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
There’s something wrong in the world when ASYLUM pictures can release an all woman film in the vein of Expendables, and HOLLYWOOD cannot:
Holy Wow! Look at the actresses! This isn’t a cast of D-list performers.
gworroll:
*cheesy synthesized voice*
You Have Mail!
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Tony-
A female led action movie is really something we need to see. My fantasy is an adaptation of Gunsmith Cats. If you aren’t familiar with it, think a combo of Dog the Bounty Hunter(only the good bits), Dirty Harry, and The Blues Brothers. With female leads. Primary supporting characters mostly female.
Sadly, if they did film it, they’d probably cast a white actress for Rally, who is half Indian, half English. Whitewashing is problematic in general, it would also complicate adapting one of the stories from the manga.
There was a party at work today. Several people there learned English as a second language, and while they are all amazingly fluent, there are always words they don’t know because they haven’t come up before.
One person was telling a story about mistreated monks in China. Another person didn’t know the word “monk.” She’s been in the US for a long time, but I can easily see that never coming up in a Muslim social worker’s daily conversation. So I tried explaining.
A few seconds into my attempt to explain, she goes, “Oh, you mean, like a man nun?”
And I’m just like, “Yes!”
I think I will refer to monks as “man nuns” from now on.
‘Mannun’ kinda has a bad guy ring to it.
[Venting]
So ya’ll have heard my problems with my mother’s husbad before and I’ve stated his still current banning from being around us in the Dawkins thread to clarify why I asked for PZ’s line for giving up on him.
Well, what do you know? They come knocking just know begging me to listen. Alright, I do. It’s the same shit as always. I try to explain again where the fuck I’m coming from. They want to just get on a bus and leave. Because not having a place to stay or anything in a whole new state is fucking brilliant. Which fucking state by the way so I can look into it? Keep shooting down my suggestions and give me nothing to work with, that’ll get shit done. (This place is too cold, Fuckface likes the South (REALLY?!?), etc.)
Fuckface says shit like “I’ve always been provided for and never had to make a plan.”This shit sets me off. Goddamn stupid God always provides crock. Really, where the fuck has he been, the lazy fucker? Anyways, I say “You’ve never had a kid to take care of and have been a single white male on your own.”
What does he say? “OH NOES HUNNY! I’m as black as them come!” Motherfucker is pure white. Straight up. He’s almost got Roomie (who’s black, fyi) fighting before (which is a real feat, that dude doesn’t get violent at all) over his use of the n-word and other such ignorant racist shit. So I say “Fuck that cultural appropriation bullshit” and go to turn inside. I’m not about to get kicked out of here for fighting with them in the courtyard. My mother, my own damn mother tries to block me from shutting the door. I don’t give a fuck who you are that’s some boundary pushing triggering shit. I shove her out and close the door.
Now I’m fucking pissed and shaking and my poor baby (who was inside watching a movie) asks WTF just happened and if I’m okay. This is why I am who I am. I can’t take this motherfucking shit from the last of my family (my mother) who’s supposed to support me. Way to support and understand my position, mom. She says she respects my decision to keep the racist fuckface away but then does this shit and still says she doesn’t think he’s racist.
God-fucking-damnit.
http://jezebel.com/company-posts-ad-looking-for-male-sex-toy-tester-1613081541
Hmm, I do happen to have a lot of time on my, um, hands…
JAL:
I’m so sorry. I wish you didn’t have to deal with that bullshit.
JAL
*hugs* I wish I could help more tangibly.
Thanks.
Sorry for the rambling mess, that really just came out without editing or thinking, really. But it helped at least.
Also, I realized my immediate thought was to say “Thanks guys” and stumbled because I couldn’t think of a neutral term replacement. There’s everybody and ya’ll but that seemed wierd with only two people. Yet guys doesn’t. Why, I don’t fucking know. Maybe that’s just me. Are there other words I’m missing? Cutting out saying slurs has been easy, but I’m stuck with the fine tuning.
In the same vien, instead of attention whore there’s attention hog but that’s all I could think of. This came up in a different arena online and attention hog didn’t cut it for the person I was talking to, said it didn’t feel the same. Now it may not ever be okay for some people and it was just a random person but since ya’ll are more creative I’d thought I’d ask at least.
I need to make a list of shit like that because damned if my memory is enough. Once I use it enough I’ll be fine but remembering in between uses at first is hard. Is there like a list on the Wiki or something I missed?
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/president_lyndon_b._johnson_informs_his_tailor_that_his_new_pants_must_resp
The full transcript is available at the link.
JAL:
To be honest, using ‘guys’ bugged me in the past and, if I’m truthful, it still does a little bit (which I why I almost never use the word). However, ‘guys’ doesn’t seem to be a term people have a problem with around here. I usually just say ‘folks’ or ‘ya’ll’. Sometimes it’s ‘peeps’.
JAL, *hugs*
I use “you guys” as if it were gender-neutral, but I’m trying to find alternatives. You all, or you lot, maybe. Also I’m rather fond of drama llama instead of attention whatever. Llamas are cute and funny, and it rhymes.
I just realized something. I found Pharyngula when I was 19. I’m now 24.
I’ve been here 5 years.
Okay, so I know there’s longer readers, that’s not really the point.
It just sounds like so long and feels like…nothing. Like, of course I’ve been here that long, this is home.
Then I realized how much and how little has changed in my life.
o.0
That’s a nice depressing thought before bed time. I’m not an effective activist fighting the good fight, but I’m a better person, so I got going for me, which is nice.
JAL:
I’ve come to learn that activism takes on many forms. I’ve seen you comment. I’ve seen some of your passion. You might not be able to fight the good fight in the way that you want, but don’t doubt that you’ve been part of the fight.
So, yeah, just got unfollowed on twitter and unfriended on Facebook because I wondered on Twitter if I should call for a holding back of heavy criticism with my brother involved in a Facebook thread. A post on my Facebook wall about how I’m a coward and just trying to get brownie points or something was quickly deleted too, and I got a shot about being passive aggressive on twitter before the unfollow.
If I was actually trying to control the tone at that point, I would have messaged the person concerned directly, though I could see how it might be interpreted as having been passive aggressive. It was just honest getting my thoughts out so I could think about it- sometimes actively expressing questions and ideas helps me work on it. If I had half a penny for each time asking a question answered it, I’d be rich.
It’s not that anyone is above criticism, but Facebook for me is mostly for maintaining relationships, not debating stuff. Discussions get to harsh, maintenance of relationships can easily become more important. That is why my Facebook accoutn exists. I do reserve the right to control tone there.
If there’s a long running issue and this was just the last straw, I’d have expected this person to have called me on it long ago. Really odd.
Funny thing? That bit about asking questions often answering them? I had pretty much said “fuck it, my brother can handle himself”.
Tony,
See it bugs when I think about it, but I slip and it just come automatically in meatspace. I like folks but I have a feeling peeps isn’t from my mouth well in my neck of woods.
————————–
Anne,
See, I remember drama llama because I actually found that out in the wild internet outside Pharyngula but I thought that was a drama queen alternative. I didn’t think of it any other way.
Guess I’m gonna have to get over that weird hang up about ya’ll.
515 Tony! The Queer Shoop
Thank you.
Those holes in the ground in Siberia? Take a look at the aerial view.
JAL, I guess drama llama and attention, what, sponge? black hole? Anyway, those go together in my mind.
I hadn’t realized somehow how young you are – you’re between my daughters in age. You are an amazingly strong young woman. I wish you all the best of good things, and right now, a good night’s sleep.
JAL
I remember when you were just a lurker ;).
Yours has been one of ‘our’ wisest and most passionate voices for social justice.
I always welcome your comments.
Thanks Anne. I plan on trying for sleep soon.
