How?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 9, 2021:

Beats the hell out of me. I just keep trying my best and settle for being happy in stretches here and there.

I am always impressed by the unrivaled stupidity of the religious institution.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 9, 2021:

And yet those same churches will oppose a woman's right to a legal abortion if "God" fails to protect them from pregnancy. Fucking hypocrites!

Let's talk about people who describe their STDS on a dating site.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 8, 2021:

I honestly don't know. Would have to give that some thought. Haven't had partner sex for longer than I want to admit, and it was last with my late wife. Who I know was faithful and we both got tested for STDs before we began our sexual relationship. How romantic it was, lol. I remember how we went together down to the county public health dept. and then back again to get our results.

The Young And Secular Are Least Vaccinated, Not Evangelicals

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 7, 2021:

Very disappointing, you would think that group would be smart enough to get vaxed, but I would mostly chalk it up to how most young adults feel invincible, at least until they start losing some of their young friends to death....then reality finally hits....

Biden Made Big Compromises on Climate — and Movements That Backed Him Are Livid As a ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 6, 2021:

Most "liberal" Dem supporters are too ignorant about what is really going on behind the soundbites to realize when a Dem is lying and selling not only them out, but anyone who is not rich. Trying to talk sense on that or explain to them what is happening with that, and you either get a stare followed by a change of subject on their part, or you get treated like the crazy uncle at the family gathering who went off his meds. I have quit wasting my breath on them because it gets nowhere and makes me angry enough at their denial and condescending attitude that I want to immediately drop the friendship for good. They can all take their EV or hybrid cars, their "Coexist" bumper stickers, and their smug, superior attitude towards true progressives, and shove it. In their own way, they are as bad as Trumpers, and I have little more respect for them than Trumpers. Because the smug liberal Dems are maybe even more phony than Trump supporters when they claim to be so enlightened and part of the good guys, but when it matters, they care only about identity politics, virtue signaling, and their retirement accounts. They are not willing to seriously fight or sacrifice to stop climate change, and they are perfectly content with capitalism as it is, as long as it keeps working well enough for them. They feel no need to protest how capitalism is killing and abusing their class lessers. But then again, Phil Ochs already said this decades ago in his song, "Love Me I'm A Liberal".

True, although my friends are all online so it's not exactly the same.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 6, 2021:

For some people, like my childless older sister, pets act as surrogate children for them.

Say Hello to Alice112, the newest christian troll to post a picture in her profile of her big tits.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 5, 2021:

Well I'll be damned, "she" appears to still be here. We've all been proven wrong and made fools of....

Who did you love the most in your family As for me my mom What about you?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 5, 2021:

It wouldn't be anyone in my family, as my parents are dead and my siblings are pretty much estranged from me, and have been for most of my adult life. So it would have to be my best friend, as my friends have been my real family for a few decades now, with the exception of my late wife, who I loved the most while she was alive.

Ron Paul.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 5, 2021:

If you really believe that, then maybe you should just go park yourself into the middle of a big group of Trumpers and anti-vaxers that are unvaccinated, play Russian roulette with the virus, and see how long you can stay there without getting infected with it. Of course, if you do get unlucky and infected, please don't take yourself to an ER or hospital and trouble them with your own bad choices....

If a woman that's been in a shitty marriage for waaaayyyy too long and has been neglected takes a ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 5, 2021:

I wouldn't know. My only LTR was a long and happy marriage to my late wife. It was great until she got dementia and later died from it. If not for that, I would still be married and happy, instead of dealing with the bullshit and baggage of all the divorced women who make up most of my local dating pool on Match. I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions, but I know little about them as they seem to have rigid, narrow standards which cause them to seldom choose me for potential dating and reply to my messages. Most of the women I have connected with from online dating seem to have lots of baggage and unrealistic standards, so I can only guess that most of them have never gotten any therapy after their divorces, only things like divorce groups or church courses on divorce, etc. Nothing that was professionally run by a licensed therapist or any kind of intensive individual therapy. So maybe that's why I never got the pleasure of being spoiled and adored by a grateful divorced woman, except for my late wife, who had two shitty marriages before me. Maybe she did so because she was a transplant to my backward state, was a fellow non-believer, and didn't have all the usual brainwashing of most women raised in the Midwest,, just a thought, Canndue, in case you are watching......

