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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
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I’m drinking a triple espresso at 1.30 in the morning because I felt it was a good idea.
Went for a skinny dip this morning.

It's Autumn now, which is a nice time of year, the school holidays are over and most tourists/visitors have gone...Temperature's mid to low 20s during the day, cool first thing of a morning.
Our resident house weasel was seen on the kitchen counter for the first time. Cursed me shrilly when I surprised him/her - ( I hope her, and I hope for little weasels in the future ) The cursing was shrill and loud, like a smoke alarm but more resonant and irregularly timed. This weasel has been very shy, don't have much hope of ever getting a photograph.
We have three mustelid species in Aotearoa, ferrets, stoats, and weasels, all introduced to control rabbit plagues, but now they are seen as a significant threat to our native wildlife. a case of when biological control become out of control.
We also have a major possum problem. Possums were originally introduced from Australia back in the early 1850s for their skins/fur. now they are seen as a major threat to native fauna and flora. Last count there were around 70 million ...
All these introduced species have no natural predators or parasites to keep them in check.
I’m considering buying a digital copy of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit films, mostly because I don’t have a HD version of the Lord of the Rings and the old DVDs we have of those movies are breaking down, I was watching a bit of The Return of the King and whole scenes were gone to corrupted static. Also, once you have the digital version you can copy it and back it up, so you don’t have to buy it again…
It’s only 35 euros, so not that expensive, but I hate paying for these things twice.
Would the Buddha approve of pirating the second copy if you paid for it the first time?
I suppose the Buddha wouldn’t mind, but having thought about it some more I will pay for it as a way of honouring the amount of enjoyment I have gotten from those films.
My scenic Jolk yesterday morning... the back of the joint property

It's quite a steep climb but worth the view.
With the recent discussion of ancient history, You Tube has started recommending those sorts of videos to me and I'm liking it. It seems there is a ton of stuff out there about archeological finds.
It's currently 02:39. A short while ago it was 12:59. The clocks have sprung forward, it's officially British Summer Time I've lost an hour and I can't get to sleep.
Oh, and it Mothering Sunday,but I don't get a lie-in, because MY mother wants to go to Mass in the morning, so I have to give her a ride...
Ho hum... ah, Om.
..
Yeah, I'm also wtf-ed today. I've decided to stick to my old rhythm and will sync with the new one slowly and naturally.
Last night I drunk my first morning coffee at 3 am. I promptly fell back asleep at 4 and slept until 7, which means I wasn’t totally wasted during the day.
It's gonna rain!
About ruddy time! We've had the most marvellous 2½ - 3 weeks of unseasonably warm and sunny weather! True to form, people are bemoaning the bright, warm, sunny weather, stating 'we could do with some rain' and if it comes, give it 3 days - and they'll be moaning they want the sun back!
I iz awake
All is Well!
I iz awake too!
There are some white hairs in my moustache, I noticed this morning while I was trimming it. That didn’t used to be the case last year, when I last trimmed it. I’m slowly going white!
My progress with white hairs is thankfully slow - I would hastily add I sport neither moustache nor beard - but people keep asking me if I dye my hair! The infernal cheek!
I have today accomplished 68 circuits around the sun; I shall embark on my 69th tomorrow... that's enough to turn any head, white!!
Happy Birthday Federica!
Felicidades!!
My beard and moustache have gone almost completely gray. I have been shaving my head for about 15 years now, so I'm not sure how much brown would be there if I grew it out.
Happy Birthday Federica!
Hartelijk gefeliciteerd Federica!
I had an interesting vision last night while going to sleep. It was of a temple, made out of smooth grey stone with columns decorated with white, black and gold symbols from eastern religion — things from the I Ching, I saw a mandala, I think there was an Aum as well. In the middle of the temple there stood a huge carving of my head, with an expression of laughter on my face. The statue was laughing so hard it was crying tears of laughter, it was a bit wild.
Then you have travelled 63.92 billion kilometers… the distance travelled in one year being 940 million kilometers. That’s a jolly long way.
Whatever you're having, may I have some? (I know what you Dutch folk like! 😆)
And me with a dodgy leg, too! 😁
Oh, and, it's 20 years since I joined this forum. I actually joined in March, 2005. I was not yet 50. And here I am, 2 years off 70!!
Dear Friends of the second childhood.
As we get older and wider... sorry wiser, it is perhaps time to review what we have learned?
I'll start with... Nothing!
Zazen is....
It’s been two thousand years, and people still know the stories of Julius Caesar, Marcus Junius Brutus, Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Stories about life, death, liberty, the republic, generalship.
I went for an hours walk through the neighbourhood and the park… I had hoped to reach the woods but my knee was acting up and I took a shorter route. It seems I am 52 after all.
I would go for a walk but the sun is scorching. I tend to do my walks in the morning or evening.
I too delight in walking, but find the going tough, due to my wearing a calliper. So now, I trike. I would go for longer rides, but my dog begins to flag... rest assured, I do not run him all the time, that would be cruel; in fact, I very much let him set the pace, and at times he sets the run speed! I also always take water for him... I don't mind the occasional glug myself!!
My cousin went with a group of friends to Lanzarote for holidays. I told him I "know" someone from there. Small world, @Kotishka!
I’m currently reading Herman Hesse’s novel Steppenwolf, which I downloaded from holybooks.com … it’s proving to be engrossing, I am very much enjoying it even though I am reading it a few pages at a time!