This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly.
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly.
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
wow, I haven’t been portcullised in a long time, if ever.
gratz KevinKat!
carlie: Bungee cords! <_<
—
Major mortgage-fraud lawsuit just unsealed, now it can proceed. Taking on JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, Bank of America and more.
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/12/your_mortgage_documents_are_fake/
AMG cute battie! :3
We had a good time over the weekend, we went shopping and did chores and went to the Sackler/Freer galleries in DC.
We have an amazing relationship, we complement each other very much, and we have fun even doing mundane things like shopping or chores.
…d’aww, thanks for reminding me to go fawn on my SO. We do that too, having fun doing chores. Washing dishes and doing paperwork for instance. (full disclosure: I like washing dishes anyway, but it’s more fun with banter. Everything’s more fun with banter!)
I’m happy for you, KevinKat
Of course, now that you mention it, carlie, I want one attached to my bed too. Especially given the difficulties of attaching anything to my wall. So now I need to investigate my bedframe and put my chin in hand while Crudely evaluates your options :)
Wow, carlie, that heavy metal tangle looks amazing. Want! Added to my Wunderlist. Thanks.
‘nother Life on the Internet note – Jenny Trout (of hilarious 50 Shades takedowns and “The Boss”) has moved her blog to WordPress because Blogspot changed its TOS regarding “adult content” and started mass-deleting. So she’s now blogging there and shared a tool for her fellow word-count-focused writers:
http://jennytrout.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/the-big-damn-writing-tracker/
@Pteryxx:
I think that’s a sign of a great relationship, when you can have fun doing mundane things.
KevinKat
Yay! And fun with [chores] is a good sign, for sure.
Pteryxx
Over on the grenade thread, there was some mention of setting something up re: sexual harassment for the next FTBCon, and you mentioned some stuff about DNA evidence and how it works/ doesn’t work in rape cases… Well, I tentatively offer up my personal experiences in the matter, at least from what I’ve worked on personally at the lab* here. Also, I may be able to fish out some numbers from the RCMP from some old-yet-recently-renewed contacts in the DNA labs there. Maybe. Very tentative.
*lab = non-USA and we don’t use rape kits but I suppose some information might still be useful, with regards to what kind of evidence is looked for / ease of collection / possibility of obtaining result / etc.
PZ-related numerology:
The last comment (“new thread”) has the same number as the radial engine BMW 812 used by Focke-Wulff 190, thus proving that atheists have…er…something to do with nazis, just like Glenn Beck says.
And the Chinese recoilless artillery piece BM 12 has the same last numbers, which proves PZ and atheists in general arte just like communists…which later have turned capitalists…
Damn, I could make money on this shit.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
John Oliver on how the big banks are still getting away with it http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/09/1229977/-John-Oliver-on-how-the-big-banks-are-still-getting-away-with-it
(see video link)
— — — — — — —
The SEC Nails a Minnow While the Whales Go Free Why wasn’t Goldman Sachs on trial alongside Fabrice Tourre? http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114188/fabrice-tourre-goldman-sachs-trial#
But at least Fabulous Fabrice is going to jail. Right?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNBC (8/2/2013): A jury found former Goldman trader Fabrice Tourre liable on 6 of 7 civil counts for fraud. … He does face fines and a potential lifetime ban from the securities industry.
A lifetime ban from the securities industry! Shouldn’t he have to at least stay 1,000 feet away from Wall Street? And introduce himself door-to-door whenever he moves to any town that has a bank?
(in French accent) “Hello, my name is Fabrice, and I am a registered derivatives offender.”
“Glenn Beck Finds the Lost Tribes of Israel” http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2013/08/12/beck-finds-the-lost-tribes-of-israel/#more-21748
(HARHARHAR) (rolls on floor laughing)
@birgerjohansson:
Glenn Beck = Fractal Wrongness
‘Morning, Carlie!
Getting the headboard attached to the bed should be straightforward. Here’s the main steps to take.
1) Establish the dimensions of the headboard. Width should be just about the same as the mattress. A little narrower is OK and slightly wider is too. Size should please your eyes. Height should be sufficient to reach from the bottom edge of the mattress to a height that makes a good support for piling up pillows for night time reading, TV watching, eating crackers et cetera.
2) Go to Lowe’s and find the aisle with the nice boards–not the rough lumber stacked at one end of the store. Pick out some 1 x 4 poplar or oak; avoid the pine, it’s not stiff enough. Oak is stiffest but also pricey-est. You will need enough to reach from the floor to four to six inches below the top edge of the head board twice. Important criteria is straight grain, a minimum number of small knots or none at all, no cracks, straight in all three dimensions. You can eyeball straightness by sighting end to end along both the wide side and the narrow side. (You’ll look very professional doing this =)) Also look across the wide side from edge to edge. Straightness and flatness are the goodness.
3) While there, get the sandpaper, finishing material, screws and glue that you’ll need (see below) and find some furniture glides to affix to the bottom of the uprights so they’ll slide easily when you move the bed. These uprights need to go to the floor and full support the weight of the headboard. The attachment points on the bed frame are for holding the it vertical only.
3b) Sand everything smooth. Pay special attention to edges and corners. Round them over slightly. ‘Ware splinters!
4) Cut the verticals to proper length and fasten to back of headboard making sure they are perpendicular to the headboard and parallel to each other. Use wood screws and glue. I’d use some polyurethane adhesive: comes in a tube that fits a caulking gun. Very strong. The glue does most of the holding while the screws are like clamps that you just leave in the wood. Let the assembly sit overnight for the glue to cure. Also, that’s enough for one day and you’ve earned a treat.
5) Enjoy chosen treat.
6) Put the floor glides on the bottom of the two legs. Stand the whole thing up and move it into position wrt bed frame. Mark the location of the holes in the brackets. Drill holes through legs. Use a drill bit just a hair larger than the holes in the bracket. I’m betting the holes will be 1/4 inch in diameter. Use 1/4 x 20 galvanized bolts, flat washers, lock washers and nuts. You bought them yesterday, didn’t you?
7) Apply finish of choice. You’re done!
Notes on hardware:
1 1/4 inch drywall screws are just right for attaching the legs, assuming the headboard is 3/4 inch thick. If different the screw should be 1/8 to 1/4 shorter than the thickness of legs and headboard added together. Use screws in pairs, one on each side of the legs at least 1/2 inch away from opposite edges. A pair of screws every 10 inches should be fine. Drill pilot holes! or split the wood. Do not over tighten the screws. Just tight enough to draw the pieces together plus another quarter to one half revolution.
The mounting hardware must include flat washers on the wood side or the head of the bolt will sink into the wood and all will be lost. Make sure the bolts are long enough to go through wood and bracket plus enough to accommodate the flat washers and lock washers on bracket side and nut. Again, snug plus a half turn, enough to compress the lock washer.
Easy solution for the mold — Mix some bleach and water. Two or three water to one bleach; not critical. Spray or wipe this liberally on the wall. Walk away. Come back in thirty minutes. Most of the mold should be gone. Apply bleach solution again and use a stiff brush on any stubborn spots. Let dry. Rinse with water. Let dry again. You are done and so is the mold! Enjoy another treat.
This should give you the basics. If I can answer any more questions please ask away. I love helping people do things for themselves like your headboard project. It’s just part of my job . . . =)
Ohai, Portia.
Geeze, advice for two headboards? Good thing I ate my Cheerios first thing. [gets ‘nother cup o’ java]
Thanks, Crudely! I have many of the accoutrements. :) Stuff like the size and type of screws and such are exactly what I have no idea of, and those are awesome directions. Now i have hope!
The mold thing sucks – there isn’t any insulation in the walls, and we’re still a couple of years away from fixing that particular problem. So the outside walls ice up and/or get moldy from the condensation. First I tried packing things against the walls to sort of provide insulation on the inside, then realized that was making it worse because the walls couldn’t dry out, hence the moving things away from it saga.
I have been working hard on self sufficiency but I’m a little intimidated by the idea of getting this all put together. But I could maybe get an inexpensive drill and give it a shot…
re: “Glenn Beck Finds the Lost Tribes of Israel”
Was he weeping? I’ll bet he was weeping.
Weeping sounds so weird when using honeyed, reverbed “radio voice”. Part of the schtick. It compels the listener to suspend disbelief.
Hello, Horde. *waves*
Is this where I can introduce myself? Because the [Introductions] thread doesn’t allow new comments…
Here is fine, Aim!
Nerd will wander by at some point and give you some grog.
Hi Aim, welcome.
I feel like composing a song….
[to the tune of Matchmaker, Matchmaker, duh]
Sockpuppet, sockpuppet
Be me a sock
Echo my voice
Double my stock
Sockpuppet, sockpuppet
Log on again
And be me a perfect sock…
Sockpuppet, sockpuppet
I’ll make my post
You say “Me too!”
My agreeable ghost
Rephrase my words for I’m longing to be
Read twice by all who read me
My left brain
Is that of a scholar
My right brain
Is a philosopher-king
Such wisdom
Means my loud hollers
Need hearty agreement for everything!
Sockpuppet, sockpuppet
Be me a sock
Echo my voice
Double my stock
Night after night on the net on my own,
Be me a sock [or two]
of my own…
My left brain
Is that of a scholar
My right brain
Is a philosopher-king
Such wisdom
Means my loud hollers
Need hearty agreement for everything!
Sockpuppet, sockpuppet
Be me a sock
Echo my voice
Double my stock
Night after night on the net on my own…
So echo my words
Double my stock
Be me a sock
Of my own… Of my own…
Of my own… Of my own…
(Oh, me too!
I agree!
You’re so right!
Oh, me three!)
Oh alright then. Grog sounds great, but for now I’ll stick with my tea. There’s enough to go around!
I go by “Aim” or variations thereof in a few places on the ‘net. I’m German, in my twenties and currently pursuing a linguistics degree.
Er. I delurked (properly, this time) in the grenade post, although I originally signed up to FTB so that I could recommend a let’s-play channel on youtube in a [Lounge} thread. I think.
Horde-sourcing!
I have qPCR data for five target genes and a reference gene in a bunch of developmental stages. I’ve done analysis of all of the target genes individually, but a committee member wants me to “pool the data of all 5 genes together”.
I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I’m guessing they want a PCA or cluster analysis or something. Does anyone have program suggestions or insight? Any program needs to be free or available as a trial version, and preferably fairly easy to learn to use.
Carlie:
Hoo, boy. That’s a mold factory.
You might try applying a solution of ammonia and water after the bleach and water treatment. Ratio about the same. The ammonia seems to prevent the mold from regrowing, in my experience.
You no doubt have found that the mold grows faster when stuff is pushed up against the wall so . . . leave some air space to encourage evaporation.
Is there any chance you could attach some insulation and/or a waterproof barrier outside? It’s a kludge and not always practical but it sometimes makes some noticeable difference.
Portia:
Your darn tootin’ you can. The most important tool is, as always, your brain. If you can get a good picture of what you want to end up with in your mind, and if you can frame the right questions wrt the required process, you can make anything you want. Short of skyscrapers and stuff like that there. The required skyhooks cost like the dickens.
Please feel free to ask me for assistance any time. I’ll do my best to help you with your projects or refer you to some other source. That goes for all the Hordelings who might be tackling a DIY project or facing vexing home repairs. I’ve got a few decades of experience and if I don’t know the answer off the top of my head I can wing it with a fair chance of being helpful.
Owlmirror…. that was *beautiful*!
My foster-pibble went to his new home today. He’s such a good puppy and surprisingly (considering he’s a great big goof), he gave me some wonderfully dignified photos, or attempted dignity, that made him look MUCH older. He’s only 14 weeks in these! What a handsome doggle. :3
“I look all growed up, but I’m only 20 pounds!”
http://imageshack.us/a/img20/7531/aswg.jpg
“Totes dignified. Ignore the grass.”
http://imageshack.us/a/img198/7509/rjrt.jpg
Far more accurate image, plus I thought only cats could do that…
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/9562/cczf.jpg
Thanks very much, Crudely:) Much appreciated.
Ask the committee member? And also yer advisor. If they give radically different answers, then, I would think, you have a problem…
(Disclaimer: I am not a biologist, albeit I’m also not sure that is relevant…)
Welcome, Aim! [waves and grins broadly]
Find a comfy spot and make yourself at home. Here, have some snow peas.*
*pay no attention to the poor grumps who hate peas. they are silly gooses and have no taste at all — unless they’re knocked lightly on the head and dipped in chocolate.
Hey. Someone maybe edited the “adolescent sexuality” (in the US) page on Wikipedia. I’m suspicious.
Look:
[Under “Oral sex”]
…experts caution that “we need to move away from the idea that girls who engage in oral sex but not intercourse are ‘technical’ virgins – that you’re not having sex because no one’s penetrating you. Let girls know that every time you do something like that, you compromise yourself and give up some of your power.“
The source on that one is straight gone. And the language sounds like puritanspeak.
[Under “Contraceptive use”]
One simulation projected that increasing contraceptive availability among teenagers reduces teen pregnancies in the short run, but may result in more teen pregnancies in the long run. The researchers found “that even well intended contraception policies can be self-defeating.”[97] This simulation also found that decreasing access to contraception leads to lower rates of sexual activity among teenagers and thus will lower the simulated teen pregnancy rate in the long run.
Whatttt?? Less contraception=less pregnancy?? I’m skeptical!
[Under “Social and cultural aspects”]
Between themselves, girls often discuss how physically painful the first time is, the sexual misbehavior of more promiscuous girls, and the perceived need to be sexually attractive to retain boyfriends.[8] Boys complain less about emotional issues and more about sexual experiences “gone awry,” not getting enough sex as they would like, not being selective enough in their partners, and sex that wasn’t satisfying.[8] Sex among teens often has “clear power differences between boys and girls.”
That last one, on top of being weirdly out of place, comes from Mark Regnerus, a sociologist conservatives have been all over, for things like his conclusions that gay parents make messed up kids. And it falls in line with the stereotype that girls don’t want sex, while boys do. (By the way, as someone who was a girl in high school just 3-4 years ago (head’s up–TMI coming), I can guarantee titillating ideas about sex were banging up against my cranium like internal mutant woodpeckers.)
PZ, you’re a whole lot more qualified than a measly college undergrad like myself to edit this page, so I thought I’d forward the problem to you.
Hello, Aim!
—
Stupid idiot #32: “But mathematicians can find jobs easily!”
Me: “… Obviously not”
Will it be horrible if I just answer with “Yes, but I suck at life, so I can’t. Thank you for reminding me.” next time? Fucking idiots making me feel even worse about myself.
Beatrice, For what it is worth, I am educated as a mathematician, but have never been employed as one, albeit my education as one has come in handy at times. More useful, however, has been the general “STEM” education, including critical analysis and insisting on evidence.
Today is being very Mondayish. Make it stop. Thanks.
blf,
*secret handshake* :)
Agreed. I’ve already had chance to notice that.
Hang on! You’ve got that thoroughly backwards. Peas have no taste at all, even when dipped in chocolate (what a why to waste good chocolate!). Knocking a pea on the head only irritates it; killing peas is difficult and usually involves moving to another universe. And, peas are allied with horses, proving the fundamental evilness of both! The “silly gooses [sic]” are those who think peas have a taste, and/or a texture which is anything other than disgusting. Such foolish knaves quite possibly like celery as well…
It’s Monday…and morning…and the ragweed is apparently pollinating all over the place.
Sucks.
With great enthusiasm and professional virtuosity.
–
Yay!
:) :) :)
–
–
Hi, Aim; welcome in! There are a few Important Questions that any prospective Hordeling must answer, to wit, what are your opinions on:
1) Horses
2) peas
3) cheese
and for Extra Credit, I’ll throw in
4) Miracle Whip™
:)
–
Beatrice, I have a friend who got a degree in math…who for years was stuck cutting meat and washing dishes. It wasn’t until he tacked on a Computer Science program that he finally was able to get a job outside of Food Services…teaching CompSci at a VoTech. I would argue that his employment problems weren’t a result of “sucking at life”; it’s just that there were (at the time) too many mathematicians, locally, for the grazing to support.
–
Hello everyone, after being more active in the grenade thread, I figured I’d (re)introduce myself here.
I’m a recent biology graduate from the Netherlands. I’ve lurked on this blog for about two years now, learning the basics of stuff like privilege here and on associated blogs. I’ve occasionally commented here and there but never really on a regular level. Maybe that’ll change or maybe it won’t. We’ll see what happens.
@Nutmeg:
I can think of a few different things this could mean.
If the genes are all correlated in their change in expression over the different stages, you might be expected to pull them together to see if together they are significant. If some are directly inversely correlated you could correct for that.
On the other hand if this isn’t the case zhe might be asking you to take the fact that you’re doing 5 analyses into account when you’re calculating significance levels. If you do multiple tests the chances for at least one to be significant purely by chance go up and there are ways to correct for that.
If you know what you’re doing you can do statistical analysis in excel, but many prefer SPSS which had a thirty day trial when I used it outside of college years ago. My college has a version on every computer though and I figure yours probably has that too.
If there is no direct relationship between the different genes in terms of expression over the different stages, then zhe might be asking you to put all of your data into one graph, capturing a more complete image of how the gene expression changes over time.
Without additional context however it’s impossible to tell which of these is the desired step to take or if I even mentioned it at all. I second the request for more information. Either your supervisor or the committee member should be able to provide that.
Hi, sharkjack; welcome in!
See Important Questions @35.
:)
–
Hi sharkjack! Thanks for the ideas! The committee member is on vacation right now and won’t be back until the defense, at which point I need to demonstrate that I have half a clue what they meant. So I’m going to guess, for now, and try a PCA in Excel. After that, it might be time to see what my university’s free stats software will do with the data.
Er; peas can be dipped in chocolate but will always come up naked — the chocolate just slips right off. No friction, you see. That’s why peas go down the gullet so easily. Since the texture is an illusion reflecting the peas of mind of the consumer. A perfectly peasful mind projects no illusion on the peas. No illusion = no texture which is why there is no friction.
