This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly. Flap your wings and fly!
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. Flap your wings and fly!
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
blf:
If I ask nicely, will the mildly deranged penguin drop some of that chocolate at my place?
—
rq:
I think the Fantastic Horse & Pea Soup might possibly rival The Cider as a weapon of mass destruction. Worse, it may form an alliance with the Cider…
Well, I have not been in the Lounge since Thursday night, when my internet went down.
So!
Since then, I have gone into Canuckistan and seen some of the Horde that live in the
Frigid Northlands(wait, no, that’s Norway…) Slightly-Less-Frigid-and-More-Polite Northlands. It was a good time!I then came home, gorged myself on fondue with a friend from college, discovered that she’s a republican (ಠ_ಠ) because she dislikes one section of Obamacare, and dropped a pie coming out of the oven. So I called over some neighbors. We ate pie slop with spoons (SO GOOD), drank beer, and watched Rocky Horror Picture Show. Good times.
So today I need to make another pie. Tomorrow I head out for the Feast of Turkeys.
Got an email from the host, my grandmother. In it, she said that she wasn’t really in the mood for roast turkey this year, so instead there will be vindaloo. She’s making rice, and has gotten some naan. But we are still having mashed potatoes, because she “already bought all these damned potatoes” (some, I think, will be put into the vindaloo). Also, the cranberries will be made into chutney.
Dammit, I am so looking forward to this!
Wow, three pages in the Lounge?
Esteleth
It all sounds delicious.
cicely and Socio-gen
I will not put horse in my pea soup, BUT, as a stunningly troll-repelling alternative, I would allow Fantastic Mr Horse to stir the soup with his dirty hooves, after marching three days and three nights through a field of peas. And whatever else is in the way.
Why would Cider repel trolls? I like cider… except for that Kiss stuff, blech, carbonated sugar water…
rq @ 494
I like this.
Vindaloo!
Esteleth, your grandmother sounds like a marvelous woman. Vindaloo for Thanksgiving dinner would be heavenly. I’d only miss the mashed potatoes, and she’s still gonna make that. Enjoy (I know you will).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Wwi5B34pw&feature=relmfu is Fat Les’s song – Vindaloo, which is a football anthem and a strange parody of some other pop song.
One time I was on a long bicycle trip, camping out at nights, and finally decided to rent a cheap motel room after a particularly long, cold rainy and windy day. I walked into the office, cold and tired and shaking and hungry, and was overwhelmed by the smell of the vindaloo that the motel owners were cooking in their kitchen, just in the next room. I couldn’t figure out a way to get some of it, but oh, how I wanted to to climb into a big bowl of vindaloo.
ednaz
It’s bound to make me rich, as long as you all buy it. :) I also accept contributions, and will steal any and all recipes posted here, on this thread. (I’m thinking about giving credit where credit is due, but I think I can win in court if I say that the Horse made me do it.)
FROZEN PEAS ARE THE MOST TASTY KIND OF SNACK.
Them’s fightin’ words!
Peas? I once bought a bag of dried peas—whole peas, not split peas—and was astonished at how fresh and green they were after soaking for a day.
Have a Balloon
I might go around pulling at cicely’s leg every now and then, but you’re braaaave, if you’re going to start off with a statement that loud…
(Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you, but only if you like horses.)
Make peas, not war!
Good evening!
Yay, day is over and I actually found out I have a day off tomorrow. So, leek and thyme soup then. Tonight’s dinner was gratiously provided by the microwave.
Esteleth
That sounds sooooo tasty
+++
In “As you like it” this goes to a teenage boy play a woman who disguises as a man who then pretends to be a woman.
Must drive you crazy…
Beatrice
Make peas, not horse…?
*checking nozzle of flamethrower*
Bold words for a new-comer.
*loading rocket into launcher*
–
Ok. Big Papa Tony is laying down the law. Pea talk is forbidden. If you speak of peas, you shall have a one week stay in the spanking parlor.
Horses are not made…they are spawned, in the Nethermost Pits.
–
Giliell,
I love leeks. Now I’m hungry.
—
rq,
I like horses. Or is this “not horse” as in food?
But I like to eat them…
Oh, that’s rich coming from you, Tony! You’re the one who started it this time around, with your “Maybe we should give Have a Balloon fair warning”!
–
Peas. Not horses.
Except when they’re mushy.
Is this supposed to be a deterrent?
I don’t think the spanking parlor in this place works like that.
Have a Balloon,
You like to eat mushy horses?
Again: peas, not horses.
:P
Also the ones that come in the little pods, and you have to open up the pods to get them out, but then they’re so yummy because they’re fresh. Except sometimes the pod has a bug inside.
I have the snark hat and I’m going to bed wit hthe words of PEAS and HORSES on my lips!
Good night!
Or a Horse.
–
(Inside the pod, that is.)
–
*reads
*starts singing*
Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls who do boys like they’re girls who do girls like they’re boys…
WAR IS PEAS!
Peas Don’t Eat the Daisies.
(They corrode them.)
–
Good night all. Peas be with you.
You mean as opposed to two?
*yawn*
My bed is calling.
Good night
Oh, yes PEAS!
Yay for healthy babies and mothers, boo for horses and peas, fuck depression right in the ear, Happy Monkey!, and I might actually have a house to move into by the end of the week!
Socio-Gen – thank goodness everything turned out ok! I was really worried it wouldn’t.
Blasphemer! Everyone knows the most tasty kind of snack is roasted salted peas.
Sooo…. my brother and the SO do not want to use labels for their child, which I respect and think is awesome.
They named hir after a certain green gemstone. *confused face*
+++
I am irritated at getting an 83 on my mid-term in Dynamics of Prejudice and Oppression. I got points off each section for not using introductions or conclusions in my essay responses, each of which was at least a half-page (single-spaced) longer than she required. She loved all of my answers, wrote “excellent analysis” or “very good insight” all over and “You have an excellent and well-rounded understanding of the issues of prejudice, oppression, intersectionality, and stereotyping” in her final comments. But I got a C because of style issues?
Seriously?
+++
In my next class, however, the professor had seen my Facebook post about being 16,000 days old today — and brought chocolate angel-food cake to celebrate.
— —
Have a Balloon:
Ooohhhh….you are brave. *gets popcorn*
I’ve found frozen peas to be a useful alternative to ice-packs, but…that’s about it. Fresh garden peas in the pod, however, are quite yummy.
—
Tony:
For some of us, that’s not really a threat….more of an invitation. :)
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Improbable Joe:
YAY for potential housing!
I miss Louis.
He’d have taken my spanking parlor comment and made something really witty and X-rated with it.
Have a Balloon:
Probably not what you’re talking about, but I love me some edamame!
I don’t like mushy horses.
I always get bits of their hooves caught in my teeth. Of course their tails make great dental floss.
****
No more Butterball products for me:
****
Yes, Mr. O’Reilly, I hate the idea of being self-reliant. That’s why I break down in tears every time I have to ask my parents for money to help pay rent. Have some fuck you, douchebag.
****
I have some leftover fuck you for the Vice President of Communications for Wal-Mart.
/where’s my snark hat?
Anybody have any cool Thanksgiving/holiday/feast-style side dishes that they’d like to share? Something beyond the normal green bean casserole sort of thing. grocery shopping first thing in the morning, like 6-7AM
Ok my techno snobby nerdness has kept me from entertaining the idea of a Roku but god damn was I wrong. Netflix streaming old mad men and breaking bad? Yes.
Full connection to my 2TB music collection? Yes.
Joe do you like oysters
Or Brussels sprouts
Rev. BDC, yes and yes. There’s few things I don’t like, come to think of it. :)
Alrighty then
Give me a little bit ill have oyster stuffing and roasted burussels recipes
I want to pull off a stunt like this
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2795
Not my recipe but I do something similar
http://food52.com/recipes/1482_tolchester_beach_oyster_stuffing
awesomely delicious snack peas.
