.
Neck deep in shit
In our "van days", my wife and I were in California. We were looking for work and using the local parks for bathrooms and showers. And on one particular day, my wife came back from the girls restroom complaining that there was some guy in the shit under the woman's restroom, and that we needed to leave pronto!
Holy cow!
So we did. And, don't you know, three days later a guy was arrested who was in that exact septic shitter, up to his neck in shit, whacking off in the shit to women taking a dump in the public restroom.
I kid you not.
As I recall, he was wearing a rain suit, and had his genitals fully exposed. He was found (by the police) standing neck deep in the shit, and whacking off to the women using the outhouse. He would look up, watch them shit, and pee and whack off to them in the shit.
The police said that he would enter the septic tub under the outhouse at the crack of dawn and leave after 11pm when it was too dark to see what was going on, as there wasn't a light after 11.
It's a story that I find particularly repulsive, but would never believe if it wasn't that we personally experienced it.
California.
Sheech!
Today...
"Why such restrictions were introduced against the Chinese auto industry, against electric cars? Just because they have become better and cheaper than European or American ones. That’s it. They [the US] are simply killing competitors, in this case, the Chinese rival and do not let it into their market. This is a prohibitive duty. The same is taking place in Europe, of course. As soon as some country, a global development centre, as we often put it, is developing and becoming more competitive, they stop it and put it down, they try to make it happen. Can Russia-China cooperation counter this in some way? To prevent this from happening, they are creating problems in financial items because we could purchase more. But we are restricted in purchasing these products because of money transfer problems. Is it possible to do something about this? Yes, it is. We will develop joint productions. This requires time, just as it was with aircraft components when we had to delay their production by half a year. This is the same case. We will go for joint production. This is the most erroneous and stupid way of building an international economic system. The correct idea is that the market decides everything and they were drumming it into our heads for decades, if I may put it this way – pardon the fancy language. But the market will still push them down. Do you understand what the point is? They are creating this problem for themselves with their own hands. What will this lead to? They have introduced sanctions against various goods. What will it lead to? Inflation in the US. This is what they will get. Because they will try to make these products themselves, at their own sites, paying wages to their own workers, paying for their expensive metal and their expensive energy. This is the result – the German economy in Europe is already operating nearly in the red while the French economy is teetering on the brink of recession. If the German economy starts coughing and feels bad, the entire European economy will not feel quite well, putting it mildly. This is the result of such decisions. These are not market decisions. They are completely stupid and have no prospects whatsoever."
Excerpt from answers by Russian President Vladimir Putin to questions from Russian media representatives on the outcomes of his two-day state visit to the People’s Republic of China, Harbin, May 17, 2024.
What was something small you went to the doctor for that turned out to be very significant?
In January of 2019 I woke up on a Saturday with a pain under my ribs/ kind of like heartburn. I have awful anxiety and thought it was a panic attack so I took half a Valium and went to my daughters basketball game. After the game the pain hadn’t gone away, so I took the other half of Valium and decided I needed to sleep off the panic attack.
By Monday night the pain still hadn’t gone away so I went to an urgent care after work. They told me it could be a gallbladder attack but didn’t think so because I was fine - I mean besides the pain I was fine. I wasn’t in horrific pain, probably a 4 on a scale of 10. But they said since I’ve had this pain for 3 days I should have an ultrasound of my gallbladder to make sure everything was ok in there. They didn’t seem too concerned at all. So I got in for the ultrasound on Wednesday, I drove myself, the pain still there but again, not awful, just annoying at this point. It was constant but got worse after I ate anything.
Thursday the urgent care called to tell me everything on my ultrasound was normal except for a few gallstones but there weren’t any blockages. I told them I still had pain and they said I should probably go to the ER to be seen. I was at work and didn’t want to leave early so I told my coworkers and boss what the doctor had said and was trying to decide if I was going to go to the ER when I got off work. They all decided I had to go NOW. I was so upset. I was just going to sit in the ER for 4 hours and pay a $600 copay with insurance to be told I had a few gallstones and to go home.
well, I went. And the doctors looked at me, had another ultrasound done, and I hear the ultrasound tech tell the doctor “I don’t know what they’re talking about, she doesn’t have any stones.” The doctor looked at the screen and started pointing everywhere, “stone, stone, huge stone, all of that that looks like sand… stones.”
