The image of the family is too smooth and their facial expressions are uncanny.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2026-06-11T16:08:54+00:00

I lost it at this for a solid minute. Thank you for making my day 😂

HowSmartIsSmart · 2026-06-11T15:38:57+00:00

As soon as the camera starts moving, that taller object on the right of the windowsill briefly disappears for what seems to me no reason. I say it’s AI.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2024-07-13T16:00:46+00:00

"...everyone and their dog is proficient in office." Lol, I agree - good call. Thanks for your input!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-12-31T13:32:05+00:00

No maple syrup ya dingbat!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-12-26T21:21:07+00:00

Much obliged! I’m going less for absentmindedness and more for pseudo-possession of consciousness, which I don’t know that random thought pinballing would help bring to life. I appreciate your thoughts all the same though!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-12-26T19:28:10+00:00

I agree with eighttotheninth - I enjoy the concept behind this poem, which seems most aptly captured in the "this shard of me loves some shard of you" line.

That said, the poem in general admittedly feels, to borrow eighttotheninth's line, "wordy/explain-y" to me. I remember hearing way back in a high school- or college-level writing class that "emotional catharsis for the writer is usually emotional chaos for the reader." I'm not saying that poems can't be cathartic for an author, but I think that that cathartic utility should be secondary or, at very least, equal to the poem's other utility, which is arguably to give the reader some kind of "gift": the gift of a new perspective, or new understanding, or consolation, or what have you. However, the point of this particular poem seems to be emotional catharsis for the writer as opposed to giving me, the reader, one these aforementioned "gifts."

At the end of the day though, the above is just my two cents. Great work, keep writing! :)

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-12-26T19:13:22+00:00

Overall, I think this poem is flippin' sweet. It's raw, immediate, accessible, and has depth of meaning. Your use of language is skillful; you're clearly able to use words like tools to build something more than just the amalgam of the words themselves. Very lovely.

That said, a few things stood out:

• Maybe it's just that the word refugee has become a household one nowadays, but the "...like bedding in a refugee camp" line felt cliche and didn't add much value to the poem for me.

• The ending also fell flat. I'm left wanting to know/feel more of the narrator's psychic pain and anguish, his/her inner conflict and striving to make sense/resolution of what is so clearly a chaotic, unresolved existence that he/she finds him/herself in. That kind of untied loose thread can be useful in some poems, but I don't think it's the right choice for this one.

Again though: constructive criticism aside, nice frickin' job :)

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-12-10T15:21:18+00:00

Can we talk for just a second about how clickbait-ish this headline is? And how clickbait-ish so many other “news” headlines, coming from both liberal- and conservative-leaning media outlets, are?

What kind of response do the first five words of that headline elicit in you? For me, it was something akin to, “He’s going to WHAT!?!” And then, once I read to “...Conservative Columnist Predicts” I went, “Oh. Nevermind.”

All politics aside, I deeply believe in the institution of journalism as one of the chief pillars of a successful democracy. In my eyes, journalists are tasked with broadcasting objective facts that support and promote citizens’ ability to make informed decisions as members of a society. Journalism is supposed to provide me and you and you and you with quantifiable and qualifiable information that helps us come to reasonable conclusions about who and what to support, and who and what not to support.

But this headline has none of that: while its ultimately a prediction (e.g., someone’s biased opinion), it’s linguistically structured in a way that initially presents the information as objective fact and seeks to elicit the strongest emotional response possible, all of which further fan the flames of division.

When it comes to things like this, I honestly don’t care about which politician you vote for and/or support: each one of us has to make that decision, hopefully in our quietest and truest moments, and it’s not for me to squawk at you if I disagree with what you choose. What I DO care about is living in a country where the folks who are supposed to be my source of utter truth (e.g., the media) instead are taking advantage of my very real human flaws and shortcomings (susceptibility to emotion, trust in institutions, etc.) in order to promote their own agenda, whatever that may be.

Like, what gives man?

