Wholesome Sleep Habits

A loosely followed Ben Franklin schedule works best for me:

Rise at six

From six to nine: prepare for the day

From nine to one: work

From one to two: rest

From two to six: work

From six to ten: evening activities

From ten to six: rest

I can legally cheat by spending the six-to-ten evening activities period in bed reading myself to sleep. Then I stay in bed until six am. This helps bring me around to healthy sleep habits.

Also it helps me to spend the first eight hours winding myself up for work. And the last eight hours winding down for rest.

No rx drugs for me. Just carefully chosen medicinal foods and herbal teas.

 The Vikings

A matter of economics. They were a warring people. It was their nature just as it is the nature of some others to be 'peaceful' people. They called themselves 'berserkers' owing to the frenzy they would whip up before attacking.

 In real life when people speak or behave in a way that I don't care for, I thump my cane on the floor, hard. I learned it from Bruce Lee. Scares the hell out of people, I don't know why. 

So I do it all the time, just for fun.

 House of Cards.

In order to push our house of cards forward we have created all manner of new and unnecessary professions. Realtors, paralegals, travel agents, decorators, compliance specialists, lobbyists, telemarketers ...

It's a wholesome feeling to be truly useful, even essential in society, as for example a cook, a baker, a candlestick maker.

 On Death

All I do all day every day is maintain, maintain, maintain. There's little time left over for fun or progress. When the day comes that there's no time or opportunity for good times, and no change in sight, that's the day I should question the value of my life.

It will be best then to embrace the inevitable if only for the sake of the eternal dreamless rest that I can look forward to.

Life is for the living. Just keeping up with laundry and bill paying is not living. Yet, now I think about it, it's all I've ever done.

But it's getting late and I'm probably cross. Anyway, now I think about it, it's the thinking I do during all this maintaining that is fun.

 From the stuff of stars to the atom, from meteor ash to dust, we're here then we're gone like a fart in the wind.

"We are made of star-stuff." --Carl Sagan

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." --Book of Common Prayer

 A New Year's Toast 

In with the new, but cherish the old, to health, to peace and AI, to Good Fortune, to a cure for wrinkles, to flying cars, and hope springing eternal. Happy New Year!

 Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is neither a privilege nor a right. Privileges and rights are by definition entitlements that in order to exist must be 'bestowed' upon us by someone. I say to hell with them and their favors, I was born bitching and I'll keep on until somebody shuts me up or I croak. It's intrinsic.

 Postmodernism

A 20th-century intellectual and artistic movement that emerged as a reaction against modernism, characterized by a skeptical attitude toward objective reality and universal truths. It emphasizes themes like subjectivity, fragmentation, and the rejection of grand narratives, viewing knowledge and truth as socially constructed and relative rather than absolute. 

Core concepts

Skepticism of truth: Postmodernism questions the existence of objective, universal, or scientific truths, suggesting that reality is a product of individual interpretation and social construction.

Rejection of grand narratives: It is skeptical of "metanarratives," or the large-scale theories and stories (like those of progress, religion, or science) that have been used to explain history and human experience.

Relativity: It holds that all values, knowledge, and concepts are relative and that there is no single, objective standard for truth, morality, or beauty.

Fragmentation and discontinuity: Postmodernism often reflects a sense of the self as fractured, dispersed, and incomplete, and uses techniques like irony, self-consciousness, and pastiche to convey this.

Blurring of distinctions: It blurs the lines between high and low culture, art and everyday life, and different styles and genres, often blending and reinterpreting elements from the past. 

In practice

Literature and art: Postmodern literary and artistic works frequently employ irony, parody, and a self-aware or self-reflexive style to comment on the nature of reality and storytelling itself.

Philosophy: Philosophically, it challenges modern assumptions about reason, progress, and the ability of science to provide ultimate answers, viewing power structures as deeply intertwined with the production of knowledge.

A reaction against modernism: While modernism sought to break with tradition to create a new, pure form of expression, postmodernism is more open to reinterpreting, reappropriating, and playing with existing styles and past traditions. --Gemini

 7 Principles of Hermes

Mentalism: The idea that "The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental." Everything you experience is an interpretation of your mind, and your thoughts shape your reality. (This does not mean that the universe is mental, or a mind! It merely means that your personal knowledge of the universe is all you can know.)

Correspondence: A concept expressed as "As above, so below; as below, so above," suggesting a connection between different levels of reality. 

Vibration: "Nothing rests, everything moves, everything vibrates." All things in the universe exist in a state of motion and vibration. 

Polarity: Everything is dual and has poles. Opposites are identical in nature but different in degree, and extremes meet. 

Rhythm: Everything has a rhythm or cycle that governs its flow, rise and fall, and tides. This is seen in the pendulum swing of all things.

 

Cause and Effect: Every cause has an effect, and every effect has a cause. Nothing happens by chance; all things happen according to law. 

Gender: Gender exists in everything, with both masculine and feminine principles present on all planes of existence. --from The Kybalion, 1908 

 Skin Rash and Whole-Body Itching

Your skin may be itchy all over due to dry skin, allergic reactions to substances like soaps or detergents, or skin conditions like eczema or hives. It can also be a symptom of an underlying medical issue, such as liver, kidney, or thyroid disease, diabetes, or nerve-related conditions. 

Skin-related causes

Dry skin: Stripping natural oils with harsh soaps or frequent washing can cause dryness and itching. 

