IQ

[ ]Recently I've taken a few "IQ teats" on YouTube videos. I've never taken an official IQ test, and these certainly aren't, but I'm guessing I'd score somewhere in the "Upper-Dumbass" range. I did okay in school and had straight-As in Math, English and Science all through school, but I don't know how much that actually matters. I aced one test that guaranteed you wouldn't get more than 7 out of 10 right, which was just clickbait. It didn't seem all that hard really. I had to guess at one but I got all 10 right. A few of the questions on some tests were over my head completely, and stuff like that is why I could never be considered a genius in any way. But on most of the tests I did better than I'd have thought. [ ]They say that truly intelligent people don't try to brag on it. I think it's true. Most Mensa members would never think of bringing up the fact that they're Mensa members in conversation, to try to impress someone. The few that do are regarded as egotistical, narcissistic douchebags by everyone else. Anyway I just took another test that popped up in my feed. It said something like "If you get 10/10 your IQ is 130+." It was more clickbait, but I already knew the answer to the question in the thumbnail so I decided to take the test. The question I saw was just a trivia question about a famous 60s movie. I thought it had much more to do with how old you were than your IQ, but I took it anyway. I missed the first question, no clue, and thought "I really AM a dumbass," but then I got the rest correct, and I have to admit it was a little exciting getting down to the wire. [ ]It said that if you got 9/10 right your IQ was 120+. I'm guessing that's well-below Mensa range but I have no idea what the official numbers are. I don't care. Like age, color, creed and such, it doesn't matter. It's what you do with your "intelligence." Do you use it for good and to help others, or do you use it just for your own good? There's no wrong answer, but one is better. It's all in how you apply it. It's your works, or "fruits." As my friend Tut once quipped, as sparks were flying between him and some young lady he'd just met, who was about to repaint her crib and thought he'd be a great "handyman" to have around: "You know, it's not the SIZE of the paintbrush...it's how you STROKE it."

These Dreams: OPD (Other People's Dreams)

[ ]I've talked about this before but I'm not sure whether I posted it or not. If you happened to have read it, my bad. If so fell free to read on or go do something else. Have a nice day. [ ]Some years back I happened to overhear a phone conversation between a man and a buddy of his. Not that it has any bearing but it was a black man roughly my age. He'd just had a crazy dream and I could tell it freaked him out a little because he was talking loudly and excitedly. I couldn't help but hear what he was saying. I can't remember every word of it but I remember the basic plot. [ ]The dream started out with dude and his buddy setting off on a road trip. They were about to pull out of the driveway when his wife or girlfriend came running out with a big bag of ham sandwiches for the road. They decided to go ahead and eat one but when they unwrapped them they were nothing but fat, and soaked in grease. They couldn't eat them so they put them back in the bag and went to look for a trash can to throw them away. That's a good dude there, BTW. Before they could find a trash can they saw three bums (his words) standing by a fire in an oil drum, and thought they might be hungry enough to eat the sandwiches. He rolled down the window, hollered and got their attention and tossed the bag their way. [ ]Sadly none of them caught it and it landed straight in the oil drum. The bag of fat and grease sandwiches fed the flames and a huge fireball erupted from the drum. Unfortunately it also set the bums alight. I didn't expect to hear that and I almost started laughing. What a crazy-ass dream. He said they "went up like charcoal briquettes." He went "AAAIIIIIEEEEEE!" making the sound of the flaming bums, and I made a sound trying to stifle a laugh. I was getting a kick out of it and I didn't want him to stop telling it on my account, but that was pretty much it anyway. He said that seeing the bums go up in flames freaked him out so much he woke up. The rest of his conversation was mostly trying to figure out where a dream like that came from in the first place. [ ]I kinda had to wonder that myself. I could picture it...it was like some deleted scene from a David Lynch movie or something. Dude was trying to be kind to some hungry, homeless people, but instead he lit them on fire. That's hilarious, and like they say, it's just a dream. I'd never want to see actual people set ablaze by a bag of greasy sandwiches in real life, but in a dream it's off the charts. That one will always crack me up. Here's to REM sleep, and sweet dreams.

Winter Wonderland (Special Texas Edition)

"A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walkin' in a Winter Wonderland...in our fucking kitchen."