If you want to go dipping things in chocolate the best choice is silly gooses (that’s right) due to the troubled mind that projects such a strong illusion which, as we have learned, creates a texture with such a high coefficient of friction that merely waving them near the chocolate is sufficient.
Ponies like peas. I like peas. We are therefore untroubled because we are so smooth. No friction at all.
Hi sharkjack, welcome.
Hi, Crudely, Portia, Beatrice and cicely!
So you want my opinion on:
I can do that. Even though I won’t be sorted neatly into one of your injokey camps of militant horse- or peahaters… ;)
1) They’re nice… from a distance.
2) A sometimes food.
3) Needs moar Ümläüt.
4) Not A Thing, as far as I’m concerned.
To answer 35:
1) I’m indifferent to horses, though I like to piss horse lovers off who insist horses have poten (dutch term for legs that apply to all animals with the exception of humans and horses) instead of benen (dutch term for legs that only apply to humans and horses) just because it always gets a reaction.
2)Peas are amazing. I loveeating them them. I feel like I also have to mention Mendel here.
3) I love cheese when it’s combined with other ingredients in meals, but I don’t like the standard cheese on it’s own.
4) I’ve never had miracle whip, so I have no idea what it’s like.
Blatant vandalism. There should be some kind of report feature.
Hi, Aim! I thought I recognized your ‘nym over on the grenade thread. I believe it was me who you recommended a Let’s Play channel to and I subscribed and watched some of the videos :). Thanks again!
*
Hullo, sharkjack!
*
cicely, did you receive my reply or did the ShadowCamels do something to it on its way to you?
*
Crudely, I feel like coming up with a DIY project just so I can ask for your assistance. Have you heard of ASMR? Because your #13 totally gave me ASMR (that’s a good and rare thing!).
This. Inclined to see what it takes to become an editor in order to go delete it.
Nevermind, I went to look and it seems to be gone already.
clitoral awesomeness via boingboing:
(NSFW – lots of diagrams!)
http://blog.museumofsex.com/the-internal-clitoris/
Aim, the correct answers are:
1) They are Evil at any distance. Don’t be fooled by a harmless, or even attractive, appearance.
2) A never food (except for rats, who have the amazing ability to convert peas into Cute), a sometimes ammunition, and a potential Horse-stuffing (prior to keelhauling).
3) Where? Don’t those go with ‘u’s? C. H. E. E. S. E. No ‘u’s.
4) Is too A Thing. Nomnomnomnomnom!
–
sharkjack:
1) Indifference is better than slavish worship and obedience, but unfortunately potentiates Society’s apathy where this Important Issue is concerned.
2) Peas are amazing; but then, so is sodium metal. Amazingness doesn’t translate to edibility. Mendel may well have eaten peas, I don’t know. I understand that under the pressure of intensive research, people sometimes crack.
3) I find this answer acceptable, as it leaves moar cheese for the rest of us.
4) Seriously? No Miracle Whip™, ever? How sad….
–
Parrowing, I’m betting your email has arrived, unmolested by Shadowcamels; unfortunately, I wilted last night before checking to see whether I’ve Got Mail or not. I’ll look this evening, when I get home.
:)
–
Good doggie!
Dog plays fetch with himself using a stream
Sad? Sad????? Try Wise. Lucky. Unpolluted. Fortunate.
Hi, Parrowing! *waves*
I’m glad I could help you out!
cicely, are you sure you’re not referring to these? http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Monster_Horse_Beastie
2) Pea soup is nice in winter.
3) It’s Käse, K Ä S E, see the Umlaut? ;) (Which go with all vowels, but German tends to keep ’em off the e’s and i’s.)
4) ‘Tis Not A Thing where I live, so I really don’t get it…
Aim, those would certainly be Evil as well, but I was referring to these.
–
Think of the worse mayonnaise you can image — even more horrible than that exceptionally terrible British stuff called “Salad Cream” — with tonnes of sugar added.
Miracle Whip™
…
*shudder*
But it has Tangy Zip!
I like Tangy Zip!
–
Yet another reason to stay away from USAianstan.
And cicely…
</snark>blf,
Really? Sugar in pre-made mayo? Why would you do that?
cicely,
*dalek voice* Ex-plain, ex-plain!
I guess I should intro myself since I think I’ll be spending more time here than I had originally planned. I’m usually a lurker because I actively avoid reading comment section. I’ve been following PZed since prior to being “Expelled”. The grenade thread has given me the impetus to change my mind about comment sections. In my non-digital life, I’m a forensic anthropologist and I have five slightly insane dogs
I’m dying laughing over a post on my old SUPER CATHOLIC debate coach’s page…she reposted a photo of storm troopers holding a sign that says “We stand with planned parenthood” and she says: “It doesn’t get any better than this! Pro-Lifers have known all along that the Evil One stands with Planned Parenthood. Hard to believe that PP posted this on their own page!!!”
*facepalm*
These people have no sense of humor to go with their no sense of humanity.
Now that I already have the correct answers, can I take the quiz anyway? I’ll that as a “yes”. Or at least a “whatever”.
I’ve no up close experience with horses but they seem lovely and what-not. From a distance. Which is as close as I’m willing to get. Although one of my long time favorite phrases is “i’d steal horses with you”. I got it from a wonderful book by Jonathan Carroll called “Sleeping In Flame”. He claims to have appropriated it from a German saying and his character Maris York explains in beautifully.
Do snap peas count? Snap peas from the farmers market are so good that sometimes they don’t make it home, I just eat them like popcorn on the walk and then wish I had bought more. Otherwise, peas are filler. They add a bit of green to the plate and don’t ruin the meal but don’t do much good either. Pea soup can be nice, especially with a grilled cheese sandwich, which leads to….
People underestimate the power of cheese. A decent grilled cheese sandwich could ease a lot of geopolitical conflict with the correct application. Worked with my former in-laws. There are parallels.
Miracle Whip? No, can’t bring myself to even try it. For starters, the name. It’s such an awesome name for something, really almost anything, other than a highly processed mayo substitute. While “tangy zip” sounds intriguing, I just can’t.
Oh, I probably should have said hello to the Horde. Hello!
I have no idea. Pedantically, the stuff is not a true mayonnaise (not even close to it), being made of much cheaper ingredients somehow blended together. I assume the sugar is to disguise the awfulness of the taste of the base concoction.
I (vaguely) recall the stuff has a shelf life that would survive a nuclear holocaust, and possibly also the heat death of the universe. (On this point, I may be confusing it with the before-mentioned Salad Cream, which manages to be even worse than British Industrial Cheddar, and possibly has a greater shelf-life. That stuff is nasty!)
Things I should stop doing: waiting until 4 pm to eat lunch.
In other news, I have a headache.
How’s y’alls?
welcome, all the new peeps!
skeptianthro: may I ask why you avoid the comment sections, and if it’s just Pharyngula’s or in general? (disclosure: this can be a loaded question because tone trolling is a thing. I ask because I’m curious about the opinions of people who *don’t* engage… and if they don’t engage, how else to find out what they think?)
—
Raising awareness since Scr… Archivist posted this comment down at the tail of the Carrie Poppy thread.
blf, I am hurt*. Wounded, to the very depths of my soul**. So deeply, so irreparably injured that I am not sure how I can possibly survive***. Yes, that is correct—your disapprobation has slain me****. Ded. So very ded.***** Oh, woe. Oh, the huge manatee!
* *dramatic pose, back of hand to forehead*
** 1/16 of an inch, easily.
*** *slumping in a defeated attitude*
*****recumbent, lily clasped to bosom, ‘x’s over eyes, tongue protruding—but tastefully—from corner of mouth*
***** *sad kitty*
–
Not mayo.
This is an important point
Tangy Zip.
–
Hi, skeptianthro; welcome in!
–
Hello, oaksterdam, and welcome in to you, also. I’d grade your quiz, but right now I’m busy lessoning blf in the Right Way.
;)
–
No, you’re thinking of The Cheese That Cannot Die, i.e., Velveeta.
–
(Mayo is that horrible stuff that goes off all manky and makes your sack-lunch sandwich puke-worthy.)
–
BHRAAWWWHAHAHAHA!
blf:
The only time I ever make mayo is for use in potato salad. Which is about once in a blue moon.
cicely:
I was more confused about the evilness of odd-toed ungulates. Or is it just horses? Are you okay with zebras? What about donkeys? Tapirs? Rhinos?
FSM on a fusion-powered pogo stick! I forgotten all about that abomination. Why did you have to remind me!?
Which is worse? Velveeta or Cheez Whiz? (Neither is cheese. (The mildly deranged penguin is currently engaged in some hypersonic puking at the very thought of those (duck! (not the “quack-quack” kind)).))
All three of Velveeta, Miracle Whip, and Cheez Whiz are made by Kraft (albeit I think they only invented the last two, purchasing Velveeta from the Vogons).
Hi, Pteryxx.
I’m obviously not the person you were addressing but I can give you my reasons for not engaging. Or not very often, anyway.
Background: I’ve been addicted to this blog like my morning coffee since…. Kenny’s NDE’s back at the old place where I first recall engaging at all.
I read along, follow lots of links and the Horde says everything I wanted to say before I can get to saying it. And far better. Y’all are good. So I take a different approach. You people post links to other places where the discussion is taking place. So I digest the things you are saying, process it, decide where I come down on the issue, then go hit those discussions. And Twitter because I might be an idiot. I think of myself as a sort of advance Horde scouting and reccon unit. A satellite Horde-ette flinging reason and compassion and occasional cupcakes out into the wider web. Or something like that. There are pros and cons to this approach but it largely works for me.
I do confess to sometimes wishing I was more visible around here though. And I’m in full agreement about mayo. Manky.
News – Stollznow’s article has been pulled from Sci Am on order of CFI’s legal department. See her twitter feed and Tom Foss’s commet at the end of the “No it could never happen to her” thread.
followup: “pending corrections”. Keep a weather eye.
https://twitter.com/center4inquiry/status/367013959120850944
…Also, brace before looking at the lists of who’s retweeting which side. Bleargh.
It’s (primarily) Horses. To a lesser degree, ponies, which are the gateway to full Horse Possession. I’ve never waved an Evil-o-meter at a zebra, so decline to issue any opinion. Tapirs and rhinos are, to the best of my knowledge, in the clear insofar as Evilness is concerned—though I understand that rhinos are given to trampling people, and might conceivably be Spitefulness Elementals.
–
Oh, Cheez Whiz, obviously. After the forthcoming Fall of Civilization (aka, the Equine Apocalypse), the structures of the Brave New Society to follow will be built out of fossilized Velveeta bricks. Ubiquitous, and at a pinch you can eat it (though I won’t speculate on the joyfulness with which it will be consumed).
Or burn it as fuel.
Proper ventilation is, of course, essential.
–
How is something that already is fossilized, fossilized?
I have dwarf bread first, please.
I’m guessing CFI calculated that it was widespread enough already that the Streisand Effect was no longer in play. Not doing themselves any favors though. Can’t see how the bravehero pit brigade claiming it a victory is it actually being a, you know, smart move. Whoever they got on damage control over there might want to flip the dart board over to the baseball diamond side, give that a shot.
@ Parrowing #44,
I had to go look up ASMR and found two possibilities; the one you meant and “A Sailor Moon Romance”. I’m going with not A Sailor Moon Romance. Amyrite?
Lol, ya learn something every day. (Dayum! I think I just got one, too!)
In recognition of you for having taught me a new thing and for the distinct pleasure that resulted, I hereby award you free guidance in the DIY project of your choice.
(please note that all guidance is free but you get the public announcement and the confetti and the tricky flourish from the studio orchestra)
Thanks, Parrowing. Very Much.
Well of course. You can tell from the name it’s evil, right? Mayo-NEIGHs!
Only caught up till comment 700 of the previous thread.
*pouncehug for rq*
I don’t quite understand. Are you the dragon, and I’m the uncomfortably-dressed girl? :-}
Uh. You do know who overthrew that empire?
Awesome.
==================
Link dump:
Why do so many Nobel laureates look like Richard Dawkins?
Berlusconi’s defenders reveal their contempt for democracy
Let’s open Europe to immigration
Don’t be too quick to knock sugar-pink, prince-free, Disney-style princessification
Nothing to see here: Athens is now closed to democracy
Welcome to the new peoples!
I’ve been on the ASMR train for many months now, ever since I stumbled across it. You know how there are certain memories you go to in times of stress to calm down? One of mine is when I was in undergrad and tutoring, except almost nobody ever came for tutoring, but what did happen every time was the cleaner came in and wiped down the blackboards with a huge dry mophead. Swish…swish…swish…
For some reason I wondered one day if that sound was comforting to anyone else and went looking for “brushing sounds” on youtube, and oh Brave New World, that has such videos in it.
I grew up on Miracle Whip, so my first taste of real mayo was…unpleasant. I’ve gotten used to it, but I still prefer one or the other depending on the use.
I hate my stupid eyes. Several months ago I was told I could probably use bifocals, but I couldn’t stomach the idea just yet. Now, of course, I need them badly enough to get stress headaches all the time but I’m not eligible for another 5 months. Stupid eyes. And my super-duper eye surgery did some good, but the pressure is still higher than it ought to be*, so I don’t know where that’s going except another recheck in 3 months. I feel like Marilla Cuthbert.
*ok, that’s a pretty funny story. I was at the dr, and the assistant person did my pressure, and then said “Huh. I’m going to go get another one of the girls to check this again just to be sure”, and on the way out the door the dr. came in, so she said quietly to him “it’s high” and he said “Huh, let’s just measure this really quick”, and he did, and she was right behind him and said “See?” and he went “Hm.” Then he turned to me and said really cheerfully “So, it was x before, and it’s down to x now, and that’s good! We’ll have you back in 3 months to recheck!” and I was all “I’VE BEEN RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU THIS WHOLE TIME I HEARD EVERYTHING”. I mean, honestly. I was less than 2 feet away. (!)
I’m not very keen on polls like this, Do you believe religious people are less intelligent than atheists?: “According to a new review of 63 scientific studies conducted over decades, religious people are less intelligent than non-believers. Do you agree with this assessment?”
My new eyeballcovers are progressive (my first ever), but I still haven’t quite got the hang of using them to read. Middle- and distance-usage doesn’t seem to be a problem (albeit I have surprised myself once or thrice on steps / stairs),but I am still struggling a bit with the reading.
Much more annoying, however, is the eye doctor is unhappy with the way my worse eye is responding to Teh French Eye Drop Torture, and has ordered it to continue for the next year!! Doing a King Lear on the eye and using an eyepatch seems more appealing all the time…
Aim:
Welcome to the Lounge.
I will be along shortly to mix virtual cocktails…
First it was some of the best auto advice, now it is extremely helpful DIY advice?
Crudely—> you rock!
blf – ugh. I’m trying to resist the daily dropness, but I think it’s looming in my future. I’ve wondered about progressives – everyone I know who has them likes them, but I have a hard enough time with peripheral vision as it is, and I’ve read that progressives have more of a side aberration problem.
Ooo, Tony is an expert bartender, so you’re in luck. :)
Sharkjack:
Welcome.
Love the nym, btw.
****
rq:
Its about time to update the Commune duties list, eh? We have added more than enough people.
—
Hmm, what was the last gender discussion we had? Was it the one about foods? Or activities?
****
All new commenters, if you wish, you can sign up to play against the undefeated Pictionary champion, me. I let Portia think she won months ago bc I was feeling generous, but really…no one beats The Shoop.
There has to be a way to play Pictionary online and thus put an end to the hubris of the Shoop.
Crudely: I’ve just investigated my frame, and it’s not as long as my bed. So I don’t know what to attach the headboard to. Darn.
Cicely:
You do realize I loathe Miracle Whip, right?
skeptianthro:
Welcome to the Lounge.
Some commenters only post here, or post in other threads infrequently. Something about the social atmosphere of the Lounge appeals to people. I have no clue why (why yes, the snark is strong in me today)
***
Btw, the Lounge moves at various paces throughout the week. Not as quickly as the grenade thread. But dont be surprised if you are gone for two or three days, and comments are in the upper hundreds. Of course, many of us carry on conversations over periods of time, and nothing is off topic so…post away.
Oaksterdam:
Welcome to the Lounge!
After all the discussion on the hand-grenade post, I put in my info at the RAINN website to see if our local women’s center needed any volunteers. I don’t know how it will go but I’m going to give it a go and see if I can help in meat-space. Thanks to Caine for suggesting it (to someone else, but hey, works for me).
On a completely side note, I finally bought a new car and am celebrating by driving up to Yosemite and Calaveras Big Trees next week. Vacation, sack lunches, a car that won’t break down in the middle of nowhere, and an old camera. Yay.
Yup. I saw that also. Has Glenn Beck become an Anglo-Israelite? Saxons = Isaac’s sons
Bertrand Russell had had a lot of fun with Anglo-Israelites, proposing rival versions of their theories. Like “Oh, no, no, it’s the English who are Ephraim and the Scots who are Manasseh”.
Welcome in all the newly decloaked.
I owe everyone a rum in about 9 days.
—–
*ahem*
I like CheezWhiz.
and Spam.
not MiracleWhip.
never MiracleWhip.
CheezWhiz? What is this madness?
Oaksterdam:
I like your approach to commenting.
****
“Manky”???
****
Hubris?
Moi?
I never!
Can I help it if the only animal worshipped more than the cat is The Shoop? We are known for our mysterious ways…
****
Dogs love cheese whiz…
****
Denverly:
Congrats on the vehicle!
Tony:
Manky=nasty, foul, rotten, dirty, or suchlike
No, seriously, what is it?
dongiovanni
It is an abomination against all that is good and right in the world, a substance of such utter foulness that its very presence repels even the Great Old Ones.
