The Lexdate: Pineapple Creative Knob Turned Up & Welcome to the Surreal Politics & Society
[Uh, wha?! Policing 10 year olds?] United Airlines under fire for 'barring girls wearing leggings' - BBC News https://t.co/gh0mOWYz7B [Inspangerin] Watch "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power Trailer (2017) Official - Paramount Pictures" on YouTube https://t.co/oJeERMtmlJ Iceland became the first country to ask that employers prove they are paying men and women equally https://t.co/zyGv96LIQT Why Immigrants Do Better At Science And Math : NPR Ed : NPR https://t.co/PiybUAR0Sr ["Oh, it's just the Russians again. . ."] Sen. Angus King On Russia Election Investigations : NPR https://t.co/CBv3E66MMI I have the feeling that nationalists from "strong" countries translate bilateralism as unilaterism. New "compromise" bill bars any protections for transgender people using restrooms or other facilities in schools, or government buildings. New "compromise" bill bars any protections for transgender people using restrooms or other facilities in schools, or government buildings. "Compromise" bill prevents cities from passing protections for discrimination until 2020. #RepealHB2 "Compromise" perpetuates the dangerous lie that transgender people are a threat to safety or privacy. #RepealHB2 [Who's my rep in the IL State Government?] Minnesota Senate passes internet privacy protections – Twin Cities https://t.co/Mbo4dA5QpP [Deregulate: Create jobs; kill people slow] Here’s a major Trump threat to your investment portfolio - MarketWatch https://t.co/k4aCEVxikK [Priceless: Market Bull sculptor sueing Fearless Girl copyr] NYC’s 'Fearless Girl' will keep standing on Wall Street https://t.co/SQ7vqVuBlI [Wonder how Gingrich destroyed Congress?] Congressional Reform Should Start With Professional Staff - The Atlantic https://t.co/LPYRz2MpHj [Respond to prev post, already there but attacked]Washington Monthly | Why I Quit the Congressional Research Service https://t.co/MKkEmhndGm .@LittleMissFlint Run on that platform in 2044, & you'll have a good head start on having my vote! https://t.co/Jgy0uWvNt1 NEW: Trump trust's been quietly revised to say he can take his biz's profits anytime, & he doesn't have to tell us.https://t.co/gB62XGVRyc [Fascinatuling, both in design & how we view the world] When the Designer Shows Up In the Design - ProPublica https://t.co/BwzJGIZBWQ [Grrr. Sliding back] Sessions orders Justice Department to review all police reform agreements - The Washington Post https://t.co/kcgIlfi49u [So not law, just guidelines for states. Defanged.] White House officials offer change to health care bill https://t.co/epsNLwtMOy Sadly, the missile strike tonight would have probably happened, either which way Election 2016 turned out. https://t.co/cb6oG0njNs [In other lifelong news. . .] GOP triggers nuclear option on Neil Gorsuch nomination - https://t.co/6CgDn2D85N https://t.co/k45hINGWhu Searched for unbiased study about political bubbling. Not so much happening with the Everyperson. It's actually more criticism of the media. The cost of Betsy DeVos’s security detail — nearly $8 million over nearly 8 months - The Washington Post https://t.co/mRaEbDQO3g New Essay about Disability & Protesting! Act Up, Rise Up by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry! https://t.co/Pw7jCDu5yB @snarkbat "They’re brilliant kids who encounter a lot of barriers to academic success. So how do we give them hope?" https://t.co/ceuNN4c72d Millions Could Lose Health Benefits If Congress Repeals and States Replace the ACA https://t.co/fOukJtQcra Russia-Owned Blogging Platform LiveJournal Changes Terms Of Service To Ban Pro-LGBT Discussions - Joe.My.God. https://t.co/5bcPSQ0dl0 [Damn, United!] Video shows man forcibly removed from United flight from Chicago to Louisville https://t.co/fcvwwO9gWc [Failing on an easy dunk. Just don't mention Hitler. . .] Sean Spicer Causes Uproar With Hitler Gaffe - NBC News https://t.co/umFtl7476y Boy, competition for Dumb Ass of the Week Award has been fierce the last couple days! For families of radicalizing U.S. youth, a help line | Reuters https://t.co/vrAAUa9s8T Only have enough for 7 miles of estimated. If Trump voted out next term, wall could be trashed since 2 years minimum to start the thing. https://t.co/qylLAJBgCw
PROJECT UPDATE
Not much to report on the project front of things. Still working on editing for tightness of the novel. This process mainly includes comparing the current state of the novel to the attempt I made at a short story a few weeks ago by making a couple sections of the novel less wordy. I think this stage has gotten closer to over (working on it for an actual or two over the past weekend helped a lot), so I’ll have something for my beta readers soon.