They told me I needed to stay overnight and have surgery the next morning and I was so upset because my 5 kids were at home with my husband. The next morning came and I had no pain. The doctor said since he had seen all the stones and already had me scheduled for surgery that morning I should just get it done before it caused problems again, and that it’s an in and out procedure, takes about 45 minutes and I’d go home right after with pain only for a few days while I healed. Ok, sure. No big deal.
I wake up 4 hours later with 3 small incisions, a drain tube coming out of my abdomen and my husband sitting in a hospital room saying “you just HAD to be difficult, didn’t you?”
Well, overnight in the hospital the night before my surgery, my gallbladder had ruptured. The surgeon said he had never seen a gallbladder as bad as mine. It was like I was an obese 60 year old man, eating grease for every meal and my gallbladder had been rotting inside me for YEARS, filled with HUNDREDS of stones. They said they usually check for the 3 Fs when it comes to gallbladder issues - Fat: Overweight, which I really wasn’t, but I could stand to lose a few pounds. Fertile: which I was, I had had 5 babies back to back. And Forty: over 40 years old - I had just turned 25… lol So I only met 1 of the usual criteria for gallbladder issues.
I ended up having to be in the hospital for 9 days, with a bile leak from leaving the branch to where my gallbladder was without a clip. The surgeon couldn’t get to it with all the inflammation from the rupture.
I ended up having 4 ERCPs, which is where they do an endoscopy to place a stent in the bile duct to stop the bile leak, which can - and did - cause pancreatitis after 2 of the procedures.
After 7 months of having the stent, they said it would never heal itself as they thought it would and I would have to have an open surgery leaving an 8–10 inch scar on my abdomen to stitch off the bile duct and prevent any more leaks. So I had that final surgery in August of 2019.
Long story short, I went through 8 months of pain and procedures and surgeries because I was stubborn and didn’t want to pay to go to the hospital for something I was sure was nothing.
If I had gone a few days before I would have had an easy in and out procedure, but I didn’t want to go and ended up having lots of other issues because of it.
So if you’re in pain for no reason for longer than 24 hours, just go get checked out. It might be nothing but it could also save you from going through a long recovery from something that should have been easy.
Beef Burgundy
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
- 3/4 cup burgundy
- 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
- 1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms
- Hot cooked noodles
Instructions
- Stir together the soup, burgundy, tapioca thyme and pepper in a slow cooker.
- Add the carrots and onion.
- Top with the stew meat and mushrooms.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
- Serve over hot cooked noodles.
[US State Department spokesperson said on May 16: "The People’s Republic of China cannot have its cake and eat it too. ... You can’t want to have ... relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time." What’s your comment on that?]
"Those words reflect a Manichean mindset of the United States, which drives a constant search for an enemy rather than peace.
This is a reflection of the Cold War mentality that still dominates US thinking, which bears unshirkable responsibility for the eruption and escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
China is not the creator of or a party to the Ukraine Crisis.
We have been on the side of peace and dialogue and committed to promoting peace talks.
We actively support putting in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture.
Our fair and objective position and constructive role have been widely recognized.
'Let the person who tied the bell on the tiger untie it,' to quote a Chinese saying.
Our message to the US: stop shifting the blame on China; do not try to drive a wedge between China and Europe; and it is time to stop fueling the flame and start making real contribution to finding a political solution to the Ukraine crisis."
Answer given by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin to a question from China Daily at the Regular Press Conference, Beijing, May 17, 2024.
- Not smoking a cigarette. Ever. Not even once.
- Learning how to make a couple of basic meals. Nothing fancy, just a simple spaghetti Bolognese or an omelette.
- Learning simple household chores. You may never iron much in your life (I don’t), but you should at least know how to iron a dress or a shirt for a wedding or funeral. I used to iron all my dad’s work shirts from age 12.
- Sewing a button back on. I don’t care if you’re male or female; at some point, you’ll lose a button, and your mommy won’t be there to sew it back on for you. It’s so easy that even a five year-old can do it.
- Walking. If you can walk there comfortably, then do it. Your legs are the best friends you’ll ever have, so keep them lubricated.
- Being the butt of a joke. It’s never good to take yourself too seriously, whatever your age.
- Displaying good manners. You’re never too young to get in the habit of saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and pushing your chair back under the dining table when you leave it.
