elections now and of course our boy prime minister is making more promises. Now I ask you, if those are promises why did he not fulfill them in the last 8 yrs he has been at the helm? Because they are all liars and it is difficult to get politicians to do what the people want who vote them in. If I was such a person to run in politics I would make one promise only. I would say I would hold another election in 6 months and allow the people to vote on a list of things that need to be looked into and the majority would rule., not me or my cabinet, the people who put us there.

[Gemme]

I am so sick of trashy people.

That is all.

[kittygrrl]

the first time i saw this
I knewXVLA4sZVXn0 the minute the waves crest it was Tahiti...you can take the surf away from the girl but it never leaves her heart

[Orema]

https://i.postimg.cc/Pxy6X6cV/merlin-181614504-71689430-6982-4cba-94fa-2e683cdb683e-super-Jumbo.jpg

Representative Cori Anika Bush, an American politician, registered nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist serving as the U.S. Representative for Missouri's 1st congressional district, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform about getting an abortion after surviving a rape. Credit: Whitney Curtis for The New York Times

[Orema]

3CPCdyz_An0

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/245010757_10159930006877664_835885502556770721_n.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=1sL_xP74G4UAX8BE-Wz&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-1.fna&oh=c96955186180a84c4b77d67db25e4e44&oe=6188F1ED

[Stone-Butch]

p2gMCuYY4rk







If I get a new partner I promise her I will take her to France. (will only take an hour lol)

[Stone-Butch]

I wish to say once and for all, do NOT post your own opinion if it differs in any way from the group. I am not surprised that many have stopped posting as unless it is a joke or what you had for dinner do not go beyond that. Eventually someone will pick you out to criticize you. Forget it.

[Orema]

Dave Chappelle’s Brittle Ego by Roxane Gay

Ms. Gay, a contributing New York Times Opinion writer, is the editor of “The Selected Works of Audre Lorde” and the author of the memoir “Hunger,” among other books.

https://i.postimg.cc/y8VXqr4h/13-Gay-super-Jumbo.jpg
Credit: Art Streiber

We generally have the same debates about comedy over and over. Let’s address those upfront: Art should be made without restriction. Free speech reigns supreme. Sometimes good art should make us uncomfortable, and sometimes bad people can make good art. Comedians, in particular, are going to punch up and down and side-to-side.

Also true: Comedy is not above criticism, even if the most famous, wildly wealthy comedians will keep insulting those who question them. It’s just laughs, right? Lighten up. All criticism is forestalled with this setup, in which when you object to anything a comedian says, you’re the problem. You’re the one who’s narrow-minded or “brittle” or humorless.

“Shut up,” Dave Chappelle recalls telling a woman who had the gall to challenge his comedy, using a sexist slur and laughing at how witty he is, as if he’s the first man to ever deliver such an original, funny line. “Before I kill you and put you in the trunk. Ain’t nobody around here.” The audience cheers, before Mr. Chappelle explains that he didn’t in fact threaten the woman: “I felt that way, but that’s not what I said. I was more clever than that.”

Mr. Chappelle spends much of “The Closer,” his latest comedy special for Netflix, cleverly deflecting criticism. The set is a 72-minute display of the comedian’s own brittleness. The self-proclaimed “GOAT” (greatest of all time) of stand-up delivers five or six lucid moments of brilliance, surrounded by a joyless tirade of incoherent and seething rage, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia.

If there is brilliance in “The Closer,” it’s that Mr. Chappelle makes obvious but elegant rhetorical moves that frame any objections to his work as unreasonable. He’s just being “brutally honest.” He’s just saying the quiet part out loud. He’s just stating “facts.” He’s just making us think. But when an entire comedy set is designed as a series of strategic moves to say whatever you want and insulate yourself from valid criticism, I’m not sure you’re really making comedy.

Throughout the special, Mr. Chappelle is singularly fixated on the L.G.B.T.Q. community, as he has been in recent years. He reaches for every low-hanging piece of fruit and munches on it gratuitously. Many of Mr. Chappelle’s rants are extraordinarily dated, the kind of comedy you might expect from a conservative boomer, agog at the idea of homosexuality. At times, his voice lowers to a hoarse whisper, preparing us for a grand stroke of wisdom — but it never comes. Every once in a while, he remarks that, oh, boy, he’s in trouble now, like a mischievous little boy who just can’t help himself.

Somewhere, buried in the nonsense, is an interesting and accurate observation about the white gay community conveniently being able to claim whiteness at will. There’s a compelling observation about the relatively significant progress the L.G.B.T.Q. community has made, while progress toward racial equity has been much slower. But in these formulations, there are no gay Black people. Mr. Chappelle pits people from different marginalized groups against one another, callously suggesting that trans people are performing the gender equivalent of blackface.

In the next breath, Mr. Chappelle says something about how a Black gay person would never exhibit the behaviors to which he objects, an assertion many would dispute. The poet Saeed Jones, for example, wrote in GQ (https://www.gq.com/story/chappelle-the-closer) that watching “The Closer” felt like a betrayal: “I felt like I’d just been stabbed by someone I once admired and now he was demanding that I stop bleeding.”

Later in the show, Mr. Chappelle offers rambling thoughts on feminism using a Webster’s Dictionary definition, further exemplifying how limited his reading is. He makes a tired, tired joke about how he thought “feminist” meant “frumpy dyke” — and hey, I get it. If I were on his radar, he would consider me a frumpy dyke, or worse. (Some may consider that estimation accurate. Fortunately my wife doesn’t.) Then in another of those rare moments of lucidity, Mr. Chappelle talks about mainstream feminism’s historical racism. Just when you’re thinking he is going to right the ship, he starts ranting incoherently about #MeToo. I couldn’t tell you what his point was there.

This is a faded simulacrum of the once-great comedian, who now uses his significant platform to air grievances against the great many people he holds in contempt, while deftly avoiding any accountability. If we don’t like his routine, the message is, we are the problem, not him.

This toxic performance crescendos when Mr. Chappelle shares a heartbreaking story about his trans friend Daphne Dorman, a comedian, who died by suicide — suggesting that if she was fine with his comedy, how dare anyone else have a problem? The story is bittersweet and sometimes funny, and then it is tragic, and the worst part is that Mr. Chappelle is clearly so very pleased with himself when he gets to the punchline. He thinks he has won an argument when really, he is exploiting the death of a friend. For comedy. Of course, we don’t know Ms. Dorman at all; pushing back against this portrayal twists us in an impossible bind. Once more, Mr. Chappelle forestalls any resistance.

One of the strangest but most telling moments in “The Closer” is when Mr. Chappelle defends DaBaby, a rapper in the news for making pretty egregious homophobic remarks, and his fellow comedian Kevin Hart, who once lost an Oscars hosting gig for … making homophobic remarks. Both men faced professional consequences for their missteps, but neither was canceled: Mr. Hart remains one of the highest-paid comedians in the world. DaBaby has more than 43 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

At the end of his special, Mr. Chappelle admonishes the L.G.B.T.Q. community one last time, imploring us to leave his “people” alone. If it wasn’t clear from his words, the snapshots of him with his famous pals in the closing credits of “The Closer” make it abundantly clear that Dave Chappelle’s people aren’t men or women or Black people. His people are wealthy celebrities, and he resents even the possibility of them facing consequences for their actions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/opinion/dave-chappelle-netflix-trans.html

[Orema]

https://i.postimg.cc/0QkdzCBS/beautiful-dogs-1.jpg

[Orema]

That isn't a photo of Boots, just a stock photo that reminds me of him. He didn't have a white nose, but he had white paws.

[FireSignFemme]

Warning might be triggering for some people.

Sane ones.

Proceed at your own risk.

w04Adg_nEoI&t=16s&ab_channel=TheywillKillYou

[Bèsame*]

https://cdn.stayhappening.com/events10/banners/23246460cebeedea11260a2c6c40e91368e459120669164637 b0a62c69de2a80-rimg-w511-h296-gmir.jpg?v=1635283698

Witches/Warlocks Paddle Parade
This happens tomorrow..soo much fun stuff around here!

[Bèsame*]

43Fkhhkt7CY

every fall a hillside along oregon's highway 18 greets passersby with a massive smiley face formed by trees. ... the larch trees have been organized in such way that during autumn, their needles turn yellow, creating the body of the face while the douglas fir makes up the eyes and mouth.

[FireSignFemme]

43Fkhhkt7CY

every fall a hillside along oregon's highway 18 greets passersby with a massive smiley face formed by trees. ... the larch trees have been organized in such way that during autumn, their needles turn yellow, creating the body of the face while the douglas fir makes up the eyes and mouth.

That has nothing to do with the type of trees planted it's a crop circle. Just the alien's way of saying happy holidays, each year, every winter.

[cathexis]

43Fkhhkt7CY

every fall a hillside along oregon's highway 18 greets passersby with a massive smiley face formed by trees. ... the larch trees have been organized in such way that during autumn, their needles turn yellow, creating the body of the face while the douglas fir makes up the eyes and mouth.

That has nothing to do with the type of trees planted it's a crop circle. Just the alien's way of saying happy holidays, each year, every winter.

Oy veh, jocularity for most of us, but some people actually buy that explanation FSF! I'm constantly amazed at the schlock some people believe.
It's a nice photo, though.

[Stone-Butch]

When I went to the casino down 18 in 2019 I saw this and was amazed. I looked it up and sure enough it was put there as an interest for passers by to view. Done by a logging company. They hope it will last as it will age as it grows apparently but interesting to see. ty Besame'.

[Orema]

Cuteness alert! Babies, some in hospitals, dressed and posed in halloween costumes.

https://i.postimg.cc/DyQwWt9T/fb6632e4-36de-4578-a476-56cac01a2ebe-1920x1080.png

https://i.postimg.cc/wMLTQP3D/f8fc127b-5426-4afc-8f4c-39d5f6bc1099-1920x1080.png

https://i.postimg.cc/yd0wQzX6/a61cae31-7794-411b-973d-a130c8cc67b1-1920x1080.png

https://i.postimg.cc/7YhKbkGC/ad8cbccf-722d-4736-b3b6-3b8322f1f549-1920x1080.png

https://i.postimg.cc/1zs6nGCW/fca75893-2265-46a8-a323-d3f53905f6b8-1920x1080.png

https://i.postimg.cc/90RcFkyv/a57f00ff-689d-4b03-8f40-4337dc8e3fd7-1920x1080.png

https://i.postimg.cc/DZD8gL63/ee7383e0-3073-4197-b85f-bdd53d21d5b9-1920x1080.png

[Stone-Butch]

ty Orema, if these are for order I will take the one with the purple wings. What a bunch of sweet babies.

[Orema]

ty Orema, if these are for order I will take the one with the purple wings. What a bunch of sweet babies.

I know. They’re just adorable.

