The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Wild Card => Topic started by: AugustWest on June 28, 2013, 02:28:00 pm
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Yes. Yes I did.
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Yeah, but why?
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About goddamn time!
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What, more than 1000 pages and the site crashes? And Jough is too busy with his twin mini-mes to fix it?
Oh, and while I otherwise think it's awesome that Jough and Mrs. Jough had twins--you made them Facebook pages? Really? What the shit?! Are you a 15-year-old girl?
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So is this today I'm gonna? Two things- clean my house and play softball for the second time- this time I am cold swinging for the fences every time, no more 2-4 with 2 singles bullshit (should have been 3-4 with 3 singles, but I stepped on the inside first base on this infield single and got called out, didn't know that you had to step on outside base. Should infield singles really count in softball tho?). Also, LFM, follow dejas advice on page 1000.
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He's a 15 year old geek. He creates websites on a whim.
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Today I remembered that, contra what I had told you guys, I did tell someone to fuck off once! This anarchist punk girl was talking about how much she wanted to torture and dismember her landlord for being exploitative bourgeois scum. I told her to get the fuck out of my house, and think about how she was talking about a human being with feelings and a life and a family.
She got really upset and apologized and always looks worried around me now. Anger can get things done once in a while.
Maybe at the end of the month my doctor is going to say "it was placebo pills all along-- but I'll bet you got tons of work done instead of drinking and smoking pot, right!?"
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Today, I've come to terms with the fact that my parody of The Band's The Weight about blowing a load on a tranny is my big crowd pleaser.
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Today, I've come to terms with the fact that my parody of The Band's The Weight about blowing a load on a tranny is my big crowd pleaser.
Hilarious!
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Today I'm gonna wish I could come up with a better title for a new Today I'm Gonna thread before this one takes on a life of its own, and then realize that that would be totally not in the spirit of the thing that we have built here.
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Should infield singles really count in softball tho?).
Hell yes. A hit's a hit. Jack up that batting average.
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coincidentally this thread shares a name with my wifi lan
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Batting average is a sham empty suit stat. Pumping up that on base percentage, however, is perfectly cromulent.
Probably like every third episode of the (s1-8) Simpsons has either a real word I am not familiar with or a word they made up. Unfortunately, I never improve my vocabulary by remembering the real word- I am very good, however, at remembering the fake words. Also, softball didn't go great, coulda definitely used an infield single.
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My roommates went to a concert while i was at work and brought home an adorable college band to sleep on our couches. They are all so young and obviously impressed by our slacker postgrad life. Being cool is so made-up.
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Unfortunately, I never improve my vocabulary by remembering the real word- I am very good, however, at remembering the fake words.
Ten cans for your trouble.
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Being cool is the MOST made-up thing.
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here's something cool: i have in my possession the very first prints of my own artwork. they're both proofs and they're both wrong, but i don't even care. i've already corrected them and sent the updates, so i should have the first batch next week!
and as soon as they pay for themselves, i'm going to order a shit ton more prints in a couple of sizes.
sure would be nice to not have to do this AND a full-time job - but then, my full-time job is pretty cherry too.
is 2013 a good year for most of you? it's been pretty damned good at casa choop.
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Are one of those mine?
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Unfortunately, I never improve my vocabulary by remembering the real word-
Sounds like you need to embiggen your lexicon.
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Are one of those mine?
sorry bud not yet, but soon i promise :) i'm still gonna need your address.
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Oh yeah, that might be helpful.
paul don't put your address on the internet - choop
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I'm gonna dump this (http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/9194382397_1dd8d17477_o.jpg) here because I want to brag on my photoshop skills, but I can't show this to the general public.
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OH YES THEY DID! (http://www.villapark.org/fireworks-permits/)
What constitutes "Safe and Sane" fireworks? Like snakes and sparklers and bottle rockets? I have these things that I got suckered into buying awhile back. They're called like "M5000!" or some shit and look like dynamite. But when they go boom it just lets out a poof of sparkly fairy dust.
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Yes, I am going to buy $50 of stuff to burn.
Crazy, right.
put 'em on your head (http://www.flickr.com/photos/20698962@N00/8129382684/).
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I'm gonna dump this (http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/9194382397_1dd8d17477_o.jpg) here because I want to brag on my photoshop skills, but I can't show this to the general public.
Niiiiice. I might have you hot up some of my pics at some point, if you will do it as a favor. You do good work.
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I'm gonna dump this (http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/9194382397_1dd8d17477_o.jpg) here because I want to brag on my photoshop skills, but I can't show this to the general public.
Impressive!
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My DJ roommates are teaming up with some artist friends for their big art opening. As a promotion they took videos of various friends of mine dancing alone in front of a plain white wall.
I heard a country song the other day with a line like "city boys know how to dance, they've got all kinds of fancy moves-- but I'm a hillbilly. I just jump up and down and grin real big."
Watching my friends dance is pretty painful. No one should have to watch themselves dance alone without music (we have only seen the videos with shitty audio, they are adding the music back on in editing). I think the promotion is something about how you don't have to be a good dancer to have fun. At least I hope it is.
I'll be sure to let you guys know when mine is posted. I like to think I am a good dancer, but this video suggests otherwise.
While they took other peoples' videos we raced our bikes around the 2nd floor of the big abandoned brewery where they have their studio. That was fun as hell.
(http://media.connectingstlouis.com/500/lemp-brewery.jpg)
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Niiiiice. I might have you hot up some of my pics at some point, if you will do it as a favor. You do good work.
I would love to do that.
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Today I brought face paint to the fireworks with me so I could paint my kids' faces, and my niece and nephew's faces, while we waited for fireworks to start. I ended up painting two random kids' faces and one of their moms loved my work so much she insisted that I take $5 in payment. I told her that I just paint faces for fun and I never charge, but she really insisted so I used it to buy my kids ice cream.
Felt good, though. It's always nice to have your work validated.
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Today I brought face paint to the fireworks with me so I could paint my kids' faces, and my niece and nephew's faces, while we waited for fireworks to start. I ended up painting two random kids' faces and one of their moms loved my work so much she insisted that I take $5 in payment. I told her that I just paint faces for fun and I never charge, but she really insisted so I used it to buy my kids ice cream.
Felt good, though. It's always nice to have your work validated.
There were probably professional face painters working the scene and they would have charged $5 for each and they are almost certainly not any better than you.
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Today I will wait for a lady to call me so we can go out on what could probably be described as a date. I gave her my number on facebook and said: "hey if you feel like doing something tomorrow call me". I know this is not how it's done, I should have asked her out and suggested something already, but I forgot how to have fun (also the basics of socio-sexual interactions) and had no idea of what young ladies might consider fun on a Friday night (bad sign, I know).
Also yesterday I friendzoned a woman (more like a girl) for the first time in me life, it was the most retarded thing, I blamed mental issues (which could be true, in a way). I don't know how you guys do this. Such a mess.
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Our neighborhood sounded like a damn war zone last night. Used to be our neighbors across the street set off a ton of fireworks, but they've all but given it up. Someone in the cul-de-sac behind us has picked up the mantle, though. You could hear stuff going off all over the neighborhood, but these people were SERIOUS--you would hear the FOOM of one taking off and just know that it was going to be huge. And now my yard is covered in little bits of paper and ash.
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There were probably professional face painters working the scene and they would have charged $5 for each and they are almost certainly not any better than you.
I didn't see any pros -- out of courtesy, I don't bring out my stuff if there's a booth set up -- but one of the moms had gone downtown and had her face done this afternoon. When I did her daughter's to match, she said, 'Oh, wow, that's better than mine." I sort of agreed but you never want to rag on another painter's work. Especially when she probably painted 100 faces and I only painted six.
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Sorry man, fireworks excite me.
As I was finishing that post, I thought "I am leaving the door open for something here." Figured you would walk through it.
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I guess if I am not impressed by this video but the cute girl who made it said "you are such a good dancer" it breaks even. I don't think she chose my best move. (http://vimeo.com/69815703) (the second guy.)
Look at that ass shake.
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That was fabulous tar tar!
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Quality. You need a new barber though.
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My newest band is playing our first show in almost exactly a month in a pretty big town about 4 hours away from our city. This is my third band that will play a show- the first broke up right after because our bass player/singer/my best friend and current roommate stopped being able to play bass without hell of pain. My second band, well it was complicated, but one person was leaving for the summer and I thought we would never be a band when she came back (and I was right!), so I just wanted to play one show for fun or not to make the previous six months a complete waste, or whatever. This band, this band is actually really good? IDK, we sound like a professional band? I showed my dad one of our jams (an improv jam, I don't call our songs jams) and he was legitimately impressed. Like, he will say he likes everything, but you could tell he really, really liked this, or at least was impressed I wasn't a complete fuck up. Everyone in the band showed it to a few people and everyone thought it was awesome- for real awesome, not just being nice awesome. Multiple people said you all should be playing, when can I see you, etc.,etc.
I guess this is good news? I am pretty happy, just don't want it to fuck up again.
Oh, also, we are opening for the most popular band in this town, expecting like 50-100 people. I have so much stage fright. Our first show was for, IDK, 15 people? I looked up once, made eye contact with someone in the audience and looked down and did not look back up. Our second show was for 25-30, I didn't look up once! I play bass now so it is more socially acceptable to hide, but I also have a pretty big, blond afro, which generally makes people notice me, even if I am not performing for them. Any advice would be awesome.
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smoke A LITTLE weed before you go up and ignore the audience, just play your heart out. if you're that good, they'll enjoy it. don't smoke too much, like two hits off a good bong should do. as long as you're playing your best, fuck 'em if they don't groove to it.
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exciting night
-ran into a girl from the internet dating site at a party. She did not recognize me, and was on a date with my friend. Awkward. It is weird seeing a lady I have been internet flirting with making googoo eyes at another dude.
-these punk shitheads were trying to pick fights with various of us, and everyone left feeling major bar-fight blueballs. The whole time I kept thinking "if I start working out now, maybe in 2 years I can kick one of these guys's ass." Dude like 5 inches taller than me picking on small ladies and cussing and trying to say I had challenged him to a fight. ughhhhhh. had the thought that I could hit one of them over the head with my bike lock. I do not normally have the impulse to hurt people. Feels bad. Leaving I looked to my left and saw one of my small female friends standing down the street surrounded by these punk dudes, demanding that they apologize for being such dicks. Uhhh. Went and stood close and made sure they saw me, as if I would know what to do if anything happened.
I wish I had been more aggressively wimpy. "hey man, yeah, go for it. You've probably got what, 50 pounds on me? I've never punched someone before, I'll bet beating me up would make you feel really good about yourself."
and yeah, I need to get someone to clean up this buzzcut. And trim my beard.
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Imagine everyone in the crowd with the genitals opposite their gender presentation.
Tension broken.
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http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=3042
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Go naked. Once you get up there it's all gravy.
I so wish I had the balls to go naked.
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I so wish I had the balls to go naked.
Forgive me if I've told this story already.
Back in the day my band is playing a house party. We're in the far end of the basement, the four of us crammed in a space that's about seven feet wide. We're halfway through the set and there are maybe two people watching us--everyone else is out on the back patio, where the keg is.
We finish a song, and the bass player puts down his bass, strips naked, and puts the bass back on (which thankfully covered his crotch). So now I'm standing right next to our naked bass player. "Dude, what?" I ask. "I dunno, something to do." It worked, though, because one of the two people watching us immediately ran upstairs, and by the end of the set the basement was FULL. Even better, the back end of his strap gave way during the last song, so he was down on one knee, trying to play and shield his junk at the same time.
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That is so punk rock.
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dude, vegas during the summer is a bitch of a mistake. even worse, there was a heat wave while we were there. 117 degree air is something i never want to experience again.
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There's a pool like, every 10 feet in Vegas. No need to be overheated.
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I just had this conversation with my spouse:
"Sweet Scrubbing Bubbles, that tub was dirty!"
"How dirty was it?"
"Let's just say that if the ring I scrubbed out if it were any darker, I'd have had to throw the whole tub into Mt. Doom."
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last summer it got up to like 113 here. That was pretty hellacious.
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It got up to 107 here last week, but it's calmed down since then. Where's that confounded pool.
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Here's another photoshop before and after (http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/9244166237_9019679388_o.jpg).
Dang, I was going to stretch her neck out, but I forgot to do it. Oh well, the next one I will!
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That looks like it was a lot of work (no disrespect to your model). The touch up removing the roll of back fat visible under her arm is a little too sharp though. It looks a bit like a perfect arc from using a circular cropping tool.
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That looks like it was a lot of work (no disrespect to your model). The touch up removing the roll of back fat visible under her arm is a little too sharp though. It looks a bit like a perfect arc from using a circular cropping tool.
Thank you for your input. I agree with you. You're actually seeing two different operations, I used the pen tool and clone stamp on the lower bulge and the liquify tool on the armpit, but yeah, it's too sharp. It's the weakest part of the edit. I let it slide because I was hoping no one would notice and I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you probably wouldn't have noticed either had you not been alerted to it and also had a before and after side by side reference photo.
But it does serve as a reminder that I still have a lot to learn about this kind of work. Even when you think you're getting away with something someone will notice. How could I have been so arrogant. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go bury this photo in the yard. :P
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Is there a thread for discussing creative endeavors an' shit? I thought we had one where Nabu and AW were discussing their musical excursions. I got a track to post but I don't want to clutter things up just anywhere.
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Today I might have accidentally "invited" a few of you to learn spanish with me. It was a mistake. I thought I was looking at a list of friends who already used the site.
Anyway, Duolingo is cool. I am brushing up on my Spanish. I wish it had some more out-there languages.
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No Japanese, phooey on that.
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It looks like fun - leveling up in a language. I'm doing Spanish as well. Took it through middle and 3yrs high school. I'm going to try and "test out" of as much basics as possible, just to see what my retention over 27 years has been.
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It looks like fun - leveling up in a language. I'm doing Spanish as well. Took it through middle and 3yrs high school. I'm going to try and "test out" of as much basics as possible, just to see what my retention over 27 years has been.
I like the leveling up method as well. Works great in Code Academy.
Also, Inev, The Daily Show has informed me that your people have an insatiable desire for mayonnaise. What is the deal?
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What part of "thread locked" don't you guys understand? We all need to stop to cease all discussion of our own lives, henceforth. From now on, until further notice, the topic is what someone else "d'int" do. Even if "d'int" was misspelled in the thread topic...
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Well hell, they locked the TIG thread, where else are we gonna do this?
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What part of "thread locked" don't you guys understand? We all need to stop to cease all discussion of our own lives, henceforth. From now on, until further notice, the topic is what someone else "d'int" do. Even if "d'int" was misspelled in the thread topic...
Today I d'int tell my girlfriend that even when the oxytocin wears off I still think she is an incredibly beautiful person. And I d'int smoke for the 200th day in a row. So there.
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today I di'nt drink any beer, but yesterday I drank one. Nothing bad happened. Before that, I di'nt drink any liquor for 22 days.
yesterday I also popped a tire on my bike for the first time ever. At 1 am in an unfamiliar neighborhood. But it was fine, I walked towards home while my roommate rode home and got the car to get me.
In 3 or 4 days I am at the level of Spanish I was at in middle school. For some reason in every language conjunctions and prepositions really screw me up. Hopefully Spanish doesn't have as many as Latin.
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Doomie, Doomie, you've stayed away so long you've forgotten that threads wandering off topic is practically the fundamental point of this place.
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As far as I'm concerned, threads getting locked is the point. LOCK IT UP, BABY!!!
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As far as I'm concerned, threads getting locked is the point. LOCK IT UP, BABY!!!
You're not the boss of me.
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Oh no, today Doomglobe d'int get his way!
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Today I cleaned a lot of parts of my bike, put in a new tube for the back wheel, and learned a lot about how that thing is put together. This involved driving around town buying parts, walking around and running into some friends, sweating, getting dirty and bug-bitten, buying some other unrelated stuff at the drug store, and taking a super satisfying cold shower with new soap and de-greasing liquid (for bike grease, not my natural grease). Now I'm eating spaghetti with mushrooms and my favorite beer. This was a good day off.
I'm a little worried that I left out some important screw and my bike is going to explode when I am riding it. But it is probably fine.
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Today I'm not gonna stay home. Leaving for New York in a couple hours. Mets game Sunday. Frickin' stoked brah.
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Today I'm not gonna stay home. Leaving for New York in a couple hours. Mets game Sunday. Frickin' stoked brah.
Great. Its always fun when the hoard of hoagie eating cheese whiz covered phillafunk comes to town. The mets could use three lay up wins.
In the news today:
Putrid Piles Of hoss Droppings Bake Under A Scorching Sun In Old City
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If you can fry an egg on a sidewalk, just think what the oppressive heat is doing to other items, such as hoss manure.
On the streets of Old City, the air has been thick with the odor of hosss and the waste they leave behind.
“It just smells,” one man said. “Smells like a dead person. Unbearable…because they don’t bring no water down here to rinse it out, so it just sits there until it dries up and breaks into the sun.”
A tourist attendant near 5th and Market has seen and smelled worse.
“I had somebody come up here on Market Street, and underneath the hosss’ butt is a bag…And the lady that was on the bag right there and just tilt the bag over and put all the dookee in the street,” he recalls. “And just kept it moving. She did that with a customer on her carriage, and I had to clean it up.”
It’s the carriage drivers job to clean up the mess, but streets department trucks also come through Old City twice a day.
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Onstad must be writing the dialogue for Philadelphians these days.
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Today my mom replied to my tweet. I guess fun internet time is over.
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Boo to that. My dad sticks to email only, which is great.
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Oh man, you have no idea how torn I am. My first reaction was HELL NO WAY and then my second reaction was that your mom might be like exactly my age and no one better try to tell me not to tweet to any one of these kids today that I damn well want to tweet to.
Still, if I had an adult child would I follow him on Twitter? I don't think so. Instead I would sneakily check his Twitter feed once in a while to keep up, I think.
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My mother sees everything I do on the internet. Except this place of course. This is my last bastion of privacy on the internet.
Welcome your mother in Inev. It will bring you closer, really it will. I've seen your Facebook, you've nothing to be ashamed of.
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That's because I knew my mom sees my Facebook.
I don't think there is anything shameful on my twitter. I always assume anyone could read it, including local people I want to work with, future bosses, etc. But now every time I want to post a weird joke or angry comment I'm going to imagine my mom reading it. I guess I'll get over that.
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Well I've posted photos on Flickr. Mom's just got to realize it's not always going to be pictures of the grandkids. Sometimes it's a fat naked middle aged man.
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Oh no, today Doomglobe d'int get his way!
Threadar Morghullis
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I wish my mother would internet stalk me a little. She always seems completely unaware of my life, even though I basically make most of it public on facebook.
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Today I'm gonna have an interesting lunch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/9348426590/).
Then I went home and fixed my chair (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/9346557593/)
I also went to a funeral this morning, but I don't have any photographs of that.
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That was one helluva story, dude. And all this because you basically just gave him a 'Hey how you doin'. Guess you just have that kind of face that people can talk to. The kind of face that old racists with fanciful stories of a history that never happened can talk to.
