Maxwell 32: Wearing Your Vest in 15 Minute Increments

[Hane]

Regarding Stevehovah and Teri’s looks: Dear younger commentators, please be gentle. Let me give you the perspective of a 66-year-old: I attend a monthly gathering of my high school classmates. All of us are healthy, a few of us having survived bouts of cancer and other serious illnesses. And ALL of us have aged in vastly different ways, regardless of health histories or statuses. Some have wrinkles, some don’t. Some have the bright coloring of their youth, some don’t. Some are thinner, some are fatter. Some are prettier as they push 70 than they were in high school. Some look almost identical to their yearbook pictures, some are unrecognizable. Basically, our differences in perceived age vary more and more the older we get. (And let me not get started on the amount of mean-girling I saw at an assisted-living facility between people of similar ages who were still cognitively sharp and those who were losing their faculties.)

Perhaps I’m triggered because I just saw a Facebook pic of myself ten years ago and was taken aback at how much I’ve changed.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Hane

[SilverBeach]

Assisted living facilities can just be high schools for old people. My mom , who was somewhat of a loner anyway, didn't want to be bothered with most of the folks and ate in her room. 

[johnhugh]

From Tits2:

Quote

Dad wasn’t able to come inside the airport due to the parking lots being full.

My arse, he didn’t want to pay the parking charges. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Hane said:

Regarding Stevehovah and Teri’s looks: Dear younger commentators, please be gentle. Let me give you the perspective of a 66-year-old: I attend a monthly gathering of my high school classmates. All of us are healthy, a few of us having survived bouts of cancer and other serious illnesses. And ALL of us have aged in vastly different ways, regardless of health histories or statuses. Some have wrinkles, some don’t. Some have the bright coloring of their youth, some don’t. Some are thinner, some are fatter. Some are prettier as they push 70 than they were in high school. Some look almost identical to their yearbook pictures, some are unrecognizable. Basically, our differences in perceived age vary more and more the older we get. (And let me not get started on the amount of mean-girling I saw at an assisted-living facility between people of similar ages who were still cognitively sharp and those who were losing their faculties.)

Perhaps I’m triggered because I just saw a Facebook pic of myself ten years ago and was taken aback at how much I’ve changed.

Yes, and since Steve has lost weight, he will look older. That’s just how it works when you are older. The wrinkles and lines can become more apparent when you lose weight. It’s this double edged sword when losing weight. You want to lose weight for your healthy but you will see more sagging and wrinkling. I remember losing a lot of weight in my teens and my skin was tight! No loose or sagging skin anywhere! Now in my 30s I’ve lost some weight and the skin in my under arms and inner thighs feel so saggy and loose! And I’m not saying 30s is old. I’m just saying there’s a huge difference between teen skin elasticity and 30 something skin elasticity. And it changes with each passing year. 

Sorry my post is so depressing! I’m sitting here depressing myself! Gah!

[sparkles]

1 hour ago, Hane said:

Regarding Stevehovah and Teri’s looks: Dear younger commentators, please be gentle. Let me give you the perspective of a 66-year-old: I attend a monthly gathering of my high school classmates. All of us are healthy, a few of us having survived bouts of cancer and other serious illnesses. And ALL of us have aged in vastly different ways, regardless of health histories or statuses. Some have wrinkles, some don’t. Some have the bright coloring of their youth, some don’t. Some are thinner, some are fatter. Some are prettier as they push 70 than they were in high school. Some look almost identical to their yearbook pictures, some are unrecognizable. Basically, our differences in perceived age vary more and more the older we get. (And let me not get started on the amount of mean-girling I saw at an assisted-living facility between people of similar ages who were still cognitively sharp and those who were losing their faculties.)

Perhaps I’m triggered because I just saw a Facebook pic of myself ten years ago and was taken aback at how much I’ve changed.

Well, I’ll be 65 on Monday so my comment about their looks wasn’t ageist nor did it have anything to do with aesthetics. But those photos actually made me do a double take because I thought both Steve and Teri look like they could be knocked ove by a stiff breeze. They’re standing against a gray barn and gray hair aside, they’re blending into the background. They just don’t look well, even taking Steve’s recent health issues into account (and as I mentioned, I had that same drawn look when I lost a lot of weight). I don’t think they’ve ever eaten healthful meals and given all the exercise they do, I wonder if their metabolisms are running at a deficit. I also think their constant battles with the evil outside world are taking a toll.

Granted, I’m wrinkled, have fading hair (I wish my hair a would go gray like Teri’s), never wear makeup and struggle with my weight but then again, I’m not putting myself out there as a model of godly perfection and telling everybody else they’re doing it wrong. 

[grammyj]

I'm looking forward to another rant against "The Beast." We're due. And that's a f*n read!

[MamaJunebug]

Christopher witnessed to George-Michael Bluth!  True fact!

