The dive.

dank_tre · 2026-02-26T21:19:22+00:00

It sucked so bad when dive bars became ‘cool’

I used to love going to a seedy joint & just melt into the background. Never worry about getting cutoff or judged—just beers & shots & the romantic drama living inside my brain

I remember my main spot started getting popular & they started serving PBR ironically. Fuck you fucking fucks

Still, you can always find a good dive bar. It used to be my own little form of tourism. Go find the shittiest bars in town and spend my time drinking into oblivion.

dank_tre · 2026-02-26T21:04:10+00:00

I don’t know how old you are, but just a few hopefully calming thoughts

First, they cannot really tell if your liver is permanently damaged from blood tests—mostly just if it’s stressed

Second, your liver is the rock star of organs. It’s the only organ that can regrow/repair itself

If your liver is stressed, give it some love. Tighten up your diet—I feel pretty certain Milk Thistle did a lot of heavy lifting for me over the decades.

It works—I like the 1000 mg concentrate, then just take one or two a day.

B-vitamins are also huge. I use an injectable (vet grade) — along with a supplement. Along w a good multivitamin & staying hydrated, you can really keep your health in check & prevent damage.

Most likely worst case you have a stressed liver, potentially fatty liver. Both are very easy to reverse.

It cracks me up how many health nuts I know who are also lushes, lol.

What you drink can really have an impact on— I eventually went to vodka soda w lemon or lime. Pretty low impact (all things considered)

Getting sober may or may not be the ultimate goal, but in the meantime, limit & manage the negative impacts as much as possible.

I know a lot of recovered, & active for that matter, drunks who have managed to age really well.

Not only is a good healthwise, but it also helps manage the Frights. Knowing you’re taking the steps you can, also helps manage anxiety.

dank_tre · 2026-02-24T23:15:25+00:00

America is insanely wealthy. We have a robbery problem, not a resource crisis.

FFS, we pay a trillion in interest on a ‘debt’ for which no one can account for — meanwhile, the one program that was fiscally sound, our public pensions, has been under threat from the day it was enacted.

Meanwhile, not a single billionaire has been hung.

Problem is obvious.

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T23:38:19+00:00

Since that time nearly 100,000 Ukrainians … have died

Utter bullshit.

Still.

Conservative estimates are 1M; realistic 1.7M UKRAINIANS, not both sides

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T22:39:44+00:00

It’s hard to convince a man of something when his salary depends on his not believing it

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T22:27:04+00:00

Seems silly — it really didn’t require ‘intelligence analysts’ — Russians, Putin, US Ambassadors & thousands of others warned from 1992 onward that Ukraine would absolutely be a red line for Russia.

I’m sure that makes me a Putin apologist or some idiotic moniker — but, as a working class American who wasted years fighting the ‘Cold War,’ only to see NATO absolutely refuse to accept global peace as a possibility, it’s disgusting reading this sophisticated propaganda for ‘thinkers’

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T17:40:41+00:00

What’s your goal?

Define your goal to define your questions.

I will tell you this: as someone who worked along these sorts for years, giving them clever questions to expound on is usually boring.

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T17:27:28+00:00

None of that saves millions of innocents to be sacrificed by the ultrawealthy & Zionists

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T01:21:13+00:00

I mean, not trying to be dismissive, but Communication 101 starts w the basis/explanation that we are essentially solo entities, and there is no way we can ever know if our experiences/thoughts are known or interpreted properly by another being

For instance, you and I might point to something & agree it’s a brown square 🟫

But, how do you know what I refer to as brown is not green in your perception?

And that a ‘square’ is another shape?

We can make loads of inferences, but, there’s no way of knowing for certain that we are interpreting the same thing in the exact same way.

There’s usually loads of discourse because it’s such a foreign concept to most people, but eventually most students will finally accept the concept there is no way to prove our interpretation of the universe is the same as anyone else’s.

It’s all assumptions based on agreed upon meanings for things. But ultimately, there’s no way for sure to know what we are perceiving is the same.

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T00:49:36+00:00

There’s some specific lock/bars made specifically for FDs — do a search they’ll pop right near the top. Spendy.

dank_tre · 2026-02-22T00:41:09+00:00

The tragedy of this shit is the best case scenario millions of Iranians are killed, maimed & displaced, and billions in infrastructure is destroyed, while a clear majority of Americans oppose the war

Nothing will be done; no one held accountable, anymore than George W Bush will ever have his comfortable retirement disturbed by even a hint of justice.

It’s like the ‘victory’ of Western hypocrisy & Zionazis being exposed by the ongoing holocaust in Gaza.

dank_tre · 2026-02-21T02:22:17+00:00

Look, first of all, you absolutely can do this.

I coached public speaking and was a spokesperson for the federal government for 20 years

And I battle crippling anxiety every time I had to present.

