#Thess has a weekend

[thessalian]

Thess vs Enforced Rest

Well, that's most of my Saturday gone to shit.

Apparently I really needed the rest because I only woke up about an hour ago. Anything I might have done for the earlier part of the day? Nope.

Not that I really wanted to go out anyway because it's blustery as fuck and kind of cold and probably about to rain. This is not doing my sinuses any favours, I have to say. I do still have to go out - quick trip to the shops and at least one load of the garbage has to go out - but even if I'd been able to spend spoons on an outing today, I wouldn't be able to because of the weather. Wind like this tends to knock my cane askew. Not to mention that the pressure change is hell on my sinuses ... and the rest of me. All hail ibuprofen.

However, all of this means that I am starting overtime late. Which I guess is okay because if someone did come into the office to add more shit to the dictation queue today, at least it won't be happening while I'm trying to clear it. Probably. The only good thing about working overtime on the weekend is that it's less likely that anyone will be in and it won't feel so Sisyphean a task.

I do feel a little better after some halfway decent sleep, at least. I seem to have paid off at least some of the sleep debt. Now I can finish my coffee, take out some of the trash, quick run to the shops, and do a few hours of overtime. How much depends on how bad it looks and how many spoons I have left over. I significantly doubt I'll get all of Thursday's dictation done today, but I guess that's what Sunday's for? Though I'm going to have to set an alarm, just in case, because if quick errands are for tomorrow, most things shut early and I can't afford to sleep through so much afternoon.

Ugh. Gods, I miss having weekends.

[tricitymonsters]

How would the boys react to a neurodivergent MC that has terrible sleep related sensory issues?

Like they need to sleep in a very specific pair of pants because if any of the skin on their thighs and knees are touching they can't sleep, the sheet has to pulled completely taught or they cant sleep, they need atleast 3 blankets to sleep even in the summer type shit?

Im totally not projecting thesse totally aren't my nightly sensory issues-

MOSTLY the boys would be pretty understanding! Mori drinks a lot, especially on weekends so he might not even be in the headspace to wonder why you need four blankets in 90 degree heat plus he like falls asleep in his jeans and shoes half the time or doesn't make it to the bed and sleeps in a pile of laundry, don't worry about him.

Amir is what I consider to be fairly neurotic with his sleep routine. Not only does he keep a tight schedule and work a hefty beauty regimen into this, if he's not in the Correct Sheets he will throw a tantrum. Where your sensory/comfort issues align, Amir is easy to deal with and very understanding of the issue. Where they compete... well... He's still very understanding but he might suggest two separate sleeping areas just so that you both have everything exactly the way you like it.

Akello is pretty laid back but his chief complaint is that he runs hot. If you can have your blankets separate from him having None (or like a light sheet) then he's easy going. He wants you both to be comfortable and doesn't find a gamut of nighttime sensory problems to be particularly onerous. Also he's creative and would be likely to find out of the box solutions to keep you both in the same bed.

[elkian]

OKAY I FORGOT A KEY POINT:

So I found out about the fash plot by tumblr mentions but didn't get fully spoiled (honestly prob for the best bc I blip over things you wouldn't BELIEVE even with the textual elements).

And reflecting on this game makes me think of the protagonists, the freedom fighters, the anti-fascist crowd.

A few years ago there was a memorable tweet to the effect of how anti-fascists don't have meetings and such when there's nothing to push back against bc the vast majority of antifa ppl are just average joes who had weekend plans but now need to alter those bc Neonazis. The activities of antifascists when there's no fascism is to do normal shit but the fash have nothing without their ideology. I'm using a broad brush here but you get the point yes?

We see this in-game.

the BuzzHuzz guerrilas all have day jobs and shit to get back to, but unfortunately the town is under martial law. Lulu Extraño, Cottin, and Bayker all have textual jobs that they are not doing bc of current events - teaching paintball and history art or running a bakery.

Everyone who helps during the finale has something else they're usually doing, but they all came together for one last big push.

Except for the Bizzyboys. Except for Hector.

Thess guys, without the ideaology and cult of personality they've been living to some extent for the last few decades, are kind of adrift! The younger Bizzys are in better straits, as most of them have skills and/or interests that they can pursue.

But what the hell are Hector and Capochin going to do next?

Their world has functionally come crashing down, even as they helped prevent the literal varient. Hector plans to fix himself and examine his priorities, and both he and Capochin have regrets, but they have no fallback plan from what we can extrapolate from the game.

And that ties back to the kind of ppl recruited by cults and fascists - people who have little to no real-world community. Without the group, they have nothing. Everyone else has a day job to get back to now that the crisis over, except for the people who were the crisis.

I don't have a pithy conclusion, I just think it's really good attention to detail.

More about GGG's finale and core plot (that is, BIG SPOILERS BELOW)

One recurring trend is loneliness. King's actions help connect people, and our protagonist continues in her footsteps, but the loneliness of the characters who play antagonists is especially notable.

The God Awards (which I've mentioned before, the whimsy of them made me totally blip over the red flags and implications) mention Inspekta doing everything for them. What would they be without him, Capochin asks?

"Lonely!"

Inspekta gathered the lonely hearts together. Gave them purpose. Gave them a charismatic leader to follow.

Saul is one of the most antagonistic non-Bizzy humans, and a recurring refrain in Milldread is how lonely everyone is. How gatherings are now somehow either discouraged or outright illegal (hmm, wonder whose idea that was). In fact, most of the Milldread citizens only have good or at least compassionate things to say about him.

(Sometimes I feel like the antagonists are shown a little much compassion given the way this plot goes, but it is also important to remember that deprogramming cultists etc. is based around showing compassion and reminding them that the world is not innately hostile to them. And there's only so much a single game can say in the span of a few hours, so, like, I get it.)

