Eating Turkey With Boomers On This Fine Thursday

The Unscheduled Life

Start by saying no to everything. I say no to everything. I don't have a calendar. When people say, how about such and such time? I say, “hmm, well, I would have to either set an alarm for it or I would have to remember it.” That way, unless I really, really badly want to do it, I just can't even do it. The maximum number of meetings I can have per day is one, because that's all I can remember or all I'm going to set an alarm for.

Second, I push everything asynchronous and unscheduled. My mottos are, “better bored than busy,” and “the overscheduled life isn't worth living.” The world is full of opportunity. You just have to be available and have time and mental space to grab it. And when you grab it, you're going to be sorry you grabbed it because now there's a thousand other things you can't grab. So you only want to grab the ones that really, really, really appeal to you. It has to bring you out of retirement, essentially. But you do need something to focus on because if you don't, what are you going to do all day? You'll just drink yourself to death or do stupid things.

It does mean that you have to unschedule your entire life around you. I see many parents whose children's lives are scheduled and then they try to live an unscheduled life. It doesn't work. If your children have school times, nap times, play times, times when they have to eat, times when they have to go to bed, then your own life will be scheduled as well. Nothing wrong with that. Most of us don't have the luxury of being unscheduled, but if you do, your entire life around you has to be unscheduled. It also means every single event is voluntary. You never commit to showing up and speaking at an event. You never commit to a birthday party. You never commit to a wedding. You never commit to a bar mitzvah. It means you never commit, you never let your wife commit you to anything. You never commit her to anything. If somebody asks, is he available for X? She doesn't even ask on their behalf. If somebody asks me, is she available for X? I don't even ask her on their behalf. So, completely free and unscheduled. It's about as hard as it sounds, but it's about ten times more rewarding than it sounds. It means you have to break the heart of every person who expects you to be in a specific place at a specific time. That's their expectation. It's their problem, not yours. You have to get comfortable ghosting people who become too familiar. They text you too much. They Airchat you too much. They email you too much. Just stop responding. The monkey on their back that they're trying to put on yours is not your problem. You just have to be comfortable walking away with no remorse. When you look back on your life in that final moment, you will wish that you'd spent more time on the timeless and less time on the temporary and there are very, very few timeless things.

(Naval)

There is something to this idea of being a pissant. It deals with being insignificant or even contempable. I don't feel that way but obviously I do if it comes out in my writing like that. I don't feel empowered in this season of unemployment. Maybe I did when I was on the vacation in the midwest at times. When I was tearing through Baudrillard. No. I don't actually need a meaning of life. Some power overarching meaning.

The thing is I am not coming out of retirement. I am coming out of unemployment but I do feel this pressure to pick the right thing. If it's not great it's another 2 years down the shitter and I find myself in the same situation. But what am I going to do all day? Well, I can do my best to make this trip sober. I don't know what naval means when he says "stupid things." How much trouble can I get into if I am reading and going on walks with the dog?

I will say is that one advantage the Boomers have is that they are not on their phones at all during conversation. That is a huge plus.

This Stephen King experiment has been interesting but it is keeping me from reading The Brothers Karamazov or In Search of Lost Time.

On November 24 2023 03:00 RiKD wrote: I will say is that one advantage the Boomers have is that they are not on their phones at all during conversation. That is a huge plus.

very much so.

I'm mostly just chiming in to say that I enjoy your musings thanks for keeping the blog section alive

Millenials will be the new boomers soon. Not sure if people care about generation X.

Flip phones > Smart phones imo.

On November 26 2023 19:13 Liquid`Drone wrote: Show nested quote + On November 24 2023 03:00 RiKD wrote: I will say is that one advantage the Boomers have is that they are not on their phones at all during conversation. That is a huge plus. very much so. I'm mostly just chiming in to say that I enjoy your musings thanks for keeping the blog section alive

I don't think I need encouragement ;P

I am still not sure if they are a vice or a virtue. Thanks though.

On November 26 2023 21:46 Stroggoz wrote: Millenials will be the new boomers soon. Not sure if people care about generation X. Flip phones > Smart phones imo.

A lot of people already hate on millenialls. Count me in the I don't care about generation x crowd.

smart phones > flip phones but it's close

I prefer getting used smart phones and limiting screen time to bare min levels

I'm not even going to watch Napoleon. It sounds like a ridiculous movie made by a ridiculous director. I'm going straight to the best biography Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts. Part of this is I can't get over Hegel calling Napoleon a perfect man but Hegel was kind of weird. I just have to get to the bottom of this.

So I bought Tiny Tina's Wonderlands instead of Alan Wake 2 and have been playing that. I play a bit of poker too at nl5, nl10 level. 1 buyin at nl10 is almost one pizza delivered home. Also, buy that Control game.

I bought Baileys last weekend and drank it with vodka. So fucking good but one shot (4cl) is like 150 calories. I have given up on being fit/thin, but I don't wanna turn into boogie2988 either.

On November 28 2023 05:13 RiKD wrote: I'm not even going to watch Napoleon. It sounds like a ridiculous movie made by a ridiculous director. I'm going straight to the best biography Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts. Part of this is I can't get over Hegel calling Napoleon a perfect man but Hegel was kind of weird. I just have to get to the bottom of this.

You ever read crime and punishment? The main character spends part of the book justifying his crime by comparing his axe murder to the actions of great men like Napoleon; i.e a guy who "gets shit done", for the "greater good".
Main character syndrome plus a total edge lord.

