Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Bark louder, little dog.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

This fight is for everything.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

No one could have predicted…

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Eclipses Make People Crazy, Daniel Defoe Edition

Eclipses Make People Crazy, Daniel Defoe Edition

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This post is in: ,

So:  some of y’all choked on Annie Dillard’s perhaps overly magniloquent response to her eclipse.  For you, then here’s something quite different for the more Augustan among us.

For reasons not relevant to this post, I spent this morning nosing around Daniel Defoe’s writing from the late 1710s; just a few minutes ago I stumbled upon this hoot of a passage from the second volume of The Family Instructor:

It happen’d once, that a Discourse began between the Father and Mother about the Eclipse of the Sun, which fell out in April 22. 1715.

The Eclipse of the Sun was the Subject of all Con|versation at that time, having been, as is well known, so Total, and the Darkness so great, as that the like had not been known in that Age, or some hundreds of Years before.

The Wife had enquired of her Husband, what the Nature of the Thing was, and he was describing it to her and the Children in a familiar way; and, as I said, that a kind of Reflection upon one another was the usual Issue of their common Discourse, so it was there; the Husband tells her, that the Moon was like a cross Wife, that when she was out of Humour, could Thwart and Eclipse her Husband whenever she pleased; and that if an ill Wife stood in the Way, the brightest Husband could not shine.

She flew in a Passion at this, and being of a sharp Wit, you do well, says she, to carry your Emblem to a suitable height; I warrant, you think a Wife, like the Moon, has no Light but what she borrows from her Husband, and that we can only shine by Reflecti|on; it is necessary then you should know, she can Eclipse him when she pleases.

Ay, ay, says the Husband, but you see when she does, she darkens the whole House, she can give no Light without him.

Ʋpon this she came closer to him.
Wife.

I suppose you think you have been Eclips’d lately, we don’t see the House is the darker for it.

Husband.

That’s because of your own Darkness; I think the House has been much the darker.

Wife:

None of the Family are made sensible of it, we don’t miss your Light.

Husb.

It’s strange if they don’t, for I see no Light you give in the room of it.

Wife.

We are but as dark as we were before; for we were none of us the better for all your Hypocri|tical Shining.

Husb.

Well, I have done shining, you see; the Darkness be at your Door.

It’s evident that both meant here, his having left off Family-Worship; and it is apparent, both were come to a dreadful Extremity in their Quarrel.
Wife.

At my Door! am I the Master of the Fami|ly! don’t lay your Sins to my Charge.

Husb.

No, no; but your own I may; It is the Retrograde Motion of the Moon that causes an E|clipse.

Wife.

Where all was dark before, there can be no Eclipse.

Husb.

Your Sin is, that my Light is your Darkness.

Wife.

That won’t excuse you, if you think it a Sin; can you not do what you please without me?

My advice to the husband? Don’t throw shade when your own wit is so poorly lit.

And yeah — this is kind of an apropos-of-nothing post, so have at what you will below.

Image: Edmund Halley, A Description of the Passage of the Shadow of the Moon over England In the Total Eclipse of the SUN on the Day of April 1715 in the morning.

Reader Interactions

102Comments

  4. 4.

    Davebo

    Greenwald is desperately trying to be relevant in a time where there are tons of leakers but none leaking to him.

    It would be sad if it weren’t so hilarious.

  10. 10.

    Davebo

    Had to google magniloquent. Seriously? I’m thinking that’s a bit of overcompensation Tom!

    Then again, perhaps it’s a common phrase that my East Texas education deprived me of.

  14. 14.

    Diana

    re Annie Dillard’s description of the eclipse, yes, it was a bit over the top, but that’s writing for you.

    I remember finally seeing Walden Pond after read Henry David Thoreau’s rapturous description of it, and was deeply disappointed to discover that it looked like ….every other little wooded New England lake. Nothing about its perfectly ordinary water looked shimmery to me.

  15. 15.

    Larry

    ” I am this morning nosing around Daniel Defoe’s writing from the late 1710s”

    as one does

  19. 19.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Amir Khalid: Obviously, they don’t read dictionaries for pleasure. (truth be told, while I used to do this from time to time I haven’t in quite some time. i blame the internet)

  20. 20.

