Tag: thoughts

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 7

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

I know a lot of you are feeling high levels of anxiety, and stress right now. Perhaps you’ve lost your stream of income. Perhaps you had project that are put on hold. Perhaps you have been or people in your family have been directly impacted by COVID-19.

That’s understandable. Often, when things we can’t control begin to dominate the landscapes of our lives, we feel anxious about it. Being pushed to change our routines, the way we relate to people, the way we even relate to ourselves; it can be a difficult, stress-inducing adjustment. My suggestion is to find things that you can do, and can control while still observing the shutdown protocol. You don’t have to write that 1,000 page novel, but writing something you enjoy would help. You don’t have to become Rembrandt, but you can pick up some painting supplies to play with, and get creative with. Start learning a musical instrument. Start learning a new language. Keep your brain busy, and your body, and psyche will follow.

Yesterday I pulled together all of the window trim for a decorative window we had to dissemble in order to repair a wall in our living room. We’re going to paint it white to match the window, and other elements we’re building into the room. I sanded it all down, and prepped it for painting. That occupied my mind for a couple of hours. I might start into writing a feature length movie script shortly, I don’t know yet.

My point is, this situation doesn’t have to be an awful thing. It gives us the time, and excuse we need to take on things we always complained we don’t have time for.

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 6

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Yesterday was fun. Since everything is cancelled we continued our home improvement projects, obviously, but on Saturday mornings I have my kids with me, so we took a jaunt to Tifft Farms Nature Preserve for a little social distancing hike around, and to have a little self-initiated cleanup of nature. It was quiet, and peaceful. There were others out there, but sparse enough of visitors that distancing wasn’t an issue. We started in the open fields, picking up wind blown plastic bags, wrappers, and packaging materials, but as we hiked further into the park, we reached an area that was obviously build up on land fill. The trash became a whole lot of broken bottles, antiques often. We found many shoe soles, a stack of marketing signs on thin aluminum, apparently for a product called Car Stairs. Industrial waste, construction waste, even huge chunks of old industrial slag. We threw out what we figured was appropriate, and filled a bag with about 15 pounds of waste.

Next week, we’ll choose a different park. Hopefully it will also be devoid of people. Honestly, I usually hope for that every time I go hiking; having a shutdown is never needed for me to want to distance myself from others in nature.

COVID-19 Shutdown: Days 4 & 5

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Our trip through Home Depot was challenging. People literally huddled in masses, hoovering at the paint counter waiting for their orders.  We stood as far away as we could, subconsciously barely breathing. We both realized we simply weren’t breathing normally, almost as if we were trying to not breathe at all. Meanwhile, people packed together, almost more afraid of missing the clerk calling out their order rather than the looming threat of a potentially fatal airborne virus. With sanitizing wipes in our pockets, we frequently wiped our hands discretely, and did our best to maintain social distance. It seemed like all of our fellow shoppers couldn’t have cared less.

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 3

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

But, hey, it’s just a hoax, right? According to the conservatives in my social media, it still is. Or, it’s just a ruse, to cover-up the horrors of 5G deployment, without of course noting that 5G has been in test deployment around the world (in more advanced countries than the United States) since 2017.  Telecoms haven’t needed a fake pandemic to test these services – tests that have seen the building, and deployment of thousands of distribution points across China, South Korea, Germany, and other nations.  But apparently this is such a horrible technology, we require killing thousands of humans just to put in the technology that will apparently kill thousands of humans.

Oh, but read some section of the Bible because apparently praying to some imaginary being will protect you from the evil plan, just like praying is protecting you from COVID-19!  LOL! 

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 2

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

So I should thank Jesus for not giving me fatal viruses? For not striking me down with a fatal accident? How about the people who have suffered? By this logic, shouldn’t they be cursing god and/or Jesus for forcing them to suffer, and die? I mean, nothing happens outside of god’s plan in your world, right?

But I should thank god that I haven’t yet been infected with HIV, even thought I made personal choices like engaging in safe sex during my youth, not having indiscriminate sexual relationships, and choosing a path in life that hasn’t involved drug use, or addiction? 

I avoided Ebola? Not sure how wide spread Ebola was in this area, and I believe for transmission you pretty much needed to lick the liver of an infected person. Also, I don’t live in West Africa, which greatly reduces my chances of coming across Ebola, and Boko Haram. However, there are plenty of right-wing extremists like Boko Harem here in the United States, they just kill en mass for their delusional christian ideals, instead of delusional islamic ideals.

I’ve been involved in MANY accidents in my life. I credit both my reflexes, and good engineering for the minimal injuries I’ve suffered. Yes, I realize an accident could take me out tomorrow. Someone around here most likely will perish in an accident soon – they happen almost every day. I’m sure plenty of people who die in accidents probably praise, and thank Jesus, right up until the moment Jesus sends the random drunk driver into their path. Again, all according to god’s plan…

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 1

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Although I haven’t hoarded toilet paper, I feel I’m fairly well prepared for this. My only concern is being between jobs and/or contracts right now, so no reliable income. People obviously aren’t going to be buying photography, and video services right now, so I need to really buckle down. 

