Happy Pride month!

3 days, not 3 weeks. That’s my guess.

No soul. They’re just following orders, as were the guards and executioners at Dachau, etc. The Nazis who were just following orders were executed or imprisoned after the war.

Found this on FB somewhere- it’s from the FDR Memorial.

It’s a party and a protest. Today we were inspired and entertained by The Mighty Souls Brass Band from 4:30-5:30 at Poplar and Highland, Memphis, 38111. Maybe 200 or so in attendance. Saturday we’ll be back there 1 pm- 3 pm for the national day of protest April 5. @indivisiblememphis.bsky.social

The campus of the University of Memphis- Admin Building. It’s one of my favorite places to go on a mindful stress management walk at night- it helps me recharge my personal batteries after a tough day doing psychotherapy. Cool lighting. Love those Tiger Eyeszzz.

PTSD = Pollen Traumatic Stress Disorder

And oaks- they are flooding the air right now, too. My cars are all tinted yellow, as is gthe annual ritual here in one of the worst allergy cities in the USA.

KFC would do a better job than these MAGA clowns in terms of managing our national security OPSEC.

Gee- I wonder if there’s a connection? (kidding of course) Stress kills. I bailed on a much more lucrative career path 25 years ago because it stressed me out to the point of depression, panic attacks, etc. Now it’s a lot calmer and generally ok, and I take fewer meds. No crises for years.

This was very interesting to me. Tim Snyder is an excellent history scholar and a very good writer. I’ve read a couple of his books. Oh, and he’s quite bright, too.

I worked with NSA a few years. I own too many faraday bags already. It’s a hobby kinda like collecting backpacks or shoes but for spooks.

Good info, thanks. An acquaintance has a clean phone with no historical stuff on it for travel and for taking to protests. She calls it her Gestapo phone.

Today at Tesla Wolfchase. We had fun yelling, chanting, and dancing, and passersby honked a lot. Buoys my spirits in these turbulent times.

Got a text from a family member saying that an elderly family member will likely pass away in the next 24 hours. The soon-to-be-deceased and I had a very rocky relationship 40 years ago.

Apple AI recommended that I respond with “That’s great news!”

I chose to respond differently. Although...

I worked at a NSA/Army listening post with global intercept abilities. When things went right, we could intercept transmissions from Russian combat units battling with Afghani Mujahadin. That was some sobering radio traffic- dudes getting shot and blown up in real-time.

And it sucks that it's gone. Our radio broadcasting was one of the best things we did during the Cold War.

One of the high points of my military tour in Germany was visiting Voice of America studios for a whole day in Munich in 1982. They broadcast in all the Warsaw Pact languages back then. And, when the atmospherics were right, I could listen to the enemy, Radio Moskva, on AM, when I drove to work.

The daffodils are up and blooming at the campus of the U of Memphis. It was a great afternoon for a post-storm walk. There was also a rugby match going on- those players were quite muddy.

This account is mostly for Memphis friends and a little of my professional life. I have a different Blue Sky where I am much more outspoken and political- I need both outlets.

How’s your foot today? My wife tore her peroneal tendon in 2019— that took a few months of healing. Someone stepping on her foot in early recovery would have been a nightmare

Attending online Continuing Education class this morning- and surfing Blue Sky, too. Class is: Supporting Family Caregivers Navigating Mental Health and Wellness: Clinical Implications for Professionals. A bit interesting, but not super exciting to me.

This fits my profession pretty well. If only some of them would genuinely seek help… But there’s nothing “wrong” with them, they say; everybody else is the problem.

I operated a main frame where everything was written in a variant of Fortran. And then COBOL became dominant. Career 1, early 1970s.

Nice bird pic from wintry MN

And we therapists are experiencing as much or more anxiety about the current political events as are our clients. It’s rough, especially if we work with targeted marginalized groups. For me, that means about 90% of my caseload.

He’s 16! My best non-human friend, Neo, just celebrated his 16th birthday. He moves a little less and sleeps a little more than he used to, just like I do. We’re both a couple of compatible old dudes just getting by one day at a time, together.

She’s been found and the suspect is in custody, thankfully.

A pipe busted last night in an empty rental house 2 doors away from us- it was flooding my next door neighbor’s crawl space. I got the water turned off at the street- I keep a meter key handy. We have good neighbors, help each other out as best we can. Community helps me survive tough times.

Yoga classes have really helped me several times in my life— I got major mental and physical benefits. My favorite, though, is barbells/strength training. My ex greatly benefited from a women-only barbell class she took years ago. Any class is better than no class- just start something.