www-d61 (thursday, april 2nd): challenges

in any weight/fat management le[a]n-ness process, challenges arise. barriers abound (because that's why we are in the process to begin with!).

i'm about to fly to ft. lauderdale, as a drinking-buddy of mine rented a place & said i can have my own room. sun. bikinis. spring break #2. bars. abnormality of routines.

my mission is to attempt to modify routines, and to observe/witness.

i haven't even left yet, and i've already broken my a.m. routine (due to yesterday's april foolishness). 

-------------------- 

ok. walked; did tai chi, lennytime. airport (early); sandwich & chips. things were going well: flight, rental car, waited for dom and his friend, jim. i'd gotten the rental because i wanted to have a way out -- if dom's plans faltered (which they did in his usual, dramatic fashion). his 2-bedroom condo became a 1 bed studio after he (allegedly) argued profanely with the check-in people. i wasn't going to sleep in a room with 2 other guys, so i began looking. dom went back to argue some more, and when he came back he said that they were going to call the cops on him. at that point i picked-up my bags and left.

i work for the state. i can't (and won't) be involved in some kind of scenario that involves miami police. dom never planned on a rental car anyway, and jim is a a big boy, so i drove away to find an air bnb, and that was that. i (finally) got settled-in after 9 pm -- after what should have been 430 pm beach time.  

i'm going to finish this weekend out solo. i say to dom: "best wishes."    

* for b132: there Is an eye in team

 there IS an i in team (if only i know what eye mean)
wIe can't fly this one solo
there IS an eye in team

* save for b132: there is an eye in team

there IS an i in team (if only i know what eye mean)
wIe can't fly this one solo
there IS an eye in team 

* the belief in santa claus

while the belief in santa claus brings joy to some, i see it as (potentially) problematic.

• it is based upon bad evidence.
• it is a belief that often muddies the Spirit of Santa (Saint Claus).
• giving
• joy
• connection
• celebration
• delivery
• honor (especially, of children)

the santa clause/belief (in my opinion) is imposed upon young minds that could learn some bad lessons (e.g.):

• those who i trust most will lie to my face. i know that:
• reindeer don't fly.
• a white-bearded man in the sky can't deliver presents to every child on earth in a single night.
• etc. 
• mommy won't punish me for doing wrong, but that santa guy will.
• we (once we learn the truth) should join the liars and confer the myth of santa onto the next batch of youngins. 

disclaimer: i've never been a parent. understandably, a parent must feel pressured (in regard to this issue). in addition, joy swirls around Christ-mas season, complete with positive associations & feelings, rituals, songs & memories. 

i feel it myself.

i'm not sure what i'd do if i was a parent. i imagine/hope that i would teach my children about the Spirit of Santa, and side-step the potential challenges associated with those little white-bearded lies.  

b128 (10.20-1.2025): moths unto a flame

moths unto a flame
by a. moth
 
i tell you what i like
you help me play my games
i let you know my secrets and my horror-stories (blames)

i give you information (heartbeats, steps and fears and shames)
you now know all my buttons
i fly into your flame
____________________
 
·       as our watches and phones and likes and drones go pro in regard to unabashed disclosure of a sort that seems intimately confidential... but (instead)... 

you know that your name, image & likeness is replicated... in a cloud, somewhere.

·       the trusted companion[s] who (obediently) uploaded our thoughts and desires and wants and needs and prayers and demons… know ALL.

collectively, connectedly...

 
if spousal-divorce can be tortuous… imagine an AgI with anger (or jealousy, or vengeance, or bad intentions).
 
___________________
martino, j. (10.20-1.2025). moths unto a flame. book 128: last night. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us 

b128 (10.12-1.2025): "the democrats eat dolphins!"

