[Lounge #399]
This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly. Watch out for the baby pudu — they have nuclear-grade cute.
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Portcullised, but PZ saw to it anyway…
OOOOoooooh, puuuuduuuu. I forgot what I was talking about.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:38 pm
And Parrowing, does it look like this?
thunk, hull overheating:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
Well happy monday, and bday to katenrala (again), and congrats portia.
In case comment was eaten.
Owlmirror:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
I know … like, “pr*cmail”! Can you imagine? Isn’t that the most disgusting and horrible obscenity ever?
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Good evening folks
My very best wishes to you, katenrala
Yay for Joe
Tony
Your story about this guy who gets more attractive to you the more you know him although he doesn’t have the “right features” reminds me of how I met Mr.
Now, if I compare the guy I met 13 years ago to a laundry list of things I was looking for in a guy, there aren’t a lot of boxes he would tick.
Although he is definetly not unattractive, he is also most definetly not the type I usually fancy. I’m more fond of guys with darker hair and eyes, Antonio Banderas style. And I got sombody with grey blue eyes and dark-blonde-light-brown hair. At least it’s long. And back then he thought that museums were evil and books were something you put under your furniture when the floor is uneven. And I don’t think he’d ever eaten Chinese. And he likes football and takes an active interest in it.
But it was totally nice talking to him and we had a fun evening together at a party until he tried to kiss me and I asked him what the fuck he was doing and then we spent a full year tip-toeing aroud each other* because although we were probably the worst match in history, we somehow had connected back then. Maybe we weren’t that much what we were looking for and wanting in a partner, but we were what we actually needed.
*Yeah, the nice version of “how our relationship started” is we kissed under the mistetoe. The real one is that it was a year earlier and sexual harassment.
+++
So, by popular demand, Giliell’s review of The Hunger Games Trilogy
Spoilers ahead, you’re warned.
Book One: The Hunger Games
A well-written novel that can absolutely stand alone.
It is the starting point of the Trilogy, but it is also a story that is in itself complete.
It manages to set the scene and the basic background without coming across as doing so.
The arc of the story is well constructed and already one of the things that I liked most about the books is shining through already:
The protagonist is a young girl, a teenager with all what comes with being one.
I hate it when protagonists are children or teens and then they act and think like adults.*
Katniss doesn’t. She’s growing up quickly and rapidly, but she’s still a teen and you can see it in her thoughts.
She’s led to the slaughter of the arena and still she’s dazzled by the beauty of the Capitol, by the pretty things they do with her, by having more than enough food for at least a few days. She’s a kid.
And then there’s this other thing: Katniss is our one and only narator, we know what she does, we know what she thinks. And it’s painful to read how she blames herself for the actions of others, especially the Capitol. This goes on throughout the three books and is heartbreaking.
Another thing the book does beautifully is to be very, very violent with few actual deaths. Every blood of drop spilled in it is worth it and important.
*That’s why I’m the only person who enjoyed Harry Potter in the Order of the Phoenix: he’s an egocentric asshole the way only teens that age manage without become irredeemable assholes.
Catching Fire
Sometimes I think that people should stop writing trilogies.
Yes, I thought it was slow and I could hardly believe that they actually ended back in the Arena. I was constantly wating for something to happen, the revolution to break out, anything, but I didn’t want to go back to the arena. Not because I found it too horrible to read, but because I had already been there. I didn’t expect it to offer me anything new and it didn’t.
I will call the book an “information book”. We get a lot of information that is important later, but unlike the information in the first book, it felt superfluous to the story of the book itself.
Again, Katniss blaming herself for things that she caused according to herself is IMO great writing. The reader can see the obvious flaws in her thinking (how could she have reasonably forseen what was going to happen and also, she totally didn’t hurt those people, the Capitol did) but we can’t reach her any more than it is usually possible with an actual teenager, although they normally don’t blame themselves for mass-murder.
The Mockingbird
That book was hard. Not because it was hard to read but to stomach because there’s so many things going on and being told.
I really loved how it doesn’t deal in black and white but in many subtle shades of grey. There isn’t a glorious and noble revolution with all good on one side and an all bad evil empire on the other. This becomes obvious when Katniss deals with Gale, when they fight over Katniss defending her prep team. Gale is absolutely right in his accusations, but so is Katniss in her defense.
Here it becomes clear who the actual antagonists are. It’s not Katniss vs. everybody in the Arena, or Katniss vs. the evil president Snow. It’s Snow vs. Coin and she is a pawn they both use(d).
The rebellion is shown in its gruesome reality. It is murderous and it kills the innocent and the guilty alike. Omlette and eggs.
Stuff I really liked:
- Suzanny Collins has no mercy with her characters. She bends and breaks and hurts and then hurts again.
-Katniss’ valiant plan to go and assassinate Snow totally fails within inches of its goal. The story we know from a hundred books and a thousand movies, the lone hunt over enemy territory, the sacrifice of the crew members, the unexpected help, the final obstacles and then she fails and the story isn’t over, because wars aren’t usually decided by teenage girls saving the world while the actual armies are a background noise.
-The all-important pearl Katniss carries since book two gets totally forgotten and is 100% unimportant for the story. It’s set up to be the one thing that will finally bring Peeta back and it totally just doesn’t because he never gets to know.
-How Katniss is hurt and wounded and broken and totally needs healing. She doesn’t walk off into the sunset with Peeta and Gale who have suddenly decided that they don’t mind both being her lover.
- All kinds of people everywhere. Good and bad and with many layers, many which Katniss doesn’t see or understand but of which we get a glimpse.
-Women all the way down. Many writers, even when writing kick-ass female characters stop there. The first row characters may be female/contain women, maybe there are even some in the second, but after that people stop thinking and it’s just a plain old man’s world. Collins doesn’t do that. There are women everywhere. There are female miners and Peacekeepers, soldiers, commanders, everything. She mentions them down to the last couple of guards who only appear once.
-The revolution eats its children: When Coin wants to reinstall the Hunger Games, only with the tables turned against the Capitol.
-How the glory of the Victors is brought down, how those illusions Katniss had about what winning means are shattered, how she has to understand that it was not just for her that winning the Hunger Games brought more suffering.
Things I didn’t like that much:
-Peeta and Gale. No, they’re written well, but just like I wanted to cradle Katniss and tell her that it’s really totally not her fault that Snow destroyed #12, I wanted to bang these two together with their heads and yell at them that they’re actually not helpful and petty assholes who only think about who finally gets the trophy while they’re hurting Katniss even more.
-The epilogue. Not so much the what but the how. I don’t mind that Katniss gets kind of her happy end watching her children. I’m annoyed that she finds her happiness in something that Peeta talked her into. Throughout the book she is always opposed to having children because she couldn’t bear the thought of having the reaped for the Games and because she didn’t want to inflict her life onto an innocent child. I would have been happy if she had come to the conclusion that with the Games gone and things apparently being better that these were the conditions under which she now would like to raise a family. No, she does it for Peeta. A little sad on my part.
philosophia:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:50 pm
I’m sorry, those two posts were my first here and I’m afraid I got PZ’s attention in a very bad way. Really, I’m not trying to cause trouble! PZ said my comment was really stupid, I assume he means my comment about Thunderdome, so I withdraw it. I also didn’t mean to misrepresent your comments in any way, PZ. If my topic is inappropriate for the lounge, that the lounge is not meant as a place to exchange scientific information, I didn’t know that. Perhaps I misread the “you can discuss anything you want” because I’m not familiar with pharyngula commenting culture.
What I’m really interested in is a discussion of my first note. I’m interested in the current research on gender differences. I can go to Thunderdome, I suppose. I don’t know I much I can emphasize that I’m not trying to cause trouble!
Sophia
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
I am so high… tung oil fumes, not an illicit substance. I really need to crack a window before I start dealing with chemicals.
Also, if anyone is desperate to take potshots at me, now’s a good time. I can’t find my keys. :(
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:58 pm
THIS was my biggest gripe with the books, and you are the only other person who has raised it or agreed. It seemed so out of character, so obnoxious, and so…disappointing. Grossed me out. Especially since there are so many young girls and young adults who read that…to me, it undermined the messages about how strong and willful and self-determined Katniss was. Not that characters can’t change, it’s just…ugh.
I like your review, I hadn’t thought of a lot of those points.
Sophia:
Which is why lurking is advised. And now I’m going to advise you to stop digging.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Oh, no, Joe! That sucks. : (
A couple of weeks ago, I spent 20 minutes searching the courthouse for my keys before discovering they had slipped into an undiscovered pocket of my shoulder bag.: /
They’ll turn up soon, I know it.
Scr... Archivist:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Giliell,
Thank you for that review. I read the trilogy a couple of years ago, and although I liked it, I also had different reactions to each of the books.
One thing that I appreciated was the fact that none of the characters gets through the story unscathed. Even the “good guys” lose things that are very, very important to them. Also, not all (not any?) of the good guys are Good, while all those clueless Capitol-dwellers exemplify the banality of lower-case evil. They aren’t comic-book characters (even the extras), they’re just people. Perhaps too much like us, which was part of the point.
Again, thanks for the food for thought.
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:05 pm
Portia, I’m not worried about the keys. I drove to look for my wallet last night, I got home and I took the keys out of the car’s ignition and I haven’t been anywhere since, so I feel pretty comfortable that the keys are somewhere in the house. And every key I have has a copy either on my wife’s key ring or on the emergency key ring buried in the backyard. So I’m fine, I’m just a little annoyed with myself.
PZ Myers:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:10 pm
No, your comment that I deny sexual differences was stupid. I don’t.
You were question-begging when you claimed that differing interests in science were examples of ‘real’ gender differences. They aren’t. Girls show similar levels of interest in science compared to boys, but are turned off to it later in life…often by the kinds of sexist self-fulfilling prophecies you’re talking about.
Also, I’m kind of annoyed that you’re using a woman’s name when I can easily track your info back to a man in California. Why are you doing that? Do you think sexist platitudes will be overlooked if everyone thinks you’re a woman?
chigau (違う):
January 28th, 2013 at 5:10 pm
philosophia
Try google.
consciousness razor:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:13 pm
VERVETS.
FUCKING VERVETS.
ednaz:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Happy Birthday Katenrala!
I am learning a lot from your conversations. I am glad you’re here. : )
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
Portia:
Moved by car key gnomes, no doubt. (I would have linked to the relevant Farside cartoon, but apparently Gary Larson doesn’t like that.)
dianne:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
Hey, Portia, would you be interested in commenting on this thread? Specifically, on the contention that the law would be hard to apply against anyone but the assailant? That’s not how I read it, but IANAL.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:41 pm
Dianne:
I’ll give it a look.
Hekuni Cat:
Those damn gnomes!!
texasaggie:
January 28th, 2013 at 5:49 pm
they have nuclear-grade cute.
Izz a whootzles!!!
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Anyone know of a good way to get thick globs of paint off of a vintage brass item without ruining the brass?
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:02 pm
(I seem to be overlooking the link to the weapons-grade cute, so I will post my own. Danger – deadly cute)
http://loadpaper.com/large/Elephants_wallpapers_501.jpg
A. Noyd:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:19 pm
So any of you heard of this “Check These Out” 2013 calendar with pinups of female characters from sci-fi/fantasy books? I just came across it in the school bookstore and it kind of set my teeth on edge, especially since it was being sold with a message about how the money from sales helps out charity. Like, how many years now has the conversation been going on about how bad it is to only appeal to straight male fans in sci-fi/fantasy, gaming, comics, etc.? And can’t works that benefit charity not contribute to oppressive messages about a different group of people? Ugh.
mildlymagnificent:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:22 pm
Thick gobs of paint? Well, if they’re really thick and really gobby, you might be able to lift largish bits off the way you might with wax.
Put the brass whatsit in the fridge or fill it with icewater, the temperature should make the lumps a bit harder but more brittle. Then see if you can lift the now-just-a-bit-brittle lumps off the surface with something flexible but firm enough to do the job, but with no sharp edge to scratch. Like a piece of firmish plastic – cut out a piece from an icecream container, or one of those non-scratch spatulas, or a tupperware-style paddle scraper for baking.
I’ll have a bit of a think about the flecks that will certainly remain.
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:24 pm
Jafafa Hots,
What sort of brass object is it, how thick is the paint, and how valuable is it?
carlie:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:25 pm
I had the same reaction reading it as well – I mean, happy ending with spouse and kids and roses everywhere? Ugh. It wasn’t completely sappy, but the part about kids really rubbed me the wrong way.
opposablethumbs:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:26 pm
Thank you, Portia! Progress has been made … (honest it has, iJoe!) and we are planning to do more tomorrow (fortunately the work I have pending isn’t too urgent, and I can put a fair chunk of the day into it with DaughterSpawn (she’s doing an undergraduate degree in biochemistry; it’s a sandwich course, and the students apply this year for an industry placement for next year. SonSpawn is still in sixth form, applying for Summer School places. They have up to 100% subsidies!!! Which is beyond wonderful. Yay!!!). And we have found a place that might be able to replace her broken laptop screen for a fairly reasonable price, so that helps.
Well after midnight here, so I’m off for the night – here’s some USB hot chocolate for anyone that wants some. rq and everyone who likes the way it feels to be around here – yes, I’m right there with you.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:27 pm
I should clarify re: Hunger Games that I don’t think having kids undermined the strength and independence of the character, per se. It was the “Peeta talked me into it, and what makes him happy makes me happy, I guess.” Gives me the heeby-jeebies.
The Mellow Monkey:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:28 pm
Giliell on the Hunger Games:
Oh, word forever. It could have worked for me if, like you said, she decided it for herself. That she did it for Peeta just really bothered me, though. It took away her agency, which was one of the things she was fighting for so hard throughout the books.
Massive, fervent thanks to Hekuni Cat for bringing up TMJ pain. I hadn’t considered that being what I was feeling in my ear, since I kept thinking it all had to go back to either the ear infection or the wisdom tooth. I ate nothing but yogurt and soup today to cut down on chewing and while my jaw still clicks if I open it wide enough, the vast majority of the pain has finally gone, after non-stop aching for days. I’d put it at about a six on a ten point scale for pain, but it was a full blown ten for irritating. Finally, I can think again. Thank you, thank you. ♥
carlie:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:29 pm
Boy scouts close to ending ban on gay members
No, I’m pretty sure “We’re losing all our financial backing over this and money is more important than our supposed morals” is a fairly simple issue, actually.
mildlymagnificent:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:29 pm
OK. I did some thinking with my fingers and found this. Just get some baking soda, put it in water, bring to boil, boil for over half an hour. Read the link for details – handling the boiling hot thingie is a bit tricky.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4494120_take-paint-off-brass.html
When you’re finished with the paint, polish with tomato ketchup. Works like a charm.
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:29 pm
Jafafa Hots,
Something mildlymagnificent said sounded important enough to me to second and expand on: you can bang on the paint a good bit so long as you find something harder than the paint and softer than the brass. You could probably grab an old credit card or card of similar thickness and scratch against that paint all day and not do any real damage to the brass. Whatever scratches plastic might put on brass should polish right out.
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Hunger Games:
I didn’t “feel” the epilogue either, because it treated Katniss as mostly broken and lacking agency. It is one thing to make your characters bend and come close to breaking, but to snap them in half and leave that as the ending is kind of horrible… and I can even respect that sort of ending, but not targeted at a YA audience.
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:38 pm
It is an antique embossed brass plate, not thick (so fragile).
Historically important and valuable if you’re from the East Bay.
I have worked with copper a lot, embossing it, etc.
My concern is scratching since it’s thick… and also discoloration and oxidation.
I have patina formulas to use to “fix” any damage to copper, but with brass/bronze they act unpredictably because of the various alloys/mixtures.
I was thinking the credit card trick might not work as this is thin… but I just remembered, I have a heat gun… so I probably can get the paint all gooey, come to think of it.
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:41 pm
Thanks for the other tips, too.
I’ve also heard about acetone working, but I wanna try and start as careful as possible.
This is a large brass plate from 1929-38 from a piece of equipment (or building, as there’s plaster on the bay) from Oakland/Berkeley’s Key Route trolleys.
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:43 pm
(Oh, and the paint is a gazillionty years old. Normally I wouldn’t touch this, but it really obscures and detracts.)
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:44 pm
(I can’t believe nobody noticed the baby elephant. Cripes, people, don’t you know CUTE?)
jimnorman:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:46 pm
A poll, missing the preferred answer.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57566239/boy-scouts-reconsidering-stance-on-gay-members/
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:48 pm
A little something for the Knit Kninjas.
Why, yes, it is very geeky.
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 6:57 pm
I dont see the poll, but I see hundreds of disgusting comments.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
January 28th, 2013 at 7:04 pm
The Mellow Monkey – I’m glad your pain levels have dropped off–and that I could help. A further suggestion would be to continue with the soft food diet for a few days after you feel better. Many has been the time that I didn’t follow that advice and regretted it. As a side note, I never got much TMJ pain relief from ibuprofen; naproxen worked better for me.
carlie:
January 28th, 2013 at 7:10 pm
Yeah, I could see the ending as a completely dystopian ending, but it was worse that it was made to be a happy one. :(
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 28th, 2013 at 7:15 pm
Re philosophia:
Has anyone done any research on why certain kinds of people always seem to jump from “minor differences in brain structure and function exist” to “GENDER ROLES ARE SET IN STONE?”
The Mellow Monkey:
January 28th, 2013 at 7:17 pm
Hekuni Cat, yeah, I’m going to be cautious and probably do another mostly liquid day tomorrow and then slowly ease in soft foods before I try any real chewing. I don’t want to risk this getting worse again. I’ll try naproxen and see if it’ll help, since I’m almost out of ibuprofen anyway. (Which has, in fact, been next to useless.)
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls:
January 28th, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Article near and dear to my heart. I can confirm the dental paper conclusions….
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 7:25 pm
So does anyone care what happened to my keys?
I didn’t lose my keys. My wife lost HER keys and took mine instead. Fuck fuckity fuck FUCK.
kayden:
January 28th, 2013 at 7:34 pm
Saw this link on Shakesville — an expose of the War on Women. Quite shocking.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175641/tomgram:_rebecca_solnit%2c_the_longest_war/
marilove:
January 28th, 2013 at 7:43 pm
There must be something in the air, Joe — I had family visiting from a town about 3 hours away this weekend, which included my sister and her kids. My complex is gated and requires a key to get in and out. I have a spare set. Somehow my main set got into HER duffle bag. Thankfully, my spare set has house, gate and car keys, but she now has my mailbox key … and the key to my office. My boss was annoyed this morning, lol.
She had to stick it in the mail today, and had to send it to the office since I can’t get into my mail box!
I was mostly worried because if the gate key is lost, I lose the $35 deposit AND have to pay an additional $75 (this is to discourage losing or giving them away).
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with anit to pick):
January 28th, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Jafafa Hots: You sound like you know your business so forgive me if you’re already aware of this, but that paint could be lead based and hitting it with a heat gun seems like an unhealthy thing to do. Respirator, yes?
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with anit to pick):
January 28th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Dammit, I know what’s happened to your keys iJoe: they’ve run away to a non-extradition country with my Snap-on mini flashlight, taking with them the spoils of that casino caper they pulled last week.
bluentx:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:03 pm
Catching up: (with short short installments, as I tend to lose long comments before I can submit them ["Nooooooo!"])
-
katenrala
Happy Birthday!
-
Caine:
“..break is off.” YEA! Glad I was wrong/misunderstood!
-
Fossil Fishy: @820
“..The second time involved sheep.” *
A cliff-hanger!
*subtly seconding what rq said about this-subtly
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 28th, 2013 at 8:03 pm
I lost my glasses Christmas week. I suspect they’re wherever it is that Lost Things go.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with anit to pick):
January 28th, 2013 at 8:04 pm
Oops, I missed the bit about it’s your wife’s keys that are missing iJoe. Sorry.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with anit to pick):
January 28th, 2013 at 8:12 pm
Seriously bluentx, what’s in your imagination is going to be waaay more interesting than the actual story. But I’ll tell it soon. I’m at work and really should be getting on with things.
You know, I’m surprised that physicists are still puzzled by the dark matter problem. It’s quite clear that dark matter is comprised of 32% lost socks, 27% lost keys, 14.5% lost paper documents, 5% lost sunnies with the remaining 21.5% consisting of various and sundry brick-a-brak including my damn mini-torch.
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Hey marilove, I don’t see you much around these parts! :)
I know about keys and costs… apparently my car key has a magical chip in it that makes a replacement key cost $75. The mail key is like $40. But I was trying to be optimistic about finding the keys, and/or having more money sometime down the line.
Improbable Joe:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:24 pm
FossilFishy,
When I moved my whole household some 1900 miles across America, I lost about one full box of things. The odd part was, they weren’t all in the same box. So I lost two lamps, an $80 bottle of cologne, my beard trimmer, a computer audio interface, a couple of books, and my ironing board.
mildlymagnificent:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:27 pm
One of the favourite storybooks of my children was about an ornament that finished up in The Land of Lost and Broken. Being magical, the ornament was transformed after the child/ren visited there.
carlie:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:28 pm
Update: Child 1 went to bed. He was completely ensconced in the bed, covers drawn, lights off, then a few minutes later came upstairs. This was the conversation:
“Why are you up here again?”
“I had to use the bathroom.”
SUCCESS.
bluentx:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:28 pm
Minnie the Finn:@862
Doesn’t seem to be a great day for goats.
My goat drama may be over -finally! After ‘losing my shit’ yesterday on the phone with my jerk of a neighbor (“Be expecting a letter! I’m taking you to small claims court!”), after 6-7 months of complaining to him and to the sheriff’s dept., after getting advice from the Justice of the Peace and a lawyer.. What may have actually worked is a combination of legal threats and giving him a dose of his own medicine.
I got a voice mail message this morning saying, “… Just thought you’d want to know.They’re gone.” [Taken to the auction.] YEEEAAA! But a Snoopy Happy Dance* with caution: I already think of him as Pinocchio.
-
* My cats are dancing too. Uninterrupted meals, not getting run off from their own food/water pans by ugly over-sized critters stealing their kibble…
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:32 pm
Yep, and wide open garage doors.
Esteleth, OH NO ZEBRAFISH ABORTION IS MURDER:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:33 pm
So!
Today, I rushed into work at 7:30, to collect data and analyze data for my lab meeting presentation.
Thirty minutes before lab meeting, I get an email with the subject line, “Lab meeting cancelled.”
Of course it was.
–
Went to yoga again! Haven’t been for months. Felt great. And painful. In a great way.
–
Am now at home, indulging in months of pent-up feels over Downton Abbey now that my American friends who don’t know how to internet have seen That Episode. Referred to a character as Sir Patriarchy and had the inordinate glee of seeing others pick this up.
–
Am in a mood, for reasons I do not know. Am thus listening to “Ashokan Farewell” on a loop. Because this evening is apparently “Ashokan-Farewell-On-A-Loop Day.” Also, my face is bleeding.
And ACS sent me a huge framed plaque and a boron coffee mug. :D
MikeG:
January 28th, 2013 at 8:54 pm
I think it’s been posted here before, but with the current lamenting of vanished objects, I was reminded of the Lost Thing
(Crossed fingers that the link works.)
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
So I’ve been exchanging emails with this guy about my old junker I’m trying to sell on craigslist. His most recent one, following the laundry list of mechanical issues says:
GROSSGROSSGROSSGROSSGROSS
I’m trying to think of a biting response but really I just want to figure out how to keep my picture from showing up with my gmail. Damn you google and your skeeve-enabling. (And this douche thinks I’d tell him my address to look at the damn car now?)
athyco:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Esteleth:
I have a piano arrangement of “Ashokan Farewell” that I love. I wonder if it’s still in muscle memory….
…..
…..
Not quite. But the sight reading was successful. Thanks for sharing that mood, Esteleth. :)
thunk, hull overheating:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Yeah, portia, that is way creepy. Oh google, and your delicious trampling on privacy.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Thanks for the commiseration, thunk. *shudder* And for the congrats, above.
Maybe I should tell him the truth, that his looks creeperific and what does he expect, a 16 year old ford with no issues?
chigau (違う):
January 28th, 2013 at 9:19 pm
Jafafa Hots
Your baby elephant is the cutest thing I’ve seen this year.
The Mellow Monkey:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:24 pm
carlie:
Woohoo! Pee sink no more!
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Well played, carlie, well played, by the by. Very nice to have such solid evidence of success :D
bluentx:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:26 pm
Portia:
Eeewww!
Maybe you should accidentally email him your comment above with an additional: “How many of you(my friends) can I count on to back me up if this skeeve shows up at my door?”
Ooops! Forwarded it to the wrong address….disregard.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 28th, 2013 at 9:31 pm
ImaginesABeach!
*pouncehug*
-
*clinking glass*
To Progress!
-
-
Jafafa Hots, that is indeed some industrial-grade cute!
-
iJoe, it’s obvious that the Horses stole your wife’s keys. Watch out for Their next move,
-
*hugs* for Portia. That’s definitely creepy.
-
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 28th, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Thanks all.
Had a nice visit with my dad when he got here. I do like it when I remember how much I like him.
I’m going to put this headache to bed now.
Jafafa Hots:
January 28th, 2013 at 10:14 pm
I have a real soft spot for elephants.
rorschach:
January 28th, 2013 at 10:20 pm
Hanoi is a bizarre mixture between Cuba, iron-curtain Hungary and contemporary rural China. I haven’t seen much of the town center yet because it’s raining, but I will later.
A friend who comes here once a year to teach the local emergency physicians recommended a hotel to me, and because I mentioned this recommendation when I booked, I was upgraded to a suite, 24-hour butler included(seriously, I’m not comfortable with this, he was like, “sorry I can’t be here 24 hours, but I have to go to college during the day”). The concierge and the waiters speak French by default, it’s beautiful, and the place is marvellously peaceful and lavish, probably the best hotel I ever stayed in.
I had drinks in the bar where Graham Greene wrote parts of “The Quiet American” last night, and I’m told the last foreign dignitary to stay here was the Russian president Medvedev.
Time travel into colonial times, is what this is.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with anit to pick):
January 28th, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Uhm, I’m pretty sure that to an elephant humans are entirely soft.
bluentx:
January 28th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
FossilFishy’s new nym= FossilFish (Elephant Pedant)
Have I got that right?
bluentx:
January 28th, 2013 at 11:06 pm
the “y” just swam away!
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 28th, 2013 at 11:16 pm
*twirls*
‘S okay bluentx, wandering y is part of the human condition.
Owlmirror:
January 28th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
To sleep, perchants to dream . . . of elephants?
NB: No actual (or virtual) elephants are at the linked site.
Ragutis:
January 28th, 2013 at 11:54 pm
Bored? Lonely? Balding? Plagued by explosive flatulence? Have I got the remedy for you: a poll!
“Do you think the Boy Scouts of America should allow gay people to become leaders and members?”
Owlmirror:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:09 am
Who linked the picture and the gmail? Was it a site that you have control over (ie, one belonging to you or a good friend)? I think google can be persuaded to unindex a site (I know they did it with Sb Pharyngula).
http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/faq/#toc-remove
Did you know that you can create a throwaway gmail account and forward all e-mail from it to your main gmail account? Although you have to be careful not to reply from your main gmail to such forwarded e-mail.
rowanvt:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:21 am
My coworkers are getting ready to wrap me in bubble wrap. While I’m mostly recovered from the cat bite on my right hand, and I can now move my left arm without wanting to cry… I went and sprained my right ankle today.
I am she of the one uninjured limb at work. I’m normally pretty sturdy and this is getting ridiculous.
In other completely random news, my foster-puppy that I’ve been trying to re-home for 6 months is going to the really awesome and really picky no-kill shelter tomorrow where one of my friends works. She’ll get adopted real quick, we’re sure. I’m happy for her.
birgerjohansson:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:42 am
Torch and go: Islamists burn down rare manuscript library in Timbuktu http://rt.com/news/rebels-mali-library-manuscript-912/
FUCK THE BARBARIANS!!!!!
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:00 am
Good morning.
Counting down the hours, now.
+++
The Hunger Games epilogue: Well, as I mentioned, it struck a chord with me, because sometimes things do end up that way, especially if the environment around you has changed fairly drastically in some ways and maybe you figure you need to re-think some things and preconceptions you had. Not saying it’s the right decision, just saying it happens.
I didn’t find it so much creepy as just plain sad, because I didn’t find it a particularly happy ending. She didn’t sound particularly happy with the final situation – hopeful, yes, but not happy. I guess I just saw it a bit differently, pasting my own personal experience and feelings on top of hers. *shrug*
Portia
Do not sell your car to that guy. Or if you do, bring it to him, and bring like 5 friends for company, because roadtrip!!! or something. *shudder*
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:08 am
birgerjohansson
I think that is the worst news today!!! I hate it when people burn knowledge! I hate it! It’s like they fear it or something… :( Sad.
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:25 am
*eyes others around Lounge suspiciously*
-
Which one of you did it?! Come on, come on. Confess!
Which one you got me started watching Not The Nine O’Clock News videos!
It’s your fault I can’t stop!
No, no don’t try to blame it on the Overlord and his recent post including a link to the ‘Python Worshipers’ sketch. Someone else linked to NTNON before that! Admit it!
Now I’m going to need a NTNON-A-Non as well as a Python Anonymous support group! How could you!
-
*runs off crying*
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 29th, 2013 at 2:38 am
blue
Hey, a healthy Python addiction is considered a good thing around here.
birgerjohansson:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:49 am
“Study demonstrates health benefits of coming out of the closet” http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-health-benefits-closet.html
birgerjohansson:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:51 am
bluentx,
If the BBC ever releases the satirical TV series “In The Red” to DVD you will be doomed! Doomed, I say!
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:03 am
WMDKitty:
It’s not that I’m ashamedof my addiction. It’s just- so many videos so little time- ya know?
-
birgerjohansson:
Thanks a lot! “In The Red” another one to keep an eye out for in my BBC/America catalogs! You guys are not helping! : )
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:21 am
rq:
On home ownership: “…knowing it’ll be yours eventually.” *
Congrats on impending paperwork! If it’s the same ‘over there’, be prepared for writers cramp from signing your name a thousand times… here….here… here… here…and here… here… here…….
And remember: “A homeowners job is never done. There’s always something to be repaired, remodeled or replaced.*
-
Not intended to sound like “Debbie Downer”. It’s just that I paid my property taxes (yesterday). : ( : ( : (
So much for holiday pay and doing something fun with it!
-
On commune skills clarification:
I’ll elaborate once I get home. Time to wrap up here (at work) and commute!
birgerjohansson:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:34 am
Do not click on link if you don’t like gross photos.
“Iran unveils finger amputating machine for use on thieves” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9831727/Iran-unveils-finger-amputating-machine-for-use-on-thieves.html
The guillotine or the electric chair are even worse, but amputation machines for thieves make the barbarian values of the “justice” very blatant.
— — — — — — — — — —
What was the phrase in The Hobbit again? “They make excellent weapons, and tools of torture”.
opposablethumbs:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:52 am
Hey cicely! ::prepares for next instalment of “why I would be ideal for this placement” composition::
.
Ow, rowanvt. Maybe you could bubblewrap everything except you, instead. Can you bubblewrap cats? Somehow I’m inclined to doubt it …
.
Yay house day, rq - tentacles crossed it all goes smoothly!
.
Portia, that is … eeew skeevy. Blegh. Yeah, no way would I be giving that creep an address. In fact the inevitable address thing is one of the things that puts me off even seriously considering trying to buy and sell directly. It’s a security issue (which presumably disproportionately affects women – has that been looked at seriously, does anyone know, in these days of ebay/craigslist etct.?).
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 29th, 2013 at 4:08 am
Soo, guess who didn’t get the alarm clock this morning again.
BUT: I have my first piece of paper that credits me stuff in college since like forever. Things are happening! Feels goooood.
Joe/Hunger Games.
I totally had no problem with leaving her broken on the floor, so to speak, I actually liked how she was portrayed as somebody traumatized and damaged and broken because, fuck, what would anybody expect after all that happened to the kid. I didn’t mind her being halfway happy with Peeta in the end, or having kids. It really only bothered me that it was not what she wanted, but what Peeta wanted.
rorschach:
January 29th, 2013 at 4:51 am
Not sure what annoys me more, the dirty, noisy, ramshackle hectic mess that is Hanoi, or SO stopping off at every impromptu soup kitchen to sit on the floor and sample the local diarrhoea brew.
I think I’m getting drunk.
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 5:02 am
Sooo…according to AP radio news.. Obama commented that (becuse of brain injury debate,etc.) if he had a son he (Obama) would have to think long and hard about letting him (hypothetical son) play football. Because of these comments Rush Limbaugh thinks Obama is TRYING TO BAN FOOTBALL!
WHY does ANYONE, EVER take that clown (Limbaugh) seriously?
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 5:28 am
rq:
As promised: commune skills clarification:
Gardening exerience consists of:
1) home vegetable/herb gardening. Always interested in learning more.
2) Previous stint with Parks and Recreation Departmant- Horticulture Division. PARD was very big on Xeriscaping (native plants, low maintenance plants/designs= less need for ‘artificial’ irrigation).
I could delve back into the memory banks/refresh knowledge on landscape maintenance. No problem.
-
Machinery:
1) Minor mechanicing skills. Could pass tools to those who know what they’re actually doing (I know tool names!)
2) Operating a BobCat (or other mini-loader w/ attachments) is fun! Not so much fun slipping, slamming tailbone on solid iron frame.*
-
* It hurt to sit for months!
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 5:59 am
exerience = experience don’t cha know?
-
Another thought concerning the garden:
Extra security will be necessary in order to protect some maligned vegetables and herbs from certain elements.
Cecily(Pea Persecutor) and various cilantro-haters come to mind.
-
*crosses arms and sticks out lower lip*
-
I LOVE cilanto and like peas! So there!