CLUMSY KITTY FAILS | Funny Cat Videos - FailArmy [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 4, 2021:

I don't think most of these are funny. I feel bad for the poor cats ending up scared just so the humans can have a laugh at their expense. Bad cat owners!

How many things on this list have you experienced? 34 for me.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 4, 2021:

21

Yes deal with the problem

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 4, 2021:

Feline addicts...

I won't eat 3 items. How about you?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2021:

Probably half the items on the list are things I won't eat.

Say Hello to Alice112, the newest christian troll to post a picture in her profile of her big tits.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2021:

My money says "she" will be gone before the end of the day... At least someone knows how to get the attention of the male audience here, lol.

When in Las Vegas, a fellow diner (also from Texas said that he didn't believe the federal ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2021:

They can never admit when they are wrong. I don't know how anyone could stand being married to someone like that. Must be the attractions of money and power.

When in Las Vegas, a fellow diner (also from Texas said that he didn't believe the federal ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2021:

That shit is happening here in Iowa. Our Repub governor, Covid Kim is refusing to let school districts require masks or provide only online learning. So much for the longtime Repub policy in our state of local control. They also oppose local control when the citizens or county government try to limit or prevent the building of huge hog lots. But they refuse to ever see or admit hypocrisy in any of that.

Where is the best place to meet members of the opposite sex?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2021:

I have to laugh about the voting option of Bars. The only two people I have ever heard say in recent years that they prefer bars for meeting people to date were two women who did not strike me as being the brightest bulbs in the room. One was my age, who said " I would never spend money on a dating site, I'd just go back to the bars to meet men". I bet she had not tried bars for meeting men since she was much younger than now. And trust me, things have changed a lot since then. The other woman who favored bars was working for a cleaning crew that was cleaning my home, since I decided to spend the money to get it done fast and painlessly for me, hoping it will help motivate me to start working on the remaining clutter. The woman said she always used bars to meet men. Both women were not very well educated and I suspect their standards for men were not very high, which might make bars a fitting place for them to meet men. But for me, in the recent years that I have been to bars only to hear live music or sing karaoke, what I see at bars, as far as women who look like they MIGHT be single, as opposed to the ones there with men who appear to be coupled up already, is women who are there to get very drunk and the bar and drinking appear to be a big part of their life, at the least. And women who appear to be there to seek sex, not men to date steadily or for any real relationship. I know I am generalizing, but I don't fit with either of these types, so dating sites would appear to offer much better prospects for the kind of women and relationship I am seeking. The other voting category that makes me laugh is volunteering or political activism. I volunteered for the Bernie Sanders campaign in 2016 and met some women during that, very superficially, and the problem with that is that after the campaign was over in my state, everybody left and went their own way, and even the one woman I got to know a little and asked me to Friend her on FB, didn't even remember me a few years later when I messaged her to see what she thought of the current political scene. She said that she "doesn't talk about politics these days except with people she knows really well", as if she was ashamed or embarrassed to have supported someone like Bernie who lost. So much for that way of meeting singles to date, what a joke! Few to no women are volunteering in campaigns to meet men, even if they may run into men they have a lot in common with. So looking there, as man, is a waste of time, because they are not open to or interested in dating people they meet in the campaign. They move on with their life as soon as the campaign in over.

Now for some much needed levity.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2021:

I would say this group of women pretty well cover the range of crazy in the singles scene. Funny how timeless this stuff is.

In other words - Rules for thee, not for me

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2021:

Yup, they will always deny their hypocrisy, and do it with a straight face, or at worst, a smirking sneer.

Extremely stupid

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 2, 2021:

It may be stupid, but it is actually logical when you already know, as they did, that the system and the government was very unlikely to punish them for their actions. At the time they rioted, nothing was done by the police or military to stop most of them, so they rightly assumed there would be no consequences. And in my mind, there won't be, unless almost all of them get long prison sentences, the same way anybody from the left would get if they attempted to overthrow the government or seize control of the capital. History shows that if anybody from the left tries that, they will either get execution or a very long prison sentence, probably for life.

