The current government shutdown is the fourth longest in U.S. history, and there is no end in sight, despite assurances from Democrats that they will pass funding bills as soon as they take office. The inauguration of the 116th Congress last week marks the first time ever that a federal shutdown will extend into two different Congresses.
President Donald Trump has claimed he can "relate" to the plight of federal workers who are struggling to get by without their paychecks, but these stories provide a window into a world that couldn't be more foreign.
(1/25)
Excepted worker, but I'm only allowed to work on excepted activities. I have to consider whether every email/meeting/phone call/report/whatever is vital for national security, protects life or property, or is related to shutdown operations before I can do the thing.
Not a whole lot is happening.
(2/25)
I'm a government contractor and consider myself lucky to be in one of the agencies that are funded so I don't need to worry until September.
My company's policy is that when a shutdown occurs contractors either burn our PTO or are forced into unpaid leave. Which is what I had to deal with the last 2 shutdowns.
No one in my office is happy with the current situation even though we are unaffected.
(3/25)
As someone who lives in a town with a heavy National Park contingent and tourism influence (Jackson, Wyoming), the government shutdown always influences us more than most know. Even during the winter. It's tough.
(4/25)
Our sister agency that refers customers to us shut down mid-last week. We have funding and did not get shut down, but are entirely dependent on customer referrals. IT is furloughed and we are now at three computers that are blue-screened. We have a Wii in the break room and now play smash brothers because we can't go home and only one person has a working computer at this point. Other games include Guitar Hero III, a Call of Duty game, and a rally car racing game.
(5/25)
Still going to work, although my motivation is falling to 'malicious compliance', which means, I do only what is directly asked of me and nothing more.
Meaning, I sit next to the door, someone rings the doorbell. I later get asked, "did the doorbell ring?" My answer is yes. And that's it.
(6/25)
Government contractor here. I burned through through my PTO last week. My company was great enough to let me go in the hole and even gave each employee 16 hours PTO. so I'll get a full paycheck this week. I filed for unemployment today. Other than that it's been lots of time hanging out with my 5 year old. Mostly just bored and stressed.
(7/25)
Essential here. It is frustrating to go to work for an IOU but all in all I feel like I am one of the more fortunate ones and can probably float all the way until April or so before desperation sets in.
That said, it is incredibly irritating to see people that act as though this is something federal employees should just accept as being part of the job. Using people's livelihoods as a bargaining chip to push one's own political agenda is disgusting.
If this shutdown is like previous shutdowns, I could call in sick everyday and get paid after the shutdown AND not be charged the leave I took during the shutdown. I do not do this because I have a sense of duty to provide my essential services to the flying public. I just wish everyone at the top of the executive and legislative branches shared in this sense of duty.
(8/25)
People don't seem to understand that government is a chunk of an interconnected economy and any interruption has real big effects on everyone. Its not just federal employees, there are thousands of private companies and nonprofits that get a large percentage of income from government contracts and grants. Higher education? Local and state government? Millions of employees. Do you work for a construction company on a transportation project? You bet there's federal funding involved. Do you rent to Section 8 voucher holders? Are you a farmer seeking a government loan? A tour guide near a national monument? In a matter of weeks we'll see ripple effects on banking, technology, and retail. The longer this goes on the higher percentage of Americans will feel the effects.
(9/25)
I'm a full-time nursing student, part-time CNA living with my parents at well-below-market rent until graduation...and I'm currently the only earner in our household. It's stressful. Dad has the attitude that it'll all work out okay in the end since they do have savings and that they should be counting their blessings for that. Mom is more realistic/pessimistic and keeps accusing him of being a pollyanna with his head in the clouds. (It's worth noting that Mom handles the bills). The last time they argued this much was when my sister was about to flunk out of high school.
In short, there's a lot of uncertainty in the near-term, and it's straining relationships.
(10/25)
The shutdown, for me, has not been particularly good timing.
A few weeks prior to the shutdown, we put in an offer on a house that was accepted.