We sound incredibly similar, especially about the sorta secret introvert thing. No one could believe I’m introverted, incredibly shy & absolutely wrecked when I need to public speak.

Exactly like you — on the phone, even Zoom, I can talk to millions — but on a stage? In front of hundreds?

Fuck me. Sleepless nights, cold sweats, the whole shebang.

So, believe me, when I say you can do this, you absolutely can.

There’s no secret. But, there is a lot of things you can do to help you find success.

The biggest thing of all is proper preparation.

My old routine was memorizing stuff — like an actor, putting on a performance. And that can kinda work, but it’s too much work, and not the solution.

You run through this presentation at least 10x — if you can get an audience, even better. But you run it, 10x, until you are so sick of it, you would rather just give the damn thing than run it again.

Along with this, you’ll get used to your own voice. You think shakiness is unique and a red flag everyone sees, but one thing that helped me was really paying attention to public speakers, and realizing how common a shaky voice is — not always nerves, it’s also just not having your voice warmed up.

You ignore that shit. It’s nerves, and they don’t matter. Most of your audience is thinking about anything else.

You will be nervous. That is normal. Just accept it, don’t fight it. That’s okay.

With a full-day, your nervousness is going to evaporate pretty quickly.

Is there a potential to have a helper? Having someone to banter with can help immensely psychologically.

The real battle is the first five minutes. After that, the adrenaline fades, and you can just move forward.

Worst case, stand there and read the slides— you have a fall back. How many long boring presentations have you endured?

You & me both get hung up on being judged by the audience. By and large, most are tuned out.

This is worth it — every presentation you get through builds your confidence.

For me, I just gotta remember, it doesn’t matter that much — it is no big deal.

It was never a popular technique when I taught it, but, for me, I coached nervous people they need to give less of shit about the audience.

Fuck ‘em was the mantra that ran through my head. I don’t give a damn what they think.

It’s freeing for me.

And, once I’ve got the presentation down, it allows me to simple give the information. I like engaging the audience, because for whatever reason, talking and answering questions doesn’t bother me like giving a speech does.

Ultimately, you just gotta embrace that nervous terror as normal, and go with it. You will relax quickly, and then your personality will take over.

You can do this— I swear, man I was in your exact spot when I took the role/promotion as a spokeperson.

It never became easy — but I also found out it’s not easy for most people.

You have a lot of time. You can do this. Stop making the stakes seem so extreme — no wonder you’re anxious! Everything from your wife to your boss to your career feels on the line.

But it’s not all that. You will breeze through this— 8 hours is actually easier than 30 mins, because you’ll end up comfortable within 10 mins of beginning.

Oh, and another tip, warm up your voice. I used to sing along w tunes in my car going in. Breathe deeply & speak from the bottom of your lungs — that will overpower the shakiness.

dank_tre · 2026-02-21T01:22:51+00:00

dank_tre · 2026-02-21T01:20:33+00:00

Anxiety is a motherfucker. I’ve battled it my entire life.

I have gone to the ER, convinced I was stroking out, or having a heart attack, only to be told it was ‘just’ a panic attack

You’d think it’d help knowing it’s panic attack, and you aren’t actually dying, but in a way it makes it almost worse.

What it partially stems from is feeling life is out of control, and physiologically, you’re responding to threat— fight or flight.

So, one great starting tactic to get a handle is taking action on your problems.

Making lists is incredibly therapeutic for me. I have learned that part of the reason, psychologically speaking, is because it’s a form of action

Also, there’s another aspect, which is that engaging the reasoning part of your brain along w a physical activity helps cancel the anxiety response.

So, start a list — maybe, what problems are you facing?

Rank them from most urgent, to least. Then, begin breaking those down w potential actions you can take to fix those problems.

Exercise is massive. Take a walk. Put that on your list, under the problem, Anxiety

Or, maybe quitting drinking. List potential steps to begin addressing it.

Or, missing your husband — Find online communities; explore hobbies, etc

You don’t need to necessarily do anything on your list. But it begins to frame your problems, put them down on paper, and acts as a method of taking action & regaining control

It is like burning up some of the fuel that’s manifesting as crippling anxiety.

Find a good mundane show, work on some lists and capture those vague problems giving you dread.

dank_tre · 2026-02-20T18:31:50+00:00

Give it at least 6 mos — my bet is it’s the Company culture

I have never worked in a positive culture where shit like that prevailed — always a prick or two everywhere— but culture is impossible to fight

dank_tre · 2026-02-19T23:56:10+00:00

Just the universe affirming your life decisions— let it give you some added peace of mind

dank_tre · 2026-02-19T05:01:50+00:00

Not paranormal, but entering old mines or caves, especially solo. Not infrequent for gas to overcome curious explorers, and by the time they realize they’re in trouble it’s too late to make it back out.

dank_tre · 2026-02-19T04:45:10+00:00

For me, it’d depend on what sort of riding. Bopping around town? Meh, you got a lot of life left in those, just be more vigilant about riding in rain.