These kinds of photos were featured on the local news yesterday. Below is a link to the article with more photos. For some reason, I couln’t borrow (cough, cough) the photos from this website yesteday, but I found the ones below on the internets.

Glad you enjoyed them, Stone-Butch.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2021/10/see-halloween-photos-of-nicu-babies-in-cute-costumes-at-helen-devos-childrens-hospital.html

[Stone-Butch]

OMG that little purple mermaid and the little one holding hard to his pumpkin are so so so adorable. Babies are so easy to make you smile. ty Orema that made my day when not much else does.

[FireSignFemme]

Oy veh, jocularity for most of us, but some people actually buy that explanation FSF! I'm constantly amazed at the schlock some people believe.
It's a nice photo, though.

Actually I do believe in the existence of aliens. Why? Well because I've had contact, encounter type experiences all my life. It's just something I don't talk about much. Anymore I'm bored with the argument and besides I'm not here on this planet to try and make a believer out of anyone. How fair would that be? I mean there are times I can scarcely believe it myself and I'm the one it's happened to!

I don't think it's crazy to believe in aliens. Or that just because a person is crazy they couldn't have seen real ones. In any case what does it matter? As long as a person isn't harming anyone... so what if they believe the Tooth Fairy is real and she's married to Santa Claus? To my mind, way of thinking throughout history it's far more often been a belief in an angry vengeful God the source of human misery, cause of suffering than any belief in aliens. Or Santa Claus. Or the Tooth Fairy.

[Stone-Butch]

Well I got a little more of "cool" weather than I counted on LOL. It is now 32 F or up here 0 C. Sunny and freezing.

[Orema]

https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/50_DSC_5999relo.jpg
Adrienne Waheed, from Black Joy And Resistance

[Orema]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IVXBHNB5ZQI6ZPLP3I3W6RZQJY.jpg&w=916
A U.S. military service member speaks with Afghan children in the recreation area of an Afghan refugee camp at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., on Nov. 4. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images/from washingtonpost.com)

[Bèsame*]

e2zyjbH9zzA

[PlatinumPearl]

G-XVnPeBepw
Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights LIVE HIGHLIGHTS!

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/p526x296/264395096_467934144904224_3972724673153566337_n.jp g?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=f_iVYryhTNYAX8cHyLr&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&oh=00_AT_bi1nW9H0WhikWoIvixSTTwT6kD0pCjEUKM0IE_gX6 6Q&oe=61BAF6AD

This is Matrix movie star Keanu Reeves. He was abandoned by his father at 3 years old and grew up with 3 different stepfathers. He is dyslexic. His dream of becoming a hockey player was shattered by a serious accident. His daughter died at birth. His wife died in a car accident. His best friend, River Phoenix, died of an overdose. His sister battled leukemia.

No bodyguards, no luxury houses. Keanu lives in an ordinary apartment and likes wandering around town and often seen riding a subway in NYC.
When he was filming the movie "The Lake House," he overheard the conversation of two costume assistants, one crying as he would lose his house if he did not pay $20,000 - On the same day, Keanu deposited the necessary amount in his bank account. In his career, he has donated large sums to hospitals including $75 million of his earnings from “The Matrix” to charities.

In 2010, on his birthday, Keanu walked into a bakery & bought a brioche with a single candle, ate it in front of the bakery, and offered coffee to people who stopped to talk to him.

In 1997 some paparazzi found him walking one morning in the company of a homeless man in Los Angeles, listening to him and sharing his life for a few hours.

In life, sometimes the ones most broken from inside are the ones most willing to help others.

This man could buy everything, and instead every day he gets up and chooses one thing that cannot be bought to be a caring person. :stillheart:

[Stone-Butch]

Family dinners, family sing songs, family laughter, these are the only things that matter in the end.

[PlatinumPearl]

https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/p526x296/268247565_1802405906626794_4645422036790971046_n.j pg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=hrZOPd28BJkAX8gSce7&_nc_ht=scontent.fybz2-2.fna&oh=00_AT-2_NJCD60zsiJBjwZ6d5u6Yzey15kiLtqqOaDT1tleoA&oe=61C00615

[PlatinumPearl]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHiuD5PX0AcrT_3?format=jpg&name=small

[Stone-Butch]

It is eerily dark and quiet after all the freezing rain stopped. Nothing to be heard but cars off in the distance. Talk about silent night, but I really like it.

[FireSignFemme]

https://prd-sf-cdn.wag-static.com/renderer/v1/ferenderer?dsp=https://swiftbuckets-akmi.sf-cdn.com/designassets/cell642/c92bd99b834d45c090a846f895404d43/3&sku=CommerceProduct_351587&st=front&cx=/walgreens/wg/wg-us/walgreens-us&pt=1636615359765&ht=640

[homoe]

https://www.thehealthy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/funny-motivational-quotes_01.jpg?fit=700,700

[homoe]

https://i.pinimg.com/550x/a5/2a/01/a52a012c7a740eb3efc113c62af2501b.jpg

[Orema]

This Simple Piece of Equipment Could Elevate Your Workout

A jump rope can increase your agility and speed while giving you a great workout in half the time of a run.

By Rachel Fairbank
Jan. 7, 2022

https://i.postimg.cc/WbTyP2kM/image.jpg
Photo of Bernadette Henry borrowed from the internets.

If you’ve ever seen Bernadette Henry jump rope, as she often does around New York City, it’s hard to believe she ever does anything else. As the swings of her rope blur into a multi-curved arc, she hops, skips and jumps in a quick, ever-changing pattern, two separate rhythms stitched into a complex and dizzying dance.

For Ms. Henry, who teaches jump rope classes, juggles a full-time job as a caseworker and cares for her three children, two of whom are autistic, it’s the portability, versatility and high-intensity nature of jump rope that appeals to her. “I love jump rope because of how much work you can get in in such little time,” she said.

As we face another winter of pandemic stress and potentially limited access to gyms, finding new at-home workouts will be crucial. And a number of studies are showing that jump rope is an incredible tool for building strength, speed and agility, even if you weren’t gifted with a lot of athletic ability. It’s also a workout that can be done just about anywhere, with very little equipment, while exercising the entire body.

“The possibilities are endless, as long as you have some space and are on a good surface,” Ms. Henry said.

Jump rope increases speed and power.

In a recent meta-analysis of 21 studies, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, jump training was linked to faster running times for endurance runners. That’s because when you are jumping, your foot hits the ground for shorter periods of time than while running.

“Less time spent on the ground is more time moving forward,” said Jason Moran, a researcher at the University of Essex and one of the authors of the paper. It’s this reduced contact time, along with the power it takes to push off from the ground, that helps increase speed in activities like running.

In addition to building speed, it also increases power. With the quick motion of jumping, your muscles and tendons have to contract and recoil faster, while still providing an equal amount of force. As Dr. Moran explained, while strength is the ability to exert force, power is the ability to do it within a certain time frame. Therefore, exerting the same amount of force in a shorter time frame builds power.

https://i.postimg.cc/6Q3zpqWv/merlin-199868259-be22f782-f3f2-44fa-b548-3d0c7206eec7-super-Jumbo.jpg
Credit: Ryan Young for The New York Times

Your balance improves, as does your response time.

Any repetitive jumping activity increases the number and efficiency of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are used in quick, explosive movements. “When you jump rope, fast-twitch muscles are firing faster and giving feedback to the brain quicker,” said Alysia Robichau, a former college gymnast and sports medicine doctor at Houston Methodist Hospital.

In addition to its athletic benefits, the connection between your fast-twitch muscle fibers and your brain is a major part of what keeps your body in balance, especially if you have to react quickly. As Dr. Robichau explained it, fast-twitch muscles are used for sprinting, but “they’re also used to prevent you from falling off the curb.”

As we age we lose muscle, with our fast-twitch muscles declining the fastest, which is one of the reasons older people have a higher risk of falling. Exercises such as jump rope can prevent or reverse that decline in places like calves, hamstrings and quadriceps.

You gain increased bone density.

Bone tissue is dynamic, engaged in a constant cycle of building and breaking down. When your bones are put under repeated stress, such as by jumping rope, it stimulates them to build back thicker and stronger.

High-impact activities like jump rope have been shown to provide a force that is high enough to build bone density. Compared to other, lower-impact exercises, “this is going to be much better for you in terms of building your bone density,” said Dr. Michael Fredericson, an orthopedic surgeon at Stanford University School of Medicine.

https://i.postimg.cc/FRv6sm65/merlin-199868328-e267ebd2-1590-4e04-90b7-ce30c1442a77-super-Jumbo.jpg
Research shows that exercises involving jumping build bone strength and explosive power while helping to stabilize joints. Credit: Ryan Young for The New York Times

Mixing it up can reduce injury.

All of the different movements in jump rope, such as hopping, skipping or shuffling, offer a more varied form of movement than what you get from something like running, where you are doing a single repetitive motion.

“You’re working the bone in different directions, as well as your muscles,” Dr. Fredericson said. This is what he calls a more multidirectional type of training, which research suggests can help prevent overuse injuries.

In his practice, Dr. Fredericson treats a lot of recreational tennis players with tennis leg, a torn calf muscle often caused by performing a rapid movement, such as pushing off to reach a shot. Most players, he said, are not training their calves for such quick, explosive movements. Jump rope, which is a similar motion, can help prevent this.

Start slow, give your body time to adapt.

Jump rope requires lower body strength and coordination, but you can develop the skill with a little patience and consistency. Working your way up to 10 minutes of continuous jumping is hard in many of the same ways that working up to 30 minutes of running is, so it’s important to start off slow, to give your body enough time to adapt. “Stay within your own pace,” Ms. Henry said.

Going slow is especially important if you are just starting to work out after a period of inactivity, if your body isn’t used to the impact of jumping or if you are recovering from injuries. It’s also important to speak with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.

In the beginning, it may be enough to do one or two jumps at a time, until you have enough awareness of how your feet and the rope are supposed to move together. Or try jumping in place as a way to break it into simpler components. Stand as you would normally, with the jump rope behind you, and jump without swinging the rope. This will help you become comfortable with the movement of jumping, while also establishing the coordination of holding the rope as you jump.

You can also swing the rope over your head, letting it stop before it reaches your feet, at which point you step over it to develop a sense of timing for when the rope will hit the ground.

Once your body is used to jumping, it shouldn’t feel too hard. “You want to be relaxed and easy in your movements,” said Dwight Pratchett, a former professional boxer and boxing coach based in Houston. “When you tense up, you use up your gas too fast.” For Mr. Pratchett, jump rope has been a valuable tool for improving footwork and aerobic capacity, both in his work as a coach, as well as his own fitness regimen.

If jumping doesn’t feel right, it’s important to look at your form. “You want to really nail down the basics,” Ms. Henry said. This includes jumping on the balls of your feet, rather than flat-footed, with a slight bend to your knees. In the beginning, it’s best to jump with both feet at the same time, until you feel comfortable enough to start alternating.