Letters From An American 08/01/2021

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 2, 2021:

The article is so right on many points. The few I would single out are how you cannot trust or really expect to bring change within the system. AOC, even Bernie, have sold us out already in the past and we cannot expect to bring change simply thru the one-party system we have already. You heard me right, we have a one-party system with two wings, where the wings distract us from their cooperation and collusion on serving the ruling class, corporations, and endless war, by using their culture war battles between them. We need to challenge the system in the streets and thru revolution, if possible, unless we can finally get most eligible voters to quit dropping out of voting or continuing to vote for the two major parties, and instead vote only for third party candidates in fed elections. And the article is so right about how quickly progress can be taken away thru our corrupt pols in both major parties, partly because the corporate media conveniently either ignores our progressive history or puts out disinformation about our true history.

What is the universe made of ? Just curious

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 2, 2021:

Judging by your profile photos, boobs and penises make the world go round...

Relationship last longer when a man don’t share it out to anyone Or am I wrong ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 2, 2021:

Looks like another scammer, will disappear soon.

Thank France backbone and brains about lockdowns A reported 200,000 protesters hit the street ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 2, 2021:

Duplicate post much?

Most of them wouldn't understand the irony

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 1, 2021:

I have found that most right wingers have no sense of irony, nor of hypocrisy or inconsistency on their part or that of the leaders they support. They seem to subscribe to the attitude of "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds". To them, great minds and great leaders do not have to be consistent in their beliefs and actions, or even tell the truth.

Most of them wouldn't understand the irony

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 1, 2021:

No shit. And probably also, the person is trying to overcompensate for something, like feeling weak or powerless, or maybe having a small dick. Maybe it would be safer if they just got a huge pickup truck like most of these fools.

Actually dating profile on OKCupid: My self-summary Looking for a casual fling.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 1, 2021:

What an asshole, at least by my ethical standards, but at least they are being upfront. I don't believe in cheating. If you want an open relationship, then be adult enough about it to ask your partner to accept it, and if they don't, be adult enough to either end your primary relationship or respect your partner and be faithful to them.

First Date Question

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 31, 2021:

I would never waste my time on a Trumper, once I knew their politics. As for general rules on dating, I usually settle for or initiate a hug at the end of the first in person meeting, which is usually for coffee. I offer to walk them out to their car and do the hug there, if they are comfortable with it. The man should try to read the woman before that moment for what they seem to be up for or wanting. I know from my point of view, it's really great and helpful if the woman gives some signal about wanting a hug by opening their arms towards me at that time to make it clear they are interested in a hug. I rarely attempt a kiss at the goodbye unless the woman has really been putting out some signals that they are attracted to me, like playing with their hair, looking intently and warmly into my eyes, moving closer across the table, etc. I always meet first for coffee, like I said, and I always offer to pay for it, but if the woman insists on paying for hers, I respect that and let her do so. I don't believe in any of that stuff about a woman "owing" a man anything, whether it's sex, a hug, or a kiss for buying her anything, whether that is a coffee or a meal. But I do avoid meeting first for a meal instead of coffee, because I have learned from experience there are plenty of selfish, cynical women out there who agree to meet a man for a meal, just so they can enjoy the ego trip of getting a free meal and playing a game on him of never seeing him again or savoring his one-sided interest in them while for her the man is just a meal ticket and ego stroke of being wanted and not giving him sex, as he expected, in payment for the meal. I even had a former massage therapist, who I dropped after finding out she was a Trumper, that confided in me how she would play this game for free meals a lot when she was younger and single. Online dating is a jungle out there, Lonnie, and I am on Match now, just like you. I wish you the best and your best is all you can do. So much of it is pure luck and beating the very uphill odds of meeting someone compatible who is smart and offbeat enough to choose you over all the competition that is there on paid dating sites like Match. For what's worth, even tho you are several years older than me, if you lived in my area, I would be eager to meet you.

When a Muslim Woman Was Harassed at a Store, Bystanders Came to Her Defense | Beth Stoneburner | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 30, 2021:

Hell Yes! Asian, Hispanic, Muslim, whatever. People need to wake up and realize that not standing up to racists and fascists eventually comes to bite everyone in the ass who is not a white male straight Christian in the US. Plus, I just love to confront assholes, whether it's on my behalf or on the side of someone else who is being harassed or bullied. I only regret that I didn't have the guts to do it when I was a kid and being bullied myself.

I can't get my computer to work.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 30, 2021:

Your cat is a cutie..

Received this latest post on my facebook timeline: People mocking the emotions of cops from January...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 30, 2021:

All of that just shows that all the crap from Trump's supporters about being for law and order, backing the blue, etc. is really just about racism and keeping colored people in their place, rather than any real respect or support of law and order, or any real support for cops.

