Comments

  1. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Would you think that if the Power Company was planning “rolling blackouts” They would tell us beforehand?

  2. says

    I’m just mad that the interview I got called in specifically for on short notice, and was told I was a good match for, didn’t even bother telling me I was disqualified. They just cut off contact with me.

  3. cm's changeable moniker says

    Ing, dianne, and anyone else who needs sympathies: *sympathies*.

    (I’m mostly-threadrupt.)

    Best story about the Higgs Boson

    Nowhere near … ;-)

    ‘God particle’ does not believe in God

    I only have a trillionth of a second to say this so I want to be crystal clear – I am not a God-botherer.

    I’m not saying for a fact that God does not exist, but as everything you can see, smell, hear, touch or experience in any conceivable way is, to all intents and purposes, based on me, I can tell you that ‘God’ was not responsible for what I like to think of as my essential ‘mojo’.

    If God exists then, given that I’m pretty much everywhere all the time, there’s a fairly reasonable chance I would have bumped into him by now. But so far, it’s just me and the particles to which I give ‘mass’.

  4. says

    I only have a trillionth of a second to say this…

    … equals awesome.

    (/Four five-trillionths omitting commercial breaks. As those, also, are a universal constant.)

  5. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    ING: so sorry this shit is happening to you. Do you still suspect you’re being Fucked over by your old job?
    _____
    Me: getting back to normalcy (for me anyway) feels so good. Just finished a workout at the YMCA (I know, but mom paid for a year membership for me when I was unceremoniously terminated last year & I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth). I’ve got 25lbs or so to get back to my body pre-M’s death. It works wonders for depression.

  6. opposablethumbs says

    Audley, the bib and booties combo is so good. Soooo smart, so baby-about-town, so damn adorable. Love ’em.
    .
    Ing, I’m so sorry. That whole situation is horrible and it does grind you down – I really hope there’s a way to get round it if this is your former employer bad-mouthing you, which certainly sounds possible considering how badly they treated you already. I want at least TET to be a place where you can relax and just vent or share a cold one when you want to.

  7. cm's changeable moniker says

    Nutmeg’s uncle:

    The current is trying to go downstream and around the rocks. It will take you there too.

    This made me think of Jerry Weinberg’s Buffalo Bridle: “You can make a buffalo go anywhere just as long as they want to go there.”

    Or, more relevantly, you can make them go anywhere you want as long as you want them to go where they want. ;)

  8. says

    Tony:

    Just finished a workout at the YMCA (I know, but mom paid for a year membership for me when I was unceremoniously terminated last year & I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth).

    You know that they changed from YMCA to just the Y, didn’t you? There was a fuss about it at the time. :D Besides, nothing wrong with the Y. I’d hit up ours all the time if I were closer to town. They have a pool.

  9. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    given that I’m pretty much everywhere all the time, there’s a fairly reasonable chance I would have bumped into him by now.

    Aren’t all fields “everywhere all the time”?

    Does the electron have as much claim to knowing God as does the Higgs?

  10. carlie says

    Audley, those are entirely precious.

    When I was pregnant with my first child, once I was ready to buy something for it, the first thing I got was a wee pair of baby socks. Because yes, OMG the mini-feet.

    Bummed. I bought a dress online, waited over a month for delivery and went through no end of hassle on it because of being out of town, it came today, and… doesn’t fit. And I have no one to blame but myself, because I provided custom measurements. And to add insult to injury, the misfit is that the chest region is much too big. Thanks a lot, dress.

  11. says

    Um, so this can’t bleed over to facebook, but I am absolutely busting to tell someone so…

    You all know my asshole sister? The one who has made comments about my size and whatever?

    … Yeah, she’s 4 months pregnant. She apologized to me today for (her words) “being a bitch” and blamed it on morning sickness/mood swings/being worried about her own pregnancy.

    I’m actually really happy for her, but the holidays are going to be CRAZY! around here. :p

  12. Nutmeg says

    Audley: I’m glad that things are looking up with your sister. And the octopus bib is absolutely adorable!

    ***

    I’ve been looking everywhere for decent long, casual shorts. My problem is that I’m short with stubby legs, so shorts that are meant to be long on other people are two-thirds of the way down my knees. I looked all over the mall this afternoon. I even ventured into the boys’ department in a larger store, because I’m a big fan of cargo shorts these days. Nothing. Any ideas? I ended up consoling myself with some fudge from the chocolate shop, so at least the trip wasn’t an utter loss.

  13. cm's changeable moniker says

    Aren’t all fields “everywhere all the time”?

    Does the electron have as much claim to knowing God as does the Higgs?

    1. They are.

    2. They may do, but leptons aren’t bosons. ;)

  14. says

    Caine:

    Rubin is pregnant. Excuse me while I go pound my head into a wall.

    Wait… I thought Rubin was a male rat…

    ♥ Good luck with the second litter.

    Seriously, I’m glad she did.

    Me too. Her apology/reasoning has really helped shed some light on the situation.

    Hell, I’m glad that she even told me that she’s pregnant. She hasn’t told anyone in our family yet (only her mother-in-law) and I’m supposed to keep it under wraps. Since none of you all know her, I think I’m in the clear for my TET expulsion.

  15. Jessa says

    Caine:

    Rubin is pregnant.

    Oh geez, Caine. Hugs if you want ’em. That’s quite a shock.

  16. ImaginesABeach says

    If you didn’t sex the adult rat correctly, it may be wise to have someone else sex the ratlets. Perhaps you could import Pteryxx?

    Sympathies.

  17. opposablethumbs says

    Audley, glad your sib is trying to mend bridges there. Best health wishes all round.
    .
    Caine, oooooooohhhhhh …. oh boy. Well, but don’t – uh, the wall there – mind your head – well, damn. I just think I’ll send you something fortifying via USB, ok?

  18. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    dianne:

    English grammar: If you get it wrong, just claim you’re being edgy and rebelling against outmoded grammatical forms. It’s a great excuse because it’s often true.

    This makes me wonder how much cringing English Lit professors do when listening to Joss Whedon’s dialogue on Buffy…

    ~~

    LDTR:

    (1) go amuck and scream at the cashier, (2) trash the joint, or worse, (3) convert, I don’t see why not.

    BWAHAHAHAHA!
    Out of those 3 options, #1 seems like the only possibility and even that is supremely out of character for me.
    I’ve never been much of the destroying type (when I get really pissed off though, I want to break things; throw a glass against a wall and watch it shatter kind of thing; I usually refrain from doing even that as I don’t like having to clean up bits of glass).
    As for #3, :::looks above at ‘nym and thinks “no, my name isn’t Leah”:::

    ~~

    Katherine @456:
    The “teach you to love it” line can be taken a couple of different ways. It could be an insensitive way for him to convey that he likes you as you currently are. I won’t even mention the horrible ways that line could be taken. It does not take into account your desires though, and that seems like a big problem. It’s understandable if he isn’t attracted to “chicks with dicks” (is there a less offensive phrase that’s a suitable substitute?), but he also needs to understand that this isn’t about him. It’s about you and your needs.

    Also, I second Krasnaya @466.
    ~~

    Nutmeg:
    I was glued to my phone reading your rafting story. It sounds like a canoe full of fun (except the parts where peoples’ safety was in question).

    ~~

    :::waves to Vilem Saptar!:::

    ~~
    Audley:
    re: Creation Store- give me a few days to work up the courage :)

    Is bothering me a lot. This dude is dismissing who you are for his own gratification.

    I don’t completely agree with you, but that’s tentative. It’s contingent on how much Katherine has told him about herself. If she’s discussed things to a degree of depth (enough to convey her wishes to him) and he *still* has that response, then yeah, I say dump him.
    ::I’m ignorant about gender reassignment and quite a bit about trans (people?) issues, and I have *zero* interest in offending Katherine (or anyone else for that matter), so if I have done so (or do in the future), please slap me across the head and correct me::

    re: Your sister-I’m glad she apologized to you. No need to consider writing a letter I guess. Did it feel like a heartfelt apology and what was your reaction?

    ~~

    Ms. Daisy:
    re: ‘weak’, ‘feel your pain’, and ‘intelligence based insults’-I’m right there with you. Gingerale and hir use of “retard” earlier royally pissed me off. If xe had gone with ‘idiot’, ‘moron’, or ‘stupid fucker’ I wouldn’t have cared.
    I wonder about ‘sociopath’ and ‘psychopath’ (for myself), because I don’t know the clinical definitions of them and would rather avoid using words that carry baggage or that I don’t fully understand.

    ~~

    Krasnaya @479:

    Peas are evil.
    There are many wonderful people on this planet that have not accepted this lesson. I do not hold it against them, I just ask that they peaze not force me to eat any :)

    ~~

    <fighting in the Lounge<

    While I'm happy for this to be a relaxing, casual environment, did PZ say no fighting, or just no protracted battles taking up large portions of TET threads?

  19. says

    ImaginesABeach:

    If you didn’t sex the adult rat correctly, it may be wise to have someone else sex the ratlets.

    That’s not the problem. Rubin was incorrectly labeled by whoever supposedly sexed her and we simply didn’t think to check again. As I said, stupidity was the rule of the day.

    Opposablethumbs:

    I just think I’ll send you something fortifying via USB, ok?

    A truckload of booze ought to do it. :D Thanks.

    Nutmeg & Cipher, thank you. ♥

  20. Jessa says

    Audley,

    Congrats on the future addition to the Darkheart extended family, and your sister’s apology! Hopefully things will go more smoothly for you both.

  21. Pteryxx says

    Yikes Caine. *fluffy hugs*

    …Assuming you found out the pregnancy by eye/feel, then you probably only have a week or so, and now TWO litters and moms to isolate and segregate… aiyiyi.