    Peale

    @Diana: the least they could do is develop the park into a major tourist destination complete with a fifty foot statue to the man who made it famous. Maybe a ride or two for the kids. Just to keep in the spirit of things he wrote about.

  21. 21.

    raven

    We watched “Sherman’s March” last night and I got interested in Ossabaw Island. Knowing nothing about it I was delighted to see this:

    In 1961 The Ossabaw Foundation created by Eleanor Torrey West and Clifford B. West launched the Ossabaw Island Project as an artistic and scholarly retreat. Over the years the island’s solitude and natural beauty served as the setting for such luminaries as: composers Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber; writers Ralph Ellison, Annie Dillard, Olive Ann Burns, and Margaret Atwood; sculptor Harry Bertoia; and scientist Eugene Odum among many others. The Ossabaw Foundation was also host to The Genesis Project, scientific research and public use and education programs on the island.

    Then I found this documentary

    Blood and Thunder
    https://vimeo.com/31225503

  22. 22.

    Amir Khalid

    Tonight, the Girl and I did something that surprised us (well, me, anyway). We took a break from studying basic music theory and practising chords, and worked out a version of the famous intro to Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game. The conventional wisdom is that it needs to be played on a whammy bar-equipped Stratocaster, which is what the original musician used, or similar guitar. (The Girl is a basic Squier Tele, and doesn’t have that gear.) This is the first actual tune she and I have played. I am so proud of her.

  27. 27.

    cmorenc

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    @Amir Khalid: Obviously, they don’t read dictionaries for pleasure. (truth be told, while I used to do this from time to time I haven’t in quite some time. i blame the internet)

    The game of “dictionary” using an unabridged dictionary is a wonderful game to play in small social gatherings around a table. Whomever’s turn it is scans an unabridged dictionary looking for a sufficiently obscure word whose meaning isn’t easy to guess, while everyone else chats around the table chats and sips on their drink of choice. The chooser then secretly writes down on a slip of paper (i.e. such that other players can’t see what they’re writing) a concisely brief definition of the word from the dictionary, and then announces the word to all the other players. Each other player then concocts as plausible-sounding a concise fictional definition for the word as they can craft within a minute or so and similarly “secretly” writes their definition on a slip of paper. Then, whomever is “it” gathers the slips of paper and reads the various definitions, and the other players clockwise in turn each vote for which one they think is most likely the “real” definition of the word. The “it” person gets one point for each wrong guess, and each other player gets one point for every other player’s vote for their “fake” definition, plus a point if they voted for the “real” definition rather than one of the fake ones. The game continues for however many rounds players decided on at the outset, or when one player achieves the total number of points designated at the outset – whichever winning goal the group chooses at the outset. This game makes for a great social evening with just the right balance between people’s attention focusing on the game vs attention devoted to socializing and chit-chat.

  28. 28.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    SIWOTI = “Someone is wrong on the Internet,” for anyone else who was wondering.

  31. 31.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    I can’t wait for the eclipse on the 21st. Looking at 80% obscured! I just hope the weather is going to be okay. NE Ohio is notorious for receiving less sunlight than most of the rest of the country. So much less, that the US relied a great deal on their steel industries. So much cloud cover would have made it difficult for any enemy bombers to attack steel factories.

  32. 32.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @cmorenc: I learned rather quickly that the most fun was had when I just made up the most ridiculous possible definition I could think of. I never won the game but I tended to get the most laughs.

  34. 34.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Suzanne:
    Do you remember? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

    The fights that go on for hundreds of comments!

  35. 35.

    Immanentize

    @Baud: If you are serious about your Presidential run, improving your vocabulary is the very last thing you should do. (Which is why Poco is the perfect VP). Where did a few $5 worlds get Agnew?!

  36. 36.

    Sister Golden Bear

    All the eclipse talk inspired me to book a last-minute trip to Kansas City, which is right in the path of totality.

    Why KC? I was still about to get a not unreasonable airfare and book a rental car. Hotel prices are jacked up of course, but I’m staying out by the airport, which is further into the totality. So even if the roads are a mess,* worse case, I have to do is go out to the pool and watch.

    * OTOH, Bay Area standards of gridlock are a bit different than KC, so I’m not quite as worried about traffic as the locals may be.

  42. 42.

    Immanentize

    @raven: I am glad you brought that film up. I saw it in the theatre when it was released. I have to see it again soon.

  43. 43.

