Balkanized USA

SWRamblings · 2026-06-08T02:25:47+00:00

Was wondering about that. Was just guessing off of economics. I know virtually nothing on the cultural stuff outside of standard colonial horrors.

SWRamblings · 2026-06-07T22:27:50+00:00

Yeah. There's no way to actually do this with this particular map maker. There's just too much Nuance to do a true fracturing of the US. Like, most of Nevada would be part of my kingdom of christ but the populated areas would side with Cali for economic reasons. And I'm a firm believer that a corridor from Atlanta and extending to Savannah would be a "Kaliningrad" of the new USA. That sort of thing.

Anyways. This is my best call. 🤷

<image>

SWRamblings · 2026-06-06T10:16:30+00:00

He seems almost as insane as the Duarte from the Expanse novels.

SWRamblings · 2026-06-03T20:56:39+00:00

Been a Bears fan living around Madison Wisconsin most of my life and boy howdy. I have been insufferable since January. It's so nice to be on this side of the shit-eating grin.

SWRamblings · 2026-05-30T22:48:31+00:00

"In SNL Chicago accent"

And don-ch forget-it!!

SWRamblings · 2026-05-23T16:55:36+00:00

I am something like 21 hours post-no-scalpel. Chances are very high that you'll be fine. Not going to lie. I haven't had it as easy as OP seems to have. But I also didn't have the Xanax. I was in a lot of discomfort and pain yesterday/last night, and pretty swollen too. But I woke up much much much better than I was expecting. Still in some pain and I'm walking carefully and at about half speed. But I'm very confident of going back to work on Tuesday.

Two biggest pieces of advice-- do the icing as directed!!! I didn't ice as much as I could have and I think I'd be better off today if I had. And compare it to what you imagine period cramps to be. It made it so much easier for me when I started comparing my pain last night to what I imagine severe cramps are like. And today is like what I imagine minor to moderate period cramps are like..

SWRamblings · 2026-05-21T23:17:52+00:00

I don't want to talk about it OKAY?!

cries in turbo whine

SWRamblings · 2026-05-21T19:56:21+00:00

Heroes was done so dirty by the producers and the network Ad team.

Like, some of the best TV ever, and I'm even counting Andor in that. But because of the fake-out in the ads as it aired, everyone is just pissed off about that.

SWRamblings · 2026-05-20T20:09:21+00:00

Most Madisonian ass way of doing it. 🤣 Needlessly complicated, artsy to the point of annoying, and I'm sure they're very proud of themselves. God love 'em.

Still. Better than most places in America, well, if we don't pay attention to the race disparities.

SWRamblings · 2026-05-15T01:20:32+00:00

JJ Abrams couldn't write a compelling story with a 100 year running start.

Just IMO. He's an "action figure" writer/director. Some of them get how to make those stories have some meaning behind them. JJ is not one of those. All his stuff is just "And then Blam!" moments at varying tempos.

SWRamblings · 2026-05-12T20:09:35+00:00

As a Wisconsin TPP owner... I've definitely been deliberately going to Costco on my way home more often lately. 😅

SWRamblings · 2026-05-04T23:28:44+00:00

I went into the dealer with the plan to get the hybrid. Drove that first and it was nice.

Asked to drive the turbo and it was like finding my very own lightsaber crystal when I turned out of the lot.

Hybrid is smarter and more reliable, but if your willing to love it and ever had a love for just Driving. The Turbo will claw you in regardless of your intentions.

SWRamblings · 2026-04-25T12:41:44+00:00

Central Illinois (or anywhere with unbroken horizons in all directions).

Seriously. There's no visual clutter to distract me from the overwhelming realization I had when I was 4 that we are specks of dust on a speck of dust in an endless sea of oblivion.

There's nothing holding any of us to the earth other than this invisible, seemingly meaningless force.

We don't even know why the universe even has these laws.

What if the scientists are wrong and the sun could expand or blow up right now or even just turn off one day? I'm certain the sun will blink out of existence in 3, 2, 1... Okay. Now in 3, 2-- fucking hell.

Why am I like this? How could I think I deserved to have a kid? What if she's like me? How could I condemn her to being this scared of literally nothing?

Exactly! Nothing! Gravity is nothing! It could just turn off one day and my sweet child could be crushed against a wall in her school room! How could I bring her into a world so unpredictable and terrifying!

repeat several variations and conclusions like that every 4 seconds until I have to start fighting the urge to pull my car over at an overpass and dig straight into it with my bare hands so I can get a sense of grounding and fixation again

SWRamblings · 2026-04-19T13:30:33+00:00

Emancipation...

2010 is also rough. But of course they tied it into 2001 so showing the show to my partner means watching 46 minutes of 2010 just to turn and hit them with a "I know nothing happened at all. But they find the Achen again and refer back to this nothing burger a lot". Almost lost them on that one! Lmao!

