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Speakeasy #5
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Beatrice:
That’s what DVR is.
I love that they finally created those, bc I hated the days of recording shows using VHS.
Beatrice, I thought it was only me who’s fed up with Every Show having to have love triangles in them. Thanks for making me less alone in thinking it. 🙂
I need to get this site bookmarked on my laptop, so I can do longer comments and be polite about my HTML.
.. but I’m glad I’m not the only one watching
CaitieCat:
No worries on the HTML. We can parse whatever you write. We’re just happy to have ya.
Oh, sorry, I misunderstood JimB .
I blame the wine.
CaitieCat,
politeness is overrated
Beatrice
Yep, you’ve got it. I record pretty much everything, to watch later. So the DVR is dutifully recording Haven (among others); I get to them when I can.
*new page*
No worries, Beatrice.
Speaking of shows, can someone recommend a good anime show with relatable characters?
My favourite anime is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, a 5-bloc show with some deep themes and a wide range of situations, from pure comedy to horrific tragedy. Also, Moribito, about a spearwoman who lives as a bodyguard.
In terms of less general recommendations, it’d help to know what you have liked before, AlexanderZ.
Younger Daughter still loves Pokémon. It’s really a family show, and kid-friendly, though, and I don’t know if that’s what you had in mind.
Well, Aged Mum didn’t call at the usual time, so after a while I called her. She hadn’t called because she had company, our lovely neighbors from down the street who had come by to visit for her birthday. Mumsie also said that Caregiver E was mad because AM wouldn’t sell her some necklaces she wanted. If they’re the ones I think they are, they are family pieces she wants me to have. So pooh on E.
I am going to try to put the whole mess out of my mind and enjoy the weekend. So there, life.
CaitieCat
Will I need to watch the original Fullmetal Alchemist as well?
That’s the thing, I haven’t liked anything. People keep telling me that I’m being unreasonable and that there are good anime shows out there so I’m trying to broaden my horizons.
I’ve watched popular anime shows like Dragon Ball (original and Z) and Naruto, as well as parts of Kannazuki no Miko, Evangelion, and a bunch of others I can’t remember right now. Hated everyone of them because of horribly unrelatable characters and completely incoherent plot.
I do love both Avatar series, which are obviously very anime-ish, as well as most DC and Marvel cartoons, but for some reason I just can’t get into anime proper. I have the same problem with JRPGs.
Anyway, thanks for the suggestions!
AlexanderZ:
Thinking about Marvel characters and anime, there was a series you might enjoy from Marvel. It involved reimagining their characters in an anime fashion. They produced four 2-part videos: X-Men, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Blade. I bought the Iron Man and X-Men ones. Overall, I liked the X-Men one the better of the two, although the beginning was kinda slow.
http://marvel.com/tv/show/156/x-men_anime
http://marvel.com/tv/show/175/iron_man_anime
AlexanderZ, I wouldn’t bother with the first FMA. Brotherhood follows the manga much better.
Big Windup! is a favourite of mine, too, about a boys’ high school baseball team, but it helps if you like baseball.
Ghost Hound is a very weird and cerebral show, 2 blocs long, with much musing about existence and consciousness.
That’s what I’ve got in a few minutes’ thinking. If any catch you, let me know and I can recommend others.
Anne
No, it’s a bit too kid friendly for me. I watched some of it over a decade ago but never liked it much. I’m surprised it’s still running.
Thanks CaitieCat and Tony!!
AlexanderZ:
I own both of the X-Men and Iron Man dvds. If I can’t sell them on ebay, I could just send them to you.
Tony!
Don’t worry about it, I’ll find a local solution. Trust me. I don’t won’t you sending anything half way across the globe.
Just found the second page. Had weird dreams about workplace emergencies, but feelings are calmer this morning. I plan on not thinking about this anymore (after this comment) until Monday.
AlexanderZ
I’ll admit, I didn’t like you when we first interacted on the internets, but you have since proven to be a rather lovely person overall and my opinion has been changed for quite some time now. So I think I can safely say that I more than tolerate you. 😉
Also *high five* the Avater serieses totally rock and I addicted the kids to them, too. I heard there’s a third one on the way sometime in the future.
CaitieCat
HTML or no HTML, it’s good to see you. 🙂
Anne
*hugs*
What with all the pilfering by both caretakers (according to both caretakers), I hope that jewellery doesn’t mysteriously disappear at any time.
Great article :
http://panels.net/2015/10/21/superheroes-gender-politics-anger/
Good morning
Any reason while the yellow jello didn’t get solid?
Re: cake I will report back. It didn’t turn out very red from what I can see, but it seems nicely soft… Right now I managed to burn the pudding….
Also, my sister
threatenedpromised to give me a call because there are some things she couldn’t tell me yesterday. I await in dread.Caitieeeeeeee
*soft hugs and higs and everything*
I really missed you.
Anne D
Urgh, that sounds like ugly al the way round. Are the caregivers privately hired or is there an employer you can complain to?
Alexander
Halloween is becoming ever more popular in Germany, especially among kids and since it tick(le)s the “my kind of fun” box we celebrate. For the last years either my friends have come over or we go to theirs and have horrible food like that in the link. Last year I made brain cupcakes, the year before kitty litter cake. Yes, my kind of holiday….
rq, Giliell, gentlefolk all,
Thanks. The caregivers are hired through an agency. I have no solid evidence of pilfering, and I can’t legally go over Aged Mum’s head at this point, so all I can do is watch. I’ve offered to remove any items of contention from her house to ours and store them for her, whenever and whatever she likes. I’ll push for that when we’re up there again in a week, assuming I’m not totally exhausted. I really hate this tired all the time schtick, I really do.
A different perspective on the Rocky Horror Picture Show:
http://www.themarysue.com/lets-not-do-the-time-warp/
Remember when y’all came to post in the Speakeasy and found the comments closed?
I’m experiencing something similar on the Pharyngula racism thread. Went to post something and bam, no comment box. Nothing. I suspect it’s for the same reason that happened here-commenting sections only being open for X amount of time. Sent an email to PZ about it, so hopefully he’ll fix that soon.
Beatrice
Wonderful take. It’s no secret that I hate the very idea of remakes and endless serialization. At best it’s a form of self-absorbed fanboism and at worst it’s a lazy money-grab.
Sandel’s article explains very well why RHPS is even worst than that.
—
Giliell
Was the yellow color from… dramatic pause… REAL PINEAPPLE JUICE?
I liked the fingers and eyeballs the most. Are the eyeballs boiled eggs or mozzarella? And what are the fingers made of? Thinly cut garlic?
—
rq
That makes me a bit worried. They were clearly struggling with the first two seasons of Korra and I’m not sure they can deliver a third installment.
I’ve said some very assholish things then. Thank you (and others, you know who you are) for giving me a chance to get better.
Speaking of which, if I ever say something asinine please let me know. I’ll listen and will honestly try to rethink and be less of an ass.
SXSW has reinstated two panels following the Gamergate backlash.
PZ just started a new Racism thread. Anyone who was following may want to subscribe to the new one.
^snorfle*
It being The Day and all… I’m listening to the Sirius radio channel ‘Scream’. One of their promos mentions “The Road to The Fright House”… then they play a sound bite from Donald Trump. HaHaHaHaHa…
After dark I hope to find time to watch a ‘scary’ movie. Besides the classics [Bela L., Vincent P., P. Lorre, Christopher L., Boris K., et.al.] any recommendations for a Halloween marathon ?
Tim Burton movies* come to mind in the ‘more recent’ category but what else…
. *Haven’t watched ‘Sweeney Todd” yet so no spoilers please ! : )
*Hugs* for all. Still sick, missing work I can’t afford to. Having trouble keeping up since I’m mostly horizontal and my phone is broken. My cousin was kind enough to forward me some money for a replacement, although at this point a large portion of it will have to go to rent instead. Hopefully the one I’ve got can be repaired at a cheaper rate.
Dalillama, [hugs] and I hope you feel better soon.
bluentx
I’m not a horror movie fan, really. But for a Halloween monster movie marathon, Tremors and the remake of The Mummy with Brandon Fraser and Rachel Wiesz at least both have main movie monsters. Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland are both humorous takes on the zombie apocalypse.
Dalillama
Hope you feel better soonest.
Paul wanted to watch the baseball game. I don’t think that really qualifies as horror, does it?
On the other hand, McLaughlin, which he never misses, will be on in a bit, and that most certainly does. Scary pundits, run away, run away!
“The Woman in Black” creeps me right the heck out every time.
So…I won’t be doing a scary-movie marathon tonight.
I’m such a bore, I know!
We found a cable station showing Buffy Halloween episodes, so we’re set for scary. Although technically “Hush” isn’t Halloween, but it’s certainly one of the best.
Oooh, I like ‘Hush’. Great episode. Plus it’s the first time Tara and Willow connect magically (I guess that was meant on a literal level and on a personal, emotional level).
Good morning
Since we’Re not catlick isup pose we’re all allowed to stay in and don’t have to go to the cemetery.
Alexander
The jello was from a package. Almost freezing it finally worked. Don’t ask me…
The fingernails are sliced almonds and the eyeballs mozzaella. Pictures of this year’s food will follow…
Tony
The little one complained over the Superhero starting image: “Why are there so many men and only so few women?”
+++
*Le sigh*
My mother, who couldn’t get her ass out of bed last week to say “Happy Birthday” to the little one and who spent the last few months not giving a fuck about her dying cousin was wondering why I seemed “distant”. Did she do anything to upset me she wanted to know from my sister…
Speaking of liking problematic stuff, I went to the theatre last night, to a show called Euro-Vision, which was basically a parody show of actual EuroVision (essentially, Latvia is the host country but because they have no budget special effects are at a minimum, etc.). Fourteen participating countries, the worst stereotypes from each, and full audience participating. For being such enthusiastic fans of Russia (what can I say, we chose our seats badly/well), we actually won free tickets to a couple of the more prestigious shows. They had little ‘intermissions’ (a migration intermission*, a war intermission** and a scandal intermission***) throughout, and all the songs had a political or social-justice bent (the Irish competitor was a Latvian immigrant rapping in Latvian and declaring himself and Irishman; the Vatican (first-time competitor!!) was represented by the Pope himself (since nobody submitted actual songs) and he ‘apologized’ for the child abuse scandals within the church; the UBS had a song about unification and rising up (“not today, maybe tomorrow”) with their massive united army (“one tank, two helicopters, Estonian men”); Greece had a nice actually sweet piece with a homo-erotic leaning, etc.). Ukraine had a hard-hitting performance that was less funny as it was starkly realistic about Sasha and Alexei stuck in a foxhole during a battle against the Russians, and the German piece was quite over-the-top (in the wrong way) fascistically aggressive (“from Auschwitz via Berlin to Jerusalem”).
Anyway, I can’t defend any of the wrong, but the performance as a whole was very enjoyable and mindless enough that it was utterly relaxing.
We also carved some pumpkins at home, because Halloween.
* A spectator assigned to a poor-country sector had the opportunity to switch seats to a rich-country sector (Russia to Germany, in this case, except nobody from Russia would budge, even with the offer of (real) 5 euros, so they gave someone else a chance, which turned out to be a guy from the Serbian sector…).
** A country (in this case, Russia) was to select by lottery a country which would then declare war on another country. Russia picked Belgium, but Belgium passed down the opportunity to declare war on everyone, so Russia wanted to buy the opportunity, but was beat out by the United Baltic States, which received financial aid in the form of 5 euros from Germany. So the UBS declared war on Belgium, thus removing them from the competition.
*** Serbia was performing with a plagiarized song, but with the support of Russia, were allowed to continue participation in the competition.
So… I came out to my family on Saturday.
WMDKitty:
How did they react?
WMDKitty, I hope all went well for you.
WMDKitty
I hope it went well for you! ♥
+++
Why men should be told to stay at home and women should be told to go out, a look at victim-blaming and gender-based violence.
WMDKitty,
I hope it went well.
—
If anyone is interested, PZ has a suggestion:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2015/10/28/i-dont-know/comment-page-1/#comment-980587
Another fatal flight. 🙁
wmdkitty
How did it go?
—
Giliell
Sounds delicious! Mozzarella with olives is a classic.
—
Dalillama
*hugs*
rq,
I’m so stupid. I was going to make sauerkraut soup, which I have never either made or tasted. So I consulted Internet , and it sent me in direction of Šči – a Russian sauerkraut soup. Then I thought I could ask you if there was a Latvian variant. By the time I remembered I could consult Internet, the soup was already close to boiling.
I just made my own variety ,I hope it turns out edible.
Anyway, I found that the Latvian version is sweet sauerkraut soup. I turns out I accidentally made something very similar except not-soupy the last time.
… um, ok, that sounded way more fun and exciting in my head.
Beatrice
I know there are Latvian sauerkraut soups, but I don’t actually have any recipes for them (I could easily find out, though).
I do know how to make soup with sorrel (which can also be used in salads or marinated for storage). In case that’s ever of interest to you (basically, add soup to your regular pork-boullion-based soup with potatoes and carrots). 🙂
To my non-USAmerican friends (especially those in Europe):
I read a comment on Kat Blaque’s FB page from someone who said “Europeans in general don’t have a problem with red/black/yellow-face”. Now obviously that’s a broad sweeping stereotype and one that’s probably not true. I’m just curious if any of y’all have dealt with that, or are aware in your respective countries how such acts are perceived.
Tony!
Speaking of Russia and Ukraine, of course they don’t – they’re bloody racists! Alabama is a model of racial harmony compared to mainstream Russian and Ukrainian viewers. Why would they care whether it’s offensive or not?
And yes, red/black/yellow-face is constantly used in the most awful of ways in public entertainment. Think “What Makes The Red Man Red” kind-of way.
Not even a blink. Guess I’ve been in a Transparent Closet the whole time. *shrug* All I really ask is that they not insist on skirts or dresses for special events.