About one week before the shutdown, I set up 3 experiments with live specimens. Now they're all probably dead (I work with insects).
Personally, I've been trying to get things done, doctor's appointments and the like. If there's time, I'll try to konmari my clothes.
(11/25)
Just graduated in June and got my federal government job right after. Moved to a new state, essentially broke, just barely recovering from moving expenses and about to start paying off my massive student loans. The thought that this will last much longer and force me into further debt scares me but honestly the lack of work is what is getting to me the most. I absolutely love my job and I've always been the type to commit myself 100% to my main focus. Without that I've been wandering around my apartment, in a mostly unknown city where I haven't made any significant friendships with way to much time to think about every dark thought constant activity usually wards off. Also I bought a cheap ukele and have been learning a handful of songs so there's that.
(12/25)
Currently enjoying a planned vacation that I didn't have to use any leave for so that's a plus.
This following week I plan on ramping up my job search that I've only been able to put a mediocre effort towards while working full-time so also another plus.
As a newer and non-permanent employee, I don't have nearly as much invested in staying a federal worker as many of my co-workers. The shutdown is one thing but the freeze on the cost of living increase I find even more disrespectful and is the proverbial "straw that broke the camels back". Private job sector, here I come!
(13/25)
I keep telling myself that it'll get fixed soon. That maybe I'll fall behind only slightly, but in the end it'll be ok because we've danced this dance before and always bounced back. But this time with Trump, there is so much uncertainty that I just try not to think about it because if I did I'd be a wreck of nerves. We got this last paycheck, but once next payday comes and nothing gets deposited, shit will get real, super fast. I've already called my representatives, for all the good that's done.
In short, I'm worried, but not in panic mode. Yet. After 2 pay periods, I will be in panic mode.
(14/25)
I am currently being required to work without pay and it is horrible. I work for an agency that is tasked with law enforcement and morale is the lowest it has ever been. We do not have the manpower or resources to be able to effectively do our jobs and, on top of the stress of our work, we now have to worry about how make mortgage payments, bill payments, arrange for child care, pay student loan debt, etc. We are all angry and frustrated, and I can say with certainty that no one in my office supports this shut down, despite what Trump says.
(15/25)
I'm essential and rather pissed off because my vacation has been cancelled and now I have to go back to work. So I bust my ass off working OT constantly all year, I have my vacation time scheduled months in advance, theres coverage but for some reason all vacations were pulled. It doesn't make sense, so I'm forced to go to work while other workers get to stay home and will most likely get paid anyway. On the one hand at least I know I'm getting back pay unlike the non essentials but it still pisses me off that I can't use my leave that I earned while the govt is shutdown. Our agency also has guidance to screen call offs, which has never been done. And of course none of us are getting paid anytime soon so theres guys I work with who are going to be in trouble real soon if they don't get paid. On too of that I gotta read all the asshole comments from people not affected by the shutdown saying govt workers make too much. Like bro I'm just a regular guy like you trying to make the best life I can. It's all rather frustrating and I hope it ends soon so people can go back to having some stability in there lives.
(16/25)
I was supposed to start a job with a federal agency this coming Monday, but that obviously won't happen. I assume I will never get paid for the time between when I was supposed to start and when I actually do. I can't even talk to HR about it since they are on furlough. Financially I can handle it since my wife works, but the uncertainty is super frustrating.
(17/25)
Coast guard member here; we gotta show up and work regardless. The service is tremendously helpful, thanks to special conditions we were paid on the first but were told we most likely we won't be paid on the 15th. We're kinda the outlier branch because we are part of DHS and not DOD so it's frustrating not knowing what will happen.
USAA and other banks have set low interest loans for service members during this time with a 50/50 satisfaction because its 0.01 percent. Where in the past USAA would place the money in your account and just receive the money from the government after the shenanigans is settled. For the more financially stable members it's easy to go along with this but members who have kids or low ranking that go paycheck to paycheck may struggle.