    GregB

    Who in their right mind would have anything to do with The Intercept after they exposed their big scoop source Reality Winner.

    As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t doubt that they will dump all of their sources into Sessions lap.

    I think that little of the operation.

  47. 47.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Since this appears to have become an open thread, I just wanted to do a PSA, since this is something that’ll probably be an issue again given the new about ongoing attacks on trans people (e.g. Trump’s trans ban tweet has now become official policy and “Basically, said a source, “the administration want to get rid of transgender servicemembers as fast as they can.”).

    It may sounds nitpicky, but please don’t refer to “transgendered people,” the correct usage is “transgender people”, or more commonly “trans people.” Part of it is simply grammatical, you wouldn’t refer to gayed people, Blacked people, Asianed people, etc. More fundamentally, in all these cases, the “-ed” subtly implies the that trans-ness (or being Black, Asian, etc.) isn’t part of our core identity.

    Likewise, please don’t use “transgenders” — again “transgender people” or “trans people” are what we call ourselves. I realize this one’s trickier because, we do use gays, Blacks, Asians, etc. But, especially right now, “transgenders” can also be implicitly othering — which is one reason the haters use it — because we’re no longer “people.” Maybe one day, we’ll be seen as authentic enough that it won’t be an issue. But not today.

    I realize these are small things, but they’re things that can make shitty lives a little less shitty. They may not bee stings to the heart — like getting misgendered always is — but they’re still one of those many little bee stings that build up throughout the course of a day, every day.

    Trans terminology used by the trans communities is often evolving rapidly, so I know at times it can be a little confusing. But if anyone has questions, I’m generally happy to answer them.

    We now return you to our regularly schedule programming.

  49. 49.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    Mmm, BBQ. You hit a nerve. I think I’ll pick some up on the way home for nap time with the housecat. My preferred place also makes very good potato salad and smoky baked beans.

  52. 52.

    Gator90

    @Roger Moore: I think you may have this right. GG is not exactly pro-Trump; his latest column describes DJT as a “con man” and he has at times sharply criticized Trump on twitter. But he is fiercely anti-anti-Trump with respect to the Russia investigation and the related notion of Trump as under siege from the malevolent “deep state.”

  53. 53.

    Wapiti

    Ah – open thread. I have a Presidential Pardon question for the masses: If someone were to be pardoned for a crime that involves theft, or other ill-gotten gains, do they have to surrender the item(s) in question?

    Hypothetical 1: A person steals a nice watch from a jewelry store. They get pardoned for the crime. Does the watch still belong to the jeweler? Does not surrendering the watch leave the thief open to additional charges for holding stolen property?

    Hypothetical 2: If a person cheats on their taxes, but is subsequently pardoned, do they still owe the back taxes? I assume any penalties/late fees could be rendered invalid by the pardon, but would the underlying taxes still be owed?

  57. 57.

    Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA

    @raven: Did you ever get answers yesterday to your question about what photo equipment to use to photograph the eclipse? Not sure how much you already know to do, so this might be more info than you need, but maybe it’ll help if anyone else is wondering:

    I’m using a crop sensor DSLR, my 150-600 mm lens extended to roughly 500mm (so, the equivalent of 750mm on a full frame), and the Baader ASTF 100 solar filter rigged with styrofoam peanuts and electrical tape to stay on my lens. Obviously it’s all sitting on a tripod, and operated with a remote shutter release.

    I highly recommend going outside with your gear and photographing the sun a couple of times as practice runs. It turns out I needed those runs to get the settings dialed in and make sure the filter fit — my first round of photographs picked up the filter reflecting in the glass of my lens because the filter wasn’t sitting 100% right. Then I found out during the second round of practice shots that my tripod’s too flimsy. Fortunately I had time to order a better one, so the third round will be this week.

    If you don’t have the filter yet, it’s easy to make one, but get the filter material ASAP — everyone’s either running low or running out.

  58. 58.

    GregB

    By the way, the Twitters tell me that RT is retweeting a news article dragging Trump for being a divisive buffoon.

    As Putin suns himself, the army of the dead is beginning to march on Trumpistan.

    Drudge has started slagging Bannon and ballon-knot head Roger Stone is now openly threatening violence if the FBI brings the hammer down in Trump. Not that I am overly fearful of Stone’s mechanized division of Lark scooters tethered to nasal cannulas.