In fact, you have to insult Saul twice to progress in Milldread. How do you do this?

One, you get a dog to make a dog noise, and Saul loses it and comes over to harass the dog (and fail).

Two, after this point, he'll say that he "hates that shaggy little man". This is the line you need to give Budd to progress. When he asks for an insult levied at Saul, you can travel the town... and find that everyone has good things to say about him. He's misled, he's actually very sweet, his friends miss him.

It's very telling that the only way to effectively insult Saul to Budd is to use his own words to do it. Even writing this, I realize that this also implies a bit of a persecution complex with Saul - the people around him don't hate him, or even think he's particularly incompetent. They're worried about him. They understand that he's stressed. He was lead astray by a bad element but he snaps out of it (with help) in time to rejoin his community.

And speaking of throwing words back in faces...

Capochin shows a pretty regular skill for recognizing voices when you fling words at him - it's funny, because a lot of people in this game don't, so he's an outlier and that's amusing. In the battle against him, it means you have to work around him - you can't use his own words against him directly.

Instead, you put words in "Inspekta"'s mouth and bring that to Capo.

He shows an awareness, to a level, that this isn't really Inspekta talking. But this realization is a long time coming, and he can't repress it anymore. He can't deny reality when it's thrown in his face, when he's all alone, when nobody wants to work with him anymore. When even his god is only using him, spending more time with the Godpoke, leading him astray.

The Bizzyboys (and Hector; Yugo Limbo said that all of them come from Drain, hence them looking alike(?) ) evoke a very specific type of person, to me: the incel. Or at least, something adjacent. They're all referred to as "he" as Bizzys (I'm of a mind that Bizzyboys are all he/him while Bizzy, as, like, an honorary gender, mostly because it's just a silly idea; though in retrospect it also meshes with the enforced similarity situation). They're all lonely. They've banded together under a mutual purpose, but they don't really support each other.

And when they start to, between Hobbyhoo and BuzzHuzz? When they begin to collaborate, talk about taking a break from all this fash shit "investigating"?

Capochin shuts them down. Hard.

And Patty says he's scared of Capochin, but the other Bizzies say he would never hurt any of them. But when Capochin blows his top, all of them get really timid.

Capochin not getting involved in the violence until there's literally no one else to hide behind is so cliche that it almost just seems like a joke, until I took in the rest of the story.

Playing this game makes me think a lot of Fallout: New Vegas, a game where you can also destroy fascism and avert a cataclysm as a vaquero-themed courier.

One thing that becomes achingly clear in FNV is how the Legion is a cult of personality: it's not just the Legion, it's Caesar's Legion. Legate Lanius is terrifying, yes, but nobody talks about him as a leader so much as a warrior. Once Caesar dies, it seems obvious to me that the entire thing is going to crumple like a house of cards. Caesar didn't leave any backup plans, any true heirs, because the whole thing was his vanity project. There's no point to the Legion without Caesar, and he never once considered that there should be.

Inspekta and the Bizzyboys work very similarly. The whimsy and goofiness of the setting, which we also see in Smile For Me, lead me to miss some major red flags (I am also just. very dense.), which is a known problem in real fascism - the use of cutesy facades to cast absurdity on any claims of propaganda.

Anyways. My point is that the Bizzyboys seem at first to be a group, but are really more underlings in a cult of personality. Everything falls apart when faith in the system - in Capochin, in Inspekta - is lost. And Capochin is the Joshua Graham to Inspekta's Caesar; both of them culpable, both of them seeming in charge, with Capochin primed to take the fall as soon as things go wrong. But he volunteered for that! He wanted to be Inspekta's #1! The right-hand chump! The prime goon! He's getting everything he ever worked for, so don't question the system, Capo, because that's the same as doubting Inspekta. And doubting Inspekta means you're not a good Bizzyboy. Means you're ungrateful. Means that maybe what you have should go to someone who'll appreciate it.

They literally have their names stripped away - and I think the constant belittling and name-withholding of Patty, who genuinely displays real competence and intelligence at points if you pay attention, is a deliberate ploy. You don't want to be like P. You don't want to be a failure. Look at you, earning your letters! You almost have a full name! Not like that loser at the bottom of the barrel. You're a real winner, here.

And you, P? You need to try harder. Look how Alexei has his whole name back for doing hardly anything! How can you fail to get even a single letter back, compared to him? When Patty asks for his name back in Milldread, Capochin mentions solving mysteries - mysteries of "what does Capochin want for lunch", etc. It's silly, but it's also sinister. It's the most overtly self-centered bit of Bizzy lore we get for maybe the whole game. Capochin outright says he comes first and we laugh because of the delivery.

(The videos are fantastic, because they really set up the reveal in a lot of both subtle and unsubtle ways. Even the very first video, where Capochin insults Patty for asking a scripted question, before moving into the answer, is foreshadowing for the constant emotional abuse all of the Bizzys and Patty in particular are subjected to. There's probably much more I'm forgetting.)

Under the whimsy and humor of the game is a very real statement about cults and fascism and the kinds of people they recruit, and how they do it. They amplify the concerns of the disenfranchised and alone, people who have difficulty connecting with a community. They give those people somewhere to belong, ideals to uphold, and targets to gang up on.

Anyways. Good game.

