connected wrote on 24 Oct 2023 14:47:

3 suits of lincoln green, as much ale as you can quaff, a stout quarterstaff and a bow of yew. That shall ye have, and more, if thee shall joineth me and my merry band in good Sherwood Forest, mate.

Grievance is as grievance does, methinks. 
I love when you air thoughts, feelings, agony, and triumph. You think far better than most.
But complaints and kvetching ought to be in the dustbin with guilt, I say.

Eyes on the horizon, friend, not backwards.
Chaim Oigen

chaimoigen wrote on 25 Oct 2023 13:07:

Here's a grievance for you, I have no idea what you're offering me. Heck, even Google got all bent out of shape trying to figure it out, maybe I ought to try GPT.
Pass me the ale, perhaps that'll put me in the right state.

Also, you should sign as Robin, from da Hood.

Public service announcement: translations of chaimoigens post into plain English:


Lincoln green is the color of dyed woolen cloth formerly originating in Lincoln, England, a major cloth town during the high Middle Ages.

Lincoln green is often associated with Robin Hood and his Merry Men in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire.

quaff : (Noun) — A hearty draft.

Quarterstaff: noun, plural

a former English weapon consisting of a stout pole 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) long, tipped with iron.

Bow of yew: Until the advent of firearms, the English longbow was the most formidable weapon of Medieval times. It was made of yew wood, a very ancient species of evergreen conifer so long-lived, some specimens still living in the countryside date back to the Bronze Age.

Sherwood Forest is a royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England. Its peculiar fame arises from its historic association with the legend of Robin Hood

Courtesy of Google

youknowwho wrote on 25 Oct 2023 15:30:

I have no idea what your talking about .
You just made a word pudding out of an entirely sensible post 

In other news, the Dow is down 79 points today, and the Tao couldn't care less. Or more, for that matter.

I didnt get that.

Tao is a reference to stoic eastern philosophy of not being effected by outside things. To oversimplify

chancy wrote on 25 Oct 2023 20:13:

It's okay, let it go.

Yo, porn, wassup?

Remember how I wrote a few days ago that I hope never to see you again? I still maintain that position.
You presented yourself to me at the perfect time. Last night, while everyone was asleep despite the relatively early hour.
I even started engaging with you, remember? By the way, you're just as beautiful and intoxicating as I remembered.
For a fleeting moment, I thought, let's do this all the way. But I realized where that thought came from. It came from that one-dimensional "I anyhow need to reset my counter because I peeked, so I might as well get the full experience for that price."

Well, guess what, porn, I don't have a counter. That's right, I've got nothing to reset. There's no public price. The only price I'll pay for enjoying you is my peace of mind.
I didn't watch porn for a couple of weeks, and then I did for a moment.
Veiter Gegangen.

I hope I get over our breakup soon; till then, I miss you.

Dear connected, tell me something and be honest. 
If you had to choose between the two which one would you choose? 
1. Th freedom to look at porn and masturbate wherever and whenever you choose, without any consequence whatsoever? 
2. The freedom never to be pulled or interested in any sexual activity?
Of course there is a healthy middle ground, but that is a very tight rope for many of us.

I would 1,000 choose option 2. I have thought about this at length. Im as serious as a heart attack. I am willing to forgo any sexual pleasure for the rest of my life if i can be free of this addiction. If there would be a pill i would take it. So even when im in the throws of a lust attack, i know for sure that i would rather not have this at all and that makes it somewhat easier.

chancy wrote on 26 Oct 2023 18:10:

You told me to be honest, so I'll assume you were honest when you said you'd choose the latter.
I'd choose the former, and honestly, I don't understand your reasoning.
If it's without any consequence whatsoever, as you stated, then there is no problem of addiction. You'd never be caught in a "lust attack." It'll just be an enjoyable thing that you have unlimited access to. Kinda like breathwork (for those who enjoy it).
We probably differ on the definition of "no consequence whatsoever."
Also, I'm in the process of learning how to express and enjoy my sexuality with my wife, another reason why #2 is out.

In any case, this is all hypothetical and philosophization, at least for me.
Hashem gave me sexuality, and before I knew what it was, I twisted and perverted it - I'm not blaming myself or anyone else. Now, it's up to me to set myself straight. True, it's hard. Sometimes, I slip; other times, I jump intentionally. But this is what it is.
I hope never to lose my sexual desire.

If you're adamant about choosing #2, there are medical ways to get there.

connected wrote on 26 Oct 2023 18:48:

Just had to frame these masterful words in the quote box and read them again. Thanks.
Have a good Shabbos, brother.

Vos Heartzach, mate? Thinkin about you. 

chaimoigen wrote on 30 Oct 2023 14:37:

I was wondering who's causing me the hiccups.

Here's an update:
Shabbos was nice.
Friday night, I enjoyed time with the rascals and the wife.
Shabbos morning was nice, too. I didn't join the Kiddush club this week (a pat on the back, please?).
I don't remember much about Shabbos afternoon, so I guess it wasn't bad.
Motzei was a Motzei like any other Motzei. Well, not like it used to be. Motzei used to be dedicated to a long porn and masturbation session. BH I haven't done that in a while.

Now we get to Sunday. Grey, cold, and wet Sunday.
At some point in the afternoon, I felt like this is it. Enough is enough; I'm going back to my ex. As I was toying with the idea, already thinking about which search term I was going to enter, I decided that I ain't going down without a battle.
So I hit the treadmill for a run while having David Goggins yelling at me to stay hard (they don't know me, son!). Thirty minutes and a sweaty t-shirt later, I felt invincible. That feeling lasted till 6 PM dragged its feet into sight. From there it was a slow and steady decline till I retired to bed. And promptly went to sleep.

Blah.

How many times did David goggins fail at beating the chin up record? But every time after a failed attempt he would go thru the whole process and see what went wrong. Dont think that nothing mattered. Its still a huge accomplishment that you where able to fight for so long. Its hard to stay focused for too long tho, so plan out now before you get caught up in the moment what you can do.