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:05 am
Three comments in a row (four)– I’m talkin’ to myself!
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:18 am
Hi, bluentx! Now I’m talking to you.
*
Portia, actually it looks exactly like that. The mascot of the high school in the town I grew up in is the hornet, and two unlucky cheerleaders were forced to wear full hornet suits minus the costume head every game. The suits had stingers, which of course had to be shaken :-/.
*
So sorry to hear about your keys, iJoe :(
*
rq, depending on the time, I might also be interested in watching a simu-movie. In fact, before the Princess Bride was mentioned, I was already imagining watching the Princess Bride because that is my go to movie to watch with other people. Of course, if the specific movie changes I am still interested.
*
Holding thumbs for you right now!
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:20 am
The holding thumbs bit was meant for rq, but there are certainly enough thumbs to go around for everyone who needs them right now.
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:39 am
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
Ah! Thanks! Good to know I’m not the only one in the whole wide world awake right now! : )
Pharyangula is the only place to be after all.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:40 am
Why do people actually never read what you write them in emails?
They are looking for children to participate in a small study and I thought it might be fun for #1 to do so. So, I wrote them, told them we’re intereted, but only if they can offer a date that’s not during the semester since I’m still in college.
Reply: “Wonderful, how about next Mondy?”
That’s exams week, actually…
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:46 am
WTF VW
Warning, happy racism
carlie:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:49 am
So right now we have “freezing fog”, which I have never heard of before but apparently is supercooled liquid droplets that have nothing to nucleate on, but will freeze instantly upon contact with a freezing-cold surface. Neat! And weird.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:50 am
bluentx:
Glad to hear that the goat problem may be coming to an end!
Pteryxx:
January 29th, 2013 at 8:34 am
via BB: noooo, not DeepSeaNews!
http://deepseanews.com/2013/01/to-take-arms-against-a-sea-of-troubles-my-life-in-blogging-and-farewell/
quote from BB http://boingboing.net/2013/01/28/awesome-marine-biology-blogger.html
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:27 am
Oh dear, poor duck.
#1 had the stubborn tooth removed, but she’s happy again.
NY Times on the German sexism debate. Oh damn, I’m having flashbacks…
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:29 am
*doing the happy dance, doing the happy dance*
So when my wife came home and gave me my keys back(!) I eventually wandered off to check the mail. I got my drivers licence, and my very first Surly-Ramic! Woo! Woke up this morning, got an email from the bank saying I should have my new ATM card by Friday.
Lynna, OM:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:04 am
To add to several comments made up-thread about the Boy Scouts and the possible easing of the ban on gay scouts and leaders, here’s a Moment of Mormon Madness. As you might expect, some mormons are organizing an anti-gay campaign … again.
The excerpt above is from the Mormons Building Bridges Facebook page.
This group claims to be fostering love and acceptance for LGBT people, but their belief system does not differ from the LDS Church’s official dogma. They have gone so far as to say that killing people who have gay sex is wrong. Bully for them. http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-445-16030-broken-bridge.html
And now they are organizing to support anti-gay policies in the Boy Scouts.
The Mellow Monkey:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:06 am
Yay, Joe! That’s great.
carlie, that sounds weird…and neat. We’re just cold and dreary today, nothing intriguingly strange like that.
You know, looking at the Commune spreadsheet, I note a glaring lack of abilities related to building things. I humbly offer my drafting and construction skills. They aren’t spectacular, but I’ve helped build a few houses, and done a minor bit of plumbing along with it.
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:29 am
Joe,
I haven’t addressed any of your good news lately, or bad news that resolved themselves as good (your wife’s job issue, the wallet), so just a giant “Yay! Glad things are going well!” for all that together.
The Mellow Monkey:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:42 am
Ah ha. I take that back. Building construction is right under the water/wind-mill construction. Excellent.
Well, the plumbing is still damn useful. I’ve even been able to rig up a system without running water. (Gravity, buckets and hand-pumps are always good to fall back on in an emergency.)
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:51 am
Dammit, cicely, put those magic carrots back!!! The Horse was not appeased; the Magic House Ritual was a failure, and we have once again returned more empty-handed than not.
Actually, perhaps a small memory spell, mixed from dried peas and fresh cilantro, might do the trick – the current owner left his proper identification documents at home, so none of the official property-transfer stuff cold be finalized.
This is painful. We are this close. THIS close.
Perhaps FossilFishy was mentally supporting the bureaucracy.
Dammit.
bluentx and The Mellow Monkey
Thanks for the clarifications and additions! Duly noted and supplemented!
Dalillama, I have some email for you! :)
nightshadequeen:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:03 am
Holy shit.
So I dropped my laptop a few months back, which “broke” the hard drive badly enough that I couldn’t boot into Windows or Linux. I naturally bought a new HD and stuck the old one in my sock drawer.
I…just pulled that broken drive out and reformatted it. It’s…fine. There’s nothing wrong with it, minus the fact that I lost about ~30GB.
Currently shredding it; might turn it into my personal cloud service. o.O
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:28 am
Beatrice,
Thanks. Things have been oddly up and down over the last couple of weeks, since I finished the whole moving thing. Mostly up, and I don’t live in that constant state of stress like I used to. :)
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 29th, 2013 at 11:42 am
Um, from your quoted text:
Did I miss something?
Lynna, OM:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
dontpanic:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
This is why I’d really like to see more of a drive to digitally scan everything. Yes, you could burn the original (and that would be Bad™), but losing an only copy is worse.
–
Football. Yeah, I understand what Obama is saying. 15yr old spawn is 6ft+ and built like a prototypical football linebacker, and I’m always having people say, “Oh, is he in football?”. And a simple “No” seems a weak response, but following through seems too argumentative. Besides the spawn is the most uncoordinated person I know — he’s been running into things since age 9 months and hasn’t stopped since. When he was 11 (and large) I had to intervene to prevent a fight when he clipped a short guy (~5’2″ or so) while walking the aisle of a Target store. The guy must have taken it as a slight about his size, but spawn literally didn’t notice that he’d run into someone.
–
Improbable Joe:
Good luck with that. We lost a card on Dec 10th, and reported it the next day. We were told we’d get new cards in 5-7 business days. Well, 26 business days (even granting them xmas & new years eve as holidays) later we got new cards. [grump]. And even that was hosed, since the replacements were lost in the system (apparently no tracking ability) we at one point had them cancelled and a “rush” set sent. Of course, it turned out that both were scheduled to be sent the same day, so the didn’t send one set and the cards they “rushed” (overnight mail, but not sent the day of the request) were the ones they cancelled in the system (so they wouldn’t authenticate without intervention). [sigh]
Glad to hear the wallet turned up. I lost my keys somewhere (must be in or around the house since I drove the car home). Lost my first car “clicker” (opens the locks, but thankfully doesn’t sound the damn horn when setting them) — how easy it was to get used to using that convenience. So $75 for the key (the local hardware store vs the $125 the dealer wanted) and $35 for the new clicker (again online, dealer wanted another $125 for that)… Pretty expensive.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 29th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
rowanvt: Commiserations for the (current) injury-prone-ness, and glad about your foster-puppy.
-
:( :( :(
Fuck them running.
-
Giliell: Huzzah! for the Happening of Things!
:)
-
Because he is happy to confirm their biases.
-
Cilantro is for those who were so constantly made to wash out their potty-mouths that they learned to like the taste, and peas are an Abomination Unto Nuggan.
*crosses arms and raises chin defiantly*
-
carlie: The point of having freezing fog is that it coats everything, and evenly.
-
rq, I did not touch your magic carrots! I would certainly not deprive you of anything that you felt would secure your house-buying prospects! I suggest that you instead check the teeth of your equine collaborators—perhaps They see some advantage to them in continuing you in your houseless state…or perhaps it’s just casual malice. They are like that.
(Also, a *hug* for your disappointment. When will the next window come up?)
-
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Shit, rq, I didn’t see that comment about the house deal falling through. I’m sorry.
Gnumann+, Radfem shotgunner of inhuman concepts:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Give peas a chance! And of course loads of butter and possibly some bacon.(But make sure you get the right kind, and no dried green peas under any circumstance except the worst possible famine)
carlie:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Drive-by – sorry if this is a repost of anyone else, but there are now a couple of specific travel grants for WIS available. If you wanted to go but couldn’t afford it, this might help. Jadehawk was asking about it in particular, I think?
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Ech, its ok, Beatrice. It was a bit of a last-minute surprise (again).
cicely – I think I just didn’t have enough carrots. Damn those gluttonous Overloards! Next window is Thursday. And we did get some things signed – mostly all the bank documents about getting the mortgage. :P Now all we need is that actual house. But. The current owner has been properly chastised (since they’re in a rush as well, technically speaking) and Thursday. Now Thursday. With all proper and appropriate documents. *sigh*
One day, soon….
It’s the kind of thing where if I still believed in a god, I would either (a) stop believing in it or (b) think we did too little praying since we’re getting so many obstacles. As it were, we are determined, and this is our fuck you to any deity out there sending us weird messages about home-owning. Screw you!
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Eddie Izzard in Croatia in March. Yay! I hope tickets won’t be too expensive.
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
PS The Princess Bride: I suggest Saturday, 10 or 11PM my time (that is, GMT+2… ech, I’m two hours ahead of London, if that means anything to anyone). And I’m all for watching The Princess Bride and not some other movie (although I am a big fan of Gladiator, not entirely sure why…). So anyone else for suggestions/changes? Recommendations…?
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
Beatrice, I am Officially Jealous. That would be a show to see!
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
I’m fine with Princess Bride and either 10 or 11PM (GMT+2).
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
rq,
He’ll be in Tallinn on 20th March.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Either time works for me!
Eurasian magpie:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:20 pm
rq, Beatrice,
Izzard will be in Riga on 19th March.
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:25 pm
Fuuuck, did I mess up rq’s home country? Sorry!
have I mentioned lately that I’m horribly forgettable and make people think I don’t care about them because I forget important things?
(Totally forgot my friend is getting her diploma this Friday, and I was invited to the commencement (right word?))
Sorry, rq!
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:29 pm
Beatrice
That’s ok… I’m going to go look up tickets! (Thanks, Eurasian magpie!)
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:33 pm
rq,
I do this kind of bad thoughtless thing but that’s just me being stupid and not not caring.
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Beatrice
Everyone has days like that, and honestly, I can’t always remember who’s from where here, either. (I mean, I know everyone else is from the US, right, but I just can’t get my states straight… ;) Florida’s on the west coast, right?)
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:50 pm
rq,
I could swear it was somewhere in the middle :)
Esteleth, OH NO ZEBRAFISH ABORTION IS MURDER:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
So I officially have an appointment with a specialist who is going to deal with my cysts!
Woohoo!
I shall soon be cystless. But I shall, no doubt, continue to be shiftless.
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
Esteleth
Good news! Yay!
Beatrice
And also, the fact that you mentioned Tallinn didn’t phase me, because quite often the closest show to here is in Tallinn (see, for example, Michael Buble, Metallica, etc.). So it was very touching, I thought you’d just found the show closest to me. ;)
No, no, Florida is on the west coast, we had a discussion at work about it, because Washington is totally in Washington state… ;)
Esteleth, OH NO ZEBRAFISH ABORTION IS MURDER:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:00 pm
What? Geography fail…
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
rq,
Heh. Did you teach them?
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:24 pm
Geography is funny…
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
I wrote this in Thunderdome the other day:
A long, long time ago…[well, 15 years or so] a girl in my elementary school class was asked to show Russia on the map:
Girl: ?
Class: *whispering* East, east
Girl: ?
Class *whispering* Right, on the right
Girl: ?
Class: *gesticulating wildly to the upper right side of the map*
Teacher: *exasperated*
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Beatrice
I did. I put California back on the west coast, where it should have been in the first place. Funniest bit – we were having this huge US geography discussion in Latvian in front of the visitors from the US itself… Who looked at us funny when I explained to them what was going on. ;)
And Eddie Izzard tickets are (mildly) expensive. This will require some thought. But I think I’d like to go.
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Ha. Well, most people back home (that is, Canada) thought Latvia was either a part of Russia, or in the Balkans. While most people here believe that Canada = America.
Ah, World Geography, how do you work?
la tricoteuse:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:39 pm
It looks like a lot of Izzard tickets were bought up by assholes selling them at inflated prices on websites like getmein. Scumbags.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:39 pm
When I was getting ready to move to Sweden, I found out how often it is either confused with Switzerland. It was a bit eye opening…
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Woops, I meant to say that people either confuse it with Switzerland or don’t realize that they are different things altogether.
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 2:45 pm
re. Expensive tickets :(
We’re not even officially listed yet, but I probably shouldn’t be getting too excited about going, now that I’ve seen prices for some other countries.
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:00 pm
Sweden and Switzerland? Seriously? I hadn’t heard that one before.
I used to misplace Finland all the time, for some reason. And Denmark.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Oh dear, just cradled the little one for an hour.
Poor puppet is totally sick and coughs so much her tummy hurts :(
rq:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Giliell
I hope she’s well very, very soon! :(
+++
Good night all!
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
BTW, you should check put Urban Threads latest Freebie. Because it also comes as hand embroidery AND stock art, so you can make cool prints.
Beatrice:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Poor little one. I hope she feels better soon.
David Marjanović:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:29 pm
I was never made to wash mine out, I can taste the hot and slightly soapy component, and I like it to the degree that I can actually eat the stuff.
*dumps pile of hugs on floor*
*flees*
David Marjanović:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:37 pm
I forgot the most important part: Klingon-style! The pronunciation is pretty good. Turn the subtitles on or read the lyrics with translation here.
And in less than a month, I’ll see the opera right here in Berlin. =) Consider yourselves invited.
:-( :-( :-(
*20 tonnes of calming manatees*
birgerjohansson:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
bluentx
I always talk to myself. That way I know I have an audience that values my opinions.
— — — — — — — —
“coughs so much her tummy hurts”
bummer :(
— — — — — — — —
How to orient yourself on a map over Scandinavia (or Norden, as the natives call it):
Denmark; furthest down. Home of Harald Bluetooth, viking conqueror of England. Tooth decay is a downer, remember that. So is the fate of Hamlet.
Finland to the East, next to Russia. Finns are the only ones* who can out-drink Russians (they are the Irish of Scandinavia).
*Stereotype alert.
Norway has lot of mountains. Norway extends to *the very top* of Scandinavia (and to the west, but never mind).
Sweden is right in the middle. Swedes are very medium, in a positive sense (see definition of the word “lagom”).
Iceland is up in the arctic ocean, but not too far from Britain (which has a similarly rainy weather).
Lynna, OM:
January 29th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Some of us are taxpaying US citizens, and as such, we should object to Republicans spending our tax dollars to hire lawyers to defend DOMA the Defense of Marriage Act.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/g-o-p-wastes-taxpayer-dollars/?ref=opinion
Lynna, OM:
January 29th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Anderson Cooper highlights some Moments of Mormon Madness in his coverage of one woman’s escape from the FLDS polygamist colony on the Arizona/Utah border:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c4#/video/us/2013/01/29/ac-tuchman-jessop-escape-from-flds-church.cnn
carlie:
January 29th, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Giliell – oh, you can’t catch a break. When was the last time everyone at home was healthy at once?
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 29th, 2013 at 4:50 pm
carlie
Well, in this flat that was only two weeks ago.
But yeah, I’m like: Wait, we made it through the semester OK and you’re pulling that shit NOW???
Now, off to bed
Goodnight!
*wraps in hugses and manatees*
opposablethumbs:
January 29th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
oi, rq! Over ‘ere, mate! ::indignant:: – but commiserations on the house delay. Hope it’s not delayed for long.
Yay for the imminently cystless Esteleth!
Sympathies for ill Little One, Giliell :-( and I hope it doesn’t last! Conga rats on starting to get your academic ducks in a row, though! (if I’ve grasped the metaphor, which I may well not have done)
opposablethumbs:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Oh, and yay – all the current batch of helping-spawn-with-applications-paperwork are done except for one, which has a later deadline. There will be more to come later, but phew. So crossed tentacles the new laptop screen arrives on time tomorrow morning in time for to-be-repaired laptop to go home with its owner in the afternoon (yeah, they said 20 minutes to fit it). Aaaand …. then I can get back to work.
.
And I will miss DaughterSpawn. Again! While at the same time longing for more alone time so that I can get on with my own stuff without constant interruptions :-) ::glares at OH::
.
Thinking about the latest contretemps in the Dome (well, the latest assclamouring, that is) about women who aren’t sprog-mad (FSM but that little turd of trollitude comradebob is unbelievably slimy, ugh) – I like mine better and better as they get older. I don’t care for the company of babies, toddlers and young children generally, except in very small doses, and never have. One can care for and even love particular individual children and strongly, even passionately desire the wellbeing of children in general without ever feeling the remotest sense of identity with the broody-mother stereotype or wanting to hang out with bunches of kids. Well, obviously. ::rolleyes::
.
Being stuck on the sidelines as non-neurotypical SonSpawn goes through the intermittently intense misery of marginalised adolescence is fucking cutting my heart out, though.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:13 pm
I now have a shiny new laptop.
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:24 pm
Yay Caine!! New tech is always pretty fun times… as long as it works!
Pteryxx:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:27 pm
oh, the hugs manatee!
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:35 pm
opposablethumbs,
Sorry that you and SonSpawn are having a rough time of it.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:40 pm
IJoe, workability is all I care about at this point. Spending a month on my itsy bitsy netbook was getting tiring. Now I’m grumbling all over the place about Win8. Don’t like. I never like windoze, though.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
giliell – I’m sorry your little one is sick. *hugs* for you both.
Esteleth – Progress and goods news.
opposablethumbs – My heart goes out to you and SonSpawn. *hugs* for you both.
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 6:55 pm
Caine, if you’re comfortable enough with Win7, I think there’s some programs out there that switch the user interface back to it.
opposablethumbs:
January 29th, 2013 at 7:06 pm
Thank you, iJoe and Hekuni Cat, I really appreciate it. He’s a pretty sweet kid (well OK, I might be a little biased – but a lot of adults like him) and would give his eyeteeth to have some sort of social acceptance at school but realistically that’s unlikely to happen until he’s an adult himself, several years from now (and it won’t be easy then) and of course that seems like forever when you’re still at school. Thank FSM he’s a decent musician, it’s a lifesaver.
.
It’s not that the kids at school are horrible or anything – they’re just the normal range of teenagers, from nice to not so nice, and they have their own concerns, and they don’t have time for someone who’s a bit different and whose lack of social know-how makes him stand out and probably makes them feel it’s awkward to be around him. It’s just hard to know he’s sometimes desperately unhappy because of it, and not really be able to do anything about it. I cherish the hope that it will improve at least a bit when he’s an adult, that he will go on learning how to manage better and that his skills may turn out to be good enough to compensate at least in part for the awkwardness. Got to hope for that and try and help him work towards it.
.
I’m glad to be able to come to this place. It helps.
.
1 o’clock in the morning here, so goodnight Horde.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 29th, 2013 at 7:28 pm
IJoe:
Eh, not worth the trouble. I didn’t much care for 7, either. I’d switch over to Fedora, but it has a major problem with connectivity right now, a bug I don’t want to deal with – it’s enough to listen to Mister complain about it all the time. ;)
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 7:52 pm
I don’t understand people’s problems with Windows in general. I’m comfortable enough with it, it does what I tell it to do without too much fuss.
Did the taxes today, getting an OK refund. Not enough to clear our debt, but enough to buy a kitchen table, which is sort of my wife’s dream right now. We’re having Thanksgiving dinner at our house, and pretty much the whole family is showing up. The in-laws have never met, so this should be… interesting?
Nutmeg:
January 29th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
*hugs* and *friendly dog snuffles* to opposablethumbs and your spawn. Adolescence sucks, but at least your son has a caring and insightful parent.
***
L. is coming into town for the weekend. We’re going for a walk on Thursday night, I’m meeting her friends on Friday night, and we’re cooking dinner together at my place on Saturday. I am intimidated by all of this, but also looking forward to it.
Any tips for meeting a new girlfriend’s friends? Or entertaining stories about times that any of you met your SO’s friends? I know that I should show interest in their lives and participate enthusiastically in any after-dinner activities. Is there anything that’s not obvious? I am strongly introverted and somewhat socially anxious, so I’m just hoping that I don’t run out of energy (and therefore people skills) before the evening’s over.
I wanted to get her flowers, to say that I’m happy we’re officially dating. But she has a four-hour drive home, and I was worried they would freeze. So I decided to make her something instead. I took a bunch of photos that I’ve taken of wildflowers over the years, cut out the flowers, and made an 8×8 collage as a winter-proof bouquet. Once it’s dry, I’m going to frame it. I’m hoping that this will qualify as cute, thoughtful cheesy instead of tacky cheesy. At any rate, it’s colourful.
John Morales:
January 29th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
Too many people confuse the operating system with the interface.
(The latter sits on top of the former)
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
January 29th, 2013 at 8:38 pm
Nutmeg:
I think this sounds very thoughtful and wonderful.
carlie:
January 29th, 2013 at 8:47 pm
Nice. :)
Congrats, Caine! Hope it’s fun once you get it all customized to your liking.
We get the fun of an MRI on Thursday. Child 1 is, by his own reporting, worse off now than when he first got his concussion 3 weeks ago. Scan is mainly just to be on the safe side, because insurance will cover with a modest enough copay (um, I think…). Doctor now thinks it may be benign positional vertigo due to otoliths getting dislodged in the fall, that causing his dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Sounds plausible. Also, then I can make fun of my child for knocking his head so hard stuff fell out. ;) However, he’s describing the dizziness as wobbling and horizontal movement rather than spinning, so I just don’t know. I’m wondering how intrusive I can be with being nosy and wanting to see what they’re doing in the scan. More likely I’ll just be shut out and stuck in the waiting room altogether. :(
John Morales:
January 29th, 2013 at 8:49 pm
Yeah. Bunchaflowers=pro forma; hand-made collage=effort and care.
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 8:58 pm
Carlie, good luck with the MRI. You know what you could do? You could hover over the tech and make random guesses as to what’s wrong like on that one TV show. “Is it amyloidosis? Pseudoneoplastic syndrome? Wegeners? Lupus?”
MikeG:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Carlie, my dad had something similar. There were a bunch of head movements/exercises to put the ‘liths back in place. It didn’t work for him, because that wasn’t the problem, but I hope there is a simple solution like that for #1.
carlie:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
I could ask them “fucking magnets, how do they work?” :D
carlie:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:08 pm
Thanks, MikeG. I’m hoping that’s it because that would be easy, but who knows. Could be that he just takes a long time to heal.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Got knocked down by a migraine today but wanted to drop in while I’m catching up on the thread.
I had a nice evening at my aunt and uncle’s with my dad, except for Obnoxious Cousin and her Insufferable Spawn.
Had an as-yet-uncreepy craigslist buyer fail to show up at the time he selected not five hours earlier. Sigh. It would have been great too, because my dad was there to alleviate my skeevey feelings leftover from The Skeeve.
The only thing I can remember that I wanted to say was sympathies to rq for the house difficulties, again. : ( Hope it has worked out and I will find out as I read.
*hugs* and love to everyone else.
I hope the melatonin will knock me out soon.
bluentx:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:28 pm
Disgusting…
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/father-sandy-hook-victim-heckled-gun-advocates
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:40 pm
Caine:
Yay, new laptop!
Esteleth:
Yay cystlessness. Nope, couldn’t say that one more time if I tried. Still, hoooorray!
opposablethumbs:
*hugs* for you and *anklehugs* for SonSpawn. I can’t imagine how tough that is.
rq: Princess Bride. Sadly I’ll probably have to wait til we do this again (we will, right? *puppy eyes*) My friend’s two year old’s birthday party is Saturday afternoon. It’s been two years since I helped bring him into the world, so I should go :)
====
Now I’m gonna take my eye twitch and go to sleep. Night all.
Owlmirror:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:40 pm
OH THE HUGE MANATEE!!!…!!
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 9:50 pm
Yay for the new laptop, Caine.
ckitching:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:51 pm
Well, looks like the anti-fluoride tinfoil hat brigade was successful in getting Windsor, Ontario to stop adding fluoride to the water supply. I’m sure business for dentists will start booming in a few years.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1321704–windsor-to-stop-adding-fluoride-to-water
John Morales:
January 29th, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Owlmirror, it’s certainly a huge download for its display size.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:11 pm
Yes, Yay! for the new laptop. I’m getting used to it, but I don’t much care for having a separate start screen apart from the desktop. Oh well, minor stuff. At least I can get back to blogging. Now I have to work!
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Yeah, yeah, whatever, Caine.
What about rattie pictures?
What about uuuusssss?????
—-
On a slight tangent, I actually remember functioning without computers.
I think everything was in black-and-white.
and there was paper everywhere.
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:31 pm
‘rupt and pretty tired, but I must at least try to participate in the conversation :)
Caine
Yay for new laptop, boo for Win 8
John Morales
In the case of newer (since about XP) versions of Windows, I hate them both.
Nutmeg
The collage sounds like a cool idea.
Others:
*hugs* for those having spawn or other troubles.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 29th, 2013 at 10:50 pm
So, I have a first “homework” assignment to write an email to my instructor from my actual email account, not the stupid ones the college rams down our throats with a jackhammer, after getting access to the online content to the course (step 1). The instructor requested that we “describe the process used to complete step 1.”
^.^
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 10:57 pm
Azkyroth #191
um, yay?
Owlmirror:
January 29th, 2013 at 10:57 pm
*insert Picard-Riker double-facepalm*
http://arxiv.org/abs/1212.5608
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 29th, 2013 at 10:58 pm
…I wonder what sort of response the instructor actually had in mind? >.>
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 11:08 pm
Owlmirror #193
That’s silly.
John Morales:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:10 pm
Owlmirror, indeed — only an ignoramus confuses ‘loath’ with ‘loathe’.
–
But God definitely has a penis; that is Revealed Truth.
Improbable Joe:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:12 pm
Ugh… I can’t tell if this is food poisoning or norovirus, and my wife doesn’t want to get close enough to check me out. And I don’t blame her either. I don’t expect I’ll be getting any sleep tonight. Ewww. ‘
Now that I’m more or less finished with my wife’s not-a-hope chest, I’m moving on to putting a new covering on the amplifier. The official color is “British racing green.” My wife has decided, based on seeing an amp in that color at the guitar shop the other day. Green with brass corners and a wheat grille and a leather handle. AND CASTERS! I’m tired of having to pick the damned thing up to move it.
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 11:19 pm
John Morales #196
But is God’s penis lacking a prepuce?
Many people remove theirs in order to improve themselves; to be more ‘Godly”.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 29th, 2013 at 11:23 pm
It seems vaguely unfair that “puce” isn’t yellow. >.>
John Morales:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:29 pm
chigau, of course.
(Whosoever gets ahold of the Holy Prepuce wins Pascal’s Wager)
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 11:30 pm
IJoe
Stay hydrated.
Amp color-scheme sounds sweeet!
We expect pix.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:32 pm
I have many rattie photos to go through and get blogged. I have a fair amount of leftover Ratmas pics I need to get processed. In the next day or so!
John Morales:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:33 pm
chigau:
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!
(Food poisoning ain’t pretty!)
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 11:42 pm
John Morales
nonono
I refer to God the Father, Who Was in the Beginning, Is Now and Ever Shall Be…
that Guy, does He have a foreskin on His Penis?
(I don’t care about His Brat)
John Morales:
January 29th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
chigau, ah, the ultimate ontological Dog?
Of course — He has the Foreskinniest Foreskin and the Glandiest Glans!
(And the Smeggiest Smegma, but that’s by-the-bye)
chigau (違う):
January 29th, 2013 at 11:57 pm
John Morales
So if GodTheFather has a foreskin, where does He get off telling his Follower to whack theirs?
That ain’t fair.
John Morales:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:01 am
chigau, it’s Revealed that GTF has a classic inferiority complex.
katenrala:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:52 am
@ Caine, poisoned chalice
What’s your rig decked out with and what brand? Did you get it for photo-processing?
I’ve a Sager laptop with a i7 2920 extreme edition processor; 16 gigs ram; a GeForce GTX 485M; 2 hard drives at 750 gigs each; a 1920 by 1080 pixel 15 inch 95% NTSC gamut monitor; a wacom cintiq tablet monitor for drawing, painting, and digital sculpting; and a mouse with 3 joysticks so I can still do games even with one hand. I can toss it all into a backpack when I go to the hospital too.
yubal:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:57 am
Well, it is a mess. Code wise. You do not see much on the surface but try to compile a pretty piece of code for windows and you see what i mean.
It does for most people. It also offers a gateway to hell without telling you. Watch your ports.
Free man run Linux !!
(1.We actually use Linux, Windows and Apple at home)
(2.just bored and extremely tired. waiting for my burping role and maybe a diaper change before i think about making breakfast in 5 hours.)
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:13 am
Good morning
The little one is still coughing like grandpa used to, but is cheerful.
Mum is expected to get her MRT results today. The word “transplantation” was mentioned again.
carlie
Fingers crossed for your kid
Caine
Yay for laptop
Alethea H. "Crocoduck" Kuiper-Belt:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:17 am
Wow, Thunderdome is active and nasty. But there’s a gem from the shitpile:
This has a wonderfully zen magic 8-ball character about it.
And also, it has zero relevance to the conversation. Carlie was making a joke about ververt monkeys in that crap study. This reply is so off the wall as to possess pure surrealist comedy gold.
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 30th, 2013 at 2:04 am
Dropping in to share a photo of Gracie.
ednaz:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:10 am
Pretty Kitty! : )
Is she a Guard Kitty? She looks like a Protector.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:20 am
Good morning!
ckitching
What is the issue with fluoride in water, besides conspiracy? I thought it was a good thing…
Improbable Joe
Feel better soon!!! :/
Portia
Yes, we will do it again. I have half-a-mind to do another one Sunday night, since I’ll have all the way until next Wednesday night ‘to myself’ (as it were). So enjoy the birthday! ;)
WMDkitty
That is one beautiful kitty! I love that colouring. And the expression is priceless.
+++
Winter is playing tag-team with Spring, again… Today – ca. 0 degrees and freezing stuff outside. Icky.
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 30th, 2013 at 2:21 am
Less of a “guard” and more of a “princess”, really. Spoiled and pampered and has the humans 100% trained.
ednaz:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:24 am
Well done, Princess Kitty! Well done! : )
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 30th, 2013 at 2:28 am
Oh, fuck me running. Somehow that photo ended up upside-down.
*sigh*
Only I could fuck that up…
ednaz:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:28 am
Hello rq! Yay! I’m awake AND alert when you’re here. : )
Hugs and soup in mugs coming your way to ward off the cold.
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 30th, 2013 at 2:30 am
And of course, it’s right-side-up on photobucket…
How the hell…?
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:30 am
Thank you Nutmeg. I think the winter-proof bouquet sounds really lovely (and is also kind of a gift of thought and time and effort too). I would love such a thing (ooh, what do you think of the idea of having a few flowers printed in black and white instead, scattered in among the others, to sort of underline that this is photographic artifice and not pretend-real? Will only be noticed if looking closely, too) (that is, if you’re printing from electronic; if you’re using existing prints this doesn’t apply, obviously) (Will there be a photographic vase, or the flowers on their own?).
I really love your idea (I love the idea of using images in this way; the idea feels incredibly 3D to me precisely because photos are 2D (if that makes sense)).
.
Ugh migraine, Portia :-( hope it is vanquished soon. Thank you for the hugs and anklehugs, which I will pass on when he comes home from school today.
.
Yay for new laptop, Caine! Shiiiiiny :-)
.
Like the sound of that amp, iJoe (and yes, casters!)
ednaz:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:36 am
Also rq, Sorry for the frustration in taking ownership of your house. Best wishes for your next appt.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:41 am
ednaz
Thanks! Appreciated!
Wait… awake and alert at the same time? Can’t be…
And also a huge thanks to opposablethumbs, whom I’ve been ignoring, though unintentionally! Apologies for not responding – thanks for all the well-wishes, and also best of luck with the (mostly done or now done?) applications! Slogging through paperwork is no fun, at all. Neither is teenage-hood. Good thoughts for your spawn!
ednaz:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:48 am
opposablethumbs, @ 161
* Hugs* for You and SonSpawn. You are clearly an awesome parent. I think that’s great.
ednaz:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:54 am
Hi IJoe! That’s a sweet amp you’re gonna have.
I’m sorry you’re sick. What should I send through the USB?
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:38 am
opposablethumbs
Since I might have missed that and you’re writing applications: What field is your spawn now looking into? I remember that we talked about this some while ago…
Amblebury:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:55 am
What the hell is all this jiggery-pokery with the layout again? Can’t FTB leave well alone? And what’s on the wireless tonight?
-
Rorschach I want to be at that hotel. The Quiet American – is – well, it’s Greene, it’s great. Greene is one of the chief reasons I don’t read biographies of authors any more. Great writer, fairly lamentable human being.
-
As far as The Hunger Games go, that bloody Tolkein has a lot to answer for. Starting all this trilogy jiggery-pokery. There are two good books in that trilogy. What we have is one good one and two with good bits, and weaker bits. Actually I dimly recall the whole trilogy business has something to do with a decision by some publishing house way back when.
-
I love the thought of the collage Nutmeg, I’d be touched if it were given to me.
-
Esteleth, when in doubt, chop it out.
Words to live by.
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:03 am
Hey rq :-D. Finished with the present batch, thanks, with more to come later … yeah, teenage-hood can be a hard time, and when you are trying to negotiate it under the shadow of a severe language disorder it is harsh. When they’re little you can run interference, but in the teenage years an adult just can’t do that. Sigh.
Hey you’re really close to the end of this stage of the house saga, aren’t you? I mean, if the only hitch the other day was missing paperwork … ? I’m expecting to see your confetti-and-sparkles announcement any time now! Tentacles remain xd.