[4thegloryofgodmosthigh]

1 Thess. 1:4,5

1 Thessalonians 1:4,5 “For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.”

I am stuck on love right now. We watched a movie called I still believeover the weekend. It’s a beautiful story of a man…

[fruitcakecreatives]

It has been a long weekend. People r anxious.I dont know if u can read what I writre. My unedtied #dyslxia kicks in. Am I strong in diffrent old or new, contempary or not? I an sure I even understand how to use thess medunimes that r ment to asist me. I.think.I.need money to buy advetisng as wothout that how do u build up contacts. Like everyone who uses this space r we makeingg work for the space...or just giving away work fors free. Who feeds #starving #artists especailly as #Gallies hide behind windows and what they know. How do A artist get galleries. Sincen being on instergam galliers have approched me....all wanting me to pay them to exhibt me?? Surliy they make commmision ? @anartistsinfo When I left #slade there #dealers who paid u ?? Were has that route gone ? #artofthedaysac #galeriemagazine #aesthetic #artistsofinstagram #photographers #stilllifephotography #portraitphotography #dailylife #vegetarian #food #bestkebab https://www.instagram.com/p/B9gZM3Xl82O/?igshid=bi2mum4lpxxy

[mandagrams-blog]

Longing for Home

I met someone this weekend who recently spent six months hiking the Appalachian Trail, which extends for 2,200 miles between Georgia and Maine. When I asked what it was like I expected him to tell me how hard it was or to talk about the breathtaking scenery. He did say it was hard, but mostly he talked about how he loved it because it was like living in an alternate reality where instead of the “every man for himself” mentality that is prevalent in the “normal” world he experienced an environment where “trail families” all wanted to help each other out. “Everyone was striving for a common goal...we all just wanted to help each other get to the end,” he said.

The next day as I reflected on our conversation it occurred to me how profound it is that we all long for the same thing - a world where everyone is kind to each other and evil and suffering and selfishness and hatred and meanness don’t exist. We all feel the rub...that tension between how things are and how we know they’re supposed to be. It’s perplexing, yet it makes perfect sense, because the world in its current state is not how it was supposed to be. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the world changed and now reflects the consequences of their disobedience and of our own rebellious natures (Gen 3:14-19, Rom 5:12). For now, those who know him wait and watch and pray and suffer like everyone else, but persevere in faith with the assurance that it won’t be like this forever (Rom 2:7, Heb 10:36). Scripture tells us that one day Jesus is coming back to restore all creation (that includes us!) to its intended glory (1 Thess 4:16-17). There will be a new heaven and a new earth, we will receive brand new shiny resurrection bodies, and pain and suffering and general human nastiness will end forever (1 Cor 15:51-52, 2 Peter 3:10-13). Am I the only one who wants to shout “hallelujah!!” at that thought?! Christ’s coming Kingdom is the true home and family that we all long for. We all intrinsically know that human beings have value and that we should not have to suffer under the injustices and atrocities that we read about in the news everyday. Why do we feel that way? Because we do have value. Why? What makes us valuable? Because we are God’s image-bearers and chief among his creation (Gen 1:26-27). If we all simply emerged from the primordial muck, why do we have this unshakable sense deep down inside that human beings just shouldn’t suffer and die? That murder and mass genocide isn’t just unfortunate but wrong? Why not just write it off as natural selection “doing its thang” and be glad that the strongest of us get to stick around and reproduce even stronger subsequent generations?

Could it be that it’s because we are the most treasured creation of a loving God that purposed that his son should suffer and die in our place so that we can be forgiven and justified before that same Holy God who has been acting on behalf of his people since before the world existed and who is working out a perfect plan to make all things new and will return to dwell with His people in a place where we no longer suffer and die but live with him in Glory and one another in loving community for all eternity and become who we were really truly meant to be? Food for thought.

[jon-no-h]

Bonjour Guys!! @crossfit_iconic has thess new shirts in. #teamiconic is competing at @thewodapalooza this weekend. The fitness festival is well underway and #teamiconic is doing great. We still some Tshirts in stock buy one today or tomorrow and let’s all rock our sweet new shirt on Saturday #showupandshowout put the word out y’all Merci. . . @crossfit_iconic #community #likeminded #support #motivation #competition (at Iconic Fitness) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsyCOaIBjkG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=a7ts9za08xr8

[christianmenatwork]