Sinus clearing is a bonus.
Thanks BDC, I copied it down onto my grocery list. :)
I hope I can find fresh Brussels sprouts on short notice.
Joe: the first thing that came to my mind was also brussel sprouts. I made the below last year and added bacon. They were a hit. (I didn’t have trouble finding fresh, but your situation might be different.) I made a huge feast last year. This year I think we’re gonna have nachos.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/brussels-sprouts-gratin-recipe/index.html
You folks realize that non-Horde folks probably prefer peas over Brussels sprouts, right? I LOVE THIS PLACE!
Rev. BDC:
I loathe Walmart.
—
Improbable Joe:
Not really “cool” but this is one of my favorite traditional side dishes at all of my maternal relatives’ Turkey Day events:
Corn pudding… maybe?
On second thought… why not? I’ll have all the ingredients besides the corn on hand anyways for other stuff I’m making.
Huh
Brussels sprouts recipe in here. Warning, meat involved
http://porknwhiskey.com/2012/10/09/grilled-rib-eye-with-roasted-brussels-sprouts-and-grilled-beets/#more-2647
Nummy Brussels sprouts!
My huh is not a condemnation of loathing will mart but a curiousness of why that was tagged to me?
Like, holy crap!
πR Lemon Meringue!
Sorry Rev.
Apparently I scrolled too fast and my brain stuck your name where Tony’s should have been.
Every time I have peas, I feel assaulted and frozen.
As for sides, I aim to stuff myself with the finger offerings pre dining, drink some wine to settle those while others dig into the meal, and hopefully have some space by the time dessert arrives.
Video, not song.
And “pop” is a fighting word for Verve fans and Mancunians.
(I’m neither, FWIW.)
You folks have me *craving* vindaloo now. We only have one Indian restaurant here in Pensacola, and I’ve never eaten Indian food anywhere else, so I really don’t have anything to compare it to, but what I ate there was fabulous.
Dang, the Redhead asked for green bean casserole for T-day, and it turns out it is commercially available in frozen form.
cm, I could not help noting the specimen featured in your video walks splay-footed.
(Most people do — but I trained myself out of that in my youth)
This is a first. I*, along with several other people, including SallyStrange are trolls. If you venture into this thread (on abortion), bring a good drink and a reeeally soft desk. There is a language barrier that is making communication that much more difficult, but this guy is just a fuckwit.
*I had to bow out of this thread. After banging my head relentlessly against a brick wall, I realized the wall was getting *harder*, and I was getting nowhere.
(ah, I should say that it’s a first for me. I can’t speak for any of the others in that thread)
Depends on where I am. Some might argue that I troll in meatspace. I just like the shade.
Yeah, I don’t need to argue abortion… or really anything. Bad for my depression. Good eating on a fetus and all that.
I took a bit of a nap, and woke with a sharp visual of a tampon-stuffed turkey.
–
Huzzah!
–
Yeah, I know. And it would have been awesomeness.
Instead, you are stuck with just us.
:(
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Deviled eggs, with tiny little chopped pecan pieces in the goop. And dusted with nutmeg.
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I have never met a vindaloo. I understand that it is quite spicy?
–
I you do not also feel ashamed, you are not doing it right.
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cicely, a vindaloo isn’t a real vindaloo unless it is volcanic.
Whew.
Thought I did something garish!
No worries
cicely:
You turn that frown upside down right now!
If not for you folks, I wouldn’t be here. I’m not stuck with you, I choose to stay here because you’re all good people.
It was the metaphoric ‘have’ there cicely, I don’t actually eat them, they just creep onto my plate sometimes.
Dhorvath, ya gotta watch ’em. They have neither morals nor ethics, and don’t care who they ambush.
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‘Course, a more careful reading on my part reveals that you could well have been referencing them as an affliction; i.e., “I have a cold”…”I have MRSA”…”I have ebola”…”I have peas”.
Indeed, my perspective is understood.
cicely:
Therefore, they have neither bad morals nor bad ethics.
—
From the last of our spring crop, I’ve just eaten broad-bean patties (fried in olive oil) topped with broad-bean hummus.
They’re peas’ bigger cousins.
(Yum!)
Jebus Crikey on a platter, why did I just read the entirety of the “Tearjerker” section of TVTropes? I was fine until I got to /WebOriginal/Onion and the link to “Area Daddy Put in Bye-Bye Box.”
*snuffles*
All this talk of vindaloo leads me to recommend you try Indonesian food if you get the chance. Not to live on it in a small village, mind, but to go to an Indonesian restaurant if you can. It’s a lot like Thia food, or Indian, even, and has some Chinese influences, so you can certainly get rice and some sort of chicken to start with. I miss the fried potato patties and the slow-cooked beef they called rendang (actually, it was water buffalo meat sometimes). There are many interesting dishes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_cuisine (Oh, lawsy, the avocado smoothies with chocolate syrup …)
Neither have they good morals or good ethics.
They do, however, have venom. Dirty, nasty, eeeeevil venom.
–
…whereas I’m amazed TVTropes even still exists; I would have thought they’d have deleted the entire fucking site by now out of fear of offending someone or other. >.>
avocado smoothie with chocolate syrup?????!!!!!
I’m not sure that’s my cup o’ tea.
I think I might like mushy horses better.
cicely:
When you were a child, did your parents cook peas often?
I recall that mine did from time to time, and it was frequently with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I had to mix all the food together to eat the peas.
****
I just cooked alligator/pork sausage for the first time. That was an interesting combo. I rather liked it.
Esteleth
I’m amazed you made it that far, honestly. I can’t ever make it through even a single subsection.
Azkyroth
? Have you noticed that the site is particularly oversensitive wrt potential offence?
Whatever happened to him, anyway?
Dalillama, there is how they deleted all the rape tropes because the advertisers were complaining, then sloppily reinstated them. There is – apparently, I don’t go there – also some truly epic shit in the forums.
Louis is moving. That’s taking up a lot of time. And he has little people, work, and destabilizing the world to take care of. In short, he’s swamped.
Also they deleted a kilofuckton of highly relevant “Real Life” examples a few months ago.
At least the “Real Life” section of the “Straw Feminists” article is gone now…
Mmmm, wasabi peas! And rendang. And vindaloo. There’s a local place round here does a gorgeous rendang & roti.
I’m on my own this week so I’m on a campaign to eat stuff that the Bloke doesn’t like, and also to use up leftovers to clear the freezer a bit. A nice dinner out with roti & rendang might be just the thing when he gets back from UnZud. I hear the cuisine is a bit on the old-fashioned side over there.
wasabi peas!
wasabi peas!
wasabi peas!
ye gords I ♥ those things!
I’m a big fan of green bean casserole, but made with (thawed) frozen French cut beans instead of the canned stuff. Much brighter green, much more interesting texture.
One of these years I will make it from scratch with homemade white sauce. But probably not anytime soon.
Someone my ILs invited to dinner is going to bring “sausage stuffing”, which I haven’t had before.
I’m making pain a l’ancienne, chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin pie (I’ve learned the hard way NOT to leave dessert up to my ILs), and broccoli-bacon salad.
I hope someone brings corn spoonbread.
Random ass question.
Is it possible for a planet to have a lower gravity than ours but higher atmospheric pressure?
Ing:
Yes; Titan has 0.16 G gravity, yet 145 kPa pressure.
Also, Venus and Earth has around similar gravitational force, but Venus has a gazillion times higher atm pressure.
4.2 gazillion, to be exact.
@Menyambal
I should have been more specific. ^_^ Venus has around 92 atm.
Random reflection: I really like the Atheism+ formulation, because it emphasizes social justice as a package deal. It recently jumped to my mind that I know people who are absolutely scrupulous about using the correct/preferred pronouns for trans and non-binary people, who WILL jump down your throat if you misuse the word “retarded,” and yet use the phrase “reverse racism” without a touch of irony. >.>
Tony: My mom used to buy these horrible, horrible vegetable blends at the commissary, then boil them down to mush. Nutrition!
