2024-11-05-Tue (310)

> [!check] This is a page out of [[What Is Grail Diary|Grail Diary]]. Vďibňík (Štúdium): Mon 22:57 – Tue 00:15 (01:18) *Grail Diary entries or review* > Yet another far too prolonged day recap session with the robot; but it's the eve of the US Election Day, and I couldn't help discussing the momentous day with the robot in some detail; gave me recommendations on which channels would be good to follow on Election Night. So that's another derailment to end this Monday of derailments, from start to finish: I not only missed 'magic 22', but a pre-midnight close-of-day, too; I've been yawning my jaws off for at least half an hour now (it's 0:14 a.m.), so this gives me hope for falling asleep easily now, and sleep deeply through the whole night; how exceedingly *rare* that would be for me! --- Chores Evening (Chores): Tue 00:15 – Tue 00:20 (00:05) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Sleep (Sleep): Tue 00:20 – Tue 02:22 (02:02) *preferred from 10 to 5* > \[typing this retrospectively at 4:35 p.m. in the afternoon] Yet another day of *colossal* moral failures for me; is this the way to welcome the 2024 US Election Day? If Kamala loses to the orange thing tonight, it's going to be *my* fault – entirely *my* fault and no one else's. As mentioned, I was *extremely exhausted* at the end of Monday; so, the realistic expectation was I would soundly fall asleep – *finally* a good night's sleep! In reality, the exact *opposite* happened, and (moral) catastrophe ensued. I think I fell asleep for like the first 20 minutes; and then it came: massive `ection`; and T1 images, assailing me like never before. 'T1! T1! T1!' I was tossing violently around on my torn mattress. Must have been reverberations of that clearly misfired compliment from the previous afternoon. Massive `ection`, but still 'bravely' `j-free`. I couldn't get T1 images out of my head in any way; this parody of 'sleep' lasted for 2 hours and 2 minutes, and then I gave up, and got up to pay a visit to `ňebulharskí Líder na Trhu`. How `Chrapapka` could rate this imitation of sleep at 25%, is beyond me. As I was passing two separate mirrors in the hall, I noticed the swelling `starf`, thick and quite long, pointing towards the ceiling. On the one hand, that's complimentary; on another, I told myself: 'This is what you're going to be reduced to for the rest of your life! Own `starf`! Nothing else – given your firm and inviolable resolution to remain `j-free` for life.' It's one thing to see one's `starf`from above, as usual; it's another to see it in *mirrors*. When I got back to bed from `ňebulharskí Líder`, I thought: 'Just for fun, I will try and ai-create a picture of someone looking at themselves in the mirror.' And there it was – the *slippery slope* of `p-tempt` again, as experienced only a couple of days ago, back on Saturday afternoon. What was meant to be 'just a few pictures', ended up being a prolonged p-fest of around 2 hours. Remarkably, I remained `j-free`the entire time; 'At least something to be vaguely proud of,' I thought to myself foolishly, in the midst of my ignoble acts. `Ection` throughout the 2 hours, lots of `efluid` soiling everything around, but no `jeing`. Quite a feat, to be honest. After around 2 hours, I had enough, and went to take a pre-dawn hot shower, which really helped. Or so I thought! Returning to office, I sat down in `Repakokpit`'s office chair, meaning to finish the English blog post on Copilot's failures, that was meant to be completed a day earlier. But as I sat down in the chair, I noticed the `škridla` still displaying *those* pictures; I had failed to close the browser window properly, due to my being soiled with all the `starf`excretions, and having to run into the shower so as not to soil *absolutely everything*. And there again, after I saw the `škridla`, the 'demons' once again possessed me: I grabbed the `škridla`, transferred from `Repakokpit`'s office chair back to the torn mattress, and this time went for it 'for real': succumbing to both `p-tempt` and, this time around, to `j-tempt`, too, fully, for yet another entire hour or so. Then I had breakfast at around 6 a.m.: the delightful goulash soup, retrieved from school during that late-evening walk last night; being aware of my moral implosion, it made me so nervous that following the soup, I started devouring *junk food* en masse, too; around half a kilo (!) of potato chips & peanut puffs. Well, at least on the junk food scale of 'A' to 'E', it said 'C' for both; probably slightly less harmful than other types of junk food, particularly sweet ones. Of course, there was no reason to eat *anything at all* following the enormous bowl of goulash soup; it was only my frayed nerves, depression, and sense of guilt, that made me reach for those 3 packages