Things I Should've Never Let People Talk Me out of- Bitcoin (My bad, Little Voice)

[ ]Bitcoin just hit $50K per. I remember when it first came out over a decade ago. I'm pretty sure it started trading at under a buck. I'd been hearing for years that digital currency was coming, so I took a bit more interest that I might have. Some say it's the beginning of the so-called "one-world currency" that's just one part of the upcoming Beast System, but that's another story. Anyway there was a deal that I guess is still in place today, where you downloaded shareware or whatever it is, and for letting whomever use your computer during downtime you'd receive so much in Bitcoin. It's called mining. [ ]Even interested to the degree I was I'd never have thought about doing that probably, but then along came my "Little Voice." Again it's not an actual voice in my head; it's more like a loud, clear thought that completely supercedes all other thoughts for a moment. If there's one thing my dumb-ass has learned it's to never, EVER argue with it or not do what it "says." It was like "I should do that. No, I should REALLY do that." Nobody much back then saw it hitting 50K but you never know. The thing was it was hard to imagine investing in digital currency...just numbers on a hard drive, rather than silver or something holdable, but again I felt led by the nose to do it. [ ]I wanted to get a dedicated desktop and let it run 24/7. I know someone who was in a position to help me out with all the towers I needed for free or next-to-nothing, but they grinned and said it wouldn't be worth the electricity. Boy, that was a big ol' heap o' wrong, eh? My ex said I'd be an idiot too. I can't blame it on anyone but myself though. I'd have bought a tower but I was dirt-poor. I should've tried harder to find a way to make it happen. I don't know what the mining rate is or was, but you'd think that in well over a decade I'd have mined at least one coin...maybe two. Even if it was just a third of a coin it'd be over $15K. Like Jimmy Buffet sings in the chorus of Margaritaville, "It's my own damn fault." [ ]I guess all I can do is bitch about it uselessly. Actually this is to illustrate yet again the validity of my Little Voice, whatever it is. I knew better than to not do whatever it took to make it happen, screw what everybody else said. I fucked-up, and this time it really cost me. 50-Big to be exact, or maybe more. Fuck me. I'm sorry, LV. I know you tried. Maybe it wasn't meant to be.

These Dreams: My Funny Valentine?