    I’m kind of far away but if you want, I could attempt to sex them from photos of their underparts.

  22. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    Caine:
    OMG, another pregnant rat. At least you know what to expect this time.

    Re: the Y-
    I didn’t know they changed the name. I will say that their membership card makes it clear they are still a religious oriented gym:

    http://thumbp13-ne1.thumb.mail.yahoo.com/tn?sid=29273397986763370&mid=APKkiGIAASaDT%2FtkXgveWTl7kVw&midoffset=2_0_0_1_869427&partid=2&f=1127&fid=Inbox&w=717&h=430&httperr=1

    I was in there Saturday and one of the programs they had on tv (the music wasn’t on; maybe it god doesn’t like satellite radio) was a young (as in teenage) Christian band. I didn’t notice at first, but then some dumb lyric hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course after that, I couldn’t shut that shit out of my head.

  23. Pteryxx says

    That’s not the problem. Rubin was incorrectly labeled by whoever supposedly sexed her and we simply didn’t think to check again.

    Oh okay, never mind then. (This happens ALL THE TIME. Honestly people working in pet stores, learn what rat balls are!)

    Also, Caine, don’t feel bad… I made that EXACT same mistake with one of my pet rats, taking the person’s word for it that she was a male; and this is my freakin’ job. Lucky for me I caught the mistake within a few days.

  24. cm's changeable moniker says

    Dr AudleyZD:

    You all know my asshole sister? The one who has made comments about my size and whatever? Yeah, she’s 4 months pregnant.

    I’m grinning broadly right now. I think¹ I suggested asking why she was being such an asshole. There was an /armchairpsychiatrist and everything. ;-)

    Safe conveyances and deliveries for both of you.

    ¹ Except I can’t make Google find it. Maybe I typed it up and didn’t have the conviction to hit submit. Oh well. This will have to do.

  25. says

    Tony:

    Did it feel like a heartfelt apology and what was your reaction?

    Yes. It was quick, but she was acting kind of… embarrassed (not quite the emotion I’m going for, but you get it). I gave her a hug and told her that I love her.

    Of course, since she’s decided not to be an asshole, this means that I don’t get to nit-pick her every decision. Drat! I guess this means that I’ll just have to be happy for her instead. :D

  26. says

    cm:

    I think¹ I suggested asking why she was being such an asshole. There was an /armchairpsychiatrist and everything.

    Yup, I think you’re right.

    To by honest, Mr Darkheart and I have suspected it for at least a month now, but obviously we didn’t just want to be all, “yo, are you knocked up, too?” That’s kind of rude (to say the least.)

    Safe conveyances and deliveries for both of you.

    Thank you and thanks to everyone else for the well wishes!

  27. says

    Pteryxx:

    …Assuming you found out the pregnancy by eye/feel, then you probably only have a week or so, and now TWO litters and moms to isolate and segregate… aiyiyi.

    I’m pretty sure we don’t have 7 days, more like 4 or 5. We’re heading into town tomorrow, we’re going to pick up another bookcase to convert into a second Rat Condo.

    Lucky for me I caught the mistake within a few days.

    This is where my incredible stupidity kicks in…I knew better.

  28. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    Audley: Well, at least she apologized. If need be, though, I hope you have the guts to remind her that being pregnant doesn’t mean she can still be a jackass to you.
    ——————————————–

    Caine: Oh my . . . ho boy. You’re going to have a LOT of ratlets to find homes for if you have no plans on keeping any of them. I assume you are counting down the days until you will finally be able to get some decent sleep? Good luck and hugs.
    ——————————————–

    OK, time to catch up with rest of thread.

  29. says

    Shit, Caine. Can anyone take the next litter off your hands (as in, to raise them, not to put them down)?

    Tony:

    Peas are evil.

    You and Cecily will never know the joy of my spaghetti carbonara.

    As for the Y, I don’t know about the central organization, but what’s played on the TV or the PA system likely varies from gym to gym and region to region. Up here in the Northeast, I’ve attended a few different Ys, and none of them put on religious programming.

  30. Tethys says

    You all know my asshole sister? The one who has made comments about my size and whatever?
    … Yeah, she’s 4 months pregnant.

    Yay, Darkfetus will have lots of cousins. Sister apologizing must feel like a particularly lovely vindication. I have a judgmental older sister who does everything more perfectly than me too. :P

    Rubin is pregnant.

    What in tarnation is going on with this epidemic of TET fertility?

    Have we finally reached that magical femmilestone where the combined fempower has reached critical f-mass and can now transmute the males into females?

    Rubin needs a new moniker. Perhaps Ruby, or Ru-Barb?

  31. Jessa says

    Audley,

    Since have a Halloween-ish due date, I’ll share something amusing from my childhood. I was born two days before Halloween, so every birthday cake I had as a child was Halloween-themed. White cake with white icing, orange and black piping, and plastic picks in the shape of black cats, ghosts, and tombstones. Yes, tombstones. On a child’s birthday cake. It’s funny now, but it creeped me the fuck out when I was young.

  32. says

    PTI:

    I assume you are counting down the days until you will finally be able to get some decent sleep?

    Ha! Thanks. :)

    Daisy:

    Can anyone take the next litter off your hands (as in, to raise them, not to put them down)?

    No. If I were to do that, someone would have to take Rubin, too, and I could never do that to her. Rubin is beyond spooky and I don’t think she’d cope with a new situation.

    Tethys:

    Rubin needs a new moniker. Perhaps Ruby, or Ru-Barb?

    No, it will stay Rubin. I’ve tried Ruby out before and Rubin absolutely hates it.

  33. says

    PTI:

    If need be, though, I hope you have the guts to remind her that being pregnant doesn’t mean she can still be a jackass to you.

    I’ve already got my reply all lined up, should she decide to get all assholish again: “Remember, I’ve been doing this longer than you.”

    Tethys:

    What in tarnation is going on with this epidemic of TET fertility?

    I have no idea what’s up with TET. In my personal life, it has been joked that all of these pregnancies have been cause by proximity to my turtle– aka “the fertility turtle”.

    (My sister lives downstairs and my sister-in-law (who is also pregnant) was Emery the turtle’s original owner.)

  34. says

    Hey, Janine, wasn’t Aaron Baker here the inspiration for your one-time handle “Janine Is Still An Asshole”? He seems to still be smarting from his experience on Pharyngula.

    Note this comment of his:

    But every church, even the RCC, is a mix of good and evil. In my work (I’m a legal aid lawyer), I’ve found Catholic Charities to be one of the best social service agencies there is; I can’t praise them highly enough.

    Dontpanic calls him on that spectacular bit of straight privilege (CC in both Illinois and Massachusetts tried to weasel out of having to place kids with gay adoptive parents).

  35. Pteryxx says

    Caine, I’m interested in this Rat Condo concept… are there any pictures of the condo or construction? (I used big wire cages with plastic flooring to protect rattie feet.)

  36. says

    Jessa:

    White cake with white icing, orange and black piping, and plastic picks in the shape of black cats, ghosts, and tombstones. Yes, tombstones. On a child’s birthday cake. It’s funny now, but it creeped me the fuck out when I was young.

    I would have loved that, but I was a creepy little kid. :D My birthday’s in mid-October, so I would get some Halloween stuff mixed in with birthday stuff, but not to that level.

    I really want to give birth on Halloween, but then again, I’m not sure if I want to saddle a kid with a holiday birthday, even one that doesn’t involve gifts.

  37. Jessa says

    Audley:

    I would have loved that, but I was a creepy little kid. :D

    I was, too. I think most of the creep-out may have actually been indignation that it was my birthday, dammit, not Halloween. Halloween needed to get its own cake instead of appropriating mine.

    This thinking made total sense to a 10-year-old.

  38. says

    Jessa:

    Halloween needed to get its own cake instead of appropriating mine.

    Hey, that makes sense to a 30 year old!

    (We have a ton of October birthdays in my family: me, my asshole sister, and both my parents so it would have never occurred to me to make a Halloween cake. If I can, I think I might just do that this year!)

  39. Pteryxx says

    oo, thanks for the Rat Condo pic. That and some searching got me apprised of the concept.

  40. says

    I suspect some of us 4th of July babies would have been okay with the black & orange birthdays. I still think red, white & blue look like crap together.
    Meanwhile, on Planet Wingnut, George Will says the record heat wave is just “summer.”

  41. cicely. No further comment. says

    Octopus bib and booties are cyoot!

    *massive pile of hugs* for entire Ing Household.

    Well, Audley, at least you now have an explanation for your sister’s behavior. All that, and an apology too.

    Nutmeg, I know the “short with stubby legs” problem all too well. What I’m getting by with right now is capri shorts; the ones that are meant to come to just below the knee on Standard Issue Legs are not usually too ridiculously long on me—generally they come to about mid-calf. This is convenient, since my lower legs have always been bowed in a distressingly unattractive (to me!) manner.

    Rubin…is…pregnant.
    *gape*
    I thought Rubin was a masculine rat….

    *hugs* and commiserations, and *very strong drink*

    I think¹ I suggested asking why she was being such an asshole. There was an /armchairpsychiatrist and everything. ;-)

    I remember reading it, so you almost certainly are correct that you remember writing it.
    :)

    To by honest, Mr Darkheart and I have suspected it for at least a month now, but obviously we didn’t just want to be all, “yo, are you knocked up, too?” That’s kind of rude (to say the least.)

    And also had the capacity for inadvertant tactlessness, if the root of the problem was envy, i.e., if she desperately wanted to be pregnant, but was encountering technical difficulty.

    You and Cecily will never know the joy of my spaghetti carbonara.

    It is a joyless spaghetti carbonara that incorporates *shudder* peas.

    I wanted to get married on Halloween. Dressed accordingly.

    Shoulda stuck to my guns.