Good News and Bad News-Selah23-CMAW091

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Good News and Bad News -Start with bad news, if our heart isn't totally committed to Jesus Christ in a relationship vs. a religious spirit, we're a not a true follower of Jesus, anything less than total surrender to Jesus doesn't cut it, we understand this type of commitent is a necesary part of a marriage, God shows us how He wants our relationship to have that same, even higher commitmment, In Eph 5:25-33 he compares those 2 relationships, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might [g]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, [h]of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" -Eph 5:25-33, "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" Exodus 20:5, In Revelation Jesus talks to John about 7 churches.  All of these churches did good things, but Jesus rebuked or corrected all of them, except 2, Smyrna called the Persecuted Church and Philadelphia called the Spiritual alive church, The Laodicean church called the Luke Warm church Jesus said he would spit them out of His mouth, in Matthew 5:28 Jesus says "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." in this and other passages he shows that it's not enough to keep the Laws or commandments in terms of your actions you have to guard your heart and take captive all your thoughts to the obedience of Christ, the Psalmist understood this in Ps 139:22-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." 1 Samuel 16:7 says "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  Jesus blasted the Pharisees for having good outward appearance while neglecting matters of the heart, Matthew 23:27 Jesus said "“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness",   Rom 8:6 "For to be [b]carnally minded is death" vs 7 says "Because the [c]carnal mind is enmity against God", notice Paul talks about our mind not what we do with our hands and mouth, my Pastor says a good way to think about our sin is 3 words: doing, thinking, saying, my pastor also spoke recently about racism that we've made great strides as a country at politically correct, i.e. we've gotten good at not doing and saying certain things when it comes to race, but being PC doesn't change the heart, I'll personally testify that doing the "right" things in marriage but having an angry, judgmental, non-loving and non-compassionate heart will lead to strife, bitterness, and pain, when it comes to our work if we do a "good job" at work but our heart is filled with discontent, envy, judgment and we're not in relationship with God while we're at work, we will be miserable in our job and will not prosper, here's another piece of bad news: good intentions are worthless, saying "I'm trying" or "I'll try to do better" if worth than doing nothing at all, let me be transparent with an example of this: I recently started carrying a small NT/Psalms Bible from the Gideons with me to work, I just realized and am ashamed to admit that I've been doing this for weeks and not once have I looked at it, are you now ready for some good news? Let me start with the First Light Devotion from Pastor Brian Biggers sent on July 9 - "I have always loved the twenty first chapter of John. It is the great story of Simon's restoration. It is also God speaking to you and me revealing what He is really like at heart. Perhaps no one in history has blown it with God like Simon. He was Jesus' dearest friend; the one Jesus took with Him everywhere. He was the one that Jesus confided in and looked to most often. As a side note, the fact that God chose a redneck, ignorant, uneducated fisherman to be His best friend brings me great hope! When told of Christ' impending arrest and murder Simon vowed that even if all abandoned Him, he would stick with Him. You know the story. In His greatest hour of need at a mockery of a trial, Simon told all present that He had never met the Man. When pressed about the issue he cursed and swore that he had no idea who Jesus was. Some friend! Far be it from me to look down my nose at the famous fisherman. My loyalty could be questioned at no few times. As often happens when a follower of Christ messes up very badly, Simon went back to his old life at sea assuming that his days in God's inner circle were over after His public failure. What a shock to look up from his nets early one morning and see Jesus standing on the shore! First time he had seen Jesus since he had cursed Him and watched as Jesus turned to gaze at him without speaking. What would He do? What does God do to people that betray Him and abandon Him? When Simon arrived at the shore Jesus invited him to eat breakfast that was prepared on a coal fire. As they sat around the fire not a word was spoken about the downfall. It was never mentioned again. Finally, after eating, Jesus looked at Simon and asked him, "do you love me"? He replied, no doubt with deep humility, "yes Lord, you know I love you". After his response Jesus simply said, "tend my sheep".  This is God. This is how He treats people that mess up. Big time. No revenge. He didn't even ask him if he thought he could do better from now on. With Him the question is never "can you behave". It’s always "do you love me"? He is immediately restored in his relationship with Christ and repositioned as the chief preacher in God's great movement. Who cannot love a God that forgives that freely and never gives up on His plans for you? How about you? Have you missed it with Him? Blown it big time? Here's the message of the Bible. If you're not dead, God's not done!

Father, I would have given up on me a long time ago. Your mercy makes no sense. Thank God!

Now I want to borrow from the message I heard from Pastor Adam Cook this morning about freedom, Adam and Eve were naked, content and connected, this was God's will all of use, by comparison now all who sin are marked by shame, striving and separation.  Think about that for a moment, how those 3 things describe aspects of your life, I don't have to think hard to think about how they apply to mine, think specifically about your work, shame shows up in awareness of the mistakes we make at work, not measuring up to our co-workers or to standards set by ourselves or our boss or both,, striving shows upo in feeling like we're working hard, seeing our work as boring or drudgery, being a perfectionist being prideful of of our work which only brings us misery as we judge others we see as not measuring up to our standards, separation shows up at work when when we feel lonely at work, disconnected from others and from God, waiting for church on Sunday to feel spiritual but otherwise feeling like we're just blending with the world while we're at work, working for the dollar or working for the weekend,, buy heart of Jesus in John 8:34-36 Jesus says "34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.", 1 Corinthians 32:17 NIV says "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom", Galatians 5:1 NIV says "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  We just celebrated Independence Day in the U.S., in America value highly our freedom, you could say we worship it, when it comes to politics both sides have their own version of what freedom means, I'm realizing more and more that freedom by worldly standards is not true freedom, I like the definition of spiritual freedom that my Pastor Adam gave "the unhindered experience of the presence of God".  The curse that came from sin giving us shame, striving, and separation is reversed by Jesus if we walk in it. We can walk in the cool of the day with Jesus, as my Pastort said, it's like God is saying to us you can swing and miss but you can’t fail because you’re free in me, that is the abundant life that only comes from surrendering our lives to Jesus not just when we're born again but in our daily walk at work and everywhere else

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Grant Smith update

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1 Thess 4:11-12 NIV "11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

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9) Pray (before, during and after meeting)

Check out this episode!

[theprodigaldaughtersworld]

Hey girl. I hope you have had a blessed week. I would like to start out with a disclaimer. I am working on something right now so you will hear or read the word unpack a lot for a minute.

I want you to be free. I want you to he healed, healthy, and whole. I want you to be able to be grateful for everything God has done in your life. Especially those things that were meant to destroy you. I Thess 5:16-21. Whether you realize it or not your presence is illuminating to someone. You are essential to the kingdom of God. You are essential in exemplifying for another woman that God will never leave nor forsake you.

Before Covid19 we were beginning to dive into the familial patterns that shape or effect us. I really want to get into that when we meet again. This weekend I want you to sit down and write a letter to the younger you. To the you who experienced something you couldn't see yourself ever getting through. That thing you just knew would be the end of you. That thing that made you question God. Why God? Why me? How could you love me and let this happen? I want you to encourage her to let her know that she would get through it. That she would be closer to God than she ever imagined. Whatever the Holy Spirit places in your heart write it. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony. Sometimes you need to remind yourself that YOU do have a testimony.

Love you.

Stay safe. Stay encouraged. Stay hopeful. Most of all remain blessed.