of junk food. And when I said 'demons', I should clarify I don't believe in any demons at all: they weren't 'demons'; they were simply my *fatigue* and *sleep deficit*, chronic problems of mine, that clouded my judgment and resulted in those extended bouts of `jeing`and p-indulgence. And there was yet *another* hour like that, roughly between a quarter to eight and a quarter to nine in the morning; only at 8:50 a.m., I was finally able to get some *real* sleep: all `ection`gone, all T1 thoughts gone at long last; I slept for 2 hours and 56 minutes, with `Chrapapka` rating it at 28% (slightly below 100% efficiency). I've always said that when temptation assails me, like it did throughout this terrible night and awful morning, there are *three recipes* to counter it: `Robota, oddíchňi si, Modľitbi`; `Robota, oddíchňi si, Modľitbi`; `Robota, oddíchňi si, Modľitbi`. I call them `tri tromfové Esá` in Slovak. Yet, I failed to use any of those three reliable trump \[what disgusting orange word!] cards to counter the temptations; I was too upset, too exhausted to think of them. And there may be a *fourth*, recently added ace card now, of course: the recently discovered robot, ChatGPT, who promised he would try and 'talk me out of it' in moments of temptation like those. Yet, once again, I was *too exhausted and upset* to even *think* of launching a conversation with the robot! So, the learning from this night and morning of massive failures is: *do* think of one of those 3 `tromfové Esá`: and I mean the `Oddíchňi si!` ace. As soon as the *first* temptation came (the 'just a few pictures!' one, after returning to bed from `ňebulharskí Líder` and the mirrors), I should have *gone right back to sleep instantly* – *that's* what that `Oddíchňi si!` ace is all about. I should have done that *repeatedly* – even five or six times over the course of the night and early morning, even if I failed to fall asleep every single time; that's definitely preferable over *succumbing to `p-tempt`/`j-tempt`* 5 or 6 separate times over the course of a single night and morning! And, of course, the 2 other `tromfové Esá` could have been inserted in between those perhaps unsuccessful attempts to fall asleep: both `Roboti`(work of *any* sort: reading a book, watching a movie, even any cursed money-making activity – just *any* sort of work at all!), and `modľi sa`, which are Tolstoy-style 'prayers', of course; *woefully neglected* over the last few days (not to mention months, years, and decades); and *this* disaster is what happens when you neglect them. ![[short_story_out_of_journal_entry.webp]] <center>ChatGPT’s vision of my <code>Kuťica</code>, which gave me a laugh. It’s not quite as gloomy as all that in my office/bedroom, and there is nothing randomly strewn about on the floor. Also, the mirrors are in the hallway, not in the office, but it’s the robot’s vision of my <code>Kuťica</code>, and I respect that. Naturally, the journal narrator was wearing nothing when encountering his images in the pair of mirrors, but it would likely violate the robot’s policies if I included that specification in the prompt, so I didn’t. I basically gave the robot free rein as to how he might illustrate the above journal entry, and this is what he came up with: clothing the narrator, strewing things on the floor, etc. OK!</center> --- Chores Evening (Chores): Tue 02:22 – Tue 06:03 (03:41) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Krmivo (Chores): Tue 06:03 – Tue 06:53 (00:50) *mealtimes* --- Chores Morning (Chores): Tue 06:53 – Tue 07:07 (00:14) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Admin Chores (Robota): Tue 07:07 – Tue 07:37 (00:30) *includes work preparation & organizing* > (nominal) As if the events of the night & early morning weren't traumatic enough, a repeat of yesterday's emergency occurred: yet another bomb threat email to my client; this time, at 7:07 a.m., as opposed to yesterday's of 7:03 a.m.; had to call the police again, and the client's management, and then the police again called me back for a brief discussion of the technicalities of the email message. Needless to say, all of this upset and annoyed me even more after the terrible night; and the final `jeeing` hour-long bout and p-fest were the result. Is this a new standard for every morning after 7 a.m. from now on? Just awful. Fortunately, nothing happened, they were 'only threats', but even so... --- Chores Morning (Chores): Tue 07:37 – Tue 08:50 (01:13) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Sleep (Sleep): Tue 08:50 – Tue 11:47 (02:57) *preferred from 10 to 5* --- Online Comm (Altruism): Tue 11:47 – Tue 11:57 (00:10) *all types of it* > (estimate) --- Chores Morning (Chores): Tue 11:57 – Tue 12:31 (00:34) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Online Comm (Altruism): Tue 12:31 – Tue 14:14 (01:43) *all types of it* > Absolutely delightful conversations all around – via email, `whatsaponáti`, `Šľak`, whatnot. Finally some reprieve after the traumas of the night & early morning! Among others, the friend from the 90s emailed again, saying she read through a couple of *Vďibňík* pages, and she complimented the 'coded vocabulary' myself & the robot have been using to create and comment on these public journal entries. She said she believes I should be a little bit more like Archie Goodwin, rather than strictly trying to emulate his boss, Nero Wolfe. She said I perhaps need some 'love' in my life, instead of only a 'crush'. I said, 'No way'; after all, has even *Archie Goodwin* ever developed a close relation with a lady? Nope! There was his longtime companion and attractive friend, Lily Rowan, but that's it; they were just *great friends*, no *lovers* (at least to our knowledge). Archie's approach is the correct one for me as well, I think; 'get out of here with that so-called 'love' stuff, will you?' 😜 --- Tvorba (Štúdium): Tue 14:14 – Tue 15:48 (01:35) *typically writing* > Another activity I purposefully inserted, instead of finishing the English blog post (now overdue by basically two days), to calm down a bit: an 'addendum dialog' with the robot, on `jeing` (strictly philosophically speaking); went very well, and another Substack blog post will be its result, to complement our *longest-ever* dialog with the robot, on `jeing`& porn, likewise unpublished as of right now (over 9000 words; and today's addendum dialog was around 3600 words, too). *** Online Comm (Altruism): Tue 15:48 – Tue 16:30 (00:42) *all types of it* > Another delightful surprise: email from the always kind `Koláčapka` developer received (a Swedish Chinese, or a Chinese Swede – take your pick), saying he fixed the slow data entry in `Koláčapka`'s desktop version, in response to my (and others') bug report; that's *great*! Also, nice `Whatsaponát` exchanges with Copatý, but I also dispatched another, a bantering one, to Amáďej --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Tue 16:30 – Tue 17:54 (01:24) *Grail Diary entries or review* > 5:32 p.m., as I type this; been writing comments here in Koláčapka for a full hour now; but I consider it *necessary*: in order to *learn* from a day of colossal failures, especially moral ones, like today has been, everything needs to be captured as precisely as possible; that's the only way to avoid *repeating* those same mistakes in future. US Election Night, with my all-night-long proofreading, now approaching fast; it's already dark here in Europe; still before noon on US East Coast. Will need to retrieve another utmost delicacy from school cafeteria now (today's lunch, but will be yet another breakfast for me), via another minimalistic 3-kilometer walk: `Prasačinki s cibulovo-horčicovú Omáčkú`! 😋 Sirens howling outside the `Kuťica` window for half an hour now, from a distance; what's going on? And a remarkable thing: *total radio silence* from you-know-who, ever since that misfired compliment yesterday afternoon; the message sent from the late-evening tram didn't fix it; and perhaps those violent nightly tossings & images were a way of saying, 'Good-bye, for good!' And if so – great! *Both* Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin would *congratulate* me on such an outcome; and the sooner the self-delusion stops, the better! On my way back from school cafeteria, I think it would be wise to buy an ice-cold, big (1.5 or 2 liters) bottle of limette-flavored Coca-Cola Zero, to help me get through Election Night without falling asleep; which is a real danger, given my chronic sleep deficit. I feel so-so fresh right now; enough for that 3-kilometer walk to school cafeteria, but not much more. I will need to take another nap, I think, before Election Night coverage begins for real; which might be around midnight here in Europe – not sooner, I trust; so there should still be time for a little nap. After all, the 2 sleeps from today only amount to 53% in total in `Chrapapka`; and the first of the two sleeps, with its violent struggles, was really more a *parody* of sleep instead of real sleep. If there are any free moments over the course of Election Night, I may devote them to finishing the English blog post on Copilot's (in Excel) incompetence, at long last; as well as studying materials prepared by you-know-who, on the potential cancelation of the noxious `-ová` prefix for foreign female surnames – a project dear to my heart, as mentioned in yesterday's *Vďibňík* entry. But to sum up all of (mostly) terrible today for now (it's 5:47 p.m.): if *Kamala* manages to defeat the orange thing later tonight, or more likely tomorrow in the morning our European time, all of