Embrace the Suck.

[two fingers]

It just has a problem with reality...

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."

Aldous Huxley.

Ignorance isn't bliss, it is death.

Nope. You figure out what your reality is. If there are problems in your reality, you get about dealing with them. All the while, you don't let the problems overshadow the joy and beauty in the world.

This isn't the end of the world. It's a virus. Yes, some people will get sick, and a (relative) few will die. But sitting around waiting for death to come is not my style.

Last night, I needed groceries. I slapped on a mask and got groceries.


Today? Today I'm taking my family and my dog out on the beach. Then we're going kayaking. Then we're grilling burgers. We'll laugh and smile all day.

Reality won't budge the whole time. It's still there. I won't ignore it, or forget it. But I won't let it turn me into a grouch. No thank you. Being a grouch would suck. I'll pass.

It didn't choose an alternate reality. I didn't choose to ignore the one-and-only true reality.

What I choose to do is accept it, modify my lifestyle (a little) because of it, and press on with a smile on my face.

I'm not ignorant of anything. I'm in healthcare. I'm fully aware of everything that is going on. I have cleaned and serviced respirators/ventilators. I have been involved in the installation of a cooling unit for a huge body bag refrigerator that we built because some "smart" people though we would need to store several hundred carcasses until we could deal with them later. (We've never had more than 49 patients among our 7 hospitals. We've had 4 deaths. All of us who were building that damn thing knew we wouldn't need it. NOW tell me who is ignorant.)

I know what's going on. But I see life as a yin and yang wrestling match. My optimism is better equipped for the fight than all of the world's negativity combined. Bring it on. Come at me, bro.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go fry up some bacon and scramble some eggs. My beautiful, amazing daughters are getting hungry. And in a few minutes, they may not share my optimistic outlook.

 

[slapshot]

I've embrassed the suck. I am a property inspector in Detroit. We are "essential" so the insurance company can have outside pictures of homes. We get no PPE to deal with the public, and no guidelines how to do our work safely. I have reduced my days in the field.

To keep my sanity, I've become our engineer for doing church services over Zoom, and have taken over the operations side of running our food pantry at church. That and running the Round Table meetings virtually for our Boy Scout District. These activities have kept me busier than I was before.

 

[Lagado]

Nope. You figure out what your reality is. If there are problems in your reality, you get about dealing with them. All the while, you don't let the problems overshadow the joy and beauty in the world.

This isn't the end of the world. It's a virus. Yes, some people will get sick, and a (relative) few will die. But sitting around waiting for death to come is not my style.

Last night, I needed groceries. I slapped on a mask and got groceries.


Today? Today I'm taking my family and my dog out on the beach. Then we're going kayaking. Then we're grilling burgers. We'll laugh and smile all day.

Reality won't budge the whole time. It's still there. I won't ignore it, or forget it. But I won't let it turn me into a grouch. No thank you. Being a grouch would suck. I'll pass.

It didn't choose an alternate reality. I didn't choose to ignore the one-and-only true reality.

What I choose to do is accept it, modify my lifestyle (a little) because of it, and press on with a smile on my face.

I'm not ignorant of anything. I'm in healthcare. I'm fully aware of everything that is going on. I have cleaned and serviced respirators. I have been involved in the installation of a cooling unit for a huge body bag refrigerator that we built because some "smart" people though we would need to store several hundred carcasses until we could deal with them later. (We've never had more than 49 patients among our 7 hospitals. We've had 4 deaths. All of us who were building that damn thing knew we wouldn't need it. NOW tell me who is ignorant.)

I know what's going on. But I see life as a yin and yang wrestling match. My optimism is better equipped for the fight than all of the world's negativity combined. Bring it on. Come at me, bro.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go fry up some bacon and scramble some eggs. My beautiful, amazing daughters are getting hungry. And in a few minutes, they may not share my optimistic outlook.

What you mention, isn't even the tip of the iceberg... This is what I'm talking about. "Nope. You figure out what your reality is." There is only one reality, unless you reject it and substitute with your very own.