Since PZ has had to close the “grenade” thread, and said that Shermer’s noise might make him delete the whole thing, I wanted to save some of the comments that seem particularly good. Well, I started with this one from Crudely Wrott:
There are a lot more to collect, including the ones that already collated those many links (was that yesteday?).
Is there a better space to store them than here?
CheezWhiz is a processed cheese-like goo that comes in a can. With a nozzle. So you can squirt it on….well I wouldn’t know but I guess whatever you want cheese-like goo squirted onto. Very technicolor shade of yellow as well. Like they hadn’t ever seen real cheese, just cartoons featuring it.
Cheese Whiz is the perfect thing to squirt on a dogs nose!
Ok, I can see that. I don’t have a dog and I like my kitten too much for that. Nothing but Cowgirl Creamery & Humboldt Fog for Jackson. And me. She shares sometimes.
Now I want to head for the dog park with a can of CheezWhiz to try this out. How do we think your average dog owner is going to feel about this? Also, pugs are popular around here. Finding the nose section of the face might be challenging. Can I just squirt it at the head & hope for the best?
Cheese Whiz is flavoured insulation foam, I am sure of it.
oaksterdam:
It is most adorable when you have two household dogs bc you can squirt it atop one nose and watch the other lick it off. Or put it atop both noses and it looks like they are making out…
CheezWhiz comes in a spraycan???
Tony!
You have just given me the first reason, ever, to buy Cheese Whiz!
Adorable photos are a definite possibility.
Haven’t collected anything from … any closed threads, and I don’t want to drag that discussion here.
I just want to say the Caine has gotten a lot of well-deserved praise for an awesome job in … another thread, but I was too late to the game to also thank Prax and Pteryxx for incredible stamina and grace under fire.
Me, I got tired and stopped. You guys are all amazing. I have new heroes.
Okay, I’m about to destroy any kitchen cred I may have by confessing a childhood passion. When I was a wee lass in grammar school, long before I discovered good taste and good food and good cooking, I was overly fond of Velveeta cheese sandwiches. The construction was as follows… slather margarine (not butter) on two thick slices of raisin bread, layer on the Velveeta, apply a goodly layer of sliced sweet gherkins, and warm the sandwich in the oven until the “cheese food product” has adhered to the pickles. Eat with gusto and a large glass of cold milk.
My mother, obviously, was not a woman overly concerned with the finesse of fine food.
Basic rule: Never consume anything that refers to itself as a “food product.”
Chigau:
Yes. In fact I have not seen Cheese Whiz in any other form.
****
I wonder if Caine’s rats would like Cheese Whiz…
****
Gobi’s sm:
Awesome!
I hope if you do so, you post links to any pics.
Pete:
If you wanted to continue any Grenade conversation, the Thunderdome is a good place…PLEASE. anything to save us from Resident Bigot #2.
Fuck. PZ Myers’s lawsuit has got me terrified.
I’m planning on publishing a post on my blog naming the institution that did the illegal trans-discrimination after I’m a few more layers removed and I definitely don’t have the resources to legally fight back if they decide to sue. I guess it’s one more thing to keep in mind as I draft it.
A most excellent point, and one that I had somehow missed.
–
But you are completely awesome in almost every other way, Tony, so I’m inclined to give you a pass.
And after all, it’s a far lesser degeneracy than rq‘s blatant Horse worship.
–
Denverly, are you new? If so, welcome in! If not…welcome in!
:)
And welcome in also to anyone I’ve missed.
–
You read me right—I said, “manky”. Mayonaisse is just not up to retaining any vestige of edibility in unrefrigerated sack lunches in SoCal.
–
Cheez Whiz is an Abomination Unto Nuggan.
It is not cheese, though I’m prepared to be persuaded that it may be whiz.
–
Herein: Wisdom.
It’ll go well in fossilized-Velveeta-brick structures, Come The Day.
–
Oh, my, yes indeed it does! Useful for getting the
insulationWhiz into every nook and cranny.–
Or “cheese food spread”.
“Imitation cheese food product spread.”
“Genuine imitation cheese food product spread.”
–
Porti:
Have you read through the grenade thread?
I wondered more than a few times how frustrating it would be for a lawyer reading some of those comments.
Tony: I got to about #236 and then the work week started and I just…I couldn’t any more.
*hugs* as desired for Caine in case she sees them here, rather than dropping them in the Last Word for Now thread.
morgan – the best comfort food in the world is popcorn covered with melted velveeta cheese. :)
I love my popcorn with cheddar chunks. Inherited the preference from my dad. Might have some now, in fact…
I like a sprinkle of Parmesan on mine.
Or brewer’s yeast, speaking of sprinkling.
(Eeek, sorry for misspelling your nym Portia)
I think Caine is right. Shutting down that thread is the best thing. We already put up with the fiery douchemaggots in one thread. No need for a Worst Hits.
It’s ok, PictionaryLoser, no hard feelings.
Oops, I misspelled your nym, didn’t I? *WINK*
Hmmm, I am in a popcorny mood and Parmeesian cheese sounds like a tasty addition…
I wish you could see me right now.
I am literally in stitches.
That was damn funny!
Brewer’s yeast on popcorn? This is new to me. When I managed a health food store umpty years ago we sold brewer’s yeast as a food supplement full of b-vitamins. Was kind of flaky, not a powder, not particularly tasty as I recall. Please describe the stuff you use.
Oh dear, do you have bad lacerations? I hope the stitches don’t have to stay in so long? ;)
Yellow, flaky, cheesy-tasting if you think about it while eating it. Great on popcorn and spaghetti ^_^
Darnit, Tony, this popcorn is way more your style than mine :(
Still edible though
La la la la la laaaaaa, la la la la laaaaaa…what an interesting coat of paint on the ceiling…heh heh…
Ok, warning for the skittish, S story ahead, he just texted me a convo his seven year old had with his best friend:
Friend: C’mon [Littlest], don’t u just want to try to ride a bike, it’s really fun. If u try it I’m sure u’d like it. And if ur scared Jesus will help you.
Littlest: I just decide what I want 2 do & I do it. Jesus has nothing 2 do w it.
Friend: but if ur scared u can trust him & he’ll help u thru it.
Littlest: Jesus doesn’t care if I learn 2 ride a bike.
This is the same kid who told his Catholic mother that he doesn’t have a soul, and asked “We don’t have to pray, do we?” ♥
Damnit. Now I miss his adorable face, and hilarious quips, which I haven’t experienced in…7 or 8 months, minimum…
To all the new folks and delurkers, welcome to the Lounge. Please make yourselves at home. We have comfy chairs, overstuffed couches, ottomans and rocking horses. We are quite proud of our bar which has both tall tools and short ones so that tall and short people can speak eye to eye.
The bar, and I can see that you’ve noticed, appears to stretch off into the distance towards a vanishing point. In fact it does. This is so the Lounge can expand or contract along its length and thus accommodate any number of patrons. This keeps the distance between you and your bartender as short as possible. We find this most convenient and trust that you will too.
All drinks are, of course, available for no charge. Tips are always appreciated and that’s not limited to the bartenders. Bits of knowledge, trivia, personal observations, witticisms and tales of adventure and discovery all make fine tips and are gratefully and gracefully received.
Do feel free to drop in at anytime at all, we never close.
How rude of me, I forgot to welcome all the newcomers. Hello and yes, make yourself at home :)
I just went through and saved the entire thread (all 9 pages) in .mht format. No way I’m actually reading through it all, though.
*hugs* for Portia.
–
thanks cicely, I’m ok. I’ll be ok. I can see “ok” :)
Portia, I’ve heard of short bed frame syndrome, or SBFS, and it is an awkward disorder. Nothing ruins the mood like leaping onto the unsupported end and flipping the whole bed skee wah. Fortunately, hilarity and mild embarrassment are the worst results.
My research has shown that for a majority (>83%) of cases a full cure can be affected by a visit to a second hand store or consignment shop. Be sure to measure the dimensions of the bed in order to obtain a frame of the correct size. In some rare (<16%) the cure is closer at hand. Some frames are designed to expand and contract by means of telescoping members and thumb screws. A close examination of the frame in question will quickly determine if this cure is possible in your case.
Let me know which remedy is indicated in your case so that our SBFS database can be updated. Thanks, and happy dreams.
Crudely Wrott: come for the eloquence, stay for the stellar advice and the hilarious framing. (pun intended).
Thanks very much, I will work on finding the cure. It might just be extendable.
I got the plywood and some 2x4s to my house tonight.
Ok, we have to add Crudely’s Welcome to the Lounge at the top of every iteration.
Make it so Number 1.
Tony!:
Accident of birth. I was surrounded from a young age by self-reliant people who were good with their hands and possessed of a wide variety of skills. Enough rubbed off and to a large measure set the course of my life.
I can do a surprising number of things passably well and a few things even better. That and I really like to help people how to use their own hands, eyes and brains* constructively and profitably. Something about empowering I think.
By the way Tony! –> U Rock 2!!
*My mother used to say that all three were actually wired together!
WOW!! Hotshoe!
You liberated my “Fuck Off” poem! That is really, really fantastic. Thank you so much!
Please, use it as you see fit.
(so that’s why you carry the boltcutters)
Ohmygoodness I forgot to comment on the poem. totally beautiful!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheez_Whiz
Okay, Crudely, here’s a question. If I elevate the plywood covered wit books by screwing on 2x4s as legs, and pin in to the wall with the bed…does that sound feasible?
Tony!
Just went to the supermarket and could not find any Cheese Whiz, or any other aerosol powered cheese product!
I am still committed to posting adorable dog photos so a suitable substitute must be found…
Ok, I need to sleep pretty badly. Good night, Lounge.
NOT the kind of Cheese Whiz to put on your dogs nose…
Not so sure about feeding this to my dogs again:
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/full-comment/blog.html?b=fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/03/09/michael-moss-the-day-they-took-the-cheese-out-of-cheez-whiz
More at the link…
My electronic The Happy Atheist is ready for downloading and I can’t because … stupid, shitty satellite internet.
aaarrgghh
THAT IS BIZARRRRRRRRE.
I just posted two comments. They went through, following Portias #145. I saw them on screen. Now they are gone…
And now they are back…
POLTERGEISTS!!!!
****
Anyway,
Gobi’s sm:
http://www.myamericanmarket.com/us/home/condiments-oils-dressings/kraft-cheez-whiz
Buy cheese whiz online…
Wait…there it is!!!
yay!
Kraft Foods’ Cheez-Whiz™ is not now, and nor has it ever been, an “aerosol”/spray-cheese-food product. Kraft’s “aerosol”/spray-cheese-food product is now and always has been Easy-Cheese™. hth.
‘rupt, but I spotted the discussion on mould earlier. For hard surfaces, oil of cloves is the way to go – it’s not suitable for fabrics and other soft surfaces.
More here. http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/29/3466721.htm
Completely unrelated to anything is this bit of news:
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/castle-crew-to-bounce-back-50536.aspx
Huh, I stand corrected.
Thanks Chas.
Is there actually something wrong with the “LessWrong” website? I’ve found every article I’ve been linked to cogent, though that hasn’t been many.
Portia asks:
Only if you intend to never, ever move the bed!
I need to have a clearer idea of the picture you have in your head. Is the plywood flat against the wall? Perpendicular to the wall? I’m guessing the later since you say it’s covered with books. If that’s the case I’m seeing a shelf or a table as opposed to a headboard. Or are you thinking of a headboard that has shelves?
In any case, I would not recommend using your bed to hold anything covered with books up against the wall. Unexpected tumbling and scattering is practically guaranteed.
If you can give me a bit more detail of what you have in mind I’m sure I can help you reach your goal. I am concerned, though, that anything you build based upon my advice be sturdy and trustworthy. You don’t want an unabridged dictionary in the face while immersed in a happy dream. =)
See you tomorrow? Right here? Say, about mid day Eastern Time?
Yeah, I fucked up the CheezWhiz thing way up there as well. I take full responsibility for any subsequent misinformation and confusion. Thanks Chas.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :):
RationalWiki has a pretty good (though not NPOV) article.
I’m absolutely in love with this thread. You are all such lovely people.
For those with the appropriate disposition toward processed cheese food products, who also like a cheap horror thrill: Cheez Whiz is available in size 10 cans.
Thank you all for the Cheez Whiz info.
Instead, the puppet mistress and I went shopping and got a block of Auricchio Calcagno, a lovely St Agur and some tasty King Island triple cream Brie with some lavosh bites and a box of pepper and chives water crackers. This will be consumed with alcohol – mostly red wine.
I substituted peanut butter in the ‘adorable dog photo’ experiment… Didn’t go to plan. I now have hands, dogs and a camera that smell of peanut butter and some photos of the dogs using their paws to wipe off the peanut butter and licking said paws. At 9 frames per second no less.
Damn clever dogs – they will be using tools before long….
This article makes me wonder about monogamy in humans…
More at the link.
——
Molten Chocolate Baileys
——
No.
Just…no.
http://www.euronews.com/in-vogue/2068584-next-food-phenom-poised-to-spawn-copycats-ramen-burgers/
F:
Why thank you.
We alternate between goofy, serious, outraged, and pretty much the entire spectrum of human emotions.
I adore this place.
rq should be around anytime now with some cool links, though I thought to get the jump on her.
Gobi’s sm:
Oof!
I forgot to mention applying peanut butter is much easier with a long wooden spoon. That way you can get it on their nose.
On the paw is fun too as is on the roof of their mouth.
I think it is bedtime for this Shoop. Night all!
First links, then the bad news.
More about the IOC vs. Russia vs. the athletes. The IOC, at the very least, could publicly stand by the athletes participating in the Olympics under their wing. *sigh*
A word or two of rejection about those father/daughter lists going around… You know, the ones where a ‘valid’ point is “Whatever you do to my daughter, I will do to you; you hurt her, I hurt you” and other such lovely pieces of warning (this ones one of the most disturbing, though). Anyway, go non-appropriation of women.
Here are 6 documentaries apparently full of crap, and various levels of it (the crap). I have mixed feelings; I know that all documentaries have some element of re-enactment/reconstruction, and training birds (for example) doesn’t change the fact that they migrate anyway along those routes… I’m just wondering if this isn’t some kind of ‘vindication’ for Discovery for showing that totally fake documentary about sharks the other week, just to prove that everyone else does it, too. Or something. *shrug*
Test your smarts against the grade 8s of 1912. Some very interesting questions, some rather odd ones, and I wonder how the correct answers to the scientific questions have changed over time…
Some bird cute, because bread crumbs.
And a heckuvalot of puppy cute. YOU SHALL NOT RESIST!!!
+++
The bad news is, I have to take a break from the Horde for personal reasons. It doesn’t directly have anything to do with the recent brouhaha of magnificent proportions (but, on that note – Caine deserves a fucking constellation named after her, as does Pteryxx; the rest of you Warriors will simply have to be satisfied with LIBOQAM named after you; PZ has my full support; thanks and amazement for all de-lurkers and Jane Does).
Either way. You’ve all been great, I’m going to miss you, but things just aren’t working out for me. It’s not that they’re not OK, but more like just not OK.
Anyone who wants to reach me can do so at taarpinsh at hotmail dot com.
And with that, I close my Lounge permatab.
*hugs*
It’s easier to stay inside if all the doors and windows are shut.
I will miss you terribly, rq, but please do what you need to do. If you’re checking for awhile, my email is carliesinternet at yahoo, if you ever want a digest update.
Oh my. rq.
A great sad.
A greater hope.
Tender wishes.
Take care, rq.
rq,
*hugs**hugs**hugs*
I’ll miss you. Take care.
Rats probably have NDEs – but do they bore everyone rigid making evidence-free claims about them if they recover?
Take care rq! Hope to see you back some time.
I got a message from Amazon today that they have shipped my copy of “The Happy Atheist”. Woo Hoo!
Bye RQ! I’ll grab your e-mails to let you know if my book comes any sooner than the end of the year!
For some reason I read NDAs instead of NDEs and all I could think of was; what are the rats hiding?
What are they not disclosing to us?
*hugs* for rq. Take care.
Crudely: I’m not sure we have the same mental image. My plan is to cut out the pages of hard cover books and glue the covers, flat, to a piece of plywood that is also flat, no shelves whatsoever. Like so. :)
Portia, leave the pages in and glue the outside of the covers to the plywood. Leaves you something to read :)
I like the mental image, SQB :) I’m only going to desecrate books I have zero interest in reading, though :)
Ugh! I wouldn’t want Shermer’s entire bibliography as a headboard. To each their own, I guess.
Zing! :)
I’m thinking of cutting up old casebooks (textbooks) from law school that S still has laying around. That way I have a theme I like but I also get the pleasure of destroying books that caused me so much misery :)
I haven’t used one of these open threads since back when there was still just TET, but I hope this is appropriate here. With all the talk of sexual harassment and worse, something happened recently that reminded me of an event in my past, and I thought I’d share it, and how it reflects, in my mind, on recent (and not so recent) events in the atheist/skeptical community. This event is entirely unrelated to the community, and I won’t name names because it simply doesn’t matter to anyone here, or anyone else.
I was recently reminded that, as a young adult male, 6’4″ and quite fit and able to physically take care of myself, I was sexually harassed by a person in a position of power. It was a minor incident and frankly, the kind of thing that might not be out of line in some places, but it happened while I was working, and it was done by an older male who was, in that moment, my workplace superior. I had completely forgotten about the event until I recently learned that that person had died. My Facebook wall is covered with people lauding him and saying all the good things about him and aside from that one incident, I have lots of positive thoughts and experiences about him, too. In all other ways I would describe him as a prince among men. But I’m sitting here reading all of this stuff and it suddenly occurred to me, well, yeah, he was great…but he sexually harassed me. I felt helpless and uncomfortable and a little scared. And that was a single incident (well, it was the single incident, and then later learning of comments he made that made it quite clear that his intent was not entirely innocent). I am man who could defend myself, but I felt helpless, disempowered. And now every thought about him is tainted by that. The moment, now that I’ve recalled it, lives vividly in my memory, every emotion associated with it is raw and real.