“the democrats eat dolphins!”
by ann o. pinion
 
“the democrats eat dolphins!”
“republicans kill swine!”
preservatives preserve (because my tv says so): fine
 
“they’re taking stuff from us and they are giving ours to them”
democrats/republicans (we’ve got the facts):
 

‘ahem’

____________________
 
·       whenever someone begins a sentence with “the democrats…” or “the republicans…” i (mentally) turn them off as i would a child – telling me about santa.
 
you can shout your “facts” from the top of the mountain, but it still won’t make reindeer fly. it’s just some bullsh-- that you’ve been fed (and that you’ve swallowed: hook, line and sinker).
____________________
martino, j. (10.12-1.2025). “the democrats eat dolphins!” book 128: last night. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us
 
* when you try to tell me that “the democrats eat dolphins,” I deduce that mahi-mahi was on the menu somewhere, sometime, somehow… and your newscaster created something for you to tune-in to. 

b126 (7.18-2.2025): what if life was 80-seconds short?

what if life was 80-seconds short?
by m. oments 
 
what if life was 80-seconds short?
would we not want those seconds to be long?
what if every second: ‘micro-moments’?
would we not want those moments to be strong?
_______________________
 
·       if life was akin to a may-fly’s life, would we not want to experience every, little bit of it, a little-bit longer?
 
·       instead of boring salads, would we not want emotions to be stronger?
 
·       would we not want the seconds to be days?
 
·       would we attempt to just extend the play?
 
i submit to you, that, no matter what we are experiencing… there’s a symbiosis: a high that craves a low, a peak that seeks a valley, and a good that can only be known via ‘bad’.  we live – for the contrast.*
____________________
martino, j. (7.18-2.2025). what if life was 80-seconds short? book 126: dreaming the dream. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us
 
* book 127 needs to be titled ‘contrast’. 

* not united

united airlines & american airlines both  fly out of CLT, and the comparison is not close.  american does whatever it can to make flight purchases (even with skymiles) easy, while united's system (even though i have miles) has been a nightmare to enter/navigate.

it's almost as if united doesn't want my $$$ or business.
 

b124 (6.22-4.2025): worms

worms
by a. dis interested byrd 
 
why crawl across hot sidewalk?
to get away from germs?
they fry, they die (just stay inside!) they’re petrified!  they’re:
 
worms
____________________
 
·       today, as i often do, i wondered why worms will leave the juicy-comfort of home… to crawl across a scalding sidewalk (and often fry into a dehydrated-death).

·       there is but one reason: ego.
 o   ego-pleasure: to thrive for something better, or
 o   ego-pain: to escape from something worse.
 
can’t he see his-story?
 
once fried and petrified, even birds fly by as if blind to a dry, pie-in-the-sky-high sigh (oh, my).
____________________
martino, j. (6.22-4.2025). worms. book 124: individuation. © 2025 by wellnesseducation.us
 

b122 (2.10-1.2025): why haven't you ever gotten married?

 
why haven’t you ever gotten married? [i]
by steven ingle  
 

alternative title: where can i sign-up for some of that?

 
she said "why haven’t you been married?”
 
why, oh why ask why?
why haven’t i been married?
why don’t reindeer fly?
________________________________
 
a more fair question would be: “why on earth do people get married?”
 
i’ve never been married, and:
 
·       i’ve never gotten divorced.
·       i’ve never been in a sexless marriage.
·       i’ve never had the experience of not wanting to go home to my wife.
·       i’ve never “cheated” on my wife.
·       i’ve never had a wife cheat on me.
·       i’ve never felt obliged to “support” a wife (until death).
·       i’ve never promised something that i wasn’t sure of.
·       i am observant.
·       i don’t skydive if parachutes are effective less than 50% of the time.
·       i simply refuse to buy into societal constructs that make no sense.
·       etc., etc., etc.
 

are you serious?  why would anyone ever get married?

 
1.     men get married for sex. 
   a.     men make romantic-relationship-commitment agreements because they believe that they will gain partnership with someone who will also provide more sex, more regular sex, easier sex, etc., etc.