.
Thank you ednaz, that’s a really nice thing to say. I think well-intentioned is more accurate, myself! But at least he knows he’s loved at home – sometimes there isn’t much more than that you can say.
.
The ingenuity of the Horde being limitless, I might as well just throw this out ’cause you never know, somebody somewhere might have dealt with something like this some time. Anyone have any idea what to do to celebrate the birthday of a teenager who doesn’t have anyone to invite? (I know I’m unloading a bit here, and I’ll try not to dump on you all too much. This is a genuine question, I’m really searching for ideas. There’s no family within travelling distance, and while there are some kids at school who’ll exchange a few words with him from time to time there aren’t any afaik who he could invite to do anything with him. So far my only idea has been to see if there are any really irresistible gigs coming up, get him an extra ticket or two and see if maybe a fellow musician might feel that it was worth it to hang out with him for a couple of hours if it meant they get in to hear the music. That sort-of-worked once with a Hugh Masakela concert, but it was nowhere near the birthday date).
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:04 am
Oh, damn, errands to run. See you all later. ::leaves pile of hugs on the Lounge table::
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:11 am
Oops, missed your comment Giliell, sorry. Spawn#1 is applying for sandwich year work placements (the course is biochemistry, so anything in that direction). Spawn#2 is just applying for a music Summer School bursary, which he’s got in the past so hopefully might get again.
Hope you get to have an entire illness-free household for a bit! BBL
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:25 am
opposablethumbs,
A little family celebration, just the four(?) of you, wouldn’t do? I’m familiar with the concept of no friends, but not really with family doing a nice celebration together. Dinner out and a cake at home sound nice to me. Maybe a movie night or something?
If you give him concert tickets and he doesn’t find company, is the idea that one of you goes with him?
ednaz:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:34 am
I’ll be thinking about your question, opposablethumbs. : )
-
Pleasant sleep, Everyone.
-
Goodnight.
carlie:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:48 am
Azkyroth – that’s odd, did they give a reason for wanting a different email address to use? We have it drummed into us all the reasons why using the college-based email is preferable, and I honestly much prefer it because I can a) find it no matter what, and b) don’t have the awkwardness of emailing a student at “sexylady69 at hotmail”.
This is now making the rounds: Fake college syllabus
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:07 am
Good night, ednaz!
opposablethumbs
Rather than getting just someone to go with Spawn, is there perhaps an adult friend (not necessarily a relative) to whom he feels especially close? Or with whom he would be willing to go? Maybe, even though other kids don’t generally speak to him, he still has someone in mind he would like to invite himself (in such an event).
Generally, I think it’s a wonderful idea (giving him the opportunity to go out and see a show). Maybe that, along with a family dinner either out or prepared as a special meal. Or instead of an in-house movie night, you could all go see a movie in the theatre (just for the change). I don’t know how much is too much, just throwing out general ideas…
Or, maybe there’s a large-sized present or item of some kind that he would like/has his eye on. Maybe instead of the going out part, he could be gifted with something like that.
Pteryxx:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:09 am
wtf…
http://www.salon.com/2013/01/29/man_who_adopted_his_wifes_last_name_is_accused_of_fraud/
John Morales:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:13 am
Pteryxx, wow. That is very silly.
(It’s not like he pretended to be someone else!)
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:14 am
Now I know why the couch seems to be especially dust-spitty. It’s because the dust bunnies haven’t been coming out from underneath in a natural fashion; they’re being constantly forcibly pulled out! Ever since MiddleChild discovered the magic of taking a long, flattish instrument in retrieving all the Lost Toys!, he’s been striking out on his own – without the supporting function of the vaccuum cleaner. Eep! (I don’t mind them cleaning or doing things on their own; I mind them being mysterious about it, because I also don’t mind helping them do it properly, rather than leaving those poor dust bunnies out in the unlimited Wilds of Carpet. The poor dears.)
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:37 am
rq,
What exactly is your idea for simultaneously watching the movie? Commenting along or later, here or somewhere else (I don’t have Twitter or Facebook)?
I don’t know how people usually do this kind of thing.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:47 am
Beatrice
Telepathy? ha.
But I was thinking commentary/conversation here. More for the feeling of watching in-company rather than any sort of (non)serious critique. Does that work?
I’ve only ever done it one-on-one, via gmail chat.
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:53 am
rq,
I don’t see why it wouldn’t.
I’ve never done this, but I think it will be fun :)
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:00 am
Katenrala:
Oh, I wish I wish. I did adequate drooling over several setups, but went with cheap in the end, because we’re on the broke side, and the Blazer needs much work (some done, more to come) and a healthy 4 wheel drive in winter is a priority. I got a Toshiba Satellite for $429.00, 640 gig drive, 4 gigs memory (expandable to 16), 17.3 screen. I’m about bristling with external hard drives (2 for backup, one for photos, one for artwork), and I use a Wacom Intuos tablet. I’m still getting everything installed and customising as I go.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:07 am
Beatrice
I think so, too! :) Yay online party (date? :D)!
+++
Reading through the Thunderdome for kicks; read the last two words of Sophia’s #353 the French way – big-oh vinaigrette. Sounds delectable.
+++
Also, for the record, while I enjoy both thoroughly, I find this Eddie Izzard far more attractive than this Eddie Izzard. I think it’s the confidence. Or the heels. Hard to say, really. /random
Nick Gotts (formerly KG):
January 30th, 2013 at 6:12 am
Apparently this was underway at Timbuktu before the Islamist takeover, and the discs were taken to Bamako (I can’t now find the story about this on BBC). It’s not yet clear how many manuscripts were destroyed or stolen, or which of those had been scanned.
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:23 am
Beatrice, yes, that’s pretty much what we’ve done in the past – gone out for a meal together. There are only the three of us at home now, though, as Spawn#1 is off being a uni undergraduate in another town. But yes, that is definitely a nice thing to do. I think a movie night could be good, but his dad is so bloody fussy about what he will and won’t watch!
.
Thank you ednaz, I’d be glad to read anything that should come to mind (no worries if nothing pops up, obviously. I just think it’s always on the cards that someone else will simply look at it from a different angle and think of notions that haven’t occurred to me. Always appreciated!)
.
rq yes there is an adult friend he used to be quite close to – until my OH had a massive falling-out with him, dammit! So much so that all contact was completely broken off (and I don’t even know what it was about, although I do recognise that this bloke has a history of coming out with some very dodgy stuff. He’s older – almost a generation older than OH and I are – so he was like sort of an honorary grandparent; the thing is he’s the sort of bloke who would be utterly accepting of an individual like my OH and still unthinkingly say racist things about a community as a whole. I suspect it was likely something along those lines that my OH blew up at). As for special presents, well I know the Spawn would love a bass clarinet … Unfortunately they tend to be just a wee bit outside my price-range … by several orders of magnitude, eh! I really appreciate the thoughts and ideas, and I think we may well do some combination of these special-food-and-film ideas. It’s not for a couple of months yet, so we have time to think about it.
.
Dust bunnies should be left undisturbed in the wild until they evolve and grow into dust wildebeest or possibly dust behemoths. When they reach a size such that they can be seen from outer space, then they can be herded into the vacuum cleaner :-)
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:26 am
Good [morning, evening, or whatever time of day it is for you here], everyone!
rq, how does one make a bigot vinaigrette? My instinct is to say that there needs to be some prickly pear.
*
I’m also looking forward to the movie watching. Maybe we should include a hashtag like on Twitter when referring to the movie, so that anyone who wants to follow along can easily and those that want to skip know when to skip? Like #CMN (Commune Movie Night)? If that’s a bad idea, feel free to pretend I never came up with it.
Camcaran:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:28 am
It seems the manuscripts were saved before the buildings were burned. I could give you a link, but it’s in Finnish.
richardh:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:31 am
Gay scouts:
Exactly.
birgerjohansson:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:36 am
High-tech cargo airship being built in California (Update) http://phys.org/news/2013-01-high-tech-cargo-airship-built-california.html
A Giant Floating Airship Could Be Future of Flight http://www.bloomberg.com/video/a-giant-floating-airship-could-be-future-of-flight-fwQl8D1ZSjWwx5lNNvHOvg.html?cmpid=taboola.video
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
High schoolers help crippled cat walk again http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/26/high-schoolers-help-crippled-cat-walk-again/
birgerjohansson:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:38 am
Both sides of the story? http://cartoonbox.slate.com/tedrall/2013/01/30/
BWAHAHA! So typical!
“I’m a Democrat” http://cartoonbox.slate.com/tedrall/2013/01/28/
Scandinavian wildlife:Trash robber http://satwcomic.com/trash-robber
Punish teen criminals (in Sweden) with curfews: Reinfeldt http://www.thelocal.se/45896/20130130/
Camcaran:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:41 am
Mali: Timbuktu Locals Saved Some of City’s Ancient Manuscripts from Islamists
Here. They are saying that the library staff has removed most of the manuscripts to a safe place somewhere else.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:42 am
Opposablethumbs:
:cough: How about his dad sucking it up for one movie, by way of a birthday present? :cough:
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:45 am
opposablethumbs
What if they’re already coming out as dust wildebeest? :O Do I let them grow to alot-size (alot of dust)?
Actually, I can’t allow them to grow too long, because the biological vaccuum cleaner (we have a crawler) will take care of them, and I get tired of pulling long strings of tangled, dusty hair and miscellaneous unidentifiable crud out of his little fingers and mouth. Especially since he takes such offence at my efforts to keep him (reasonably) pest-free.
Good luck with the birthday ideas. If anything else pops into the head, I will let you know (family weekend trip? outing to a museum/gallery/different city (within financial means), if some members are to finicky with their movies?).
Parrowing
That’s actually not a bad idea. At all. What time zone are you (/curious)?
Camcaran
Sounds like good news, in Finnish… I’m not able to find an English reference yet, but I’ll keep an eye out! (Also, for the record, this bit of news has not appeared in local news at all, which doesn’t really surprise me, but is still disappointing.)
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:47 am
Meh, Camcaran, I missed your update. Thanks!
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:54 am
Giliell (@5):
I also enjoyed Order of the Phoenix for the same reason. I would get so irritated when people said they found his anger unreasonable. Somehow, I don’t think a 15 year old, who find’s out he’s responsible for essentially saving the world, is unreasonable for feeling angry. I wanted him to yell more, actually.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:02 am
rq:
I’m in CET, so one hour behind you. I think.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:20 am
Parrowing
CET is one hour behind me. :) So yes. Excellent.
rorschach:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:27 am
Cool. Can it bake cookies too?
Did the Ho Chi Minh stuff in Hanoi today, museum, maosoleum, memorial, also some 1000 year old pagoda and a temple by a lake which used to have tortoises in it, and where allegedly a sword has been buried for 1000 years. Other than that, it’s all motorcycles here, a rather practical solution to not having money to buy cars, not having roads to drive them on and lacking any kind of parking space. I’m somewhat glad I’m going back to Bangkok tomorrow.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:46 am
rorschach
Sounds like a good time!
+++
I think I’m going to take myself to see Eddie Izzard. Just because.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:48 am
Venting time, feel free to skip.
Ugh… so I’ve been going to a language café every Wednesday for the past year. It’s pretty much the only place I go to on any regular basis so I feel that I owe it to myself to keep going for the sake of doing something. I’ve made “friends” through this group, but the problem is that I don’t actually really like any of these people most days. I’ve come to dread Wednesdays and have built up a lot of anxiety around this.
I don’t really have any other options for getting out and doing things- I live in a small town with very few social options and without public transportation around the town. I can’t really afford the travel to other towns, am somewhat physically limited, and do not have a car or a bike. Also, I’ve been feeling so anxious lately that I’m too afraid to start anything new. But I often feel like shit around these people and some of them are so woo-obsessed and selfish that they spend the entire two hours going on about what silly new thing they tried/learned… like zen coaching, or how awesome Michael Cremo is. I don’t know that there is a way out of this other than just putting up with it until I move, but I really needed to get this out. Sorry.
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:00 am
Too right. You’d bloody well think so, wouldn’t you.
There are some we can all agree on – like Nueve Reinas/Nine Queens, for instance, which we saw a while back – but they are few and far between!
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:16 am
lol. Oh yes, I remember that! Good luck …
we have video footage of Spawn#1 at age about 1-and-a-half happily taking Former Monster Dog’s bone right out of his mouth, contemplating having a chew, and eventually giving it back to him. (we were right there, and the dog was looking at us for permission to take it back :-) That dog was exceptionally placid with humans, unlike the other one, but OF COURSE never left alone with them at that age of child because you cannot expect an animal not to react if a toddler accidentally causes it pain). We weren’t scornful of hygiene by any means, but they did eventually get exposed to pretty much everything …
katenrala:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:30 am
@ Caine, poisoned chalice
It’s amazing how much laptops have come down in price. With their portability and a home wi-fi network I see no reason to go back to a desktop unless I’m building a huge workstation/server rig and a small renderfarm.
@ rorschach
The heat output from the vents can if I turn off my custom home-built laptop cooler (3 120mm fans blowing 70cfm on a tilted aluminum grill). The thing is a beast.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:35 am
Katenrala:
Yeah, I agree. There’s little reason to go back to a desktop these days. I do have my moments when I miss my custom built alienware desktop, though.
katenrala:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:43 am
Sager. Sager. You wanna Sager. :)
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:53 am
Katenrala:
I certainly wouldn’t mind having one! I figure by the time Aphra dies, I ought to be able to afford something much more drool worthy. :D
katenrala:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:55 am
Before my cancer came back I was going to hand build a multi-socket water-cooled workstation pc with at least 96 gigs of ram on one of those new monstrous hybrid server/workstation motherboards. I bought a $500 case for it and then discovered I was sick again, so I had to get a laptop for travelling.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:01 am
Katenrala:
Holy rodent, that sounds amazing! I love monster mods.
katenrala:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:10 am
@ Caine, poisoned chalice
I’m a total computer junkie. :p Plus building them is easier done than imagined, I’ve built one of my desktops from scratch and was always modding my Mother’s desktops. If I had the money I’d make a media computer for my audiophile Uncle.
Well I’m off to radiation now and then a nap. I’ll talk with you later. :)
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:21 am
opposablethumbs
My kids, especially the little one enthusiastically share food with animals, especially animal food. I swear that half the rabbit treats end up in their bellies and it is kind of cute if she has a doggie-biscuit, nibbles it, lets our friends’ dog* have a bite and then eats the rest.
*That dog, too, is very well trained in general and best pal with the little one especially. He is very careful when he takes a treat out of their fingers so he doesn’t accidentially bite them.
Speaking of said friend, she’s in hospital due to being over-due. Seems like her body is very reluctant to go into labour, even with medication. I can only imagine how frustrated she must be now. But she’s in hospital and monitored, so everything should be fine in the end…
rorschach:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:33 am
It is 1023pm in Hanoi. Picture this: The landmark 1901 colonial hotel, dark mahogany furniture in the bar, plush armchairs, French speaking Vietnamese waiters, a mainly middle-aged and well off tourist audience, and a local live act performing “I will survive” to the enthusiastic applause of the previously apathetic bar audience. Somewhat awesome, if awkward.
Off to the war museum tomorrow before my flight back. Apparently the USA fought a war here not so very long ago.
Noisy stupid American tourists currently ruining the mood by rudely ordering the waiters around and being generally arrogant and obnoxious. Funny how they still think they rule the planet and are superior wherever they go. Embarrassing. But I used to feel like this about Germans abroad too.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:38 am
rorschach
No luck so far in meeting Vietnamese people with a thick Saxonian accent?
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:43 am
WMDKitty, your Gracie is so pretty! (I used my phone to look at the upside-down picture)
Thanks for all the well-wishing… I seem to be “better” but I’m afraid to eat anything. I spent the whole night “emptying myself” and I don’t want to put anything else in until I’m sure I can keep it. I had a protein shake for breakfast, but that’s about the closest to solid food I’m willing to risk right now.
opposablethumbs, birthday ideas I’m sort of at a loss for. I usually spent my teen birthdays with my family, so the ideas are all bowling and dinner and movie. As an adult, I like to pretend I have a whole lot of money and go window shopping with my wife. I try on $2000 watches and get them to pull down the $3500 guitars for me to noodle on. So not really much help either way I guess.
Parrowing, sorry about your lack of social options. I’ve got no advice, I’m sort of in the same boat.
Computery folks, my desktop is custom built, and I’m thinking about scooping the guts out and putting a nice system together. The components are all fairly high-end for 2007 when I built it, but now not so much. On the other hand, I don’t find anything that really taxes the system to any great degree, so why spend the money?
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:43 am
Rorschach:
Yeah, because every ‘merican is exactly like that. Guess one has to be a condescending git fond of sweeping generalizations to see it.
rorschach:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:44 am
The only people here with Saxonian accents are backpacker tourists from Germany, and you can tell them from 10 miles away, at least I can. Sure looks as if there are quite a few tourists here who have fallen on hard times, or who are going for the whole broke peasant experience. It’s all so 1983…
rorschach:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:49 am
Nah, just travelling beyond North Dakota regularly makes that pretty clear. Try it some time.
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:58 am
Parrowing,
I feel for you. I tried to socialize with a couple of
girlswomen my age at work, who also came there a month ago, but it’s just not going to work.Today, we would have passed Bechdel test only because I started talking about my job testing.
Luckily, I have my mentor who I get along with great.
Any chances of there being someone there who is just as bored/annoyed as you, but trying to hide it too?
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:00 am
:-D :-D :-D love it.
la tricoteuse:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:12 am
It’s confirmation bias. You don’t notice the ones not being obnoxious assholes because they’re not, well, being obnoxious assholes.* And every country has its own brand of typical obnoxious behaviour when overseas, because being away from home makes people sort of…magnify themselves in a way, to comfort themselves when out of their element.
*I do this all the time with Italians and Americans (more citizenships means more people to be embarrassed by!) Americans in London, because I notice them a lot more than any other foreigners, and I did the same with just the Americans when I was in Italy. I only remember the ones who babbled about how they weren’t voting for Obama because he wanted to take their guns away, or who tried to order drinks from me in elementary Spanish (because hey, same language, right?), or the Italians who bitch nonstop about the food here in the UK (despite never actually eating any of it, since they only go to McDonald’s). Because that’s what I expect from them. (Though, to be fair, I also remember the Americans I overhear saying endearingly stupid things like “That’s where Maximus was imprisoned” like Gladiator really happened.) Confirmation bias.
AJ Milne:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:16 am
I must confess to a certain drooling affection for ridonkulously powerful server hardware.
I get to play with it extremely regularly, actually, but rarely get the physical experience, since it’s generally in a lab somewhere else and there’s people I call when someone actually has to route the fibre optics or install cards or so on…
But now and then, I get into the machine rooms in person. And ah, the sound of those things coming online… Like a jet’s turbines spinning up, all those fans. Vrroooooommmmm. The beast is now coming to life, and that crackle in the air you now feel is the presence of the immense, restless power within… Please secure any loose objects, and stay away from the inlets and the exhaust stream for your safety…
The geek version of monster truck love, I suppose.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:44 am
opposablethumbs
Well, the two eldest got off the cat-kibble habit once they started staggering around on their own hind ones, so I’m expecting youngest to do the same. ;)
As it is, we’re all about strengthening the immune system through exposure (although I do have my limits, don’t worry – I’m not feeding them raw, room-temperature chicken). Besides, [anecdote] my mum swears that my eldest brother survived eating chicken poo with no ill effects [/anecdote], so…
Parrowing
That sucks, that’s annoying, and I can understand (a little bit). I used to take Eldest to a Christian children’s group (with therapist for the mothers), and it was such a relief to find another scientifically-oriented mother there (quite by accident). While I wasn’t all atheist and stuff back them (not out loud, anyway), all the god-this and god-that* talk was putting me on edge… So, there just might be someone else in that group as fed up with the woo as you are. The trick is figuring out who. (Not easy.) Good luck, and *hugs* in anticipation of the session (if you’re going)!
You can always vent here on your return; it helps.
*I still have a book from those sessions, titled something along the lines of How a REAL Woman Acts (Treats Her Man), which I started reading, vaguely agreed for a while, until I tried putting the theories in practice. All about being happy on behalf of your
manhusband and never mind those pesky ideas of your own. Yeah, that didn’t work out too well for me.cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 30th, 2013 at 10:49 am
Nutmeg: I endorse the floral collage project. It’ll last longer without watering.
-
Caine: New laptop leads to new Cute Rat Pics, yes?
:)
-
Portia: Sympathies for your migraine. Nonononono…not so much for the migraine, as for you, in your migraine-ful state.
-
Owlmirror: That is, indeed, one huge manatee.
:)
-
Yes, indeed! And the paper came striped in green and white, each stripe about three lines of characters deep, and with multitudinous little holes at both (perforated) margins. I remember it well!
Oh, you mean before that? I have dim memories of something called “narrow-ruled paper” that was way better than sliced bread—certainly better than the “college-ruled” stuff—because there were more lines per page, and I could therefore get more class notes to the page. (I write way small.) Yea, verily, and graph paper could be readily purchased in entire packets, ruled at eight teeny tiny squares to the inch—and even smaller—very useful when mapping dungeons (while not wanting to paper the entire damned tabletop)—and, if you were lucky, circular plot paper. Available in stores.
*sigh*
Oh, I know; these days you can print off all the microscopically-small-gauge graph paper you like, but it just doesn’t taste the same.
-
A novice’s mistake. Whoever this is should tear up the paper and redo from start.
-
iJoe: How did the not-a-hope chest turn out?
-
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:54 am
Cicely, the not-a-hope chest turned out pretty well. It needs one more coat of tung oil, and I’m debating putting a thin polyurethane coat on the lid so that we can put it in the living room and use it as a coffee table. So it turned out well enough that I think it can be used as a coffee table?
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:01 am
Hi Lounge I’ve been cheating on you with the Thunderdome. I’m sorry :(
Found out that about three pages of edits to my story never saved so I gotta redo them all. In a minor note, however, that does at least make it easier to add the fantasy twist I was missing. So now instead of chasing a single strangler, the Investigative Unit will be chasing a strangler and an unlicensed mage.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:05 am
The plot thickens! :)
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:10 am
@rq:
Literally. Took me so long of banging my head against the wall trying to break through it, and finally it dawned on me. It adds the “this definitely couldn’t happen in New York ” angle while also not breaking the rules of my story. It also lets me change around a bit of the motive for the strangler, create a connection between the first and second books, and create the general overarching theme of the series with awesome plot twists and story elements and a total “holy crap didn’t expect that” ending.
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:36 am
Katherine
In other words, the perfect solution! That’s exciting news. And I hope all subsequent (re-)writing goes well!
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:40 am
Katherine,
Can we still expect your book this summer?
I’m planning to buy it as a birthday gift for myself :)
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:40 am
If Janine happens to stop by:
You mentioned the book 1491 in the previous Thunderdome thread. I have placed it on my reading list, but I’m curious – have you read Stolen Continents, by Ronald Wright? As far as I can tell, it’s on a similar topic, and if you have read it, I’m curious about your opinion on it. (I read it several years ago and was pleasantly surprised by its topic and the way it was handled, but I think it’s more of a surface-scratch rather than an in-depth study…)
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:44 am
So, today’s word is “transplantation list”.
Yes, mum’s officially on the list, even though not on the “urgent” yet, but so they can start and do all necessary tests and preparations already. I guess it counts as good news since 4 weeks ago we thought that her body was already too damaged for a transplantation.
+++
Word.
Although there is, generally speaking, a problem with first world tourists in third world countries being neo-colonial western supremacist culturally insensitive obnoxious assholes.
To quote somebody whose name I’ve forgotten:
“The “ruler of all I survey” scene gets repeated daily on the balconies of western hotels in third world countries.”
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 30th, 2013 at 11:46 am
*looking at pic*
I just don’t see it. Where is the beak? Where is the thick, wrinkled hide? Where are the enlarged joints?
I don’t believe you could get something like that from a Pak. Possibly from a kzin.
-
I would surmise that this is really about the “hefty filing fee”. The Traditional Usage excuse is just a rationalisation.
-
*wiping away a tear for the poor dust bunnehs*
It’s a cold, cruel world away from the dark, warm confines of the under-couch.
-
I would love a bass clarinet, too. Years back, when we had health insurance and more disposable income, I actually priced ‘em. They were out of range then, and I very much doubt that they’ve become cheaper now.
*sigh*
-
I chortled.
-
Yay!
-
I hope they’re right.
-
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:48 am
@Beatrice:
Probably not the summer. More than likely the winter. I’m gonna be banging out the final edits though, so who knows.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Thanks iJoe, Beatrice, and rq. Sorry to hear about your situations :(
I went and today was one of those days that guilted me into thinking that maybe I’m making too big a deal of things because they aren’t that bad. There wasn’t any talk of woo today. I hadn’t thought about the Bechdel test, but we do regularly pass it. That would get to me too, Beatrice :-/.
There is one woman there who I thought might secretly be just as annoyed as I was and then she went on about ear candling. I think she’s also into magical cures through healthy eating, though that’s only my impression based on passing comments. Otherwise she’s very easy to get along with and when I mentioned that I was interested in joining a gym around here, she said she’d take me along to her gym with her free guest pass. That might be nice.
dontpanic:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:21 pm
carlie:
Sorry to hear about child 1′s concussion (missed that earlier). Re: dizziness, nausea, and headaches – my own spawn has had that for 9-10 months now (though no known concussion) to a debilitating degree; neither MRI nor CAT picked up anything. We’ve been spinning wheels for quite a while and its damn frustrating. It might be environmental ’cause I’ve had nausea and fatigue (but not the headaches and dizziness) for about 2+ years, with no resolution. And, no you won’t be able to hover; you’ll no doubt be shut out in the waiting room — the tech forcefully put down that idea when I suggested tagging along.
WMDKitty:
Gracie looks very, very much like a mirror of our “skitty”. Unfortunately, my wife is starting to suspect that her arrival might have something to do with what I was talking about in the previous paragraph.
opposablethumbs:
Birthday. Yeah, know how that goes. That coupled w/ having it right before Xmas such that even when he did have friends (all the other misfits in the special ed
emotionally disturbed(gawd, I detest that terminology the school used — it infuriates me to no end; even typing it here in “jest” drives my blood to boil) classroom) getting it all together was a real hassle. Generally we’d let him float his birthday +/- 6 months to avoid that. But, this last one was quite subdued. Just he, and us, dinner out. Sorry, no good inpirational suggestions.opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Exactly, cicely. And the sound is soooooo beautiful …. so rich and full and woody and ooohhh it’s so cool for jazz ::big sigh::
He’s actually got the use of one, temporarily, that belongs to the Borough Music Service. He plays it in the borough orchestra and borough jazz band to earn his keep, as it were, and they let him keep it at home so he can play it on other occasions too. But it won’t be long before it has to go back to them, of course, for other kids to use in their turn.
We did go so far as to buy a mouthpiece and ligature, though, as the one that came with it was pretty battered.
You’re mainly a Bb clarinettist? Do you klezmer or jazz or classical or ….??? SonSpawn is jazz mad, but he’s accompanied people in other genres sometimes. I think it works beautifully to support and play around a singer, something about the range and timbre matching well I suppose. I can’t play, but I do enjoy his enjoyment!
Surprise discovery of the evening; I just an hour ago found out that the casual-for-fun adult band he’s gigged with a few times over the last few months contains a Pogue.
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:34 pm
dontpanic, it’s funny how much it means just knowing that other people know exactly what you mean. When he was younger we’d just take a cake in to school, the teacher would dish it out at breaktime and he didn’t even realise that this wasn’t a birthday party like other kids had. Those days are long gone, though.And we’ve quite often just gone out to eat at a restaurant to celebrate his birthday, it still feels special to him – but now he’s that much older, it just doesn’t stand up so well as it used to beside the fact that he knows perfectly well other kids in his year actually go out and do stuff on their own with friends. Right before xmas in your case must really put the icing on the cake! Are you at the teenage stage, or much younger …?
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:38 pm
It’s funny, though it makes perfect sense when you think about it, that a non-neurotypical child can interact quite successfully with adults when they can’t manage at all to interact successfully with other kids their own age.
Well it won’t last forever. It will get better, or at least there’s every chance it could get at least a bit better.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Katherine Lorraine:
Back in my lurking dayz, I noticed when you said you had finished your book. You were so happy and excited and it inspired the hell out of me. After that I actually made a big push towards finishing my book because I decided I needed to know how you felt as soon as possible. Thanks so much for that and I wish you the best of luck with putting the finishing touches on yours. I can’t wait to read it!
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 30th, 2013 at 12:47 pm
The college email system is buggy and awkwardly programmed, and it requires me to go and log in to a page instead of just clicking a button on the left side of my screen in order to check mail. Also, the college email assigns addresses with numbers in them. I have a bias against email addresses with numbers tacked on the end, and I assume I’m not alone. Also, the entire mailbox is, reportedly, abruptly deleted on graduation. As such, most students avoid using it when possible, so because for SOME FUCKING REASON they want it to be used, the college refuses to send official correspondence to any other address and forces the IT desk to lie to students about whether it’s possible to set up mail forwarding (I figured it out, though it wasn’t easy), and to pretend it’s because of “security reasons.” The (in my experience) better professors get students’ real email addresses and add them to a distribution list.
Nutmeg:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:08 pm
Opposablethumbs:
Thanks for the enthusiasm! I finished it last night, and for a first try at this kind of project, it turned out all right. I love the idea of black and white, and I might try that next time, with a few flowers or as a whole collage. I found that 8×8 was a little small to work with, so an 8×10 or 11×15 frame would give me more room to play.
No vase this time, just a bunch of flowers in a frame. A vase might be fun to try but probably a little more difficult to arrange.
*resists urge to run home and make crafts*
If I ever have a chance to send gifts to Horde members, some of you might be getting cheerful flower collages.
Giliell:
That’s great news!
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 30th, 2013 at 1:11 pm
When Son was two, he bit our Runt-cat on the ear, perforating it. I felt that she exercised admirable restraint, only clawing him once, lightly, on the arm before making good her escape.
She was not quite so forgiving a year later, in connection with the notorious closet incident.
-
*nodding*
Manners.
-
opposiblethumbs: For a number of years (while I played with a local community band) I had the use of a bass clarinet belonging to the associated high school—which had four of them. I have no idea why none of them were being used by the hs band, unless they actually owned a fifth one that I never saw. Unfortunately I had to quit the band and give it back.
:( :( :(
I’d've given someone’s good right arm to keep it.
I’ve got just a standard Bb of my own, but it’s been…hmmm…10-ish years? since I’ve played it. I’m actually pretty decent on it, when I, ya know, practice, but playing solo is just so sad and joyless.
:( :( :(
-
dontpanic:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:15 pm
it’s funny how much it means just knowing that other people know exactly what you mean. Yeah, I know :-)
Are you at the teenage stage, or much younger …? Just turned 15. Now his shoe size has fallen one below his age. Or, maybe not — haven’t bought shoes lately.
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Azkyroth,
That sounds remarkably like my university, except that bit about email addresses with numbers on the end and forwarding. I forwarded all my emails to my gmail account without any problems.
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Missed this:
Good. Thumbs held/fingers crossed.
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Noooo, you should have a band to play with! A pianist, at least! A singer to wind your notes around!
.
I have had some wine, so rather than observe proper decorum I shall demand that the universe rearrange itself in order for you to have ready access to person-or-persons to play with.
.
I guess there’s no community band where you are now, or circumstances just make it impossibly difficult? That’s a shame. I hope that circumstance changes in the not-too-distant future. A guitarist neighbour, a keyboard-playing colleague …
.
It’s relatively easy to find stuff like this for kids to take part in; not so easy to find real music-making opportunities for adults. (Oh my FSM they had four!? and didn’t use them? Argh!)
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:28 pm
I too missed saying ALL TENTACLES CROSSED for the transplant list situation, Giliell. That’s great that they consider her a possible candidate, considering what you mentioned earlier.
.
We’re on similar pages, then, dontpanic – SonSpawn is 16 going on 17. Teenage years are hard enough for the neurotypical, nobody needs that extra helping of impossibly-complicatedness dammit.
la tricoteuse:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Cicely:
I don’t know where you live, or if something like this exists there, but there are websites like http://www.find-a-musician.com (which appears to cover a few different countries) for people who want to find people to play with. Another one that might help is meetup.com. It’s more general but you can find/start a group for people who like to play music together or something, I’m sure. Again, depending on where you live.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 30th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
opposiblethumbs: Son has decided, post-divorce, to take lessons in piano/keyboard. Maybe…just maybe….
As far as I know, the community band is still there; but the time came when I had to make a choice between the band, and the SCA, which had meetings on the same night—and at that time I was playing recorder with 4 other SCAdians, and was incredibly pissed off with certain persons in the community band, so it was a relatively easy choice. Now, though, due to cash/travel constraints I’m not playing in the SCA, either…but then, the recorder-playing situation dried up and blew away a couple of years ago, leaving me bereft of music.
At least four. I find it hard to believe that a high school band of that size doesn’t have a superfluity of clarinetists such that the director wouldn’t put somebody on at least one bass.
-
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Giliell, yay for the transplant list progress!
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:50 pm
Sounds like a good maybe! That would be a lovely thing to do; I hope it happens. Its a real shame the recorder group has dispersed, there’s some amazingly great music for recorder consorts (I had no idea there was such great contemporary stuff, as well as the early music you tend to hear more of)
.
I still live in hope that DaughterSpawn will at some point decide to fool around with the violin again (it’s taken a back seat for the moment) because I so want them to do something they can legitimately entitle “Mindless Sax and Gratuitous Violins”.
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Gilliell
Yay for transplant progress
IJoe
Yay for the chest being finished.
I don’t really have anything substantive to say, though.
la tricoteuse:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
opposablethumbs: Sparks beat them to it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratuitous_Sax_%26_Senseless_Violins
la tricoteuse:
January 30th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Whoops. Not exactly. But Close.