After we finish watching Disney’s Hercules. We’ve been watching it a lot lately. I admittedly got Little One watching it because I loved it as a kid. It holds up surprising well.
The one big thing that irritates me is that Meg doesn’t get enough credit. It’s accepted that Hercules forgives her and they get together. But where is the recognition that she didn’t have a choice in the matter? She had to because Hades had her soul. Which she sold to save someone else. Then she sacrifices her life to save Hercules, who gets his strength back and saves the day. She gets no applause for her part. But I’ve easily corrected that by talking to Little One. She pointed out by herself in fact before I did and it made me proud. :)
I mean there’s the whole damsel in distress, the stereotypical muses and such but Meg doesn’t take it laying down (I love her attitude and all the sass in general) and at least there’s diversity there. My daughter loves the muses and it helps because she’s mixed and everyone around here is a minority so having anything besides all white makes a difference. There’s even an overweight one. Who admittedly is stereotypically clumsy but she also isn’t erased and is front and center a lot.
Plus I’ve used Hercules to show how it hurts to set men up to be big strong heroes at time and that he’s allowed to be sad and get hurt. Then there’s Meg’s dialogue “You know how men are. No means yes and get lost means take me I’m yours.” Generalization aside, that was a great talking point. Phil is a creep that gets rejected but at the end he shows interest in Aphrodite and she likes him back, so they kiss briefly. Instead of “keep trying, you’ll get lucky eventually” I told Little One it shows that how you approach people matters and that consent is the most important thing.
I’ve used it and it’s been great, far better than a lot of movies since then. Other recent ones may have less problematic things on the surface like damsel in distress, but Hercules has teachable moments and jumping points that I haven’t found anywhere else.
Have I mentioned I love Meg? lol
chigau, thanks. :)
And damn, I did not realize talking about Hercules went that long.
I hate how my mood can take a downturn at a moments notice. I found this site online:
http://wearethe15percent.com/page/2
The site showcases images of mixed race families in the US. The couples (some with children, some without) seem so lovely.
::sigh::
I’m fucking tired of being single. 11 years in September, and no end in sight. I just want some affection and companionship.
I’m sorry Tony. :(
Marvel is really trying to diversify its output, with special attention being paid to attracting women. By the fall, they’ll have 10 ongoing titles with the lead character being a woman (or women in the case of the all female X-Men book): Elektra, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Thor, X-Men, Spiderwoman, Angela: Assassin of Asgard, Black Widow, and Storm. Next year, they’ll have a Star Wars mini featuring Leia. I even think there’s more to come.
They better not rest on their laurels though.
Mmph. I think using jarred alfredo sauce as a base was a mistake here. >.> But my (I Still Have This) Blue Cheese(?!) and (I Need To Use Up This) Celery (! O.o) sauce came out pretty nicely. I’ma save it for when I get some gnocchi (since it’s more freezeable than the eggplants, zucchini, and zucchini flowers I also need to use up >.>).
gorogh
It sounds like you’re used to high-hitpoint systems? Which I know exist, but nothing beyond that. If I go to an event, it’ll be Empire. Combat there doesn’t involve yelling numbers. Special shots are called, so you get people yelling things like “cleave”, but otherwise 1 hit does 1 point of damage, nice and simple.
I know for sure I’ll enjoy the combat. I practice with the system, so that’s comfortable, and while I’m one of the weakest fighters in my group, many of the people at the events only fight there and don’t do any regular practice, so I should be able to hold my own (and join in getting frustrated at the lack of unit discipline). It’s all the other stuff that is simultaneously exciting and scary. The combination of new people and an unfamiliar situation and stuff involving performance is a pretty fine trigger for my anxieties. Still, I’m sure I’ll manage, and have a whole lot of fun.
I ducked out of a few threads last night rather abruptly. I was getting frustrated and grumpy and thought maybe it would be a good idea to just walk away and let it go because self-care is more important than being right.
Self-care: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
Seriously, I’m glad you took care of yourself. There’s always time to come back later and add a comment if it was important.
CD
Yeah. As for the Israel/Palestine issue, you were right to call me out. I’m frustrated and burned out and so, so sick of war.
Yeah.
When Edwin Starr died on the eve – almost literally, perhaps literally – of the invasion of Iraq, NPR (the National Public Radio of the USA, for those not in the know) did a short bio, as they often do for famous artists after they pass. They discussed his motown work which was only barely familiar to me. And then, concluding their reminiscence, they mentioned that he was best known for the following song… (not mentioning the name of the song, of course)
As their closing clip, they started playing the beginning of War. A little unusual, granted, because the clip they choose has to fairly represent the song in just a few seconds – at most 20 – but the first, “Good God, y’all!” comes near enough to the beginning it didn’t seem too odd.
But they got there and kept going. And going. NPR’s long tradition of playing example clips under 30 seconds, usually more like 10-15, was ruthlessly smashed as every time there was an opportunity to fade out or turn it off, the song kept going. My best friend and I had been pretty down over the impending war and our inability to stop it. NPR couldn’t, politically given its funding and guarantees of non-partisanship written into law and policy, just scream out, “What’s wrong with you legislators? What’s wrong with you Bush admin? This is fucking stupid!”
But Edwin Starr died, and who could complain about spinning a 45 is his honor before we started pointing them at Iraqis to what would have been his horror?
I’ve never seen a more blatantly political non-political move in my life.
And I fucking loved it.
Puppies! (And dogs. With neat colourings and/or markings.)
@ gworroll
I don’t know if this is helpful advice but I would suggest you google the closest LGBT groups to you and they should be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to finding support, counselling, etc.
Just so you know I am a transgender woman in their mid-30’s who only recently transitioned. I know how overwhelming it can all be and how immediately desperate it can feel when pieces start falling into place.
Heya
Last exam of the term. Should be back to all of you afterwards.
Miss you.
Good luck, Giliell!
Now, if I didn’t miss a class I still need to take, or failed one of the exams, I just wrote the last exam of my college career (there will still be orals, of course. There’s always oral, right?*)
Partyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
*Yes, I’m 12ish
haha, No oral in Canada! (Not in my program, at least.)
Congratulations on being done!! Yay! *confetti&fireworks*
I didn’t know you were prudes!
Yes, I’m 12ish plus 5 minutes now.
Nah, it’s purely pragmatic. Getting tongues stuck to lampposts is bad enough.
I don’t comment often, but I need to vent to some folks who might understand. I was asked to write a blurb about myself for the new corporate website. One of the things the samples included was volunteering and club memberships. I don’t volunteer anywhere because all the local places I might volunteer are very religious, and I don’t want to be associated with that. The only “club” I belong to is the local Freethinkers Association. I left that out because I thought it would stand out against church listings and clubs named after animals. When prompted by the employee heading the project, I mentioned the Freethinkers Association and that I wasn’t sure if I should list it.
Her emailed response was “Ha! Had to look that one up. Interesting…really! But, yeah, probably best not to mention that.” Thanks for confirming my suspicions about the corporate culture.
Yellow Thursday:
I’m sorry to hear that. It sucks that you couldn’t include a group as positive (yet harmless) as a Freethinking group.
Grrr. Our water heater went out on us, and I have to wait at home for the service person to show up. They gave me a window of 8am to 4pm, essentially destroying my whole day.
To make it even worse, we’ve been trying for days to get this done. I haven’t had a shower in 4 days, except for one desperately brief cold water dousing. You don’t want to be near me.
Yaaaaay!
*Jadehawk’s® Totally Biodegradable Confetti™*
They came out with a brochure called Safe Oral in Outdoor Canada (or SOOC for short), but it was over 1000 pages of safety tips and weather warnings. So yeah, no oral in Canada.
