Researchers say it’s a myth that there are more suicides during the holiday season. But the first thing they do when reporting it is tell you to get help if you need it.
How are you feeling? The sudden onset of winter hasn’t made me glum, but I am a bit stressed from planning for holiday activities. I have been hiking in the morning and freezing my tuchis off, but enjoying myself. I may invest in a pair of snowshoes, if we get any snow this year. It feels good to be outside, even on a gray morning. Look at the fire of the sun over Timber Creek pond, glazed with ice like a stained glass window:
Joyce Carol Oates shared a fittingly bittersweet poem for the season:
I have a road trip planned soon, and after scrolling through the r/IdiotsInCars subreddit, I went and installed a dash cam. Once I can afford a drone, my pivot to video will be complete. The dash cam can also be used as a trail camera, which will let me cut between angles so you don’t have to count my gray beard hairs, in videos such as this.
In autumn, I tried to make it to a place the off-roaders call Funtown, a sand pit where they can have fun without destroying any habitat. Unfortunately the washouts were a little too deep for me to try following the big Ford F-250 that plowed through them. Not after seeing that Subaru ambassador vapor lock his engine. But I did manage to have some fun up there. This video is set to a tune by one of my favorite bands, ArnoCorps.
The thing about Reddit is that it’s moderated. But you don’t even need to go there. Much like TikTok, the best of Reddit escapes its confines and is shared on other places, presumably on Twitter—which has become unusable because the algorithm is now run by the same shitty AI that is making all that crap art you see posted everywhere—and Instagram, which is one third ads. Reddit is about 1/10th ads, but it is full of narcs. If you read r/AmItheAsshole long enough, every suggestion seems to be call the police. And while it may seem satisfying to use the full brunt of the state to solve your neighbor’s peccadilloes1, it can backfire in spectacular ways. And many police shootings of unarmed people begin with a 911 call that never should have happened. So, just don’t.
Everyone on Reddit needs to be more like Woody Woodpecker2:
I felt like sharing a few videos and viewpoints. I’m working on the eagle videos, from the mashup crossover I had with Hannah of WanderFinder last weekend. That will go live on Sunday. Check out her post on it while you’re waiting! She took some great photos.
A peckerdillo is a male armadillo. See also armordildo.
Did you know the yellow-bellied sapsucker is a woodpecker, and not something Yosemite Sam calls Bugs Bunny in a mustachioed fit of pique?
Thanks so much for the shoutout, and I can't wait to see your videos of the eagles and also your road trip, which sounds like it'll be epic.
BTW, this is a little off-topic, but your use of ArnoCorps (who are great) reminded me -- a while ago you asked about how your readers find new music. Mostly, as I told you, I just end up having bad taste, but lately I've been checking out tattoos on Insta and everyone involved are all obviously cooler than I am, and their music is too (for instance: https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClL4vRGgBjg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link). Anyway, even if I don't get a tattoo out of this, at least I'm getting some tunes.
Also, too bad you have a cat. Jack would THRIVE with a family that had more time to dedicate to him. He LOVES hiking, running, being outside, the water... He would make an amazing companion for you. As much as we absolutely LOVE him, we don't have the time to give him the mental and physical stimulation he really needs. Sorry to post this here.... Lol....just came out!!😝