- Using decent vocabulary. Don’t be a show-off about it, but words will be your calling card. So, scan a dictionary for some new gems every now and then.
- Doing things properly even though it’s tempting to take short cuts. If you start this habit from a young age, it’ll become natural for you, and you’ll be more proud of yourself after every task you accomplish properly.
- Being kind. Start as you mean to go.
Fun pics
What was something small you went to the doctor for that turned out to be very significant?
I was out of town and had stopped to go to the bathroom. As I relieved myself, a blood clot the size of a cigarette butt came out in my stream. I had been taking some diet pills and assumed that I was dehydrated and just needed to drink more fluids. The next evening it happened again.
I went to the ER where they performed a CT scan. The doctor came in and said it could just be an infection but that I needed to see my GP the first thing Monday morning. He gave me a copy of the scan for him to see.
Monday morning came and I went to see my GP and close friend. He took the CD of the scan, looked at it, and came back obviously stunned.
“You have a tumor the size of a tennis ball in your bladder and I’m 98% sure it’s cancer.”
Shit!
By Wednesday I was in surgery. A week later I was told I had Stage 4 cancer that was in my bladder, prostate, and urethra. I needed to start chemo within two weeks. I would also lose all of these body parts by the end of the year and pee into a bag for the rest of my life. Oh, and I needed to get my affairs in order. It was bad.
I never had any pain or other symptoms until that clot. Cancer is a sneaky son-of-a-bitch.
The good news is that I beat the odds and I am cancer free after 5 years. Prayer works.
Edit: some have wondered why the first doctor didn’t tell me about the tumor that my GP saw two days later. Well, here is the rest of the story.
When we we walking out the door of the ER, we passed the attending nurse who said, “We are praying for you.” At the time I thought it was a strange remark to say to someone with an infection, especially one that could wait a few days to be treated.
It was only later that I realized that the ER doctor probably didn’t want to scare the crap out of me since I wouldn’t be seeing my GP until Monday morning. He did insist in very strong terms that I promise to see him immediately that morning which I did.
So, there wouldn’t have been anything accomplished by telling me then that I had a large tumor in my bladder or that he suspected I had cancer. He was simply being humane to a person he knew was probably in serious trouble and I appreciated his caring later on.
What is the rudest thing you have ever done?
When I was around 22 I was dating a guy quite seriously.
I found out through a common friend he was seeing someone else.
I was so angry I couldn’t breathe.
I made a few calls and managed to get the phone number of the other girl. I called her and told her he was playing both of us. I went on to say that for me, it meant that it was over. I hung up the phone.
I wish I could tell you I did this because “I believe women should unite against men who play them”. Or that “it’s never the fault of the other woman, but rather the guy, and we need to stick together”.
But the truth is I was acting out of spite. My only goal was to hurt him.
I felt awful about this for years. I had recurring nightmares that I ran into him in various public places. In my dreams he would always vanish right before I could get to him to apologize.
Many years later I searched for his name on Facebook. I direct messaged him saying I did not want to disrupt his life but that if he gave me permission, his phone number and a time to call, I wanted to talk to him. He replied immediately.
We had a long talk the next day. I told him straight up I was so very sorry for what I had done. He said that he thought a lot about me over the years, that I had been very important to him, and that he too was incredibly sorry for the way he had acted.
It was a beautiful call and when it ended I felt I had put down an enormous burden.
I wish the story ended here, but it didn’t.
A year after our call he died in a car accident, leaving behind his wife and two young children.
I know you’ve heard this a million times but I’m going to say it again: If you carry around something that you need to address, do it. If you have something to say to someone, say it.
We have less time than we think.
The Tragic Story of China’s Fat Cat
In late April of this year (2024) a 21 year old gamer, who is known colloquially as Fat Cat or Pang Mao (literally chubby cat) from Hunan, China tragically took his own life by jumping off a bridge into the Yangtze River.
He did this because his then girlfriend broke up with him after she took all of his money totaling 510,000 RMB or 71,000 USD over the course of two years.
I saw very little coverage of this story in western media, so I though this would fit here, now let’s talk about a tragic story that had over a billion people mourn this one man.
I am one of those men. -MM
This story begins with Fat Cat (19) meeting Tan Zhu (25) through online gaming two years ago and the two started a long distance relationship.
During their relationship as a way to generate cash and to satisfy his girlfriend with said cash Fat Cat became a professional gamer.