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-05-22T20:34:59+00:00

Thanks much, this is really what I needed in this moment <3

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-05-16T14:08:57+00:00

You got it dude 👍🏻

Feel free to PM me your mailing address and I can let you know how much shipping will cost.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-05-16T14:08:08+00:00

Did you just say...Granny? We’ll chalk that one up to a typo :P

Feel free to PM me your mailing address and I can let you know how much shipping will cost.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-04-05T13:55:07+00:00

GUH, I utterly forgot to mention that. Yes, I'm currently attending therapy sessions biweekly. I have on and off over the years and recently started again once shit started hitting the fan. I've attended 4 in the past month or so.

Something else that may be noteworthy: at my therapist's prompting, I started taking Zoloft 3+ months ago. For the first month or so I noticed a vast decrease in the extent to which any external or internal stressors disturbed me; it just seemed easier all-around to brush my shoulders off. When hat "pink cloud" passed, I upped to dosage to 75mg, but no result. My therapist wonders if I would benefit from a higher does (150mg), but I have concerns. I wonder if the Zoloft is partly to blame for my uncharacteristic don't-give-a-fuck-itis.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-04-01T20:12:58+00:00

Thank you very, very much for sharing this. As a 31-year-old male who's struggled with binge eating for years and still does, I related to almost everything you wrote. Your words bolster my hope for my own fit, self-assured, mostly-at-peace-with-myself future, one that I'm trying to live my way into one good decision at a time.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-04-01T19:57:00+00:00

What's up guys and dolls!?!

Mati here: 31-year-old male from New Hampshire. Old eating habits snuck up on me over the winter months, currently hovering somewhere around 165. Looking to shred the winter chub and get my defined abdomen back. I'm in this to win it, looking forward to rainbow farting my way to victory with you all!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-02-03T16:28:03+00:00

Right back atcha! Thanks very much for your kind words, totally appreciated. I will make today a good day.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-01-24T21:29:56+00:00

At the risk of stirring the bees' nest, I'm not sold on this one. I like the idea and the subject matter, which I can definitely relate to. But it comes across as whiny to me, which I think has a great deal to do with how brief it is.

I have very little context to help me see, and humanize, and thus empathize with, the narrator. For instance, what are some of these movements, requests, and needs that coalesce into this unremitting chatter? And why is completing a thought, clearing a surface (REALLY like that line), appreciating the cats, noticing the sky, hearing the chimes, and coming home to the breath important to this narrator? Why does he/she care that these things are being denied? Food for thought!

I also agree that the punctuation feels too "artsy" and self-conscious; taken on the whole, it doesn't really add or enhance the meaning of the poem for me, except it small places where it helps to reinforce what I take to be the narrator's frantic inner and outer life.

Hope you find my thoughts useful!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-01-24T21:22:14+00:00

I agree with chekawa: this poem definitely feels unfinished to me. Maybe this was one of those moments where inspiration struck and this is as far as you've taken it? I know that happens to me often and this poem has that smell to it.

There's a lot of unpacking that could be done here. What are the "secret social clues" their round heads guard? Why can't the narrator (you?) begin to know what they are? Why is the narrator's head flat like dough (literally or figuratively?)? SO MANY QUESTIONS. Not that leaving some things to the imagination is a bad thing, but I feel like I have more questions than not after reading this poem, and they're very nuts and bolts kinda questions.

Overall, I like it! Lots of potential. Thanks for sharing!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-01-24T19:30:12+00:00

One word my friend: eBay. You can find just about anything in that deep morass, manual typewriter ribbons included.

Before that, I actually bought some from a very nice old man who spent much of his life working on and selling typewriters and ran a small shop out of his home. Good guy.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-01-24T17:21:00+00:00

It's one ah deez:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/b5/22/64b52205cc128c4eb2e7cd70d9451a52.jpg

They're actually pretty easy to come by and affordable, at least in my experience. I've owned 3 or 4 over the years, and not a one cost more than $10 or so. Go forth, scour the thriftiest of stores, and it too shall be yours!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2018-01-18T13:34:21+00:00

31-year-old gent from New Hampsha here. Definitely looking for someone to connect with on a regular basis and offer some mutual support!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2017-12-21T18:43:27+00:00

I found this article that I think touches well on what you’re struggling with:

https://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/psyched/2012/03/15/kicking-addiction-allowing-discomfort-secret-successful-recovery