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Guess you just have that kind of face that people can talk to. The kind of face that old racists with fanciful stories of a history that never happened can talk to.
I'm not sure he was a racists. He also mentioned that he was a contributor to KPFT which is not something that a racist would likely ever do, and he was definitely on the side of Mrs. Sanderson. He thought it was so amusing how the entire government of Pasadena got their just desserts.
That was one helluva story, dude. And all this because you basically just gave him a 'Hey how you doin'.
I didn't even give him that. He overheard me talking to the owner and used that to start a conversation with me.
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You sure you don't cut grass though? Seems like Texans ought to be good at that. Maybe with one of those riding mowers. All tricked out with flame-throwing exhaust pipes.
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A few years ago I got an e-mail from my Mom with the subject line "Check out my new blog!" and I was all "OH DEAR LORD NO."
It was actually a forward, for my cousin's new blog. Had my going for a minute though.
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I think asking a man if he cuts grass is kind of like telling him he has a "purdy mouf". Based on the tone of the rest of the story, I'd say it was a deliverance reference.
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I should go back over there and bring my lawn mower with me.
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Today I blew almost $300 on a doctor's appointment, groceries, and refilling a prescription. Being a grown-up sucks. At least one of the groceries was a 6-pack of beer which I am allowed to drink now.
It could be worse, the other day as part of psyching myself up to go to grad school, I looked at apartments in a few cities that have good schools. Yikes, the nice places to live cost a lot. For twice what I pay here, I can get a "1bedroom/??bathroom" in Oakland. "??bathroom" makes me imagine the bedroom has a utility sink in the corner.
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There are cheap places with "communal bathrooms", meaning you share them with other tenants on the floor. I have never lived in such a place.
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One of my friends from Oklahoma moved to San Francisco. He lived on broadway over some strip clubs by that famous bookstore (city lights?) in the part of town Kerouac hung around in. He paid $400 (as in total rent was $800) to share an 8ftX8ft room with one other guy. They had two bathrooms down the hall and a communal kitchen. There were at least 12 units on his floor.
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I've lived in a lot of shared houses and apartments, but that sounds nightmarish. At least if you share the whole apartment there's some chance of pressuring your housemates to keep the bathroom and kitchen relatively clean.
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It made me realize, hey, Denver is pretty rad. I mean, I have a house (i have my own fuck*ng level! my room, bathroom, laundry room and band room.) and a back yard for $100 more.
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One bedroom, shared bath, shared kitchen is how I would describe every house that I and most of my friends ever lived in. Renting a house with housemates (usually) really only gives you "one bedroom" of personal space.
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It's not just about personal space. If you have a housemate and he's horrible, you can eventually get rid of him. If the person who's totally inconsiderate about the common space is just a fellow tenant elsewhere in the building, you're screwed.
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C'mon people say something. I'm editing metadata for a website and I'm bored to death.
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Today I worked 8-4 (which is super early for me) and then went on a 13 mile bike ride. Which, for you non-bikers, is pretty much nothing. Even for my out of shape ass it was pretty easy. What was nice is that it was 6 miles north to the city Velodrome, which is a big (in this case outdoor) bike track. It was funny showing up on our janky used 10-speeds in shorts and t-shirts and watching the fancy bikes go really fast. It was in a Bad Don't Go There part of the city, so I had never biked around the area at all. It was kind of cool cruising through new neighborhoods, waving to little kids and seeing some new sights. The fact that it was in a strange direction made it seem very far away.
Anyway, the racing was cool to watch, and I got to listen to my more knowledgable friends talk about strategy and bike parts and stuff.
I also felt good because it was the first time I rode my bike since I did some repairs on it. Fixing a thing which then carried me across town felt better than most things I do.
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So for today there's just work and then go home for more work (got a gig translating one of Agatha Christie's books).
But last Friday my band had a gig and it almost wasn't awful, which is cool. Like, 6 people appeared, halfway through the set I was already breathless and tired as all hell, thinking "maybe this stuff just isn't as fun as it was". The good part actually was that I got to watch the act for which we were opening. They're a band from Brasilia which I really got into, they have amazing guitars.
Here's us fuck*ng around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0EHw66Gc50 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0EHw66Gc50)
And here's the other band, which I can't recommend enough (their guitars will drive you INSANE. INSAAAAANE!):
1 - https://soundcloud.com/meuamigotigre/kame-hammertime (https://soundcloud.com/meuamigotigre/kame-hammertime)
2 - their full page: https://soundcloud.com/meuamigotigre (https://soundcloud.com/meuamigotigre)
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I'm on an out of state vacation for the second time in 6 weeks. Just weird timing, and I've got PTO coming out of my ears anyway. Still feel vaguely guilty. We have the kids with us this time, and the in-laws, so there is definitely a different feel than Vail. Although we are at altitude again, although its only 4900 feet. Eden, Utah. It's about 20 minutes east of Ogden, and it seems very very quiet.
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looks like i might finally be headed to the pacific northwest this year, for my birthday. portland, seattle, vancouver/victoria, with any luck a stop for some wine along the willamette.
ATL <-> PDX direct round trips aren't expensive, oddly, even on delta. rent a hybrid and take it to canada? sounds like fun to me.
also on the list: helium comedy club, voodoo donuts, got to pick a strip club in portland. pike place market, peet's coffee, don't care about the needle, but maybe the experience music project? vancouver for weeds and more comedy and views and giraffe eatings and to add a country to my list of visiteds.
any recommendations? whoever lives up thataway, pm me here or fb and we can maybe hook up for beers and titties or something.
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Yeah, Miles. Awesome dude. You guys should hook up.
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tig finally stop being sore from climbing and hiking at Baxter this weekend. 3 miles to base camp, 4 miles, 4 pitches, and 4 hours of BW3 the first day, 1 hour of BW3, 5 pitches, and ~11 miles the second. I have cuts and bruises on literally every part of my body. It feels good.
I was in charge of cooking, and I really fucked up dinner for the second night (turns out just leaving dried kidney beans in a ziplock bag full of water does NOT rehydrate them, while you climb all day, it just sort of helps a little, and then you have to waste a ton of fuel cooking them for like an hour)
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My bike and my roommate's bike got stolen. The jackasses took our shitty old used bikes and left my other roommates' really fancy racing bikes that were on the opposite wall.
Weirdly I feel the worst about the fact that my roommate is convinced it was his fault and he left the door open. He isn't sure, but he is blaming himself because he was the last one home. He's trying to say he'll pay for a replacement, etc. Honestly, it was a crappy bike... and right now I'm grateful it wasn't me. When other roommate ran in and said our bikes were gone my first thought was "oh fuck it's my fault, I didn't make sure it was closed."
It's funny, because the last time I rode it (about an hour before it was stolen) I ran into my boss on the way out of the store. He was looking at my bike and I joked that I was waiting for it to be stolen, or broken, so I could buy a new one. The good news is that thing was so cheap that probably anything is going to feel like riding on air. You don't get a lot of bike for $130.
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On further calculation I am out more like $300. Wasn't considering upgrades and lights and stuff. D'oh. Roommate is kicking in the value of the bike.
The other day I had an interaction like "oh hey, inev, have you met our new roommate? She is a small, friendly, curly haired social activist who will chat you up for like an hour about South American history." Between her and her also gorgeous roommates, it is like there is a magnet on my dick heart and their house is north.
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Something doesn't seem right about that. People don't break into houses and only take bikes, and they don't take bad and leave good. Owner of good bike is the one paying? Maybe leave it alone. Owner of other stolen bike is the one paying? Maybe ask owner of good bike for more details on who he/she had over.
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Well, the garage door was fully open, and the nice bike was on the opposite wall. Our reconstruction is that someone was going down the alley, saw the open door, and grabbed the first two bikes he saw. Either in a car or maybe with a friend.
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New bike is awesome. A few different details I need to get used to before I take it out on any big trips (different kind of brake levers, shifters in a different position) and I need to get a harder seat. But overall, really really cool. It is attractive and in much better condition than the old one, and weighs a lot less. Amazing. Less than $100 more than the old one. Plus, super 80's paintjob. Something about the geometry is different in a way that makes it feel a little strange... it feels a lot smaller, but has the same measurements. Maybe I need to move the seat around or angle it.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/971426_10200649207898237_913028266_n.jpg)
Good day. I wish it wasn't totally nasty and muggy out.
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today i finished watching "the thick of it" which i started due to the doctor whom announcement.
tomorrow there's an art stroll in the neighborhood where my missus has her office, so i'm going to call in sick and instead work for my wife, who's trying to buy frames to hang my art, and make and accept phone calls as Sinjin St. James, which is the funniest british-styled name i can think of. St. John St. James is this character's name, come on, that's good. my accent's not bad, especially for atlanta.
My first thought at an incredibly, annoyingly English name was Pippin Macguire.
now, if i recognize a british accent on the other end of the line, i'll say "hold please" and cough and change into a deeper-voiced drawl, a different character named "Danny Junior," who supervises the retail staff.
i expect great fun and no frames, which means i can spend the art stroll just strolling instead of trying to sell the prints i've made, and i'll start trying to do that at next month's art stroll.
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I knew a kid in grammar school named Jolyn (jolly-in) Forsythe. An Aussie, obviously, but I suspect his parents were posh Ex-pats.
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Pedro told me he had a new co-worker named Simon Archer. I immediately blurted out, "Is he British?"
Indeed, he is.
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loving these englisher-than-english names :)
we got some frames though; not what the missus wanted but they're attractive enough anyway. so tonight i'm going to have an ...art show? WTF THIS IS SO FRIGGIN WEIRD
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Right on to all them mmm English girls named Charisse. Blonde english girls with ghetto names, you know what I'm saying? I love that shit.
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Sometimes I have no idea what you guys are talking about.
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Right on to all them mmm English girls named Charisse. Blonde english girls with ghetto names, you know what I'm saying? I love that shit.
fuck*ng excellent.
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Love me some chav arse, innit?
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That is brilliant.
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I really can't do wonky teeth.
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I really can't do wonky teeth.
It's my sexual Kryptonite.
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The other day I had an interaction like "oh hey, inev, have you met our new roommate? She is a small, friendly, curly haired social activist who will chat you up for like an hour about South American history." Between her and her also gorgeous roommates, it is like there is a magnet on my dick heart and their house is north.
This lady just called me up with a feeble pretext for conversation and then asked if I want to hang out this weekend. I think we're getting a drink somewhere after work. Umm.
Meanwhile my new bike lights came and they are absurdly bright. I don't know if STL bikers have wimpy lights, or other cities are more crowded so you need a brighter light, or what. I just read some articles and looked for the most bang for my buck. At this point anyone who hits me from behind must be so drunk they think the guy with the flashing lights is extra points. My front light is so bright that everyone said "whoa!" when I turned it on, on the lowest setting.
Paul, are bad teeth zero-to-hero kryptonite, or hero-to-zero?
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just got back from my art show, i sold a print :)
paul as soon as my initial investment pays for more prints, your weird will be in the mail.
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Paul, are bad teeth zero-to-hero kryptonite, or hero-to-zero?
Definitely hero to zero. Quirky teeth don't bother me too much, but rotted or dirty teeth, ugh! The worst is, at my age everybodys teeth are going bad so it's a pretty rough scene for me.
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Go younger, then. Half your age plus seven, you'll be set.
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Go younger, then. Half your age plus seven, you'll be set.
I do what I can. The last woman I was with was 36 so that would be half +11.
Alternately...
Go younger, then. Half your age plus seven, you'll be set.
In other words you. JL do you want to be my girlfriend?
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oh man, that was an awesome date with an awesome lady. We sat on her porch and drank a beer and talked about st louis politics, and I tried not to notice too much how cute she is, and then I biked home and reveled in how fast and slick my new bike is.
(how cute is she? very cute.)
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Definitely hero to zero. Quirky teeth don't bother me too much, but rotted or dirty teeth, ugh! The worst is, at my age everybody's teeth are going bad so it's a pretty rough scene for me.
You know how you always have to scrape that nasty gore off the sides of your art car? It is because it is such a powerful chick magnet, it is luring the women with good teeth away from you, and then crushing them to death with it's incredible magnetic forces. I don't know what you can do about it though, you can't give up that car, no matter how many innocent lives it takes.
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oh man, that was an awesome date with an awesome lady. We sat on her porch and drank a beer and talked about st louis politics, and I tried not to notice too much how cute she is, and then I biked home and reveled in how fast and slick my new bike is.
(how cute is she? very cute.)
Tell her, not us. Wouldn't you like to hear her say that you are cute? She would like to hear that from you, too.
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I am starting a dating advice column.
(edit: just realized I haven't dated a girl in months)
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i guess i am not getting my tablet next week because we will probably be purchasing a new automobile. booyay!
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What have you been dating then?
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You guys all doing ok? This isn't like you.
Today I rode my bike to the new radio station headquarters at my alma mater. It is a crappy/fancy space with insufficient shelving and not enough space for anything. But I can tell with time it will become home to them. A very cute much-younger DJ remembered me and put a song on that I used to play, and was trying to look at me out of the corner of her eye to see if I noticed. Adorable.
Biking home my light died in the middle of a huge dark park, which sucked. But I am using strava (http://www.strava.com/dashboard) to track my rides, and comparing myself to my friends is really enjoyable. My one roommate smokes everyone, but I am in the middle of the pack compared to most of my other buddies. 2nd fastest time (among people I know) on one particular hill, which is cool. All in all, a great day off. Thursday is GRE practice test day, so today I just chilled out and read fun books.
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WELL LOOK WHO THINKS HE'S WOMBAT
(boring day, nothing much going on. still planning a trip to portland i thought i already mentioned - hadn't i yet? birthday trip.)
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Yes you did. There's a unicycle rider from Portland on this board who you should hook up with. Sorry, I can't remember his handle, dang. Also, of course, Nabu lives there when he's not in the great white north. Definitely you should hook up with him. He's good people.
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tI, do you still make coffee at your job? I've lost track. But a friend of mine posted this today, let me know if you're interested.
FB Friends: Know any baristas? Send them my way! I'm working on a study about coffee next week (Tues-Thurs) and am looking for baristas to participate in the online discussion. Those baristas who qualify and fully participate will make some extra cash! Message me (or have your friends message me) for details.
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Yes you did. There's a unicycle rider from Portland on this board who you should hook up with. Sorry, I can't remember his handle, dang. Also, of course, Nabu lives there when he's not in the great white north. Definitely you should hook up with him. He's good people.
Shawn McBride - smick!
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What have you been dating then?
Mountains.
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If you are a globe I guess the mountains are the tits.
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I know this time that I didn't leave the garage door open, so maybe there is something going on with our garage door. Luckily it was mid-day and nothing is missing.
Today I took a practice GRE test and completely bombed. Hmmm. I felt great the whole time I was taking it.
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If you are a globe I guess the mountains are the tits.
Yougotit!
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Apparently I fucked up a groin joint by biking too much, too hard. Not cool.
Also the 18-year old girl I fell in love last year is really not doing well: deep in a mental haze of confusion and lethargy because of too many prescription psych-meds, sleeping for days on end, getting fatter and fatter due to piss-poor eating habits and zero exercise, with no interests in life except for the most retarded otaku niche subcultures, no work prospects and no motivation (I have stayed the fuck away, and know this only by relayed information). Good job, parents!
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otaku
That rings a bell. Where do I know that from? I'll get back to you.
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If you are a globe I guess the mountains are the tits.
No, the tits attack while on the mountain. (http://achewood.com/index.php?date=04282005)
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That rings a bell. Where do I know that from? I'll get back to you.
You mean like the hikikomori plague? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori
EDIT: I don't mean to say that liking otaku stuff is the bane of youth or anything (I like some manga and anime just fine), but her whole situation is pretty much messed up.
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having people over for a home-game version of churrascuria. two chickens, spatchcocked and each with a different rub, including the coffee one i invented last weekend; bacon-latticed london broil; garlic and rosemary pork loin; three sausages (andouille, boudain, kielbasa). just going to cook them all up and slice them all and pass that shit around the table 'til it's gone. also there's salad but who gives a shit, and coconut macaroons for dessert.
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Had so much fun teaching little kids (and some older ones) how to pass, catch, and scoop with lacrosse sticks that I completely forgot to put sunscreen on my face. Ouch.
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Weird: today is the birthday of 2 different ladies I have had insane, futile crushes on, and also the lady I went on a nice date with last week. Hm.
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third time's the charm maybe? that's a theory that hasn't been tested enough i bet
the dinner party went well and we had a lot of fun. there is so much meat left over. i carved half of everything but sausage, and everything i carved got eaten. (i carved all the sausage.)
by the by, it's like november here. rainy and mid-sixties. i got rained on lighting my grill today. it's raining again right now. the fuck is up with this weather? THANKS AL GORE
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One day I will have a crush on someone who isn't flakey.
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It rained in Denver for, IDK, like 15 days in a row? I exaggerate a lot...but seriously at least 12? And didn't really get too much above 80 ever. I tried to look it up a few days ago because I've never really experienced something like this, but DIA is a loooong way from where I live, so it said no rain, but yeah, we got rain. The last two days have been sunny and closer to 90. It's been a nice break.
Oh also, in Denver it is just so sunny then a thunderstorm then sunny again, so it isn't too bad.
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Now her father told me her face lit up with pride and pleasure in a way he'd never seen as he handed her the book with her first translation credits (a gig that I got for her a few months ago; I also got the copy of the book for him to give to her), first time ever she sees her name on something. Life's so fuck*ng funny.
(I'm sorry to bother you with this ridiculous shit, touamb, I have nowhere else to whine, please don't shun a dumb dude).
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Now her father told me her face lit up with pride and pleasure in a way he'd never seen as he handed her the book with her first translation credits (a gig that I got for her a few months ago; I also got the copy of the book for him to give to her), first time ever she sees her name on something. Life's so fuck*ng funny.
(I'm sorry to bother you with this ridiculous shit, touamb, I have nowhere else to whine, please don't shun a dumb dude).
No need to apologize. That's what we're here for.
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deja, I think it is way outta line for you to post on here about having crushes on girls. That's my job.
So it seems they sold me a bike with a really weird shifting mechanism. I think someone is about to learn a lot about bicycle shifting mechanisms.
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deja, I think it is way outta line for you to post on here about having crushes on girls. That's my job.
So it seems they sold me a bike with a really weird shifting mechanism. I think someone is about to learn a lot about bicycle shifting mechanisms.
Inev is at that special time in a young man's life when he learns a lot about bicycle shifting mechanisms.
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This shit is MYSTERIOUS.
So basically, older bikes have "fricton shifters." The lever moves seamlessly, tightening the cable and moving the derailer across the gears. Tighten it, and the cable pulls the derailer towards the bike, moving the chain onto another gear. Pretty simple. Lately I've had issues, and a weird thing started happening with my lever. Now instead of moving seamlessly, it "clicked" between positions. Except it isn't actually moving cleanly between gears, it is putting my chain awkwardly in the middle.
I looked it up, and apparently I have a shifter that is an intermediate step between old-fashioned shifters and the modern ones that have little numbers and stuff. So I spent a while poking around looking at schematics, trying to figure out how to set this thing up. There is a little red arrow on the side that seems to indicate that SOMETHING can rotate to set it up properly-- there is a corresponding arrow on another part that says "SET" and another that says "FRICTION" and "SIS." I couldn't figure out how to move any part of it, and couldn't figure out what model I have.