Last week or so I’ve done some intense online preliminary research into trying to hone in on my actual argument. It actually feels more like a vocabulary search, trying to think of the right words to encapsulate my feelings and thoughts. The latest word, contempt, seems to go a long way to getting closer to my ideas. Heck, it has me flashing back nostalgically to 2001 or 2002, thinking on my 3-layer futon mattress bed on the floor, poking holes into the articulated academia about utopianism that I could find out there but couldn’t figure out how to legitimately say something about it in a bachelors project. Having that kind of flashback must be a good thing, right?
In the meantime, I have had some interesting experiences with my attention. I’ve done a lot more hyperfocus than typical lately (at least typical over the last few years). My thoughts envelope me, especially when it comes to creative ruminations about my project, writing, or just pretty much anything that I’m finding interesting and want to figure out. I’ve tended to tune out the outside world a bit and just do some intense thinking.
I get a little frustrated with myself when I come out of it because I like to stay aware of the outside world. At the same time, though, I think this kind of intense internal focus and non-harsh ruminating leads me toward more creativity and problem solving. It has done some good for the academic side of the project, I believe. In a week or so, when I get back into actual writing of novel, not editing/revising, I’ll see how much my creativity has increased its flow.
Pineapple might have something to do with it. I started ingesting pineapple on a semi-regular basis a couple weeks. My tummy is a point of self consciousness for me (as it probably is for most people). Through my inductive process, I’ve come to believe that pineapple might help address it. Soon after ending ingestion of pineapple regularly awhile ago, people and I began noticing the tummy. Can’t hurt any
I stopped eating pineapple back then because my dentist discouraged eating acidic stuff, and my gums weren’t the happiest. This time, I wanted to test the pineapple theory real good, plus have much better dental hygiene habits now. It really hasn’t done anything for my belly, but maybe creativity has gotten better. I’ve even started dreaming a bit more. I had read something somewhere about pineapples having melatonin and other good sleep stuff in them.
The pineapple has caused some mouth issues, though. Some parts of my gums have gotten sensitive. No wonder. From what I’ve read elsewhere about pineapple, bromelain acts as an enzyme to break down proteins. People use it to tenderize meat after all! To remedy this issue, I have started juicing the pineapple with our Ninja juicer/blender that we had inherited from some friends a few years ago, then I drink it through a straw. It seemed to work good at first, but again, more mouth soreness. I’m trying to increase the dental hygiene immediately after drinking the pineapple to see if that will help. The increase started today, though, so I probably won’t know if that helps for a couple days. Hope it works!
In case you didn’t know, fair reader, I’m a bit of a food science nerd. I guess you probably have to be when you want to remain healthy on an ovo vegetarian diet. A friend back in high school once mentioned that it seemed like I was trying to gain super powers through good eating, though, so I think this nerdery has a little something more to it.
POLITICAL/SOCIAL JUSTICE IN TWEETS & STUFF
The span of time since my last update has been something of a doozy, so I’ll get right to it by embedding a Tweet that time-wise would have been appropriate in my last blog entry. It caused a kerfuffle on my Facebook wall then, making me not want to re-visit it by posting it here. Now I have the compulsion to post it, and I think you’ll understand why.
And after the US military dropped the MOAB in Afghanistan and a scorpion found on a United plan (per a headline), I’m going to try taking it easy this Easter weekend and try to spend some more time around some like-minded people. Honestly, though, if Jesus comes back this weekend, could he please give Trump a good thrashing?