I could, by dint of superhuman effort, choke down the carrotmush and the cornmush and even the limabeanmush…but not the peas. Or the Brussels sprouts. Or the cauliflower.
Luckily we had a dog who was most accommodating in the area of Toxic Vegetable Disposal. Between him, and the windowsill behind the table (safely concealed by the curtains), I was able to escape dinner times with my life and (at least nominally) my sanity.
–
I hate it when that happens…
Thanks to commenter bobo at Reasonable Doubts, for this link to an article about the fundamental right of all women to choose what to do with their bodies. I found it extremely informative (for instance, even though I knew some of the side effects and potential problems involved in pregnancy, I wasn’t aware of how many there were, nor how extreme they could get).
cicely:
That reminds me, I don’t care for lima beans either.
Good morning
My grandparents used to grow vegetables in the garden and if I left any, there would be peas ad carrots in a sauce with onions and garlic and potatoes with fried onions on top.
My grandma never understood why I would just not eat theBratwurst…
+++
Well, Walmart didn’t really make it in Germany. They totally failed to understand that this is not the US so many of the things that are accepted in the USA got greeted with “What the fuck are you thinking?”
+++
Oh, also, the employees of the nuclear power plant Cattenom are on strike. They’re protesting against the increased and unbearable work pressure they’re under since Fukushima to increase security. Apparently you increase security by overworking your employees. If anything should happen you can just conveniently blame the individual.
Good morning!
Wasabe peas kill me but I love them.
Also, avocado smoothies are good. Had them in a Thai place back in Canada, and they were DELICIOUS. Don’t know about the chocolate, though.
Also, Tony, lucky you saved yourself back there by insisting you’re ok with us. I was all ready to be Snark Incarnate.
+++
Speaking of which, I think today is Rage Day.
That means I hate everything today (except for all of you, the requisite sons and Husband, annnnnnd perhaps something else will come up in conversation). Mostly it’s just a deep sense of frustration, but anyway.
Happy Rage Day.
And yes, I’m going to say everything in bold. :P
Tony, sorry, I don’t want to wade through all those comments, but my sympathies. I read a few. Not doing much to improve my mood. :)
I’ll go have some peas and watch a horse movie. ;)
rq:
No need to read through the thread.
My point was that I’m a troll.
It’s a new experience for me. I should explore it more.
I wonder if there’s a handy dandy guide to Newbies to Trolldom…? Cliffs Notes for Trolls? From horse-lover to Troll in 10 easy steps?
oh and rq: sorry you’re not having a good day :(
Tony
Trolling for Dummies?
Although I like that last book, but nothing says ‘horse-lover’ like trolling those who don’t like horses, so essentially, you can be both.
Will be heading out to the bookstore for some mood-improving in a bit, because if I sit at home, it’ll be nothing but privileged whinging and whining about how my life is so terrible at the moment. *sigh* It’s really not, but some days I feel like it is.
Oh well. Breakfast. (French toast.)
OMG, must not leave the house without make-up.
I just took the kids to kindergarten (a 10 min walk) and since I’m planning to have a nice showe soon I didn’t put on any make-up
Got asked if everything is fine…
Admittedly I always have very dark shadows under my eyes and have started to wear some make-up over the last months, so the difference is very noticable.
Tony
Well, if it’s any help, Sally and I and a bunch of other women also got called trolls by Brian Lynchehaun over at the Crommunist’s because we didn’t fawn in awe of his superior grasp on the topic of abortion but instead pointed out some of his blind spots.
rq
Yummie. I think I’ll just settle for some Weetabix
*gasp* You all mean to say I’ve been talking to trolls this whole time???
Ok, now I’m picturing you all like this. Tony’s the one with his clothes on, Beatrice has pink hair, and Giliell’s the green one clapping in front.
Giliell re: make-up
As long as they believe you when you say all is well. :(
Does my pea comment count as trolling? If so, I can help Tony with the guide.
Also: yay, I survived cicely’s flamethrower! Although it melted my peas :(
Do I win some kind of prize?
Also also:
The Church of England synod has just voted not to allow women to become bishops.
I’m not really sure how I feel about this. In a way, it’s a big flashing sign pointing out how out-of-touch the synod is, and everyone is saying the church has just committed suicide. On the other hand, I feel sad for all the women who actually do want a career in the church, only they’re still being discriminated against.
I think the dumbest thing about all this is that actually the majority of votes were pro-women bishops, but they needed a three-quarters majority in each of the sections of bishops, clergy and laity. The bishops and clergy were in favour but the laity vote failed by just 6 votes…while still coming out in favour. I don’t understand :(
Have a Balloon
I don’t get it either. The math seems odd. Oh well, that’s church math for you!
You don’t get a prize, but you might get a soggy USB cookie eventually, and a fake medal. :) And our eternal admiration, recognition, yadda yadda, etc., etc., blah blah blah. The usual drill.
Here, have a balloon. ;)
(I’m still out on whether that was trolling, but probably. I have to consult my How to Recognize a Troll in Its Natural and Unnatural Habitat guide.
rq @114:
Hahahahaha! I thought the page was going to be Smurf’s at first.
I suppose that blue wig is necessary. Trolls aren’t supposed to be bald, so I need to have hair. Of course, now I’m wondering what I’d look like with *that* hair…
If you were surprised you’re talking to trolls, I hate to break this to ya, but we’re also [cue dramatic drum beats and booming voice]: ATHEIST* trolls.
*to be honest, I don’t know that for certain. I know *I’m* an atheist, and while I suspect most of the regulars here are, I don’t know for certain they *all* are.
****
Have a Balloon:
While I don’t get the desire to be a bishop in the first place, it’s strange to me that these women want to be ordained bishops in a religious organization that discriminates against them. I can’t speak to religion, but I know that if my job were discriminating against me for being gay, I wouldn’t want to stay with the company, let alone move up in it.
I’m the shortest one? You probably got that right.
Yay, pink hair!
Tony I’m just more and more shocked this morning. (At least it’s taking my mind off other things.)
ATHEIST trolls. Damn, I don’t have a good picture for those.
Ah well.
Also, I would say I’m close enough to atheist, although I’m not quite sure enough to call myself that. Long childhood attachment to the Latvian idea of a god (a very human one and quite appealing in a lot of ways). But essentially, yes. A recent one, but mostly atheist. (NOT A TROLL, NOT A TROLL, NOT A TROLL… Although probably yes, by default.)
And that’s the first time I’ve said that to anyone.
+++
Smallest slug ruined my plans of going out by falling asleep at the wrong time.
LEGO it is, bookstore tonight.
Beatrice
It was that or a flaming orange-red, which wasn’t in the picture. :)
It’s Chocolate. Along with bacon, cheese, MUSHROOMS!, and of course cheese, one of the Food of the FSMs. She isn’t going to turn down a chance to add “Eating an Entire Train” to her résumé of accomplishments.
(I assume you want it in a condition fit to eat.) Perhaps. As long as neither horses nor peas are involved, obviously. A good cheeseboard will help. She seems to have left all her trebuchets behind, so the neighbourhood kitties won’t be getting any flying lessons, however…
No Chocolate for you! (Nor a week in the spanking parlour…)
Thermonuclear.
Yes! Seconded. I also suggest (from the same general area of the world (each cuisine is different albeit there are similarities)) Vietnamese, Thai, and Malaysian.
And… Wasbi peas? I had to look that one up. I love wasbi but had never thought of coating anything with it. Hum……
rq,
Flaming orange-red? I look (somewhat) like that in photos.
(lots of red pigment make blond hair color do strange things, especially under strong sun)
I used to be blond. Had nearly white hair as a wee little thing.
My hair is weird.
