Evolution in Action
it is not the strongest that survive, but the one most responsive to change
Evolution takes thousands of years, and in the last few days our thinking about every situation seems to have changed. fundamentally. Perhaps our beliefs, attitudes, and actions are trying to play catch-up with us here. None of us is used to a daily diet of bad news that rivals that which was fed to us English in the early months of the last war. Catastrophic thinking is what we have here, the idea that the human brain is predisposed to jumping to worse-case scenarios, and it’s fucking dangerous.
In the not so distant past I was thinking about my next overseas vacation, perhaps a visit to California, or a trip to Crete, Nowadays, I can’t go anywhere at all. I turn on my TV and the news is just a long series of nightmares with the death toll being right at the top and tail of everything.
It’s a relief when a piece of news, or a telephone conversation with a friend, isn’t full of doom and gloom, a call that doesn’t have the fear of death looming over it. Almost everyone is scared almost all the time, and there is a feeling of helpless resignation.
Well, I for one am going no further down that depressive, defeatist road. This morning I did my usual laundry, took my usual walk for an hour or so, called at the store as usual, (although I did have to stand in line just to get in there), bought the kind of stuff I would usually buy…. Sadly when I got back to the garret I was too knackered to do my usual yoga and other exercises. But thus far I’ve managed a fairly normal day, (for me), and I can live like this indefinitely.
But it’s not a great life if I can’t journey to the sun, see friends, travel all around England, walk towards the far horizons…. And sex is out of the question. As far as I am concerned the sooner the world safely gets back to what we are predisposed to call normal, the better.
One big upside, I haven’t been brainwashed into believing all that catastrophic anthropogenic climate change crap for a little while. Global warming looks pretty unimportant right now ~ call it evolution in action.
Stay safe and be well. And may the Deities of your choice go with you.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
even a bed of roses is full of thorns
Songs on Saturday ~ Jackie Wilson
love and music can change the world
Recently I’ve been pretty sick with this fucking terrible COVID-19 thing. My symptoms were fairly mild, and I’ve pulled through fairly quickly. One of the reasons I’ve recovered so fast is the support and love my friends have given me ~ that’s marvelous and it’s also helping now that I’m in lockdown.
This Jackie Wilson song is for them.
The Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers clip goes brilliantly. And who ya gonna call…..? (You have to remember Ghostbusters to get the connection.)
Please listen with my thanks.
~
jack collier
jack collier7@talktalk.net
and she did it all backwards
in tall heels
Random Jottings #7
it’s always the car ~ hot women love a cool jaguar
~
he was enchanted by her beautiful angel eyes
he was enthralled by her lascivious witch’s mouth
he was utterly lost to her when she danced in his mind
~
‘Do you love me? he asked…..
but he knew in his heart that whatever she said would be a lie
‘No….’ she replied
~
Black is a good colour on a woman, or a car
both of them are expensive
if you have to choose, black silk is the better
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
another brilliant disguise
and not every woman can wear black
Coronavirus Personal Abyss
suffering from the coronavirus is akin to drowning in despair
~
Like thousands of others who have been or are still very ill I have not had a proper test for the coronavirus, just a differential diagnosis that says I’ve had / have this manky thing. Personally, I know that I am now recovering from COVID-19, and let me tell you it’s no fun. The virus beat me down physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, and it’s doing it’s worst to make my recovery as difficult as possible.
Waking up in the morning, very early, I feel pretty good and busy myself doing ‘normal life’ things ~ some fresh air and a walk is healthy for me. But by mid-morning I start to feel weary, and by evening I’m back to feeling fucking dreadful again. I go from having supernatural powers to running into a brick wall ~ very fast. Recovery from the coronavirus seems to be a two steps forward and one or two steps backwards kind of thing.
Not only do I need to save the world by staying in and watching TV, I need to save myself by resting and mostly trying to watch TV, listen to music, or read something light.
Trust me, if you have been ill, then you are going to need a lot of rest, for quite a while.
Stay safe, and look after yourself.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
recovery also means rest
The Perils of Lockdown
trust me on this one ~ lockdown isn’t much fun
I got sick from the coronavirus before a nation-wide lockdown was imposed on the entire United Kingdom. So, this is Day 10 of my being completely isolated in the garret, and I’m slightly miffed about it all. Being a sick hermit, not going out, seeing nobody at all, with nobody allowed into my place, isn’t as much fun as you might think.