[live4thelord]

On Forsaking Fear by Remaining Ready—A Homily for the 19th Sunday of the Year

In the Gospel for this weekend (Luke 12:32-40) the Lord Jesus presents a “recipe for readiness.” He gives it to us so that we can lay hold of His offer that we not be afraid. He is not simply saying, “Be not afraid.” He is explaining how we can battle fear by being ready.

Christians today are often uncertain about what is necessary in order to be ready to meet God. Many also make light of the Day of Judgment, considering it all but certain that most of humanity will be saved.

Jesus does not adopt this position. In fact, He teaches the opposite. He consistently warns of the need to be ready for our judgment. Jesus does not counsel a foolish fearlessness rooted in the deception that all or even most will be saved. Rather, He counsels a fearlessness based on solid preparation for the Day of Judgment. Jesus tells us to do at least five things in order to be ready and therefore not afraid.

If we do not make these sorts of preparations, Jesus warns that He will come when we least expect and take away all that we (wrongly) call our own. Jesus says, But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap (Lk 21:34). The apostolic tradition says this of the unprepared: disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape (1 Thess 5:3).

Thus, while Jesus begins by saying that we ought not to fear (for the Father wants to grant us His Kingdom), He also warns that being free of fear is contingent upon embracing and following the plan that He sets forth for our life.

Let’s look at this plan and see how we can forsake fear by becoming and remaining ready. Jesus gives us five specific things to do that will help to ready us for the time when the Lord calls us. It is not an exhaustive list, for no single passage of Scripture is the whole of Scripture, but these are some very practical and specific things to reflect upon and do.

I. Reassess your wealth. Jesus says, Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

In this passage, the Lord is giving us three teachings on wealth. He says that we ought to do these things:

Forgo Fear. In the end, it is fear that makes us greedy and worldly; we grab up the things of this world because we are afraid of not having enough for tomorrow. But what if we could receive the gift to trust God more and to know that He will give us our daily bread? He has given us the Kingdom; why wouldn’t He give us everything else? He may not give us everything we want, but He will give us what we really need. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be given unto to you (Matt 6:21). If we can just allow God to diminish our fear, we will be surprised at how easy it is to be generous with what we have rather than hoarding it.

Forward your Fortune. When we are generous to the needy and poor, we store up treasure for ourselves in Heaven. Treasure is not stored in Heaven by sending it up there in a rocket ship or a hot-air balloon. It is accomplished by generously distributing our wealth to others in wise and creative ways. I discussed this more fully in my homily last week (You Can’t Take It with You, but You Can Send It on Ahead). While it may not be appropriate to sell everything and go sleep on a park bench, the Lord is surely telling us to be less attached to and passionate about money and possessions, for they root us in this world. And where our treasure is, there also will our heart be.

Fix your focus. Our focus is misplaced because most of us have our treasure here in this world. Once we become less fearful and more generous, our obsession with worldly treasure subsides and our joy in heavenly treasure grows. This redirects our focus and puts our heart where our treasure really is and ought to be: in Heaven with God. Simplify! Be less rooted in this world; come to experience that your greatest treasure is God and the things awaiting you in Heaven.

Reassess your wealth. What is it and where is it? That will tell you a lot about your heart.

II. Ready yourself to work. The Lord says “Gird your loins,” which is the ancient equivalent of “roll up your sleeves.” The Lord has work for us to do and wants us to get to it.

Surely, the Lord has more than a worldly career in mind. He has in mind things like growing in holiness, pursuing justice, and raising children in godly fear. The Lord wants us to work in His Kingdom. We must commit to prayer, Sunday worship, the reception of the sacraments, obedience, and holiness.

The Lord has particular work for each of us based on our gifts. Some people are good teachers; others work well with senior citizens; some are entrepreneurs who can provide employment for others at a just wage. Some are skilled at medicine and the care of the sick; others are called to priesthood or the religious life. Some are called to suffer and to offer that suffering for the salvation of souls. Some serve in strength, others do so in weakness; but all are called to serve, to work.

Work with what the Lord gave you to advance His Kingdom. Part of being ready means doing your work.

III. Read the Word. The Lord says, light your lamps.

On one level, the phrase “light your lamps” is simply a symbol for readiness (e.g., the Wise and Foolish Virgins in Matt. 25:1-13).

But in another sense, a lamp is also a symbol for Scripture. For example, You Word, O Lord, is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Ps 119:105). We possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19).

The Lord is teaching us that an essential part of being ready is being rooted and immersed in the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church. That makes sense, of course. Too many in this increasingly secular world are hostile to the faith. How can we think that our mind is going to be anything but sullied if we are not reading Scripture every day? How will our minds be sober and clear if we are inebriated by the world?

Clearly, being ready means reading Scripture each day and basing our life on it.

IV. Remain watchful. The Lord says, And be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. … Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

There are different ways to watch and wait. There is the passive watching and waiting that we might do when waiting for a bus: we just sit there and look down the street. There is another kind that is more active. Consider a waiter: he waits and watches actively; he observes and delivers what is needed immediately and notes what will be needed soon so that he will be prepared when the time comes.

There is also the eager sort of waiting that is much like that of a child on Christmas Eve. The child does not wait in dread for Santa Claus but in hopeful expectation.

Watchful and eager waiting are what the Lord has in mind. It is like that active waiting we do when we have invited a guest to our home. We joyfully prepare and place all in order.

To set our house in order is to sweep clean our soul of sin and all unrighteousness (by God’s grace) and to remove all the clutter of worldliness from our life. Regular confession, daily repentance, simplifying our life, and freeing ourself from worldly attachments declutters the house of our soul.

Have you prepared the home of your soul for the Lord’s arrival? If not, you may experience Him as you would a thief. The Lord is not really a thief, for everything belongs to Him, but if we have not renounced our worldliness and greed and have not rid ourself of attachments to this world, then the Lord will come and take back what is His. He will seem like a thief only because we (wrongly) think things belong to us.