On November 28 2023 04:37 RiKD wrote: Show nested quote + On November 26 2023 21:46 Stroggoz wrote: Millenials will be the new boomers soon. Not sure if people care about generation X. Flip phones > Smart phones imo. A lot of people already hate on millenialls. Count me in the I don't care about generation x crowd. smart phones > flip phones but it's close I prefer getting used smart phones and limiting screen time to bare min levels

No one hates the silent generation. They endured the great depression, fought ww2 and created the new deal, and rebuilt it afterwards. Made the world better off so that boomers could enjoy it and shit on gen X and millenials. People have good reason to hate millenials, although the intergenerational warfare is some culture war bs.

On November 28 2023 22:54 Stroggoz wrote: Show nested quote + On November 28 2023 05:13 RiKD wrote: I'm not even going to watch Napoleon. It sounds like a ridiculous movie made by a ridiculous director. I'm going straight to the best biography Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts. Part of this is I can't get over Hegel calling Napoleon a perfect man but Hegel was kind of weird. I just have to get to the bottom of this. You ever read crime and punishment? The main character spends part of the book justifying his crime by comparing his axe murder to the actions of great men like Napoleon; i.e a guy who "gets shit done", for the "greater good". Main character syndrome plus a total edge lord.

Yeah, I have read Crime and Punishment. Looking back probably my least favorite Dosteovsky but it was my first Dostoevsky so I also covet it still. I read it while I was still greiving my bankroll loss and lying about it so it actually helped me a lot in that regard although I didn't find Christ.

On November 28 2023 06:34 CurbStomp2 wrote: So I bought Tiny Tina's Wonderlands instead of Alan Wake 2 and have been playing that. I play a bit of poker too at nl5, nl10 level. 1 buyin at nl10 is almost one pizza delivered home. Also, buy that Control game. I bought Baileys last weekend and drank it with vodka. So fucking good but one shot (4cl) is like 150 calories. I have given up on being fit/thin, but I don't wanna turn into boogie2988 either.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands????

I don't know if I am going to get Control. It's still like $39.99 and the trailer didn't really entice me.

I think my alchy friend from back in the day had it somewhat right. He would just go lots of ice, shit tons of vodka, fair amount pink lemonade and little bit sierra mist in a giant ass cup it may as well have been an iv drip. The downside is he would play facebook slots all day / all night which was kind of pathetic. I mean he did win some cool prizes but he was a bricklayer making shit pot loads of money anyway. Facebook slots is a heinous way to spend one's time. He was comfortable / functional at 1 litre of vodka / day.

On November 28 2023 23:40 RiKD wrote: Show nested quote + On November 28 2023 22:54 Stroggoz wrote:   On November 28 2023 05:13 RiKD wrote: I'm not even going to watch Napoleon. It sounds like a ridiculous movie made by a ridiculous director. I'm going straight to the best biography Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts. Part of this is I can't get over Hegel calling Napoleon a perfect man but Hegel was kind of weird. I just have to get to the bottom of this. You ever read crime and punishment? The main character spends part of the book justifying his crime by comparing his axe murder to the actions of great men like Napoleon; i.e a guy who "gets shit done", for the "greater good". Main character syndrome plus a total edge lord. Yeah, I have read Crime and Punishment. Looking back probably my least favorite Dosteovsky but it was my first Dostoevsky so I also covet it still. I read it while I was still greiving my bankroll loss and lying about it so it actually helped me a lot in that regard although I didn't find Christ.

Yeah my least fav as well. Kinda enjoyed his short novellas like white nights and notes from underground the most. And ofc there is the gambler. Dostoevsky kinda reminds me of you a little bit. He comes across as highly neurotic.

Control was given free on Epic before. It is also easy to pirate. There's no reason to buy such old games. Alan Wake 2 is also out on torrent sites btw, you are unemployed, you have every reason to not give a shit and pirate things.

On November 29 2023 00:03 RiKD wrote: Show nested quote + On November 28 2023 06:34 CurbStomp2 wrote: So I bought Tiny Tina's Wonderlands instead of Alan Wake 2 and have been playing that. I play a bit of poker too at nl5, nl10 level. 1 buyin at nl10 is almost one pizza delivered home. Also, buy that Control game. I bought Baileys last weekend and drank it with vodka. So fucking good but one shot (4cl) is like 150 calories. I have given up on being fit/thin, but I don't wanna turn into boogie2988 either. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands???? I don't know if I am going to get Control. It's still like $39.99 and the trailer didn't really entice me. I think my alchy friend from back in the day had it somewhat right. He would just go lots of ice, shit tons of vodka, fair amount pink lemonade and little bit sierra mist in a giant ass cup it may as well have been an iv drip. The downside is he would play facebook slots all day / all night which was kind of pathetic. I mean he did win some cool prizes but he was a bricklayer making shit pot loads of money anyway. Facebook slots is a heinous way to spend one's time. He was comfortable / functional at 1 litre of vodka / day.

That's a ridiculous amount of booze. I drink 1,5 litres a week.

I woke up today with my upper back all fucked up. I can barely turn my head. Maybe it's Karma from being a Nazi.

Tiny Tina's is a le meme tier Borderlands game. So an entertaining mindless shooter. I can't really justify 60 for a game that is only 20 hours even if it is a Remedy game. I also got Disco Elysium, you must heard of it.

On November 29 2023 04:07 Loco wrote: Control was given free on Epic before. It is also easy to pirate. There's no reason to buy such old games. Alan Wake 2 is also out on torrent sites btw, you are unemployed, you have every reason to not give a shit and pirate things.

I would if I knew where to go and how to use it.