WMDKitty:
I’m glad that went so swimmingly for you!
I’m sorry everybody, I still can’t get this site to load most of the time. 🙁
Am currently in tears laughing over The Bloggess’ twitter feed (at http://www.twitter.com/TheBloggess ) She tweeted an embarrassing moment at the airport today, and people have responded with a deluge of their own most embarrassing moments. If ever you have felt that you wanted to sink into the ground and disappear at what you’ve said/done/written, and want to feel camaraderie with others who have done the same, go take a look.
carlie:
Argh!
I’m sorry you have trouble getting here. I’ll check with the Wizard and see if there’s anything that could be done.
I know blf had troubles with that too.
And, AlexanderZ, haven’ you had issues before too?
I don’t like that. I want people to be able to access the site as efficiently as possible.
I just had a friend pop over to see how quickly the blog would load for him. He said it took 1.33 seconds and noticed no (as well as a simple theme) to slow things up. Argh. So annoying.
carlie’s link to The Blogess tweets is priceless and a tonic
Tony
White people indeed don’t givt much of a fuck about black, red, and yellowface. Because we’Re not racist, you know. Only those red, black and yellow people are way too oversensitive on those issues…
Hey hey, Everybody!
Been crazy busy here at Casa de YOB. Haven’t been able to keep up with everything so blog reading had to wait. I think I’m kinda sorta caught up on IRL stuff though not, sadly, here.
I’ve skimmed through to get some sort of semblance of caught up but so much has happened. *hugs* to all but need to call out a couple in particular:
Giliell
So sorry for your loss. Our condolences to you and your family.
WMDKitty
I’m glad it went well with your family.
————————
Two things, on a personal front, to share.
Here is part of what has been making it hectic here. I volunteered to build a couple of set pieces for YOBling’s school theater class. A rustic dinning table and an antique ironing board. The real challenge for both is that during the play, two kids will fight on top of the table and one kid (5’7″ 180 lbs) will hop up and sit on the ironing board. So they have to look good AND be safe. 😮
So Saturday night marked the end of an era. YOBling is 12 now, so we took her and her cousin out for their last Trick or Treating. 🙁 She was hesitant and resistant at first. “I don’t want to go but I’ll do it for Cousin cause she’s going and wants me to go too.” By the second house, though, she was all in and having a blast. We all had a stupendous night, but was bitter sweet for Honored First Wife and I. The last “real” Halloween until grandkids.
YOB:
For some reason all your links redirect here.
Good to hear from ya!
Tony:
I didn’t add the http:// to the anchor and couldn’t get them all fixed in time. Without the http:// in front, wordpress is pre-pending the shoopsroost base URL and borking the link. Could you fix, maybe, pretty please. *bats eyelashes endearingly*
YOB:
Actually, it wasn’t the http:// (you had that on all three)
You had that on each of them. When I deleted the “real= no follow” that did it.
I wonder if FtB is being attacked again. I can’t login to the site.
Kind of a repost, but I still really want this book.
Here is a good link (I hope) to a pic of the YOBling and Cousin dressed for their last real Halloween.
YOBling is the Ginger In Black (the one on the left). It’s not a great a photo, but it’s all I have.
Tony,
re. FTB
I get
Error 522
Connection timed out
I’m not getting to FTB today either.
Wonder what’s up…and when I’ll be able to get my “fix”…
Yah. FtB is down for me, too, since sometime this afternoon. Maybe it’s a maintenance thing?
Anime recommendations?
Some of my favorites (both old and newer) that you may (or may not) enjoy:
Sword Art Online
Attack on Titan
Trigun
Ghost in the Shell
Black Butler
Akira
FtB is down for me, too. I would think that any planned maintenance work would redirect to a more graceful place which leads me to think another ddos attack.
*makes a withdrawal from the hug-basket*
Hi all, just coming by to grab a few hugs to pass along to my son. Two students were killed in an auto accident Sun AM, one of whom was in the play he’s in. Son seemed to be doing OK yesterday, we’ll see how today goes. The play has performances Wed, Fri & Sat (grandparents coming over for Sat show), so not sure what’s going to happen.
FYI:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29059250/pleasant-hill-grief-counselors-expected-at-college-park
FtB down here, too
I has Halloween pictures for you!
YOB
Ah, you don’t need kids for Halloween anyway. I like Yobling cousin panda!
Jim b
I’m sorry to hear. I hope your son is OK.
+++
WEll, of course I texted my friend S if she was OK with me posting the pics of her son F. Only that I sent the message to #1’s schoolmate’s mum S who has a son called F….
+++
Also, could you give #1’s school a hand? They’re participating in two contests to get money for computers actually built in this millenium.
Here’s the first one: https://www.spardahilft.de/medienkompetenz/projekte/wellesweiler#prettyPhoto
Please scroll down, click where you see the coin, enter your email and check the top box, not the bottom box. This gives them 5€ safe.
For the second one please go to: https://www.pi-saar.de/projekte-bewerten/35
You need to enter your email and click the confirmation link
JimB:
I’m so sorry to hear that. Please give your son all the hugs.
****
The Greatest American Hero is coming back to tv.
Apparently so is Star Trek.
JimB
Here’s some extra hugs for JrB.
That’s a hard thing to have to cope with. Especially for youngsters. I’m so sorry.
YOB, Giliell, cute! YOB, Elder Daughter dressed up to hand out the candy after she decided she was too old to go out. There’s always that option.
JimB, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.
I made progress with the Japanese Journal Project, after I got home and put away the groceries – all the covers are glued on, and they’re drying under weights. All that’s left is the fancy binding stitching, and I’ll start drilling them for that tomorrow, I think. Once I decide which one gets which pattern; I used different papers for each of them.
Also we have three squirrels in the backyard today. Husband is out there, but I don’t think he’s noticed, or I’d be hearing swearing. The squirrels do not respect his authority. One of them came up and foraged almost under his feet, once.
Thanks everyone. I imagine today will be tough, but he’s got a good group of friends who should support one another. Plus MrsB works for an elementary school nearby, so has similar schedule, so he’ll have support at home too. I’ll try to get out of here early, but it’s quite busy today.
Speaking of squirrels, one somehow managed to wedge itself in between some trim on the house and expired. Ick. Fortunately, landlord was able to remove “Rocky” while over investigating the roof leak that materialized last night/this morning. Leak in one of the skylights, it turns out.
Did I mention it’s a “Monday”? At least the first rainy commute wasn’t horrible. Now hoping it’ll dry out for the drive home *fingers crossed*.
Stephanie Zvan just told me the she believes the problem is with the FtB provider linking to the wider web. So probably not an attack.
General *hugs*. Feeling better, made it to the last day of work last week. Still missing a big chunk of pay and short on the rent, though.
WMDkitty
Glad it went well
JimB
Condolences and best wishes to the young one.
JimB:
Condolences to Son of JimB, the students, their supporters, and everybody associated with it. That is a tragic thing and many will have trouble moving past it.
Many *hugs*
Giliell,
Those are ADORABLE!!!
Halloween is my favoritest holiday but has been lackluster this year due to so much other stuff getting in way.
I know we can still dress up and hand out candy *waves at Anne warmly* and that can be super fun and we will totally be doing that, but it’s not the same. I guess it’s more that I’m just now really feeling that my little girl is, in fact, growing up. Poo!
On the plus side, next year I can really do the house up and really enjoy the kids coming to my house. You can approach my house from two directions off the street. Im planning to have the actual front door approach decorated “fun” scary for the littler ones and the driveway/garage approach decorated “scary” scary for the older bolder ones with signs directing accordingly. I can’t wait *squee*
Giliell
The mummies look awesome (because bacon 🙂 ).
WMDkitty
Glad to hear that your coming out was a non-issue.
We had a pretty quiet Halloween. Seems like most of the kids in the neighborhood have outgrown the trick-or-treat phase. We never got a lot of traffic anyway, but this year seemed especially quiet *shrug*.
Continued thanks for the *hugs* & condolences.
So ‘rupt.
So very, very ‘rupt.
*hugs&chocolate&fluffy kittehs&rainbows&butterflies* all ’round.
–
Just spoke to Son on phone, sounded pretty OK. He said he spent about half the day with the counselors, mainly to be with his friends and be supportive of them. I suspect it helped him as well.
He had just finished the short walk to MrsB’s school; they’ll be heading home after her meeting.
WMDkitty
Transparent or not, I salute your courage, and am glad that you can be yourself around your family now.
YOB,
Elder Daughter carefully planned her costumes for handing out candy – the next election year Halloween she was “Scary Republican” complete with flag lapel pin, which confused the children, but we thought hilarious.
Well,
Now that FtB is back online, I’ve checked out Tony’s comment in the “Feminist Lens” discussion.
And I’m even more mystified that anyone believes it had any underlying meaning or relevance to anything but the situation he directly mentions–the SU fan artist.
And, IMO, if one were trying in good faith to achieve self-awareness, Caine’s comment immediately following would be a far better starting place…
Well done, as usual, Caine.
From the “no one could have predicted” files:
Bigots gotta bigot, and sometimes they bigot on each other.
Which is a (temporary) relief to the rest of us…as well as mildly entertaining, in a schadenfreudelicious sort of way.
http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2015/11/02/roosh-v-denounced-as-degenerate-muzzie-by-white-supremacists-hes-trying-to-woo/
I read about that one earlier Funny Diva. It was not quite the comeuppance I’d prefer Roosh to receive, but it was mildly entertaining, as you say.
And a commenter obligingly reminds us that Mr John Scalzi has already developed the perfect Schadenfreude Pie!
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/09/26/how-to-make-a-schadenfreude-pie/
Well, it appears that my regular-for-the-past-25-years Tuesday night gaming is going to end. It’s been failing for a couple years now, but I think it’s time to let the others off the hook for showing up, since they mostly don’t “regularly” anymore anyway. My wife and I are hopeful we can get a one Saturday a month thing going, since we like to cook anyway.
barkeeperin:
Dang. Sorry to hear that.
****
If anyone knows someone looking to buy a fully functional Nintendo Wii, I’m selling one on ebay.
Also selling my Xbox, although that one doesn’t work correctly for some reason. It activates, and the controller works, but it won’t play any games, dvd’s, or cd’s. It probably just needs to see a repair person.
Waves at cicely
barkeeperin
Gah, I’m sorry to hear. My gaming group pretty much fell apart when two friends got in a fight. I really miss it.
WMD Kitty
Glad your family reacted well. May I ask for your preferred pronouns?
+++
I love cyclists who change back and forth between the road and the sidewalk and expect both pedestrians as well as drivers to disappear. I don’t understand many cyclists, never did, not even when the bike was my means of transport as well. I can understand why a truck driver might simply ignore traffic rules expecting other people to yield: They have those big fat truck. Colliding with them will hurt you, no matter how much they are in the wrong.
But on a bike you don’t have a bumper shield around you. You’re a very vulnerable bag of bones moving at high speed among vehicles 15 times your weight…
Giliell — My personal preference is for gender-neutral pronouns (xe/hir, they/their), but I’m not terribly picky.
Reading at Scalzi’s Ithought the approriate title for this article would be “people, usually male, who 30 ago declared that their parents didn’t know shit because they wanted them to read boring old books they called “classics” complaining about children today not knowing shit because they think their own “classics” are boring old books”.
Seriously, I can’t anymore with the self absorption with the idyllic past…
Well so far the Superiors have, as we say, sent us three doors down. They seem confused about our lack of communication with them (though we’re perplexed with their lack of communication with us) and about what we want to achieve by writing about our complaints (though this has been outlined within our large file of complaints). Our next move is to discover whether they have, as they say, informed the Chief, and if not, to inform him ourselves personally, and then to move forward with the whole Inspection thing.
Just to wrap things up from yesterday, as of now the final three performances of Son’s play have been cancelled. Understandable.
—-
rq
Sounds like, despite some communication issues, things are moving forward? Hope they continue to.
JimB
*proxy hugs* for your son, and all the condolences for the families and the entire community of those young men.
WMDKitty
I’m glad things went so well! And good luck moving forward. I will try to keep your preferred pronouns in mind, but apologies in advance if I slip up from time to time!
… So instead of fixing the elevator, they just won’t let anyone use it. THIS IS EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY IN ONE SIMPLE STATEMENT.
Thanks rq.
Minor correction:
Young women; all three victims are young women.
—-
Re: elevator
That’s ridiculous. I can understand your frustration.
Ireland to ‘decriminalize’ small amounts of drugs including heroin, cocaine, and cannabis for personal use.
Computer’s only crashed once today! Huzzah!—and *tentacles crossed*.
–
Sorry about your gaming group, barkeeperin.
Still, 25 years is a good, long run.
And you get to keep the memories.
–
*waving* back at Giliell.
–
*appropriate-and-joyful salutations* for wmdkitty; and it sounds as if congratulations are in order.
Congratulations!
🙂
–
*hugs* and encouragement for rq.
The business with the elevator is beyond ridiculous.
–
JimB
Oy. What an error. :/ My absolute faulty-memory bad on that one.
barkeeperin
That’s a bummer, but 25 years is indeed a good run for a game.
Barkeeperin:
25 yrs 😮 Impressive! and sad it has to end. I’ll plug Roll20 as a possibility, if your not familiar with it.
Dalillama:
Good job, last night, with handling the split party. Also, I commend you on finding a good group of players. I’m enjoying the game immensely.
About me:
Just got back from dental surgery. Had to have 2 more teeth extracted. My jaw is just crumbling inside. Pain meds still in effect, so feeling OK (for certain values of OK) but, from experience, that will be changing soon.
YOB:
Your jaw is ‘crumbling from the inside’?! I hope that’s not literally the case.
YOB
Ouch
Get well soon. I fear what my dentist will do to me once I show up again…
+++
Y’all know all those rants about pop culture.