[ ]I went to sleep shortly after midnight on the 14th and apparently I had a Valentine's dream. I was walking around outside in a nice neighborhood where there was a party, which has been a recurring theme to start out several dreams lately. This time I was by myself, and a young lady approached with a nice smile on her face. She looked friendly enough and I thought she was just in a good mood or whatever and that she'd brighten my night and we'd pass like two ships in the night, but she walked up to me and stopped. I decided to stop too. I was hesitant because she was a fair bit younger than me, maybe twenty years, but I apparently wanted to hear what she had to say. "Hello" she said, and offered her hand. These days a handshake is almost like a cool drink of water in the desert. This bullshit where we're all treating each other like biohazards has permeated my dreamscape. [ ]"Hi there" I said and gladly took her hand. Like the delivery woman in real life a couple of weeks ago who also shook my hand, she got instant points for not living in fear. If the girl of my dreams told me her name I forgot. "Listen," she started, 'this may seem forward, but I'd really like to go out with you." "Really?" I asked. "Yes" she replied. "Do you know how old I am?" I asked. "Yes. I don't care" she said. "People are people. It's never been a big deal." I'm the same way, in real-life and dreams too I guess. "I know a few of your friends and they say you're an okay dude. They thought we might be a good fit and so do I. What say you?" [ ]I was a bit taken aback. What I knew up to that point is that a pleasant young lady had basically hit on me in a most honest way, and I wasn't saying no right off the bat. She was very pretty but not like "model-pretty," which usually doesn't work at all for me anyway. For what it's worth I got a really good vibe from her. I've heard pickup lines from women before, including the timeless classic, "Wanna screw?" but I liked the honest approach, and things like that have happened in real life of course. "These are weird times" she said, "but you don't seem to be as caught up in the madness, and I'm not either." "It's bullshit" I said. "Pardon my French." "No problem" she said. "It IS bullshit." I was beginning to like this sister. [ ]After a moment's ponderance I said "I say we take a walk and have a chat about things." "Good" she said. "Your friends say you love animals and you're into music and you're a tree-hugger and you care about people." "Guilty I guess" I said. "I don't mean to have you at a disadvantage, because I talked to your friends but you haven't talked to any of mine, so I'll be happy to tell you anything you want to know about me." "Right on" I said. [ ]"I don't mean to be pushy" she said, "but I'm single and you're single and things might be more fun with a friend." "I can dig it" I said. We started walking around the neighborhood, and well...it didn't feel too bad. She seemed pretty cool so far. She was five-foot-two, eyes of blue...not really...she had semi-curly brown hair and green eyes. She was maybe 5-7 or half a notch taller, which was just about right. I put my arm around her. It seemed like the thing to do. I was still getting a good vibe from her, with no detectable traces of static in her head. [ ]"You know we're not six feet apart" she said. "I noticed, and I like it" I said. "We'll have to pretend we're a couple" I half-joked. "Fine by me" she said. I was beginning to get into the flow a little better and I was beginning to wonder if she was as much of a keeper as she seemed to be, and the stars aligned and she walked right up straight out of Heaven or something, and I'd be a fool to blow her off just because she was younger. The older you get the less it matters I think. "So...besides what I've heard, what else are you into? What else do you like to do?" she asked. "I like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain" I quipped. I'm hilarious. In my dreams thst is. "Ha-ha-ha...my DAD loved that song." "Of course he did" I replied. "I can't believe you said that. You're a nerd, aren't you?" she asked. "Dork" I replied. "I see" she said. She was already giving me a little shit in a good way, and I liked her style. [ ]"What's up with you?" I asked. She started telling me about things, and she mentioned her family first before she talked about herself, which was a good indication. She was into art and music and Nature, same as me. "I usually don't just approach guys and ask them for a date, but..." she blurted out as her cheeks got red. "Neither do I" I said. Really though it's okay. I don't mind at all. I'm very pleased to meet you." "Me too" she said. We both decided to go for a hug at the same time. That was cool. It was a good hug. I may have gotten a bit of a boner, but I can't remember...but I already knew I was going to try to be a gentleman and not even try to hit it until at least three or four more dates. And she was quite hittable too, but so far it wasn't one of "those" dreams. She was cool and she seemed like a true sweetheart, and I wasn't about to screw it up by immediately trying to jump her bones. [ ]It was amazing to be standing closer than six feet from someone, not to mention hugging. I was digging this sister. We walked on and had a nice conversation. We had a pretty good bit in common...a lot in fact. They say that even if you don't recognize someone in a dream they're based on people you know. Dream girl did have a mix of qualities I admire in women, and no doubt I conjured her up out of my subconscious. Hey, maybe she had a dream about me too...and she's real. You never know. Anyway she was very nice to be around and I was very glad I didn't blow her off when we met. She had a brain. That's always a plus. "Wanna go get loaded?" she asked out of nowhere. For a second I was shocked but then I figured she must be pulling my leg, and she was. "Nah, I don't drink very often" she said. "No problem" I replied. { ]I'm guessing we'd have spent the night together, but I woke up. I remembered so much detail that I'm surprised I didn't go into lucid mode, which would've been incredible. As it was it was still a great dream, and I wondered if it could possibly mean that there's a similar sister out there with my name on her. Who knows. I'm not actively wookin' panub at the moment but I'm certainly not NOT looking either. Maybe there's a dream-sister right around the corner, or maybe not. In any case it's nice to know that my dreams are still on track, and it was a perfect dream for Valentine's Day. Sweet dreams.

Fireworks Photo Encore (Click to Enlarge)

