Stop. Think. Be Terrified.

This isn't really what this blog is for, but I can't keep quiet anymore.



Haha! Funny!



Still hilarious!

Not so funny anymore

What's happening now in the political landscape is nothing short of terrifying. Sure, it was kinda funny in the beginning when no one thought the modern day Hitler stood a chance. Now it's not funny at all.

The Constitution limits the president's authority to make and repeal legislation, but the president and his appointees have enormous discretion over the enforcement of existing laws. Putting a leader who condones violence against the supporters of his political opponents in charge of the federal law enforcement apparatus is frightening; giving him the power to unilaterally issue pardons is terrifying.

I assumed that as we got closer to the Republican nomination, Trump would would tone down his extreme behavior in order to appeal to mainstream voters, or that he would no longer be in the race. Obviously none of the above happened. Not only is he still in the race, he is the strongest contender for a Republican nomination. And he hasn't toned down his behavior: he has done the opposite. This has truly scary implications for how he might behave were he to actually win the presidency, which shouldn't be discounted. After all, very few thought he'd get this far.



There are numerous things that should make Americans outright scared about a potential Trump presidency. It's not necessarily his narcissism and pompousness, nor his offensive and disgusting comments about women, minorities, and undocumented immigrants.

It's disturbing that someone with so little interest in the truth, who is happy to stoke xenophobic fires to advance his agenda, and who seems to have little cause other than the glorification of himself, has somehow persuaded so many that his presidency would make America great.



 

This mockery of a man should have been disqualified from even contemplating running for the highest office in this country. That being the pipe dream it is, there's something far more frightening than the reasons above that makes Trump such a danger to our country.

What scares me more than Donald Trump is the silent majority. He has empowered people to openly express hateful and bigoted behavior that in some cases has turned violent – and that’s the most dangerous thing of all.

I believe Martin Niemöller said it well:


A Blast From The Past

Remember how I was all drenched in melancholy last year around Halloween? Well, one should be careful what one wants for. He's back. Last I checked, my conjuring skills weren't very strong, so I doubt it was my wishful thinking that made him surface. Whatever it is that brought him back into my life, he's here.

So happy together...

When I say "here", I mean that we haven't actually met up yet. And I don't even know if I want to. Hell! Who am I kidding! Of course I want to meet him. I'm curious as all hell to see how he's been, what he looks like, how me smells... ugh! don't even get me started.

He always had a knack for timing, so it would only make sense that he should show up now when my marriage isn't exactly great. So there's that.

Completely unrelated, the bike ride in today was amazing. Cherry blossom galore and friendly drivers.



I can't decide whether I should be sad or glad every time I make it safely to my destination. It ought to be a given that I'm not risking death by pancake, but it's not. I guess it comes down to a risk-reward sort of thing. Kinda like this, but swap out crazy for risk and hot for health benefit.



That show was crazy good the first and second season. I stopped watching after that so I don't even know how he met their mother.

Contemplating One's Navel Only Gets A Person A Face Full Of Lint

I've been a bit of a Debbie Downer as of late, and that shit's gotta stop.

How you tell you're done contemplating your navel

This morning on my commute I was reminded of why I'm riding my bike instead of the car to work.

Paradise on earth

When I was younger I was an avid skier. Not downhill as much as cross country. I tell you, there's nothing quite like the feeling of calm and tranquility that hits you when there's nothing but you, crisp, white snow that go on for miles and miles, fresh, cool air that carries with it the smell of freedom. This morning's commute took me back to that place. The cool air that surrounded me as I was biking passed Bellevue College was almost exactly like that air from my childhood, and I was immediately calmer by about 50 degrees.

The rain has stopped for now, which makes for a much more enjoyable commute. I might even go for a ride this weekend. All though, my calendar is filling up quickly with life stuff.

I'm a thinker with a hint of an introvert and a dash of over analyzing and just a sprinkle of sarcasm. You didn't see that one coming, right? I'm a special donut. I have a tendency to think myself into a corner, which means I have to sit there until the thinking paint dries. Sometimes I only have to sit there for a short time, other times I remain in my corner for a good while. That all depends on what type of paint I used.

Seems I used the quick-drying kind this time around, and besides contemplating my navel only gets my face full of lint.

The home situation is what it is for now and thank you for valuable input. Here's a selection:




Dan

 

Chuckle

Josh

Mark

Afte I've had a good think, I feel like this scene from Love Actually, when you've said what you have to say and no matter what the outcome, you are ok with it.

