b89 (4.15-1.2020): delusional

delusional  [1]        
by d. lusional
 
when things get back to normal
when we group hug (and sing)
when we pack home-field stadium
when we do anything
 
when we can go to church and bars and restaurants and schools
when things get back to normal, when…
 
we are:
delusional
__________________
 
·       we.are.delusional.
 
·       because we have already seen the end of “civil-i-zation” as we knew it.
 
·       …and… this sloooooow armageddon has been a loooooong time process that we have been in (for a couple of decades, minimum).
 
·       for anyone who is (really, really) watching, life (as many of us knew it) is already, over.  in fact, the way we’ve lived it has contributed directly to our own demise, as (of course) it must.
 
·       i think i don’t have any other choice but to just sit back… and watch the show.  maybe enjoy a little virtual pop-corn with my virtual girlfriend.
 
we have been delusional for quite awhile, now.
 

---

[1] martino, j. (4.15-1.2020). delusional. book 89: april fools. © 2020 by joal martino.

b89 (4.14-1.2020): the problem with religion

the problem with religion  [i]          
by isman
 
god can drown his creatures, kill his children, hate his gays
but (when bad things happen) “the lord works in mysterious ways”
__________________
 
the problem with religion…
·       is that men made it up:
   o   they created gods in their own image.
   o   they might have been trying to explain the unexplainable, but…
      §  men learned that religion is a great way to control the feeble-minded.
      §  men learned  that religion can bring them money/power.
·       is that men tacked-on “belief” as the key element:
   o   believe what we believe.
   o   believe and you’ll be saved. 
 
the problem with the man-made god…
·       is that men credit him with everything good, while not holding him accountable for anything bad.
   o   in fact, when things go bad, men blame it on “not being religious enough.”
·       is that men state that god can do no wrong (he is perfect).
·       is that men state god can break his own rules.
·       is that men pretend to know what god thinks, feels, & wants.  any 3^rd-grader could deduce that an all-powerful being wouldn’t have any “wants.”
·       is that he is given every excuse possible, even to the point of “the lord works in mysterious ways” and “everything happens for a reason, in god’s plan.”
·       is that men would have us believe that god answers prayers. 
 
there is no accountability in religion.  religions aren’t taxed (in the usa) which allows them to thrive.

---

[i] martino, j. (4.14-1.2020). the problem with religion. book 89: april fools. © 2020 by joal martino. 

b89 (4.13-1.2020): this game is over (done)

this game is over (done) [1]          
by gameo v. erdude
 
the fat lady is singing
but this is still a game
but you might think that (“maybe that’s a little bit insane”)
but you might hope and pray that there is something you can do
this game is over (done)
i think (you thought) you knew
__________________
 
·       capitalism… when (like a virus) left unimpeded and unchecked, explodes like cancer.
·       the super-rich get super-richer, and the body/workers become collateral damage.
·       even while saying (tongue-in-cheek) that “we’re all in this together” and “we all need to make sacrifices” our out-of-control capital-virus (leaders) seek to make even more $$$ during the crisis.
·       do not expect the super-rich to help out the worker-bee.
·       do not expect the politician to help out the worker-bee.
 
the worker-bee’s american dream has been all-wet, for some time, now.
 
this game is over (done).
 
it just looks like there still might be a game on.  it’s a re-run, and the fat lady is already singing.
 

---

[1] martino, j. (4.13-1.2020). this game is over (done). book 89: april fools. © 2020 by joal martino. 

b89 (4.1-5.2020): inside-out & upside-down

inside-out & upside-down ^[1]            
by u. oxy & ima moronic

alternative tile: oxy-moronic

inside-out met upside-down on cyberlife.com

just about the time when upside’s dad met inside’s mom
shared an online double-date (apart-together, fine)
ordered jumbo-shrimp from icy-hot club 69

gave each-other even-odds amid the static-flow

made impromptu plans for a spring fling (at stop-n-go)
never realized that inside’s dad was upside’s preacher
it was no small miracle (she was his student-teacher)

clear misunderstanding (when dad showed up in a gown)

with his homemade chili: inside-out and upside-down

------------------------epilogue--------------------------------

mom thought that it was bittersweet (wise fool/bionic twin)

oxy & moronic:

upside-down and outside-in

_______________________

[1] martino, j. (4.1-5.2020). inside-out & upside-down. book 89: april fools. © 2020 by joal martino. 