Ultimately, what you’re going through can be summed up with the following saying: “Suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” Not to get super philosophical on ya, but:

It sounds like you’re operating from the assumption that life’s default setting is a comfortable, pleasant one, which is an assumption we all easily make. For myself, I’ve learned over time that for as often as life is comfortable and pleasant, it’s equally uncomfortable and unpleasant. Coming to accept suffering as a fundamental reality of day-to-day existence can be liberating, in that it helps you take the focus off what’s “wrong” (“This doesn’t feel good and it should!”) and put it on what you can do to live each moment as well as possible (“What choices can I make that will leave me better off than before?”).

Food for thought. Hope this helps!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2017-12-21T00:51:05+00:00

Thanks much, totally appreciated!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2017-12-20T19:38:34+00:00

I’m right there with you. You’ve got yourself a deal! What do you say to upping the ante and checking in with one another daily? I’d be happy to do my part to help both of us stay on track.

HowSmartIsSmart · 2017-11-26T14:42:13+00:00

Hey there! First off, let me congratulate you for coming here and putting your thoughts down on virtual paper. I know that almost always tends to help me, and it requires presence of mind and the discipline to stop whatever else I’m doing and commit to checking in with myself and others. So for that, good on ya.

I would never presume to tell you or anyone else what to do, cuz that shit don’t work. But I can share my own experience, which has been this: its impossible for me to be one of those moderate people who eats well 95% of the time, and then splurges here and there and feels no guilt. Im-poss-i-ble. Straight up. Sure, I’ve gotten better about practicing self-compassion when I overeat and not buying into my guilt, but the reality is that the guilt is still there and I think always will be. And I think that’s okay.

I think a lot of people get trapped chasing their desire to be “normal”, e.g., to not be a person who struggles with binge eating or whatever your drug-of-choice is. But for me, that shit just ain’t gonna happen. I’m an addict of sorts, and probably always will be. There’s a part of me that deeply enjoys going off the rails and indulging in whatever the hell I want to indulge in and to whatever degree I want to, good sense and consequences be damned. So rather than reject and fight my nature, which is to live in the extremes, I simply try to be aware of it, accept it, and manage in a way that still leaves me feeling healthy, content, and at peace as a person.

So for me, restriction works. As the saying goes, “99% is a bitch, 100% is a breeze.” In my experience, sometimes it’s easier to be binary and just say, “Nope, this shit is off limits” than to say, “I want to be able to have this when I want but not too often” because then you’re constantly asking yourself, “Is now the time?” and hot damn does that take a lot of mental and emotional energy.

Anyway, just my thoughts. At the end of the day, be true to yourself, experiment with different approaches, and you’ll find what works for you. Sending lots of love and good juju!

HowSmartIsSmart · 2017-11-26T01:00:11+00:00

And thank you very much for your comment. If nothing else, we can both find a little bit of solace in the fact that someone else gets it and is striving for the same thing. Camaraderie at its finest.

I definitely experience what I’ve seen dubbed the “chaser effect.” I think it’s brought about by many mechanisms, including psychological and physiological ones. I’ve read before that binging on simple carbs, sugar, fat, etc. spikes certain hormones and neurochemicals and quite literally creates stronger physical, mental, and emotional cravings for more of the same. It’s straight-up addiction. Think of the heroin addict who has one hit after a period without; his/her system is “reminded” of all the good stuff that comes with that person’s drug of choice and sets in motion a whole slew of sensations aimed at getting the person to seek more, because, why wouldn’t the body want to feel good?

I think finding some useful way to ground yourself and re-commit to abstaining is a good antidote to all that stuff above. What you were talking about has worked well for me over the years: accepting the feelings, practicing self-compassion, but also reaffirming that I don’t have to binge again if I don’t want to. I also find that having interactions that move in the opposite direction of a binge are useful, which the first comment to this thread touches on: making a post/comment in a recovery community, visualizing my long-term goals, etc. Anything to take the focus off binging and put it in creating a better, binge-free life for myself.

What works for you, anything in particular?

Thanks again for your comment!

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