George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
The things you lean on / are things that don't last
User ID: 107
Jesus H Christ. Headaches yeah, fine, we all get them, but blue balls without the aching hour of unrealized foreplay, that seems like the curse of an angry god. Sorry to hear it.
If it takes the edge off what is already a blunt non-edge, I'm way past 33, not nearly retirement ready, feel like probably my whole life I've been depressed-ish but just lived it (no jibes meant against the truly nonfunctional depressives out there) and I just pre-ordered a tuxedo for a shit ton of money from my Sikh tailor. But my wife and I laughed at the dinner table tonight (lemon chicken pepperonccino pasta my recipe) my oldest son cut up a big pomelo fruit and ate it on tissue paper, and my youngest sang the melody to an old George Benson song (turn your love around) without prompting. What I'm saying is life, in the words of Anne Sexton, is a trick. Life is a kitten in a sack.
Edit: past, not passed
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
1d ago
Are you suggesting that surviving relatives of a murder victim are legally required to view the murderer's execution? Because I would be surprised if that were the case. If you're simply questioning why these people would be granted the choice to view an execution, I think you've answered that by suggesting the right to be granted "closure," or, if not that, a sense of finality, or justice served--something they can see with their own eyes.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
2d ago
The tempurpedic eye mask. It's dark in the mornings Northern hemisphere this time of year but in July when that summer sun hits at 4:30, this thing is a godsend. Comfortable, blocks light, you can even open your eyes while wearing it. Good for planes, as well.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
2d ago
The mind reels (again).
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
2d ago
King's prose was always wasted on me. The Stand, for all its admittedly gripping story and plotting, was unnecessarily vulgar in parts. Not even the story, just the metaphors. That probably sounds prissy of me but I remember thinking damn dude, did you have to use that image there? Exceptions for me are his early story collections, and maybe Salem's Lot. He's a great yarn-spinner though, and certainly prolific.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
2d ago
Read it, enjoyed it, bought a copy for the daughter of a friend of mine who was leaving Japan for university on the east coast of the US. She left it on the shelf. But apparently her uncle in the US also got her a copy. No idea if she ever read it.
Notably for those responding doubtfully, de Becker by no means limits his focus to females. I found it a good read, and its basic message of "be aware of your surroundings/trust your instincts" invaluable.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
3d ago
Non alcohol beers I also tried, but soda water wins. The 0 alc beers in Japan have a bizarre taste (I tried about 4 different brands), and maybe it was just my mind but I got a weird, non-buzz but definitely weird feeling after drinking a couple. As if my body were telling me "This is not something you should be drinking."
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
3d ago
(taps calculator) Ah, so it's the prenatal beatings keeping them smart!
(this is intended as a joke)
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
3d ago
If you google Bryan Johnson, you'll discover a very wealthy guy who turns his whole life into a mission. The goal of the mission is extending the mission. He eats seeds, berries, and protein compounds, all before like midday, then nothing, injects himself with various substances, sleeps a lot, takes various supplements (until he stops taking them), has weird waxy skin, and declares that he isn't going to die. I'd rather be me.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
4d ago
True about our timing, very true. I asked about local perspectives because other than one or two sources the focus in the mainstream news media is typically on multimillion dollar homes of the well-heeled. I don't mean to be callous but I don't care so much if a celebrity's third home in malibu was torched.
I am given pause by stories of people being caught actually lighting fires for whatever nefarious psychotic reasons of their own, right in the middle of the worst of it.
In any case, glad to hear you've been relatively insulated!
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
5d ago
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
5d ago
Not sure where the "house slave" comment came from; that's surprisingly uncharitable from you, but maybe he (or I) wound you up.
Your either/or argument here doesn't move me, actually, nor do your analogies, but it's an interesting perspective.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
5d ago
I wonder who GW was giving the thumbs up to.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
6d ago
Got it now, thanks
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
6d ago
If I'm not mistaken homeschooling is only legal in Japan after age 14?