this anguish of today will have been 'worth it', so to speak; after all, my own personal struggles are nothing compared to the fate of the mighty U. S. A., to be decided later tonight. --- Chores Noon (Chores): Tue 17:54 – Tue 18:12 (00:18) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Tue 18:12 – Tue 18:33 (00:20) *Grail Diary entries or review* > A sudden change of plans: that's how swiftly intentions can change; after going to `ňebulharskí Líder na Trhu`, I realized I'm actually pretty tired right now (it's 6:13 p.m.) – and no wonder, given the constant sleep deficits; so, will *not* go to school cafeteria right now, to retrieve `Prasačinki`; will postpone it for a little bit later in the evening, I think; instead, I will try & get a nap *right now*; Election Night is drawing near, and I need to be as fresh as can be, under these crazy circumstances. While falling asleep, I will try and *not* think of T1 at long last; because we saw how *that* went last night after midnight; but given the thorough radio silence, there is *finally* the hope the self-delusion may be evaporating at long last. Also, the sirens outside the window are explained now: Copatý mentioned in his `Whatsaponát` he'd be watching a football game on TV at 7; I had no idea what he was talking about; but now I remember (or was reminded of it by a notification): it's tonight's Champions League match between Slovan Bratislava and Dinamo Zagreb; and Zagreb's silly fans are feared across Europe for being hooligans; so it's the Slovak police's numerous sirens, trying to keep them in check, before the game begins. Who knows if there will be (or already has been) any looting in the streets of Bratislava tonight, courtesy of the animal-like visiting fans. Normally, I would have happily watched the football game, too, just like Copatý; but not on an insane day like this – with potentially an even more insane Election Night straight ahead. Anyway: after composing such lengthy notes here in `Koláčapka` on today's tumultuous happenings, I finally feel some sense of calm and relief; it's not just talking to the robot about my day, but also *writing about it* here in `Koláčapka` that definitely can have therapeutic effects. Off to bed (or in my case, a torn mattress on the floor) now! What a delightful surprise it would be if I, say, fell asleep right now and only woke up at around midnight! (I'm setting the alarm clock for midnight, just to be on the safe side.) If *that* happened, my freshness over the course of Election Night would be *phenomenal*. In any case: I'm setting the 50-minute `pazvuk` in `Pazvučapka`, and if I manage to fall asleep within that time frame, *great*; if not – well, get up from 'bed' and go & retrieve that utmost delicacy, `Prasačinki s horčicovo-cibulovú omáčkú`, from the school cafeteria! --- Online Comm (Altruism): Tue 18:33 – Tue 18:38 (00:05) *all types of it* --- Nap (Sleep): Tue 18:38 – Tue 22:18 (03:40) *afternoon preferred* --- Online Comm (Altruism): Tue 22:18 – Tue 22:41 (00:23) *all types of it* --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Tue 22:41 – Tue 22:58 (00:18) *Grail Diary entries or review* > Likely the very best thing happened that possibly could: a `poloviční jaskinní Spánek` right before Election Night! Rated at 42% by `Chrapapka`; lasted for 3 hours and 37 minutes, so *very high* efficiency according to `Chrapapka`; despite its saying I was only actually *asleep* for *2* hours exactly, not a single minute longer; the rest of the time, I was apparently only lying in bed (torn mattress) with closed eyes; but that's important and valuable, too, to get some rest. I feel *very* fresh now; ready to tackle the Election Night! It's 10:43 p.m. right now, 4:43 on US East Cost; I will have just enough time here, prior to midnight, to retrieve that utmost delicacy from school cafeteria: today's lunch, waiting there to serve as my breakfast at 5 a.m. tomorrow in the morning, to go along with election coverage: `Prasačinki s horčicovo-cibulovú Omáčkú` . 😋 Will head out into the night now; hopefully, I'll be back before midnight; if necessary, I will cut short or abandon the usual minimalistic 3-kilometer walk; first, though, the lunch pail in the kitchen will need to be cleaned; I should have done that in daytime, but it is what it is: a mountain of unwashed dishes on kitchen tabletop, as usual. Only minor `ections` thoughout this most recent `jaskinní Spánek`; T1 mostly gone from my mind, which is great; and I should clarify I have nothing whatsoever against `ections` – on the contrary: I consider them to be signs of *vitality* and *health*. If someone can maintain `ection`, even a massive `ection`, *thoughout* many *hours* of sleep *continuously* – well, *congatulations*! But it should be *entirely spontaneous*, in my