I slept in again today. Well, I woke up I think around 7:30 ish and then drove over to the main Walmart parking lot, crashed again, and I don’t think I woke up again until somewhere around 10:15?
Pretty sure it was 10 something.
I was a bit burned out from JustAnswer work today. It’s not so much the amount of work as it is the fact that it’s sort of being on call all day? I don’t have to be, but I guess with the goals that I have for how many questions I’m trying to answer in a day, and with the fact that I’m not sitting at a desk making sure that I’m as quick as I possibly can be to get questions as soon as they pop up so I don’t have to wait for the automatic assigner to finally assign me one that nobody wants, I end up having to wait pretty much all day to get the desired number of questions.
So I guess it’s kind of… a lot… Like there’s not really time off? Even though the amount of time that I spend actually working isn’t huge: it’s still just sort of always there.
I have to constantly make sure my phone screen in on, set to the correct site, and with the auto question finder turned on.
Otherwise, the auto finder glitches, and you might not ever get questions.
Anyway, I answered a few questions before going to the gym. Somehow, I slept such that I had aggravated whatever I did to my back, so I was a little concerned again, but I did a pre-workout hydro massage, and then I did some stretching at that little stretching apparatus thingy, and then I started in on my exercises, paying attention to how my body felt.
Gratefully, and amazingly, I was able to do all the exercises without any issues, with the exception of the dips. I didn’t even attempt to do regular body weight dips. I didn’t want to tempt to fate. I had pulled the muscle before, or whatever I did, because on the last dip rep, I was struggling to get up, and I shifted my body a certain way in order to try and get up, and then boom–pulled muscle (or whatever it was).
So this time, instead of just regular body-weight dips, I found the cable tricep press machine, punched in what I estimated my weight to be (185), and gave it a whirl.
Once again, gratefully, the exercises went well. 🥳 I felt my left shoulder on the edge of maybe straining, so I focused in on my form to make sure that I had good technique, at least as far as I guessed good technique was, 🙃 and gratefully, I made it through without any re-aggravation of the injury.
I do think the stretching that I did prior to working out once again relieved/corrected whatever issue I aggravated overnight.
🥳
I’ll take it!
I also once again forced myself to knuckle down and do my cardio–today was 33 minutes at level seven.
🎉
Success.
I spent a fair bit of time listening to political/news YouTube videos.
I’m pretty concerned right now.
I’m 100% on board with getting rid of corruption and government waste.
It boggles my mind… kind of… to see the extent of the ridiculousness.
I’m excited about DOGE and what they’re finding.
I wish we had real, 100% government transparency to funding (granted, I know there is some need for data privacy for national security, but I’m general).
And yet, though I’m excited about DOGE and what can be… I’m… really concerned about how President Trump is doing a lot of what he’s doing.
Granted, I have a lot of learning to do because I can’t explain, because I don’t know exactly who has the authority for what in the government (It’s one thing for me to understand the basic gist of the separation of powers, and the general roles of each branch, but I think we’ve gone far beyond the original intent of who sound have what powers.
The Constitution was an imperfect document from the beginning, but I think the separation of powers was much better then–in point of action.
But even from the early 1800s, power was being usurped by one branch from another…
And I’m worried Trump is taking a large step, attempting to increase the power of the executive branch.
I want to learn more, but I’ve never liked executive orders. I know they’ve been around from George Washington on, but I think recent presidents, Trump included, are abusing that supposed power and in some cases, doing unconstitutional things.
I do. not. believe. the ends justify the means.
I just can’t get behind that.
I don’t believe that you can go against the constitution in order to save it. You can’t destroy it and save it at the same time. You can’t expand once branch’s power and then pretend you have just set precedent for succeeding presidents to do the same.
If you can’t do it according to the constitution, then you can’t do it.
To even try to do it is… it boils my blood a bit.
Do it the right way. Go through the channels prescribed by the Constitution.
If that fails, it fails.
So… I’m nervous. Even if things get done that I want done, if it’s not done with respect to the Constitution, then I don’t want it because it throws out important principles, sets dangerous precedent, and worships at the altar of “the ends justify the means,” which I personally think is one of the single most dangerous attitudes a person or people can have because them simply believing you’re right gives you license to do whatever it takes for the “greater good.”
No.
No. No. No.
If president Trump has to take more power to get done what I want done, then I don’t want it done. Not yet. Not this way.
No!
And I hope to Heaven that if anything goes before The supreme Court of the United States where Trump has taken actions that are contrary to the constitution, that the conservative leaning members will have the guts to rule for the Constitution and not bow to the pressure, even if it’s the will of the people.
We have a constitution for a reason. We are a Republic for a reason. We are not mob rule. We do not operate as a pure democracy for a reason.
Democracy… pure democracy, is mob rule. And especially in today’s day and age where social media can transmit messages in a fraction of a second, where lies are created and spread constantly every day, and emotions can explode in an instant… I want honest and good representatives. I want real, strong separation of powers.
IÂ want the slow grinding process that is the result of powerful checks and balances.
It should be slow to make change. That way temporary group think can’t dictate as king, blowing us too and fro.
That great slowness of change… it’s beautiful. Our Constitution is incredible.