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
6d ago
Huberman's unironic shilling of AG1 was enough of a lit flare to the face that I don't listen to him anymore. There are many links regarding the lack of empirical study on Athletic Greens, and I'd rather you find sources you trust than throw out my own. Yet Hubes touts them as if they are this amazing thing.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
6d ago
I'm getting "It's a private community" and I would have to message mods to get in. No thanks.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
6d ago
Due to reduced efficacy of the ALDH2 enzyme, yes. But only about a quarter of Asians have this issue.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
6d ago
That's Toranaga's inner voice, yes? Historically, Will Adams was eventually given leave to return to Japan, though he stayed. I'd suggest part of this is Clavell's unlimited omniscient writing style, combined with the passage of time in the novel. A similar trope was used in the original miniseries where you had Orson Welles reading out Toshiro Mifune's Toranaga thoughts at the end.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
7d ago
I understand nothing about the mathacademy commentary here but I encourage you to continue pushing self-discipline.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
7d ago
Did you have the impression Blackthorne wasn't the hero of Shogun? (I mean the book.) He definitely was in the Chamberlain series, definitely wasn't in the new series, but I remember in the book, despite the omniscient perspective getting into every character's head, Blackthorne did seem to be the main character we are meant to empathize with.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
7d ago
My problem with the praise of the (remade) miniseries is how the ostensible protagonist of Shogun (Blackthorne) is relegated to an ineffectual buffoon, without any real redeeming qualities apart from the fact that Toranaga and Mariko seemingly take to him. I enjoyed the book immensely both times I read it. I am somewhat surprised by your praise of Ta Nehini Coates, who I think is a muddled-thinking fraud.. That said, I haven't read this book you're recommending.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
7d ago
I think here in Japan (where if I am not mistaken you also live) drinking is much more seen as normal--I almost never hear anyone talk about alcoholism (アルコール中毒者 or アル中) except as a joke. No doctor has ever verbally asked me about how much I drink (though it's on the forms that I fill in) and none have ever told me to stop drinking unless I expressly asked "Do I need to not drink with this drug?"(antibiotics.) Then it's a reluctant ”お酒はだめ" (no alcohol). Never for how long, never a recommendation on lifestyle choices. Booze seems just part of the culture here--which is bizarre in a way when you think of how many people just can't drink in Japan without going full ゆでだこ (an oldish term meaning boiled octopus, referring to the redness of face many get after consuming even a little booze).
At my tops I was at 4-5 a night, typically 2-3 beers and then a couple of vodkas or whatever I had on hand (bourbon usually). When I quit for a month at the end of summer I....didn't feel much different. The main difference was in my morning self; when I rose I felt more rested, more clear-headed, less dubious about whatever I had said or done the night before. My wife took a less-than-helpful stance in telling me to just have a beer as she insists I am much more personable and, probably, interesting, than when sober. "It's like you're at a funeral," she said one night as I sat listening to my family speak Japanese. I think this has more to do with my default self, which is fairly quiet and reflective and not willing to jump into conversations that aren't directly related to me (especially if they're in another language). I find I am typically also quite functional on this much, making dinner, putting away dishes, setting the dishwasher, sorting out the kitchen, all after 4 or 5 drinks. Then I would crash.
My worry was twofold: Was this affecting my health? But also was this an unbreakable habit? I think drinking like this does affect health in well-documented ways if consistent, if it's a habit, but in my case it was a habit I was able to break with a bit of willpower--the first few days (where you are now) tended to be the most difficult, simply because the whole act of drinking had become ritual. I would suggest (without having myself done this) to substitute a new ritual (maybe involving a non-alcoholic drink?) which you can adopt to replace the drinking, and in this way stave off that sense of something missing (if that's what you feel) in the early evenings when the news comes on.
I am no longer teetotaling, but like to think I am more aware now of when I drink and how much, and consciously limit myself. All this as commiseration and a wishing you luck in whatever your goal ends up being.
Edit: With doctors, on reflection, it may not be that booze is so much part of their culture as it maybe the Japanese tendency, even among professionals, to not want to introduce any sort of discord into a moment. Saying "Don't do xyz" could be met with resistance. So they assume, I suppose, you already know, or will read the papers they give you, without having to say it directly. But now I'm armchair theorizing.
George_E_Hale
insufferable blowhard
9d ago
Great detailed write-up, thank you.I have minimal experience in Korea and have implausibly never traveled there. Now I'm thinking I should.
I feel like you're the healthiest most badass motherfucker on here.
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