Munchie wasnt thrilled that I sneezed and woke him up. 😹

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 29, 2021:

Cats are never thrilled about being woke up. Munchie needs his beauty sleep and sleep is a cat's main activity anyway....

I am totally aghast and gobstopped today.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 28, 2021:

Your experience reinforces my reasons for the plans I have made with my two closest friends regarding my memorial service after my death. I am all too aware of how common it is for people to take advantage of the situation following someone's death to put out a lot of self-serving, phony baloney stuff at the memorial service or on online obituary sites, where they revise history to pretend like they were chummy or admiring of the dead when the reality is that they were despised by and estranged from the dead person. While I know there is no way to prevent someone from trying to do this with online obituary pages, the people I trust, along with the funeral home, can easily remove these kind of condolence notes once they are spotted. As far as the memorial service, I am particularly concerned that my siblings, who I am estranged from and have little contact with, might try to use an open sharing period in my memorial service to revise history or pretend to have been supportive or caring for me during my life, when that is anything but the reality. So my trusted friends will only have the people I have designated be allowed to speak at my memorial service. It's sad that people cannot be honorable and honest even after death, but I will do what I can before I die to prevent this kind of BS around my death.

Such a lovin' bobkitty..... [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 27, 2021:

Cat kisses. How affectionate...

TX Man Jailed for Setting Home on Fire to Punish Family for Not Following Bible | Hemant Mehta | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 27, 2021:

This guy's logic makes about as much sense as the WWII Japanese commander who came up with, " The daily beatings will continue until morale improves"....

Tuesday morning cuteness

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 27, 2021:

Sandal warmers.

This was posted by one of my over 50 single groups in NY lol. I am a Virgo lol.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 27, 2021:

I don't think the rest of the Sagitarius traits apply to me, but I do enjoy being in LTRs.

Major turnoff: Obvious copy/paste generic greetings. Just...no.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 27, 2021:

I would agree with that being a turnoff, but I honestly have never gotten any of those, except from obvious scammers. Someone who doesn't mention anything said in my profile or anything that comments on something I said in my message to them, since I'm almost always the one who messages first, doesn't get a reply from me.

Republican says he wasn’t involved in fatal crash despite motorcycle stuck to the front of his car...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 27, 2021:

Only a Repub pol or a sociopathic career criminal, can tell a bald-faced lie with a straight face. Maybe that's why they are sometimes a member of both groups....

This is great real bipartIsan effort

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 26, 2021:

The thing is, lots of time and money will be wasted on this, same as with the two impeachments on Trump, because in the end, nobody will get jailed or kicked out of congress for helping the rioters. While I agree with the intent and goals of this investigation, I am tired of pointless exercises in DC by our congress instead of focusing just on action that will improve the lives of most Americans. I think lots of other people, both on the left and the middle, are getting just as tired as me of this stuff.

Hey guys ♥️ got back last night from a wknd to Annapolis , one of my favorite towns in USA , ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 26, 2021:

Could you explain who or what Diego is?

From the weird mind of Steven Wright.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 25, 2021:

I see Stephen Wright as kind of an off-the-wall twisted version of the SNL sketch, Deep Thoughts With Jack Handy.

WATCH: Disgraced Fox News host Tucker Carlson called out as 'worst human' during Montana vacation - ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 25, 2021:

You can call someone out in public as long as you don't threaten them physically, don't touch them, and don't follow them once they turn around and walk away from you, since doing the latter could be trumped up as a stalking charge. Of course, it's much sweeter if you record it on video so you can post it for going viral.

Anti-vax Hillsong Church member Stephen Harmon, 34, dies of Covid after posting 'I got 99 problems ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 25, 2021:

When people die from this kind of stupidity, it truly seems like nature thinning the herd...

My new little princess Maia..

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 24, 2021:

So cute and elegant. I bet she demands to be treated as the diva she is...

Iowa’s GOP Eliminated a Family Planning Program Only to See Abortions Skyrocket | Rebekah Kohlhepp...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 24, 2021:

It makes sense in their warped mental universe, because, according to them, all you need to do is live right, by getting married young, after being abstinent, then have your kids and then get your tubes tied. Anyone who doesn't practice abstinence before marriage, has sex outside of marriage, or has an unwanted pregnancy, just doesn't have the right values, and deserves to have to suffer thru an unwanted birth. In their minds, abortions only happen because people aren't living right or by the religious right's standards. It's not about really wanting to prevent abortions, it's more about controlling women and forcing them to be good Christians who only have sex within marriage and for making babies. In other words, values that could only be formulated by insecure patriarchal men and incels, which is who Repub men tend to be.

