We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Sometimes it surprises me how many people are in bed at 5 or 6 am. What? That is plain un-American. At least, get up and milk the chickens and feed the cows.
My gym has been meddling with their early morning workout classes (calisthenics and HIIT mostly), partly because of staff turnover and partly just for variety. Maybe Russia was involved in the meddling, cuz we do have a Russian gal trainer there. Probably a spy...
Finally found a good one, a new one, for me this morning. Fast-paced, challenging, exhausting, heavy sweat and heavy breathing but without much shoulder stress. Yes, some burpees which I do not do. I do pushups instead. Modify whenever needed. I am often the oldest person but I don't care because I am in half-decent fitness for my age. At first, I could not keep up. Now I can. A body is a miracle of adaptation.
I recommend finding one or two of those that work for you, as a good complement to weight work and boring "cardio". The classes can look intimidating, but you go at your own pace and do what you can. Improvement ensues, fairly quickly.
Have any of y'all tried them? They can become addictive.
A fine rant but, as a commenter observes, You might not be interested in politics but politics is interested in you.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib Wants a $20 Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers. That Would Likely Destroy the Restaurant Industry. The Democratic congresswoman said that people cannot live off tips. People who live off tips beg to differ.
I heard on NPR that PR wants to de-colonize itself.
Please do. Go for it. The US got stuck with you, accident of history. The US would give PR independence any time. To my mind, the US should force independence.
It's about the limits of Materialism and the limits of experts. He is mind-expanding. (His bio here. He is a polymath.) This is what high IQ looks like to me.
Christopher Guest has made some iconic, quirky moves. AVI reminded me about A Mighty Wind, a faux documentary about a 1960s folk group. It's only a satire if you want to think of it that way. As with Guest's hilarious This is Spinal Tap, all of the dialog is improvised, and all music is written by the actors.
Both movies - or all of Guest's movies - are good for a rainy day.
If you don't care, good for you. If maintaining energy, vitality, and functionality matters to you, then it's worth thinking about.
While we recommend low-carb or even keto diets for weight loss programs (and even say skip the exercising - it doesn't help with that goal very much), the simplest and easiest body fat fitness plan is volume control.
That means volume of beer, soda pop, meals, and snacks. We've all noticed how avidly overweight people eat with no awareness of satiety - only of "fullness" (or of when all the food is gone). Portion control takes a little thought and planning.
My experience is that restaurants in the US and Europe (except for the fanciest ones) tend to serve the equivalent of two or three meals for a fit healthy person. However, there is no law that we must clean our plates. The Great Depression is long gone.
I've posted in the past, literally ad nauseum, about "false hunger," and ritual or recreational eating.
For devoted weight trainers, heavy-lifters, it is more complicated for any age.
Dress and comportment are important for men and women in careers and in regular life. The "suit does not make the man," but dressing right for the occasion matters a lot to other people. First impressions are everything. Of course, you have to have more to offer than your presentation, but it matters all along the way until you have fulfilled your dreams. Then you can do whatever the heck you you want. Flip flops and t-shirt, Unless you are in the rag trade.
If you look and behave like a professional, you can become one. Assuming some cleverness and, like the car below, attractiveness isn't enuf but it's a good start. Easy things for a career: Fitness, good clothing, agreeable attitude, even if fake.
Addendum: Scott Adams says good shoes are the most important part. Maybe, but good hair might be equally so.
Mrs. BD is car shopping. Has in mind a fun car that is happy with mud, gravel, rutty dirt roads, and sand, but which loves a road. Better off-road than Range Rover? Gee, I am suprised. Argue with me, but I think Range Rover is for driving kids to school in the rain, then stopping off at yoga class. While the door handle falls off.
How about this one? My theory is if you buy it in red, it's a cop magnet.
10:38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
10:39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.
10:40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."
10:41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things;
10:42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
The horrific 