(18/25)
Well, it's a great moment for some introspective thought. Like why am I risking my life for a government that gives zero f**ks about me? Why did I choose this path that is full of suck and sees me sleeping in an abandoned Russian theatre. What I'm I gonna do with my life when I finally get out of here? Will I ever get a retro check for these weeks of deployment during the shut down?
Oh you mean this shut down? Hahaha no, I peaced the f**k out of those gigs after learning my lesson the first time.
And the answer is no, I never got paid for those weeks, nor that entire 16 month period of my life that they took from me. Thanks Congress! Thumbs up!
(19/25)
Federal contractor, self-employed/sole-proprietor. I provide services to museums in the area.
It f**king sucks, I can't go to work because the museums are closed. I get paid hourly, so I'm not getting this pay back either. Thankfully I have enough in savings to hold me over. People sometimes forget about the self-employed contractors with shutdowns-- we usually get hit hard the most since we don't have retroactive pay or benefits through our clients. If it goes on for more than a month, I'll be looking for another line of work.
(20/25)
Essential employee here. Have an emergency fund so financially okay for a few months; however, honestly it still causes worry. Not knowing when your next paycheck will come forces you to reevaluate all purchases.
You also really have a dilemma when under the weather - come in sick or risk furlough hoping that they will backpay. Sure they always have, but times have changed so you don't think you can rely on it.
Not being able to take any time off is a pain. Any pre-approved leave was cancelled.
More concerned for some out there who are furloughed and generally lower paid. They miss a check and they will be in serious jeopardy.
For most people I think missing 2 checks would be the tipping point.
(21/25)
Research has grinded to a stand still. People are freaking out about their timelines for projects. Some people have to go back to square 1.
Even if this only last a few weeks, people have very limited windows for their research projects and this just adds variables and ruins data. It's not just TSA and contractors, it's also researchers who are feeling this.
(22/25)
Husband and I are both federal employees. We're good until mid February at least. We're some of the lucky few that have the ability to hold out that long. He's not worried at all but I stress about everything so it's been fun. He's considered essential and has to work for no pay. I work for a branch of government that won't run out of money until January 11th or 18th so I've yet to hear whether I'm essential or furloughed. I really hope the shutdown ends before then.
(23/25)
FAA ATC here, we're all still working, including mandatory OT shifts (due to historically low staffing numbers) until the shutdown ends.
We don't know when the next check is coming, we're not getting a cost of living raise, we can't strike, and we're turning in scheduled leave so we don't lose it.
Personally, I'm okay. Wife and I save, live within our means, and we can hold out for a bit on what we have. It's not great, if it goes on a while it'll be different, but for now it is what it is.
(24/25)
I work at the immigration courts and my coworkers and I are really stressed of the mountain of work we will have to deal with when we return. Also, all the cases we now have to reschedule. With every single day that passes by the more work that is piling up. The court is already understaffed as it is so we're all going to be scrambling even more than usual...In the meantime, I'm doing door dash and I just signed up for uber so I have that going for me. Luckily, I have my husband who is also a federal worker but he is still getting paid because his work is fee based (USCIS). However, other people aren't so lucky so they're in a scarier situation of how they are going to pay their bills, food, rent, mortgages, loans, etc.
(25/25)
I work for NPS and it's pretty terrible. Although, much more worse for the Law enforcement rangers who are required to be working right now, without pay. The park I work for is being completely destroyed and with ~10 (most of the time less) LE's for the whole park, they can essentially do a whole lot of nothing. Being broke is terrible and I've had to ask family for money, but seeing this park that I love so much, being destroyed, is much worse. We were all able to apply for unemployment, but would have to repay it once we get our backpay.
We've all said something stupid, let's not lie to ourselves.
It's okay to say something stupid. It showcases the real person on the inside, that we're all flawed, imperfect, and made of cooky combinations of words that don't necessarily line up to make sense. Sometimes we're nervous in a situation, other times we're just hitting 'Quick Reply' in our brains and what comes out doens't work, but whatever the reason, you for sure are going to remember it, late at night, for the rest of your life.