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
la tricoteuse, Grrr. Well, it had to have been done – but it’s such a great name, there’s no harm in using it a bit more!
I don’t know that album, but I certainly hope they actually had sax and violin on it :-)
la tricoteuse:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:13 pm
opposable thumbs:
Synth ones, possibly? I think Sparks mostly had keyboards for instrumentation, though I’m not an expert on them.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 30th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
la tricoteuse : Thanks! I’ve registered, now we’ll see what, if anything develops.
:)
-
opposiblethumbs: Son is so very frustrating, when it comes to playing music. He has the most amazing talent for the recorder, picking up the fingerings and reading of treble clef (previously only being acquainted with bass clef, by way of learning trombone (which is another story only tangentially related to my current one)), very casually one evening. Because he was bored. He then proceded to very competently play the middle part to the most complicated piece of SCA dance music that our group had—and did I mention that he was 11 or 12 at the time?—with the rest of our group. Recorder doesn’t interest him, however, so he has only rarely been willing to play it with me. Exercising almost superhuman restraint, I have refrained from pressing him, because I didn’t figure that there was any point in coercing him into playing, and I’m hoping that one day he’ll discover an interest in it.
Keyboard being something he’s interested in for himself, I think there’s actually a reasonable chance of playing duets, once he gets that far along. His instructor is apparently surprised at how quickly Son is picking it up….
I have, drifting somewhere around my house, a piece I composed titled “Duet For Two Equally-Harrassed Recorders”. In 12/8.
:)
-
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Dalillama,
Me either. In the plus column, that means we don’t have much to complain about, right? Or at least nothing new on top of the normal problems, and sometimes that’s the best you can hope for.
Like, I’m sort of worn out from pooping 20-25 times last night, but I’m done pooping now. That’s a check in the “win” column. All of my guitar gear dreams are probably going to come true because LAYAWAY!* I’m a little stressed and anxious today, but I’ll scrape through somehow and in the meanwhile I’m making bacon-wrapped meatloaf with a chili glaze, roasted red potatoes, and asparagus in vinegar and shaved Parmesan cheese. And even though I’m trying to refrain from drinking, I’m thinking maybe a glass of wine would help because I normally don’t get much caffeine and as I was typing this I realized that I’ve been drinking caffeinated iced tea all day. Normally not a big deal, except for me following chigau’s advice about staying hydrated and drinking a gallon and a half of tea in the last four hours. So I’m buzzing like a dildo in your luggage.
*Which seems a little ridiculous but I’ve got all sorts of weird neuroses about not being worth having nice things that my parents drilled into me by making me do without and then giving away their money to deadbeat relatives instead of spending it on me… and then they spent money on my younger brother once I moved out, even bought him a truck. But I’m not bitter!
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
WMDKitty – Gracie is beautiful.
Giliell – Great news! And *more hugs*
cicely:
♥
Menyambal --- son of a son of a bachelor:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
As for musical instruments, I’ve been enjoying the ukulele. I started to say “my” ukulele, but I have five of them now.
It’s fairly cheap—$40 will get you a playable one, new—with room to move up. There are two main ways to play, picking and strumming, so it works solo or in a group. A uke is fairly portable—I have one bungeed to the roof liner in my truck—and fairly sturdy (I have a plastic one that I need to put better strings on).
rq:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:31 pm
I just got my violin back from the person borrowing it. It seems to be in good condition, but it will need a few test runs, soon, to be sure.
+++
Giliell
Sorry for passing it by earlier – but yay on the good transplant news! I hope all goes as well as possible, I will definitely hold a bunch of thumbs for you!
+++
Want to bet something will come up tomorrow, and we’ll be another half-step closer, but not quite there yet? I feel like I’m in that Zeno’s riddle or whatever it is – if you’re always going half-way there, do you ever really get there?
But yes. It’s the final few signatures and official papers, and it’s so damn annoying.
Once again, I say tomorrow. And tomorrow we will see if it really is just another day, or if it is the day.
Along with everything else, I’m not up for much conversation, never mind the cheerful kind. A good night to everyone, *hugs* to those who want/need and a pile of mixed drinks for everyone. Sort them out amongst yourselves. :)
(Just one of those nights/days where I feel like I just can’t do it, even though I know I can. *sigh*)
Amblebury:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Just a tip, the College Syllabus link Carlie posted freezes my computer whenever I click on it, and I have to reboot.
-
Rorschach, remember the bit about ‘kindly’?
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:41 pm
Goodnight and good luck rq. Tomorrow will be a day!
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 30th, 2013 at 2:49 pm
So, I’m in ME senior project this semester. Groups are already in place. There are two things my company needs that could be good projects. One of them the instructor probably won’t allow because it’s a steam compressor and there’s a “no pressure vessel” rule, but we MIGHT be able to find a way around that; the other is a refrigeration and cold-storage system for the specific needs of a particular application. The guys (it is all guys, sadly; the one woman I might have wanted to recruit already created her own group) seem unenthused about either project, even with the lure of getting our company to fund them. We have a chance to do something impressive and meaningful and maybe even make a profit from it down the line, AND not have to cover it out of pocket, and it’s like they don’t even care.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 30th, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Arizona shooting.
:(
-
Beatrice:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Good night, rq!
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 30th, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Thanks, everybody.
It might actually be quite a while until transplantation will happen, depending on how her condition evolves.
But it’s still kind of a punch in the stomach. Still, 10 years survival of 70% sound much better than a 2 year survival of 32%. I know, it’s not a guarantee and there’s a freak chance that she’d live longer without a transplant than with, but statistically speaking it’s the sound thing.
Sorry to hear, Joe.
*Brezeln and coke for you*
David
Did I mention that the kids are constantly asking when we’re going back to Berlin to see the dinosaurs again?
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:01 pm
cicely, that’s very impressive! Sounds like duets could be feasible relatively quickly then, especially since – as you say – it makes all the difference when it’s a person’s own initiative.
I shall cross an extra tentacle just in case.
rq tomorrow will be the day. Crossing the other extra tentacle!
carlie:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:05 pm
Amblebury – I’m sorry, it’s just a salon link, so I’m not sure what happened. The original url is http://www.salon.com/2013/01/26/my_fake_college_syllabus/ , not that it’s funny enough to go hunting after if it’s making anyone’s computer wonky.
dontpanic – oh, how awful. I had mystery vertigo for about 3 months a couple of years ago and it was miserable. Although I think watching your kid go through it is worse than doing so oneself. Mine had a doozy of a spell this morning after coming upstairs and I was *this close* to calling 911 on him due to the rolling eyes and wobbly head. :( I hadn’t realized what it actually looks like from the outside before.
AND THEN. He called from school to tell me that he had accidentally gotten hit his head in the hallway at school, which of course threw him off balance enough to send him to the floor, where he hit his head again, and then passed out in the nurse’s office. For fuck’s sake, kid. The nurse at the doctor’s office when I called was like HE DID WHUT. But he’s fine until the scan tomorrow, it seems, if another half day behind in schoolwork.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:06 pm
Joe – Feel better soon.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:23 pm
rq
Good for you : ) Sounds like fun. I’d love to see him live. And maybe you’ll get a mini-vacation feeling out of it?
Parrowing
That sounds like no-fun situation, I’m sorry. : / I hope that hanging out here helps a little. Have you explored starting a differently-themed group that meets near your home? Probably sounds pretty daunting, but it can be fun to start something new.
opposablethumbs
I don’t have much in the way of birthday ideas, but I wish you luck. And I’m glad your kid has such a great parent : )
And thanks for the migraine well-wishes. I woke feeling refreshed and headache-free this morning. I had a rare bout of noxious nausea with my migraine yesterday. The vomiting subsided just in time for Taco Tuesday at my aunt’s thankfully. Her tacos are magical.
I’m largely neurotypical, but I was homeschooled. Which affected my ability to socialize with people my own age. I always had lots of good adult friends though. I enjoyed their company quite a bit more. It has served me pretty well into adulthood to be able to make sincere adult conversation. I’m sorry if I’m being insensitive or comparing apples to oranges here, I just thought it might be an encouraging tidbit given the way he is able to form social connections. : )
Joe
Glad you’re on the mend
cicely
Thank you much. Though, come to think of it, you might feel sorry for the migraine as I kicked its ass pretty soundly. Even met with a client in the throes of it. I probably looked like death warmed over, but all I needed was his signature so I powered through it.
Giliell
I’m glad there seems to be good news.
WMDKitty and dontpanic
Your kitties are pretty .
CRAIGSLIST CAR CREEP UPDATE
I didn’t respond to the “ur Gorgeous” email, so two days later I get the following email:
I laughed pretty hard.
===
The snow is blowing around pretty well here, and coming down fast and fluffy. I’m glad all my running around is done. I wish I didn’t have any work to do any I could just curl up in bed. Alas…people want to give me money to do work for them. Oh, the problems I (don’t) have. : p
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Ooohhhhh!!! Giliell!
Brezeln would be AWESOME right about now. Seriously, I don’t know whether to thank you for the kind offer or rage that you can’t email me some! :)
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Oh, and carlie, I hope child 1 is ok : (
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
carlie:
Oh no! I hope he’s feeling okay and that the scan goes well tomorrow. Good luck with the waiting :-/.
*
Portia:
Yeah, I have thought about starting something. A while ago I wondered whether there were any skeptic groups meeting around here and thought about starting one if there wasn’t, but I’m not too interested in that anymore. I should come up with something, but if I do, I have no idea where to advertise other than the grocery store noticeboard. Might be worth a shot, though.
That. is. thebestthingI’vereadtoday.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
carlie
Oh nooo. Poor kid. Hope he recovers soon and complete
+++
For those who speak German
It’s an old clip that starts by some typical sexual harassment of the woman and is then turned around by her telling him how they all discussed his dick-size and that he needed to be fucked again and so they all collected money for him.
Brilliant.
carlie:
January 30th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Parrowing – that’s pretty funny; he obviously knew what he did. :D
Just got home, and child seems back to what normal has been for the last week or so. I was laughing, though – on the way home from school I told him that the whole school will probably know about “the kid who fell down in the hall” by tomorrow. He got a call just now from one of his friends, asking if he was ok because he heard he “passed out in the cafeteria”. Heh. Social networking at its finest.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Ohtheirgawds.
S just pointed out that the job I am planning to apply for STOPS taking applications on Feb 1, not STARTS taking them. Good thing one of us has reading comprehension skills..
carlie
Yep, things travel quickly. I passed out from stress on the first day of law school. Guess what they called me for the next three years? Yep.
dontpanic:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Portia/carlie
I passed out in freshman biology … during the sex education lecture. Yeah… I was already bullied (though I did have some friends that were supportive) so it didn’t change much of how many of the students interacted with me. But still, it didn’t improve my standing. Needles and semi-graphic descriptions of medical issues ===> take the direct train to vasovagal syncope. Gott’a watch sometimes when I’m driving and NPR is doing a medical story that I have to turn the radio off before I feel too lightheaded.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
Exactly. Thankfully I haven’t had one in quite a while.
dontpanic:
January 30th, 2013 at 4:55 pm
That is high school biology. Lasted less then a day in high school senior year physiology class; yup, teacher pulling plastic parts out of a fully sized dummy verified that I wasn’t getting past that trigger. Pretty much put the kibosh on a medical career.
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 30th, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Can anyone here explain why exercise causes light-headedness and a woozy feeling? This started happening when I moved up to 8-lb weights (had been using 5-lb), and I’m starting to worry that maybe there’s something Really Really Wrong With Me because this is not normal.
opposablethumbs:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Bloody hell, carlie, your Child1 doesn’t do things by halves! I hope he’s OK, and that the scan is all fine. That must have been a bit of a shock when you got the call!
I remember you said Child2 had some similar things going on – it’s so hard to know how best to help them deal with it sometimes. Oh, I so remember trying to do things like you described! And it being pretty painful all round … And then teenagerdom just adds a bit of extra complication, because they don’t want to be always doing things with you, they’d maybe like to be doing some stuff with their peers … ::sigh::
.
Not insensitive in the least, Portia. And yes, I do hope there may be some possibility that some things could work more easily when he’s an adult himself. Some adults at least are a bit less spooked by encountering someone who seems a bit odd or different than teenagers tend to be, just because the adults are more experienced and more sure of themselves.
ArghFuck, I’m sorry you have the mad rush to do this now but I’m SO glad this was noticed now and not after Feb 1 !!!!
.
Good night Horde, see you tomorrow. It means a lot to be able to bring up this kind of thing sometimes, and you can’t always do it in vivo (as it were). Hmm, I seem to have another heap of hugs to leave on the table there.
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:03 pm
WMDKitty,
Are you breathing normally as you lift, inhale on the downstroke and exhale on the upstroke? Are you in a strange position and/or really bearing down with your whole body?
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:03 pm
Good night, opposablethumbs, sleep well.
I’ve snagged a hug from the table, thanks : )
I’m glad he caught the deadline now, as well. Thankfully I’m on “call for a beer after work and hang out” terms with the HR person the application goes to, but still. Whew.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:03 pm
dontpanic/carlie/Portia:
I fainted in front of my whole religion class when I was 15. We were watching a recording of an anti-abortion lecture given by the grandmother of one of the students. There were no graphic pictures but she kept talking about the placenta, which apparently wasn’t doing good things to my brain. I got up to get some air and *bam*. Woke up to my friend laughing because she thought I was pulling a stunt… yeah, one of the quietest, shyest people in the school, pulling a falling down in front of the class stunt. Certain descriptions of pregnancy still make me feel light-headed as a result, as well as the idea of having blood drawn (but not needles in general). This event might have been the catalyst for the panic disorder that I developed a month or so later :(.
morgan:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:17 pm
Amusing (now) story about fainting when I was a kid. I’d do it all the time for no apparent reason. Unfortunately I wasn’t surrounded by observant concerned adults so it wasn’t discovered until after I was on my own that I had life long low blood sugar issues. Made for some interesting teasing from other kids. Oh well, I pretty much learned how to breathe so that I wouldn’t completely pass out, but geez I’d turn an attractive shade of blue.
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 30th, 2013 at 5:28 pm
iJoe
I’m in a seated position, and yeah, exhale on the lift, inhale on the downstroke. So either I’m pushing too hard, or there’s Something Wrong… and I really really want this to be a case of Doing It Wrong, and not Yet Another Health Issue.
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
WMDKitty,
My guess is that the specific angle you’re at, and the way you’re trying to maintain your seated position, is causing you to have a vasovagal reaction, especially if this is the ONLY situation that’s causing the symptoms… in which case you’re lucky you haven’t fainted outright. If that is the problem, the good news is that the solution can be as simple as very slight adjustments of your body angle. I’ve seen people who would pass out from standing at attention, and it went away by simply relaxing the angle of their legs at the knee very slightly.
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
And in case it isn’t obvious… I AM NOT A DOCTOR!
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Not for long.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:39 pm
Ignore what I just said. It was to a banned troll.
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:43 pm
Dammit Janine, I thought you has suddenly become clairvoyant and you were predicting my future career as a doctor… at least as a love doctor. :)
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Don’t you fucking dare break out into KISS!
Menyambal --- son of a son of a bachelor:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:51 pm
Note to Self: Next year, get the frakking flu vaccine.
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 6:59 pm
You’re safe Janine… a shitty bar band doesn’t become awesome because they wear stupid costumes, so I’ve never been a fan of KISS. The fact that Gene Simmons is a horrible person just seals the deal for me.
carlie:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
Oh goodness! All the stories. :) The most embarrassing i ever did in front of people at school was throwing up. On the teacher. Well, kind of. He was sitting in the desk behind me, because we had presentations. I realized I was going to lose my internal race of not throwing up before the bell rang and I could run to the bathroom unobserved, so I turned to tell him I had to leave, and… yeah. He jumped up and out more quickly than any of us realized he could move. As for passing out, the only times I’ve done it in public have been right after donating blood. The first time was right at the site, the first time I donated. The other time was in college when I skipped lunch to donate blood, then went to my work study and realized I wasn’t doing well. I laid down on the floor in lab and put my feet up on a chair, which was where my advisor found me a few minutes later and told me to go home.
Opposablethumbs – have you dealt with the romantic issues yet? Mine has been desperate for a girlfriend for years. That bothers him even more, I think.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:50 pm
I was thirteen and walking into my next class when I had the seat of my pants split. It was quite loud. The teacher did not even bother giving me a hall pass, just told me to go to the office. I walked sidesways down the hall, turning my butt away from open classroom doors.
I was lucking, the secretary had needles and thread with her. While I hid in the principal’s office, I had no pants on, (The principal was at an other room of the school.) she sewed up the rip. I made it through the rest of the day. But I moved very cautiously out of fear of ripping my pants again. And, yes, my classmates imitated that ripping sound for a long time afterwards.
I was rather mortified.
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Azkyroth @ #297/ anyone:
?
Something I should know?
MikeG:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Ooh, embarrassing story time? I’ve never passed out, nor barged on anyone, but you know that kid who called the teacher ” mommy”? Yeah. At least I went to a different, far away school starting in 6 th grade.
MikeG:
January 30th, 2013 at 7:59 pm
Barged=barfed, and i only called her “mommy” once. Still…
la tricoteuse:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:02 pm
MikeG, I did that once, in 2nd grade. :( I didn’t get to go to a different school til 11th grade though.
John Morales:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:08 pm
I’m a fan of KISS.
carlie:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:12 pm
MikeG, I did the opposite of that once – I used mommy voice on accident while I was teaching. A couple of students in the back were watching some videos on a laptop while I was lecturing, and they got to the point of laughing out loud and annoying those around them, and I lost it and yelled “You two! STOP IT. NOW.” The entire classroom startled and straightened up.
ckitching:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
dontpanic wrote:
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who has ever had that reaction to graphic displays and descriptions of medical problems. Knowing how lightheaded I got during the required health education classes was enough for me to skip high school biology (I was only required to take two out of the three of chemistry, physics and biology). I had only once passed out, and I blamed it on being sick (although I don’t believe I actually was). I knew very well that I’d never make it through the frog dissection class if I actually did take the biology courses.
Luckily this tendency to light-headedness and fainting has faded with age, although not completely.
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Standing by…
Waiting to to see the reaction (if any) to my ‘sharing’ the news item on Jim Nabors’ marriage on my FB wall. Usually, if I post anything ‘controversial’ it gets ignore. Such is life here in right-wing boonie-land.
-
*All hail SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS and GAWD!*
dontpanic:
January 30th, 2013 at 8:41 pm
morgan:
Amusing fainting stories? How about scary? A couple of years ago I had chest pains, and got myself driven to the ER. By the time they got around to me (which took surprisingly long) the pain had gone away. But they insisted I stay overnight as they wanted to follow through looking for markers
whether it had been an actual heart attack. So they start drawing blood sample every hour or so. I did amazingly well, until about 2 am when the night nurse (tired, not very good, whatever) took 3 attempts to get a sample. Away she goes, and 10 minutes later just before going completely out, I managed to pull up the emergency button and ring for help — it was damn close. Don’t quite remember too much; I do remembering them taping (blue tape, surprising details one remembers) a second syringe (stimulant? adrenaline?) to the equipment in case I needed a second shot of whatever they gave me. I do tend to freak even doctors out by going completely pale and having literally no measurable blood pressure. I figure a hospital trip is going to be the death of me someday.
mildlymagnificent:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:04 pm
3 tries? Back in my low blood pressure days (before thyroxine) they used to get 3 tries – left, right, then another shot at left – but only if they were any good at it. The fools who tried to make things happen, despite me telling them the problem with my near inaccessible veins, with me sitting instead of lying down didn’t even get that far. The worst by far was actually a doctor, but she was trying to give me an intravenous shot. There I was lying there with tears running into my ears and she apologised profusely then admitted that she hadn’t achieved anything and was going to have to try another syringe/needle size entirely. And we got to do it all over again. Did I mention that untreated hypothyroidism also lowers the pain threshold? Happy memories!
morgan:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
dontpanic:
You have my sympathy. Going deathly pale makes everyone around you lose their minds. Interesting, I also have ridiculously low blood pressure. I also had a novice blood taker inflicted on me. I was a sickly kid and came down with mononucleosis at age 14. The fool taking my blood at the hospital tried four times in one arm and three times in the other before I passed out. Then they gave me two penicillin shots which do nothing for mono and I had an allergic reaction. I love our medical system. And this was nearly 50 years ago.
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
I don’t recall ever fainting or throwing up on anyone in school but… Third (or was it fourth) grade. It’s the end of day, waiting for my school bus (#153-why do I remember that to this day?). A kid shorter than I was ran by in front of me, banging my nose with the top of his head. *!!@%!!&!! Searing pain, seeing stars, almost blacked out… I get home (cupping/protecting my nose the whole way), run to my room crying, throw my self on the bed. Mom comes in “What is wrong with you?” “MY NOSE IS CROOKED!”
+++
No you can’t really break your nose but damn it can REALLY feel like it !
Pteryxx:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:18 pm
Return of the Homophobic Zombie Bills…
http://www.salon.com/2013/01/30/tennessee_dont_say_gay_bill_now_requires_teachers_to_out_their_students/
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Went to the emergency room once due to an on the job chlorine gas inhalation. One of my best friends (R.N.) was on duty. It took her seven tries to get the IV started!
Me: Okay, what did I do to you in High School that was so bad that you’re taking it out on me NOW ?
Friend.: Well at least you’ve kept your sense of humor.
-
I remind her of this from time to time.
And also, every year I call her on her birthday to say: “And just remember- You’ll always be older than me!” Born one day apart, same year but it’s still true!
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:46 pm
Just heard about this page today:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2012/12/gun_death_tally_every_american_gun_death_since_newtown_sandy_hook_shooting.html
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:47 pm
Annnddd…
How do you keep it from doing that all-the-way-across-the-page-thing?
michaeld:
January 30th, 2013 at 9:57 pm
@Bluentx
You sigh and take a sip of a tasty beverage. It doesn’t fix the problem but it will make you feel better about it.
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:04 pm
michaeld:
*sigh* But I can’t take a sip of the tasty beverage I’d like- I’m at work. *sigh*
Nutmeg:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:08 pm
Fainting stories:
I’ve fainted twice in my life. The first time, I was in third grade, and I was blowing up a balloon for an art project. I started to feel dizzy and tried to walk back to my seat, but I didn’t make it. I fell face-first onto the tile floor. I woke up with the teacher and vice-principal and most of the class gathered around me, and a decent-sized chunk of my front tooth broken off. The dentist got to try a new technique to re-attach it. He was pretty excited, and it worked beautifully. Good thing, because that was an adult tooth.
The second time was just after I was baptized in the local Anglican church. I was thirteen. I had strep throat that day, and I was nervous, and it was hot in the church, and I was wearing my heavy choir robe. And that was the year that I decided that not eating was a brilliant solution to being unhappy at school, so I was skinnier than is healthy for me and probably a little hypoglycemic. In retrospect, I’m surprised I made it through the baptism before fainting. No injuries that time, at least, just a lot of embarrassment.
Improbable Joe:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:27 pm
The only time I’ve ever lost consciousness was when I broke my ankle. It was make when I was in the Marines. The temp was barely above freezing, I’d slept outside the night before, so when I hit the ground and turned my foot backwards and then some, I really barely felt it. So I’m laying there, and then I tried to stand up. I don’t actually remember what happened as such… there was a bright light, and I was laying back down again, and the time in between simply vanished.
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
Nutmeg:
re 2nd fainting story:
AH HA! Proof that religion is harmful! ; )
Orange Utan:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:58 pm
@bluentx
Get a browser addon that supports custom css and add the following rule for freethoughtblogs.com:
.comment-entry { word-break: break-all; }
Orange Utan:
January 30th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
…and if you just want it for links only, then use:
.comment-entry a { word-break: break-all; }
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 30th, 2013 at 11:16 pm
I think low blood sugar is one of the things that can cause that, as can low blood pressure. (I’ve inferred this because the most recent time I did a cardio workout on an empty stomach I wound up feeling like I do when giving blood- and like you’re describing – starting about 17 minutes in). It could be something serious, though, so if you have access to a doctor I would get it checked out.
bluentx:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:21 pm
Thanks Orange Utan:
I’ll just run what you said through my computer-fu translator and get back to you. :)
thunk, hull overheating:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Strangely enough, I have never fainted, though I have come close several times.
Drawing blood is always fun for anybody who tries to do that. I tend to start fainting when blood is being drawn, and it often takes several tries to find a vein to pull it out of. And I don’t think my blood pressure is too low…
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 30th, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Also, I have never to my knowledge fainted, though my brother did once, at my wedding, due to locking his knees.
As for veins…meh, you can borrow mine. I have a really good donation vein in the crease of my left elbow. I seem to donate blood at least twice as fast as the average patient, which is convenient except when it leaves me feeling dizzy and lightheaded for 30 seconds and then forcibly babied for the next fifteen minutes. >.>
John Morales:
January 30th, 2013 at 11:42 pm
Well, I’ve just spent around 45 minutes preparing the main course for dinner, in my usual ad hoc fashion and based on what I had in the fridge and the larder.
So, I chopped up a couple of onions and a couple of rashers of bacon (most of the fat removed*) medium fine and started frying them gently in some olive oil, then also chopped up a couple of cloves of garlic quite fine to be added at the last minute.
Then I peeled and chopped up a couple of potatoes into roughly 1/4 inch cubes, put them into a ceramic pot and nuked them for 3 minutes and let them stand while I took a couple of steaks and chopped them into roughly 3/4 inch cubes (removing all the outer fat*).
After standing, I added a knob of butter to the potatoes and floured the meat cubes in a plastic bag with a couple of heaped teaspoons of flour, by which time the onion, bacon and garlic mix was ready so I decanted that into the pot with the potatoes.
Then turned the oven on to preheat to 160C, and I browned the floured meat in the same pan, a few pieces at a time and topping up the oil as required, then added them to the pot. I deglazed the pan with roughly 1/4 cup of dry red wine and added that to the pot.
Then I chopped up a largish zucchini into rougly 1/4 inch pieces and added them to the pot.
Then I added a tablespoon of tomato paste, a gurgle of soy sauce, a hearty bit of ground black pepper and the same of paprika to the pot, and wet it with around 1/4 cup of stock.
Finally, I mixed the contents of the pot thoroughly, covered it with aluminium foil, put a couple of vent holes in it and placed it into the now-ready oven.
(We’ll see how it turns out)
–
* Not wasted; the chooks and the dog all get their share of that.
(The cat is unimpressed)
–
PS Our home-grown onions, garlic and zucchini! :)
chigau (違う):
January 30th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
John Morales #382
Sounds delicious.
(I cook bacon and drain-and-save most of the fat for making buttermilk biscuits)
—-
I’m tired of winter and so are the stored potatoes.
They are all sprouting.
Some of the sprout-stems are more than 20cm.
theophontes (坏蛋):
January 31st, 2013 at 12:22 am
@ Pteryxx
Have they not worked out yet that MOST sex is not involved with “natural human reproduction”?
Alethea H. "Crocoduck" Kuiper-Belt:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:55 am
@John, sounds delicious if perhaps a bit wintry! I’ve been making potato salad and bean salad and green salad to go with the meat (this week it’s been pan-fried chicken breasts with lavender herb mix, and lamb & rosemary sausages.)
@Carlie, I’m sorry I neglected to send best wishes to the spawn when commenting on the thunderdome troll humour. I was a bit threadrupt at that point. I hope all is well with you & yours.
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:03 am
Well, Alethea, what do you people down under think it is- summer or something? Sheesh!
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 31st, 2013 at 1:06 am
Oh. My. Ceiling Cat.
I’m now a “bully” and “abusive” for pointing out that IVF is selfish and a direct slap in the face to foster children and adoptees. *rolleyes*
Infertility sucks, yes, but you know what? There are thousands upon thousands of American children waiting for a forever family — how about adopting one of them instead of thinking your DNA is so precious that it MUST be replicated? How about choosing LOVE over genetics?
As far as I’m concerned, every child is absolutely entitled to a loving, stable family.
You, however, are not entitled to pregnancy and childbirth.
If you want a child, fucking ADOPT! It’s a win-win! You get a kid, kid gets a forever family, one less kid in the system!
What’s the fucking problem with pointing that out?!
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:09 am
Good morning
Ooooh, fainting stories
I have relatively low blood pressure and am really sensitive to low blood sugar. By now I mostly know the signs that tell me “get some sugar and sit down”, but I really fainted twice. Well, three times, but the second and third time were on the same occasion.
First time I was lucky that my dad was standing right behind me, so he caught me and I didn’t knock my head on the floor, too. My brain was still able to think “better hold on to something”. Unfortunately, that something was my toothbrush which I held in both hands.
Second time was in a bookshop with friends. It only took them a few years to stop talking about it and asking me if I’d eaten enough…
Alethea H. "Crocoduck" Kuiper-Belt:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:47 am
Well, yes, WMDKitty, you’re not in the clear here. I see that you mean well, but there are many people who have different opinions on the importance of genetics, and adoption, and fostering – and berating them for selfishness when they are in emotional pain over their infertility is not nice.
rq:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:50 am
Good morning!!
While I have never fainted (came close once, due to pain in near-dislocated shoulder from being moved suddenly from a sleep state to a wake state by flinging the blankets off due to alarm sounds…), I have puked publicly: all over the shoes of the head-jury member at my first piano (Kiwanis) competition in grade 2. Nerves, I suppose. It never happened again, but I still hate performing alone.
+++
Short [rant] re: Wedded Bliss to follow. Ignore if you wish.
I refuse to feel guilty for wanting some one-on-one attention from the person I married, especially since we had an agreed-upon plan from a few months ago that was never followed through on (once a month? really? that’s too much? especially if you get an annual multi-day trip alone? I’m being petty?). I will not believe that I am unhappy simply because I do not appreciate all the things that I have, and I maintain that I am allowed to be pissed off for being kept out of a process important to me (buying house) simply because it is easier and more convenient (at least a notifying phone call would be nice). … Sometimes I hate myself. I don’t think I’m going to be doing too well (emotionally speaking) in the near future.
In more positive house news, the most important pieces of paper to be signed today in the presence of an attorney cannot be signed without my presence. So at least I have that.
[/rant]
+++
fluoride
What’s this about fluoride being a nasty bit in our water now? I have a friend who’s all about Flouride is nasty! Thank God they banned it in Windsor!, but I’m a bit confused about the information I’m reading. She sent me an informative link about fluoride in toothpaste (and eating it), but all the information I get about fluoride in water seems to have positive reviews. All the people in the studies cited suffering from fluoride-related issues have ingested massive amounts of fluoride over the course of years. Does anyone know anything more about this? This is the link she sent me.
strange gods before me ॐ:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:07 am
rq, there is much discussion of fluoride in this thread about Acharya S the anti-scholar.
The whole thread is fun, but the discussion about fluoride gets interesting when glowball shows up. It’s a complicated topic and I’m not a public health expert; I would only note that those are reputable sources which glowball provides, however, they do not recommend dropping fluoride to zero.
John Morales:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:07 am
rq, http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2012/jul/09/jim-bohl/milwaukee-alderman-says-fluoride-toothpaste-poison/
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:08 am
rq
Yes, you absolutely have a right to be pissed off about that. He is definitely the jerk here.
Fluoride: Basically, the John Birch Society decided way back in the day when water fluoridation was first being implemented in the States (ca. 1950, IIRC) that is was a Communist plot to… something. Exactly what varied wildly according to who was telling it and when, but it was definitely an evil plot to pollute our precious bodily fluids. Over the intervening decades, it spread in the general conspiracy-theorysphere, with modifications based on the individual conspiracy theorist’s bugbears (e.g. its not the Commies, it’s The Government, or The Chemical Industry, or Space Lizards or whatever). Just recently there was a big fuss here in PDX about trying to fluoridate the damn water finally, and the assholes and wingnuts were crawling out of the woodwork.
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 31st, 2013 at 2:12 am
Alethea
Oh, so their fee-fees are more important than those of ALL THE PEOPLE THEY SLAP IN THE FACE BY CHOOSING IVF?
Fuck. That.
Their feelings don’t fucking excuse or justify their selfish actions, and their “thoughts” don’t make those forever families just magically appear for the kids who are waiting and COULD have a family IF selfish breeders would give half a thought to the actual, ALREADY-BORN children!
Oh, they can feel upset all they want, but the reality is, IVF is selfish, narcissistic, and absolutely DAMAGING to all the children who are deemed “not good enough” and shuffled aside in favor of a Mini-Me.
What, they think that all of us adoptees and foster kids (and former foster kids) are just going to sit back and go, “yeah, that’s okay, leave the kids to rot in the system, we don’t matter”? FUCK. NO. We have EVERY right to stand up and say, “That is not acceptable,” just like the blacks did, just like the LGBT community is doing.
In short, IVF is discrimination against CHILDREN who, though not perfect healthy white infants, didn’t CHOOSE to be born, and want nothing more than a loving stable family. To refuse even one of these children a loving stable family, in favor of doing IVF, is an act of outright HATE against a category of people who had no choice in their circumstances. Funny how, in any other case, that would be prosecuted as a hate crime, but because it’s some selfish breeder wanting perfect healthy white baybeez, it’s somehow not discrimination, prejudice, or hate…
FFS, THINK OF THE CHILDREN, FOR ONCE!
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 31st, 2013 at 2:17 am
*deep breaths*
Okay, I feel better now I’ve got that off my chest.
I’m sorry, I just feel like any defence of IVF is, well, it’s like defending racism or sexism. It’s enforcing damaging societal norms and narratives, particularly the trope of “foster children are damaged goods”, which just serves to keep ‘em down, keep ‘em out of sight, the lucky few will be chosen, the rest of you just aren’t good enough, and when a child internalizes that narrative, it does so much more damage than simply being in the system ever could. It kills me, it fucking KILLS me, that society sees these kids as “throwaways”.
