I am grateful for Hubski.

Y’all, life is way too busy than it should be. I haven’t been able to sit down with my laptop and respond how I’d like to (however infrequent that usually is anyways).

That said, been eating up articles left, right and center from Hubski along the way, so thanks for all the posts and comments peeps. Throwing more posts this way is my way of commenting for now it seems.

Approaching 2 AM here and the home still needs cleaning up for parents to arrive over the weekend… haven’t had a clear weekend in months and now its holiday szn.

What’s nuts is my brother came up 2 wknds ago (now that the whole fam is vax’d x2-3), and while reading this very post:

… I get a call from my boss about a map needing a rework for a weekend flight ASAP. To be very, very clear, it was a mistake on my end, and bossman offered to do the work for me…. Which would require me driving back to my work computer anyway to e-mail the data. Chose to make a cute detour to a nice restaurant with my brother before work. But shit man.

Anywho, going to take a shower before forcing shut-eye lest I vomit another comment I didn’t type out yet (loving the GenZ vs Millennials thread, so that will get bumped prob middle of next week by me).

Until then, happy Friday eve, ‘ski.

Monday we had dinner with SO's cousin. One of which had prolonged exposure to a symptomatic COVID case... turns out J&J was a horrible choice to get vaccinated with. Of the 5 of us at dinner, I'm the only one who developed symptoms (and tested positive). Everyone else had Moderna. We're assuming it was the Delta variant given I developed symptoms under 24 hours.

First couple days were awful and I should have taken more days off work... but I'm on the mend (each day has been measurably better). Even vaccinated, this was no joke. Kudos to every one pushing vaccines out there. I can't imagine how I would've turned out without the vaccine in my veins.

Also shout out to c_hawk, will respond when I have my head out of the medicated clouds. The live stream demo was lovely to listen to. The visual reminded me of HAM radio waterfall displays. Hope you're crushing it. \m/

All my homies love #bootlegpubski.

0.6% of hubski users prefer dark mode.

0.6% of hubski are experiencing pain today.

(Legit, my eyes hurt tho. There’s a reason I use that setting <\3 )

eh.

Have a gif, pubs.

Halloween came early this year, mk.

Protagonist survives trip to manufacturer, then inherits the site.

Life in Bullet Points (It’s been busy in the best ways, even in the lows)

- Tomorrow, I can put an M.S. after my name.

- Packing life into my car once more to pit stop at the mothership before the next chapter.

- Results back from COVID test tomorrow, too. Expecting negative, but getting it to be on safe side before crashing in a new place.

- Had a love interest realized. It was nice. I learned more about what I’ve been doing wrong for the past few years. More hopeful about what I’m going to do right from here on in that department. (Oscillating on how I feel about moving now, but that’s for another time)

- Networking through family/friends is a godsend compared to cold calls/e-mails.

- Hope I can open pub next week, too. Happy to host rounds of liquor on me. 😏 Mid-July seems to be the annual #occupypubski tradition.

- Looking forward to finishing Jeff Vandameer’s Annihilation and F.C. Yee’s The Shadow of Kyoshi once I’m settled back into non-school life. Good ol’ short fiction brain popcorn.

- Could be published (as a co-author) on health geography research by next year.

Damn. Deactivated last August.

Seeing as I'm at sea level in Seattle, there's very little reason to try.

In case work ever finds you in a less light polluted city, this is a nice tool for finding good spots for clear skies.

I will gladly spill whatever tips I can all over anyone else foolish enough to stand up a tripod.

(1) Booyah. IIRC the diameter is a measly 1/2", and it'd really be a nostalgia/feel-good DIY fix more than anything. cloudynights (3rd link) was one of the first places I got the idea for jerry-rigging. btw, LOL (in awe) @ how awesome this forum user's setup is:

Using the dinky thing AS A FINDER.

Scrolling around amazon now for Telrads. Brilliant point about use of filters. That concept didn't transfer from in-class lecture brain to real-life brain. (DOH)

it looks like the weak point in that scope is the right angle prism. Which is optional and can be replaced.

This is new info to me, and added to the list. Also, in hindsight, microfiber cloth would have done wonders for the quality, too.

(2) This, I don't have an accurate read on given IL desert has ~100m more on my city (Northern FL) on average. Though I can accurately write that the humidity was out in full force last night - more than the usual in FL.

(3) I found the spots based on other redditors' suggestions. I have yet to see anyone else out there yet. Then again, 'small' city = small sample size = small chance of seeing people, etc. A meteor shower+picnic sort of date is in my back pocket, but that's stretch until very comfortable with someone [who is comfortable with being up at peak hours].