And I don’t want to make that comment about him to anyone who knew him. Even one of my closest friends. Partly to not speak ill of the dead. Partly because I’m still feeling the same thing I did then: that I ought to ignore this, that it doesn’t matter, that it’s just the way people act in that community and I should ignore the work relationship aspect. Partly because it’s so long past. Partly because people would either not believe me, or think it was so insignificant that I was just being an asshole about it. And I realize in all these things lie some of the reasons people, mostly women it seems since they are more likely to be victims, don’t speak out. These and more insidious reasons, like a real and reasonable fear of retaliation. But I guess my point is that it doesn’t have to be fear of retaliation, it can be all the things I’m feeling.
And so I want to remember this incident, and use it to fuel my empathy for victims today. I have a few of these kinds of moments in my life that I remember every time I find myself not being as sympathetic of people in situations I don’t really understand as I should be, and this will be one of them from now on.
And well, I just needed to talk about it now, and I can’t bring myself to talk about it with people who knew him or me at that time, and it’s at least a little related to recent topics here. So if anyone has read this all, thanks, and I hope maybe it’s valuable to someone else.
Wow, that looks like a book now that I’m seeing it in one block on my screen.
gussnarp,
Thanks for sharing that, I’m really sorry that happened to you.
OHMYGODSIFYOURENOTGOINGTOREADMYEMAILSWHYAMISENDINGTHEM
Sniff sniff…bye rq.
Ever shall your seat be saved at my bar.
gussnarp,
*safe hugs*
Has Giliell been around lately?
DARKBABY HAS THE CUTEST SHIRT OF ALL TIME. OF ALL TIME.
As an aside, it’s fucking cold out today.
[blinking sleep from eyes and sipping coffee]
‘Mornin’, Portia. Thanks for the link to pictures of the picture in your mind. Worth some whole number multiple of a thousand words.
What a great idea!
Here is what I would consider doing.
I would mount the two legs so that the distance between the centers of them corresponded to two studs in the wall. Normally studs are located every 16 inches so your legs might be 32, 48 or 64 inches apart on center. I would drill one hole through the center of each leg just below the headboard and below the top of the mattress and secure your headboard to the wall with a couple of 3 inch drywall screws.
I’m figuring 1 1/2 inches for the thickness of the 2 x 4 and 1/2 inch for the drywall for a total of 2 inches. A 3 inch screw will thus penetrate 1 inch into the studs which will be quite secure. If you have plaster walls use a 4 inch screw. Be sure to use a flat washer at least 3/4 inch in diameter to prevent the head of the screw from sinking into the wood. A finish washer (a stamped “3D” washer that has a built in countersink to accept the tapered underside of the screw head) will prevent sheets and such from snagging on the screw. A #8 or #10 finish washer will do for the drywall screw. The finish washer goes between the screw head and the flat washer.
Since the legs will not be seen, they need not be mounted symmetrically on the plywood. Just put them where the studs are.
Two other issues that will need a separate post if requested:
1) locating the studs
2) how to deal with the base molding being in the way of the legs
Happy building . . .
Whoa! That appears to be a DARKTODDLER.
I’m glad you felt safe venting here, gussnarp. Thank you for adding yoru story.
Carlie:
9 months old and crawling already!
Thanks for the further instruction, Crudely. I think I have plaster stucco walls. They are ooooold and really tough. Finding studs: help please. Base molding…might be a problem. You just think of everything, don’t you! :)
rq
*hugs* You will be missed.
Alexandra:
Kyeeeeeeewt.
Thanks, Portia!
Perhaps the damned raccoons will lend them some thumbs.
–
NOOOOOOO!!!!!
And/or a Secular Sainthood. Same for all the other tireless Hordelings who took/take on the maleficent MRA onslaught.
I hope that OK-ness returns, and speedily, to your life.
rq, take care, be safe, put not your faith in Horses, and here’s a *condensed decade’s-worth of hugs* to take with you.
*sniffle IRL*
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gussnarp, may I offer you a *hug*, or other non-intrusive gesture of support and comfort?
–
SHIRT IS BEING WORN BY THE CUTEST DARKBABY OF ALL TIME. OF ALL TIME.
–
nyme changed to my Jeager name
seconded
*Paging monitors!* I’ll be going AFK, please keep an eye on the ‘Last word for now’ thread. Thanks.
Bye, rq :(
*
Thank you for sharing that with us, gussnarp. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
*
You’re welcome, Crudely, and thank YOU. And yes, you’re right, I was not referring to A Sailor Moon Romance :D
Since I’ve managed to log in, I’m sticking my nose into the Lounge to say:
Darkbaby is adorable (and growing fast) and I wish I’d had that shirt for one of the Daughters, back when they were small.
Thanks, all! :)
Anne:
The shirt was made by Giliell and given to DarkBaby before she was born. It finally fits and it’s cool enough to wear it!
The mildly deranged penguin points out there are easy solutions:
(1) Burn the house down.
(2) Burn the house down.
She suggests having some marshmallows and grog on-hand, and, very importantly, removing the cheeseboard.
Finding studs is easy when you have crappy walls – you get ghost studs.
Finding studs in old plaster walls.
Always an adventure with old plaster walls but here is the easiest way I’ve found.
Beginning assumptions:
1) Studs are on 16 inch centers. Some older buildings have studs on 24 inch centers. (This because once upon a time a 2 x 4 was actually 2 inches by 4 inches and thus stronger so fewer required to be structurally sound.)
2) Electrical outlets are in boxes mounted to one side of a stud so there will be a stud on either the right or left side of an outlet.
Knowing these things, proceed thusly:
1) Chuck a 1/8 inch bit in your drill. A bit about 2 inches long should do. You do not want to use one much longer as will soon become clear. An old, worn bit if you have one because old plaster is hell on a new sharp one.
2) Choose an outlet that is on the wall in question and nearest the bed. Kneel thee down before it. Resist any compulsion to worship the power. Power don’t care.
3) Use your eye or a small level to locate a point on the wall below the center of the outlet and just above the molding. Place a small pencil mark if you like.
4) Carefully drill a hole about 1 1/2 inch to one side of that mark, L or R, your choice. Push only hard enough to make progress, speed is not your goal here.
When the bit has drilled through the plaster and the backing behind the plaster it will encounter either wood or empty space.
If wood, you will feel a change in the progress of the bit and may possibly see wood debris emerge around the bit.
If empty space, the bit and drill and you will jump forward till the chuck slams into the wall. Not good for two reasons: first, it needlessly mars the wall and second, there is a live wire lurking in the wall and you do not know where it is!
This is why you don’t push any harder than necessary. Go slowly and be ready to STOP PUSHING as soon as the bit breaks through. This is also why you don’t use a longer bit than is necessary to penetrate the plaster plus 1/4 – 1/2 inch.
If you find empty space drill another hole about 1 1/2 inches to the other side of the mark. You will most likely hit wood.
5) Since you can’t tell if you have found the middle of the stud or hit it close to one edge you will drill again about 1/2 inch to either side of the first hole that hits wood. Keep drilling holes, ever more closely spaced until you have just nicked both edges of the stud. Mark those two holes and find the point half way between them. That will be the center of the stud. Mark that point clearly. Call it the zero point.
Now, this is an acquired skill and, like all skills, can only be obtained by doing. Discouragement is the enemy, pay it no heed! Focus on the bit — be the bit!
6) Assuming 16 inch centers, measure that distance from the zero point towards the bed along the top of the molding and drill there. If you hit wood, you’re in business. If you hit empty space, move over a little one way or another and drill again. Studs are not always where you expect because Reasons.
You should repeat the process of finding the center of the stud as before to confirm the spacing. Also, the studs might be on 24 inch centers so if you can’t find one somewhere near 16 inches from the zero point, try 24 inches.
7) You can now measure from the zero point in either 16 or 24 inch increments until you have arrived behind the head of the bed. Mark the locations of interest and drill a test hole at each mark to confirm the presence of a stud. Using a level transfer those marks vertically to the height at which your long drywall screws will go.
OK, that looks like a lot of stuff and complicated too. Well, it’s the description that is complicated. The process itself is really simple as you will discover through the doing of it. The first time is the hard one. Once you have succeeded in finding a stud and locating its edges and then its center you’ll be able to do it easier and more efficiently the more you do it.
Imagine poking your finger into a hole to discover what is in there. You’re doing the same thing here except the tip of the drill bit is substituting for the tip of your finger. Easy peasy, right?
Next post: Taking a detour around the base molding.
Since I’ve never had bifocals, I cannot compare. Speaking strictly of my new (and very first) set of progressives, there is no abrupt change. It does take some effort to get used to the idea of looking though a different part of the lens depending on distance, and you (or at least I) do a bit of head-waggling until I find the right part of the lens. I can get a bit of disorientating distortion when I move my head from side-to-side rapidly whilst paying attention to the side / peripheral sights. The first time it happened I thought I was dizzy and losing my balance.
There is some side aberration, but — for me — it’s no Big Deal. My perscriptions, even using ultradense plastics, tend to have rather thick edges, so I’m long used to distortions and artifacts near the frame. (Peripheral vision isn’t a special / extra problem for me.)
If I can get the hang of reading, I rather suspect I will like them.
Thanks for all the support and hugs. They’re always appreciated.
No, in comes in oil drums. Used oil drums. Uncleaned used oil drums. There’s no point to cleaning out the residual oil since, if anything, it improves the taste.
You ladle the stuff out, and it yer stoopid enough to eat some, you spray it everywhere. Often out of both ends.
If the dog doesn’t get out of the way quickly, it gets some on its nose. And ears. And coat. And paws. And the neighborhood as it runs away for its own safety.
Finding studs using less holes: http://www.diylife.com/2011/01/20/wall-stud-finders/
But most importantly: knock. The wall sounds hollow if there’s no stud.
You know what’s a bad idea? In a big company or whichever place of work, giving someone a previously used mobile number!
s/if/where/
@Beatrice:
Yup. I got that. Got calls about a stolen credit card and a text message celebrating the end of Ramadan…
KevinKat,
I got a couple of calls (didn’t pick up the third time) from a tv programme. Considering the name, I’m pretty sure it was genuine.
Beatrice, on a related note, how about giving a previously used position to someone with different ethics. Story from a couple of employers ago. A co-worker was asked by a vendor “what he wanted for himself” when closing a deal. Apparently, that was his predecessor’s way of doing business.
Alexandra, cool kid, Gilliel, cool shirt.
gussnarp, as usual, I don’t really know what to say, but thanks for sharing your story.
Portia (OHMYGODSIFYOURENOTGOINGTOREADMYEMAILSWHYAMISENDINGTHEM) If you’re sending e-mail to your god, expect a bounce message.
550 No such user hereand they’re calling again
*headdesk*
I just stopped answering. I’d lob the phone at colleague’s head tomorrow at work, but he’s on vacation. (ok, no, I wouldn’t, but I think I’ll just turn it off and leave it in his office)
Surely that should be
666 No such user anywhererq, you will be greatly missed. I hope all will be well. Many hugs.
Apparently those “stud finder” tools they sell at hardware stores have a use besides pressing them on your chest and smirking when they beep. O.o
Taking a detour around the base molding.
[but first an addendum to finding studs:
In many old homes the plaster is applied over thin, wood lath. The lath is wooden slats about 1 1/2 inch wide and about 1/4 inch thick. They are nailed horizontally to the studs with a gap of about 1/4 – 3/8 inch between them. They go from floor to ceiling and, in the case of plaster ceilings, there too.
It is possible to drill into the lath and be fooled into thinking you have found a stud. To avoid this subtle trap perform this simple test. When you think you have found a stud with your exploration holes, try chucking up a longer drill bit and testing the hole you think, or hope, is in a stud. If you can sink a drill bit well over two inches and still be in wood, you are good to go.
Keep in mind that old plaster walls are not always of uniform thickness. That is doubly true in an area that has been patched. I’ve encountered plaster over 1 1/2 inches thick not including the lath.
Double checking when working blind like this is always advised.
I forgot to mention this: all those holes that you drilled above the base molding? Fill them with a bit of patch material (not latex caulking since it shrinks on curing and the hole will still show). Use a premixed patch material following label instructions. When fully dried, touch up with appropriate paint.]
OK. On to the base molding detour.
Since the legs of your headboard are hidden, neatness is not paramount. If the results you get are not pretty, don’t worry. You objective is to have the legs lie flat against the wall and reach all the way to the floor. That is what will support the weight.
A general rule of thumb is to always take the load to the floor, thence to the foundation and thence to the earth itself. That way gravity is resisted fully and always. Hanging things on a couple nails or screws is fine in the short term. We build for the ages.
Do these things:
1) Measure the height of the base molding and its thickness.
2) From the bottom of the leg measure up H + 1/8 inch. Mark a line across the face of the leg that will be towards the wall. Use a square to mark the line.
3 From that face, measure T + 1/8 inch across the narrow face in two places: Where the line for H meets the narrow edge and at the very bottom of the leg. Connect those two points with a line. Do this on both narrow edges.
You now have the over all profile of the molding (plus the 1/8 inch for wiggle room) marked on the wall side face and the two edges of the leg. What you are going to do is remove all the wood from within that profile.
The following step requires a power circular saw. I will assume that either you are competent in its use or know someone who is. Safety is always important when it comes to whirling blades so please, if you are not comfortable doing this, or maybe you don’t have a power saw, find someone to help you. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.
4) Adjust the depth of cut on your saw to be equal to the distance T marked on the edges. Make your first crosscut at the mark H. Make a series of crosscuts parallel to the first and spaced closely. You should leave no more that 1/8 inch of uncut wood between the successive kerfs. Continue to the end of the leg.
The strips of standing wood can be removed by banging away with a hammer or by using a thin prying tool. A sharp chisel will clean up the smaller bits that remain.
At this point you should be able to place the leg flush against the wall and the bottom of the leg will rest on the floor.
There might be a smaller piece of molding right down on the floor. Quarter round or shoe molding. If so, repeat the above procedure for this smaller bit.
If the fit isn’t perfect, I’m sure you can figure out how to tweak it until you get the desired fit.
Oh yes, you should do this before the legs are attached to the backboard. Lots easier handling just the leg.
That’s it! Enjoy the fruits of your labor. ;^>
@SQB #208
I’ve found most inexpensive stud finders to be less than reliable. They do work passably well on 1/2 inch drywall out in the middle of the wall. They are awkward near corners and can be fooled if wires, conduit, water pipes, sanitary vents, masonry et cetera are very close or in contact with the back side of the drywall. Not an unusual condition in modern homes. The modern standard of quality is, charitably, not like it used to be. :(
I’ve bought and discarded several of electronic stud finders. Don’t need ’em.
I rely primarily on the knuckle technique in modern housing. In Portia’s case the walls are plaster and the home is old. Under those conditions, consumer level stud finders are less than worthless. That’s why I went to the length I did to describe the drilling technique. Plus, I figured that it would be of value to a few others as well.
It occurs to me that instead of burning the house down, another way to find studs is to place a nice selection of good cheeses on the floor. The mildly deranged penguin will be along shortly, coming in though the wall via a nice new penguin-shaped hole, and leaving via another such hole. Examine the holes to find where the studs were.
Crudely, if I may propose an alternative to your step 4), I think you could get by using just a handsaw. First make the cross cut, then make a cut down (well, actually up, once the leg is the right side down) to the cross cut. The cuts should form an L, taking out a corner of the leg to make room for the base molding.
Sorry, Crudely, I should’ve mentioned the title of that post, which is Find a Wall Stud Without a Stud Finder.
I agree with you on the usefulness of electronic stud finders, which is none. I usually assume a stud where they don’t beep.
I fully understand your points, SQB. Taken in turns, my take:
Your hand saw method would require both a cross cut saw and a rip saw. Also a proper vise/clamps and a sturdy work bench. Inasmuch as most average DIYers probably don’t have all of those, I chose the multi-kerf method. But you are correct that the job could be done with just the two cuts and additionally, without the need to clean up the relief after knocking out the stubborn bits.
One of my problems with the electronic stud finders, and a slew of other little devices, is that the “beep” that they make is essentially inaudible to me. The frequency is beyond my reduced hearing range and the amplitude utterly insufficient. I’d much rather a synthesized baritone voice that shouts, “Here! Here it is, dummy! Right here!” or, if in Texas, “Rat cheer, y’all! Rat cheer!”
The sound produced by my tapping knuckle solves that problem. Plus, I’m never without it. =)
Not caught up.
*nonetheless finds the photo of the Darktoddler*
*almost faints*
*will miss rq a lot*
Pteryxx, please answer my question in comment 79. :-)
Everyone, click here (you should be clicking through those pages every day anyway). Then you’ll find “Donate Directly to Today’s Project”* on the right; I recommend that, too.
* …That’s copypasta. The capitals, I mean. Bizarrely, it all shows up in lowercase on the site.
+ 1
@224: Ideally, yes, but a good enough handsaw can do both. Vice not needed, just put it on a low sturdy table / chair / whatever and put your foot down (on it). I’d assume an average DIYer not to have a powered saw on hand. I would probably use a back saw and a chisel and I would probably try to match the profile of the base molding as close as possible, but I was assuming entry level to average DIYability here, going by Portia’s comments(*).
* Since to assume makes an ass out of u and me, is that correct Portia?
Mental note: If I ever design a stud finder or other beeping device, make the pitch and volume adjustable. Hmm… Arduino…
That’s copypasta. The capitals, I mean. Bizarrely, it all shows up in lowercase on the site.Right clicking and inspecting the elements reveals a
text-transform: lowercase;in the CSS. Before inspection, I assumed a weird all lowercase font, sort of an opposite of small caps.Damn, blockquote fail.