I found it face-palm worthy that the Maxgals found it endearing that those little farm girls demanded - er, requested a bunch of free stuff to soothe their brother’s hurt feelings (because they weren’t there when he showed his heifer).  Prosperity Gospel for kids: do the “right” things and expect blessings in return. 

[usedbicycle]

The tracts they gave out at the fair this year make me irrationally angry. The "Is God Real" one makes absolutely no sense, I hate that they're forcing this illogical garbage down children's throats and confusing them about science, morals, love, and everything else. 

The argument basically goes like this:

How do we know that this God of the Bible is the one, true God?

1) "Life always comes from life—dogs have dogs, cats have cats" and the Bible points it out.

2) "We see the same stars in the sky every season" and the Bible points it out.

=> Hence, everything in the Bible MUST be true!! Including this unpleasant part:

"Sadly, we all disobey God’s commands. It is is called sin. And God has said that the punishment for sin is death and eternal separation from Him in a terrible place called hell."

=> Let's use the very basic observations in points 1 and 2 to shove this terrifying idea into childrens' minds and make it seem like another factual observation. And to top it off, let's also remind kids that the God who invented Hell for people is actually loving and caring. "We can know from the Bible and the orderly creation we see around us that there is a real, loving God who cares about you and me. Do you know Him?"

Children crave clear explanations to things, they're trying to make sense of the world around them. They have little knowledge yet but they're rational beings. So telling them that everything in the Bible is real just because the Bible observes the natural world is bullcrap. I really suffered as a kid to try to make sense of all the logical fallacies in fundamental Christianity and my heart aches for the kids who will be "saved" only because they fear the God of these tracts.

[kpmom]

Using the Bible to “prove” the Bible is accurate?  Yeah sounds like fundie logic. 

[church_of_dog]

I find myself hoping that kids will pick up on the "doth protest too much" vibe and use that insistent language as a clue that whether God is real is a valid question about which many people disagree, and that it's something to think about and decide for themselves what they believe.

After all, we don't see brochures being given out saying "air is real!"  Things that are not in question don't need to emphatically reaffirmed over and over.  Loudly insisting that something is real would incline my [very literal, then and still] childhood brain to think "there must be some question about this."

Edited August 12, 2019 by church_of_dog
clarity

[Lgirlrocks]

10 minutes ago, kpmom said:

Using the Bible to “prove” the Bible is accurate?  Yeah sounds like fundie logic. 

That’s what my mom always did to me growing up. I would ask how we know the biblical god is real and she would say because the Bible says. I learned to stop asking. It did fuel my search for truth later. And now I’m an atheist borderline deist. Take that Steve. I have read both of the tracts they gave out and neither saved me. 

[fundiefan]

8 hours ago, kpmom said:

Using the Bible to “prove” the Bible is accurate?  Yeah sounds like fundie logic. 

It actually is fundie logic. Extensively. I had a "discussion" with a fundie once and made a quick "book" out of about 10 sheets of paper and on every sheet I wrote "I am god" and said MY holy book, the book of the notebook paper, says *I* am the one true god and since it says it is so, then it so very obviously is. She not only didn't get the sarcasm, she got immensely offended and said (her) god would punish me for mocking (her) him. 

[FloraKitty35]

I am going to go out on a limb here and make the following assumption and the assumption that every one of the kids that Sarah took pictures of have the same (or maybe even greater) amount of freedom in their day to day lives than Sarah, Anna, or Mary are allowed to have. 

It looks like Mary and Anna did a good job on the face painting and balloon animals, but that one picture of looks ahem slightly risque and I am aware that it isn't intended to be.

(It's the one with the caption, "Anna did a great job getting down on kids’ level. This little guy looked like a farmer in the making.)  

[WineGlass]

7 hours ago, fundiefan said:

It actually is fundie logic. Extensively. I had a "discussion" with a fundie once and made a quick "book" out of about 10 sheets of paper and on every sheet I wrote "I am god" and said MY holy book, the book of the notebook paper, says *I* am the one true god and since it says it is so, then it so very obviously is. She not only didn't get the sarcasm, she got immensely offended and said (her) god would punish me for mocking (her) him. 

Perhaps she would have understood better if you’d used the Koran to prove that the Koran was true. And then ask why she didn’t use that method with the bible. Special pleading notwithstanding. 

[zee_four]

On 8/9/2019 at 3:56 PM, kpmom said:

I wonder if they'll forgo Colorado this year?  Would a doctor approve mountain climbing after Steve's procedure?

Also, if Steve's new diet makes them change that awful Thanksgiving menu it's a blessing!

well I'll keep my eyes out for them. they were in leadville the town like 15 miles from me (which in Colorado mtn terms is close) and they stand out around all the bars and dispensaries here.

[FloraKitty35]

6 hours ago, zee_four said:

I wonder if they'll forgo Colorado this year? 