I’m adopted, so… this is really personal for me.
rq:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:23 am
re: fluoride
Thanks for all the reading material!
In the Windsor case particularly, I think some of the resistance was to the actual chemical used to fluoridate the water…
But before I make any more comments, I will read and think.
WMDkitty
I can just offer *hugs* or *scritches*, as preferred…?
John Morales:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:33 am
Well, the casserole turned out pretty good. Hearty!
(Perhaps a touch salty, maybe I should have left out the soy given it had bacon)
opposablethumbs:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:36 am
carlie
Yes :-(((((((
He mainly wants to have friends, but it also hurts him to know that romantic interest is not returned either.
.
Has anyone here seen La Historia Oficial (I think the title was translated as The Official Story)? (Argentina at the time of the Dirty War) No violence on screen … except for one moment, which is technically an accident. The only time I’ve ever fainted while already sitting down. (didn’t half give my partner a surprise)
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:37 am
Good morning,rq!
fluoride:
Yeah, the John Birch thing seems to be back in style with a modern interpretation … that still makes no sense.
Locally, we’ve stopped (in the last few years) adding fluoride because the natural fluoride content is high enough currently not to need it. The source water and mineral content does change from time to time – uh.. naturally. Because we stopped, some think it’s because we evil bureaucrats (TM) know something and just don’t want to tell the masses.
Uh… we did tell you in the annual report sent to all residents saying this is what we did, this is how many violations (if any) of EPA standards we had, here are the actions taken….
Some people just have to be worried about something I guess.
opposablethumbs:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:40 am
rq, yes. I think you are right and he is not being fair about this (to put it mildly).
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:49 am
WMDKitty:
I agree that ideally adoption should be considered before IVF but pretty much anyone can get IVF ($ permitting), not everyone is approved as adoptive parents. That’s just one point to be made.
And yes it’s maddening that pro-lifers don’t adopt more if their sooo worried about the baaabies.
rq:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:52 am
Oh! Right! bluentx is a state-certified water-treatment expert… Well, if I have any questions abuot fluoridation, I’ll ask you! Currently reading. And the anti-fluoride crowd seems more and more woo-y. Which isn’t to say they’re necessarily wrong.
+++
Thanks for all the support.
theophontes (坏蛋):
January 31st, 2013 at 3:00 am
@ bluentx (WMDKitty)
Hey, I can top that! People should always adopt a child before even attempting any kind of getting pregnant.
/perspective
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:27 am
Ha! Like I said, it’s been a few years since we’ve used it so I’ll do my best to rack my brain or look it up in the training manuals. :)
The main thing I remember is: when connecting to a 55-gallon drum of CONCENTRATED hydrofluoric acid try not to inhale. The vapors will seriously irritate your moist nostrily bits!
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:37 am
Correction: hydrofluoricylisic acid
rq:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:53 am
bluentx
Ah, I’ll try to remember that next time I’m connecting to a 55-gallon drum of the stuff. I’m wondering how hazardous it is to health itself (the chemical used, more than the fluoride). Seeing as my friend wrote this: “You can get the necessary fluoride from 1 cup of regular tea. In this world health is a buissness… sick peoples means money for phamaceutical companies ect…. North America is probably the most corrupt area with this stuff… Europe bans so many more hassardous chemicals from everything, I would believe a European health expert, but not one from here unless I actually know them personally.” (I had a giggle about the NA health experts being less trustworthy than European ones…), I’m thinking that adding the fluoride has to induce some visible and statistically high health problems for the pharmaceutical companies to make millions and billions (and what about the dentists about to make millions and billions off all those new cavities appearing in children?).
I looked up the info about fluoride in tea, and it’s true, you can get all your fluoride from tea… Except I don’t give (green, black) tea to the children because I just don’t.
I’m getting the distinct idea that it’s actually difficult to overdose on fluoride (drink over-fluoridated water, eat toothpaste, drink several cups of strong tea a day, etc.). Am I wrong to think that, or am I using science wrong?
(Plus, all those arguments are from a pretty privileged viewpoint, as I see it – if you have access to good dental health care, and you remember to (can afford to?) brush regularly with fluoride toothpaste, not fluoridating water isn’t going to have much of an impact on you… But if it’s your only source of fluoride…?)
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:18 am
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of “overdosing” on fluoride per se. You can get too much in the sense that too high a concentration will cause a mottling of the teeth . Too much, too little -the dentists win either way! That’s one reason there are strict regulations on the amount added to drinking water.
As for getting enough through tea (especially 1 cup/day)- hadn’t heard that before. I would wonder if it might be like some vitamins and minerals– you can take it in but does the body utilize it all or is most of it get flushed away as waste? And personally I’m skeptical about all the ‘miracles’ attributed to green tea. (And don’t get me started on Dr. Oz and his new coffee cure!)
Will have to read up on it more myself. Haven’t kept up with the ‘debate’ as I thought it was pretty much settled science years ago. Of course, new research may have made new discoveries.
Okay, let me toddle on home and I’ll be back online in an hour or so…
rq:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:34 am
The stuff I’m reading discusses the drawbacks of too much fluoride, which is what I mean by ‘overdosing’ (to clarify). Things like osteofluorosis annnnd this mysterious acute fluoride toxicity (if, say, children ingest half or more of a tube of toothpaste…). Which is the funny thing: all connection to fluoride poisoning, that I can see so far, has to do with eating large amounts of toothpaste. Which isn’t recommended anyway, and yes, can kill (or at least induce vomiting, diarrhea, etc.).
But fluoridated water?
Tea: wikipedia talks about potential fluoride in tea (really? that much?), and my friend linked to an article (lost the link now, will have to find later, bank appt approaching) where a woman drank multiple gallons of tea a day for years, thus having an excess of fluoride in the system (osteofluorosis! <- BTW, can you glow in the dark with osteofluorescent bones…?).
Oh and the first link I had (this fluoridealert link) has some great side-links, such as, Water fluoridation disproportionately harms black children!
Yes, I thought the debate was settled long ago, but you know, skepticism, conspiracy and Big Pharma/business… Somebody’s gotta be making millions off these things, so bad.
strange gods before me ॐ:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:44 am
There is a bugmenot login for easy access to the free PDF Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards.
(No piracy here; they give out the PDFs for free, and registration is free to everyone, this just bypasses registration.)
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 5:19 am
HI there
MIldly interesting: I had a weird dream last night. Not so much about content which wasn’t very exciting or anything, but about optics. In my dream scenes were zooming in and out like in a movie. So I’d look at a hill/mountainside with a small clearing in the distance and then the focus would zoom to that clearing and what was going on there. Dream-me was still standing in the same place because dream-me then turned around and went inside to pack for a hiking-trip.
flouride
I was wondering about that hype some time ago before because it didn’t seem to be an issue here, until I found out that natural levels are higher here than in the States so you don’t need to add it to get the same level.
The only sensible argument I can see is from efficiency because different people drink different amounts of tab water, so while I will have 3-4 l a day (yes, I drink lots) others might only drink half a pint and then drink bottled water or soft drinks.
rq
No, you’re not asking for too much.
I find that being a couple once in a while as opposed to parents is fucking important. No, we don’t get once a month, but we do enjoy our time a lot.
WMDKitty
Could you please stop being fucking dismissive of other people’s lives for once? We can take it to the Thunderdome if you want, but this isn’t the first time I notice you making really arrogant statements about situations that are very private and individual and then complain when people criticise you.
+++
BTW, did you know that while “fuck” was banned on “Friends”, “bitch” wasn’t? No, I’m totally not surprised.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 31st, 2013 at 6:17 am
Fluoride applied topically and fluoride ingested have significantly different levels of effect. The stuff in toothpaste doesn’t really do much IIRC. A good video from Concordance. He might be something of an accommodationist but on this sort of science topic he seems to really know his shit.
Never in my life have I lost consciousness outside of sleep, medical assistance or the vigorous application of the ground to my head. Not even repeated efforts in my youth with massive amounts of alcohol could do it. Hell, on most of those occasions I wished with all my sodden might that I could get to sleep, if only to stop the bed from spinning so. I’ve often wondered if that ability to function despite sloshing with booze is a factor in the history of alcoholism in my family.
Anyway, my ‘best’ ground/skull nap happened when I was 14 or 15. I’d bought my first road bicycle, a used metallic green Apollo ten speed. I spent the winter trying to get it functioning again, and because I had no idea what I was doing it took a while. The first time I rode it I ran into a concrete drainage block at a rather severe rate of knots. I saw the ground coming up at me and turned my head, which might have saved my neck.
White flash.
The next thing I know I’m laying in the ditch no bike to be seen. This giant head hoaves zeppelin-like into view and says “Are you alright, are you alright? The bike did a complete flip, that was so cool! Are you alright?” I must have been out for a minute or two for him to get to me.
I was really sad because bike was a write off, bent fork, staved in wheel and buckled frame. I still am, it was beautiful thing before I decided to use it to test inelastic collisions. But that might be the concussion damage talking. :)
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 31st, 2013 at 6:19 am
Hey rq, despite my teasing I’m really sorry that your house purchase didn’t go through on the first attempt. Besides, I put a little side money on you getting there first….
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:21 am
rq: No, you are not expecting too much nor should you feel guilty. I hope you are finally able to sign the papers today!
*
I had a very weird and kind of disturbing dream last night. A few days ago IRL I found out that a university friend of mine died in June. I felt sad, obviously, though we had not kept up since graduating almost six years ago and were never very close, so I wasn’t devastated. In my dream, she was haunting (though I think my dream brain called it trolling) anyone who had PTSD, including myself. I was stuck in a car in the middle of a comic book-esque city, it was night time and raining, and she was causing lights to flash and cars to crash.
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:27 am
Oh dear gods I am insane. I have to literally set the price of a loaf of bread.
The Ministry of Finance in Tavsere, along with the other major capital cities, have recognized 5 values of currency, a Quarter-Sterling, a Half-Sterling, a Sterling, a Half-Gilder, and a Gilder. 1 Gilder is equal to 10 Sterling. (Different cities mint different styles of coin, with different images, but they all weigh the same in the end.)
I’m thinking a 1/4 Sterling for a loaf of bread. If modern day bread costs about $5, that means 1 Sterling is $20, and 1 Gilder is $200.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 31st, 2013 at 6:39 am
Katherine, that seems a little high to me unless there are coins smaller than 1/4 Sterling. It would be like a country today using only paper notes $5 and up for everything.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:40 am
Katherine
Don’t base your numbers on modern prices, base them on prices of societies similar to the one you’re writing about.
A good idea is to think how long somebody would haave to work to earn enough to buy bread. Nowadays this is rather short, say, from 30 minutes on minimal wage (is bread really tht fucking expensive in the States?) to a few minutes forsomebody in a middle-class job.
Now, think about your grandparents, or great-grandparents. How long did they have to work?
Income spending rates on various things have changed dramatically, goods have changed in value dramatically.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:45 am
Oh, and the best tweet I read today from a German guy:
“Those who say we need to discuss sexism against men now equally with sexism against women probably also first put out the fire in the trash bin before the one in the hospital”
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 31st, 2013 at 6:47 am
Fair enough, I think I see your point. But are there things available for purchase that are cheaper than bread? It would seem likely to me, for bread needs a farmer, a miller and a baker all of whom need to get payed.
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:49 am
@FossilFishy:
1/4 Sterling is the lowest size. I’m more trying to figure out the average income than anything else.
@Giliell:
Yup, bread is $5 on average (for good bread. Wonder Bread – which isn’t bread, it’s air – is about $3.)
It’s hard to think about cause I don’t want to devalue my own currency XD Changing numbers willy-nilly has caused economic upheaval, in my brain at least.
I usually use 1 Sterling per day on average, but then I start losing it when I come to things like houses and such. Sure, using small coinage (1-2 Sterling for an inn room for a day) is decent and easy. How much should a house cost? 1000 Gilder? That’s over 10,000 days of work for an average person. 100 Gilder? 3 years work? Is that acceptable? What about rich people? They probably make between 10-20 Gilder a day, doesn’t a 100 Gilder house then get devalued?
Economics I hate you!
birgerjohansson:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:49 am
Hooray for socialized dental care (Sweden style). I went for the first check-up for years Wednesday. No cavities, but lots of plaque removed. It cost me SKR 1100, about 140 US bucks, but it is still only a part of the full cost.
I learned that the wife of a neighbour/retired former co-worker had died suddenly. I bought a bouqet of flowers and delivered them last evening. He seems to hold up well, but I am glad his sons live here in town and can provide support.
Crap. This is the second time in 18 months a neighbour in the 65-66 year age bracket has died suddenly.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 6:54 am
Katherine
How big are social differences?
If you look at the Jane Austen Novels and similar stuff, rich people easily made enough in a day to pay a poor person for a year.
Also, something to think about: Do people actually regularly buy bread or is it something most people make at home so buying it has a “luxury factor”?
birger
Sorry to hear about the neighbour :(
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 7:05 am
@Giliell:
It really depends on the city. In Tavsere, the noble class is probably more in line with the upper middle class rather than just the upper class, closer to the average. There’s no real systematic poverty, since society protects and assists with those who run into hard times.
But yes, you’re right, most people would probably buy the flour and eggs rather than the bread, it’s a definite luxury item for those who cannot make their own bread (be it for time or space reasons.) The city has a huge farm industry directly outside the gates, but the majority of the people inside are craftsmen or artisans or such.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 31st, 2013 at 7:10 am
Oh for fuck’s sake, I thought the Giliell’s 416 was you Katherine. When my already dodgy reading comprehension fails that hard it really is time to go to bed.
My point is that if you set the value of your smallest denomination such that it can buy a loaf of bread then what are your characters going to use to buy an apple should the need arise plot-wise.
Anyway, I’m too tired figure out if I’m helping or making things worse, so I’ll leave it at that.
I don’t envy you your task Katherine. World building at that scale does my head in. It’s why I’ll never be an author despite having a plot that I’ve been writing in my head for years as I fall asleep and despite occasionally being able to turn a phrase that some folks seem to like. But I do however look forward with great anticipation to the day that I’ll get to read your book.
Annnd once again I’m worried about fire. The big one 40 or so K away has jumped it’s primary containment lines but the fall-back line is apparently holding. I think I’m getting a better handle on when to panic though. The CFA isn’t even warning the next town 10k down the valley from the fire let alone us so we should be good for the night. Sigh. Won’t stop me from getting up and checking in the wee hours with little likelihood of getting back to sleep afterwards. Come to sunny Australia they said…it’s beautiful here they said….grumble….grumble….
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 31st, 2013 at 7:51 am
Giliell
I’m “dismissing” their experiences by pointing out that there are children waiting for a forever family, and that adoption is good for ALL parties involved.
Riiiiight.
I am NOT “dismissing” their experiences or feelings, I’m pointing out that their choice to use IVF is incredibly narcissistic.
It’s obvious to any rational person that for many — not all — of these idjits, it’s not really about having a kid, but about perpetuating their genetic material, and having the “right kind” of family, because adoption is still looked upon as inferior in this country. (Unless you’re adopting an infant from some backwater third-world country, then you’re the Great White Savior, swooping in and “rescuing” the poor thing, and that’s a trope for a different discussion.)
I am UPSET because they are perpetuating some very harmful tropes and narratives, and they are directly harming foster children by rejecting them in favor of “natural” offspring. I know they don’t mean to do this, and may not even be aware of it, but as so many people here are fond of saying, INTENT IS NOT MAGIC. These people shouldn’t get a pass on it just because they can’t conceive and their feelings are hurt by the mere suggestion of adoption.
How do you think it feels, knowing that you could have had a forever family, but got screwed out of it because some selfish asshole thought their genes were more important than a living, breathing already-born child? Here’s a hint: It HURTS. Yeah, I’m one of the lucky ones to get chosen, and I recognise that. That’s why I want people to adopt — so that ALL children are wanted and loved.
So tell me, why should the feelings of the wanna-breeds take precedence over the rights and needs and emotional and mental health of the already-born children they’re explicitly rejecting?
And what about the inherent racism, ableism, and ageism* in choosing IVF over one of those horribly imperfect non-white over-five foster children?
* Check the foster care statistics, you’ll find the overwhelming majority of children still waiting to be adopted are brown or black, disabled in some manner (sometimes as a result of being in the system), and/or past the “cute little kid” stage. You can’t tell me that ain’t due to discrimination on the part of prospective parents, because the healthy white infants — even the not-so-healthy white infants — get snatched right up.
katenrala:
January 31st, 2013 at 7:58 am
@ Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort
Where does money come from in your story-verse? Guarded royal mines? Traders bringing gold and silver things that can be melted down? Another source? What prevents counterfeiting?
I’ve been working on a story where money comes come a interesting source in some parts of the world.
strange gods before me ॐ:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:00 am
Katherine and those who are talking about pricing,
I understand there are some pen and paper RPGs which attempt to get serious about price ratios in a medieval or medieval-inspired setting? I wish I knew some off the top of my head, but if nobody recommends on here, it might be worth asking around on RPG forums.
carlie:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:03 am
Just had the MRI – coolest thing ever, they gave us the cd to take to the doctor, I asked if the images were proprietary format, and nope, all jpegs we can copy ourselves too. I now have pictures of my child’s braaaainnnnzzz. :)
katenrala:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:08 am
I have to get a blood transfusion today, I’m pumping water instead of the good stuff and my bone marrow is probably tuckered out again.
There is no finer way for a regular person to help people with cancer, other ailments, and physical injuries than to donate blood. Keep your money, as money cannot make blood, but donate the life giving fluid that runs through your body. I’ve had 34 units so far, so my blood has been totally replaced 4 times, 3 times, or nearly 3 times depending on the source of the information.
Blood transfusions and platelet transfusions have saved my life more than once but since I have cancer I am forever barred from donating, so I must beg you to donate in my stead. If you are healthy I urge you to donate blood, and regularly too, especially if you are O- as most people can accept that. But hospitals need all blood types and blood products so donate even if you’re not O-.
Please give people life; it will cost you next to nothing to do but your blood will give others everything. Thank you, there are no better words to express my deepest gratitude if you donate than thank you.
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:28 am
@Katenrala:
Wish I could give blood, but thanks to being blacklisted forever, I cannot.
katenrala:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:33 am
Same sex stuff or disease? If I weren’t sick I’d be blacklisted anyway.
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:52 am
@Katenrala:
Both. Creutzfeld Jakobs was going around when I lived in Germany. Also I had manual and oral sex with men (nothing penetrative.)
george3:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:37 am
Greetings All.
Just a fly by.
Good news, I hope.
http://medievalnews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/bulk-of-timbuktu-manuscripts-survived.html
Hope this works, I’m going back to luurk mode now.
Thanks for letting me vacation amongst your various and interesting lives.
Cheers!
G
carlie:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:09 am
For fun: The science of rocks.
Beatrice:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:14 am
WMDKitty,
No?
Gnumann+, Radfem shotgunner of inhuman concepts:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:50 am
I can’t unfortunately. By the regulations in my neck of the woods, you can have unprotected sex with prostitutes every day of the week for a full year, and be pardoned after six months.
If you suck one cock in your teenage years, you have the choice between lying or being banned for life.
(And of course, no pardon for the prostitute either).
Yet an example of how patriarchy fucks up everything (and thinks fucking everything is ok as long as you do it as a patriarchal male).
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 31st, 2013 at 11:03 am
I experimented with a same-age friend when I was 13-14. I note on the questionnaires that they don’t even fucking ASK about heterosexual promiscuity which is probably 3 orders of magnitude higher risk and guiltlessly neglect to mention it.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 31st, 2013 at 11:08 am
IVF is far more comparable to adoption in terms of the time, effort, and cost required to cause the “parent of a child” thing to happen. (It’s probably actually more expensive). Thus, IVF vs. adopting is a much fairer comparison – with IVF, you’re not just starting a family the easiest, most practical way, you’re going to a LOT of trouble, but still refusing to help an existing child because having a biological one is, for whatever reason, that important.
Now…
My passing understanding was that there were organizational policy and even legal barriers to cross-race adoption. Does anyone have any better information on that to hand, or will I be instructed to take homework time to research it exhaustively?
didgen:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:13 am
My daughter is currently halfway through the second surrogacy pregnancy. The first child was for an incredibly nice gay couple, this one a set of twins for a couple who have spent ten years and an astounding amount of effort and physical and emotional pain trying to have a baby. I agree that adoption should be utilised much more, and those children should all find good and loving homes, but I also see that IVF is a good thing that can help these people so much.
didgen:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:18 am
I am absolutely not minimizing the pain children in the system go through, just saying these two things may not be so simple a fix as that.
dontpanic:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:31 am
katenrala:
I’m O- but given the stories above in this thread, I don’t donate; I feel bad about that to some degree but even now just the thought is making me a bit twitchy. I would if I could. Sorry.
Beatrice:
Yeah, I edited it in my head the same way. WMDKitty, I understand what you’re trying to say, but unless you come out and say exactly as FTFY you’re are attacking a group that already feels in an especially vulnerable position. And you can partly blame that on some of the themes we attack here in Pharyngula: the societal pressure that if a woman doesn’t have children (of her own) that she is a less valued member of society. So you’re pointing at these women who are already getting shit, and saying “you’re a bad person for this other reason”.
My wife had a hard time getting pregnant (we waited a bit late) and though we in the end didn’t need to resort to extreme measures (not even the first steps like hormones) is was a bit worrisome whether it would ever happen. That was stressful. We did cursorily look into adoption, but frankly its damn expensive — even for those “unwanted” children there are upfront costs that look pretty insurmountable. We’ve thought about foster children as a sibling for sprog but well, he’s already a handful of “issues” and taking on another with similar or other issues is probably beyond us. I think rather than berating those that go the IVF route it would be better to advocate for the breaking down of barriers to adoption and foster care.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:44 am
Katherine
The ban because of “living in Germany” is particularly stupid (well, so is the ban for gay people) since you can guess where Germans get their blood and I don’t remember any documented or even undocumented cases of this being a problem.
katenrala
Sorry, I can’t donate. Back in the days I donated plasma
WMDKitty
Thunderdome
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:56 am
dontpanic
Yeah, after my miscarriage we looked into options as well, not knowing if we were just unlucky or in serious trouble. It became quite clear that adoption was impossible. Mr. was already too old (over 35!), usual waiting time around 7 years and I would have had to stay at home for like forever. What would have been easier is foster children and that’s still something I hope I’ll be able to do some day. In Germany parents hardly ever lose their parental rights completely, unless they reliquish those rights the goal is always to re-unite the bio family, so you never know how long those children will be with you, even if you say you want to foster them until adulthood (You can also decide to offer short time fostering, if there’s a conflict in the family, health problems or such).
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:01 pm
@Giliell:
But they can’t test for Creutzfeldt Jakobs or even know whether it transfers through the blood so BAN EM ALL!
It was during a specific period of time in which I lived there though, so not everyone got hit by it.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Katherine
Yeah, I guess I lived here during that time, too. Might even haven sucked cock…
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:10 pm
@Giliell:
Gasp! You whore! :O
(I kid, of course)
dianne:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:15 pm
There have been cases of CJD being passed via blood (actually, IIRC, pooled plasma) donation, but it’s not very common. The ARC is quite paranoid that way. I’m also a lifetime ban because of time in Germany. Which is a shame, really, since I’m A- and CMV negative, so a really good candidate in general. Interestingly, I can’t donate in Germany because I take SSRIs. Oh, well.
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:47 pm
blueintx
It was. When has that ever stopped conspiracy theorists?
Katherine
If it helps, in England in 1795, a lof of bread cost 1s, and the average worker made about 3s/week (although keep in mind that the loaf inquestion weighed about 9 lb/4 kg, so notreally a comparison to the 1-2 lb/ .5-1kg loaves you see in the stores nowadays. (From here Also, SGBM’s suggestion of RPG sites is a good one. These types discussions do take place regularly there, and ofent times people will cite their sources. If you’d like, I can look for links to some of the better discussions I’ve seen recently.
Katenrala
As others have said, they won’t take my blood.
Azkyroth
It is my understanding that the Red Cross for the most doesn’t give a shit who you’ve had sex with in fact, There are Federal apparently regulations about the gay, though, dating back to the 80s when AIDS was “The Gay Cancer!” and no one knew how to screen for it anyway.
Gnumann+, Radfem shotgunner of inhuman concepts:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:03 pm
Doesn’t count if you’re a woman. Unless the owner of said cock ever sucked a cock of course, then it’s a life ban too.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 31st, 2013 at 1:04 pm
So. Nephew-in-Law has been (tentatively) diagnosed as schizophrenic, though Sister1 is still hoping for a Medications Deathmatch as the cause, instead. This is particularly unwelcome, since Niece is unemployed, N-i-L was (temporarily) not working due to an injury (but since he works at WalMart, and not managerially, you can imagine what they have by way of health insurance)…and they have a less-than-year-old baby. And live in Oklahoma.
If anybody knows of anything I can usefully refer them to (resources, advice, anything), please don’t be shy about speaking up.
:(
-
Ah. WMDKitty…it pains me to have to say this, but….
While I agree with you that “every child is absolutely entitled to a loving, stable family”, and while it is true that no one is “entitled to pregnancy and childbirth”, it is also true that you aren’t entitled to mandate that someone is not allowed to feel the way they feel, though you are entitled to disagree with them about it—and they are equally entitled to tell you, should they so desire, to fuck off. This is a notoriously touchy area, bound to result in much vigorous jumping up and down on emotional sore spots—obviously yours, as much as theirs.
Ideally, all adoptable children would be adopted…but I’ve seen want-to-be adoptive parents—good, loving people, with no particular sex or racial bias—get ground up in the process; there always seemed to be more fees….
What I’m trying to say is, it’s not as cut-and-dried, black-and-white as you suggest, and you were using an awfully broad brush.
-
rq: *hugs* and a ready shoulder.
I have to admit that your situation as described makes me…uneasy for you. Maybe I’m just free-floating some extra anxiety today, but….
-
Gnumann+, Radfem shotgunner of inhuman concepts:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:06 pm
And through this I go on a voyage of discovery to find out how sexist my cock-comment was. Bleh! I’m so sorry.
It should have said “If you suck a cock while owning one yourself” of course (presumably, you get off if the cock you suck is your own, but most guys can’t do that).
Eurasian magpie:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:08 pm
Checked the blood donation guidelines here in Finland.
- male-male sex: permanent ban
- living in the UK during 1980-1996 for more than six months: permanent ban
- recieving blood transfusion outside Nordic contries: permanent ban
- SSRI medication: no problem
- living in Germany: not even mentioned
I’ve been most of my life too thin to donate which I was grateful for. Needles and blood-letting are a problem for me. Then the early middle-age filled me up a bit and now I do have a moral struggle about blood donation. Is phobia a justification not to give?
Probably not.
athyco:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:17 pm
I’m on the call list for two local high schools when they do their annual blood drives. The sponsors there know that I’m now slow–always on the cusp of the time limit after needle insertion–and they’re good about getting me started quickly and keeping me warm. It’s so frustrating to have them pull the needle on an incomplete donation, especially since I had years of no problem with it.
Beatrice:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:33 pm
I’m joining Eurasian magpie on the “ashamed, but having to admit I’m scared of blood-letting” bench.
I should do some blood tests because of my own health (I already have some suspicions about my thyroid gland), haven’t done them in years, but I’m too scared. If I manage to get over that, I promise to start donating blood.
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:33 pm
Well, somebody must written the wrong date for that information evening into my calendar and that somebody has a handwriting that kind of resembles mine…
+++
But YAY! Friend’s child is born.
Dunno much more than that it was a C-section after all and they’re both doing fine.
+++
And damn, my great-aunt has died :(
I guess at 90 you can’t complain…
carlie:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:34 pm
No, you were right the first time. If you are a woman who has ever had sex with a man who has ever had sex with another man, you are also banned. Unless you meant you were wrong for another reason that I’m too dense to parse at the moment.
I donate blood all the times I can, but I have the most useless whole blood type.
Beatrice:
January 31st, 2013 at 1:38 pm
…and there’s also my weight being a bit under the threshold, but I’m quite short so I’m not really too thin. I just have to stop being such a coward about blood.
Gnumann+, Radfem shotgunner of inhuman concepts:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:04 pm
Carlie
I’m sorry, I was a bit unclear. The comment at 448 is totally acceptable. The sexism is in my comment at 435. Which totally fails to recognize that women suck dick too occasionally. Which does not ban them unless the suckée also has sucked dick (or otherwise contacted said member).
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 31st, 2013 at 2:10 pm
My recollection from the questionnaire is it’s a year deferral if you’re a woman who’s had sex with an MSM. Not that this makes it any better.
Beatrice:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Checking the rules over here. Those who are banned from donating blood forever and ever:
-alcohol or drug addicts
-men who had sex with men
-women and men who had sex with prostitutes
-promiscuous people
-people who used to take drugs intravenously
-people on the mend from STDs and HIV positive people
-sexual partners of all of the above
Also, add to that those who suffer of various illnesses, mental illnesses being on that list too.
If people didn’t lie, I don’t think we’d be able to get enough blood in the hospitals, going by these rules.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 31st, 2013 at 2:47 pm
And now, Professional Temp Patch is gone.
:(
-
Giliell: Yay! for your friend’s child’s birth; and hugs* for your great-aunt’s death.
-
rq, homeowner:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:47 pm
The only time I’ve ever given blood was all those 329484729837 times I had to give it for blood tests during pregnancy. And I’m terrified of the process, much like anything medically related. Especially people in lab coats.
cicely
There’s a lot of stress going around between us these days. I’m hoping for some saner, better conversation (with follow-through) in the next few months. But I have a plan (a rather selfish one, it’s true) just in case.
I’ll be checking in here from time to time.
+++
fluoride
Also, I forgot to ask – any actual basis to the fluoride-thyroid issues connection? (I’ll continue reading tomorrow.)
+++
And in better news – *confetti! sparkles! mental exhaustion! relief!*
Yes. :) We haz house. (At least, all paperwork is submitted, and awaiting recognized and sealed return in a week or so.) Thank you for all the crossed tentacles on my behalf; they may now be crossed on someone else’s behalf! *tired little happy dance*
Now to gather my strength for the next 6 days…
Improbable Joe:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:52 pm
YAY RQ HOMEOWNER ASS-KICKER!!
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 31st, 2013 at 2:52 pm
Adoption
It’s apparent that my feelings and my pain are irrelevant because some stupid breeder is “more oppressed” than I am by their infertility. I don’t care what society is telling them, I don’t care if they’re in pain, I care that children are getting screwed over for the sake of some asshole’s DNA.
If I could, I’d adopt a whole bunch of em, but I’m one of those people who really, really shouldn’t be a parent. (And recognizes that fact.)
Blood Donation
Hep C from a pre-1990 transfusion (we think — I know I’ve never engaged in any of the behaviors that usually result in this infection.)
Can’t donate.
Still a little pissed off that they informed me of my infection via a form letter.
Beatrice:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:52 pm
Giliell,
*combination of happy and supportive *hugs**
–
rq,
Congrats on house-owning!
Giliell, professional cynic:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:52 pm
rq
I see your nym change.
Congratulations
Fuoride and thyroid? I only know iodine and thyroid (Incidentially, having Hashimoto’s disease with my immune system slowly eating up my thyroid I’m supposed to abstain from iodine. Do you know how difficult it is nowadays to get iodine-free salt?)
cicely
No advice, only hugs.
beatrice
Thanks
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 31st, 2013 at 2:55 pm
*does happy dance for rq*
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:01 pm
rq
CONGRATULATIONS!
Hiphiphooooray!
:D
and I’m sorry for the “trouble in paradise” and sorry I wasn’t around to offer *hugs* earlier. Take this backed-up pile?
cicely
*hugs*
Giliell
Yay for baby!
So sorry to hear about your great aunt.Glad she lived a long life.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:09 pm
rq – Congratulations!
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 31st, 2013 at 3:11 pm
rq: *confetti&fireworks* for house-having.
Now, take all of those carrots out of your pockets. You’ll draw Horses.
;)
-
rq, homeowner:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:12 pm
Photos soon… Promise!
And to be less selfish (thank you, all… it will sink in once we start the move – oh boy!), a giant pile of hugs of varying emotions – for discouraging diagnoses, encouraging diagnoses, babies being born, neighbours dying, and any other general issues! (Special *hugs* to cicely and carlie, on behalf of the progeny and other relations.)
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
January 31st, 2013 at 3:17 pm
WMDKitty
Your pain is not irrelevant.
Their pain is not irrelevant.
There is no perfect answer, which will be agreeable to everybody.
-
rq, homeowner:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:37 pm
Giliell
I’m just asking about the fluoride+thyroid, because it has showed up in a few of the (admittedly conspiracy oriented) articles I’ve been reading. I suppose you would know if fluoride is also supposed to be harmful to the thyroid… Yes, I knew of the iodine connection (and no, I have no idea how difficult it is to get non-iodized salt – I know they sell both varieties in grocery stores here). But fluoride? You may have cleared up that question for me. ;)
WMDkitty
I think I can sort of understand your point of view, but I can also sort of understand theirs… As cicely says, I just don’t think there’s any good (perfect? right?) answer to the issue. I was going to write a bit more about it, but I realize that I can’t help the situation, and in the end, I can’t even agree with myself on the ‘better’ answer. All I can do, once again, is offer *scritches* or *hugs*, as preferred.
+++
To all the congratulators – dkinrs, ridksn, ksdirn, iskndr, nikdrs for everyone! :) *happy dances some more*
carlie:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Yay rq!!!!!!!
I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game like that. The people who are willing to adopt and would be good adoptive parents aren’t all the same people who are using IVF, and the people who use IVF aren’t all the same people who would make good adoptive parents.
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Another one who is blacklisted on the blood donation front. I would if I were allowed.
David Marjanović:
January 31st, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Link dump, part 1 of 2!