I stated earlier, I accept where we are and how we got here, I get on with it. Even in a 6th mass extinction of our own making...​

 

[Lagado]

"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it."

George Orwell.

 

[two fingers]

"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it."

George Orwell.

Um..... I hope you're not talking to me. I have neither drifted from the truth nor shown hatred toward anyone.

So, how exactly am I supposed to feel and/or act right about now? Ya know.... being that you're all bathed in the truth and whatnot. Drop some truth on me. As far as "society" is concerned, one need only look around to see examples of our coming together to prop each other up.

 

[DirtDog]

"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it."

George Orwell.

Hey Lagado, I asked you nicely via PM to take this particular discussion elsewhere.

The underlying premise of this discussion is that we are all “in the suck”, so what are we all doing to cope? If you’re trying to say that you’ve taken a fatalistic approach, fine. Say it and be done.

If you want to debate you in the solipsistic nature of “reality” and invoke more than Huxley or Orwell in doing so, I’d be happy to but please start your own thread on that subject.

Thanks.

 

[Boogiepop]

Nope. You figure out what your reality is. If there are problems in your reality, you get about dealing with them. All the while, you don't let the problems overshadow the joy and beauty in the world.

This isn't the end of the world. It's a virus. Yes, some people will get sick, and a (relative) few will die. But sitting around waiting for death to come is not my style.

Last night, I needed groceries. I slapped on a mask and got groceries.


Today? Today I'm taking my family and my dog out on the beach. Then we're going kayaking. Then we're grilling burgers. We'll laugh and smile all day.

Reality won't budge the whole time. It's still there. I won't ignore it, or forget it. But I won't let it turn me into a grouch. No thank you. Being a grouch would suck. I'll pass.

It didn't choose an alternate reality. I didn't choose to ignore the one-and-only true reality.

What I choose to do is accept it, modify my lifestyle (a little) because of it, and press on with a smile on my face.

I'm not ignorant of anything. I'm in healthcare. I'm fully aware of everything that is going on. I have cleaned and serviced respirators. I have been involved in the installation of a cooling unit for a huge body bag refrigerator that we built because some "smart" people though we would need to store several hundred carcasses until we could deal with them later. (We've never had more than 49 patients among our 7 hospitals. We've had 4 deaths. All of us who were building that damn thing knew we wouldn't need it. NOW tell me who is ignorant.)

I know what's going on. But I see life as a yin and yang wrestling match. My optimism is better equipped for the fight than all of the world's negativity combined. Bring it on. Come at me, bro.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go fry up some bacon and scramble some eggs. My beautiful, amazing daughters are getting hungry. And in a few minutes, they may not share my optimistic outlook.

Bravo, sir. Bravo.

B.

 

[two fingers]

It's not quite as warm as I would have hoped (about 62F with a cool wind that makes it feel like mid 50s). But we soldiered on and got wet.

The Fingers Girls doing what they do.

The marsh near the house. That's Dude, my beagle out for a walk.) As soon as I woof down an apple with peanutbutter I'm about to throw......

.....these kayaks in it.

 

[DirtDog]

It's not quite as warm as I would have hoped (about 62F with a cool wind that makes it feel like mid 50s). But we soldiered on and got wet.
View attachment 3802194
The Fingers Girls doing what they do.
View attachment 3802186 View attachment 3802187 View attachment 3802188
The marsh near the house. That's Dude, my beagle out for a walk.) As soon as I woof down an apple with peanutbutter I'm about to throw......
View attachment 3802198




.....these kayaks in it.
View attachment 3802207

Nice! Looks uncrowded as well. Double win!

 

[DirtDog]

I spent the day doing care and maintenance on one of my motorcycles. I don’t think it’s been as clean and sharp since I brought it home from the dealership. Now I’m gonna take it out and get it dirty again. Such is life. Embrace the suck!