Kitty is pissed at Karen

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 24, 2021:

Guess she had him fixed.

Anti-vax Hillsong Church member Stephen Harmon, 34, dies of Covid after posting 'I got 99 problems ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 23, 2021:

Some people only learn the really hard way.... It's the ultimate example of "You can't fix stupid"..

Persons who form, sponsor, promote LGBTQ+ activities to spend ten years in jail

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 23, 2021:

That's what you get with a theocracy, and it's also the kind of laws and tyranny the religious right in America would implement if they ever get control here.

They only now realized that too many of their voters were dying of the virus.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 23, 2021:

Let's hope they catch on slow enough to cause a big drop in Repub voters there.

They want to require an ID to vote, but don't ask them for proof of vaccination to go mask-less.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 23, 2021:

It's called typical Repub hypocrisy.

Typical liberal hypocrisy, and political posturing.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 23, 2021:

And of course, CF, your Repub pols are never hypocritical, lying or posturing? Didn't think you would ever admit that about your side. I could go on forever about how much of it your side does...

Exposing your anus

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 23, 2021:

You forgot one part incel...

Great sign we need more

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 23, 2021:

Giving them the shoe that fits..

It is so hard to be alone.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 22, 2021:

Tell me about it. Aren't we all alone, at some point or another?

Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use | TheHill

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 22, 2021:

That animal looks stoned and happy, leave it alone...

What what's the deal with this site?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 22, 2021:

This site is a failed experiment, as far as it being a dating site. The admin., who appears to be long gone from being involved here, apparently created the site with hopes of it being a dating site, but it never achieved the kind of critical mass in membership to make local dating an option for most members here. So it continues, at least for now, as a social network site for non-believers. I still think it's superior to FB as far as the level of discussion here. Like it or lump it... I think the other commenters have covered the rest of your ?s.

Should there be a word for people who have rejected Covid-19 vaccination and later regretted it?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 22, 2021:

I'll take " What is a moron?", for $200, Alex....

It has been a long time, a really long time, so long that the next time I'm with a woman and things ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 21, 2021:

Good funny line there, but speak for yourself chief. I will be prepared, at least as far as supplies. How ready I will be mentally or emotionally, that may be a different matter. We'll see. I may end up being in the same boat as you. The last time I was with anybody new, AIDS and HIV were a real concern. Nowadays things are much safer in general. And, lucky for me, the women I date these days at my age are either already in or past menopause, or already had their tubes tied, so pregnancy is pretty much a non-issue.

Have I missed the one?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 21, 2021:

Not saying all your thoughts and feelings aren't sincere and valid, but don't you think all this intensely personal sharing, unsolicited and to total strangers is a bit too much? I suggest some therapy, if you haven't had it already, and good luck with the search for a mate. For what it's worth, I have my own tale of love and regret. As a kid, a neighborhood girl that I had a crush on for years turned out later have had some romantic interest in me as well, at least by our high school years, when a mutual friend told me she was interested in me that way. But I never acted on my feelings for her, as a child or as an adolescent. It probably never would have worked out anyway for us as adults. But I learned my lesson and moved on soon from that. What is the lesson? When you have feelings for someone that appears to be single, be a man and act on it. It may or may not work out, but at least you will know how they feel and you never have a chance with someone if you don't try. Since then I have had no regrets regarding women that turned out to be incompatible or that rejected me. It has always been worth the effort.

Weapons grade antivaxxer stupidity is alive and well in France: [bbc.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

Stupid exists and grows wild in all countries, even in socialist ones it seems.

Yes get vaccinated they lie

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

Why should we be surprised or outraged? Being a Repub pol automatically exempts you from hypocrisy, whether it's this or being a chickenhawk draft dodger when it comes to supporting wars of choice after avoiding the one you should have had to be in.

Fox News treats its viewers as fools with latest vaccine disinformation campaign | Salon.com

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

So what? The swine just fall for it and eat it up anyway..

Yup, cause body aches,chills and a fever for 3 hours is the greater risk.. [aol.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

I wish the stupid suffered only on their own.

