you control your behavior. You don't control others, you don't control the circumstances of your life, you don't control mother nature, etc. And so it only makes sense to focus on your responses to the circumstances around you. You can decide to attempt to influence the world, but the world will surprise you, and do things that you didn't want it to and that you can't control, and you have to focus on your decisions on how to respond. As that is the only thing you control.

No? Have you ever read a US history book?

Affirmative action for white men has been a part of the states for the entirety of it’s existence. That has been fading a lot in my life time, but it amuses me how people get so angry about the evil “DEI” and don’t realize that in a lot of places DEI is simply a process for removing the affirmative action for white men. It’s a process for making the hiring process more fair… making it more of a meritocracy.

No you can't. You can influence a lot of things, but in the end you control nothing but yourself. If you take on responsibility for things outside your control you will make yourself miserable. Fewer things in life I am more sure of. This is just the way it is.

The key to the whole inner peace thing is to not have any desires or attachments that your sense of self is dependent upon. 20+ years ago I spent a few weeks studying Buddhism in a world religions class at Oakton Community College. I don't remember a lot accept that I didn't like it. I'm not supposed to desire anything? What's the point of being alive then? Years latter I came to understand the concept more as you're not supposed to be attached to things and that made a lot more sense to me. ...But I am attached to things! I have to un-attach from my kids in order to have inner peace? Nah that's BS But now I get it. It goes back to this 'outcome pressure' thing that I deal with a lot and the idea of not taking on responsibility for things outside my control. It's about a sense of what you are and are not responsible for. The attachment thing is mostly right. But it doesn't mean don't care, or don't strive, it means don't lose your sense of self to an attachment to something external.

“Only the people can save the people” 🫶 #NoKings

I'm such a middle aged bitch. It's fabulous✨

Someone: "how do you do it all?" Me: "I don't, I have a partner who does it all with me." Ladies, don't marry a man that wants a wife and kids. Marry a man that wants to be a husband and father!

If I ever quit tech I think I'd run one of those hippie dippie wellness retreats, but like with science. So you can totally bring your crystals and do sound baths if you like, but we also have Congnative Behavior Therapy and anti-inflamitory food. Chant whatever you want but you have to do your EMDR session! And it won't cost an obscene amount cuz it's just some shack on the side of a mountain in Peru. So you just have to get down there then it's like $250!

It’s one of the most consistently difficult things in my life, how on earth can someone hold the reality that this could all end at any moment, at the same time as they engage in long term planning? Car accident, WW3 nuclear blast, stroke, etc. you just never know. And you then have to hold that knowledge while planning your kids education, deciding if now is the right time to refinance your home, making a 5 year career plan… like I just don’t think the human mind can really do that. So in a lot of ways, you just gotta say fuck it and go for it knowing that you and everyone you know will die, but just live anyway.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. So what turns pain into suffering? Shame. At least for me. How about for you?

Just watched a disturbing video on Instagram. It's a dude explaining how Epstein trapped people and how some of his friends almost got trapped. he describes a situation where a business man goes to meet with Epstein looking for investment and after the meeting Epstein say 'hey I'm about to get a massage would you like to join me?' and the masseuse is an attractive young woman and during the massage she then gives dude a hand job and dude doesn't realize that the masseuse is 17 & there are cameras in the room. Boom, he got you! Do you see the problem here? This guy presents this situation as if it's just a freak accident that anyone could fall into. Like a car accident, just a sad unfortunate situation. And he completely glosses over, and just assumes that all middle aged business men are quite happy to accept a hand job from a woman young enough to be their daughter. And who the fuck actually does that? Who just has such low moral standards that with out even thinking about it they cheat on a significant other, and with someone young enough to be their child? No way bro. That's no accident. If you got caught by that you 100% deserved it!

The ends never justify the means. You are the means you chose.