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surrealisthells.bsky.social
pj harvey dent
@surrealisthells.bsky.social
710 followers 620 following 3.1K posts
data privacy aficionado | military families advocate | inadvertant tech professional | mediocre Buddhist | sequin enthusiast | inveterate overexplainer
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surrealisthells.bsky.social
Always, always, always follow all rules of gun safety. Memorize them. Make everyone in your house memorize them. Quiz them occasionally. M, eternal instructor mode, quizzes me all the time much to my annoyance but he's right to do it.
The 4 universal rules of gun safety are: 1. Treat all guns as if they are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle point at anything that you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot. 4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
March 17, 2025 at 3:08 AM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Translated text from the original Spanish article.
“That same night, already at the National Museum, packed with prisoners, as I looked for a piece of paper to write on, I found in my notebook, not a letter, but Víctor's last verses, which he wrote a few hours before dying and which he himself titled 'Chile Stadium,' capturing all the horror and terror of those hours. We immediately agreed to save this poem. A shoemaker opened the sole of my shoe, and there we hid the two pages of the poem.” It wasn't easy for those verses to reach us. Navia and his companions made two more copies, which they gave to prisoners who were about to be released. One was discovered, and through torture, they managed to get him to point to Boris, from whom they took the poem in Jara's handwriting and tortured him for hours. "I knew that every minute I endured the floggings on my body was the time needed for Víctor's poem to break through the barriers of fascism. And I must proudly say that the torturers didn't achieve what they wanted. And one of the copies broke through the barbed wire and flew to freedom, and here are Víctor's verses from his last poem."
March 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
A reminder, as this is one of my hills to die on, that there are many ways to meditate and sitting meditation may not be the most effective method for you--particularly for certain kinds of neurodivergence or trauma. If you're like that's great but I tried meditation and hated it, try another kind.
There are so many methods of stopping and seeing, and intelligent teachers will be able to invent ways to help you. In Buddhism it is said that there are 84,000 Dharma doors for you to enter reality. Dharma doors are means of practice, ways of practice. When we ride on a horse that is out of control, I think our deepest wish is to stop. How can we stop? We have to resist the speed, the losing of ourselves, and therefore we must organize a resistance. Spending two hours with a cup of tea during a tea meditation is an act of resistance, nonviolent resistance. We can do it because we have a Sanghakaya. We can do it together, we can resist a way of life that makes us lose ourselves. Walking meditation is also resistance. Sitting is also resistance. So if you want to stop the course of armaments, you have to resist, and begin by resisting in your own daily life. I saw a car from New York with a bumper sticker, “Let peace begin with me.” That’s correct. And let me begin with peace. That is also correct.
March 16, 2025 at 8:24 AM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Trying to practice "don't just do something, sit there" in this time of "don't just sit there, do something" this weekend. The last few weeks are the most I've ever struggled with meditation since I began practicing in 2018.

Excerpt is from Thích Nhất Hạnh's Being Peace.
If you do not have enough concentration, you cannot be strong enough to break through, to have a breakthrough into a subject of your meditation. Therefore breathing, walking, sitting, and other practices are primarily for you to realize some degree of concentration. This is called “Stopping.” Stop, in order to concentrate. Just as the lampshade stops the light from dispersing so you can read your book more easily, the first step of meditation is stopping, stopping the dispersion, concentrating on one subject. The best subject, the most available subject, is your breathing. Breathing is wonderful. It unites body and mind. Whether you count breaths or just follow them, it is for stopping. Stopping and seeing are very close. As soon as you stop, the words on the page become clear, the problem of our son becomes clear. Stop and look, that’s meditation, insight meditation. Insight means you have a vision, an insight into reality. Stopping is also to see, and seeing helps to stop. The two are one. We do so much, we run so quickly, the situation is difficult, and many people say, “Don’t just sit there, do something.” But doing more things may make the situation worse. So you should say, “Don’t just do something, sit there.” Sit there, stop, be yourself first, and begin from there. That is the meaning of meditation. When you sit in the meditation hall or at home or wherever you are, you can do that. But you have to really sit. Just sitting is not enough. Sit and be. Sitting without being is not sitting. Be stopping and seeing.
March 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Anyway, I flashed a dozen boomers my (cute, at least) bra trying to clumsily change my sweatshirt in the bag check line first thing in the morning before I even had one alcohol, how was your day?
White woman in a blue sweatshirt with red flowy pants and black and floral Adidas slip ons sitting on manicured (and extremely wet, by the way) green grass and holding a metal cup that says TPC Sawgrass Splash 2025.
March 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Florida is pretty okay if you only look at the scenery and ignore absolutely everything else about it.
Looking up at a mix of palm and willow trees with some Spanish moss on them against a bright blue sky.
March 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Please enjoy one minute of Letty watching Porco Rosso.
March 12, 2025 at 10:35 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Thank you, Bluesky, for this! Extremely useful to people like me who love to both read and post excessively long threads.
Screenshot showing where there is now a More > indicator at the bottom of the available nesting space if a thread keeps going beyond that.
