Random thoughts... - by Tocky
Tocky on 5/12/2020 at 07:07
Looking at that picture of my grand daughter I know she is my closest reproduction. She not only has my expressions but my secretive thoughts. She holds close her most deeply felt thoughts knowing they will be too scrutinized by those less discerning. I love her most though I perhaps should not. I know she is apart from her peers because I was. She lives among her fellows and acts the part of being like them. She is not. She is above them. She thinks independent of all she has been indoctrinated to think. I love my other blood. The shear happiness and joy of abandon my other grandchild shows even in her weirdness. But this one is the most thoughtful. This one is a solid being. She cannot be changed by the world. She knows who she is independent of the pressure of society or any individual in it. I could not change her even if I wanted to. I don't. I respect her. She does not seek approval. She seeks only the road which takes her to truth. I love that. If I am crushed by the weight of that assessment then so be it. I have failed in many ways. I want her to see that as well. I value that unflinching gaze and that piercing questing testing of self. Where is truth? She will find it. She will know it when it is found. She is even more like me than my own daughter who is in many ways better than myself. But this one sees. Beyond even sentiment she sees. I love that. She is the me I wish I could be.
Tocky on 1/4/2021 at 03:18
Something I found amusing about her today. She was voted miss junior high of her school. I always thought of those girls as being a bit snooty. But there she is voted in. You can't get more popular than that. My wife called her all excited and gushing over it. My grand daughter just said "Nana, it's not that big of a deal. It's not like I earned it. It's not something that's going to help me with my future." Ha! She took it exactly right. I'm proud.
My other grand daughter is class president. Neither of them is exclusionary or stuck up or anything but kind and thoughtful and funny. Best of all, they are prouder of staying on the honor role.
Did criteria for these things change since I was in school or was I the asshole for thinking those sorts of girls were snooty? Ah shit. I bet it was me. I even used the wrong sheer in the post above this one. Damn. "Oh what gift the giftie gie us", I guess.
Pyrian on 1/4/2021 at 03:50
Quote Posted by Tocky
Did criteria for these things change since I was in school or was
I the asshole for thinking those sorts of girls were snooty?
You were probably jealous. :D Gotta cut 'em down to size!
Tocky on 2/4/2021 at 23:55
Wanting popularity was anathema to my bad boy down with the man image. I thought I was exclusionary to the exclusionary... while dating a homecoming queen... so... most likely I was just an ass.
fett on 4/4/2021 at 18:10
We were all asses. I'm just gonna say, anyone attracted to these forums, because of these games, has, by default, assumed at a young age that we had some shit figured out. It's okay to admit now that we didn't, but there's a kind of yard-sale/pawnshop intellectual elitism that's persisted here for as long as I can remember. I can't even say it's arrogant, it's just that there are things we know and don't care if anyone else agrees or not. Birds of a feather...
Kolya on 4/4/2021 at 21:27
Don't worry, I never assumed you had it figured out, fett.
If you don't look like fucking (
http://pm1.narvii.com/6370/45eb6b840b5598a937ce7460faffd6ba8a1c67f5_00.jpg) Elrond I'll have to cast doubt on that elf being your closest reproduction, Tocky.
Hum, random thought: I spent a lot of today getting to know my neighbors. My cat lost her tracker collar in one of half a dozen backyards. Which means I'm running and gauging around the block (
https://i.imgur.com/4Ry3eiL.jpg) with a multiband radio receiver and a beam antenna, trying to look inconspicuous when ringing out the neighbors for access to their yard. Haven't found it yet, but I'm not willing to give up because A) it costs a lot and B) I can hear it merrily beeping somewhere nearby! Argh.
On a more positive note I bought a hula hoop for hoop dancing / exercise. This should be fun, I'm really looking forward to this.
Tocky on 5/4/2021 at 02:14
Well... she looks like me at that age. I do still have pointed ears, not Spock pointed, but very elfin as hers are.
I must say I'm disappointed that cat trackers are not like Alien proximity sensors.
Kolya on 5/4/2021 at 10:57
Most pet trackers are GPS based which
- makes them too big and heavy for cats
- requires a SIM card and a satellite connection (which costs)
- doesn't work very well in the city where a cat can easily slip into a cellar or whatever
- batteries typically last 2-4 days
On the plus side you can just watch the cat on a map if it works.
The tracker I use is from an old CB radio guy ((
http://www.wichman.de/page7.html) Wichmann) who has been building and selling these for many years from his own workshop. It's RF based, the signal goes through multiple city blocks, it's also lightweight and the battery lasts 4 years.
On the downside you have to triangulate the signal, often taking height into account when the cat is in the building. Usually I still find it within a few minutes, but it's more difficult when it's just the collar with no cat attached.
The collar has a stretchy part so the cat doesn't strangle itself when the collar gets caught somewhere. They can slip out of it then. And that's how they lose it sometimes.
Kolya on 6/4/2021 at 23:20
Someone mentioned a Simon & Garfunkel song and I thought of my favourite one: A Poem on the Underground Wall
And I listened to a live version of it where Art describes how they shot this cover picture for their album, leaning on an underground wall and after they made a lot of shots he realized they couldn't use any of them because on the wall
"in the baroque style common to NYC subway writers was the old familiar suggestion".
You can listen to it here and it also shows the album cover they eventually used and that he talks about.
[video=youtube;PdHsRI4hycw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdHsRI4hycw[/video]
I knew there was another picture from that shoot where they actually do lean against a subway wall - (
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DbksuC3WAAI9yF4?format=jpg&name=medium) but it has no graffiti on it.
So I decided to change that. And I can confidently say (
https://i.imgur.com/9WAks20.jpg) this is the most productive I've been all day. I used actual NYC subway graffiti for this from another picture.
Tocky on 22/4/2021 at 01:04
What has four letters, occasionally has twelve letters, always has six letters, but never has five letters?
The answer is yes they do.