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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Kotishka said:
I still miss Omar and his salvation speech...
A “The Wire” reference on Newbuddhist? Fo’ real…
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Shoshin1 said:
I was in heaven, all the teas I could ask for, Oolong teas, Ginseng Oolong tea, Ginseng tea, Gunpowder tea...The prices were okay too...
Ooh nice! I have to order online if I want proper teas, the supermarket tea around here is dire.
Beautiful morning's jolk, cool, dark clouds a few showers, but now sunshine and warmth...Even though it was a rainbow kinda weather clouds, there was no sign of one....(well not that I could see from my viewpoint)...Often a rainbow appears over/above the palm tree...
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Edit: Sorry if it was an uneasy post or made you think I was going mad, which is not a bad guess. I just find that scene particularly funny. The dialogue that accompanies it "his horrid insanity had reached his peak" always makes me laugh xD
3
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I didn't know whether it was a random "a propos of nothing at all" or a muted cry for help... You never know on this forum, what you'll get day-to-day...
Thank you for keeping me on my toes!
Meanwhile …
For the ballerinas on their toes …
Most of are scarcely aware of our [lobster hollow laugh] thoughts let alone the processes/cycles of other wheelie bins of garbage monkey minds. 🐒
Luckily we can allow others to think for us …
… what is that Buddha? Talking to myself? Sure! I have joined the peakers!
Well just been over to Auckland, had an eye test and ordered my new glasses, "$895" (that's around half the return airfare to Europe)....
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited April 2022
@Shoshin1 said:
Well just been over to Auckland, had an eye test and ordered my new glasses, "$895" (that's around half the return airfare to Europe)....
I have had the glasses I'm wearing for 4 years, or just over. Covid put an end to 'regular check-up' discipline. The result is, both my H and I have eye tests today. I will DEFINITELY need new lenses, and the frames I currently have can't be used, because otherwise I will be without glasses for 2 weeks or so...
The trip to the opticians for both of us is going to cost the best part of a grand....
Fortunately, they accept standing order payments...so we can split the cost into Monthly instalments, with no interest.... but hellfire....!
@federica said:
Covid put an end to 'regular check-up' discipline.
Wow it really has. Getting back in the routine has been a challenge. Especially since the routine before was a visit + a few uncomfortable phone calls to both the provider and the insurance later to argue about the overcharged copay. Though I think it's becoming time for me to put down the tried and true method of getting closer to stuff to see it better.
I should point out the total amount for the glasses includes the following
Eye test
Transitions = photochromic or "adaptive" lenses which darken when exposed to UV light,
Progressive = multifocal lenses
Thinned lenses
Plus new frames
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I don't pay for eye tests, I'm an old woman at 60, (according to ageist standards in the UK) I can also have free prescriptions ( again, from the age of 60!) but I can't obtain a free Bus pass. They're issued at the age of 60 in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. England makes you wait until you're 66.
Jesus I hate our Government. Make your bloody minds up!
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@federica said:
I don't pay for eye tests, I'm an old woman at 60, (according to ageist standards in the UK) I can also have free prescriptions ( again, from the age of 60!) but I can't obtain a free Bus pass. They're issued at the age of 60 in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. England makes you wait until you're 66.
Jesus I hate our Government. Make your bloody minds up!
In many parts of the world there is no such thing as a free bus pass, or free prescriptions for the elderly, or free eye tests. Here you have to pay for all of those things, whether you are young or old.
not enough rain in Southern California.
Snow bank, below average, again.
Reservoirs at danger low.
Going into obligatory drought water use mode.
Water plants, 1 day/wk. Limit other use to necessary.
Shipboard showers recommended.
expecting a hot, dry Summer.
@federica said:
I don't pay for eye tests, I'm an old woman at 60, (according to ageist standards in the UK) I can also have free prescriptions ( again, from the age of 60!) but I can't obtain a free Bus pass. They're issued at the age of 60 in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. England makes you wait until you're 66.
Jesus I hate our Government. Make your bloody minds up!