* oxymorons: it's seriously funny when jumbo shrimp can be alone together while a friendly takeover leads to civil war in a small world that is growing smaller, as guest hosts grill devout atheists about impossible solutions to intense apathy using alternative facts.

b88 (3.30-3.2020): stay home, stay home, stay home!!

stay home, stay home, stay home! ^[1]            
by al martino
 
stay home, stay home, stay home!
it’s what we’re being told
they why are all these amateur non-drivers on the road?
______________________________
 
·       every mile, it seems, there’s another sign that reads “stay home.”

·       …and, even with reduced traffic… tailgating morons.
 
_________________________
[1] martino, al. (3.30-3.2020). stay home, stay home, stay home!. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us. 

b88 (3.29-2.2020): there's sooo much going on (inside)

there’s soooo much going on (inside) ^[1]            
by a. lone ranger
 
i’m one and one-half hours into my sun-day, rebel ride
there’s no one on the road: there’s sooo much going on (inside)
______________________________
 
·       are we headed toward repeated, routine lockdowns in the unknown virus future?
·       has the world changed… to where there is no going back to group physical closeness?
·       have we just witnessed a mass extinction (e.g. of the group photo)?
 
 
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.29-2.2020). there’s sooooo much going on (inside). book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us.

b88 (3.28.2020): the Best of times

the Best of times  ^[1]            
by a. visonary 
 
if the Best of times are times when we Connect (it’s true)
these are the Best of times (the times that i Connect with you)
______________________________
 
·       heart-felt, soul-bound Connection… would be the ultimate, human experience.
·       if, during these challenging times, we are led to experience heart & soul Connection… are these not the Best of times?
 
 
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.28-4.2020). the Best of times. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by joal martino. 

b88 (3.27-1.2020): my name is bull e. newscult

my name is bull e. newscult ^[1]            
by bull e. newscult 
 
my name is bull e. newscult and i live the life i choose
i watch and listen, pray (pay homage/worship) bully news
______________________________
 
·       the bully news cult is accepting new members, and all are welcome:
  o   the angry, the judgmental, the racist, the evangelical, the rich, the poor, the isolationist, the righteous…

·       our religion has only one commandment (with only 4 words), so it’s easy to join.
 

the 1^st (and only) commandment:

believe (what we say).

 
 
 
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.27-1.2020). my name is bull e. newscult. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us. 

b88 (3.26-1.2020): kiss my ass (goodbye)

kiss my ass (goodbye) ^[1]            
by al martino & g. o. odbyes 
 
kiss my ass (goodbye)
kiss my ass goodbye
if you post that on facebook you can kiss my ass (goodbye)
______________________________
 
·       i have had a facebook ‘friend’ post a picture of barak obama with jesus, and the caption was jesus, saying: “trump reversed all of your policies.  that’s what you get for reversing all of mine.”  the graphic depicted obama as the devil, and trump as god.  o.m.g.
 
·       my response? “that is tasteless.  for anyone who cannot see the subtle racism and piety in this, it is time to unfriend.” 
 
·       then, i immediately unfriended her and one other (former) ‘friend’ of mine who ‘liked’ the post.
 
·       i may (in the distant future) still attend a function in which j. and/or l. are present, but i am sick and tired of the religious pretenders who hate obama while passionately sucking trump’s anti-christ d--k.  they are disgusting lemmings who are culted by faux news.
 
·       i have put up with pious lemmings my whole life, but not anymore.
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.26-1.2020). kiss my ass (goodbye). book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us. 

b88 (3.25-1.2020): game changer (no games)

game changer (no games) ^[1]     
by s. uriv 
 
when loving, family photos… will never be the same
when virus thoughts invade, this is a game changer (no games)
______________________________
 
·        because in every group photo for the remainder of time… someone will be thinking about it, even if no one else in the group has a cough or a sneeze or a sniffle.
 
·        the thoughts will go something like this: ((what if someone [[the kids, the old folks… me???]] has some kind of virus that is spread through touch or breathing??  what if i get it??? what if i spread it??  what if i’m spreading it now, and someone here spreads it to someone who is really vulnerable out there, and what if that person dies??))
 