Life updates:

Living on the Space Coast working in GIS for a government contractor. Shit's lit.

Accepted to a 12mo masters program in GIS coming up in a couple months.

-----

Question of the month is navigating whether I will have a job here when the masters is done.

Question of the hour is vietnamese or sushi buffet.

Aight 'skians, here are some boompoints - since bullet points won't sound like my voice in your head (or your voice in your head - you do you).

-

BOOM Over all illnesses and subsequent irritable-ness... es... These two popped in time when the weather warmed up.

BOOM Friendship with a gal in the States fizzled out coincidentally when she began hanging out with her now boyfriend

BOOM Working in a loving family business with a routine work schedule of varying tasks where I can see progress (adds to sense of purpose).

bonus boom Every time I'm off the mountain and in the valley, people I bump into talk about how they worked with/sing praises of/buy from the family (ditto re: purpose).

BOOM I'm on the other side of the Earth with as much or as little distractions from home - including job/academia hunting.

All 4 boons been sloughing off some weighted personality blankets I've been cuddling under for years. Having less and less pulls back to the States (health, girl) plus leveling out my norms here (routine, weather) finally washed away some grime in mah persona-pores.

-

Take aways:

WOW I dig how much I've been putting into relationships - even in the falling face first ones. I don't dig how much I bend my line of mind to others interests in hopes of something working out. Learning about gal back home (AKA lesson #3) taught me I let on I give lotta shits about other people to mask how little shits I give on the whole.

WOW I miss my voice. The one that uses vocal chords. I got opinions, needs, and damn fine taste in interests. Silence and waiting is a sweet tactic, but leveraging their use against acting on my wants (via giving it sound) with confidence make 'em more potent.

WOW I have options even when I get back home. Job search is only one. The amount of options for heavily subsidized trips back here are boundless... but the option to get a dual citizenship altogether affords hella in the long run (especially mid-run it turns out).

WOW I feel great for a 20-something. I'm my own best critic, and yet - giving credit where its due - my internal compass has not led me wrong. I have more wind in my sails than I expected; plus, a good crew at my back.

-

Non-Sequitur Summary (get pranked, this was a sub-titles rip the whole time)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is on Netflix.

Balancing reading, journaling, and drawing is lovely.

I have fingernails now that I don't have papers to write!

Subtitles still relevant, yeah?

Y'all serve chicken soup here? Almost done filing a recent cold as an immunity. 🤧 Wish I got it earlier last week.

Life

I've picked up meditation and salsa on Mondays. The salsa classes have nearly replaced my time on online apps just as a way of making a connection. A good metaphor shared with me: working out : martial arts :: dating apps : dancing. The preceeding actions augment the later one, but the practicality of the latter trumps/incorporates the elements of the former. Best of all, it's a blast learning the moves alone - when I have a dance partner who is in sync despite us both being beginners, that's the fun part. Practicing 'heartfulness' before hopping into salsa definitely helps to stay in the moment.

Reflections

1.

I think I have to take a step back from consuming more Kavanaugh/MeToo related content or friend posts. It's hard to not project onto generalized statements about men as a whole from women I care about. Hell, it permeates my gaming world. Sticking my head in the sand and letting my vote speak for itself is looking enticing.

2.

Don't have my journal since the move and I want to get this out of my head, so here:

I've been tutoring a friend of mine for free recently. They've been struggling to pass the test to become a certified K-6 teacher here for years. At this point, they've identified math as the pitfall come test day. I care a lot this person, and working with them I get the sense they aren't wasting my time with how they've been studying between work and heavy life matters. Their persistence in taking the test over 10 times over the past few years (it's no free examination mind you) reminds me of my grandma's grit.... My g-ma was an elementary school teacher for 30 plus years who valued education above many things. I feel as though I'm carrying on her legacy providing this to my friend who's been struggling to jump this hurdle they've committed to despite severe life stresses. We made this an indefinite endeavor until we're both confident in their mastery of these subjects. I'm excited to see this be the last examination taken.

Inktober

Any other hubskians participating? Any themes or learnings this year? This year I learned sketching out in pencil first isn't a sin. Excited to read what y'all's mediums and utensils are. Possibly sharing works?

Frankly, I don't give a damn about the rest. I trust those two will be capable, discerning adults to discuss the content at hand - which is what taco's comment boiled down to - rather than sling shit at one another... or not.

What I'm not okay with is seeing a familiar name disappear into the abyss without a heads up only to find out there was a disagreement with similar context. What I'm not okay with is seeing what seems to be the same cycle repeat itself after your extended break.

Today is insane. I'm a bundle of nerves about how little I've reviewed for my comprehensive finals that I'm marathoning starting tomorrow through Saturday.