(Giliell And just because there’s no oral, doesn’t mean we’re prudes… ;) )
Tony!:
Thanks. I’m sure her reaction was partly prompted by the Freethinkers group’s website listing atheists as members as well as a post on the Hobby Lobby decision and another making a joke about Jehovah’s Witnesses. Still, it’s a reminder that I work in a conservative industry, despite living in a rather liberal state.
*working the way up from bottom to top*
Yellow Thursday, bah. On the one hand, they want to know about “us”, on the other, only so much as it suits their own marketing interests. “Look, we’re family in this company… we care about our employees! Except for that black sheep over there…”
Gilliel, congratulations! *throws in a few caramel candies for good measure*
PZ, ha. That sucks, but… could be worse (not sure if sfw)…
jefrir, I don’t know Empire, but that system sounds like a good idea for the sake of flow and immersion. And I totally understand the anxiety-part… I guess you’ll love it or hate it, but at least you’ll be wiser! There is nothing to lose (well at least not permanently), and lots of XP to gain!
Pretty women, don’t play volleyball. You’re being distracting.
*hugs* for JAL.
Maybe “folks”, as a sub for “guys”? Or, I find myself using “y’all”.
And I favor “drama llama” for “attention whore”. It conjures an image of a llama wearing a big ol’ floppy sun-hat (with flowers!), head flung back, hoof to forehead (yeah, I know—just work with me, here!), attack of the vapors clearly imminent.
:)
Failing that—maybe “attention sink”? “Black Hole of Attention Seeking”?
I disagree! I find your social justice-related posts to be pithy and to the point, and…effective.
“It takes many voices to make a clue-storm.”
—Ancient cicelyan Proverb
–
Tony!:
Shoggoths.
Really big ones.
(Later)
I’ve been giving some thought to your singleness, and it occurs to me that you may be contending with a “numbers” game. If Florida is overwhelmingly conservative (which is the impression I get), and people-in-general are overwhelmingly either hetero, or invested in presenting as/believing they are such, then you’ve got the intersection of two locally small sets to work with (liberal + gay), in looking for a compatible someone.
I…know that’s not a help, but I think you’re a terrific human being, you’re in the above-average-looks department, and other things being equal, I can’t see you not being an excellent catch.
It clearly follows, then, that other things aren’t being equal.
–
WMDKitty:
*head-bumps and scritches*
Yes, it is.
–
Giliell, hurrah! for last exam!
*confetti&floral display*
–
Sympathies for Yellow Thursday. That sucks—but it is “Freedom Of Religion”, not “Freedom From Religion”, y’know.
</sarcastic voice>
–
PZ, you have my sympathies as well. We recently did the water non-heater thing, and there was nothing likable about it. Luckily The Husband was able to fix it himself by replacing a $20 part, sparing us the hit-or-miss mercy of the Repairs Department.
–
The last time our hot water heated died, it took two attempts to get it installed. The first installer found we had a lead pipe (house built circa 1920) coming in from the street that needed a valve replacement, and didn’t want to deal with it. The second installer was used to lead pipes, and had us with hot water and a up-to-code set of valves in short order, but we had to have the city shut the water off from the street for a while so the initial inlet valve could be replaced. The city inspector, who checked to make sure the water meter was still in place and working, liked the job the installer did.
Hey, PZ, heat water on your kitchen stove. Take it into the bathroom, and then wash like you were camping.
Climate change news: megadrought, the failure of El Nino, and backup for ocean warming causing problems.
Daily Kos link.
Stephen Colbert looks at the Sarah Palin channel:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/30/1317722/-Stephen-Colbert-looks-at-the-Sarah-Palin-Channel
Dramprey?
Or Drampire?
–
How can it clutch pearls with no hands? (I’m presuming drama + lamprey, here.)
I haven’t showered in four days either. I haven’t even stepped out of the front door or get dressed since Saturday. I do work from home though so I can get away with that easier. Hot water is fine. Having a bout of depression and bad dysphoria. I usually shower once or twice a day. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone this long except once on a road trip. I don’t smell too bad but I’ve obviously smelled better.
If we’re talking about alternatives to ‘drama queen’, I’m not a fan of ‘drampire’ or ‘dramprey’. As I’ve understood the term, ‘drama queen’ is someone who is a source of melodrama-ramping up the tension and angst in a relationship or a situation (some people see it as deliberately, but I’m not sure that’s always the case). To me, lampreys and vampires, well, they suck. They don’t add.
They do feed off of, though.
I could see a ‘drampire’ (or a dramprey) being one of those people who suck energy out of you just by being around. They usually like to emphasize any potential drama around them, too, but they’re not quite the showpeople drama llamas can be. I had a gif for that.
Azkyroth:
VERY good point.
A bit ‘rupt-ish, but want to send conga-dancing rats and confetti to Giliell – and commisterations to PZ (it can be worse – we had most of a summer once with no bathtub (and therefore no shower either) accompanied by the zestful touch of no bathroom wall which made going to the toilet a … less peaceful experience than normal) – and seconding cicely‘s comment re numbers and being inclined to think that Tony! is attractive both inside and out.
rq:
At first glance I thought you said I have a gifT for that. Which caused some dissonance in my head bc that’s not at all how I picture you.
Thank you all
Dah, there’s a house for sale really close. This is really a bad time, but maybe, just maybe. Because if it’s any good it would be ideal…
opposablethumbs:
Less peaceful, and more…performance art?
:)
–
Giliell
From experience, the best deals always come a little too soon, or you discover them way too late. I hope it’s appropriate for you in all respects, so that you can make the leap… That would be awesome for you.
(As long as it’s not always a ‘bad time’.)
Tony
You’d probably be surprised at the drama I can get up to, when pushed. Or not pushed so much. I’m actually a deeply melodramatic person. Believe it or not. :) (Don’t own any pearls, but I’ll happily faint on the nearest couch, or dissolve into tears, thank you very much.)
More a question of “pay no attention to the family member behind the curtain” :-)
(we hung sheets to give at least the illusion of something other than zero privacy) (but if it was a guest, due to the layout of the flat the only tactful thing to do was actually go out altogether – onto the balcony :-D Well I laugh now; it didn’t seem so amusing at the time)
oppsablethumbs
Strangely enough, I know a family here who have no door on the bathroom by preference. Just a thick curtain. It’s always a bit odd, using the facilities while there (it’s a rather small apartment, too).
Hi!
Alice Wilde: *hugs*. Hope you get something sorted out.
PZ: In former Soviet countries, the authorities shut off the (centrally provided) hot water for a month every summer to check on the pipes. People there make do with kettles and buckets. It’s still annoying.
—–
I’m gearing up for a trip (to Central Europe) while still avoiding preparation (seriously, brain. Stop this avoidance bullshit. It’s only hurting yourself.) Quite annoying. I keep wanting to girlmode, but really can’t because of self-loathing, or fear and consequent avoidance of that which is coded feminine.
Though I’m slightly happier than a week or two ago because I actually Did Things. That’s good!
thunk:
Happy is good :)
Do you have a packing list for your trip? I’m horrible with packing lists. Every trip I go on, I usually start packing the night before the trip and *of course* I forget things. Simple stuff too.
thunk
Which parts of central Europe, if I may ask?
rq
It’s probably always a bad time, but now it’s especially bad since we’ve booked a holiday in 2 weeks. The location would be really cool, because we wouldn’t have to uproot the kids in the least, especially not #1. It would be the same 5 min by foot to kindergarten as before, just from the opposite direction…
Anyone ever try to make cornbread with water, rather than milk? If so, how did it turn out? Trying to make use of what I have here.
thunk
Happy is good! So is Central Europe! Safe travels, and good luck with the packing.