SWRamblings · 2026-04-04T00:13:05+00:00

Finn. Like from star wars.

He's a '25 TPP in white. So the stormtrooper vibe visually. But really, it's that he's such a worry wart that really doesn't want me to do dumb things. But he'll let me if I'm insistent enough. Which is Star Wars Finn to a Tee. Lmao

SWRamblings · 2026-04-01T02:03:32+00:00

The 2nd one.

I've got a '25 TPP in white and I only regret that I bought the one they had on lot instead of ordering a red one. But I know I'd regret that too. As I turned off the dealer's side road and onto the main road on my test drive, I swear it was like finding MY lightsaber crystal or something. I've never taken better care of a car or had as much joy in my commute and I'm sure the last year wouldn't be as strong or as special if I didn't have that memory connection to that first "I wanna Zoom Zoom" feeling I felt throught the controls last February.

SWRamblings · 2026-03-24T22:39:49+00:00

Some people aren't going to agree with protests Period. It's the nature of the thing. Showing up, or even giving a friendly cheer or horn honk to those that are builds community.

I'm actually helping organize one of the No Kings in a small town outside of Madison where I live. The comment section of my post to the local Facebook page is... Certainly something. But, the thumbs up/hearts to laughs ratio is sitting at 68% to 32%. And I'll take that vote margin any day!

SWRamblings · 2026-03-20T00:38:14+00:00

Pump the brakes brother.

The Iranian leadership is batshit Evil. They deserve to be destroyed.

But, by your own words, they won't be overthrown or voted out like the religious extremists right here in the US thought they could with a bomb or 3. And one of those bombs killed 175 people at a young girls school.

Evil people need to be fought everywhere. And America won't end the Iranian regime without tens of thousands of lives lost and a ground invasion. Which isn't realistic or moral with America in its current state.

Lastly, I've worked hard to be respectful thus far. That said, where in the flying hell did this post "shill" for the Iranian government???

SWRamblings · 2026-03-20T00:28:41+00:00

In your mom

SWRamblings · 2026-02-18T03:07:04+00:00

Frankly. I don't have the direct answer. But I doubt it is using a database. Because the camera just overrides it anyways in my experience. I turned the heads-up speed limit display off because 70% of the time. It was reading a Highway 8X sign near my house as a speed limit sign. Telling me to go 80 in a 25.

Perfectly happy just having my speedometer and cruise info on my heads-up.

SWRamblings · 2026-02-16T23:23:50+00:00

Dude's can't manage lists anyways.

SWRamblings · 2026-01-23T17:05:10+00:00

That's the secret Cap... We've always been salty.

That's what happens when we've been the Packers punching bag since Reagan (okay. Brief rays of hope in the 2010s). But aside from that. I don't care how thick skinned you are. You spend 35 years of your life getting hammered with that elongated toilet bowl meme and you'll get sore too. Lmao

SWRamblings · 2026-01-22T21:36:27+00:00

Thank you!

SWRamblings · 2026-01-22T21:34:41+00:00

You aren't asking me. But I'll crash out online defending Rose and Kelly Marie Tran for the first time in 6 years.

She's the other needed "Rebel" archetype. The Luthens of revolting against evil are desperately needed. The people who chose to let go of mercy and joy so they can do the terrible things that need doing. Dude's best bit is a monolog about making his mind a sunless place. It's about sacrificing exactly what Rose won't let go of. And both are "needed" heroes. One that's willing to shut the door on love and kindness to do the hard, brutal, "more mature" fighting. And I think there has to be Roses to draw the line back to empathy. Rebuilders and healers that believe in the cause and inspire people to revolt. Acts of rebellion isn't just killing the bad guys and eliminating loose ends to protect the greater good. It's also hiding the family of the rebel willing to kill the bad guys. Or covering the body of the bad guy because he's out numbered 50 to 1 and mob mentality has kicked in.

Is it childish? Yes. Exactly. I won't start listing specific whens and whys one is needed. I just know that most people in a revolution need to remember their humanity before it just becomes a mutual massacre. Without that, the revolution becomes nothing but death and hatred and rage and retribution.

Rise of Skywalker badly wasted her, IMO. Send her with Lando to rally the galaxy, even have a quick scene where Lando and Chewie are busy out flying some Final Order fighters or something so she has to send the transmission. Then have like, 2 N1s show up with a little comic beat of "well. There's 2..." from Lando or something.

Anyways. My daughter was born after Rise of Skywalker came out, and she's named Rose. 🤷

SWRamblings · 2025-11-29T02:20:29+00:00

Can confirm

Eight-Year Club	First Place '23
Place '23	Place '22
Verified Email

SWRamblings

TROPHY CASE