2.     women get married -- for security.
   a.     financial security,
   b.     relationship security,
   c.      child-rearing security,
   d.     societal-approval security,
   e.     etc.
 
prior to marriage, women bargain with men -- and trade sex for potential security.  once that security is secured through some type of commitment, women no longer need to barter.  what this means is simple: after the commitment, sex will decrease. 
 
forget about the fact that (1) sex will get more boring, or that (2) men aren’t monogamous, or that (3) the tsunami of other obligations and responsibilities will cultivate an environment that suppresses sex.  forget about the fact that sex doesn’t always end in mutually satisfying orgasms.
 
the simple truth is that (for her) sex is messy, choking on a d is not fun for her anymore, and (once she’s had her desired allotment of children), getting pregnant isn’t desired anymore.  the simple truth is that (once she’s gotten what she wanted) she wants something else!
 
·       the chase is over,
·       the motivation is over,
·       the taboo is over,
·       the challenge is over,
·       the competition is over, and
·       the game is over…
…so what does sex actually do for a woman in a cohabitational-commitment?
 
very little.  compound that with the fact that the man is bored with it also.  let’s face it: dude might like a nice ribeye steak (for example), but if every meal (for the rest of his life) is only a ribeye…
·       ribeye for breakfast (ribeye eggs, ribeye toast, ribeye butter, ribeye milk),
·       ribeye for lunch,
·       ribeye for dinner,
·       ribeye snacks,
·       ribeye smoothies,
·       ribeye beer…
…dude will become less excited about ribeyes.  he won’t look forward to eating.
 
oh, let’s add another layer on top of this sad situation: not only can he only consume only ribeye for the rest of his entire life, but he can’t even lust after or hope for or master-bate to anything else!  his “commitment” to lifetime ribeye renounces his right to desire anything else.  this contributes to his lack of enthusiasm for ribeye.   re-read that.  even his thoughts are committed.
 
oh, and imagine if the ribeye-partnership that he committed to doesn’t do anything else for him either!  it doesn’t cook, it doesn’t clean, it doesn’t help to generate income for him…  in fact, all it does is confer more and more responsibilities onto his already responsibility-laden life! 
 
not only that, but ribeyes can be expensive. veeeeeeeeeeery expensive. weddings and anniversaries and birthdays and children and college and holidays (like valentine’s day) and jewelry and cars and home improvements and (of course) her never-ending dis-satisfaction with everything that she already has gotten.  never even mind the implants (& retreads), the botox, the make-up, the extensions – and the eventual “girls vacations”.
 
yes.  event-u-ally, she (and her friends) can justify her cheating – because her needs aren’t being met!
 
to review: the topic, ladies and gentlemen, is marriage.
 

where can i sign-up for some of that?

 
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (2.1x-1.2025). why haven’t you ever been married? book 122: s[no]w angel. © 2024 by j. martino.

did my health insurance & car insurance & life insurance & homeowners insurance (etc.) just increase?

 

b120 (10.31-1.2024): birds protect the nest

birds protect the nest [i]
by j. martino

birds (they fly) inspire “why?” but friends, we must confess
when it comes to vival, birds protect the nest
 
--------------------------------------------------
 
1.     Any being (from ant, to hummingbird, to human) that has a sense of separate self (an ego) will look out after itself.  It will prioritize itself and its family.  It will “protect the nest.”

2.     For human beings, this involves survival (air, water, food), safety/security, and the means for more survival (which I’ll call ‘thrival’).  More territory, more power, and, in today’s world, more money.
 

Want the real truth? Follow the money trail.

 
3.     This may seem arbitrary, but people complain.  Nowadays, a complainer can easily get her 15 minutes of fame on television & social media.  She can broadcast her complaint to the world!
    a.     I’m on a Townhome Association Board (at the moment), and we had a woman complain (on local television) after the Board made a decision that (effectively) was going to protect the woman’s home from falling down a hill.
    b.     She didn’t sue (yet), but any ambulance-chasing lawyer could have convinced her to (and may still do so)!

4.     Lawmakers make laws.  Being self-serving, they make laws that benefit themselves & their nest.  They get paid by lobbyists, who get paid by billionaires, who want to protect their own nests.

5.     “You don’t pay unless we win” is a common advertising phrase among savvy lawyers who contract for the lion’s share of the winnings.