March 11, 2025 at 5:20 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
The current circumstances, various, have led to a growing sleep deficit and now my late mornings into early afternoons are just a repeat of this scene daily.
Tumblr user @calebandrybones posts: beautiful caffeine on an empty stomach I'm going to live forever Followed by: hopital
March 11, 2025 at 4:36 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
She got scared of the bird and wanted to come sit with me.
Letty sitting between my feet on the couch, still watching Flow.
March 8, 2025 at 11:01 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Please enjoy 40 seconds of Letty watching Flow.
March 8, 2025 at 10:45 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Snuggle buddies.
Two small dogs wedged parallel to each other but facing different directions between pillows and blankets on a grey couch.
March 6, 2025 at 8:07 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Rue and Letty taken directly after Letty launched herself out of the cart in a Petco parking lot and took off into the path of an oncoming car forcing me to throw myself in front of it after her while fortunately the driver was paying attention, saw the whole thing, and was laughing hysterically.
Two small dogs in a blue cart. Letty, in a blue harness, is beaming directly at the photographer, while Rue, in an orange harness, is gazing into the distance pointedly not looking at the photographer and deeply embarrassed to be associated with any of us.
March 6, 2025 at 8:03 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Part II of Would You Like to Hear About My Dogs Instead of the Ongoing Horrors??? This is Letty Ortiz-Toretto. She is a part Chihuahua, part American Eskimo Dog, part Dachshund, mostly unidentified gremlin Muppet. If her sister Rue is all thoughts all the time, Letty is no thoughts just vibes.
Small fluffy tan gremlin dog creature with giant eyes pressed into a loaf on the floor on a multi colored vaguely lava-esque carpet.
March 6, 2025 at 6:51 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Okay cool I have one yes so I'm gonna talk about my dogs. Please enjoy hearing about my dogs if you'd like a respite from everything else. This is Rue McClanahan, and she is either an 11-12 year old terrier or possibly the soul of an anxious but charismatic recluse 30s film star in the body of one.
Close up of a sweet black and tan terrier face with bat ears.
March 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
This is a very good piece.
Second, successful pro-democracy movements are big tents that transcend traditional political divides. To save institutions, it’s important not to fall into the trap of being divided by policy. Unite with people who disagree with you on everything, so long as they agree with you that democracy is worth saving. Third, the inverse is true: exploiting latent divisions in the ruling movement can help divide and weaken attacks on democracy. For example, trying to pit Elon Musk against Donald Trump—two massive narcissistic egos—or trying to turn the MAGA nationalists against the Wall Street billionaires, is a viable strategy. Infighting saps political capital and creates unforced errors. Provoke it.
March 6, 2025 at 4:27 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Not beating the "this is a war on the professional services class" rap.
https://bsky.app/profile/golden.house.gov/post/3ljl2fvqjsd2b
March 4, 2025 at 8:37 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Centrist ghouls hate her! One weird trick that will change your life!
Screenshot of the three dot menu on the "Loudon County takeaways" post with "Hide post for me" circled in red.
March 2, 2025 at 7:02 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
I'm sorry but this is what I hear whenever you guys post about the Pope being sick like, "There's gonna be a conclave!"
Screenshot from Project Runway of Daniel Vosovic exclaiming, "It's a motherfucking walk-off!"
March 2, 2025 at 8:08 AM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
I did have bridesmaids at my "wedding," which was not so much a wedding as we got courthouse married over a year before but we still wanted a party and for our mothers not to kill us, but one of them was my brother. I emailed them all this picture of cheese and said wear something with these vibes.
A stack of cheese wheels on a decorative bed of fresh lavender. They're beige and yellow accented with dark plum and red berries and stone fruit.
March 2, 2025 at 5:40 AM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
A hungry ghost who eats babies.
“Bhadanta,” Nālada said, “I am coming from a journey through the realm of hungry ghosts. There I saw a hungry ghost who looked like one of the demons of Yama; she was covered in blood and surrounded by skeletons, as though she were in the middle of a cremation ground. And she said, By day I eat five children, by night I eat five more. After giving birth to them, I never feel sated. [And the venerable Nālada asked,] What terrible sin did she commit in the world of mortals so that she now experiences such horrific suffering? “Nālada,” the Blessed One said, “that hungry ghost is a sinner. Do you want to hear the deed that led her to this fate? “Yes, Bhadanta.” “Then listen to this, Nālada. Concentrate well and closely. I will speak.” When the first wife, who had previously been the merchant’s only spouse, saw the second wife being honored and cherished, she was filled with jealousy. “If this second wife gives birth to a son,” she thought, “he’ll surely torment me. Some skillful solution must be arranged, at any cost.” As they say, one who indulges in sensual pleasures doesn’t shy away from doing something sinful. The first wife was foolishly [perched] at the precipice of the [three] realms of existence that no one desires—[the realms of hell beings, animals, and hungry ghosts]. She gained the second wife’s trust and then gave her a drug that would induce an abortion. As a result of consuming the drug, that poor woman had a miscarriage. The second wife then gathered together all her relatives and questioned the first wife: “You gained my trust and then gave me a drug to induce an abortion! That’s why I had a miscarriage!” Then the first wife, in the midst of those relatives, took an oath: “If I gave you a drug to induce an abortion, then may I become a hungry ghost and devour my children as they are born!”