I think it’s harsh for the individual women who wanted to be bishops, but overall it’s just a particularly shining example of a church shooting itself in the foot. They’re already regarded as irrelevant by most people (in the UK at least); this should remind people that they’re not just a quaint anachronism – they’re a quaint anachronism in thrall to Colonel Blimp and his ilk and founded on some nasty shit.
There are lots of nice people in the CoE – it always surprises me to see examples of explicitly gay-welcoming churches, for example – and maybe a few more of them will be nudged just that tiny fraction of an inch further towards getting out altogether (or at least breaking away/making the antediluvian idiots break away. Send the misogynist shits off to the RCC ReligionofChildCatchers where they’ll fit right in). Or rather, maybe it will help a few people who are currently girls (and boys too) NOT to get into/stay in that nonsense in the first place, when they see yet again how divorced from morality it is.
I like being the green one. Actually, bright green is the only colour I ever dyed my hair in that was not natural-haircolour-ish.
And I cleaned out behind the washing machine for when the technician comes tomorrow. Now my nose is full of dust.
Talking bout chocolate, last night one of my students brought chocolate from an artisan chocolate manufacturer. Goodness in tablets.
rq:
Did you just come out to us as an atheist (or almost one)?
I’m glad you feel comfortable enough here to share that (as well as other aspects of your life) with us.
It’s intriguing listening to people tell their stories of how they came to atheism. No two stories are the same (there are similarities, to be sure, but there are enough differences to make each story interesting on their own).
Growing up, my parents were not overly religious. We didn’t go to church every Sunday. To this day I’ve never been to any Sunday school. God really wasn’t much of a presence in my life growing up. Oh sure, we said grace at holiday meals. If times were tough, my parents would (and still do, to my chagrin) say a prayer to God. But there was no invoking of religious beliefs as a justification for anything. There was no threat of hell (thank goodness). There wasn’t much mention of heaven. To be honest, now that I’ve typed all that, I think my parents are the kind of religious people we need more of. By and large they keep their religious beliefs to themselves, and I think I had a much more secular upbringing than others.
Looking back, I recall thinking of myself as an agnostic when I was in high school (long before I understood the meaning of “belief in” and “knowledge of” a higher power). I credit courses in college with being the nail in the coffin of religion. Specifically, taking Philosophy 101 and 201, as well as intro to Ethics (these were the only courses I’ve taken in my life where not only did I do exceptionally well-my Professor for the latter courses was the same guy and he mentioned that he felt I had a grasp of the material that was quite rare-but I *liked* taking the classes). After looking hard at religious claims, and looking around for evidence, I came to the realization that there was no reason to believe in any supreme deities. It took some time to shake off the lingering effects of what little belief I had though. Even though I firmly believed there was no grand poobah, there were times when that little voice in the back of my head would go “but what if” or “don’t do that, god might see you”. Those occurrences were few and far between.
Oddly enough, looking back, I think the death of my best friend in January 2010 was probably what got rid of even those itsy, bitsy lingering doubts. His death was devastating to me-probably the most personally devastating thing that’s happened in my entire life. The thought of never seeing him again, or hearing his voice, or hearing him laugh was (and remains) agonizing. I really and truly wished beyond all hope that there were a heaven so that when I died I could see him again. Yet in that moment of near complete despair, I found that I couldn’t force myself to believe in something for which there was no evidence. After that, the last vestiges of religious belief vacated the corridors of my mind. The depression I went through following his death resulted in me retreating into myself, but a curious thing happened. I started wanting to learn more. I became more interested in science. I became more interested in politics. As I started looking around online, I stumbled upon a few atheist websites. One of them had a link to a blog post by Greta Christina, which in turn led me here to FreeThoughtBlogs. In time, I found myself coming to FtB on a very regular basis (it’s pretty much a daily basis now). In the last year, I’ve found myself gravitating to Pharyngula more and more, to the exclusion of several other blogs here. I attribute that largely to the community that PZ has allowed to blossom here (and which The Lounge-and it’s previous format, The Endless Thread-exemplify), which other blogs at FtB lack (and I don’t knock them for that; each blogger follows their own muse).
I really have no idea why I just revealed all that. Especially since I’ve never submitted anything for the Introductions thread.
blf:
So not only are there Flying Spaghetti Monsters, but the mildly deranged penguin is a woman?
I’m learning much today.
why the fuck did I ever think taking Structural Geology was a good idea *whine*
Giliell
Yumyum for goodness in tablets!
And yay for cleaning behind the washing machine. I don’t look forward to the day I have to do that.
Just some light vaccuuming in advance of the security system tech coming in (we had a bit of an adventurous drive out to the country, what with the security company calling every hour about our motion sensors going off; technical glitch, thank goodness).
Beatrice
Your hair certainly sounds weird. And I’m confused – is it now naturally red, coloured red, or still blonde with lots of red colour in sunlight? (That last one would be awesome – Hi, I’m blonde; Oh, look, I’m a redhead! haha)
My sister still is white blonde, although she wanted to dye it black once, then went to the hairdresser (I wanted to say frizier), who nearly fainted in shock, and told her people pay hundreds of dollars for having that kind of colour.
Moi, I’m the usual non-specific non-blonde, non-brown Latvian grey, although with a touch of coppery goodness, so it’s not all blase. At least I can do things with my hair; sister’s was always so straight and fine, nothing worked.
opposablethumbs
I like to think that the church, with this kind of no-women! behaviour, will eventually drive itself into extinction. Either that, or become some weird all-male fringe club for the remaining misogynists, plotting to take over the world in ever-more-implausible scenarios, leaving the rest of us in relative peace (except when we point and laugh at them).
Kind of like the illuminati or the freemasons.
Jadehawk
Because it is!
Right?
blf
I’ve been thinking about alternatives for my non-religiosity, and while the Flying Spaghetti Monster has, in the past, been quite attractive, I think I’m just going to start the Cult of the Deranged Penguin.
You can help me make up some of the rules (you know, about chocolate, trains, peas, horses, that kind of thing…).
rq,
i realized it sounded weird, but I was too lazy to clarify.
My hair is naturally mousy, if that’s the right word. I buy blond hair color, and it turns out a bit more orangy than it should, but it’s quite a nice color so I keep it. In the summer, however, it looks a bit fiery in the sun.
And in other news, religions on Earth are preparing to amend their holy books. Might be a good idea, by the looks of it.
Curiosity Rover’s Secret Historic Breakthrough?
Whilst the Cuckoos of England reconfirmed their hatred of cooties, other appalling events around the world include San Francisco votes to ban public nudity. Fortunately, in a month or so the world ends. Does everyone have their MUMLOCS ready? (MisUnderstood Mayan LOngcount Calendar Shelter.)
I wish you understood Croatian. We have such a brilliant song called “The End of The World” (Smak svita).
Recommendation: stay at home, take out a bottle reserved for special occasions, get drunk to kill any fear and sit on the balcony to enjoy the show
“surround all around when it hits the ground”
blf
I mentioned this yesterday, and yes, I’m all set. We’ll be hunkering down early, since the French aren’t letting anyone near Mount Bugarach anymore. The basement should be just fine; right?
Beatrice
That sounds a bit clearer. :D I was imagining all kinds of things.
rorschach
One of the Anglican priests here (Latvia) recently re-translated (into Latvian), I think, the King James New Testament into a women-friendly version. Haven’t read it yet, but it’s supposed to turn all religion upside down. Must find link, but I doubt it’ll be of help to anyone who doesn’t speak Latvian.
Nice link, too! That’s very exciting news!!
Got one hour of shuteye. Today I will work while sleeping.
A woman has been arrested for collecting lots of human skeletal parts. An ordinary day in Sweden.
Smak svita?
Ha! That sounds like an awesome title, read from a more Latvian perspective – where ‘smak’ more or less = smell (also, for English, ‘smack), and ‘svita’ = something like light or holy (we don’t have the word so directly, but I’m pretty sure that the root for svita and our word for holy (svēts) and also the Russian word for light (svet??) is the same).