“It’s hard to get that rhythm, but once you get it down, you can feel it,” Mr. Pratchett said. “It’s almost like dancing.”

The right equipment is essential.

It’s important to have the right jump rope and shoes. To find the right rope length, stand on the middle of the rope and pull it taut. The ends should then reach to your armpits. It’s better to jump on a softer surface, such as a rubber mat, but a wood or concrete floor works just fine, as long as your shoes are supportive.

If you are in a room with a lower ceiling or in a crowded area, you can still do a jump rope workout, although you may need to modify your technique and avoid the higher jumps. “The more you practice in a restrictive space, the more you get used to it,” said Ms. Henry.

She said that more than 20 years of jumping rope has helped her lose weight, reverse her pre-diabetes, reduce her blood pressure and keep her strong. It’s also an invaluable source of stress relief. When she is jumping rope, she’s not thinking about work or family or any of the many other demands in her life. “I feel like I am on vacation,” she said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/well/move/jump-rope-exercise.html

[firecat242]

Sisters are doing it for themselves.

[homoe]

https://www.relicsworld.com/images/quotes/of-course-i-talk-to-myself-i-like-a-good-speaker-and-i-appre-author-dorothy-parker.jpg

[homoe]

https://img.ifunny.co/images/02db9a5a8281405465753473443a97b5509e703d4e2985b5d9 e6bbebd90321aa_1.jpg






https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/14/fakes-and-fortunes-has-the-time-come-to-forgive-literary-forger-lee-israel-

[homoe]

~~
https://pics.me.me/thumb_a-well-dressed-woman-even-though-her-purse-is-painfully-55961594.png

[Gemme]

Possibly the most dangerous phrase in the world is "that's interesting" be it qualified as a question, a musing or a statement.

[homoe]

~~
https://i0.wp.com/www.amomandhermomtourage.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/HelloFebruary.png?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1

[homoe]

~~
Baskin-Robbins is introducing a new decadent ice cream flavor to celebrate the month of love.

The new offering, dubbed "Secret Admirer," features pink cake flavored ice cream, swirled with a rose ice cream, and sealed with a sweet strawberry ribbon.

"The launch of Secret Admirer builds on our history of high-quality flavor innovation, offering unique elements like real rose extract that our guests may have never experienced before alongside familiar flavors,” said Jeanne Bolger, Baskin-Robbins' director of research & development.

“We are excited to introduce an ice cream that is both intriguing and festive in the spirit of Valentine’s Day,” she added.

https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2022/02/01/642593a1-5e5a-4e95-af87-5bb9285f954b/february-baskin-robbins.jpg?auto=webp&width=452&height=600&crop=0.753:1,smart

[VintageFemme]

https://static.messynessychic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/G63A9518-scaled-930x620.jpg


What has kept you together for almost 50 years?


R: Well Gai is tenacious and she doesn’t let go. She’s loyal and likes crazy women. It’s the real deal, that’s all.

G:I knew when I met Rhonda and I’ve always known. What really makes it work is waking up in the morning and saying “Who is this person?” Yes I know so much about her, but in ways I discover that I don’t know anything about her. It’s fantastic! @gaigherardi and @rhondadhawkins

[Orema]

https://i.postimg.cc/k59NfHpT/220610-AIDSQuilt.jpg

Golden Gate Park hosted San Francisco's largest outdoor display of AIDS Memorial Quilt last weekend. The public was able to view more than 3,000 hand-stitched panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt while it was on display June 11-12 at Golden Gate Park. (Photo courtesy of National AIDS Memorial)

https://localnewsmatters.org/2022/06/11/golden-gate-park-hosts-sfs-largest-outdoor-display-of-aids-memorial-quilt-this-weekend/

[FireSignFemme]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2361/3805/products/ScreenShot2022-03-09at1.31.59PM_540x.png?v=1646861724

[homoe]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2361/3805/products/ScreenShot2022-03-09at1.31.59PM_540x.png?v=1646861724



.....:goodpost:......

[Bèsame*]

https://themindsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Be-So-Busy-Improving-Yourself.jpg

[Orema]

Your boss might be reading your work messages. Here’s how to prevent that.

Your boss may have access to your chats, messages and emails at the workplace. But there are ways to protect yourself.

By Danielle Abril

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/CT4UFABAX5HV7LX6IBJJEOZUYM.jpg&w=916

You may have recently noticed that many of your casual work conversations, which previously occurred face-to-face, have moved to digital apps in your evolving working environment. But beware: Your messages to your colleagues may not be as private as you think.

As more companies allow their employees to work remotely, either part- or full-time, distributed workforces are turning to digital services like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Chat to get their work done, collaborate and bond with their colleagues. Sometimes, that might mean that casual conversations about weekend shenanigans, workplace gripes or personal relationships are happening online, creating a digital record of all communications. So workers would be wise to keep in mind which platforms and devices may or may not provide privacy and adjust their behavior accordingly, privacy experts say.

Before we delve into the topic, I’d like to remind you that the Help Desk is here to help you with your biggest questions and qualms. We also want to know what’s happening at your workplace. Are there workplace technologies you are concerned about? Are certain policies changing the way you work? How is the future of work playing out at your employer? Tell us about it, and we will do our best to dig into your biggest issues.

Now, back to your workplace privacy. We spoke to several privacy experts to understand how workers should think about their digital workplace communications and the services they use. Here’s what they had to say.

Q: Can my employer see my private messages at work?

A: Privacy experts agree that there are two things workers should think about when they send a message to a colleague. First, is the service you’re using provided by your employer? Second, are you having the conversation on a device provided by your employer?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, be aware there’s a chance your employer could see or retrieve your messages. Additionally, even if you’re using your own device and your own personal account on a digital service, your messages still may be at risk if you have workplace software installed.
“The reality of what’s happening is a lot is changing very quickly,” said Alan Butler, executive director and president of the research organization Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Devices, software and different things are being used … and the onus is on the individual [to understand it all].”

The general rule of thumb is to assume that if your workplace is providing you a tool or device, they can and will see what you do on it, Butler said. In some cases, that might mean using administrative privileges to read direct messages or private channels on the company’s Slack workspace. It could mean retrieving emails, messages on Microsoft Teams or texts on your company-provided mobile devices. Or, it could mean screenshots of a person’s messages on other services like Facebook, Twitter or Apple’s iMessage that come from the company’s monitoring software.

The matter can get particularly consequential if workers are using messaging apps to unite against unfair working conditions or policies, said Cynthia Khoo, senior associate at Georgetown University Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology.

“There’s a standard level of monitoring that’s been on the rise,” she said. “But there’s an additional level of monitoring that’s out to squash labor organizing and activism.”

Even if employers can’t retrieve messages on your device, they may be able to get metadata that will help them map out which employees may have been part of the same conversation, said Daniel Kahn Gillmor, senior staff technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. They also may ask you to provide your private messages off your private device related to a workplace conversation in an internal investigation, said Edgar Ndjatou, executive director of the nonprofit organization Workplace Fairness. “You can decide whether you want to honor [the request], but you may potentially be fired for not honoring it,” he said. “It is fair game.”

So what can workers do?

First, if you want to have a private conversation with a colleague, it’s best to do that on your own device using your services, experts note. Also, look for services that provide end-to-end encryption versus just encrypted messages, Khoo said. End-to-end encryption means that your message will be encrypted the moment before it leaves your device until it arrives at the receiving device. Anything less than that means it could be decrypted somewhere in transmission.

She also suggests looking for services that offer ephemeral messaging so that messages disappear within a certain amount of time. Several experts agree that one of the gold standard services for private messages is Signal. WhatsApp is also a popular alternative, though Khoo points out users should be aware that it’s owned by Facebook-parent Meta, which is widely known for massive data collection.

Gillmor says to think about your digital conversations as in-person conversations, during which the location of where those discussions happen matters.

“You wouldn’t go have a conversation outside of your boss’s door,” he said. “You would find a more discreet way to do that — maybe when you’re out for drinks or near heavy machinery on a factory floor.”

It may be best to establish what service workers collectively will use in-person before moving online, experts say. That way there’s no record of the consensus.

But even with the best software, “nothing is foolproof,” said Butler of EPIC. While Signal allows users to disable screenshots of their conversations, the message receiver could always use a second mobile phone to take a photo of a message on the phone where the message was received, he added. And your privacy also depends on the person with whom you’re talking as they could ultimately hand over any private messages despite the service or device, Gillmor said.

That said, sometimes workers need to hold truth to power and that may need to happen on company channels. “It’d be a shame if everyone only toed the line,” he said.

And some conversations are protected by law. So if someone is talking to colleagues about poor workplace conditions and pushing them to collectively respond or act, employers would be breaking labor laws if they retaliated against that, Ndjatou said.

Ndjatou says in general the best advice for workplace messages, regardless of their level of privacy, is to know your audience and use common sense. Anything you say can always be used against you and if a conversation is particularly sensitive, it might be best to fall back on the old-fashioned way of communicating.

“If it’s possible, just meet in person and not digitally at all,” said Khoo.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/25/work-messages-emails-privacy/

[VintageFemme]

I saw this tweet and just loved it . . .


you ever wonder if butterflies get little humans in their stomachs when they fall in love

[VintageFemme]

Today is #NationalLipstickDay
Pucker Up

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGsIgfLXUBm_oTR0NDtIIn8SF510UcN BFzOcmekv9uAgwwnaYcrFgAVr-kD6L-hkHUBkQ&usqp=CAU

[PlatinumPearl]

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YAEPteh6dcU/YICPf812lwI/AAAAAAAAQsw/f993fKLxlCAW1VHxOw8AZ_Plyz8wT8OZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Share%2B%252817%2529.png

[Orema]

Already missing her.

https://i.postimg.cc/WpxxVRkm/serena-williams-vogue-daughter-cover-86.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Orema]

NYT Opinion | I'm Going Blind. This Is What I See.

X04HKyW-3hc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X04HKyW-3hc

From The NY Times YouTube page: In the Opinion video above, the filmmaker James Robinson introduces us to Yvonne Shortt, who is legally blind. But unlike the stereotype of the blind living in a lightless world, Ms. Shortt, like most other legally blind people, lives a nuanced existence between those who see well and those who can’t see a thing.

Ms. Shortt has retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that causes progressive loss of sight. She can see some things some of the time, depending on various factors, including the amount of ambient light, her distance from the object and the object’s location in her field of vision.

In this short film, Mr. Robinson simulates what it’s like to be Ms. Shortt, navigating her world with progressively declining eyesight but also recognizing what she has gained even as she has lost something so precious.

This is the first in a three-part series of videos by Mr. Robinson, who made “Whale Eyes,” a short Opinion film published last year that was nominated for an Emmy Award, about his own disabling eye condition. “Adapt-Ability,” an Opinion Video series, explores how it feels to live with a disability, and the ways in which society can adjust to be more inclusive of people with disabilities.