Giliell
Wow, that sounds ideal. *reserves some thumbs for the Giliell family*
I am so starting a game of FreeCiv as soon as I add a Cicelyan.ruleset file to the nations rulesets.
@Tony!
I’ve made vegan cornbread several times. I used to regularly eat black-eyed peas, cooked with a bit of onion and spice and shoyu, over fresh spinach. When I was motivated I would get some cornbread going too.
It’s not hard to do. Mostly you’re just trying to replace the fat that you lose from the milk. Honestly, making it with non-fat milk is, from a baking perspective, about the same as making it with water.
Without that fat, the moisture and texture will be off. Exactly how much fat you need is up to you. I’d start with a tablespoon of margarine or oil (and, ZOMG, I know you’re sure not to have it, but expensive olive oil that tastes kind of grassy? I don’t like it in many of the recipes I normally use oil, but for some reason that grassy kind of olive oil tastes divine to me with the corn in cornbread) for every 12 oz of milk that was replaced with water then adjust that up or down as needed for your tastes.
This is a follow up to comment #438 and comment #451 in the previous page of this thread. Note that rq’s comments are in the mix there, and that if you search for “republican” on that page you will see other comments noting Republican dunderheadedness.
Right Wing Watch link.
Tony (#572)
I haven’t tried it, but apparently hot water cornbread is a thing. You add enough boiling water to some corn meal to make a thick dough. Then, when it’s cool enough to handle, mold it into patties and fry it up in oil.
I bet all the cool kids will be joining Reaganbook:
Reaganbook my friends. We need to get in on the ground floor to this stunning new addition to social media.
Crip Dyke, A. Noyd:
Thanks for the advice!
Crip Dyke:
:D :D :D :D :D
They could use llama-drawn chariots to carry their warriors to battle—instead of Horses.
Blatantly ahistorical? Hell yeah! Just hand-wave it!
Haaaaand-wave it!
Ooh! Or optionally, Horse units could be, like, half again as strong as the usual comparable horse units—but have a 25% of betraying you in battle, deserting to the Enemy.
And…and…and…you could have pea-slinger units!
–
A. Noyd:
Like this recipe here, I would surmise. I haven’t tried it, but apparently it’s good enough for somebody’s mom.
:)
–
On the hot water- my great grandmother was past 90 before she moved in with her daughter after breaking her hip. Before this, she had no running hot water.
She also did not have an indoor toilet. 90 year old woman, going to the bathroom every day in an outhouse and heating water on the stove for baths.
She was kind of a badass.
It’s a bit of a tangent, but I wonder if any of you have any good genealogy tips? A few years ago, my sister dug up a photo of the ship my great grandfather immigraded on for my grandfathers Christmas gift. We’ve discussed the idea of getting a picture of great grandmas ship too, but Ellis Island was closed due to fire when she came over, and we can’t find any records to narrow down her arrival port and time any better than “when Ellis Island was closed”. Anyone have any ideas on where we might look? We don’t know her port of departure, but she was born in Glasgow in 1896.
Apropos of nothing, I think the commenter atheist is really good looking (assuming his gravatar is a pic of him)
Not caught up. Working on grant proposal and other things at the same time.
Unfortunately not, no. I can recommend this and the Guardian article linked from it, though; it’s by another David…
My take, in brief: K. was meant to be presented at the Soc. of Vert. Pal. conference in October/November last year, but then Pascal Godefroit fell ill, couldn’t present, and none of his coauthors had made it to the conference. Well, that meant we were able to see most of the talk on the 11th specimen of Archaeopteryx, which was scheduled for the same time slot *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* (there are always 3 sessions at the same time)… It’s quite fascinating, and I think chances are good that the weird things are homologous to feathers, meaning that feathers (in a wide sense) are present in dinosaurs by default, and meaning that the “pycnofibers” (formerly “fur”) of pterosaurs are likely homologous to feathers as well. Even if they’re independently derived, they bolster the already well-supported hypothesis that all dinosaurs had a rather high and constant body temperature derived from their own metabolism rather than the environment, and explain why so many close relatives of K. managed to live in southeastern Australia when it was very close to the South Pole (meaning a polar night every year no matter how strong the greenhouse effect was) and indeed preserves evidence for a chilly climate.
Anyway. Links to dump:
“Ecuador’s mega-diverse Yasuni National Park is again threatened by oil industry road construction as state oil company Petroamazonas has in secret constructed a road into the world-famous Amazon rainforest – violating environmental laws and threatening uncontacted indigenous tribes. More than 45% of the Yasuni National Park is now overlapped by oil concessions. Without improved oversight, Petroamazonas will likely continue building new access roads deeper into the core of the Yasuni National Park in both Blocks 31 and 43 (ITT), and future oil highways may penetrate into the core of the park, fragmenting this vital global rainforest ecosystem and threatening its biodiversity.”
Send an e-mail to the General Manager of Petroamazonas.
“Enough’s enough: Tell NFL Commissioner Goodell to take violence against women seriously.”
In German:
Turkish deputy minister president Bülent Arinc doesn’t like when women laugh in public. Considers violence against women, just like allegedly increasing drug use, a sign of moral decline, but blames women anyway and recommends reading the Qur’ān. Also, he says women should meet in person instead of gossiping on the cell phone for hours and exchanging recipes that way. – The opposition’s candidate for president, Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, has tweeted that Turkey needs women’s laughter more than anything, and a female TV journalist calls on women to hold weekly laughter demonstrations.
The head of Germany’s xenophobic protest party badly wants women, especially college graduates, to have more children. He’s a father of five and wants to restrict immigration to people qualified for a profession lest they take sweet, sweet welfare. The only reaction from another party mentioned in the article comes from the Left and contains the words “beyond disgusting”.
OKCupid admits to having done experiments on users. It’s not just for Facebook anymore! In order to test if people end up liking each other because they’re told they’re a good match, people who matched 30 % according to OKCupid’s software were instead shown a value of 90 %. It worked: they exchanged a lot more messages than people who were honestly shown their 30 % score.
~:-| I don’t understand why you tell anyone.
Both the blog post and the Guardian article, that is.
Turns out George Zimmerman isn’t working as a security guard:
****
David:
I told people bc I felt like it.
Damn it… you know can’t keep up if you wonder if it’s called threadruptness or threadruption.
Any news from the Mexican place, Tony? *vaguely remembers the issue among all the distraction*
Anyway, armadillos for everyone, and a nice evening.
Oh and everyone going through some sad, annoying, vexing or otherwise suboptimal phase, my sympathies. When I’m depressed or in some other non-desirable state of mind, it helps me sometimes to think of the natural history of many diseases… it tends to get better eventually.
I know some things don’t, and it’s certainly not the best coping strategy anyway… but sometimes it helps.
Gorogh:
I won’t find out until the beginning of next week or so. They have a lot of applicants to go through and whittle down.
Speaking of armadillos, I took a walk yesterday and came across the remains of an armadillo. Wasn’t much left except for bits of the armor. Poor critter.
I was told the maintenance guy would be here between 8 & 4. Guess when he showed up? 4:00, of course.
It took him 2 minutes to say yep, it’s busted, bye. He doesn’t replace things, he only fixes them.
Fortunately, in small town Morris it’s not too hard to get a quick response to a straightforward problem like that — our hot water heater has been replaced, I’m now waiting for the water to heat up so I can go take a shower. Finally.
Good luck w/ that PZ.
I’m glad you didn’t have to wait another few days for the HWH to come in…although I suppose you just have to think about tossing your desires away at that point and buying the model that’s in stock.
PZ:
I hate those appointments that say “We’ll be there between 8 and 4”, bc all too often they show up in the last hour. Granted, I understand that they have multiple appointments and there’s no way to know how long each will take. I don’t get angry at them. It’s just frustrating when it’s so late in the day. You’re like “If I’d know it would be this late, I’ve have done X in the interim”.