Defend the Cuba Revolution and Struggle for More Socialism, Not Less! “Capitalism transforms ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

I find Common Dreams particularly disappointing. They will occaisionally publish articles that are critical of the Dems, but they will almost never allow viewpoints or articles that promote the support of third parties instead of the fake opposition Dems. And esp. around election time, every two or four years, they impose a blackout on discussion of third parties, deleting comments and banning commenters for advocating voting third party instead of for Dems. It's obvious that CD is a Dem Party front, the same as MSNBC, where the real purpose is trashing the Repubs, but more importantly making sure no real progressives or third party candidates get elected at the fed level.

Loneliness and Dysfunctin: [nytimes.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

Jeeez, I get tired of people constantly posting links with paywalls or registration required to read the fucking article. I am getting to the point that I will probably stop even trying to click the links to them.

Hello people, some of you won't like me because I will possibly disagree with some things that you ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

Thanks for warning us in advance. I will make up my mind after I see what your thoughts and ideas actually are when you present them. Some others, no doubt, will see your preemptive disclaimers as defensive and controlling. Best of luck.

Newsflash idiots

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

That would make sense, but the churches have too much political power.

Family Bonds...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 20, 2021:

The two parent cats kissing is so cute..

Some thoughts I have after chatting with a friend about some exploitative patterns in relationships.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

I think both you and Lauren make a lot of good points. I may be just an old, out of touch Boomer, but I do think that Millennials are often very stunted when it comes to communication skills, not really their fault, but due to so much exposure to impersonal, short term attention inducing things like video games, texting, etc. Those things lead to a lot of them having difficulty with doing face to face conversation and actually listening to and engaging verbally with other people. It also leads to having stunted social skills about forming friendships that are close and committed, I think. Hell, yes, I think school should at least offer courses in this kind of stuff for kids before they finish high school. Not because they necessarily are going to get married soon after that, but because at least some of them are going to be having sex, getting pregnant, and living together, even if they didn't consciously plan to at that age. And they are going to need all the help they can get in navigating those situations anyway, with communication skills and relationship skills being critical.

Idiocracy: a disturbingly prophetic look at the future of America – and our era of stupidity | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

I have seen it and it looks like a documentary for the future around the time I hope to be dead by.

Jesuspeaks to politicians in Virginia

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

Duplicate post much??

Monday morning cuteness...I want some

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

Why not pizza? I have seen cats that will eat lasagna.

I officiated a wedding yesterday and ended up doing divorce counseling for a woman in the ladies ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

You're talking about the same woman in both cases, right?

Joel Osteen driving a $325k Ferrari is ridiculous and warrants scrutiny.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

I am sure if there really was a God like the Old Testament one who struck down sinners, the lightning bolt would have hit him long ago. Living proof there is no divine judgement.

Lean creates a feeling of euphoria and relaxation that makes you feel dreamy, almost like you're ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

You are one twisted, funny dude, man, but I like you! The reason we don't see many fat old people is that most old people don't have as much appetite as younger people. Probably because they are not as active, for one thing, and their metabolism doesn't process food as fast or well as younger folks. Also, older people don't digest as well, so they cut down on their intake to be more comfortable. So it results in less obesity. You still see old people, tho, that have bellies hanging over their waists, as their abdominal muscles get really weak and flabby and belly fat does build up there, even tho the rest of them is thin.

Lambada kitty! [vm.tiktok.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2021:

Those hairless cats kind of creep me out, but this video is hilarious for the other cat's reaction.

Arlene, my housekeeper of 12 years, passed away last month.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 18, 2021:

Maybe, like they do at most Unitarian memorial services, they should have allowed friends of the deceased to be able to get up and share some reflections on the person who died. But I know that is rarely done or allowed at Christian churches, which is too bad. Their house, their rules. I know that when I die, my closest friend will have all the say about my memorial service, unless I have another partner by then, and I have directed them to only allow the speakers that I have already designated to speak about me at the service. That is for two reasons. First, my siblings have had little contact with me during my adult life and frankly, they do not understand, appreciate, or respect me, so I don't want them to be able to comment on me at the service, when they are basically strangers to me for the last few decades. Secondly, I have seen way too many instances at memorial services where someone the dead person despised, got up there during the open sharing period for friends and family of the deceased and used the platform to spew out a lot of phony baloney admiration or complimentary stuff about the deceased. I am not trying to control the service from the grave, so to speak, but simply trying to preserve the values and attitude of trying to practice truth and integrity the same way I have in my life. I also know I can count on my friends who I designate to also mention some of my faults and character flaws, as well as my virtues and positive acts, so there will be balance, lol...