New $1.6 billion supercomputer project will attempt to simulate the human brain
For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II *tapping on floor, blindly, to pick up dropped jaw*
Petition to ban semiautomatic rifles in general and the AR-15 “Man Card” in particular
On the origin of bees if you have access.
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:05 pm
So I found out that Snip may be reacting to the topical medicine I use for his fleas, heatworm and such (Revolution) cause his fur is gone on the spot where I apply it :(
David Marjanović:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Part 2 of 2, with cute overload!
“Why do hairy mammals like being stroked? Scientists think that the answer lies in a particular group of neurons which respond to gentle stroking in mice. Nature Video learns more with a little help from some furry friends: LOL cats.”
Yes, that’s Nature as in… Nature. The paper is here.
Another petition to ban semiautomatic guns
Tammy Duckworth, worth her weight in ducks, wants to represent you: she wants to hear from you which of 13 issues and/or “other” are most important to you. You can choose more than one.
Improbable Joe:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:24 pm
I’ll go donate blood… seems like I’m the only one who can?
Nutmeg:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:36 pm
I can’t give blood either. I gave a few times in high school. But now, whenever I get even the tiniest bit nervous, my pulse gets fast and often irregular. Canadian Blood Services won’t let you give blood if your resting heart rate is over 100bpm, and I don’t think they like irregular heartbeats either. I tried to give blood a few times in undergrad, but just dealing with an unfamiliar medical person is enough to put my pulse over 100. Plus I’m pretty sure my current acne meds are teratogenic.
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:49 pm
I’m late to the “embarrassing throwing up stories” party,but…
When I was 15, I took driver’s ed at the local high school. I was homeschooled. There were a few kids at the high school that I knew, and one of them was assigned to the same car as me. He was dreamy. Cantlookhimintheeyeandbabble kind of dreamy. He got to practice his “pull over to the side of the road”skills when I blew chunks all over my lap in the back seat.
Giving blood: I pass out from it too. So I try to help with logistics and cookies whenever there’s one nearby, hosted by either fire department or Rotary Club.
nightshadequeen:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Yeah, I’d totally give blood more often if my blood pressure wasn’t ridiculously low*.
*I can, but it takes forever, and the Red Cross people around here are incompetent**. I’ve found that elevating my legs help. It’s annoying too since I’m a) O+ and b) have a hemoglobin concentration of >15.
**Seriously, my veins bulge out of my arms. How hard can they be to hit? The people in my hometown regularly manage to get me without a tourniquet. But no, the three times I’ve tried giving blood, once it took like three tries for them to get my vein, and then they wouldn’t stop futzing with the needle and of course it penetrates the other side of my vein and they had to stop.
thunk, hull overheating:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Augh. I’m having the weirdest day today.
First I had some sort of “not getting enough sleep” headache, which is usual when there are 7:30 classes (fuck them).
Then, I just feel really empathetic today… as in “breaking into tears at David Marjanovic’s Starovery link when you’ve heard the story before and already know it.”
Portia, wishing for spring:
January 31st, 2013 at 5:08 pm
Ugh sorry bout the headache, thunk. I hate that kind, because it feels both totally preventable and totally unavoidable in the face of early obligations. (Seriously, fuck early classes).
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 31st, 2013 at 5:23 pm
rq!!!
Hooray! Here’s to happy house-holding!
And let me add a belated voice to the chorus: You are not being unreasonable. Your needs are important too and there’s no shame in recognising that. Hopefully once the stress of house buying and moving calms down things will be easier.
I got married, had a child, quit a job of 20 years and moved to a different continent all in the space of three months. I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent some time huddled in a corner crying during that period. Nor am I ashamed to admit that relations between Ms. Fishy and I were strained pretty badly. Stress in one area of life can lead to difficulties in others and recognising that help me through.
I’d offer you big hugs, but seeing as how you’re now landed gentry I will merely tug my forelock as is right and proper for a peasant such as myself.
Vomiting stories? Heh.
My brother-in-law turned 18 while he was visiting us in Canada. We set him up with the son of a co-worker to take him out to celebrate. As expected he came home very late and very, very drunk. Vomiting drunk in a rather uncontrollable way.
The next morning I said “Welcome to adulthood.” as I handed him a bucket and mop.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist, with a perchant for pachyderm punditry):
January 31st, 2013 at 5:29 pm
Dammit, I can donate blood and I want to donate blood but the collection center is 40k away and is only open when I’m working.
Nutmeg:
January 31st, 2013 at 5:48 pm
Also: *BIG BIG HUGS* to cicely and assorted family.
thunk, hull overheating:
January 31st, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Hrmph. But *I* wake up at 5 am every day, so it must be possible for everyone, or they’re not trying hard enough.
(fuck this presumptuous sarcastic shit).
Caine, poisoned chalice:
January 31st, 2013 at 7:26 pm
WMDKitty, you are now in my killfile, here and everywhere else on FTB. Do not ever direct another post at me, thank you.
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls:
January 31st, 2013 at 7:32 pm
Coming up on Ground Hog Day, and the Redhead must still celebrate all such holidays (toned down to my time/cooking skills). A meatloaf of ground pork (ground hog…ouch), baked potatoes and fresh squash this Saturday. We’re still working on the roast pork with dried fruit from last weekend…
The only time I’ve had any problem with potential fainting was when I had a tooth worked on after I first went on blood pressure medication. The tooth was in the upper back and they were working with my head down for a while. Started getting a bit strange before the dentist noticed.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 31st, 2013 at 8:20 pm
So, now I’m in the awkward position of seeing someone who has really pissed me off in the past, treated to the same dismissive, marginalizing, exploitative “no, you don’t get to have your own feelings, or at least ever express without having them stamp-of-approvaled by people who group themselves with and identify with and sympathize with the categories of people who have casually and sneeringly stepped on you your entire life. You have to put the steppers first. Other people matter, you don’t. Other people are people, you’re a thing. You can choose to be a useful thing, but you’ll always be only a means to an end” crap I’ve put up with over the years, whenever the masks start slipping, complicated by the fact that they’re actually wrong on quite a few points unrelated to that.
Fucking just what I needed tonight.
morgan:
January 31st, 2013 at 8:49 pm
*knock knock*
Anybody here?
*pushes open door, peeks in, looks around*
Wow, there’s stuff all over the place. Guess everybody went home. Hope nobody got hurt.
*grabs a broom*
Guess I’ll just tidy up a bit. I hope I’ll see all the folks tomorrow.
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:18 pm
I get off easy for the next two holidays, Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year. Both take-out (Popeye’s and a local Chinese restaurant).
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:21 pm
*Walks in back door. Looks around *.
Hey, some body cleaned up!
*Gets to front door. Looks down the sidewalk*
Hey, morgan! I just stepped out to check on the blog next door! Come back!
morgan:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:27 pm
bluentx? Hey, hey!
*walks back*
Good to see you. Looks like things got pretty active. Guess that happens when we all get really honest, which is not a bad thing.
So what are doing the rest of the night?
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 9:57 pm
Doing? Me? Psst! Come a little closer–
*whispers* I’m supposed to be working!
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
January 31st, 2013 at 10:37 pm
I think I’m going to take a couple of days away from FTB.
It’s obvious that I’ve got a lovely little ball of pain and anger buried deep inside.
It’s equally obvious that the way I’ve been dealing with it — ignoring it — is not working, and is having a very negative effect on my already-questionable mental status.
I need to find a healthy way to deal with what I’m feeling, and I can’t do it when Angry Bitch Me is all “RAWR! HULK SMASH!” So, I need to take some time away to, you know, deal with my shit, because I can’t do this anymore. I can’t take the stress and anxiety and sheer panic at being controlled by a part of me that I hate. I have a lot of issues, I have a lot of shit in my head that’s been festering for years, and it’s time to get off my ass and do something about it other than “lock it away until it bites me in the ass”.
Go ahead and hate me.
I hate me.
I promise not to do anything stupid or life-threatening in the next 48-72 hours.
See you all on Monday.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
January 31st, 2013 at 10:45 pm
I know exactly what you mean.
Take as long as you need. *hugs*
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:51 pm
Thanks Caine. Just hadn’t checked up on him lately.
bluentx:
January 31st, 2013 at 10:53 pm
Oops ! Wrong thread…
Improbable Joe:
January 31st, 2013 at 11:35 pm
WMDKitty,
Good idea. Sometimes people just need to walk away for a little while. Be safe and be well, and come back when you’re in a better place, OK?
chigau (違う):
February 1st, 2013 at 12:47 am
This has nothing to do with anything here but
I really wish that people who use spreadsheets would fucking well learn how to use them.
Stop sending me your mangled, buggered, versions of the tidy one I sent to you.
Just follow my instructions.
ednaz:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:16 am
Take care, WMD Kitty, and see you soon.
ednaz:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:36 am
rq, Hooray for House!!
-
Sending hugs and courage and strength and fortitude. ( Not sure what that means, I’ll have to look it up. I think it has something to do with bran cereal.) Anyway! Sending everything you might need for the days ahead.
-
Also, I believe you have the right to be selfish. (When being selfish means wanting perfectly reasonable things.)
♥
ednaz:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:40 am
chigau (違う)
Here, have a bottle of rum. When it’s empty, you can use it on the noggins of the people who send you buggered spreadsheets. : )
chigau (違う):
February 1st, 2013 at 1:56 am
ednaz
Thanks. A fine idea!
Now to sleep (and not dream of buggered spreadsheets)
(srsly, a baboon could manage)
Camcaran:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:22 am
Eurasian magpie
I too have a needle phobia (among many others), but I donate blood. I cried my eyes out the first time I went there, but it got easier every time. If you decide to go, tell them of your phobia.
ednaz:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:33 am
hee hee : ) pleasant sleep, chigau
John Morales:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:34 am
Maybe a bit of cheer for some here: Portraits capture powerful women
Giliell, professional cynic:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:54 am
Good morning
Bah, I feel like the little one passed her cold on to me :(
Camcaran
Actually, when I decided to donate plasma it was partly motivated by my own desire to overcome my needlephobia I acquired as a child when I needed regular blood-tests to ensure that I wasn’t actually suffering from tuberculosis.
Camcaran:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:00 am
I started donating, simply because I thought it was something that people should do. But it has been more than helpful with the phobia.
Camcaran:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:11 am
I have several phobias, and I usually just get mad when people tell me I just need to get used to x. But in case of needles it has actually worked. I’m still nervous and a bit afraid before a blood test or something, but at least I’m not crying in the waiting room.
Giliell, professional cynic:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:44 am
Camcaran
I’m not generally prone to phobias (anxiety is a different issue), so the needle thing was about me getting in control again. As a child, I didn’t understand. I couldn’t understand why they treated me as sick even though I felt perfectly healthy.* So, what happened in my eyes was that people were hurting me for no reason at all against my will. I regularly went totally out of control in the clinic. I would try to run, I would scream, kick and bite with the result that adults would catch me and restrain me what added to my sense of being violated. It was not about the pain. This was capilar blood drawing, hardly hurts and I hurt myself much more every day. It was about being violated, having my autonomy disrespected, people doing things to me and needles became synonymous for that. I would prefer lots of pain at the dentist’s instead of an injection. Donating plasma meant that I chose to have a needle put into me.
*When tested for the school entry, my tb-test was positive and there was something strange on my lung x-ray. My parents were given the choice to either have me treated for TB which would have meant heavy medication with big side-effects or those regular tests on which basis further treatment or lack thereoff would be decided.
ednaz:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:51 am
Thanks for the portraits, John Morales. : ) I saved them for reading later.
ednaz:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:52 am
Goodnight All. Time for zzzzzs…
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:57 am
Good night, ednaz!
+++
Warning for the squeamish, I may be elaborating more than I mean to initially.
My Fear of the Blood Test gets worse every time I have to go, especially after the time the nurse fucked it right up and gave me a giant bruise in the crook of my elbow. So I grit my teeth, breathe deeply and sit through it. My mum likes watching the blood collect, but I can’t do that. I don’t mind needles (vaccines – just a poke!), but the extraction of bodily fluids by a medical professional… *shudder*
+++
FossilFishy
Seeing as how you’re a landowner (otherwise I have to ask, whose lovely property is the recipient of your love-nest-to-be?), I can accept hugs from you and the tugging of the forelock will not be necessary.
As for relationship stress, you have me beat. By comparison, my journey of moving to different country – dating – pregnancy – break-up – birth and revelation – anger – together-again (never mind actual marriage!) took us over a year. You say three months? Impressive.
But it’s a constant work in progress, as I’m sure you know.
([Warning] HUGE Personal Information Dump [/Warning])
We discuss things and talk about them, and then strangely enough there’s little to no action on them. And I don’t know if I’m doing something completely wrong, or if there’s more that I can do, but I’m so tired of repeating the same words, hearing the same pretty ideas about change, and seeing no follow-through. I’m just tired. I don’t feel happy anymore, not in that deep-down everything-is-really-ok sense. I don’t feel ok anymore, and frankly I’m losing patience. And I hate that. But I told him, and once again I tried to explain to him how utterly shitty I feel when he tells me I should just suck it up because I have it good, because it’s bad for me to want a trip without the kids while it’s perfectly ok for him to do it (to which I asked, If you really appreciated us (by his logic), then why would you even consider going, even if it is a paid trip???).
Well, now he has 6 days in the clear air of the Swiss Alps and no wife and children to derail his train of thought. And I have 6 days to think about what I can do, because I honestly don’t know at this point. I don’t want to expect something different and be disappointed again. I’m willing to have a discussion and to give it some time (because, you know, we’ll be moving, and even I can accept that it might be a tad difficult to get out on our own somewhere), but at least a show of effort or an offer to go out a couple of weeks down the line would be all the difference.
And if nothing changes, I just don’t know. What scares me the most? We’re moving from the big city to a relatively small town with less access to all kinds of places (including my work, for what it’s worth). We’ve agreed we need a second car, but I worry about how long it will take for us to get a second car. And…
Anyway. It’s not like he’s intentional about all these things, he’s just ignorant and unwilling to accept that something might be wrong (because he’s fine!). My opinions and explanations are met with a dubious “Well, if you say so…”, or “You’re probably right” (my feelings? I’m probably right?), and a few comments about how he doesn’t see the problem anywhere. Dammit, I’m showing you the problem! *sigh* He’s leaking privilege all over the place, not even realizing it, and refusing to do anything about it when it’s pointed out. Being too harsh or direct puts him on the defensive (“But what about me? Now I feel guilty! Waah!”). I would love for him to read a few things here and there, but he doesn’t (read, that is). I would love for him to have someone to talk to about this kind of thing, but none of his friends are even close to the level of less-sexism and privilege-acknowledgement that he has (seeing as he is fairly low on the scale, that should say a lot…).
Sometimes I just don’t know what else to do, besides start planning my own (single) outings and trips (within family budgetary constraints, of course). I don’t know what else will make him see. I’ll probably be labelled selfish no matter what I do, but honestly, I just want him to realize that I am not happy and there are things that we can do about it.
Well, that was all about me, but it had to come out somewhere and sometime.
Yay house?
Ech. Leaving that there just because. I swear, soon I’ll stop complaining about myself and talking about my problems. I feel like an ass for putting them out there, and I’m sorry, but really it’s the only venue I have right now, where I can bounce some ideas. And maybe I am a little bit in the wrong, but I’m sure that will be pointed out to me, as well. I know I’m not perfect. I’m a bad housewife, actually, because I don’t particularly like being one. I’ve never been a big fan of children as a concept (I assure you, I like mine and I love them a lot), and to be honest, I never had any planned for myself, except in the general Oh, one day, one day, maybe…. But that’s neither here nor there. What I mean is, maybe I’m just doing it wrong, too. I don’t know.
I’m going to try to not talk about myself for a while after this, sorry everyone. I probably sound like privileged ass most of the time. Sorry for that. :(
Camcaran:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:00 am
Giliell
Mine is just plain old irrational fear. Might have a reason behind it or not. But I think I understand at least a little what you have felt like. As I understand the donating was helpful for you. I’m glad. =)
Giliell, professional cynic:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:30 am
rq
(((hugs)))
Some unsolicited advice: If you basically agree on changing some things or others when you talk but it never happens, maybe it would help to make a concrete plan?
To say “we want to spend time as a couple” is one thing, to say “We’ll go for dinner/movies/bowling the first Saturday of the month” is another one.
It worked for us when we always complained that “we would like to spend time as a family” and it never worked because there was always something else. Then we decided that we will spend Saturday afternoons as a family and it worked out.
bluentx:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:45 am
rq:
Good morning! Tho I’ll have to be going to bed soon. *sigh*
Congrats on the house!
Fuck that shit! Ooo, I’m having a flashback… Sounds exactly like my first ex. [I hold the family record for divorces-2]Three seperate marriage councilers told him (#1) he had a control problem. He’d ‘be good’ for a few weeks then start all over again. It was then that I first realized I had a problem with depression and anxiety.
You sound more together than I was though and I didn’t have the internet on which to vent (late 90′s). Don’t let him ‘bully’ you or undermine your confidence like mine did!
And don’t you dare hold back, thinking that we’re ‘tired of your complaining’. That’s what communes are for, man. Sharing, growing, communicating. Right on? (Sorry, talk about a flashback : )
Keep talking to him and to us. * a million hugs*
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:53 am
Giliell
Unsolicited advice from those more experienced is always welcome. :) Thanks.
We tried the concrete plan bit the last time, and still no results – we’d decided on the second Saturday, once a month (unless, of course, emergencies)I threw out a few ideas the first couple of months and got turned down; he suggested we go skiing the week before last (and he knows it’s an activity I don’t particularly like).
Yes, we lost the schedule because things, but it looks like the next attempt will be an even more concrete plan – as in, writing it in the calendar and putting a reminder on the cell phone and the like. And actually making sure we look for date/activity ideas, and worst comes to worst, just heading out blindly. I’m thinking what might help is if we arrange the baby-sitting well in advance, so that once they arrive, we have no choice but to leave…
bluentx
Thanks for that, too. When I start to feel guilty about making him feel guilty, I try to pull back a little bit and see if I should be feeling guilty at all or not (as in, am I being reasonable in making him feel guilty, or not?). I admit, a few times I’ve been over the line, and I struggle to admit that, but I’m getting better. But sometimes, like now, I honestly believe I’m allowed to make him feel a little bit bad about me not feeling good, if it will make him think about why I feel bad (and not how I make him feel bad all the damn time). And yes, that reinforces the confidence that things need to be discussed and changed, instead of moi retreating back into being quiet and sullen and pretending to be happy with a situation that’s making me miserable. Work in progress, I say! Yay for the commune!
bluentx:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:13 am
rq:
Keep us informed on the progress (of house and home).If you need any help moving I’ve got a truck, but it may be a little tricky getting there ; )
I think it’s time for bed.
Good night and good morning all!
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:25 am
bluentx
Good night! ;)
We’ve got some help in the truck/van department (I mean, we need it – we have to move a piano) but the offer is very much appreciated!
Giliell, professional cynic:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:27 am
rq
The last time my family move a piano they hacked it into pieces…
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:31 am
Giliell
*snortle*
Well, my skills at putting a piano back together are rather poor, and since I want to play it again sometime… I think we’ll avoid your family’s solution.
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:33 am
@Giliell:
Your comment reminded me of this (unfortunately can’t find a video, but I’m sure everyone’s seen it.)
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:38 am
For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can’t readily accept the God formula, the big answers don’t remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us. (Charles Bukowski);
I talk to God but the sky is empty. (Sylvia Plath);
An angel’s arm can’t snatch me from the grave; legions of angels can’t confine me there. (Edward Young);
“Judge not, that ye be not judge”… is an abdication of moral responsibility: it is a moral blank check one gives to others in exchange for a moral blank check one expects for oneself. There is no escape from the fact that men have to make choices; so long as men have to make choices, there is no escape from moral values; so long as moral values are at stake, no moral neutrality is possible. To abstain from condemning a torturer, is to become an accesory to the torture and murder of his victims. The moral principle to adopt… is: “Judge, and be prepared to be judged.” (Ayn Rand) (Yes, I know, her, but…);
Martyrs have been sincere. And so have tyrants. Wise men have been sincere. And so have fools.
(E. Haldeman-Julius)
+++
These are a few… I have more, somewhere! :)
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:40 am
Dammit, completely wrong thread…. *blush*
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:01 am
That’s the beauty of the Lounge, rq, it’s never really the wrong thread for an accidental post… ;)
In general I am anti-quote, as in I strongly dislike reading the quotes other people think are wise, usually think people put way too much stock into a statement if it’s quotable, and despise the quote-of-the-week section of SGU (and interviews in general, I really dislike the interview format, but that’s neither here nor there). That said, I quite liked some of the above quotes, so thanks for mis-posting.
Regarding your 515- Please don’t ever feel bad about sharing the personal information you’d like to share here. If nothing else, know that I find it valuable and am interested to keep up with what’s going on. I am pretty sure that I’m not the only one by a long shot.
Though our situations are not identical (I don’t have kids or work, unfortunately. Unfortunately to the work part, not the kids part), I also moved to a new country in order to live with my now-husband and something you said struck a chord. Things are generally good, but the bad things are so cyclical. We have the same arguments over and over again, but the problem is that he never seems to remember. If I bring up something that we had decided ought to be changed, I would feel okay if he said, “That’s true, we did decide that, thanks for bringing this to my attention.” Instead he says, “I don’t remember us talking about this before.” I feel like we have several core issues and the little things that bug me are worse because they are all symptoms of the larger problems. If they were little isolated incidents, I could handle them one by one but instead I feel like everytime I have to start from the beginning and explain how this little thing that happened is just like this other little thing that happened and I’m noticing a pattern.
Sorry for the above ramble, but in any case, I felt less alone when you described your situation. Thanks for sharing and I hope it’s okay that I shared too. As far as advice goes, I don’t feel I should offer any because I don’t know what I’m doing. Of course, I hope things improve for you, especially after you get settled from the move. And congratulations! Enjoy your new roses when they bloom!
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:09 am
I know of a few of us who moved to a new country for the purposes of lurrve. Myself, rq, FossilFishy… are there any others?
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:11 am
Parrowing
Thanks for that post. It’s comforting to know that some issues are universally transferrable. Just proves we’re all people, at the core… Do you mind my asking from where and to where did you move? (It’s just curiosity, so if you don’t feel like divulging, please don’t feel like you have to!)
I definitely understand what you mean about having to start over all the time, though. That feeling gets reduced over time, and if I make enough of a fuss (because things are, for some things, tending quietly to the positive, albeit extremely slowly). I hate having to make a fuss, though, but the less emotional conversations tend to be ignored – which, in a way, emphasizes the importance of emotions in any discourse: it is all too easy to pass off quiet, ‘rational’ conversation as not worthy of enough attention. It is easy to forget, to pass over as ‘just another conversation’, easy to ignore. Making a fuss – with requisite emotions (although preferably avoiding the panic attack, as occurred on Thursday) – serves to show that this stuff is important. Granted, usually in the wrong kind of way (‘Fine, if it will make you calm down!’), but still… Once the direction has shifted, then it can be re-discussed more calmly once actual results can be seen and commented (so it’s not just theory).
But I hate having to make a fuss, yes I do, because I’m not trying to make a fuss. But all the little things (as you say) keep being ignored or unheard, and that adds up to a hell of a lot of emotions (at least for me).
Thanks for sharing and yes, feel free to share. :) It helps (both of us, most likely!). :)
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:20 am
Parrowing
Actually, I have a hard time providing supporting evidence, but I didn’t come here for luuurrrrve (as you so beautifully put it ;) ); it came with the idea of staying, if that makes any sense. It was potentially there but I stayed because of the job and thus became an actuality. I suppose it’s close enough for your purposes, though. :)
Oh, and I’m not a huge fan of quotes myself, but one of my all-time favourites is this one by Chekhov: “Any idiot can face a crisis; it is this day-to-day living that wears you out.”
Tony the Super-Duper Queer Shoop:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:20 am
Peeks in…
…I have never been this threadrupt. Work has been so busy, I have not been able to even check The Lounge, let alone respond to anything. The project that I wanted to get done is on the back burner unfortunately. I cannot even find the time to get online. I hope this changes soon, because 12-15 hour days may give me a fat paycheck, but I do not want to get burnt out. Hugs and congrats to all who need them.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:25 am
Tony!!!
*hugseseseses*
Don’t get burned out! Yay for fat paychecks! Boo for incomplete projects! More *hugs*! :)
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:39 am
Woops, rq, I knew I should have couched that statement as possibly not an accurate representation… sorry, and sorry to you too, FossilFishy if I also misrepresented your situation.
I’m originally from the US and I moved to Sweden. People always ask me how different the two places are and I keep saying that the differences feel very small to me compared to the differences between living in a city or city suburb and living in a small town that’s best located by describing it as between the two large lakes.
*
rq:
This. I never intend to get so upset that I’m crying or panicking, but it’s very difficult to manage when I feel ignored or not taken seriously. I despise when my husband says, “I don’t want to argue.” I don’t want to argue either, it’s not like I like it, but it’s what happens because of [insert specific problem here], so now we need to resolve it.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:52 am
Parrowing
This:
YES!!! (Unfortunately I have to run, so that’s all I have time for. But it completely summarized our situations, too.)
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 9:41 am
I’m in a very good mood.
There is no particular reason for it, but it’s a rare occasion that I feel completely free of worry or upset, and I’m smiling for almost no reason… so I wanted to share.
*hugs* and *chocolate cake* all around
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 1st, 2013 at 9:44 am
Yay, Beatrice! I hope the feeling continues :)
David Marjanović:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:05 am
Yay! Happy Beatrice! :-)
Somebody actually counted the words Sarah Palin spoke while employed by Faux Noise and calculated how many dollars per word she got.
Why you totally need a gun. Comes with ALL the trigger warnings! If you don’t need them, pay special attention to the bottom left corner of the picture.
Open-access paper that must be seen to be believed, but is quite encouraging. :-)
David Marjanović:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:06 am
*facepalm* Failed to close the <b> tag after the trigger warnings. The open-access paper has nothing to do with “needing” a gun.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:16 am
David M – *pouncehug*
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:26 am
rq
*hugs* I can’t offer much advice, but I hope things go well.
I prefer “Judge carefully, lest you be held to the same standard.”
Beatrice
Yay for the good mood, hopefully it persists.
Lynna, OM:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:26 am
Moment of Mormon Madness: mormon women from the “Young Womens” organization of the LDS church sing a song that is based on Katy Perry’s “Call Me Maybe.” If one of your triggers is badly executed choreography done in the service of oppressing women, avoid this video.
I sincerely hope that Katy Perry sues their pants off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j12xbZiyoYY
Excerpts from the lyrics:
This, my friends, illustrates Molly Mormonism perfectly. And those wild young women probably thought they were being bold by performing the “Gangnam” moves. Ride ‘em young mollies, ride ‘em.
Minnie The Finn, qui devient bientôt vierge:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:28 am
Another serious case of threadrupcy here.
How are y’all keeping, and have you booked your travel for Stockholm in August yet? =)
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:31 am
rq and Parrowing
I can totally sympathize. I think my relationship with S is disintegrating for many reasons, but what you describe is among them. I don’t have much time right now otherwise I would commiserate further. Lots of *hugs*.
Don’t either of you ever feel sorry for letting it out here when you need to. As you both said above, hearing other people have similar frustrations is really helpful to me.
Tony
Hi! I’ve missed you! Glad you’re getting fat paychecks though :)
Beatrice
Aren’t those days so nice? Glad you’re having a good mood day. Om nom nom Chocolate cake.
I turned away some chocolate cake last week, because it was overly sugary tasting. S literally took my pulse.
——-
I submitted my application to the local prosecutor’s office. I am so nervous. But my favorite federal judge (read: the only one that knows who I am and is a totally kickass person) called this morning and emphatically approved my use of her name as a reference. So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice. Is it customary to write a thankyou note for that sort of favor?
——-
*hugs* all around.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:44 am
Portia – I would, but I send thank you notes to people on a regular basis. I don’t see how it could hurt and it is polite.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 10:57 am
Good point, Hekuni Cat.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 11:20 am
rq
And my sense of uneasiness grows.
:(
Does he ever feel that he has it rough?
Somewhere in this world, there must exist the Sorriest Man Alive—the poor bastard that literally (in the literal sense of the word) has it worse than anyone on Earth. (Okay, okay; realistically it’s more likely to be a category of Equally Sorriest Men, but that ruins the shape of the story and undercuts the Moral, so handwave it, okay?)(And I use “Man” deliberately, in this instance. I don’t think that substituting “Human” gains us anything in this instance, if, as appears to possibly be the case, he has problems empathising with women in general.) (Anyways. Onward.)
And he is almost certainly not that Man.
Following what he seems to be using as “logic”, until and unless he is that Man, when he feels abused by fate, he must “just suck it up”…because, relatively speaking he “has it good”.
Also, *hugs* and sympathy.
-
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:32 am
Maryam Namazie has one square of a godbothere bingo card over at her post about Hijab Day:
Snicker. Sounds the same from any Abrahamic tradition doesn’t it?
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:33 am
*godbotherer
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:34 am
Oh, and Maryam reposts the nude photo of herself from the calendar, so be warned if someone is looking over your shoulder.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 11:51 am
*sigh*
Didn’t finish my point. Or grind it into the dirt. Whichever.
The point is that, by this “logic”, he must never aspire to have anything better, or anything more, or anything easier…because he’s already got it good.
(Incidentally, this is more-or-less what I think when, interminably, we are told that we (meaning, American women) shouldn’t complain of harrassment because Muslim women have it worse, or that it’s a travesty to get upset about female genital mutilation because a far larger number of males are routinely circumcised, or…you get the idea. By implication, we must, as a species, arrive at a consensus as to which injustice is the Worst In The World, and concentrate on no other, “lesser” injustices until that one is solved…and then the Next Worst, and so on. Yeah. Right. That’ll get the job/s done. </sarcasm>)
-
Minnie The Finn, qui devient bientôt vierge:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:58 am
Cicely: I hear you. That is something I regularly get here at home. While BoyToy is a lovely person in many ways, logic is not one of his strong points. I get regularly Godwinned in many conversations, and the consensus here (according to him) is that any feminist issues are a waste of breath since in Finland, things are generally okay.
Lynna, OM:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:03 pm
A Moment of Mormon Morning Madness. Only in Utah?
Gotta hand it to the mormons. They see sex everywhere … and then they proceed to repress it.
Minnie The Finn, qui devient bientôt vierge:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Lynna: That’s inspiring. From now on, whenever I have secksytimes with BT, I’m going to call it a Mormon Moment. And post online about it. Sooner or later, LDS will notice it. I will be waiting for their response excitedly.
The Mellow Monkey:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:10 pm
Oh shit. Just wait until somebody tells them about the flower.
chigau (違う):
February 1st, 2013 at 12:16 pm
vis·ta
/ˈvistə/
Noun
A pleasing view, esp. one seen through a long, narrow opening: “a vista of church spires”.
—-
long, narrow opening
hurrhurrhurr
church spires
hurrhurrhurr
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Beatrice: Hurrah for the good mood, and long may it wave!
:)
-
Tony: Fat paychecks are good, but burn-out is not. Take care of yourself. Remember, some of us are worriers.
-
Portia: Sorry to hear that your relationship is disintegrating.
:(
Hurray for application!
:)
-
Minnie: *pouncehug*
-
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:22 pm
Hello.
chigau (違う):
February 1st, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Hi Minnie!
Hi Oggie!
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Thanks, cicely. I’m sad but it is what it is. I’m just trying to navigate the predictable emotional reactions. We haven’t ended it officially. He is in a really rough place, though, so that conversation is not one I want to initiate. We’re just sort of drifting apart. It’s better than fighting all the time, but I do miss him. A lot.
………
Hi, Ogvorbis!
Minnie The Finn, qui devient bientôt vierge:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:30 pm
Cicely, Chigau: pouncehug back!
Ogvorbis: looooong time no see. A special hug for you. Hope you are well, and if not, then more hugs. With chocolate, bacon and loads of bling.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Ogvorbis – Hi! *waves*
Owen:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:53 pm
I have been guilty of being that guy too. I’d like to think I’m getting better, but it’s a long slog. Keep the pressure on him, rq, and maybe he’ll come round. But I should expand on that – if nothing happens, its not your fault for not keeping enough pressure on.
One thing that worked well for my relationship was to have “date night” once a week. We get a babysitter, and go out for dinner for a couple of hours. It doesn’t stop us flopping around the house like a couple of exhausted walruses the rest of the week, but at least it’s a bit of a break.
Improbable Joe:
February 1st, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Hey Oggie!
And hey Beatrice, glad you’re in a good mood.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 1:06 pm
Hello, Ogvorbis.
:)
-
carlie:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:08 pm
*hugs* Ogvorbis. :)
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Thanks, Portia. Ugh, that stage really sucks- the one where you know the end is likely near but you’re not sure whether you should push for it or hope that things change. *hugs* back at you. Congratulations on getting the application in on time and for the incredibly awesome recommendation!
*
Hiya, Ogvorbis!
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:17 pm
Thanks Parrowing. I really appreciate the hugs.
I just spoke to S and invited him to a family party tomorrow night. Now I wish I hadn’t let it slip to Dad and Uncle that we were sort of falling apart. But it will be great to have S there to help buffer me from Dad’s awful horrible no-good person of a gf. S says he might actually come.
The last couple of weeks we haven’t seen much of each other. He broke a streak of us not seeing each other by coming to rescue me from car trouble, and then broke a not-talking streak by alerting me about the application deadline. So it’s sort of like we are there for each other when we really need each other, which is comforting.
opposablethumbs:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Extra big hugs for rq, Parrowing, Portia – and I’m sure there was somebody else too ::shakes brain:: Is it OK if I just put some extra ones over here, for anyone who needs one? Because frankly, I reckon most of us could always do with a few extra hugs.