I paid half price for eye test because I have a supergold card, this card also gives me free off-peak travel on public transport around Auckland, buses trains ferries, and on the weekend it's free anytime...
My drama queen got a haircut a month ago. She had spider mites which are kinda like plant lice or plant ticks. I wasn't sure she'd make it but she has been much happier since. It's not the right climate for this type of plant but I discovered this after getting it, and keeping it alive has been a valuable learning experience.
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I have a name for people who pull stunts like this, but I'm supposed to be a lady, and expletives ain't ladylike.
I have no admiration for them, I'm afraid.
Idiots.
When I set out for this morning's jolk I thought oh what a lovely day....
Jolking along the beach I looked behind and saw this huge storm cloud looming ...
Anyhow, it turned out to be a storm in a teacup...It missed the island...well for now...
@Shoshin1
In good old USA - We get senior discount for bus, subway
We have the privilege of paying for our Senior Medical (Medicare) monthly [after having paid into it all our working lives.)
Includes free eye exam yearly and limited allowance for glasses biannually
Limited dental co pay (free cleaning ) Contacts not covered -
You may not be thrilled with your Gov't programs, but you do have them.
At least, once we retire, we don't have to contend with the private insurance "Death Panels" and "That necessary procedure is not covered" or "You went to an out of program Dr, Hosp, whatever, here is your bill".
But, hey, I'm a Vet. I have our Veterans Administration as backup. And they are pretty good!
Hope that the Bus Pass situation is your biggest problem right now.
all in all, better dealing with the bureaucracy then getting thrown of the cliff - parachutes are not covered items.
Mhmm I commiserate with anyone dealing with USA healthcare and insurance. I have a 6k bill sitting on my insurance since the start of the year because neither the facility that ordered the procedure nor the facility that carried out the procedure want to take ownership. Both promised me less than a tenth that out of pocket which I paid at the time. The bill hasn't been sent to me to collect yet. It just sits there ominously on my account unresolved hoping my anxiety will overwhelm me and I'll handle it for both facilities and insurance.
What's more unusual is both facilities sent me letters to use to contest the other if I end up being on the hook for it? Even better is this was for my anxiety..
It's actually partly the cause of how I discovered this site and my current path.
A test of my capacity to practice letting go..
2
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
HAPPI FIRST OF MAY, EVERYONE!
here beginneth the days of summer (In the Northern Hemisphere, of course....!
@federica I'm not sure it's overturned just yet, but yeah it is quite uncomfortable witnessing the Supreme Court of the United States of America seems in favor of acting in such a perceived juvenile way.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
@federica I'm not sure it's overturned just yet, but yeah it is quite uncomfortable witnessing the Supreme Court of the United States of America seems in favor of acting in such a perceived juvenile way.
It will be overturned. The senate is run by the vast majority of old men with fuddy-duddy-super-pseudo religious morals. Sadly the older women also voting are probably both conditioned AND programmed to get on their religious, matronly high horses and decide the fate of women they don't know, on a subject they have no clue about.
If 70% of Americans actually do support Roe Vs Wade, and can be encouraged to vote accordingly, the resulting sweep of the House & Senate and a ballooning of a Liberal Supreme Court could undo all of this and turn what was a 50 year precedent back into a law.
If not, Americans, who have grown largely oblivious to the privileges of their own democratic rights, simply get to ride their Republic into the free fall that they have worked so hard to create.
Roe v Wade will not bee overturned. It can, however, be, effectively neutered.
We have a political system where an area "representing" some 17% to 19% of the population are able to consistently hold the other 81% to 83% hostage. It is a system where a permanent minority can and does claim to be the significant majority and get away with it. All while the top .01% are laughing all the way to the bank.
But, sometimes, on very rare occasions, strange as it may seem, the majority actually (accidentally) win.
I reverse image searched my old avatar. Seeing as how I was using it without credit and being quite fond of it I wanted to give some to the artist Wanderweird now. I came across a lot of old art I hadn't seen in many years on their page. Some interesting ones if anyone likes this kind of stuff.
