On a lighter note, I’m excited for a movie that’s just been made. The Last Fiction is a feature-length animation based on a Persian legend told in the Shahnameh of Ferdosi. I’m particularly glad that it’s being made by an Iranian studio rather than Disney. That Prince of Persia left a bad taste in my mouth.
The Last Fiction is a feature-length animation based on a Persian legend told in the Shahnameh of Ferdosi. I’m particularly glad that it’s being made by an Iranian studio rather than Disney.
Oooh, that sounds great! I’m always glad when something avoids Disnification, they have the worst fucking track record when it comes to other cultures. I’ll put up a post about this tomorrow.
jazzletsays
Sorry Caine.
I took codeine earlier as the pain wasn’t bad, five minute later, much more pain. Still two and a half hours before I can take some tramadol. Seems to be a day for it. And it’s a grey cloudy one too.
Sorry it’s you too, Jazzlet. I toss med schedules out the window when I’m in pain, but I can get away with that, because all I have is the morphine and cyclobenzaprine. (Spell check wanted to change cyclobenzaprine into encyclopedia.) :D
Raucous Indignationsays
Cyclobenzaprine is an encyclopedic compound.
Ice Swimmersays
I’m hoping the encylopedic and thesaurian compounds will ease the pains!
Ice Swimmersays
Swimming in the sea was a bit more exciting on Friday. There were two silent swans nearby and one of them was at times quite close to the stairs to the sea. Luckily even the one that was closer, was just glaring at humans. The swans were both swimming in open water and standing on floating pieces of ice. After some time they flew away.
Gulls have also returned and are holding conferences on sea ice.
Raucous Indignationsays
I put my slippers on this morning to find that one of them was filled with happy puppy slobber.
I put my slippers on this morning to find that one of them was filled with happy puppy slobber.
Well, I can imagine worse things for a puppy to leave in a slipper…
+++
I’m afraid I killed a lot of flowers today as I managed to create the next terrace step on the right hand side of the garden so we could plant peas. I tried to save what I could…
We also shovelled 600kg of pebbles into the gap between the house and the front yard.
Finally, I think I need to divorce Mr. He could neither share my enthusiasm for the beauty of wet pebbles nor my enthusiasm for my rapidly growing seedlings.
jazzletsays
Giliell is he always like that or is he having a bad day?
Oh fuck fireworks, Thorn does not like fireworks, though she has come to me for comfort which is good.
@Giliell, I hope the disagreement with Mr. is nothing serious.
Currently, I have no enthusiasm for my own garden. The week off I had the weather was crap and I could not do a much. Now the weather is suddenly way too warm, everything is starting too quickly and I have no chance whatsoever to keep up with having maybe an hour or two in the evening during the week and nothing more.
I still have a mountain of cherry twigs to shred, I need to plant about 100 poplars and to re-plant all of my almost 150 trees. There is no way I can manage all that if the temperatures keep above 15°C and everything starts to grow like mad.
Further, this year is not good for my gardening equipment. Today I riped off the tyre valve on one of my walking tractor’s tyres. I do not know how that is even possible, but apparently it is. Another weekend lost due to equipment getting bust.
And my back and both wrists hurt like hell, I might not be able to do a thing tomorrow. I won’t be able to handle the chainsaw, that is for sure.
chigau (違う)says
There is still 20 -- 30 cm of snow on my garden and the temperature is minus something.
Gardening can wait.
rqsays
I’m going to go and cut some things in the garden. Starting with the roses; spring was a long time coming but it seems to have suddenly sprung, though there’s rumours of a May snowfall.
Charly
Na, nothing serious. Not even a fight.
It’s mostly due to our difference in upbringing. I grew up in a house with a garden, so I grew up with the cycle of planting, growing, harvesting, tending. It is something I cannot do without. Even when we only had the balcony I always grew things like mad. Now with the garden I absolutely enjoy the possibilities it offers. Mr enjoys having a garden, but more in the sense of having a space to spend time in with the whole tending to it being a necessary chore.
+++
What seriously annoys me is his refusal to ever have any kind of conflict with his dad*. I hope at least he’s going to have the “you must be more careful with your phone” talk I asked him to have with his father. Because while I only find it mildly uncomfortable to be asked for some help with the phone and then finding myself looking at porn, others might not be, for example his wife. And he’s completely oblivious of it.