Reddit user, u/marginalpotato, wanted to know when the foot should have been in the mouth when they asked:
What is the stupidest thing that ever came out of your mouth?
You may not have to change your home address because of these moments, but you should probably reconsider how many public outings you go to afterwards.
Should Probably Never Shop At That Store Again
"When the cashier said "Have a nice day", and I replied with "No, thanks".
"Background: I wasnt thinking straight that day, and thought they said "Do you want a bag"
That's. How. Twins. Work?
"Her: the twins are 3 years old"
"Me: Both of them?"
"Oh no this unearthed a memory i had buried from kindergarten lmao"
"We had a set of twins in our classroom and once on their birthday party I said "your brother got such a cool party, i hope yours is nice like this too" to one of them and he was like "yeah, this one"
"4 year old me was not a very bright kid"
That's. How. Death. Works...
"Watching the documentary 'The Last Dance' when a Kobe interview pops up -"
"Me: "Wow, they must have filmed this before Kobe died."
"My wife: "Yeah, obviously…."
The cringe comes out of nowhere, and you're not even sure how you were able to ask something so incredibly stupid, but here you are. Lounging in the stupid air.
You Should Have Asked What "Nothing" Tastes Like Next
"In my head I was wondering what one pound of water would look like in terms of volume. What I said out loud however was "How much does a pound of water weigh?"
Keep Up With Me
"A couple of months ago, I got up and drove to work as usual. Later, my girlfriend texted me from home to ask me if she had left her sunglasses in my car. I told her I wasn't sure, but she could grab my spare key and go check."
"In my car."
"Which I had driven to work."
Black Is White, White Is Black
"I don't understand why people place bets on who wins, why not just place bets on who loses?"
"Yeah took me a minute to register what I said..."
And then there's these stories, where the person is probably better off cutting off any human contact henceforth going forward. These are rough to get through, folks.
Should Probably Have A Chat With HR After This
"I was about 4 months into my current job, feeling confident being fresh off the contract-to-hire period, now moved into a coveted full time role. While walking back to my office from the morning kanban I was stopped by my boss, head peeking out of the office:"
"Boss: "Hey TheMediator, do you have a sec?"
"Me: "For you, I've got lots of secs!"
"Boss: wide-eyes, mouth dropped"
"If you're curious why this was incredibly stupid/embarrassing, try saying the phrase "lots of secs" out loud. Preferably, not to your boss though."
You Don't Need College Anymore. Go Home. Bury Your Head In The Sand.
"In my freshman year of college I was dorming next door to a couple cute girls. About a week into the first semester one girl walked from the coed showers to her dorm room in her towel still wet. We were both unlocking our doors to get in our rooms when she looks at me and says…"
"I know I look stunning…(sarcastically)"
"To which I replied, "don't flatter yourself."
"I had to slid a note under her door explaining I was tongue tied as she was beautiful and I meant to say "don't be hard on yourself, you look great." (Or something to that nature). We became good friends."
It's In The Descriptor?
"Chatting to a homeless guy on the street and he told me he was feeling unwell. I told him he should be at home, resting."
"It's been 20 years and the memory of it still brings me out in a cold sweat."
Oh Good Lord...
"Asked my friend how his mom was doing at his moms funeral."
"Jesus Christ this is the worst one on this thread. What was his response?"
"He looked at me and then the casket and kind of smirked. I awkwardly started to try and explain and just said "I'm an idiot. You know I love you. Talk to you in a bit." He makes fun of me now and I can't stop laughing. It's a positive painful memory."
Own up to your mistakes. You'll garner more respect by acknowledging the awkward things you say, however, it's perfectly fine to laugh about it in the moment. That's probably the easiest way to escape the deep, deep shame.
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People Break Down Their Best 'I Don't Know, I Didn't Think I'd Get This Far' Experiences
The advice "fake it til you make it," though often said with at least a hint of sarcasm, does carry quite a bit of wisdom.
By simply putting one foot in front of the other, weathering the chaos of not knowing what's happening as you learn as fast as possible, we can find ourselves further than we expected.