He did this via boosting, where he would get hired by somebody to help them get a higher level on multiplayer games.
He created over 30 game accounts and made about 20 yuan (2.8 USD) per game. To generate cash his social life basically died.
Not only that but his diet suffered as well as he kept his expenses low and would only do take out for 10 yuan or 1.4 USD. This was shown by his online avatar which is a cat looking at vegetables wishing it could eat McDonalds.
Fat Cat provided 510,000 RMB or 71,000 USD to his girlfriend over the course of two years and in a leaked screenshot it showed Tan Zhu requesting money for various things and promising to marry him at the end of 2024.
This didn’t happen and in late April only after asking him to transfer 66,000 RMB (9,135 USD) did she break up with him and allegedly drove him to the bridge where he committed suicide.
It should be noted that according to Tan Zhu she did pay him back 130,000 RMB or 18,000 USD and that they had reached an agreement before his death.
胖猫梦奇跳江事件完整版＋惊人后续
This is a video made by a Chinese net-citizen about this tragedy.
China’s Response
After the whole story was revealed China mourned his death. China honored Fat Cat, a man who rarely got to eat takeout or drink, by ordering takeout like McDonalds and leaving the food at the spot where he jumped.
There were thousands of orders and people left messages hoping that in his next life Fat Cat would love himself more and that he may rest in peace.
This story has sparked a lot of conversation in China about relationships.
Many blame Tan Zhu for taking advantage of Fat Cat and then dumping him.
Some say that Fat Cat shouldn’t have tried to buy love and a relationship.
Overall this is a tragic situation that reveals how many young Chinese men will go to extreme lengths to ensure a relationship and marriage which many young Chinese women take advantage off.
As to Fat Cat himself, he was cremated by his family and Tan Zhu reached an agreement with his family to return all the money.
Regardless of how you may feel about the larger social issue in China, this is an appalling story that for the most part united China in mourning this young man.
Rest in Peace Fat Cat.
What is the most humane deed you have ever witnessed?
After my father died my mother was alone in her big house. She got lonely. So she contracted with a religious organization who put homeless people into her house for short periods. They were mostly women who were on the run from abusive husbands. They often had small children and no where to go. Some had been living in their cars. They now slept in the beds we used when we lived there many years previously.
It was very transformative for these women to suddenly find themselves able to sleep in a bed with a door that locked in a house that was safe and had food. It was very good for my mother too -- she had people to care for again. Many of the women were really in tough shape. They had been abused and worked over and criticized so much that they were no longer capable of making decisions. They had to get counseling. And there were so many babies. At least the babies were off the streets.
One day I went to visit my mother and found a strange man there. Somehow he had tracked down his wife and was there to do violence and drag her away. He was trying to extort 500 dollars from my mother to prevent the beating. I texted my brother, who was nearby, and who is a policeman. He showed up in uniform and just stood in the door staring at the man with his hand on his pistol. The man got the picture and left. When he was driving away my brother made some calls and it turned out he was AWOL from the Navy. They came and took him away from whatever flophouse he was staying in and we never saw him again but it was rather scary. The woman never even said thank you.
My mother was the most humane and decent person I ever met. She sacrificed her home, her comfort and her safety so that homeless, disadvantaged women had a place to be safe.
What's a lie which is considered true by people?
The kid in the picture is a boy named Adam Kyler. During 1998 and 1999 he was bullied savagely by another student at his high school for stuttering, being shy and his looks… Kyler was told by his tormenter that if he told anyone, he would “kill him”.
The guy bullying Kyle? Sixteen-year-old Dylan Klebold. One of the shooters at the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. He survived the shooting. Thirteen other people weren’t so lucky. The common narrative I hear always is “the shooters were bullied relentlessly, that is why they snapped”. And it is true — they were, indeed, bullied by some of the popular athletes. But they, too, were bullies, preying on the weak.
The Columbine shooters weren’t innocent victims driven to madness by bullying — they were actively bullying others, threatening others, making the lives of those they saw beneath them a living hell. They were angry at the world for not placing them at top of the social hierarchy. But they, themselves, were every bit as cruel to those “below” them.
Why Men Are Giving Up On Dating And How Women LOST IT With The Reality Of Average men
This is really bunt, but very good.
12 Strange psychological facts and tricks no one knows
- People like you more after they’ve done you a favor, not the other way around.