*There’s a reason he is your prototype of entitled cis het old white guy.
+++
Yep, spring is finally here. The whatever tree in the garden is in bloom and a whole lot of other flowers as well. the bees are out and what feels like a ton of butterflies. I also removed the first tick from Mr yesterday.
rqsays
I saw two butterflies today, the first of the season (for me!) -- a white one and an orange one (identification approximate since I was cutting the roses and wasn’t expecting to have to stare at some pretty flying insects, they surprised me unprepared!).
Nightjarsays
I saw my first Swallowtail of the season today! I think it was a Southern Swallowtail but it flew away pretty quickly. Until now I had only seen cabbage butterflies.
Which reminded me I need to sow more zinnias, marigolds and strawflowers. And prevent the snails from eating everything…
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trollssays
I haven’t had much of a chance to look at the yard, as it is still abnormally cold. Should warm up by the end of the week, according to the weather forecast.
I’ve been working in the basement, trying to clear a path to the furnace. Feels like an excavating project, where you need to clear out an area so you can move other stuff to it. The 35 year old freezer will be removed shortly, and this will free up some space for shelves to be moved from in front of the electrical panel, which frees up space for tubs of yarn (~35), which allows me to move other things out of the way. Meanwhile, found another few tubs of old flour, spices, and the like, enough to fill my garbage bin. I also have 8 bags of the Redhead’s clothes from various basement racks (mostly beaded jackets and dresses) for Goodwill.
A weeks work completed, and still a layer or two from actually being able to access the furnace.
Raucous Indignationsays
I was going to venture out to do some pruning and to plan were to put replacement trees. Alas, it’s been a sleepy Sunday instead.
I’m having an achy day, but nowhere near as bad as the rest of you. Getting out of my chair and walking occasions a lot of curses, though. I’ve got to contact my doctor again and ask about more options, because this is not fun.
Gardening -- Paul is in charge of the outdoors here. He bought this year’s cherry tomato plants and put them somewhere, and the lemon trees are producing like mad. Alas, drought and climate change have killed most of our fruit trees and the remaining ones didn’t get enough frost to set fruit. Except for the ancient pomegranate, which seems to be immortal. Much to the delight of the birds, especially the hummies.
First damages from the upside-down winter seem to be obvious -- my fig trees, all three of them, are mostly dead. It remains to be seen if they sprout some branches from lower regions, but all twigs I tried are dry and snap easily, which a living twig would not do.
And all the bamboos seem to be dry as well.
None of this would happen if the winter behaved like it should have. If there were freezing temperatures from December through to February it would be OK. But it was way too warm until January and then, when everything was just about to wake up, suddenly -20°C.
I seem to have lost a lot of trees lately.
Nightjarsays
I’m sorry about your dead fruit trees, that sounds awful. Our trees seem to be recovering from the 11-month drought we just came out of. They are obviously weakened but none seem to have died, although I think they would have if I hadn’t watered them during the summer and autumn.
Raucous Indignationsays
My slippers seem to have a mind of their own. They get up and move from where I leave them. What ever could be going on?
There’s a cat’s nose snuffling about in my slippers.
rqsays
Lofty @25
Just a nose?! I’d be worried…!
Charly
My sympathies. Yesterday I noticed some odd things during the pruning of the roses and other things, I was wondering if maybe I just didn’t usually notice or pay attention other years, but I really think the odd winter has had influence -- I’m expecting problems with fungi and rot (in the roots) this season.
The allium are pushing up nicely, though. That was nice to see.
Charly
My sympathies. I don’t have nearly as many trees and actually only one I care about, but on Saturday when thinking about how to put up the planting stones around the hibiscus I noticed that it wasn’t a problem at all because there was no more hibiscus.
On the plus side the peonies I had thought to be dead even before winter are making a come back. I only planted them last year and through summer they seemed like they didn’t take root.
Sometimes, clichés are so fucking true.
A few minutes ago a colleague came into the staff room with her baby. Two female colleagues near “granny age” jumped up cooing.
