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745 thoughts on “Speakeasy #5

  1. 706

    Hello again.

    Just a quick update:

    I am still around but respecting the request over at Pharyngula.

    Spent two weeks at the Rough Fire in the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests, Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. The fire camp was in Squaw Valley (not the ski area — a suburb of Fresno).

    Wife has been recovering from surgery — repaired four inch vertical tear in the tendon on the lateral side of her ankle, severing the plantar fascia tendon (it was already 70% torn, removing some of the blood vessels around her tarsal nerve (which had left half her foot numb, and now dealing with an infection in one of the wounds.

    My back is still racked up. Nightmares aren’t too bad. The emails get old.

    I apologize again for misusing the Lounge over at Pharyngula and agree that this is best.

    Don’t plan to be here too often. Don’t want to screw up again.

    Hugs to all. Congrats on the housing situation, Tony.

    Bye.

  2. 707

    Hey there, Ogvorbis!
    And you can be here as often as you like. I do not agree that you did anything wrong at Pharyngula, and do not think you screwed anything up.

  3. 708

    Good morning
    Final exami 5 hours….

    Alexander
    I’m really,, really, really not a fan of Mekel, but she has my respect for how she behaved during this. That’S not to say there isn’t a lot of really badt hings going on, like this idea of “fast tracking” people from so called “safe countries of origin” and especially the federal government sticking to their “black zero” in the budget when there’S one million people who need food, housing, education, dumping the cost on the struggeling federal states, counties and cities.

    +++
    Speaking of which. when you probably benefit from bad politics…
    My BFF who works in parliament now gave me information about the additional teachers the state’s going to hire: They’ll only hire short term, with limited contracts instead of stocking up on teachers with unlimited contracts. That’s idiotic. First of all, my state pays worse than other states, secondly, all states need teachers now with so many additional children*. So all my fellow students who are 10 years younger and with no family will be able to choose which state offers the best. Now, I want to stay here. And right now I need a short term job because after the college finals there’s an additional 1.5 years of teacher training until I’m fully a teacher. Looks like my chances have just gotten a lot better

    *Yay! Haven’T folks been complaining all this time that the society is “overaged”?

    ++++
    beatrice
    Big hugs

    +++
    Caitie
    I hope your daughter is safe. While the irony is strong in that anecdote, it must have been scary as well.

  4. 709

    Hmm, editing seems to not work

    Ogvorbis
    I’m so glad to see you. Really.
    I hope your wife recovers quickly and the back gives you an occasional breezer.

  5. 712

    Oggie!
    If there were gods I would invoke them and thank them for sending you here. I am so pleased to hear from you. And I also do not think you did anything wrong over at FtB. Best wishes for your wife and her recovery (and how did she do all that damage?). Sorry the back is still wonky, backs do that.
    Please check in with us often. Please.

  6. 713

    Welcome OgVorbis! Speedy recovery wishes for your wife, and condolences on the back issues. I have 2 herniated lumbar discs and am currently dealing with issues as well, so I can sympathize.

    I too, hope you come by often. As I mentioned when I introduced myself here, I’m a long-time Phar reader/lurker but never got around to posting in the Lounge. But I appreciated Tony! opening the Speakeasy so decided to de-lurk. I can usually be found at the end of the bar with a nice glass of Scotch. *raises glass*

  7. 714

    Well, that didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped for, but it could have been worse. The didactic part didn’t quite work out, partly cause the questions weren’t covert in the literature we’d agreed on beforehand. But cry over spilled milk, a B isn’t bad

  8. 716

    Oggie

    Hi! Welcome in! *hugs* Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your back and Wife’s ankle
    Beatrice
    *hugs*
    Giliell:

    Yay! Haven’T folks been complaining all this time that the society is “overaged”?

    And then complain about young people who want to immigrate and work…

    Otherwise ‘rupt. *hugs* to all. Very tired, haven’t been sleeping well lately. Hours have been short at work, and paychecks too. In extra fun, L’s shop has been shut down by Etsy due to a dispute, which is not helping our financial situation even a little bit. I am working on setting up a separate store site elsewhere, but I’m not really much of a web designer.

  9. 717

    Hey All. Pretty ‘rupt so hugs to all. My Dad is currently in ICU (double pneumonia) on top of fighting cancer. So I will probably be able to get caught up now. He’s improving. Still very very sick but they think he’ll be able to be moved to a regular room tomorrow.

    ————–
    I thought I saw an Oggie!

    I did! I did see an Oggie! 😀

    I really hope we get to see more of you. I for one (of many) have missed you.