 

[Bass Viking]

Some of the memes posted on social media are pretty funny, that's always a good mood elevator. Others however are preachy and annoying. In one particular case it's actually hypocritical: A friend of mine, who is all about saving money, wanted to buy a guitar last year so he concocted a scheme. He planned to cross the border into New Hampshire and purchase the guitar there as there is no sales tax. Then his American friend would bring it back into Canada (posing as its owner) to avoid Canadian taxes. A week ago he makes a post on Facebook about how we should all support Canadian business and spend our money in Canada.

So to my Canadian friends, "Buy Canadian!" Unless you can get it cheaper in New Hampshire.

 

[pie_man_25]

Some of the memes posted on social media are pretty funny, that's always a good mood elevator. Others however are preachy and annoying. In one particular case it's actually hypocritical: A friend of mine, who is all about saving money, wanted to buy a guitar last year so he concocted a scheme. He planned to cross the border into New Hampshire and purchase the guitar there as there is no sales tax. Then his American friend would bring it back into Canada (posing as its owner) to avoid Canadian taxes. A week ago he makes a post on Facebook about how we should all support Canadian business and spend our money in Canada.

So to my Canadian friends, "Buy Canadian!" Unless you can get it cheaper in New Hampshire.

I get that feeling man, plenty of folks who didn't think about buying local might actually give it a bit more thought in the near future. That can't be a bad thing. Wish I could say something more constructive than that.

At any rate, no suck on my end. Kinda hard to complain when I've got a job and all is well on my end. It also helps knowing I'm one of the guys helping to sort this out.

I've been trying to post in this thread a good couple times and can't settle on anything for various reasons. This is the one I'm keeping.

 

[Bass Viking]

I get that feeling man, plenty of folks who didn't think about buying local might actually give it a bit more thought in the near future. That can't be a bad thing. Wish I could say something more constructive than that.

I agree with the buy Canadian sentiment too. As for my friend, either he’s turned over a new leaf or his Facebook account got hacked!

 

[pie_man_25]

I agree with the buy Canadian sentiment too. As for my friend, either he’s turned over a new leaf or his Facebook account got hacked!

I imagine he'll buy local in the short term, then return to old habits after not too long. If a guy is willing to go to those lengths to skirt legality in order to save a few bucks on a guitar is probably the type to do it again.

 

[bholder]

The only thing that keeps me wondering, is what fresh hell will be next.

Krakatoa erupted and Yellowstone is waking up. Exciting times to be alive.

 

[DeltaDelta]

You know how the day after a big snowstorm hits, it's usually quiet as a lot of places are closed because customers and/or employees can't get to non essential places of business? I like those days. The world needs to slow down occasionally.

Very much agree with this.

So, what have YOU done to embrace the suck?

-Started a small vegetable garden (and the rest of the garden has never been tidier)
-Began collecting rainwater (there's a big roof, why not take advantage of it?)
-Gave more careful thought to the meaning of the term "basic necessities"
-Went over the setup on my P bass one more time, great improvement
-Tore down and reconfigured my compact pedalboard

If you have some time on your hands/your family life allows it, please consider ways to help your community (plenty of organisations to volunteer for, or even just on a personal basis)
Stay safe, look out for each other.

 

[DeltaDelta]

But with people now acting irresponsibly and increasingly spreading the virus against the advice of public health experts, I have begun to worry about how open-ended this whole thing is going to be, and that makes it more difficult. I think we'd all like to get on with our lives and whatever the new normal is going to be, but I also think it's going to be a very long time before we see that.

This is all unfortunately very true.Too much denial.

 

[Tom Bomb]

"My wife hates it when I work from home." Banksy


​

 

[Downunderwonder]

View attachment 3906453
"My wife hates it when I work from home." Banksy


​

She must really hate it because he went out in hazmat gear and 'decorated' some Underground carriages. If the L.U. have their wits about them they will have taken those cars off service and converted then into art installations to sell for a gozillion pounds.

 

[Boogiepop]

She must really hate it because he went out in hazmat gear and 'decorated' some Underground carriages. If the L.U. have their wits about them they will have taken those cars off service and converted then into art installations to sell for a gozillion pounds.

Cleaners removed Banksy Tube art 'unknowingly'

B.