It’s all making a funny little jumble in my brain right now.
AND it sounds like a good song. Link anyway? Maybe we’ll enjoy the music.
birgerjohansson
If our current circadian cycle is anything by which to judge, it will certainly be dark enough for you to sleep while working. Or, sorry, work while sleeping.
rq, Rules? Rules??!!1! I fink I just choked on my cheese, wasbi, and bacon sandwich… Next you’ll be wanting a hierarchy. And elaborate ceremonies, such as sacrificing peas in a blast furnace. (Hum… Maybe that‘s not such a bad idea, but with fewer toxic waste and GHGs, please.) No problem, of course, with parties and beer volcanoes and lots of cheeses and vins and reacknowledging Her Mildlyness Supreme Ruler for All Eternities of All Multiverses…
rq:
Do what?
I’m curious to learn how that works out.
****
Uh oh, did the Mars Rover find the ancient aliens?
Smak svita by TBF
Standard word for world is svijet, svit is the word used in local dialect.
blf:
I see you’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid again.
May I have some?
Beatrice,
You are Croatian? I’m curious what you made of Bayern Munich forward Mandzukic’s gesture after his goal last week? The context being the recent aquittal of 2 Croatian Generals by a UN court?
Ok, please insert one end of a straw into your USB port. Where you stick the other end of the same straw is your affair, but I do not recommend either an electrical outlet or anything that corrodes. Not safe for use on peas. May contain nutters. Not tested on long pigs. Warranty invalid at all times. Your kilometreage will be erratic. Keep out of reach of forty-foot high killer rats. Annihilation will result if used with other substances.
Enjoy!
rorschach,
This is the first time I hear about the gesture, I quite successfully ignore the sports section.
Honestly, I’m sick of
blf
Currently attempting to connect.
That’s not Kool-Aid coming out.
Tony
I’m curious, too – as far as I know, he only tackled the New Testament.
Perhaps I’ll look into a copy for myself, and attempt to read it, in order to enlighten all of you atheists and finally convert you all to the One True Women-Friendly Christianity. Yeah, don’t worry, I’m laughing, too.
Beatrice
Did not understand a word of that, but nice song!
Also, I’m left wondering what you’re sick of… :D
Ups, premature comment submission.
—
Honestly, I’m sick of all the cock measuring True Croats TM have been doing since the acquittal. Yeah, you love the country. We all get it. Thanks.
Did you read the end of that article you linked? I find the idea expressed there even more idiotic:
Yeah, we really need shit like this. Rub it in their face, that will end well.
May I mention at this moment that I HATE Style sheets. I do not do well with following very strict rules meticiously…
Ok, I’m just gonna leave this one here, because I can’t pick my jaw up off the floor (and I’m going to bed):
Proposed Michigan bills allow tax payers to receive tax relief for… fetuses.
Beatrice
Sounds like something Latvians would do. :/ Because, you know, national pride. Or whatever.
Tony
Good night, sweet trolling dreams, and… what? You leave us with that?
How insensitive.
But good night anyway.
I have never used a Style sheet in my life.
I’ve always made my presentations on blank pages (you are still talking about the presentation, right?).
Rq
Yes I am. The style sheet means the instructions I have to follow for the bibliography. and it means that every dot and comma has to be in its right place or the reference police will eat me up.
So you got a style sheet that tell you how to reference what in which case. But of course, you will always have a case that does not fit your style sheet.
A convert to the Cult of Deranged Penguin!
(Checks…) Hum, strange. The gonkulator I used to send it has been replaced by a smoking, bubbling, and probably bottomless pit. As usual. Are you sure?
Giliell
Oh, that kind of a style sheet. Never mind, then, I mixed them up with Templates.
Ew.
I hated writing references, mostly because… Because of what you say. That being said, and also having only completed my bachelor’s, I can say (with some pride) that I have never written a footnote (yet). Once I go back to school, I’m pretty sure that will change.
Good luck, though. Those commas can be infernally tricky. Especially in the exceptions.
blf
I’m positive. That is definitely not Kool-Aid. It looks more like… chocolate-covered peas.
Beatrice
That band (with the song Smak svita) remind me of this Latvian group, although not exactly this song (working on finding it). (They’re not singing/speaking in Latvian, that’s the regional Latgallian dialect, one of the few young bands who do so.)
Then they have this one, which is an ode to country life, where everybody’s grandma is a technician who fixes tractors (Grandma Tanya is an engineer).
Because my IELTS results are of great importance to everyone:
Listening: 8.5
Reading: 9.0
Writing: 7.5
Speaking: 8.0
Overall: 8.5
—
Yeah, I fucked up the writing part. I think most institutions/companies find a score above 7 sufficient (please tell me it is so), so I hope this won’t cause any problems when I apply for jobs in EU.
YAY Beatrice!!!
How could you fuck up the writing bit? Your comments here are excellent! Would you like me to put in a good word for you?
Congratulations on the scores!
Now for that job in the EU. ;) (Doesn’t Croatia have to be in the EU for you to apply…?)
Yay for results, beatrice
Second that: How did you fuck up that writing, you’re brilliant?
As for applications, I think that most places set their own criteria.
It doesn’t, depends on the company. There are even some administrative position open specifically for Croats as one of the starting points for future integration.
But we’re supposed to get in next year anyway (July, I think).
—
Writing here isn’t a problem, but sitting on the test and having to write a graph/table/something description in 150 words and an opinion peace on a given topic in 250 words… I suddenly had no idea what to write for the second topic. Timing is 60 minutes, and there is not much time for staring blankly at the paper wondering what my opinion on whether a world organization or each government by itself should handle environmental issues is.
And of course, not only vocabulary/grammar/sentence construction are important, but also writing clearly and in a proper essay structure.
You might have noticed that my thoughts tend to be scattered all over the place. ;)
Aw, thanks for the kind words, both of you.
I don’t really do much these days, so little wins like this test are the only thing I can feel good about.
Ah, wonderful, welcome (in advance) to the club – Croatia can join the EU, then complain soundly about how terrible the EU is.
But seriously, your thoughts don’t seem all that scattered. I haven’t exactly noticed these comments to be structured in anything resembling essay-format (although that might just be my bad reading comprehension, haha).
But considering nerves, 7.5 isn’t all that bad. :) I believe some celebration is in order. (It was either that or this, considering it’s early afternoon. You can hit the hard stuff later.)
rq,
Uuh, nice.
I really liked that first song you linked. For the other, I should probably have to understand the words to “get it”.
beatrice
Don’t know if it’s still of interest to you (maybe you’ll have to write more essays for application tests or such), but I find that it really pays off to “waste” the time on writing down a structure. It especially helps to get rid of “empty page anxiety”.
First of all, get rid of the idea of “what’s my opinion” Honestly, nobody cares in that case. They want to see your writing skills, they don’t want to know what you actually think about this.
Then, find a recent example as a starting point, say hurricane Sandy yadda yadda but what is the best way to handle stuff. It’s really not bad style to just do a contrastive approach.
List 3 arguments you can think of for one way, think of three for the other way, pair them off nicely and then start writing.
Finish with some accomodationist bullshit, that the best would be a middle way and so on (also a safe road should one of the people who mark it actually feel strongly about the issue and not be mature enough to hang that at the door).
*Sigh*
I always want to do so much on Wdnesdays, I never make it…
Eh, probably. Oh well! :)
(Checks again…) Hum… Sorry, the smoking, probably bottomless, bubbling pit is where I put my coffee cup. Now that I fink a bit more about it (helps to get the wasabi out of your ear), what I’m trying to send to you tends to explode (if allowed to age, this is fresh…). You recall that picture of the man-in-the-moon with a spaceship in his eye? That was an earlier explosion. Aged for about 17 seconds as I recall.
