Chit Chat and All That...

[aot]

My city is under lockdown and curfew. Crazy stuff.

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Ah!! I'm super obsessed with Squirrels. I love feeding them. We don't have them at my place because Mr. Peaches kept the rabbits and squirrels ate/chased off.

I love squirrels! I have a few on my tree and they are super friendly... we also have a family of chipmunks... lol.

Hey @aot, did you send my sun via regular mail??
It hasn't arrived yet!
There's a thing called Priority Mail, you know!

 

[aot]

Hey @aot, did you send my sun via regular mail??

Yeah, but they sent it back because I didn't use enough stamps!

 

[PhoenixAcademy]

I love squirrels! I have a few on my tree and they are super friendly... we also have a family of chipmunks... lol.

Hey @aot, did you send my sun via regular mail??
It hasn't arrived yet!
There's a thing called Priority Mail, you know!

One man's squirrel is another man's groceries.

 

[Bill Bauer]

n what ways do you see the West becoming the new USSR?

I gave this a little more thought and I believe I Can be a little more specific and still be relatively safe.

In the West collectivist "for the greater good" sentiments are now indistinguishable from how it used to be in the USSR. USSR used to have a state religion. When a country has a state religion people must live in accordance with ideas that have never been rigorously tested or that are self-evidently false. One has no choice but to comply. These days the West also has a state religion. It is slightly different from the one they had in USSR, but those differences aren't important.

Why? Do you hate the world that much? Do you have any family?

I have my beloved mom and my grandma (who lives with my aunt) who's pushing 100.
I am glad that I didn't do anything stupid (e.g., gotten married) when I was younger. I am especially happy about the fact that I don't have any kids. I feel sorry for everyone who is younger than me. The younger they are, the worst I expect their life will end up being.

I don't hate the world. All it is is that I don't feel the need to socialize/I have never been addicted to socializing. [Before I learned to "be myself" I used to socialize. After every one of those instances of socializing, I would ask myself whether I learned anything interesting/useful and the answer has always been "no."] All I ever wanted in life was to be left alone. So if I were to Have to have a headstone, I would want to do what I could to escape scrutiny and to not have strangers learn my name, date of my birth and date of my death.

The man sat across from the table asked me many questions and wondered if it wouldn't be better if I went to live in the UK with my wife.

I think he was genuinely curious.

Before I could get permanent residency here I had to have an interview with the local FSB

Insane!!

I can think of many, if not most, films that would not have gotten approved by the Soviet censors.

Please give some examples. I guess nudity and extreme violence might be banned, but I was talking about banning a movie for political reasons.

will do anything to see a return to glory for Russia

Whether or not there is anything wrong with the above depends on how the politician defines the word "glory". If "glory" were to stand for "high standard of living", then would there be anything wrong with politicians having goals like that?

The EU has tried to become a superstate, but it is failing greatly.

EU has been another reincarnation of the USSR...

I do not know, but some of the events that have occured have a strong resemblance to the plan laid out in that book (here is a Russian version of it -
https://docviewer.yandex.ru/view/0/...3YmM4OWNmZTk3ZjcyYjY1OCZrZXlubz0wIn0=&lang=ru

Which chapters in this book seem to foreshadow what ended up taking place?

He has already taken back, if that's the right way of phrasing it, Crimea and already has a foothold in the main part of Ukraine. Parts of Georgia are now basically parts of Russia.

I have always disapproved of him encouraging the Greek Orthodox church becoming a thing in Russia again. It is too bad that the only one of USSR's accomplishments - reducing the number of religious people - got undone. Him attacking those other countries are two other unforgivable things that he had done. Some people might think that if he succeeds in shielding Russia from the Dark Ages that are descending on the West, perhaps he might be forgiven for some of those things one disagrees with him about.

members of the military here are not allowed to travel abroad

I had no idea!

maybe leave this discussion and let Chit Chat

I don't feel guilty about making those posts in this particular thread. After all, we're just chatting.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I love squirrels!

Check out YouTube channel ChooChoo's Story

Saw this and thought of @Labyrinthine and @Jcb

For comparable inter-species action involving an owl, see 9m35sec and 13 minutes of

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Check out YouTube channel ChooChoo's Story

Oh, that was the cutest thing ever!!! It was so relaxing watching it...haha
Thanx for sharing that, Bill!

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Yeah, but they sent it back because I didn't use enough stamps!

Mad at you!