Once we're there, reaping the fruits of all our "faking," we somehow begin to take on a new identity in people's eyes They assume we've always been in control and known what was going on. They defer to us for advice.
But that couldn't be further from the truth. So we keep on faking it.
Redditor espectro11 asked:
"What's your 'I don't know, I didn't think I'd get this far' moment?"
Many Redditors discussed their experiences navigating the intimidating environment of job applications, interviews, and offers.
Oh Right, Getting Paid
"I gave my resume to fancy private school (I'm a teacher, but new to the field) and I didn't expect a call back. But they called me today to ask my expected salary and I said 'I don't know what the average is. Let me Google it.' "
"Ya girl was not prepared."
Uhhhh, Uhhhhh
"When I went for a walk-in interview looking like crap and they hired me on the spot. I get they were hiring for a new store, but they up and said 'if you want the job it's yours, when can you start?' "
"Deada** didn't think I'd make it that far."
-- NewtNeutral
Outside the Box
"Years ago I was applying to a bunch of copywriting jobs and feeling frustrated because I wasnt hearing back from any of the places I was applying to."
"It was especially frustrating because I was putting in all this time on cover letters and I felt like nobody was even reading them, so I said, 'Fu** it, I'm gonna write one that is more me.' I thought it was a dumb idea and never imagined that it would work, but somehow it did."
"I applied with this cover letter and the subject line "Copywriter: Will Work for Beer" to a job that I was very underqualified for. It managed to catch the eye of the headhunter for the ad agency and was enough to get me an interview. Shortly after that I was hired and ended up working there for a few years, but I remember thinking on my first day, 'I can't believe that actually worked.' "
-- -eDgAR-
Just Not the Right Fit
"An interview at Google. The 20 years younger than me was describing the peer review system."
"I responded with 'Jesus, that sounds awful.' "
"I did not get the job."
Others also shared experiences that centered on their working lives. But these stories weren't about being hired or interviewed.
These were accounts of long-developing success stories that they never would have predicted.
A Winding Road
"My entire legal career"
"I have four degrees and a 10 year career in commerical litigation. I just wrapped up a $200mil trusts lawsuit."
"I started at uni doing theatre and stand up comedy. I have no fu**ing idea where I turned to get here."
-- lawyerlady
Big Fish
"Started at a very small company doing sales straight out of college. I went about messaging big corporate players (who obviously would never do business with us since our size) and was laughed at by my new colleagues for even trying."
"2 weeks later My boss was asking me what we (a team of 6) should say on the conference call with Toshiba Buyers."
-- TheBFG420
Putting Fires Out
"Me at work. I feel like every issue that comes up has me unprepared. But I am always praised for my good work."
"So, I assume I have imposter syndrome and keep doing what I am doing."
-- 47-Rambaldi
So next time you find yourself ruling a possibility out completely, maybe take just a few seconds to imagine it actually occurred and prepare.
You just never know.
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| Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay |
I'm going to be perfectly honest––I'm a city boy. I'm not a huge fan of hiking or camping. I happen to be a huge fan of running water. Have you heard of it? It's great. Highly recommended.
I've also, on a more humorous note, watched far too many horror films over the years and don't particularly like idea of running off into the woods only to piss off some demon that was perfectly fine until I arrived. I also have immense respect for our friendly neighborhood serial killers and demonstrate this regularly by staying out of their territory.
Those who love the great outdoors had plenty to share after Redditor Your_Normal_Loser asked the online community, "
Hikers of Reddit, what is the weirdest or creepiest thing you've come across while hiking?"
"The only reason..."
"When we were exploring the Australian Outback as university students, my friend and I found an old, tightly wrapped plastic bag with five or six damaged wallets along shrubbery at the base of a cliff.
The only reason we opened it up was because we were so remote - hundreds of kilometres from any town or tourist attraction - that it was strange to see garbage out there. All the cards were in female names and birthdates placed them in their late teens to early 20s. Some lived in the Northern Territory but one was in Sydney and another from Queensland. At the time we figured rock climbers must have stored their valuables in the bag and then lost track of it. I'll never forget the strange look the police officer gave us when we handed them in."