    Hoping the center holds.

  60. 60.

    tybee

    @raven: ossabaw is a really interesting island. i’ve talked my way onto it several times, including a couple of 2 and 3 night camping trips. :)

  63. 63.

    Caphilldcne

    @schrodingers_cat: it just shows you’re old. Btw I’ve been here since JGC was a “reasonable republican” and I’ve noticed things change. Hell I was a reasonable republican, then a moderate democrat (who served in the Air Force) and now I’m shrill. My one consistency is I don’t like Russian stooges for Marxism or authoritarianism. Generally I like Russians. Is there a problem?

  67. 67.

    Amir Khalid

    @Wapiti:
    I would expect so. Any piece of property belongs to its rightful owner.

    1. Yes, the watch is still the property of the jewellery store. The thief wouldn’t still be in possession of it anyway; the prosecutor would have introduced it as evidence at his trial. I suspect an American lawyer among the Juicitariat would explain that prosecuting the thief on a charge of possessing the item he was already convicted of stealing would amount to double jeopardy.

    2. I’m pretty sure that getting convicted and sentenced for tax evasion doesn’t free you of the obligation to pay either the back taxes or the late penalty. The former is between the court and you; the latter is between the taxman and you.

  69. 69.

    J R in WV

    @Amir Khalid:

    I am so proud of YOU!! And that whammy bar equipment is to make up for a weak fretting hand that can’t bend notes by hand, as so many really excellent guitarists can and do. Admittedly usually a single note rather than a handful of them, but still.

    You’ll have to post a U-tube someday soon!

  70. 70.

    danielx

    Speaking of old….went to a wedding yesterday, two old friends who were married twice previously (to other people) and have finally gotten it right, bless their hearts. Got to the room where the wedding and reception was being held, looked in the door…

    My first thought was: this can’t be the right room, all these people look fuckin’ OLD.
    Second thought: “wait a minute, most of them are my age, give or take ten years.
    Third thought: oh my god.

    Still a great time, and the bride started crying when the groom sang You Are My Sunshine.

  72. 72.

    Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA

    @raven: The ones across from the train tracks? I often end up around there if I want a decent motorcycle ride but don’t feel like heading too far from home. Lots of quiet roads between me and Statham.

    I rode to the Barnes and Noble in Athens last week to get a couple of books for my photography classes. They were cheaper on Amazon, but I felt like (1) getting the books right away and (2) riding the bike.

  73. 73.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Davebo: Actually, like most of my trans sisters, trans brothers and trans siblings, I’ve got rhino hide thicker than you can possibly imagine — which we need to just get through the day. And yes there are many more important issues. Which is why I framed it as a “the more you know.”

    But seriously, telling an oppressed person they’re being “too sensitive” about the ways society oppresses them… not a good look. (And no, I’m not being “too sensitive” now either, I’m just annoyed at another 0 Days Without Cisgender Foolishness.)

    @Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: Actually Adam did the same in a thread last night. I think some other folks have too.

    But no worries. I could tell it was being used out of a lack of knowledge rather than malice, which is why I took the opportunity to inform those willing to listen. Thanks for offering to change.

  74. 74.

    J R in WV

    @Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA:

    I fortunately got a real filter of the exact 62 mm size that will screw onto the front of my camera, which is a Panasonic Lumix superzoom to eqv. about 600 mm. I do need to try out ISO settings etc. I also have filters for the front end of a good pair of binoculars, to see the solar activity a little better, and several pairs of sunglasses if needed.

    It does really take night-time shots very well, so leaving it on that setting and shooting by hand may do me OK. I’ll have an hour to fool with it while the moon-dragon swallows the sun slowly. I do have a small tripod that I expect will work OK with the camera, which while a long lens isn’t very heavy. The lens says Leica on it, which may only mean it was designed by them. Still a very good tool when you’re traveling.

    I do plan to have the book, and to do a trial run out in the driveway on a sunny day. If we get another one.

    We’re going to go regardless of the weather forecasting, it will be a good tourism trip without the eclipse. Amish country with many abandoned fluorite mines, museums, etc. There’s a tiny ferryboat that crosses the Ohio River to Cave-in-Rock Illinois from rural KY weather permitting, that I’ve used a couple of times. MRs J will try it for the first time if timing works out.