So I finally just tried adjusting the derailer (the little mechanism that moves the chain around). I tightened a screw (the high-limit screw on the derailer, for you guys following along at home), and now everything works, and my shifters don't "click" anymore. So the problem is solved, but the ways of the bike are still a mystery to me. There is definitely still a weird clicking sound coming from the lever intermittently, but I don't really know how to address that.
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It's not a crush, is a really, really, really, really, really dumb obsession. One year in October.
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May have actually made things worse. This is where it gets interesting.
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May have actually made things worse. This is where it gets interesting.
Did you catch your gentleness in your bike gears???
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Did you catch your gentleness in your bike gears???
Wait a minute, I thought the gentleness was the pooper.
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Turns out my levers can be set to two different settings, and the people who sold it to me had it set in the middle. I also skipped ahead to adjusting the whole alignment, I should have made sure it wasn't just a cable that was too loose. It looks like everything is alright now, but I know what to twist if I discover I messed things up.
Really having trouble deciding when to ask that nice girl out again. I feel like "the ball is in my court" but I don't want to overdo it too early. Which is my usual error. I have a funny brain condition where when I like someone I want to talk to them and spend time with them, and apparently I am only attracted to women who are the opposite. She was definitely doing an intense Romantic Interest Face during our whole conversation the other night. Too bad she'll eventually realize I've exhausted my knowledge of labor politics after that one conversation.
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I have a funny brain condition where when I like someone I want to talk to them and spend time with them, and apparently I am only attracted to women who are the opposite.
You mean women who don't want to talk to you and spend time with you? Or women who don't want to spend time and talk with people when they like them?
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She was definitely doing an intense Romantic Interest Face during our whole conversation the other night. Too bad she'll eventually realize I've exhausted my knowledge of labor politics after that one conversation.
Dude, I suck at this, but you, you really, really suck at this!
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Trying to become a guy who wakes up early for work and fixes bikes and asks the girls out, but it's tough. One step might be deciding something and doing it instead of posting about it to imaginary internet people. So some stuff that was here has been deleted. But I think based on talking to friends that I am either completely overreacting, or failing to take a really obvious message of "leave me alone." Some people think they are sending clear messages when they are not.
Dude, I suck at this, but you, you really, really suck at this!
Which part? She seemed really happy to meet someone who could actually have an intelligent discussion with her about her cool job.
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Hmm. She said she is really sorry about acting flakey, she is working insane hours at work getting ready for this (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/19/1232257/-Fast-food-strikes-go-nationwide-on-August-29) and hasn't really had time to do anything outside of work. Could be an excuse, could also be true. I told her to let me know if she has a night off soon and she wants to do something. Anticlimactic. Some sort of metaphor about putting this one on the back burner or whatever.
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Which part?
The overanalysing part. If she's into you, you could be talking about parakeet sexual dismorphism and it wouldn't make a difference. Or so I've heard.
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Today I learned that the little plastic cover that hides the nuts on my new car's wheels are $45-60 a pop. I lost one sometime recently. I suspect it wasn't put on properly after my tires were rotated.
Oh, and my underwear were discontinued. Both the name-brand and the store-brand equivalent. Boo to that.
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It is such a strange sadness when a product you like gets discontinued. They stopped making the deodorant I liked a few years ago and I have never recovered. People were always asking why I smelled so great. Today I realized all of my undershirts are disintegrating, but Costco didn't have anything smaller than a Large.
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Clothing sizes are weird. 85% of American males are bigger than me, yet I wear an XL T-shirt. I suspect this is some sort of hidden marketing move so guys can think "I'm so enormous and powerful that to contain my massive shoulders, only an XL will do".
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Seriously, why does nobody make a button-fly boxerbrief with no seam up the ass-crack?
Clothing sizes are weird. 85% of American males are bigger than me, yet I wear an XL T-shirt. I suspect this is some sort of hidden marketing move so guys can think "I'm so enormous and powerful that to contain my massive shoulders, only an XL will do".
I suspect there was some resizing in the 90s when baggy was the trend, also. I always buy XL t-shirts to account for shrinking and comfort but my polos etc are all L (unless made by an athletic company. My L Nike polo shirt fits for crap).
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Seriously, why does nobody make a button-fly boxerbrief with no seam up the ass-crack?
I...
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I think what's getting you there is the button fly.
One time a normally "proper" lady said something really nice about my dick when I was wearing boxer briefs, so I don't think I'm ever buying boxers again.
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I think a gusset (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071030231342AABhrvp)is what Cort seeks. I was blown away when the example in the linked Yahoo Answer was the exact ad I remembered. This lady seems to know what she is talking about (http://www.hisroom.com/mens-underwear-styles,301,30.html).
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Boxer briefs are the way to go. Support and comfort in one underpant. The calvin klein ones are the best, but they cost like 25$ per pair.
Trader Joes discontinued my spicy almonds. They were flavored with tabasco and I think lemon. So good. I called and complained. They told me the ingredients list and said I was welcome to try to make my own.
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isn't trader joe's like always discontinuing something popular?
but srs the underwear thing is the worst: now you have to go spend money on something new that you can't return if you dislike. last time mine got discontinued, it took me eight different packages before i found one that i liked. i take that back -- two discontinues ago, that was. so i spent a year buying and scrapping different boxer-briefs at different places, only to have the ONE kind i liked disappear from shelves after another few years (something by jockey, it doesn't matter any more). and now i'm just getting cheap ones at old navy. total bummer.
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Calvin Klein is what I was wearing (that and the Macy's store-brand knock-off). They both now only make the trapdoor fly version. Now I'm giving Duluth Trading's "Buck Naked" line of boxer-briefs a test run.
Trader Joe's discontinued chocolate raspberry sticks and chocolate orange sticks for a while and I was very sad. I wrote to complain and they said the price of ingredients went up too high. It seems TJ's plays chicken with their suppliers frequently. If the cost goes up too much rather than raising the price for consumers they'll just say "no thanks" and drop the product. Occasionally the supplier blinks and the product comes back and sometimes it's just gone.
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It is the story of my life that if I really like and absolutely depend on some product, it is likely to stop being made. I often thing I should start a consulting company - companies can trust products on me and if I really love it, they'll know not to bother introducing it because it's going to be a flop.
Hmm, come to think of it, I should be nervous about this Trader Joe's shampoo that I buy.
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isn't trader joe's like always discontinuing something popular?
blah blah underwear
Trader Joes is the Fox of grocery stores.
2exist also makes good boxer briefs.
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Wait a minute, I thought the gentleness was the pooper.
Somebody answer the man. Somebody other than me. Somebody who knows the answer.
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Wait a minute, I thought the gentleness was the pooper.
Somebody answer the man. Somebody other than me. Somebody who knows the answer.
http://achewood.com/index.php?date=02232004
Since the issue seems to be hemorrhoids, I would guess the poop chute as well. Never having suffered this particular indignity of nature, I can't say for certain. Seems like a strange location for a bee sting. Perhaps the taint?
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Having run out of excuses, it seems I'll be visiting her tomorrow. Last 2 times I was invited over, I lied saying that I was overwhelmed with work and couldn't show up. Then there were 2 other occasions in which she invited me over and never followed through, completely forgot about it, then way afterwards sort of hinted that the drugs she munches daily did a number on her memory. All the while I was tucked in my corner just thinking "leave the fuck of me alone". I mean, Jesus, if you don't like the merchandise, for the love of fuck quit poking, right, this shit hurts (you'll be relieved to know it's been hurting a lot less lately, to the point where I think complete remission is close at hand. Shit will be good.)
She likes me alright as her dad's friend, I guess, and I suppose she realized that there's advantages to having me around (like getting her name on a book and the attendant money). To which, you know, whatever. I'm focusing on moving on with my life (and I'm really fuck*ng good at it) and just don't feel any need to see her again. I have no use for small talk in my life -- especially with her -- and, regarding the important things, as much as I'd like to help her in general (and I really do, any story out of which I can crawl not only not having broken anything but actually helping is good in my book), I just know that whatever I say will reach her with an [OLD CROTCHETY FART ALERT] and she will just be antagonistic to it, or bored by it, because of course when you're 19 you know everything. I was the same way. The age gap is too wide to ignore and I just have no patience for whatever it is the PC/LGBT/atheistic bullshit that seems to be her main thing these days. And anyway, her definition of "something to do" is smoking pot and staying indoors watching smug british atheist comedians, which I find tedious. If I'm gonna toke I'd rather have a walk afterwards, there's the fuck*ng Copacabana beach right there in the corner, you know.
So... I just didn't want to spend a few awkward hours annoying and being annoyed, boring and being bored by someone around whom I once, to my perpetual chagrin, built ridiculously overelaborated plans of communal living and sharing (much rather save *that* for marriage, am I right), but will do my best to try to make the best of it. Hopefully all the parties involved will see this for the mistake that it is and we can be spared another go.
Fuck.
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Sounds like you've got a handle on things. I hope you do.
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Thanks, man. Much 'ppreciated.
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I have an underwear problem that is similar in nature to my sock problem (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/8215548291/in/set-72157635038671300). Happily, I am going to the store today to purchase new underwear and socks.
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Today at work this older (probably in her 70s?) woman who seemed Very Important based on her retinue of professional/academic seeming young people handed me a quarter as a tip with a big smile and said "and this is for you, young man." Her handlers/assistants/whatever seemed horrified. It was excellent.
This is the second time I've had a pleasant conversation at work with a person who seemed Very Important and their assistant looked at me with this face that said "this lucky idiot has no idea how Important this person is who is deigning to talk to him." I also found out much later that the nice man who used to buy sandwiches from me and ask how my day was going used to be the governor.
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Did you hold the quarter up, in an appreciative gesture? Possibly, if you were feeling dextrous, flipping it before pocketing it with a grin? Because that's what I would have done.
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One of the roommates got a new job which pays basically nothing, and has said he is too broke to keep sharing groceries. This is gonna fuck everything up. Also, he owes me $200.
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In other words you. JL do you want to be my girlfriend?
Awww Paul. Too bad I don't do long-distance.
I went away for a couple of weeks because my life became (more than usually) insane and I come back to find Inev being a grownup about ladies. What the heck people.
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Awww Paul. Too bad I don't do long-distance.
That was from like 5 pages ago. I'll take it as a positive sign that it took you so long to consider your answer. Ha ha...
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I just didn't check in for a while. Family vacation and other stuff keeping me busy. I missed all of your beautiful faces, though, so I read everything in this thread and a few others to catch up.
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hm, when did I act like a grownup about ladies? I must have missed that part.
Hoping that once this crazy week is over she's going to call me up and say she's ready to have some fun. I shouldn't be holding my breath on this one, but I kind of am. Damn this girl is cool.
I was trying to peg down what is so appealing about her, and i realized she has a weird aura in common with the cute young moms I have crushes on at work. She is very pretty, and in good shape, clearly has a good sense of style... but projects "I have better things to worry about than my fuck*ng hairdo."
Unfortunately she also has better things to worry about than hanging out with me, maybe. (also it's easy to not worry about your hairdo when you have that perfect short curly hair)
Friend's roommate knows her and said "I fuck*ng HATE HER." Her explanation only made this girl sound even cooler. I responded with "ok, that's fine. I don't really know you, so your opinion is not extremely relevant to me? Don't take that the wrong way." It always surprises me when I come out with something like that. This conversation also inspired my JL-style nickname for this girl if things continue.
Today I met with the guy I met her through to talk about getting involved in this young activist organization thing. He did a good job of explaining things in a way that made me feel like I have something to contribute.
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hm, when did I act like a grownup about ladies? I must have missed that part.
I dunno, your whole attitude just seems like you're less..."loves every girl" and more..."likes girls but loves Inev more."
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I dunno, your whole attitude just seems like you're less..."loves every girl" and more..."likes girls but loves Inev more."
JL, stop writing Inev/Inev's clone slash-fiction.
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TIG celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary.
Gosh that didn't seem to take long.
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The 25 years, or the celebration?
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Zing!
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The 25 years, or the celebration?
I'm picturing August with a pointy hat blowing into one of those curly party favors exactly once. "*fweee* Well, that's enough frivolity, then. Dignity and all that. Back to work everyone."
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otaku
That rings a bell. Where do I know that from? I'll get back to you.
I remember now (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/9608966666/)
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TIG celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary.
Gosh that didn't seem to take long.
I meant the 25 years, since I haven't yet laid eyes on Mrs. West yet today. I think we're going to dinner tonight. We're taking a trip to Niagara Falls next month -- that's our main celebration.
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I remember now (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/9608966666/)
Oh lord.
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Back now. Did I miss anything?
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We're all gettin' pretty bitchy, but not much is going on. There's a new strip.
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I'm picturing August with a pointy hat blowing into one of those curly party favors exactly once. "*fweee* Well, that's enough frivolity, then. Dignity and all that. Back to work everyone."
Wasn't that basically Smick's avatar for a while -- him in a party hat with a blow-out between his teeth and a stony expression on his face, with the caption, "I intend to revel and make merry." Am I remembering right?
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The other day my dad mentioned that he was my age when he married my mom. Yikes.
Today I slept 5 hours, but only because I slept through my alarm by an hour and a half. This is not going well.
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Yes, it still might be. He told me it is in fact a live webcam and he has preternatural abilities to remain still.
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What an excellent weekend. Went to visit my brother at school in Nashville and got to see his first apartment, meet his girlfriend and join her fanclub, eat tons of food, scope beautiful women, drink lots of beer. Sometimes life is just grand. Unfortunately this was the weekend I decided to start keeping more serious notes about what I spend money on, and damn it was not good timing. Gas and food and beer are expensive.
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Your brother's girlfriend has a fan club?
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I slept in a portaledge for the first time saturday night, on a real bigwall climb. It rained on us, hard, and I was taking amazing pictures with my phone, which is now a brick. It kind of hurts a little bit to not be able to share such an amazing experience with anyone who wasn't there, but maybe that is withdrawal and I need to continue not having a phone for a while...
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Just my family. That girl is awesome. I think my mom calls her more than she calls my brother.
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well, ran into that girl at a BBQ and she avoided me the whole time. And got hit on extensively by every handsomer-than-me dude there. So I guess now is the part where I have to follow through on my decision to get the fuck over it. Boo.
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It was easy to read that post as you getting hit on by all the handsome dudes, Nev.
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that too. That one guy just turns on the charm 100% whenever he encounters a human.
ugh but seriously, now I am doing the thing where I re-interpret the whole scene as "damn, I am into that guy, but he is avoiding eye contact and looking sad, I shouldn't talk to him."
I am not good at understanding social cues, people. It is not one of my skills.
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I am apparently now enough days into working the morning shift that I will wake up spontaneously at 5:30, feeling great. This makes me feel like the world has turned upside down. When I was in Nashville I woke up at 9 every day and spent hour sitting there wondering why these damn college kids were sleeping so late.
Going to bed at 9:00 pm still stinks, though. My roommates are basically reacting like I am socially dead.
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The problem is that Inev still hasn't bought his one-way to Chile yet.
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i just found a nude photo of my childhood friend online. it is from her sexy photo blog.
ummm.
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Hooray for days like today.
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Maybe this sounds Libertarian of me, but it is ridiculous that i can't buy some damn glasses online without a "current" prescription. Just let me type in the little numbers from my old one and send me the glasses. I will pay you the money you want. Can my eyes have changed that much in the past two years? Am I going to ruin my eyes if I have the wrong prescription by a tiny factor?
...is it a bad idea to modify ("forge") my old prescription? They want a scan of the prescription, and I modified it with a pen and then fixed little blemishes with photoshop. I guess a guy ordering glasses online ain't exactly the 5 o'clock news, Dan.
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What site are you using? I get glasses from Zenni Optical and I don't think they ask for that.
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yes, you can hurt your eyes by failing to update your prescription. your vision fails faster if you don't help it out. take fifty bucks to sears and get a damn exam.
or, go to chile and get some glasses there. nice and cheap-like down there. i brought back two pairs with me.
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yeah, my insurance covers a check-up... I just hate making appointments. bah.
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Zenni doesn't ask for proof of exam. And no one has glasses cheaper either.
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ok, I think I figured out that if i get an exam it is covered, and if I get glasses with that prescription from the place I want they are also covered. So that is worth doing.
My zenni glasses have been hit or miss. The current ones were fine for a while, but now they are all beaten up and kind of falling apart. I tried to tighten the arms and kind of messed them up. The previous pair were a lot smaller than I thought they would be, and they pinched my head.
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What site are you using? I get glasses from Zenni Optical and I don't think they ask for that.
Hells yeah! I use Zenni and I can put any dang old numbers I please in there and get the glasses.
Of course, if your prescription's a couple years old, it mightn't be a bad idea to pop for $50 bucks and get an updated eye exam.
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(http://i.imgur.com/sQ2jb4f.gif)
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oh my god lines. I don't understand what is so hard about waiting in line.
A constant issue at my place is that there is an ice-cream case a few feet away from the cash register. People want to think there is a separate line for ice cream. I don't know how they think that works, if I am the only employee there, and there is only one cash register. I need in a major way to learn to be more imperative. "sorry, the line is over here!"
Today I woke up after 10 hours of sleep, ate a sandwich, took my drugs, and have been on an intense chain of getting-shit-done ever since. Called that girl and left a voicemail so that I can clear this up one way or the other. Wrote my old professors asking to meet about grad school recommendations. Wrote my moderate-democrat roommate a very long email about charter schools, communist theorists, and the whole "perfect is the enemy of the good" question. Any of you guys know anything about Charter Schools? This seems like something JL would know about.
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I know a little bit. What is your specific question?
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I guess what I meant is, what are your thoughts? I have a knee-jerk negative response. I have also read that there is not very much evidence that they actually work any better than normal public schools. Their proponents also seem to have that "at least we're DOING SOMETHING" attitude that I don't like. If you're doing something stupid, doing SOMETHING is worse than doing NOTHING.
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"Man I'm glad I never had the option to go to charter school!" or "I deeply regret sending my child to a charter school" - No one ever.
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Man I'm glad I never had the option to go to charter school!
Said no one ever.
Disagree. Friends of mine in DC actually helped start a charter school because they wanted a Chinese language immersion program, which no place else had. So if you're looking for something truly specific like that, it can do great things. If it's just "I want my kid to go to a charter school because I'm an angry tea party person and I think public schools are bullshit," then that doesn't really produce anything useful.
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I'm sorry for bringing this up you guys.
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I thought y'all might like to see this (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/9675030149/) before it gets obscured.
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daaaaaamn
the only way that could be better is if it was a '65 ford galaxie
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An Escalade art car would be quite a statement.
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Yesterday I wrote my old professors asking for recommendations. One sent an auto-response saying she is out of the country this semester. The other responded saying, basically, "I don't remember you."
I am not really sure what my next step is here. Lately I am having doubts about the whole urban planning thing again, and I am not really sure how to proceed.
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Yesterday I wrote my old professors asking for recommendations. One sent an auto-response saying she is out of the country this semester. The other responded saying, basically, "I don't remember you."