Right clicking and inspecting the elements reveals a
text-transform: lowercase;in the CSS. Before inspection, I assumed a weird all lowercase font, sort of an opposite of small caps.The grenade thread is closed, so here’s comment 4083 by Caine. I’m not putting it in the [Thunderdome] because annejones is too distracting. :-(
I think it’s exactly what he’s saying and what you are saying:
Are there reasons other than cultural ones for why “a lot of bisexual people aren’t sure at all of what’s going on when they are 13”? Within living memory Western culture used to assume that everyone was 0 on the Kinsey scale*, and it has only recently come to (largely) accept that a few people are 6 instead; it’s no wonder kids are confused when they don’t fit the exceedingly simplistic pattern they expect to fit (and suffer from anxiously asking themselves “…but that’s still normal, right?”).
I’m aware that sexual orientation can change. However, the only example I know – apart of course from puberty, before which everyone is asexual – is this one: after puberty the author was bisexual, then (after a few years) she woke up one morning and wasn’t into men anymore, then (years later again) she woke up one morning and was only into men anymore. Is that (on a shorter timescale) what you mean by “fluid orientation”?
* Actually, both that everyone is 0 and that all men are 0 while all women are asexual at the same time. And there was much fuckeduppery.
Stupid, stupid software that converts quotation marks into primes when they happen to be preceded by a number. *sigh*
Sorry to see rq go. Take care.
_________________________________
I read every damn comment on the grenade post. Comments closed before I got to the end. The horde was AWESOME. Thanks Jane Doe, PZ, Caine, Tony, Rutee, Pteryxx, Dalillama, nigelTheBold, Lofty, Jaffa, Pete Newell, alexbrookes (sketpishit!), Anthony K, Jackie, Screechymonkey, praxis, leni, ibis3, carlie, Tom Foss, skeptifem, mouthyb, Marcus and probably others…
Still recovering from irony induced fatal eyerolls (I got better) from, as Marcus pointed out, the cases of sock puppets speculating that Jane Doe isn’t real. And thanks to others for pointing about how such sock puppets not respecting boundaries might be indicative of their real life behaviour as well. I do wonder about whether some of the “drunken boundary” inquisitors would ever get it if they had an experience of: “You were drunk last night so I borrowed your car and drove it around the dirt track, sorry about the shocks. Oh, and I took $500 from your wallet. You didn’t say you’d mind, so no harm done, right?”.
__________________________
Beatrice
Ha. The cell phones in our household are inexpensive pre-paid non-smartphones. When my son thought he’d lost his (check the couch! it’s always the couch), I went out and bought a new one $20 + $7/month. Before I had a chance to hand it over the original was found. So I’ve kept it as a spare. Had it since March 2012 … and I still get phone calls. I have called no one with it other than once to my own cell phone; given the number to no one (not even the family); I did register it for the do-not-call list. Ack.
Back home now. Nick and the other monitors who were keeping eyes out, *thank you*.
We had to make a stop at Big Lots today, and I found a fab pair of wellies for 10 dollars. The fit great and are seriously comfortable. They are also an obnoxious pink with a splash of purple. (Eh, it’s all about keeping the feets dry over winter, so who cares.) I made a remark about the obnoxious pink and Mister glanced at the box and says “the colour is listed as ‘Berry'” and I burst out laughing. So, I found myself in Big Lots explaining about Radford, pink berries and pink, fluffy ladeebrainz. :D
****
David, I’m too worn out right now to go into a sexual fluidity 101, but I’ll try later on. For now, I’ll just say that it’s quite normal for young males to experiment, have circle jerks and all that, and that sort of thing does indeed go on quite a bit in boy scouts. (Mister can verify on that score, personal experience.)
Welcome to all the new folks, because I missed doing that earlier.
Crudely
Boggled. All the electronic stud finders I ever used had a handy row of lights across the top. Whichever ones are lit up are over a stud, and if they all are, you’re centered on it.
David
I was going to say something very similar to what Caine did, except that I’m the one who was a boy scout for a while, not the Mr. possibly more later, depending on how I feel at the time.
Hugs and waves to rq – you did say a break, right? So we’ll see you again before tooooo long????
.
My greatest and ever greater admiration and respect to Caine and a lot of blindingly amazing Horders on the grenade thread. Which I missed when it was actually happening, being mostly not here for a few days. Hence a not entirely unrelated question – does anybody happen to know whether where I buy a copy of the book from makes any difference to how much PZ actually gets? (e.g. Amazon UK has it available from a few different sellers. Or is there a better way than Amazon (as in, better = some source that takes less of a cut/allocates a better deal to the author)). Just wondering.
.
Haven’t been around until just now and spent bits of several days catching up. Holy shit do you lot ever rock. You are AWESOME.
(turning in now, but I’m going to check back in tomorrow.)
.
And I forgot to say – it’s nice to see you sounding so well, Crudely Wrott!
You all really know how to embarrass a person. My sincere thanks, but I think I’m going to take a leaf from Carlie’s book and go hide under the couch. It seems to me that I do very little, especially in light of how very much in awe I am of so many of the Horde, all of you, in truth, but especially people like Carlie and Jadehawk and Sally Strange and Cerberus and Praxis and Nick and Dalillama and LykeX and JAL and The Mellow Monkey and Pteryxx and FossilFishy and about a gazillion others. I could spend days listing everyone here who leaves me with a better education and makes me a better person each and every time they post.
Yeah, I’m passionate and furious when the subject is rape. It’s on us to be the voice for all those who have had their voices temporarily taken from them, and I mouth off. A lot. It’s not all that, but I thank you so much for making me feel like I make a difference, because that gives me strength, and that’s a priceless gift. Thank you.
I’m going to run away and hide under the couch now, with The Happy Atheist! I haz excitement.
Caine, you do make a difference, and (based on evidence widely available here at Pharyngula) are one of the strongest people I know. If we make you any stronger, you’re going to start spontaneously attracting small planets!
:)
–
(Which is not to detract in any way from the Awesomeness of any of the others you mentioned; not at all! I don’t see how y’all can stick with it—must be the way you’re all constructed entirely out of condensed intestinal fortitude.)
–
Busy time here at Casa La Pelirroja. Yesterday the Redhead’s BFF college roommate stopped for a visit (I took a vacation day). Needless to say, there was a couple of days of cleaning and shopping prior to this. The ex-roommate was (now retired) a nurse, served in the Peace Corps in Malyasia, met her husband there, and ended up in northern Oregon where she worked in a VA hospital until retirement. The ex-roommate left a notebook of encouraging messages, some recipes for me to try out, and some exercises for the Redhead. Who added the new exercises to her list.
I had the joy of talking to the husband, who is a right-winged gun nut who worked as a sales rep for a tobacco company for many years. So I was a good conversationalist who listened. Long day.
This Sunday, the Redhead’s parents arrive for their annual visit. Since they are in their eighties, we never know if it will be the last visit. I am hoping to make good use of their visit. The FIL can help me with some putting away of clothes that have been out of the closet for a couple of years now, and the MIL can handle the commode chore of raising and lowering the Redhead’s garments so I can work a full day. But, I have to clean off and remake the guest bed by their arrival.
A *booze* for the Nerd.
Aren’t right-wing gun nuts so much fun?
</sarcasm>
–
For those interested, there is a new Tony Tale in the last word thread.
(I feel strange mentioning this, but some people enjoy reading them, and I cannot replicate the post here using my phone, so…ok.)
gussnarp:
I read your tale.
It does matter.
Sexual harassment is a pervasive problem everwhere, and affects all genders.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Light grog in hand (tomorrow is work day, dangerous chemicals).
The Redhead’s parents were driving to the family reunion in Michigan, and visiting other relatives. They promised to call. They haven’t yet, so the Redhead is worried. My guess is that her father doesn’t want to use his old cell phone any more than necessary. I think we would have heard from someone if there was any real trouble.
SQB @213, Azkyroth @217:
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
tee hee
Ha ha
Heh heh…
Oh I am in stitches again…
—–
Portia still has not noticed….
Opposablethumbs wrote:
It’s nice to be doing and feeling so well! (The spine is still a painful vexation but I find being a full time Grampa* is a paliative.) My situation is ever so much better than earlier this year when the Horde responded so generously to my plight. Were it not for the dollars and the sincere emotional support that was sent to me, I’m not sure I could have made it through a time of trials and closed doors.
I need to again express my deepest gratitude to the most awesome group of folks that I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. No hyperbole, no BS. Just straight up.
*I should prepare an update re: family etc. I will in near future so that the Horde can see what their support has made possible. =)
Restated for emphasis:
Caine, you do make a difference .
Amen brother. Always remember the horde has your back, and the Lilac Berets are on standby…
My voice added to acknowledge Caine’s tour de force. Such stamina, tenacity and dedication is a rarity. Powerfully beautiful to behold.
Caine, you have truly earned your rest. Go ahead, indulge yourself. Spend extra quality time with the ratties and read yourself to peaceful sleep.
You are loved.
FossilFishy
Please don’t ever deprecate yourself when it comes to the creative arts. You will ALWAYS be your harshest critic. I feel like I am never going to be as good as the artists I respect either but that really isn’t the point. If you have the catharsis to do it, just do it. Audience be damned, it is a part of you.
Hey gobi, we’re good. I’ve had a very difficult morning and that perhaps made me respond more than I might have. That video and the events of the last few days have made me want to try again, and no matter what the outcome, that can only be a good thing.
And I will chime in from the mostly lurker brigade:
Caine and all of you in general – you really do make a difference. Every time I see the horde tenaciously fight against bigotry or zealotry ( or what ever) it gives me that extra little tenacity to say something instead of letting it pass or do something rather than walking by. Those like me may not be very eloquent or persuasive here but we, hopefully, bring the fight to a wider audience.
A movie that passes the Bechdel Test? Tis possible:
“ Although the fantasy landscape of Comic-Con International would seem to allow anyone to be anything they want, the idea of equality even within that world still seems far off from becoming a reality. And yet, in the midst of a busy Friday afternoon in San Diego, Cassandra Clare was talking about the Bechdel test, and creating an epic hero narrative from the point of view of a female character – which remains a sadly unique perspective. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is the first film adaptation of Clare’s work, which follows a young woman who discovers she possesses unusual powers in a world that needs heroes, no matter wwhat gender they might be.”
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/08/12/sdcc-cassandra-clare-talks-heroes-bechdel-test-the-mortal-instruments/
This morning I hit a child with my bicycle.
I was riding on the rail trail and ahead of me I saw two people walking their dog. I honked my horn and they looked back, acknowledged me and moved over. This was a narrow part of the trail bounded on both sides by fencing and trees. As I came abreast of them a 3 year old boy ran through a gap in the fence right into the side of my bike. He went down and got caught on the frame, was dragged along with me. I clamped the brakes on full, I tried to throw the bike away from him, hoping he’d be released but it didn’t work.
The look on his face. The fucking look on his face. That hurt, that bewilderment, that “Why are you doing this to me!” I can’t fucking get it out of my head.
He’s okay. A few bruises maybe. He didn’t hit his head, or if he did it wasn’t hard enough to break the skin. We’re in contact with the parents, the dog walkers were his grandparents, and they’re monitoring him, but there’s no sign of any serious injury.
It was an accident, I know this. A fucking perfect shitstorm of bad timing, two seconds earlier, two seconds later and this is all just a close call. I was listening to music, perhaps if I hadn’t been I’d have heard his grandmother yell at him to stop. But as I see it in my head, there was only a split second between yell and me hitting him. And there was nowhere to go, moving away from him was moving into the grandparents.
And I can’t get his face out of my head.
And you know, these last few days, with the fucking compassionless assholes infesting those threads. Somehow that little boy’s face, that uncomprehending horror, is mapping onto every one of the victims who came forward to tell us of their abuse. How THE everfucking loving fuck can anyone do that another human. To hurt them, to see their pain and to keep on, or to see their pain and not understand it, to not do everything in their power to stop that pain, to make it beter. How the fucking hell can that happen?
Later.
I’m okay folks, I’ll be okay. Apparently some time to process is still needed. Thanks for the space to vent.
His mother just came into the shop. Not to berate me, not to accuse me, to see if I was okay. There’s good people too.
I promised adorable dog photos and now is as good a time as any (it is an old one by the way):
“The bug under the couch”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fivefotos/9508065106/
Hope it brings a smile :)
FossilFishy, good to hear the kid is OK. It’s the self doubt that does your head in, “I didn’t take enough care”. I wish for separate bike paths sometimes, dogs, kids, extenda leashes etc make for nervous riding.
Safe cycling!
FossilFishy, there are lots of good people :)
Glad everything turned out ok
Is Comradde PhysioProffe a real person, or perhaps some kind of an inside joke and pressure release for FTB:rs?
FossilFishy:
I’m glad the boy is ok.
Try not to berate yourself too badly. It was an accident. He is ok.
You are a good person.
****
http://goodmenproject.com/sex-relationships/andrew-smiler-size-insecurity-why-we-care-and-where-we-rank/
-5.5″ is still the average size?
-I appreciate that the author made no assumptions about the sexuality of the readers
-I may be following this site more often. I like what I see, especially as it is not antagonistic towards feminism. In fact, it appears very complementary.
Fossily Fishy,
And you’re one of them.
I’m glad the kid is ok.
Gobi’s sm:
Awww, cute pic. I needed that.
Feeling melancholy.
****
Weed Monkey:
AFAIK, no. Why do you ask?
My studied opinion years ago was that he was a real person who enjoyed bullying for its own sake and happened to have quite by accident latched onto a basically laudable cause (Social Justice in general and Feminism in particular) as a grounding point for that urge. I’ve avoided him since the threads that inspired this conclusion and thus haven’t “actively” updated it but am open to doing so.
Why do you ask?
I’m curious, because I don’t understand him at all.
Or better put, I don’t understand his blog. I don’t need to understand him.
Umm, “better said”, actually. English fails me from time to time, or the other way around.
*kitteh-spaz*
D’awwwww! DarkBebbeh is adorable!
*cough*
*smooths fur*
What? I’m totally dignified…
His spelling’s not that great either ;-)
Caine@232, 236
*blush*
I don’t feel I’ve taken as much part in the anti-misogyny fight as I should over the last year, when I’ve had more time than ever before – with far, far less reason than many, I find the parade of hatred, stupidity and lies hard to deal with for long at a time – especially when it comes from atheists.
One thing Pharyngula has done for me is to turn the abstract knowledge that rape, child abuse, and privilege-fuelled bullying are both common and terrible, into some emotional understanding of how they have affected individuals I respect, admire, and to some degree feel I know. I’ve been extremely lucky in my privileged life, so my thanks to all who’ve told their stories here and given me a better feel for just how lucky.
They certainly are not! Although I didn’t “know about sex” much if at all before puberty (this was back in the 1960s), I clearly recall sexually-themed fantasies and daydreams at least from the age of 6. Kinsey, I think, let himself be fooled by child abusers into thinking their victims consented, but he (and Freud for that matter, although he fell into the corresponding error of believing the accounts of paternal abuse women patients told him were just fantasy) was right in believing that many children, at least, are far from asexual.
I’m sure it’s fine, if we could just work out what language he’s writing in.
US concealed gun safety teacher shoots student
Cue gun-fanbois pointing out that if the student had been armed, this would never have happened.
I’ve often wondered the same thing, Weed Monkey.
=====
Well, a little bit of good news: after threats of legal action, the Home Office was forced to back down over its new campaign of driving vans with “immigrants go home” messages through areas with high immigrant populations. But they’re still carrying out “spot checks”, based on racial profiling, and detaining undocumented people in the street.
Things are getting much worse for immigrants under the coalition. (I wish I’d listened to Nick and Maureen at the time of the last election!)
Our system of immigration law is so brutal and so deeply institutionally racist, I don’t know how anyone can support it.
(I could not find an English-language link, here is summary)
Alcohol poisoning and other excessive use of alcohol during ýouth is strongly correlated with early dementia, according to data collected in Sweden.
— — — — — —
Mine those asteroids: Strathclyde team finds easy 12 http://phys.org/news/2013-08-asteroids-strathclyde-team-easy.html
— — — — — — —
In case you have not seen it already:
“A clear case for the superiority of the Australian political system”
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/08/13/a-clear-case-for-the-superiority-of-the-australian-political-system/
— — — — — — — —
Early intervention needed on mental health and crime
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-08-early-intervention-mental-health-crime.html#nRlv
“The report details case studies, including the life of Casey, an Aboriginal woman in her early 20s with an intellectual disability. Her contact with the criminal justice system and other institutions has cost over $5.5 million to date and, if she continues on her current trajectory, will reach a staggering $12 million by the time Casey turns 27. The report shows Casey’s costs could be reduced to $4 million if she had received early intensive support, including access to health, education and well-being programs.”
— — — — — — — — — —
Study identifies ‘justice gap’ for rape victims http://phys.org/news/2013-07-justice-gap-rape-victims.html#nRlv
Just found this article and thought it was awesome.
http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/brand-dear-daughter-i-hope-you-have-awesome-sex/
P.S. Info on how to do a better link would be appreciated!
<a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/">Pharyngula</a>should yield
Pharyngula
But actually, I prefer plain links as long as they’re not too long. That way there is little chance of mistakes (and if there are any, they’re easy to spot and fix) and they’re easier to copy and paste.
I just lost a brilliant and pithy comment. [Okay, okay not so brilliant if I lost it. I get that.]
Bottom line:
I’ll be over in the corner sucking my thumb and crying.
(sniffle, sniffle)
I’m mostly threadrupt but I did catch the bombshell announcement:
rq is leaving*.
I got the ‘for personal reasons’ part so… Best wishes for you and hope your time off is helpful. We (I am certain I speak for a lot of people–lurkers included** who are going to miss your links, insights and mere presence.
Okay, now I really am going to cry…
*Let’s hope it is (very) temporary!!!!
** waves at lurkers**
@birgerjohansson
Well that’s me fucked :(
Writing a book is hard. *headdesk*
Carrying over character changes through the entire story means going back and reading the entire story to make sure it makes sense… and then I have to make people react to what the hell happened in the later events.