It’s never a good idea to call God, the Lord and owner of all, a thief!

V. Reflect on your reward. The Lord says, Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.

The Lord is clear that He has a reward for those who are found ready!

It is prefigured in the banquet of the Eucharist, in which the Lord prepares a meal and feeds us. He says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20). And I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom (Luke 22:30). Today, food can be bought on the spur of the moment and eaten immediately, but in the ancient world one of life’s most pleasant things was a leisurely meal enjoyed in the company of good friends and family.

The Lord offers us the magnificent blessing of Heaven, where we will be with Him and those whom we love forever in unspeakable joy and peace.

Do you meditate often on Heaven and long for its rewards? One of the stranger things about people in the modern world, even some believers, is that they talk so little of Heaven. And while it is not a place any of us have ever been (so it’s hard to fully understand what it will be like), we should reflect often on the joy that awaits us there.

Part of being ready to go home to the Lord is to long for that day to come. When we want to do something, we prepare for it eagerly; we are motivated and we make sacrifices. We will more naturally do whatever is necessary.

These are five elements constituting a recipe for readiness. You’d better set your house in order ’cause He may be comin’ soon!

[thessalian]

Thess vs The One Day Off

Every time I have to do overtime, I end up remembering why I only work a four-day week, and only six / six and a half hours on those four days. Because this is my one day actually off this week, and I am exhausted and made of aches and I have a feeling it's going to be just as bad this coming week.

But they do not get my Sunday this weekend. FUCK. THAT. I will put aside my Saturday Shenanigans until the New Year if I have to but I WILL NOT BE GIVING UP MY SUNDAY D&D CAMPAIGN FOR BULLSHIT LIKE WORK.

Also because ... seriously, this was my 'weekend'

Saturday: slept in because I was exhausted, logged in to find about 100 extra bits of typing in the queue, did four and a half hours of overtime which I didn't finish until nearly the time my Saturday D&D group would normally start, and slept poorly because pain and gale-force winds shaking the windows.

Sunday: got up at a halfway decent hour (...ish), braved gale-force winds for a few errands I had to run (which took longer than expected but never mind), got home, immediately logged in, did three and a half hours of overtime because I literally could not take anymore, and at least made myself a nice dinner before I became a pile of pain.

And now there's today. Woke up at a halfway decent hour ... rolled over and went right back to sleep because just NOPE. Could have done so again but I don't want to screw up my circadian rhythms completely when I have work tomorrow. But I also want to do something fun ... but I hurt badly enough that that's going to be an issue.

Oh, and last night I did some online shopping to get Christmas gifts for my mother. They're hard to shop for, the parentals. My stepfather is a pain to shop for and it's honestly best just to give him food. As for my mother ... I think the problem with both of them is that they're a bit insular, particularly since Covid and since Mum retired (around the same time, honestly). They don't know a lot of what's out there and they have their interests and ... yeah, anyway, Mum called while I was in the middle of yesterday's overtime and I got some ideas so TeeTurtle got some of my business. She likes my TeeTurtle T-shirts so I figured... Anyway, also found her toller retriever socks on Redbubble, because a) she likes "funky" socks and b) she loves Digby, her Nova Scotia duck toller retriever and they're not the breed you usually see on most merch. I was also thinking of an adjunct of, like, a little .pdf with a few of my cooking hints and tips, and some recipes I've had luck with.

Of course, now I have to think about what I might want for Christmas. Look, I didn't have to think about that last year, because Christmas and my birthday were eaten up by the MCM Comic Con ticket and (most of) the Critical Role cast autograph fees. I still regret nothing, because that weekend was fire even if it was excruciatingly painful in places, but ... like ... those were my Christmas and birthday gifts so I didn't have to think about it. Now I kinda do. Of course, the one thing I actually want is a bigger air fryer than the little one I got myself, but my stepdad refuses on the basis that "I don't know what the kitchen will look like where I end up". Which ... people work that shit out, stepdad, but okay. ...No, seriously, it honestly is okay, because if it's anything like my instant pot, it's not like he's saying I can't get one at all; just that he won't be party to it. Which is fair enough - just means I can't ask for one for Christmas. Probably not a new microwave either, because I noticed that Flat 13 now has a microwave installed and I dunno what's happening with that. I mean, obviously Steam gift cards go on the list because ... okay, it's weird. Like, I love it when my friends lob random games at my head, but from the parentals I like the luxury of a whole bunch of Steam wallet money that I don't have to feel bad about spending on something useful and the shopping experience of "How much of my wishlist can I clear during the Steam winter sale?" Then I guess there's the useful stuff - casserole dish with lid for those recipes that really need one, new tableware to replace the cheap-ass supermarket own-brand ones that are like ten years old (maybe even with decent-sized pasta bowls), maybe a weighted blanket... Well. Guess I have my list.

Anyway, with that out of the way ... this is my one day off and it's mostly over and I want to do something with it (Molly!Rook, for preference). But I do hurt so very, very much. All of my haaaaaaate. But it's probably going to have to be more overtime over the week, too, if things keep on the way they have been. I have the 19th and 20th off and I don't care what Scruffman says, I am not cancelling those days or moving them to some other time. I need them so badly, and they're the only Christmas-adjacent days I'm getting because I had the holiday period off last year so it was the other girls' turn. Honestly I just want to sleep for like a week.