Did you send them stuff to remind them who you are? I've had students send me photos, which is brilliant. I also used to ask them to send any of their work from my class that they still had.
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Yes, he asked for another email with more info about what I've done since graduating, my papers from the class, etc. so he can decide whether he can write me a letter of rec. I don't feel like "since graduating I have worked at a service-industry job, read and grown a lot, and done one crappy internship" is super helpful to his needs.
Whether or not I get into school, in one year I am selling as much of my crap as possible, packing, and moving somewhere. The only way I'm not moving away is if something totally mindblowing happens that makes me want to stay.
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Why is this dude not already in Chile?
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GRE math sucks.
I really feel like many of these practice problems don't give me enough information to solve them. Trying to do combination/permutation problems right now and it is just completely ridiculous.
The one that aggravated me the most said there were three possible answers. If there are three different scenarios, the "total possible number of combinations" should mean in all three scenarios, right? The entire point of combinations is to figure out all of the different outcomes.
Similar issues with the "reading comprehension" section. This is some serious BS.
meanwhile the penis on my laptop is jumping randomly around the screen. For a day where I slept until noon and did nothing until 2 hours ago, this day is really stressing me out.
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i know what you typed, but all i want is a gif of how your post reads
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TIG not only type "dog c*ck" into the search box, but be aware that I have to type "dog c*ck" to get the results I'm looking for.
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If you want dog cock sometimes you gotta type dog cock.
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I thought y'all might like to see this (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/9675030149/) before it gets obscured.
So sweet.
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How often does Dragonfire get a new paint job?
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(http://i.imgur.com/8DGTpaQ.gif)
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How often does Dragonfire get a new paint job?
From time to time. If this one turns out bad ass it'll likely be the last.
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(http://i.imgur.com/8DGTpaQ.gif)
What classic movie was that dog quoting at the time?
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Birth of a Nation.
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Today I got in a yelling match with a coworker who I hate. He was complaining about a "pussy" customer who asked for help carrying something. He said "I should have fuck*ng bashed his face in." I had the gall to say "well, that's what they pay us for, right?" Then he started getting on me about how I "just stand there all day" at the cash register and don't do "real work" like him. I guess his idea of a grocery store is a bunch of angry middle-aged men carrying boxes around, without customers or cashiers.
He later went and complained to my manager about me, and I am really curious about how he framed our interaction.
This guy is a total macho jerk. They only schedule him at weird hours because he is so bad at interacting with people without blowing up.
The good news is, there's a new sheriff in town.
[big banner](INEV, MACHO 2013)
(also, that girl is dating a guy I know who is super-ladies-man. mannnn. gimme a break.)
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(also, that girl is dating a guy I know who is super-ladies-man. mannnn. gimme a break.)
Which girl? I've kinda lost track.
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well, it doesn't matter now.
This has been such a shitty week, considering I only worked 4 days, and immediately before that I had a 3 day weekend. Laptop busted, phone busted, rejected by girl, allergies driving me crazy, the whole yelling thing yesterday, grad school app stuff still going awfully.
The good news is, it's raining out and my plan for today has three parts:
1. Ocarina of Time
2. beer
3. go to bed early
it's gonna be a good one.
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4. Chile
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Poking around ifixit (http://www.ifixit.com/), seems like my expensive and time-consuming new hobby is electronics repair. But still cheaper than paying someone to fix my phone and computer.
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Nice, I used that site to address some PS3 problems. I was skunked and had to take it to a dude eventually, but I'd like to blame Sony and their tendency to swap out components with little to no documentation. Next project: replacing the girlfriend's iPhone speaker.
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Nice, I used that site to address some PS3 problems. I was skunked and had to take it to a dude eventually, but I'd like to blame Sony and their tendency to swap out components with little to no documentation. Next project: replacing the girlfriend's iPhone speaker.
My PS3 pretends that it can turn on, but that is the end of things it can do. This website says I need to press and hold the only button the PS3 has or change the hard drive.
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Hey Inev maybe you should move to DC instead.
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/09/best-metros-recent-college-grads-looking-work/6676/
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They also say that Detroit, Baltimore, and STL are pretty good... which makes me suspicious.
Although, really, I can't stress this enough... I seem to be the only person who can't find a job in St Louis. All of my friends have good jobs, if they aren't purposely doing something like "working at a restaurant part time so I can focus on _____."
Oh haha, this article is written by Richard Florida. He is the True Enemy of socially-conscious urban planners.
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I want to find a place that has a high jobs-for-college-grads to available college grads ratio. NoVa/DC has plenty of jobs for young college grads, but it also saturated with that kind of animal. Also, most of the US (geographically speaking) has little use for college grads and plenty of jobs that they aren't really suited for.
I hear Chile could use some young US educated workers.
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http://www.businessinsider.com/the-gselevator-guide-to-being-a-man-2013-9
Word.
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Dang, being a man involves a lot of drinking.
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Buy expensive sunglasses. Superficial? Yes, but so are the women judging you.
Pretty women who are unaccompanied want you to talk to them.
Hookers aren’t cool, but remember, the free ones are a lot more expensive.
This guide is good if you want to be a piece of trash.
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Dang, being a man involves a lot of drinking.
"Avoid that “last” whiskey. You’ve probably had enough."
This guide is good if you want to be a piece of trash.
I don't want to understand expensive sunglasses, so yeah that one can go. But unaccompanied people at a party, in general, would probably like to be talked to at least once.
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If you have to read a magazine article to know how to be a man you ain't one.
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Word, that is the best rule. Also, make yer own rules.
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Last night my very talented roommate had his first one man show. Damn, that guy is incredible. Fingerstyle guitar, weird rhythm techniques, awesome. Yesterday night we achieved Glorious Fall Weather and it made me very happy. A good concert and beer and long sleeves, life is grand.
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My PS3 pretends that it can turn on, but that is the end of things it can do. This website says I need to press and hold the only button the PS3 has or change the hard drive.
Yeah, I would just troll a lot of forums. That usually gets me headed in the right direction for troubleshooting. I haven't had that problem before, personally.
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My best buddy at work got interviewed by the WSJ about job prospects for young people, and I kind of got mentioned in the article! (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424127887323893004579057063223739696.html&oq=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424127887323893004579057063223739696.html&gs_l=hp.3..0l4.21204.22759.0.23191.7.7.0.0.0.0.188.639.2j3.5.0....2...1c.1j2.26.psy-ab..2.5.608.JQydKbHPfmc&pbx=1) "Even more unsettling: Mr. Wetherell has noticed that more and more of his co-workers have college degrees, some from well-regarded colleges like Washington University." Cool. Weird.
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I saw literally just 1 minute of that show about being a bad guy, and I feel like I'm only having nightmares from now on.
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Today I'm gonna realize that I love all of the ladies, even more than the Dan.
Except all of the ladies around here are taken or twenty or forty-five (which isn't really a problem) and have kids and psychotic exes that would add more drama to my life than I could currently handle.
And all in all, it sucks.
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Today I'm gonna realize that I love all of the ladies, even more than the Dan.
And the ladies all love you, lfm!
Note: I am not authorised to speak on behalf of the ladies.
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I've been gone for a week. Did you miss me?
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You don't have to speak for them, V.
You just have to... convince the ones near me to hold to that point of view.
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any amateur surgeons nearby feel like coming and either draining my tonsils, or just cutting the big bitches out? i cant miss anymore work.
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Dang, you've got some tough bosses.
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Today, moments ago, I hit an extremely beautiful woman's car with my car. Everyone and their car is OK. Exchanged info anyway in case something comes up.
I swear, the thing that distracted me was thinking about how I should be a more alert driver. I am serious. But really I just still haven't learned the proper adjustment when driving in light rain. Hit the brakes but the car kept on going.
People tell me I am too cautious of a driver and need to be more assertive/faster/whatever, but frankly I am pretty sure I am driving at the limits of my capabilities.
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People tell me I am too cautious of a driver and need to be more assertive/faster/whatever, but frankly I am pretty sure I am driving at the limits of my capabilities.
Man, that is my exact situation with driving in snow.
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/q80/1017007_699931436690671_1735581199_n.jpg)
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/q80/1017007_699931436690671_1735581199_n.jpg)
Especially if that person is nice pete. Then there is most definitely a reason.
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Here in NoVA, cops put up a sign reading "Do Not Hit the Car in Front of You" at a problem intersection.
Accidents there are way down.
http://www.arlnow.com/2013/09/11/reduction-in-crashes-near-acpd-sign/
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/q80/1017007_699931436690671_1735581199_n.jpg)
What does it say about me that when I saw this photo I was under the impression that those were stacked, crushed cars?
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Here in NoVA, cops put up a sign reading "Do Not Hit the Car in Front of You" at a problem intersection.
Accidents there are way down.
http://www.arlnow.com/2013/09/11/reduction-in-crashes-near-acpd-sign/
Next: "Do Not Have An Accident" signs, all over the place
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Here in NoVA, cops put up a sign reading "Do Not Hit the Car in Front of You" at a problem intersection.
Accidents there are way down.
http://www.arlnow.com/2013/09/11/reduction-in-crashes-near-acpd-sign/
I haven't seen the sign but I know that intersection is god awful
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I keep seeing that thread and thinking "Do You Even Lunch?"
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Do you even Luge?
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dont you eat lint?
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Dueling yarmulkes eating latkes
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In the last year I decided that if I want to live in a world where my dick gets sucked, I should stop using "dick sucker" and "this sucks dick." Since deciding this I am a little amazed by how much people say these things. I do not want anyone to feel bad about loving to give head. Even on a purely selgiraffe level that is a bad idea, never mind any "PC" or feminist concerns.
If someone gets off on feeling naughty that is cool with me though, say all the nasty shit you want in that occasion.
This is hard because "dicksucker" is clearly one of the best sounding insults.
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for different reasons but in much the same way, i've quit both using and griping about the misuse of both "hopefully" and "beg the question." it still bugs me to hear them misused, especially as i only ever hear them misused, and never EVER hear them used properly.
couple nights ago at my poker game one of the other guys asked the table "does anybody else get uncomfortable using the word bitch? like, it just feels gross to use it." i agree, but because the opening was right there, i replied "shut up, ya cunt." i believe that's the first time i've ever spoken that word in public, and while everybody lauged at my joke of extraordinary speed and craftsmanship, i felt pretty disgusted with myself. i think it's the misogyny inherent to those specific words. i've started calling people assholes and dicks when they act like assholes and dicks, regardless of gender.
but it'll be a cold dark day in hell when i stop using the F word. it's an integral part of my vocabulary.
[i fixed an errant forward-slash, weallrite choop?]
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Yeah, I try (like really hard and feel ashamed if I fail and almost never fail) to not use any words that are inherently hateful, definitely including bitch, but fuck fuck fuck not saying fuck.
Oh also, breaking bad is really good, y'all know this right?
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I have no problem using the word cunt, and my BFF and I regularly greet each other with, "Hey, bitch!" Maybe that's because it's "our word?"
I don't use racial or ethnic slurs, ever. But I do use the fuck out of the word fuck, and comedic misogyny bothers me not one whit. Perhaps it's because I hang out mostly with men, and I have no problem slinging mock hate right back at them.
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The older I get the less tolerance I have for most of this stuff. Life is hard enough. Meanwhile, my mom told me the other day that watching Breaking Bad has made her completely desensitized to TV violence and bad behavior. Except for the drugs, the drugs still make her upset.
I love the c-word, but normally I only think it to myself, or say it in, um, intense intimate situations. One day this will turn out badly, probably.
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The older I get the less tolerance I have for most of this stuff. Life is hard enough.
Word. Why add hate into this shitty world?
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Today I did something I've been agonizing over, and emailed an old friend/coworker from the radio station asking if he could possibly write me a recommendation. He responded in less than 5 minutes saying "of course, I'd be happy to help you." Friends are great, sometimes.
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any amateur surgeons nearby feel like coming and either draining my tonsils, or just cutting the big bitches out? i cant miss anymore work.
update: after just 12 hours of antibiotics i am back on track. no fever. no headache. no swollen-ness.
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Yeah, I try (like really hard and feel ashamed if I fail and almost never fail) to not use any words that are inherently hateful, definitely including bitch, but fuck fuck fuck not saying fuck.
I love the c-word, but normally I only think it to myself, or say it in, um, intense intimate situations. One day this will turn out badly, probably.
Y'all are a bunch of strawberries.
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Yesterday my boss was using my computer and after a few minutes of this he looked up and said "I don't have a fuck*ng clue what I'm doing. You're watching me work right now and to the passerby it would appear that I'm competent, but I want you to know that I don't have a fuck*ng clue right now."
I've never heard this man curse before and there is something surreal about hearing your boss admit how helpless he is like that.
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ugh, don't click the link inEv. Facebook just wants to make you feel awful about yourself. It just wants you to click to see your ex's facebook page that says she has a new BF. Fuck you facebook. but mostly, fuck you inEv, you fuck*ng piece of shit sap. You need to learn.
it's a good rage, you guys. The hard part is that I know that all of my friends knew, and I guess I'm glad they didn't say anything, but now I have to continue to not talk about it, because who wants to listen to me talk about that? No one.
possibly going to Chicago for not-related reasons soon (visiting school and seeing a concert) and that seems a lot less appealing now.
I am trying to remember that less than 12 hours ago I woke up in a panic because I had a nightmare that things had turned out differently when I Went To Chicago and we were together there and hating it. Frankly, I just want her to be having a mildly bad time. I want her to be happy one day, and grow up, one day, but I was not really ready for it to be while I am still mostly a mess who is going on really bad dates.
On a positive note, I was thinking yesterday (because today is her birthday and our former anniversary) about how little she would recognize the person I am now. Last year was one of the worse (worst?) years of my life, and lately I am feeling like things are on track. Obviously I still have bad days, I panic, etc. But I believe that I am moving towards a better future, and that I am Improving and Growing. That lady would be amazed at the things I've read, the things I've learned, the things I've done, the cars I've dodged on my bike, etc. She certainly wouldn't believe I yelled at that bully at work. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
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I said, bitch, I'm Dirt McGirt, fresh out and back on the scene
And don't you ever in your life, turn ya back on the king
I was right, this is good rage. I am thinking cliche things that I am really enjoying. About how I don't need to spend time thinking about people who don't recognize that I am The Main Dude, and I don't need any people in my brainspace doing anything but cheering me on. I do enough booing and rejecting on my own, I don't need other people for that.
I'm giving this revelation a few days. Man, at this rate, I should manage to feel rejected by this girl more often. I could probably become president.
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I just got that weird feeling you get when you delete a dead relative from your Yahoo! contact list.
I'v been putting off that task with my uncle's contact. It's a bit eerie when Facebook tells me he likes something and that I should like it too. Authority from beyond
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Today I worked from 6am-2, ate delicious tacos, had a weird sexual conversation with my beautiful coworker (she is surprised no one has ever called me "daddy" in bed), sold some old clothes for more than they were worth, bought a book of poetry and cooking utensils to mail to my sister who just started college, and read a large chunk of an excellent book. At one point in the middle I got kind of bummed out, and I spent the rest of the day GLARING while generally doing satisfying actions. Life is good. Now it is my bedtime so I can do it again tomorrow.
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TIG tear out built-in bookshelves in my kids' playroom so that I can replace them with a bigger, more functional freestanding storage unit I got at Ikea last week. I cut down the shelves and built braces and now have sixteen linear feet of shelving in my tool shed that I didn't have before. (8" along one wall and and 8x2" loft). Hooray for women with power tools!
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very strange: two of my roommates have been DJing 1 night a week at a local dopey hipster bar. Yesterday a local rag declared that that bar has the "best dance nights" and tonight it was like... insanely overcrowded. huge numbers of weird people I'd never seen before dancing and freaking out to my roommates' dance beats. Local roommates made good. cool.
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It's just like Portland.
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Everything is like Portland.
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Just slept in my own bed after being on the road for a month. Unemployment is good.
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My whole house smells awful, and we can't figure out why. It isn't a gas smell, or a dead animal. It smells like bad food. We cleaned the kitchen and took out the trash and the house still has the same smell. Like BO or bad cheese. We need a detective.
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Do you have a garbage disposal? Check that. Also, a stinky dishrag or sponge in a forgotten corner under the sink can be surprisingly foul.
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The smell is barely even present in the kitchen. No garbage disposal, no dishrags or towels that I can find. Smell is strongest in stairwells, so maybe it's coming from the basement? I don't smell it when I'm down there...
I mostly only notice it immediately when I enter the house. Or when people make a face as they enter the house.
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I mostly only notice it immediately when I enter the house. Or when people make a face as they enter the house.
I've actually been wondering lately if my house smells bad. I don't think that it does, but how would I know. Well people don't grimace when they walk through the door so I guess it's probably alright.
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(http://24.media.tumblr.com/c10a9e2390c700260da92c000e11bd19/tumblr_mtp8a5JCLe1s8gnz3o1_500.jpg)
Thinking that ravens are air cats is not normal… but on weed it is.
WEED.
ALL OF THE TIME.
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Inev, you might have a dry trap. Look for floor drains in the basement or on the ground floor. Sewer gas may be rising up out of these because the water in the U-shaped trap underneath the drain has evaporated. All you have to do to fix it is pour about a gallon of water down the drain and the trap will be refilled, thus blocking the sewer gas from rising up through the trap.
May not be the source of your problem, but it's an easy fix and worth a try.
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I will check that out. I also noticed yesterday that someone unplugged the dehumidifier my landlord had in the basement. So maybe that will help/would had helped if it was running this summer.
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I will check that out. I also noticed yesterday that someone unplugged the dehumidifier my landlord had in the basement. So maybe that will help/would had helped if it was running this summer.
Yep, and there might be mold accumulated on it somewhere. What does it drain into?
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A floor drain like the one you described, which is also the drain for our washing machine. Just got home from work, going to investigate now.
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A floor drain like the one you described, which is also the drain for our washing machine. Just got home from work, going to investigate now.
If it drains your washer it's probably not a dry trap.
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ah, ok. I see now. I was reading dry-trap as in "this type of trap is called a dry-trap." You are saying I might have a trap that happens to be dry. I looked this up. cool.
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So as I am gathering my notes to write the book about the last Sasquatch on Earth hiding in plain sight in Los Angeles, I have decided that my conceit for meeting him is that I knew him from this message board, as a nod to the fact that most of the people pushing me to write more consistently are right here.
I'm not going to get into the name of this place or nothing but it would be clear what I'm talking about for someone who knew.
So.
There's that.
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yeahhh.
Lately I keep thinking about wanting to write a short story about having sex with this customer from work. It isn't a sex story, and I would keep it really clean. But a first-person account of meeting this strange woman and having a strange encounter with her. Actually it's less about the real person... when I was trying to explain her to my friend the other day I unintentionally embellished some details in a way which made me think. The more I interact with her the harder it is to believe that she is real. I think if I wrote a profile of her based on our interactions people would think it was some kind of parody.