AW, rq’s leaving?
Now I haz a sad :(
*waves*
Hope you resolve your personal issues. Come back soon!
To clarify my above pathetic self-indulgment…
I live in North Central Texas. God-bot* Central.
I work nights= no social life.
I (due to commitments IRL) cannot always keep up with The Lounge (much less all of FtB).
I also appreciate ALL the Lounge Lizards but only a few are around at ‘the loneliest times’ (for me).
Losing one (even temporarily ) is like losing… I don’t know… a connection to the humanity I want to be among and CAN NOT get in real life?
Know what I mean, Vern?
—
*My BFF (since 5th grade) is one.
So, does that mean that this (me) ‘ pre-get-the hell-out-of-the-house – Baptist girl’ (17 1/2 year old) is safe? Wait… post under-my -thumb period consisted of… party..work…party, party… work to pay for party… party… Just what does ‘youth” mean?
—
Trying to keep a ‘stiff upper lip’ (I was born with an English sir name after all)– I give you an attempt at levity:
http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2010/10/25/tentacle-pot-pie-the-outtakes/
My favorites are the last two aerial shots as you scroll down….
—
Goodnight/ Good Morning all!
Been thinking about the Chinese Room Argument after the spate of sockpuppets here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_room
And for those who read SF check out the novel ‘BlindSight’ by Peter Watts.
So much love to Caine. I have so little statamina for this stuff compared to people like you and so many others here. It’s so impressive
And much love to FossilFishy – sounds like you’re getting through it ok, I hope. You’re good people.
In petty news, I realized this morning, when I woke up all puffy, that part of my eye problems lately is that it’s high ragweed season, and I’m more allergic to ragweed than anything else. Blargh.
Carlie, nothing petty about allergies and eyes – hope you have some antihistamines.
I’m rupt and working my way through the Last Word thread, and Tony, I want to say I ♥ you for your 609 over there. I should have qualified my initial declaration about “butthurt”, especially since I’m not in the demographic I think it often targets for splash damage, but I really appreciate your willingness to say “I’m not offended by it, but that’s not the point.” So, hugs and thanks for the backup. I’m unlikely to catch up on that thread or this one today but I’m going to try.
Thanks, gobi’s sockpuppet’s meatpuppet. :) I have been on allergy shots for a few years, and do antihistamines, and have allergy eye drops (which my ophthalmologist scoffs at, but they work), and I try to raise my caffeine intake on really bad days. It’s actually a lot better than it used to be. When I was a kid, I was the one who went through the first month of school in the fall carrying around my own box of kleenex. I just hadn’t quite realized that time was upon us.
@Tony the Queer Shoop: Thanks, I do think it’s important that we realize that it can happen to people of any sex, orientation, or gender. Those who are seen as female are probably far more likely to be the victims, and face oppressive sexism that can make reporting it seem even harder, but cis-men face a different sort of pressure not to report, the age old need to seem macho. It just shows that feminism is really for everyone.
@FossilFishy: Wow, that’s rough. I love multi-use trails, but problems can arise, even if you’re doing everything right. Accidents happen. I’m glad the child is OK and the parent is as decent a human being as you, apparently. There was actually a case near me where a child was killed when struck by a bicycle, but that rider was going much too fast for the trail.
@carlie: Caffeine helps with allergies? OMG, I have an excuse for my excessive mocha consumption aside from children who don’t like to sleep through the night in their own beds! Bring on the double shots of espresso! Sadly, a well known neurologist has said people with migraines should probably avoid caffeine altogether, but I’d say lately my allergies trouble me more than my migraines, so it’s a trade off.
And another Giliell creation!
(Spoiler alert: It’s an octopus shirt.)
I’m not confident Labour would have been much better! I certainly don’t see them speaking out to defend asylum seekers, although they did say something (not much) about the hate-vans.
blf, the second panel made me think of
youthe MDP.:D
–
*manymany hugs* for FossilFishy. The important thing is that everyone is okay.
Indeed there are, even though it’s sometimes hard to keep that in mind when you’re hip-deep in assholes. (Amusing visual intended.)
–
Of course you are, WMDKitty.
Of course you are.
Kittehs are always dignified.
Just ask ’em.
:D
–
*hugs* for bluentx.
Yes, indeed.
–
Right there with you, carlie. I’d wish for all ragweed to Die In A Fire, except that that would only make the problem worse.
–
Octopus shirt is cute! Well done, Giliell!
–
Octopuses do not, in my experience, want or need shirts.
The kracken do rip them when then bite the inner human in half before swallowing the lot, but they are not after the shirt, skirt, trousers, shoes, or other wrappings per se.
Portia:
I wish I could explain to ‘those who do not get it’ (not referring to you here, bc you do ‘get it’ and are 50 different kinds of cool) how I arrived at ‘insulting word X does not bother me, but since others are offended by its use, out of respect, I will not use it’. I have not figured out how to convey that properly.
****
Good news:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324085304579008510786797006.html
I was very happy to see the justice system coming down on the right side of NYC’s “Walking while Black” nonsense.
threadrupt but y’all pretty much all deserve and need hugs. Have some.
—-
More failing infrastructure due to the usual suspects cropping up in new places.
911 systems breaking down
See also: Calling 911 in California? Don’t Use Your Cell Phone
Owen
Only marginally; the judge required ‘oversight’ and ‘changes’ rather than just banning the practice entirely, as should have happened since there’s 0 evidence that it does what proponents claim. The cameras are step in the right direction, but a pretty small one. All officers should be wearing cameras at all times while on duty, and the feed from these cameras should be sent to a separate agency which is not affiliated with the police at all.
From Shakesville, another incident of men silencing women at conferences, this time within the conference itself.
http://www.shakesville.com/2013/08/silencing-and-intimidation-of-women-of.html
It gets worse.
See also: http://www.shakesville.com/2013/08/list-of-demands-to-nomas-national.html
They need to get better at accurately transmitting location data , after all, how many people have landlines anymore?
Russian TV Presenter Comes Out on Air, Gets Fired
–
Does anyone have experience selling items on Ebay? I know nothing, but was considering selling some or all of my 15,000+ comic book collection so I can dig out of debt.
(Wonders if this is one more thing Crudely knows about…)
Another flaming doucheweasel added to the pile: http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterfliesandwheels/2013/08/the-gospels-are-anonymous-geddit/
Tony
I’ve done some Ebay sales before. Let me know what you need.
Oooh, Caine, thanks.
Irate as I am over that article cicely linked to, I have some venting to do.
::cracks knuckles, toes, neck::
Pardon me, fiery queer shoop coming through
I’m Christian, unless you’re gay.
followed up with
A Teen’s Brave Response to “I’m Christian, Unless You’re Gay.
–
Tony:
‘Welcome. I’d like to stuff his head in a jug of wine, the asshat.
*sigh*
And here’s that roving close-quote: ”
–
Pteryxx: That’s terrible.
And from what I know of the subject, I think the author of that post has a point that many government “anti-trafficking” efforts are bullshit which hurt the people they’re intended to help – Aziza Ahmed and Noy Thrupkaew have made similar points. (See also.)
Ugh, “Mr Deity” is indeed a total asshat. That video was terrible.
Walton:
To say the least. How helpful is it, to have yet another ass proclaiming that “hey, don’t ever accept any anonymous statement, and by the way, women, you don’t have to drink all the drinks, so have some responsibility!”?
He’s working with Shermer, so it’s hard to say just where all that is coming from, but as he said it, he gets all the responsibility. I won’t be watching any videos of his again.
(Though, as regards feminist discourses on trafficking and sex work, I’m reluctant to make excessively strong pronouncements on the subject because I’m part of the privileged group, and I don’t want to mansplain to women what their approach should be – something too many men do on this subject, as illustrated by the Shakesville post itself. And having studied it at postgraduate level, I know it’s a complicated issue. But I digress.)
(Sorry, my #311 was meant to follow on from my #308, and is a reply to Pteryxx’s link above.)
Fuck. You have to create a channel to leave comments after YouTube vids now?
And once again I have a comment in moderation at Ophelia’s. I wonder if it is bc I tweaked my nym. The same haplened at Jason’s blog too.
In other news, I got into an argument with a misogynistic UKIP supporter on Twitter. I’ll spare you any links, as I doubt anyone here needs to see more misogynistic bullshit today. But I think the highlights were when I was told “man up, you whinger” and called “a girl”. It’s amazing logic… “someone has called me sexist, so I will attack them with school-playground gendered insults. Because that totally proves I’m not sexist!”
Tony:
Yes, it would be.
Hee, thanks. Also, I think that beyond your encapsulation of the sentiment, it’s hard ot reason someone into that position. Because the warrant for the argument, it’s underlying motivation/justification, is that it’s the decent thing to do. And if someone doesn’t want to be decent, well…
Adding onto Tony’s:
Emphasis added. I first heard this quote when I was listening to this morning’s Chicago NPR station news report. Of course the Chicago station has to include the jab back at NYC :D (Of course, I realize the CPD has a horrendous record on police brutality and the like, but NYPD is really in a glass house).
Linky.
‘The Onion’ Encourages Israel And Palestine Not To Give A Single, Goddamn Inch
If only the fuckwits in charge would read America’s finest news source. Remember “Age Of Peace And Prosperity Finally Over”?
Wow. I thought it was enough to create a Google+ profile complete with an obligatory gmail address?
Many blogs put first-time commenters on moderation. Probably you’re recognized as new when your name has changed.
I don’t think any such logic is intended. I think it’s just trolling: “Of course I’m sexist! I’m whatever annoys you! And you can’t do shit about it! LOL!!!1!”
Sigh. Another to add to your “pull out in case of argument” folders, via Sara Lang: Wage gap between sexes starts with allowance.
Hi, Horde! *waves* Frequent lurker.
I stumbled across this gem of a t-shirt. In case you need to passively-aggressively proselytize, bro.
I can’t stop looking at their website. O_o That…that was me, a decade or so ago.
bleh.
I’m catching up on the thread and I see FossilFishy needs hugs. I’m really sorry you had such a scare, and that his parents are good people who recognize an accident involving a good person. *hugs*
This is why, when changing handles, you should pummel it vowelless on the trampoline of snark before refreezing it with the flaming wrathes of obscurity, transforming Lorie the Vogon Enchanter into Suuper Powered Iced Snails. Then there is no confusion.
Well, now I did!
1. Oh, man, how did you know my law school professor used to shout at us? /flashbacks
2. “Average” might be a bit generous, but I’ll take it :)
Crudely and SQB:
I don’t have the mental wherewithal to properly process all the great advice right now (got raked over the coals in a hearing today, and I’m drained as all get out) but I want to thank you for it again.
Thanks
:)
^_^ I smiled.
(Sorry for spamming the thread, I should have made one big comment).
And in Atlanta, and Seattle, and Boston, and…. Seriously, crime figures have been down from last year nationwide pretty much every year that I’ve been alive.
When did you choose to be straight?
The other day, a friend told me (TW HOMOPHOBIA) that he doesn’t mind gay people, he just thinks they shouldn’t “flaunt it” by being “stereotypical gay men” …he had no comeback when I told him he was a stereotypical straight guy, and I found that very annoying. No wait, he went into Leviticus, at which point I pointed to the tattoo on his arm (which I designed).
Portia:
I wonder how your friend would respond to being told in addition to being homophobic, that was sexist as well. “Stereotypical gay man” is all too often code for “acting feminine”.
****
X-posted from the Dome:
Re: a SciFi, Horror, Fantasy con coming to Pensacola next year.
Oh, Tony, he hears all the time when he says sexist things, don’t worry. I didn’t get into the sexist implications of that particular statement though. But if he ever says it again, yoobet I will :)
The fire department (oh, I didn’t mention before that’s where this convo took place) is a cesspool of misogyny, to the point where I’m really feeling worn down. Last night I said to S that “I wish I knew how to quit you, firefighting.” It’s just exhausting lately. I get yelled at for little cause, shot down with ideas, and it occurred to me I am not seen as a person with potential for leadership in any capacity other than administrative. And that’s just because they think I’m smart enough to manage the fundraising accounting. I’m not good with numbers : /
feministdalek:
::waves back::
ISTR seeing your nym in the past.
Couple o things about the site you link to
1- am I supposed to be looking at the shirts or the men?
2- it is a damn shame religious sayings pollute the shirts, bc some are awesome
———-this one rocks. Come to think of it, there is another way to take it. They think god is a stormtrooper, or better yet, the Emporer…
http://m.pinterest.com/pin/157766793168369999/
The Dath Vader one is cool too.
This one:
http://m.pinterest.com/pin/157766793168562692/
pisses me off though.
If he can cure cancer, what the fuck is he waiting for?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npvJ9FTgZbM
trailer for Thor: The Dark World
Woohoo!
Dammit! Just clicked on the trailer link and got ‘cannot be viewed on this device’ (iPad).
Is Google actively trying to piss off IOS users now?
Trailer plays on iPhone… Go figure…
Anyways, happy now :)
Looks BIG! Where do you go after “the fabric of reality” is at stake though?
The Rehead’s ex-roommate left half her liver and onions. The Redhead demands bacon with it. Guess what I’m cooking….(and trying one of her friend’s oven method, which if successful, I’ll post later).
Tony:
Buffy question. Did I miss an ep or something or did Dawn just drop out of nowhere?
Portia @ 336: I’m not Tony, but no on one and yes on two. Just keep watching. In Joss we trust.
Ok. I know i am slow on the uptake here, but Tony Abbott *really* said the “suppository of all wisdom”?
Gotta watch the news more… this is going to be an interesting election.
Bet he also treats his friends like enemas and his enemas like friends…
Thanks Anne D.
Tony, <–, nym change? I distinctly remember a "!".
True confession: I know nothing of dealing on, or with, eBay.
The Nylons (a capella vocal group) do a cover of the song, "It's in His Kiss". They call it "The Shoop Shoop Song"
Portia, sorry about the tough day. I hope that you get an opportunity to outsmart that bunch and lay a real zinger on 'em that leaves them speechless with mouths agape.
True confession: While waiting to fall asleep last night I thought of another way to locate your studs. Since you live in an old house and if the original base molding is still in place and if it hasn't been painted over forty-leven times, they may contain a clue.
The old style of base trim used much wider boards and they are nailed to the wall near the bottom edge and near the upper edge. These upper nails are likely driven into the studs! If you can locate them and confirm that they are at equal intervals you've just avoided the task of hunting with the drill bit. Look for little dimples or round spots of filler.
I should have thought of it before but I got carried away with writing the explicit instructions in previous post. First time I ever did that and it was concentration intensive.
Today's grandparenthoodage treat: Younger grandpup on phone to his dad, "Yessir . . . OK . . . no, not yet but Grampa's cooking supper right now. . . sweet and sour chicken . . . yes, I love it . . . OK . . . bye Dad." The three of us ate it all up.
True confession: I only cut up the chicken breast, the rest of it was out a box. But, hey —
Thanks, Crudely, for the updated advice. The house itself is 165 years old, I’m not sure how old the baseboards are but I know they’re not original. I will investigate! (And now I’m not sorry I haven’t had time to start on the project, though I’ve been doing lots of thinking about it :) )
Cute grandpup story :) Nice to feel valued and appreciated, especially in a kid’s candid way :)
I visited my 2 year old buddy and his parents (my bffs) this evening. I say that because when I’m there, if I’m not playing with him for any space of time, he acts like “Why is my friend talking to the old people?” It’s really fun to be loved. He also brought me all his matchbox firetrucks to show them off. So cute.
I loved my grandma’s brownies. I finally told her once that I really wanted to know how she made them. Yep, out of a box. :)
Know what this evening could use? A boogie hedgehog.
*hugs&booze&feetrubs* for Portia. Also, *burn cream*
(Later)
WRT Dawn…have patience. All Will Be Made Less Murky.
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Can’t hardly wait for the next Thor flick.
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One hundred and sixty five?!
Whoa. Wish I could see it. I am always amazed by old homes that are still serving their purpose. Even more so by examining the techniques those long gone carpenters used. The level of care and sheer thoroughness that they applied to their craft is always inspiration.
Every time I have to do a drywall repair I’m cussing sotto voce the whole time.
Only caught up to my own comment 79.
Beatrice
Scary.
Whenever you suspect you might be hungry, eat, no matter what time of day or night; whenever you stop being hungry, stop eating. That’s all I can think of. *hug*
Esteleth
YAY COOKIES YAY
KevinKat
YAY GIRLFRIEND YAY
Aim
YAY BABY LINGUIST HORDELING YAY
Seconded.
Why? Just click on “revert”.
Nothing.
There are advantages to signing up, which is easier than signing up for FtB, but it’s not necessary.
Night saved.
Yup, the historical marker on the front says 1848. Feel free to check my math, ha. I really love this old house, though I have to say I think I enjoy renting it more than I would enjoy owning it, what with the oldness and flaws and all. The kitchen is an addition my uncle built on in the 80s, when my grandparents owned it. They sold it 10 years ago, and I’ve only lived here 16 months. But it’s got so much nostalgia that I adore it. My grandma died 5 years ago and it’s really nice to remember her so much.
Nerd:
Oven bacon is the best bacon! Here’s what I do:
Put a single layer of bacon on a baking sheet. Cook in 350° oven until desired crispiness has been achieved.
Voilà!
FTFY :)
Thanks for the hugs and assorted lovely sundries, cicely :)
_-
I agree, yes, that bakin’ the bacon is the best bacon.
Portia:
Ah yes. The aluminuminuminuminum foil trick. Which I obviously never remember to do. ;)
I’m threadrupt as usual. I just popped in for some sociable comfort. That Mr.D vid has me cycling through heartsickness and rage by turns. Are things getting worse or better? Or turning worse before they get better? I can’t tell.
