From: someone@anywheret.net   
      
   "JimD"  wrote in message news:2018041710382116315-email@nowherecom...   
      
   > Wife and I had a fight over the weekend.  It was over the temperature   
   > outside.   
      
   > Amazing.   
      
   Maybe the earth is, and has been for some time, passing through a region of   
   space similar to that portrayed in the Star Trek episode entitled "The   
   Tholian Web", causing more than the usual, to become in one way or another,   
   unglued so to speak.   
      
   > We have a big dial thermometer on the back deck, visible out the kitchen   
   > window. It's been stuck at 40F for the last week or so.  Dial indicator   
   > moves a little now and then. Some bug built a nest in the bimetal spring   
   > thing.  That happens.   
      
   We've got two of those in the house here, one in the kitchen and one in the   
   hallway, easy to read, and accurate.   
      
   > I was going out for an errand. Wife ask if I wanted a heavier coat.  I ask   
   > " why, what's the temp ".  She replied " 40 ".   I said " is it really 40,   
   > or are you going by the deck gauge ? ".   
      
   > And from that, I got venom spit at me over my questioning her.  Oh, and   
   > she said she looked the temp up online. Well, maybe, but that's a BIG   
   > thermometer, and hard to not notice from inside the kitchen.  She argued   
   > that  - 1 she didn't look at it, and 2 - it wasn't stuck.   
      
   Hair trigger tempers, like everything else, still have causes.   
      
   > All this is to bring up something.  People around me are becomming VERY   
   > touchy.  Wife says maybe it's me.  Well, maybe.   
      
   For myself, it's very difficult if not impossible to remember a time when   
   those around me weren't like that, maybe not everyone, just most.   
      
   > This morning I get on the net and look at the days " news ".   Chaos all   
   > around. Some new war the globalists are trying to start somewhere. Yet   
   > another croocked judge ruling this or that, protests, bla bla ...  It   
   > seems to me the entire civilized world is collapsing. Maybe it is, maybe   
   > it isn't. Maybe I'm just getting tired of this reality.   
      
   The world is a lot better at Claiming to be 'civilized' than actually BEING   
   civilized...which is precisely why it's collapsing.   
      
   Furthermore, all the macrocosmic disasters begin with the microcosmic   
   variety.   
      
   > What I'm seeing is a general breakdown of trust.  That is fueling the "   
   > prove it " reactions I'm chaffing at from the band and others.   
      
   Once again, I can't remember a time when I wasn't expected to prove   
   everything. When I designed something while working with loudspeakers, every   
   time, I was always asked by the company president, if I'd stake my job on   
   the successful outcome of what I'd done. Then, when I got past that part, I   
   was required to supervise the pilot run of the  product - no one else ever   
   had to endure that, only me.   
      
   > With no trust, everything becomes something you have to prove.  Prove the   
   > thermometer is broken.  Prove the In Ears will work.  Prove the stage   
   > level isn't too high.  Prove I didn't say this or that about whomever.   
      
   Welcome to the club, even if it's a club over the head ;)   
      
   > A near total breakdown of trust around me.   
      
   For me, it's a major miracle if there's any trust around me at all...until I   
   prove myself, then the cycle starts all over the next time.   
      
   > How to deal with that ?     Only thing I can think of is distance.   
      
   I've tried that many times and it works, but only for a while, then when   
   distance decreases, it's the same old crap all over again, at least for me   
   it's like that.   
      
   > Just break off any relations where I'm constantly challenged. Can't really   
   > divorce the wife, but the rest of my circle of " challenging " friends can   
   > be pulled back from.   
      
   From my own perspective, the comment I made earlier about a Star Trek   
   episode isn't that far off base, because I've been having major problems   
   with my Soulmate, who seems to have become totally unglued while I'm trying   
   to make sense, if any, out of what's happening, or at least explain it so I   
   can help to fix it. Now I hear about what's befallen you and suddenly, it   
   seems quite difficult to consider it a mere coincidence.   
      
   > In that vein, I haven't talked to any of the band people this week, save   
   > one short call from band girl.  Do they miss me ?  I dunno.   I'm working   
   > on solo material.  Wonder how long until someone says I'm the cause of no   
   > communication ?   Like phones only work in one direction :-)   
      
   As horrific as the thought is to me, I too, have considered the possibility   
   of going solo, because at this stage, I'm working on the 41st song and the   
   5th tune on the 4th album: "It's Already Here", my life is far too invested   
   in this Original Music, which Must go forward come hell or high water, or   
   anything else and I'm Totally Resolved no matter what - but it's still a   
   Horrific prospect.   
      
   > The band is a strain.  Simple reason.  We moved from a jam-like garage   
   > band to an actual working band.  That meant behaving like real musicians   
   > instead of adolescents screaming and whacking the drums in a garage.   
      
   So does that mean that growing up and getting serious is a strain for them?   
      
   In my early band days, there were a few times that we almost took off and   
   that was what I was looking forward to, so what really was a strain for me   
   was when that didn't happen - as in, Bummer!   
      
   ---   
      
   > It snowed again last night. Mid April snow ?   Yeah, it's globally warming   
   > alright.   
      
   We've had some snow Sunday night...I'm sick of winter, for ever!!!   
      
   > Gonna work on some nice lounge solo music today.  Play my keyboard.  Avoid   
   > talking about stage volume with anyone.  Let my ears rest.   
      
   > Oh, and a weird thing. One of my solo places called last week, ask to move   
   > all my wednesday evening jobs to saturday afternoons.  Sure, I don't care.   
   > Wasn't that many gigs. I only have 5 there all year.  And in this I lost   
   > one of those because there wasn't a sat that particular month to swap it   
   > to. Don't care.  If they cut me back that much, they must have others they   
   > like better.   
      
   Are you sure that's what it is?   
      
   > And so, I'll say, sour grapes and move on. Wonder what happened ? Lots of   
   > political correctness in these particular gigs, ( gov mandated minority   
   > quotas and such ).  That's actually what I suspect as the root cause.   
   > Requirements they hire more women and minorities.  Seriously.   
      
      
   Jim   
      
   Now that is a weird thing. What makes you so sure? Looks like Quality isn't   
   even part of their formula if that's what's really happening.   
      
   Ouisie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)