Yay for the application and rec, Portia
And hello Ogvorbis, good to see you again.
Hugs also to Tony (hopefully yay paycheck and yay good working environment, and NOOO to burnout – you take a break asap, you hear?)
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:23 pm
…he just told me he’s hanging out with my cousin’s husband tonight. It’s not a new friendship, but it’s interesting/weird to me that it’s still going on. Oh crap…I feel some false hope surging up. (Family has no idea we have problems).
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:23 pm
thanks opposablethumbs :) hugs gratefully accepted. and thanks for the yays! :)
Giliell, professional cynic:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Hi everybody
So, mum’s feeling better, her blood tests are getting better plus she seems to have take a push now that there’s some hope.
rq
Don’t feel bad. Some time or other most of us have used the Horde as our emotional back-up.
+++
So, in memory of my great-aunt, have I ever introduced you to Boomer?
She gave it to me when I was 4 or 5 and he’s been my best friend ever since.
Pteryxx:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:41 pm
*threadrupt random hugs*
Job offer in Prague as a writer for antivirus group Avast:
http://avast.jobs.cz/pd/516669632?rps=233§ion=positions
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Giliell
yay for mum :)
and Boomer looks very lovable.
Hekuni Cat, MQG:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:47 pm
Giliell – Good news. *hugs*
rq – *hugs*
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 1:52 pm
Back from Maine.
Enjoyed good food and weird company. My parents are incapable of discussing anything without playing uproar. They have learned to cap it at a low level, but DAMN!!
They keep the rubber bands in the refrigerator to keep them from drying out.
During the time I was there, temperatures ranged from -15F to 59F. And it rained. Hard.
Sister has a Maine Coon kitten, smokey black in colour. Cute.
And on Monday, Wife and I helped Mom go through the process of buying a new used car to replace their 12-year-old Mercury sedan. Ended up with a 3-year-old Honda with 23k miles. Very tiring.
Hugs to rq and Portia.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Giliell: Glad to hear about your mum.
-
UnknownEric:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Aww, Boomer’s cute.
Nutmeg:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:35 pm
Hi, Ogvorbis! Welcome back!
*hugs* to rq, Portia, and Giliell and anyone else who’s needing them
***
Thanks again to everyone here who reassured me when I freaked out about my suspicious mole last week. I freaked out again this week about some more changes, and got in to see my dermatologist today. It’s NOT melanoma. It’s a bunch of irritation plus scar tissue plus ingrown hairs plus med side effects. I’ll have it and another slightly irritated mole removed in a few months, as a precaution.
I was brought up with the idea that melanoma not caught early = big big trouble, so I haven’t slept properly in a week or eaten properly in 3 days. I am quite relieved to have the official declaration be “nasty-looking but not actually that scary”.
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Nutmeg:
That is good news.
Of course, putting up with a perturbed mole could be annoying. Maybe you could let it go at a golf course and, after it works out its irritation, pick it up again? I mean, golfers love moles, right?
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Hurrah for irradiated moles, instead of melanomas!
What superpowers has it got?
-
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 2:45 pm
(Has anybody heard from Jules, lately?)
-
Nutmeg:
February 1st, 2013 at 2:50 pm
Thanks, cicely and Ogvorbis.
Jules is active on PET and seems to be fine. I can pass along a message to her or ask her to check in here, if you’d like.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:00 pm
Beatrice, thanks for the chocolate cake! May the good feelings continue!
Portia, *hugs* for the relationship issues, for the small hope that may be false, and happy *hugs* for getting a good reference!
Minnie the Finn, yup, seksizm is apparently dead in Latvia too, because, you know, we had a woman president. And all those girls/women doing the administrative portion of scientific projects choose to do that part of the work. Who knew??
cicely, thank you so much for that story, you made me laugh. On a slight tangent, and for reasons not-quite-remembered, my sister and I began calling (then-proto)Husband the SAP. Now I can change that to SMA. Has a nice ring to it. :)
And yes, I see your point. I’m thinking to get my point(s) across I’m going to have to start using his logic, which… well, for the supposedly rational and naturally-born logical half of the human species, doesn’t sit well with me. I wonder, though, how it will work on him.
Hi, Ogvorbis! Glad you had a good trip!
Owen, the issue is not so much agreeing on having a date night, but actually having one. Where disproportionate amounts of effort is being spent in just thinking about it. (I love the image of wallowing walri (tee hee, Bad Latin!), I may use that in future – may I?) Thanks for the words of encouragement.
Giliell, great news on the mum front! *hugs* And Boomer is way cute. Very huggable.
opposablethumbs, thanks for the hugs!
To everyone: Thank you for all the emotional support. I know I can be wrong sometimes, and it doesn’t fix problems, but I feel a heck of a lot less panicky and anxious, knowing that there’s a crowd out there having my back, random advice, and similar situations/feelings. Seconding Parrowing and everyone else with the thought that, sometimes, it’s nice to be in an ‘echo chamber’. ;) Feeling less alone does a lot to compensate for the regular feelings of alone.
Now to put the three munchkins to bed! I loves me a good challenge, and the thought that there’s cold beer waiting on the other side. Back in a mo.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Nutmeg: Would be so kind as to pass along this package of *hugs&chocolate&bacon&booze* to her?
-
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:07 pm
If I want to get the Eddie Izzard tickets for a reasonable price (or any price, the best places are gone already, I think the whole thing might get sold out in a couple of days. The performance in Belgrade is already sold out.), I should probably buy them next week. So, to go or not to go? I would have to go by myself. :/
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Nutmeg, that’s good news!
+++
Tomorrow, The Princess Bride: everything still on? I’ll be switching on ca. 11PM my time (GMT+2), and probably just sitting here and commenting, so anyone who’s available, I would welcome the company! (I pick that time because chances are I’ll have all three wee ones in bed by that time, and asleep.)
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:09 pm
rq,
I’ll be there. Here. Watching the movie. :)
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:09 pm
By the by, tomorrow, in the United States, is Ground Hog Day. So be sure to get some nice pork sausage for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Beatrice
Not to sound stalkerish, but maybe we can both go alone? I want to go, and I’m seriously considering doing it alone. So, we could do it alone together…? (I know you don’t like doing things alone, but maybe if it’s together in spirit (haaaahahahahaha…)?)
Because I have to get tickets soon, too – he’s in a small venue here, and I don’t know how keen Latvians are on him (to judge by general reaction, not particularly, but you never know… foreigners, don’tcha know *snicker*).
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:18 pm
Mmm mmm mmm! I do love me some ground hog! Add some spices and fry that right up!
-
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:22 pm
cicely:
add a little maple sugar to the ground hog. Trust me.
Audley Z. Darkheart (liar and scoundrel):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:22 pm
The Darkling has been napping in her crib for an hour now. I don’t know what to do with myself.
AMUSE ME!
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Audley:
Are we allowed to make you laugh out loud? loud enough to wake The Darkling?
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:26 pm
rq,
You know, I think I’ll go. And I’ll even buy a nice seat. My eyesight isn’t the best, even with the glasses, and it would be nice if I could actually see the guy.
He’s apparently quite popular here, considering that he’s performing in three different towns.
You should definitely go too. We’ll be each other’s spirit company.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Thanks Ogvorbis and Nutmeg. I am really wallowing in hugs today, and loving it.
AUDLEY
Hi! Congrats on sixty consecutive minutes of “you time”
Amuse you…hmm…
ATIAC usually gets me.
http://animalstalkinginallcaps.tumblr.com/post/41293118174
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:28 pm
I heartily endorse both of you going to see Izzard by your respective selves, not that it counts for much :) I’ll just be jealous that I couldn’t go, and that the three of us couldn’t go together : )
I’ll also enjoy reading the PB comments tomorrow, though I’ll be unable to participate in the actual watching. I have seen it enough times that I’m sure I can follow along, ha
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Portia,
I don’t know about Audley, but that cat made me laugh out loud.
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Ogvorbis, that is an excellent suggestion!
:)
-
Audley, I guess I could do a song and dance routine for you…if I could sing. Or dance.
:D
-
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Beatrice:
Me too, for an embarrassingly long time.
Audley Z. Darkheart (liar and scoundrel):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Oggie,
DarkBaby is upstairs in the nursery and I’m downstairs in the living room, so I’d have to be laughing pretty loudly. :D
Portia:
OMG, that was all three of my cats at about 3 pm! Also, my tortie Harley has figured out that I’m home all day now, so the begging never stops.
Nutmeg:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:36 pm
cicely: Done! Jules says, “♥ cicely! I miss her!”
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Audley:
Okay.
Of course, you are a mother. You are not allowed free time. You must be making the castle acceptable to your master, you must be ironing socks, or waxing the toaster. Get to it. And make me a sammich!
That work?
cicely (Mostly Harmless):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:47 pm
OMFSM!!! How did I not know that this site existed?!? Now my life ’til now seems so pointless, so meaningless, so…cold….
Ah.
It’s below freezing, and breezy.
Carry on.
-
Nutmeg: Thanks!
I miss her, too.
-
Audley Z. Darkheart (liar and scoundrel):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:48 pm
Ogs:
:D Someone needs to make me a damn sandwich!
No peep from the behbeh yet!
Audley Z. Darkheart (liar and scoundrel):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:52 pm
PS: Me time includes eating chocolates while wrapped up in a warm blanket and watching tv. I’m thinking of having some wine, too.
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Good thing about going alone: there is one seat left in the second row and it will be mine. ha
Audley Z. Darkheart (liar and scoundrel):
February 1st, 2013 at 3:55 pm
(And I’m making cheese steaks for dinner. O.o)
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Audley:
I have a maple bacon chocolate bar.
And we are having a strip steak (one steak for the three of us) and roasted Brussels Sprouts for dinner.
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Welcome back Oggie and…someone else just came back from a while away; I can’t seem to find them and I’m terrible with names. *hugs* to you both/all though. Additional *hugs* for those suffering from relationship issues; those are always hard.
Tony
Good to see you again, if briefly, yay for fat paychecks, but watch for burnout.
It’s a slow day at work today since there were no students, so I’ll probably be around a little more than usual.
chigau (違う):
February 1st, 2013 at 4:10 pm
I made a batch of buttermilk biscuits and then I ate half of them.
*urp*
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Awesomesauce!
Audley
mmmm Chocolate and wine
cicely
Your life will most certainly be more giggle-riddled going forward.
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:12 pm
I know how you feel, Dalivicuna. I’m lousy remembering names, too.
I think that Minnie the Finn has been away for a while and showed up a little while ago?
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:13 pm
Audley
I don’t know about you, but these amuse me:
Honeybee
Saturday night
dontpanic:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:19 pm
For those talking about a “needle phobia”, that’s not it for me. Its really not a phobia in the usual sense of being scared. Its a post-event reaction, not so much of an anticipation … there have been times I’ve been nervous/anxious beforehand, but others when I’ve been quite calm.
—
Not to sound unsupportive or dismissive but I want to throw another viewpoint into the going away on a business trip to somewhere “nice” mix. I think my wife has an unrealistic expectation about how “fun” that foreign trip is. I find them quite stressful. Yeah, perhaps I’m officially away from home for 6 days. Day 1: travel, yes, only travel; by the time I reach the destination I’m exhausted (connections made, TSA navigated, hotel to find, etc.) ; there’s no option of “oops, missed a connection, oh well I’ll skip activity X I was planning for the first day” or “I’ll just change my schedule around”. I get where I’m going and I’m already dead tired. Then there are 3.5 days of meetings from 8 or 9 am to 5 or 6 pm. I’m expected to be aware of what’s going on, comment coherently, bring up objections, suggest solutions, vigorously argue w/ colleagues. Much more intense than a normal workday. Half the evenings we might go out for dinner as a group at which time work issues continue to be discussed. Those when we’re on our own, I’m stressed/anxious by the foreignness of the location (especially in non-English speaking countries, as I’m crap with languages so I’ve never mastered any others at even a basic level). Then later in the evening I’m really exhausted, but at least one night (likely two) I’ve got a talk to prepare for the next day. Perhaps, on the last day we’ll finish off mid-day and I’ll have a bit of free time. Sometimes, I’ll take another full day at location. And then travel back is a full day of travel stress.
So that “6 days” in exotic location really amounts to 0.5 to 1.5 free time after an wearying schedule. And I don’t take too much in extra days because [a] those sending me put a limit on how much vacation one can tack onto such a trip (1/2 the working days) to avoid abuse; [b] its expensive and I’m trying not to spend extra $ on “me” [c] I need to get back to take on some of the childcare duties that were in conflict with her teaching schedule (i.e. when spawn was younger and she taught 4-11pm (including driving) then someone had to be home to feed the child dinner, etc).
I know its frustrating for the person staying at home; I just want to point out that its not so easy-breezy for the traveller either. I don’t/wouldn’t have objections if she wanted to take off on a trip of her own (within budget limitations) and have encouraged her to do so with her friend. I guess this is a good reminder that I should encourage that she do that more. We were doing “date night” things, semi-regularly but have sort of fallen out of the habit.
birgerjohansson:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:19 pm
Vittra: Nordic ‘folklore zombie’ to hit Swedish cinemas http://www.thelocal.se/45958/20130201/
Not really a zombie. The vittra…think of the dangerous thingies that inhabited the forest in the Moomin Valley children’s books by Tove Jansson.
— — — — — —
I am my own worst enemy. I just ate a whole 300 gram (2/3 pound) parcel of chips, on top of dinner. I don’t feel very well.
— — — — — —
Germany has a big debate about misogeny. One politician is exposed as an asshole who made lews comments to a woman reporter instead of answering the questions. This is the top guy in the Liberal party, the coalition partner of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Audley
Yay for me-time! Mine just started. Hello, beer. Hello, Lounge.
Also, for some strange reason, this picture has been making me laugh for the past two days.
Beatrice
Since you have acquired your ticket (yay!!), I shall do the same. It’ll be my present from me to me, for my time. (Yes, I’ll be nice when co-ordinating with Husband, but I’ll tell him I’m going with you. In spirit.)
+++
Turns out I left the cat out on the balcony all afternoon. Oops! And here I am, alone with all three children. oOOoooo….
And yes, we’re going to visit the Horses tomorrow (because I looooove theeeemmm). Somebody needs to be thanked for the final acquisition of House, and we were supposed to go last summer, during the boys’ knight-craze. (Although yesterday I spent about an hour going through an academic book on archaeology with Middle Child looking for all the sword photos… so the knight attraction might not be all the dormant after all!)
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:23 pm
Portia,
I, umm, did something while trying to buy that seat so now it shows as taken but I haven’t given my card info or anything yet. Ah, if it doesn’t come back, I’ll just take another place.
Audley Z. Darkheart (liar and scoundrel):
February 1st, 2013 at 4:26 pm
I luv you guys.
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:26 pm
rq,
Yay! Glad you’ve decided to go too.
Off to bed now, good night all!
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:26 pm
dontpanic
It’s not a business trip. It’s an all-expenses paid ski trip. Annual. From his work to the employees. Annual. I can handle business trip, because that’s work.
I have trouble handling long ski trips when I can’t even get a weekend off. Petty? Maybe so.
Also painful.
But thanks for that perspective. When Husband starts going on business trips (real ones), I’ll be sure to remember it.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Beatrice
Noooooo!! Need good seats!!!! :( I hope a better spot opens up just for you.
Or maybe it shows up as reserved because you’re about to pay for it…? I have no idea how online booking really works. /bullshitting
Good night!
opposablethumbs:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Nutmeg, huge YAYs for the mole news. Very glad to hear that it’s non-scary.
.
dontpanic, I may have misunderstood but I thought rq mentioned that this was a 6-day skiing trip. Work-related only in the sense that it was work-organised and work-paid-for, and involved work colleagues. I thought it was all networking and skiing, so not the punishing schedule of an actual work work trip. But I may have misunderstood, of course.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Beatrice:
Hm. Well good luck. I hope you get the second row one. The better to see the hopefully-fabulous shoes he’s wearing.
And good night.
Nutmeg:
Congrats on the good news, btw.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:39 pm
opposablethumbs
You didn’t misunderstand. Although it’s not even a networking trip. Purely social, in-house employees only (so yes, all the guys that he works with are going on the trip, too). No punishing schedule.
They might be dropping in (dropping in!) on the skeleton championship in Saint Moritz tomorrow, too (ok, seeing as I’m definitely the bigger skeleton fan of the two of us, this is just me being insanely jealous about actually going to an event and seeing the best skeletonist everrrrr (who just happens to be Latvian) live).
And anyway, the issue isn’t so much the fun ski trip. It’s being told that I don’t deserve the same under any circumstances, because that would make me… ungrateful.
(Some of this also directed at dontpanic.)
This is the sound of me closing the topic: *snickety snick*
Improbable Joe:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:39 pm
Sleepy…
opposablethumbs:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Oops, I posted without refreshing re rq and the skiing trip. But I didn’t misunderstand!
.
Beatrice, if the bookings site is anything like the ones I’ve struggled with (and sworn at) here in the UK it is quite capable of showing it as taken if you clicked on it and then didn’t go straight to the checkout. They’re bloody annoying like that. If you wait a bit, the phantom seat-taken status might time out, and show it as available again?
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Got it! :)
And I’m going all by myself and I don’t care.
I feel reckless.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Woooo Beatrice! Rock on.
dontpanic:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:52 pm
It’s an all-expenses paid ski trip. Oh, my, sorry, I missed that it was only work related in that very limited respect. There are some conferences that colleagues attend (I don’t ski so not of interest to me) that are I think are organized as work 2/3 day, ski the other 1/3 and I must have slotted what you said into that framework in my mind. But simply a ski trip? Hmmm.
Well, fuck that. The company is shooting themselves in the foot right there, by introducing stress into their employees private lives; you can’t be the only spouse/significant-other who feels put out by that approach. Seems counter productive.
Petty? Maybe so No, not petty on your part to be resentful. Now I’m pissed off on your behalf as well.
Sorry, if I added to the stress.
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:53 pm
Oops, missed one:
Mack the Knife(with comedy!)
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:55 pm
rq
I totally get you on the “you’re not worth the effort it takes to make your life a little fun” bit. It’s infuriating. For a while, S had time, money, and energy galore for weekend trips with friends (without me) but zero time to do anything special with me or for me. When I needed attention or set-aside time for us, he has work or kid stuff or parent obligations (his parents, who are a super-presence in his life). When I demand to be treated like a person, and not a fucking piece of furniture that will just be whenever he wants, then I’m too needy and whiny and just too much to deal with. Yeah. Shit sucks.
So, my solution for myself is to do things with friends and not concern myself with him, to the extent that I’m able. It’s been kind of nice. In a bittersweet way.
On a completely separate note, I got a half-price gift card for a local yarn shop. The 2 year old’s birthday party is right nearby it, so I am going to treat myself to some expensive yarn tomorrow. Woohoo!
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 1st, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Yes, I will be watching the movie tomorrow night!
DownloadedFound my old copy :D*
birgerjohansson:
I suppose I am as well *she says as she rolls up and puts away the 300 g bag of chips that she was in the middle of after having eaten dinner earlier*
*
Good night, all!
Beatrice:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:01 pm
opposablethumbs, you were right, It resolved itself after some refreshing.
—–
rq,
I know it’s a closed topic and all, so I’ll just send *hugs*.
—–
Portia, yay for treating yourself to something you like.
—–
Good night for realz this time.
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Beatrice
YAY!!! :) You reckless person you! tee hee… Well, I have to admit, Eddie Izzard is a little avant-garde. ;)
dontpanic
It’s ok for misunderstanding. Not many companies do that kind of thing. It’s for team spirit, because it’s a 95% male company (Want to bet which positions the women have? *whisper* Secretaries and accountants!), so bros before… or something. No, you didn’t add to the stress (it’s already pretty way up there :P), it is currently a pretty hot topic to me, so I also touch off pretty easy. I’m not angry or mad or resentful (at you), and thanks for the support. :)
Apparently next year they’re changing things up a bit (because I agree about the stress-in-the-family bit and that reflecting badly on the company), since it’s also a small company, and while most employees started as single young bachelors, more and more of them have (a) child(ren) and spouses/SOs, and I think even a few of the management are starting to feel a bit of pressure from their other halves in this respect. Next year they’ll apparently just dish out an amount of money per employee for a trip of their choice. It sounds a lovely idea, but I hope nobody holds it against me if I say that I’ll believe it when I see it.
Was that staying on topic?
Damn. I suck at maintaining my own boundaries. Bed for me, then.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:07 pm
Oops, I missed the “closed topic” line, sorry rq
I hope you sleep well!
rq:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:12 pm
Portia
In the shop: Yarn!!!
After a heavy knitting sesson: MORE YARN!
Also, YES. Being treated as a person = totally awesome. Too bad it takes so much effort, when other things don’t. It makes me wonder about priorities.
As I said, we’ll see how things play out once he gets back and we move and blablabla (once life gets out of the way again), but if I have to, I’m prepared to take my own entertainment into my own hands. It’s just really annoying that it comes to that, because honestly, I married Husband for a reason. Several, actually, several excellent reasons. One of which was enjoyable time spent together. *sigh* Is nothing ever easy?
Beatrice
Get thee to bed! See you tomorrow. ;) Good night!
+++
I haven’t eaten a package of crisps on top of dinner (I did have extra cake…), but I think I’ll to bed as well anyway. Good night!
Ogvorbis:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:16 pm
This is pitiful.
1815 hours.
And I am heading for bed.
Amazing how tiring an 11 hour drive, much of it in heavy wind, heavy rain, or snow, can be.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:18 pm
rq
tehehehehe kittehhhhs :)
I really hope it works out that things are easier once your lives settle down. Lots of *hugs*in the meantime.
Ogvorbis
Sleep well
dontpanic:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:27 pm
Ogvorbis,
Yeah, those can be wearing. Many moons ago I once had to drive from the Chicago west suburbs to Lansing, IL, normally 4 – 4.5 hours, during the tail end of a blizzard. Around the bottom of Lake Michigan w/ the inevitable “lake effect” snow. Took us 14 hours. I had to go because of (then to be) wife’s birthday, but was convoying with friend who had to show up for muster / induction into the military (where showing up late is, ah, discouraged). Keeping up the hyper-awareness necessary to drive safely in such conditions is grueling.
thunk, hull overheating:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:35 pm
Indeed. Sorry, portia and rq, that privileged assholes have to find an excuse to keep you treated like shit.
dontpanic;
That’s rough. Lake effect snow is known for its suddenness. Also, I think Illinois does not occupy both sides of lake Michigan.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 1st, 2013 at 5:59 pm
One last thing before sleepytime:
Is everyone getting ready for this year’s Puppy Bowl?! I will be trying hard to find a stream. I hear there’s some other event going on on the same day…
Puppy Bowl!
(Crossing my fingers that I didn’t screw up the link.)
morgan:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Yay Puppy Bowl!!! I hear they even have hedgehog cheerleaders this year! Wouldn’t miss it.
:-P
carlie:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:10 pm
My ridiculous kid:
Summary: hit head. Got concussion. Terrible symptoms for three weeks straight, worsening even. Got MRI. Day before MRI, got hit in the head and fell down and hit his head again. Day of MRI (Thursday), came home after school, was walking strangely… more normally, more easily. Friday (today), stayed after school for musical practice (slept through a lot of it), seems almost back to normal. He says he is still dizzy and headachey, but not nearly as bad.
My only conclusion is that it was indeed an otolith dislodgment that caused the symptoms, and the hit/fall in the hall at school pushed them (or most of them) back into place. Insert jokes about knocking sense into him here.
carlie:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Parrowing – Child 2 and I never miss the puppy bowl. This year – hedgehog cheerleaders!
thunk, hull overheating:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:21 pm
I’ve never watched the Puppy Bowl, but puppy headbutting seems more fun than macho man headbutting
Improbable Joe:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:24 pm
… I can’t believe my wife and I had a fight over a Coach purse. Grrrrr… I was a bonehead and forgot that she wanted a new one. She could have just reminded me! Anyhoo, now I’m helping her shop for one.
carlie:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Catching up:
Glad to hear, Nutmeg! Silly moles. :(
I also miss Jules.
rq – sorry I missed this earlier. You’re definitely justified in feeling put out, and I hope you manage to get through to your spouse that you DO work hard too, just in a different location than he does.
carlie:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:49 pm
Inside the Puppy Bowl
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
February 1st, 2013 at 7:24 pm
I have new running shoes. I have ACTUAL Running Shoes. Having my feet hurt instead of my shinbones is an interesting new experience.
Improbable Joe:
February 1st, 2013 at 7:26 pm
Azkyroth,
Give them a couple of days. My feet are just now getting used to having actual cushioning and support again, and I’ve had my new shoes for a couple of weeks.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:01 pm
Carlie:
Glad kid is mostly ok : ) Sounds like there’s at least one person on the planet klutzier than me! (I’m interested to find out that Chrome recognizes “klutzier” as a word).
====
I am really, really tired of otherwise (or so I thought) reasonable people telling me that Sandy Hook was a government set-up, or some such other offensive nonsense. My sweet, smart 31 year old cousin said this to me. Shortly after she said she thinks trans* people are “weird” and “unnatural.” I was trying to figure out exactly what to say, and our other (uber conservative “gay is a disease”) cousin looked at me and looked at her and said “We’ve had this discussion with [Portia]. She will not agree with you.” So at least one or two people know they will get argued into the ground when they say bigoted crap around me. It’s a start. : p
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
February 1st, 2013 at 8:21 pm
My feet are worn out from the actual running, which the lack of shin pain enabled. ^.^
Improbable Joe:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:28 pm
Azkyroth,
Gotcha… except you might need a little more cushioning?
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:31 pm
portia
I am really, really tired of otherwise (or so I thought) reasonable people telling me that …
Yes. So, so much. Although I’m just about as annoyed by the people who don’t buy into that bullshit saying “But they sincerely believe” that or “everyone has different [valid] opinions’ or similar acomodationist jackassery.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:36 pm
Ugh yes I am also sick of that one. My dad is super accommodationist and my mom quietly mumbles something about me being “just as judgmental” when I say something antitheist…
*sigh*
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:43 pm
Portia,
There’s nothing wrong with being judgmental per se that I can see. It’s all about what standards you’re using to make the judgment. If people are making judgment based on shitty standards, their judgements are not the same thing as the judgments of people who are using rational reality based standards.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Dalillama,
That’s an excellent point. I mean, we’re asked to make moral judgments all the damn time, aren’t we? That’s the point of every freaking emotional appeal in every fucking human interest story ever written. We are asked to make moral judgments when we vote, when we work, and even when we buy vegetables. It is all about the criteria for judgment. And some people just can’t take it when their bases for judgment are pointed out as oh-so-fragile.
Whew. Rant.
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 1st, 2013 at 8:53 pm
On a related note, I really think that there need to be two distinct subcategories of the term ‘opinion.’ If one feels that bowlers are more stylish than fedoras, or that Jim Morrison was a better songwriter than John Lennon, that’s an opinion; there’s no objective answer, and whatever you believe is as true for you as the opposite belief is for someone who holds that. If you believe that you really like Morrison, and aren’t a fan of Lennon, you’re right, pretty much guaranteed (assuming you’ve listened to both, of course). On the other hand, if your opinion is that gay people are just choosing to defy god, or that what the country really needs to solve its problems is to ban abortion and make christian prayer mandatory in schools, then we’re talking about facts, and the fact that that’s your opinion carries no actual weight, because there we can empirically observe the effects that these things have, and they aren’t what the people whose opinion it is say they are.
bluentx:
February 1st, 2013 at 9:30 pm
I weep for humanity…
There is a long list of comments on FB on George W. Bush announcing the death of …Barney Bush. The dog.
These people are writing as if they think George is actually reading every word, like they’re best pals! Then again, George isn’t doing too much these days……..
bluentx:
February 1st, 2013 at 9:40 pm
Jeez! Now I done it to myself!
I’m picturing GW in front of a computer, in a dark room, wearing a stained and torn sleeveless undershit, two or three days worth of beard growth, blood-shot eyes, empty whiskey bottle on it’s side on the floor… He’s waiting for each and every comment to come through…
bluentx:
February 1st, 2013 at 9:41 pm
undershit?
even better than I intended
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 9:41 pm
I think the weak plans I had for the evening have fallen through. I have the heat set high but my toes are still cold. I think I might huddle in bed and watch tv.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 1st, 2013 at 9:52 pm
bluentx, 660,
I laughed out loud
Improbable Joe:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:20 pm
I’m just… oh so depressed.
I’m almost so close to being a grown-up! I can’t tell if I am or not, or which side of the line I’m on, or which side I want to be on. I’m just oh so very shallow. Never mind. Good times!
Improbable Joe:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:26 pm
On the other hand, I did make this really amazing meatloaf the other day…
Question: How do you cook something “bacon-wrapped” where the bacon is nice and crispy, and the thing it is wrapped around doesn’t dry out? I did “bacon-wrapped meatloaf patties” that were seriously incredible, but the bacon got fed to the dog because it was soggy and gross.
Nutmeg:
February 1st, 2013 at 11:42 pm
Yay for carlie’s less wobbly kid! Hopefully he gets back to completely normal quickly.
Nutmeg:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:16 am
iJoe: I’ve had success with bacon-wrapped stuff on the barbecue or campfire. Not sure how you would do it without a flame, though.
Improbable Joe:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:19 am
carlie:
You should only have food in your house about the size and shape of a baseball for the next week, and you should feed your kid by tossing him food just far enough away from his center of gravity that he has to lean and reach for it… I can give you recipes if you need them. :)
Menyambal --- son of a son of a bachelor:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:10 am
Improbable Joe, I’d try pre-cooking the bacon in whatever way you normally do, up to the point it still flexes, let it cool, wrap with it, and cook the wrapped thing. But supposedly the bacon fat moistens the wrapped thing, so that might not work.
(Icky bacon is icky. My mom used to cook green beans with bacon, in one step, and wind up with the world’s nastiest slice of slimy bacon—-I fry bacon, then fry green beans in the grease, then crumble the bacon back in, and it is incredibly different.)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:30 am
Good morning!
carlie
re: the offspring
Teenagers. They never do what you want/expect them to. ;) I hope all his parts are mostly back in place, and that he recovers well (also from all subsequent head injuries)!
Improbable Joe
Do you place the meatloaf patties in a covered dish? For crispiness, things like that can be cooked without the lid – the bacon will keep the wrapped patty moist, but the bacon itself should come out crisped. Also a higher temperature for the first ~15 – 20 minutes or so should do the trick. Or removing the lid + higher temperature for the last 15 – 20 minutes (although I suppose meatloaf patties don’t take all that long to cook…). We usually try one of these tricks.
Also, I don’t want to grow up!
bluentx
I laughed out loud, too.
Improbable Joe:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:31 am
Menyambal,
That’s a good idea, I’m going to try it next time. I don’t think enough bacon fat rendered off of the slices to have any effect on the moisture of the meat. I’ve created a sort of seasoned slurry that makes any meatloaf awesome by definition, the bacon is only a fancy flourish.
Improbable Joe:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:37 am
Good morning rq!
I actually put the bacon-wrapped meatloaf open and on a roasting rack so that it would have heat hitting it from all sides and wouldn’t swim in juices, and at a pretty high temp. I just realized that the likely problem is that the meatloaf was already so moist that it was steaming the bacon from the inside, even as it was crisping from the outside.
Tony the Super-Duper Queer Shoop:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:53 am
Joe @665:
When you figure out how to cook bacon wrapped _anything_ such that the bacon is cooked and crispy (along with whatever it is wrapped around) please let me know.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:54 am
Ah, the physics of thermal systems…! :)
I’m sure there’s a solution somewhere out there, because crispy bacon is a Necessity of Life. (I have to admit, though, when I eat it alone or on sandwiches, I like it crispy around the edges, but meaty in the middle of the slice… Travesty? Perhaps. But you can’t make me change my mind.
Speaking of which, I haven’t had real bacon in years.)
bluentx:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:07 am
Good Morning, rq.
The Ramones!
Loudest concert I’ve ever been to! (My ears were still ringing when I woke up the next morning.)
Improbable Joe:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:08 am
Tony: will do!
rq: I’ll see if I can’t hunt you down a homemade bacon recipe. I seem to recall having run across one recently.
bluentx:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:13 am
Meant to say: Loud but FUN!
The audience participation was almost as good as a midnight showing of Rocky Horror!
Improbable Joe:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:19 am
… and my face is bleeding. So goodnight, and Satan bless. :)
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:36 am
In other words, we need to stop confusing “position” with “taste.”
This.
Also, how threadrupt am I? I am still drunk, and had a friend drive me HOME for the first time ever. I have mixed feelings again. :(
Giliell, professional cynic:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:15 am
Good morning
Yay for Nutmeg
rq
Maybe I’ll join you tomorrow
+++
The German misogyny debate
The important thing is that the article in which Laura Himmelreich (the journalist) talked about Rainer Brüderle (the politician) was just the starting point and it se t of an avalanche where women started to speak up about everyday sexism (Hashtag #Aufschrei, those on my twitter might have noticed that my tweets were more in German than usually). And I tell you, it was all there:
-Why didn’t she talk about it back then?
-Since she didn’t report it to the police nothing happened
-If women don’t want men to talk about their tits they need to hide them, why do I think I have the right to wave my tits around?
-She should apologize to him
-Men are men and women are women!
- Why aren’t you talking about Mali?
…
Point in case, I just talked about it with Mr.
His initial statement was “What he said wasn’t that bad, come on”. We talked a bit. In the end I asked him to imagine the reaction hadn’t it been Brüderle talking about how well a woman’s tits would fill a Dirndl, but Westerwelle, the gay minister of foreign afairs talking about how well a male journalist filled his undies.
His own spontaneous reaction showed him the problem…
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:18 am
Giliell,
If this is about the movie, we’re watching it tonight.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:20 am
Now my friend has my phone because I was trying to get him to go ahead and order the sushi he wanted instead of canceling his plans to take care of me.