- A lot of people unknowingly sabotage themselves to defend what they believe in.
- The majority of people can easily be manipulated if you show social proof.
- Most people prefer the illusion of safety to the reality of freedom.
- People will believe your lies if you repeat them often enough and with enough confidence.
- The people who advertise their virtues the most are in fact the least virtuous people.
- As powerful as they are, words mean little; a narcissist can say “I love you” too.
- The bigger a group or system becomes, the more stupid it starts acting.
- Being “altruistic” with other people’s money is not altruism; it’s opportunism.
- People and nations who struggle the most tend to be the most religious.
- Injustices are psychologically negative even for those who are the most well off.
- You can be born in one country yet psychologically belong to another one.
Beef Tips with Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 to 3 pounds beef tips or lean stew meat
- 1 envelope Lipton onion soup
- 1 can golden mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 can mushrooms, drained
Instructions
- Mix everything in a slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours.
What is the lamest “benefit” you’ve been offered by an employer?
I worked at my local Coca Cola bottling plant as a routeman/ delivery truck driver. When I first started there I was amazed at this place that seemed to spare no expense when it came to a lot of things such as advertising, introducing new products, etc.
Now let me tell you, I've had some physically demanding jobs, but this was one of,if not the most demanding of all. We started at 630am and often didn't finish until 6-7pm. Also, the drivers were literally the whole reason their products even made it into stores which allowed them to make their money.
My first Christmas season there I was really excited, as I knew how profitable of a company they were and was expecting at least a semi-respectable bonus for the hard work that I'd put in that year. When “bonus” day rolled around, I just could not believe what I was seeing when they gathered us to collect our “bonuses”. A lot of us had families and could've really used any amount of extra money to help get us through the holidays, but what did we receive? A SIX PACK OF CANNED COCA COLAS (the cheapest item that we produced) AND A VOUCHER FOR A HOLIDAY HAM FROM THE GROCERY STORE!!! Were they serious? I've never felt less appreciated for working so hard.
What was something small you went to the doctor for that turned out to be very significant?
Yes. I was feeling a little under the weather for a little over a week. My ear was giving me trouble, stopped up feeling, dizziness, etc. - I thought I had a regular ear infection. So, I went to see a doctor in my local Walgreens or CVS (I can’t remember which one). They looked and told me I had an ear infection and gave me antibiotics. After a few days, I started having some pain in my ear and the stopped-up feeling wasn’t getting better, but I just told myself, “Things will get worse before they get better. The antibiotics haven’t had enough time to work”. I finished the antibiotics and things were worse, but what drove me back to the clinic was the pain. So, I go back and they tell me that they can see there is some pressure on my eardrum and some redness, and they prescribe a new, stronger antibiotic. Ok, I didn’t think any more of it. I finished the medication, but things did not get any better, so I went back a third time. At this visit, I was told that I would need to go see an ENT doctor because they couldn’t do any more for me.
I was able to schedule an appointment with an ENT pretty quickly and went in thinking it would be pretty routine. The doctor asked some questions and looked in my ears. He surprised me by telling me there was no ear infection. “So what’s causing these symptoms?” I asked. He then sent me for an MRI, which would provide more information. I went for the MRI a few days later and returned to see the doctor a few days after that. I should have known something was wrong when the doctor came into the exam room - his face told me that this was something more serious. He put up the MRI images, told me I had a brain tumor, and then showed me the MRI. For some odd reason, I honestly thought he was kidding, I thought it was a sick joke and actually told him so. “This is not funny”. He didn’t seem surprised by my response. I found out that patients in this situation are in disbelief and my response was more of the more common reactions. An acoustic neuroma. He said that it’s rare but benign and can cause all of the symptoms I was having. My mind was spinning, I couldn’t comprehend it. Even though the tumor was small, it was causing so many problems - some hearing loss, tinnitus, nausea, vomiting, severe vertigo, loss of balance, and headaches.
I had brain surgery the following month. It took about 5 hours, but the doctors were able to successfully remove the entire tumor. I will admit, I had a little bit of a setback, but after many weeks of physical therapy, I’m doing pretty ok. The hearing in my right ear has decreased since surgery, requiring the use of a hearing aid, and the tinnitus will never go away, but things are ok.
What is the most foolish thing you did as a kid?
OK, nearly 60 years later, I literally cringe and feel my ears turning red at the thought of how profoundly stupid this was, especially from two relatively bright and socialized kids.