Over the past however-many months I have read so much, more than I've read in years. The other day I was telling someone about novels I've read recently, and I realized I would really enjoy trying to write some short stuff. Unfortunately I think the kind of story I would write is worthless, actually worse than worthless because it would be the uninteresting, accidentally pretentious writing of a guy who doesn't actually know that much about literature, but nonetheless wants to write strange short stories that don't go anywhere. "hey, look, this guy has read Borges and only Borges." I'm sure I told you guys about my fiction class in college, where I wrote the story about the guy who turns his apartment into a maze-nest-thing. I was so proud of how creeped out my classmates were. Most of them wrote "GROSS" or "THIS PART IS DISGUSTING" on their copies. Later the professor talked about that story in class, not remembering it was mine, which was pretty strange.
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So as I am gathering my notes to write the book about the last Sasquatch on Earth hiding in plain sight in Los Angeles
Sounds fun.
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So as I am gathering my notes to write the book about the last Sasquatch on Earth hiding in plain sight in Los Angeles, I have decided that my conceit for meeting him is that I knew him from this message board,
On the Internet no one knows you are a sasquatch!
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So as I am gathering my notes to write the book about the last Sasquatch on Earth hiding in plain sight in Los Angeles, I have decided that my conceit for meeting him is that I knew him from this message board, as a nod to the fact that most of the people pushing me to write more consistently are right here.
I'm not going to get into the name of this place or nothing but it would be clear what I'm talking about for someone who knew.
So.
There's that.
LA hell! We've got thousands of bigfoots right here in Kentucky. (http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Ky-researchers-say-thousands-of-Big-foot-creatures-can-be-found-here-226210721.html)
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I was a little zonked last night, but I almost meant to express that that idea sounds more like something I want to read than any other idea you have expressed. I think you have mentioned it before, maybe, maybe I just wasn't READY to read about the Sasquatch and now I have grown enough to be prepared for this journey.
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I was a little zonked last night, but I almost meant to express that that idea sounds more like something I want to read than any other idea you have expressed. I think you have mentioned it before, maybe, maybe I just wasn't READY to read about the Sasquatch and now I have grown enough to be prepared for this journey.
Yes, agreed. Wait, Sasquatch isn't Axl Rose is he?
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It's my Uncle. He just has a really hairy back.
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LA hell! We've got thousands of bigfoots right here in Kentucky. (http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Ky-researchers-say-thousands-of-Big-foot-creatures-can-be-found-here-226210721.html)
Adorable. The reporter doesn't even know the word "hominid," bless his or her heart.
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LA hell! We've got thousands of bigfoots right here in Kentucky. (http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Ky-researchers-say-thousands-of-Big-foot-creatures-can-be-found-here-226210721.html)
What passes for news these days.
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Adorable. The reporter doesn't even know the word "hominid," bless his or her heart.
The reporter's actually correct (as correct as it's possible to be in an article about Bigfoot, anyway.) Hominidae is the name of the family humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans belong to – they're all hominids. Homininae is the subfamily to which humans (and extinct species of humans) belong. Calling Bigfoot a hominin indicates that, were it to exist, it would be more closely related to humans than it is to any living ape.
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He is not Axl Rose, don't worry.
He's just the last surviving sasquatch on Earth who got lonely with no one to talk to so he lives in Los Angeles and makes his living posing as a man who dresses up as a sasquatch to sell pictures with him on the Walk of Fame in front of the Grauman Theatre. Because that's his best way to hide in plain sight.
Except around Halloween when he's Chewbacca.
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that's the most hilarious goddamn idea i've heard in at least months, good luck with it!
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The reporter's actually correct (as correct as it's possible to be in an article about Bigfoot, anyway.) Hominidae is the name of the family humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans belong to – they're all hominids. Homininae is the subfamily to which humans (and extinct species of humans) belong. Calling Bigfoot a hominin indicates that, were it to exist, it would be more closely related to humans than it is to any living ape.
Looks like they corrected it. It was something like "hominate."
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Looks like they corrected it. It was something like "hominate."
Ah, well, in that case, yes. "Hominate" isn't any kind of thing.
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So apparently there is discussion about eliminating my department at work, or completely re-vamping it. It is currently run in an agreement with a local coffee chain, and apparently the chain is making too many demands about how things are done. Apparently the options are to change it into an un-branded coffee bar that is a lot smaller with less hours/workers/etc, or just completely eliminate it. Ummmm. I would not lose my job, but going back go being a cashier is not something I want to do.
and yeah yeah, I know, "Chile."
they are also opening a new, bigger grocery store 2 miles away from us, which is really going to change our customer base. It will be interesting to see what happens.
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Looks like they corrected it. It was something like "hominate."
He says hominate in the sentence, but then corrects himself at the end and says hominid. It wasn't the reporter who said it. That came from the Bigfoot "researcher." What's amazing about that clip to me is how they are treating the subject with complete seriousness. Nary a nudge or a wink to be found. Not even a smirk.
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Finding bigfoot drinking game:
Watch an episode of finding bigfoot, drinking every time that they:
1) Cut to night vision
2) repeat footage
3) invent science
If you make it through an episode, you might need medical attention.
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He says hominate in the sentence, but then corrects himself at the end and says hominid. It wasn't the reporter who said it.
It was the reporter transcribed it as a nonexistent word because s/he was unfamiliar with the word and basically made something up, was my point.
Also, it's hard to hear but I'm pretty sure he said "hominid" both times and that if "homimin" in the transcript is scientifically correct that's a total accident.
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Oh, you read the transcript. I didn't do that.
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quietest touamb day ever? i popped so much popcorn tonight, all from prepackaged uh packs that just must have been full of awful chemicals, but it smelled great enough to build a crowd. the wife's retail office and hq is in this super arty neighborhood that has this "flux night" exhibit every year based on nontraditional art, involving interaction or light or sound or trapeze or whatever, and my job was to make and serve popcorn at their spot. she paid me forty bucks and a couple beers, but christ if i charged two bucks per popcorn i'd have made a goddamned mint. there's next time, i guess, i'll just need better standing shoes.
the hell did you crazy joes and janes get up to this lovely autumn saturday night?
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I went to a birthday party for a dead pug.
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I got home from work at 5 and my last friend who is still in college came over. We hung out and talked until 7 or 8, then more friends came over to play a board game. We stayed up pretty late playing. It was really nice. I often get pretty distracted during games, if you can imagine, so people get REALLY MAD when I win or almost-win. That is always satisfying in a strange way.
Also, a girl who previously kind of blew me off dating-wise got in touch inviting me to a dinner party. On the one hand, New Inev wants to say "you had your chance." On the other hand, I am an adult and she is an adult and people date people. Who cares. New friends are good, dinner is good, and it's my night off.
Yesterday I finished talking to my reference letter people for grad school apps. GREs in 2 weeks. So: 30 minutes to an hour of GRE problems a day on my workdays, practice tests on days off. 2.5 months until the first applications are due, need to write cover letters and fill out forms and do financial aid stuff. This is doable. I can do this. And then when I realize I planned poorly and every option involves 40k+ in student debt, I can go to Chile instead. Or, maybe, I will get into a school that offers me aid/graduate assistant positions and have an exciting academic adventure for a few years in New Jersey or Boston or California or Chicago. If that happens maybe I could go to Chile in the spring/summer before school.
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And then when I realize I planned poorly and every option involves 40k+ in student debt, I can go to Chile instead. Or, maybe, I will get into a school that offers me aid/graduate assistant positions and have an exciting academic adventure for a few years in New Jersey or Boston or California or Chicago. If that happens maybe I could go to Chile in the spring/summer before school.
This all sounds reasonable and well thought out... except the connection between "exciting" and "New Jersey."
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well, talking to my friend, he said a lot of people who are in the program at Rutgers seem to do internships and jobs in NYC during the summers. That would be cool. But also Camden and Philadelphia seem like cities with stuff going on, urban planning wise. He also said "don't go to Rutgers" but did not express details. Will get in touch with him.
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Yesterday I went to my parents' house to pick up some of my stuff. On Friday they found out dad's company needs him to move to NC for some big construction projects. He might have to go down there in a month or two and mom and grandma will likely follow in the spring. This is going to make holidays and such much less convenient for me.
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Yes, but if you're in central NC for holidays you can stop in and visit me!
Saturday night I had a friend over and we got drunk and talked about boys. Which sounds like a fun girl's night in except that my friend is a gay dude.
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Hey, Wombles has a whole cadre! I can't help it if my town has nice weather and ample employment!
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What is going on with all these folk winding up in NC?
Is JL starting to put forth some kind of TOUAMBIE based gravitational pull?
It's because .... (wait for it....)
DUKE SUCKS!!!
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Well played, sir.
**golf claps**
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Today one of my best friends told me that she is getting married. The guy is nice. I am feeling kind of weird about it. Aren't grownups supposed to get married? She's just a kid!
The last experience I had with the two of them was that he drunkenly punched out the glass on a fire extinguisher box and was bleeding everywhere, and she said "THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE KIDS-- THEY'D BE fuck*ng IDIOTS."
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What is going on with all these folk winding up in NC?
Is JL starting to put forth some kind of TOUAMBIE based gravitational pull?
Here in NJ we see NC as the promised land. Everyone talks about bailing to NC. I prefer DC/NoVA, but that's because I'm young.
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Today one of my best friends told me that she is getting married. The guy is nice. I am feeling kind of weird about it. Aren't grownups supposed to get married? She's just a kid!
That's what I thought about the first time or two friends of mine got married. I thought we were all way too young for that scene.
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You know you've reached a certain age when your friends start having babies on purpose.
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That happened to me a few weeks ago, though that friend is five years older than me. So, yeah, I don't have to have a breakdown, but fuck, what are we doing here.
Most of my good friends are around 5 years older or younger than me. I have like three really close friends that are my age, and everyone else is either 22 or 32. It is weird.
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Protip - referring to your kid sister as "mommy" is fuck*ng weird.
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The other day I had a weird argument with my dad about, basically, how to be a good person. He said I worry too much about other people's opinions and reactions to what I do. I should just act in accordance with my values and if someone doesn't like it, fuck 'em. The problem with this, as far as I can see, is that this assumes that my values are correct. This also assumes that in any given situation I know all of the information that I need to know to make the right decision. Everyone in society tells the KKK dude that he is WRONG, but the people he trusts agree with him, and he knows in his heart that hating sammy davis jr is what God wants.
Just now I was driving and had to parallel park in traffic. This was stressing me out for a second, but then I realized that this works on the same principle. I think I have become a better driver since I learned to rely on other people to react, at least a little. I used to be so worried that I would do something "wrong" that I couldn't drive in traffic. WHAT IF I MERGE IN FRONT OF THIS PERSON AND THEY SLAM INTO ME AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT FOR MERGING HALF A SECOND TOO LATE. No, dude, they'll just slow down a little. Maybe they'll honk. That is how traffic works.
The same way, I think that relying on other people's feedback (up to a point) allows us to stop worrying about being perfect. No person can know enough or have enough experience to do the Right thing every time. Luckily, we have language. We can communicate ideas. If you don't know something and do the wrong thing out of ignorance, someone can inform you. Sometimes they'll be wrong, but that's the price we pay for living in society. Sometimes someone is going to get mad at you for a stupid reason.
Awesome.
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This is a pretty good observation, and I think its as good a working definition as one can have. The problem you were having earlier is that you actually think about things a lot more than most - and much of human behavior doesn't flow from a previously conceived, well thought out theory of behavior. It just happens, and empirically over time "we've" gotten to a fairly agreeable set of rules that at least some of the time allow most of us to be happy with outcomes. Laws are an attempt to codify those behaviors and expectations, and lawyers make bank on the gap between logic and actual behavior.
I think way too much as well.
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As much as I try to not do that, it is still my base setting if I don't watch myself.
That bill hicks joke about being behind someone at a light, they go late, you are stuck unnecessarily at the light, just yelling at that person who fucked you over while missing the next light for the person behind you. This is what I try not to do.
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Riding a bike has made me have what is maybe a bad realization, which is... sometimes you can just go through the light.
I don't think I've done that in a car, yet. There is this one intersection near my house where I will do it eventually. Late at night you can just sit there and it never changes.
Dan realizes at age 25 that breaking rules is fun.
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Oh I run useless stoplights constantly. My old roommate would not even slow down at a few lights we have- on one way streets, no cross traffic, just traffic control type lights.
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The other day I had a weird argument with my dad about, basically, how to be a good person. He said I worry too much about other people's opinions and reactions to what I do. I should just act in accordance with my values and if someone doesn't like it, fuck 'em.
I kind of go back and forth with my kids on this. As far as attitudes toward life, things you like to do, etc., this is sound advice.
There are other areas, such as hygiene, basic human kindness, and being a good friend, where you do need to care about what other people think. Hopefully by the time you're in your 20s you've figured this out.
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Yeah, I think I was extra flabbergasted because I think I have learned and grown a lot over the past few years by applying this approach. The more I learn about the variety of human experience, meet new people, read new things, the more sure I feel about some of my values that I used to question. I think some of that stuff used to feel kind of mushy in my brain, but it is a lot more solid now. My moral priorities are considerably more in order.
Recently I got coffee with this activist dude from work and we talked about urban planning, and I had one of those moments where I was really tired but caffeinated and I linked together a bunch of ideas I hadn't thought of before. There was an article I was trying to explain, about the problem with planning that tries to be "democratic" in process, and I realized I hadn't understood it before then. Interesting. It felt Important because I realized how much I have absorbed from my experiences and readings over the past few years, and that they have coalesced into some weird (small-L) libertarian-socialistish-thingy structure.
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"dan, if a girl seems like she is trying to smooch on you, and you think she might have a boyfriend, consider the fact that she knows more about that situation than you do."
That might be a good idea. come on dude. learn this by now.
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It is OK to ask a girl, "Hey, aren't you seeing someone?"
And then it's OK to believe her if she tells you something that sounds vaguely suspect, like, "Yes, but we're not exclusive."
These are things I've learned in my life. Ask the questions, and trust the answers.
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Hi-5 to that, former Met.
I will treat a stop light like a stop sign every time it is safe to do so. Fuck sitting in idle for no cause or benefit.
On the bonus side: sometimes I'll be sitting in the front of a double left turn lane with a red for the turn lanes and a green for the through traffic (there's a couple of these on the way to work) and if there's no oncoming traffic/pedestrians/bikes I'll just make the turn and go. Usually the person in the other turn lane next to me flips right the fuck out...except for motorcyclists. Those dudes seem hip to going right on through with me. But I love seeing the look on peoples faces when I just...leave.
A lot of lights work off what is essentially a big metal detector underneath the pavement. Sometimes they aren't tuned very well and the mass of a motorcycle isn't enough to trip a left turn signal. I'll usually wait through one cycle of red/green and if the left turn still doesn't come up I'll ride through once its safe to do so. I'm pretty sure I could get a judge to buy that. I do like it when I've got a truck to act as my blocking back. I'll take advantage of the protection from oncoming traffic anytime.
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how bout them assbags that pull up so their rear bumper is on the white line what marks where your front bumper should go
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a bit severe bro, how bout just a weekly flat tire
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worked until late, then went and watched What About Bob with my roommate's cool cyclist friends. The girls are all into this thing where they wear a pretty pretty dress with bike shorts underneath. It makes me Feel Things about muscular Legs and Butts. I wish single speed bikes and riding without a helmet didn't look so cool. Riding without a helmet is probably the only really dangerous thing that I want to do. Single speed bikes are probably fine (not fixed gear), but they are supposed to be bad for your knees. Slick bikes with the minimum number of accoutrements look really good. Mechanical advantage is nice, though.
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What is the difference between single speed and fixed gear?
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You can coast on a single-speed bike. It only has one gear ratio, but the gear is not fixed onto the axle. On a fixed gear bike you have to be pedaling at all times, and if your feet come off the pedals they just keep on revolving with the wheels. They are really for racing-- in bike races on tracks you are not allowed to use brakes. Everyone is tightly clustered in a pack, there are no brakes, and I guess having a fixed gear gives you some kind of tactile control of the bike in a different way.
I think a big part of it is that if you are in good shape and ride your bike everywhere in a relatively flat place, removing the most breakable part on a bike seems like a good idea. My fit roommates all have single speed bikes, and say it is pretty rare that they miss being able to shift down. I guess I understand that, most of the time I ride in the second-to-highest gear anyway. But it's nice being able to shift down when I need to. What I don't get is why I need 12 speeds for everyday use when I'm not going up any mountains or anything. It seems like 3 speeds would be just about perfect. The shifter on a bike seems like the most finicky part, without one you just have to replace brakes sometimes and grease things up every so often. Also if you're getting up to top speed and just staying there, a little more muscle-work during that initial acceleration is a fair tradeoff for a lighter bike.
My friend tried out a fixed-gear bike at the track a while ago and reflexively stopped pedaling coming out of a curve. He locked his legs, the pedals kicked, the bike flipped, and he found himself flying through the air. I have zero interest in fixed-gear bikes.
GREs are this wednesday, this is my first full weekend off in a while but it's gonna be 2 days of math and vocabulary. Going to treat myself to some good food, too. OK dan let's do this thing.
There was a weird miscommunication, maybe, with one of my recommendations, and now he is not responding to my email and I am a little panicked. I am probably overreacting, but as a professor this guy was very finicky.
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Sometimes people don't answer your email because they are travelling or working on a deadline or have a life or something. It's not always about you.
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I am nervous because I think I misunderstood his previous email, and I hope he is not aggravated and thinking I blew him off. I'm sure he is just busy.
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If think you misunderstood his previous email and therefore you said the wrong thing in reply, it's OK to write again and politely ask if you misunderstood.
Or he could just be busy. In which case you know the other thing that is OK is that if he needs to do something for you by a deadline, to send him a polite reminder a bit before the deadline. It's not as important to him as it is to you, so it's almost presumptuous to assume he won't forget, you know? Just don't do it like the night before so he has to drop everything and do it right that minute. And don't remind him fifty times. One well timed reminder.
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Yes. I am sending him all of the info about where to mail the letters, etc as soon as I am definitely decided on where I am applying. There is one last school I am dithering about. Also have to decide between Harvard and MIT as my "I won't get in but if I did get in I would get lots of financial help so I may as well apply, right?" school. In the last email we exchanged he gave some suggestions about my resume, and I responded with "thanks for the pointers etc" rather than sending him a resume with the information he wanted. And then several weeks passed. And then I woke up in the middle of the night realizing HE WANTED THE NEW RESUME.
I'm sure it is fine. After the GREs my next step is compiling all that info and giving it to my recommenders. Then they have 2 months before the letters are due.
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MIT of course!
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yeah, MIT is the big deal. It might be less touchy-feely in approach than the other schools, but it is the best program in the field and gives out tons of money. It is also pretty big, the Harvard planning program is small.
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Well, add all that to the fact that the answer to "MIT or Harvard?" is always MIT, and there you go.
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Here's the link to my novella on Amazon, by the by.
Tell your friends, tell your friends who would buy it or publicize it especially if you don't mind.
Leave fair honest reviews, don't be nice to me just because I am an imaginary person in your own personal computer box.
I appreciate whatever help you awesome people can give a dude.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Undone-Man-Science-ebook/dp/B00FUKXUWU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1381616702&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/The-Undone-Man-Science-ebook/dp/B00FUKXUWU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1381616702&sr=1-1)
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WHAT
A strip every Friday, and a book by LFM?