But peas covered in Chocolate? Your computer is infested. Go into orbit and nuke it.
Ah-hah! We now know what is infesting rq’s computer. Orbit won’t be far enough away. We’ll probably need to quarantine the galaxy.
Giliell,
Thanks for the advice!
I read very similar advice in all the writing guides, and I did try to follow it. I have an especially hard time getting rid of the instinct to write my real opinion on the topic, instead of trying to think about it more dispassionately.
I doubt I will be writing any essays any time soon, but writing one is a skill I should have, so I’m taking the advice seriously.
Maybe that’s weird, but I also find it easier to write on the computer, than on paper. When I get a blank paper in front of me, I panic. On the computer, I just type and type. And then I edit. Words just flow more easily.
blf,
Is it possible that one of my scattered thoughts will return to Earth, enlarged after bouncing all over the universe, and cause that apocalypse we’re all waiting for?
OMG, I’m so sorry!
My mother always told me that my big mouth will be the end of me. She wasn’t far off the mark.
blf
But I like Beatrice. I can’t nuke her. I could just return her scattered thoughts, even though I don’t like picking up after other people.
Can’t the Deranged Penguin (may She always keep the odds in my favour) just find a way to turn those peas into horses? Chocolate- or wasabi-covered, doesn’t really matter (they both wash off).
Beatrice
If that were the case, the universe would have ended ages ago. As it is, we still have a month to wait. Dum dum de dum. I doubt your thoughts scatter that slowly.
Whilst searching for an image of the man-in-the-moon with a spaceship in his eye, I stumbled across this site, IS THE MOON THE CREATION OF INTELLIGENCE? (undated albeit clearly post-Apollo missions):
There apparently really was a Soviet magazine (not journal) called Sputnik:
I told the mildly deranged penguin Earth orbit is not a good place to store her emergency cheese supply…
Newest wingnut conspiracy theory:
Obama will be elected to a third term
Yes, a constitutional change needed third term.
blf
I knew the Mildly Deranged Penguin would be involved somehow. I knew it.
Those Soviets were observant; and now I know what caused the fall of the USSR. The MDP. Probably with nukes from its outer space outpost on the penguin-made cheese-moon. To avoid discovery and the ensuing publicity.
Rats. Foiled again.
<meta>Any reference on that (wingnut conspiracy, not need for an amendment)</meta>Ah, but the constitution will have been repealed / declared invalid and replaced by Shari Law / re-written by the UN / eaten by the dog by then.
rq, You really need to un-infest (de-Beatrice-ise) your computer. Now it’s gone all Italics Happy!!!1!! Next it will be demanding wasabi-and-Chocolate-chip cookies.
Don’t let it get to the stage where either peas are considered edible or England wins a test match in India. The Earth’s bearings are creaky and couldn’t stand the strain from all the wobbling…
@ Tony
You should be oh so careful what you wish for. Link.
blf
I think it’s already too late.
Didn’t you know? The earth’s axes will tilt dangerously and the magnetic poles will reverse in about a month’s time. Where have you been?
My powers have no limit.
Muahaha
theophontes
You are now responsible for the mess I just made all over my computer screen and keyboard. 100% responsible.
Beatrice
Megalomania much?
@ rq
Mwahahahaha…
Black Death (“Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZy6XilXDZQ
— — — — — —
I have found a date for that Florida governor who looks like Skeletor: http://www.thelocal.se/44536/20121120/
— — — — — — —
If you rotate someone who is bored and tired, will the boredom field project at right angles to the tiredness field?
And can you generate power by tapping into ambient boredom?
PS: Has Tony ever told you he is a Rasta.
Oh on, the Lambchop conspiracy…
“Is it possible that one of my scattered thoughts will return to Earth, enlarged after bouncing all over the universe, and cause that apocalypse we’re all waiting for?”
Only if it travels through the black monolith near Jupiter and returns after being tinkered with by aliens.
“My god, it’s full of stars!”
Inspecting the orbiting cheese storage vault. Mostly checking to see if it’s Beatrice-proof.
Are any white cats are involved? Always check for the white cat. Infallible sign of a megalomaniac. Sometimes hidden under strange-coloured troll hair. (The megalomaniac, not the white cat.)
Ouch… I have a white cat. Does the megalomania get diluted by the presence of other cats? Because I have three more. :)
theophontes
A Rasta with no hair?
rq,
It’s not megalomania when it’s true. ;)
I used to have a white cat. She died of old age (being 18 and all). But, does that make me the megalomaniac, or the cat?
Brilliant
@ rq
Dreads, but I can say no more.
…
[trolls]
My colleauge at work has a very talented artist friend who produced THIS. If I ever rob a bank, I’ll commission another.
theophontes
That is one awesome troll. Needs some blue hair, though. Or purple, the purple hair isn’t yet taken.
@ rq
Wait ’til you see his PIGGY.
Does it make me a bad person that, frequently, when I see a sufficiently amusing conspiracy theory, I start thinking of ways to heighten the anxiety of those following it, as opposed to bothering to argue?
Like there was this guy in an office I was working out of some years back now, and it turns out he’s this big troofer, and into the Illuminati-done-did-it version of it, somehow…
I wasn’t, mercifully, dealing with him directly. It was a ‘heard over the cubicle wall thing’, and I was new around there…
I was endlessly tempted to find a nice little plastic all-seeing pyramid keychain or similar, leave it on his desk, with just the worlds ‘We’re watching you’ written next to it.
I never did it. But I did go so far as checking out where I might find such a thing before telling myself that this sort of thing, it just does the world no good.
And now this one, I dunno. I guess I could draft the actual amendment, in proper legislative language, upload it to some Tea Party type site through a proxy, tag it ‘From your Friend On the Inside’ or similar…
But I guess that would be bad.
(Slaps own hand.)
No. No. Bad. Baaad AJ. Now just back away from the keyboard, now, and do something somewhat less irresponsible.
Still, the impulse makes me wonder. In this, at least, I have just enough impulse control, apparently, to pass. But I wonder if there’s others out there with the same affliction who do, in fact, give in…
It might explain a few things.
blogofmyself
Thanks for the knitting tip.
-===-
Just out of curiosity, how come the Lounge is usually limited to 1.5-ish pages? Is it just because it becomes unmanageable to find things? Is it because of the giggles resulting in stopping around 666?
-===-
I’m at my mom’s for the holiday, and I left my laptop at my house. 250 miles away. Aside from the fact that doing the work I brought along is much more difficult, I have far less to entertain me now. At least I brought that Erik Larson book I haven’t been able to finish so far…
-===-
Hope no one’s been launched into outer space.
-===-
How’s the feast prep coming, Joe? (And everyone else who is engaging in the activity).
-===-
I’m happy to get to hang out with my cousin this trip. We’ve gotten pretty close the last few years, and haven’t been able to see each other in the last several months. His mom is having a lunch today, to introduce him to a young lady she thinks would be great for him. He is mortified but compliant, so I’m going along to try to help soften the awkwardness. Is it bad that I’m expecting to snicker on the inside through the whole thing?
Obama 3rd term
Warning, it is Rush Limbaugh.
That really would be a regime that never ends.
@ Portia
Raising the spectre of DH666 are we?
Ooooooooohhhhh….
Vaguely similar, a Very Good friend of mine happens to an arachnophobe.
So I gave her a handmade glass spider I got in Venice.
She’s got a great sense of humour. She started giggling, petted it, and last I know arranged it with a wooden banana slug I’d given her earlier. The banana slug appears to be eating the spider.
(I’ve since learned that spider-like things can, in some people, trigger attacks. I don’t think it does for her, but had I known that back then, I perhaps would have had second thoughts…)
no
@ Portia
That might have been a bit obscure of me. Daniel Haven was a troll that we tried to train up from Kent Hovind level idiocy to something less embarassing. As it was, we failed. He jumped the fence and got banhammered. At one stage we got him to comment on #666 and it stuck as a nickname. Aah, good times.