  42. Lyn M: type en colère en jupe caniché of death says

    Rubin needs a new moniker. Perhaps Ruby, or Ru-Barb?

    May I suggest Ru-Paulette?

  43. Richard Austin says

    So, is someone making octopus bibs for all the ratlets? I won’t even ask about shoes…

  44. Lyn M: type en colère en jupe caniché of death says

    Oops, just caught up.

    May I suggest Ru-Paulette?

    FIFMyself

  45. says

    Richard:

    I won’t even ask about shoes…

    Rat booties!

    *faints!*

    cicely:

    And also had the capacity for inadvertant tactlessness, if the root of the problem was envy, i.e., if she desperately wanted to be pregnant, but was encountering technical difficulty.

    That was my other worry, besides the rudeness. I know that she wants kids, but I did not know if she and her husband had been trying or not.

    But, yeah. Happy she told me!

  46. Jessa says

    feralboy12:

    I suspect some of us 4th of July babies would have been okay with the black & orange birthdays.

    Yeah, I can understand that. Those of us born on or near holidays have a unique perspective on birthday celebrations.

    Do we have any commenters with Christmas birthdays? My cousin was born on December 27, and she always hated that she never had a “proper” birthday. It was always lumped in with the Christmas present-opening.

  47. says

    (insert usual moaning about threadruptedness here)

    troll…..bah (ignore, scroll scroll scroll)

    dianne…oh no. oh no. oh no. :-( I am so sorry.

    Tony – depends on how strong you feel – on a good day, I could go in and chuckle, but these days, I would go in and then go home and crawl under the covers for the rest of hte day.

    Krasnaya Koshka
    9 July 2012 at 2:47 pm
    Katherine Lorraine,

    You are brilliant. You write such beautiful intensely-backgrounded stories. You’ve gone through so much already with your family. You’re above being treated on a percentage scale. You are worth 100%. Don’t settle.

    Seconded. I was about to congratulate you on a pleasant weekend, Kitty, but the follow-up posts made my heart sink for you. Please take it slowly and remember what Krasnaya said because it is true – you are so precious just as you are – just as you will be, when you decide and how you decide – and you deserve a partner who will love you for who you are, completely.

    And hello Krasnaya!!

  48. Richard Austin says

    Do we have any commenters with Christmas birthdays? My cousin was born on December 27, and she always hated that she never had a “proper” birthday. It was always lumped in with the Christmas present-opening.

    My best friend is 12/24. He doesn’t mind the “single present for both” thing as much as he minded never getting to do what he wanted to do on his birthday, because his family celebrates on Christmas Eve.

    My step-dad is 12/26, but Boxing Day isn’t a big thing in Chicago.

    Still, I make an active effort to get them both separate Christmas and birthday presents, and to make sure they’re even delivered separately so that there’s no cross-over whatsoever.

  49. Tethys says

    It’s Rubin. It will remain Rubin. Rubin likes Rubin.

    *scuffs toes in dirt*

    Sorry I made the silly joke in the first place. I’m sure you aren’t finding the situation one bit amusing.

    *commiserations on the fucketonne of work ahead and tea and a bowl of special salad*

  50. Jessa says

    It’s Rubin. It will remain Rubin. Rubin likes Rubin. If people can name their girl sprogs things like Madison and Emery and Kennedy and so forth, Rubin can remain Rubin.

    Absolutely agree. When I was in college, I had two red-eared sliders: Mortimer and Beauregard (they were named well before they were given to me). And then Mortimer laid eggs. Everyone wanted me to change Mortimer’s name to Morticia, to which I responded, “Why? Do you think she cares that she has a ‘boy name’?”

  51. says

    Jessa:

    Do we have any commenters with Christmas birthdays? My cousin was born on December 27, and she always hated that she never had a “proper” birthday. It was always lumped in with the Christmas present-opening.

    I feel really bad for Mr Darkheart– his birthday’s near the end of December, his family celebrates both Hanukkah and Xmas and his younger brother was born on the same day (he’s two years younger).

    Mr Darkheart has never really hated it, he just never cared much for his birthday. To this day, he doesn’t understand my love for birthdays* (or how I can manage to stretch my bday into a week long celebration).

    *Mine and everybody else’s.

  52. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    Audley:
    I do the same thing with birthdays. Everyone gets a week.

  53. Jessa says

    Richard,

    He doesn’t mind the “single present for both” thing as much as he minded never getting to do what he wanted to do on his birthday, because his family celebrates on Christmas Eve.

    That was my cousin’s issue. She usually received a much better single present, but our family’s tradition was to open presents on Christmas Eve, eat ourselves comatose on Christmas Day, go shopping on the 26th (gotta stock up on Christmas stuff on sale for next year), and travel home on the 27th. Until my aunt moved far enough away that they couldn’t visit every year, my cousin never had a birthday party. Even then, her friends were usually out of town with their families.

  54. says

    Tethys:

    Sorry I made the silly joke in the first place. I’m sure you aren’t finding the situation one bit amusing.

    It’s okay, this isn’t my best day, to say the least.

    *commiserations on the fucketonne of work ahead and tea and a bowl of special salad*

    Thank you! Oh, that reminds me, I have to stop at Pier 1 tomorrow to get more little dishes for tea. Rubin, like Esme, has a fit if expected to go without tea every day.

    Josh:

    Caine—no chance for a rat-bortion?

    I’m afraid not. Rats are tricky, they don’t show at all until 7 days before they birth. I’m pretty sure we don’t have 7 days with Rubin.

  55. amblebury says

    *Waves frantically!*

    Just a drive by, something I had to share.

    Eldest Gel called from university. Her new English lecturer is…

    PROFESSOR TRIBBLE!

    11!11!

  56. Jessa says

    Audley:

    Morty and Beau are now *counts on fingers and toes* 19 and 18 years old, respectively. My parents currently have them; they built a small pond for them. I think I have some pictures of my parent’s dachshund herding them back into their pond in my Facebook photos.

  57. A. R says

    amblebury: That is an entirely new level of awesome!

    Second ratlet litter: Crap, I only ordered a dozen rattie secwet agent communication implants.

  58. amblebury says

    *Reads* Whut!? Rubin too? Oh Caine, here’s a tankard of Mother’s Ruin through the USB. I know there were a few good suggestions last time – but eugh, it ain’t easy whichever way you slice it.

    Heh, Audley! I’m glad she realized her behavior was out of line, and apologized. Good news for all.

  59. carlie says

    Oh, dear. I’m so, so sorry, Caine. This is not what you needed right now.

  60. carlie says

    Audely – heh. Good explanation, but I hope she’s decently ashamed of her behavior too.

  61. says

    Jessa:

    Morty and Beau are now *counts on fingers and toes* 19 and 18 years old, respectively.

    Awe!

    Emery’s 2526, but I’ve only had her for about a year now. I “turtle sat” for Emery when my SiL and her family went on vacation last year– I wasn’t aware that it was a “trial run” and they were planning to ask me to take her. My SiL had became a little overwhelmed with work and her kids and she felt really guilty about not being able to care for Emery like she used to. Of course, I instantly fell in love with Emery, so it worked out quite well for everyone. :)

  62. Josh, Official SpokesGay says

    All these gender-inappropriate pet names (purses lips). How am I expected to buy the right colors for these creatures?

  63. amblebury says

    A. R Inorite? Daughter was falling over herself laughing at how much trouble he might turn out to be :)

    It’s a beautiful, still, cool and sunny winter’s day here, and must get back to the Tradescantia albiflora (Creeping Christian/Wandering Jew). I see this is used as a house-plant in the US – O.O? Here it’s a noxious, invasive weed that can take over large tracts of land, (it prefers shade) and it’s nigh-on impossible to eradicate.

    Any tips re. control gratefully accepted.

  64. says

    Oh no, Dianne! That’s terrible news. And in a truly ghastly display of synchronicity – one that surely proves that if there is a god, then it’s an evil motherfucker – a friend of mine has just been diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer. She and her bloke were part of our travels around Turkey last year, and she’s such a lovely warm-hearted person. Breaks your heart.

  65. carlie says

    ARGH. Brought in the recycling bins from the garage to take out the recycling. There was a mouse in the bin. Neither the mouse nor we were pleased with this.

  66. says

    Caine:

    Emery, the family heirloom! :D

    Oh, Emery will be DarkFetus’ gift when she first strikes out on her own. :)

    ***

    Also: thinking about my sister’s assholery:

    I wonder if some of her snappiness was seeing what I went through and worrying about herself– I’ve been healthy so far, but I’ve experienced a lot of the discomforts earlier than many other women. I had back and ligament pain right away, I was “showing” in month 3, my ankles and hands started swelling at the beginning of my second trimester, etc. Sure, every woman’s pregnancy is different, but it’s not hard to look at a relative and think “that could happen to me“.

    Or she just could have been tired and nauseous and I’m puttinng way too much thought into this. :p

  67. Josh, Official SpokesGay says

    Dianne and Alethea—I’m so sorry to hear about those awful cancers. And they are awful. Sigh. I commiserate having been there with a good friend.

  68. Jessa says

    80-ish, I think.

    I’ve heard ~50-70. My parents have warned me that it is likely that the turtles will outlive them and that I am expected to provide a proper turtle home.

  69. Jessa says

    dianne and Alethea: Oh dear. It seems I missed some very bad news. *Hugs* and grog if you need them.

  70. says

    Audley, I’m glad to hear that your sister apologized – and wow! Darkfetus will have 2 cousins close in age. FUN!!

    Caine…Oh. My. MY. MY. ((silently pours generous and fortifying tonic into USB)

    Jessa, I feel for your 10 year old self. Yes, you did indeed deserve to have your own day.

