It was hot as hell today. Like 95 degrees and 55% humidity, which is radically different to the heat I grew used to the prebious 8 months. It reminds me of this scene that has stuck with me forever from Biloxi Blues:
At any rate, mowed for a couple hours this morning, then went and had birthday dinner at Gerald’s (they smoked a pork loing). I’m not going to think about the messes we are in and go watch the Agency on Paramount.
JaySinWa
I read the typo as long pork. Sounds right neighborlessly.
ETA
This sounds like the heat getting to you.
ETA2
Are prebiotics prebious?
zhena gogolia
Usually church is what gets me reset and okay for the week, but this morning it was depressing as hell.
But I just feel like — I can’t do anything about it. I tried to do something about it before the election, but now it’s out of my hands. I have to try to live and not be obsessed with that HORRIBLE MONSTER ASSHOLE that THOSE IDIOTS PUT IN CHARGE OF ME.
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
It is out of our hands. But why did that make church depressing?
JaySinWa
@zhena gogolia: I try periods of not thinking about it. Basically my strategy for dealing with stress. Maybe we can talk about the heat and make jokes about typos.
Steve LaBonne
@zhena gogolia: I am sorry about that. Church for us this morning was a great joy- our minister returned from her maternity leave and she and her husband brought their beautiful 3 month old daughter to church. And the service was the most characteristic and beloved of UU rituals, the Flower Communion. And at coffee hour we celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of a beloved couple in our congregation. The morning did a lot for my mental health.
Another Scott
Happy Boifday, JC. Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Scott.
satby
Pretty much the same weather here with a few more degrees added. I went out very early and watered everything, including putting water out for wandering cats and other critters. Ran an errand at 9 am and was home in 45 minutes. Haven’t gone out since, and won’t if I can avoid it.
I remember a heat wave a few years ago when a friend called me and yelled into the phone “it’s 100° out, check on your fat people!!”.
I still laugh about that; fortunately both of us have lost some poundage since.
Denali5
Happy Birthday, John
Cole!
satby
@zhena gogolia: @Baud: It is out of our hands. I choose to see that as liberating. We did do all that we could. History marches on pretty often in spite of most of us and what we do. We can try to influence events, and sometimes we succeed. But it’s more work and often a much longer timeframe than most of us want to accept.
piratedan
so…. DJT follows Bibi in blowing up Iran in what seems to be an excuse to keep crisis status in Israel to stay in charge (at least, that’s what the cynical me supposes)… the same Iran that Putin is leaning on to keep his nightly onslaught in force in Ukraine.
Does this attack have Putin’s blessing?
Is DJT not staying bought, or is this a case of Bibi subletting DJT with Putin’s permission or is this is still just chaos reigns and its whoever talks to DJT last that gets the pony?
am I the only one thinking that this seems somewhat paradoxical?
Jay
@piratedan:
Yes.
Rachel Bakes
Happy Birthday, John from part of the CT contingent!
twbrandt
I am on a short vacation in Chicago. Naturally I had to pick insanely hot days to go.
Took the Amtrak Wolverine service from Dearborn, MI to Chicago. The train arrived in Chicago 5 minutes early. Amtrak now owns most of the track between Detroit and Chicago, so the service is much more reliable than before when freight took priority. So much better than driving or flying.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: That didn’t make it depressing. It was a testimony from a woman who saw someone snatched out of his car by ICE in our town and had to try to comfort the family members who were left. She said the men had masks and no identification other than “POLICE” across the chest of one of them. A bunch of black cars gathered and they grabbed a guy out of his car. I can’t believe this is happening. Of course we’ve heard the reports, but to hear it from someone right here who experienced it — I couldn’t stop crying.
They Call Me Noni
The g-granddaughter spent the night and slept in “the big bed” with Noni and she decided that Pop Pop should sleep in her (twin) bed so, since she rules this house, that was the sleeping arrangements. We went to bed at midnight and talked for an hour. She’s in her Chatty Cathy era and is most entertaining. Daddy picked her up about 11:00 this morning and she told me she loved me and had “so much fun on our girls night “. How did I ever live without this almost four year old in my life? So even though the politics are awful right now I did have a perfect night.