Nightjarsays
Hm, this is weird. I just came back from my nightly round of snail hand-picking and there is not a single one about. Now, it is true that I’ve been doing this regularly for the past few days (I feed them to the chickens the morning after) but I doubt I have locally driven them to extinction. What this probably means is that it’s too fucking cold again even for them. Too cold for April. *sigh* I prefer Spring and snails than this.
StevoRsays
Watched the second episode earlier tonight of the incredibly powerful, moving Roots historical drama telling the story of Mandinka warrior Kunte Kinte and his family especially daughter.
If anyone hasn’t seen it and wants to there’s a link here via Aussie SBS on Demand* -- expires in 27 days from today :
WARNING : violence, sexual assault, very confronting, swearing including racial abuse -- all in context of the times and portrayed in very realistic and graphic manner.
* Hope it can be accessed o/s Oz. not sure whether it can be, apologies if not and hope you can find ways to watch it if you want to -- I do recommend it but it is extremely full-on, at times brutal and very powerful stuff.
This is the 2016 mini-series version wikibasics here :
Was broadcast years (?) ago but is now being screened again on the NITV channel.
***
“” I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.” -- Martin Luther King in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo, December 10, 1964.
Full speech -- worth reading in full & source here :
“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” -Martin Luther King.
Yeah, I know its kinda religious but still, substitute ethical understanding or something and people if you like but quoted for historical accuracy and seeming aptness here.
” .. modern man’s chief dilemma, expresses itself in three larger problems which grow out of man’s ethical infantilism. Each of these problems, while appearing to be separate and isolated, is inextricably bound to the other. I refer to racial injustice, poverty, and war.” -- Martin Luther King.
Plus from Martin Luther King’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech linked in #30 :
I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.
Yeah, been on an MLK quotes & search binge just now. Guess it shows.
Battle Hymn of the Republic -- Modified for Relevance by the Parody Project who ” .. rewrote the Battle Hymn because, well . . . because it needed it. Bitterweet, clever, and at the end inspiring I reckon.
StevoRsays
Now why didn’t I think of youtubing this earlier -- audio of Martin Luther King’s 1964 Oslo Acceptance speech here :
Oh & why not make April Black History month? Or January -- MLK day & his birthday? Or March -- Harriet Tubman Day (10th) -or December -Rosa Parkes Day in Ohio & Oregon and tehday she was arrested for sitting down in a bus? Okay, maybe Dec with Xmas and all may not be the best choice w other events on and could be construed as a “war on Xmas” thing but the others?
BTW. On whole other topic, Jupiter is very nicely and beautifully positioned in relation to the constellations Scorpius and Libra in our night sky right now. It’ll be the brightest but least scintillating* “star” near & adding to the “triangle” that makes up Libra in front of the unusually recognisably what its named for “scorpion in the sky.
* Twinkling -- our solar systems planets shine with a steadier light than the point source far more distant stars.
Onamission5says
GiliellI have been known to leap up cooing at a baby on occasion as well, although granny age is a ways off just yet.
Charly Sorry to hear about your fruit trees.
Ice Swimmersays
Having watched the very fine videos about European and Japanese armour in the post Charly posted, something stuck in my mind. The end music Metatron uses in his videos (starting in 15:04) is reminiscent of parts of the melody of this. (Warning: The video contains violence and a burial.) I don’t think melodies are the same.
chigau (違う)says
This afternoon I washed a set of sheets and pillow case and hung them outside to dry.
It was +10°C and windy.
This morning it was -10°C and snowing.
It is Spring.
chigau
I think we just skipped Spring. Yesterday it was 20°C.
After shovelling 700kg of pebbles and cleaning away decades of washed up dirt from the garden stairs and path, it felt more like 30°C.
+++
Parental whining ahead.
I don’t get my kids.
We have some, as I think very low but equally clear expectations of their contribution in the household:
A) Clean away their own stuff in the joint areas such as dining room and living room.
B) Put their dirty laundry into the basket and put their clean laundry into their wardrobes.
And it’s also not like we’re the kind of parents who will beg their children five times and then do it themselves.