I wouldn't be surprised if Stevehovah's health is the official reason and add to that the fact that Colorado elected a new governor last year and he isn't one that Stevehovah and the borg approve of. 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I can't even today. What some would call the

"Fair Post." I just can't. I can't even snark. That's how awful it is.

[mango_fandango]

I remember once the Maxwell blog explaining that God is real, via the fact that when the same event is described in different bits of the Bible (eg in the gospels), they are not recounted in the same way. Like if you ask two (or more) people to talk about something that happened, they’ll say slightly different things. Or something like that. The Maxwell men illustrated this by doing a skit about the Resurrection on Resurrection Sunday for the nursing home church. Anyway, this was proof that the Bible/God is true, or something. I remember reading it and thinking that it was a shit way to prove anything. 

(I hope this actually makes sense and that someone knows what I’m on about!!)

[VodouDoll]

I remember that too, mango_fandango, because when I read it I said out loud to no one, “They’re old, Sarah, not stupid.”

Edited August 14, 2019 by VodouDoll

[anachronistic]

The reason that small children get excited over the tracts is because *they can’t read yet* and they have no idea that they were just handed a useless piece of garbage. And I bet any number of them thought they were being given real money with a picture of a dinosaur on it, which would be really cool if it was real. 

The older kids probably just like the free stuff - everyone likes free stuff. And a large majority of them are probably some sort of Christian to begin with and have no idea of how hateful the Maxwell beliefs really are so they’re just, oh, Jesus? Sure, we sing about him at Sunday school. 

I don’t know what time of day they’re doing all this at but I get the impression it might be in the evenings, in which case, I feel sorry for all the parents who have to wash the paint off their kids face an hour or two later as they get ready for bed, or else face sheets splattered with grease paint in the morning and a kid who’s upset the design got messed up. Haven’t they been outside in earlier years? What’s wrong with being outside at a country fair which takes place outside? I don’t know.

[bluelady]

50 minutes ago, anachronistic said:

The reason that small children get excited over the tracts is because *they can’t read yet* and they have no idea that they were just handed a useless piece of garbage. And I bet any number of them thought they were being given real money with a picture of a dinosaur on it, which would be really cool if it was real.

Agree! My son got super excited about getting Canadian Tire money last week.  Put it in his wallet and everything.   That's exactly what those little kids are thinking.

 

I'd let my (not yet readers) sons take the tracts and use them for play. 

[mango_fandango]

I wonder if the Maxwells will be going to Colorado soon? They usually go around this time of year. The 14er posts are some of the most boring in Maxhell, and that’s saying a lot. 

[MamaJunebug]

22 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

I wonder if the Maxwells will be going to Colorado soon? They usually go around this time of year. The 14er posts are some of the most boring in Maxhell, and that’s saying a lot. 

They’re CO-bound but to a different part of the state. And they will hike. Yip to the pee, yippee. 

I’m going to weigh in on looking your age in your late 60s.  Which I am. But in which, IMHO, I don’t resemble Teri nor Stevi a bit. Why? 

1: I’m overweight. But my vitals and levels and activity are good, so shut up, Stevi & Teri. 

2; I have my nearly-white hair colored. And I wear it in such a way that my late-60s jawline is not emphasized. 

3: I wear a little makeup. It’s amazing how my appearance just ... comes to life with a little eyebrow pencil, shadow on the upper eyelids, blush on the cheeks and color on the lips. 

4: I wear clothes that de-emphasize my roundness and yet bring the eye back up to my face. Teri and her daughters wear straight shirts and straight long skirts that hide ANY roundness, that draw the eye from face to toe and who wants to look back up that tower of bland-colored fabric again?

TL, DR: I’m not fooling myself— I look like I’m almost 70. But I look like I’m enjoying life. Teri & Stevi look like they’re waiting for the next shoe to drop, health-wise. They look like they’re marking time ‘til the roll  is called up yonder. They look like they don’t want to be seen, and honestly, they probably aren’t. 

A late pal of mine remarked sadly that she was becoming invisible. Not because of any misguided religious notions, but mostly because of depression, she let herself look like Teri.  Approaching invisibility. She died of depression (suicide), so maybe that’s  also part of Teri’s fading (depression shows, especially untreated).  

That, my friends, is what I mean when I agree that Stevi & Teri don’t look good for their ages.

Let the mileages vary!

Edited August 16, 2019 by MamaJunebug

[Don'tlikekoolaid]

On 8/12/2019 at 7:51 AM, kpmom said:

Using the Bible to “prove” the Bible is accurate?  Yeah sounds like fundie logic. 

The fundies would say the Bible is 66 ?? different books written over a 5,000 year period ???  And they all point to Jesus!!  It’s a fucking miracle people!!

whatever.

[mango_fandango]

From that post, it seems like Steve and Teri are both doing the eating plan. I know it can be easier, if you’re dieting/having to make that kind of change, to have someone do it with you.