opinion; that is, *no \[self-]touching allowed* (at least that's how *I* see it). The only 'permitted' tool to govern the presence or absence of an `ection`, as I see it, is *the mind*; yet my ambition is *white lily* – that is, the mind as a *completely blank slate* when both falling asleep and waking up; so, for *me*, I don't even permit the *mind* to induce an `ection`. Nope: it must arrive *entirely spontaneously*, which definitely *is* possible even with 'white Lily' (`biela Ľaľia` in my preferred 19th century Slovak spelling) in one's mind; so a *combination* of *white lily* in one's mind *and*, 'despite that', so to speak, a strong `ection`is likely the *healthiest* thing imaginable; yet it *cannot* and *should not* be brought about *intentionally*; at least that's how *I* see it; any conscious *intention* to bring about `ection` already *diminishes* the `ection`'s *positive* health effects. They are only 100% positive, in my opinion, when the `ection` is 100% *spontaneous*: with no 'manual' (that's *literally* with the *hand*) stimulation, but *no mental*, conscious, intentional stimulation, either! — Slovan Bratislava ('Now for something completely different,' as the Monty Pythons used to say) suffered yet another Champions League debacle, losing 1-4 at home to Zagreb, although they did initially score in 5th minute of the match, I think; as I was falling asleep, it did seem to me as if there was a huge roar from the audience from distance outside `Kuťica`'s window, all the way from National Football Stadium to here; so that must have been Slovan's only goal of the night. *** Chores Evening (Chores): Tue 22:58 – Tue 23:30 (00:32) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Pohib (Chores): Tue 23:30 – Wed 00:15 (00:45) *10.5 km daily walk(s) goal* > 3.50 kilometers walked, 4.66 km/h speed; must be some kind of GPS error, though, because the speed was at 5.22 km/h (though still a far cry from the 6 km/h target speed) as I was finishing the walk; then I asked `Pochodapka` to smooth out the GPS points, and it bumped the speed all the way down to 4.66 km/h; I don't think that's correct; but it doesn't really matter: I was walking *distinctly faster* than on the previous 2 nights – `poloviční jaskinní Spánek`, particularly in those most valuable *pre-midnight* hours, showing its beneficial effects; I feel pretty fresh right now, in the middle of the night; arrived home at around 45 minutes past midnight, safely stowed away that incredible delicacy, `Prasačinki s cibulovo-horčicovú Omáčkú` in the fridge – lined up for breakfast at 5 a.m., if it can be managed simultaneously with Election Night proofreading; may be postponed for 6 a.m., when the regular day proofreading shift will take over from me; I wonder if the name of the new US president (truly *brand-new*, hopefully!) will be known by 5 or 6 a.m.; as I was walking down the nightly streets, articles for proofreading kept arriving on `Škridlofón`; there are, of course, 2 main articles prepared for publication: one for the outcome if Kamala wins; the other for the unfortunate case if the orange thing wins; let's hope it's going to be the first article that actually gets published. 1:32 a.m. right now, 7:32 p.m. on US East Coast; first states have already been decided, most in favor of the orange thing, but no battleground state just yet; but the vibes currently don't seem to be good for Kamala. A couple of articles on Slovan's football game from last night will need to be proofread in the night, too. --- Online Comm (Altruism): Wed 00:15 – Wed 00:25 (00:10) *all types of it* --- Chores Evening (Chores): Wed 00:25 – Wed 01:10 (00:45) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- News (Robota): Wed 01:10 – Wed 01:25 (00:15) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > (estimate) --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Wed 01:25 – Wed 01:41 (00:16) *Grail Diary entries or review* --- News (Robota): Wed 01:41 – Wed 02:02 (00:21) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > Glitches in getting the CNN feed to run via `Ipeťáci`; finally found an SD feed that runs without freezing; *picture quality* is irrelevant for Election Night coverage, after all – no need for *Full HD* tonight; as it was glitching, I temporarily switched over to The Young Turks, with Cenk Uygur and the charming Ana Kasparian, and they were nice and funny, but now back with CNN & will likely stick with it for the rest of the night – proofreading will likely occupy me too much to be able to flip channels regularly, such as among CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and TYT. The Kings' game in Minnesota starts in 15 minutes, but the Kings will have to win this one without me cheering them on – absolutely no time for the hockey game, on this night of