Yet every fucking weekend we have the same fight, especially with #1 (though the little one can be just as much of a drama queen). It always ends in tears and yelling. Today I gave her a choice: Her dad and I don’t have to put up with this. Either she does what she is expected to do or I will take her to the cellar and explain the washing machine to her. And “I don’t have any clean cloths” will not prevent her from being hauled out of the door in the morning.
Raucous Indignationsays
Panda went to the vet yesterday. She got three vaccines including the rabies. She gained 7 1/2 pounds in two weeks. She is teething on everything, still has her baby teeth. We are fairly certain her sire had some dalmatian. She is healthy and very happy. She goes to puppy “classes.” She had an outing yesterday to the children’s music conservatory where she received many hugs and pettings. Still sometimes piddling on the carpets; both carpet cleaners are in full use. I will be submitting more photos soon. Panda sends her love and nibbles to the Commentariat.
We do not have carpets either, and unfortunately neither do we have a dog anymore. We all have asthma and I am allergic, so carpets in the house are a definitive no-no.
Hugs to all, extra to Giliell because I’ve been there and done that with kids. Maybe teaching them to use the washer and dryer will help -- Emily found being able to do the wash and also cooking empowering. While I was stuck taking care of my Aged Parents that one summer, she fought with Paul to take charge of the house.
Yesterday I found the mockingbird nest I’ve been hearing baby bird noises from, and I even got a picture of two babby beaks. https://anne-d.dreamwidth.org/289213.html
chigau (違う)says
It is snowing and blowing.
Almost like a blizzard.
chigau (違う)says
about 12cm ffs
voyagersays
Anne Cranky Cat Lady I think that’s a great shot. I hope you can get a few more as they grow.
We’re having snow again.
First the little one crashed together with her BFF who broke her clavicle in the crash. The little one being herself is very sad and feeling guilty, #1 being herself is trying to make her feel worse.
Second the little one told me that the mother of a schoolmate has died. We were not “friends” but acquaintances and I’m really shocked to hear. What makes it worse is that the girl and her sister already lost their dad back when she was in preschool.
Life is so fucking unfair.
rqsays
We have some, as I think very low but equally clear expectations of their contribution in the household:
A) Clean away their own stuff in the joint areas such as dining room and living room.
B) Put their dirty laundry into the basket and put their clean laundry into their wardrobes.
And it’s also not like we’re the kind of parents who will beg their children five times and then do it themselves.
Yet every fucking weekend we have the same fight, especially with #1 (though the little one can be just as much of a drama queen). It always ends in tears and yelling. Today I gave her a choice: Her dad and I don’t have to put up with this. Either she does what she is expected to do or I will take her to the cellar and explain the washing machine to her. And “I don’t have any clean cloths” will not prevent her from being hauled out of the door in the morning.
Once again, I believe you are talking about my children, and I have to ask you to remove the cameras, please.
Also *hugs*, life is so fucking unfair.
+++
Was in Rome, for work and it was wonderful. Now I have to bring the accomplishments back, provide some solid deliverables and make sure I get sent out again next year.
I never thought I’d get to see the Sistine Chapel. It’s never been one of the things on my bucket list, but I’m very glad I visited (group tour after hours, so we had a nice empty Vatican Museum). It was appropriately impressive. Snuck a photo, too.
StevoRsays
I’m really surprised PZ Myers hasn’t blogged about this yet -- unless I’ve missed it which I don’t think I have :
Geochemists explored the outcrop in a tiny submersible vehicle, hoping to collect samples of the warm fluids that emerge from cracks in the rocks; they didn’t count on finding dozens of octopuses huddled around the cracks.
The octopuses were an unknown species of the genus Muusoctopus--pink, dinner-plate-sized creatures with enormous eyes. Up to a hundred of them seemed to occupy every available rock in a small area. That in itself was strange--Muuscoctopus are normally loners. Stranger still was that nearly all of the octopuses seemed to be mothers, each guarding a clutch of eggs. And this nursery was situated alongside the warm fluid issuing from the cracks in the outcrop.
It doesn’t make sense for deep-sea octopuses to brood eggs in warm water like this: it’s suicide. Deep sea octopus live in cold, nearly invariant temperatures. Exposure to higher temperatures jump-starts their metabolism, making them need more oxygen than the warm water can provide.
