The Great 2017 Press-On Nails Experiment, Part 1

A couple of weeks ago I was at the grocery store, and I noticed a product near the blood pressure machine that caught my eye. The product was press-on nails, and I bought a set, wondering what advancements had been made since the days of Lee's Press-On Nails, which tended to fall into the "you'll poke your eye out" category, both for their length and for their distressing tendency to fall off at the most inopportune moments.

So I bought Kiss Everlasting French in Medium Length: 

I made a big ole mess when I put them on, of course. They're attached with a tube of nail glue, which was included in the kit, and since I'm such a neophyte, I did a poor job of keeping the glue off my skin, my desk, the towel I was using, etc.

Here is what they looked like on Day 1:

I thought they looked pretty darn snappy for a $6 impulse buy.

Here's what they looked like on Day 7:

As you can see, they still looked okay, but I was noticing "lifting" between the artificial nail and my nail bed. This is one of the things dermatologists are concerned about when discussing artificial nails - water can get caught between the nail bed and the artificial nail, thus inviting bacteria and other undesirables into the fold. Since I'm not really a fan of having fungus-among-us, I removed them on Day 8.

Pros: They look as good as salon nails for several days after application. The nail glue application method does not require roughing up the nail bed to increase adhesion, which I really liked, as this is the reason I stopped getting gel manicures.

Cons: The danger of fungus growing between the nail bed and the artificial nail. They take about 20-30 minutes to remove, as the nails need to be dissolved off with acetone. I'd rather do that than prying them off and removing the top layers of my nail bed, though.

Verdict: An inexpensive, attractive alternative to salon nails that's easier on the nail bed than other products. I would advise taking them off after a maximum of one week of wear to prevent infection and fungus on the nail bed. 

Next up: Kiss Everlasting French in Really Short applied with brush-on nail glue from 5 Second Nail Cosmetics.

Part 2 may be found here.
Part 3 may be found here.
Part 4 may be found here. 
Part 5 may be found here. 

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

I bought a new audiobook the other day. It's called On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder.

I listened to this yesterday. And then I listened to it again. And I'll probably listen to again several more times until its message is burnt into my brain.

It is my opinion that every American who is concerned about the current administration and the shenanigans associated with the 2016 election should read this book. Actually, I think all Americans should read this book, but if this election has taught us anything, it's that Americans are not exceptional when it comes to falling for the con of nationalism and the emotional manipulation of would-be tyrants and oligarchs.

Timothy Snyder, the author of this work, is a the Bird White Housum Professor of History at Yale University. He received his Ph.D in modern history from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He speaks five languages, and reads four more. He's written a number of books on the history of Europe, with particular emphasis on the Holocaust. I call this extremely qualified to speak on this subject, but I'm sure the alt-right would describe him as a "liberal academic" or an "elite tool of the left" or something. Because in 45's America, being extremely educated in a specific topic, and then speaking about that topic, is a bug and not a feature. But we know better, don't we?

For me, this book is so important because it's basically a professional historian's handbook for the Resistance. He compares sociological historical events from the twentieth century to our current situation here in the United States, and his conclusions are scary as fuck. So he provides some lessons - and some guidance - about how patriots (but not "America! Fuck, Yeah" patriots) can resist the historical trend and stand up for democracy in these most troubling of times. From where I sit, this could just as easily have been titled "How to be a Decent Citizen in a Representative Form of Government." That's not very catchy, though.

I don't want to synopsize the work, since it's really quite short anyway, and a good summary by the author may be read here. And while I encourage you to read the entire book, this article is a good place to start.

The main points:

1. Do not obey in advance.
2. Defend the institutions. 
3. Beware the one-party state.
4. Take responsibility for the face of the world.
5. Remember professional ethics.
6. Beware the paramilitaries.
7. Be reflective if you must be armed. 
8. Stand out.
9. Be kind to our language.
10. Believe in truth.
11. Investigate.
12. Make eye contact and small talk.
13. Practice corporeal politics.
14. Establish a private life.
15. Contribute to good causes.
16. Learn from peers in other countries.  
17. Listen for dangerous words.
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
19. Be a patriot.
20. Be as courageous as you can. 

The book gives historical examples of why these things matter, and how citizens of other countries failed to employ these strategies to their everlasting grief. And it gives every citizen - every single one of us - a blueprint for the Resistance, things you can do now, today, to stop a historical trend that would most assuredly end badly.

It's certain that I have given more in service to the United States than 45 and his entire family combined. And I will not let them and their cronies continue to move us into tyranny, oligarchy, dictatorship. Not without a fight.

#RESISTANCE

Extrovert? Not so much...

I recently finished a book entitled, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. The author is a former Wall Street attorney who is an introvert herself, and wanted to learn about how our culture tends to reward extroverts and punish introverts, even though introverts have their own gifts. It's a best seller from several years ago, but my to-read pile is so enormous I'm just now getting around to it.