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And the idea that something might come out of the book is what's pushing me to write the Sasquatch book and maybe finish the John Lennon book some day so that's like hell freezing over three or four times in a row.
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Wait, is this that Sasquatch thing? You only mentioned it about a week ago. Dude, you work fast.
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Went to a late-night sprinting bike race in a weird industrial area. Crazy to think that stuff like this happens all over, right under our noses. Intense bike guys yelling at each other about racing at midnight. I guess they cruised around to find a straight street with no traffic and no potholes. So we were in between some big warehouses and the train tracks.
Also intense cute girls with the above-mentioned bike shorts with a cute dress thing going on, totally smoking my friends in races. Then we rode to a bar, then we rode to a girl's apartment for pancakes. New friends are fun.
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Were they racing for pinks?
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Also LFM I just made my first amazon purchase.
For You!
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Also LFM I just made my first amazon purchase.
For You!
The fact that you have avoided making an amazon purchase until now is shocking.
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The fact that you have avoided making an amazon purchase until now is shocking.
the amazon shipping to australia is often exorbitant as fuck.
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Hobot just posted an internet picture of her food (...) at a local breakfast place at the same time as my new bike friends posted pictures of themselves outside the same place. This city is so small.
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No no, Paul, this is a time-travel short story I wrote a few years back that an editor friend liked, helped me expand it to a novella and then she licensed it off me to publish to Kindle.
I plan to use the Nanowrimo writing group I joined to try to write as much of the first draft of "Frank Yetty and The Thirty Mile Zone" or "Hollywood Sasquatch" next month.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH DOC!
(With your purchase, a free tiny can of Dr. Pepper. Special TOUAMB bonus! hahaha)
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LFM I had to Google to find out what a Nanaimo Bar is. Education.
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Dang, I have a Nook.
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There isn't a Kindle app for Nook? I'm pretty sure you can read it in browser from the Kindle cloud...
But admittedly, I am not so up on the tech side of this. I just sent my editor the manuscript as a .doc file and she did the magic.
Yeah, wombles, I had eschewed the idea of joining a Nanowrimo group for years because it feels a little cheesy but I really want something to kick my ass to write something longform again.
Also, it seems to be a great way to meet nerdy women!
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I'll look for a solution. If anyone has any suggestions...
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You can get a free Kindle app for your computer or phone and read it on that.
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LFM, not Nanowrimo, Nanaimo. So much more important! You have to get up pretty early in the morning to write about a baked good that I haven't heard of.
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from the wiki,
In 2009, Dirt Candy, a New York City restaurant owned and operated by Chef Amanda Cohen, put a version of Nanaimo bars on the menu, inspiring several Canadians to protest that their unique dessert was being Americanized.
people are so fuck*ng stupid. jesus christ.
there are actual problems in the world (global warming, famine, whatever)
there are personal problems (boo hoo this lady at work was mean to me, oh no I put salt instead of sugar in my nanaimo bars)
and then there is a baked good concept being copied. if you can get it together to care about this problem, I have to assume you are an insane person.
If the baked good concept being imitated made your family go out of business, or you could never eat the baked good concept again because the concept was somehow stolen out of your brain, sure. That would suck. Maybe the price of melted chocolate went through the roof and you could never eat nanaimo bars again. Man, that would suck on a personal level.
If it was some kind of intense cultural thing where maybe your oppressed people had made these chocolate cookie bars for generations and now some american was getting rich off it while you got diddly, sure, that would suck. That would be an injustice.
But "my town has these bars they make, out of pretty standard european dessert ingredients, and some other different people not far away are making the same kind of bar"... get out of town.
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Because I am the guy I am, I am just now realizing that I will only have one chance to take the GREs. Chile is looming large in my future.
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Fixed gear bikes sound like a symptom of madness. Unless you are doing those races in which they are used, it sounds like the same as putting racing slicks on your Honda Civic.
When I was a kid in middle school, there were 3 options for bike gearing: a single speed wi a pedal coaster brake, a 10 speed, and a 3 speed that pretty much came as a default with a sprung wide-bottom seat and a wicker basket between the handlebars.
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Yeah, I haven't actually looked for a while but back when I cared Amazon was 'spensive as hell and bookdepository.co.uk had free shipping so there was never much argument there.
And yeah Paul I just dropped the coin to read it on my PC. I assume I could read it on my phone if I want?
Chile is looming large in my future.
Failure is sometimes an excellent option, but try to kick that GRE thing's ass first.
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Because I am the guy I am, I am just now realizing that I will only have one chance to take the GREs. Chile is looming large in my future.
The GREs are no big deal. It is all stuff you already know. You just need to refresh. That said: GO TO CHILE! You've got the opportunity and you will never look back and say "Damn wish I never went to Chile to visit my family and ditch my grocery job"
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That said: GO TO CHILE! You've got the opportunity and you will never look back and say "Damn wish I never went to Chile to visit my family and ditch my grocery job"
ACap is wise beyond his years. Listen to him.
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QUIT HAVING ANXIETY OVER SHIT YOU ALREADY KNOW, IT'S WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT'S GOING TO KILL YOU!
This is wise too and I wish I could learn it.
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But "my town has these bars they make, out of pretty standard european dessert ingredients, and some other different people not far away are making the same kind of bar"... get out of town.
Yeah seriously. But apparently this sort of thing is not unique. A similar baked goods controversy is occuring in the UK right now apparently:
http://qz.com/133651/theres-already-a-controversy-over-the-duffin-starbucks-new-hybrid-pastry/ (http://qz.com/133651/theres-already-a-controversy-over-the-duffin-starbucks-new-hybrid-pastry/)
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ME: Then you already put in the work to master this shit. All you are having now is performance anxiety. QUIT HAVING ANXIETY OVER SHIT YOU ALREADY KNOW, IT'S WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT'S GOING TO KILL YOU!
You remind me a lot of the dude who held his foot on my throat and told me to learn my job. And I would kill to work for you, too.
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yeah, I never do my work. You guys should know this by now. I'm sure ash would have done that laughing thing and I would have burst into tears and then he would have laughed more.
And no, I don't already know this stuff. I guess I knew it when I was 15, the math at least, but I don't anymore. Sometimes when I do the practice sets I get 30% right. That is not heartening.
I have never known what "obloquy" meant. I have never known what the author of the passage intended when he referenced Charybdis and Scylla in his analysis of the definition of tragedy. This is the dumbest shit I have ever wasted time studying.
"which of the following best characterizes the author's tone?"
A. enthusiastic support
B. qualified support
c. enthusiastic celebration
d. support tempered by critique
e. critique
WHO GIVES A FLYING FUCK. I WANT TO WORK ON POLICY AND PROJECTS TO HELP POOR PEOPLE HAVE HOUSES, NOT ANALYZE YOUR HALF-ASSED ANALYSIS OF A RUSSIAN BOOK I'VE NEVER READ.
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I hear there are poor people without houses in Chile.
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I hear there are poor people without houses in Chile.
Oh lord, that cracked me up.
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Oh lord, that cracked me up.
Actually, upon second thought that might be the angle you are looking for. If you can get some relevant experience in Chile that you could bring back with you.
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Perhaps the purpose of GRE practice exams is to worry you into taking one of those courses.
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Today is my GRE. I feel calm for the moment. This will be fine. The only thing making me worried is conflicting information about what to bring. One place said to bring a watch, another place said you aren't allowed to have a watch. One place said to dress in layers, but my friend said they yelled at her for taking off her sweatshirt during the test.
So basically, I am going to drive somewhere nearby to eat a bagel with cream cheese (what a day to run out of bagels!) and read something nice until it's time to go click on some numbers. Maybe I will go to a store and get a digital watch and a banana.
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I guess it is better to be embarrassed about worrying so much, instead of being embarrassed that I did badly.
I did... not badly. The other one.
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You know your score already??? Days of miracle and wonder.
Were you allowed to wear a watch?
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Do you still respect people with only undergraduate degrees?
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I am a little confused about the fact that it told me my score. I get my "official" score in 2 weeks. I don't know what that means.
No watches allowed. I was a little bewildered by the testing experience. I felt very relaxed and confident. That... doesn't happen a lot. There were very few questions on the stuff I am bad at. Maybe the practice tests emphasize the stuff that most people need to work on. The reading comp stuff was also a lot more straightforward than the practice tests were.
(I got a perfect score on the verbal section.)
Getting those scores and clicking that YES I would like to send them directly to Berkeley and MIT was like ultimate geek wish fulfillment.
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(I got a perfect score on the verbal section.)
Sweet. I got a perfect score on the logic section (do they still have that? This was like 1993). Let's find someone with a perfect math score and we can form The Ultimate Grad Student.
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Congrats, Inev! I knew you were a smarty #####.
(We are perfect-verbal-score buddies.)
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i had a perfect score in the english section of the ACT. does that count?
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No logic.
I also got a perfect score on the National Latin Exam in high school. They came and gave me a plaque. Awesome. What a cool high schooler I was.
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Had an interesting time at an open mic last night. We've been looking for different places to play, so we went to this sports bar/restaurant that does a thing on Wednesdays. When we got there, there were four high school lookin' girls singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with a piano accompaniment. Some other kids and what looked like parents in the audience. We found this a tad unusual, and debated whether we should stick around.
But the guy who was running the show walked by us, and I asked "Is your crowd always this young?" Turns out he was from the "School of Rock" in the same shopping center, the high school girls were from another such program and just wanted a place to perform, so he'd invited them to their open mic for grins. No, the crowd was not normally that young, and a lot of the regulars were fellow music teachers. And of course when he found out we played, he was all "Awesome! You should play tonight!"
So we hung around, listened to some of the regulars after the high school girls left, did three songs, and it was generally pretty cool. One of the high school girls sang Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" which is an interesting (and good) selection.
Our experience has been that open mics are either really well, established and so packed that if you don't get there early you're playing after midnight, OR have just a few people showing up, so when they get fresh blood they're real excited and want you to come back every week.
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I am terrified of open microphone nights.
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As performer or audience?
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I am terrified of open microphone nights.
Most of the time, people are really supportive of each other. There don't tend to be a lot of flat-out spectators, the people there are all there to perform, so everyone claps politely as a bare minimum.
As a spectator, yeah, it can be frightening. Usually you get the gamut from "Dang, that's actually really good" to "Well, it was brave of him to want to get up there, I guess."
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As performer or audience?
Yes.
Most of the time, people are really supportive of each other. There don't tend to be a lot of flat-out spectators, the people there are all there to perform, so everyone claps politely as a bare minimum.
As a spectator, yeah, it can be frightening. Usually you get the gamut from "Dang, that's actually really good" to "Well, it was brave of him to want to get up there, I guess."
Polite clapping makes it even scarier. I'd rather enjoy total silence than that condescending clap without any cheering that only serves to mark the end of my soul exposure. At least silence would break from the norm, show that they were confused or horrified, unable to tell if I was finished or even hopeful that I wasn't. I don't need the discount claque, I need feedback, and at an open mic I'm sure to not get it unless I am exceptional. Terrifying.
In that respect I feel like I am on the spot the whole time, expected to perform even as an audience member, and if I act the way I want my audience to act, I am sure to offend, but maybe I'll get the response I want. If I act the way I think they want me to act, I'll only get that same lie I've given them, whether I deserve it or not. It's like spending a whole night making small talk with my parents' friends.
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Sweet. I got a perfect score on the logic section (do they still have that? This was like 1993). Let's find someone with a perfect math score and we can form The Ultimate Grad Student.
I had a perfect score in logic and math and a 790 in verbal. To this I owe my lavish lifestyle.
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I have no recollection of any of my test scores. Maybe it's time for you guys to move on?
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sounds like somebody didn't get a perfect score on any section
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Open mic nights are... the best thing.
Embrace shamelessness!
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Open mic nights are... the best thing.
Embrace shamelessness!
I've done open mic. If you can embrace your shamelessness and tell a crowd your jokes for about 5 minutes, you're in. It's a great way to score free drinks without being a woman.
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There is no good way to communicate "I'm sorry that you are upset that I made fun of you... what you were saying was so incredibly stupid that I thought you were joking."
I tried, though. Really, you can't call more than one everyday thing "fascist" in a conversation without seeming like you're kidding, right?
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There is no good way to communicate "I'm sorry that you are upset that I made fun of you... what you were saying was so incredibly stupid that I thought you were joking."
Truly there is not.
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I tried, though. Really, you can't call more than one everyday thing "fascist" in a conversation without seeming like you're kidding, right?
Right.
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man, filling out these applications is not fun. I don't enjoy it. Berkeley is asking me questions like how much money I'll make over the summer of 2014, and how much is in my bank account. Do I say what's in it right now? The day I apply? This is some goofy stuff. "Relocation costs, including travel, shipping, utility and rental deposit costs." Yeesh, I don't know, a lot? How could I possibly know when this won't happen, theoretically, for a year? By then rents in the cheapest parts of the bay area will probably top 1k per bedroom per month, right?
MIT asked me to "list courses taken as an undergraduate, especially those relevant to Planning. Do not list textbooks."
The two fields are "Course Name" and "Textbooks." Is this some kind of tricky logic thing?
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I bought a huge thing of kimchi and I have been eating kimchi fried rice for every meal. Awesome.
I looked up "kimchi bad breath" and found one of the worst things I have read on the internet. A thread on a site for American expats talking about how their Korean wives smell like rotten food all the time, and it shows how primitive and disgusting Korean culture is. WTF. Nice helping in there of suggestions of how to manipulate/bully your wife into not eating kimchi anymore. No suggestions of how to stop having really weird bad breath.
(I brush my teeth, floss, use mouthwash... it's like the smell is coming out of my glands or something. After I eat it my mouth has a weird taste/smell for the rest of the day.)
This week I am going to Chicago to see Thee Oh Sees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R44Qh2P7wo0). 11 months after my last trip, this time I'm going to have fun. Then next week my parents are coming! They haven't been here in 2 years, I think, so I am pretty excited. Haven't planned yet what to do. They've seen the arch and the art museum and the botanical garden. Hmm.
Oh, and the Cardinals are playing in the World Series. I still haven't figured out the right response to customers talking to me about Baseball. "I don't really watch baseball" doesn't help. Trying to express "oh yeah, go Cards!" just makes them want to talk to me about baseball more.
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I bought a huge thing of kimchi and I have been eating kimchi fried rice for every meal. Awesome.
I looked up "kimchi bad breath" and found one of the worst things I have read on the internet. A thread on a site for American expats talking about how their Korean wives smell like rotten food all the time, and it shows how primitive and disgusting Korean culture is. WTF. Nice helping in there of suggestions of how to manipulate/bully your wife into not eating kimchi anymore. No suggestions of how to stop having really weird bad breath.
Dude I think the suggestion on how to stop having really weird breath - is to stop eating so much kimchi.
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both people in the couple eat the kimchi. they both have bad breath. it doesnt matter if you have bad breath if the person you kiss all the time has bad breath, too.
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ok so, in order:
1. meet a nice girl
2. get her to start eating kimchi a lot
3. first kiss
4. nice!
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I'm curious what qualifies as a dingy ass question that deserves that response.
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"The printer says, 'Out of Paper'. What should I do?"
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So we went to the open mic/Halloween party Saturday night, the one that had an actual cash prize for first place as arbitrarily picked by the host. And we won that mofo. While dressed as a vampire and a pink bunny.
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I put new strings on my acoustic guitar and it sounds like a dying guitar. What gives? Maybe they are just too too thin? They sound AWFUL. All rattley and too-low in a really strange way.
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I don't know from guitars, but when I used to play viola sometimes that happened with new strings 'til they had a chance to stretch out a bit.
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I think it is a combination of new-string sound and being way too thin. If I play delicately it sounds... OK. But if I play normally they rattle all over the place.
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I joined the Achewood group in Facebook and was a dick to assholes. Shit gets old, tho', so I left shortly afterwards.
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what an insane weekend this is shaping up to be. My parents just left, my childhood best friend who I haven't seen in 10 years just got into town. Meeting him tonight. Meanwhile, my friend from the summer I worked at camp just called and said she is in St Louis for a few hours. Also, this lady I made out with a few times after I broke up with The Ex is in town and possibly staying here.
Too many people.
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we are moving to portland. the wife got an offer from her old boss at the public health department and she wants to be closer to her family(her mom passed away in may). lots of big changes. whew!
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Movin' on Up! Go hang out with Nabu!
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BLUE
STAR
DONUTS
(you'll thank me)
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Today I ate New Mexican style Sopaipillas for the first time, and now I am kind of confused. I grew up eating my grandma's Chilean style ones, which are flat and chewy. These were pillowy and soft and delicious. What asshole was cooking a fluffy sopaipilla and said "oh man, next time I should poke holes in them with a fork, that way they'll end up flat and chewy instead of fluffy?"
Chilean ones also have squash in the dough, though, which is awesome. I wonder if that also has to do with the lack of fluffiness. That is some savory goodness.
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we are moving to portland. the wife got an offer from her old boss at the public health department and she wants to be closer to her family(her mom passed away in may). lots of big changes. whew!
Portland is as wonderful as everyone says it is. So jealous.
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Today I ate New Mexican style Sopaipillas for the first time, and now I am kind of confused. I grew up eating my grandma's Chilean style ones, which are flat and chewy. These were pillowy and soft and delicious.
That's New Mexico style? I only ask because I've been eating those kind of sopapillas all my life in Texas. They are so good, deep fried. They are a little bit crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Put a little honey on them, or in them rather, and nom nom nom... Dang, now I am hungry. Ha ha ha...
They're actually sorta similar to what the Mormons in Utah call scones, which is actually just Indian flat bread. I guess the Mormons needed to change the name so it didn't sound so heathenish.
We actually talked about this many many moons ago when I lived briefly in Utah.
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Yeah, from a person who grew up in Oklahoma (tex-mex) and lives in Denver (NM Style) those are both?? But more strongly associated with Tex-Mex I think?
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yeah, I think they are a Mexican thing that New Mexicans have maybe modified in some way.
I am gonna cook the fuck out of these things. I wanted to make some RIGHT NOW but there are too many people at my house. I would have to make a ton.
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Re: Reading Undone Man on a Nook!
There isn't a Kindle app for Nook?
No. I asked Google and they say there is a way, but you have to hack your nook and I don't want to do that.
You can get a free Kindle app for your computer or phone and read it on that.
That's what I've done, but I'm finding it hard to get started because there are too many distractions on the computer. I like to read while in bed or on the shitter.
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I made some sopaipillas, they were pretty great. I wimped out and didn't make the oil hot enough, so now I know. Also, now I know that it isn't worth the hassle of frying stuff just to make 12. All that cleanup requires a much larger output.
I am trying really hard to think less and talk less about girls, but yesterday I mentioned that I want to find a biking companion who is a little slower than my hardcore friends and mostly wants to get in shape/explore, and my roommate and his girlfriend simultaneously said "YOU SHOULD ASK (#####*****) TO BIKE WITH YOU" a little too loudly and then gave each other "was that too obvious?" looks.
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I made some sopaipillas, they were pretty great. I wimped out and didn't make the oil hot enough, so now I know. Also, now I know that it isn't worth the hassle of frying stuff just to make 12. All that cleanup requires a much larger output.