    —————
    Dalillama:
    I probably won’t be able to play Monday. Even if we’re not at the hospital, my Dads house doesn’t have internet. Feel free to run Bill as an NPC though.

  10. rq
    722

    Hallo OgVorbis!!! It is luverly to see you. Swift recoveries!!

    Giliell – well done! A B is nothing to sneer at. Congrats!

    Dalillama
    Have you tried Shopify? It’s a platform for making your own internet store. They have great technical support, though I might have a few reasons to be biased about it.

    *hugs* barkeeperin</strong!!!

    *hugs* YOB!!!

    *hugs* CaitieCat aka fullmetalfeminist!!!

  11. 724

    Good morning
    Dah, I didn’t sleep last night at.all. I guess there was still too much adrenaline running through the system. But I had an epiphany. Yes, I was a bit disappointed with my grade, but then I remembered that in 2011 I was having panic attacks whenever they mentioned the road that goes past my university in the traffic news. I had carefully hidden away all things even bearing the logo of the UNiversity and I thought I would never ever get this done. And now I have finished my Spanish degree and I will finish my English degree on Wednesday and I can be damn proud of that.

    beatrice
    You know, if you have the urgent need to get away during the holidays, we do have a nice bedcouch here. This is not me being polite. I’d be more than happy to have you around.

  12. 725

    Sigh
    An aquaintance of mine just retured from Kabul with a broken shoulder blade. Thankfully he was wearing a vest, so it’s just broken bones, not death.
    He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, had a kid when he was still half one himself (his partner was just 17) and because he is a decent guy who wants to support his kid, he took the chance to go to the army.
    Those are the young people we send to kill and die. Those with few chances and some aspiration.
    Oh, did I mention the government was planning to declare Afghanistan “safe”?

  13. 726

    giliell ,
    thank you.

    That’s a very kind offer.
    Unfortunately, my brain is going “Hah, she’d regret that good will if she had to spend a day with me.”
    And another unfortunately – I probably won’t have any weekends free until New Year, and if I manage to get one, mum and I were planning a weekend in Vienna or at least a Saturday in Graz. Being all touristy and enjoying the same Christmasy kitsch we deride at home, that kind of thing.

    I will gather enough courage for a meet-up one day. With you, with other ex-Pharyngulates (there can only be One Shoop so… shooplets?).

  14. 727

    How about “Shoop’s People”, shortening to Shoople?

    And Beatrice, you’d be welcome on my couch anytime, any of you would. Oggie explicitly included, though I doubt his back would like the couch much. It’s a smallish flat, but I try to make it welcoming. 🙂

  15. 728

    Do we have anyone from Brussels here?
    The situation there seems absurd. Reports are saying that citizens have been advised to stay away from public gatherings and there is apparently more military than civilians on the streets.

    Europe has gone mad with fear.

    Giliell,
    I’m glad your acquaintance didn’t suffer anything worse. Hopefully, he won’t be going back there.
    A family member is in the army , soon to be deployed to Middle East again and I’m not happy.

  16. 729

    YOB
    My sympathies and all the best to you and your dad

    beatrice
    No, I wouldn’t!
    But if you need a getaway, the offer stands.

    No clue what’s happening in Brussels. Apparently Belgium has the worst version of federalism ever, with several secret services who do not talk to each other. Also, the woman who blew herself up didn’t do so. I haven’t heard if they know where she is or if she actually has anything to do with the attacks, but they identified the person who blew themself up as another guy. Sounds a lot like the story about the cousin they ran after CH, when the boy was in class all the time…

  17. 731

    Well, graphics were decidedly odd. Comment box on the top, font being 6 pt or so. I did a hard reload and it was still odd. I thought you’d changed the layout.
    Then I posted and everything was back to normal.
    I swear this site is fucking with me in person…

  18. 734

    Hello, OgVorbis. Also *hugs*
    Hugs to all, in fact. JimB, Dalillama, YOB, barkeeperin, barkeeperin and anyone else I’ve forgot (sorry).

    Tony!
    I just remembered that I haven’t yet congratulated you on the move to a new house. So, without further ado… congratulations! BTW that old trash that you’ve mentioned – if there is one thing I’ve learned from watching the Antiques Roadshow is that old junk = £££. And at least you don’t have to worry about rent.
    Do you like it there?

    JimB

    I have 2 herniated lumbar discs and am currently dealing with issues as well, so I can sympathize.

    Me too – that’s how my back problems started 🙁

    giliell

    And now I have finished my Spanish degree and I will finish my English degree on Wednesday and I can be damn proud of that.