My best friend in junior high (1965–67) was Andy Bos, who lived less than half a mile from me. We both lived in east San Diego Country (La Mesa, though just outside the actual city limits).
Andy's home was on property that boarded on Fuerte Drive, a significant road in the area that came down from Mt Helix (posh semi-rural neighborhood) to the freeway. The road was just one lane each way and cut into the side of the local terrain, so there tended to be an embankment on one side and a slope on the other. Andy's backyard was on the embankment side, so it was about 6' to 8' higher than the road. I forget his exact address on Sierra Vista Ave, but his house would likely be one of the ones "below" Fuerte Dr in this image:
So, one day, when I'm in 7th grade and he's in 8th, we're hanging out at his place. They've got an orange tree overladen with fruit. A lot of oranges have fallen off the tree and are rotting on the ground. And Andy says,
"Hey, let's see if we can hit cars coming down Fuerte with the rotten oranges!"
And I say something like,
"That sounds great!"
So we do that. Traffic isn't heavy — it's most likely either a Saturday afternoon, or a weekday mid-day during summer vacation — so there's a car coming down Fuerte every few minutes. We do our best to aim for the windshields, with some measure of success.
Thankfully (in retrospect), after only about 20–25 minutes of this, a sheriff's car with light bar going pulls into Andy's driveway. The deputy, an older man, gets out, walks over to us, and proceeds to give us a remarkably restrained lecture about how idiotic and dangerous our actions are. And I feel this sudden rush of horror and embarrassment at the realization that we could have easily caused a serious or even fatal accident. Somewhere in there, I was thinking, How could I have been this stupid?
Remarkably, the deputy did not arrest us, ticket us, or even ask to talk to our parents. He did tell us to use the brains God gave a duck and never anything so stupid or dangerous again, or else there really would be hell to pay. And left.
And, I'm pleased to say, I never did.
ADDED: I appreciate all the upvotes and stories. My sweet wife & I spent 20 years raising teenagers, and we came to two realizations, both of which are well-illustrated by this story about myself.
First, the collective IQ of any group of teens is equal to (the lowest IQ in the group) divided by (the # of teens in the group). I mean, neither Andy or I would have done this on our own, but together? Sure!
Second, my wife & I came to the terrifying realization that our kids had the opportunity and ability to mess up their lives for years before they had the judgment to realized that's what they were doing. Andy & I could literally have killed someone doing what we thought of as a funny prank.
When did you first realize your child was different?
When my daughter was 13 months old, she, her 3 year old brother, their dad and I would play the card game Concentration. She would beat us at this game and she could barely talk. She could also figure out peoples’ passwords just by watching them quickly type it into their phones. When she was 3 an employee of mine accidentally sent an embarrassing email to a regular client. My daughter overheard him telling me this and because she knew the client, she guessed his password. She’d never seen him enter his email password but made an educated guess based on his behaviour. My employee tried it as he had nothing to lose and it worked. He deleted the email and saved himself and the company from a lot of embarrassment.
This talent has an obvious down side. When her dad and I were divorcing she was 5 and broke into his email and read some compromising things that I’ll admit, were better kept private from our kids. She now knew something about her father that she shouldn’t have known at her age. She cried and cried and I had to console her. It was then that I reminded her this is why I’ve always told her that people are entitled to their privacy and if she breaches that privacy, she might find out things she doesn’t need to know. For the record, I used her talent to my benefit only once and that was the accidental email situation.
Original - Chinese shuffle dance - Woman is not wrong
- Being able to finally let out/share something you have been holding for a long time. You’re no longer your own prisoner. You’ve set yourself free.
- Sharing your first intimate moment with your special person. The first time is always special.
- Winning/Achieving something from a hopeless position. When the odds were against you and everyone thought you couldn’t. And you still did.
- Watching your children fulfill yours and their own dreams.
- Giving your dream job a chance and excelling at it. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, the happiness knows no bound.
- Being the reason for someone else’s happiness. Its rightly said that when your own feet hurt, try to remove a thorn from someone else’s foot.
- Realizing that the person you have a crush on, has a crush on you too.
- Turning your life around completely. To remember what you were and realizing that you’ve come a long way.
- Being able to finally face and conquer your deepest fears.
- In the last few moments of your life, when you know you’ve no more guilt and regrets. That you have had a fulfilling life and you’ve done the best you could.