The ‘breast of Bath’ will provide a ray of light for cancer sufferers: “A glowing pink dome, Beacon on the Hill, is to be constructed from recycled plastic bottles on top of Long Knoll in Wiltshire [England]”.
Portia
I hope you have a good holiday and a good holiday feast!!
A J Milne
I second the ‘no’. I find it hilarious, and sometimes engage in similar activity (mostly to my siblings, but…).
They do know that it will come to be known as the Tit of the West.
And the nightmare continues, Writers found for Star Wars: Episodes VIII and IX. Hopefully this shite will flop so badly Disney goes under.
Matt Penfold
The Wicked Tit of the West.
blf
What happened to Episode VII?
threadrupt but for the holiday
http://www.dorktower.com/2012/11/21/cthanksgiving-dork-tower-21-11-12/
It was so bad it collapsed into a black hole and is slowly evaporating away (Hawking radiation). Might be the source of peas… no self-respecting particle would dare be seen radiating away from such a monstrosity.
I think you’ve solved that one. Wasabi-covered gold medal for you, blf.
The Thanksgiving feast has… BEGUN!
***VEGAN TRIGGER WARNING!***
I decided to skip the goose on account of it being $45 for a goose. :) Otherwise, I think I’m cooking everything in my ridiculous feast comment on the last page.
Yeah, pretty much that. Sort of a pepperoni/Gruyere crostini, shrimp w/spicy chili sauce, and baby crab cakes for hors d’oeuvres. Key Lime and pumpkin pie, plus ice cream. “Spiced drinks” turned into the Sam Adams winter sampler. Added corn pudding, and I’m making two different kinds of Brussels sprouts since that seems to be the popular side dish selection around these parts.
So far, I’ve done the… shopping. Yay! Haven’t even done the putting away yet. I needed to sit down for a few minutes!
Question for the Horde: What’s the correct way of saying ‘disabled’, when speaking of people? Special needs? Sorry for not knowing (need for a translation)!
Here in the UK is OK to say disabled. Special needs tends to refer to people with learning difficulties, who might well be considered disabled, but of course does not cover the full range of disability.
rq, depends on the original context. Medical would be different than political or legal. Do you have a sentence to go with?
“correct”?
People will likely supply the preferred nomenclature du jour, but “correct”?
Uh, disabled student in an exchange program…?
Well, ChasCPeterson, can you help me re-phrase that to make it acceptable?
Ignore Chas. What you wrote was fine.
To add to my earlier answer, in the UK it is also encouraged to avoid using the term disabled when you are referring to a sub-group. Thus if you are talking about people in wheelchairs, you should say wheelchair users, rather than disabled. Or more generally to the mobility impaired, if you are talking about people who have problems walking, using stairs etc.
Gilliel
I agree w/ you on style sheets. I’ve never actually been able to write an outline, for all it might help. I just can’t seem to structure it in my head well enough to get it onto paper. I just start writing, and then edit, rewrite, backfill etc, usually eliminating everything i wrote at first.
Matt
That specific seems to be unclear; all I have is the equivalent of special-needs, but in the original language that can also mean mobility impaired. Which is why I’m wondering if there’s a general overall term that won’t be offensive.
Using the term disabled would seem to be fine then.
Thanks.
rq
disabled student in an exchange program
physically disabled student in an exchange program
physically challenged student in an exchange program
mentally challenged student in an exchange program if there is a differential required
One caveat I should mention. Avoid saying “The disabled”, instead say “people who are disabled” or similar.
Well, this day is going just great. I walked to campus thinking I’d work on getting the last of my data analysis done since classes are out and the majority of students have already left. Only, it turns out the Soc dept’s building is locked for the holiday — and they have the only computer labs with SPSS. Walked home.
Decided to walk to the thrift store up the street to get an outfit to wear for tomorrow’s dinner… and they’re closed for the holiday. Walked home.
Decided to work on my paper for Global Feminism…and apparently I didn’t save the changes to the last draft because about 3.5 pages of work is GONE.
I just want to let my inner two-year-old out to scream, kick, and fling herself on the floor.
— —
rq:
I want to be the orangey-haired Troll! Sadly, I actually had hair like that once, when I was 15 — though not on purpose.
It’s rather….amazing….what straight peroxide and Sun-In will do to very dark brown, naturally frizzy hair if applied every other day for a couple of weeks straight during summer vacation.
That was the last time I ever tried changing my hair color.
—
blf:
No horses or peas, but darn…no cheese either. *sigh* No chocolate from the giant chocolate train for me.
—
Tony:
Oh FFS! *headdesk*
—
Giliell:
I wish my professors would just pick one or two style sheets. But no, they all have their particular favorite, so I have to try remembering which papers are supposed to have which style AND use the right form of citation for each PLUS figure out how to write the damn references when they don’t fit. And, of course, I figure it all out just in time to start a new semester with new professors who have yet another style they want us to use.
—
AJ Milne:
I hope not, because I tend to do this as well. I have this (really mean) urge to see them cowering under their desks with tinfoil wrapped around their heads. I’ve never actually done it, but I think about it a lot…
—
rq:
It depends on the context. I tend to use the “people with disabilities” or “person with [disability] or [special need]” construction.
Thanks broboxley, too – it’s unspecified, so I’ll take the general term.
And thanks for that caveat too, Matt. I’ll keep that in mind for next time; this time the term appears once in relation to one specific student.
rq – the current generally accepted polite thing to do is to use “people first” language. If you are aggregating all people, it would be “people with disabilities”. If you are talking about a group of people with the same disability, you can use “people with mental illness”. All of this assumes that it is necessary to mention the disability, of course – that it is relevant to the conversation.
ImaginesABeach
Thank you, as well. I’ll be keeping that in mind.
Would it be better to say ‘student with disabilities’ rather than ‘disabled student’, in that case?
It would be best to say “student with a learning disability” or “student who uses a wheelchair” if you know the specific disability. If you don’t know the specific disability, “student with a disability” or “student with disabilities” is fine. The goal is to put the focus on the person, rather than on the disability.
Alright, I got that and hopefully will remember also in the future. Thanks! :)
Tony
So…I get why this is bad, because personhood. Is there not a slightly positive side to it though, in that for those women who do find pregnancy a strain on their finances, they will get this tax relief. Clearly there are problems e.g. less tax relief for when it’s actually born, I guess the amount isn’t enough to make a difference for women in real hardship, blatant personhood attempt etc. But if it helps cover, say, the cost of travel to & from doctors, or extra food, or some of lost earnings, maybe it is not all bad?
blf
Maybe that is why the peas are frozen?
YUM.
opposablethumbs
I guess it still bothers me seeing all these people being so blatantly sexist with their whole “oh but we can’t let women have authority over men because bible things”.
Sociogen
Oh, they can’t agree on one here, either. Two faculties with each two main disciplines makes 4 already plus the pedagogy department….
*memo to self*
Don’t use pressure cooker for this soup. The milk protein looks gross.
Have a Balloon:
The bills are a way for far right lawmakers to slowly grant rights to fetuses. They haven’t been successful with personhood amendments, so now they’re attempting to achieve the same goal in baby steps.
Tony
Is it kind of like how corporations got all kinds of rights? Or is this different?
Tony:
I see what you did there.
Is this the longest Lounge/TET ever?
Beatrive
I doubt it. But let’s make it so.
So… I guess I can make all of the stuffing today? If I make the stuffing, the green bean casserole, and a couple of the other things up to the baking stage, I guess that would be ideal?
… what have I gotten myself into?
No, it’s going to be an old 700 Club broadcast that’s going to do it.
Improbable Joe
Probably more than you bargained for. :) But yes, doing things in advance will save a lot of your sanity the day of. It’ll still be hectic, but probably deliciously worth it!