You see... this is why I wouldn't go mess around in the Australian Outback.
I also may or may not have watched Wolf Creek one too many times.
"A recliner..."
"A recliner on a small hill with a hole dug out in the middle and water bottles all over the place."
"A trashed campsite..."
"A trashed campsite complete with the tent cut open...
...do you report these things, or what?"
Probably?
Or maybe not... you might want to turn back.
"The walls were completely plastered..."
"I was walking in a thick forest and came across an opening. In the center there was a shack made of lumber, with a bench built into it that was slightly leaned back.
The walls were completely plastered in porn."
Well... that's one way to get off.
"The man stopped talking..."
"I was backpacking with a few friends. A few days in the middle of nowhere, a man approached our camp as we were cooking dinner to say hi. We talked about our routes for a few minutes. Out of nowhere, he told us that he had had a vasectomy in his 30s after his 2nd child. Then somehow his wife had gotten pregnant with his 3rd child. He didn't believe this was possible, so he demanded a DNA test to see if he was actually the father. He was. Still, he explained that he had his doubts and thought that his wife must have fixed the DNA test.
My friends and I were in our 20s and had no idea why this guy was telling us this. We all just nodded and smiled.
The man stopped talking and then just walked away into the night."
"I stepped in..."
"I stepped in and fell over a cow carcass on a night hike. It was a bright moonlit night but I didn't see it in the shadows. Thankfully it was mostly dry."
"We still have no idea..."
"I was in the woods with three friends at night. A friend's house was nearby and I was getting hungry so I went inside to find some food. Another friend came inside with me. Two friends were still outside.
Later on, one of the two who outside came in and sees the indoor friend on the couch next to me. They panic and immediately run back outside.
I poke my head out the door asking what's going on, only to hear them yell as loudly as they can, "THAT'S NOT KEVIN"
Everyone comes inside and calms down a bit, and the story comes out. They thought the friend who was indoors with me (Kevin) had been outside with them this entire time. Why? Because in the darkness of the woods they saw a silhouette about the same height walking alongside them silently, then at some point it ran away and they were chasing it thinking Kevin was running off for some reason. The reason my friend yelled, "That's not Kevin" was to stop the last outdoor friend from chasing whoever was out there deeper into the woods.
We still have no idea who that was or why they didn't even speak."
This story sent a chill running down my spine.
Who was that?!
Perhaps figuring it out would be even scarier.
"Went hiking with my dad..."
"Went hiking with my dad one day over a ridge. A girl from the group in front of us tripped and slid down one side and was just able to hold on to the tiniest branch from the only tree around. Had she slid down all the way she certainly would be dead or massively injured!"
"I was trying to make my way across..."
​"I was hiking in Washington sometime in December. I was trying to make my way across a river but the bridge was out. I was walking along the shore looking for a shallow spot but couldn't find one. I saw some footprints leading down the bank, my thought was that someone was trying to do what I was doing and decided to track the prints to see if they crossed. It was not easy but I followed the prints for about a mile. As I approached what looked like a crossing I heard a loud BANG like a stick hitting a tree. I froze for a few seconds and heard no other noises. I just slowly back up keeping my eyes on the other side of the river. Could not shake the feeling that I was being watched. Got the hell out of there quick as I could."
There are few feelings creepier than the feeling of being watched. It makes you feel like you've been violated in some way.
Thankfully you got out of there!
"I thought it was a magical, beautiful moment..."
"I was hiking with some friends, and I saw a cluster of butterflies on the ground. I thought it was a magical, beautiful moment until I realized they were congregating on a pool of blood. It turns out that someone had been hiking on the bluffs above earlier that day, and had fallen off and died."
Sooo... still want to go hiking or camping? None of this changed your mind? None of it?
It was nice knowing you. I'll stick with my running water.
Have some creepy stories of your own? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments below!