February 28, 2025 at 6:57 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Path of the Hungry Ghosts, one of the Six Paths. China, Southern Song period, thirteenth century. Ink and colors on silk, 41 ¼ x 18 ½ inches. Shin Chion-in, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Photograph courtesy of Otsu City Museum of History. (See alt text for more description.)
This particular painting features ten figures from the hungry ghost realm, each of whom has unique features. Based on various literary sources, one can make some best guesses about the various figures portrayed. For example, according to a short tract about hungry ghosts by Tiantai master Ciyun Zunshi (964–1032) entitled “On the Visualizations [That Accompany a] Charitable Bestowal of Food [on Hungry Ghosts], in Reply to Questions of the Official Cui Yucai,” there are three basic types of hungry ghosts: (1) those deprived of provisions, (2) those with meager provisions, and (3) those with bountiful provisions. Among the first type—those deprived of provisions—there are three subsets of hungry ghost: (1.1) the fire or flaming-mouth ghosts, insofar as flames blaze constantly from their mouths; (1.2) the needle-throat ghosts, whose bellies are huge as mountains but throats as thin as needles. The sūtra at hand mentions principally these two types, with all the others generically clustered around [in attendance]; and, finally, (1.3) the stinking or stench-mouth hungry ghosts, whose mouths are filled with stinking filth and rot, causing them agony from their own loathsomeness. These three kinds of hungry ghosts appear to be represented in the upper right of this painting. There are three hungry ghosts who are skeletal with large bellies, signaling their dire hunger, and who have protruding foreheads, noses, and jaws, giving them a simian quality. These are likely a flaming-mouth hungry ghost, with fiery breath; a needle-throat hungry ghost, with a small throat that inhibits eating; and a stinking-mouth hungry ghost, who is holding his nose, attempting perhaps to block the smell of his own terrible breath.
February 28, 2025 at 6:39 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Four hungry ghosts. Detail of a wall painting from Bezeklik Cave 18 of the Bezeklik cave grottoes near Turpan in Xinjiang, China, from the eleventh–twelfth century CE. Inv. no. III 8453, © Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; photo: Ines Buschmann.
Pictured are four hungry ghosts, emaciated with visible ribs, gangly with long arms and necks, their wire-like hair sticking straight up. The topmost three figures have their mouths wide open, so perhaps the flames that surround them signify their burning hunger. This detail comes from an elaborate cave mural with scenes of various hells. The murals in this cave are a composite of various artistic traditions, which makes it difficult to identify the sources and inspirations for these hungry ghost images.
February 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
A hungry ghost who can only eat shit.
Consider this description from the story called “A Pot of Shit”: The venerable Maudgalyāyana saw a hungry ghost who looked like a burned-out tree stump, naked and totally covered with hair, with a mouth like the eye of a needle and a stomach like a mountain. She was ablaze, alight, aflame, a single fiery mass, a perpetual cremation. Tormented by thirst, she was racked with sensations that were searing, piercing, distressing, agonizing, and acute, and she was crying out in pain. She was foul smelling—really foul smelling. She looked like shit, and she was feeding on feces. And even those, she only procured with difficulty. As the text goes on to explain: She runs around suffering, piles of shit everywhere, [wailing] “I drink and eat only shit!” The venerable Maudgalyāyana then approaches the Buddha, who explains to him the deed that the hungry ghost performed in a previous life that led her to this present fate: Long ago, Maudgalyāyana, in the city of Vārāṇasī, there was a solitary buddha who had compassion for the poor and neglected and who stayed in remote areas. Afflicted with an illness, he entered Vārāṇasī for alms, since a doctor had prescribed for him [a diet] of wholesome food. He approached the home of a merchant. The merchant saw him and asked, “Noble one, do you need anything?” “Homemade nutritious food,” he said. Then the merchant instructed his daughter-in-law: “Give wholesome food to the noble one.” In his daughter-in-law there arose a feeling of mātsarya. “If I give him food today, he’ll just come back again tomorrow.” She retreated indoors, filled a bowl with shit, then covered it with food and proceeded to give it to the solitary buddha. Now the knowledge and insight of disciples and solitary buddhas does not operate unless they focus their attention. So the solitary buddha accepted the bowl, and only after accepting it did he realize how much it smelled. “She must have filled it with excrement,” he thought. Then that great being dumped out his bowl to one side and departed.
February 28, 2025 at 6:25 PM
surrealisthells.bsky.social
Me: I'm gonna distract myself by doing long term professional development tasks.
Me: [opens a study guide to the last page I was on six months ago]
Me: ...Lol. Lmao even.
I am sitting cross legged on a grey couch with a black and white blanket holding open a study text with a purple highlighter in the middle. On the page it's open to the words BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT and LEGISLATIVE BRANCH are clearly visible. Also visible on the couch are my two dogs snoozing and being pretty cute. One has her chin resting between her paws with her pointy ears up, and one has her nose buried in her fluffy tail.
February 27, 2025 at 11:49 PM