[Orema]

NYT Opinion | I Stutter. But I Need You to Listen.

m0E_wMIwfSI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0E_wMIwfSI

From NYTimes YouTube page:

John Hendrickson stutters. He has stuttered nearly his entire life.

And in the Opinion video above, Mr. Hendrickson, working with the filmmaker James Robinson, explores the obstacles and emotional burden of his condition and explains the coping strategies and workarounds he has devised to make it through the day in a world that demands that we speak up and speak clearly.

The film suggests that the problem may lie not with people who stutter but with a society that is largely unprepared or disinclined to accommodate them.

This is the second in a three-part Opinion Video series by Mr. Robinson that profiles people with disabilities. The first, about a woman with retinitis pigmentosa, was published last week. The third, featuring a man who has prosopagnosia — or face blindness — will be published next week. Mr. Robinson also made “Whale Eyes,” an Emmy Award-nominated film we published last year that explores his experiences living with an array of disabling eye conditions.

[Bèsame*]

"Sometimes these busy lives that we've created for ourselves can wear us out"


Most certainly. The part that struck me the most, "that we've created for ourselves".
I chose all of it. I asked for it. I wanted to move, I wanted to care for my Mom, I want to enjoy eating good food and to eat up life!
I can feel burdened by it or I can recognize that all this stuff fulfills me, even though sometimes it exhausts me. Be grateful for a full life and the to-do lists that come with it. I'm adding a relationship to my full life as well.

https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/90/69/1926031804-ronald-reagan-quotes_9535-4.png

[Orema]

Your Doppelgänger Is Out There and You Probably Share DNA With Them

By Kate GolembiewskiPhotographs by François Brunelle
Aug. 23, 2022

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/science/doppelgangers-twins-dna.html

That person who looks just like you is not your twin, but if scientists compared your genomes, they might find a lot in common.

https://i.postimg.cc/4dkdLXFS/23tb-doppelgangers1b-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Charlie Chasen and Michael Malone, Atlanta, 2014.

Charlie Chasen and Michael Malone (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/double-exposures-photographing-look-alikes/) met in Atlanta in 1997, when Mr. Malone served as a guest singer in Mr. Chasen’s band. They quickly became friends, but they didn’t notice what other people around them did: The two men could pass for twins.

Mr. Malone and Mr. Chasen are doppelgängers. They look strikingly similar, but they are not related. Their immediate ancestors aren’t even from the same parts of the world; Mr. Chasen’s forebears hailed from Lithuania and Scotland, while Mr. Malone’s parents are from the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

The two friends, along with hundreds of other unrelated look-alikes, participated in a photography project by François Brunelle, a Canadian artist. The picture series, “I’m not a look-alike! (http://www.francoisbrunelle.com/webn/e-project.html),” was inspired by Mr. Brunelle’s discovery of his own look-alike, the English actor Rowan Atkinson.

The project has been a hit on social media and other parts of the internet, but it’s also drawn the attention of scientists who study genetic relationships. Dr. Manel Esteller, a researcher at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, had previously studied the physical differences between identical twins, and he wanted to examine the reverse: people who look alike but aren’t related. “What’s the explanation for these people?” he wondered.

In a study published Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports (https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(22)01075-0), Dr. Esteller and his team recruited 32 pairs of look-alikes from Mr. Brunelle’s photographs to take DNA tests and complete questionnaires about their lifestyles. The researchers used facial recognition software to quantify the similarities between the participants’ faces. Sixteen of those 32 pairs achieved similar overall scores to identical twins analyzed by the same software. The researchers then compared the DNA of these 16 pairs of doppelgängers to see if their DNA was as similar as their faces.

https://i.postimg.cc/HxgSp7h4/23tb-doppelgangers2-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Elisa Berst and Corinne Barois, Paris, 2010.

https://i.postimg.cc/B6pC47D4/23tb-doppelgangers3-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Ana Maria Sánchez and Katherine Romero, Bogotá, Colombia, 2014.

https://i.postimg.cc/2y576dFv/23tb-doppelgangers4-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Pedro López Soto and Albert Pueyo Kaotico, Barcelona, 2015.

https://i.postimg.cc/152rmqgn/23tb-doppelgangers5-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Stella Cappiello and Nunzia Girardi, Bari, Italy, 2015.

Dr. Esteller found that the 16 pairs who were “true” look-alikes shared significantly more of their genes than the other 16 pairs that the software deemed less similar. “These people really look alike because they share important parts of the genome, or the DNA sequence,” he said. That people who look more alike have more genes in common “would seem like common sense, but never had been shown,” he added.

However, DNA alone doesn’t tell the whole story of our makeup. Our lived experiences, and those of our ancestors, influence which of our genes are switched on or off — what scientists call our epigenomes. And our microbiome, our microscopic co-pilot made up of bacteria, fungi and viruses, is further influenced by our environment. Dr. Esteller found that while the doppelgängers’ genomes were similar, their epigenomes and microbiomes were different. “Genetics put them together, and epigenetics and microbiome pulls them apart,” he said.

This discrepancy tells us that the pairs’ similar appearances have more to do with their DNA than with the environments they grew up in. That surprised Dr. Esteller, who had expected to see a bigger environmental influence.

Because the doppelgängers’ appearances are more attributable to shared genes than shared life experiences, that means that, to some extent, their similarities are just the luck of the draw, spurred on by population growth. There are, after all, only so many ways to build a face.

“Now there are so many people in the world that the system is repeating itself,” Dr. Esteller said. It’s not unreasonable to assume that you, too, might have a look-alike out there.

https://i.postimg.cc/9FRynQxW/23tb-doppelgangers10-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Anna-Maria Tenta and Helena Joas, Munich, 2013.

https://i.postimg.cc/HnJ8R69S/23tb-doppelgangers9-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Garrett Levenbrook and Roniel Tessler, New York, 2013.

https://i.postimg.cc/RhjJBwPv/23tb-doppelgangers8-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Karen Chu and Ashlee Wong, Culver City, Calif., 2013.

https://i.postimg.cc/RZ16k6wz/23tb-doppelgangers7-super-Jumbo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Jeanne Bédard and Jessica Gagnon, Montréal, 2015.

Dr. Esteller is hopeful that the study’s findings will help doctors diagnose illness in the future — if people have similar enough genes to look alike, they might share predilections for diseases too.

“There seems to be something pretty strong in terms of genetics that is making two individuals who look alike also having genome-wide similar profiles,” said Olivier Elemento, the director of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, who was not involved with the study. Discrepancies between DNA’s predictions and people’s actual appearances might alert doctors to problems, he said.

Dr. Esteller also suggested that there could be links between facial features and behavioral patterns, and that the study’s findings might one day aid forensic science by providing a glimpse of the faces of criminal suspects known only from DNA samples. However, Daphne Martschenko, a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics who was not involved with the study, urged caution in applying its findings to forensics.

“We’ve already seen plenty of examples of how existing facial algorithms have been used to reinforce existing racial bias in things like housing and job hiring and criminal profiling,” Dr. Martschenko said, adding that the study “raises a lot of important ethical considerations.”

Despite the potential pitfalls of linking people’s appearances with their DNA or their behavior, Mr. Malone and Mr. Chasen said the look-alike project, and the knowledge that we all might have a secret twin out there, was a means of bringing people together. The two have remained friends for 25 years; when Mr. Chasen got married last week, Mr. Malone was the first person he called. While not everyone with similar DNA shares such a bond, Mr. Malone said that he saw Mr. Brunelle’s photography project as “another way to connect all of us in the human race.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/science/doppelgangers-twins-dna.html

[Bèsame*]

This is great. I love the song..lol
arucF9hHlNE

[nhplowboi]

OK look, I am already tired of hearing about illegal aliens and Martha's Vinyard. I am glad the Island stepped up big time. I have always felt there are numerous religous groups across our country that could take on only one family and solve this problem if we were needed to.

[nhplowboi]

Is there an age you feel locked into? I am 68 (yep old) but still feel like I am in my 40s...wondering if that is weird?

[clay]

NHPlowboi.......not at all. I am 72 BUT everyone, even my doctors say I look & act like my 40's! AND I LOOK 40!!

[nhplowboi]

High five Clay! OK...I am not weird just older than most. :)

[cathexis]

OK look, I am already tired of hearing about illegal aliens and Martha's Vinyard. I am glad the Island stepped up big time. I have always felt there are numerous religous groups across our country that could take on only one family and solve this problem if we were needed to.


Those poor immigrants. They've come to the US to escape unlivable conditions in the Central American countries. Reminds me of the words chiseled at the base of the Statue of Liberty...bring your huddled masses yearning to be free. Guess, it's either old and disregarded or doesn't apply to the Southern Border.

It's shameful what DeSantis and Abbott have done with the refugees; sending them to areas where they may not be able to communicate due to language differences and without supplies, food, or money.

We are fortunate to have people in the cities and towns who have stepped up to help these poor people who were dumped in US towns they don't know after being lied to about job prospects, shelter, and more than newsprint and TV reports haven't told us about.

There must be some Constitutional Amendment to force these governors to feel some psychological pain for the misery and fear that they caused people who walked all the way from countries where they lived in fear only to find that we (US) treat them with the same disdain as their home countries.

[Orema]

I Have Face Blindness. This Is How I Recognize You.

When you can’t rely on facial recognition, you look beyond the obvious.

By James Robinsonm, Filmmaker

3-MzNPcEh6M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-MzNPcEh6M

We’ve all been there: You run into people on the street, and you suspect you’ve met them before — they certainly seem to know you. But you can’t locate them in the complicated tapestry of memory. Frustration and embarrassment well up inside you, putting recall farther out of reach. So you fake it and beat a hasty retreat.

Now multiply that experience many times over, and you might start to get an idea of what it feels like to be Paul Kram. He has a condition called prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, a neurological disorder that inhibits the recognition of faces.

In the Opinion video above, the filmmaker James Robinson shows us how Mr. Kram experiences social interactions, his techniques for managing prosopagnosia and the ways the rest of society can better respond to the needs of those who have the condition.

The video is the last in a series of three films by Mr. Robinson, each of which explores what it’s like to live with a specific disability. The first is about retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition, and the second is about stuttering. Disability is a very personal subject for Mr. Robinson, who also made the Emmy-nominated Opinion video “Whale Eyes,” about his own struggles to manage and live with several disabling eye conditions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/opinion/face-blindness-prosopagnosia.html

[nhplowboi]

Poor Donnie. :) Don't look behind you because it's all catching up to you and your clan now. You better start booking your flight to Russia.

[nhplowboi]

I searched and could not find the RIP thread so I will put this here. RIP Nurse Ratchet! Not only were you an actor but you also became a well known descriptor of the current mental health system. God speed.

[Orema]

Boredom is a warning sign. Here’s what it’s telling you.