And you were all being selgiraffe and not wanting to make a ton of them for the house full of people. Now you know.
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On the other hand, when the occasion comes to make sopapillas for the masses, you will have confidence knowing you tried it out once already. I have had a similar experience with making beer. The first batch I did was about 500ml in a kit. It was OK when it was done, but it gave me the confidence in my understanding of the process to go on to the standard 5 gallon batch one does in homebrewing (which almost positively has to be shared unless you can actually put away 60 beers in the time it takes to brew another batch). Related note: one of the best things in the world is getting tanked on booze you made yourself.
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yeah, definitely, this was a test run. Next time I will make TONS. Also, the way it told me to roll out/cut the dough (make balls the size of your fist, flatten them, cut into quarters with a pizza cutter) was a ton easier than the way my grandma does it. Sorry grandma. She makes a big flat sheet of dough and cuts it into circles, then recombines the scraps and flattens it out and cuts again, over and over. WHYYYY. Now that I know that rolling out the dough only takes a few minutes I am much more likely to do it again, it made a lot less mess and hassle than the other way.
The amateur anthropologist in me LOVED two details of my grandma teaching me to make her version. First, she said they taste a lot better in America because butternut squash is way better than zapallo (?) squash. Second, right when I was thinking "goddamn this method of forming the dough is frustrating" she said she feels guilty/inauthentic about doing it this way, because her mom formed each one perfectly by hand.
The real thing is that I need to conquer my fear of 400 degree oil.
I am trying to overcome my tendency to want to buy tools whenever I encounter an extremely mild inconvenience. "oh, if I'm going to make sopaipillas again, I should get a fryer thermometer and a heavier bottomed pot." It is tempting to want to have the exact perfect thing for the job, instead of making do. It's always easier to look up fancy bike tools on the internet than just go out and ride my bike. This is a thing I am working on but it is a pretty basic worrying/lazy thing. What if my thermometer explodes? What if my spatula's handle melts like it did that one time? What if that squeak my bike makes means the gears are about to explode?
Do you guys have cast-iron cookware (skillet, dutch oven)? Is it a good investment?
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I've got a ton of cast iron stuff, it is nicer for some things for sure but I don't use it for all. I think one of them is a Dutch oven? That is the one I use the most. Anyways, I got all of mine from thrift stores, I would do that if you.
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It is funny how I am writing about how living in such a cheap city has taught me a lot about the resources available on a low income, but it never occurred to me to look for cast iron pans at goodwill.
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I think I was 30 before I learned a Dutch Oven wasn't just when you fart in bed and throw the covers up over your partner's head.
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I have several cast iron items, but I only use my skillet regularly. And I use the hell out of it.
Definitely worth having and available for relatively cheap. (http://www.target.com/p/lodge-cast-iron-pre-seasoned-skillet-12-inch/-/A-10291923?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C10291923&CPNG=Kitchen&kpid=10291923&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10291923&gclid=COm9l7vDzLoCFaZcMgodYyYAEw)
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I used to have a cast iron skillet, but I don't know what the hell happened to it. You can get along without one, but they are essential for cooking cornbread and that is something I have need of.
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I have this 14 inch cast iron from lodge logic. I paid about 20 bucks for it, and it has a permanent place on the stove-top, getting at least one use per day if I'm home. It has gotten so seasoned that it actually adds its own flavor to food, and there are certain things that I can only cook in my own cast iron if I want them to come out just exactly so. It is important to come up with a seasoning regimen for your cast iron and never let anyone else clean it. I use a mixture of olive and peanut oil and salt, rubbed thin onto the entire inner surface of the thing, which I allow to burn dry on the entire bottom. I never wash it with soap, just a brush and warm water, wipe clean with paper towel. When I'm not expecting company, sometimes I don't wash it at all, just bring it up to temp before I cook in it again, allowing the previous sauce to mix with the oil and burn into the iron surface. It is really smooth and sort of perpetually greasy. hell yeah.
Also, I missed this kimchi convo: the thing in kimchi that fucks with your breath is garlic. Garlic actually gets into your glands and causes a change in your saliva or whatever that makes your breath stink, even if you just swallow it in pill form you will have bad breath. THere is lots of raw garlic in kim chi. You can make your own kim chi using garlic powder instead, and this effect will be reduced. Also, you will have gargantuan quantities of kim chi for cheap.
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yeah, I think I will make my own next time. This seems like a fun project.
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The main thing to do is to get like 6 big napa cabbages salted all at once. It's some work to make the stuff, but it isn't much more work to make A LOT. So decide how much to make based on how big your tupperware/mason jar collection is.
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Do you then bury it in the back yard for a week?
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In case you guys have missed stories about Inev being really Inev:
Yesterday was the big day. I was finally going to ask the girl who keeps touching my arm and making nervous eye contact if she wanted to grab a drink this weekend. I had it all planned out. I showed up to the bar looking spiffy. I felt great. I drank a pleasant number of beers and danced. They were showing a funny movie on the TV and we kept finding excuses to make silly jokes about it. The time had come. We were on the dance floor so I thought we should go somewhere quieter. "Hey, can we talk over there?"
"what?"
"*points* come over there for a second"
"what? Oh, thanks, I drove here, you guys should leave without me."
"just..."
"wait, what?"
"never mind! See you later."
I wasn't going to post this but I am kind of amused by it, in the way I am always amused in a weird ways I humiliate myself. First time in a while I have felt that weird frozen social panic.
All those guys are cooking dinner together tonight, so I am going to make another attempt and try not to psych myself out about it so much. I'm just asking my friend if she wants to hang out.
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Better to get friendzoned than to not try at all.
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Re: Reading Undone Man on a Nook!
No. I asked Google and they say there is a way, but you have to hack your nook and I don't want to do that.
That's what I've done, but I'm finding it hard to get started because there are too many distractions on the computer. I like to read while in bed or on the shitter.
My understanding is that the Nook is made for hacking, perhaps more so than any other tablet or e-reader.
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One thing I don't love about Twitter is seeing academics I admire being whiny babies. Man. Come on.
And they are so good at explaining theoretically why they are being whiny babies. The whole left-wing politics thing is weird because at some point people lose sight of the fact that things like "solidarity" or "privilege" or "appropriation" are theories. They are ideas about the world. They are not physics or laws. You can disagree with them or their application. Come on. Even really smart people, who mostly agree with you, can disagree with your understanding of one of those concepts. This should not be that hard to understand.
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If you don't have those skills, or just don't want to risk bricking your tablet
It's not worth it to me right now to try that. Don't worry LFM I'll read your book. But if you write another one could you make it available across all platforms?
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One thing I don't love about Twitter is seeing academics I admire everyone being whiny babies. Man. Come on.
ftfy.
Stop reading twitter. No one else does. Twitter is write only.
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The only twitter I read is Smets puns, but I read those on Facebook so I'm not sure it counts.
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Pedro and I went wild in the bedroom tonight -- we pulled up all the carpet to expose the original hardwood underneath.
I am not speaking metaphorically here. We literally decided to do a spur-of-the-moment home improvement project, kind of out of nowhere. Good times.
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Sick of carpet burns?
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Sick of carpet burns?
Ooooh, sick burn, dude.
Actually our bedroom is too small to get crazy on the floor. We use the family room for that.
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You just tell visitors the anchor points and cleats are for hanging plants, right?
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Went up to a lake for a day with some new friends. Drank beer, cooked ribs, drank coffee, etc. nobody ever tried to start an argument about politics or talk about anything important. Slept on the couch, cooked breakfast, drove back and went to work. Excellent weekend. They just sent me an email saying they tried to figure out what my "share" of renting the place is, considering I only came for one night and slept on the couch, and decided it wasn't worth it to do the math. "Thanks for coming man, you can bring the beer or something next time."
Sometimes people are just nice.
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I'm sorry I'm kinda scarce around here right now. 'm not hiding out or anything this time! I've been working like a motherfucker on this Sasquatch novel that you guys are obliquely referred to a coupla times in, I guess if you follow me on the facespace you know that though.
Nanowrimo is a weird time sink but I don't have a job and I don't have a lady so my life the last three weeks has been writing "Frank Yetty", trying to lose more weight, helping my dad recover from pneumonia and playing fuckin' Binding of Isaac on Steam.
I'm just starting to get into chapter 10 and I'm over 28,000 words in, I dunno. I think it's gonna be 16 chapters and somewhere between 50,000 to 60,000 words, I dunno, it'll be a short novel even if it's good. I really like parts of it, I'll say that. A lot of weird ideas and developed characters but not tightly plotted, sorta like "Cat's Cradle" and "Magnolia" having a baby, I dunno. I like saddling myself with unattainable milemarkers for some reason. Anyway.
So yeah. When I have a rough draft done, I might bug a couple of you for notes. I look especially at you Queen of the Pugriders.
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So yeah. When I have a rough draft done, I might bug a couple of you for notes. I look especially at you Queen of the Pugriders.
I would be happy to do this.
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ALSO: fuck yeahs, I put in 20 hours on the new house and am one weekend away from floors and kitchen newness.
Yeah, I'd say I put in about 20 hours since Friday on the bathroom project. Finished wiring, built in shelves, hung most of the tile backer board. I've got a Thanksgiving deadline!
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I have this fantasy of building a house. You know, not a real house, something tiny with one room, lofted bed, a single burner in the corner. Cinderblocks and shingles and junk. Then I read something like "I put 20 hours in this weekend" and I think, maybe I can just keep renting forever.
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yeah, I can see that. I definitely enjoy figuring out household things like that. But in the same way I enjoy reading about economics-- it is so alien to the way my brain works that I am fascinated yet completely stumped. The good thing is, with a leaky faucet you at least know when you got it right.
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yeah, I can see that. I definitely enjoy figuring out household things like that. But in the same way I enjoy reading about economics-- it is so alien to the way my brain works that I am fascinated yet completely stumped. The good thing is, with a leaky faucet you at least know when you got it right.
Reading economics textbooks became a hobby of mine before I hit the double digit ages. It has always felt like I was reading stuff I already knew, but with newly applied vocabulary. You're an antrho guy who assumes the greater good in people. I'm an econ guy who assumes that people will always act in their own self interest. Unfortunately, my world-view is called realism and your world-view is called idealism.
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You're an antrho guy who assumes the greater good in people. I'm an econ guy who assumes that people will always act in their own self interest. Unfortunately, my world-view is called realism and your world-view is called idealism.
That's such a false dichotomy. Everybody is both a realist and an idealist at times. Everyone acts in their own self-interest in certain situations, and everyone sacrifices for the greater good in others. The trick is knowing when and why to do which.
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That's such a false dichotomy. Everybody is both a realist and an idealist at times. Everyone acts in their own self-interest in certain situations, and everyone sacrifices for the greater good in others. The trick is knowing when and why to do which.
I don't know what your father did, but my father spent his life engineering bigger, better, more lethal bombs for the navy. 'Everyone sacrifices for the greater good in others' is simply not true. When broken down to their most basic instincts, people will act in their own self-interest. Education just complicates these impulses.
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I think your devotion to thinking yourself a realist is in itself a form of idealism.
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I think your devotion to thinking yourself a realist is in itself a form of idealism.
Two guys are stranded on an island. One guy says "Boost me up so I can get us some coconuts." The other guy says "I've got all the food I need right here."
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Reading economics textbooks became a hobby of mine before I hit the double digit ages. It has always felt like I was reading stuff I already knew, but with newly applied vocabulary. You're an antrho guy who assumes the greater good in people. I'm an econ guy who assumes that people will always act in their own self interest. Unfortunately, my world-view is called realism and your world-view is called idealism.
No, I don't assume the greater good in people. I assume that people act the way they do largely because of the culture they inhabit. Including economists.
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When broken down to their most basic instincts, people will act in their own self-interest.
(http://jonobellwoodyear2.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/brown-self1.jpg)
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Self immolation is not a typical human behavior. The monk's protest was remarkable because of this fact.
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Ah, "typical". That qualifier does indeed change things. I couldn't get that from A-cap's, post, though. Hear the guy tell it, it would seem *impossible*, really.
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*Awesome* rhyme. *Very silly* rule :D
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If you waited to feel perfect before exercising, you'd never get to do it. Partially because exercising regularly is part of feeling good. You've been leading an active life long enough to know the difference I suspect. Newbs have a harder time separating pain from injury. Caveat: if one exercises as penance for an otherwise indulgent lifestyle (smoking, overeating, etc) then he/she may not learn the distinction.
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The line between "sore" and "injured" can be a little blurry at times, but usually it's not too hard to tell which side you're on.
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pukin' a little from a workout isn't bad. As long as you don't fuck up your tendons or bones or ligaments or cartilage, you're not going too hard. Pain is just weakness leaving the body. Unless it is blood leaving the body. I skipped climbing tonight because my belay partner has all kinds of joint problems. I'm just gonna do pullups, pushups, and yoga. If I puke from that, I'll be self-happy.
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Self immolation is not a typical human behavior. The monk's protest was remarkable because of this fact.
Neither is building bombs or desperate cannibalism or running a hedge fund, but for some reason those activities get brought up as evidence of "man's true nature." The reigning view in anthropology as far as I can tell is that we, for whatever reason, are really invested in the idea that humans are quintessentially violent and exploitative and greedy. When people do those things, instead of saying "hmm, I wonder why?" we say "oh, of course, that's human nature." When people help each other (or burn themselves in protest) we say, oh, that must just be an exception. There must be some underlying greedy explanation. The reality is, humans are fucked up, and also love helping each other, and those are both parts of the human animal.
One of my favorite psychology experiments went this way. They left a preschooler alone in a room with a box of cookies. In half the cases, they gave the kid a big speech about how much shit he was going to be in if he ate the cookies-- they weren't his, and we KNEW he was a bad boy sometimes, but he'd better not eat them or there'd be hell to pay. In the other half, they told the kid how he was such a good boy, and we know the cookies look good but please don't eat them, because they are for the whole class. The kid in the second case was way less likely to eat the cookies, the kid in the first case almost always ate them.
Some people end up more one way or the other.
(and some socioeconomic systems teach us horrible lessons at a young age and warp our every impulse in the pursuit of cash, destroying lives and societies and making us all into dicks)
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(and some socioeconomic systems teach us horrible lessons at a young age and warp our every impulse in the pursuit of cash, destroying lives and societies and making us all into dicks)
Easy now.
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Neither is building bombs or desperate cannibalism or running a hedge fund, but for some reason those activities get brought up as evidence of "man's true nature." The reigning view in anthropology as far as I can tell is that we, for whatever reason, are really invested in the idea that humans are quintessentially violent and exploitative and greedy. When people do those things, instead of saying "hmm, I wonder why?" we say "oh, of course, that's human nature." When people help each other (or burn themselves in protest) we say, oh, that must just be an exception. There must be some underlying greedy explanation. The reality is, humans are fucked up, and also love helping each other, and those are both parts of the human animal.
One of my favorite psychology experiments went this way. They left a preschooler alone in a room with a box of cookies. In half the cases, they gave the kid a big speech about how much shit he was going to be in if he ate the cookies-- they weren't his, and we KNEW he was a bad boy sometimes, but he'd better not eat them or there'd be hell to pay. In the other half, they told the kid how he was such a good boy, and we know the cookies look good but please don't eat them, because they are for the whole class. The kid in the second case was way less likely to eat the cookies, the kid in the first case almost always ate them.
Some people end up more one way or the other.
(and some socioeconomic systems teach us horrible lessons at a young age and warp our every impulse in the pursuit of cash, destroying lives and societies and making us all into dicks)
Awww. I think I just fell in love with Inev.
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Good, because my idealism is actually a cynical ploy to get laid.
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Good, because my idealism is actually a cynical ploy to get laid.
High 5s!
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quiet guys, I'm trying to work.
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Thanks, I'm done now. As you were.
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Finished the first part of my Machado de Assis/H. P. Lovecraft pastiche yesterday! Now some revision and pruning, and then I'll put it online, I guess. In the meantime, gotta keep plowing through the rest of the story. But I'm only mentioning this here because a version of this handsome feller makes an appearance in the last chapter, and I wanted to share all its abomination-y deliciousness with you guys (all together, "awwnn"):
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdg6dfQtwR1rc1p74o1_500.png)
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/707ec9199dda990a790a475880ee2f13/tumblr_mjb5vmZzWZ1qzryvmo1_500.jpg)
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/e7a8e1cf540bdcfde0aca8ce79251670/tumblr_mwxc79s9Co1qzryvmo1_500.jpg)
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/522bd67e15bfda0c96b3e1bb07248ae9/tumblr_mwxc79s9Co1qzryvmo2_500.jpg)
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/e986bf4da86afed94ee30f57bf5ce3fb/tumblr_mwxc79s9Co1qzryvmo3_500.jpg)
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/61c0bbd6e65204f5dde20d535a3066bf/tumblr_mwxc79s9Co1qzryvmo4_500.jpg)
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Yikes!
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Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
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I was playing this cell phone quiz game and the last answer was "the oatmeal" and I got it wrong and my opponent's icon was a panda.
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That sounds like a nightmare I would have.
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I was at a place on Wednesday where one of the appetizers was a steak tartare tostada, and I actually got to use the phrase "a lot of people are calling bullshit on that tostada, dude."
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That is truly one of my favorite things to say.
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Accidentally brought the visiting ladyfriend to this restaurant where the chef was Sean Kingston's former tour DJ, and we ordered some 15$ "Caribbean Samosas" appetizer shit because I guess we're too deferential to recommendations when they come in the form of the phrase "Snoop Dogg really liked these when I made them for him on tour". After we finish the pretty damn mediocre entrées, the girlfriend points out that our appetizer never came. I notify chef DJ Nasty Naz when he comes around again to check up on us all chum-like, and he acts all passive-aggressively huffy before we have to sit waiting for a half hour to finally get what turns out to be three god damn microwaved miniature beef samosas with a glob of egg-roll sauce on the side.
Why can't shit that's cool in theory ever actually work out.
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Tonight I was a cock to a stranger and did not wage peace.
I HATE when that happens.
PS. No seriously though I was a jerk tonight and I'm sorry everyone.
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Tonight I was a cock to a stranger and did not wage peace.
I HATE when that happens.
PS. No seriously though I was a jerk tonight and I'm sorry everyone.
Go and sin no more.
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Do those dispensations come in a mega pack? Sunday I was hella yellin' at the police, so I'm definitely riding the edge lately.
For what they are worth. No warranties, express or implied.
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Dear users,
You'd better be really freaking sure before you tell me the system is broken. Because if the problem was actually user error, I WILL figure it out and I WILL call you out on it.
Regards,
Carlos
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There's some hullabaloo going on at my old school. Someone from the administration laid down some new rules. The one of concern is a rule stating that any gathering of more than 75 people, in the presence of alcohol, must be registered with the campus police two weeks in advance and the hosts will be billed for campus police security. I'm curious as to how they plan on enforcing this policy. When 75 people get together it is totally cool, but when the 76th person walks in the door, CALL THE COPS. How do you identify the billable host? What if a group of alumni have a meeting? I'm sure more than 75 people show up at rugby games and at least one of them is bound to have a beer. Do you send the team a bill because someone showed up to their game with beer?