    LOL Christmas birthdays? Why stop at Christmas? NiftyOffspring did it all – Mr Nifty and I failed utterly in our attempts to conceive spring babies in spite of our best efforts.

    NiftyDottir #1 born 3AM December 26

    NiftyDottir #2 Thanksgiving (so not the same day every year – her birthday falls on the day every few years and obviously on the weekend when everyone is away the rest of the time.

    NiftySon #1 Father’s Day! (luckily, a moving holiday)

    NiftyTwins – Twelfth Night (which my Shakespeare geekiness loves) and in my homeplace, Christmas season ends on January 6, so three children in Christmas season.

    We always had totally birthday themed birthdays for everyone – and children chose their own birthday suppers – Dottir #1 loved turkey dinner more than anything so even though traditional turkey for Christmas Day, I always cooked a second one for her the very next day every year she requested it (which was most years).

    Still, it was hard for parties with all their friends tied up with family holiday events.

    Funny, though, my eldest (Boxing Day girl) said it never occurred to her to feel cheated by holiday birthday until one of her friends in middle school said it must be terrible. She was all, “What? I LOVE my birthday!” lol Maybe she was just trying to make me feel good because she knows (now as an adult) that we had to have made an effort.

  71. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    Wait, what?

    *scrolls up, tries going back to earlier comments*

    Oh fine, Life, you always throw a stinkbomb into the mix.

    More grog and hugs, dianne and Althea.

  72. cicely. No further comment. says

    *hug* for Alethea. Major suckage, there.

    I guess this sort of thing is what lurks behind the “you must fear god” approach to religion (directly opposite to the, “No! God is luuuuuv!” philosophy); what if the bastard takes notice of you, next. So, kiddies, keep your heads down and your eyes lowered, and stay on your knees, in the hope that he’ll cut down the tallest blades of grass instead.

  73. carlie says

    Niftyatheist – spring doesn’t necessarily help; spouse occasionally has Easter, while I have Mother’s Day. :)

  74. says

    Carlie, haha! True! I was hoping to shoehorn them in early April or early May, but no dice. With the twins, who were a happy surprise (and a double one at that!), we had a shot, as they were due at the end of February (and I thought maybe a few days later – MArch!), but alas- twins,premature, yadda yadda. I’m just glad they were healthy. Fuck the overcrowded Christmas calendar. :-)

  75. ImaginesABeach says

    After work on Wednesday, Mr. Beach, GirlChild, BoyChild and I are piling in the minivan and heading for Chicago for a couple of days! My parents are meeting us there. We are going to do the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry. GirlChild calls it the perfect geek vacation. My dad is a retired physicist, so he’s looking forward to it as much as the kids are. And BoyChild has been practicing saying “paleoichthyologist” because my dad’s cousin is one who works at the Field Museum. Is there anything else we should do in Chicago? We only have most of Thursday, all of Friday and most of Saturday.

  76. says

    ImaginesABeach – Chicago has free trolleys – last I checked 3 different routes – the museums route, the Mag Mile shopping route and the historical/architecture route. It is hop on-hop off. If you stay downtown, you can park the minivan and take free trolley transport to all of those museums (except the Museum of Science and Industry which is further south of the loop, I believe) AND get to look around quite a bit! :D
    Also, unless you and the family really find art and architecture boring, do try to visit the Chicago Art INstitute while you are in Chicago. It really is awesome – and depending on the young Beach’s ages, the halls of medieval suits of armor and the Asian antiquities might be interesting!
    Chicago is a fine city!

  77. A. R says

    Tradescantia albiflora: Wait a minute, did someone really decide to name a noxious invasive Creeping Christian? Must have been an atheist.

  78. Jessa says

    Audley:

    *does math, realizes that there are no spawn to give the turtles to* Assuming both me and the turtles live to the outside of their expectancy…the estate planner will have an interesting situation on their hands.

  79. says

    Trying to catch up after my first full day of custodial training.

    @ Katherine:

    he enjoys an aspect of me that I only marginally tolerate about 60-70% of the time, … ‘I’ll teach you to love it’ …Plus he has more or less said he doesn’t like ‘chicks with dicks’ which, if I transition, I’ll have to live as for a year..

    That bodes not well. I’m with Ms Daisy Cutter, DMFTA. I also third Krasnaya’s #466

    @Dianne and Alethea I’m so sorry to hear that. *internet hugs*

    @Ing:
    Sympathies for being jerked around by interveiwers, and suspected problems re:you’re old job. The only reason I didn’t suspect that from my pprevious employer was because even the employment bureau couldn’t actually get hold of a human through the phone tree at the contact number I was told to use.

    @Caine:
    Squeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

    @Krasnaya Koshka:
    Best to you as well.

    @Ms Daisy Cutter #476

    ..“Moron,” “imbecile,” and “idiot,” not having been used as medical terms in decades, have lost such baggage.

    Idiot didn’t even start out as a medical term. Idiot comes from Greek referring to a person who was too focused on their own affairs to take part in the town meetings (and was eligible to do so). It rapidly shifted to mean “Foolish or unskilled person” and has kept that meaning through Latin, French, and English.

    @ChasP
    Fuck off already, will you? You’ve never contributed a damn thing to any thread I’ve seen you on, and your assholery detracts from the atmosphere around here.

    @Dr Audley
    Yay for your sister apologizing, and congratulations on the pending expansion of your family.

  80. ImaginesABeach says

    Nifty – BoyChild (age 11) would probably like the Art Institute. GirlChild (age 13) and I would probably like the armor and the Asian antiquities. The thing about art is, for the most part, I don’t get it.

    The aquarium is non-negotiable. For his birthday in March, BoyChild said that what he really wanted was to go to the Shedd Aquarium. We were there when he was 7, and he wants to go back. And the Museum of Science and Industry is non-negotiable for GirlChild. And we have to go to the Field Museum to see Cousin Paleoichthyologist. I’ll add the Art Institute to the list of “if we can”.

  81. amblebury says

    A.R. Creeping Christian is the Jewish take of someone I knew, a spoof of the very commonly used Wandering Jew. He thought Wandering Jew was anti-semitic, (there’s some tale associated with the Jesus mythology, I think. I can’t remember) I liked his take on it :)

    +

    dianne and Alethea I just caught up on your bad knews. I’m so sorry, both of you.

    +

    As someone who has a justifiable fear of developing cancer, what’s the best way to catch it before it gets to stage 4? I just hear too often of cancers detected only when they’re too advanced to be treated effectively. Annual blood tests? Ultrasound/sonogram?

  82. says

    ImaginesABeach – looking at the time you have – and the non-negotiables are all such excellent choices! – I’d advise you to stop right there and give those as much of your time as you can.
    DOn’t forget the trolleys though! That way, you can get free rides to the Museum campus (Field, Shedd, Adler) AND sightsee along the way – two outings in one!

  83. thunk, impressionable yoot says

    Beach;

    Yay, I go there all the time!

    Take ideas below with salt:

    Field Museum and MSI definitely ROCK. No doubt about that.

    Shedd Aquarium has very very long lines (especially recently with the new dolphin calf). Haven’t been there often.

    Art Institute bores me for some reason. To each their own art, it seems.

    Adler’s good, (esp. the shows), especially for an astronomy fan like me.

    Most importantly, do a bit of sightseeing. And have fun!

  84. Jessa says

    Audley:

    *pencils in DarkFetus for turtle care*.

    We Halloween children have to stick together. ;)

  85. thunk, impressionable yoot says

    Respectively, cvg was fun and exhausting, partying with PZ and all.

    The northern mart of MN was parts scenic and eyesore, but yet cool and wet. We went around most of the south half of Lake Superior as well. I’ll need to do the rest sometime.

  86. ImaginesABeach says

    Thunk –

    When I was in high school in St. Paul, I swore that I would get out of Minnesota as soon as possible. I told everyone that I was going south for college. I ended up 50 miles south, on a hill surrounded by sod farms.

    All the way through college, I swore that I would go someplace interesting for law school. I even looked into it and found that the University of Hawaii at Manoa had an excellent nautical law program. And I ended up at the University of Minnesota Law School.

    All the way through law school, I swore that I would go someplace interesting once I graduated. I now live 10 miles from where I grew up. I think you summed Minnesota up pretty well – part scenic and part eyesore. “Cool and wet” only applies in the summer, however. In the winter, Minnesota can threaten the sturdiest brass monkey.

  87. Josh, Official SpokesGay says

    Laci Green, of the Sex+ youtube channel, is taking a break from her tumblr because of violent threats.

    DIE MISOGYNIST SCUM.

  88. thunk, impressionable yoot says

    when I visited, that is. Hot and Wet were the excursions from the norm then (when I visited).

  89. Vilém Saptar says

    Alethea,
    Thats must be awful, sorry to hear.
     
    Ing,
    Tough luck re:job situation. Isn’t there some way you could communicate to your prospective employers about your differences with boss at old job? (I’m assuming either they were genuine or maybe boss was an asshole)
    Most may not make efforts to be considerate about it, but with luck, some may sympathize/empathize with your situation.
     
    Caine,
    Oh thats just…tragicomical? Here have one *hard drink*
     
    Audley,
    Qyoot baby outfit! Also, nice that your sis apologized.
     
    ImaginesABeach,
    Have a good vacation! *waves*

  90. ImaginesABeach says

    Last comment before bed:

    For the past few months, I have been working my way through all the Star Trek series. I watched TNG and DS9 when they were broadcast, but had never seen Enterprise or Voyager. I got to Voyager a few weeks ago, and I have this serious problem with the chief security officer. Every time he speaks, or someone mentions his name, I cringe and think “what a misogynistic jerk.”

  91. says

    Thanks, yes, it completely sucks. You just feel so helpless. C’s in Sydney, too, so it’s not easy to just drop in and bring dinner or whatever. We’ll be doing a few weekend trips.