One of the series I like to watch is Ripper Street. Amazingly, a series playing in Victorian London has managed to show women with personality and agency, trans characters, gay characters, people of colour. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but seriously, given how male and pale many series playing today are, it’s improvement.
Tony:
No, I’m afraid that is not a metaphor. Apparently I’m experiencing mild osteonecrosis (pockets of bone is dying). The suckiest part is that I don’t have any of the common causes of that. I’m to go see a specicialist soon for more testing. Best guess right now is it is a weird complication of my low testetosterone induced osteoporosis. Which I’m not getting treatment for because when I get the testosterone shots, I start feeling weird (and insurance doesn’t cover it). So bummer news on top of pain.
But meh. My life is good, my depression is finally under control, wife and kid are happy, I’ve got a lot going for me. In the grand scheme of things, a little bump here and there is fine.*
*says the guy hopped up on pain meds. 🙂
YOB:
Sorry to hear that. But I’m glad you’ve got many good things going in your life.
[catches up on thread]
Uhhhhh… I’ll just refill the basket of hugs and make a pot of tea, shall I?
*hugs* everyone. This seems like a week when everyone needs it. I’m sorry for the shit you’re going through.
—
wmdkitty
I’m happy that you’re coming out went so well.
—
Giliell
I really like your cake. It looks delicious.
—
YOB
Thank you for the anime suggestions.
—
Tony!
Yes, I keep having trouble with loading time on your site. This isn’t unique to me, as this speed test shows. That loading time is not the worst by far (I didn’t record the worst ones, sorry), but a 4s loading just for the domain means there is some problem with your server. Just compare that with how fast and virile Violent Metaphors is – the site itself loads nearly instantly and only the massive amount of widgets is slowing it down, and even then its page size is 11 times your own, but with roughly the same overall loading time.
On another note: I think logicalcat would benefit from a link to your Irresponsible Gun Owner category. I know you (and I, for that matter) are generally against directing people from Pharyngula to your site, but in this case I think it would be justified.
Do you want me to direct them?
—
Yesterday I trimmed my cat’s claws for the first time. He is so old that he no longer scratches things and his claws have grown too long. He kept getting stuck in blankets, on my chair, in my clothes and so on. Two days ago he got so entangled in a blanket that he nearly chocked himself.
The trimming went surprisingly well. He was puzzled by the new sensation (he lifted his paw and studied it in a very confused manner), but ultimately happy. He is now jumping more than he used to and he even played with a bell-on-a-string for a bit (he stopped playing with toys around age 16).
My comment is in moderation.
? No it’s not.
AlexanderZ:
That’s strange, bc when I checked earlier (as soon as I saw your message that you were in moderation), your comment was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t in the spam folder or in the moderation queue. Your comment only has 5 links (the limit is 6), so it shouldn’t have gone to moderation (it was actually in the spam queue when I checked just now at 1:12 am CST). I asked Jason from Lousy Canuck for advice on it. He checked and said the site loaded for him in 1.33 seconds. He mentioned a few other things that could be the problem. I’ve asked the Wizard to get with the hosting platform and see what the trouble is. If there’s nothing there, I told Wizard I’m fine with shutting down the site for a day (probably a Saturday, when traffic is light here) to rework all the kinks. I’m sorry about your trouble logging on. I want people to be able to come here as often-and as quickly-as they like. I know that bothered blf enough for them to not return, which is unfortunate. I’m trying to get this fixed.
AlexanderZ:
I missed your comment about logicalcat. By all means, please direct them over here if you think that would help them out.
Ugh. Having one of those sucky “feeling so lonely and wishing I had someone special in my life” days. Made worse by my impending 40 birthday (in Dec).
Tony, come over here, Hobbes and I want to offer you All The Hugs.
*static*
Target acquired.
*static*
Package inbound!
*static*
v
v
v
v
*Hug Power-Up*
v
v
v
*static*
Direct hit on The Shoop.
Repeat, *Hug Payload* has been delivered.
*static*
Tony:
I can’t recall if you’ve ever mentioned it, but what the heck is a “shoop”, anyway?
Dictionary.com is no help and I can’t square Urban Dictionary’s definitions with what I know about you, so I figured I’d go straight to you.
I can’t really “do” anything today so it has become “Random Thoughts Day”. One of which was “what if I designed a logo for the Shoops Roost” followed by “what’s a shoop and how would it roost?”
*Adds hugs to the basket*
My thanks to all of you for your support earlier.
—–
YOB
Sorry to hear about the dental issues, that can’t be fun. But good to hear that some other things are going OK.
—–
Tony!
Ugh, sorry to hear you’re having a sucky day.
Tony,
I know we’re not talking about the same kind of “someone special”, but I can assure you that you are a special person to a lot of people. That’s got to count for something.
*hugs* and I hope you’ll find that other kind of someone special
In other news … today at coffee break:
People started talking about how many women were employed in our department lately. Count came up to even numbers of men and women.
A female colleague exclaimed that it’s “difficult to work with women. no, really!” and continued something or other about that. Two guys at the table just looked on awkwardly, as did some of the women. One woman (also a frequent proponent of stereotypes) agreed enthusiastically.
I couldn’t keep my mouth shut so I added sarcastically that I just love when women turn out to be more sexist than men. It just gets me *here* (pointing at my heart). Guys asked me to repeat in case they didn’t hear well, I guess they felt vindicated or something.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but it really does annoy me. Guys in my department are usually pretty good with keeping overtly sexist comments to themselves, with occasional outbursts of casual sexism that are practically unavoidable outside my fantasies of a beautiful egalitarian future. Some of the women much more commonly force the separation of roles.
I dunno, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.
YOB:
‘Shoop’ is a made up word that (as defined by me) is the singular of sheep. Because as everyone knows, I’m just one of the sheep, passively following and supporting the status quo.
And if you want to design a logo, go for it!
Beatrice:
I think saying something was a good move on your part as it let everyone know that at least one person didn’t think such sexism was cool.
While on the subject of speaking up…it was so hard for me to bite my lip a short time ago. I went out for some lunch and while I was sitting enjoying my Chinese food, I overheard bits and pieces of a conversation three people were having at a table close by. At first, I didn’t have a problem with their conversation. But when it turned to “climate change isn’t something we need to have discussed at debates, bc it’s not a political issue”, I damn near spit my food out. Then they started talking about President Obama and his rhetoric of ‘change’ back in 2008. And they weren’t speaking nicely of him, either.
Then they started in on Muslims and Islam and how they were worried that they were planning a secret takeover of the world and how we should be worried about Sharia law in the United States
It was shortly after they started in on how we “need to get back to a time of prayer in schools, and how it was back in the day” that I was decided it was time to go.
I really wanted to say something, but I bit my lip. These folks sounded just like stereotypical Fox “News” viewers.
JimB:
Thanks and I hope you and yours are doing well.
———————-
Beatrice:
I love* that you said something.
*Not sarcasm
———————–
Tony and a Logo:
I’m just kind of toying with the notion, right now. But, I’m pretty sure* I’m gonna stay away from any kind of sheep depiction, though. I do have one idea kind of germinating, though. We’ll see if it grows into something cool. I’ll keep you posted.
*make that damn sure. 🙂
——————–
Tony and the overheard conversation:
If you had been at a BBQ joint, I would have guessed you were listening in on my Dad and Brother. Since it was Chinese (and Florida), I’m pretty sure it weren’t them. 🙂
The world really does suck today.
*hugs* for Tony, *highfive* for Beatrice, also *more hugs* for general distribution.
I think I’m going to cuddle up with the sledgehammer under that table over there. Where’s my ‘Do Not Disturb’ floor-length linen table-cloth gone to…?
Mexico’s Supreme Court declares individuals have the right to consume and cultivate marijuana.
Tony and YOB,
A while back when we were playing with the image of the “Roostergeist” I had an idea for a logo which would be a beautiful black rooster. Think about it.
Biped:
I’m not sure about that one. Think about the implications of a black guy whose blog has the image of a big black rooster.
Tony!
Come on big guy, it’s time for a group hug.
She’s right, Tony. If it weren’t for this place I would have nowhere to metaphorically drink away my sorrows. I’m very thankful to you for keep this community together.
You’re also a December kid? Twinsies!
BTW, the site is loading normally for me as well now. I think there is an occasional traffic jam here and me and blf were unlucky enough to keep logging on at that time. Don’t worry about it though, it doesn’t seem critical and it’ll take more than that to drive me away 😉
—
Beatrice
Before reading the rest of your comment I said out loud “well, it sure must be difficult working with the likes of you“. And now you know why I don’t have a regular job.
Your answer was smarter and far more diplomatic. Kudos to the guys for supporting you. It sounds like, except for a few bad apples, you work in a pretty nice place.
—
rq
*hugs*
—
Biped!?
A bit on the nose, isn’t it?
Cross-posted with Tony.
—
Anyway, it’s that time of the week – time for Shitty News Broadcast. Shitty News Broadcast, bringing you all the shit from across the world.
This is something I was meaning to post here for a week now, but kept forgetting. New Square firebomb attack
The article doesn’t say it, but the Skvernics were celebrating the would-be assassin for his work in keeping “order” in the community (reported by Israel’s TV news, no link).
What is this sect anyway?
New Memoir Sheds Light On Fundamentalism In Jewish Hasidic Community
Remember this the next time someone argues in favor of superior Judo-Christian morality. The Ultra-Orthodox are only one machine gun shy of the Taliban.
Today in selfless acts that humans sometimes do, take a look at what this teenager with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma did after he was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Warning: you may need Kleenex.
3.5 years does seem like an awfully short time to spend imprisoned for a firebombing.
****
In the early 20th century, racism may have influenced the marketing and consumption of white bread.
Tony!
Mmmm, bread. Though I didn’t know about the racism/immigration angle for the white bread. Though we sometimes had rye or pumpernickel, it was mostly sliced white bread in my house growing up. Now I much prefer the more rustic breads if I can get them. I need get back to using our bread machine, I think.
That was gratifying. I finished the Japanese journals today and showed them to the family. I ended up giving them each the one of their choice right then instead of waiting for an appropriate holiday. I may have to make more, oh, woe is me.
Actually, I still have enough to give away to the three people I made them for, plus a few more for myself or whoever else I think of later. That was fun.
Anne:
Do you have pics of the journals?
Tony!,
Sure, I’ll take some photos tomorrow, when I can do it in daylight.
Morning
*restocks hugs*
*marks some with “for someone really special”*
*shoves them towards Tony*
beatrice
Good reaction to the sexist lady.
I know how difficult it is to come oup with something on the spot. I usually have the perfect comeback about 30 minutes too late….
+++
Lots of bad, something good
I swear we really don’t need islamists to destroy the notion of democracy, freedom and human rights in Europe. We’re doing fine ourselves. Just read an article about the situation in Slovenia where police puts people into what can only be described as cattle pens on open fields without sufficient resources. If they refuse to enter because those already locked up warn them, they use tear gas. On families with babies.
Yeah, that whole fucking European dream is very limited to the right kind of people: white, christian, EU citizen, preferrably with a full bank account.
Some good: yesterday the AfD, the German equivalent of UKIP and Front National, held a rally in our state capitol and a standing coalition out of political parties and organisations* organised a counter protest. They were 80, we were 1600. Best sign: “Menschenrechte statt rechte Menschen” human rights instead of right (wing) humans.
*Which notably doesn’t include Merkel’s CDU
Here’s the picture galerie showing both protests from last night. In two of the racist protest pics (see how they all look kind of like they’re there by accident?) you can see a sign in black-white-red, the colours of the “Reichskriegsflagge”, the war flag of the Reich. That’s not even dog whistle fascism anymore.
*free-range hugs*
Sadly, you have to catch ’em yourselves ’cause they ain’t comin’ to you.
I’m still hiding out under the table; if someone wants to supply me with some cookies and a cocktail with Campari, that would be great.
YOB, I’m sorry to hear about your teeth/jaw.
Hopefully the specialist can suggest something helpful.
–
*multi-layered hug-cake* for Tony!.
–
*high-five* for Beatrice.
–
*hugs* for rq, with a *large plate of cookies-of-choice* chaser.
Work-related distress?
–
cicely
Yes.
But kind of like in the sense where you go to the Grand Canyon expecting a pretty massive canyon and then it’s actually SUPERDUPERHUMUNGOUSLY MASSIVE, and suddenly you’re not quite sure how to deal with that…? Or perhaps when you find out you’re actually floating on a raft (sans oars, of course) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean instead of Lake Superior, as you’d assumed… [/bad analogy]
I also feel kind of slighted by my own family because I’ve sort of brought up this whole Fixing Work project but nobody seems to care about it. I consider this more of a personal failing, since among them they are (a) about to have a first-born child, (b) travelling to other European countries due to massively responsible work assignments, (c) moving to other European countries due to prestigious PhD studies and (d) being themselves, and I can’t fault any of them for having different priorities, and I’m not going to keep shoving it down their throats.
Plus I should probably be satisfied with the supportive enthusiasm I get from you lot!! (Which is extremely appreciated.) Wait, that sounds like I’m not satisfied. I am! Y’all are awesome. And Husband, too (because he’s 100% on the whole idea that I may be out of a job – “It’ll be for a good cause”).
And then I got into a shouting match with Colleague yesterday about her negative attitude (she’s pro-Fixing, but she keeps saying out loud about how nothing will come of anything and it was just too much). We made it up this morning, but it was still kind of unpleasant and unnecessary.
Honestly, I just can’t wait for this week to be over. Not that next week will be any better, but at least now, what with regular work hours, I get a two-day break. Oh, and next Tuesday the Chief himself will be visiting (not us, the building in general) to introduce us to our new Boss-Boss (as opposed to the department/unit boss), and we have to make a plan as to how to drag him downstairs and out to the courtyard to actually look at this shit because the other day he gave our Superiors the ultimate shrug-off.
Anyway, week – over – tomorrow. Yes, we’ll be going out to the country, but… honestly, that’s the least bad thing and I’m fine with that.
