On the plus side, this is going to drive me out of the apartment, because I can't hear myself think in here.

Taking a notebook to the mall instead, which will somehow be quieter than the highway during a protest day.

TTFN take two. 🫂 Be good to your noggins.

It's a strike day. More trucks just arrived, flashing Colombian flags and operating in collective protest for a number of grievances. This is going to be VERY NOISY for the rest of the morning.

Well, so much for recording. I'll finish a Patreon post instead, and try again early tomorrow. #Colombia

Or... not.

For some reason the taxi and truck drivers are tooting today. Another strike? On a Sunday? When ciclovía promises the closest we get to a little quiet?

This is my fault for not being ready to record pre-dawn, but ugh. Let's see how long this goes on for. A strike, or maybe they're gearing up for a funeral procession. Either way, they might do laps along my stretch of highway. I have to wait and see.

All right. I didn't make it outside this morning, and every task is taking twice or thrice as long because I really don't give a hoot about much right now, but fingers crossed the traffic will be mild enough that I can record today's BookTube without too many re-takes. TTFN, all.

Oh, Texas.

From Erin Reed:

"Within hours, multiple GOP officials in Texas signed onto Abbott’s call to ban trans and GNC teachers from teaching. These include Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi and multiple Texas State legislators and candidates such as Briscoe Cain and Brent Money. Their reaction to Abbott’s comments are in line with the Texas GOP platform passed in 2022 that call [for] extensive restrictions on trans and GNC individuals in schools."

#LGBTQ #Trans #Politics
https://open.substack.com/pub/erininthemorn/p/gov-abbott-we-want-to-end-trans-and

(Also, hello, good morning, and good Sunday. 💛)

Some days it feels like we're at the edge of a story our cultures have been telling themselves for the last 250 years - since the crafting of states around colonies, and the dawn of modern nationalism in a myth of ethnic purity inflamed by a British judge going to India and realizing that Sanskrit shared a common origin with European tongues.

We've built so much of our sense of the world around what's ultimately a blip of a cultural idea in deep history.

Will we live to see what comes afer it?

Apropos of nothing, I now have a super strong urge to re-watch A Serious Man (something I do maybe once every 3-4 years?).

"Things aren't so bad! Look at the parking lot, Larry! ...Just look at that parking lot..."

https://youtu.be/UzKzPd4lhQM

I wish for us all many, many news cycles that don't find us waiting on a bare minimum of decency, accountability, moral courage, and maturity from state officials.

Hasn't happened for a long time now, but that just means we're overdue, right? ...Right?

I avoided going outside this week. Just wasn't ready to "people". Even last night's classes were a bit much, though I'm of course a professional.

But I can't do that forever.

Many tasks today, but tomorrow we go out again. Take up space. Run. Talk to animals in the park. Try to build up pleasure in the little things again. Go from there.

The waiting for things to matter again sucks, but it's all part of the experience of being alive.

Hope you're taking good care of your heads, in your own.

Three times in my life, a fellow has deigned to watch a beloved older film for the first time - and not because anyone forced them to! - then come to me with the words "Actually, it's not nearly as good as it's made out to be" before proceeding to try to tell me why it's no good, for no darned reason.

Not the same dude, mind you!

But reader, the films for which this has happened are:

Blade Runner (non-voice-over cut)
Alien

And just now?

Road House ('89)

So you can understand my reaction. 🙃

"Now, as this boy grew older, his wound grew deeper.

Until, one day, life for him lost its reason. He had no faith in any men, not even himself.

He couldn't love, or feel loved.

He was sick with experience.

He began to die."

🖤🕊️

Okay. It is time.

#CoSoFilms

😂

This is a first.

I arrive at an evening class, and my one-on-one student isn't ready for me. Why? She's got a massage in process, sprawled out in a bikini under excellent care.

She'd confirmed this class just a few hours earlier, but I guess time flies when you're getting rubbed! 🤣

@CanisPundit, just FYI:

Yemen: Attacks on Israeli-linked ships are being tackled by other regional operators (the US & UK especially). The Houthis' online boast is bigger than their bite, though, and CENTCOM reported destroying aerial devices during last weekend's attack before they'd even launched.

Iraq: We're still waiting on confirmation of a hit yesterday in Baghdad involving IRGC targets. For now that region is downplaying the Israeli strike, suggesting a strong interest in de-escalation.

#War

It's interesting to watch international finances serve in war.

Netanyahu has religious extremists in his far-right coalition who absolutely wanted to escalate with Iran (for them it hastens along the return of the Messiah, just as the US has Christian fundies to be kept from political power) but S&P just downgraded Israel's rating, citing risks with Iran, & offered a negative outlook (more expected downgrades) going forward.

So will economics offer a check to religious extremism? Maybe!

Here, I reflect on Sudan’s civil war, and the struggle to pay attention to many global conflicts at once, without weaponizing one against the rest.

There are very good reasons that many of us react more strongly to certain global conflicts than others—because we can do more about some than all the rest. Still, there’s plenty to learn even from the atrocities we can’t as easily combat.

#GlobalHumanism #BetterWorldsTheory #War
https://mlclark.substack.com/p/lessons-from-the-global-nightmares

(Robin Williams tomorrow night will help, but I have many tasks to finish first.)

Today's piece will be up later tonight.

Made some freelance money today, so that's good.

But mostly, when I went back to a piece I'd written two years ago, I didn't recognize myself in it. I still had such conviction in April 2022 that maybe we could be better.

But we have so many corporate grifters, hawkish nationalists, tribalists, and just plain hurting people lashing out...

The shine is off living in such a world, y'know?

The trick is persevering until something catches the light again.