But. I also got to get a load off my chest by picking up the phone and chatting with my parents - surprisingly effective. Had some REAL shit come up after unloading my nerves, stresses, worries, etc. Hoping to revisit it after exams with my parents, some friends, and myself before making a cogent thread on here to discuss the topic of

drumroll please

Relationships, intimacy, and their roles with eachother.

EDIT: BUT WAIT, THERES MORE

As always (I'm human), this comes up a lot. The lady friend I've been meeting up with near weekly for a few months now is very open when it comes to speaking about her relationships and intimacy. Its refreshing to be open in an appropriate manner (with both party's (spelling?) boundaries being respected). Its given me space to seriously take a look at my own past romantic relationships.... And how fucked up some of my firsts were. In light of this, I'm looking forward to getting more information from my discussions after exams so I can break the cycle of my past relationships and improve my future ones. All-in-all, I feel really lucky to have this lady friend in my life who's held the space for me.

I remember I was on break a couple (few?) years back, the Reddit I was used to didn't meet the expectation I had from the years prior. The discussion here was something I wasn't getting from my peers, and I wasn't open to seeking out new friend circles. Having cogent thoughts to come to kept me breathing while rooming with fratbois.

Psst! Try dark mode!

Sounds weird, but dark mode is actually a pretty big reason for me coming back. I was big into a gaming community forum with similar style. The place was small enough for users to recognize eachother, while similarly having civil discussions around the game, life, clans, etc. Loved that forum and the people I frequented it with. The nostalgia factor is a big plus on top of having a similarly tight community. Made some big (for the time) decisions based on some solid advice on here and wouldn't have it any other way.

Now I'm just twiddling my thumbs until d20 dark is a thing.

Somehow got into web novels. Enjoying Release that Witch so far. Also, Altered Carbon on Netflix is compelling. Found out a couple of minors I was going to pick up along the way need to fall by the wayside in order to graduate, but it's no biggie. And off to meet a lady friend I've been seeing consistently of late.

Still chipping away at my mid-term New Years goals. Feels good.

Finally finished with exams. Almost good to kick back for a bit. Within the past year I developed a point of tension just under one of my shoulder blades when I'm stressed. I get the feeling its causing the persistent headache and nausea from the past couple days.

365 days on the dot. 🎉

Y'all are adorbs.

There are similarly shaped stones down here near where the Seminoles along with other tribes lived a while back. Another popular use was fashioning the notches to feathered shafts to make arrows.

On a sidenote, thought this post was going to relate to Devac's machete mystery.

Mentioned Forever Labs in an outing. Seeing these people again Saturday. Now I have a video to show them more. Woot!

Totally not related, y'all's kids are adorable.

I don't know if this will go through for some reason. Anywho, this is a doodle I've been working on in and out of class:

Also just made my first banana bread an hour ago. It's missing some sugar... but it's still sweet!

EDIT: It came through! It's pretty high-res, so you'll have to click the image to see close up and portrait. Click to zoom in to get nitty-gritty.

Small life things are smoothing out:

- With some coaching from my brother, I approached the roommate situation in a way that we're staying at the same place next year (woo-hoo!).

- I'm coming to a point where I'm appreciating the maths I'm taking once more. The only issue now is nailing down a work ethic/routine. I have a hunch this happens every semester where I fall into a lull this time of the year where I slack off more than usual. I've come to realize the moment I engage with my phone, or some sort of entertainment on the computer, I'm as good as done. Self-restraint and self-discipline are lacking. Doesn't aid the school work...

- Having a car is more convenient than I thought. Been using it more to squeeze in one last game before class than anything else. Bad habits.

- Just came back from the bank to get my club outta debt for its first time in years.

In other news, I've been listening to John Mayer's latest releases. I have to listen a few more times before coming to a conclusion.

Philosorapture

Thought Bubble

Fights in Tights

DAVID MIVASAIR - AUTHOR

That looks familar!

Hubski, is it selfish to feel frustrated because you're spending all your time doing things that help other people and therefore are accomplishing nothing that you need to do for yourself? Because, on reflection, the past year has been that way for me.

Yes. As it should be. Being selfish doesn't have to have a bad connotation. In this context, it reads as though the past year hasn't been centered on [your]self. For me, if I'm not furthering myself in some way that is clear to me, then what's the point? To be clear, caring for others is well and good and honorable, but taking care of myself ensures have enough in my tank to share with others. I can try in vain, but I can't show compassion for others if I don't have it for myself. Learning to say no and what purpose is usually a good step forward when I land in this spot.