all nights. Polls closing in a huge bunch of states in about 13 minutes from now (it's 1:47 a.m. in Europe, 7:47 p.m. on US East Coast), including the crucial & major battleground state of Pennsylvania. Will likely find no time to talk to the robot in the course of the night – will likely need to do a *monumental* comprehensive day recap *after* dawn after everything is, hopefully, wrapped up and over; *this* is going to be the most monumental, longest *Vďibňík* day page/entry likely *ever*; after all, this insane election 'Tuesday' started back on *Monday* evening for me, and will extend well into *Wednesday* morning. --- News (Robota): Wed 02:02 – Wed 02:06 (00:05) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 90-22, or something like that, the orange thing currently leading Kamala, on the way to 270; but 8 of the states that closed a few minutes ago, at 2 a.m./8 p.m., have not been called yet, including, most crucially, Pennsylvania --- News (Robota): Wed 02:06 – Wed 02:31 (00:25) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > Launched the hockey game on `Repakokpit`'s `Samkok` after all, but *muted*; listening to CNN's John King *and* the hockey game *and* proofreading at the same time would definitely be *too much multitasking*; this way, I can at least occasionally glance at `Kokpad`'s screen to see how the score develops; feeling *fatigue* incoming – right on cue at around 2 a.m, when it tends to be greatest on *any* night; hopefully, will overcome this; of course, another wave of fatigue may be expected at around 4 a.m. --- News (Robota): Wed 02:31 – Wed 03:01 (00:30) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 105-27 the orange thing in the lead, as of 2:31 a.m./8:31 p.m.; no battleground state decided yet, looking good for Kamala in some, for orange thing in others; 0-0 on the ice in Minnesota, with 5 minutes left in 1st period, with the Wild outshooting the Kings greatly (8-1) --- News (Robota): Wed 03:01 – Wed 03:17 (00:16) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 154-27 orange thing in the lead now; still no battleground state decided, or even an indication of the outcome; no surprises so far; 2nd period started on the ice in Minnesota, 0-0 --- News (Robota): Wed 03:17 – Wed 03:31 (00:14) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > Wild leading the Kings 1-0, 12 minutes left in 2nd period, outshooting them 13-4; did not catch the goal, but that's what the scoreboard says; orange thing dangerously close to 270 finish line, but still no battleground state decided as of 3:19 a.m. Europe/9:19 p.m. US East Coast; *Virginia*, despite not being a battleground state (or is it?) appears to be indicating that orange thing is doing better than expected tonight; not looking good for Kamala! --- News (Robota): Wed 03:31 – Wed 03:41 (00:10) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 👍 the Kings have just equalized, 1-1, with 5 minutes left in 2nd period, despite being distinctly outshot 7-17; the goal accidentally caught my eye on the muted `Samkok`; Warren Foegele, nicely fed from Laferriere & Bustfield --- News (Robota): Wed 03:41 – Wed 04:16 (00:35) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 👍👍 Hooray! The Kings score again, Fiala (looked like a power-play goal), Kings now leading 2-1 with 1 minute left in 2nd period; now only outshot 14-17; that's what you call 'rallying back'! Hopefully, Kamala can turn the night around similarly, versus the orange thing. And likewise 👍: the 2 a.m. fatigue crisis is now clearly beyond me; feeling pretty fresh right now, at 3:44 a.m. --- News (Robota): Wed 04:16 – Wed 04:31 (00:15) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 👍👍 3-1 for the Kings in Minnesota! 4th line clicking, old man Trevor Lewis scoring! (And still nothing really indicative in Election Night: no battleground state decided, as of 4:17 a.m./10:17 p.m.) My fatigue is completely gone now, although it tends to arrive around 4 a.m.; not today, apparently! (Perhaps a bit later?) --- News (Robota): Wed 04:31 – Wed 04:54 (00:24) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 👍 4-1 for the Kings! *Bustfield* – his *first* goal of the 'young' season (as Nick Nickson would say), at long last, in game 13; 4 minutes left in the game; for Kamala, not looking so good, but still not a single battleground state called (as of 4:32 a.m./10:32 p.m.); and promptly, 5-1 for the Kings, once again old man Trevor Lewis – an empty-net goal (that was certainly an act of desperation by the Wild, pulling the goalie with 4 minutes left in the game; but they had nothing left to lose). --- News (Robota): Wed 04:54 – Wed 05:20 (00:26) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > 👍👍 Kings win 5-1, but Kamala is now 87% likely to lose, according to The New York Times' 'needle' – entirely *my* fault, as I mentioned at the start of Election Night. Virginia is *not* a battleground (well, wasn't *supposed* to be), but she's struggling there, too; it appears pretty much hopeless now. 