Jackie
Jackie
@They Call Me Noni: I’m so happy for you! Here’s to many more Girls Nights! :-D
Geminid
@piratedan: Well, Iranian Foreign Minister Aranghchi is in Moscow tonight and will meet with Putin tomorrow. Both guys will probably make public statements afterwards, and that might shed some light on the question.
Aranghchi is stranded more or less. The US persuaded Israel to let him fly out to Geneva to meet with European foreign ministers Friday. Then he flew to Istanbul for an Organization of Islamic Countries meeting, where he talked to Turkish President Erdogan and his foreign minister.
Now Aranghchi is in Russia, but he can’t fly home unless the Israelis let him. He can still communicate with authorities in Tehran by means of Iran’s embassy in Moscow.
Steve LaBonne
@zhena gogolia: So awful.
JPL
Happy Birthday
Wanted to say thanks for the joys, laughter and community.
Suzanne
It was about the same here, weather-wise. Mr. Suzanne is doing colonoscopy prep, so I walked the dog twice, took Spawn to her soccer game, and ran to the store for him. So I am sweating balls, have been all day, and am reminded why I could not stand living in Arizona. About to take as cold a shower as I can, and then maybe watch the NBA Game 7.
They Call Me Noni
@Jackie: Thank you. She is the best, sassiest little thing. And I just adore her.
Another Scott
History repeats the old conceits, …
Best wishes,
Scott.
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
I’m sorry. That’s awful.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: But that debate! And Kamala’s laugh!
Jackie
@zhena gogolia: I’m so sorry. Human beings are the vilest of all mammals!
I live in a red county in WA with lots of agriculture: Vineyards, wheat, alfalfa, potatoes and corn. A heavily Hispanic community with almost virtually taco trucks on every corner. It’s only a matter of time before the horrors impact us.
MoCaAce
@They Call Me Noni:
Thank you… you just made MY day!
MagdaInBlack
@They Call Me Noni: Truly a perfect night for sure =-)
prostratedragon
@twbrandt:
That’s wonderful news! I’m a vet of the Conrail days, and while it was rarely as bad as the Norfolk Southern stretch from Indiana to the city, it did make planning an issue.
WTFGhost
@JaySinWa: Seriously, distraction is the number one way to deal with uncomfortable emotions. One thing to be aware of, is, if you’re low on resources, you have a much harder time dealing with uncomfortable emotions, and they’re harder to banish.
At that point, you need to kinda remind yourself to adjust your own air mask, before trying to assist someone else. You’re no good to anyone, if you’re tearing your own brain apart, so, do what you need to do to stop the tearing apart, first, and then, come back and worry a bit.
@zhena gogolia, when you really, honestly, can’t do anything, all you can do is try to find peace. And if it’s literally impossible to find peace, you need to dig deeper into why, and whether you need to detach some, or rest more, and otherwise make sure you can take care of you.
mayim
First, happy birthday to the blog host! This is my one consistent source of news [it’s too much right now to be my usual news junkie], and I’m so thankful you’ve developed and maintained this place, even though I mostly lurk.
Otherwise ~ life is pretty crappy these days. I lost my job [which I had planned tobretire rrom, as it was the perfect fit for my skills and personality] due to federal funding cuts. My position was state funded but I was bumped by someone who had been federally funded with the same general job title but not the specialized skills, despite the union contract saying that the person doing the bumping had to be able to do the job. So I’m in the position so many “cultural” workers are in now ~ job hunting in a very tight market.
The worst part for me? I was just getting to be financially stable after surgery a year ago and two years ago, with the associated costs [and two summers of quite restricted activity ~ no yard work, no swimming… ugh!] Despite having good insurance, I hit my deductible/out of pocket both years ~ and librarian salaries aren’t that generous, so things got tight.
So I’m currently in a horrendous hole, not sure how I’m going to be able to catch up with my car payments and other expenses ~ and small town Maine isn’t a good place to be without a car.