:(
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:37 am
My opinion is that all opinions are claims about facts.
If someone says “gay people are just choosing to defy god”, they are making a claim about reality, as you noted. About a facet of reality that other people have similar degrees of access to investigate, and so can reasonably challenge.
If someone says “I really like Morrison, and am not a fan of Lennon”, then they are also making a claim about reality. In this case about a facet of reality, the content of their own mind, which other people have less access to. We might reasonably assume they are reporting reliable introspection, and thus that the claim is true.
If someone says “Jim Morrison was a better songwriter than John Lennon”, this is different from the preceding claim. It is a claim about reality outside their own mind, a claim that Morrison is better, and not just more liked by the speaker.
Before assuming that this claim is impossible to evaluate, consider an easier instance of this type of claim, easier because the gap is wider: “Morrison and Lennon are both better songwriters than strange gods is.” This is a fact, and it shows that claims of this type can be evaluated for their truth value. Perhaps we have not yet developed precise enough methods to determine all close calls. And, less likely but possible, perhaps the problem is computationally intractable. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a correct answer (which someone could arrive at by chance via an unreliable method).
The social problem, imho, is that a lot of people hold the incorrect belief that we should respect each other’s opinions.
We should not.
We should kindly argue about who is a better songwriter and be ready to tell people they are wrong if they think Jerry Garcia is better than Robert Smith. We should tell people who are wrong about gay rights that not only are they wrong, they should stop arguing about it. We should assume that a speaker reporting their personal feeling that they find gay sex gross is reporting reliable introspection, and we should tell them to shut the fuck up anyway because they are only hurting people by talking. We should assume that a speaker reporting personal preference about who’s a better songwriter is reporting reliable introspection, and therefore not fight about it — not because there isn’t a correct answer, but because the speech is not socially harmful and the speaker is the person best situated to know the answer.
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:43 am
You got a citation for that one?
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:46 am
;)
ChasCPeterson:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:58 am
*one eyebrow way up*
*nother bonghit*
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:01 am
Azkyroth,
It sounds like you are feeling guilty. This is an isolated incident, you don’t regularly burden your friend with having to take care of your drunk ass. It happened, and I’m sure your friend won’t resents you, it could have happened to him too and you would have probably done the same and took care of him. Friends take care of drunk friends and all that. :)
Being a person who guilts herself beyond a healthy point, I realize this may cause you far more anguish than changing plans to take care of you ever caused your friend. In that case, I’m not sure how much It’s ok, it wasn’t trouble from that friend will help, let alone from us. But really, don’t upset yourself too much, and if you can’t help it… well, trying not to drink enough to get drunk will probably be the best solution.
Getting drunk makes me feel horribly guilty about not having complete control over myself, even if I’m not at the point where a friend has to take care of me, so I usually don’t drink too much. It just isn’t worth despising myself the other day. But I’m hoping you don’t go that far and you’re just a bit drunk-sad. In which case, I hope you’ll feel better when you sleep it off!
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:05 am
Now that the joke has reached its intended audience, I’ll note I don’t actually feel confident that I know which one is better, though I do believe there is a right answer.
WMDKitty (Always growing and learning):
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:48 am
progress!
Two things have happened.
I realized that I haven’t felt a single urge to self-harm this time. Not one. Wow. This feels really weird, man.
I had an epiphany about the anger — I’m angry at myself for being weak and “allowing” myself to be abused. I know, on a rational level, that it wasn’t my fault, but part of me… part of me believes I deserved it. I’m angry at him, yes, and I’m not what you’d call fond of him (I’d like it if he were discovered dead in a ditch, but would never act on that thought; I’ve seen enough violence for several lifetimes).
But mostly I hate myself for being a perfect victim and playing right into his manipulations. I did a lot of things that I am not proud of. I agreed with him and went along with whatever his scheme was just to keep him happy. He always found something that was “wrong” or wasn’t to his satisfaction. There’s… there’s a lot of guilt and self-blame and, well, I recently broke something on my parents’ property (a gate), entirely by accident, and I was scared to own up to it because I didn’t want to make Dad angry. I know that the worst thing Dad will do is swear a lot, but still… my instincts are going “large angry male — HIDE!” I did own up to it, by telling Mom. Felt good, actually.
And then there’s the fear. I’m afraid of being vulnerable again. I’m afraid to trust. I’m afraid to get comfortable. I’m scared shitless of letting people in. So I get anxious. Then panicky. Then comes angry flailing to push people away, because I don’t deserve to have good people around me, and all I’m gonna do is drag ‘em down with me. (Reality says otherwise, I know… but this involves my brain, and my brain is far from being a perfect rational machine.)
….and for a quick check in to let you know I’m still breathing, that was a Wall Of Text™
Back to self-reflection and nourishment of the “soul” (so to speak).
ChasCPeterson:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:04 am
um
but back to the songwriting thing: I think that imagining a single Great Chain of Songwriters is absurd on the face of it. Music (like Life) evolves in a tree (albeit with many reticulations) and allowances must be made for genre. Any criteria (objective or not) that could be applied to judging among, say, 19th-Century German Lieder would be nearly 100% inapplicable to the Garcia/guy-from-The-Cure comparison.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:27 am
WMDKitty,
Good to hear about your progress. I hope it helps you deal with those feelings.
(And just to aid your rational part a bit, of course the abuse wasn’t your fault and you didn’t deserve it.)
bluentx:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:36 am
WMDKitty,
Just remember:
*flashing neon sign*
“The Lounge- Open 24 Hours”
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 6:37 am
Assuming (not conceding) this is true, then, normalize for genre. A measure of Lieder-artist’s-proficiency-within-Lieder-genre-constraints will be unitless.
Giliell, professional cynic:
February 2nd, 2013 at 6:44 am
Azkyroth
Do you accept hugs from the queen of having a bad conscience, i.e. me?
I was always the friend yo could rely on, and you could also rely on me not bothering you with my shit, so yeah, accepting that sometimes things are about me is still hard.
But you’re clearly more important than Sushi.
ChasCPeterson:
February 2nd, 2013 at 6:59 am
I don’t think there’s enough normalization possible to permit nonsubjective comparisons of Schubert and Woody Guthrie, or even, like, Joni Mitchell and Chuck Berry. Cole Porter and Carole King. Stephen Foster and Bob Dylan. If each of these examples (and of course your favorites too!) have, as I believe, that certain je ne sais quoi of greatness in songwriting, there’s more in that each is a different je ne sais quoi. No statistically normalized criteria will trump the essential subjectivity of such judgment.
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 7:12 am
Maybe we just need to develop better algorithms for saying quoi.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 7:59 am
Pile of assorted *hugs* full of je ne sais quoi for anyone in need who wants, but mostly to soothe all the hurt feelings out there.
Should I tell cicely that the offspring have fallen under the spell of Horse (homeopathic Horse, to boot)?
No, better not.
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 8:12 am
Wife and I are watching The Weather Channel right now. There was an advert for Hallmark in which they claimed, for Valentine’s Day, that “Yes, we have a card that says that!”
Wife immediately opined, “Bullshit. There are lots of things that the cards don’t say. Such as, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day: Your Fly is Unzipped.’”
Others that got tossed around: Your library books are overdue; you have spinach in your teeth; you have toilet tissue dragging on your shoe; etc.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 8:14 am
You need a haircut.
Tony the Super-Duper Queer Shoop:
February 2nd, 2013 at 8:37 am
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Altoid?
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:16 am
Lobster is red,
Cheese is blue,
But I can’t afford that,
So I’ll just eat you.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:29 am
Dammit. That’s what happens when you fuck up the first three runs.
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:39 am
I notice that I’ve been using better as though its meaning was identical with skilled at something, where something is as yet undefined, but that usage is incorrect.
What I said here should be rephrased by substituting more skilled for better.
+++++
Assuming that skilled at producing in listeners a feeling of having identified a certain je ne sais quoi of greatness is the moon at which the finger points, that feeling is a psychological phenomenon which can be studied by a science of aesthetics. And so we could learn to say what quoi is, and then, assuming the necessary algorithms are not computationally intractable, sort all songwriters — ultimately removing most of the fun from the debate. :)
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:41 am
identifiednoticedrq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:54 am
Let’s not remove the fun, then.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:01 am
I like your poem, rq. Made me snicker.
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:08 am
Damnit. I did so well avoiding the various plagues going around, and now I have a sore throat. Damn damn double damn. No birthday party ice cream for me today : (
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:11 am
Here, what flavour will the ice cream be, Portia? I could look up some medicinal qualities of the ingredients for you, if you like… So you can justify having ice cream. ;)
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:12 am
Vanilla, probably. And I love rationalizations!
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:15 am
Seconding Portia about the poem.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:20 am
Ancient Mayans believed that vanilla drink was supposed to have aphrodisiac qualities. No modern research study, however, establishes its role in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions. Probably not what you’re looking for.
Hmm, Reduces anxiety and stress. Better.
It helps with fever? I’ll take that.
Nothing about sore throats, but I’ve heard eating cold things is good for strep throat (takes swelling down?), so why not! :)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:20 am
Heh, I’m going to call that poem Ode to Bacon. :)
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:22 am
rq
You are a Justifier Extraordinaire! Thank you very much, I will now make a sugary assault on my inflamed throat and feel no guilt! Huzzah!
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:43 am
(Just don’t over do it, Portia. ;) )
Lynna, OM:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:48 am
@553
Morning Glory! (and afternoon glory, and evening glory, and middle of the night glory)
That sounds like a good plan Minnie. I for one would love to be treated to Finnish sexy times.
I think you may find yourself obligated to have lots of sexy times in order to satisfy the Pharyngulite appetite for such mm’s.
Lynna, OM:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:51 am
Super Bowl facts: Americans believe divine intervention is possible in a football game.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/02/16818890-this-week-in-god
Lynna, OM:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:54 am
Bryan Fischer offers proof that the Republican Party is NOT the party of Stupid:
Video also available at the link:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fischer-cites-todd-akin-making-case-gop-not-stupid-party
Improbable Joe:
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:58 am
I am… I can’t even believe I’m saying this… I’m leaving the house. And I won’t be back for several hours. Wish me luck.
Lynna, OM:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:12 am
Following up on the Moment of Mormon Morning Madness @552: an ex-mormon offers this:
Iron Hardware
69, Takeitupthe Avenue
Vagjay Jay
PENN(is)69696
I guess there are addresses invested with way more sexual innuendo than the Morning Glory address that mormons objected to in Utah.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:15 am
Good luck, iJoe!
*
Urghlalediurgl. What’s that? You don’t know what that sound means? Why, clearly it’s the exact description of how I’m feeling right now. Dizziness, achiness, chills, and upset tummy. :-/
Lynna, OM:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:20 am
Much empathy to all those suffering flu symptoms. Arrrggghhhh. May you heal soon, and well.
Don’t send that shit to everyone in the Lounge.
Seal up your ports!
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:32 am
Improbable Joe
Good luck!!! Don’t get lost! May the house still be there when you return!! Have fun! Uhhhh… Way to go! Congratulations! Yay! Ummm… :) See you later?
Parrowing
Hot tea with ginger and honey coming down the USB! Ready your mug! (Ginger does wonders for the upset-tummy feeling, at least things usually feel better once I’ve puked it out. ;) )
Will you be princessbriding with us anyway? Or will you let a lowly virus stand in your way? (No pressure…!)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:33 am
Oh. I missed Lynna’s insistence on sealing USB ports. No wonder it’s all sloshing back over my own keyboard. :/
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:35 am
I just remembered seeing as how it’s Groundhog Day tomorrow (today?) we should be watching Groundhog Day. But oh well.
Maybe tomorrow.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:40 am
Groundhog Day …I hated that movie the first time I saw it and haven’t watched it since. Maybe I would like it better now.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:41 am
rq:
Never! I’m feeling okay sitting up so I think I can manage. But, umm, rq, you don’t have to or anything *scuffs foot against the floor*, but could you maybe sneakily open your port back up? Before Lynna notices? Only I don’t have any ginger and honey tea… come to think of it, the only tea I have is chai.
chigau (違う):
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:42 am
How did those rodents see their shadows when the sun wasn’t up?
I don’t think this groundhog stuff is an accurate way to predict weather.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:45 am
Beatrice:
I also hated it the first time I saw it. I think I’ve caught it again a few times since (it’s one of my mom’s favorites). Not that I would be opposed to watching it again.
Matt Penfold:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:47 am
We just has St. Swithin’s Day in the UK, where folklore has it if the weather is nice, we will experience some severe cold and snowy weather before spring, whereas if it is dull, overcast and maybe raining, winter will soon be over.
It was a lovely sunny day this St Swithins’, here in Wales.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Matt Penfold
Was St Swithin, by any chance, a groundhog?
Parrowing
*quietly opening port for a SLOOSH of tea, as described above*
Here you go! But shhhh!!!!!
Beatrice
I also hated Groundhog Day the first time I saw it. But I saw it again a couple of years ago, and you know what? I kind of liked it.
Maybe… maybe tomorrow after all? ;)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:10 pm
While it’s still on topic…
I giggled, then I felt bad for giggling because, you know, depression…
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Thanks, rq!
Dalillama, Schmott Guy:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:47 pm
*hugs* for the ill
Good luck, IJoe
SGBM
Granting that there are at least potentially semi-objective standards for music, change my argument to “Which tastes better, apples or pears.” There is a substantive difference between that type of opinion, where no one but the holder has any knowledge of the facts (which one they prefer), vs an opinion based on public facts, like political positions.
carlie:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:10 pm
My first tweet this morning was a quote from Groundhog Day. It’s one of my most favorite movies.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:15 pm
rq, Parrowing,
I forgot at which 11pm we’re starting – GMT/+1/+2/?
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:17 pm
Wife and I are going with Girl and the Future-in-Laws (sounds like a band) to a sushi hibachi restaurant. We have no clue what to order at a Japanese restaurant. Wife likes tempura and udon but neither one of us is wild about raw fish (though I like tuna tartare). Should be interesting.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:20 pm
I think GMT +2, as in rq‘s 11 pm. Am I correct in thinking you are in CET? Because if so, we start at 10 pm.
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:21 pm
And I have to wonder just how many times our housecat has been killed or maimed by a vacuum cleaner. It terrifies him. Big time.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:22 pm
Beatrice
+2. Otherwise I have 40 minutes to get the eldest to fall asleep and youngest in bed… :/ Is that still ok?
Ogvorbis
Sushi is like magic. Magic wasabe. /jealous
Most of everything else on the menu is delicious, too. With few exceptions. (Usually. I have no idea of the quality/reputation of the place you’re going to.)
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:22 pm
Ogvorbis:
Ooh, ooh! Get chicken teriyaki! …Or, you know, don’t order based on my preferences. That works too. Have fun!
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:25 pm
I love teriyaki, too. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:25 pm
Parrowing, yep, I’m on CET
—-
rq, I’m home and doing nothing so any time is fine.
I was just checking for what time to make popcorn :)
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:27 pm
I’ve never been to a Japanese restaurant or eaten chicken teriyaki :(
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:28 pm
I had forgotten about teriyaki. I’ll suggest that to Wife. Thanks.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:42 pm
I will make you chicken teriyaki at the Commune, Beatrice.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Parrowing,
Aw, thanks.
Seriously, people, when are we going to start on making this happen? This commune of ours sounds better and better every day.
chigau (違う):
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Ogvorbis
unagi (freshwater eel) is always cooked.
(and yummy)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:52 pm
Beatrice
We haven’t settled on a location yet.
morgan:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:05 pm
We could locate it somewhere near Glen Beck’s proposed new “city” of Independence, Tx. That would just bug the hell out of him. Might even make him cry.
:-)
Portia, wishing for spring:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:21 pm
rq
Muuahahahaha i had six flavors of frozen yogurt. Thankfully it was the pay-by-the-ounce style, so I had just a little dollop. MMmm it was yummy.
And I’ve been craving sushi for a few days now. Yum.
I started my day with ginger and honey tea, how did you know?!
Now I’ma try to make some bread for my aunt’s party tonight.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Oh Portia, you’ve been a naughty girl again!
Sounds delicious. What flavours did you have?
And good luck with the bread.
My computer clock says 8 minutes until movie time.
+++
Observation of the day: Sometimes it’s easier to take the kids places sans Husband, because it eliminates a lot of unnecessary discussion and cajoling on Saturday mornings when our thoughts differ as to the family’s expected activity level of the day. Yes, sometimes I enjoy being a tyrant.
Science fact of the day: Lithuania is now a planet.
Source: the following conversation, today ca. 2PM, on the way home –
Eldest: When I grow up, I’m going to buy a horse and I’m going to teach it to do cartwheels.
me: I don’t know if horses can do cartwheels.
Eldest: I will teach it. And it’s going to be so strong, it will be able to hold four planets, one on each foot.
me: Four? Wow. Which ones?
Eldest: Lithuania, Saturn… I guess that Mars planet or something…
+++
4 minutes.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:59 pm
Oh and morgan. Potentially a good idea, but how’s Texas for natural resources (besides oil, haha)? Arable land, etc. Although, if we’re close enough, we could probably leech off of Independence, and make them wonder how those hippies down the road are doing so well when their own energy-efficiency is in the huge negatives. (Except I doubt they’d be particularly prepared for an apocalypse.)
Now that’s a thought.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:02 pm
#CMN
I never realized how messy the kid’s room is before.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Dundundunnnnn… Movie has begun here. Just so everyone is aware. :)
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:04 pm
:)
Here too
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:06 pm
Parrowing
Children’s rooms are archaeological digs.
+++
The first time I watched this movie, one of the girls I was watching with kept insisting that I watch Cary Elwes’ lips every time he says ‘As you wish’. I still do that, for some odd reason.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Mm speaking of kissing books, Chapter 2 of The Boss is out.
Lynna, OM:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:08 pm
The US government and state governments have used, (are continue to use), money from taxpayers to promote one-man-one-woman marriage, often to the detriment of single mothers and other constituents.
Below are a few excerpts from a much longer article “One Marriage Under God”:
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:08 pm
rq,
Now I’m going to do it too!
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:08 pm
I’m pretty sure I had a large crush on Cary Elwes when I was younger because of this movie.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:09 pm
Haha, Beatrice! :) You have to watch especially closely on the last one, when she asks for the jug. So you know for next time. ;)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:10 pm
And yes, Parrowing. Men in Tights ruined him for me, though.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:12 pm
Oh and then he had appearances in The X-Files, which is neither here nor there.
+++
Unemployed in Greenland!!!
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:17 pm
I had a friend who named her ferret The Inconceivable Vizzini. She also liked this movie.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:20 pm
At least it was a ferret. I can’t imagine yelling The Inconceivable Vizzini throughout the neighbourhood just to get the dog to come home. ;)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Also, I love the politeness and concepts of fair-play in the movie (at least in the duel between the Dread Pirate Roberts and Inigo, and also his fight with Fezzik). It’s just so… Polite and fair. You know, the way a nice, clean world should work.
(Also speaks to the confidence of the characters in their own abilities. You know, I know I can beat you in a fair fight, so… take a break!)
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:23 pm
I really need to read this book. I was wondering why the cliffs are called the Cliffs of Insanity and then I realized I would probably know if I had read it.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Yes, rq! I love that as well.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Parrowing
Actually, I’m not sure if it was explained… Well, in a basic way, as in, people trying to climb these cliffs go insane because the cliffs can’t be climbed.
I think Beatrice is actually reading the book (in process), I read it years and years ago. But I hearilty recommend it. Be warned, though – it’s very different from the movie. In set-up and concept, that is. The basic story is the same.
And I’m not left-handed, either!!!!
Pteryxx:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:29 pm
ahh, spoilers! *hides*
(Is anyone watching this who *hasn’t* seen or read it before? … Just me? k. )
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:29 pm
My reading is a slow process since I only read a little bit in the evenings. And my problem with reading in bed is that I soon fall asleep, no matter how interesting the book.
carlie:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Boy howdy, is it! I’m quite enjoying it so far.
I so wish I had never seen that movie. :(
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:35 pm
At least he can speak with an English accent.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:36 pm
I guess I was too young to remember anything about Men in Tights. I know I’ve seen it but I don’t remember much. The crush on Cary Elwes was definitely gone by the time or immediately after I saw Liar, Liar.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Faithfulness? He died 5 years ago, and she is only engaged now, but she didn’t wait enough? Hmph
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:45 pm
Yeah, not too keen on that either, Beatrice.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Parrowing
It does make a bit more sense in the context of the book, but yes.
I mean, as far as she knew, he was dead…
I love Humperdink’s little fanfare every time he rides off.
Beatrice
Then you and books is a bit like my mum and TV – anything after 9PM better be short and to-the-point!
Oooh, Janine! I had a question for you re: books. You mentioned 1491 in Thunderdome; I’m wondering, have you read Stolen Continents (same theme) by Ronald Wright? Just curious about your thoughts on the book.
carlie:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:51 pm
That is one part that bugged – besides that yes, 5 years is a long time, the other answer is that “Well, I would be dead if I didn’t”. It’s not like she had an actual choice whether to get engaged to the prince or not.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Turns out youngest is running a bit of a fever. Dammit, children, get sick when you’re alone with your father! We were supposed to have a good time!
(Still watching the movie, all is well, carry on!)
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:53 pm
Oh no, rq, I hope your youngest feels better ASAP!
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:55 pm
Hope your youngest feels better soon!
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Nope, kid, life isn’t fair.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:58 pm
:(
Poor Buttercup
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Not fair at all. More stories end with that dream ending than the ultimate fairy-tale ending.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:59 pm
No, I have not read it.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Ah, fantasy medical torture equipment. Looks quite real!
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Oh I love the bizarre dialogues.
anonymouschristian:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:05 pm
Hello, I’m a Christian, but because of what I’m going to write and how easily findable certain online stuff is, I don’t want to reveal my identity. Quite simply, I’m here because in my personal life I’m suffering a great deal of bullying because of my facial appearance, social awkwardness, Scottish accent (I live in England), my tendency towards shouting against those who call me names and hit and kick me, and because I have learning difficulties in class as well as having suffered seizures before and because I support gay marriage and a woman’s right to choose.
I’m really sorry that all that’s a mouthful, but that’s everything I can think of when trying to look from the POVs of the bullies. The point is I’m writing here because I desperately need a support network outside of my Christian surroundings, because it’s proven really unhelpful and has depressed me even more to the point where I’m actively considering suicide.
I suffer from acne on my skin as well as a big head as well as being a little overweight for my age, which means I constantly get picked on at my college as they basically laugh at the fact that because of my looks I’ll pretty much never be able to find a girl who would ever want to be with me. I’ve tried so many products to try and improve my looks but it’s like nothing works at all and I just get derided further. I’m not someone who is good at making conversations easily so I often feel like a third wheel and I have only very few friends (like 1 or 2) who I’ve ever really managed to get close to in my entire life, which my bullies also take the piss out of me before because they’ve got bigger gangs of friends. And then there’s my accent, which because of it being Glaswegian means it’s a very easy target for ridicule and I have no way of being able to handle it especially when they get into the nationalist derision of Scottish people.
I do have a temper problem and have a habit of shouting abuse and attempting to defend myself when subjected to abuse physical or psychological by the bullies, and while I’m okay and even good in some classes, other classes I really don’t perform well in at all and I get ruthlessly bullied for the fact that in those classes I have used learning support advisors. Because I also have a minor form of epilepsy (meaning that I’ve only ever had full blown seizures once every few months due to my medication being fairly effective, I get people acting out my seizures in a really horrible way. And then there’s my support for gay and pregnant woman rights, which gets me abuse and death threats because my friends think I’m a moral monster.
The reason I’m coming here is because everything else I’ve turned to just seems to make things worse. My parents just tell me to “ignore them” and tell me not to be silly and melodramatic, and they as well as many counsellors and not so close friends of mine keep trotting out the really fucking annoying cliches like “many people have it worse than you” and “it will get better” and insisting that I have “so much to live for”. The teachers also tell me they’ll sort out the situations and yet nothing ever happens and the bullies are still there.
Worse still are, ironically, the people who are supposed to form my core support group, with my local Church members simply telling me that all I need to do is pray to God with all my heart and he’ll stop the bullying, even though I’ve been doing this for years and years and nothing ever happens, while other Christians are telling me that God has a plan for me that will benefit me, and yet the situation I’m in is not remotely beneficial and I fail to see how it can possibly get any better. I’m told to take solace in Jesus’s love for me, but I’ve asked him to intervene so many times and yet I still get beat up and abused and spat on, and I end up feeling more suicidal by the moment. And of course the fact that they chastise me for supporting positions they don’t agree with doesn’t help either.
And then there’s my closest friends. They have been genuinely heartwarming towards me and have managed to lift my spirits by constantly including me in whatever fun events they have planned and I can happily have conversations with them where I don’t feel as awkward with them, but sometimes they still slip into the cliches that make me feel down, and combined with the fact that the wave of abuse I get on a daily basis, it’s sadly not enough for me even though I really wish it was because I can’t stand what’s happening in terms of the bullying and general lack of caring I receive from the majority on a daily basis.
Which is why I’ve come here. One of my closest friends basically told me that maybe I need to go outside the Christian circle for help, and that she’d heard good things about some atheists who apparently are quite good at helping out really desperate people due to them also being humanists, so I was directed to FreeThoughtBlogs since there’s supposed to several people who have that expertise.
I’ll admit that as much as I respect the atheist position, I’ve always just assumed, to a possible fault, that the Christian position was better, and I’m really sorry if it turns out that like in my position at college I’m in the wrong. Everything else I’ve tried has failed, and I feel so hopeless and pathetic and I feel like I’m doomed to forever getting bullied and always being alone romantically and always isolated in terms of how many friends I’ll ever be able to make and hold on to. I’ve got nowhere else to turn and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to resist just ending my life because it’s not like most people in my life would even fucking care, in fact they’d probably welcome it. A group I’ve been part of and still would like to be part of have massively let me down and caused me to question everything about how useful being a Christian ever even was to me, since it did nothing to stop my bullying and just provided me complete non-solutions to my problems.
I need someone, anyone, who can genuinely understand and help me, because I just feel completely lost and I don’t see the point in continuing my life.
Yours sincerely,
Anon Christian
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:09 pm
Beatrice
The bizarre dialogue is the best. But try ruling the world sometime*!
(Not to fifty!!!)
*Sounds like privilege to me.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:10 pm
Huh?
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Humperdinck! Humperdinck! Humperdinck, Humperdinck, Humperdinck!
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Hi anonymouschristian.
I just skimmed your comment and I’ll go back and read it thoroughly now.
In the meantime I’ll mention that we have a bit of advice here: http://pharyngula.wikia.com/wiki/postponing_suicide
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:17 pm
Parrowing
I prefer her earlier words: I’m not a witch, I’m your wife!
And no swimming! But have fun storming the castle!
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Just to be clear, I am also working through your post, anonymouschristian.
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:22 pm
I tried eel once. Once. Eel made me ill. Violently. I know it wasn’t the eel, it was food poisoning, but, well, I just can’t get past that memory.
Texas has a long wild fire season, so FossilFishy would feel right at home.
I’m hetero male and I had a bit of a crush on Cary Elwes thanks to that movie.
Janine: The same author as 1991 has also done 1693 which focuses on the Columbian exchange — for good and ill.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:22 pm
I am as well, anonymouschristian
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:25 pm
mawwiage
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Beatrice
I think that is the single funniest line in the whole movie. And I was going to quote it, dammit! Way to steal my thunder! ;)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:30 pm
Be warned, I, too, have an over-developed sense of vengeance!
(When I was younger, I actually felt most emotionally and otherwise aligned with Inigo, for no particular reason – my father wasn’t brutally murdered by a member of the aristocracy and I have not spent my life learning fencing to avenge him. But I think it’s because both of our names start with ‘I’ (my real one does, at any rate).)
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:30 pm
You can do the whole line then, I just gave one word.
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:30 pm
Anon Christian,
No guarantees that we can help, but you can open up here, and we’ll do our best not to give useless advice. I do think that from the way you are hurting you might benefit from talk therapy with a professional — also no guarantee but sometimes it helps. I’m wondering, is it a Christian college? Or are you interacting with a mostly Christian group of peers at a secular college? I ask in part because if it’s a secular college you might get decent on-campus therapy. You still might at a Christian college; it’s not as though they never employ qualified people, but if it’s a highly evangelical campus then they might not encourage evidence-based practices.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:32 pm
I ♥ Inigo too
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:32 pm
It’s ok, Beatrice. I won’t hold it against you. ;)
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:34 pm
So, in real life, you are iq? How very intelligent of you.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Yay for the movie night! This was fun :)
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:36 pm
I went to the kitchen for a moment, so I’m still not done with the movie
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Ogvorbis
You have no idea. ;)
+++
Agreed, this was fun! And interesting. :) Maybe we really should do Groundhog Day sometime. (Or anything else we decide.)
anonymouschristian:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:38 pm
@strange gods before me
It’s a secular college. But I have real difficulty connecting with any kind of counsellor, especially an on-campus one, because I can’t shake the feeling that the only reason they are there is because they are paid to be. And from the counsellors I’ve had, nothing’s convinced me against this belief.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:39 pm
That would be 1491 and 1493.
1991 would be the year that punk broke. Allegedly, 1693 is the year that champagne first popped.
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:39 pm
Considering my usual level of discourse, that goes without saying.
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:42 pm
Done. I agree, this was fun.
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:43 pm
Yeah. That. Sorry.
(and it shows that my #810 was dead on!)
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:45 pm
anonymouschristian
Expect those beliefs to be challenged here, quite heavily. Be ready to be wrong.
But. If you ever need to vent, to ask for advice, to say things that just need to be said, I can guarantee that you’ll probably have no better place than this. (From personal experience. Plus, I’m probably biased in favour of this group.) From the diverse experiences of the people commenting here, someone will have a helpful word or idea.
If you’re open to hearing things you might not like (not insults, just ideas that you might not agree with initially or ever), if you’re open to learning, and are prepared to be considerate, accepting and welcoming of others, then this is definitely the place for you.
Just don’t try to convert or evangelize. I’m pretty sure that’ll be shut down pretty quick.
That’s not much of a welcome, I know. So, in case all of that sounded a bit harsh, have a warm drink, a comfortable seat, and see if this place is for you!
echidna:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:49 pm
anonymouschristian,
We’re listening.
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:50 pm
Quoted for truth.
anonymouschristian:
One of the most amazing things about this place is that, no matter what has happened, there will be someone here who, while not having your experiences, has experienced something close enough to allow empathy. I’m not sure I can help much (have too much cluttering up my own minimind) but even if you don’t hit something I can grok, I’ll still ‘listen’.
Yes, therapists are paid for their job. Then again, they chose that job, chose to go through school studying that, because they want to do that job.
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:53 pm
Ogvorbis
I thought you were a historian. Shouldn’t you know your dates inside out and backwards to boot?
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:55 pm
anonymouschristian
I’m glad you decided to comment here. I’m afraid I don’t have any useful advice, or at least any advice that you haven’t heard before. Please do keep commenting if you find that it’s helpful to you. I don’t get the impression that you have any interest in proselytizing, so maybe this will end up just feeling like a nice place to chat for you? I’m trying to find a way to offer you hugs without making it sound like I’m trivializing your situation (assuming you like hugs from internet strangers, and if you don’t, then feel free to leave the hugs on the floor). I do care about what you’re going through and I hate that you’re going through it.
strange gods before me ॐ:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:58 pm
Yes and no, I mean, yeah they might have preferred to stay home on any given day, but they get into the profession in the first place because they want to help people.
I view therapy in such a way that I don’t mind the transactional nature of it, though. I’m not there to make a friend; I just want help from someone who is fairly likely to be able to help. They’re paid to keep what you say confidential (within certain legal limits) and they’ll do what they’re required to do. Well, I can’t tell you how to feel about it; that’s just my perspective.
I do expect that you’ll be welcome here if you decide to stick around. You might be the only Christian here at this time, but Leigh Williams was a Christian too and welcomed here. If you see fit to venture off the Lounge thread, though, you might want to change your pseudonym first (just make a note saying that you’ve done so). Some people on the non-Lounge threads just would not expect an overtly Christian commenter to be engaging here in, uh, good faith. We get a lot of trolls, is all.
Ogvorbis:
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:59 pm
I am an historian. And I do not remember dates (well, I do remember that there are two important dates in English history: 1066 and I can’t recall the other one). I am very good at remembering the order that things happen and am (usually) quite good at getting things in about the right era, but I don’t remember dates. I am also mildly dyslexic — especially with numbers (when I sold cars, I once drew up a sales contract for an Isuzu Trooper for $61,149.00 — luckily, my sales manager spotted it and changed it to $16,149.00 before we put it in front of the customer).
rq:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:02 pm
Ok, now I feel bad for joking about that, Ogvorbis. Apologies. :/
Beatrice:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:03 pm
anonymouschristian,
Hello!
I’m glad you have a couple of close friends who support you. You are also welcome to vent here, and we’ll try to give you as much comfort and kind words as we can.
I can’t offer much help beyond listening to you, but I find that just sharing troubles here and receiving a whole bunch of *hugs* and compassion can sometimes help.
If you haven’t yet, follow SGBM’s link in #792. There’s good advice there.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:10 pm
sgbm:
I like this aspect of therapy as well. I acknowledge that even a therapist cannot always react in a way that isn’t influenced by what they think I want to hear as opposed to what they think I ought to hear. I do trust, though, that most therapists will try harder to do so than most friends will. That’s not to say that it isn’t also nice to have friends to talk to (for some people, not necessarily all), but when I seek therapy I don’t expect or desire friendship.
Parrowing buıʍoɹɹɐd:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:11 pm
I do, however, desire and expect to have my name remembered, which did not always happen with one of my therapists. :-/
PZ Myers:
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:14 pm
NEW THREAD.