·        in the age of fear (and even more fear of liability), will people even be allowed to participate in a group/family photo?
 
·        this, ladies and gentlemen, is no game.
 
i (on 3.25.2020) am grateful to have had the experience… the freedom to participate in fun group/family photos.

fast forward to 7.5.2024: group photos have returned... and with a vengeance! :)
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.25-1.2020). game changer (no games). book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us. 

b88 (3.24-2.2020): some simple covid math

some simple covid math ^[1]         
by s. uriv 
 
will sheltering and lockdown make all viri go away, or
will viri come back again in just some other way?
 
will not continued risk bequest the uninfected path?
will lockdowns ever end?
 
some simple covid math
______________________________
 
these are just thoughts… written as a layman, based upon the news i’ve seen (which, admittedly) is limited.
 
1.      if covid-19 is less harmful than the flu to the average person, yet more harmful to those who are aged and/or immunocompromised… then the key should be to protect those at risk (through extreme social isolation).
   a.      …but… will “sheltering in place” and “lockdowns” make the virus go away?  no.
   b.      will it make the aged any younger?  no.
   c.       will sheltering boost the immune systems of the immunocompromised?  no.   
   d.      will it make the aged & immunocompromised immune?  no.
         i.     …so… when those at-risk are (eventually) exposed, they are going to be in the same boat.
         ii.     it seems as though the aged and immunocompromised are going to be at-risk for viri until (1) we produce vaccines that work, and/or (2) the virus goes away. 

2.      aren’t the aged and the immunocompromised still going to still be at risk for the next virus?  …and the subsequent one?  yes.  they are.

3.      if we were to “lock down” the country for 2-3 weeks… would the virus “go away”?  would the flu go away?  i’m not sure about covid-19, but lockdowns (i’d wager) won’t kill all viri.
 
i don’t get the math on this.
 
seems to me that everyone should get out there and get the virus, and/or take whatever precautions that he/she deems necessary to avoid the virus (e.g. washing hands, distancing, sheltering).  the immunocompromised need to be more diligent!
 
in the meantime, make more masks, make more ventilators, and recognize that people are going to get sick, and (some) are going to die – just like they would if they got the flu.
 
i might be one of those people who has a lung issue from childhood that might respond the wrong way.  i’m over 60, so i’m more at risk.  i would need to take all of that into consideration.  still, i’d rather be on the exposed/recovered team than the uninfected team.
 
truth is, we don’t know who is going to get sick.  we don’t know who is going to get really sick, and who is going to get really, really sick.
 
protect your grandparents and your asthmatics and your smokers.  maybe those groups should be the ones who are sheltering at home, for their own sake.
 
(more to follow as we find out more)
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.24-2.2020). some simple covid math. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us. 

b88 (3.23-10.2020): enter-ain't-ment

enter-ain’t-ment ^[1]         
by areyouno t. entertained 
 
are you not entertained?
has ego won the day?
are you not feeling separate (i am, you is, we ain’t)
if entertainment is the ego’s movie (great escape)
maybe enter-ain’t-ment is our cue (this thing is taped)
______________________________
 
·        Be-Cause the whole thing is pre-recorded, and we are just the players on the screen… in someone else’s dream.
 
________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.23-10.2020). enter-ain’t-ment. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us. 

b88 (3.23-9.2020): to you (old vending machine)

to you (old vending machine), i pray ^[1]  
by dog o. t. yarp 
 
i put the coin in socket and i pray with all my might
to you, my old vend-ing machine
deliver me, tonight
______________________________
 
·        we put in some coins and/or bills, and we press the buttons that indicate what we want.
·        sometimes the old machine delivers, and sometimes… she doesn’t answer the call (as asked).
   a.      no matter.  she’s old, and she works in strange ways:
                i.     maybe we didn’t really need that chocolate bar.
               ii.     maybe we didn’t put in enough coins.
             iii.     maybe she wants to test us, to see how we will act (if deprived).
              iv.     maybe she has given us an “unanswered prayer,” and she knows what is best for us.
              v.     maybe she is just mysterious, and we can never, ever imagine the depths of her reasoning.  there’s only one thing to know, and it’s that she is right!  no further questions.
   b.      maybe we did get what we wanted:
               i.     halleluiah!  our prayer worked!  praise to the vendor!
              ii.     no, silly.  she wouldn’t make a decision simply based upon how much $$$ we invested.
             iii.     maybe she gave us the pringles chips because she knows that we love her.
              iv.     maybe she’s tempting us, to see if we’ll eat the forbidden foods.
              v.     maybe it’s because we believed in her.
 