This book caused a great deal of self-examination for me. When I was younger, I thought I was 100% extrovert, because I had a talent for leadership and really wanted to share my ideas with others. This notion - that I was an extrovert, and that was the most desirable state to be in - was reinforced by the environments in which I lived and worked. Because let's face it - paramilitary and military environments don't really reward introverted behavior, especially when living quarters are cramped at best. 

And acting like an extrovert brought me professional success. I was promoted quickly in the Navy. I went from an entry-level technician position to a Senior Systems Engineer in six years when I began my civilian career. I worked hard, and enjoyed most aspects of my work. But I was also tired ALL THE TIME. Up until now, I'd considered the constant fatigue of those years to be a by-product of undiagnosed depression. I still think that's true, but I also think it was aggravated by my attempt to force my national tendency toward introversion into the mold of an extrovert.


My personality has many of the hallmarks of introversion:

• Large, crowded events make my teeth hurt. Whenever I'm in a position where I have to attend a professional conference where the expectation is to be "always on" and I'm forced to be in crowded spaces, I become very uncomfortable. If it goes on long enough, I experience claustrophobia and anxiety. 
• Being around people generally wears me out. It's not that I don't enjoy my relationships with other people, or enjoy spending time with them. I do. But when the visit is over, I'm ready to hide in my office and read, knit, or watch The West Wing on Netflix. I need quiet time to offset my social events in order to feel centered. And no good comes of my over-committing my social calendar. No good at all.
• When it comes to learning styles, I prefer lecture or reading to more kinesthetic learning activities. Living inside my head comes naturally to me, and while I like sharing my ideas with others, my own learning is best served passively, or with a limited amount of the Socratic method. 
• I absolutely detest working on "group projects." Ugh. For me, the perfect committee size is one, and I've always felt this way.

Of course no one is 100% introvert or 100% extrovert. Like sexuality, it's a continuum, and all of us fall somewhere in the spectrum. But reading this book has given me insight into how I can behave like an extrovert when I think it's required or expected (often, in my professional life), and yet still self-identify as an introvert the rest of the time. According to Ms. Cain, introverts are often capable of acting like extroverts for the sake of work they consider important, people they love, or anything the introvert values highly. This very clearly describes my own self-evaluation of my personality and behavior. My extroverted self serves my goals and my values, but it's not at the core of who I am.

Who I am is someone who would really rather read a book than go to an event. I'm someone who treasures time spent with people I love, but not in too large a group. I'm someone who will behave in an extroverted way in service to those I love or a core value, but needs some down-time after that. I'm someone who loves living a life of the mind, and strives to keep learning. And I'm someone who is trying to see clearly the value of introversion after 50 years of cultural conditioning telling me otherwise.

Emotional Labor and Activism

I am committed to activism. It's important to me that I be engaged in civil society, maintain a decent level of knowledge about current events, and act upon that knowledge in accordance with my values. It's important to me that I support those organizations that have personal meaning to me either through financial contributions or by donating my time to the cause.

But I'm not going to fool myself into believing that this commitment comes without a cost.

For me, that cost comes in the form of emotional labor. It takes intellectual and emotional work for me to support my values through volunteerism and activism. And sometimes the labor is light, and sometimes it's not.

And here lately, I've had other things that have been placing demands on my emotional labor. So I've been kind of lackadaisical about keeping track of the latest shenanigans coming out of White Nationalist Administration, and have not been contacting my Congressmen every day. I've been less engaged than usual with my volunteer activities. And that's okay.

We all have only so much emotional labor to go around, and needing to spend some on things other than politics and activism allows me to fulfill my obligations to those I care about, and also to myself. It just means I'll have to come back another day to fulfill my commitment to things that may be less personal to me.

So I'll probably be scarce around here in terms of Link Me Up posts and other content. I'm sure you all will find another dancing Internet monkey to entertain you in the meantime. I've always found Go Fug Yourself a source of endless entertainment if you're looking for something new.

Random Thoughts and Words to Live By, Part 22

Continually trying to make unreasonable people see reason is an exercise in futility. Sometimes it's an issue of a single (or multiple) blind spots, but sometimes the person is simply divorced from reality. Sometimes you can open the eyes of the former, but the most you can hope for in the latter case is to marginalize them to the best of your ability and hope they don't do any serious damage while you're waiting for them to go away.

Link Me Up, Scotty - Humble Pie Edition

Infamous former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's reign of bug-fuck crazy has reached a most ignominious end as his life's work is dismantled by wiser, more compassionate public servants and he faces charges of criminal contempt. Ah, karma, though art a spiteful and timeless purveyor of schadenfreude.
________

It always astounds me when nutbags who work for other nutbags are suddenly all offended when their employers turn out to be...nutbags. The empty headed douchecanoe Tomi Lahren is suing the misogynistic never-met-a-conspiracy-he-didn't-believe douche-nozzle Glenn Beck for wrongful termination. Because apparently it never occurred to her that expressing an opinion that implied a woman might have some agency would be anathema to a the alt right. Living in a state of denial must be so comforting.
________

Funny library signs. Libraries really are a place where a large variety of people congregate. Sometimes to the librarian's chagrin.