I’m thinking I may have to unplug for a while, but I’m guessing I’ll start feeling really isolated really fast. It’s promising to be a fantastic end of the week & weekend weather wise, but I have no meatspace friends to do anything with (I lost the last of my social circle when I moved here a few years ago and haven’t had an opportunity to meet anyone nearby). Gods, I sound pathetic & I’m sure there are people here going through worse stuff.
ibis3: Ouch. I feel your pain–having no one to talk to is hard. This is why I hate this summer.
Also, I went to a coin show. funtimes.
ibis3
*hugs* I hear you; my meatspace connections are awfully thin on the ground these days too.
Ibis3,
*hugs* and commiserations, been there, often am there. Your problems aren’t trivial, and talking about them here is allowed even if they aren’t the Worst Thing to Happen to Anyone in the History of Things Happening to People. *hugs*
*sigh*
So there’s a furry I met on World of Warcraft that I’ve been chatting with lately. He’s lately gotten a little… familiar… with his emotes. The furries I’ve met before tend to be extra ‘friendly’, but his are getting into the realm of sexual.
I asked him to stop. I said it made me uncomfortable. He asked why, and I explained about getting stalked and that the sexual tones were making me not-happy.
Apparently an emote of smacking me on the butt isn’t sexual to him.
I think he’s full of shit. Time to block.
Alexandra and Portia had the same recipe, except I used the large broiling pan so I could easily collect the drippings. 20 minutes gave soft cooked bacon, and 25 minutes much closer to the Redhead’s desired stiffness (ended as it started “smoking”). I should have lined the bottom pan with foil. Now I get to scrub some burnt on grease.
Oof, no fun, Nerd. : / Good luck.
I like my bacon melt-in-your-mouth crispy.
My mouth just watered.
—
I just applied one of three new nail polishes. It is lovely. Not that anyone cares, but it’s the first in this article: http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/2013/03/review-swatches-pure-ice-nail-colors.html (<– Not my blog).
Damnit. I was doing so well not screwing up the polish, then I leaned my hand behind my head on the stucco wall of my bedroom…boy I need a headboard! :)
Hmm. Maybe I’ll have bacon & eggs for brekkie tomorrow. Or a bacon cheese melt. That might lift my mood a bit.
Thanks for the hugs, Dalillama & Portia.
Ibis3, I hear you. Sucks to be alone. It’s happened to me. No fun.
*Triteness warning*
There are, however, lots of people you don’t know yet. Among them will be (some) friends. You just need to go and find them. Can you? Safely? I hope so.
It all starts with “Hello”.
/triteness warning
get your favorite mug ready — warm, comfort cocoa and sincerely good vibes coming to your USB port . . . just about . . . now.
I was about to complain about BBCA being out on my cable right when I was about to watch Broadchurch, so I beat you in the pathetic complaint department. ;)
There have been a lot of times I try to balance needing interaction with people (and not having a good place for it in meatspace) with needing to unplug from problems. I usually take care of that for myself by hanging out here only in the Lounge (and still skipping anything controversial), and hanging out in a couple of other places where I chat but for nothing of consequence (like tv review sites).
*virtual hugs*, as many as you want.
Mmmm, bacon. I’m staying home tomorrow to prep for my defense. Maybe I will try oven bacon for second breakfast. (Yes, I generally do second breakfast/first lunch. I’m a small meals frequently kind of person.)
Poetia:
Eeeeeeek!
I did not realize you are watching Buffy for the first time.
I will not spoil you, but as Anne D alluded to, please hold any questions. All will be answered in time. Ohmigosh, if you are at that episode then…
:::queer shoop makes mad dash for dvd player which is 5′ away:::
Huff huff…
Ok, you are still several episodes from *that one*…relaxes on bed and snickers to himself…
“You dont think I’ve seen your movies? You always come back.”
stake to heart…
…
…
Recorporealizes…
“I’m standing right here!”
Crudely:
I felt a slight tweakage was in order. Now my nym accurately reflects reality.
::stares at hideous popcorn ceiling::
*hugs* for Ibis3. I think that things are getting better—slowly, and in places–and what we’re seeing is the disproportionate out-lashing of (mostly) guys who don’t want to lose their perks; plus, more things are being pointed out that are the unspoken misogynistic waters in which we all swim. IOW, reporting is going up, causing the graphs to spike.
If that was in any way coherent. Allergy meds are wearing off. Non-sentience looms, exposing my warp….
–
rownvt, fwiw, he sounds full of shit to me, too.
–
Criiiisssspy bacon!
*drool*
–
Portia, my very favoritest nail polish is Pure Ice Platinum. They’ve got another one that I sometimes put over top of it that adds a sort of iridescence.
:)
–
Crudely:
I felt a slight tweakage was in order. Now my nym accurately reflects reality.
::stares at hideous popcorn ceiling::
****
Glares at carlie. I will have you know I had absolutely nothing to do tonight and now I am sitting here watching every damn hedgehog clip on YouTube and its all your fault!
Feels left out.
Cast into the cold, cruel world with nary a word of advice on the all important…
PROPER COOKING OF OVEN BACON.
Aluminomnom foil?
Ibis3:
I am in much the same boat.
I have friends, but they are all busy. I am off today and tomorrow, but am still without a vehicle or much money. Do not want to invite friends over to a flea infested house and broken AC in the hottest month in FL…
Stuck inside all day is incredibly boring. The only human being I have sern was thd pizza delivery guy…
Thanks for all the warm fuzzies guys.
Crudely Wrott
Yeah, it’s (I’m) safe here. There’s just not anywhere to really go to meet people. There’s a little pub on the main street I’ve never been in (I think I’d feel weird going there by myself unless I was just going to eat or grab a drink and I doubt that would be conducive to striking up new friendships), the library, the skating rink (empty at this time of year), some churches, and a recreation centre that’s mostly a pool (which I can’t swim in because of the chlorine)–though there might be some activities or classes or something starting up there in the fall….
carlie
Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll give it a go, just hanging out here and a few other benign places, but I have so little self-control. :)
Right now, I’m gonna go crawl into bed with a book. See you in the morning folks.
just ducking in to say thank you to whoever it was, in whichever thread, that mentioned Tori Amos’s “Precious Things” and followed it up with a trigger warning.
from 2012: Reflections on Tori Amos and the Feminist Movement
Pteryxx
That was gobi. And a right good kick in the tear ducts it was too.
I went to the Northwest Washington Fair and saw two dudebro types in tees that read: “Cool story babe. Now go make me a sammich”
Hello Pteryxx and FossilFishy!
I actually feel a bit bad dropping that emotion bomb so soon after the grenade thread.
I end up in tears every time I play it.
Pteryxx, thank you for the link!
heya, thanks gobi. I haven’t dared listen to it yet; but I did bookmark it, and (as you can see) researched it. <_<
oops, and thanks FossilFishy too.
by the way, you’re still an artist; you’re a prose artist. Don’t discount that. ;>
You’re a hobbit?
Most people use “paint”, often applied with a “roller” and a “brush”.
I just finished going through the Grenade thread again. I wanted to look at that awful thread from a positive point of view. I wanted to count and admire the number of people who cared enough to say thanks to JD, PZ and the Horde. Was it a good idea? Fucked if I know.
The numbers:
Posts with clear, unambiguous statements of support for Jane Doe and/or PZ for writing the OP:
154
I should have separated them, but it was really rare for one to be mentioned without the other.
Posts with clear, unambiguous statements of support for the Horde and/or Caine:
310
Again, I should have separated the two, but again it was rare that Caine would be mentioned without a nod to the rest of the Horde.
Just for fun, the number of posts Caine made:
361
There were plenty of others who seemed to be keeping up with her, like Petryxx and Tony for instance. But that aside, it’s an impressive effort. And here’s something I noticed, she was just as likely to be posting love and support for other commenters as to be tearing into the idiots.
The number of people came forward with stories of rape and abuse in their lives:
43
I’m sure this isn’t a really accurate count, but it’s close.
Fuckity fuck, I previewed and everything!
That would be 110 posts of support for Caine and the Horde.
FossilFishy, that matches my unofficial count of survivors’ stories. Including those who shared stories of witnessing the struggles of others in their lives, by my count right around 150 have come forward in the two years and some since I started keeping track, back when there were six of us. (that I saw.)
Whilst looking for swomething completely unrelated, I found this diagram of teh babble’s definitions of “marriage”. Some abbreviated excerpts on what marriage is:
● Man + Woman + Conbucines.
● Man + Woman + Woman’s property (slaves).
● Man + Woman + Woman + Woman +…
● Rapist + His victim.
● Male soldier + Prisoner of war.
● Male slave + Female slave.
It’s at Haterosexuals which seems to have a number of other images on similar topics.
FossilFishy, that is a heck of an effort wading through that thread again. Thank you for that.
Non-stick re-usable teflon baking liners ftw. And you never have to throw out used foil or consider the correct spelling of aluminIIIIIIum again :-)
Can someone suggest an alternative to baking beans since I have never seen anything like that in stores here?
Mr. Deity is apparently an asshole.
Alternatives to bak(ed) beans as an ingredient: MUSHROOMS!, cheese, bacon, crunchy frog, mor bacon, cheese, babies, cheese, ducks, cheese, and so on. Avoid peas. Use horse only if appropriate precautions are taken, such as remotely cooking from a neighboring universe.
Alternatives to baking beans as cookery method: Simmer, nuke, fry, feed to peas (quite dangerous), or throw at a circling dragon (wear a fireproof suit).
Substitutes for bak(ed) beans when they cannot be found: Cry, scream, wail, move to Canada, throw yerself at a circling dragon (don’t wear a fireproof suit), or
nibblegorge† on cheese. In my case, I just go to a local shop which specializes in goods (mostly foodstuffs) from the Francophone monde and get some of the genuine Canadian variety.† Correction inserted at the, ah, request, of a certain penguin. (Now please get this dragon off my head!)
Huh? Then where would all the flavour come from? Re-baked / re-broiled / re-rotisseried fuzzy green things in a dark mousse of what used to grease, fat, and dragon ash just do a certain special something for any dish…
Ah, you just can’t get dragon ash like they used to make …
There is much truth in what you say. But I don’t always want the fish to taste of chicken or the dauphinois to taste of fish (the dragon tastes of chicken already, so that’s OK).
Mainly I just like spelling aluminiiniiniiniiniyum.
What playing cricket looks like to Americans (video).
(the difficulty, of course, is in how to stop spelling it. Much like Gytha Ogg with her favourite
fruitfr-vegetablefruitherbberry (?????) )You have to let the green fuzzy things grow up, have children, start a civilization, and carry the foil to the other side of the kitchen. Once the foil is walking around, the green fuzzy things’s civilization re-bakes / re-broils / re-rotisseries just fine. The fish won’t taste of chicken. Neither will the chicken.
Easily solved: Increase the amount of armoured knights in the dragon’s feed.
@blf:
I don’t get it. Isn’t that just a regular cricket match?
The canard patrol (video)?
opposablethumbs,
…fish. Don’t forget:
KevinKat, This video is a regular cricket match. With the traditional furniture race at the end.
Also, The Batsmen of the Kalahari (video) features excerpts of an interesting match.
(Viewer discretion advised. Not suitable for watching with a mouth full of grog.)
Hehehe that made me laugh. The Dracula episode was weird and oddly unsatisfying to me, though.
Cicely:
Ooooh, pretty : D I like that color, I’ll have to keep an eye out.
—
Mr. Deity is indeed an asshole.
“You’re not my sister.”
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Damnit. No spoilers, sorry to anyone else.
All this cricket talk is just to rub salt in Aussie wounds, isn’t it.
Won’t affect me.
I d-don’t c-care. No, ::sniff:: n-not at aaall.
Waaaaaah!!!
Bill Bryson on cricket (in Ozland) (audio).
Hey all. Long time, no see.
Just thought I would pop in and say hi. I had been a bit busy. And a little run down.
But life is getting back to normal, so maybe I’ll have more time to come here and help yell at idiots. It will be a nice change of pace from yelling at idiots elsewhere. Still, at least I got someone to wish my mother had aborted me because of a contraception argument, which always gives me a warm feeling. I really need an insignia for every time it happens.
I’ll have to read through the thread to catch up, but I wanted to drop in a friendly(ish, not very good at this) note just in case I get busy with my little girl. Who has a new obsession with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She has paired Raph and Leo to be married. And yells ‘ninja style’ when she manages to climb anything of note.
glodson, good to see you! I’ve been short of stories of your munchkin, thanks for filling the gap :)
FossilFishy:
Get outta my head.
I was thinking about doing the same thing with the grenade thread.
MostlybI was curious how many people spoke up in support, how many dissenters there were, and how many people shared their stories.
Great job my friend.
Btw, did you notice how long it took you?
Hey, I *like* aluminomnom!
Opposablethumbs:
What is dauphinois?
Portia:
Have you met Claire Kramer as Glory yet?
None of that made sense to me, so I guess not :)
You’re welcome, Portia. :)
Speaking of which, she just got up. So much for reading through the threads. But at least I can continue to troll an anti-choice jerk. It is easy to do and doesn’t even take much effort on my part anymore!
Ugh, the dinosaurs.
I’m on a volunteer company. Getting the assholes to learn seems to be a trick too much, but we’ve at least taught them to shut up. It’s half a win, and I’ll take it.
Speaking of Cheez Whiz, here is today’s Tree Lobsters!
–
Are y’all sure that this “cricket” thing isn’t merely an elaborate and straight-faced joke being perpetrated on an unsuspecting USAian public, by the rest of the English-speaking world? The sports equivalent of a sheep’s eyeball?
–
glodson!
*pouncehug*
–
Glory was my favorite Buffy Big Bad.
–
Cricket?
My brother’s lizard loves them.
Troll away, glodson! :)
—
Howard Bannister,
I’m a volunteer too. Let me know the trick to getting them to shut up, I’d love to hear it. : p As it is, I’m told I’m excluded from calls (and situations I’m experienced in) because they “needed manpower”. Not to mention the myriad more subtle ways they express the ubiquitous idea that I am immutably inferior.
/crankypants
“Disrespectful” to question inhuman law.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/more-sports/athletes-emma-green-tregaro-and-moa-hjelmer-give-russia-the-rainbow-finger/story-fnii0hmo-1226698097184
From the Where Do They Come From? desk:
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/cutest-new-animal-discovered-its-olinguito-6C10925572
From the Where Do The All Go desk:
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/viral-videos-cute-exotic-animals-may-harm-threatened-species-6C10913705
Ooooh, yes I’m on the severalth Glory episode but I’ve only just heard her referred to by name.
I’m in an anxiety snowball today. Urg.
I watched the whole Broadchurch series in two days. My eyeballs hurt.
Portia
*hugs* and booze
FossilFishy, thank you for that Herculean effort! 361? I’ll tell ya, it felt like I posted much, much more! Heh.
Speaking of the Epic Grenade, I wanted to let people who saw b0nezbrigade’s criticisms in that thread to know that they showed up at my blog Needled, and proffered a generous apology. At that point in the thread, it was a bad, twitchy time for all of us, including b0nezbrigade, and I am sorry they ended up banned, due to carrying on without refreshing the thread. Anyway, I just wanted to say I think it was just a case of a good person having a really shit day.
*hugs* and an *anti-anxiety heating pad* for Portia.
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Dalillama and cicely, thank you very much. I might actually have some booze tonight, for once. And a heating pad sounds nice…I think I’m giving myself a mild headache feeling overwhelmed with work and life and blaaaaah. I’ll be ok. I would like some sushi if anybody has some that will fit in a USB port
Oh, I’m sorry I asked for a monitor then.
Beatrice:
No, no, no. You did the right thing, it was an active derail. Unfortunately, b0nezbrigade did not refresh the page until they had replied to a lot of people, and saw the warning too late. *shrug* It happens. You didn’t do anything wrong.
Hey Tony!
Well, strictly traditionally, patates dauphinoises (purists will tell you that the proper word for potato is pomme de terre, which is true, and that patate really means sweet potato, which may also be true depending on where you’re standing, but a lot of folk speaking in familiar vein will call any old spuds any time any where by the name of patates) is basically potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin, and baked in some reasonably runny combination of milk, cream, cream cheese etc. (with seasoning to taste) and then browned under the grill with some grated cheese on top.
But not being very strict or very traditional, our version goes as follows: lightly oil a deepish baking dish, arrange layer of thin potato slices, add layer of finely chopped leeks, add pepper and paprika – hot paprika is nice, but mild is fine too – and mixed dried herbs or, even better, fresh herbs (such as thyme, oregano, basil), add layer of bacon (sorry, that should read bacon!!!!) (and I mean back bacon, not streaky. And I have no idea how to translate that into usanian, though I’m sure others here do), add some blodges of thick cream or crème fraîche/soured cream, then another layer of potatoes and repeat and repeat, ending with potatoes as your top layer (with a bit of salt just for the top layer; you don’t need much or indeed any salt in the lower layers because of the bacon, sorry, bacon!!!!). Pour in milk, until only the top layer is not covered.
Cover with aluminIIIIIIIIum foil (clever tip: loosely crumple a few bits of foil and arrange them on top, so your whole layer of potatoes doesn’t stick to the foil covering) and tuck it in round the sides of the dish to keep the moisture in.
Bake in a fairly hot oven (e.g. 220 C) for maybe 45 minutes. Lift foil, avoid steam burns, curse. Poke with knife. If the potatoes are done, remove all the foil, put on a nice layer of grated cheese (writing from Blighty here, so it’ll probably be a mature cheddar in this case – YCMV (your cheese may vary)). Put under grill until browned and bubbling. Allow to cool down a bit before serving, so it gets less runny.
Very rich in fat, with all that milk and cheese and MOAR CHEESE , so approach with caution and accompany with nothing but a mixed salad. And a bottle of plonk.
Um, that’s what I think of as a dauphinois.
Means, “potatoes prepared after the fashion of the Dauphiné region” (in south-east France).
And tonight, we’re having home-made pizza.
… until only the very top of the top layer is not covered. I mean.
