International Army November 2020

[rustop59]

Re: International Army November 2020

Evening everyone. Just in from work and had a quick read back. Wonderful rants ladies and agree 100%. Bridge summed it up wonderfully.

Oh Moll :heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat: what a sweetie. Took himself on a walk before work but he is so wound up after a week doing nothing he was a nightmare all day. At least I was out and did not have to deal with it. I bought a zig saw online, hasn’t arrived yet but didn’t buy it in a book shop so I might be alright :thumbsup:

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Re: International Army November 2020

Evening folks.

I agree Tabbs. The Irish as a nation have a warped relationship with alcohol.
I began thinking about this while in Greece where there are vending machines that include cans of beer. :egad:
I tried to imagine that in Dublin. I couldn't.
I believe it is ,as you say Tabbs, how we perceive it from early on as kids & young adults. Way too much significance is given the drinking of alcohol so it becomes something more than just a drink.
From the start the insidiousness is there:
It is illegal to 'take a drink' before a certain age. Illegal = exciting challenge to adolescents.
Being able to 'hold your drink' is the sign of a man - not sure what it means if you are a woman.
Having the craic = drinking alcohol from cradle to grave ; wet the baby's head ; christening ; communions : confirmations ; 21st birthday ; weddings; funerals - alcohol is always there.

Those of us who fell by the wayside and couldn't drink 'properly' are labelled as alcoholics and sent to AA or rehab.
We are treated as failures because we couldn't conform and just be 'normal' drinkers...... FFS ! Warped !.

Bang on Benji. Alcohol is the only drug we made to feel almost obliged to explain as to why why we don’t want to consume. I have never heard anyone ever being forced to take a cigarette or explain why they don’t want some heroin or cocaine but if you don’t want to drink an addictive, toxic, carcinogenic substance there must be something wrong with you in some people’s eyes, maybe because it is too close to the bone.. F**k em I say, only one persons business what is in my glass. Rant over.

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Re: International Army November 2020

In reply to your posted picture Molly: Hello Max.

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Re: International Army November 2020

No need to apologize for putting your thoughts into words Satzy and very true words they are. Not only the Irish as a nation, – many other nations as well. For example, I just finished watching the series “Designated Survivor” – fictional story about a US president who was delegated to the position after the former president and all of the members of parliament were killed in a terrorist attack. It was interesting albeit the kind of action series where the bad guys all get killed and international threats deflected and problems solved by the people in charge within hours. And it did touch on some real social issues such as minorities, drug addiction, lack of medical care, etc. However, what really struck me was that there was AL involved in damn near every situation. At the end of every day, the president ended up with his feet up on his desk and a bottle of beer in his hand. After-work meetings with staff started out with a drink or two. Staffers constantly meeting at the local bar after work because they “needed “ a drink. It was just there, in our faces, all the time. And the thing is that nobody smokes in these shows. Nobody!! Smoking is deemed bad for our health so no ads allowed, no smoking allowed in public areas, restaurants, etc., yet the dangers of alcohol addiction are not addressed anywhere. And yes, those of us who have issues with alcohol abuse are treated as second-rate citizens and even worse, while smokers are simply told to keep their addiction within the privacy of their own homes. AND we and our children are shown in every single TV show, movie, series, whatever, that it’s okay to use AL as a way to relax, enjoy, celebrate, whatever, with no mention ever that it could lead to alcohol abuse. We have ads here on the radio for lottery tickets of many kinds, Scratch and Win, those types of things with a quick warning after the ad that there is a possibility of becoming addicted to them resulting in the possible loss of personal fortune but nowhere is there a warning about the possibility of AL abuse. As you say – it’s manly to show how much booze you can handle and it is a given that good times can be had only in bars and pubs where of course AL is flowing like water. The only restrictions are that you have to be of a certain age to be served in a bar (how many times have under-aged kids been served in bars?) and that it is illegal to drive if your blood-AL level is over a certain percentage. Nowhere do you see an ad involving a teen who drank too much, got AL poisoning and died. Nowhere do you see a picture of a mentally and physically challenged toddler whose mother drank heavily during pregnancy, nowhere do you see pictures of what your liver will look like by the time you’re 30 if you drink heavily for 10 or 12 years. The only thing they show is a bunch of people with drinks in their hands, having a good time.
Okay. Rant over.

Quite brilliant post Stirly, thank you.

[fickle]

Re: International Army November 2020

Up with the birds this morning.. going to try to implement early morning walks. Its already getting too hot to go in midday and afternoons.
Was lying in bed this morning hearing the beautiful twittering of the birds and the calls from the few tall trees we have left in my suburb. All the new houses are built boundary to boundary without trees.

It hit me that the goal of reduction in emissions by 2030 is not going to cut it. We lost so many birds in the terrible heat and firestorms last summer it was absolutely catastrophic. Rare birds were washing up on beaches all over Australia. The huge hailstorm we had here also knocked many out of trees and I was stepping over broken branches and tiny bodies for weeks. How will we endure another 30 years of this without losing every bird on the planet. I am praying we have intermittent rain this summer to keep the fires away, but it is really apparent to me that there is nothing, nothing more important than climate change if we want life as we know it to exist beyond the next decade or two.