So, yeah, I currently hate Trump and Musk/DOGE more than the NY Yankees ~ and that’s saying lots from a 4th generation Sox fan!
mayim
@mayim:
Just missed the edit window ~ was coming back to remove the discouraged rant; no need to pull all of you into my bitterness, despair, and vehicular woes.
Fighting the unemployment website, as I had done right before posting, is not good for my mental health, nor is dealing with issues around car finances right now.
Apologies for the misery dump ~ I’ve never been accused of being short-winded…
Thor Heyerdahl
On days that I get depressed about what is going on around us, I listen to Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot to put it perspective for me.
MazeDancer
Apparently, Iran sent Trump word that if he bombed Iran, they would activate sleeper cells in the US.
You know what “sleeper cells” meant to Trump?
Martial Law! Troops in the streets! No elections!l
Geminid
@mayim: That is a very tough situation, tougher than any I’ve had to get through. All I can say is, hang in there and don’t be afraid to share your troubles here.
scribbler
@mayim: I’m so sorry. But I’m glad you came here to rant. People here will want to comfort you. It’s not everything you need right now by any means, but I hope it helps you to know that many people care about you.
YY_Sima Qian
Worth keep in mind that a civilizational state w/ a strong sense of history & identity might hold grudge for a long time, irrespective of the sentiments toward the current ruling regime:
There is a loose parallel w/ China at the end of the Qing Dynasty. It was certainly ill-advised & unjustifiable for the Empress Dowager Cixi to tacitly let the Boxers lose on the International Legations in Peking, & eventually even sending imperial troops to support the assault. Losing the war to the Eight Powers Alliance, having to sign the humiliating Boxer Protocols & paying huge indemnities, were inevitable. Indeed, the Qing court lost so much legitimacy that it fell a decade later. However, that does not mean anyone in China forgot the pillaging of the imperial capital & the humiliation of the “unequal treaty” (after a long line of such treaties), & the memory of the “Century of Humiliation” would cast a long shadow over domestic & foreign policies of the ROC & the PRC, unto today.
YY_Sima Qian
Not so outlandish a thought:
YY_Sima Qian
If Russian invasion of Ukraine hadn’t rendered NPT unviable, then Israeli/US attacks on Iran would have:
BretH
Spent the last 2 days in Denver & Boulder. NOT looking forward to returning to the swamps of North Carolina
Jay
@YY_Sima Qian:
https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/
dww44
@mayim: No apologies necessary for your rant. You deserve any relief it hopefully afforded. You’re in a tough spot and I wish I could help you find another job. Librarians are among my favorite humans.
YY_Sima Qian
I honestly don’t understand the stances some of these Western governments are taking here:
Even New Zealand, which currently has a one of the most right wing government in its history, one that has been working to reintegrate back into the US led alliance structure in the age of Trump 2.0 (against decades of cross-partisan FP consensus, w/o a mandate to do so, & no internal debate on the pros & cons), & one that has noted nativist as FM (Winston Peters), managed to put out a statement that expressed skepticism of the US’ air strikes.
Jackie
Curious: How will Wall Street react to FFOTUS’s bombing Iran? We KNOW gas prices are going to go higher…
YY_Sima Qian
@Jay: Posted about the study a few days ago. I am glad I do not use the AI ChatBots so much.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@BretH:
There’s a reason why every entitled white person of a certain demographic who can moves here.
YY_Sima Qian
Another excellent thread from Jeffrey Lewis:
Another Scott
@YY_Sima Qian: I was just coming here to post that.
Thanks.
He makes excellent points.
Also, I continue to argue that: this is 80+ year old technology. If a country wants it, it can get it. The way to prevent them from wanting it is diplomacy.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Geminid
@Jackie: When I went to Stanardsville this evening for a grocery shop, I saw that gasoline had jumped 50 cents, from $3.09 per gallon to $3.59.
The Oil Price Magazine site is a good source for news on– you guessed it– oil prices. Today they showed Murban Crude, a type shipped from the Emirates, at ~$77 a barrel. That was actually down a bit from yesterday, but the price had already risen 20% this month.