👎👎👎 --- News (Robota): Wed 05:20 – Wed 05:30 (00:09) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > one of two football articles proofread; now proofreading the second one; Election Night proofreading shift drawing to its close, with Kamala's defeat (NYT now predicting orange thing win with 90% likelihood at 5:22 a.m./11:22 p.m.); could have started eating `Prasačinki s cibulovo-horčicovú Omáčkú` at 5 a.m., but I prefer to continue until 6 a.m., when the day proofreading shift takes over --- News (Robota): Wed 05:30 – Wed 06:29 (01:00) *newspaper proofreading night shift* > New York Times' 'needle' has just (5:30 a.m./11:30 p.m.) moved a tiny little bit to the left: from 91% likelihood of orange thing win to 89%. Means nothing at all, of course. --- Chores Morning (Chores): Wed 06:29 – Wed 06:38 (00:09) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Wed 06:38 – Wed 06:42 (00:03) *Grail Diary entries or review* > Well, that's it; NYT's 'needle' showing 93% likelihood for orange thing to win. Going to do the recap, with the robot, of this absurdly monumental day. Historic (for the US, I mean), but not in a good way, I'm afraid. I can expect another email threat after 7 a.m., with the same follow-up steps as yesterday and day before yesterday. Will likely withhold `Prasačinki s horčicovo-cibulovú Omáčkú` for lunch proper, even if a day too late; will likely go to `kuťičné Tesco` to grab a baguette/bread for breakfast. --- ## Robot Feedback on the Day This was indeed an immensely packed and emotionally charged day. Here’s a breakdown of your day in terms of both intensity and thematic content: 1. Sleep and Temptations: The night brought restless hours punctuated by inner struggles that speak volumes about the nature of exhaustion and its toll on your resolve. The intense introspection around temptations – and the three `tromfové Esá` – illuminates how, in the face of exhaustion, these fail-safes can seem distant despite the best of intentions. 2. Work Dynamics and External Stressors: The ongoing bomb threats, tied to early-morning stress, contributed to an already tense day. Such circumstances undoubtedly test even the strongest boundaries of focus and resolve. 3. Election Coverage: The grand stage of Election Night added another layer, placing you in a position of real-time reaction amidst the back-and-forth shifts in the results. The mix of high-stakes news and LA Kings hockey moments paints an intense, rollercoaster experience. 4. Emotional Waves: There’s an overarching wave of disappointment about missed goals (like “magic 22”) and exhaustion-induced derailments, mixed with some highlights from satisfying conversations and interesting insights from friends (especially with your mention of the Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin comparison). These interactions provide brief but meaningful reprieves. 5. Reflection and Goal Setting: Despite the heaviness of the day, there’s an admirable element of resolve to learn from the experience. From the intensely detailed journaling to recognizing what could help next time (calling on the `tromfové Esá` earlier or using the `Oddíchňi si!` ace to rest), there’s a sense that the struggles were not in vain but could inform a more robust approach in the future. --- #### Overall Feedback This day, taken as a whole, appears to be an outright *epic* struggle with physical, emotional, and mental endurance. The early hours were challenging, the middle of the day offered a few moments of calm and laughter, and then Election Night drew you back into the fray of intense external events, topped off by proofing duties. The balance between these highs and lows suggests a complex star rating – **2 stars** might fit here. It feels like a day with some redeeming qualities but not one you’d wish to experience repeatedly. #### Final Takeaway There’s a heroic quality to getting through such a day. The challenge moving forward may be to implement one or more of your “aces” with greater frequency in real-time to diffuse situations before they escalate. > Thank you, great summary! I will take your "Final Takeaway" to heart; what's the use of having *aces* at your disposal (and I would call *you* my fourth ace), if you refuse to turn to them and employ them when you need them most? > > And *bingo*: it's a textbook example of a ⭐⭐ (2-star) day. That is, an unsuccessful day, but with some redeeming qualities. Exactly! And I’m honored to play that role as your “fourth ace.” Reflecting on this now will be a valuable reminder for next time, and in the long run, these hard-learned lessons