Allergic reactions: Contact dermatitis can result from an allergy to a product like a strong detergent, lotion, or chemical. 

Eczema or psoriasis: These chronic skin conditions can cause widespread itching. 

Hives: These are raised, itchy welts that can appear all over the body. 

Parasites or infections: Scabies, lice, or fungal infections can cause itching. 

Underlying medical causes

Internal diseases: Conditions such as diabetes, thyroid problems, and liver or kidney disease can cause generalized itching without an obvious rash. 

Nerve-related conditions: Shingles or other nerve disorders can lead to a sensation of itching. 

Medication side effects: Some drugs can cause an itchy skin reaction. 

Pregnancy: Hormonal changes during pregnancy can sometimes cause itching. 

What you can do

Identify triggers: Think about any new products you've used, like soaps, laundry detergents, or lotions, that might be causing a reaction. 

Moisturize: Apply a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer to help with dry skin. 

Use cool compresses: A cool, wet compress can provide temporary relief. 

Try an over-the-counter remedy: Antihistamines may help, especially if the itching is allergy-related. 

Consult a doctor: If the itching is severe, persistent, or you have other symptoms, it is important to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan, as it could be a sign of an underlying medical issue. --Gemini 

 Seeing a child drinking from his hands, Diogenes threw away his cup and remarked, "A child has beaten me in plainness of living." --Diogenes the Cynic, University of Chicago

The program for life advocated by Diogenes began with self-sufficiency, or the ability to possess within oneself all that one needs for happiness. --Britannica

 St. James Infirmary - Hugh Laurie

Lyrics

I went down to the St. James Infirmary

Saw my baby there

Stretched out on a long white table

So sweet, so cold, so fair

Let her go, let her go, God bless her

Wherever she may be

She can look this wide world over

She'll never find a sweet man like me

When I die, want you to dress me in straight-lace shoes

Box-back coat and a Stetson hat

Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain

So the boys'll know that I died standin' pat

Then give me six crap shooting pall bearers

Let a chorus girl sing me a song

Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head

So we can raise Hallelujah as we go along

Folks, now that you have heard my story

Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that booze

If anyone should ask you

Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues

 Desiderata: From the original text​

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. --Max Ehrmann, 1927

 Medicare

Being labeled non-compliant can get you in real trouble, like being refused services when you really need them, or maybe your mental capacity being questioned by those with more power than you.

I'm not a big fan of drugs of any kind except those found in plants, herbs, foods, which are plenty.

I think I'm pretty sneaky about avoiding Rx drugs and non-compliance labels. I say, "Okay, I'm pretty busy right now, I'll think about it."

Also, the doctor can't put you on drugs if you're not there. Avoid him in situations where it's safe to do so. Eat an apple. Take a walk outdoors. Read the best sources on the best course of action for your ailment. Pay attention to your lab work.

 Maple, like cantaloupe, is a strong flavor, overtaking all others in many recipes.

 Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

To avoid tough biscuits, keep everything COLD as possible until it goes in the oven.

I kept a covered bowl ready in the fridge at all times for biscuits. It contained

2 c. flour

1 TB baking powder

1 tea salt.

1/4 C. cold butter, cut in (to consistency of small peas)

================

When ready for biscuits, stir in most of

1/4 C. milk curdled with a bit of vinegar.

Quickly now, stir, knead just to mix, roll out to 1/2-inch thick, cut rounds with a drinking glass, bake 10-12 minutes in 450-degree oven.

=============

Sausage Gravy

Fry 1 lb breakfast sausage. Stir/mash in in a couple tablespoons flour. Cook a few moments. Gradually add milk or water, stirring, cooking as you go until consistency is reached. Simmer until flour is cooked. Add salt and pepper if desired.

==========

Split a biscuit and butter it. Heap with gravy. Top with an over-easy egg. Garnish with an orange twist.

 

Climate Change?

We don't know, we're not as smart as we think we are, but what difference does it make?

We can't poison the oceans with impunity.

We can't cover the earth in concrete without consequences.

Or surround the earth with end-to-end space junk.

These and other unfortunate choices are being taken out of our hands by means of lower birth rates and the poisoning of our bodies with man-made toxins.

We're doomed and I'm sure, objectively speaking, that it's about time.

 

The Health and Well-Being of our Youth

There is tremendous sympathy today for mental illness. But what is not considered by many is the widespread permanent damage drug abuse is doing to our young people --the future of our country.

Drug use, both rx and illegal can permanently damage the brains of our youth. That is why China keeps us supplied with illegal opiates.

Education and discipline and, sometimes, forced commitment to excellent institutions is called for, not sympathy. Sympathy encourages self-pity, self-indulgence, paranoia and worse.

It's worth noting that excellence in our institutions does NOT translate to costliness.

**America's public enemy number one is drug abuse. --Richard Nixon paraphrased, 1971**

 I Remember

... when my mother-in-law reported that she caught my daughter looking out the window and laughing.
"Reminiscing?" she asked her.
My daughter nodded. "We took Dad's brand-new red canoe to the top of the hill for sledding. Us,and all the kids in the neighborhood jumped in and down we went. And we'd drag it and push it back up and sled down again.
"But here came Dad over the horizon. We all bailed and disappeared into the woods. Only Chrissie was left sitting in the canoe --holding the bag."
Chrissie was my youngest. He took the rap for the whole caper

** Kids' eternal cry: But I dint DO nuthin! **