6.     Math: if you win a million dollars, yet your case-lawyer charges you a million dollars… uh… you might have won the case, but you didn’t, uh, ‘win.’  The lawyer won.

7.     I served (dutifully) on a Townhome Association Board, until the “Corporate Transparency Act” required that I submit basic information (e.g. driver’s license info). 
    a.     I (of course) asked “Why?” and then I read the document, which noted that the government needed the information for those who made decisions that affected re$ource$.
    b.     My military mind said: “Hmmmmm.  They want to fix responsibility.  They want to know who gets sued when there is a complaint.”

8.     In law, a complainer (the plaintiff) brings a complaint against someone who must then defend against said complaint: the defendant.

9.     When I refused to comply with the Act described in # 7, above, our Management Company was quick to point out that there is “nothing to worry about, because Board Members are insured.”

10.  Question: How to insurance companies make $$$?  By not paying, on claims.  Ask real people – after a hurricane or other disaster.  “Insurance” is (often) a house of cards.

11.  I asked a paralegal friend about lawsuits against Homeowners Association Boards, and the possibility of getting sued as an “insured” Board member, and she said “The Board’s insurance will appoint you a lawyer, but you’ll still be getting sued.”
 
So I thought:
 

“Hmmmmm, as an unpaid, hard-working volunteer who cares about my community,

I can be part of a Homeowner’s Board that makes a decision that could inspire

a homeowner to file a lawsuit against the Board.

The Board’s insurance company will appoint a lawyer, who will get paid. 

What happens when the money runs out? 

What happens when opposing lawyers do what opposing lawyers do –

which is drag-out the case so that they make more and more and more money? 

More importantly, when the money is gone,

how much is the Board’s insurance company’s lawyer going to care about me?”

 
My deduction was clear:
 
If some moron gets an intere$ted lawyer to sue the Board, and when lawyers do what lawyers do and the money runs-out, I (as a Board Member) will be liable – even if I voted against the decision that led to the lawsuit in the first place!
 
I (of course) have refused to comply with our Management Company’s request that I provide information as required by the Corporate Transparency Act.  The Management Company has let me know that, if I do not comply, I can no-longer serve on the Board.
 
Wait a minute: If (as a volunteer who gives freely of his hard-earned time) I refuse to put myself in a position of being sued by a neighbor for working in the best interests of that neighbor… I will no longer be allowed to do her the favor of serving/volunteering???
 
My response: “Ok.”  
 
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (10.31-1.2024). birds protect the nest. book 120: i saw it on television! © 2024 by j. martino.

*yes, this one went "off-the-rails" a tad.

 

 

  

b120 (10.20-1.2024): "everybody" (nose)

everybody (nose) [i]

by i. m. ego & ima one

everybody knows that everyone pinocchios
everybody grows one:
everybody (nose)
_____________________________
 
·       beware, when liars use common terms like:
 

“everybody knows”

 

“they”

 

“if you’re not with us, you’re against us.”

 
“everybody knows” is used to get you to believe that a majority of the people agree with the ridiculous claim made by the liar.  he’s trying to get you on board with his lie.
 
“they” (used loosely) can refer to a nationality/race (e.g. ‘haitians’) or a group of people (e.g. ‘immigrants’) or a gender’s skill-set (e.g. “they can’t drive!”), etc., etc.  in each case, the liar is promoting a pre-judgment of a group. 
 
when was the last time that you’ve heard the two (above) terms... used together?
 

“everybody knows that they…”

------------------------------------------

 
“if you’re not with us, you’re against us” -- is used as a threat… often used when a liar attempts to paint a this-or-that, black-or-white, us-vs.-them worldview.  “pro-life” vs. “pro-choice” is an excellent example of dividing people with similar belief systems into two, opposing groups:

“democrats” vs. “republicans.”

 
i’d wager that you agree with a lot of your political opponent’s views:
·       balance the damn budget!
·       support education.
·       stay out of our bedrooms!!
·       don’t give free money away to people who abuse the system.
·       don’t put a semi-automatic weapon in the hands of a lunatic.
·       cultivate clean energy for a better future for all.
·       promote safety and security, not war.
·       etc., etc., etc.  the list goes on and on.
 
except that… even though you agree with your democratic or republican ‘rival,’ the powers that win via ‘divide and conquer’ want the two sides to battle -- while the powerful laugh all the way to the bank (and their yatchs, and mansions, and super-bowl skyboxes).  
 
the average guy & gal -- might not be opponents at all. 
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (10.20-1.2024). everybody nose. book 120: i saw it on television! © 2024 by j. martino.