So far things are ok. Of course, we’re both coming down with a cold right now. Gigs, and events have been all but cancelled through April. New York just announced a required closure of restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters – pretty much anywhere people can gather. Didn’t hear anything on bowling alleys, but I would assumed they would fall into the same category.

My main worry is Evan, of course. He is potentially immuno-compromised on his current chemo medication, so I want to make sure he is protected. School is closed for now, so I get extra time at home with Cortney.

Off to work on home projects, and try to not get injured doing so!

Naked Truths – A Follow-up

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

This is what women demonstrate that they want. This doesn’t scream “the media creates He-Man images because that’s what men relate to.” No, this would give the impression that the very opposite is true. Men relate to the He-Man image because that is what women constantly show that they hold as their ideal. It varies, of course. Maybe women are more attracted to the Hugh Jackman type, but I would wager if truth serum is applied, the majority would admit that they fantasize about the wolverine under the sweater, as much as they would fantasize about him baking a quiche for their garden party.

Weigh-In Wednesday – There’s Always More Than One Side

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Marriage has become a ridiculous social expectation first forced upon us by our religious institutions who want to claim some kind of ownership on the whole thing, and now pushed by our government that actually incentivizes (straight) people to get married, and punishes everyone who chooses not to, or lives, and loves in an alternative relationship. To add to that, you have the whole “tradition” expectation that you NEED to be married before starting a family. This probably comes from the fact some men will bolt, and leave their partner, and kids to fend for themselves, but this is exacerbated by the social expectation that the pinnacle of living life is reproduction, which is another ridiculous concept we’ve had shoved down our throats for far too long. An don’t get me started on how social values basically tell a guy, you know you’re not good enough for her, so you better marry her otherwise she’ll find someone better, and dump you. As if marriage is the only thing that will get her to stick around because you’re so inadequate.

Weigh-In Wednesday – To Be Blunt…

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

“HOW CAN I EXPECT MY KIDS TO RESPECT WOMEN IF THIS IS WHAT THEY’RE EXPOSED TO DURING THE SUPERBOWL?!?!?”

Here’s a thought: grow a pair, and actually be a parent. You think this was bad? What do you think images of wars, mass shootings, police brutality, domestic abuse, kids in cages, and all the rest of the violence, and inhumanity they’re exposed to do? Better yet, examine your own fucking behavior, and state honestly if YOU are setting the best example for them as a parent? When is the last time you sat down, and truly discussed the good, and bad going on in THEIR lives? Probably never for the majority of parents, right? How about the football game itself? Think they’re learning solid life lessons while watching a safety targeting the head of a wide receiver over the middle, and being congratulated for a great hit while his opponent lies on the turf barely conscious? Let’s throw all of this into perspective, and put a magnifying glass to everything you allow into their lives as you cast your judging eye on a female performer because she’s dancing, and you can see her midsection.

And as I said to someone else, my kids are exposed to the fraudulent, deceitful, and abusive fantasy world of organized religions on a daily basis. Everything from the “pray for” memes, to people on TV, like Paula White yelling for satanic pregnancies to miscarry, and news coverage of preachers shouting about how every other person but themselves are going to go to hell, and of course the shouldn’t be legislative debates but still somehow are because we STILL let christianity put their devious little stubby fingers into government. Debates such as abortion legislation, or women’s healthcare rights, or religion in school, or somehow now, our taxes going to fund private, untaxed religion (but only christian) based schools?

Despite this, they’re still atheists. WHOA! Whaddaya know, good parenting done right leads the way even if they’re exposed to all that bullshit.

Lackawanna, NY 1911

Weigh-In Wednesday – Moving Forward

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

People look at the past, and long for the good-ol’ days. We romanticize what used to be, focusing on only the good, and forgetting how much was bad, or even worse than bad. We look at our present, and we focus on the bad, and what we want to change, then dream of a future that is only good, not imagining the negative consequences of what we’re doing today. We say, “Things weren’t like this back in my day,” but odds are, they were. People don’t have less of a respect for life today – mass shootings, and the brutality we see every day isn’t a function merely of a change of attitude toward what life is worth. Were we as a species really respecting, and valuing life when we were burning witches for baseless religious accusations? How about when indigenous peoples were being slaughtered? Gladiator tournaments? Hangings? Beheadings? Crucifixions? Monarchs ordering executions on a whim? Do these all show how we respected life? Are the 2A gun nuts really showing a respect for life by fighting harder for their right to own military grade weapons than seeking to find solutions that would stem the tides of gun related deaths we have in our nation?