Well another beautiful Autumn's morning and no work today...so after the morning's jolk
I went for a skinny dip...
The Autumn sun's not as warm, ( it took a while for my body to warm up) plus the gentle breeze had a slight chill to it...
However the water was still warm for this time of year...
And as I was heading back up the track I spied a Tui having a snack...The English when they first arrived call the Tui the parson bird because of the peculiar tufts of white feathers at the front of its neck, which resembled a parson's clerical/dog collar ...
Their wings make quite a noise when they fly..
At the lookout point, I noticed that somebody had screwed a plaque with a quote on it, to the wooden table leg ...
3
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited May 2022
When you say "skinny dip" I take it you mean you swam naked, yes? because that's what a skinny dip is, in the UK.
The 10 best ones are:
Brighton Naturist Beach, East Sussex.
Studland Naturist Beach, Dorset.
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, East Sussex.
Druridge Bay, Northumberland.
Pedn Vounder and Treen, Cornwall.
Rhossili Bay, Wales.
Holkham Bay, Norfolk.
Winterton Dunes Nature Reserve, Norfolk.
There are in fact, over 40 Naturist beaches in the UK.
@federica said:
When you say "skinny dip" I take it you mean you swam naked, yes? because that's what a skinny dip is, in the UK.
The 10 best ones are:
Brighton Naturist Beach, East Sussex.
Studland Naturist Beach, Dorset.
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, East Sussex.
Druridge Bay, Northumberland.
Pedn Vounder and Treen, Cornwall.
Rhossili Bay, Wales.
Holkham Bay, Norfolk.
Winterton Dunes Nature Reserve, Norfolk.
There are in fact, over 40 Naturist beaches in the UK.
There are a couple of beaches on the island known for their nudity...Little Palm Beach and the far end of Onetangi Beach (past the rocks), and quite a few nude beaches around Aotearoa, however all Aotearoa's beaches are clothes optional, but this doesn't mean one should stripe naked on any beach...I guess it comes down to being socially responsible..
@how said:
Letting my own boys out for a little tanning at Vancouver's (clothing optional) wreck beach, used to be my yearly ritual welcoming of the summer.
Comments
A “The Wire” reference on Newbuddhist? Fo’ real…
Ooh nice! I have to order online if I want proper teas, the supermarket tea around here is dire.
Are there any Chinese/Asian supermarkets near you ?
Beautiful morning's jolk, cool, dark clouds a few showers, but now sunshine and warmth...Even though it was a rainbow kinda weather clouds, there was no sign of one....(well not that I could see from my viewpoint)...Often a rainbow appears over/above the palm tree...
They are rare around here, maybe in Amsterdam there will be some… thats an hour away by train, so I don’t go so often.
Try online, @Jeroen . Everybody's doing it. It's a new trend, apparently...
What the heck is that all about?
Meeting up with a Dharma friend for a walk, and then lunch...
I may be part moth. Well I never …
http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/lobster-moth-and-caterpillar-stauropus-fagi/
It is a gif I made from this film by Tim Burton, Vincent Malloy.
I'm really more interested in what your point is.
@federica Random and useless announcement!
Edit: Sorry if it was an uneasy post or made you think I was going mad, which is not a bad guess. I just find that scene particularly funny. The dialogue that accompanies it "his horrid insanity had reached his peak" always makes me laugh xD
I didn't know whether it was a random "a propos of nothing at all" or a muted cry for help... You never know on this forum, what you'll get day-to-day...
Thank you for keeping me on my toes!
Ah ha!
I'll join. What are the entry requirements?
Meanwhile …
For the ballerinas on their toes …
Most of are scarcely aware of our [lobster hollow laugh] thoughts let alone the processes/cycles of other wheelie bins of garbage monkey minds. 🐒
Luckily we can allow others to think for us …
… what is that Buddha? Talking to myself? Sure! I have joined the peakers!
Well just been over to Auckland, had an eye test and ordered my new glasses, "$895" (that's around half the return airfare to Europe)....