Sorry that turned into such a ramble. :/ Not my intention.
This bad poetry pretty much sums up everything right now.
Tony
I think all comments with links are going to moderation because my previous (not the long one) just went.
rq:
Yeah, I just noticed that. Ah technology.
Or maybe it’s my fault. I sure know how to mess things up. I should teach a class.
Actually, that time it was bc the address of the site you linked to contained a prohibited word.
Tony
I think I even know which one. Sorry about that! Does that mean a mention of this beastie might also get a bannation?
This helped.
rq:
No, strangely enough.
Well, the funeral was today and t went as “well” as it could be expected. The widower and his son didn’t yell at each other and I didn’t punch anybody who told my mother that “hopefully now she was getting some rest, having had to care first for her mother and then her cousin”.
rq
All thumbs held for work thingy.
Also, after that video you know why in German racoons are called “washbears”. Seriously, English is soooooo boring when it comes to animal names. You just take lating names or whatever. German is so much better. Not only do we have washbears, we also have sea cows and sea dogs, water pigs, smelly animals, pointy pigs and belt animals. Oh, and ground piglets. You are all welcome to guess what animals they are in English.
+++
Sometimes my sister and I are so much alike. My grandma had a moderate collection of jewelery. Nothing really valuable, but a few pieces which have some value beyond the sentimental because they’re gold. Not that you’d get rich on it, but I guess you could make a quick few hundred bucks if sold all just for the metal. Among the stuff is a collection of red garnet jewelery. I’ve been thinking for some time about whether I should simply save it by removing it. Today at the funeral I looked at my sister and saw her wearing the earrings. I said “Oh, you took the garnet stuff*. I’d been thinking about removing it so nobody will sell it.”
She said “Well, I took the earrings. I’ve hidden the rest.”
*Just to be clear: if anybody has the right to pick gran’s jewelery it’s my sister. While I would gladly take the garnet stuff it’s not like I’m afraid of not getting nice things out of the inheritance. I just don’t want my gran’s beloved stuff to be turned into alcohol.
well that’s just bizarre. I think the presence of ‘raccoon’ in Giliell’s last comment is why it went into moderation. It’s the only word I can see containing a prohibited term.
Tony
That’s the annoying thing about filters: They will filter out perfectly innocent words that simply have that assembly of letters while leaving a missspelled version of the original offender untouched.
Hugs for all!
Husband and I had a belated anniversary expedition this morning – the big art supply store, the Japanese market with the bookstore, and lunch at the Thai restaurant in Irvine. Before we left, I called surgery appointments again, and this time I got a date for my surgery, along with the pre-op and post-op appointments. So now I can start planning the next three months based on knowledge. Yay. I actually felt better after that.
hello, *hugs*
rq,
Rant away. You are under great stress. It’s only natural (hah! see below) to react.
—
So, that thing when you’re in dance class and the instructors show a movement and comment that it’s OK if you go a bit further and do it by crossing one leg over the other – it will come natural to you in time anyway.
And I’m all ” Yay! I’m instinctively doing it like that”.
And then the instructor comes to dance with me and I was crossing the wrong leg.
A bit later, we’re coordinating arm and leg movements and they instruct us to just let our arms swing naturally. When you step with the right leg, the left arm goes front. And the other way around. It’s just natural.
Guess what’s natural to me?
It’s no wonder I always step into walls with that kind of OPPOSITETOEVERYTHINGNATURAL coordination 🙂
YOB
Sympathies on the dental issues.
Tony!
*hugs*
Beatrice
Ugh
rq
*hugs*. Hopefully some good change comes soon.
Giliell
In French they’re “Washer rats”
English has Sea Cows too (and pointy pigs, although it’s via French). Then there’s groundhogs, prairie dogs, musk oxen…
Got a replacement phone, by the graces of my cousin. Have spent the afternoon trying to get functionally attached to my account, with no success so far. I have a terrible headache, not helped by the downstairs neighbors using heavy power tools in the courtyard, why I don’t know.
Dalillama,
May your neighbors’ tools all misteriously stop working for the day.
Since Tony was so kind yesterday as to ask for pictures of my Japanese journals, here’s my blog entry: https://anne-d.dreamwidth.org/228110.html
[checks hugs supply, adds more because it looks low]
[sticks a tray with tea and cookies under rq’s tablecloth]
Those look really nice, Anne.
Color me ignorant, I didn’t realize bookbinding was a “craft thing”. Neat.
JimB, thank you!
Anne:
Those journals are quite lovely. My favorite-the one that just jumped out at me and screamed LOOK AT HOW AWESOME I AM-is the first one in the first row (of the first set of pics).
Anne
I particularly love the noble binding. It’s very pretty.
—
Dalillama
Congrats on the new phone.
Make a mental note to check that spot later. I’m not saying it’s buried treasure, but it totally could be.
—
Beatrice
It is natural. It’s called ambling gait and it’s a very prized trait. It also appears to be genetic.
—
Giliell
Sorry about your family troubles.
Sea cows = manatees
Sea dogs = seals (in Russia its “sea kitties”)? WW2 U-boats?
Water pigs = guinea pigs
Pointy pigs = porcupines, but Dalillama gave it away.
Belt animals = armadillos?
Ground piglets = I take it we’re not talking about sausages, so it’s either a groundhog or a mole.
Was I right?
—
rq
We do support you. You’re awesome for doing this and it’s great that your husband is behind you 100%, even if other family members are less enthusiastic.
You’ll pull through and if push comes to shove you know that you can turn to the press which will likely be sympathetic.
It so reminds me of the military. But I guess you’re really are in a foxhole. Sometimes you need to be tough but fair.
—
On the topic of funny animals, here are parrots feeding dogs.
Tony, Alexanderz, thanks!
I love making these. Sewing the bindings is very soothing, like Holbein stitch (aka blackwork) – just going back and forth and making a pattern, same on both sides.
I must remember to ask Elder Daughter if she’s seen that parrot video – she just showed me one of a crow fishing, using a french fry to lure the fish. I knew herons did that with bits of bread, but the crow was a new one.
Now I remember what I wanted to ask you:
I’ve bought some raw(?) tortillas. They’re now soft and fluffy. The instructions say that I need to fry them for a short time on an unoiled frying pen to make them harder and then stuff them with whatever.
As you can tell, I’ve never had tortillas before, so any advice (including what to put in) is appreciated.
—
Anne
All crows are capable of learning fishing. 15 years ago some crows in Ramat Gan learned by themselves to drop bread in a small local pond to draw fish. The pond dried out eventually and that behavior was lost, but one person documented it.
In related news: crow snowboarding
AlexanderZ, I wonder if the Daughter knows about those crows. Probably, as she’s a bird nerd as well as a word nerd.
Which reminds me, she got her official GRE scores today – out of a possible maximum of 170, she got 169 on the verbal and 164 on the math. PhD, here we come.
AlexanderZ:
You could make tostadas. They’re popular in US tex-mex restaurants. Top one of the hard tortillas with whatever kind of meat you like-grilled, fried, baked, sauteed chicken, beef, pork (alternately, you can go without meat)-then add any kind of beans you like (typically in the US, you’ll find refried beans, which are fine, but any kind can work), lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream on top. That’s a standard tostada in the US. You can switch things up all you like and add or subtract toppings to make it the way you desire.
I’m personally not a fan of tostadas because I find they’re not the way I like to eat food. They’re basically an open-faced taco, but harder to eat. You pick up the whole thing and take a bite, hoping it doesn’t fall apart. But that’s just me.
Also, for dessert (if you like sweets), drizzle honey over one of the fried tortillas, heat it up for a very short time, sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar and top it with ice cream (and *that*, with whipped cream and a cherry). That’s one version of a USAmerican sopapilla.
I prefer not to fry my tortillas, mostly because I like the idea of adding whatever ingredients I want and then rolling it up as a sammich or burrito. Fold off the end and you can eat it one-handed.
Anne:
Wow, that’s excellent. Congrats to Daughter.
—-
Tony!
Yep, that’s how we do it at home. MrsB has a huge variety of recipes for creating soft tacos/burritos. I specialize in two: grilled flank steak and grilled fish.
Anne
Love the journals. And congrats to your daughter on great scores.
Tony
Dangit. Now I’m hungry for taco/tostada/sopapilla.
***
Don’t you hate when the perforation in the foil on your Grand Marnier doesn’t tear correctly? KHAAAAAANNNNN!!!
Idris Elba fans.
MOrning
Anne
Those are lovely. I especially like the teabox ones
Alexander
You get 4 out of 6
Water pig = Wasserschwein = Capybara
Ground piglet = Erdferkel = Aardvark
A groundhog would be a Waldmurmeltier “forest murmur animal” (marmots are murmur animals), a mole is a Maulwurf, a “snout throw”.
Thanks for the sympathies. I’m afraid those woes will keep on oeing for some time more. I got a front door with a lock.
tortillas/tostadas
I usually lightly fry mine. better said I throw them in the microwave. Not enough for them to get hard. Wraps of all kinds are a favourite meal here because basically everybody gets what they like.
Dalillama
Yay for new phone, boo for neighbours
New (actually used) phone turns out to still be on a different account, so I will need to try to get my money back (there’s a receipt with a guarantee) and then find a different phone.
Hello
*taps mic*
Is this thing on?
Tony!:
Awesome. Thanks for the heads-up.
Beatrice
Yes. How’s it going?
—
Dalillama
I don’t get it. Can’t you replace the SIM card or something?
—
Tony!, Giliell
Thanks for the recipes! I’ll try them tomorrow (except for the ice cream one – a bit cold for that) and tell you how it goes.
—
Anne
That’s awesome!
Yup, you’re on Beatrice. The stage is yours.
Just to clarify: if I want a lightly fried tortilla and don’t have a microwave, do I first fry it lightly or do I first fill it up, wrap it and then fry it? And how long is a “light fry”?
AlexanderZ:
My experience is mainly with flour tortillas. Microwaving them gets ’em warm. Haven’t done frying, but I guess you could do either method. Putting a small amount of filling, folding in half, and you’ve essentially got a quesadilla (we do those too).
*holds hands some distance apart*
About this long.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist 🙂 )
Edit: Thanks, JimB
—
I’m watching some fluff Russian family programming (it’s about famous people learning about their deceased family members several generations back) and a museum director, as well as the show’s narrator, have claimed that Russia was first to discover 3D imaging. In 1942.
Fuck me.
It reminded me of another Russian historical documentary that followed the life of a famous Soviet archaeologist and historian who uncovered much of the Rus history. He was also credited with discovering the first Rus writing/symbols. According to that show he unearthed several round stones in a kurgan, took them home and returned them on the next day with the symbols already on them.
Nobody on the show even bat an eye.
AlexanderZ:
Another thing you could try, a chimichanga. This is a tortilla filled with pre-cooked ingredients of your choice, folded several times and then flash fried. It doesn’t take long. At the mexican restaurants I’ve worked at, they usually take chicken, beef, or pork that has already been cooked, put it in the center of a 10-inch tortilla, and added a small heaping of cheese on top (you could add anything your heart desires, but remember, it’s going into hot grease, so you probably don’t want to add lettuce or anything like that). Then you fold the tortilla into a square (basically folding each side into the center). The places I’ve worked at have placed a toothpick into the edges of the tortilla to prevent it from opening while frying. After 2-3 minutes, they’re usually done. They taste fantastic with some melted cheese on top, or maybe some guacamole, or salsa, or again, whatever you want!
AlexanderZ 11-6, 4:55PM
Thanks for the memories.
I lived in a very conservative area (read rabidly anti-communist) during the ’50’s and it was a standing joke that anytime anyone not Russian discovered something, the Russians immediately pointed out that they had discovered it much earlier. A joke I remember from school: a Soviet car and an Italian car had a race. In Rome, the Italian car won, in Moscow the Soviet car was second and the Italian car was next to the last.
Brownian motion memories.* Brownie Holiday Flash. TV: big screen is slightly larger than a dinner plate. Telling my first grade teacher my dad’s assessment of the quality of the local education system and learning how it felt to be an agent provocateur….
Ah… those were the days. It’ll probably last off and on for a couple o days… it’s going to be a good week-end.
* I don’t try to extend or remember more than what pops up for fear of corrupting them.
Oh well, this is embarassing. I don’t have a speech prepared, I was really just doing a mic check 🙂
AlexanderZ,
I don’t know what the name of the dish is, but the way I use store bought flour tortillas is:
– prepare the filling (usually fried chicken breasts ( in cubes), onion, corn (from a can), red beans , tomatoes (chunks with some sauce) – the whole thing shouldn’t have too much liquid. You can also add zucchini or paprika or even fry everything with some bacon)
– heat pan on fire – no oil needed!
– set a tortilla on the hot pan for about a minute , turn and do the same with the other side.
– set filling in, cover two sides
– Eat!
OR
– before the last step, set filled tortilla in an oven-proof dish. Add a couple more filled tortillas. Shread some nice cheddar over and put into oven until the cheese melts.
– Eat!
I want to officially announce that cleaning doesn’t work.
I’m usually not an enthusiastic cleaner. If cleaniliness comes next to godliness it explains a lot about me. My limit is usually “no mold”, so I wet-sweep the floor once a week and apart from that only clean up big messes. And you kind of accept that there’s dust and stuff on the floor because last sweeping was a while ago. But this week I nedded to clean more often since I had a Tupperware party. And after half a day the floor somehow looks the same as usually after three days, more or less, only that you think “WTF, I just cleaned this!!!”
Also, I’m in the pillow fort. My childhood next door neighbour has died…
Giliell, I’m so sorry. Hugs offered.
On the subject of cleaning, I vacuumed the livingroom and front hall yesterday, finally. This morning Shadow went out front and had a lovely luxurious roll on the cement walk. Since Husband leaves all the lawn clippings on the lawn, Shadow came back inside with half a hayfield on her back and donated it to the livingroom carpet. I don’t know why I bother…
Giliell,
My condolences. *hugs*
Giliell:
I’m so sorry. My condolences.