After the evaluation last week, the doctors agreed that I qualified for treatment, so I was at my first official therapy session today. I was told that there’s no easy way (unsurprising, but still annoying), but that there are good prospects (which is a refreshing change). Thanks to the horrors of creeping communist infiltration, I’ll get the treatment for free. That’s nice, since I wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise. Upwards and onwards.
Anyway, I appreciate the support I got from the Horde. I’ll leave a pile of hugs here, so you can grab one if you need it.
Portia, I have only the vaguest idea of your musical tastes but I’d like to offer two suggestions that I have used to lift my spirits on a quiet, blue day home alone.
Skip over to YouTube and have you some Moody Blues. The album To Our Children’s Children’s Children is there in its entirety. I was (still am) transported by the songs therein.
As well, some Strauss waltzes are absolutely wonderful and full of joy. Plus you can get up and waltz yourself around the room while caring for nothing but the music. Something magical about that.
Try it. I think you’ll like it.
*also any others who may need a lift. Ibis3?*
@me, 427:
My Moody Blues suggestion is certainly not limited to the album cited. I would encourage everyone to sample broadly from the offerings on YouTube.
It will come as no surprise here when I say that the Moodies were instrumental (see what I did there?) in my being able to cope with the vagaries of growing up in a complicated and sometimes hostile world. Because their music was sustaining, encouraging, comforting and so forth, I feel it’s only right that I offer them to one and all on the chance that others will enjoy and prosper as I did.
My happiness is increased when yours is so I offer to you that which made me happy in hopes that the circle is made complete.
Hurrah for horribly-creeping infiltrating communisms!
–
Youtube isn’t cooperating (internet has been weird today) but I’ll listen to that later. Thanks.
But wouldn’t “earth apple” invite conflation with, say, “road apple?”
I.e., Horse apple.
–
. . . or horse “bun”, as in:
“You tell ’em, Horse Bun. You’ve been on the road.”
Other unexpected and rare news today:
● Water is wet.
● Dogs bark.
● Cheese vanishes, penguin-shaped hole in wall found nearby.
Most surprising of all, yesterday happened. Yesterday.
The sports “sheep’s eyeball” is USAlien gridiron. Or synchronized swimming. (There isn’t much difference.)
But then, what does that make soccer? The sports equivalent of a “moose turd pie“?
No time to catch up now, so has everyone signed this petition yet? It’s about [all the trigger warnings].
In happier news, two pages ago I announced the publication of Megaconus and Arboroharamiya in Nature… here comes Science publishing Rugosodon, another Late Jurassic multituberculate from northeastern China known from a complete articulated skeleton instead of a lower jaw or “the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth”.
Horsepucky. When you click
Submit Commentthe page is refreshed. You might not read the new comments, but you sure as well got a clear-cut and obvious opportunity to see them.I think the idea is that the warning came in while writing a new comment and bonez failed to take the precaution to refresh before posting.
STUNNING: Comparing U.S. & World Covers for TIME Magazine
Texas Defends Voting Laws: “We Don’t Want Democrats To Vote” – not an exact quote, but an exact paraphrase.
Climate Change: It’s no a new thing, nor is it wise to ignore it:
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/downfall-ancient-greece-blamed-300-year-drought-6C10921795
Wow, David. Those Time covers . . .
. . . just . . . wow.
Why, you’d think that Americans were somehow . . . special. So they get special . . . ed? Are protected from things that are complicated or . . . upsetting?
threadrupt here:
On the topic of magazine covers- I hate hate hate The Economist covers. They are ugly, offensive, I think racist, sexist, and xenophobic. Anyone agree? It might be that I have to stare at a new one every week from my desk.
Being as that’s a U.S. publication (IIRC), I’m going to assign around a 90% probability that they are, closer to 99% if they are a right-leaning rag, which I seem to recall be the case as well. Is there a link to the recent covers to finalize judgement?
Well, I’ll try to make this linky work, there was this aBrokeback Mountain themed one for starters. I’ll see if I can’t find a few more.
That one’s definitely racist and homophobic, probably xenophobic too. I didn’t notice any sexism, but given how often it goes along with the others it’s probably safe to infer it.
The small container of blueberries I just bought fell off the counter into the trash and came open.Damnit.
Opposablethumbs:
Wowee!
That dish sounds tasty!
****
LykeX:
Awesome! You qualify for treatment AND it is free.
****
Caine:
It is nice to know b0nez apologized to you. That will certainly affect my interactions with hir in the future.
****
Portia:
I want to give you a heads up about a soon to be watched by you episode of Buffy. If you are at all in a bummed out mood, I do not recommend you watch episode 16 of S5. Let me just say this is a Trigger Warning for you.
Thanks for the headsup Tony. I’m on S5 E12.
Have they ever explained what exactly the key is for?
Portia
That sucks with the blueberries. The whole key thing will be explained, although I don’t recall when.
Thanks Dalillama.
—
On facebook today,a Xian friend posted about how saying “God called me to doX” is a cop out without “getting wise counsel and planning” …so basically, they admit faith is useless and that their own powers of cognition are the best basis for decision making. But not exactly.
And by “key thing” i mean, the purpose of the key. I’m up to speed on its form, obviously.
Season Five Willow Hair is the best Willow Hair.
Portia, the Key does get explained eventually.
I’m seconding the warning about S5 Ep 16 – you’ll need someone you can talk to about it after, at the very least.
Addendum to my #453 – the disturbing stuff begins at the end of Ep 15, which is also not a good one to watch if you’re already feeling down.
Well, good thing I have y’all then :)
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I doctored up a jar of Aldi spaghetti sauce with sauteed onion in olive oil, a dash of whipping cream, thyme, basil, oregano, red pepper, and sugar. It’s pretty nommy. First thing I’ve had the energy to cook all week, or eat all day.
I feel much better.
There is also a lovely lake in Missouri named Pomme de Terre, but it isn’t shaped like a potato. Or an apple.
@David Marjanović
From the article, which is taken from the Texas GOP brief: “DOJ’s accusations of racial discrimination are baseless. In 2011, both houses of the Texas Legislature were controlled by large Republican majorities, and their redistricting decisions were designed to increase the Republican Party’s electoral prospects at the expense of the Democrats….The redistricting decisions of which DOJ complains were motivated by partisan rather than racial considerations, and the plaintiffs and DOJ have zero evidence to prove the contrary. It is perfectly constitutional for a Republican-controlled legislature to make partisan districting decisions, even if there are incidental effects on minority voters who support Democratic candidates.”
Your paraphrase was too generous. Thank goodness for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that will—-oh. Fuck.
@cicely
Thanks for the warm welcome back. :)
Portia/#455:
My commercial spaghetti sauce addition is generally just a little more thyme, some basil, some freshly pestled rosemary. Oh. Right. And browned ground beef, sometimes. But your plan sounds pretty good, too.
Buffy spoiler alert:
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‘I’m standing right here!’–and the semi-recorporealized cloud’s subsequent reaction–was pretty much my favourite Buffy moment ever.
(/Life lesson, too. The fact that it always comes back, sure, it seems a bit unfair. But then, look on the bright side. You get to kill it again.)
@ David Marjanović (from the This is not an Update thread, but posting here ’cause that thread is serious and I don’t want to de-rail it, and this is an irrelevant frivolous side-track):
I always just assumed that carborundum must be a subjunctive. I haz a disappoint.:-(
LykeX:
Yes, thank you. I’ve certainly fucked up in that manner before, it’s easy to do, especially in an active thread when you’re trying to respond to multiple people.
On another note, I’m getting a bit fatigued, so if a monitor is needed, please holler ‘Monitor!’ in a post, and I’ll do regular checks on threads. Thanks.
@ Walton
:-D :-D :-D
Tony
It took me 35 to 40 minutes per 500 comments. I was scrolling fast, looking for key words and phrases, jumping past many comments by known Horde members and such like to speed it up. I was most afraid that I’d miss someone coming forward with their experiences of rape or harassment because of that strategy . Thanks Petryxx for the confirmation, that eases my mind.
Another thing I noticed was the sheer volume of de-lurkings that occurred to express support. I should have kept track of that too. I may go do it all again for that purpose….later.
Rest well Caine, you deserve it.
And on to lighter things:
I love and loath those reusable baking sheets opposablethumbs. I love them because the suit my desire to waste as little as possible right down to the ground. I loath them because they’re really hard to clean. Every time I do so I end up standing in a puddle and looking like I’ve had a bladder accident.
I had a sneaking suspicion that this would start to happen when the NY Times built a stockade around itself. Since subscription and single sales of newspapers have been dropping quicker than autumn leaves in a gale publishers are faced with a question of simple survival.
Both the San Fransisco Chronicle and its sibling, SF Gate, are now available in the clear on teh InnerTubes.
Read all about it: http://gigaom.com/2013/08/14/is-the-sf-chronicle-the-beginning-of-a-paywall-rollback-trend/
I’m looking at you, Boston Globe. I want my Celtics coverage and I want it in time for the upcoming season!
Anne:
I dont know about you, but it is always exciting watching as a newbie views each episode of Buffy. I had a friend years ago who had never seen the show who got hooked on Anya. He wanted to watch the entire series, so we did. It was fun watching him see all this stuff for the first time. Not quite the same with Portia given the wee bit of distance, but being able to chat about the episodes is still fun.
Do you or ANY Buffy fans have favorite episodes (for Portias sake, we should keep it to those seasons she has watched)?
I really liked Becoming pt 1 and 2. Every time I hear that Sarah MacLachlan song I cry. I also really like The Wish. Bad Girls was a great ep to show the differences between Buffy and Faith. I also liked Faiths return in Season 4 (btw, Portia those episodes continue into two episodes in the first season of Angel). In case there is any doubt, I LOVE Faith and Eliza Dushku is an awesome actress.
Portia:
The last episode of S4 is an important one. It bears rewatching.
Also, you can email me anytime if you had any questions but were afraid of spoiling atuff here.
I have bought the Buffy Companion books. They give tidbits of info for each episode as well as list continuity gaffes and more.
Fav lines:
Buffy to Spike, Graduation Day pt 2 ” I lost a friend tonight and I may lose more. The whole Earth could sucked into hell and you want my help bc your girlfriends a big ‘ho? Well let me take this opportunity to NOT care.”
Buffy to First Slayer, S4 finale “I eat. I sleep. I dream. I’m gonna be a firefighter when the floods roll in. Theres trees in the desert since you moved out and I dont sleep on a bed of thorns. Now give me back my friends!”
Cheeseman!
No shit? Well, then. More the fool I. Been using that phrase for decades. D’oh.
Who knows how to say it so that it conforms to the intended meaning of, “Don’t let the bastards wear you down”?
trivia: The old men used to use a tool that was essentially an sharpening stone with a handle. They called it a carborundum.
Thst should be “…and I dont sleep on a bed of bones.”
Another fun thing I liked were the fight scenes. S1 was fairly lame. S2 and S3 had a martial arts stunt double for SMG. She made the fights with Faith superific. Sadly that stunt double left the show sometime in S4. The new stunt double was more of a grappler. You can see a shift in Buffys fighting style if you look at Graduation Day pt 1 and then Dracula.
Crudely Wrott:
How does that help their sales though? Open it to the public doesnt seem the way to generate sales.
An article title that can’t be resisted: Colorful Sprites Over Nebraska.
Goto spaceweather dot com and scroll down. Also, a new nova that can be seen with binoculars. Same site.
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So many interesting (read “amazing and wonderful”) things in this place where we live. Why, just tonight an assassin bug landed on my arm.
It is now in captivity awaiting a meal. And a photo shoot. Then restored freedom. =)
Advertising Tony. The more page views they get the more they can charge advertisers to piggyback on their site. Putting it behind a pay wall seems likely to decrease hits.
Tony, I think advertising. Like the papers printed on papers.
I’m assuming that there are people working overtime on new business models. Much as there are new business models afoot due to 3D printing. There has been buzz about that, too. Linky coming up:
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/3-d-printing-booms-triggers-rush-patents-6C10925578
. . . errata . . . : “Like the papers printed on paper. ” singular in the second case
I blame the error on trying to beat FossilFishy to the punch.
Nice move, FossilFishy. (aside: “the kid is quick!) ;^>
Papers, plural, are used for an entirely different purpose.
In related news: http://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/7150/20130815/seattle-police-doritos-cops-hand-out-munchies-hempfest-2013.htm
*peeks out timidly*
*whispers*
I find Eliza Dushku annoying,* and Faith is overwrought.
*ducks*
*This is not to say I didn’t watch the entire two seasons of Dollhouse, and enjoy every one of them. Except the futuristic ones.I skipped those.
Today has really been nice over here in Wrottland. It’s been a day of discovery, delight and even utility. I feel very good. Ya’ll are part of that, I want you to know.
This is playing in my head right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX0bb-wiTc4
.
* Funny, I had to put that period there to get the link to show in Preview. Huh.*
I’m with you Portia on Eliza and Faith. But hey, the subjective is so very subjective. ;)
[Pushes back Stetson. Squints up at Crudley.]
Who you callin’ kid?
[Scratches greying beard. Considers making a ‘Dad’ pun.]
Gaaaa. So much promise to Dollhouse. So much wasted promise.
Crudely Wrott,
I especially liked his quote about “the coveted 4:20 speaking slot”. The Seattle PD (by all news reports) has been super cool about the changes in the law.
Wow…Spike is suffering from some serious Nice Guy Syndrome.
::looks around the Lounge kitchen for some rotten tomatoes…sees one marked ‘to be thrown at firefighters only’ and another that smells fishy…warms up his pitching arm…::
Thanks again for all the support yesterday. Feeling a bit better today even though I got nothing done.
@Crudely Wrott: I think I will take you up on your Moody Blues recommendation.
@opposablethumbs That sounds like a delicious recipe. Back bacon in the US is usually called Canadian bacon, I think.
I *did* end up having scrambled eggs (with onion, mushrooms, & cheese) with bacon (the streaky kind) for brunch. Omnomnom.
CaitieCat (if you’re around): love the coinage of skeptijizzum (sp?)
Oh, and I’ve never watched Buffy (other than maybe 3 or 4 random episodes). Maybe once I finish Battlestar Galactica which I’m slowly getting through on Netflix?
Hey hey hey Buffy said she was gonna be a firefighter! Take it easy! *backs away, snickering nervously*
HEY LOOK OVER THERE! *points at FossilFishy, dashes away*
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Glad you had a good day, Crudely.
Heh heh, screw the rotten tomatoes…
BRING ON THE SPOILERS…
So, about Glory…
And the Key…
And wait til you find out what happens to…
And the Watchers Council…
Perhaps I should mention what happens to two cast members…
Devilish Grin!
I have reached ep 15 so I’m switching to Daily Show.
You’re as evil and demented as Drusilla, you are. ;)
OK, FossilFishy, I’ll see you on the street at high noon. Greying beards at twenty paces, podner. I think I might just have the bulge on you.
How ’bout that, Yazikus. Too bad their an exception to the rule. Or, are they?
More, if you like, from the wider universe, is a very neat video from the surface of another planet.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20130815.html
Bodies in motion, friends and neighbors. That’s what it’s all about.
DIY Update (well, lack of update)
I think that I’m going to try to find a bedframe to which I can attach a headboard…the idea of hitting a wire back there kind of makes me scared.
Why, it’s almost as if the American Public was being fed pre-chewed pap!
:(
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Anything rather than force them to unseal their brains from the hermetically-sealed container in which God issued it, power it up, and think.
Thinking voids the warranty.
</bitter snarkiness>
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Portia, I join you in your grief for your lost blueberries.
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And eat! Do not provoke the wrath of the Evil Pancreas!
Also, take these *hugs* with you.
:)
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Tony, Once More With Feeling is hands-down my favorite Buffy episode.
My second favorite!
“I wear the cheese, it does not wear me.”
“And Xander
help Willow
And try not to bleed on my couch
I’ve just had it steam-cleaned.”
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Thank you!
Sorry, Tony, it had to be said.
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Crudely, I’m very glad that Wrottland is a happy place. You deserve some happy.
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Sweet nonexistent Jesus, now I wish I had followed Buffy.
Oh, boy, I sense DEEEEEP (Faith-based) RIFTS.
(See what I did there, I made a Dad-pun for FossilFishy).
Thanks for the blueberry commiserations.
Bring it on Tony. I’ve got a six year old at home, my ability to dodge random shit thrown my way is (Dare I say it? Why yes. Yes I do.) Slayer level. :p
That aside, any TV series which produced something the quality of “The Body” I’m willing to forgive just about any casting misstep* along the way. That episode remains the single most affecting piece of TV I’ve ever watched.
*Oh yes, I went there!
It’s never too late, glodson! Well, it’s much easier if you have Netflix, but it’s never too late.
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You guys are really making me smile tonight. Thanks.
Y
ou guys‘allMy niece had a miscarriage last week–or is it considered a stillbirth at twenty weeks?–and is still bleeding. Tonight she threw up and then when she laid down, she started having shooting pains.
She’s at the ER now. :(
It’s been a long, bad week and it’s going to be a long, bad night.
Here’s an interesting map.
Oh, no, I’m so sorry, Mellow Monkey. I really hope she’s ok.
Oh, shit, MM. *hugs* and best wishes for you both.
Isis3 writes, much to my delight:
There is a song on, I think, the album Long Distance Voyager. Could be wrong. Song is “Nice to Be Here” and part of the lyrics go:
Please enjoy. And, ahh, tell ’em Crudely sent ya.
I’m so sorry Mellow Monkey. Hugs if you want them.
MM, I’m sorry.
I know it is rough. Here’s hoping for a swift recovery for your niece.
Portia: I have a fear that Buffy would turn into another Firefly for me.
Sadly, we don’t have Netflix. We had to cut some costs over the summer. Partly due to a wreck in May. No one was hurt, but the car was totaled. Ah well, it gives me something to look forward to watching.
Besides, I’m enjoying watching the TMNT with my little girl. I might need to wait until she’s five before we get into Buffy.