(Italics original.)
Reckon someone should pass this very odd, curious and rather sad octopus mystery along to PZ although I’d be surprised too if he hasn’t heard about it and it’d be Murphy’s law that this cross posts with Pharyngula posting on it.
Although its really much better for those in the northern hemisphere and doesn’t put up much of a show here in South Oz -too much of it below our horizon and washed out by local dawn, Adelaide time.
+++
Went to a communion yesterday. My friend’s performative catholicism is puzzling, because I know how she spent her 20s and 30s.
Well, one more kid to go and then we’re done.
Oh fuckety, the butt pain is back. With a vengeance. This is not good. Oh well, good morning morphine…
Butt pain is terrible. I’m sorry, Caine.
On a lighter note, I’m excited for a movie that’s just been made. The Last Fiction is a feature-length animation based on a Persian legend told in the Shahnameh of Ferdosi. I’m particularly glad that it’s being made by an Iranian studio rather than Disney. That Prince of Persia left a bad taste in my mouth.
Joseph:
Oooh, that sounds great! I’m always glad when something avoids Disnification, they have the worst fucking track record when it comes to other cultures. I’ll put up a post about this tomorrow.
Sorry Caine.
I took codeine earlier as the pain wasn’t bad, five minute later, much more pain. Still two and a half hours before I can take some tramadol. Seems to be a day for it. And it’s a grey cloudy one too.
Sorry it’s you too, Jazzlet. I toss med schedules out the window when I’m in pain, but I can get away with that, because all I have is the morphine and cyclobenzaprine. (Spell check wanted to change cyclobenzaprine into encyclopedia.) :D
Cyclobenzaprine is an encyclopedic compound.
I’m hoping the encylopedic and thesaurian compounds will ease the pains!
Swimming in the sea was a bit more exciting on Friday. There were two silent swans nearby and one of them was at times quite close to the stairs to the sea. Luckily even the one that was closer, was just glaring at humans. The swans were both swimming in open water and standing on floating pieces of ice. After some time they flew away.
Gulls have also returned and are holding conferences on sea ice.
I put my slippers on this morning to find that one of them was filled with happy puppy slobber.
Well, I can imagine worse things for a puppy to leave in a slipper…
+++
I’m afraid I killed a lot of flowers today as I managed to create the next terrace step on the right hand side of the garden so we could plant peas. I tried to save what I could…
We also shovelled 600kg of pebbles into the gap between the house and the front yard.
Finally, I think I need to divorce Mr. He could neither share my enthusiasm for the beauty of wet pebbles nor my enthusiasm for my rapidly growing seedlings.
Giliell is he always like that or is he having a bad day?
Oh fuck fireworks, Thorn does not like fireworks, though she has come to me for comfort which is good.
@Giliell, I hope the disagreement with Mr. is nothing serious.
Currently, I have no enthusiasm for my own garden. The week off I had the weather was crap and I could not do a much. Now the weather is suddenly way too warm, everything is starting too quickly and I have no chance whatsoever to keep up with having maybe an hour or two in the evening during the week and nothing more.
I still have a mountain of cherry twigs to shred, I need to plant about 100 poplars and to re-plant all of my almost 150 trees. There is no way I can manage all that if the temperatures keep above 15°C and everything starts to grow like mad.
Further, this year is not good for my gardening equipment. Today I riped off the tyre valve on one of my walking tractor’s tyres. I do not know how that is even possible, but apparently it is. Another weekend lost due to equipment getting bust.
And my back and both wrists hurt like hell, I might not be able to do a thing tomorrow. I won’t be able to handle the chainsaw, that is for sure.
There is still 20 -- 30 cm of snow on my garden and the temperature is minus something.
Gardening can wait.
I’m going to go and cut some things in the garden. Starting with the roses; spring was a long time coming but it seems to have suddenly sprung, though there’s rumours of a May snowfall.
Charly
Na, nothing serious. Not even a fight.
It’s mostly due to our difference in upbringing. I grew up in a house with a garden, so I grew up with the cycle of planting, growing, harvesting, tending. It is something I cannot do without. Even when we only had the balcony I always grew things like mad. Now with the garden I absolutely enjoy the possibilities it offers. Mr enjoys having a garden, but more in the sense of having a space to spend time in with the whole tending to it being a necessary chore.