Giliell
You have my sympathies.
rq, here’s hoping that Boss-Boss is willing to get on-board with your concerns!
–
Giliell, it’s good that you and your sister see eye-to-eye on the jewelry matter. Lack of such harmony leads to such things as, oh, The Husband’s sister selling all of their mother’s Frankoma pottery collection to a flea market for practically nothing, and without consultation…and then making that pittance disappear.
But we’re not bitter.
*grinding teeth*
(Later)
I have never been able to feel any sense of accomplishment from cleaning; it’ll all be to do over again, almost immediately.
*hugs*
I’m so sorry about your neighbor.
–
*pouncehug* for Cranky Cat Lady Anne.
I’m glad you’ve got the surgery-related scheduling sorted out.
I really like your Japanese journals. So pretty!
Congrats to Daughter on those sky-high GREs.
–
*hug* for Beatrice, with sympathy and empathy for the coordination trouble. I once nearly killed The Husband when we were trying to learn to dance Scotland the Brave. Thereafter, I stuck with playing the music for the dancers.
–
*gentle hugs* for Dalillama. Sorry about the headache…and the power tools.
–
AlexanderZ, another option with tortillas is to cut them while raw into comfortably-sized pieces and bake them on a flat sheet for just a few minutes; then, use them for eating dips.
–
Chimichangas are awesome.
–
Morning
Something nice. We gotta make nice last, right?
I made two BAscetta stars which are surprisingly easy to make. Pictures of mine will follow.
cicely
Well, I made sure that I got my gran’s china when she moved to the nursing home before my aunt found out that it might be worth something. Because i always loved that china. Blue on white, it’th traditional…
+++
Thanks y’all for the condolences.
I swear, all I want for christmas is for 2015 to be over…
+++
beatrice
I am a weird not quite left handed person. Whenever something was supposed to work with right hand/foot here, left hand/foot there I switched. Good for Judo (I was used to people using the right hand approach but my opponents weren’t), bad for dancing…
Back from the country. In for a windstorm tonight. Kind of how I’m feeling about work right now. Tuesday we get to meet Boss-Boss, plus we alter our Plan of Action to take into account current action taken by Superiors to deal with a very minor portion of the concerns we want them to address. It’s nice to see them take action, but this means that we can probably bring them on board for our visit to the inspection, and arranging for a temporary closure of the lab (for the time period that it will take to either completely renovate our current digs or to renovate our potential new digs, just to keep the pressure on and accelerate actual renovations occurring).
Anyway.
How’s everyone? *hugs* all-round!!!
oh gad, I voted for the somewhat leftist party and now the right winger sickos are in the lead* (instead of the center -maybe -kinda- a bit- used to be left party).
.. it’s all my fault
* parlamentary elections-these people are not fit to lead a clown party let alone a country
Giliell
I’m sorry for your loss. This is a lousy year for you. 🙁
—
vereverum
Russians often joked about it themselves. Strangely, now Russians are even more susceptible to propaganda than in Soviet times. Then there was more healthy skepticism on an individual level.
—
Thanks for all of your advice regarding the tortillas!
After several tries I settled on Beatrice‘s recipe, as it was best suited for my small tortillas (~18cm=7”). They went pretty well (filled with fried chicken chest, beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, bell peppers and grated cheese, served with hot sauce) and were surprisingly filling, consider I could only get a table spoon or so of filling in them.
—
On Saturday me and my mother happened upon this little architectural wonder.
Beatrice
I’ve read one political scientist (Hebrew) who claimed that in popular vote coalition based political systems strategic voting is pointless since parties of the same wing (i.e. most left parties vs most right-wing parties) will form coalition or opposition depending on the votes for that entire wing, so any strategic voting only shifts seats within the same ruling (if they manage to get enough votes) group.
Furthermore, by voting for the more radical, rather than the more centrist parties, you keep the same overall group size, but make sure that the overall politics of the group are shifted towards the party you voted for.
Therefore, in such systems, if you believe that your favorite party can get at least one seat it’s almost always better to vote for it rather than the centrist alternative.
beatrice
Well, I voted for the social democrat in our local election today and yay, we get to vote again because nobody passed the 50% line. Though the guy I voted for will make it. He got 48.something%, the Green candidate 4.4 and the conservative bastard the rest. Given that the Green candidate is out, her votes will either go to the social democrat or the voters will stay at home.
Funny enough, I know both the social democrat and the conservative guy in person. One is a decent guy, firmely anti-fascist though a career politician. The other one is right wing even for the conservatives and managed to be a complete asshole back as a teenager.
Giliell
Condolences.
Today was Aged Mum Day. We all survived.
I really am worried about her – she’s failing mentally and physically, and she’s going to get to the point pretty soon where her caregivers can’t care for her. Husband and I talked about the situation on the way home, and we think we can put things off until next summer. June or July, though, we’ll have to find a facility and move her to it and sell her house, and all that.
But right now I am not going to think about that. I have Ritual Sacrifice With Pie* and Hogswatch to get through, not to mention my birthday which is also my dad’s death anniversary, and then my surgery in January and assorted family appointments here and there. Not going to deal with it. Can’t deal with it.
Hugs for all. Later, gentlebeings.
*Ask Tony, he’ll know. Heh heh heh
Dalillama
Thanks
Did you get your phone replaced?
Anne
+hUgs*
When my gran finally moved to the nursing home, she said “why didn’t I do this earlier?”
Don’t put it off until there’s no other way so your mum still has some reserves to settle in and to understand the situation.
+++
Also, at what age do jigsaw puzzles apparently stop being for children and start being for girls?
Since the christmas offers are starting, I got a bunch of puzzles for my kids and my friend’s. While the “girl” stuff extended well in the 100+ pieces range, the “boy” stuff didn’t. And aren’t boys supposed to uff?be better at that st
My computer is down to exploding only once, maybe twice a day. Hurray!
–
rq:
*tentacles wrapped and locked*
Also, *hugs&chocolate*
–
Beatrice, I’m willing to bet that the candidates in our Republican Klown Kar are more ludicrously incapable than yours!
USA! USA!
–
AlexanderZ—is it meant to twist like that?
–
*hugs* and encouragement and sympathy for Anne.
–
Giliell, boys are stereotypically too active to sit down to something so patience-intensive as a puzzle.
–
Bascetta Stars
Say “yes, please” if you want a tutorial. They’re surprisingly easy to make.
Cicely
funny how you can always explain everything with stereotypes…
Giliell
Condolences for your loss.
—–
Otherwise, somewhat ‘rupt and may be for the balance of the week. Trying to get a project finished at work before I take off for a long weekend.
I’ll add a few *hugs* to the basket while I’m here.
re: elections
Results are tight. I don’t know. We are in deep shit either way, but in one case we’re going to be in deep shit in 21st century and in the other we are going to wade through the deep shit of dark ages.
Giliell,
Yes,please!
They look beautiful, especially the one with lights inside
Giliell, how pretty!
Well, Husband called our bank, which holds our mortgage. No refi for us deadbeats. I guess we’ll have to do some refi shopping around. If Big Bank doesn’t want our payments, too bad for them.
Anne
*hugs*
—
Giliell
Those stars are very pretty.
—
cicely
Yes, this is how it’s going to look when it’s finished.
It really is amazing.
AlexanderZ, perhaps we could name this architectural style “Melting Brutalism.” That also might be a good name for Frank Gehery’s work.
I have gotten my phone issues sorted; the problem turned out to be poorly trained employees at the phone company.
Dalillama
I’m glad you could get things sorted there. I’m still training my husband in basic “how to use a smartphone”. He’s too young to start the “get off my lawn” phase of life”.
Anne
Good luck finding another bank. Getting a mortage is something i’m soooooo looking forward to.
Giliell,
Heh, I’m younger than your husband but I would love if smartphones could get off my lawn. I am typing this on one, but I’d rather have a quality stupidphone. 🙂
But we have to move with the times….
rq I hope things go well today.
Giliell here’s hoping that the rest of the year is better for you and that next year is a distinct improvement.
Anne </strong your dilemma is something that I might have to consider in the not too distant future. you have my sympathies.
Here's a photo of my daughter in the dress she wore for the nursery halloween party:
https://www.dropbox.com/home/Public?preview=2015-10-30+07.43.32.jpg
I hope you can see it. Better late than never!
Oops! Messed up the bolding. Sorry!
*blah*
rq, that’s a weird image. [hugs]
bragimike
I can’t see the pic :(. Not even when locked in at Dropbox.
+++
Tutorial for the Bascetta stars is online.
Giliell:
Yeah, I know; it’s almost as if there’s some sort of accepted narrative thing going on!
–
Dalillama, I’m glad that you’ve got your phone sorted out.
🙂
–
rq:
Your orange?—peach?—tree has left you on a Voyage of Self Discovery?
–
Tony!
Your site is lagging again. 26 sec overall, with 17.6s just for the domain (the difference is due to various WP stuff and gravatars and what not). The problem is clearly with the host.
Does the host have other sites? It would be very interesting to run comparisons.
—
Biped!?
It does look like his style. I wonder if he is involved in this.
—
Dalillama
Called it. More or less. I knew it couldn’t have been that hard for them.
—
Beatrice
I know what you mean. I could use my old Nokia to hammer nails and it would still work 🙁
—
bragimike
The pic doesn’t load for me either. Is it marked as private?
—
rq
*hugs*
…I think…
…maybe?
I don’t get it.
—
Anne
Good luck with your refi search. I might need to do something similar for my mother in a couple of years.
—
Giliell
That’s amazing. You have the mind of an architect.
AlexanderZ:
Yeah, I know. I was trying to use the site and was having a long wait. It’s really damn frustrating.
AlexanderZ ,
I still have two old Nokias. I’m thinking about searching shops for spare batteries and starting to use whichever one I find the batterie for again.
Nokia 3310 is the best phone ever.
All:
Our wonderful Wizard has informed me that they have a starting place for why the loading time is so excessive at times on the blog. They are working on a solution, but there may be occasional kinks for the next couple of days. So please bear with us. I’m hoping this can get solved quickly, bc I want you all to be able to comment when you want as quickly as you want.
Thanks.
It’s the Night of the Living Dead, um, Republican Debates, and Husband is glued to the TV. Keep a good thought for me, the Gallbother, and my sanity, please; it’s going to be a long night.
Maybe I’ll eat dinner in the den with Younger Daughter. She’s watching Castle DVDs.
If anyone has a free minute or two, can you click around the site multiple times and post something here about how quickly the pages do or don’t load?
Simple click of the refresh this thread took about 5 seconds.
Other threads, with fewer comments, take fractionally less time.
reloading from scratch can take longer than 20 seconds
Geez. Such widly different times. Thanks chigau.
The more I read about the situation at the University of Missouri, the more outraged I become. I thought things were going to get better, and maybe they will. Hopefully the terrorist actions of white people on the campus will not result in any tragedies.
Giliell:
Regarding your comment about Idris Elba in one of PZ’s threads-
If Fox ever gets around to adapting X-Factor (X-Men related property), you’d love it if they cast Elba as Jamie Madrox.
His mutant power is to replicate himself.
Here’s another go at the picture:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6upo1bs6trp5fi8/2015-10-30%2007.43.32.jpg?dl=0
Let me know if you can see it.
Bragimike
Dude. Adorbs.
Bragimike, awwww!
Thanks wmdkitty & Anne She had a pumpkin costume for Halloween itself, but I haven’t had chance to download a decent photo of that.
bragimike
The Cute is strong with this one.
Alexander
Oh, I didn’t invent those stars, I just followed the instructions.
Actually, I’m endlessly fascinated with such things and would really like to know how people invent such things. How do you invent something where the last step depends on the first? Like those stars, or puff pastry.
Oh, totally forgot. Made it through the next funeral. By now religion makes me aggressive. Our neighbour was Lutheran, so it was halfway bearable and the middle part was actually about my neighbour and not some template about how much we just miss the deceased where you only fill in the name. But I can’t remember this god-person to ever show up and help him or his wife in all these years he struggled with bipolar disorder…
But I also met my childhood BFF’s mum and stepdad. Somehow I didn’t even know that she got a divorce 3 years ago and is now expecting a babe with her new partner…
Mr is going to fall off the chair when I tell him.
We have tweaked several thingies (technical term) and I’d appreciate if anyone with a minute or two to spare could test the site speed. Specifically, how long to load the site, and how much lag time between pages, comments, etc. Your help is much appreciated.
LOading quickly for me, though “quickly” is relative because my computer is a bit in the slow side.
Seconding Giliell from my own slow computer. We’ll see how long it takes for this comment to post.
.. and that seemed slow.
Opening http://www.theshoopsroost.com/2015/11/09/i-agree-and-disagree-with-bernie-sanders/ took almost 10 seconds. OPening Tech stuff closer to 12.
Thirding Giliell.
We may be seeing an appearance by Nick Gotts soon 🙂
Hi All,
Tony cery kindly invited me to drop in, so here I am. I’m currently back in Turin, where my wife (Hmm, I’ll call her D here, first letter of the name friends call her) is teaching English, and expect to be here most of the time until March-April, and to be teaching a short course on “Agent-Based Modelling of Social Dilemmas, Cooperation and Altruism” at the Collegio Carlo Alberto in January-February (in English, I hasten to add – my Italian is still rudimentary, while D’s is shamingly fluent). After that I’ll be back in Dunfermline, Scotland, and campaigning for the Scottish Green Party in the Holyrood (Scottish Parliament) elections, D following at the end of July – well, I’ll go back briefly to help pack up the flat. Then, we plan to acquire a dog from a shelter, do a lot of walking, some politics…
My email, for anyone who should want it, is initialsurname (all lower-case, no space or punctuation) at gn dot apc dot org.