The Ins And Outs Of Marriage And Priorities

Seems I'm in a lonely boat. Not lonely in the sense that I am the only one in the world who's in this situation, but lonely in the sense that the roles usually are reversed. This doesn't make it less of a problem, though.

But if there's one thing being married has taught me, it's this: you can't make other people do what you want. You may want them to exercise and eat healthy but they won't always do it. You may even want them to, say, pick up their dirty socks or stop leaving 1,000 pairs of shoes by the door, but they won't do that either (not that I'm talking about anyone in particular). For some reason, these people we get involved with tend to make their own decisions. And that's part of the problem.

Lies!

About a year ago hubby expressed a desire to get in better shape. I thought it was a good idea and wanted to be supportive so I did it too. However, we chose different means to achieve said goal - he started going to the gym, I took up road biking. I've stuck with it for the past year and, started to compete in cycling events, and have commuted to work by bike ever since. He stuck with the gym for about three days and then went back to his old habits.

He has gained about 50 pounds over the past few years.

I've been trying to get him to bike with me, and we did bike together for a while - until the weather got cold and wet.



Look, I realize that the problem might be mostly mine. I'll admit that I'm a little... obsessed with biking. I love biking so much and I think that's affecting my brain to not being able to comprehend why other people might not love biking as much as I do. When it comes to biking, my husband and I aren't exactly bike compatible. I love – and live – to ride. Hubby? Not so much.

Me

Hubby

It's not all bad. Hubby has been very supportive of my biking and hasn't complained - even once - about the bike expenses. Tom Hardy was a birthday present from hubby purchased by me, but that was for practical reasons. A bike is a very personal thing, like buying a bra, where no one size fits all.

So yeah, at first glance this sounds a bit like a First World Problem, but here's where the rubber meets the road:

I'm not proud of my feelings, but I'm just not as attracted to him physically anymore because he is overweight. I'm also not attracted to him mentally because he isn't even trying and I'm frustrated with his lack of determination. I don't know what to do. Many people say to continue to be a good example and it will rub off on him... but that's clearly not working for hubby. I don't pressure or nag him to eat right or exercise but I do try to include him and ask him if he wants to go to biking. For the time being, it's just a thought and nothing actionable.

How Maslow Stole My Husband

Ultimate nerd cave
Beam me up, Scotty!

If you want the nerd cave above, you can buy it here. Believe it or not, it's for sale.

The 27,000-square-foot home is overflowing with boldly themed rooms and entertaining areas, including a home theatre modeled after the bridge of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, complete with signature “woosh” sound when someone enters through the door.

I wrote about hubby's man cave a while back. While he hasn't played much Magic lately, I hardly see him anymore because the cave apparently is so cozy and perfect that he doesn't need to come out. Ever again. The cave covers all of Maslow's needs. All the way up to the top.


1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.

3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love, - from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

How the man cave covers hubby's needs:

1. Given that he has internet and cable in the cave, the sex part is easily covered. The other items are obviously covered.
2. Yeah, that's also covered.
3. This one is a little trickier, but I'm sure the internet can cover this one as well.
4. Winning the online battle and protecting the world from the kid next door will cover this one.
5. Between the internet and the cable, this one is covered as well.

If the weather was nicer, I most likely wouldn't notice his absence as I would be out biking. However, the weather thing is currently in the wishes-fishes category so I'm starting to feel slightly less humorous about it and more annoyed.



How much gaming can a person do?!?!?

This is our evenings:

Hubby usually comes home before me because it takes me an hour or so to bike home. We have dinner, then he does his vanishing act right after. Last night I felt myself getting annoyed so I sulked in silence downstairs, then after having had various dialogs/monologues with myself in my head, riling myself up to how I was justifiably insulted, then I stomped upstairs, opened the door to the cave and announced that I was going to bed. Very mature, I know.

This morning I gave hubby the silent treatment as we prepared to leave for work.

But I guess I made my bed, resulting in having to lay in my non-metaphorical version alone. I encouraged him to have a space that's all his, I even found it endearing. I'll admit I might have had some ulterior motive, thinking ahead of all the weekends I will be gone biking. But those weekends are still far, far away, and meanwhile there's no hubby to be seen. Is being a man-cave widow a thing?

So now I'm going to bed alone.



I suppose there's always Channing or Tom.