 

[all to gain]

I gave this a little more thought and I believe I Can be a little more specific and still be relatively safe.

You are very concerned about your safety. Who do you think is watching you? And why would they be bothered about what you specifically have to say?

I seem to remember you saying that you are an academic and that one of your favourite subjects is game theory.
Is it being an academic that makes you feel that you are a target? Or are you just an anxious person in general? Obviously one must be concerned about safety, but when does it reach a point when the amount of concern shown is too great in relation to the risks involved?

I have my beloved mom and my grandma (who lives with my aunt) who's pushing 100. I am glad that I didn't do anything stupid (e.g., gotten married) when I was younger. I am especially happy about the fact that I don't have any kids. I feel sorry for everyone who is younger than me. The younger they are, the worst I expect their life will end up being.

Do you live with your mother?

Why feel sorry for those younger than you? They will get to experience life, just like we have, with all its ups and downs. When has ever been a good time to bring children into the world?

I don't hate the world. All it is is that I don't feel the need to socialize/I have never been addicted to socializing. [Before I learned to "be myself" I used to socialize. After every one of those instances of socializing, I would ask myself whether I learned anything interesting/useful and the answer has always been "no."] All I ever wanted in life was to be left alone. So if I were to Have to have a headstone, I would want to do what I could to escape scrutiny and to not have strangers learn my name, date of my birth and date of my death.

Surely, by having almost 10,000 posts on this forum, you are socialising. More than anyone else on the site! You lead the rankings...

Like you, I am a solitary person, and have spent much time alone. Like I said, I spent 2 years living in the back of a van always alone. Going off track (which is kind of strange as it is a tinnitus forum)... but for someone like me, tinnitus is a real curse, and it would be even if it were only mild. Mine is far from mild. I love silence in my solitude.

I can understand that you don't want to use your real name or show your date of birth when interacting over the internet, although if someone really wanted to find out those things it would not be too hard, but why care when you are dead?

I probably won't be around on the forum much longer. What is to be known about the tinnitus world and treatments can be summed up in a few paragraphs.

I think he was genuinely curious.

I am sure he was, but it was more than that. He gave a heavy sigh while saying "Ok, then" when I said everything will be alright living here. I think in the long run, he may be right.

Insane!!

Modern-day Russia has way more security services personnel per head than it ever did in the Soviet Union. I could even list the numbers for you, but I won't.

Please give some examples. I guess nudity and extreme violence might be banned, but I was talking about banning a movie for political reasons.

You have changed the criteria. Even so, lots of bad language would be banned, anything to do with relationships other than between a man and woman would be banned, and I'm sure there are many others. Rocky IV was banned for 3-4 years after its release and only became in Soviet circulation in 88-89 at the very end of the Cold War.

Whether or not there is anything wrong with the above depends on how the politician defines the word "glory". If "glory" were to stand for "high standard of living", then would there be anything wrong with politicians having goals like that?

Everything depends on how things are defined. The man in charge is way more concerned about the country's position in the world than anything else. Living standards are still important, but they do not top his list. I've ridden many a Russian road to know what is important here and what is not.

EU has been another reincarnation of the USSR...

Yes, in many ways it has been. What set out as an economic union has become something very different with talk of a European army and open borders and a regulation for everything under the sun. Such a union, in my opinion, is unworkable in the long run. There is too much history, much of it bad, between the peoples of Europe for a European wide army for example to work. NATO is something different, but even that is fraying at the edges.

Which chapters in this book seem to foreshadow what ended up taking place?

I have not read the whole book, only snippets that have been pointed out by others. I have thought about reading it, as it would 1) help improve my Russian and 2) be an insight into how maybe those in power are looking at the position of Russia in the world.

But reading a book by someone considered a neo-fascist does not fill me with joy.

I have always disapproved of him encouraging the Greek Orthodox church becoming a thing in Russia again. It is too bad that the only one of USSR's accomplishments - reducing the number of religious people - got undone. Him attacking those other countries are two other unforgivable things that he had done. Some people might think that if he succeeds in shielding Russia from the Dark Ages that are descending on the West, perhaps he might be forgiven for some of those things one disagrees with him about.

The ultimate goal, or one part of it, is the fall of Kiev into Russia's hands... Kievan Rus' afterall are seen as the
cultural ancestors of modern Russians and the country derives its name from them.

I had no idea!