I have had the glasses I'm wearing for 4 years, or just over. Covid put an end to 'regular check-up' discipline. The result is, both my H and I have eye tests today. I will DEFINITELY need new lenses, and the frames I currently have can't be used, because otherwise I will be without glasses for 2 weeks or so...
The trip to the opticians for both of us is going to cost the best part of a grand....
Fortunately, they accept standing order payments...so we can split the cost into Monthly instalments, with no interest.... but hellfire....!
Wow it really has. Getting back in the routine has been a challenge. Especially since the routine before was a visit + a few uncomfortable phone calls to both the provider and the insurance later to argue about the overcharged copay. Though I think it's becoming time for me to put down the tried and true method of getting closer to stuff to see it better.
I should point out the total amount for the glasses includes the following
Eye test
Transitions = photochromic or "adaptive" lenses which darken when exposed to UV light,
Progressive = multifocal lenses
Thinned lenses
Plus new frames
I don't pay for eye tests, I'm an old woman at 60, (according to ageist standards in the UK) I can also have free prescriptions ( again, from the age of 60!) but I can't obtain a free Bus pass. They're issued at the age of 60 in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. England makes you wait until you're 66.
Jesus I hate our Government. Make your bloody minds up!
I'm British! Like the wickets in cricket!
In many parts of the world there is no such thing as a free bus pass, or free prescriptions for the elderly, or free eye tests. Here you have to pay for all of those things, whether you are young or old.
Beautiful rainbow this morning
Making tracks...
not enough rain in Southern California.
Snow bank, below average, again.
Reservoirs at danger low.
Going into obligatory drought water use mode.
Water plants, 1 day/wk. Limit other use to necessary.
Shipboard showers recommended.
expecting a hot, dry Summer.
Other then that, everything is ok, sort of.
Peace to all
I paid half price for eye test because I have a supergold card, this card also gives me free off-peak travel on public transport around Auckland, buses trains ferries, and on the weekend it's free anytime...
My drama queen got a haircut a month ago. She had spider mites which are kinda like plant lice or plant ticks. I wasn't sure she'd make it but she has been much happier since. It's not the right climate for this type of plant but I discovered this after getting it, and keeping it alive has been a valuable learning experience.
I have a name for people who pull stunts like this, but I'm supposed to be a lady, and expletives ain't ladylike.
I have no admiration for them, I'm afraid.
Idiots.
When I set out for this morning's jolk I thought oh what a lovely day....
Jolking along the beach I looked behind and saw this huge storm cloud looming ...
Anyhow, it turned out to be a storm in a teacup...It missed the island...well for now...
@Shoshin1
) Contacts not covered - 
In good old USA - We get senior discount for bus, subway
We have the privilege of paying for our Senior Medical (Medicare) monthly [after having paid into it all our working lives.)
Includes free eye exam yearly and limited allowance for glasses biannually
Limited dental co pay (free cleaning
You may not be thrilled with your Gov't programs, but you do have them.
At least, once we retire, we don't have to contend with the private insurance "Death Panels" and "That necessary procedure is not covered" or "You went to an out of program Dr, Hosp, whatever, here is your bill".
But, hey, I'm a Vet. I have our Veterans Administration as backup. And they are pretty good!
Hope that the Bus Pass situation is your biggest problem right now.
all in all, better dealing with the bureaucracy then getting thrown of the cliff - parachutes are not covered items.
Peace to all
Mhmm I commiserate with anyone dealing with USA healthcare and insurance. I have a 6k bill sitting on my insurance since the start of the year because neither the facility that ordered the procedure nor the facility that carried out the procedure want to take ownership. Both promised me less than a tenth that out of pocket which I paid at the time. The bill hasn't been sent to me to collect yet. It just sits there ominously on my account unresolved hoping my anxiety will overwhelm me and I'll handle it for both facilities and insurance.
What's more unusual is both facilities sent me letters to use to contest the other if I end up being on the hook for it? Even better is this was for my anxiety..
It's actually partly the cause of how I discovered this site and my current path.
A test of my capacity to practice letting go..