+++
What seriously annoys me is his refusal to ever have any kind of conflict with his dad*. I hope at least he’s going to have the “you must be more careful with your phone” talk I asked him to have with his father. Because while I only find it mildly uncomfortable to be asked for some help with the phone and then finding myself looking at porn, others might not be, for example his wife. And he’s completely oblivious of it.
*There’s a reason he is your prototype of entitled cis het old white guy.
+++
Yep, spring is finally here. The whatever tree in the garden is in bloom and a whole lot of other flowers as well. the bees are out and what feels like a ton of butterflies. I also removed the first tick from Mr yesterday.
I saw two butterflies today, the first of the season (for me!) -- a white one and an orange one (identification approximate since I was cutting the roses and wasn’t expecting to have to stare at some pretty flying insects, they surprised me unprepared!).
I saw my first Swallowtail of the season today! I think it was a Southern Swallowtail but it flew away pretty quickly. Until now I had only seen cabbage butterflies.
Which reminded me I need to sow more zinnias, marigolds and strawflowers. And prevent the snails from eating everything…
I haven’t had much of a chance to look at the yard, as it is still abnormally cold. Should warm up by the end of the week, according to the weather forecast.
I’ve been working in the basement, trying to clear a path to the furnace. Feels like an excavating project, where you need to clear out an area so you can move other stuff to it. The 35 year old freezer will be removed shortly, and this will free up some space for shelves to be moved from in front of the electrical panel, which frees up space for tubs of yarn (~35), which allows me to move other things out of the way. Meanwhile, found another few tubs of old flour, spices, and the like, enough to fill my garbage bin. I also have 8 bags of the Redhead’s clothes from various basement racks (mostly beaded jackets and dresses) for Goodwill.
A weeks work completed, and still a layer or two from actually being able to access the furnace.
I was going to venture out to do some pruning and to plan were to put replacement trees. Alas, it’s been a sleepy Sunday instead.
Slippers still slobbery.
I’m having an achy day, but nowhere near as bad as the rest of you. Getting out of my chair and walking occasions a lot of curses, though. I’ve got to contact my doctor again and ask about more options, because this is not fun.
Gardening -- Paul is in charge of the outdoors here. He bought this year’s cherry tomato plants and put them somewhere, and the lemon trees are producing like mad. Alas, drought and climate change have killed most of our fruit trees and the remaining ones didn’t get enough frost to set fruit. Except for the ancient pomegranate, which seems to be immortal. Much to the delight of the birds, especially the hummies.
First damages from the upside-down winter seem to be obvious -- my fig trees, all three of them, are mostly dead. It remains to be seen if they sprout some branches from lower regions, but all twigs I tried are dry and snap easily, which a living twig would not do.
And all the bamboos seem to be dry as well.
None of this would happen if the winter behaved like it should have. If there were freezing temperatures from December through to February it would be OK. But it was way too warm until January and then, when everything was just about to wake up, suddenly -20°C.
I seem to have lost a lot of trees lately.
I’m sorry about your dead fruit trees, that sounds awful. Our trees seem to be recovering from the 11-month drought we just came out of. They are obviously weakened but none seem to have died, although I think they would have if I hadn’t watered them during the summer and autumn.
My slippers seem to have a mind of their own. They get up and move from where I leave them. What ever could be going on?
There’s a cat’s nose snuffling about in my slippers.
Lofty @25
Just a nose?! I’d be worried…!
Charly
My sympathies. Yesterday I noticed some odd things during the pruning of the roses and other things, I was wondering if maybe I just didn’t usually notice or pay attention other years, but I really think the odd winter has had influence -- I’m expecting problems with fungi and rot (in the roots) this season.
The allium are pushing up nicely, though. That was nice to see.
Charly
My sympathies. I don’t have nearly as many trees and actually only one I care about, but on Saturday when thinking about how to put up the planting stones around the hibiscus I noticed that it wasn’t a problem at all because there was no more hibiscus.