It’s our brain’s way of alerting us that things aren’t going well and to do something more meaningful

By Richard Sima
September 22, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/55AKZZLCMZCBHHTO4FM2KWKKWI.jpg&w=916
(George Wylesol for The Washington Post)

In one famous experiment (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1250830), people were asked to sit quietly for 15 minutes in a room with nothing but their own thoughts. They also had the option to hit a button and give themselves an electric shock.

Getting physically shocked is unpleasant, but many people preferred it to the emotional discomfort of boredom. Out of 42 participants, nearly half opted to press the button at least once, even though they had experienced the shock earlier in the study and reported they would pay money to avoid experiencing it again. (One male outlier opted to shock himself 190 times.)

Boredom is a universally dreaded feeling. Being bored means wanting to be engaged when you can’t. It’s our brain telling us to take action, much like pain is an important signal for danger or harm.

Boredom is also how our brains alert us that things aren’t going well. Scientists who study the emotion note that every episode of boredom creates an opportunity for making a positive change instead of reactively looking for the fastest, easiest escape. We just need to pay attention.

“Boredom is sort of an emotional dashboard light that goes off saying, like, ‘Hey, you’re not on track,’ ” said Erin Westgate (https://www.erinwestgate.com/), a social psychologist at the University of Florida who studies boredom and co-authored the shock experiment. “It is this signal that whatever it is we’re doing either isn’t meaningful to us, or we’re not able to successfully engage with this.”

Boredom is a warning sign, she says, and it’s “really necessary.”

Can boredom make you mean?

In a 2021 study (https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpspi0000335), Westgate and her colleagues found boredom led participants toward more sadistic behaviors. In one experiment, bored participants watching a mundane 20-minute video were even more likely to do something presumably none of them had considered doing before: shred maggots named Toto, Tifi and Kiki in a coffee grinder. (The researchers named the maggots to humanize them.)

Among 67 participants who watched the boring video, 12 of them (18 percent) dropped a maggot into the coffee grinder. By comparison, in another group watching an interesting documentary, just one out of 62 study subjects tried to shred a maggot.

(It’s worth noting that the maggot-mangling machine was fake. No maggots were actually harmed during the experiments.)

Other experiments have shown a link between boredom and different kinds of bad behavior, from online trolling to bullying in the classroom to verbal and physical abuse by members of the military toward one another.

The good news is that boredom doesn’t always make us meaner — it just calls us to take action, good or bad. When better alternatives are available, boredom can also make us do good deeds.

In another set of experiments involving nearly 2,000 people, Westgate and her team asked study subjects to watch either a five-minute video of a rock or a more interesting video. Everyone in the study had the option to reduce the pay of the other study participants, with no benefit to themselves. In their boredom, the rock watchers were far more likely to cut pay than those who watched a more interesting video.

But when the bored participants had two options — to either cut a stranger’s pay or increase it, the overwhelming majority of people decided to give money, and fewer people took it away.

Boredom appears to motivate the search for novelty, not evil.

In short, the quality of the options matter: If you have a distraction such as a book you’ve been wanting to read or a hobby you’ve always wanted to try, you might be more inclined to turn to those when bored instead of shocking yourself and eviscerating larvae.

Boredom in the brain

Boredom is a different experience from the idleness of downtime or relaxation. Being bored means wanting to be engaged when you can’t, which is an uncomfortable feeling.

James Danckert (https://uwaterloo.ca/psychology/people-profiles/james-danckert), a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo, and his colleagues sat 10 adults in an fMRI brain scanner and measured their brain activity as they watched either a clip from the nature documentary Planet Earth, a video of two men hanging laundry or a static image.

Sitting quietly inside the fMRI machine or watching the boring laundry video both activated the brain’s default mode network, a constellation of brain regions that are active during internal thought, like when our minds are wandering. At the same time, the boring video shut down the anterior insular cortex, a brain region believed to signal something important is happening in the outside world.

What does all this mean? Through an fMRI scan, the bored brain looks like an unengaged, unhappy brain.

“It feels bad to be bored,” said Danckert, co-author of “Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom (https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B082DKYKBL&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_TK403SYPCHBG55JP6CDY&tag=thewaspos09-20).”

How to be better at boredom

We are most likely to be bored at work (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-51318-001) or in school — situations where we are afforded less autonomy and fewer options to do something about it. In a sample of nearly 4,000 American adults, 63 percent reported experiencing boredom at least once over the course of 10 days.

The problem with boredom is that while it tells us something is wrong, it does not tell us what to do about it. Finding healthy ways through boredom is up to us.

When the unsettling feeling of boredom hits us, it’s easy to be reactive and reflexively reach for the closest thing at hand: our smartphones.
But such a reaction can set off a “vicious cycle,” Danckert told me. Time on your phone is not particularly meaningful, which means that you’ll likely get bored again.

Instead of being reactive to boredom, try to be more mindful about the signal it is sending you. Take the opportunity boredom is giving you to reset, reflect on or reframe your priorities.

What other options are more meaningful? What are your goals, big and small? And why does what you’re doing matter even if it does not appear that way?

And take heart that boredom, and our search to find relief, is essential to our human experience.

“I think boredom gets a bad rap that’s not deserved,” Westgate said. Boredom is “linked to a lot of what most of us want out of life, like living a rich, fulfilling, interesting, meaningful life. Boredom is just one sort of helpful signal — maybe unwanted signal — that helps us get there.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/09/22/brain-boredom-happiness/

[Orema]

How to Make, and Keep, Friends in Adulthood

A friendship expert shares strategies for finding connection in a lonely, disconnected world.

By Catherine Pearson

In July, Marisa Franco went on a solo vacation to Mexico. But by the time she flew back to Washington, D.C., 10 days later, she’d formed an entirely new group of friends.

As a psychologist who studies friendship, Dr. Franco has a leg up on most of us when it comes to forging connections, and she leaned heavily on the strategies she learned researching her new book, “Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — and Keep — Friends.”

Dr. Franco assumed, for instance, that people would like her. And she reminded herself that people in transition — like those who’ve recently moved, gone through a breakup or who are traveling — tend to be more open to making new friends.

Buoyed by that knowledge, she struck up a conversation with a fellow traveler at a cafe whom she overheard speaking English. Dr. Franco invited him to a get-together for people looking to practice speaking Spanish that she had heard about on Meetup.com.

At the language event, I met someone else, made the same assumptions, and we exchanged numbers,” she recalled. “I invited them to a lucha libre wrestling match, and they came. This is to say: People are actually really open to friendship.”

Even so, Dr. Franco knows that making friends in adulthood does not always feel so simple or easy, and that may be one reason why friendship is in decline. In 1990, only 3 percent of Americans (https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/) said they had no close friends; in 2021, nearly 12 percent said the same. The United States is in the grips of a loneliness crisis (https://www.vivekmurthy.com/together-book) that predates the Covid pandemic.

Dr. Franco’s book acknowledges those headwinds, while also offering practical advice for making new friends and deepening existing relationships. She spoke to The New York Times about some simple best practices to keep in mind.

Questions and answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Much of your work centers on changing our scripts around friendship. What are some misconceptions you’d like to see disappear?

One is that platonic love is somehow less important or meaningful than romantic love. We have this idea that people who have friendship at the center of their relationships are unhappy or unfulfilled. It’s something I used to believe myself: I thought romantic love was the only love that would make me whole. I wrote “Platonic” because I wanted to level that hierarchy a little bit.

Another misconception is that friendship happens organically. But research has shown that people who think friendship happens organically — based on luck — are lonelier. You really have to try and put yourself out there.

Is that why you believe that assuming people like you is so important?

According to the “risk regulation theory,” we decide how much to invest in a relationship based on how likely we think we are to get rejected. So one of the big tips I share is that if you try to connect with someone, you are much less likely to be rejected than you think.

And, yes, you should assume people like you. That is based on research into the “liking gap” — the idea that when strangers interact, they’re more liked by the other person than they assume.

There is also something called the “acceptance prophecy.” When people assume that others like them, they become warmer, friendlier and more open. So it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I never used to be much of a mind-set person until I got into the research. But your mind-set really matters!

Still, putting yourself out there can feel nerve-racking. Any advice?

I suggest joining something that meets regularly over time — so instead of going to a networking event, look for a professional development group, for example. Don’t go to a book lecture; look for a book club. That capitalizes on something called the “mere exposure effect,” or our tendency to like people more when they are familiar to us.

The mere exposure effect also means that you should expect that it is going to feel uncomfortable when you first interact with people. You are going to feel weary. That doesn’t mean you should duck out; it means you are right where you need to be. Stay at it for a little while longer, and things will change.

You also believe that it is critical to show and tell your friends how much you like them. Why is that?

Because we tend to like people who we believe like us. I used to go into groups and try to make friends by being smart — that was my thing. But when I read the research, I realized that the quality people most appreciate in a friend is ego support, which is basically someone who makes them feel like they matter. The more you can show people that you like and value them, the better. Research shows that just texting a friend can be more meaningful than people tend to think.

At the same time, you are very clear that people shouldn’t blame themselves if they feel like they don’t have enough friends. Why does it feel so hard to make those kinds of connections?

I want people to understand that they are much more typical if they don’t have friendship all figured out. The data shows that so many people are lacking for community, and that is nothing to be ashamed about. I am trying to teach people how to swim upstream against a current that is pulling us all in the opposite direction — because loneliness is a societal issue that affects most of us. Our communities used to be built-in, not sought after.

Social media is a good example. It can be a tool for connection, but mostly we use it to just lurk, which is related to increased loneliness and disconnection. That’s not necessarily our fault, though. Social media is designed in a way so that we don’t use it consciously; we tend to just stay on it mindlessly. There are just a lot of societal reasons people feel lonely.

But I also believe we can hold both truths. Yes, this is a systemic issue. But there are things you can do as an individual to increase connection.

For those looking to make a new friend or strengthen their existing friendships, what is one easy tip you suggest they try today?

I’d say to swipe through your contacts, or look at who you were texting this time last year, and reach out. You can say something simple, like: “Hey, we haven’t chatted in a while. I was just thinking about you. How are you?”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/well/live/how-to-make-friends-adult.html

[Kätzchen]

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0d/2d/32/0d2d32dc7e8c8ab2a5554fb521dd57ad.jpg

[Bèsame*]

2Xu6w-hmXxg

[FireSignFemme]

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/72/15/8f/72158ffa3889c7843d73697d445c9d49.jpg

[Gemme]

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0d/2d/32/0d2d32dc7e8c8ab2a5554fb521dd57ad.jpg

I'm a big fan of teal and pumpkin (and similar shades) together. My living room can attest to this.

[Kätzchen]

TaF7AXHRsTM

James and I are huge Kevin Kostner fans.
We've been watching "Yellowstone".

It is slow moving (yet scary sometimes), but we think it might get very interesting this season.