I'm not sure if it's all military personnel, but definitely the ones I have met who aren't simply conscripts into the forces. I even asked the FSB guy in my interview if he wants to go abroad and he said, "I am not allowed... and I do not want to anyway".

I don't feel guilty about making those posts in this particular thread. After all, we're just chatting.

It's not that, but I feel like we have infiltrated the thread with Russia talk. We will be accused of collusion soon

 

[Shera]

@OnceUponaTime Lucky!! I tame down the squirrels at my grandmas. They let me pet them and way back one actually road on my shoulders. I think it saw my chicken doing this and copied her!!! I really wish someone would have taken a picture with the squirrel on one shoulder and my chicken on the other!

I love chipmunks!!! I once spent a whole day taming some down in the forest. I had a hammock setup while I read. Kept feeding them until some settled around me. So fun!

@PhoenixAcademy Actually squirrel is surprisingly good. I liked the video.

@Bill Bauer Ah!! Thank you! I loved both videos. I love animals being friends like that. I need to find a picture of my cat and her hummingbird. My old cat Smokey found a hummingbird that didn't have tail feathers. We thought something pulled them out, but it's a birth defect. I kept the hummingbird alive and she would sit right by it. When I cleaned the cage the hummingbird hanged out in her long fur! They were so cute. Smokey was so sad when it passed.

 

[Shera]

As promised a picture of my super specail B-day brownies!! I horded 100% coco DARK CHOCOLATE just for this moment.

Sadly Redbox has not dropped Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker. Plus, my local video store has been closed for 2 weeks. I got the free Redbox code for my B-day. But who knows how long it is before they drop it. *sighs* I was looking forward to my special brownies and the final chapter of the trilogy. I refuse to buy it. I mean I could with some of my B-day cash. But Abrams usually botches endings and I need to see it before I commit. Plus, my bookshelves say they are hungry.

 

[Shera]

People know me too well! I got this with my B-day cash from my girlfriend!

 

[Bill Bauer]

Who do you think is watching you?

In this case, it would be the other forum users.

And why would they be bothered about what you specifically have to say?

What I have to say is against the state religion. Unfortunately there are people out there who take the state religion seriously.

Or are you just an anxious person in general?

I Am more anxious than an average person.

Is it being an academic that makes you feel that you are a target? Or are you just an anxious person in general? Obviously one must be concerned about safety, but when does it reach a point when the amount of concern shown is too great in relation to the risks involved?

I'd rather not answer that. An answer might provide people with ideas about what they can do to harm me.

Why feel sorry for those younger than you? They will get to experience life, just like we have, with all its ups and downs.

The standard of living has been deteriorating and it will continue to do so. My guess is that within 20 years indoor plumbing will be gone.

Surely, by having almost 10,000 posts on this forum, you are socialising.

When one hires a prostitute, one isn't paying for her to be there - surely one can find a mate for free - one is paying for her to leave when the fun part is over. Likewise, I guess this is the kind of socializing I can live with - where I can walk away at any time, and where there are no consequences.

I think that in this case it's more of a charity thing (I learned some things about this disease that I believe others might find helpful) than socializing.

for someone like me, tinnitus is a real curse, and it would be even if it were only mild. Mine is far from mild. I love silence in my solitude.

Same here!

why care when you are dead?

Like I said - I don't care what happens after I am dead. If I Had to have a headstone, I guess having that on it would allow me to say what I have been feeling like saying and couldn't say throughout my life.

Modern-day Russia has way more security services personnel per head than it ever did in the Soviet Union. I could even list the numbers for you, but I won't.

If the figure is above what it was in the 1980s, hopefully it is lower than it used to be in the 1930s.

Even so, lots of bad language would be banned, anything to do with relationships other than between a man and woman would be banned, and I'm sure there are many others. Rocky IV was banned for 3-4 years after its release and only became in Soviet circulation in 88-89 at the very end of the Cold War.

Please read what you wrote and then think about what I wrote.

 

[aot]

View attachment 37881
As promised a picture of my super specail B-day brownies!! I horded 100% coco DARK CHOCOLATE just for this moment.

Sadly Redbox has not dropped Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker. Plus, my local video store has been closed for 2 weeks. I got the free Redbox code for my B-day. But who knows how long it is before they drop it. *sighs* I was looking forward to my special brownies and the final chapter of the trilogy. I refuse to buy it. I mean I could with some of my B-day cash. But Abrams usually botches endings and I need to see it before I commit. Plus, my bookshelves say they are hungry.
View attachment 37882 View attachment 37883

That looks delicious! I'd kill for some of that right now.