and (maybe, just maaaaaaaybe), we are making all of this sh--  up!
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.23-9.2020). to you (old vending machine) i pray. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us.

[2] inspired by all of the facebook souls who are ‘praying to god’ to save us from the virus. 

b88 (3.23-8.2020): corona advice [for men]

my corona advice (for men) ^[1]   
by c. orona premium
 
don’t know if i should do this (or maybe versa-vice)
maybe i should just resist my corona advice
______________________________
 
1.      don’t ever have kids.  if everyone followed this rule, we could take care of this virus in a generation or two.  i’m not good at math.

2.      f--k freely.  when people get the virus, most will get few-to-no symptoms.  some people will die.  some will also die from car accidents, but you don’t see the u.s.a. outlawing car manufacturing or gas production.

3.      get exposed soon.  those who want a flat curve have a flat-curve agenda.  chances are good that you do not.  a flat curve will ruin your world in ways that you can never imagine (unless you’ve read about hyperinflation).

4.      don’t get married, ever.  if you have to get married, don’t cohabitate.  cohabitation spreads disease, and couples tend to hang out with other couples, further contaminating the herd.  if you have to cohabitate, sleep in separate rooms.  wait a minute… if you’ve been cohabitating for more than 2 years, you probably already are.

5.      eat as much p---y as you can.  if you lick theirs, they are more likely to lick yours.

6.      if sports, concerts, and rap-dj’s ever come back into style… do not pay money to see them live!  the ticket prices will drop instantly, and then you’ll be able to go and see them, live.  well, if you’re alive, that is.

7.      boycott valentines.  if you don’t, you’ll find that you have to outdo yourself (every year) for a holiday that was invented to suck you dry of emotion, manhood, passion, and $$$.

8.      watch porn.  in fact, help the economy by hiring a stripper to come to your home.  ensure that she wears a mask.  you can wear a mask also, but remove it prior to #5 above.

9.      sip beer (or some kind of alcohol) every 20 minutes.  it will keep your throat moist, in case you get lucky enough to have the opportunity for #5, above.  my beverage of choice is (you guessed it) corona.

10.   and finally, combine #s 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5… which will take care of #7.  if you happen to have already fallen into the trap of #1 or #4, expedite the first half of #9, and try to sneak-in the first 2 words of #8.  if you are married or have an (official) girlfriend, it is too late to even try #7.
 
*bonus: if you can execute sentences 2-4 of #8, help the planet even more -- by hiring two (or more) —so long as you keep their mouths 6 feet apart from each others’ – unless you’ve already invested in a facemask company.
 
**bonus #2: be a trend-setter, and invest in a fembot.  invest in a fembot company, and you might be able to accomplish 1-10… at least until ai becomes agi/asi.  if you already have a wife or girlfriend, don’t be an ass.  she deserves some robot attention also.  she has to deal with men, which means that she is already up for sainthood.
 
be well.
_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.23-8.2020). corona advice for men. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us. 

b88 (3.23-7.2020): bipolar mood swings

bipolar mood swings ^[1] 
by odna cuoy gnihton
 
gratitude, then fear, then anger
hope, then peace, then hate
these bipolar mood swings have me crying (yet irate)
______________________________
 
·        when there’s nothing you can do, the brain might play tricks on you.
 
·        the meditation is to all-ways return to center, go back to controlling that which you can control. 
 

breeeeeeeathe.

 
·        instead of lying, and saying that “everything is going to be alright, when we just band together.”
 

…this message is simple: you can only control the bodymind. 

everything else is just enter-ain’t-ment.

_________________________
[1] martino, j. (3.23-7.2020). bipolar mood swings. book 88: marching into madness. © 2020 by wellnesseducation.us.