On the plus side the peonies I had thought to be dead even before winter are making a come back. I only planted them last year and through summer they seemed like they didn’t take root.
Sometimes, clichés are so fucking true.
A few minutes ago a colleague came into the staff room with her baby. Two female colleagues near “granny age” jumped up cooing.
Hm, this is weird. I just came back from my nightly round of snail hand-picking and there is not a single one about. Now, it is true that I’ve been doing this regularly for the past few days (I feed them to the chickens the morning after) but I doubt I have locally driven them to extinction. What this probably means is that it’s too fucking cold again even for them. Too cold for April. *sigh* I prefer Spring and snails than this.
Watched the second episode earlier tonight of the incredibly powerful, moving Roots historical drama telling the story of Mandinka warrior Kunte Kinte and his family especially daughter.
If anyone hasn’t seen it and wants to there’s a link here via Aussie SBS on Demand* -- expires in 27 days from today :
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/725361219669/roots-series-1-ep-2
WARNING : violence, sexual assault, very confronting, swearing including racial abuse -- all in context of the times and portrayed in very realistic and graphic manner.
* Hope it can be accessed o/s Oz. not sure whether it can be, apologies if not and hope you can find ways to watch it if you want to -- I do recommend it but it is extremely full-on, at times brutal and very powerful stuff.
This is the 2016 mini-series version wikibasics here :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roots_(2016_miniseries)
WARNING : Spoilers
Was broadcast years (?) ago but is now being screened again on the NITV channel.
***
“” I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.” -- Martin Luther King in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo, December 10, 1964.
Full speech -- worth reading in full & source here :
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-acceptance_en.html
Some apt quotes I hope folks appreciate here?
Yeah, I know its kinda religious but still, substitute ethical understanding or something and people if you like but quoted for historical accuracy and seeming aptness here.
Source : https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/martin-luther-king-science_n_1208349
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/martin-luther-king-jr-s-haunting-reflections-on-science-and-progress/
Plus from Martin Luther King’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech linked in #30 :
Yeah, been on an MLK quotes & search binge just now. Guess it shows.
Also :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eR0ckpJ3bk
Battle Hymn of the Republic -- Modified for Relevance by the Parody Project who ” .. rewrote the Battle Hymn because, well . . . because it needed it. Bitterweet, clever, and at the end inspiring I reckon.
Now why didn’t I think of youtubing this earlier -- audio of Martin Luther King’s 1964 Oslo Acceptance speech here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r98tT0j1a0
12 minutes long.
Oh & why not make April Black History month? Or January -- MLK day & his birthday? Or March -- Harriet Tubman Day (10th) -or December -Rosa Parkes Day in Ohio & Oregon and tehday she was arrested for sitting down in a bus? Okay, maybe Dec with Xmas and all may not be the best choice w other events on and could be construed as a “war on Xmas” thing but the others?
BTW. On whole other topic, Jupiter is very nicely and beautifully positioned in relation to the constellations Scorpius and Libra in our night sky right now. It’ll be the brightest but least scintillating* “star” near & adding to the “triangle” that makes up Libra in front of the unusually recognisably what its named for “scorpion in the sky.
* Twinkling -- our solar systems planets shine with a steadier light than the point source far more distant stars.
GiliellI have been known to leap up cooing at a baby on occasion as well, although granny age is a ways off just yet.
Charly Sorry to hear about your fruit trees.
Having watched the very fine videos about European and Japanese armour in the post Charly posted, something stuck in my mind. The end music Metatron uses in his videos (starting in 15:04) is reminiscent of parts of the melody of this. (Warning: The video contains violence and a burial.) I don’t think melodies are the same.
This afternoon I washed a set of sheets and pillow case and hung them outside to dry.
It was +10°C and windy.
This morning it was -10°C and snowing.
It is Spring.
chigau
I think we just skipped Spring. Yesterday it was 20°C.
After shovelling 700kg of pebbles and cleaning away decades of washed up dirt from the garden stairs and path, it felt more like 30°C.
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Parental whining ahead.
I don’t get my kids.
We have some, as I think very low but equally clear expectations of their contribution in the household:
A) Clean away their own stuff in the joint areas such as dining room and living room.