:kissy:

[FireSignFemme]

PHRUGdzrFts&ab_channel=TheMacFamily

[Kätzchen]

https://media.merryjane.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJmaWxlcy5tZXJyeWphbmUuY29tIiwia2V5Ij oidXBsb2Fkcy9hcnRpY2xlL2hlcm9faW1hZ2UvMzY1My9iYWtl ZF90b19wZXJmZWN0aW9uX2plZmZfNDIwX2NoZWZfX1NRVUFSRS 5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjExMTgs ImhlaWdodCI6OTIwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciIsImZvcm1hdCI6Im pwZyJ9fX0=

Coconut Lime Smoothie (https://merryjane.com/culture/baked-to-perfection-jeffthe420chef-shares-an-original-smoothie-recipe) :stillheart:

[Kätzchen]

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7d/fc/10/7dfc10285becf3513fc9a175e3e905e2.jpg

I like the perspective of Fred Rogers, when it comes to articulating your position concerning Love.

Love is not a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is. Right here, right now. ~Fred Rogers.

[Kätzchen]

https://rishikajain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Health-Tips-for-the-dayWhat-to-eat-What-to-avoid.jpeg

[Kätzchen]

https://www.barnorama.com/wp-content/images/2012/03/inspirational-style-quotes/10-inspirational-style-quotes.jpg

[PlatinumPearl]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fi5MGfuaYAA7X47?format=jpg&name=900x900

[Stone-Butch]

Had a nice walk in the rain yesterday in the park. Once the rain stopped the sun came out and so did the squirrels looking for lunch . (I always bring it). Met a nice lady who has started coming to the park on weekends she said . Well this afternoon is cold and sunny . A perfect day for a walk in the park *S

[Stone-Butch]

Dec. 4 2022 Kirstie Alley 71 yr, old actress passed away from cancer.

[Orema]

Love this. Simple and elegant with just a few strokes. And the text tells you about Brazil's love for their hero.

https://i.postimg.cc/kgbVYrm5/Screen-Shot-2022-12-30-at-10-25-03-AM.png

[GeorgiaMa'am]

The following was written by Jessica Walsh. It's lifted from Twitter. It really spoke to me - in fact, it gave me Gen X chills.

https://i.imgur.com/am2sKGo.jpg

[Kätzchen]

We have been listening to a mid-west country artist and his band:


Don Louis & The Drifting Sages.


qFAcu7nQf1M

-l2_Z7X2Im8

:listening:

[Stone-Butch]

Lisa Marie Presley dead at 54

[nina03]

I just realized homoe hasn't been around in months. Does anyone know if she's OK? I have her address somewhere, so I'll send a card to check in, but if anyone has any info, please share if you're able. Thanks!

[nhplowboi]

I mentioned this a month ago to people? or in chat? because I was concerned.I just realized homoe hasn't been around in months. Does anyone know if she's OK? I have her address somewhere, so I'll send a card to check in, but if anyone has any info, please share if you're able. Thanks!

[Bèsame*]

I just realized homoe hasn't been around in months. Does anyone know if she's OK? I have her address somewhere, so I'll send a card to check in, but if anyone has any info, please share if you're able. Thanks!


I sent an email to Homo. And as the norm, Homo takes a few days to respond. I'll keep my eye out for an answer.

[nina03]

I sent an email to Homo. And as the norm, Homo takes a few days to respond. I'll keep my eye out for an answer.

Any word? Has anyone heard anything?

[Orema]

The L.A. Times spoke to couples who have been together more than 50 years.

Three couples share their five-decade journey through life.

t3Urmx0952I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Urmx0952I

[Kätzchen]

The L.A. Times spoke to couples who have been together more than 50 years.

Three couples share their five-decade journey through life.

t3Urmx0952I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Urmx0952I

Thanks for sharing Orema! Each couple in that video, especially the gay couple, were simply wonderful. Thanks for finding that video recording. That is how it has been for us: We met each other during a time in our lives where we had not much except each other and our love and support for each other. And we enjoy our lives together and our mutual children and such. It’s like the universe knew we were each others match and once we connected, we’ve been inseparable since. One day we will get married, but for now it’s enough that we have each other and care for each other. He is my forever and ever.

[FireSignFemme]

oGfXBc1zFeU&ab_channel=glamourdaze

[Glenn]

ymCX2k6RYcs&start_radio=1&t=2570s

[Stone-Butch]

Women that seek equality with men lack ambition.

[FireSignFemme]

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ3AseUa5LOLmaBNI0odKZFmAM_pDr6A tJm9aOR3JSWvGkc0EmK

According to folklore, you get pinched on St. Patrick's Day for not wearing green because green makes you invisible to leprechauns. Leprechauns like to pinch people (because they can!).

[Orema]

https://i.postimg.cc/fTpWJX3B/IMG-0245.jpg
They do! The Shawn Carter Foundation CEO (L, pictured in 2019) tied the knot on Sunday with Wiltshire Foundation president Roxanne Wiltshire (R) - a Trinidad-born, New Jersey-based mother-of-two - after dating as far back as 2018 Credit: Daily Mail

JayZ’s lesbian mom was married this weekend. Of course there was a big turn out. So good to see much love shown when folks are legislating hate against us.

Alexa, play JayZ.

[Gemme]

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. He's kind of a badass.

Look him up. Here's the headline:

Wisconsin's Democratic governor guts Republican tax cut, increases school funding for 400 years.

[Kätzchen]

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. He's kind of a badass.

Look him up. Here's the headline:

Wisconsin's Democratic governor guts Republican tax cut, increases school funding for 400 years.

That is simply awesome that Tony Evers did that. Makes me want to move to Wisconsin because soon I will teach K-12 and won't have to worry about budget issues surrounding access to education.


----------------------------------------.


Did ya see where the Orange Cheater filed his earnings since post-presidency as exceeding 1B in earnings? His son-in-law Kushner probably had something to do with that due to Kushner's political ties to members of the Saudi royalty "investing" their money in T----p.

Check out the Washington Post report on that if anybody is interested.

[PlatinumPearl]

hnfWkB60WRE&ab_channel=VintageFanatic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnfWkB60WRE&ab_channel=VintageFanatic

[PlatinumPearl]

hZl2J47yruE&ab_channel=Interesting%26CreativeDesigns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZl2J47yruE&ab_channel=Interesting%26CreativeDesigns

[nhplowboi]

It's been years since any bear activity has been around the house. This morning feeders were down and some carted up into the woods. My biggest problem with that is the feeders are within three or four feet of my front door. :|

[Kätzchen]

“None of us got to where we are by pulling ourselves up by our boot straps. We got here because somebody bent down to help us pick up our boots,”

— Thurgood Marshall (the one and only SCJ who fought Jim Crow Racist practices and was the singular reason behind undoing segregationist history with his unrelenting devotion for EVERY person of color in America).

[Bèsame*]

DDcJiamY9N8

[Gemme]

Random fact: reindeer eyes turn blue during the winter to help them see better in the low light. They are the only mammal to seasonally change their eyes.

[Stone-Butch]

Randomly speaking: All of Santas reindeer are female, Rudolph is butch. Male reindeer have antlers which they grow for most of the summer and shed come winter after the rut. Females grow their antlers starting in fall so that they have them to protect the fawns in spring.

[Kätzchen]

_wN5nJ5Vaks

[GeorgiaMa'am]

_wN5nJ5Vaks

Heard today on NPR: You have to be outside in the dark for 20-30 minutes before you can see this meteor shower well; it takes your eyes that long to acclimate sufficiently to the dark.

[Gemme]

I went axe throwing yesterday. :waitinggirl:

[Bèsame*]

I went axe throwing yesterday. :waitinggirl:

I want to do that! I'm wondering..how do you feel today? You have to put some muscle into that!

[Gemme]

I want to do that! I'm wondering..how do you feel today? You have to put some muscle into that!

Because it's an overhanded throw, my biceps felt it the next day, but they didn't hurt. I could just tell that something happened. lol

The axes are smaller than what you see in lumberjack competitions and not heavy at all. They had two sizes at the place I went to.

It was super fun. I highly recommend it. Once you sign the waiver and the facilitator walks you through proper technique and the do's and do nots, you can play games or keep score or just go for it. We had name tags with people and things that frustrated us on them and aimed for those things. Cathartic. Nailing bullseyes is the BEST feeling!

[Bèsame*]

ooops!

I thought your birthday was this past week. I now realize I was mistaken. (Blonde moment)

Well just know I was thinking of you! Your the best!!

Xoxo,
Me

[Orema]

Sha’Carri Richardson is the fastest woman in the world!

Richardson outran Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to take home her first major world championship title.

https://i.postimg.cc/vTkg8S22/21worlds-shacarri3-lbhg-super-Jumbo.jpg
Sha’Carri Richardson, in Lane 9, won her first title at a world championships on Monday in Budapest. Credit...Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

I am so looking forward to seeing Sha’Carri at the Olympics in Paris next year.

And I’m lovin’ those Nike shoes some of the runners are wearing. Maybe Santa will bring me a pair.

[nhplowboi]

Man I don't know if Prigozhin was on that plane or not but that was a loonnngggg fall time to contemplate the error of your ways. My prayers to all the innocents on board.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Man I don't know if Prigozhin was on that plane or not but that was a loonnngggg fall time to contemplate the error of your ways. My prayers to all the innocents on board.

What do you want to bet Putin had something to do with that plane crash? I knew when Putin said, "Oh, don't worry about what you've been doing to me, you're fine, we're all good, just go home" that it wouldn't be long before Prigozhin turned up dead. And I'll bet Putin didn't lose any sleep over all the innocents on that plane who died.

[Gemme]

I went to the beekeeper to get 12 bees. He gave me 13 bees. When I told him he gave me one extra bee, he said, "It's a free bee."

I was mugged by 6 dwarves last night. Not happy.

What is blue and smells like red paint? Blue paint.

What did Michael Jackson call his denim store? Billie Jeans.

How do billboards talk? Sign language.

What do you call ghost poop? Boo boo.

[Stone-Butch]

https://youtu.be/DWoRhkRlp14?si=FIjiwOBdHJePzcUD

[Kätzchen]

We welcomed our first grand baby last Tuesday. She’s going to be gorgeous, that’s what we think. She looks just like my honey: chubby cheeks, precious lips, and the same nose and eyes. ❤️❤️❤️

[Kätzchen]

I got my hair trimmed back into shape (a little off, here & there: my hair doesn’t exactly grow anymore like it used to).

[GeorgiaMa'am]

. . . my hair doesn’t exactly grow anymore like it used to).

Mine either! It's thinner on top now than everywhere else. My hair stylist says it's the aftereffects of the chemo. I'm hoping it comes back.

[nhplowboi]

Do NOT get married just because we can now! I am learning the hard way.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Do NOT get married just because we can now! I am learning the hard way.