[paintmetara]

June 26, 2017

Good Morning! Happy Monday! Just as a heads up, I have decided that I won't be sending these emails on Saturday and Sunday. I might still send them here and there, but it won't be consistent depending on when I am on my computer. The spirit of this is not to be check something off of a list, but to genuinely share with you what God is teaching me that day. TRUTH: The past few days I have been reading 1 and 2 Thessalonians. As I reflect on the coming of the Lord, I am challenged to be purposeful with my days. "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thess 5: 8-11 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess 5:16-18 - How great is it that we CAN know the will of God. "But we out always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth." 2 Thess 2:13- Praising God for those of you He has saved! If you do not know the Lord, and you want to talk more, please email/call/text me! "May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." 2 Thess 3:5 - I don't think I have ever noticed this specific prayer before but I love this. PRAYER: Please pray for my heart to trust in God's timing. I am particularly discouraged this morning about my roommates relationship with the Lord- my heart is breaking for her. And let us pray that last prayer together- may our hearts be directed to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. THANKSGIVING: I am thankful for a productive yet restful weekend, for Sunday School yesterday, and for the opportunity to be in school. Please let me know how I can be praying for you! Have a great Monday! Also- go listen to some of the Psalms by Shane and Shane. Jesus loves you and so do I! Tara :)

[christianitywithouttheinsanity]

1 Kings 5; 2 Chr 2; 2 Thess 3

Discuss in the comments section.

The following text is from the English Standard Version.

1 Kings 5

5:1  Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram always loved David. 2 And Solomon sent word to Hiram, 3 “You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. 5 And so I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to David my father, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’ 6 Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

7 As soon as Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people.” 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants shall bring it down to the sea from Lebanon, and I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you direct. And I will have them broken up there, and you shall receive it. And you shall meet my wishes by providing food for my household.” 10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired, 11 while Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, and 20,000 cors of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. 12 And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

13 King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts. They would be a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the draft. 15 Solomon also had 70,000 burden-bearers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country, 16 besides Solomon's 3,300 chief officers who were over the work, who had charge of the people who carried on the work. 17 At the king's command they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones. 18 So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the men of Gebal did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house. (ESV)

2 Chr 2

2:1  Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. 2  And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them. 3 And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. 5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 7 So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, 9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. 10 I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”

11 Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

13 “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, 14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father. 15 Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. 16 And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. 18 Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work. (ESV)

2 Thess 3

3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. (ESV)

The reading plan I’ve chosen is from Bible Class Material and it’s a 5 day plan, with weekend days to catch up or get ahead or just take a break!

http://ift.tt/2hfNLzf

[thessalian]

Thess vs Laziness

Not mine. Oooooh no.

Look, I'm having to give up yet another weekend for overtime. I managed typing nearly 200 cases with a 6.5 hour day plus two hours of overtime, and we're still on over 300 in the queue, and we were only maybe halfway through yesterday's cases by the time I just couldn't take anymore.

As an aside, Milady was away, The Other Part-Timer won't be back until the 16th same as Temp, and of the two typists who were in, New Girl managed 60-odd, and Goblin, who is our other dedicated typist, managed 50. Those in the same amount of time I did nearly 200.

Hence, me vs laziness. Because the laziness of others is the bane of my fucking existence right now.

It didn't help that I was starting the overtime portion of my workday around half-five and like twenty cases got dumped into the queue, ten of them urgents. And then a few more getting dumped in at 7pm. I fully expect there to be work added to the queue over the weekend.

I hurt incredibly badly. It takes enough effort to push through the pain and fatigue that I rarely even remember the emergency calories I keep around, which means my eating habits have gone entirely to shit. Almost all I do is work, and the workload just keeps getting bigger. This is mostly because a lot of this shit needs to get cleared before the holidays, especially the urgents. This isn't just something that can marinade over the bank holiday, y'know? This is "whether someone has cancer", most of the time.

You know, I wanted a nice Saturday where I could maybe even go out for more than just a quick errand or two. Do some window shopping, see if anything stuck out as a thing Mum would like for Christmas, something like that. I wanted to slow-cook my short ribs. I wanted to run D&D for my Saturday group. But nope. Saturday (and potentially Sunday, depending on how bad this gets) is going to be a combination of a quick errand run, various bits of household chore (I desperately need to do laundry and take out the trash), and work work work work work, eating whatever's easiest to cram into my face at the time.

I know it's really mean to think this, but I honestly wish my colleagues - and more to the point, my manager - could go through what I go through. Just for one day. Just so they know what it's like. I doubt most of them would take some of the load off me out of sympathy - so few of my colleagues seem to have sympathy for anyone, frankly - but ... godsdamnit, they deserve it. I wouldn't normally say that anyone deserves the fibromyalgia pain, but right now I am prepared to make an exception. I have had nearly no life for the best part of a month because of this, and there's at least another week of it to go. I say "at least" because I have zero confirmation that Temp's going to be back on the 16th, and no fucking clue what her approach to work will be like when she is back. Not that her approach to work was great to begin with, but y'know, at least it was something.

So in short ... another weekend gone entirely to shit before it even started. I hope everyone else is doing better than I am. Now a bit of self-care to see if I can get to feeling vaguely human rather than ... I dunno, a run-over possum.

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Most Annoying Reprieve

So I stepped out and picked up the big pain meds, because dear gods did I need them, and came back to an issue that on one level has freed me from overtime today but on the other hand has ensured that my weekend will be a living hell.

See, I left my machine locked down but turned on, because the time it takes for that annoying piece of plastic to boot up is not to be borne. But when I switched it back on, I noticed that Google Chrome (the browser I pretty much have to use on my machine; no one's letting me install Firefox, apparently) had switched itself off ... and the icon was missing from the desktop. I clicked onto where I had it pinned to the taskbar and got, "Sorry, this .exe has been moved or deleted. Do you want to delete this shortcut?"

...wut.