It doesn’t seem to have changed for me, no slower, no faster, but that may be the tablet and our slowish DSL. It’s good enough.
I would really appreciate having the up/down arrows back, when the Wizard can, please.
Tony!, Wizard
Very fast loading for me for about 10 pages that I’ve visited. Even with Ctrl+F5 loading took only a couple of seconds. At one point there was a slow loading of this page (7 seconds), but still much faster than it was previously.
Thank you very much!
I’ve noticed that the Home/End widget is gone. Was it the culprit?
—
bragimike
Very cute!
Posting the comment took about 3 seconds. Still more than ten times as fast as it used to be.
P.S.
I see the edit widget is also gone.
Make it 8-9 seconds for the second comment.
Still an improvement.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The up and down arrows, comment editing and formatting will all return, but probably not until tomorrow. The beast is still too slow, and it should not be. Back under the hood. More later.
Welcome, Nick Gotts!
I’ve been to Dunfermline for less than a day when we were trekking through Scotland. It was on our path from Edinburgh to Perth to Inverness, and eventually to Kirkwall.
So I just had a mega brainfart. I have 6 items I sold on ebay that needed shipping out. I called my regular cab driver to pick me up and on the way, he told me about how awful traffic is. He said at first he thought it was bc of an accident, but then realized that there were just a lot of people out on the roads bc of the Veterans Day holiday.
We pulled up to the U.S. Post Office and I went to open the door and it was locked. It took me about 5 seconds before I laughed really loudly at myself. So did my driver. We had just been talking about the holiday.
D’oh!
(sucks too bc I didn’t have $20 to just blow on a trip like that…sigh)
NIck!
So good to see you here.
Hmmm, not quite sure what I envy you more for: winter in italy or going back to Scotland.
+++
Grrrrr, just watched a documentary about sex selective abortion that raised all my hackles:
-the term “gendercide” as such is highly missleading and intentionally conflating abortion with murder. While sex-selective abortion is rooted in misogyny, actual women get killed for birthing female babies and actual babies get killed for being female.
-the proposed solution was, in many countries, of course, to outlaw abortion “for sex selective reasons”
-there was a blatantly racist and missleading “Acorn style” video from the UK. This couple shows up at an abortion clinic and keeps talking about how they want an abortion because it’s a girl. The provider does exactly the right thing in my opinion: Tell them they don’t need to give a reason, that they’re not demanding any justification, even asking “have you considered all your options”. And that’S somehow evidence of a huge conspiracy among BAME doctors and couples to exterminate female fetuses.
-The argumentum at “what about the men”. Sex selective abortion isn’t a problem because it shows that women and girls are devalued and seen as lesser beings, nono, it’S a problem because the next generation of men won’th ave anybody to fuck. Even in vanishing women this is not bad because of women, but because of men.
One thing is that when they showed an actual program to tackle this, the program run by World Vision was wonderful because it worked with couples and encouraged the men to regard their wives as partners, to care for their children, regardless of their gender and to see men and women as equal partners.
Anne: Castle over the Repub. debates? Easy choice!
–
Hi, Nick Gotts!
*waving*
–
(20 seconds to post that.)
–
Thanks for the welcome, AlexanderZ, Giliell, cicely! AlexanderZ, did you get to see much of the Orkneys? I’ve only been there once, but we (D, me and our son O) had a week there about 10 years ago, and saw much amazing archeology, the highlight being Skara Brae, a 5,000 year old settlement uncovered by the sea a few decades ago. You walk among the inhabitants’ homes, which were dug into the ground, and can look down to see where they ate, slept, and kept their belongings.
Nick I’ve been to the Orkneys a couple of times. It’s one of my favourite places. There’s so much archaeology and a couple of Whiskey distilleries. What’s not to like! Also the people are friendly and the accent is lovely.
Nick Gotts
I saw some of Orkney, not nearly enough. I did visit Skara Brae, but not the other important sites (like Knap of Howar, because we only had time for the Mainland). It’s an amazing site and no picture can do it justice. Among other things they can’t convey just how small the corridors/doorways, beds (those stone sleeping alcoves) and other compartments are. It looks like the neolithic people were no more than 1.5m tall.
I also remember (this was about 15 years ago) that near Skara Brae there was a small fresh water lake right next to the shoreline. The sea and the lake (or was is a salt-water lake and a fresh-water lake? Can’t recall) were divided by a tiny strip of land, which was perforated in some places and you could see how a small, barely noticeable stream from the sea/salt lake was flowing into the fresh water lake.
I had a great time there overall, not counting the evil local cattle that hated me for no reason.
—
bragimike
I don’t remember visiting any of the Orkney breweries while I was there, but I do remember going to the scotch museum in Edinburgh and tasting whiskey from every part of Scotland.
I remember it as if it was yesterday: It was a rainy day and me and my friend were planning to go to the castle, but had to cancel because the rain was proving too much for us. We entered the first open building (it was around 8-9am) whihc happened to be that museum.
The receptionist/clerk at the front desk was a hearty red-head who took one look at us (we were the only people there) and said “you boys look like you need to warm up!” and poured two shots of some local Lowland scotch. After that we just had to take the full tour and an extended trip to the gift shot to better acquaint ourselves with the native culture.
It was the polite thing to do. 🙂
Now there’s an appropriate typo if I ever read one. 😀
Nick Gotts
Welcome in, it’s good to hear from you!!
+++
In other news, I was going to communicate via images and songs only for the next little while, but it’s proving to be too much trouble (time- and energy-wise, not resource-wise) to find suitable art all the time.
I don’t even know if there’s any actual progress to update except OH YEAH they’re displacing several other departments (it’s a cascading series of moves where we get moved into the space of two departments, which then have to move into the space of at least two others, which then… etc. etc.) in order to move us into the main building on the third floor (can’t figure out if it’s ring-around-a-rosy or musical chairs). Of course, every individual move needs renovations, plus we need very specific ones, so we’re probably going to have ourselves closed down for the duration, but lemmee tell ya, noooobody is happy with us, because apparently THIS IS WHAT WE ASKED FOR, but all we wanted was better conditions and (preferably) a completely different location. And of course the Superiors gave everyone a day to get used to the idea, with little to no input or suggestions into the decision. Nice.
In one sense this is good because we were heard, but in another, this is just a temporary solution that, in the long run, will not be suitable for anyone, least of all us. And they’re only delaying the inevitable (read: the entire building falls apart because there’s only so much you can patch up before the seams tear). So go Superiors for sowing internal strife on top of everything else.
On the plus side, we’re recommending that anyone who feels unhappy also write a complaints submission and submit it. The more departments write, the more chance we have of getting a new building in the marginally foreseeable future. Slim, but kind of there. Kind of. Maybe. I think.
And I’m tired. Mentally for the most part, though this is flooding over into the physical, so I apologize for not being sufficiently un’rupt, and I extend *hugs* and *higs* all ’round.
Good night.
*massive hug-pile* for rq, with a *shot of beverage-of-choice* to back it up.
–
I gotta wheelbarrow full of hugs here, labelled “for rq, to use ad libitum”
rq
*hugs galore*
Still… you’ve done it! You’re getting a better space. Maybe it’s temporal, but it’s an improvement. Well done – you’ve won against the bureaucracy!
No idea about the load times (slow connection out here) but now I can load theshoopsroost front page AT ALL, which I couldn’t before. It just showed as a blank page every time. So now I can read Tony!s actual posts…
rq, here be hugs, tea and cookies, and all the pillows and blankets you want.
Sooooo…is anyone else going to be at Skepticon?
–
Bad Speakeasy-ian here:
Threadrupt yet scanning….
Giliell (11/5): “Well, the funeral was today and [i]t went as “well” as it could be expected.”
MASSIVE *hugs* [belated]. Giliell. Been there done that [both parental units]. Expected or not it is a shock to the system !
—-
rq:
Still [some] job angst parallels here. Hope some some good will come of your recent ‘changes’. [And Now For Something Completely…. (rq, as per an email reference long ago…) I STILL think you are as cool as Tina (at any age)….
https://youtu.be/myCJa6agNVs?t=25s
: )
—
*hugs*, *higs *, *scritches*, *extra pillows for da fort*, whatever I have to give to my Lounge/Speakeasy friends.
You (ALL) mean a lot to me– though I may not be the best-est/ timely-est friend– I count YOU as MY buds !
……. Fly-by *hugs*
Beatrice :
*waves as she flys by….* *hug on the fly* ????
Okay, one more ‘cus I just gotta !!! :
https://youtu.be/Ib0-GbPCk1M
Heya
Thanks bluentx
I hope my mum can put off killing herself until next year. I’d really appreciate some quiet christmas time. If I sound bitter it’S just because I am…
+++
OK, Mr’s got some serious talks about who will remain with big parental company and who’ll get tossed into the new company today. Let’s see how that goes.
+++
Also, I found out that you can make Kaiserschmarrn in the oven instead of a pan. Because I don’t have a pan big enough to make it for 5 people and if there’s one dish where the kids eat adult servings it’S this one.
Hey all!
I’ll update on my situation a bit more fully soon, but it looks like not only will I be getting my license reinstated sometime in the next 5-6 weeks (fingers crossed), but I also have a vehicle. Paid for already. A 1999 Honda (not sure of the model) with only 80,000 miles (which is wicked good for a vehicle that age). Finding a job will be ever so much easier with a car!
Good news, Tony! May the trend continue for you!
That’s great, Tony!
So you’ll be getting it just in time for the New Year? Looks like 2016 will be starting on the right foot 🙂
AlexanderZ,
Better yet, it won’t be starting on foot because Tony will have a car!
.. I’ll keep my day job
YAY Tony.
Keeping all fingers crossed!
Beatrice
What a cardinal faux pas!
—
Old news, but it still pisses me off and tells you all you need to know about Orthodox Judaism:
Israel’s Agriculture Minister Backpedals on Controversial Cat Transfer Plan
The “research” in question turned out to be for religious studies – mainly how the Jewish Halakha views animals (note that this entire discussion, like many other radical Orthodox positions, isn’t traditional in any way, but a development of the last decade).
Uri Ariel is also the man who sparked the current Intifada by going to the Temple Mound and proclaiming his desire for the building of a third temple there. He attacks stray cats only because that’s an issue that is important mostly to secular Israelis, in particular Tel-Aviv residents, which is viewed as a leftist stronghold.
Not that it’s an accurate view. Those people are the main support base for Yair Lapid – a supposedly centrist politician – who said (translating from Hebrew):
Palestinians comprise about a third of all residents of Jerusalem, the municipal borders of which lie mostly beyond Israel’s Green Line border and has been expanded to include many settlements in the West Bank, but to exclude as many Palestinians as possible.
—
Sometimes I wish my family had immigrated to Germany instead. I’d fit in. I even have a German name and family. And I wouldn’t have damaged my back during service. I might even have had a normal life.
Hey All Ya’ll,
Hope you and yours are doing well. *Hugs*, *higs*, commiserations and celebrations.
I had a longer comment where I read and replied to people (YAY Tony! For the car, as I see right above) and more detail about my situation update but I lost it. I don’t have the energy to re-do it.
So, things are okay, all in all. Some areas are the same, some better, and some shittier.
My job is going fine. They keep saying I’m doing great and giving me more accounts to take calls on. But we are sooo short staffed. They hired two people last week, and they just never came back after lunch on Wednesday. Their training sucks and first shift has some high school click bullshit going on. Call centers are known for their turn over rate and this place is just making it harder. And hiring just a few at a time is stupid. You know you have to hire more than you need to hit the floor, because half won’t make it onto the floor and once there, several more will bounce out. But they hired one single person on Monday. Let’s see how long they last….At least I feel pretty secure that they won’t fire me. Yay…I guess? But everyone else is basically looking for other jobs on the down low. Feeling like I joined a sink ship :/
Got another abscess but my dental finally went through and I had to money for dental surgery. Which is good. But holy fuck, I am now recovering from 5 extractions (4 wisdom teeth partially covered by gums, and one root canal the previous dentist royally fucked up) and ughhh. It’s the day after already and I have to start my work week tomorrow. I used up all my sick days when the abscess popped up. Joy. But at least that dental issue is going to be resolved when I’m done healing.
I’ll need more work but those teeth haven’t been an issue besides sensitivity, eating around them and appearance. So worst case scenario is having to wait for a tax refund to do it.
Roomie’s friend is letting him borrow a car. Signed it over and everything, we just pay him like $75 in insurance and take over gas and maintenance obviously. The check engine light is on which needs to be fixed before the next inspection. But Roomie’s friend says if they get another car (likely given he started his own construction business after working with his uncle’s all his life), Roomie could keep it.
Roomie’s job is really sucking though. New asshole bosses. Doesn’t know his schedule for the week until Sunday. Shitty hours, shitty pay. It’s really, really getting to him. He’s looking for another job but I ‘m trying to get him to use his Access health insurance (from the State) while he has time during the week before getting a full time job. But his depression…he’s miserable.
And I think part of it is his toxic masculinity issues (oh does he have so many) are popping up because my job is full time with benefits and pays more. I’m also trying to learn out to drive now since he’s got a car. It’d be easier on him too, once I get my license so he doesn’t have to drive me to work on his days off and to the store or whatever. But he hasn’t started to try and teach me yet but won’t stop complaining about having to drive now. I’m so happy to have a car in the household now and it’s really irritating. :/ But I get his depression. I just don’t know how to get him back on meds since he won’t go.
Little One is doing great. Straight A’s. Teacher LOVES her. Couldn’t stop saying great things about her and had nothing negative to say. She’s got more friends now with school and the apartment is filling up again. But some of those kids…bad influences. One in particular is a bully and is now leading several other boys down the asshole path.