The upside is that there is utter, complete, peace and quiet ~ whenever you want it.
The downsides include:
- It’s no fun for a guy to be sick without anyone to complain to.
- There’s no nurse to make the bed, bring drinks, and sort out the proper medication.
- Unless you’re at death’s door you can’t get medical treatment anyway.
- Watching endless reruns on TV is stultifying.
- Eating the worst diet you can imagine, out of cans.
- Snacking all day and half the night.
- A complete lack of physical exercise.
- Not shaving, washing, or changing out of the sweats you were wearing a week ago.
- Loneliness, utter boredom, anxiety, depression, paranoia.
And, if I was still drinking, I’d probably be drinking 24 / 7.
If there is anyway on this Earth you can avoid being incarcerated alone during a lockdown, just go for it.
~
Jack Collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
I haven’t got one of these,
It would be nicer.
brief encounter
never do sober what you said you’d do when you were drunk
~
They met in a bar. The kind of place where the amoral nature of women slowly becomes apparent. She thought he was cute, he thought she was going to be easy.
They had incredible sex in the desert. That was when he first realised she was an amazingly lascivious lay.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
it’s always the car
chicks dig a great car
don’t ask about love
casual sex is the consolation you get when you can’t have love
~
‘Darling, may I ask you a question?’
‘Of course, ask me anything…..’
‘Have you ever been really in love?’
‘Like, in love, who with?’
‘Me, for a start…..’
‘Not really, not ever…..’
He took away the keys to her German sports car right after that.
She poisoned his designer coffee.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
never trust a woman who smokes in the bedroom
So, I Might Die Soon
to the enlightened mind death is but the next great adventure
There is much worry and anxiety surrounding the medical emergency that has the coronavirus at the root cause of it all. My opinion is that there is more worry and anxiety than this nasty little bug deserves. Thus far in the UK about 27,500 people have been tested, at the last count 460 people tested positive, of whom an unfortunate 8 have died.
To put this in perspective the population of the United Kingdom is about 66,870,000 souls, and as a percentage of that 460 is so nearly nothing as to make no difference. Italy, which seems to be the worst affected European country has a population of 60,480,000 , of which 12,000 have tested positive for the virus and 827 have died, (at the last count). Again this is a minuscule portion of the total population.
Statistically, and by all the laws of probability, the chances of my dying from the coronavirus would appear to be somewhere between slim and none at all. Particulary if the various governments and health authorities pull their collective fingers out and do something effective about containing / controlling / curing this illness. In any event, by all the laws of chance I should be dead already.
Men die for these main reasons;
- Heart Diseases
- Cancer
- Accidents and Unintentional Injuries
- Stroke
- Lung Diseases
- Diabetes
- Influenza and Pneumonia, (and add the coronavirus in here)
- Suicide
- Kidney and Liver Diseases
- Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of Dementia
The story isn’t as simple as that. Many of these deaths are more or less self inflicted. Men do lots of bad and stupid things which will lead to an early death. For example; boozing, drug abuse, eating an unhealthy diet, being filthy dirty and unclean, gambling, obesity, smoking, unsafe sex, and leading a life of crime and violence. It may well say on the death certificate that some guy died of liver failure, but it probably will not say that said liver failure was brought on by drinking a pint or so of vodka a day, every single day.
I have good reasons to want to live longer and be fitter later in life, accordingly I don’t do any of the bad and stupid things in the list above; (although I have been known to drink far, far too much booze on occasion, I am now utterly sober).
Similarly, your chances of not catching, or catching and surviving the coronavirus will be much better if you don’t do any of the bad and stupid things from the list above. To survive an illness, first be fit and healthy. I have always been reasonably fit and I survived double pneumonia, pleurisy, and breaking 5 of my ribs along the way.
Some say that we could all stay at home and not see another soul until the coronavirus scare blows over. And that only one in 5 people who catch this thing will need medical care. All I know is that even if I catch this thing the chances are I will only get a mild illness.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
the Tarot Death Card doesn’t really mean what a lot of people think it means
Ethics, Manners, and Morals
love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies
Everybody lies. Everybody lies all the time. Everybody lies to oil the wheels of business, friendship, politics, relationships, and society in general. If everyone told the brutal truth all the time then this world would be filled with aggression, discord, mistrust, and violence ~ and that’s just about the state of the world anyway. In most relationships, if both partners were absolutely truthful all of the time, then most relationships would last for about a New York second.