HAPPI FIRST OF MAY, EVERYONE!
here beginneth the days of summer (In the Northern Hemisphere, of course....!
"I owe my life to smoking"
Good luck bad luck? Who knows!
I was reading these and most of them are very good…
https://kk.org/thetechnium/103-bits-of-advice-i-wish-i-had-known/
For example:
Roe Vs Wade. America? You're fucked up.
I saw this. Shocking that they would overturn a sane piece of legislation like the Supreme Court on Roe vs Wade. Part of Trump’s legacy i guess.
I keep discovering more cool stuff on this site.
@federica I'm not sure it's overturned just yet, but yeah it is quite uncomfortable witnessing the Supreme Court of the United States of America seems in favor of acting in such a perceived juvenile way.
It will be overturned. The senate is run by the vast majority of old men with fuddy-duddy-super-pseudo religious morals. Sadly the older women also voting are probably both conditioned AND programmed to get on their religious, matronly high horses and decide the fate of women they don't know, on a subject they have no clue about.
If 70% of Americans actually do support Roe Vs Wade, and can be encouraged to vote accordingly, the resulting sweep of the House & Senate and a ballooning of a Liberal Supreme Court could undo all of this and turn what was a 50 year precedent back into a law.
If not, Americans, who have grown largely oblivious to the privileges of their own democratic rights, simply get to ride their Republic into the free fall that they have worked so hard to create.
Roe v Wade will not bee overturned. It can, however, be, effectively neutered.
We have a political system where an area "representing" some 17% to 19% of the population are able to consistently hold the other 81% to 83% hostage. It is a system where a permanent minority can and does claim to be the significant majority and get away with it. All while the top .01% are laughing all the way to the bank.
But, sometimes, on very rare occasions, strange as it may seem, the majority actually (accidentally) win.
Ah, the joys of empire!
Interesting cloud formations on this morning's jolk...
Beautiful morning and quite warm...
If I didn't have to work today, I would have gone skinny dipping...
I reverse image searched my old avatar. Seeing as how I was using it without credit and being quite fond of it I wanted to give some to the artist Wanderweird now. I came across a lot of old art I hadn't seen in many years on their page. Some interesting ones if anyone likes this kind of stuff.
https://www.deviantart.com/wanderweird/gallery/36050997/remember
Well another beautiful Autumn's morning and no work today...so after the morning's jolk
I went for a skinny dip...
The Autumn sun's not as warm, ( it took a while for my body to warm up) plus the gentle breeze had a slight chill to it...
However the water was still warm for this time of year...
And as I was heading back up the track I spied a Tui having a snack...The English when they first arrived call the Tui the parson bird because of the peculiar tufts of white feathers at the front of its neck, which resembled a parson's clerical/dog collar ...
Their wings make quite a noise when they fly..
At the lookout point, I noticed that somebody had screwed a plaque with a quote on it, to the wooden table leg ...
When you say "skinny dip" I take it you mean you swam naked, yes? because that's what a skinny dip is, in the UK.
The 10 best ones are:
Brighton Naturist Beach, East Sussex.
Studland Naturist Beach, Dorset.
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, East Sussex.
Druridge Bay, Northumberland.
Pedn Vounder and Treen, Cornwall.
Rhossili Bay, Wales.
Holkham Bay, Norfolk.
Winterton Dunes Nature Reserve, Norfolk.
There are in fact, over 40 Naturist beaches in the UK.
I went out side for a bit and laid down under a tree. The sun was warm where it came through the leaves and the birds were celebrating.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FOEvNBOqFz0
There are a couple of beaches on the island known for their nudity...Little Palm Beach and the far end of Onetangi Beach (past the rocks), and quite a few nude beaches around Aotearoa, however all Aotearoa's beaches are clothes optional, but this doesn't mean one should stripe naked on any beach...I guess it comes down to being socially responsible..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturism_in_New_Zealand
Letting my own boys out for a little tanning at Vancouver's (clothing optional) wreck beach, used to be my yearly ritual welcoming of the summer.