Billy Cox makes me gag a little at times, but I like this one.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 18, 2021:

I can see how this guy might at times be a little too sappy, but I agree with the attitude of this meme and how it sums up a healthy relationship.

An update on my daughter Becky.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 17, 2021:

Hope it works. I'll be keeping her and you in mind.

I'm 58 and looking for a partner.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I hear ya, and I feel your pain. I have had all those experiences and more. In fact during one four month stretch, I got stood up by four different women for the first in person meeting for coffee. I felt like giving up then, but I didn't. I doubt you're doing something wrong, that's just how the online dating game goes, at least if you are an average-looking man, which I am and you appear to be. I get a response rate of about 5-10% from my intitial messages I send to women. The reality is that women do not feel they owe you a reply, unless they are interested in learning more about you and possibly meeting you. I don't live in Australia, so I don't know what sites you're using, but I get messages too sometimes from women who live outside the area of my dating range, 55 miles away. It sounds like the latest date sort of ghosted you. Yup, been there too. The reality is that women feel that the best way to reject someone is to just ghost you, rather than give you an explanation. Same with messaging. Not replying is the safest method to them because it gives you no false encouragement about them. Same with ghosting after they meet you. I don't agree with that method, but a lot of women feel very afraid for their safety, so they ghost, because it gives you no encouragement to keep contacting them, and it doesn't give you any false hope about them being interested in you. The bottom line is, a lot of women are cowardly, as are a lot of men, and online dating makes it easy to be selfish and impersonal. I've had women tell me they feel afraid of being stalked by men they have rejected, even if the man doesn't know where they work or live, or even what their full name is, or their phone number. I think that is sort of paranoid and irrational, but I've heard it used as a justification for ghosting. Finally, I have learned that many times, just because things seem to be going well with the process of getting to know a certain woman from online dating, it should always be remembered that things can and often do turn on a dime. The woman may have talked with her female friends about you and changed her mind about the potential relationship because of that, and you'll never know if that happened. Same thing with parallel dating. She could be, and often they are, if they are average or above average-looking, in contact and messaging or even seeing in person, a few other men or even several other men. And thus, even if things seem to be going well, she may dump you for one of the other men she likes more or feels more compatible with. The problem is that online dating is like gays in the military was a couple decades ago in the US, the rule is Don't Ask, Don't Tell, as far as asking or revealing if you are seeing someone else or in contact with someone else. ...

The bullshit repubilcans

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 16, 2021:

No shit, that's exactly how it works for the left, whether it's voting rights, anti-war, or BLM, we get the bare knuckle treatment and they get the kid gloves. Same way BLM gets lots of cops, military, tear gas, rubber bullets and injuries, while conservative protesters get no arrests at the scene, no rough treatment, and the cops pulling back to let them do as they wish, or even taking selfies with them and giving them aid, like in Kenosha, WI. And of course, no national guard troops when they protest. It removes all doubt which side the government, the military, and the cops are allied with, and it sure ain't anyone on the left.

Covid symptoms: Is it a cold or coronavirus? [bbc.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 16, 2021:

It can be hard to tell. I had Covid in Dec. and recently I felt the same symptoms for about a day as I did then. So I went to Urgent Care clinic and got tested for Covid. It was negative, and I felt much better the next day, was fine after that.

Truer words , very powerful

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 16, 2021:

I do believe that is true. I had to be taught to fear other people, esp. people who were different than me in color.

The Myth of Capitalistic Efficiency [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 16, 2021:

It's been long obvious to anyone with intellectual honesty that to capitalists and rich people, the lives of peasants who are killed or chewed up and spit out in the pursuit of profits, don't count for squat. Capitalism is war, conducted by other means than conventional war, against everyone but the rich. And their side has been completely winning for several decades now, while the bodies of peasants pile up by the millions. The war has cost none of the lives of the rich, as none of them have been executed in a revolution, like there was in France long ago. The commentator is naive, as the capitalist has no real incentive to provide adequate food or health care to their workers, who can be easily replaced with other easily exploited workers, They are no better or different than machines to the capitalist, just replace them as soon as they age or wear out.

Humor

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 16, 2021:

I have not really noticed any difference in humor between the two groups.