Why can’t my friend have her baby in March instead of January so the creation of her baby-blanket wouldn’t interfer with my christmas-stiching so much? It’s not like I’ve known she’s pregnant since July….
I sooooooo want a Thanksgiving dinner.
And somewhere in this room there’s a renegade smoke-detector whose nbattery is almost empty and since it’s not the one on the ceiling I can’t find it. One short “beep” every 15 minutes…
Have a Balloon:
It’s bad because personhood, which is enough, but also the sheer ridiculous complexity this will add to the tax code. As a former tax preparer, just thinking about this gives me a headache.
How pregnant would one have to be to claim the exemption — suspected moment of conception, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, more? How long do you have to carry it to qualify — to term, or do you still get to claim it if you miscarried, had a stillbirth, etc? What proof do you have to provide to claim the exemption — doctor’s note, pee stick?
There’s a perfectly good reason for why you can currently only claim live births as dependents — because it’s easier on everyone. ;)
—
Beatrice
I think there was one that went just over 1500 comments….
Giliell
Good luck with that smoke detector. That *beep* is notoriously difficult to locate, unless you are/have a bat. :)
Some turkey would be great, right about now, actually. With stuffing. And gravy.
Yummmmmmm.
Making me feel hungry now? Evil people.
I’ll be making risotto with squid tomorrow and you won’t. So there. :P
hmmm, garlic butter louisiana hot sauce injection for the turkey or
a naranja garlic solution. And I have to work tomorrow and friday. So will be cooking dinner via remote hands.
Way to show off, Beatrice. And broboxley. :P
I still don’t know what’s on the menu for tomorrow, but it will certainly be something delicious, because it’s Husband’s turn to prepare dinner. :) Remote hands it is. ;)
rq,
Well, since it is 100% all for me, if it gets too hectic I can just give up… :)
Hmmm, cooking is something to think about. What can I cook tomorrow. Argh, and I have to adjust my order for veggies and stuff…
Also, if you had never encountered the concept of the Self vs. the Other, and it were explained to you using the example of straight people defining how gay men are (love fashion, are promiscuous), would that probably give you an “ahhh” moment?
Socio-gen:
The article mentions that the tax break is for fetuses at 12 weeks gestation onward.
Improbably Joe
How are you going to eat it all???
(Ah, the peace and quiet of a well-prepared giant meal enjoyed alone…)
Coconut-chickpea soup I enjoyed: (recipe not mine)
oil
1 small leek
3 cloves garlic
1 heaping handful of cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp tomato puree
9 dl vegetable stock
1 red chili
150 g spinach (frozen is acceptable)
1 dl coconut milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cumin
fresh coriander leaves (I used parsley)
Slice leek and mince garlic. Sautee leek and garlic in a splash of oil for a couple of minutes. Add chickpeas, tomato puree and vegetable stock, and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes. Add sliced chili, chopped spinach and coconut milk. Let boil for about five minutes. Season with lemon juice, sugar and cumin. Sprinkle coriander leaves on top.
My kids are bickering, which would not be amusing except that Daughter just faced down Son (twice her age, 3x her weight & size), looked him in the eye and said with complete confidence: “I can take you.”
She’s probably right too. She’s fights dirty.
Giliell, Approved Straight Chorus @113 – Gee, Thanks – right?
I knew a woman who would say to me (in the middle of a work shift) ‘You look awful! Are you alright?
I would shrug and say ‘I feel fine.’
‘Well you look awful.’
?????????
My mother always told me that she never went out without eye makeup because every time she did people would say sympathetically “Oh, you look so tired”.
I guess I didn’t really understand until recently. I don’t think I’ve ever gone to class without at least a little mascara so the first time my classmates saw me without any eye makeup at all was when I went to class with some kind of virus. Every single person I talked to did a double take and said “Are you okay?!” I was ill, but not THAT ill, but apparently the difference made me look like I was dying of the plague.
*shrug* made it plausible when I left class early to take a nap.
rq @ 119
Tony @ 125
When it’s time, it’s time. : )
Good for You! and *hugs* for you both.
kristinc – *hugs* and understanding : )
Beatrice @ 156 – Hooray for Beatrice and very good results!!
rq – I like Borowa MC- Boba tonja inžener. It’s got a beat and you can dance to it. I give it a 98. : )
theophontes @ 175 – : D : D : D *splorf*…you did warn us
: )
AJ Milne –
: D : D : D *thumbsup*
When I was young, when I went to the gas station, I would go to pump #6 and put in $6.66 – just to freak out the cashier.
rq,
There’s no “y” in “improbable”… and the plan is to cook enough food to last me until NEXT Thursday, because I’m moving out of this shithole next Friday. Everything is going in those disposable aluminum pans, and I’m packing up all of the cookware on Friday. From there, the kitchen will be clean and empty except the fridge and the microwave.
Here is a new set of maps showing where the exoplanets are located in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=graphic-science-exoplanet-discoveries-date-just-drop-in-bucket-interactive&WT.mc_id=SA_printmag_2012-12
For some reason the interactive map did not work on my PC
— — — — — — — —
Gender equality ‘Ireland could learn a hell of a lot from Sweden’ http://www.thelocal.se/44566/20121121/
— — — — — — — —
Paying People to Lie to You Has Consequences http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/21/paying-people-to-lie-to-you-has-consequences.html
— — — — — — — —
(comment to an article in Forbes, about the inability of movement conservatives to take in new information) Popping the Epistemic Bubble http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/21/popping-the-epistemic-bubble.html
Tony @125
I am so sorry, I totally missed your big reveal!!! Blame it on Rage Day; I was not trying to ignore you.
It’s late, but please remind me tomorrow, and I’ll share my story.
Yes, I did just mostly more or less come out as being atheist-leaning-mostly-not-agnostic-but-no-longer-Catholic… It’s not all that hard writing it down; the challenge is telling the people around me in my day-to-day meatspace life.
Which probably won’t happen anytime soon, and I’ll probably wait until my dad passes away to say anything, sad as that may seem.
ednaz
Thanks for pointing out Tony’s comment!!
Thanks for the hugs and the musical review. :)
kristinc
Your kids have guts. (Daughter, definitely; but I’m betting Son has lots, too.)
+++
I can go out without eye-make-up and nobody ever notices, but then, I wear glasses, and those work as a great cover. And if I feel particularly un-delectable in the eye-region, I frown and act suppressed frustration at the kids or some mystic event that has me down. That’s usually enough to put people off questions, in case they lose their head. *evil*
+++
And, it being late, I bid you all a good night! Translations be damned, I’ll finish them tomorrow.
Improbable Joe
I’m sorry for the typo. :( I always struggle to write ‘improbable’ correctly, and I try to make the effort to have the e and not the y, but sometimes my proofreading slips. :( I know it’s improbable and not improbably; apologies for the slip.
Good luck with the preparations!
rq,
Ain’t no thang… I’m absolutely Joe, but my life is rather improbable. :)
Prep is going good. I’m waiting for everything to cool down and I’ll have all the stuffing, the cranberry sauce, the green bean casserole, and a couple of the appetizers done.
re: make-up again
Funny enough until about 6 months ago I had completely given up on make-up. Who, me? Not worth the effort… So, back then people were used to my “looks like she lost a fight with a heavy-weight champion” eyes. Now they aren’t anymore.
But mostly I was nicely touched about somebody caring enough to ask if I’m ok.
kristinc
I see that often with the little one. The kids who’ll simply remove any toy they want from her sister don’t even think about taking anything from her and it doesn’t matter that she’s a small kid.
Dedication is the thing!
My understanding is that the preferred phrasing is “person with a disability” rather than “disabled person,” etc.
Azkyroth:
[preferred phrasing:phrasing that is preferred::disabled person:person with a disability]
NEW THREAD!
Sorry it’s soo late — it’s been one of those weeks. Maybe I ought to have the monitors send me an alert when I’m lagging…