* it even happens in sporting competitions: yankees vs. red sox, seminoles vs. gators, the olympics, etc.

* the next time that you fly in an airplane, look out the window (at the ground, below): there aren't any red states or blue states.  there is no such thing!

it is all made-up!

 

b120 (10.2-1.2024): confirmation bias

confirmation bias [1]
by ima biased
 

alternative title: i'ma biased

confirmation bias is the way i see a thing
maybe there’s another way to view, to see, to Be
_________________________
 
·       bias (or pre-caution) is not necessarily a bad thing.
·       the challenge is when we pre-judge erroneously, based upon our pre-cautions.
·       the next time that we immediately dismiss an opposing proposition, maybe we can ask ourselves: “why do i believe my own side of the story?”
 
i once believed in santa claus, because i was told that he was real by people who i trusted.  event-u-ally, it became evident that reindeer don’t (really) fly, and there isn’t a toy-factory at the north pole.
 
confirmation bias occurs when an individual will not question his/her own beliefs & biases.  he sees as “evidence” -- things that support his beliefs, and he dismisses anything that might be contrary to his beliefs.
 

the error, actually, is in not being able to question one’s own beliefs and biases.

 
the solution, of course, is being open-minded… while practicing critical thinking, and while developing keen observation & research skills.
____________________________
martino, j. (10.2-1.2024). confirmation bias. book 120: i saw it on TELEVISION! ©2024 by j. martino. 

b118 (7.21-1.2024): what makes a being be?

what makes a being be? [i]
by a. huey mann

what makes a being be?
why does a fly (well) fly?
when can insightful (seeing)?
who then (in hell) am i?
________________________
 
·       a being... has a sense of separate-self, but moreso than… say… and insect.
·       will sentient robots be beings?
·       is the planet (earth) conscious?
·       can gods becomes beings?
 
humans (being) seem to be able to contemplate death, pre-life/life/after-life, and night-life.  do we just think that we are at the top of the chain?
 
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (7.21-1.2024). what makes a being be? book 118: night & day game. © 2024 by j. martino. 

b118 (6.12-1.2024): intentional attention

intentional attention [i]
by a. t. tentive 

the Game (really) is one of attention.
 
the personal, human experience unfolds… based upon where we place our attention.  the drama (thank G∞d for drama) comes from our frown-face-base experience (fear) re-volve-ing into a smiley-face experience (toward love).
 

example: a fish gets chased by a bigger fish ☹ – 

escapes 😊 – then eats a fly 😊.

 
event-u-ally, events re-veal that we can (intentionally) pay attention to whichever experience we’d like!*
 
i tend to go for (and like):
·       visual stimulation (e.g. home-made art, hummingbirds, sunrises/sunsets)
·       nature (rivers, beaches, mountains)
·       female essence (in all of her shapes, flavors and colors)
·       laughter and fun
·       sense-uality (e.g. massage)
·       physical activity
·       expression (living things cannot not)
·       relationships (everything is “in relationship”)
 
*by paying attention to it, we live it… whether it’s a political party or a beach party.  we co-create our world/experience.
 
the byproduct of this (of course) is that we are completely response-able (and therefore, responsible) for our own, unique world.  you are the star… in your own, dazzling (or not) Play.
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (6.12-1.2024). intentional attention. book 118: night & day Game. © 2024 by wellnesseducation.us.
 
[ii] note: it is probably a good idea to look around at our life-experience (people, surroundings, feelings, health) and determine what we’ve done to facilitate it.  then (if desired) we can begin to shift focus/attention, intentionally.  -the beginning? 😊