I love her to death but man, I swear with her attitude she’s 8 going on 13. LOL We both got hair cuts finally have so many years. It was her first though we had opportunity for her first haircut before but she didn’t want it then and it’s her hair so I didn’t push. Just a couple inches off really. Her hair is gorgeous. It’s all full with wonderful highlights and just a bit wavy. (I kept it simply like her but added side swept bangs because of my face and particularly my forehead)
Her kitty, we’ll call Sab here, got out again. This time for longer. It was nerve wrecking. So we got her back, got her tag updated (I just had to get a new number because of the job, no longer eligible for the free cell phone through the state), and I even bought a harness with lease. We’ve tried taking her outside with it on, but she’s not a fan. Wasn’t expecting much since she’s older and you gotta start them young. But I figured it might sate her outside wishes and at least this way, she’d know what our house looks like and find her way back. She wears the harness all the time too. Much easier and noticeable than just a skinny little black cat with a yellow collar. So far, she hasn’t even tried to escape, when before we had to watch out every time we opened the door and she was a master at opening our previous windows. (You’d think she has thumbs) She’s also started come to us more and just now sat on my lap for petting for 20 mins when she never, ever used to before.
It’s getting colder now and it surprised me when Little One refused to wear pants. Turns out there’s a mean girl group ( wait, is that term sexist? Should I just call them bullies? I never thought of that before) that targets her and said she “looks weird in pants”. WTF? Assholes. Thankfully, she started wearing them and hasn’t said it’s been a problem. I’m not going to lie though talking about it with her was so hard and it took so long. I will admit to breaking down and telling her the straight up truth: “Fuck those little assholes and the shit they say. Not everyone will be nice, hunny, I’m sorry. There’s nothing you can do to get them to like you or leave you alone. You’re going to run into that in life. Hopefully not a lot, but everyone deals with little shitheads like them. So wear your cute new pants and say “Fuck them” because they don’t matter. That’s all you can do. Don’t start dressing and acting differently for people who don’t like you and make up any excuses to make fun of you. You look weird in pants is the dumbest bullshit I’ve ever fucking heard. Fuck those assholes.” And well, that worked. I was saying the same thing before, but nicer and like “a parent is supposed to”. Finally, I just showed how angry those kids made me and spoke honestly. * shrug *
Mom and her asshole husband? Well, she was attacked at a bus stop one night a month or two ago now. The story was “some random guy came up with she and [Husband] were arguing and punched her in the side”. For no reason. So hard, her spleen ruptured and they had to remove it. Boy, had I wish they told me that before keeping it vague “attacked at the bus stop” (not an unknown occurrence, they’ve had issues before being on the street. Verified other violence, not domestic.) I would’ve given the fucker a piece of my mind.
After she was released, she first when back to him with stitches down her stomach and the streets though people were willing to take her in. She finally did go to a great shelter. I mean one of, if not the best DV shelters to get into here. She was doing so well there! She was better, more herself and doing all the right things. Even started the process of divorce and stayed the fuck away from Husband. But did it last? Of course not.
And it’s worse than before: she moved with him to his family several states away. She told me the day before she left when I called to ask her about spending time with Little One. (Which hadn’t been happening due to Husband, obviously). I flipped out and lost it with her. Then after several minutes of me trying to talk some sense into her (and partially venting because holy fucking shit are you stupidly nutzo or something, Mom!?!?), she started laughing. At what? Why? How is this shit funny? I basically hung up on her after sputtering and haven’t talked to her since. She came the next day while I was at work and got her stuff and her dog. I did not handle that well. :/ But I’ve tried, I’m done, she screwed herself and I just hope she doesn’t wind up dead because of it. I just…can’t anymore. Things are looking better for us here and I can’t lie, it’s been way less stress and drama without her and her husband. I feel like I should feel bad, but I’m so relieved, I don’t really. :/
And…holy shit that’s a lot. Wait, have I told ya’ll this stuff before? I can’t remember the last time I commented. The pain pills must’ve kicked in again because that’s a whole lot of rambling going on. When I started I thought I wouldn’t’ get through a generic paragraph update lol.
Now I’m off to eat some…food. It doesn’t feel like food. I’m starving. And omfg, am I dying for a cig. I even plonked down money for some fucking patches (so.fucking.expensive. More than monthly cigs for Roomie and I for a fucking week (smallest box)) and I’m still going crazy over not smoking. Fuuuckk. 🙁
OH! and did I tell you guys I finally got glasses? I did! First pair ever and everyone at the office just could not believe it given how bad my eyesight is. My dental problems and insurance might leave me strapped for cash but my vision insurance kicks ass.
I got my exam, Little One’s (she doesn’t need glasses :D) and my glasses for $40. As long as something doesn’t fuck my glasses up for a year, that’s all I’ll have to pay too.
I can see!! :DD
*trigger warning – extreme violence*
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OMFG this is awful! Multiple simultaneous terrorist attacks in Paris. Reports are saying upwards of 40 dead and around 100 hostages taken. The numbers seem to be going up with every page refresh.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/11/13/multiple-deaths-reported-after-shootings-explosions-paris/75727746/
JAL
*massive hugs*
I’m happy to hear from you and to read that you’re doing so well!
This is wonderful! You’re a great mother.
Hooray!!
You shouldn’t feel bad at all. You’ve done all you could for her and then some, and she can’t be helped. Focus on yourself and your little one and don’t let her to continue poisoning your lives.
JAL, hurrah for the good things, and hugs for the bad. Little One is awesome, all those good grades, and you are awesome Mom!
We Are Plethora
I’m worried over Hollande closing borders and enforcing curfew. As bad as these terrorist attacks are, they are not a fucking war! This sort of hysterical response is the last thing that anyone needs. Other countries have experienced similar and worse attacks and dealt with them competently without resorting to such insanity.
Commenting is slow again. Took me over 1min. But a speed test shows 18sec (which is still bad).
I can’t follow, because so many are now using relevant hashtags, but our papers say some hostages are actively tweeting, saying terrorists are killing hostages
AlexanderZ,
Sorry just having trouble caring about borders and curfews at the moment. With multiple attacks some still on going that doesn’t seem all that extreme. State of emergency sounds about right given what’s happening on the ground.
Now seeing reports that the police stormed the place and have managed to free the hostages. Hoping that turns out to be accurate.
Fuck now they are reporting many or even all of the hostages were killed maybe 100 dead in the concert hall or theater.
Turning off the news now can’t handle anymore senseless death and destruction right now.
Local news has more than 140 dead. So far. 🙁
You know when you’re watching a horror movie and then suddenly a door slams and you get spooked?
Yesterday while I was reading about the attack, the electricity in my whole street died (and I couldn’t see how it was further away). I freaked a tiny little bit, since what I was reading about was more scary than a horror story by virtue of being real and very recent.
And I believe myself to be a rational person.
Went online this morning and found news of the horrible terrorist attacks in Paris. Nothing adequate to say. France, however, has not closed its borders, contrary to some reports. Rather, the border controls abolished with the Schengen agreement have been temporarily reinstated. It’s not clear what good this will do, but authorities need to be seen to be doing something.
I’m expecting to be in Paris in a month, for demonstrations at the end of the climate talks. D said to me this morning: “Don’t go on the Metro unless you have to.” It does seem surprising in a way that it was not a target: hundreds of entrances, millions of passengers. But the aftermath of a terrorist attack is probably the safest time to visit a city, with everyone alert to the possibility. I just hope we don’t get idiots or agents provocateurs causing violence at the demos at a time like this.
Good morning
Holy fuck Paris.
I didn’t find out until this morning. Interestingly, the first attacks happened during the first half of the football game outside of the stadium. While I can understand that they didn’t inform the people in the stadium (you don’t need to kill people in a terror stampede as well), we didn’t get any information on TV either.
Looks like the main death toll was at the concert hall and happened after the police stormed the building and the terrorists blew themselves up.
It also looks like the French authorities had been warned after German authorities caught a terrorist heading for Paris last week.
And no, borders are not closed, but there are controls.
Beyond that, fuck, just fuck. What have we turned the world into? Why did we believe the wars would stay where we started them?
+++
JAL
HUgs for you and the little one. I know this 8 going 13 thingy. I swear, by the time #1 hits puberty we’ll have lots of practise already.
+++
Local politician who is pretty left in regard to everything except refugees already used the opportunity to ask we close the borders on the east and protect the secular Europe, which can only stay secular if we protect our Christian roots from the Muslims.
*facepalm*
Saturday.
An atheist quote from times when my country was communist:
A quote my mum pointed out, put sadly it is too long to remember was referencing women fighting as partisans. It says that it must be acknowledged that many women fought and contributed and were in all ways equal in their efforts to men, and how this cannot be erased from history.
(we were in the city museum, mainly for the exhibition about the history of the city zoo)
rq,
everyone is alive and mostly healthy, I presume?
… including any cats
rq:
That was an interesting image.
How can I say that I hate how Tous Sont Paris, but no one is Beirut or Baghdad without appearing callous towards those killed in Paris?
The whole western world is in mourning for the victims in France.
What are we telling the rest with that?
This is why I won’t francify my FB picture with the flag.
I did already have to mention the fact that no, it’s not the refugees responsible for this crisis – but that this is a glimpse of the terror that they are fleeing from. Someone had written that this attack is a ‘stab in the eye’ for all refugee supporters; I said it’s a stab in the eye to those who refuse to see them as refugees. Then I left the conversation.
And then my godmother had a link to a great post about how we pay more attention to Paris than the other recent attacks… except she prefaced her posting with a long comment about how it’s not about race but about how similar we feel our culture to be and that it’s far more shocking to read about such events in Paris than in Beirut, as the violence is more common to Beirut and therefore seems less shocking, plus it is easier to think about the Paris attacks because the numbers are so much more comprehensible.
Beatrice
This, a lot.
It turns out that my cousin is actually in Paris, and spent 3 hours locked down in a deli near one of the attacks, although he is unharmed.
JAL
Hi! Glad to hear things are going ok for you.
Nick Gotts
Hi, welcome in.
Call me cynical, jaded, anti-jingoist or what you will.
I DO empathize with the French regarding the recent attack.
What I ‘have a problem with’ is the misplaced (in some cases phony) empathy* being shown by some of the same people that sneered at France for not joining the Bush coalition-of-the-lied-to.
Gawd ! Some are SOOO willing to jump on the ‘Let’s Go Get ‘Em’ band wagon that they don’t consider that more violence and xenophobia is … must I say it ?… NOT THE ANSWER.
—
* Adding blue, white and red to your FB profile picture means your Really, Truly, sincere???
——
-rant suspended-
Darn ! No edit means I missed correcting… your to you’re. 🙂
Still not a single article in our major papers about Baghdad or Beirut.
Those savages kill each other all the time anyway, so who’s gonna report about ti when there’s a story about civilized people, our people being killed?
— I’m not just cynical, I’m almost entirely sure this is the reasoning behind it
annnnd… I just saw the #parisisaboutlife post (via SciBabe) which is more like my sentiments rather than the ‘Let’s Go Get ‘Em’ mentality I mentioned before.
Beatrice, you and me both. When it’s Paris we’re all attacked, when it’s Beirut it’s just those people.
Yes, France hits close to home cause it is. I spent more than a year of my life in France, all together, but yeah.
Also, I stole all the hugs. I’m typing this in the emergency ward where we just brought my mother.
Giliell, here are more hugs, as many as you need.
Giliell,
*all the hugs* for you and the sprogs
Giliell:
I hope your mom will be all right.
::Hugs::
Thanks, folks.
Sadly, I fear “allright” is no longer possible. The question is how big the damage is. They did a CT of the skull to see if there is any bleeding in the brain. Tonight she was awake but totally gone. She heard me, she reacted to voice, but I don’tthink she understod a word or even realised that it was me. We’ll know more tomorrow.
Sadly, this is exactly what she chose. It is imensely sad to see her like this and to see the years missed.
Giliell – you didn’t steal the hugs I put there, they are for anyone to use for free. I have more if they are needed. Hope everything turns out well.
Giliell, the pillow fort is always available.
I swear I posted mine before I saw Giliell’s followup. My last line kinda sounds heartless in the order in which they were posted.
I do still have hugs, though.
Giliell
*HUGS*
Oh my goodness y’all. This sprawling home has so much stuff. I’ve found cloissone pieces, jade pieces, tons of porcelain pieces and more. And that’s the *smaller* stuff. There’s a ton of cherry hutches and tables and stands.
And I wish I knew how to safely use a fireplace. I’ve never lived in a home with one, and I’d love to sit close to the fire during the colder winter months.
I’m currently going room by room cleaning out drawers and looking for all paperwork. There is stuff scattered everywhere around the house. And there are a ton of decorative porcelain vases in each of the rooms, but no trash cans. You can image what was used as a trash can. ::eyeroll::
When I’m done, I’m going to try cataloging stuff. Or maybe I’ll try to sell smaller items in the house. FSM knows there is plenty of ornate plateware and stuff like that around here.
Tony
House? What did my foggy brain miss?
++++
One last piece of rambling before I toddle off to bed.
The more suffering I see, the less I get this “just deserts” thingy. Suffering is BAD in itself. It’s not just bad because it happens to people we like, or nice old ladies or tiny babies. You all know my mum did shit to me. And she drove me up the wall. And this now is the utterly predictable result of her own decisions. There’s still no justice in this.
Giliell:
Sorry, I’ve told the story a few different places and forgotten where and to whom.
Basically, I have a great aunt who owns a sprawling 5,000 sq. foot home on multi-acre land. I’m watching her home for an undetermined period of time (right now, it’s looking like 6-7 weeks). The home has a lot of Oriental ornaments, tons of porcelain figures, and all manner of art cultivated over the last 30 years between she and her late husband. My parents can’t stay and watch the house, so they asked me to do it. Since my aunt is a senior citizen (she’s 80), there’s stuff all over the house-personal effects, official papers, stuff like that. One of my tasks is to find all that stuff and organize it. Then I’m also going to catalog as many of the items in the house as I can. It’s a daunting task to say the least. The house is paid for, so there’s no rent for me to worry about. Nor do I have to worry about utilities, water, or cable.