[JackieClaire]

Re: International Army November 2020

Well that was the oddest wedding anniversary................we went to the post office to sent a parcel. The restaurants are shut
But we have a vaccine..................................... A proper one that works. Now the governments just have to fight who gets the first go. Saying that I'm quite up the list as I've got COPD. Although how does that work as Mr JC hasn't got COPD.

Essays on my desk by Friday

[mollyka]

Re: International Army November 2020

X-post Molls.
Max is just gorgeous - do you love him yet ?

In brutally honest answer to that...no..not really. I look at the photos of Bridges and Rusters doggies and I see how loveable looking they are (They are gorgeous ladies)...but I feel little....don't get me wrong..I would kill anyone if they were cruel to him...or any animal..but my life has been turned on it's head and I told Joe very strongly from the get-go that that was how I felt and would feel. Selfish cow that I am..I've been looking forward to freedom when I retire...and now??
I'm not looking for advice or anything..I will get over it ..just mourning a way of life that won't happen really.. but I'll get over it and yeah yeah I'm sure I'll be madly in love with him..just not yet:-(

[satz123]

Re: International Army November 2020

Oh I understand it Molls.
The last dog we had years ago was thrust on me - one day arrived in the kitchen. I was livid & I'm ashamed to say I never took to him.
Poor old thing - but I had a full time job in Dublin & 2 young kids - YS was only a few months old. I wasn't asked & I DID NOT WANT A DOG !!
FFS .... MrS just took it from his sister who didn't want him .... gggrrrr.

[IamMary]

Re: International Army November 2020

Fantastic rant [MENTION=11158]stirly-girly[/MENTION]. Maybe AL will be frowned upon in time, the same way as smoking is looked down upon.
Ive felt safe in a way during lockdown, away from all those social pressures. I'll arm myself with a bit of Tabbers F**k em, when its time to go back out again

Molly, I totally get that. I've never been a dog person and feel awful as my youngest would chop off a limb for a dog. Fortunately her best friend up the road has a beautiful Labrador that she gets to walk a few times a week. Hes even staring to melt my cold human heart a tiny bit :egad:

[starty]

Re: International Army November 2020

Morning all,

Great post Stirly. Alcohol will always be glamourised i think until the individual realises the deception. And while the government benefits from the taxes, it will never be seen as a drug in the same way that others are classified. Even now, when I read stories about people getting their cataracts done in the USA, they are given fentanyl ffs. With hip replacement, they are given really strong opiates for weeks on end. I got paracetomol :haha: What on earth for I ask.

Max looks adorable. I hope that in time you will fall in love with him and see him as a benefit to your life and not a burden. Its different for me I suppose, I have not had kids so all my maternal love has been lavished on animals and they are an extension of me in every sense.

Well Bojo did his thang yesterday and we are moving from one lockdown to another under a different name. Each as complicated as the last until spring when they can shoot us all up with something or other under the guise of a vaccination.

[byebyebridgetjones]

Re: International Army November 2020

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5490[/ATTACH]
This is Max

Oh me Gord! He's SO beautiful...

[byebyebridgetjones]

Re: International Army November 2020

Evening folks.



Bang on Benji. Alcohol is the only drug we made to feel almost obliged to explain as to why why we don’t want to consume. I have never heard anyone ever being forced to take a cigarette or explain why they don’t want some heroin or cocaine but if you don’t want to drink an addictive, toxic, carcinogenic substance there must be something wrong with you in some people’s eyes, maybe because it is too close to the bone.. F**k em I say, only one persons business what is in my glass. Rant over.

Absolutely right Tabbers. The longer I have back on the wagon, the more infuriated I become about this.

There was a series, I think it was The Split actually, and all the buggers did was drink! Have you noticed that you never see them eat? James Bond/s and those He-man types might be racing around saving the world for a full week, but you never see them eat or go to the toilet. Just drink. And smoke. Sometimes drug use. A good deal of shagging.

[byebyebridgetjones]

Re: International Army November 2020

Funny [MENTION=4040]fickle[/MENTION], I used to think that birds were only interesting to old people. Suppose that's fair enough, now that I am old I love them. So arresting when they land near you in the garden, the pretty little things. One of the best things about this house with it's old garden, lots of trees.

So....what are they selling at the bookshop if they're open? Jigsaws more often than not come shrink wrapped I think, so you could just wipe it.

Anyway one of the many mysteries....

[satz123]

Re: International Army November 2020

Good Morning Army
Yep saw Boris last night. God he's so fidgety - put me on edge. I struggle to understand what he says.
I was mesmerized by the notes he had. Looked like only a sentence on each page. Or a powerpoint slide show he'd been given.
Anyhoo our fella is due to tell us either tomorrow or Friday what will happen - I reckon he waited to copy Boris - lazy fecker let him do all the work.

I said months ago, that with the whole world working to be first with a virus, that we'd have one by end 2020 - and we will. :hyper:

[JackieClaire]

Re: International Army November 2020

Morning,
Got your tree up yet?
We will be getting our orders later of what's going to happen after 2nd Dec. Whatever comes out of their mouths will be crap.

Better knews I've signed up to look after poorly pets if their owners can't cope while they're ill (not the animal the owner)

I might get my bearded dragen yet