Have some experiences of your own? Have you also survived the hospitality industry? Feel free to tell us about it in the comments below!
| Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay |
Time is of the essence. And time is not definable. Those are lessons we learn as we get older; as times passes and fluctuates in front of us.
Time is always fleeting yet always catches up to us. I find myself shocked when I wake up on certain days and realize I'm a particular age of my parent that sticks out for me.
Like, how did that happen? I guess I should just be thankful I'm still here to witness it all.
Redditor u/TW1103 wanted to discuss the meaning... of time and all of its affects by asking:
What fact really puts the scale of time into an insane perspective?
Ok, who is watching the clock? Those seconds aren't going to count themselves. The only way to understand time is to be its witness. Although that can get depressing. Let's focus on the light and cool.
History...
Calculate Figure It Out GIF by OriginalsGiphy"If you are an 80-year-old American, you have lived through approximately 1/3 of our nation's entire history."
Those Days...
"The 80s were 40 years ago."
"This is what messes me up because I was born in 82 and graduated high school in 2000 so for some reason my brain is stuck on the 80's being twenty years ago. The 70's thirty years ago etc etc. I have to stop and realize sometimes that my concept of how long ago things happened is way off."
Time goes by...
"We observe that light travels at 186,000 miles a second, but given the vast size of the observable universe, that's a snail's pace. But from the point of view of a particle of light, time doesn't even exist."
"Time slows down as you approach the speed of light, and theoretically stops completely when you reach the speed of light."
Years Gone By...
"MLK Jr. and Anne Frank were born in the same year."
"Betty White was born in 1922. Automatically pre-sliced packaged bread loaves became commercially available in 1928. Betty White is six years older than sliced bread."
Long Live the Queen!
queen elizabeth images GIFGiphy"The queen and Marilyn Monroe would've been the same age."
"And Marilyn Monroe and Andy Griffith were born on the same day!"
- osme1
I swear Liz is going to outlive dirt. Wait, I believe she already has. Well she won't be alone, she'll have Betty White. At least she better have Betty. Time is nothing without Queen Betty.
TV Time
Season 2 Omg GIF by Paramount+Giphy"Happy Days was a TV show made in the 1970s-80s about teenagers in the 1950s. Similarly, That 70s Show was made in the 90s-00s about teenagers in the 70s. If a similar show were to be made today, it would be about teenagers in the 2000s."
- VVillyD
A Croc
"If a T-Rex imagined a creature as ancient as the T-Rex is to us, it would be a Stegosaurus. If that Stegosaurus imagined a creature as ancient as the Stegosaurus is to us, it would be a Crocodile. If that Crocodile imagined a creature as ancient as that Crocodile is to us, it would be a Shark."
On the Clock
"On a twenty four hour clock the amount of time that humans have been on the earth would total around five seconds."
"How about this one: If Homo Habilus first appeared at midnight, 24 hours ago, that means the first Homo Sapiens appeared at 9:25 PM, or about 2 and a half hours ago. The first human civilization, in lower Mesopotamia, appeared at 11:57 PM, or about 3 minutes ago."
"The Western Roman Empire fell at 11:59 PM, or 1 minute ago. Everything that has happened since - the Crusades, the Plague, the discovery of the New World, the world wars, all of it - has happened in the last minute of human existence."
And that's just OUR Sun...
"The span of our lives are so insignificantly small that our Sun will last another 5 billion years. That's 9 zeros people. Our eldest live to around 100 in the best places. That's 50,000,000 (50 million) times longer than any person can reasonably expect to live. And that's just OUR Sun. The universe as a whole has probably existed for magnitudes longer than that already and will continue to exist until the end of time as we know it."
Tell Me a Story
william shakespeare GIF by will herringGiphy"We know what a good storyteller Shakespeare was but there were Greek playwrights who wrote shows nearly 2,000 years earlier that are pretty good, too."
I hate time. Only because I'm petty and irritated of the amount I squandered. That's neither here nor there though. Time marches on and continues to amaze. I'll keep watching.
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