Oh, and I’m getting a car out of this-a 1997 Honda Accord with only 80,000 miles. It just needs two new front tires and back windshield (which is smashed in) and probably a check up bc I don’t think its been driven in quite some time.
Thanks, Tony!, and no, I think you only mentioned acquiring a car. The house sounds fascinating.
Tony!, hurray for relicensement! Hurray for vehicle ownership!
(Later)
House? You’ve moved?
(Very Slightly Later)
Ah.
–
JAL
*pouncehug*
Glad to hear about your being employed; I obviously missed it, sometime during my recent Threadruptions. Also glad that you’re able to get your dental situation sorted out. And glasses! Huzzah!
*hugs for Little One; good to hear she’s doing so well in school. And, yeah, the “mean girls group” does pretty much equal a “gang of bullies”.
Sorry about your mom and the situation she’s put herself into; but the needs of the Little One and yourself surely outweigh beating yourself up on your mom’s behalf? You’ve tried, FSM knows you’ve tried—but you can’t live her life for her, or make her choices.
–
Paris.
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
–
At least, I’m not seeing the usual degree of rampant, knee-jerk-reaction Islamophobia I usually see on my Facebook page, and many people actively trying to put the brake on it when someone tries to get started on it.
Little steps, but I’ll take it.
–
Giliell:
*large supplementary hug-dump*
and much sympathy, together with as much moral support as you need.
–
Giliell
All the Hugs.
I hate asking, but hours have been low and business slow. The upshot of this is that we find ourselves needing $13 by Tuesday, and I don’t get paid again until Wednesday. If any of you lovely folks could spare a few bucks, it would be an enormous help. Sorry.
Dalillama
Done
Tony
I’m just glad that it’s your foggy brain and not mine. This sounds great. I bet not having to worry about the rent for a few weeks is a big load off your back and a car is good. I don’t know, but maybe your aunt would like you to stay?
Cicely !
*LIGHTBULB MOMENT . !! *
Why do I feel guilty? [Hint: It’s Cicely’s fault !!]
One of my nearest neighbors has put their house up for sale. Didn’t know them well (that often happens in the Bible belt when you’re an atheist). I DID, however, enjoy seeing/hearing their horse in the lot behind their house on my way up the hill on my way to. …wherever (dead end street …. one way in, one way out). Since the FOR SALE sign went up the horse has disappeared. This brings me to the guilt thing….
Just realized. … I’ve been confused over my ‘missing’ someone else’s horse.
AHAH!!! It’s Cecily’s fault !
I accepted (on some level) another’s paranoia of The Equine ! [BEWARE THE POWER OF THE BIG ‘C’ !!!!!]
Psycho- drama fixed !!!
Hope the intended snark came across. …. *hugs* and greetings to The Big ‘C’ !!!! ; )
Giliell:
My parents and I are fairly certain I’ll be staying. In addition to her being tired of being here all alone, she’s feels she’s gotten to an age where she is not quite as capable of caring for herself as she used to be. She’s had a few accidents in the last year or so-nothing serious, but without anyone here to help her out (at least not immediately), I suspect she’s been a little scared. Also, this house is so big, but for whatever reason, she has chosen to-for years-only venture to her room, the bathroom, and the kitchen. She pays people to take care of cleaning the house, maintaining the yard, picking up her groceries and mail, etc. So she doesn’t have to go anywhere or do much of anything. It may take her a while to get adjusted to living outside of this place, but I imagine she’ll stick with it.
I have as yet been unaffected by the power of The Big C. I noticed this a few days ago on my ride out here to BFE when I saw a horse and went ‘cute critter’.
bluentx, you are reading the situation All Wrong! The Horse, its fell purposes (whatever horrendousness those may have been) complete, has merely fled the scene, leaving a FOR SALE sign to provide a “reason” to excuse and explain Its abrupt absence.
You may rest assured that It remains all-too-alive-and-well, and conducting Its nefarious business elsewhere.
*hugsback*
I am only a lower-case c.
And I have no Power.
😉
–
Horses are fucking awesome.
No. Rq’s are awesome. Horses are just nifty.
****
Attention everyone:
The blog will be shut down for the next 24 hours in an attempt to fix the problems with long loading times. I thought part of my loading problems was my old computer, but I’m using a newer one and it took me nearly 45 seconds to load a page. So yeah, no commenting will be available for the next day. Sorry for the inconvenience.
All right everyone, we should be back up and running. Please post whenever you have the chance and let me and the Wizard know roughly how long it takes you to load a page. Thanks for your patience.
Yay! I got the Speakeasy again!
OK, personal update:
My mum will be relocated to the normal hospital ward, but her condition isn’t good. Her brain is by now pretty damaged and the high levels of amonium aren’t good either. Right now she’s in the “I’ve learned my lesson, I’ll never drink alcohol again, I don’t want to die” phase. Which makes you want to slap her left and right. This ain’t catholic confession, mum. You cannot say “I’m sorry” and then you’ll be forgiven and the damage to your body will magically disappear.
+++
Also, men can be such assholes.
My “Tupper-aunt”, a mum of #1’s classmate, brought the stuff I’d ordered yesterday. She also told me that well, she’s now a single mum. Her partner, who’s in hospital as well, dumped her by changing his Facebook status. Friends called her and told her. Funny how men can still dump all the responsibility and “free themselves” when they’re fed up with their partner and children.
+++
YAY!
Cthulhu sends his blessings.
From scratch load took about 40 seconds.
refresh was about 25
I have no idea what just happened, but I had a Janis Joplin youtube video under Leave a Reply instead of this box.
When I reloaded (which took about 7 seconds) all was right again.
It might be hallucinations.
Still not seeing any loading issues, but I think that’s a local internet factor than anything to do with the actual site.
+++
Actually I posted this on FB, but that’s only because the Speakeasy wasn’t available for complaining.
Just FYI, today is Latvia’s official independence day (declaration of independence in 1918,I suppose, with actual independence achieved about a year later (November 11 1919)), so the nationalistic spirit has been rather fervently alive on FB and elsewhere.
“I have to say I am ashamed. I apologize on behalf of reasonable and moderate Latvians everywhere for those who have decided to turn a festive parade commemorating the independence of Latvia into a political action against refugees and immigrants. I find this in the poorest of tastes, not only as an immigrant myself, but as the descendant of refugees and, plainly, as a human being.
I also find it rather ironic that it is the annual torch march (sans pitchforks, eh) that they want to use in this way.
(On the plus side, the organizers of the march have distanced themselves from this agitation, calling it an inappropriate call to politicize a national celebration and holiday. And no posters allowed, because fire safety. So there’s that.)”
YES, torch marches are a tradition here, especially for national holidays. Don’t know how that happened, but as long as the pitchforks stay out of it, it’s a heart-warming and rather visually spectacular experience. As far as I know, all celebratory events have occurred without unexpected side effects or protests of any sort. Official fireworks still to come.
Anyway, this year of all years I’ve been having a lot of mixed feelings about all the ‘God Bless Latvia’ and ‘Thanks to all my ancestors who survived well enough to create an independent country’ and ‘Happy birthday, Latvia, you are awesome!’ messages. Because (1) this year of all years I’ve had a lot of illusions destroyed re: the state and how it operates and how it views its employees (seriously, that rowboat in the Pacific imagery) and (2) the whole discussion around refugees has revealed a whole STACK of fascists who are supposedly my friends, and I can’t whole-heartedly support their messages of goodwill towards the Latvian nation when I know that they have a whole lot of ill will towards people who, 60 years ago, would have been their own relatives. Also, (3) Latvia may be awesome, but the general official attitude at this time certainly is not.
I did write a nice FB message about more patience and more tolerance and teaching others our own experiences about maintaining the national identity in situations where it is difficult or outright dangerous… but I have to say, as much as I am attached to my idea of being ‘Latvian’, I don’t think I’ve ever felt less accepted as Latvian (due to my immigrant status); I don’t think I’ve ever questioned the whole idea of national identity more.
[/pointless ramble]
comment submission . about 25 seconds
Yay!
So you prayed for Paris. What next?
Gustav Klimt with real people. Like holy shit.
Welcome back all!
About 10 seconds to load a fresh page, 2-3 seconds to reload.
No good deed goes unpunished. My attempt at fixing the download time issue with Word Press and my web host has been a learning experience fraught with frustration. Here is the deal: Several moons ago, pre- retirement, I was a web designer, among other things. I volunteered to help out The Shoop with his blog, thinking that things could not have changed too much in the time I’ve been away from the fray. O naive fool!
Without boring you with too many gory details, here is what I ultimately found out. Word Press is the platform of choice but it has many drawbacks. The free version with a multitude of themes has, in most cases, a number of intrinsic problems. The biggest one is the download time issue. There are several ways to try to fix it, which may or may not work depending on a slew of variables. However, and this is a huge however, contingent on how much money you want to spend and with whom, most of these issues miraculously disappear. I’m shocked, shocked.
I have not been able to completely fix the problems to my satisfaction. But I am not giving up. I’ll let you good people know the ultimate resolution, if there is one.
rq, that reminds me of the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. https://www.foapom.com/pageant-of-the-masters/
Thank you, Wizard.
Commenting took about 25 seconds.
25 seconds is too long.
Giliell
*hugs*
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rq
With a single word change it would sound very familiar to me.
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I’ve discovered three things:
1. Mushrooms have a volva.
2. Mushrooms have both a hymenium and a hymenophore.
3. Mycologists are in serious need of therapy. Then a sex-ed class. Then more therapy.
Bonus thing: this looks very tasty. I’ve added eating wild mushrooms and drinking elderflower champagne to the List Of Things That I Must Do Someday.
Wizard
Thank you for your work. Site is still sluggish (took about 10 sec. to post the comment) but it keeps getting better.
Hello?
Yes?
[stealthily refills supply of HUGS, sneaks back to pillow fort]
Good morning
Last day before the first of my exams. I’m at the “I am confident in knowing the things I studied, did I miss something important?” stage.
rq
I have a friend who is what we call a “Spätaussiedler” from Rumania. Spätaussiedler means descendent of people who emigrated to eastern Europe from Germany in the 18th and 18th century and who can therefore relocate to Germany without any problems. If we applied the same criteria to folks in the USA, more people could “return” to Germany than there are currently living in Germany. Not that I begrudge folks to opportunity. That would also be pretty fucked up by me ‘Cause my gran is a Russian German Spätaussiedler as well.
OK, back to my friend. Due to people being fucked up racists, she’s completely denied an identity. When she’s in Germany she’s “Romanian” and made to feel like she actually doesn’t belong. When she’s in Rumania she’s “German” and made to feel like she doesn’t belong either…
+++
Last night I had to inform #1’s catholic teacher who also teaches catholic religious education that no, christians don’t believe in reincarnation, that’s Bhuddism. She told us that yes, she struggles explaining the kids the religious differences between Islam and christianity and then again the difference between muslims and islamists, because the kids mix that up and the tell at home that “Ms. M said that Y is an islamist!”
Can I just get some frustration off my chest? I know you all understand, but what I’m finding so frustrating at the moment is this backlash after the Paris atrocity: the fear of all these migrants. This is exactly what the terrorists want! Can’t people see that? The more we alienate the refugees and those left in these war-torn countries the more likely ISIS are get more recruits and to succeed. If we would accept these refugees and welcome them in, the less propaganda ISIS have against the West and the less power they have.
Sorry, I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I’m getting sick of the whole thing. I’ll be in the pillow fort next to Anne
bragimike:
I share your frustration my friend.
strangely enough, the attack in Paris seems to have calmed the German discussion. Both the main verbal arsonists, de Maiziére and Seehofer have backed down, Seehofer even told one of his mates to shut up when he wanted to link the refugee question to the terrorism question.
I don’t know if it’s because they actually don’t want to see dead Syrian refugees in Germany or whether it’s that brand of authoritarianism where you don’t question the leader during a crisis, I’m just glad they STFU
There’s always room in the pillow fort.
So I just started the process to volunteer to teach English to newcomers at the local multicultural centre. My response to terrorism: make Canada that little bit friendlier to new Canadians. Screw Daesh.
Oh, and this is CaitieCat, posting from my phone.
Caitie!!!!!
*soft pouncehugs*
Once I’m done with this exams bullshit I’ll see if I can get a job teaching German as well.
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Also, I’m making some Tunesian style lamb tonight. My kitchen smells like christmas cookies with garlic…
::waves at CaitieCat::
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Geez, I don’t know if its this new (it’s technically used, but it’s new for me) laptop or if its something to do with FtB, but it took me almost 2 minutes to load the main FtB page, then another nearly 2 minutes to load Pharyngula. Then another almost two minutes for my submitted comment to go through. Damn, that’s frustrating.
This is an editing test.
Hello, thanks for all the hard work, Wizard!
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I think I’m going back into a downward spiral. Work is busy, so at least my mind is occupied most of the day.
(edited to add: I can edit my comments! Yay!)
Beatrice, it feels kind of weak to me to just say, “Hang in there” but I’m going to say, “Hang in there” anyway.
Beatrice
What happened?
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CaitieCat
You rock!
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giliell
Germany has performed saintly during this crisis. Merkel has turned to be moral and principled, and I’m happy to see that even the assholes in Germany aren’t remotely as assholish as what counts as the political center in most other countries.
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bragimike
Of course they can see that. They agree with them. That’s why I was worried about the French over-reaction to the attack. It was no big secret that nobody wanted the refugees (well, maybe except Germany) and now there is a perfectly good excuse to crack down on them.
The xenophobes want this, the terrorists want this, it’s a win-win situation for them.
Speaking of which, France has extended its state of emergency for another three months.
At least it’s Hollande and not Le Pen, right?
On a more personal note:
I don’t have any water. Everyone have been cut off. The water company is deploying large water cisterns at key locations. The water is rationed at 4 liters per person per day.
AlexanderZ:
What happened? Why did they cut off the water?