    The trouble with cancer is that there’s no such thing. No, not that it’s a fungus or an acid or whatever woo crap, but that there is no simple singular thing. No cancer, only cancers. Some are preventable, some are curable, some are manageable, some are detectable early, some are symptomless until it’s too late. In some, the cure also kills – my friend H died of heart disease in her 40s because of the chemo that let her live beyond her childhood.

  92. A. R says

    ImaginesABeach: I do the same thing. I can’t watch Voyager without thinking “now here’s a decaying porcupine, you know what to do.”

  93. Pteryxx says

    (more hateful crap)

    Steph Guthrie, who curated the Storify about Ben Spurr’s hateful flash game, also gets death threats now:

    http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/7851/article/woman-receives-death-threats-for-confronting-bendilin-spurr-misogynist-game-designer/

    This ugly, yet sadly not uncommon incident highlights the urgent need for the videogame enthusiast community to ask some serious questions about where it is, where it’s going, and how it plans to handle misogyny from within. There’s no reason anyone—gamers or otherwise—should have to put up with threats of violence, much less accept these incidences as par for the course.

    Their Twitter community has been putting the picture together, not just about Ben Spurr, but about the pattern of hatred directed at any woman who speaks out.

    From John Epler of Bioware:

    John Epler ‏@eplerjc
    Today has made me think that developers need to come out in an organized fashion against misogyny and sexism.

    John Epler ‏@eplerjc
    Claims that @femfreq pointing out problems is ‘destroying the industry’ need to be addressed by the people who -are- the industry.

    John Epler ‏@eplerjc
    I think I have a summer project.

  94. chiptuneist says

    Wow, even more welcomes, thanks everyone.

    Not caught up yet, but just wanted to offer thanks to Kausik, that’s extremely well put together! I predict it’s going to be VERY useful in the future.

    Note: coffee is not USB compliant. Your computer will detect it as a generic USB device, but Folgers does not have drivers available for download, and USB cables die. The more you know…

  95. ibyea says

    All of these incidents is making me think what the heck is wrong with people. Honestly, in what alternate universe is giving death threats okay?

  96. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Alethea

    …my friend H died of heart disease in her 40s because of the chemo that let her live beyond her childhood…

    Yay™ scientific medicine?

    —-

    Krasnaya Koshka

    You’re above being treated on a percentage scale. You are worth 100%. Don’t settle.

    It’s worth repeating because it applies to Everyone Everywhere Everytime.

  97. Cipher, OM says

    Laci Green, of the Sex+ youtube channel, is taking a break from her tumblr because of violent threats.

    DIE MISOGYNIST SCUM.

    Weird case here. (Though, yes, still misogynistic.) The death threat she posted called her “transphobic cunt” and was angry that she insulted Islam.

    Some of the other people on Tumblr seem confused; some think “transphobic” may be in reference to a video several years ago where she used the slur “tranny,” which she has since apologized for (fairly well, I think) after learning that it was a harmful slur. At least one person has expressed some level of approval for the death threat. Numerous posters are intent to blame the threat on the “social justice” people on tumblr.

  98. Josh, Official SpokesGay says

    I don’t give one fat fuck whether it’s a “weird” case. She doesn’t deserve death threats. Full stop. I don’t give a shit whether they’re coming from someone who identifies with Islam, a trans person, cis or straight people with a bone to pick. I don’t give a shit.

    I also don’t give a shit (in this context, for these purposes) whether she apologized or not for whatever transgression she may have committed. Calling her a cunt, threatening her life, and putting her address in a Tweet is NOT OK.

    Got it?

    Yeah. If she said transphobic things she should be brought to task. I have in my past, and I rightly got called out for it, thank fuck.

    But what the hell does that have to do with this?

  99. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    Highlights of the day:
    1- going to the gym (this used to be a non event; 3 years ago, I was at a gym 5 times a week; getting back there); on the way home, I was dancing in my car (well the upper half of me was)-I know I’m feeling good when I jam to music in the car!
    2- seeing a really attractive guy at the gym (ah, if only) was-for a split second-nice.
    3- Being hit on at Dillards (bought some nice cologne and two cool t shirts). Two cashiers hit on me (they were female). One asked me if I had a girlfriend or if I was single (later I realized I was annoyed that the woman *assumed* that I was heterosexual). The compliments were nice.
    4- receiving two discount gift cards from Panera Bread.
    I had lunch there and though my pager was buzzed, it turned out my food was overcooked. To make up for that, I was told the manager wanted to compensate me. Even though I initially said it wasn’t necessary and that it wasn’t a big deal (it wasn’t really; I think I waited all of 10 minutes; during which I caught up on TET), the manager insisted. Knowing how difficult some customers can be, I wonder if she insisted *because* I didn’t have a problem.
    5- Dinner with friends.
    I got to have homemade pizza (yeah, I work at a pizza place, so I’m 100 light years beyond burned out on the stuff, but it was a chance to catch up and I was hungry) with two friends whom I haven’t seen in a while.
    5- Got to spend time with T and E at home. We discussed The Amazing Spider-Man and the theatrical and Nickelodeon Avatar: The Last Airbender.
    ~~
    as I write all this, I’m watching Anderson Cooper on CNN interviewing Astra Woodcraft-a former Scientologist-and I am absolutely appalled to discover that teen marriage is common, as well as family members being forced to cut off contact with those members who leave the church cult.

  100. Cipher, OM says

    I don’t give one fat fuck whether it’s a “weird” case. She doesn’t deserve death threats. Full stop. I don’t give a shit whether they’re coming from someone who identifies with Islam, a trans person, cis or straight people with a bone to pick. I don’t give a shit.

    I also don’t give a shit (in this context, for these purposes) whether she apologized or not for whatever transgression she may have committed. Calling her a cunt, threatening her life, and putting her address in a Tweet is NOT OK.

    Got it?

    O.o
    Yes.
    Obviously.
    I just found it interesting, weird, and mostly upsetting how the story is playing out – I don’t know if this is Big News on Tumblr in a way that would cause it to spill over and the details would be relevant, but since we’re actually talking about it, some sense of the context – especially since it’s unlike the contexts we’re used to here – seems useful.

  101. Cipher, OM says

    But what the hell does that have to do with this?

    What the hell does the content and context of the death threat have to do with the conversation about the death threat?
    Gee, I don’t fuckin’ know.

  102. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    Many atheists have called for religious leaders to speak up for social justice. The following was forwarded to me from my mother and it brought a huge smile on my face:

    The institution of marriage is not under attack as a result of the President’s words. Marriage was under attack years ago by men who viewed women as property and children as trophies of sexual prowess. Marriage is under attack by low wages, high incarceration, unfair tax policy, unemployment, and lack of education. Marriage is under attack by clergy who proclaim monogamy yet think nothing of stepping outside the bonds of marriage to have multiple affairs with “preaching groupies.” Same-gender couples did not cause the high divorce rate, but our adolescent views of relationships and our inability as a community to come to grips with the ethic of love and commitment did.
    http://dadisispeaks.wordpress.com/category/politics/

  103. Josh, Official SpokesGay says

    Sorry Cipher. . .I’m rubbed raw and what looks like justification jumps out at me even when it isn’t.

  104. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    rowanvt:

    :D I’m a grandmammy! …. to snakes!

    What a beauty!
    Rattlets.
    Kittens.
    Piglets.
    Snakies.
    What’s next for TET?
    Check back next week, same Bat time. Same Bat channel.

  105. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Tony

    …that the woman *assumed* that I was heterosexual

    I’m thinking she just assumed you are hawt.
    It never seldom sometimes doesn’t hurts to ask.

  106. Vilém Saptar says

    Chigau,
    No, you don’t assume someone’s hawt, when you can actually see them in front of your eyes ;) You come to know that they are.

    You can’t see their orientation, so you assume it :-)

  107. Vilém Saptar says

    For physical definitions of hawt, of course.
    People can also be hawt in non-physical ways, which also you can see for non-physical definitions of see, that is.

  108. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Vilém Saptar
    I was attempting Clever™.
    Tony used the word “assume” so I repeated it.
    *sigh* text only
    —-
    On another topic:
    I can hear coyotes singing.

  109. says

    Good morning
    Yay! I’m currently making plans with DDMFM for Berlin

    Audley
    Congratulations to your sister. It must have been hard for her to apologize

    Caine
    Oh my Dog. But it kind of explains why Esme only became pregnant once Sam and Havelock turned up. Good luck with the additional ratlets.
    As for the name, I think there’s a Discworld troll lady called Rubin :)

    Jessa
    Why didn’t your parents ask? I mean, the little one’s birthday is around Halloweenish, but it’s her birthday and if she wants a pink butterfly cake that it’ll be.

    Althea
    Oh no, I’m sorry for your friend :(
    Yeah, the thing about chemo and radiation is that it’s controlled poisoning. My aunt is still dealing with the aftermaths, but hey, she’s fighting lung cancer!

    ++++
    Birthdays: My other BFF is New years Day. Not too bad, I think. If you want to celebrate, you can throw your own party on Dec 31st, if not somebody else will throw a party for you.

    +++++
    Our two cockatiels were named Alfons and Chaplin. Both laid eggs. With cockatiels you can only sex them once they shed their first feathers. After that the males will have all grey tails, the females mixed colours. But before that they all look like mummy.

    ++++

    This ugly, yet sadly not uncommon incident highlights the urgent need for the videogame enthusiast community to ask some serious questions about where it is, where it’s going, and how it plans to handle misogyny from within.

    I wish them good luck, seeing how that went in the atheist community….

    ++++

    I don’t give one fat fuck whether it’s a “weird” case. She doesn’t deserve death threats. Full stop. I don’t give a shit whether they’re coming from someone who identifies with Islam, a trans person, cis or straight people with a bone to pick. I don’t give a shit.