I like Oil Price. It’s an industry site pitched to an audience of industry professionals. They’re not interested in hype or political takes; they’re more like, “just the facts, Ma’am.” Most of the articles are oil and gas industry news, but they also cover significant developments in the clean energy sector.
YY_Sima Qian
How to navigate the “great changes unseen in a century”:
Every economy that is a net importer of oil/gas, &/or reliant on oil/gas to function, will be hurt by instability in the ME. However, some will be hurt more than others.
Geminid
@YY_Sima Qian: Iraq could be hurt badly if they cannot export oil because the Strait of Hormuz is blocked. I think I read that oil exports account for 90% of Iraq’s state’s revenues. Iran would be hurt too, but maybe not as bad as Iraq.
YY_Sima Qian
@Geminid: Rubio’s mockable pleading notwithstanding, I expect the PRC would be working behind the scenes to persuade Iran to not close the Strait of Hormuz. PRC oil majors has a lot invested in Iraq, & Iraq is one of the top sources oil for the PRC.
Or, the PRC could make similar arrangements w/ Iran as it did w/ the Houthis in the Bab al-Mandab, so that oil tankers & LNG carriers w/ PRC interests (flagged & owned) will be spared.
w/ all of that, I would think Iran will not mine the Strait of Hormuz except as the last resort.
YY_Sima Qian
The EU & the E3 leaders have been losing the plot on anything to do w/ Israel for a while now:
Jay
@YY_Sima Qian:
I.H. Sutton has a you tube up on how Iran can “close” the Straights, and most of the weapons are selective. They can choose who can pass, and who can’t, even with their sea mines.
mayim
@dww44:
Thanks to you and the others who replied.
I’m a midlife career changer ~ becoming a librarian was the best thing I ever did for me. Having to likely leave the field because of D.C. idiots and their antics is very annoying ~ and the fact that the biggest issue I have currently just requires money I don’t have to throw at it, given how little librarians make and how bad the U.S. health “system” is with not covering everything, is even more annoying.
I am thankful for Obamacare, as I was able to get new insurance easily, which is good given both the physical issues [one more surgery in the series to go] and that I need store-bought serotonin/dopamine [ADHD and persistent depressive disorder aren’t fun…the ADHD only compounds the bad, given my scattered brain is crappy at dealing with adulting stuff like finances].
At least my cat Scout is happy ~ he’s a velcro kitty who hates when I leave the apartment.
NotMax
“Don’t bogart that loin, my friend, pass it over to me.”
;)
kwAwk
I think I’ve lost the thread somewhere. You mowed for a couple of hours? Do you work at a golf course now?
sab
Again: Happy birthday. Sorry it was so hot, but you had a working air conditioner and clear (but hot ) weather. Didn’t want to jinx either by mentionning functioning air conditioning and clear skies. Glad you had both.
sab
@mayim: If you do a Go Fund Me I am on board for a small contribution.
YY_Sima Qian
Wow, both the Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba & the South Korean President Lee decided to skip the NATO summit at the last minute. Probably pissed at the Trump Administration’s repeated attempt to twist their arms to increase defense spending to 3.5%, then 5%, of GDP, a politically suicidal & economically damaging proposal. They are probably also disconcerted by the Trump Administration recklessness vis-a-vis Iran, & its enabling of Israeli recklessness vis-a-vis Iran. Both had denounced the Israeli attack against Iran, & neither has supported the US air strikes. Both are highly dependent on ME oil/gas, even if not from Iran directly.
Prime Ministers of Australia & New Zealand are still attending.
Nancy
@mayim:
Reading this late, so you may never see it, but no apologies needed. One other thing Balloon-Juice is–usually a safe place to share personal distress.
I feel for you and wish I could offer more than my sympathies.
Nancy
@sab:
Great thought–me, too.
Paul in KY
@mayim: I’m sorry you are in this situation. Hope things get better soon!
Ol' Fezziwig
Nothing ever happens.