Do you dare to know the rest of the story?
by Andrea Elizabeth
Words
Life
October 28, 2020
“Democrats say we don’t remove enough content, Republicans say we remove too much“
by Andrea Elizabeth
^ – Mark Zuckerburg in the current hearing on Big Tech censorship and search funneling, called after the NY Post was banned from Twitter for revealing the contents of Hunter Biden’s carelessly abandoned laptop, legitimately forfeited to the repair shop owner.
This is a good summary on how Democrats are against free speech. This is probably amplified since they lost in 2016. I’m sure Wikileaks was very embarrassing back then, but the Democrats are responsible for not being careful with their security or engaging in ethics breaches that were revealed. They are the party of cover-ups, and blame it on some Russian bought Facebook ads nobody saw. I never heard the Pizza-gate story till it was put in a paltry list of so-called disinformation.
It is ironic that it is the liberal Democrats who are against free speech when I thought Conservatives were the prudish ones who fight for decency.
October 18, 2020
2nd reason Trump’s going to win
by Andrea Elizabeth
1. Cheetos are better than Corn Pops.
2. “You’re so handsome when you smile” is better than “Shoot ‘em in the leg”.
October 11, 2020
Recording c. 1907
by Andrea Elizabeth
of the hymn, “From my youth, many passions have warred against me”.
Slavonic lyrics on video, English in description. I love the simple, authentic style.
October 8, 2020
“My mercy prevails over my wrath” – Rick Grimes
by Andrea Elizabeth
It’s really hard being an ambivalent person with strong opinions. And it’s hard being an emotional analytical person, aka a passionate judgmental sympathetic. This combination over the years becomes paralyzing because of intolerable inconsistencies. My judgemental stoicism is the strongest, but I can feel that it is too painful for too many. I cringe when people demand rules with no regard for people’s weakness.
Here’s an example. Last night Matt Walsh said in his pre-VP debate talk that naked Democrat celebrities shouldn’t be teaching people how to complete their mail-in ballots. He said that would only help people too stupid to vote. This comes across as intellectual elitist snobbery. But at the same time he has a point. The warm fuzzy way the Democrats say they want to hear all voices sounds better than the Republicans only wanting to hear smart voices. But shouldn’t the republic be ruled by wise people? Is it wise to tell people they’re too stupid to vote?! Even if they are?!
Ben Shapiro is very surgical in his Trump analyses, but he’s too cold. I like to hear detached analysis, but he’s also too insulting about it. And he goes on and on so that it seems he’s madder at Trumpian than Democrat shenanigans. Yet Trump is right on stuff. It’s just that his messaging is terrible when the popular vote matters. Politics, unfortunately is about messaging. Most people are very affected by style, again unfortunately. They listen to their turn off switch more than their content switch. Lord help us.
I have a sensitive turn off switch, and it takes a lot of content to make me ignore it. I just finished Stephen King’s Black House, and he is just barely tilted to the content side on my meter. I like his focus on the mostly invisible spiritual plane of physical existence, as well as his psychology for the most part. I wonder if his description of a kid hangout’s mother serving balogna to the kids is a clue to his method. If that’s all one eats, it is very unhealthy, but if the kids only go to the crack house because all the safer places only serve the oh so smart quinoa salad, is that wise?
October 5, 2020
New hike
by Andrea Elizabeth
I wish I could remember who recommended Texas Frontier Trails Western Heritage Park to me. I just remember they said it was a little north of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, amidst the Palo Pinto Mountains that we like to frequent. Nearby Mineral Wells State Park features a lake, rock climbing and nature trails, but is sometimes a little crowded, plus we’ve hiked the trails several times. The town has convenient fast food when one is in the area or passing through to Possum Kingdom Lake or the famous John Graves Goodbye to a River canoe put-in below the PK dam. Additionally, they are finally renovating the 1929 Baker Hotel and Spa, famous for the mineral water treatments that the town is named after.
Last Wednesday morning my daughters and I and two Corgis decided to check the Frontier Trails out. We left my stranger-danger, possibly Dutch Shepherd dog at home, not knowing how many people we would encounter. I’ll bring her next time because there was no one else there till we were leaving, and who cares if she scares someone on the way out.
Oliver Loving of the Loving-Goodnight trail who is memorialized in McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, apparently used to have a ranch near there. We crossed an old bridge made from the local Pennsylvanian era sandstone and a well with a cistern on the nicely bouldery and just inclined enough blue marked trail and turned back. We’ll have to go back to check out the green and red marked trails to see if there is any other evidence of an old homestead.
I love living in the Cross Timbers ecological zone, especially when the ubiquitous oak trees shade the stark Palo Pinto “Mountains”, whose fingerlike projections rise 500 feet above the Brazos River and surrounding low areas. This year they are also expected to break ground on the new Palo Pinto Mountain State Park just west of Strawn. My kayaking daughter and I spent the morning of the 4th of July on Tucker Lake in the middle of the proposed site a couple of years ago. That was fun too.
October 1, 2020
They say Nakhchivan means Noah’s place.
by Andrea Elizabeth
Yesterday’s Armenian Saint, Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of Armenia, lead me to discover a unique piece of map that looks like a tiny nameless country between Armenia and Turkey. Technically the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is part of Azerbaijan, though separated from it. They also claim Noah landed on their Mount Ilandag, was buried in their confines, and that they are his descendants. But aren’t we all? Read more about it here.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200721-nakhchivan-the-worlds-most-sustainable-nation
September 27, 2020
Eeyow
by Andrea Elizabeth
I’ve got scratches from clearing the brush under the overgrown cedar tree, a sore back from posture exercises and Divine Liturgy, a burned pinky from getting the pizza out, and a stinky blanket forgotten in the washing machine.
And there’s still so much clearing to do. We got a new battery operated EGO pole slaw, typo on purpose. It’s not too heavy, is kinda wimpy sounding, but goes through limbs like butter so that even I can use it. I’m going for a manicured but natural woodsy look without all the brambles and junk trees. I want to replace some of them with Texas sage bushes, but will have to see if they’ll grow outside the sprinkler zone.