    I also don’t give a shit (in this context, for these purposes) whether she apologized or not for whatever transgression she may have committed. Calling her a cunt, threatening her life, and putting her address in a Tweet is NOT OK.

    QFFT

  110. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Vilém Saptar
    No code.
    From my back yard I can hear the coyotes in the river valley.

  111. opposablethumbs says

    Tony

    Rattlets.
    Kittens.
    Piglets.
    Snakies.
    What’s next for TET?
    Check back next week, same Bat time. Same Bat channel.

    Batlets?
    Come on, doesn’t anyone have a belfry around here? :-)

  112. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    chigau:

    I’m thinking she just assumed you are hawt.

    Unfortunately this is something I’ve heard-literally-from women before.
    “Oh, I don’t believe you’re gay. You’re hot.”
    or
    “You’re such an attractive guy. Are you sure you’re gay?”
    The implication being that gay men can’t be attractive. If she had said that, I think I would have been offended (and that’s me on my best day; I’m very self deprecating and have never had terribly high self esteem {acne as a teenager ruined that for me}, so I don’t generally think of myself as anything other than an average looking guy)

  113. Vilém Saptar says

    Gilliel,
    Hey!
    Sorry about your aunt. Damn, seems everyone has someone close to them who has cancer.
     
    Chigau,
    Okay…
    (Can’t be too careful around members of the Politburo of TZT)

  114. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Tony

    The implication being that gay men can’t be attractive.

    That is so very strange.
    I will sleep on it.
    —-
    Vilém Saptar
    You seem to understand.
    Perhaps A. R and/or theophontes will recognize your potential.

  115. Beatrice says

    I’m such a coward. There was this huge moth this morning (almost as big as my palm, but it needs to be taken into consideration that I have freakishly small hands) in the hallway. I didn’t want to kill it, so I tried to guide it out. Closed all the doors except one and opened a window there.
    But then the thing started flying around erratically and it was going at me and I escaped into another room and now have no idea where the monstrous thing is.
    Eeee

  116. says

    Tony

    Unfortunately this is something I’ve heard-literally-from women before.
    “Oh, I don’t believe you’re gay. You’re hot.”
    or
    “You’re such an attractive guy. Are you sure you’re gay?”
    The implication being that gay men can’t be attractive.

    Really?
    Around the here the trope is the other way round: attractive men are gay. Probably due to the fact that the average gay guy cares a bit more about grooming, haircuts and clean clothes than the average straight guy.
    There’s a very funny German movie from the 90’s where the straight sister dates guys in her gay brother’s restaurant so he can have a look and assists her in evaluations, and then there’s this guy who’s just Mr. Perfect. And he says “He’s so perfect, he’s gotta be straight” and she says “He’s so perfect, he’s gotta be gay”.

    Vilém
    Well, if you think that 46% of the population will get cancer at one point of their lives, that’s not surprising. It is frightening if you think about it as “you or your partner” or “one of your two children”. Fortunately, our perception is disturbed. Unless people are very close to us, people only see those who suffer imensly and those who die. They don’t see those who have treatment and then go on woth their lives. During her chemo, my mum in law was complimented with looking very good, especially her hair was always so pretty. Good wigs are good wigs.

  117. Owlmirror says

    As for the name, I think there’s a Discworld troll lady called Rubin :)

    Ruby.

    Oh, wait, in German, that is Rubin.

  118. Owlmirror says

    (Can’t be too careful around members of the Politburo of TZT)

    They™ have ways of finding things out.

    They™ being Them™.

    .

    .

    .

    Viva la revolución!

    (As Public Enemy № 𝟙, I am obligated to agitate, foment dissent, and otherwise act in a subversive manner)

  119. Vilém Saptar says

    Gilliel,
    46%? Really? Its that high? I had no idea.
    Yeah, it’s a good thing lots of people are able to survive and get their lives back on track. But many are also unlucky not to.
    MIL’s wig and compliments, thats so…smile-worthy :)

  120. Vilém Saptar says

    Owlmirror,
    You’re a revolutionary, against the Politburo? Hold on…
     
    Chigau,
    Hmm, lots of coyotes in your backyard.

  121. says

    I texted the guy last night with something that was summed up “if you aren’t completely behind me in my transition, then I can’t be with you.”

    So far no response. I’ll suppose at the moment he’s either not seen it or is mulling it over. I’ll give him til I go to sleep tonight.

  122. says

    Ruby.

    Oh, wait, in German, that is Rubin.

    Fun fact: Never read it in German, my brain did that all by itself. It’s totaly possible that it’s still Ruby in the German translation

    Vilém
    Yep, I remember that number back from when they were discussing the nuclear fallout from Fukushima and how much radiation increased the cancer risk by what percentage.

    Katherine
    *hugs*

  123. chiptuneist says

    Setár: Why would you WANT to stop?

    That happens to be my favorite Infected Mushroom song, coincidentally…

  124. Matt Penfold says

    Yep, I remember that number back from when they were discussing the nuclear fallout from Fukushima and how much radiation increased the cancer risk by what percentage.

    That figure is slightly misleading, as not everyone who has cancer will present with symptoms, or even have any symptoms. In older people cancers can be very slow growing, and the person will die of something else before the cancer becomes a problem.

  125. Pteryxx says

    Katherine: *offers anklehugs* Good for you. IF he’s going to be awful about it, at least you’ll find out now; and you’re giving him every chance. Here’s hoping he turns out to be willing.

  126. ChasCPeterson says

    Dalillama, Schmott Guy:

    Fuck off already, will you? You’ve never contributed a damn thing to any thread I’ve seen you on, and your assholery detracts from the atmosphere around here.

    gosh, I’m sorry you feel that way.
    I frankly don’t recall ever seeing you on any threads, but I guess you feel comfortable enough here in the lounge to tell me to fuck off, eh? That’s fine. However, while I do mostly abstain from commenting here these days, it’s probably more true to say that my assholery is part of the atmosphere around here.
    Perhaps one of the lounging regulars can instruct you in the proper use of the killfile script.

  127. says

    Matt Penfold

    That figure is slightly misleading, as not everyone who has cancer will present with symptoms, or even have any symptoms. In older people cancers can be very slow growing, and the person will die of something else before the cancer becomes a problem.

    I’d say that the figure is accurate, but our perception is screwed. Yeah, grandma has some weird form of breast cancer (Still nobody understands why the idiot OB/Gyn didn’t just remove the although he was told not to be squeamish about it when she was under general to see what it actually was some years ago), but there are big doubts that it will actually kill her or even accelerate her death.

  128. says

    totally threadrupt.

    I heard from David M., he’s back now, and is gonna have another horde meet-up soon. Enjoy!

    Regarding Christmas as birthday: my one cousin’s son was born on Christmas Eve (when you get presents in Germany). So they decided to celebrate his birthday on June 24.

    A Buddhist gay wedding will be held in Taiwan on August 11. Yay! (HT to Tigger the Wing)

    English news report
    Chinese news report (with picture)

    So, as an aside, why one of the women chose the English name “Fish”, it’s basically a pun. Her Chinese name is “美瑜” mei3 yu2, which means “beautiful jade” but yu2 can also be fish 魚.

  129. says

    @ Tony #150:

    Re the Church of Scientology, urgh. I knew about family members forced to cut off those who get away from the organization (or “suppressive persons”, as they call them in their charming lingo). It’s basic MO for paranoid, authoritarian cults. And it makes it harder for members to leave the fold and blow the whistle.

    But the emphasis on marrying young, even as teens… Didn’t know about that, although it makes a lot of sense for the CoS to control marriages and to pair off together young, malleable, freshly trained adepts and incite them to breed. It worked for Christians, for Islam, for Mormons, after all!

  130. Minnie The Finn, qui devient bientôt vierge says

    Infected Mushroom? Hell yeah.

    I’d link to my favorite (Deeply Disturbed) but pink ladybrain still can’t figure out the link tags on FTB.

  131. dianne says

    My aunt is still dealing with the aftermaths, but hey, she’s fighting lung cancer!

    If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of lung cancer and is she a nonsmoker or minimal smoker? For a few very specific types of lung cancer, usually found in non- or minimal smokers, there are more specific chemotherapies that mainly target mutated genes and so can be given for quite a long time without making the person quite so sick.

  132. says

    Alethea:

    a friend of mine has just been diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer…. [and] my friend H died of heart disease in her 40s because of the chemo that let her live beyond her childhood.

    I’m so, so sorry.

    Dalillama:

    Schmott Guy

    Heh, Girl Genius reference. And, yes, you’re correct w/r/t the etymology of “idiot.” Which should be more widely known, given how detrimental such behavior is to a free society.

    A.R: From Wikipedia, re “Wandering Jew”:

    Some scholars have identified components of the legend of the Eternal Jew in Teutonic legends of the Eternal Hunter, some features of which are derived from Wotan mythology.

    Interesting. And reminiscent of the evolution repurposing of the Dolchstoßlegende from the Nibelungenlied.

    RowanVT: Eeeee, snakeys!!

    Cipher and Josh: Tumblr, whose user base skews quite young, has a rep for being Baby’s First Encounter with Social Justice. Without getting into derailing details, and without excusing anything, a lot of people there have a lot to learn.

    Giliell, best of luck to your aunt.

    Tony:

    “Oh, I don’t believe you’re gay. You’re hot.”
    or
    “You’re such an attractive guy. Are you sure you’re gay?”

    0_o

    I wonder if what they mean is, “You’re hot, and you don’t conform to my stereotypes of what all gay men are like.”

    Kitty:

    I texted the guy last night with something that was summed up “if you aren’t completely behind me in my transition, then I can’t be with you.”