    I plan to hit up a rural welding shop that may have a #14 glass, which would be a good thing. I have a 5″ Celestron telescope, but it’s a little awkward so I’m not planning to get a filter and take it with. One less thing to deal with, planning to take a cooler full of picnic stuff with also.

    Stopping at a Liquor Barn with a really good deli on the way past Lexington into far western Ky, which is really rural. Really!

    I hear that the town where I booked rooms specializes in mutton BBQ – Owensboro, KY on the Ohio river.

  75. 75.

    Amir Khalid

    @J R in WV:
    I confess, we did it not by bending the note, but by maxing out the reverb on the Fender Champ 20, and sliding up the frets with my fingertip. I have yet to buy a proper slide, but the new guitar calluses worked just fine.

  78. 78.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Don’t know if people heard about the anti-diversity manifesto — calling for replacing Google’s diversity initiatives with policies that encourage “ideological diversity” instead, because ya know half the population is biologically incapable of programming — that a senior programmer there sent out to an internal email list.

    But in response, this guy dropped a nuke from orbit on the brogrammers. Then nuked them again, just to be sure. (FWIW, his description of the value of “soft skills” is relevant to many other field.)

    https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/so-about-this-googlers-manifesto-1e3773ed1788

    Dunno where he’s headed career-wise, but I’d gladly work with him any day.

  79. 79.

    Kathleen

    @schrodingers_cat: Many in Mainslime Media also. Never questioned a damned claim from Snowden or Greenwald or traced the timeline or delved into the backgrounds of either of them.

    ETA But “the revelations” were causing trouble for the black guy so it was all good.

  80. 80.

    CarolDuhart2

    @Sister Golden Bear: These things can be hard for people outside a community. Just what is the right nomenclature? I remember as a kid having to cycle between “black” “African American” and for
    some “Negro”. “Miss” or “Mrs”. And these were large groups that people could easily recognize and meet. Trans people aren’t immediately recognizable as a group, so it’s easy to make mistakes on this once a person tells you they are trans. Throw in personal preferences (there are no rules and no central body to make even suggestions) and it can be harder.

    Let them know what you personally prefer and have a little patience.

  81. 81.

    Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA

    @J R in WV: That definitely sounds like a great trip, eclipse or no eclipse. Enjoy!

    I only live about an hour’s drive from the path of totality, but I’ll be spending the night before in a hotel just so I don’t have to fight traffic coming up from Atlanta the day of. I’ll be heading back home once it’s all done. Took both Monday and Tuesday off anyway, just because it beats working.

    I fortunately got a real filter of the exact 62 mm size that will screw onto the front of my camera

    The Thousand Oaks Optical one? I was going to give up on rigging my Baader filter and just get their filter, but I waited too long to order and can’t get one in time now. This after I was telling anyone who would listen months ago to get their equipment ASAP. Whoops.

  82. 82.

    barb 2

    “Mansplaining” – that’s when males “explains” complicated things to we women folk. You’ve found perhaps the earliest example of the practice.

    We will be heading down to central Oregon — because the coastal regions this time of year tend to be foggy in the AM. We will only have 97% totality. We have a small travel trailer — high ground clearance plus a jeep. Off the beaten path — we are ready.

    Lens for the cameras – still needed — glasses ordered.

    Off road guide book coming.

    I’m handicapped for the time being — so we have to figure that in our plans. This time in a wheel chair has given me another way to see the world. Plus one does not understand what the handicapped go through to make it through a day — no matter how empathetic one is. Now that I am wearing the handicapped shoes and have the tag for my car — I really am beginning to understand better the long fight for simple things — like bathroom access etc.

    I find it ironic that the major health issue I am dealing with was recognized by the docs at the same time Trumpster got the keys to the White House. ER visit for something simple — on that day and the 8n days later I leave the hospital with a diagnosis. Poorly working heart valve and not asthma. So I’m learning about the US health care system first hand. The same system that Trump and Ryan want to kill.

  83. 83.

    Caphilldcne

    @schrodingers_cat: sorry. Had my sarcasm detector on off mode. Yes. Agreed. All in last 5 years. TBH I still don’t quite get how Greenwald suddenly appeared and became a thing. Have not generally been a fan.

  84. 84.