What was something small you went to the doctor for that turned out to be very significant?
When I was around 15 years old I started working at a community pool where my sister worked the front desk. One day while I was wiping the counters and high touch areas down, she asked why I was “standing crooked”. Me, being a moody 15 year old grunted “I’m not” and continued to work. A little while after I went to my family dr who referred me for a spinal xray. Turned out I had scoliosis. This explained my constant soreness, pain, and mental health issues the pain was causing. I ended up having surgery at the VCH (1.5 hours from my
home) at age 17. The surgery took around 9–10 hours, but was very successful.
I spent the next couple weeks in the hospital. I made friends, relearned how to sit up, walk, goto the washroom, shower etc again; and finally made a successful trip down the flight of stairs - the “test” in order to be sent home.
The day I was supposed to leave the hospital, I received news that my incision was infected + I was to be wheeled back into surgery - this time a 4 hour one - to clean it all out and get it bandaged it up again. I spent another couple days in the hospital after this but eventually made it home.
Shortly after returning home, I fainted while attempting to take my pain medicine. I was back in the hospital (local one this time, thankfully) where they monitored me + checked my back and hardware out. Everything was eventually cleared and I was sent home once again. The recovery wasn’t quick, nor was it fun, but I had an amazing support system in my family and friends. This was easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life, and it’s something that is ongoing - even after surgery.
What Putin and China just did is SHOCKING and the U.S. is in Real Trouble
Do you ever wonder what happened to your regular customers when they stop coming into your store/restaurant?
Last year; our company lost a few of our long time customers.
After doing a little research; it was discovered that our granddaughter who had worked for the company for a couple of years is pirating the customers. She had a two year no compete clause but that hasn’t stopped her. Our granddaughter has also collected money from some of these customers. I did send out a letter to all of the customers last April, informing them that the granddaughter no longer worked for the company, was not covered by the company’s insurance and that the company would not warranty her work.
What was most interesting was what these long time customers are saying; it was almost word for word exactly the same statement every time. These customers still have outstanding bills that they have refused to pay. I now have liens on some very expensive real estate in my area which has been turned over to a collection agency for debt collection.
Last month; I had one of our old customers come back. I didn’t press her for a reason. I was grateful that she returned.
The customer’s statements were: “In my opinion, you charged me too much for the landscaping service that was provided” or words to that affect.
Would an untrained dog protect its owner?
For most dogs, yes.
I was on a late-night grocery run when, in the parking lot, I was approached by a couple. The woman was clearly stoned and the man was very hyper. They asked if I could spare $50 to help them buy “s(&t we need” and laughed. I said no, sorry, and continued walking to my car. They followed me and the man came within three feet and said, “I’m going to insist. I’m not giving you a choice.” I said ok, let me put my groceries in my car. The woman laughed.
I opened the tailgate of my SUV and my black Belgian Shepard (a Tervuren) looked at me and instead of wagging his tail and greeting me by trying to lick my face, stood erect and sniffed the air … and then jumped out of the car and stood between me and the couple baring his teeth and growling like I’d never seen before. The woman turned and ran. The man backed up about ten feet before doing the same.
My dog jumped back into my car and acted as if nothing had happened.
What don’t they tell you about retiring early?
I retired at 51 eleven years ago. I always planned on retiring as early as I could because both my parents died young and I knew I didn’t want to spend my entire life at a desk. My aunt was living with me at the time and she was slowing down. We knew it was time for me to retire and move back home for her to have one last hurrah and that is what happened. A year and a half after I retired, she passed away.
When you have been retired a few years you forget the day of the week it is. There is no significant difference between the days so they eventually blend together. You go to the grocery store and run errands on your own schedule. No more hurrying after work or during lunch breaks. You shower less. Once or twice a week is ok. Pajamas and sweats become everyday casual wear. No need to dress up. Vacations become extended trips you take during the off season to avoid crowds. I remember taking one trip where I intended to stay only a couple weeks. Because the weather heated up across the Great Plains, I decided to spend the next couple months at high elevation before heading back. Now that my former co-workers are reaching their 60s they are starting to retire. I may not make as much as they do in retirement but time to me is priceless and I’m glad I retired early.
R.I.P FAT CAT
What was the stupidest thing someone has called the police on you for?