    Good for you. Stick to your guns.

  133. says

    Dianne
    Ehm, dunno the exact details.
    Sadly, she’s a heavy smoker, still. Yes, she should be the very person to know best that smoking is fucking dangerous, but she’s also an addict who really doesn’t have any strength left to fight an addiction.
    Part of the problem is that probably the radiation made her teeth rot, and, of course, her lung is badly damaged so she catches every infection around :(
    BUt still, it’s been almost two years already, so that’s good.

  134. thunk, impressionable yoot says

    Yes, hello everyones.

    Kitty;

    we support you. *anklehugs and regular hugs*

    Alethea:

    Oh ouch with the kidney cancer. *Also hugs and sympathies*

    Daisy Cutter:

    Tumblr, whose user base skews quite young, has a rep for being Baby’s First Encounter with Social Justice. Without getting into derailing details, and without excusing anything, a lot of people there have a lot to learn.

    Yes; a lot of the people I know in my age range (esp. some of my reasonable friends) use tumblr. [/anecdata]

  135. dianne says

    @Giliell: Probably not the right mutation then. Sorry. Stopping smoking after developing cancer does seem to have a marginal benefit, but if she’s already in stage IIIb/IV, it might not be worth it to her. Crappy disease, lung cancer.

    There are cancers that aren’t so terribly deadly. Patients with early stage prostate cancer actually have a better than average chance of being alive in 5 years, for example. But there are a lot of really nasty ones still out there. Lung, pancreatic, renal…we just don’t have a lot of options for them. Well, not a lot of effective options, anyway.

  136. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    Ms Daisy:

    I wonder if what they mean is, “You’re hot, and you don’t conform to my stereotypes of what all gay men are like.”

    I never thought about it that way. It’s entirely possible that you’re right.
    Though I’m not sure that is any better than “gay men aren’t attractive” (enh, slightly).

  137. dianne says

    Also, sympathy and anklehugs, if you want them, to Gileill, Althea, and anyone else I’ve missed because I’m kind of threadrupt.

  138. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Tony
    I think it meant, “I find you attractive and it saddens me that I don’t have a chance.”
    Still stupid, though.

  139. birgerjohansson says

    Good news:
    New silk technology stabilizes vaccine and antibiotics so refrigeration is not needed http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-vaccine-antibiotics-stabilized-refrigeration.html
    This will be really important for third-world countries and for outbreak management. Kudos to the researchers and hope they get a Nobel!
    — — — — —
    Finland team uses Earth’s magnetic field for phone indoor positioning system http://phys.org/news/2012-07-finland-team-earth-magnetic-field.html
    — — —
    Imec’s industrial-level silicon solar cells exceed 20% efficiency http://phys.org/news/2012-07-imec-industrial-level-silicon-solar-cells.html
    — — — —
    Microalgae ‘bulging with biofuel potential’ http://phys.org/news/2012-07-microalgae-bulging-biofuel-potential.html
    — — — —- —-
    Laser plant offers cheap way to make nuclear fuel ( but also makes it easier to build a nuke program undetected) http://www.nature.com/news/laser-plant-offers-cheap-way-to-make-nuclear-fuel-1.10945

  140. Vilém Saptar says

    Matt Penfold,

    That figure is slightly misleading, as not everyone who has cancer will present with symptoms, or even have any symptoms. In older people cancers can be very slow growing, and the person will die of something else before the cancer becomes a problem.

    Are you saying the rate is even higher? 0.0
     
    Katharine Lorraine,
    I can’t offer any advice better than everyone’s already done so. It’s great you’ve decided to wait and watch and proceed on evidence.
     
    Setár,
    Great song! Would be even more awesome with real shrooms to go along with :-)
     
    Thunk,
    Hello too!

  141. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    Laser plant offers cheap way to make nuclear fuel

    That friggin’ word always trips me up. I had trouble understanding it when reading a bit of the Stepford Wives in English class once. Who designed this stupid language? I wish to register a complaint.

  142. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    If you don’t remember *any* comments by dalillama on Pharyngula, may I respectfully suggest that there’s a problem with a) your memory, or b) your recent knowledge of the blog? Because it’s definitely not the first time they post here.

    Well I guess that my constant monitoring of every thread and my exquisite note taking and spreadsheets I keep about all comments on this and every other thread on Pharyngula must be suspect as well.

  143. Pteryxx says

    Can I just toss out there, a big THANK YOU to y’all commenters (you know who you are) who actually do read big chunks of Endless Thread and post long multi-responses. They’re a great help to the threadrupt like myself. *hugs the Horde’s ankles, mostly nip-free*

  144. carlie says

    They’re a great help to the threadrupt like myself.

    I’m glad I’m not the only one who uses them that way! :)

  145. Richard Austin says

    Giliell

    Really?
    Around the here the trope is the other way round: attractive men are gay. Probably due to the fact that the average gay guy cares a bit more about grooming, haircuts and clean clothes than the average straight guy.

    No, I second Tony here. I’ve heard this (both directed at me – rarely – and at other gay guys) almost always while hanging out in gay bars, which just adds to the surrealism.

    Ms. Daisy

    I wonder if what they mean is, “You’re hot, and you don’t conform to my stereotypes of what all gay men are like.”

    I honestly think it’s more “I’m straight and I’m only attracted to Real Men™, and I’m attracted to you, so I find it hard to believe you’re not a Real Man™.” I’ve actually had a short conversation to that effect, which ended with the woman looking quite confused at why a bunch of cute gay guys weren’t terribly happy with her.

  146. says

    @Tony

    What general area do you live around (NW, SW, NE, SW, MW, blah blah blah) because I’m with Gillel that here on the NE I think the stereotype is that attractive==gay more often than not. Because God is just tormenting all the straight women by making all the god men gay, as the trope goes.

  147. Matt Penfold says

    Are you saying the rate is even higher? 0.0

    No. The 46% figure would seem to be the figure for people who develop cancer, not for people who present with symptoms of cancer. Not everyone who has cancer will be aware they have it. If the cancer is slow-growing, something quite common in cancers in older people, they might well die of something else, before the cancer starts to cause problems.

  148. cicely. No further comment. says

    Blerg.

    No way in hell am I going into the kitten torture thread.

    On another topic:
    I can hear coyotes singing.

    Thinking of which, TLC is being very quiet. Did he announce a hiatus, and I missed it, or sumpthin?

    *tentacles crossed* for your interview, Ing.

    The caffeine…it does nothing….
    *lapses back into coma*

  149. Pteryxx says

    Via Ed, having a laugh at idiot (thanks someone) legislators in Louisiana:

    Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools.

    “I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.

    “I liked the idea of giving parents the option of sending their children to a public school or a Christian school,” Hodges said.

    Hodges mistakenly assumed that “religious” meant “Christian.” …

    http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/07/10/you-mean-we-cant-fund-only-christian-schools/

  150. dianne says

    Re 46% of people developing cancer: Does this include non-melanoma skin cancers? Because they’re generally fairly non-lethal. (Though I do have a story involving immigration and a lesion let go too long…)

    Cancer is something that you get more often as you get older. So part of the high cancer rate is simply people not dying of other things first. It’s a confused mess of success and failure that has led to the high cancer rate. Success in not dying of other things first, failure in that we could almost certainly do better in preventing cancer.

  151. cicely. No further comment. says

    Ing:

    On kitten torture? No. I don’t want to consume that. Insufficient shielding today between conscious mind and imagination.

    On TLC’s absence? Yes.

  152. Pteryxx says

    irenedelse: sorry, anklehugs is just my way of doing. On the Internet I’m a chicken-sized fluffy dinobird with sharp teeth who tends to hide under things. So, when I’m being friendly, that’s as high as I can reach sans furniture, shrubbery, or claws. ~;>

  153. rowanvt says

    Soooo…. regarding Scientology that was brought…. long ago in a dumpster some friends of friends of friends found this book. It is a rule book for the higher ups. And it contains some real *gems* of WTFery.

    Under Ethics:

    “When a person has no hat he lacks purpose and value.

    When he has no purpose and value he not only goofs, he will commit crimes.

    It is apparently easier to hit with ethics than to program and give someone a full hat and get him trained on it. ”

    So far we think we’ve translated “hats” to mean “jobs” or “role”. But taken literally, this passage is hilarious.

  154. Beatrice says

    The art of the pat-down is one that’s fallen by the wayside in Toronto, according to police records, which show more than 60 per cent of people arrested in 2010 ended up facing a strip search. When those stats were released, former mayor John Sewell described the practice as “routine,” especially compared to the 32 per cent rate in 2001. More recently, he echoed an increasingly common sentiment that the tactic is being used more for intimidation than for practical purposes.

    (bolding mine)
    No shit. What a surprise that the police is using humiliation to keep their victims citizens in line.

  155. Cipher, OM, Fighting Fucktoy says

    My leg really hurts :( I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. My arthritis is acting up everywhere, but my leg is having muscle pain. I haven’t been particularly active. My mom says it’s because I wore terrible shoes on my walk.

  156. ChasCPeterson says

    If you don’t remember *any* comments by dalillama on Pharyngula, may I respectfully suggest that there’s a problem with a) your memory, or b) your recent knowledge of the blog? Because it’s definitely not the first time they post here.

    You may.
    The answer is (b).
    I might read maybe half the threads here anymore.
    What do you care?

  157. Pteryxx says

    Cipher: bad shoes could do that, sure. Is your foot okay – right temperature, not numb, same color as the other one? Also if it’s really severe pain down the back/outside of calf muscle, that might be sciatica from pinching in the lower back, which can also happen from strange posture or bad shoes.