    Well done!

    Beatrice

    Unfortunately, my brain is going “Hah, she’d regret that good will if she had to spend a day with me.”

    You already know what I’d recommend.
    Regardless, you’re awesome and nobody is ever going to regret meeting you. Unless you have a second job as an assassin for hire. But even then, good workers are so hard to come by it’d be interesting to personally witness one at work.

    (there can only be One Shoop so… shooplets?).

    I thought we were barflies.

  19. 735

    Forgot CatieCat. *hugs*

    Re: Belgium and France
    They are pathetic. I have never seen so much cowardice fused with incompetence and xenophobia. It’s pathetic. I say those two countries should be invaded by their level-headed, stronger and all-around better neighbor. What’s the worst that could happen?
    Oh… right.

  20. 737

    Well, pooh. I finally made a WordPress account, but I can’t use it to post here, at least if I want to include the link to my actual Dreamwidth blog. Technology 😛 .

    Also, too, here are more hugs.

  21. 741

    05:26 in Israel. Also, I can’t sleep.
    This happened today: my cat was trying to puke something out. He was starting to strain his stomach with those flexing motions that they do, and from all the straining he pooped instead of puking.
    He looked pretty gloom (glum?) about it too, but I didn’t buy it for a second. Not since he started shitting in my bad for no reason.

  22. 742

    AlexanderZ:
    I technically haven’t moved into the house. I’m still just housesitting for the moment. My great aunt may decide she wants to stay with the family and not move back to her home. In which case I’ll move in over the next several months (I want to give my roommate a few months notice so he’s not hit out of left field). She may decide she doesn’t like living with family (which is the reason for this 6-7 week trial period) although from all indications that’s not likely. If she does come back and agrees to let me move there (which I can’t imagine she’d have a problem with, but if she did, I’d honor that, of course) then I’ll live with her (which would have the added benefit of having a family member *living* with her, vs friends and relatives visiting from time to time).

    As for living there, it’s definitely a change of pace. As I mentioned before, the house is 5,000 sq. feet and sits on 5 acres (I think I mentioned less than that before-I was wrong). There are 4 full bathrooms and 2 half baths. There are more rooms in the house than I can name. Every room is filled with Japanese art-intricately carved plateware and vases and stuff that are in a style called cloisonne. There’s a *ton* of stuff we have to get appraised, such as the multiple objects that look to be made of jade. My parents and I visited an auctioneer who specializes in Japanese style art and we brought a few pieces with us. She was intrigued enough to want to visit the house in the near future to see what else my great aunt has. Apparently, that’s a big deal.
    One thing about the place-it’s lonely as fuck. I’ve got to find a way to get my dog and cat there so I can interact with other living creatures (especially if my great aunt doesn’t come back), bc it’s kinda isolating. Although before I can bring either pet, I’ve got to rearrange several rooms, bc there is easily breakable material *everywhere*. My dog Krystal doesn’t jump on things, but she does have a really waggy tail that I can just see knocking off one of the many porcelain figures. And my cat, Cassie, likes to jump up on things (imagine that from a cat) and again, there are plenty of things for her to jump on and knock over.
    Overall though, I’m quite happy my father asked me to do this. To have a place to live without paying rent, utilities, or water means I can get a job and be able to save up money. It also means I can go back to school and not have to stress about working full-time to support myself.

    And that’s a good seque to something I’d like to ask you folks. I’m going to chat with my mother later this week (I’ll be flying down to Orlando for the holiday) to talk about school. I probably need to take a few basic courses at first, but I’m curious to know what you folks think might be a field I’d be good in. In thinking about blogging, I’ve thought about communications, but that’s a pretty darn broad category. Or maybe journalism. I’d like a field where I can incorporate social justice activism of some sort (anti-racist, feminist, or queer rights activism, for instance). Most of y’all have interacted with me for years, so I figure you’ll have something of an informed perspective on this and I value your opinions.

  23. 743

    Just a quick smile anecdote: we have new neighbours in my building, Egyptians who’ve moved to Canada four months ago. I think they’re Christians, who left after the military took over.

    Tonight, it snowed for the first time, maybe 5cm worth. Our new neighbours were delighted, and the family spent a good half-hour playing in the snow, giggling and laughing the whole time.

    I’m sure they’ll grow to hate the winter like everyone else, but it struck me as such a lovely capsule picture of what I love in Canada: a clean start for thousands of new Canadians every year. It’s a big country. We have plenty to share.

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