    Another Scott

    @Sister Golden Bear: Thanks for the pointer. Zunger’s very good – I occasionally saw his stuff on G+. Agreed that he seems to have a very good head on his shoulder, and agree that the guy who he was responding to is really, really messed up.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  85. 85.

    barb 2

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    This hits home — my husband is a retired elec engineer. My degrees are in the Social Sciences. Understanding the whole system and working with others — yep that’s what his job was.

    Such a well-reasoned response and a must read for all geeks.

  86. 86.

    Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA

    @barb 2: Ugh. I’m so sorry you have to deal with the stress of these GOP sociopaths at the same time you’re dealing with a serious medical condition.

    Lens for the cameras – still needed — glasses ordered.

    I’m sure you already know this, but in case anyone else reading isn’t aware: please put a solar filter in front of the lens. You’ll risk damaging your camera’s sensor otherwise.

  87. 87.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @CarolDuhart2: Trust me I’m patient. More patient than you’ll know — every damn day.

    Just to be clear I was not yelling at anyone (unless they gave me attitude), I was in fact just letting people what the consensus is among trans people about how we want to be referre to. Which is pretty much what you just told me I should do.

  88. 88.

    Another Scott

    @Caphilldcne: GG was worth reading occasionally when he was arguing against W’s warrantless wiretapping stuff in Salon.

    But that was long ago.

    As someone else here notes on occasion, driftglass has Greenwald’s number when it comes to his rhetoric about Democrats. (It’s a shame that JGC doesn’t see that about him, IMHO.) And he seems to have no compunction about helping to ruin the lives of mistakenly-idealistic-people-with-security-clearances… :-/

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  91. 91.

    Davebo

    @Sister Golden Bear: I’d take offense had I actually said anyone was being “too sensitive”.

    Just pointing out purely anecdotal information from those Trans people I love.

  93. 93.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Davebo: Your implication was quite clear though.

    I’m not that bothered by people using those terms. I am bothered with people getting pissy when they’re asked to change such a minor thing.

    Everyone: If I’m a bit cranky today, it’s because seeing Trump’s trans ban tweet become policy has been a much bigger kick in the guts than I expected it to be. So yes, I’m having a rough day, and no, I’m not my most centered today.

  95. 95.

    Davebo

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I think it best to drop it especially when others are reading things in that were never said. I could be accused of “getting pissy” by someone (who’s obviously pretty pissy)

  97. 97.

    Davebo

    @Omnes Omnibus: You’re probably right. Still, it’s not a bad hole.

    Then again, I’m a 50 something white straight guy yet still have trans friends and it was one of them that found this entire conversation hilarious.

  98. 98.

    J R in WV

    @Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA:

    You might be able to round up a #14 welder’s glass big enough to use, but it sounds like you’ve already got a jury-rig set up to use. We have some sunny weather the middle of the week, I’m going to fool around a little bit trying different exposure strategies / ISO / manual vrs auto. Be a shame to not have it figured out when the time comes.

    I thought I had an actual glass with coating filter coming, but no such luck. Plastic film I’ll have to be really careful with.

  99. 99.

    J R in WV

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Trump saying that his policy is the law isn’t the same as judges saying he can do that. So there’s that going for you. I suspect the courts are going to look at the overwhelming acceptance of the spectrum of LGBT…etc folks nationwide before allowing people to reinstate old hater policies. Sure hope so!!!

    You hang in there, knowing there’s a crowd of us here hoping things go well for you in every sense of that.

    ETA: Not to say there aren’t haters out there still, obviously Trump has people who think his “new” old hateful policy is a great idea. Fossilized Republicans by and large. But most of us are with y’all!! Including Admirals and Generals…

  100. 100.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @J R in WV: Yeah, in my head I know the trans ban is likely to be overturned in court, and the silver lining is that it may build some sympathy and support for us, both within the military and outside. But seeing our lives used as a political football, still a kick in the guts.

  101. 101.

    MoxieM

    @Diana: It used to be the best swimming hole around, because State Park (e.g., not on Private Land Owned by Rich White People). Then Parks n Rec decided to work on the bank erosion problem, and there was nowhere fun to sit anymore. It’s still great swimming. I used to always stop on my way home from work, after the park had closed, and go for a dip. Heaven, in the muggy summers. To hell with philosophy, although I highly recommend Elise Lemire’s book Black Walden. (full disclosure, she’s a friend.)

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