  158. thunk, impressionable yoot says

    Pt’xx:

    irenedelse: sorry, anklehugs is just my way of doing. On the Internet I’m a chicken-sized fluffy dinobird with sharp teeth who tends to hide under things. So, when I’m being friendly, that’s as high as I can reach sans furniture, shrubbery, or claws. ~;>

    Well that explains a lot. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of those claws though. thunks are soft and squishy.

  159. Cipher, OM, Fighting Fucktoy says

    Yep, pteryxx, my foot seems okay aside from the arthritis messing with my ankle adding to the problem (which is both ankles). And yeah, it is the back of my calf :(

  160. Psych-Oh says

    Cipher – I get horrible leg pain when I go for a walk with my sandals on. The flatness of them does something to my leg muscles. Hope the pain goes away quickly.

  161. H-Bomb says

    I figure this is the perfect group to share this with…

    Cuddlefish Vinyls!

    In other news, I am still working my way through the last I Get Email and I just wanted to say that I admire the hell out of those of you who keep up the fight despite repeating yourselves over and over and over again. I was getting a headache and all I was doing was reading.

  162. Pteryxx says

    Cipher: if I may suggest, on the chance it IS sciatica, then taking strain off your lower back might help. Such as lying flat on a blanket on the floor or similar. It’s counterintuitive because one’s *back* often feels just fine; but if back care helps leg pain, that’s basically how y’ confirm sciatica in the first place.

  163. ChasCPeterson says

    What do you care?

    You brought it up O.o

    That’s right Cipher etc., I brought it up in a direct response to Dalillama etc. I then asked irenedelse etc. why she cares.
    And now I’m asking you the same.

  164. says

    Pteryxx:

    … if I may suggest, on the chance it IS sciatica, then taking strain off your lower back might help. Such as lying flat on a blanket on the floor or similar.

    Cipher, if this technique doesn’t work (it doesn’t for me), then you can try laying on the opposite side as you’ve got the pain with a pillow between your knees. It will help take pressure off of the nerve.

    In other news: I am back from the doctor! All is well with myself and DarkFetus– it’s a little weird to only get good news from a doctor, but I think I can get used to it. :D

  165. jonathanray says

    http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2011/11/qa-steven-pinker-0
    You describe the concept of pure evil as a myth in the book. Why?

    The myth of “pure evil” is a debating tactic. We don’t think of it that way because that very awareness would undermine the credibility of our brief. If the myth of pure evil is that evil is committed with the intention of causing harm and an absence of moral considerations, then it applies to very few acts of so-called “pure evil” because most evildoers believe what they are doing is forgivable or justifiable.

    http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/458/play-the-part?act=2

    Considering that most people of really high intelligence are both atheistic and somewhere on the asperger’s specturm, this segment totally clicked with what is going on in some comment threads. When skepchicks post about sexual harassment, the only kind of comments they want are “wow, that sucks, there oughta be a law/policy”. They don’t want suggestions of various solutions, pedantry, comparisons, analysis, etc. They just want commiseration and agreement, but might make an exception for an exceptionally well-written comment. The words used to describe violations of this tacit social rule are “mansplaining”, “victim-blaming”, “derailing”, etc. Aside from those aspies, there are the real misogynists sending threats, vitriol, and trolling as what they probably perceive as revenge for some perceived insult to them or persons they identify with.

  166. chiptuneist says

    Tumblr, whose user base skews quite young, has a rep for being Baby’s First Encounter with Social Justice. Without getting into derailing details, and without excusing anything, a lot of people there have a lot to learn.

    The format there isn’t exactly conducive to that either. No comment system by default, ‘asks’ have to be as short as tweets, the reblog system is a terrible way to have discussions (or arguments). It’s hard to learn where you’re making mistakes if it’s that fucking unfeasible to even point them out.

    Here’s some fuel for the fire. A bit of a personal favorite for when I’m getting weary of pointing out the obvious to those who should know better.

  167. chiptuneist says

    Considering that most people of really high intelligence are both atheistic and somewhere on the asperger’s specturm

    Can you back up that ‘most’?

    When skepchicks post about sexual harassment, the only kind of comments they want are “wow, that sucks, there oughta be a law/policy”. They don’t want suggestions of various solutions, pedantry, comparisons, analysis, etc. They just want commiseration and agreement, but might make an exception for an exceptionally well-written comment. The words used to describe violations of this tacit social rule are “mansplaining”, “victim-blaming”, “derailing”, etc.

    Can you back up that… everything?

  168. says

    Jonathan Ray shares two shitty links with us.

    I think that communism was a major force for violence for more than 100 years, because it was built into its ideology—that progress comes through class struggle, often violent. It led to the widespread belief that the only way to achieve justice was to hurry this dialectical process along, and allow the oppressed working classes to carry out their struggle against their bourgeois oppressors. However much we might deplore the profit motive, or consumerist values, if everyone just wants iPods we would probably be better off than if they wanted class revolution.

    …Utopias also tend to demonise certain people as obstacles to a perfect world, whoever they are: the ruling classes, the bourgeois, the Jews or the infidels and heretics. As long as your ideology identifies the main source of the world’s ills as a definable group, it opens the world up to genocide.

    Yes, the rich people who starve and enslave everyone else are just like the Jews or the infidels or the heretics. Get yourself an iPod and forget about the threat income inequality poses to a stable society, and also forget about the violence committed in the name of capitalism, too. Good ol’ Pinker, always ready to stand up for the poor beleaguered status quo.

    I can’t listen to multimedia at work, but whoever’s blaming cluelessness about sexism on Asperger’s knows jack shit about either Asperger’s or sexism.

  169. chiptuneist says

    I can’t listen to multimedia at work, but whoever’s blaming cluelessness about sexism on Asperger’s knows jack shit about either Asperger’s or sexism.

    THIS CANNOT BE SAID TOO MANY TIMES.

  170. says

    However much we might deplore the profit motive, or consumerist values, if everyone just wants iPods we would probably be better off than if they wanted class revolution.

    Also bullshit bullshit bullshit bullshit!

    Pinker is apparently very stupid or very dishonest to ignore the whole Pinkerton element of Capitalism.

    And that Capitalism had the ideology of social Darwinism. Liar, just fucking liar!

  171. says

    I can’t listen to multimedia at work, but whoever’s blaming cluelessness about sexism on Asperger’s knows jack shit about either Asperger’s or sexism.

    I may have misread but as I read it he’s blaming Asperger’s for OUR reaction and our ‘simplistic’ need to just have a ‘rule’ to fix harassment rather than the nuance everyone else wants.

    It’s a wonderful fantasy narrative.

  172. H-Bomb says

    Blaming Asperger’s is such a red herring. Even skimming that makes my brain hurt. Yeah, I want the sexism and sexual harassment to stop because I haven’t to have a mental disorder.

    Not because I’m a frakking human being.

  173. says

    chiptuneist:

    I love VNV Nation, but it’s been ages since I listened to them, thanks for that link!

    About your ‘nym, any connection to the demoscene?

  174. says

    Daisy:

    “Hahahaha Anita got exactly what she deserved. Hard-lined feminist/man-hater with nothing better to do than scam innocent straight men out of their sperm”… [snip rest of misogynist crap]

    Funny, that’s exactly how I got preggers.

    (Speaking of OM NOM NOM! This chocolate is OMG SO GOOD, Daisy!)

  175. Cipher, OM, Fighting Fucktoy says

    And now I’m asking you the same.

    I don’t particularly. I just think it was a dumbass question to ask.

  176. Cipher, OM, Fighting Fucktoy says

    The words used to describe violations of this tacit social rule are “mansplaining”, “victim-blaming”, “derailing”, etc.

    Words: They mean stuff.
    Cipher’s free tip of the day.

  177. carlie says

    Ooo, I can use it already?

    Hello there, jonathanray! You seem to be seeking feedback on your uniquely piquant opinions. Luckily for you, there is a thread made exactly for such feedback! Kindly direct your opinion to the TZT thread, conveniently available on the right-hand side of the page in the Profile section. Please do not submit your comment multiple times, as that will invalidate your submission. Enjoy your stay, and may you receive exactly the kind of feedback you deserve.

  178. chiptuneist says

    Ernst Hot:

    About your ‘nym, any connection to the demoscene?

    I make music on an old DMG model Gameboy (the big grey brick!) armed with LSDJ, sometimes backed up by guitar. Chip music is always going to be connected to the demoscene, of course, so I guess there’s a tangential connection there, but I’ve never been DIRECTLY involved with the demoscene.

  179. says

    @Ms Daisy
    I was inspired to change it by someone’s comment in the I get email thread, to the effect that everyone who has a username that’s a combination of (word for intelligence/wit/reason) (Word for a male human) is a complete prat. I figured I would experiment with the direction of the causality.
    @Rev. Bigdumbchimp

    Well I guess that my constant monitoring of every thread and my exquisite note taking and spreadsheets I keep about all comments on this and every other thread on Pharyngula must be suspect as well.

    I’m admittedly not the most prolific poster on here. That’s usually because I’ve arrived late and others have already made the points I would have, and I try to have something fresh to say if I’m going to.

    @Ing:
    Here’s hoping.

    RE #271:
    This kind of thing is exactly what leads me to hold that the police, in general, are scum, pretty much anywhere in North America. (I have very little knowledge of police procedure elsewhere.)
    Re: Pinker:
    yeah, even in some of his otherwise good stuff (Better Angels of our Nature seemed pretty solid to me), he has a real thing about the glories of the market and its invisble hand.
    TMI warning:
    So, apparently I have a peptic ulcer, which I discovered this morning by waking up vomiting blood. The trip to the ER (just in case; I haven’t got a regular doctor) just made my day.

  180. says

    NEW THREAD!

    And since I’m an especially nice guy, I’ll now lift the quarantine on Ixchel or whatever the heck he’s calling himself now (with one plea: please try to stick to a thematically consistent series of nyms).