Most lies in most relationships are lies of omission, it’s sometimes impolite to tell our partner the complete truth. Many would not say that their partner’s brother disgusts them, or that they go to the bar on the way home from work because coming home is the last thing they want to do at the end of a busy day. Hardly anyone would say that they had sex with someone they picked up in that bar, and they don’t even know his / her name. The first of those lies of omission is perhaps acceptable, for a while. The last of those lies is immoral and unethical.
Sometimes lies are created by we what we believe are good manners. We might say that our wife / husband looks nice, when in fact they look like a slut / skank / bum. If you think about it that kind of a lie is actually very cruel. Another unthinking lie is when we tell someone that we love them, and in reality we don’t much care for them at all, we only talk about love to get what we want from them ~ usually either money or sex.
Lies are perhaps the least of the unethical, ill-mannered, and immoral things that people do. Begin with things such as alcoholism, casual sex, drug abuse, gambling, gaslighting, promiscuity, road-rage, stalking, stealing….. All of those hurt someone, not least the person doing those immoral and unethical things. You may think that being an alcoholic or a drug user, or promiscuous, or whatever is an illness and the unfortunate is not to blame. Let me tell you that this is untrue, no matter what alcoholics anonymous, narcotics anonymous, or whatever anonymous may say.
And I know, because I have been there. Everyone has an ethical and moral duty to be the best version of themselves they can possibly be, and if you drink, take drugs, fuck around you are debasing yourself and need to find help and treatment. Nobody is ever going to think you are smart or clever for doing those things. And afterwards, you will lie about it for the rest of your miserable dishonest life.
If you want to be a better person, then the place to begin is with good manners. Respect yourself, respect others, and respect the world around you. And, if you don’t know what having good manners really means, then maybe it’s time to learn.
Some say that they wouldn’t trust their partner out of their sight for a second. And that they are sick of being ignored / talked over / abused. All I know is that if I can turn my life around, anyone can.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
picking up young guys for sex is pushing morality a bit
Dog Eat Dog
it’s a dog eat dog world, and she’s just a kitten
The world can be a dog eat dog, the devil take the hindmost kind of a place. The world I lived in for most of my career was like that ~ the top dogs in International Finance take few prisoners and think little of the people they step on to get to where they want to be. So much of life is like that these days. There is little honour and less trust among cheats, liars, and thieves.
We cannot even say that the dogs and rats, those who lie, cheat, and steal have some kind of character defect or mental illness ~ not unless you say that all politicians, bankers, businessmen, lawyers, millionaires, and billionaires have some kind of mental illness or character defect. The top dogs in this world knowingly set out to do anything and everything it takes to get what they want. And what the leaders of the pack want is money, power, influence, adulation, women, sex, and disciples ~ they want instant gratification.
Along they way this kind of man will do some despicable things in the name of competition and success ~ Judas and Brutus were not the first nor the last men to turn betrayal to a fine art. Usurping and betraying your king is an almost sure-fire way to success ~ although that kind of sweet success often turns to bitter ashes.
When you strike at a king, you must kill him. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.
There’s the rub, when you betray someone, when you cheat, lie, and steal you must succeed at the first attempt, or else beware of the consequences. There is nothing more dangerous than a wounded beast. And in our day to day lives there is nothing more dangerous than a wronged wife / husband / partner / friend….. Revenge may well be a dish that’s best served cold but if he’s a dog or she’s a bitch then their revenge may well be violent and instant, taken in the heat of the moment.
Weak people seek revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore. ~ Einstein
The real top dogs in this world only ever seek revenge if it will give them some advantage other than destroying whomsoever betrayed them. But a romantic / sexual partner who believes that they have been wronged will almost always try to destroy their ex. If you don’t think that’s true then just ask anyone who has ever been stalked for weeks / months / years.
If you want to be a top dog, if you want the women, money, power, adulation, and instant gratification then all you need is to be adaptable, intelligent, educated, skilled, well-read, immoral, and unethical ~ depraved, evil, and wicked helps too. But WTF, I managed it without resorting to most of the negative stuff, but that almost killed me. A top dog is always a killer ~ metaphorically at least.
Some say dog eat dog, rat eat rat, and that the crocodiles always come out on top. All I know is that success does not always come to him who waits.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
the Gods strike while the iron is hot