Ah well, at least you’re getting a new hot water heater. I imagine you’re ready to shower.
Tony, keep an eye on your e-mail.
Nerd:
Will do.
And thank you :)
Enjoy the shower and all that lovely hot water, PZ!
There seem to be a lot of companies here that force people to work as contractors rather than employees, and give them an impossibly long list of houses to get round in a day, and pay by piecework, so they have to work at 100mph to get round them all. So turning up late or not knowing when they’ll get there is impossible for the person on the ground to prevent (though the companies involved could easily make it possible by setting a less impossible number of maintenance calls they have to fulfill in a day). Don’t know if it’s the same in USAlandia – or in this case, of course.
Fucking hell. Some asshole stole my front wheel. They left a different front wheel, one which doesn’t fit on my bike due to a bizarre disk-shaped protrusion. What joy.
Mncht. Sorry for that, Dalillama. (not “sorry” in the sense of “it was me and I needed the wheel”, of course…)
Hope you have alternatives for transportation.
Good afternoon everyone! I come bearing Kent Hovind news. A quick scan through this thread didn’t show the latest, greatest breaking news – please pardon me if I’m late to the party.
It appears that the US District Court in Pensacola is very interested in hearing Hovind show cause why he should not be held in criminal contempt of court for (allegedly) filing liens on property he formerly owned, but which have been forfeited to the US Government to help pay for the taxes he fraudulently (not allegedly) avoided.
The show cause order can be read at:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2e4-pmYYFdqODRQUE02ZzNqdGlldTRnaTBjNzdZbnRFVlA0/edit
Hmm… not being legally versed (let alone in English), I’m not sure I am following that, gupwalla… but my first impulse is that he’s getting what’s coming to him, no?
Also, the signature is in a weird font.
Gee willikers, KH is one dumb puppy that hasn’t been housebroken….
Dalillama:
So sorry to hear that my friend.
****
gupwalla:
I don’t look forward to the day that he returns to Pensacola. This town is bad enough without Kent Hovind living here again.
BTW, I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts before, so Welcome to the Lounge!
****
Be, bee
Sea, see
Meat, meet
Homophones. I remember those.
Apparently the owner of a Utah school doesn’t know what a homophone is:
This is what our education system is turning out?
So today I was informed that ‘moron’ is an ableist slur. Learn new things everyday. Could any of ya’ll recommend a non-offensive word to use in it’s place?
@Homophones, Tony – the fuck. This is so ridiculous it’s almost funny.
As an afterthought, this is not a testament of linguistic sensitivity, but of the esteem in which that guy holds those people’s (whoever he’s actually referring to) intellect. I’d be offended by this insinuated stupidity.
Gorogh:
Those things ain’t housebroken, people; they’ll happily take a crap on your couch.
–
Dalillama:
:(
I’ve heard of people stealing entire bicycles, and I’ve heard of cyclists dismounting their front wheel and carrying it with them to prevent people from stealing entire bicycles, but this….
They actually dismounted your wheel, stole it, and left you a bogus wheel in exchange?
Grokking is not.
–
Wow thanks cicely, you taught me a new word (housebroken) – I’ve read it above from Nerd of Redhead and didn’t get it then, but figured it might be some idiom.
Well alright then concerning the armadillo. Guess it’s good I don’t have a couch, eh?
samihawkins:
I wish I could help, but I’m a little fuzzy on certain words being ableist myself. ‘Moron’ is one. So is ‘idiot’. Another is ‘stupid’. I’ve tried to avoid using them, but they haven’t stopped completely. Unlike words like ‘ret*rd’, I’m not sure if there is a general consensus on using those terms.
This is, to put it mildly, contested.
Azkyroth:
It’s contested bc ‘moron’ is not a term used to diagnose people with mental illnesses, right?
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: “Moron” is either literally not in current use to describe mental illness or so widely deprecated it might as well not be and (like idiot and imbecile) has been so overwhelmingly dissociated from its distant use as an indicator of a degree of mental retardation, which is itself now called “intellectual disability” if I understand correctly, that nearly everyone who uses the term is completely unaware it ever had that denotation. This doesn’t weigh well against the competing interest of being linguistically capable of being able to forcefully and succinctly describe the behavior and patterns of behavior to which words like “moron” are used to refer, and by far the most efficient route to reducing bigotry is to cut the last scrap of the last tiny thread connecting it to a usage related to mental illness or disability and retain the useful characteristics of the word.
Fuck. I feel bad for doing something that I didn’t even know I did. My sister just texted me and told me that some of my Facebook comments are critical and they make her feel small and I’ve made these comments several times. Thing is I have no idea what I said. I don’t know if she’s talking about comments I’ve made on her FB page, or comments I make on my FB page. I don’t know the nature of the comments. I know nothing. I apologized and told her I did not intend to bring her any hurt and that I will be more mindful in the future.
Thing is, I don’t know what I said.
I feel like I should ask her, but I think I’ll wait a day or two.
Usually referred to a dog or cat who when housebroken, takes it business outside, or for indoor cats, to the litterbox. Otherwise, the carpet, couch etc. is all fair game for puddles and poop.
And shoes. Never forget shoes.
‘Cause they won’t.
–
Tony, man, I am sorry about this position you’re in. You have my sympathy and I am sure you can work it out. It’s good that you apologized and if you talk to her again you will certainly find out what this is about… I for one feel that whenever I am called out on something stupid, it keeps me from forgetting my privilege (“memento mori”, anyone?) – maybe you can eventually find something positive in this incident, too. Obviously, this is for after you’ve solved it, if solveable… but as I said, you’ve done what you could for now.
*uses breaks in between watching House of Cards*
cicely, I won’t forget the shoes. That being said: While I love the armadillo in that video*, I know nothing about them and feel no need to keep pets around for cuteness alone (yeah well poop in your shoes isn’t exactly cute… but you know what I mean). I would love to have a tortoise for several reasons I won’t get into right now… maybe some other time.
*Forgot to respond to your dead armadillo, Tony… that is one poor critter. But, I find it very intriguing that – considering that I live in South Carolina for the time being, for a few months now – there are animals running around all over the place I would consider exotic back in Germany. Love to see more of them. It’s mostly squirrels here really, but I’ve seen a few woodchuck and a dead racoon at least… plus a few turtles…
bold-fail, sorry for that… :/
cicely
Wheel theft is totally a thing, and widely considered a downside of quick-release wheels (the upside being easier maintenance.). The protrusion I mentioned was a disc brake, but my fork’s not wide enough for one. The lovely folks at the local worker-owned bike coop were kind enough to remove the thing for free though.
Tony!
Without knowing any more about your sister or your facebook posts than what I can infer from things mentioned here (I don’t go on facebook much) I am strongly inclined to suspect that the posts in question are your social justice related posts, and that she’s taking criticisms of political positions personally.
samihawkins
If you choose to avoid moron, you might go with nitwit, bird brain, or halfwit.
The rent is going up ~$50 this month, but we might have a line on a slightly cheaper place; we’ll be hearing back from them soon. I really wish there were some kind of sensible policies on housing around here.
Dalillama:
I suspect the same thing, which will make going forward tricky. None of my comments are aimed at her. I’ve almost never even hinted at anything regarding my family. I comment on Facebook about the same stuff I talk about here. Maybe she feels targeted with some of my criticisms of conservative politics. Perhaps I’ll find out when I ask her. To be honest, I don’t know how to avoid hurting her if I don’t know what I’m doing that she’s finding offensive.
****
Pinky and the Brain have a falling out.
It’s all the things you can be sure Brain was thinking about Pinky over the years.