So I did a restart, which did nothing. Then I went hunting in the start menu ... and there was a Google folder, but no .exe, and I wasn't even allowed to open the error log folder. So that was a bust. Now, of course, the stupid machine does have Microsoft Edge on it as default, so I decided to try that. So it accepted my credentials, but then said, essentially, "Sorry, but you're not allowed to access this site with this browser".

......WUT.

Tried the version of Chrome on the remote desktop where our transcription software lives, but I got the same basic thing. So apparently it has to be through the main desktop, and through Chrome, or I'm not allowed to access it. And Chrome vanished without trace for no apparent reason.

This is apparently a thing, though. Having searched here on my main computer, one suggestion is to restart the machine four times. I guess I'll try that while I type this. But the likelihood seems to be that I am getting a reprieve from overtime tonight, with a view to even worse overtime tomorrow, Friday, and possibly over the weekend. Why do I say "possibly over the weekend"? Because yet again, everyone's leaving the long shit for me to deal with, and working unbelievably slowly. Goblin was in for about half the day today and she took all the short things that people put into the queue between 2-3pm yesterday afternoon, leaving all the Monstrosities from the Breast Guy, the Placenta Guy, this new woman who is absolute shit at GI reports, and several others that were put into the queue between 11:45 and 2pm. Goblin left those. New Girl left those. Scruffman left those. Even Milady, who's usually better than that, left those. Temp still isn't in, but she would have left them too. And I am so. Very. Tired of being left with all of it.

Honestly, I'm just tired in general. We have 375 items in the queue right now. Most of that seems to fall on me, and I am fed right up. Also I hurt. And the restart upon restart upon restart doesn't seem to have done anything so it's going to be up to IT to reinstall or fix whatever update bullshit caused this mess. So while I at least don't have to near-on kill myself typing tonight, I have to sit with the sure and certain knowledge that tomorrow, and Friday, and possibly the weekend, are going to be worse. Because no one in that fucking office is going to even try to get us onto an even keel except me.

I swear to the gods, I read through that fucking competency assessment form that we're apparently self-assessing, and realised how much they fucking shouldn't be. There was a whole section on prioritising in chronological order except for urgent cases, and nobody does that shit but me. Worst part is, not only is it very clear they know that, but they take advantage of it to stick me with the bullshit. (I understand with Scruffman, I admit - he's having to do the manager work too and can't afford to be stuck in a ten minute Monstrosity from Breast Guy when an urgent call comes up needing him to browse away from a half-done document to look up a case on the system. The rest of them? The rest of them are just awful.) Anyway, summary is that their self-assessment is all going to be, "We're fine; we know what we're doing" when they FUCKING DO NOT. No wonder they get away with murder.

So I've replaced working myself to death tonight with stressing myself to death tonight over probably having to work myself to death for several more days upcoming, and probably having to cancel my Saturday D&D afuckinggain, because no one in my office seems to give much of a fuck that we are dealing with patient's lives here. I know it sounds like an exaggeration, but it's not. Another part of the competency assessment was "Hey, you do realise that if you screw around or fuck up, it could cause serious damage to the patients' lives, right?" And they're all going to answer, "Yep, I totally understand" and then just ... continue their lazy-ass way through this, and leave me as the only person in the office who understands what we actually do.

Sometimes I wish I still drank. I technically can, but that hits too hard with my meds, so I don't. I guess hot bath, sort out something about dinner, maybe see if the hurt stops enough to do anything but slump in a chair? I typed this mostly in the spirit of, "If I don't vent, I am going to punch a wall" ... and while that would at least give me a break, we can't afford that right now, and it would hurt, and I play games with those hands, so...

[thessalian]

Thess vs Overtime, Again

Yep. Definitely going to have to do some hours tomorrow.

Look, I counted: including the urgents, the doctors dictated 330 reports today. The 300 per day seems to be an average for these yahoos. They come in at 8am if not sooner; the last of them leaves at 6pm if not later, and there are lots of them. It's bad enough when we have everyone in the office. When we don't? It's painful as fuck.

Anyway, I cleared yesterday's queue and got stuck into today's stuff during my overtime, as well as every single last one of the urgents. Total reports typed? Somewhere in the 200 range. Partly because we didn't have any actual monstrosities in the queue - just Annoyances. And it is now painfully obvious that the rest of the people typing are deliberately avoiding the Annoyances. I grabbed 50 bits of typing out of the queue right off the bat because it was the only way to ensure that I got some clear and easy ones for once. The ones where the doctor doesn't dictate the lab number for each and every sample pot, or remembers to put a halfway decent block key, or doesn't say "several in one" instead of "multiple in one" when their "several" sounds like "seven" because they talk like an auction barker.

So apparently Goblin's away a couple of more days, and Temp is not looking at returning at all next week. So that's not going to be particular amounts of joy. Hence working Saturday (they can go screw if they want me to work Sunday and Monday, though). And then there's the one I haven't met yet so I haven't given her a nickname. I have not met her because she has been on a combination of long-term sick and maternity leave for years. We've heard, "She should be coming back soon!" for literal years. It obviously has not happened yet. I mean, it's great that she can have long-term sick and not have to worry about what's happening with her job, but ... gods, we should have found a temp. Well, a better one than Temp and New Girl, who started as temps and basically got hired as "You're here; it'll do". My mother says that what they really want is an office full of me's, but it's not like they're actually properly looking for another few me's. They got lucky with me, and they expect to get lucky again somehow, I guess? The world doesn't work that way.

I also had to take a break early, if you can call it a break when it's "I have to go out to get some mallet meds because I will not be able to cope with this weekend without serious painkillers and also there was a road closure which made the trip a bit of a mess". After that, a hot bath, and something resembling food, I feel a little better, if exhausted. At least I can start at whatever time I want tomorrow. And I have to do some of it, because we still have over 250 items in the queue and those yahoos will come in on the weekend. Woe.