Mike Lindell, the My Pillow Guy, has picked August the 13th as the day Donald Trump will be ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 16, 2021:

I used believe in when Santa and the Easter Bunny were coming on a particular date, but that didn't make either of those happen, so rotsa ruck to Lindell on his prediction with Trump's reinstatement.

Biden DOJ Indicts 16 Members Of Violent White Supremacist Gang – Breaking News USA

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 15, 2021:

About fucking time...

According to one of my friends, I’m going to the Christian Hell just because I’m Pro-LGBT.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 15, 2021:

As Mark Twain said, "Hell for company, Heaven for virtue"...

How many in this group knew this over 5 years ago?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 15, 2021:

I knew five years ago..

Now that's a prayer lol

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 15, 2021:

A big Amen from me!

These days I mostly just want someone to talk to.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 14, 2021:

I've never had kids, and that is by choice, so I have no idea what it's like to live with a 12 yo. I only have my Covid isolation of about 14 months, where about the only adult verbal conversation was pretty much on the phone. That period was really hard on me socially and emotionally, but your situation is probably as tough or tougher. Hope you find some relief and adults to talk to.

Humble vs Ego

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 14, 2021:

Interesting stuff. I admit that I love being right, in general, but most of the time I have no interest in proving myself right to others, at least in the city I live in, because I am too well aware of how much I am outnumbered by people who are not as intelligent, educated, or experienced in being around a diversity of types of people as me. So I don't bother wasting my breath or energy on them. They are simple, small-town hicks, even tho it's a city of tens of thousands. And it's not worth the hassle of trying to change or confront them and have them gang up on me and retaliate by hassling me later. My city used to be a small town of about 10K, until the late 20th century, when it began to attract lots of people from rural areas that wanted to live close enough to the good jobs in the Des Moines and West Des Moines area, but far enough away to not have to live around or send their kids to school with, POC. The vast majority of them are conservative Christians, racists, and Trumpers, and there's no changing them.

I'm defiantly happier since I been an Atheist and my mind opening to more things like dating outside...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 14, 2021:

I am open to dating someone who isn't white, but am very skeptical about it ever succeeding, since it's tough enough to find a woman even in my race that shares my offbeat, at least for Iowa, cultural and lifestyle traits. In fact, I recently connected and even met up in person with a woman who was black, and we seemed to hit it off well. But then she blocked me a couple days later on the dating site, after not returning my first phone call to her, etc. My guess is she was just too young for me, nine years younger, and used to dating men who preferred texting to actually talking on the phone, like I do. Live and learn, I need to date women my own age who are not into all the texting and being tied all the time into social media and tech. Someone more old fashioned, like me. The experience made me gunshy about ever approaching someone again on a dating site who isn't white, as she seemed to have no problem with that. First time that I ever tried someone not white.

An excellent point

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 14, 2021:

I have a couple friends who are way different than me on politics, and the only way we can get along is if we leave that topic off limits. One of them is a Libertarian, the other is a very centrist Dem who keeps refusing to recognize the faults and corruption of the Dem Party. But both of them agree with me about morality and share my morality, so I am willing to keep them as friends because of that.

What do y'all think about suggesting a correction to a mistake in someone's online dating profile?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 14, 2021:

I've been there and will never do it again. Even politely pointing out an error in someone's profile gets a hostile, defensive reaction, in my experience, no matter how much you explain that you are trying to help and are interested in them. As a Catholic priest said to me, the first time I ever heard this saying, "No good deed goes unpunished." It always leads to the other person rejecting you, even tho on paper, at least, you seem compatible before the correction and the conflict it leads to.

Oh helll,,,, you know this was coming up at some point.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 13, 2021:

I always considered a lot of contemporary Christian artists to be either eccentrics who couldn't succeed in secular rock or pop, or in other cases, washed-up has beens from the rock scene who went the Christian route as a way to boost or extend their music career. Same way a lot of rockers go country after they get too old to do rock music anymore and no longer have any edge to their music. Similar to Christian movies, low quality versions of Hollywood films.

Dating in Arizona: Here's a quote from a woman's profile: "No I haven't gotten.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 13, 2021:

I think the profile proves the woman is nuts and someone to take a hard pass on, unless you enjoy crazy with sex and think she's hot enough looking to take the risk for some casual sex. Your call.

A strange case of identical cats.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 12, 2021:

Tuxedo Junction...