And I totally get that feeling about books. One time I walked in with the intention of getting one and I walked out with five!

 

[Shera]

That looks delicious! I'd kill for some of that right now.

And I totally get that feeling about books. One time I walked in with the intention of getting one and I walked out with five!

Ah, thank you. My parents have ate their half already. Time to protect my remaining half.

Yeah! Bookworms unite! Ah, one magical time my work bonus came in early, and it hit during Borders Black Friday coupon. Very few people realized that EVERY YEAR on Black Friday Borders had a BUY ONE BOOK, GET ONE FREE. That's a free book! That's 50% off every book! (If you need to look at it differently.) I came out with two giant bags that day. They triple bagged them and the staff helped me to my car. I always wondered what they sold to need those big bags. I like to think those bags were sitting in reserve for this very sale.

 

[Shera]

So I've been junking out on Halsey's Maniac album since it came out. And I realized that I really love You Should be Sad. It's almost my favorite song from the ablum. There's something so cutting about it that I love.


Not to mention she's hot as hell and fierce in this. And I love all the nods.

 

[aot]

I always wondered what they sold to need those big bags.

I imagine just big purchases for big readers like ourselves.

I really love the Barnes and Noble bags with the illustrations and literary quotations on them. My local B&N has a Starbucks inside, and there were days where I would spend hours in there, reading and drinking way too much coffee.

 

[Shera]

I imagine just big purchases for big readers like ourselves.

I really love the Barnes and Noble bags with the illustrations and literary quotations on them. My local B&N has a Starbucks inside, and there were days where I would spend hours in there, reading and drinking way too much coffee.

Ah, I really thought when Borders went under we'd get a B&N. (Prayed feverishly.) At least we had a Hasting for my book and anime needs! Then that went out.

B&N to the north is about a 3 hr drive from us. Then to the south it used to be 4 hours, but one opened about 2 hrs closer. East and West is just insane.

I see them from affair when we're traveling and I long to go in! I can't even remember the last time I've been in one. It was magical. I remember that.

 

[OnceUponaTime]

 

[OnceUponaTime]

 

[all to gain]

When one hires a prostitute, one isn't paying for her to be there - surely one can find a mate for free - one is paying for her to leave when the fun part is over.

I will take your word for it Bill! You obviously have expertise in this area, however I have never had to pay for it.

 

[Bill Bauer]

You obviously have expertise in this area, however I have never had to pay for it.

Well, you had to pay. Just because you pay with your time and energy instead of cash doesn't mean it ended up being free.

Evidently I place less value on it than the other men, as the prices in this market are way above what it is worth to me. I estimate that the amount I ended up spending on it over my lifetime was less than $250.

 

[aot]

 

[Shera]

I've never seen the doggy costume before!! ah!!!! So cute!

 

[bobvann]

View attachment 37913

It's the stand. Been saying that since the get go!

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Sooooo, I was cleaning my yard today and busted another finger!!! I was moving some heavy rocks and I crushed it. The left hand now! It hurt so bad I felt dizzy... the pain was horrendous and it's throbbing so bad. I can't believe this. Now I have 2 broken fingers and tendonitis... This is so upsetting. I didn't need this now.

And I have more masks to sew!!!! sigh...

 

[Daniel Lion]

Hi chitty chatters.

I write... I delete. I write again.
Made a panini sandwich yesterday, likely the only one in Laos. Been reading Dr. Seuss with my 7 year old. Chilling with my family and making the best of things.
Just popping in to say hi.

@Shera I do hope you get your hands on the final Star Wars film. My sappy self found a way to cry, in a good way.

@aot I love browsing book stores and chilling. London and Boston were my primary locations for this activity. Both full of used and new book shops and amazing public libraries.

 

[aot]

Sooooo, I was cleaning my yard today and busted another finger!!! I was moving some heavy rocks and I crushed it. The left hand now! It hurt so bad I felt dizzy... the pain was horrendous and it's throbbing so bad. I can't believe this. Now I have 2 broken fingers and tendonitis... This is so upsetting. I didn't need this now.

And I have more masks to sew!!!! sigh...
View attachment 37933

Oh my! That sucks, Once. I hope you start feeling better soon!

 

[OnceUponaTime]

That's 125th St in West Harlem, NYC.... under the elevated train.

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Oh my! That sucks, Once. I hope you start feeling better soon!

Thanx AOT.