B) Put their dirty laundry into the basket and put their clean laundry into their wardrobes.
And it’s also not like we’re the kind of parents who will beg their children five times and then do it themselves.
Yet every fucking weekend we have the same fight, especially with #1 (though the little one can be just as much of a drama queen). It always ends in tears and yelling. Today I gave her a choice: Her dad and I don’t have to put up with this. Either she does what she is expected to do or I will take her to the cellar and explain the washing machine to her. And “I don’t have any clean cloths” will not prevent her from being hauled out of the door in the morning.
Panda went to the vet yesterday. She got three vaccines including the rabies. She gained 7 1/2 pounds in two weeks. She is teething on everything, still has her baby teeth. We are fairly certain her sire had some dalmatian. She is healthy and very happy. She goes to puppy “classes.” She had an outing yesterday to the children’s music conservatory where she received many hugs and pettings. Still sometimes piddling on the carpets; both carpet cleaners are in full use. I will be submitting more photos soon. Panda sends her love and nibbles to the Commentariat.
Hey, we don’t have carpets, we’Re well equipped to get a dog!
I agree, Giliell, but it can’t be helped. The rugs were a package deal. They came with my Lovely and Delightful Partner.
We do not have carpets either, and unfortunately neither do we have a dog anymore. We all have asthma and I am allergic, so carpets in the house are a definitive no-no.
Ahhh, when you’re all excited to discover a new plant in your garden and then the advice is basically: burn the property down and move elsewhere…
Hugs to all, extra to Giliell because I’ve been there and done that with kids. Maybe teaching them to use the washer and dryer will help -- Emily found being able to do the wash and also cooking empowering. While I was stuck taking care of my Aged Parents that one summer, she fought with Paul to take charge of the house.
Yesterday I found the mockingbird nest I’ve been hearing baby bird noises from, and I even got a picture of two babby beaks. https://anne-d.dreamwidth.org/289213.html
It is snowing and blowing.
Almost like a blizzard.
about 12cm ffs
Anne Cranky Cat Lady I think that’s a great shot. I hope you can get a few more as they grow.
We’re having snow again.
Anne
How lovely!
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I think that spring has officially been cancelled. You folks are still in winter, I’m already in summer.
Oh fuck what a day.
First the little one crashed together with her BFF who broke her clavicle in the crash. The little one being herself is very sad and feeling guilty, #1 being herself is trying to make her feel worse.
Second the little one told me that the mother of a schoolmate has died. We were not “friends” but acquaintances and I’m really shocked to hear. What makes it worse is that the girl and her sister already lost their dad back when she was in preschool.
Life is so fucking unfair.
Once again, I believe you are talking about my children, and I have to ask you to remove the cameras, please.
Also *hugs*, life is so fucking unfair.
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Was in Rome, for work and it was wonderful. Now I have to bring the accomplishments back, provide some solid deliverables and make sure I get sent out again next year.
I never thought I’d get to see the Sistine Chapel. It’s never been one of the things on my bucket list, but I’m very glad I visited (group tour after hours, so we had a nice empty Vatican Museum). It was appropriately impressive. Snuck a photo, too.
I’m really surprised PZ Myers hasn’t blogged about this yet -- unless I’ve missed it which I don’t think I have :
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/fm-ggo041618.php
& (same story different source) :
https://www.livescience.com/62346-giant-gathering-octopus-mothers.html?utm_source=notification#sthash.k8VYqvT1.gbpl
(Italics original.)
Reckon someone should pass this very odd, curious and rather sad octopus mystery along to PZ although I’d be surprised too if he hasn’t heard about it and it’d be Murphy’s law that this cross posts with Pharyngula posting on it.
Also, this meteor shower is on this weekend :
https://www.space.com/40348-lyrid-meteor-shower-2018-what-to-expect.html?utm_source=notification
Although its really much better for those in the northern hemisphere and doesn’t put up much of a show here in South Oz -too much of it below our horizon and washed out by local dawn, Adelaide time.
rq
Rome in spring must be precious!
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Went to a communion yesterday. My friend’s performative catholicism is puzzling, because I know how she spent her 20s and 30s.
Well, one more kid to go and then we’re done.
Test.
NEW THREAD!