I feel the same way! I narrowly escaped the hassle, the extra heartbreak and the expense of a messy divorce. (After 7 relatively happy, even blissful years, she suddenly decided that I was the cause of all her problems because her new therapist talked her into it.) I lost my dogs, cats, aquarium, her family that had practically all but adopted me, all my camping equipment, and some very meaningful mementoes due to her, along with half of everything else. I quit my job and sat in front of the TV all day and all night, smoking and drinking. It was a bad, bad time in my life.

Of course, it all eventually turned out okay. I found someone better who deserved me. But I never got married to anyone, and I'm glad I didn't.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

In my mind, I always think of myself as being about 30 years old. I have felt this way ever since I was about 30, but suddenly one day I turned around and realized I was in my late 50s. I understand that a lot of other people have this realization too, somewhere around their late 40s to early 60s.

But I noticed today that when I am reading y'all's posts, I think of you as being about 30 too, except for those I have met IRL. I don't think of y'all as being younger than me - just the same as me. Of course, I know that most,if not all of us are older than that.

Do any of you share this?

[nhplowboi]

Absolutely! My landing spot is a decade older than yours and feel 40 is where I'm stuck. Weird how that happens. I always laughed when people freaked out at turning a certain age but no one ever talked about refusing to leave a certain age.

[Kätzchen]

EcKoeD-gTMQ

:moonstars:

[Orema]

In my mind, I always think of myself as being about 30 years old. I have felt this way ever since I was about 30, but suddenly one day I turned around and realized I was in my late 50s. I understand that a lot of other people have this realization too, somewhere around their late 40s to early 60s.

But I noticed today that when I am reading y'all's posts, I think of you as being about 30 too, except for those I have met IRL. I don't think of y'all as being younger than me - just the same as me. Of course, I know that most,if not all of us are older than that.

Do any of you share this?

Great question, but I don't get this. I remember nhplowboi asking something similar and I just can't wrap my head around it.

I assign ages or generations (Boomer, X, etc) based on posts or my interactions, but that's about as far as I can connect with this.

Different strokes, I guess.

[Orema]

Great question, but I don't get this. I remember nhplowboi asking something similar and I just can't wrap my head around it.

I assign ages or generations (Boomer, X, etc) based on posts or my interactions, but that's about as far as I can connect with this.

Different strokes, I guess.

Somethin' else, I have always looked forward to getting older. I'll be 70 on my next birthday and can barely wait for it to come... I had a rough time as a teenager and young adult, and a palm reader told me (and showed me on my hand) that life would get better as I got older. As soon as she said it I knew she was right. I knew in my core that getting older would be good for me. Sometimes I've used this thinking as a crutch to avoid things, but not too often...

And this isn't to imply in any way that the connection to younger or certain ages/eras is worse or better than what I experience, it just seems foreign to me and I think it's because my thoughts are on getting older.

Just wonderin', has anyone had a palm reading that's come true?

[Kätzchen]

Somethin' else, I have always looked forward to getting older. I'll be 70 on my next birthday and can barely wait for it to come... I had a rough time as a teenager and young adult, and a palm reader told me (and showed me on my hand) that life would get better as I got older. As soon as she said it I knew she was right. I knew in my core that getting older would be good for me. Sometimes I've used this thinking as a crutch to avoid things, but not too often...

And this isn't to imply in any way that the connection to younger or certain ages/eras is worse or better than what I experience, it just seems foreign to me and I think it's because my thoughts are on getting older.

Just wonderin', has anyone had a palm reading that's come true?

Yes :)

So much so, too, that I actually came across a red leather model of a hand with lines on it -- explaining how one can read your palm. I keep my red leather palm thingy in the visor of my tiny car (for good luck). :bow:

https://www.psychicsight.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Palm.jpg

[Kätzchen]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1b/aa/7a/1baa7a54c414a65bb8ae43f0a410da50.jpg

[Kätzchen]

http://idomyselph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/bohemian-garden-ideas-4.jpg

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Just wonderin', has anyone had a palm reading that's come true?


Not a palm reading, but a one-hour tarot reading, yes. She told me about my whole life. She was very specific, with time lines and everything. She told me about major events that have all come true, even some surprising ones that, at the time, I told her could not possibly come true. She warned me about my crazy 7-year girlfriend and warned me not to hook up with her (and I should have followed that advice). She told me about Dixon. She even told me I would end up living with a man for a long time, and I told her, "You know I'm a lesbian, right?" and she said of course, but nonetheless, that was the case, and that it would be a good relationship. And look, here I am, living with the boy. She recorded the entire reading on a cassette tape, and I keep meaning to listen to it again.

[Gemme]

I got my hair trimmed back into shape (a little off, here & there: my hair doesn’t exactly grow anymore like it used to).

Mine either! It's thinner on top now than everywhere else. My hair stylist says it's the aftereffects of the chemo. I'm hoping it comes back.

Nutrafol, ladies. I lose hair with stress. It works but it's expensive and it takes a couple months before I saw anything at all. With all the stress I'm going through now, I've noticed that I've started to lose more again. I'm considering bumping my usage up until I can breathe a little better. Seriously, check it out.

In my mind, I always think of myself as being about 30 years old. I have felt this way ever since I was about 30, but suddenly one day I turned around and realized I was in my late 50s. I understand that a lot of other people have this realization too, somewhere around their late 40s to early 60s.

But I noticed today that when I am reading y'all's posts, I think of you as being about 30 too, except for those I have met IRL. I don't think of y'all as being younger than me - just the same as me. Of course, I know that most,if not all of us are older than that.

Do any of you share this?

I don't necessarily "assign" an age to anyone but, yes, unless I know differently, I read posts as if they were written by someone with the same life references as me and I do feel younger than my chronological age, especially as I creep towards 50 (just a meager 7 months now).

There are certain things I've looked forward to since childhood, like the big pause, but no one told me anything about dry cycles. Rude!!!

http://idomyselph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/bohemian-garden-ideas-4.jpg

This is soooo PNW. I miss it a lot.

[Bèsame*]

I took my bestie to the airport super early this morning. We are going to London/Paris next spring. So today she gave me a sweet thank you surprise. She beat me to the punch. I have one for her already! So...I'm going to type this out so it will hold me to it.

https://img.fruugo.com/product/0/82/185935820_max.jpg

Isn't that the cutest? A luggage piggy bank. Goal=$200 a month. And...that's why I work two jobs. To have fun!

[PlatinumPearl]

bDxEQY7wFlg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDxEQY7wFlg

[PlatinumPearl]

sVWuDtRrex4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVWuDtRrex4

[Stone-Butch]

I saw a young woman in the apt building hall with a tshirt on and it said.

"I READ BOOKS AND I DRINK TEA and I KNOW STUFF"

I smiled when I saw it as I thought it was cute. Then I gained a grin when I thought how nice that would have been on an older woman. I know I could not stop myself from saying, "I bet you do honey". Went back in my apt grinning.

[Kätzchen]

Today was windy and rain drizzled all afternoon.

[Kätzchen]

“I hated every minute of training. But I said to myself, Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a Champion.”

The greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali.

“Float like a butterfly,
Sting like a bee.”
Cassius Clay
(Muhammad Ali).

[Kätzchen]

The trees lining the basalt canyons in our area are just gorgeous: yellows, oranges, burnt reds. It’s so beautiful here, lately.

[Stone-Butch]

I just watched ceremony on our Canadian Rememberance day for all the men and women who over the years have helped defend our country of Canada and joined with other countries to keep freedom for us all. My grandfather was a pow in ww 1 and my father was a naval sailor in ww2. I am glad they both came out alive .

[Orema]

Is It a Crush or Have You Fallen Into Limerence?

How an intense longing for a romantic connection can lead to a serious addiction.

By Amanda McCracken

For most people, crushes come and go.

But for others, the longing can last years and become addictive. A spark of interest turns into obsessive rumination sustained by a pernicious cocktail of hope and doubt. This is not a crush. This is limerence.

Limerence is a state of overwhelming and unexpected longing for emotional reciprocation from another human, known as a limerent object (LO), who is often perceived as perfect but unavailable.

This may sound similar to the lyrics of a Taylor Swift love song, a scene in “The Great Gatsby,” or the lines in a Shakespeare sonnet. The experience of limerence is timeless, but the term is relatively new.

In 1979, Dorothy Tennov, an experimental psychologist and professor at the University of Bridgeport, coined the term limerence in her book “Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love,” based on a decade of research and several hundred case studies on romantic attachment.

What differentiates limerence from a crush or love is the intensity, an emotional roller coaster that fluctuates from euphoria to despair. Giulia Poerio, a psychologist and mind-wandering researcher at the University of Sussex in England, said, “Any sign of rejection can make somebody hit a low, and any sign of interest can make somebody hit a high.” It’s an endless mind game of, “She loves me, she loves me not.”

Limerents, deeply fearful of rejection, allow their self-esteem to rest in the hands of an LO who may not even know they exist. The LO is most often a friend, colleague, or stranger met in passing. It can also be someone with whom you’ve had a brief romantic encounter that feels unresolved, explains Dr. Poerio, especially if the LO continues to leave breadcrumbs.

Sue Crump, a 67-year-old volunteer at a mental health charity shop in Sheffield, England, said for 18 months, she obsessively watched YouTube videos featuring her LO, a much younger, married singer she’d briefly met a handful of times. “I fantasized about a relationship with him and read things into texts and online messages he sent in reply to my own.” She turned to a limerence support group on Facebook soon after the isolation of the pandemic lockdown made her longing worse. “It made me realize I was not alone, and I was not going mad,” said Ms. Crump.

Limerence is nourished by replaying memories and rehearsing future interactions. “There’s a fair amount of mental time travel,” said Dr. Poerio, who asked survey respondents to write descriptions of these fantasies. “It’s often not romantic or sexual in nature. It is very much about wanting to feel loved and cared for.”

Chris Gregory, 53, a certified yoga instructor in Denver, recalls first experiencing limerence in high school. “I would develop insanely obsessive crushes on women and then not pursue them. Then I would be crushed by them not responding the way the scene had played out in my own head and heart. I felt unworthy,” he said. Gregory continued to experience limerence throughout his adult life, he said, but mistook it for love.

Limerence toward one person can last many years, even while you’re in a relationship with someone else, explains Dr. Poerio. However, most people are serially limerent, having one LO after another, stuck chasing the same dopamine high felt in the initial stages of love.

The Brain’s Reward Cycle

Dr. Judson Brewer, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author of “Unwinding Anxiety,” describes limerence as an addiction. “When somebody’s on a diet, all they obsess over is food. So you can think of this as a person diet,” said Dr. Brewer. “They get stuck in the fantasies that are future-oriented and regrets that are past-oriented.”

If the trigger is loneliness or boredom, for example, the resulting behavior is anticipating reciprocity from the LO, added Dr. Brewer. That reciprocity never comes, but the anticipation yields the reward, dopamine.