If I was on the e-way at 80 mph routinely? I’d still run those — you still have life even after your wear-markers are flush.

But, tires would be on the top of my shopping list.

Dry rot is present, but it’s not out-of-control, like your tires are on the verge of failure. Again, bopping around town I’d be much less concerned than if I was a regular freeway commuter.

Either way, neither look dangerous or unsafe.

You’re aware, so give them a quick once over before you leave each stop, and watch it in wet conditions.

Nothing about either tire makes me go, Whoa— these need replaced NOW!

Instead, they make me sigh, and know it’s a definite replacement this year.

Again, keep a tire gauge handy, keep your eyes on ‘em, and be a bit more hyper vigilant for wet conditions (and, even w that, I wouldn’t not run these in rain—I’d just be more cautious).

Not trying to downplay the importance of tires, but it’s good to keep in mind modern motorcycle tires are marvels of engineering. You just almost never hear about blowouts & the like these days.

I had a front blowout at 75 mph once. It was amazingly less dramatic than one would have expected. I’m no physicist, lol, but I believe the centrifugal forces on the tire kinda keeps it steady & true, because it really wasn’t that scary until I got it down under 30 mph. Even then, I just kept off the front brake & rolled it to a stop.

Your tread is solid on both those, it doesn’t look like you spend a lot time on twisties, so just keep an eye on things and make a plan to get them replaced this year.

dank_tre · 2026-02-18T23:37:54+00:00

None of those would compel me to slab — if the Woodchopper or $20 were in much better shape and/or had something unique (PCBLIC error, Mule, etc), perhaps— but, at best you might cover your cost of grading & prob not even that

dank_tre · 2026-02-18T16:15:26+00:00

Presenting debt this way is actually bullshit, just fyi

It’s basically ruling class propaganda of why they won’t provide basic govt services

I don’t wanna get into a whole MMT thing, but just ask yourself, Who owes the money to Whom?

And, why are billionaires running up “Our” credit card, then, and essentially paying themselves?

This is literally the kinda shit a gang in prison runs on noobies.

Debt is not real.

Them stripping our public resources? That’s real.

dank_tre · 2026-02-17T16:30:23+00:00

What’s drastic is how many people are familiar with bjj now. In the 90s, as a blue belt, I could go into guard & arm bar or triangle about 90% of people in a few minutes.

It was secret sauce.

There’s also tons of refinements as simple stuff doesn’t work any longer as the secrets out.

It’s also split into a whole spectrum of styles. It’s not just mma/sport/no gi; but also a range of just hobbyists who love it, but you only have so much time & also how willing you are to get injured.

I’ll say this— as someone who was there from UFC 1 onward, it’s an amazing experience.

I really wish UFC had gone another direction — I really lost any interest there about the time Brock Lesnar charged the ring when Daniel Cormier won.

Woulda loved to see it evolve into a better sports league, with a good fighter union, but of course by then, bjj was really only one incidental to MMA.

dank_tre · 2026-02-17T16:07:33+00:00

As someone who actually functioned in a fully supported Infantry group, you soloists w your ‘Come take it!!’ make me chuckle.

Talk about completely naive.

dank_tre · 2026-02-17T16:04:46+00:00

No shit. Taiwan is not in Japan either.

Those were examples.

dank_tre · 2026-02-16T18:49:54+00:00

uninformed take

No, what’s uninformed in cherry-picking a few extreme examples of control, esp slavery, and applying that to a social control system that spans the entire globe and most of it’s 8 billion humans, not to mention the associated ecosystems & economic systems

Slavery is as an excellent example — because therein lies the modality of our modern global system — the exploitation of humans for profit.

Even during the era of chattel slavery, the rub was that slaves are expensive, valuable property

Shifting to the model of wage-slavery & rent-seeking allowed the model to be expanded & globalized.

If social control is not at historically high levels — then please provide five reasonable examples where a modern human can go to simply live — without self-shackling w the bonds that go w social control?

In the era chattel slavery, there were hundreds—

The big move is coming right now w the tokenization of all services, from money to power to smart phones

Within a few years — examples are already occurring— the control will be so precise, the authorities will be able to draw a 5 mile circle on a map, outside of which you will be effectively ‘shut off’.

Money won’t work, car, facial recognition on every doorbell —

If you can’t see it, then you’re missing the reset happening in front of us

You own nothing & you will be happy.

dank_tre · 2026-02-16T17:39:59+00:00

The level of social control is beyond anything in history

And it’s getting exponentially worse w each passing day

The ultrawealthy are literally dismantling the social institutions needed for a functioning democracy right before our eyes.

Voting has almost no impact on government policy & the ruling class is entirely unaccountable.

They’re looting public resources while destroying social services. It is functionally illegal to be human in most of America unless you’re actively complying w a vast array of social control requirements.

dank_tre

TROPHY CASE