The News and One's Mental Health 06/24-01/25

[kcmets]

I've been drinking more, yesterday I blew off a neighbor's memorial cook-
out because it was attended by a lot of Orange Jesus fans and I haven't really
done yardwork for a month except cutting the grass.

Now there's no baseball until Friday...

[MFS62]

At Edgy's suggestion, we can turn this into a cookout thread so we don't have to talk about you-know-who.
So, when you cook out do you use gas or charcoal?
Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

Gas. Not out of preference, but because that's what I've been provided with.

[kcmets]

I'm partial to charcoal and various accompanying woods (hickory,
applewood and cherry) but if I'm just making two hamburgers and
a couple of hot dogs it's propane for it's convenience.

[Fman99]

I exclusively use propane in both our home grill and my travel one. Charcoal is a big pain and I don't have time for all of that foolishness.

[kcmets]

I made six pounds of baby back ribs yesterday with charcoal and apple-
wood. Took three hours, worth every minute.

Did everyone hear that all old Wordle games that you may have missed
(I was late to Wordle) are now available? I got a NYT email before...

[metsmarathon]

i've long been tempted by a wood pellet smoker, but struggle to justify the cost. we're a propane grillin' family, btw. convenience wins the day.

do like the occasional cooking of meat over a fire pit, though. that's pretty swell.

[MFS62]

Since my surgery I can't carry a propane tank. So I got rid of my gas grill and have a charcoal one.
Happy so far.
Later

[kcmets]

Bags of charcoal weigh more than a propane tank, no?

[nymr83]

It may not just be the weight, propane tanks are pretty awkward to carry whereas a bag of charcoal can be comfortably carried over your shoulder

[MFS62]

Bags of charcoal weigh more than a propane tank, no?

I buy the 10 pound bags.
20 pounds is the limit of what I'm allowed to lift. And my wife yells at me if I pick up anything close to that.
So, I pay the premium for the lighter bag. And, as NYMR said, it isn't just the weight of the tanks, It was the difficulty o carrying up the stairs to my deck and bending and installing it on my old gas grill.
Later

[Centerfield]

I know I’m in the minority here. But I dislike grilling.

I’ll be in the kitchen. On the cast iron skillet.

[metirish]

I do like using natural charcoal, I'm going camping again next week and this particular site (private farm) comes with a good grill , so I'll be bringing ribs and steaks

[Benjamin Grimm]

I know I’m in the minority here. But I dislike grilling.

I’ll be in the kitchen. On the cast iron skillet.

I'm more of an indoor cook myself. I was married for 26 years and never grilled anything. My girlfriend has a propane grill on her deck and I sometimes make sausages and peppers out there and they're fantastic. But I think hot dogs are better cooked in water and grilling isn't the best way to cook chicken. I guess it's good for burgers but I'm happy to have someone else (in a restaurant) cook my burgers.

[Edgy MD]

If I may return to the original topic, the daily news is a reminder to defy or surrender to the shit with the way I live or not. Words only get me so far, and I'm usually talking to myself.

[Chad ochoseis]

I've unconsciously been moving towards vegetarianism lately, at least at home, and veggies don't work all that well on a grill. In any event, all I have for grilling is a small charcoal Weber grill that I haven't used in a couple of years.

What I do use is an Ooni outdoor propane pizza oven. Pizza dough is surprisingly easy to make, and sauce is basically simmered canned plum tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a few other spices. I'm having a get-together for my partner's birthday on August 3; drop in if you're in Cleveland.

And, yes, back to KC's original thought. It's getting clearer and clearer how Germany slipped into Nazism. Except the Weimar Republic really was in an acute crisis. We're not. We're better off than any country has ever been in the history of the world. But the Internet makes it easy to convince the convinceable that we are in crisis, and only a Trump can save us (conveniently suppressing that the last time we were in crisis, Trump got us there). In many ways, it was easier when three TV networks and a small number of newspapers in every city had a news oligopoly.

All of which adds up to I think we're heading towards collapse, I have no idea what to do about it, and I'm in deep denial.

[metsmarathon]

damnit, this country is going the way of jeff mcneil.

except for those few years when it didn't - it's always sucked.