H/T Debbie the Librarian
________

Looks like 45 and his White Nationalist Administration are feeling a little pressure as their 100 day anniversary looms, as it does not appear that this milestone will be kind to them. Reality: You can't really wish it away, no matter how much money you have. 
________

An opinion piece on how far medicine has come in the treatment and care of transgender youth. Providing appropriate medical care to these youngsters can literally be a matter of life and death for them, as their historical suicide attempt rate during adolescence is almost 50%. With treatment, early indications show a marked decline in this statistic, which, in my opinion, more than justifies this standard of care world-wide.
________

From the "Restoring My Faith in Humanity" files: Repo man not only pays off an elderly couple's vehicle after being forced to repossess it, but now helps the wife, a new widow, address some tough financial times.
________

Moyers & Company releases a list of top independent investigative journalism organizations. I don't agree with all these choices - Mother Jones, says the liberal, has some serious bias issues. But there's enough meat in there to justify passing it along. See especially: ProPublica.
________

John Oliver wants to buy some commercial air time on the O'Reilly Factor. Because of course he does, magnificent beast that he is.
________

The 2017 Pultizers have been announced, and I'm pleased and proud that so many of the nominees and winners have a prominent place in my "Today's sources" list on every Link Me Up entry. The truth matters, y'all.
________

It's National Library Week! Take a moment to support or celebrate your local library. Libraries have the opportunity to be a pivotal member of their communities, not only providing materials for check out, but programming, resources (such as Internet access and computers), homework help, seminars on starting your own business, meeting rooms, and more. You probably already support them with your tax dollars, but most libraries measure their success by how much they engage with their communities. So engage today and see what your library has to offer!
________

The Hubble Space Telescope now has its own website so you can check out what its looking at and why, including links to the accepted proposal.

H/T Brother Tom
________

Video of my Heart: An oldy but goody, the Chattanooga Fire Department resorts to disco to liven up their PSA about CPR. I especially enjoy the disco balls hanging from the booms on the Fire Trucks.

Today's sources:

• The Washington Post: Mainstream Media source with minimal partisan bias and a high degree of factual reporting. 
• CNN: Mainstream Media source with minimal partisan bias and basic reporting. 
• Daily Mail: Right biased media source with a mixed degree of factual reporting. 
• Politico: Left-Center bias with a high degree of factual reporting. 
• New York Times: Mainstream media source with a minimal partisan bias and a high degree of factual reporting. 
• Good News Network: A clearinghouse for the gathering and dissemination of positive news stories from around the globe.
• Moyers & Co: Left-Center bias with a high degree of factual reporting. 
• I Love Libraries: An initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), designed to keep America informed about what’s happening in today’s libraries.
• Space Telescope Live: A live website displaying the current view of the Hubble Space Telescope with links to the accepted proposal.  

Link Me Up, Scotty - Such a Badass Edition

The story of Etta Shiber, an American housewife whose work in the Paris Underground during WW II saved approximately 150 soldiers who were in hiding in France after the Nazi invasion. "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”
________

Winners of the Sony World Photography Contest. 
________

Bill O'Reilly and 45: birds of a feather, and both awful, awful human beings. 
________

Also, Why is Trump failing? Because Americans hate his agenda, and it's also based on lies. The Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire-in-Chief is learning the hard way about the old adage about fooling all of the people, all of the time. What a shame. 
________

These high school journalists forced their principal to resign with some good old-fashioned investigative journalism. This is why I'm not interested in your crappy opinion about Millennials. In my experience, this generation is smart, focused, and intensely interested in the world around them. 
________

And speaking of high school badassery, young Ifeoma White-Thorpe has been accepted into all eight Ivy League schools. Oh, and Sanford. That, too. And this kid from North Dakota is in the same boat sans Sanford. And also this kid from Oklahoma. Because those Millennials are all such slackers, don't you know.   
_________

I can't decide if this Mariachi cover of Van Halen's Hot for Teacher is horrifying or off the hook. You decide.

H/T Charles
________

Video of the Day: Alonzo Lerone Reads detention slips from real students.

Today's sources:

• Smithsonian: A source consisting of legitimate science and evidence based stories through the use of credible scientific sourcing with a very high degree of factual reporting.
• The Atlantic: Skews left with a high degree of factual reporting and in-depth news.
• The Washington Post: Mainstream Media source with minimal partisan bias and a high degree of factual reporting.
• The Sacramento Bee: Mainstream media source with a left-center bias and a high degree of factual reporting.