I want us to get back to it.
Please please please.
[sigh]
Of course, I would love to see quick change. Our country is in a world of hurt, in my opinion.
But not quick change like this.
This was the first election that I was excited about in my lifetime, but it wasn’t because of Trump: It was because I wanted corruption taken out of government. It was because I wanted government accountability and transparency and a monumental cleaning house.
But I don’t want a king. I don’t want a president who can just unilaterally with a stroke of his pen sign executive order after executive order for just about everything you can think of.
Ordering some things that are downright unconstitutional.
Even if you’re just doing it to make a point and shine a light on problems, no!!! You’re playing with explosives. You’re risking the fabric of our Constitution.
If Trump takes power the Constitution doesn’t grant him, then it’s abuse, and if he abuses it now, and we let him, then someone else will abuse it in the future.
I’m generally conservative politically… maybe you could call me a Constitutional libertarian…
But please please please… Trump, fellow conservatives, we can’t set this precedent. Yes, I believe this country is at a crossroads. But, no, we can’t save the country and the Constitution but trampling it in order to save it later.
That doesn’t work.
The ends do. not. justify the means.
Now, I have a lot to learn. I can’t explain how power has been granted and to whom to do the things that have been done in many cases throughout the last 250 almost years of our country.
I can’t tell you exactly what powers are being abused right now. Maybe it’s fewer than I fear.
But I do fear.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope things aren’t like I’m concerned they appear to be.
I’ve got a lot of learning to do before I can be 100% solid about this rant of mine.
All I know is I want a very stable and equal separation of powers.
The judicial branch has usurped power, starting as far back as the early 1800s.
The legislative branch has abdicated power, not wanting to take responsibility…
And the executive branch keeps taking more and more and more.
I don’t want a king (or queen).
What I want is a balanced budget, government waste eliminated, and corruption destroyed–so thoroughly that it will take decades and decades to return even in the smallest of ways.
[sigh]
So much I need to learn to be able to feel competent and confident in my opinions about what is happening right now.
I don’t just want to be concerned without foundation: I want to have a solid leg to stand on and solid ground to build on.
I have my principles, but I don’t know what has happened nor what is happening well enough to know where to apply the principles.
But I’m worried. We’re an impatient society. We want what we want, and we want it now–left and right.. That kind of societal attitude gives power to the president. That kind of societal attitude gives him power he shouldn’t have, in my opinion, because impatient people want a king. They want someone to “fix” it now, and they give the president powers he doesn’t have simply by expecting him to do x, y, and z.
[sigh]
End rant.
😅
I headed over to the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Pea Ridge to buy my mom some flowers and some dark chocolate for Valentine’s Day.
They didn’t have the normal stuff that I buy her, the normal dark chocolate, so I tried a new one, but apparently I ended up getting one that was way too high in cocoa percentage.
I bought the 90% one 🙃.
Oops.
Oh well, she can still use it for hot chocolate or something like that.
Stayed and hung out with my mom for a while, chatting. She had a friend over for the first half, or so, of my time there.
Good to see her. I miss my mom. I wish we could be out road tripping it again.
Those two trips have been among the highlights of my life.
Not likely gonna be a road trip this year, though.
(Please don’t take this as pressure, mama. It’s just feelings)
We’ll see what happens.
Headed over to my sister Liz’s house after that. My power station finally arrived, and it was sitting on their front deck, so I went over and hung out with Liz for probably an hour. She’s got a bunch of new puppies that were born last week, so she’s not getting almost any sleep while she works hard to make sure they each get what they need through the day and night each day.
6 of them. 😶
It’s a pretty full-time job with the newborns. And I think she’s got another set of 4 to 7 due born in the next week or two. 😅
Gonna be nutty.
I’m crossing my fingers that her little business will take off, so she can have a better income coming in.
🤞
Jim came over as well, so we all sat around the puppies for a while just chatting.
Good stuff.
After chatting, I very carefully slid the very heavy power station from the front porch, down the steps, down the front yard, down the other steps, and sort of rocked it into Rover, so I wouldn’t hurt my back trying to carry it.
Kudos to me for being smarter this time than I usually am. 😅 (Not just picking it up because it was easier or because I didn’t want to bother anyone because I feel stupid for not being able to pick something up that’s only 40 lbs.
It’s going to be a bit warmer tonight before the temperatures plummet again, and we go into the negatives for at least one night.
It’s just after 9:00 p.m. I haven’t even come close to reaching my JustAnswer goal for the day. I haven’t done much in that regard today. I think I’ve got maybe a grand total of 10 questions started? So I’m not even halfway there to the current goal.
Oh well. It is what it is.
I need to eat and drink. I’m migraining a fair bit. I’ll be back to finish this up before I go to bed…
…
I’m back… been editing the above for a while. Don’t usually edit much (as you’re well aware given all the typos 😅).
Watched a movie on YouTube. Watched some documentary-style videos as well.
It’s a quarter after 1.
Time for bed. Been sitting in the driver seat for a good long while, and my toes are cold. No shoes or socks on.
🙃
Happy Valentine’s Day.
💚
Love to all. 😊
Lift the world.
~ stephen
Lift the World 