[kcmets]

I'm in battle with a K-12 classmate over his continual use the
last three days of the term 'liberal hate mongers' on social media.
"Words matter, Kevin!" he told me. "The liberal hate mongers that
brought about an assassination attempt on a former (actually the
real) president with their lies and hateful words need to own them."

I told him, "Sorry, I haven't taken mescaline in forty years and think
now that we're approaching social security age maybe you should stop."

That shut him up. For now...

[batmagadanleadoff]

I'm in battle with a K-12 classmate over his continual use the
last three days of the term 'liberal hate mongers' on social media.
"Words matter, Kevin!" he told me. "The liberal hate mongers that
brought about an assassination attempt on a former (actually the
real) president with their lies and hateful words need to own them."

I told him, "Sorry, I haven't taken mescaline in forty years and think
now that we're approaching social security age maybe you should stop."

That shut him up. For now...

"Liberal hate mongers". Oh my. I never heard that one. Their capacity to project onto others what they themselves are is astounding. No doubt, they get it from their Dear Leader, the orange psychopath. Hate mongers. This is the party that embraces slavery lovin', Jim Crow racists and hates anybody who isn't a white Christian. They embrace voter suppression laws that aim to take away the voting rights of all minorities. They don't give a shit that Americans pay more for their medicines than citizens of every other advanced nation thanks to GOP politicians because what Big Pharma does with some of that extra money they make is to stuff it in duffel bags and deliver it to their GOP politicians when nobody's looking.

And my thing is -- they're so exploited and bamboozled by the GOP, that I have no idea how they think they'll benefit from Trump. Are all Trump voters wealthy? I get the idea of voting Republican if you hate abortions and that's your main issue. But it can't just be about abortions because most Americans want easy access to abortions. If it was just about abortions, Biden would be comfortably ahead in every single poll.

Sounds like your friend also subscribes to the QAnon Gazzette. Did he pull out his stupid fucking bible yet and threaten you that his God is going to condemn you to eternal Hell if you don't do whatever the fuck he tells you to do? Then, the next time you catch a cold or get a mosquito bite, he'll shout at you: "See? See? You got a mosquito bite because my God is so powerful and punished you for planning to vote for Biden!"

[kcmets]

He doesn't spew bible talk that I can recall. He's big on libtards,
the left wing fake media machine and Mexicans invading Texas
because Biden Et al are weak and useless.

He was generally a pussy in school. Kinda chunky, sat in the back
of class and made fun of people more dorky than he. Went to college
in Texas, married the first girl that didn't slap him when he tried to
kiss her and became a ZZ Top lookin' cowpoke never to return. He's
a Yankee fan. He has it all!

My wife tells me to not engage and just delete them. I think it's
important to know what's out there and why not from someone
who you grew up with for thirteen years.

[cal sharpie]

This is the closest to social media I get and I have no friends who worship at the orange shrine so I am fairly safe other than getting so depressed reading the news. When I was in Chile we met a woman whose husband was born in Chile and moved as a baby to the US and was trying and failing to reclaim Chilean citizenship (he doesn't have his birth certificate) because they wanted a backup plan in case Trump wins. Sounds like a solid goal to me.

Also, charcoal. I like the way the wood/charcoal can infuse what you are cooking. I no longer eat red meat but grilled fish is delicious and some vegetables (zucchini in particular) work really well on the grill.

[Edgy MD]

My wife tells me to not engage and just delete them. I think it's
important to know what's out there and why not from someone
who you grew up with for thirteen years.

You're not wrong, but thank God for wives.

[kcmets]

... was trying and failing to reclaim Chilean citizenship (he doesn't have his birth certificate) because they wanted a backup plan in case Trump wins. Sounds like a solid goal to me.

I'm pretty certain I can move to Lithuania. Not sure
what I would do there, but it's an option! lol...

[MFS62]

I was thinking of moving last night, then realized I'd have to renew my passport.
Later

[Edgy MD]

... was trying and failing to reclaim Chilean citizenship (he doesn't have his birth certificate) because they wanted a backup plan in case Trump wins. Sounds like a solid goal to me.

I'm pretty certain I can move to Lithuania. Not sure
what I would do there, but it's an option! lol...

I'd encourage you to check it out. At least 30% of the folks speak English, and they fly hot air balloons over Vilnius.

Also, last time I checked, they had two independence days and the world's best WiFi.

Basically, any chance to move northward is worth looking into.