Dr. Brewer added, “Dopamine is jet fuel. It’s what gets us motivated to do something” — even if doing something only means anticipating. The uncertainty, or intermittent reinforcement, of the occasional message from the LO keeps our brains hooked. “It’s gasoline poured on the fire,” said Dr. Brewer. We begin to mistake anxiety for excitement and excitement for joy.

Culture as a Catalyst

There are a growing number of online limerence support groups and informational blogs. Psychologists and social scientists aren’t surprised.

Alexandra Solomon, a licensed clinical psychologist in Chicago and host of the “Reimagining Love” podcast, said, “There’s a whole cultural element here about the way online dating and hookup culture create a climate of low accountability and foster insecure attachment. There’s a kind of collective insecurity.”

The American Perspectives Survey found that almost a third of single Americans (roughly equal between men and women) have been ghosted by someone they were dating. The lack of communication common after physical intimacy is enough to drive many people to feel anxious, if not limerent.

With a dating pool that seems infinite, people feel expendable. Being ghosted can create an open tab inside your brain. “It’s easy to feel like there’s no obligation to close a loop,” Dr. Solomon said. “You can start to project onto that person a whole bunch of what ifs. It’s easy to idealize somebody you’ve just met.”

While people experiencing limerence often put their LO on a pedestal, social media further encourages idealization. Individuals who exchange Instagram profiles in a bar instantly have access to years of curated data they can use to build up the other person in their minds, explains Prof. Jennifer Douglas, a psychologist and a clinical professor at Stanford.

When is it a problem?

Most people experience some degree of limerence, said Dr. Poerio, but it’s problematic when it’s uncontrollable. Dr. Poerio uses the analogy of a person whose mind has been hijacked. “It interferes with your ability to have meaningful, real-world relationships because you are sustaining a relationship in your mind. It’s a normal process that’s gone slightly wrong.”

Vincent Harris, 49, a freelance writer in Greenville, S.C., said he lost his first marriage and a job because of the presence of a limerent object he considered his soul mate. Mr. Harris met his latest limerent object through social media during the pandemic.

“For three years, I felt like I was living under a cloud. I had no motivation other than to hear from her,” Mr. Harris said. “I was paralyzed with fear that if I reached out to her, I would say the wrong thing. As she lessened contact with me, I became more desperate and unbalanced.” In May 2023, he was medically treated for a second mental breakdown.

How do you stop intense longing?

Cultivate self-compassion and a more purposeful life: Dr. Brewer recommends practicing Loving Kindness Meditation to develop self-compassion and create connections with others who don’t require anything in return. Brain scans show doing this meditation deactivates the part of the brain active during longing or worrying, according to Dr. Brewer.

You can also get involved in grounding activities with people that bring you joy and fulfillment. For Mr. Gregory, becoming more present helped him manage his limerence. Mr. Gregory attributes working in yoga education and becoming sober to helping him cultivate honest, open relationships with people.

Disrupt the fantasy: Brandy Wyant, a psychotherapist in Arlington, Mass., who specializes in helping patients with O.C.D., describes her lifelong history with limerence and the ten-week treatment that diminished her ruminating in a published case study on limerence.

One of the cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that worked for Ms. Wyant was listing all the ways she was trying to seek physical or emotional closeness to her LO. That might be daydreaming, re-listening to voice mail messages or playlists, rereading texts, rehearsing messages, or looking at pics. She said to rank what’s easiest to hardest to stop, and then start with the easiest.

One strategy she uses with her clients to de-idolize their LO is listing reasons the LO is not perfect. Another list includes ways in which the LO and the patient are not compatible.

Name it to tame it: You can deliberately interrupt the habit by calling it out — “Hello, limerence” — and paying attention (for example, through journaling) to what it feels like when you’re in that state of longing. Recognizing the feelings of self-denigration, anxiousness, and depression will lead to disenchantment, said Dr. Brewer.

You should also believe you deserve more. As Dr. Tennov wrote, “Limerence can live a long life sustained by crumbs.” Don’t let it starve you of time, energy and self-esteem. It may distract you from the emotionally available loving partner right in front of you.

Amanda McCracken is a freelance journalist and essayist writing a book about limerence based on her research and personal experience, which she discussed in her TEDx talk, “How longing keeps us from healthy relationships” and podcast “The Longing Lab.”

[Kätzchen]

Thanks for posting that article about limerence! I was just reading about that a few weeks ago. I personally feel that Valentine’s Day plays a role in limerence, lol.


**************

And, I think The Detroit Lions play today. I’m a big fan of the Detroit Lions: been reading a bunch of excellent articles written about your football club, Orema. Sure hope THE LIONS win their game today. If they do, they will be one step closer to winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy!!!

GOOOOOOO LIONS! :cheerleader: :cheer:

[Orema]

Thanks for posting that article about limerence! I was just reading about that a few weeks ago. I personally feel that Valentine’s Day plays a role in limerence, lol.


**************

And, I think The Detroit Lions play today. I’m a big fan of the Detroit Lions: been reading a bunch of excellent articles written about your football club, Orema. Sure hope THE LIONS win their game today. If they do, they will be one step closer to winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy!!!

GOOOOOOO LIONS! :cheerleader: :cheer:

Thanks, Kätzchen! Yes, we're very excited for the home team. Everybody and their mama is having a watch party today. We're hoping to make it to the bowl and hopefully against the Chiefs (that's what people tell me, though I have no idea), but we're thrilled just to make it this far. I may go out and do some shopping and get a hair cut during the game.

:cheerleader: :cheer:

[ksrainbow]

Thanks, Kätzchen! Yes, we're very excited for the home team. Everybody and their mama is having a watch party today. We're hoping to make it to the bowl and hopefully against the Chiefs (that's what people tell me, though I have no idea), but we're thrilled just to make it this far. I may go out and do some shopping and get a hair cut during the game.

:cheerleader: :cheer:

Overall all 4 games were well played! Honestly I was all in for the Lions vs Chiefs!

[Orema]

Overall all 4 games were well played! Honestly I was all in for the Lions vs Chiefs!

Congrat’s to you!

It would have been fun going up against the Chiefs. We’re in a bit of a funk from losing but we’re so proud of our Lions. What a year!

I’m rooting for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Here’s hoping y’all win!

[Kätzchen]

I just found a better brand of CBD today, in the health and beauty aid section of my favorite grocery store. I thought I’d leave a link here for others to check out. I like this company (ethical & responsible ). I actually paid $44 for a bottle of the cbd-cbg tincture blend and will probably order from the company because it’s cheaper, to me, to buy it directly from the Bluebird Botanical company. I love how hemp products help me to feel better. :bow:

https://bluebirdbotanicals.com/

[Orema]

Caitlin Clark moves into second on NCAA all-time scoring list, becomes Big Ten all-time leading scorer.

https://i.postimg.cc/8chwPBTd/USATSI-21859455-1024x683.jpg

A glimpse into Clark’s historic day

Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan had a famous bit of logic: scoring 32 points a game was easy because it was just eight points a quarter. With just a little offensive aggression — only five shot attempts — Clark outdid that math by two points Wednesday.

Clark scored 10 in the first quarter with a pair of deep threes and four free throws to get her close to the Big Ten scoring record. After a brief rest to start the second quarter, she immediately scored on a layup. And with just under 5 minutes to go in the first half, she broke the Big Ten scoring record on a layup.

But with all the attention and build-up to her game Wednesday, there was no mention of it happening and no reaction at Welsh-Ryan Arena, despite it being mostly made up Iowa fans.

Iowa fans started waiting in line for general admission seats at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Nearly three hours before the 7 p.m. CT tipoff, the line to get in stretched down the street. Northwestern only has two sections with assigned seating for women’s games, with one being the upscale Wilson Club — so it created a bit of a logjam for a massive crowd. (Northwestern’s women’s team averages 1,671 fans a game.)

When Clark arrived to warm up, she was met with a nearly full house and fans were shrieking as she was announced with the starters and walked to the bench at the game’s end.

Clark carries with her the vibe of a barnstorming basketball hero, but she didn’t have a particularly memorable first half, despite scoring 18 points. She went 4-for-11 from the field, missing 5 of 7 3-point shots. She did go 8-for-8 from the line, though people weren’t lining up for the better part of a chilly day to watch her hit free throws. It wasn’t Clark’s best shooting performance, but she did a good job of getting her teammates involved early and leading Iowa to the big win.

“I didn’t shoot it very well from 3 tonight,” Clark said, “and I’ve been shooting the ball pretty well, so you’re due for one of those nights here and there. I was just a little short. So, you know, that happens. But I got to the free-throw line and hit all 10 of my free throws. That’s just kind of what you have to do.” — Jon Greenberg, Chicago sports columnist

This excerpt is from the The Athletic (https://theathletic.com/5242615/2024/01/31/caitlin-clark-ncaa-big-ten-scoring-record/).

[Kätzchen]

https://www.attachmentproject.com/attachment-theory/

****************
****************
****************

So, on the podcast for Dating, there is an episode about attachment styles and do they matter, in dating.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-dating/id1600488969?i=1000552969114

————————————————————.

So, I did a google search on attachment theory and came up with the link at the top of this post. The Attachment Project is a community of social scientists who study attachment processes and on their website you can take their test to find out your attachment style.

I’m doing my own type of research into my own attachment style and trying to help myself as my guy and I weather our first relationship issue, which involves us both and our attachment styles.

I thought leaving the Dating episode link on attachment styles and if it matters, and the link to The Attachment Project might help others who are curious about their own attachment style and what steps you might could take to improve your attachment style and life.

:bow:

[Orema]

https://i.postimg.cc/vTNQK118/IMG-0016.jpg

[Orema]

“If you don’t understand yourself, you don’t understand anybody else.”

https://i.postimg.cc/dtkVFbYs/IMG-0017.webp

[GeorgiaMa'am]

"When your heart is broken, you plant seeds in the cracks and pray for rain."
-Andrea Gibson

[Orema]

There used to be a time when I’d do an image search for “lesbians” and the results would be mostly pornographic material. I’d have to do deep searches to find the kind of images I wanted.

I did a search today looking for some BF images, and this link (https://www.freepik.com/photos/lesbian) with free images was one of the first ones to pop up. The only requirement to use this photo is to include the link with the photo.

https://i.postimg.cc/N03TG0R1/portrait-lesbian-women-during-their-wedding-ceremony.jpg
https://www.freepik.com/photos/lesbian

[Stone-Butch]

Early this morning they showed "Lady Sings the Blues" after years of only seeing it once it made my night. Diana Ross is amazing as Billie Holiday. Noone else could have done that part as well as Miss Ross. Her voice was always captivating but her acting is untouchable. Happy to see this wonderful movie again.

[Stone-Butch]

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL THE LADIES WHO HAVENT BEEN TOLD YET!!!