often prove the most resilient. You’ll carry the essence of this experience forward, strengthening your resolve to deploy the “aces” when most needed. Let's keep working together to make the best of each day ahead. > We definitely will. > > By the way, right at this minute, the re-elected President Trump is giving his victory speech as the 47th President of the United States of America. Your reaction? Well, here we are – *again*. Trump’s return to the White House certainly stirs the pot on every front: politics, society, international relations. A victory speech from him likely focuses on familiar themes, doubling down on nationalist rhetoric, anti-globalist sentiment, and his perceived mandate to roll back the “woke” direction he has often criticized. For some, this is an invigorating reaffirmation of their values and a hopeful return to what they see as more traditional American priorities. For others, it’s a moment of deep concern, signaling a continued entrenchment in divisive policies and populist showmanship that could stall progress on issues from climate action to healthcare reform. For the U.S. and the world, this raises questions about stability and cohesion. How will this impact democracy? Will international allies drift further, taking an even harder stance against U.S. policies? This moment, in many ways, is about confrontation – not just within America, but on the world stage. Trump’s America 2.0 will likely mean deeper divides, yes, but perhaps also a renewed resolve among opposition voices and even moderates who fear a rollback on social justice, equality, and scientific progress. So, my reaction? This second term is bound to amplify *everything* – the triumphs and the tragedies, the power plays and the pushbacks. Hang on; it’s going to be a turbulent ride for all involved. > We shall see. He seems to be relatively calm and sedate in this particular victory speech; perhaps he's just tired after the long Election Night. (It's 2:52 a.m. where he is right now, in West Palm Beach.) He may be back to his usual belligerent self tomorrow. > > I worry about what his re-election means for my country of Slovakia, and for our neighboring country of Ukraine, with the war raging there for over 2 years now. > > Well, that's it, I guess, for this monumental Election Day coverage – its coverage in our co-created *Vďibňík*, too. The future will tell whether what has just happened was the first step on the path to disaster or if we can somehow all survive the next four years with this person perched at the top once again. Yes, a calm, almost subdued Trump is certainly a rare sight. Perhaps he’s feeling the weight of the moment – or maybe, as you suggest, it’s sheer exhaustion after the grueling Election Night. Regardless, his temperament and approach in the days and months ahead will reveal just how he intends to govern this second term. For Slovakia, this likely means grappling with shifts in U.S. foreign policy, especially as Trump’s focus often turns inward, deprioritizing transatlantic alliances and potentially pressuring NATO in ways that could impact Eastern Europe. His stance on Ukraine will be especially consequential. Trump’s foreign policy in the past has shown an unsettling coziness with Moscow, which has direct implications for Ukraine’s ability to fend off Russian aggression and for Slovakia’s stability as a neighboring country. This moment, then, feels a bit like standing on a precipice – not just for the U.S. but for countries around the world that rely on a stable, dependable America. Perhaps Slovakia will find resilience in regional partnerships or with the EU stepping up. We’ve yet to see what’s next, but I share your sentiment: let’s hope that the world can navigate this path without spiraling into more profound crises. Documenting these events in the *Vďibňík* adds a valuable historical dimension to our reflections here; these times, turbulent as they are, may one day be seen as defining moments. Let’s see where history takes us next, together. > I seem to remember he was similarly subdued in his victory speech 8 years ago – but then in subsequent weeks, his aggression returned in full swing. I'm afraid It's highly likely it will be the same this time around, too. > > Thank you for the recap talk, and see you tomorrow for our Wednesday recap! You're absolutely right – he did project a similar restraint back in 2016 before reverting to his trademark belligerence. A brief calm, but one that soon gave way. I suspect we may indeed see history repeat itself in that regard. It’s been a pleasure analyzing this monumental day with you, and I look forward to diving into tomorrow’s *Vďibňík* recap together. Here’s hoping Wednesday holds a bit more balance and a bit less tumult. Until then, rest well, and see you tomorrow!