I was about to post this last night. My brothers sent this in a family email. Both of them attended New College with Derek, needless to say knew him and one of them graduated with him. I remember it being one of those well known secrets on people's lips before, during and after the ceremony. The College's commencement speaker was a black judge selected specifically for Derek and family's attendance. How he ties into today's narrative is really interesting based off the author's writing. On the flipside, what brought him to shift his views is all the more heartwarming. I couldn't help but notice, in his final letter delineating his present views, Jews seemed to stand out as the only people written by name with which he denounced the prejudice of.

I hope y'all are having a fine Monday.

many branches have evolved to be more accepting.

Yet for some reason we aren't allowed to blame the one that hasn't

Well, to look at the shooter's own Imam (Syed Rahman) from his childhood Mosque, I'd argue the opposite.

He's utterly denounced the act from multiple news sources.

Like here:

"It might be some psychological problem or some anger at direction with somebody because, if this is his mosque, we never promoted any kind of extremism," Rahman said. "He might be radicalized by the Internet."

And here:

"As for the horror Mateen unleashed, Rahman said, “I condemn it, and I disown it. This is our country. This makes it very hard for us.”

In fact, it seems as though Rahman was on the money with regards to being radicalized over the internet:

“It is no coincidence that this happened in Orlando,” said a law enforcement source familiar with Robertson’s history of recruiting terrorists and inciting violence. “Mateen was enrolled in [Robertson’s online] Fundamental Islamic Knowledge Seminary.”

Now if you click on the article and continue to read onward, you'll notice this:

"Robertson's school may not have been the only source of Mateen's spiritual guidance. The gunman was at the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce with Imam Shafiq Rahman two days before the nightclub attack, according to The Washington Post. That mosque was frequented by American-born suicide bomber Monar abu Salha, who blew himself up in Syria in 2014, and the two knew each other, according to officials. Mateen's association with Salha led the FBI to interview him in 2014. Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Mike McCaul told Fox News law enforcement determined at the time their contact “was minimal.”"

Which, again, disproves his own spiritual upbringing (by association) influenced by his childhood mosque.

.

, even though the shooter outright told the world why he did what he did.

You're right. He pledged allegiance to ISIS. Which is both an extremist and comparably small faction of Islam, not widespread in terms of population by any means.

"Mateen was, however, a devout Muslim beholden to the scriptural mandates of Islam. He reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS during the massacre in a phone call to police. The FBI suspects that he was motivated by jihadism."

.

Even though we have video of the imam from the Orlando Mosque saying that homosexuals deserve violent death.

Ah, yes. This guest Imam? Who is similarly a fundamentalist?

"Strict Islamic purist groups, like ISIS, follow the letter of the law and carry about these Quranic mandates regularly. For months now, the Islamic State has publicly executed alleged homosexuals by throwing them off of ten-story buildings and then stoning their bodies."

.

Fundamentalism is by its very definition opposed to the evolution of ideology. To cite one data point and use it to draw a line-of-best-fit can drastically skew the context, re: the guest Imam.

It ignores Florida's Imam Muhammed Musri:

"On Twitter and Facebook, Musri wrote: “On behalf of American Muslims, I want to express our outrage and shock of the mass shooting in DT Orlando, FL. Our thoughts and prayers are with victims & their families.”"

It ignores Mateen's own Imam Rahman:

"Yusufiy said she was "devastated, shocked, started shaking and crying" when she heard about the shooting, but she attributed the violence to Mateen's mental illness, not any alliance with terrorist groups.

Rahman agreed.

"My personal opinion is that this has nothing to do with ISIS," he said."

It ignores a gay Imam, Imam Daayiee Abdullah:

"he said, “I can’t deny some Muslims do” have a serious problem with gays, and that some Muslims have been taught that gays need to be punished or even killed. ISIS has murdered homosexuals, and five Muslim countries (out of more than 50) still have a death penalty for homosexuality on the books.

“The actions of ISIS in killing gays is fueled by a perverted understanding of Islam. An understanding typically learned by word of mouth, not an actual reading of the text and understanding of the principles of Islam,” Abdullah added."

If this hasn't made my point, I don't know anything that will at this time.

EDIT: I don't intend for the examples of Imams at the end to be sweeping, although I'm sure there is more evidence for both sides. Frankly, I can't be arsed to discuss much more considering the situation in general, let alone the fact that it feels too soon being so close to it all. I'd be content to settling with "This is a problem, lets work toward a solution" at this point.

Although, I think it'd be of value to state that many branches have evolved to be more accepting. It's not as if the Pope himself supported the incident. The Pope, Orlando's Muslim leadership and Jewish all disavowed this act.