Electric Lady. New video from Janelle Monae. I think she’s awesome.
Good morning. Today, I got a seven-year-old for my un-birthday! I guess it’ll be cake and candles tonight, then.
Some photos from rural Latvian life, contemporary.
More fun with photography, and even I’ll admit that the person with a horse’s head is a bit creepy…
Just unlurking for a moment. I am totally threadrupt and did not read for a long time here in the Lounge. So I just realised from the other thread who the “new” commentor Inaji is.
I’m really glad you are back – I was worried and also missed your insightful comments.
Pangolins!
Good morning Horde. Hope you can work things out with your sister, Tony, and I think your response is admirable. Glad the bike co-op people could help, Dalillama, and a pox on the scumbag who nicked your own wheel.
So I just got this: https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/jeremy-hunt-nhs-home-office-remove-all-copies-of-this-poster-and-stop-victim-blaming
and signed with a note saying they should use the Edmonton don’t-be-that-guy campaign at https://www.savedmonton.com instead.
I am on the tail end of a vacation that involved driving through a lot of the Missouri Ozarks. I counted 11 dead armadillos on the side of the road.
…and I’m pretty sure I missed several.
That’s a lot of armadillos.
Question in general: if I want my fajitas to taste like, well, fajitas, what ingredient(s) should I not omit?
In other words, do I have to go to the store?
Some REAL transcendental meditation: A word with versatility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlq90acT45s
.
OSHO: My Whole Life is Full of Jokes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kulGJ5wZSDM
“Gautam Buddha said as his last statement: “Be a light unto yourself.” The day I leave the body please remind me, so that I can make my last statement: “Be a joke unto yourself.” That is far more joyful than being a light unto yourself. What are you going to do with a light? Light your cigars, or burn people’s houses?
But being a joke unto yourself, you will be a bliss for everyone.”
And the geeks shall inherit the Earth http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/28/1316904/-And-the-geeks-shall-inherit-the-Earth
How to communicate with your cat https://learni.st/users/58/boards/38012-how-to-communicate-with-your-cat?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=paid_cpc&utm_campaign=lifestyle
Southampton to play homeopathic football http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/southampton-to-play-homeopathic-football-2014072989017
.
All of Britain sleeping in fridge http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/health/britain-sleeping-in-fridge-2014072588907
Britons impressed by big percentages http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/britons-impressed-by-big-percentages-2014072989011
Colin Powell Initially Kept In The Dark About CIA Interrogation Practices, Report Finds http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/30/colin-powell-cia_n_5635636.html
Why Bad New York Cops Can Get Away With Abuse http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/30/nypd-accountability_n_5630665.html
-Physicists unlock nature of high-temperature superconductivity http://phys.org/news/2014-07-physicists-nature-high-temperature-superconductivity.html
Hundertwasser’s Odd Architecture http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/europe-s-oddest-architect
“Why Guardians of the Galaxy is the one film you should watch this week – video” http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2014/jul/31/guardians-galaxy-film-you-should-watch-video-review
-Do you recognise the seventies soundtrack? It was made by a swedish band, the first Swedish international pop hit, predating ABBA.
The band should have capitalised on the success by an American tour, but was already booked up in Sweden and thought it would be rude to cancel. By the time they had opportunity to go on tour to USA, they had already been forgotten.
Lesson. Never be polite!
A third crater spewing methane has been found in Siberia.
International Business Times link.
If the stars are holes in the curtain of night, that makes God a pretty poor seamstress, don’t you think?
Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsberg
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/notorious-ruth-bader-ginsburg-loves-her-internet-celebrity
Scroll down for video.
Flaws are proof it’s handmade.
Crip Dyke
Fishnets.
That’s all.
(I think your point still stands, though…)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/reaganbook-faceboot-patriots-offline
ReaganBook: ‘The Facebook For Patriots’ is already Offline
ReaganBook was mentioned earlier on this thread. I think you can tell by the announcement what the problem was/is, and why they took it offline:
Oh, CD, you and your holy-war-provoking ways.
God would be a crappy tailor. Because he’s a man, of course.
That was weird. I swear I commented after allayouse other decent folks.
CaitieCat
I still think it funny that a woman tailor would be a tailless (double L for clarity).
Everyone probably already knows this, but just in case here’s an update. Yes, the House of Congress did vote to sue President Obama. They voted to do so late yesterday.
House votes to sue Obama for doing a thing they wanted to have happen.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/31/1318000/-Jon-Stewart-takes-on-corporate-inversion
If you’re wondering about #631, my Big Little asked me to write something random. That seemed to fit.
One example of why we are seeing so many refugees crossing the southern border of the U.S.:
The mother quoted above, Carolina, brought her daughters to the USA, making an arduous journey of more than 1000 miles to cross the border illegally because that was less risky than staying in El Salvador.
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2014/07/31/3463460/migrant-womans-story/
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-gang30oct30-story.html#page=1
Moments of Mormon Madness: the largest private ESL (English as a Second Language) school in Utah has fired a teacher for explaining homophones in an online presentation.
From the reader comments section:
Koch brothers restricting the airing of political ads they don’t like?
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/democratic-pac-sees-koch-influence-behind-scuttled-tv-ads-20140730
More WTF moments courtesy of Republican politicians and rightwing online outlets:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/steve-king-build-tent-city-house-child-migrants
hello.
I’m looking forward to two weeks (+/- a couple of days) of hell that is clients taking a bigger bite than they can chew and then expecting me and my colleagues to save their collective ass.
But then it’s vacation time! Yes, oh yes I’m looking forward to that muchly.
Oh noes, my comment got into the spam or naughty filter. And it wasn’t even any questionable stuff in there.
Anyway, I’m abroad again (for certain definitions of abroad, it’s Bosnia). Two difficult weeks ahead, but then I’m off to vacation. Whew
carlie,
That does not sound like a coincidence. Maybe an armadillo mass suicide.
In other news, I have a very short and irrelevant story to share. I recently interacted with a receptionist here and I had to follow up on something with an e-mail to her, so I looked her up in our internal register… turns out her middle name is “Unique”, which I found genuinely awesome. I was considering mentioning this in my email as a p.s. because I figured it might flatter her somehow. However, not knowing American customs too well, I asked a friend of mine if that would be inappropriate – this is the text exchange.
Me: Haha the receptionist’s name at the -x- office is -x- Unique -x-! How awesome is that? Also, is it rude to point out to her that it’s awesome? :D
He: Hmm… maybe. Is she black? I would say don’t point it out if she’s black. Black people’s names are the butt of many racist jokes. If not you’re probably fine.
Me: Damn it. Yes she is. I would have so loved to point that out, it’s genuinely awesome :)
He: Lol yeah I know…
Would you agree to the issue that it’s a bad idea to bring that up? It is hard for me to put myself in her position, but I can see that it can make somebody uncomfortable given the context… obviously, I would not have made a pun out of the name, but just mentioned that I like it, basically. Also note that I am usually extra careful in interactions with people with a service job, because they essentially have to be friendly to you as part of their job description, i.e. there is a form of power differential I never exploit. In this case, it would have been on her to pick up on the comment or not, so I could have justified it I think…
Also, there was a movie someone linked here like three years ago which had the name issue as a topic… can anyone recall what it was called?
Gorogh,
I would err on the side of caution and not mention anything. Even without possible racial issues, she must have heard comments about her name a zillion times already.
If you want to be nice, send her a thank you note/email for whatever she helped you with (if applicable to the situation).
Beatrice, that sounds like a sound advice. As a matter of fact, I omitted the comment anyway, we had a nice email exchange without it (turns out we have the same birthday – one day in last week – as she found out on a form of mine, so she congratulated me).