What was the stupidest thing someone has called the police on me for? I think this is a good one. I come home late in the evening while a football game was on at the high school I live a block away from. The only spot to park on the street is on the opposite side of the street and down about 50 feet. So I park there right in front of the neighbor that hates me for some reason. I go in and go to bed. At about 11:30 or so after the football game got out and the street parking cleared up, I got woken up by my doorbell. It was the local police asking me why I parked in front of the neighbors house. I explained it was the only spot and it is open parking for anybody. The officer would not agree with that, just kept going on about me parking in front of my neighbor and that I needed to move NOW. I said it was legal to park there. So then he decided that he would give me a parking ticket for parking to far away from the curb. I asked him about the police car in front of my house if it would get a ticket as well, and got a tape measure and showed that we were parked within a 1/2 of an inch of each other from the curb. Well, he got made at that and kept threatening to give me a ticket for something. I got out my camera and started recording this and he started changing his attitude and finally asked me nicely if I would move, and I did. The neighbor had connections with the Mayors office and the Mayor sent the officer out to harasses me. Happened many times after that, still have no idea what I did to make her hate me so much. I put up cameras at this time so when the police came I was always recording. They would still show up but when I pointed out the security cameras they would leave after a lot of dancing around the law to try and say I was doing things wrong.
As I stumbled through placing my order I mentioned to the voice on the speaker that I was diabetic and in need of food. Low blood sugar makes it difficult to think or act. I pulled up to the first window in order to pay for my food. I was shocked to see Burger King employee Tina Hardy running toward the front of my car.
She squeezed between the front of my car and the building just to bring me a small serving of ice cream. Tina later explained that her husband was also diabetic and she could tell that I needed help. After paying I pulled up to Tina’s window where she gave me my food. She instructed me to park across the driveway so that she could keep an eye on me until I felt better. After eating I waited for a break in business so that I could return to Tina’s window. I then took this picture and spoke with Tina’s supervisor, telling him what she did for me. If you appreciate what this special woman did please share this story. Hopefully Tina Hardy will receive the recognition that she truly deserves from the public and from the big bosses at Burger King.”
We keep hearing of the United States military's build up for a future fight with China. What is driving this discussion? Is China threatening to attack the US?
The US military build-up is not about defending against a Chinese attack. China has no intention to invade anybody; China is a peaceful nation.
The USA hopes to instigate a proxy war with China over Taiwan, or even the South China Sea (Philippines). The USA has two hopes:
- It hopes to interrupt or slow down China’s economic rise.
- It hopes to profit from such a war, just like it profits from the war in Ukraine.
Have you ever found out a horrible family secret from your parents?
On my mother’s death bed, she told my half brother that she never wanted to give him up but had a gun to her head as she was kidnapped. Then she passed out. It was a few days later when we got a little more of the story. Seems mom’s first husband was in the military when she was kidnapped by a guy she worked with. He took her and her child to Mexico. He got tired of the child and allowed mom to call her aunt in law to meet her in New Mexico, aunt was in South Dakota. The child, my brother, was passed off in the night, mom went back to Mexico for several months until she was able to escape. From here, it is mostly guessing. Hubby comes home from the war, mom is pregnant, not his, he divorces her, he raises son, mom marries my father and I finally meet my half brother 30 years later. We are now very close. But there is a lot of missing pieces. Supposedly the guy that kidnapped her was wanted for murder and took her as a hostage.
1. Having an affair. After years of marriage and someone thinks it’s a good idea to have an affair? And never thinks about the results? Seriously?
2. Marrying again. After years of marriage and, frankly, going through all the growing pains someone thinks it’s a great idea to start all over? Now that’s just nuts.
3. Marrying the affair partner. After their partner cheated on their spouse someone thinks they’ll now be faithful? Maybe better think again.
4. Buying cool stuff. Someone thinks buying a car with a cool label they know nothing about will make them cool? Coolness isn’t bought.
5. Buying impressive stuff. Someone thinks buying expensive things to impress people will make them impressive? Most people won’t notice or care.
6. Becoming a player. Someone thinks at 50 they’re a player again? Really? The only ones playing are ones you don’t want to play with.
7. Disengaging. Someone thinks after years of marriage and raising kids now they want to find themselves so they leave? Shouldn’t they have found themselves already?
You can navigate mid life successfully as you learn to be grateful for the treasure you have instead of chasing the treasure you’ll never find