{ }I'm posting this photo again. Blow it up and have a look. This stupid fuck doesn't know how to handle fireworks. He's way out of his league and he's lucky he escaped with his balls intact, which I'm assuming he did. Check the energy of that burst...it looks like special-effects. Seeing it go off on the ground like that makes it look like the dude is about to enter an energy field or a portal or something. Speaking of going off on the ground, these shells weren't meant to do that. They're meant to go off at around 1,500' or so in the air, where they can't blow someone's balls off. Look at the stars shooting out...they're out of frame and they're already impressive, and they're just getting started. These aren't fireworks-stand fireworks. This is pro stuff. Unless you're a licensed pyrotechnician you're not even supposed to be near these fireworks, and Numbnut here demonstrates why. Do you read me? [ ]This is a very impressive photo. In fact I'm going to have it printed on a t-shirt. No joke. It's a printable-quality image, and it says so many things. First off it's just plain hilarious to see some goofydick who can't handle fireworks. His stance is priceless. He didn't even have time to complete the phrase "OH, SHI..." or cover his face or his balls before it went off. It's such a perfect image. It could be a movie poster. It also clearly shows the bullshit going on and that we're being played like fiddles, and that there are truly many people who want to destroy this country and incite v1olence and h@te, and this image is living proof, to those with eyes to see. It is. It makes me happy to see it, but before you judge me, read on. [ ]Again these are professional fireworks. People aren't even supposed to possess them, much less set them off on crowded city streets for the love of God, where they could cause serious injuries, and for good measure expose stupid assholes like this guy. It boggles my mind that people arean't at least curious enough to want to know who gave them these fireworks and WHY, but most people will use their computer time to check their Facebook status and wait for that next dopamine hit when the notification bell lights up. BTW you can train a dog with a clicker. Think about it. [ ]This is a phenominal photo and a clear indicator of the bullshit, right in front of our noses, and in my book you can't beat that. Plus it'll make a badass t-shirt. Besides clearly illustrating bullshit in a spectacular way, it's a moment in time captured perfectly. I don't know what to say about Goofydick. Either he just dropped it or he didn't get the "GET AWAY" part of the iconic statement on all fireworks packages- "LIGHT FUSE...GET AWAY." It's the most important half of the equation. And lordy it's funny. It's made me lol a few times. Here's the kicker...I don't want to see anyone get hurt for any reason, but I can't say I feel bad for this guy at all. Except for Fuckface here, who can't throw a lit firework 15', these fireworks were being thrown at cops. That's not cool. No wonder they had riot shields. [ ]If people are going to do cowardly and disgraceful (and SUBSIDIZED) things like this, they deserve what they get, even if it's a loss of balls. I bet it was a minute before that asshole tried to shoot any more of those. He did leave us with a beautiful image, captured at just the right millisecond. It also clearly shows the bullshit, with a bit of backstory anyway, and people will see it if they want to. It's right there in front of their faces. Our true enemies AREN'T people of a different color, political party, religious views, etc. IT'S THE SICKO PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SHIT, END OF STORY. WAKE UP! Have a nice day.

I Know My Fireworks

[ ]Several months ago I was watching vids of some of the so-called "peaceful protests" where they were shooting fireworks. For one thing I wondered how so many people happened to have fireworks to begin with and how they could afford to buy so many, but as I saw some of the bursts taking up a city block and heard the loudness of the explosions I thought "Damn...them there are professional fireworks. No question." I was perplexed. Even possessing fireworks like those requires a special pyrotechnics license and years of training. I've been shooting fireworks since first grade, and I know my way around things that go boom. [ ]When I was a kid there was a fireworks stand that we used to pass going to Atlanta. My dad was my hero for allowing fireworks. I got to know the owner and he knew I was a freak, so occasionally he'd get something out of the ordinary and save it for me. He'd have Cracker Balls (RIP Cracker Balls), M-80s and such, and one day he offered me a bag of small tubes marked "Class-A Special Fireworks." The ones they sell to the public in the US are marked "Class-C Common Fireworks." In other words they were illegal, but God bless that guy for selling them to me anyway. [ ]They were innocent-looking 4" tubes with a base, but I knew they must be kickass, and they blew away my expectations. My dumb-ass decided to try one right on my street. The lift charge alone was louder than an M-80, and I was thinking "Oh, shit" as I waited for the main charge. A few seconds later there was a huge "BLAM." It rattled windows. You could feel it in your chest. They were the same ones we see at fireworks displays that just go up and explode with a big bang. Let's just say that every door in the neighborhood opened, and it was the only one of those I ever shot in public. Again, God bless that fireworks guy for befriending me. [ ]Day before yesterday I was talking to someone who lives up north near some of the most violent "peaceful protests." He told me that for days on end the fireworks drove him and his family and his dogs and cats berserk, and he actually went and engaged some of the protestors, to ask them what was up with all the 'works. They told him that vans would pull up and hand out boxes and boxes of fireworks. They told the "peaceful protestors" to be careful because they weren't ordinary fireworks. Indeed. It's simply more proof that all this division and hate is being orchestrated on purpose. IT'S BY DESIGN. Most people do NOT want this shit. People will wake up or they won't. In any case I called it yo. Class-A, baby, all day long. I know my fireworks.