As to the “must have heard it a zillion times already”, yeah… I sort of expect that, so I usually preface any such comment by saying something to that regard and try to make it funny somehow… but you’re right. It’s not very creative, it was just that I felt happy reading the name and wanted to communicate that. But the question of whether someone wants to hear it is certainly valid.
If I were totally set on telling her my opinion, I’d do it in person, not in e-mail, so she can see my smile in my eyes and mouth and know that I’m genuine, and not mocking. Because I’d be willing to bet she’s heard “I love your name!” in mockery about a kajillion x 10^23 times.
But yeah, honestly, it’s probably best not, in the same sense that it is fraught to offer compliments on appearance to people you don’t know (“Wow, you look great! Lost a bunch of weight, huh? Love the look!” – “I’ve had a grave flareup of colitis, and had to have a portion of my intestine removed, I’ve been in intensive care”).
Maybe she hates her name. Maybe she’s been bullied about it. Since you can’t know…probably best to just quietly enjoy it. My birth name was one such; it was unusual, and it was highly mockable (it rhymed with a lot of to-twelve-year-old “funny things”). I loathed it, and I hated being told people liked it for its unusualness. One of the best things about transition was having a mom-defendable reason to change my names.
Of course, I picked one that’s traditional in my family as well as enjoyable to me, in the same hope of mom-approval, with the end result of her not speaking to me – not a word – for twelve years. So much for hope.
-=-=-
Depression’s been riding me hard. I have stuff I need to do, and I just can’t seem to get past the pain and sit down to get them done. Been lying in bed more, and I need to stop that (brought my laptop back out ot the living room for that purpose) when it’s not needed. Sometimes I need to be horizontal, but I need to treat it as recharge time, not “ah-fuckit-I-may-as-well-stay-in-bed-cause-I’ll-only-have-to-come-back-here-in-five-hours” time.
I wonder if someone with a bit of time or knowledge might be able to send me a template or a single link explaining a simple but effective academic-style CV? I need it for a job prospect, but I honestly have little idea how to do one, since my academic career ended so many years ago, before I really got rolling. And I simply don’t have the get-up-and-go to search and sift for myself, especially as I don’t have the knowledge to choose among what I find. These are the little kinds of ways that class background add up to make trying to get out of it more frictive: I don’t have a relative or mentor who could help me learn this task, or model it for me in any way.
Damnit, that’s not fair. It shouldn’t still hurt enough 22 years later that I cry just writing about its existence (my choice between an academic career and transition; I chose transition, because I’d have almost certainly not survived an academic career in drag). Guh.
Fuck, I hate depression.
Sorry. Don’t mean to be a bummer, just…maybe it’s better to mention it than just sit on it by myself and feel worse?
Really, really hard to click Submit Comment here. Isn’t that ridiculous? Guh. Here I go. If you can read this, it worked.
CaitieCat, may I offer you a hug? You certainly have my sympathies for your emotional situation… I have a tendency for depression, too (privileged as I am; it’s really pathetic on an objective scale, but suffering is not objective, thank you very much Richard). Also, as for pain and depression – my father has had hip problems for quite a few years (even with an incident where he rammed a scissor in his stomach on a Friday afternoon at work after everyone had left… never got quite clear if it was with suicidal intent – probably not, since that would have been one painful way to die) and severe pain from it, followed by depression. Then, hip replacement – depression gone. Like, totally. Back to his old humorous, light-hearted (if a bit superficial) self.
What I want to say is: I know what pain can do to people, and I am very sorry.
If you would be interested in a “late vocation” researcher’s CV, I could send you mine, but I have no real experience in the politics/procedures involved in hiring decisions, so a more senior person should probably chip in. I’m just a post-doc.
Your opinion about the name question is much appreciated. I give compliments very sparingly (well in real life in any case… it’s much easier anonymously online), but I recently decided that I should do it more, because it hopefully makes people feel good. Still new to the area, though.
As to your own name, that’s a sad story with your mother. Are you speaking again by now?
Also,
Yes that’s much better! Can only speak for myself, of course, but… whatever consolation I can provide I will provide, and I can’t if you don’t say anything…
Crip Dyke @640
Well, your 631 didn’t strike me as out-of-character or unusual for you, to be honest…
CaitieCat
Dammit, you remind me I need to get that chocolate back on its way.
In the meantime, *giant hugs* if that will help!
Gorogh
I like you.
I recommend the Scottish “numpty” – origin unknown, and somehow just sounds right.
Two postscripta to Tony @618 and rq @621…
Tony, not my music, but I can see why someone would like it. Wife just posted me Thin Line from Honeyhoney… not necessarily what I listen too frequently either, but I’m just putting it out there because I found it pretty decent. Vaguely reminded me of some, I don’t know, Lousiana blues or something. But then I am a barbarian when it comes to music.
rq, thanks for that pangolin link. Another word I learned, and damn it, that pup looks chilled out. I’m envious. I’d need two Mojitos to be that relaxed.
Thanks, Gorogh, and hugs gratefully (if gentle) accepted. There’s this spot on my left side (your right arm) that makes me jump out of my skin with alarm if it’s touched, and unfortunately it’s right in a comfortable spot to put one’s arm while hugging a tall-ish person (I’m 5’9″, currently, but shrinking because of my back – current estimates are that I’ll end up at 5’6″ or so, from my original 5’1l”).
Anyway, yes, my mother…sort of. We exchange e-mails a few times a year. She lives about 100km away, but we’ve seen one another only three times. Twice, at the twelve-year mark, when she thought she was dying, and asked me to come to the hospital. And then once, about five years ago, we had dinner together. I have a picture from that night, the only picture I have of my mother and I together. She has (and can keep) all my childhood pics, and I didn’t keep any of my adult pics. It wasn’t safe to, in those days, not and also be a public figure, even in a minor way, on a controversial topic (gay rights in 1994). And I didn’t really want them anyway, though I wish I’d kept a single shot somewhere of myself in uniform. Wouldn’t show anybody, but it’d be a nice keepsake, and I’d feel much more safe about owning it now than I did then.
My sister has contacted me directly about half a dozen times. About seven years into the Great Freeze-Out, she sent me an e-mail with the inspiring and touching text, “Is that you? Really?”
So yeah. When I say “my family”, I mean the people I’ve chosen to spend my life with. When I mean my mother and sister, I say FOO or Family of Origin. And my mother’s second husband, him, I just ignore completely, as he has me for the last…twenty-two years now. I’m good with that; he’s kind of a corporatist fascist, makes a quarter of a million a year these days as a mortgage broker in some rich community, and I’ve always known better than to ask him for a dime. Given that he and my mother refused – though they could have, and their refusal meant I couldn’t go, because means-testing included parents until you were 25 – to support my university education, and that was before my transition, and after being vile on the phone the day I told them, he’s not spoken a single word to me…yeah, I’m good with that.
Instead, I have a family of Her Ex-Cellency, and MyMouse, and RayRay, and two “step”kids (we never called it that, nor do they) and two foster kids and some partners and four grandkids and some people who just love me and call me sister and yeah. Much better way to have a family, in my estimation. Why should I be stuck with the family I was born into? I didn’t get any choice in the matter, we don’t share tastes in anything (my sister married a guy who has an SS-lightning-flash keyring, ffs), we don’t enjoy one another’s company (well, they do each other), so *shrug*…I’ll take a community of people with whom I do share those things.
(somewhat TMI thing below, SFW)
I’m also grumpy today because of one of the side effects of taking opiates – if you’ve ever seen Trainspotting, you’ll know the bit I mean (NSFW, disturbing imagery) – having its occasional seriously unpleasant effect today.
In lieu of anything more TMI, let me invoke the image of a small creek, flowing through a culvert under a road. Bits of brush and such, dislodged by something (oxy-something), float into the culvert and up against the grating, eventually blocking it.
For a short while, nothing, then POW it all comes whooshing through at once. This, of course, dislodges more brush, and the cycle of (life) begins anew.
So yeah. Imagine how awesome it is to be having cramps on top of a particularly bad week for pain. Cramping means spasms, spasms mean pain, pain means spasms. Feedback can be a really bad thing sometimes.
Hu… rq @653, not sure why you say that but thank you. Don’t like myself usually, so that means something to me.
CaitieCat, *hugs*
Here she/he comes!!!! Is it to morbid to bet on how long it takes to get to the west?
******
[1] WHO update
Date: Tue 29 Jul 2014
Source: WHO/AFRO [edited]
http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/epidemic-a-pandemic-alert-and-response/outbreak-news/4236-ebola-virus-disease-west-africa-29-july-2014.html
Ebola virus disease, West Africa — update 29 Jul 2014
——————————————————
The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to monitor the evolution of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria. The Ebola epidemic trend in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea remains precarious, with continuing community and health-facility transmissions of infection.
Between 24-27 Jul 2014, a total of 122 new cases (suspect, probable, and laboratory-confirmed cases) as well as 57 deaths were reported from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.
– Guinea, 12 new cases including 5 deaths;
– Liberia, 25 new cases including 2 deaths;
– Sierra Leone, 71 new cases including 5 deaths.
These numbers include laboratory-confirmed, probable and suspect cases of, and deaths from, EVD.
As of 27 Jul 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to EVD in the 4 countries stood at 1323 including 729 deaths.
The distribution and classification of the cases are as follows:
– Guinea, 460 cases (336 confirmed, 109 probable, and 15 suspected) including 339 deaths;
– Liberia, 329 cases (100 confirmed, 128 probable, and 101 suspected) including 156 deaths;
– Sierra Leone, 533 cases (473 confirmed, 38 probable, and 22 suspected) including 233 deaths;
– Nigeria, 1 probable case who died.
CaitieCat, gentle hugs.
And hooray for telling the family of origin to fuck off. I did the same thing, after much abuse of several kinds. I chose some different folks to be my family of choice and we share love and life and laughs and tears.
Gorogh, the range of the armadillo has been rapidly extending northward. Where they used to be more-or-less restricted to Texas and Parts Further South, their remains now litter the highways here in Missouri.
*pause*
I guess it’s possible that it isn’t range extension at all, but that there is a Dead Armadillo Fairy who roams the highways in the night with a basket of dead armadillos for Strategic Placement.
Or it could be the work of some(human)one with a seriously odd sense of humor, lotsa time on their hands, a large and assured supply of dead armadillos, and the ability to focus on a goal relentlessly.
–
Tony!:
*snortle*
–
rq:
Oh.
Shit.
I thought that, with the discontinuation of the Centaur Project, They had given up Their efforts to hybridize with humans.
People, we are in danger.
Terrible, terrible danger.
(Later)
Or a seamstress.
*ahem*
–
carlie:
I counted two in the 3 1/2 miles between home and work.
–
*soft hugs&chocolate&kittens* with sympathy&encouragement for CaitieCat.
Yes, indeed! At the least, you don’t have to feel so alone with it.
We’re here for you.
–
CaitieCat, also sending (very gentle) hugs (very carefully administered, if acceptable). Hope you get a good long less-severe interval asap. Chronic pain fucks up everything so damn much (looking at partner, and multiplying everything up thinking of you).
Gorogh, you’re good people. What you thought, wrote and did re the name thing is just a tiny example of that, I think.
Thanks, Beatrice and rq, much appreciated. Seriously.
Gorogh, the main thing I need out of the CV thing is someone who can point me to a single source where I can find something easy about how to put it together. I don’t have the spoons for a search-and-sift to find a good one, or the skills to evaluate the competence of what I’d find if I borrowed the spoons from next week. I’m not an academic myself, though I frequently work with them, and this is for that purpose. The company I’d be applying to is one which hires academic editors, so I need to present myself as suitable to be among them, despite my shortage of degrees.
On a completely other note, my temporary flatmate Craig is producing a film festival for short films (10 minutes or less) October 10th-12th, depending on how many submissions he gets. The website is here, newly opened just now, when he came into the living room and said “Hey, go see the new site!”. The rule on acceptability is “no promotion of violence or hate”, but otherwise, it’s anything goes.
So there’s that. If you know any filmmakers, they’re seeking either English-language or subtitled-in-English films, and we’re willing to work to provide translation if we can for films needing subtitles. There’s a small entry fee, to cover booking the cost of a presentation cinema and other production costs, but it really is a pretty small fee (CAD50-, about EUR35 or USD 45). He’s done them before, with local films, but this is the first time he’s taking international applications.
More WTF moments, courtesy of rightwing dunderheads.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/michele-bachmann-claims-president-obama-wants-use-unaccompanied-children-medical-experiments
Need to lie down (for a short while!), but I’ll be back next thread. Love to you all, and thanks.
CC
I got the fee wrong!
It’s FIVE Canadian dollars. :)
FIVE. Sorry.
CaitieCat, gentle hugs. I’ll just open my arms, you do the rest.
Bill Weir of CNN sent out this tweet yesterday:
Maybe I’ll just stroke CaitieCat’s hand and forego the hugs altogether. [commences stroking]
CaitieCat:
Much love and hugs (if desired). So sorry about the depression.
****
CaitieCat & morgan:
I’m glad both of you found families to love and respect you for the wonderful people you are.
****
John:
Given that we’re talking about a virus that results in death quite often, I’d say yes. For it to reach the west, it would think it would continue infecting and killing people. I’d rather it didn’t do that (not saying you hope it will continue to kill people; this is just where I’m coming from)
****
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/07/kris-anka-offers-limited-edition-ladies-of-x-print/
Another addition to WTF moments from rightwing politicians. This one is from Louie Gohmert.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/louie-gohmert-claims-central-american-youth-are-lying-about-violence
Daily Kos’s take on Gohmert’s comments.
@Tony! The Queer Shoop
Agreed, from what I have heard on “This week in Virology” and “This week in Parasitism” all credit to PHD’s Vincent Racaniello and Dicksom Despommier, two science Professors at Columbia University Medical Center. The Virus will hopefully evolve into a less virulent strain as it successfully (meaning duplicating itself)and tragically burns its swath threw west Africa. I won’t propagate where the betting is going on but I “bet” you know…
CaitieCat
*hugs* . Likewise.
Cicely
May be moving soon, found a place that’s cheaper that we’re applying to. Current landlords raised the rent this month. Also, the wheel the asshole left is way the hell out of alignment, so I need to get that fixed and replaced, joy of joys.
Gentle, gentle hugs.
If I may say so, I kind of pity your FOO. Because they don’t know what they are missing.
Not caught up, just skimmed.
*honeybush tea & chocolate for CaitieCat*
50 million years of incredible shrinking theropod dinosaurs! Tet Zoo post, Theropoda post (in Italian), paper in Science, “Perspectives” article in Science. Both blog posts are by coauthors of the paper.
Holy crap. Yeah, Megaloptera sounds about right.
That’s a feeling I don’t understand. I’m sure I’d benefit from understanding it, because it seems to be common…
Pangolins.
I bet it’s from “numbskull”.
Of course, the above is addressed to Caitie. Silly me
David:
Look around the Lounge. What do you see?
People sharing their joys. Their frustrations. Their excitement. Their jobs. Their love lives. Their talents. Their passions.
There is a special place in my heart for this place and the people here. As a result, I chose to share with people that I found someone attractive. I shared a part of my life with people.
Isn’t that what we do here?
Dalillama:
I hope the move is quick n easy, with the least amount of stress.
NEW THREAD.