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Working hard (https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1458476_564213006982143_1307090547_n.jpg) taking major advantage of drinking island.
Since I started this a couple of people have approached me about partnering up to buy, repair and flip some housing.
FUCK NO. If I'm going to pound the cable this hard I'm gonna live in the motherfucker.
Duder, there is something so awesome about buying a worthless piece of shit and turning it into something valuable. If you do it right you're in and out and you leave something better than when you found it.
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There's some hullabaloo going on at my old school. Someone from the administration laid down some new rules. The one of concern is a rule stating that any gathering of more than 75 people, in the presence of alcohol, must be registered with the campus police two weeks in advance and the hosts will be billed for campus police security. I'm curious as to how they plan on enforcing this policy. When 75 people get together it is totally cool, but when the 76th person walks in the door, CALL THE COPS. How do you identify the billable host? What if a group of alumni have a meeting? I'm sure more than 75 people show up at rugby games and at least one of them is bound to have a beer. Do you send the team a bill because someone showed up to their game with beer?
This sounds perfectly reasonable to me. 75 people is an event, not just a party with some friends. The university will be held responsible if something goes wrong, so you can't blame for them for trying to head off problems.
Yeah, as you mentioned elsewhere I was clearly a teacher in a previous life.
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I think I would prefer making students sign a thing that says "the university is not responsible for my drinking" and students who refuse to sign get a big "LAME" tattoo on their foreheads so you can keep them away from your party.
There are similar rules at my alma mater. The house next door to me senior year got so many complaints from neighbors that the school wrote them a letter saying, basically, if you have ONE MORE PARTY you will be suspended. Which is insane, because... they're just guys living in a house. They pay the landlord to live there, and pay the school to go to the school. Where is the part where the school has control over their behavior in their home?
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This sounds perfectly reasonable to me. 75 people is an event, not just a party with some friends. The university will be held responsible if something goes wrong, so you can't blame for them for trying to head off problems.
Yeah, as you mentioned elsewhere I was clearly a teacher in a previous life.
People like me will find ways around this.
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I have no doubt, but you can't blame them for trying, since when someone dies of alcohol poisoning at your party, their parents are going to hold the university responsible. And as for Inev's comment, that's going to be just as true if it's off campus. It seems unreasonable when everything is fine, but when something goes wrong and people are looking for someone to blame, that's what's going to happen.
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I have no doubt, but you can't blame them for trying, since when someone dies of alcohol poisoning at your party, their parents are going to hold the university responsible. And as for Inev's comment, that's going to be just as true if it's off campus. It seems unreasonable when everything is fine, but when something goes wrong and people are looking for someone to blame, that's what's going to happen.
A man died in the bathroom at one of our parties. Police or no police, nothing was going to stop him. All of our parties have a sober risk manager officer with a group of people to support him. VA has host responsibility laws and we keep watch. I'm not sure how campus police will prevent such an incident.
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Well, maybe by preventing some of those parties from happening. But I'm not saying it makes sense because it's actually going to help. I'm saying it makes sense from a PR point of view. They have to be seen to be trying to prevent such things.
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Most awkward christmas card ever: My total badass purple heart marine uncle just got married - to another dude. I'm happy for him, but damn.
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That's awesome.
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You're awesome.
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My friend has a shitty job and is broke and can't go home for thanksgiving or christmas. His parent had Omaha Steaks deliver a freezer box with a bunch of steaks, chicken breasts, and bratwursts.
I think that is the best present I have ever heard of.
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Man that is sad but beautiful. As somebody enjoying an extended holiday around family, your post just made me wanna work my ass off in order to never be in that position. Family keeps me sane.
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I also think he could go home, if that was his priority instead of smoking so many cigarettes and so much weed. But trying to imagine your friends' finances is always a mistake.
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I use this stuff (http://www.amazon.com/Bag-Balm-Vermonts-Original-Moisturizing-Softening/dp/B0014CI4X8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1386791907&sr=8-5&keywords=udder+butter) for the dry hands from thinset and grout.
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I second the fact that bag balm is basically miracle salve.
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I am rereading this comic I like, "Achewood." It is amazing how many of these chuckles did not seem very rough when I was 18, but are extremely rough now. I also did not realize that so much of the Roast Beef character is about him being kind of an asshole.
Don't worry, I'm not doing this to avoid any responsibilities. Why yes, my grad school apps are due in the next week.
My roommates are coming around to my fancy coffee setup. They still make fun of it a little, but they use it instead of our shitty drip coffee machine. We just made a double batch and it was excellent.
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drunk on a new bourbon cocktail tonight, it's pretty great. there's cracked cardamom and pine liqueur involved, i'll post the recipe if you want.
tomorrow (tonight? it's late, so i guess) is our annual holiday formal, which we skipped last year to get back under control. annual parties have a way of growing, apparently no matter the dress code, so we cut down the invites to just the hundred best people we know, and took the last three days off work to finish the decor. the theme is 'enchanted forest' and we handcrafted everything for the environment, using some friends and the dollar store as resources, and it's coming together nicely. i think the most expensive item involved is the wife's new shoes.
it's probably going to be a two-on, one-off kind of annual event, so we can keep it reasonably capped. last time we had probably 250 people in our house over the course of the evening, which is just too much for where we live. i remember walking through the house and only knowing a quarter of the people i saw. just ridiculous.
anyway, happy winter holiday season, y'all
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ughh. Coworker just called and asked if I can work his 5am shift tomorrow. He went to his girlfriend's graduation at U-Missouri and is worried about driving back in this weather. HOW IS THAT MY PROBLEM. BUT I ALSO DON'T WANT TO MAKE MY FRIEND DIE IN AN ICE CAR CRASH JUST BECAUSE I LIKE SLEEPING.
Today was supposed to be my big Finish Grad School Applications That Are Due Tuesday day and I have just been sitting here staring at the screen like a shit sandwich all day. Fuck this. My roommates' band is playing in the basement and I just want to murder the world and their loud riffs.
STOP RIFFING. STOP RIFFING. PAY ATTENTION.
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I put loud dance music on my headphones and turned out all the lights and cleared a little area on the floor. Jumping jacks and sit-ups until I was a sweaty little pile of man. it didn't take long. With the headphones on I couldn't hear the band and then when I was done they had stopped playing. Which is Symbolic of Feeling Better.
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Dad had a mini-stroke while teaching today. A student went to the office and got an administrator and they called an ambulance to take him to the ER. He seems to have no permanent damage, but they're keeping him overnight and running every test they can think of. I'll be going to see him as soon as he's settled into a regular room.
The worst part is, even though he's OK, it reminds me that one of these days I'm going to get that phone call I've spent my whole life dreading.
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My dad had a stroke last year. He's recovered to some extent, but will never again be the man he once was. Poor guy is dealing with it well though. It could be worse. 2 weeks ago my uncle had a stroke and died. Good luck to your dad.
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Yeah, you know, my mom called me and said he had a problem at school, and my first thought was, "he finally punched that sonofabitch vice-principal in the face and got fired."
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The latest XKCD hits a little close to home. (http://xkcd.com/1305/)
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The latest XKCD hits a little close to home. (http://xkcd.com/1305/)
Way too close.
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*weeps*
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Odds are most of you will die before inev and I. That's right, inev and I will be the last living memories of what went on here.
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Well, I've been doing cocaine lightly for the last month for the first time in years (I used to use heavily tho), and I smoke cigs and weed like it's going out of style, but I am also a vegan who runs daily. Oh and I am also very poor. You probably do less drugs but are slightly less healthy from a food/exercise stand point and rich. We are within 2 years of age tops.
What I am saying is let's stay here til we die, it will be a good experiment...cigs and vegan and running and poor vs alcohol and money and less drugs.
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Odds are most of you will die before inev and I. That's right, inev and I will be the last living memories of what went on here.
I think I'm OK with that.
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Amen to the no fuck*ng video ads.
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Well, I've been doing cocaine lightly for the last month for the first time in years (I used to use heavily tho), and I smoke cigs and weed like it's going out of style, but I am also a vegan who runs daily. Oh and I am also very poor. You probably do less drugs but are slightly less healthy from a food/exercise stand point and rich. We are within 2 years of age tops.
What I am saying is let's stay here til we die, it will be a good experiment...cigs and vegan and running and poor vs alcohol and money and less drugs.
Rich wins because the most significant factor is access to healthcare. Perhaps America will finally get it together within the next 50 years, but despite Obamacare I am doubtful.
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Rich wins because the most significant factor is access to healthcare.
Word. Case and point = Dick Cheney got a heart transplant when he wanted one.
------
I'm a young healthy 20 something who is literally being asked to care for the rest of America. The system fails without us participating (despite the rhetoric, I'm paying ahead by any analysis). Can anyone here describe an actual problem getting health insurance? (Not from the news, just us)
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I'm a young healthy 20 something .
And you always will be!
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And you always will be!
I'm under no delusions, man. I'm so far committed to not making more people so there is no one lower on the personal pyramid to take care of 'this'.
My SCUBA instructor (we're also friends by other means) gave me my first Christmas gift today. We met for lunch and he handed me a box. Inside the box was a Fiskars X7 hatchet...
He told me that he knows I like camping and any camper can always use a good hatchet. So here I am at work with a magnificent hatchet and thinking, when all you've got is a hammer, all the world is a nail.
(I put it in a Fedex box to home)
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I thought we were talking about eggs.
speaking of, i have finally fulfilled my biological imperative. i put a baby in my wife. when our oregoncare goes through we will go hear the heart beat and all that rad shit. also, pregnancy sex fuckin rocks.
(this is for you dear readers that arent on the facetoobs)
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congrats!
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That's great, man! I hope I somehow get to this stage later in life.
Also, producing another tiny human in your half-image must be a weird-ass thing to think of doing. However, pregnant ladies have this wonderful cocktail of hormones that just makes them wonderful love-makin' partners, so lucky you. I wish you all the best, and have fun while that stuff lasts, you lucky dude. Read books to your kids.
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Yay, congrats! I missed the FaceTubes announcement so I'm glad I got to see it here!
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Congratulations, man, ride the headtrip!
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Nice work man!
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Hooray! I'm sure you'll be a great Dad.
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Welcome to the new facet of your life. Everything will be different, but awesome in its own way.
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Oh no he di'nt!
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Its not freezing outside so I'm hitting the driving range and 9 holes.
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I am looking at Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table and stuff for cooking-related gifts for my mom, and I feel like I am reading an Onstad bit. I feel bad/greedy/wasteful for my tendency to covet kitchen "gadgets" as fancy as a second spatula or a full-sized whisk. I went to Target and put a cast-iron skillet in my cart, but at the last minute I put it back because spending 30$ on another pan felt silly. These people are trying to sell me matching lemon and lime juicers, $300 sous-vide setups, and automated jelly/jam makers.
I do have a panini press, though. It was not that much more expensive than the toaster oven, and clearly a press-grilled sandwich is much better than a merely toasted one.
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“Sure, she loved her parents, and she had a good life at home, but what the pterodactyl had made her feel was unlike anything she’d ever felt before.” — from Taken by the Pterodactyl (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FI9JE00/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00FI9JE00&linkCode=as2&tag=individuallyw-20) (Dinosaur Erotica)
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I wonder who decides which product is going to get the crazy review treatment?
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i guess there doesnt have to be an official item that its cool to make fun of for an indeterminate time period. there is so much horrendous and stupid crap for sale there. giraffe in a barrel...
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FYI, I am not dead. I am, however, in Northwest Ohio with my relatives, which is even worse.
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The death that is life.
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I am... in Northwest Ohio with my relatives
(http://i.imgur.com/5mDh62c.gif)
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I had to fly into Akron a couple times for work. because I'm young young and no one senior wants to go there. The only worst place is Dallas. If you get sent to a securities office in Dallas it is because you did something wrong.
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I don't know how much snow there is outside, but it is a fuck*ng shitshow. It took me almost an hour to get home from work. It usually takes 15 minutes. About 15 minutes of that was getting stuck and not being able to figure out how to get unstuck. Nobody else showed up for work so I ran around like an asshole all day. I didn't realize I could just call my job and say "hey it's snowing, sorry, can't come."
Really though, I dug out the snow around my tires, I rocked the car back and forth, I even did the thing where I put the car floormat under one tire to add traction. No dice.
Good news:
-I just bought a bunch of cold weather stuff. Sweaters, thick socks, smartwool baselayers. Awesome
-no work tomorrow
-yesterday I made this bomb-ass (in both senses) chicken chili verde with cornbread.
-probably soon I'll find out I got into school in California, right? Right?
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That sounds rough. Try to stay warm.
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-probably soon I'll find out I got into school in California, right? Right?
Weren't you just bemoaning missing the deadline for a school in Chicago? Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all.
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Yesterday at 4 pm: 55 degrees
This morning at 8 am: -2
Nice.
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Eastern Canada is a place, dudes.
We got over 50cm of snow during the Christmas break alone, an ice storm that snapped every birch tree in a fifty-mile radius of my town and gave 20 000 people week-long power outages, and it also hit -40 with wind chill a couple nights ago.
It's currently raining outside. Suffice it to say I'm happy not to be a car owner this time of year.
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Thermal sensation 127ş Fahrenheit (baseline temperature was 107) the last two days down here. I spent the holidays (5 days in a row) laying prostrate on the tile floor in my apartment (I live in the 11th floor) , not daring to acknowledge reality, wanting to cry but not daring to waste the liquids. 5 days when I could only go outside after 6pm, when it got tolerable. Blinding hard light threatening to hammer my eyes in all day from behind the curtains, the quiet hum of things baking. Thank God Rio is only this unreasonable some 2, 3 months a year, then it just gets normal, beastly hot. I wouldn't be able to survive.
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I didn't know the heat numbers even went that high. Damnn.
In 2012 here it was in the 110's for a few weeks and people were dropping like flies.
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I guess I don't have a dog in this hunt. I'm super cold right now because my house is old and drafty and my heater is inadequate, but it's above freezing and I'll be fine if I just put on another layer.
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In other California weather news, its been something like 30 days since we got a measurable amount of rain, and over 60 since more than 1/2" fell. There's been a grand total of 1.2" since the end of August. I expect the whole state will burn down, then blow away in the hot wind. In fact there are 2 wild fires burning right now, at 350 and 500 acres in size.
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Whenever I am trying to do something physically difficult and struggling, I hear ash in my head laughing at me. Today it was trying to dig my car out of the snow for the fourth day in a row. It gets worse and more frustrating every day.
It is incredible how little snow it takes to stop a car in its tracks. I also feel like this snow is destroying my car. This plastic panel on the bottom of the car came loose and is dragging along the ground when I drive. The "low tire pressure" light is on. The interior is covered in dirt/ice remnants from my boots/shovel/scraper. All floor mats destroyed. [in before "the snow isn't destroying your car, you are getting frustrated and destroying the car on your own"]
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maaaan, FUUUCK YOU, BRAIN ASH
if i let brain ash dictate everything i did, i'd have broken so many bones and ripped so many tendons i'd be basically like a quadriplege by now.
a commercial just now came on the teevee where this wife wakes up her husband in the middle of the night to kick him out of bed for snoring. this ad is so goddamned sexist i can't stand it. look, if you can't sleep next to somebody who snores, YOU get the fuck up and go to the couch. DON'T wake up a person who is SO in NEED of SLEEP and kick THEM out of BED. JESUS.
(idk bout y'all but our couch is so comfy that dinner guests fall asleep sitting up in it) (it's really easy to sleep in) (but it's no bed) (which is marginally less comfy than the couch) (even though it's a memory foam mattress) (but srs its a comfy-ass couch we got)
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Brain ash? Isn't that the stuff that comes out of my ears the morning after I drop acid?
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Yeah, I mean. I have a brain Ash. But my brain Ash is like that one friend who will tell you when your ass looks big in those jeans. Except for fitness and home repairs, instead of fashion.
My brain Ash is like, "you know what, most people would just say 'fuck it' and call a plumber. But do you want to be most people? DO YOU?!? You're better than this."
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I don't know how wombat is able to maintain sub-figments in the figments of her imagination. I'm lucky I find my way home at night.
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Also Inev: Try kitty litter for traction under your tires. Your floor mats will thank you.
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This time next year I plan to be reading about old buildings or whatever on a beach with some surfer babes. But thanks for the tip in case I have to go to MIT.
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Inev, also: Toscanini's ice cream.
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Inev and Wombat have slightly different priorities.
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I will bring the surfer babes ice cream. Problem: solved.
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Perhaps I was not clear. The ice cream is in Cambridge. Consolation for the lack of surfer babes.
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In Boston I would also be near my aunt/uncle, cousins and their adorable children, and most importantly my little sister. I'm sure the ice cream is good too.
(also MIT has an astronomically high employment rate for grads, and gives out lots of funding, and ohhhhhhh what a cool school)
Today I am working on my application for one of the schools that isn't MIT or in California. I'm sure New Jersey has its own charms.
Yesterday my new stainless steel pans came in the mail, and I am kind of scared to cook with them. They are so shiny that I feel like they are someone else's and I'll get in trouble if I mess them up.
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Today I am working on my application for one of the schools that isn't MIT or in California. I'm sure New Jersey has its own charms.
...something about the Chris Christie scandal... Actually I was thinking that this would end the presidential aspirations of the GOP's best hope, but I'm pretty convinced that this won't phase him in the eyes of the republicans. Which is good for the democrats because he had pretty good bipartisan support up until now.
Yesterday my new stainless steel pans came in the mail, and I am kind of scared to cook with them. They are so shiny that I feel like they are someone else's and I'll get in trouble if I mess them up.
Get in there and mess those pans up. Cook something boy, do it!
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Chris Christie will never make it out of the Republican primaries.
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Oh yeah. The Bible-thumpers and other unelectable nutbars are gonna slaughter him with this in the run-up.
It's gonna be schaudenlicious.
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I was already concerned that the pair of shoes I got for xmas pushed me into "owns too many shoes" territory, but now that they arrived (the original pair didn't fit and they were out of my size) I realize they are way more similar to my main everyday shoes than I thought. This is bothering me, and also the fact that this bothers me so much is making me embarrassed.
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That is just silly. Shoes never go bad. Put them away till the ones you have now wear out, and you won't have to go shopping for shoes.
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That way lies madness and hoarding of stuff. Stuff is the bane of existence, a sea-anchor, a millstone about the neck.
You sound like some Upworthy douche writing about some 80 year old man smoking goddamn shit!
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You're welcome!
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I was already concerned that the pair of shoes I got for xmas pushed me into "owns too many shoes" territory, but now that they arrived (the original pair didn't fit and they were out of my size) I realize they are way more similar to my main everyday shoes than I thought. This is bothering me, and also the fact that this bothers me so much is making me embarrassed.
OH MAN
I experienced Shoe Shame this week, too. Pedro -- in an effort to help me get my poop in a group -- gathered up all my shoes and lined them up so that I could go through them and put the ones I want to wear most frequently in the most easily-accessible locations. I counted them all up and realized that I had THIRTY pairs of shoes. I got rid of five that were worn out, but that left me with twenty five, and that seems really excessive. But I do actually wear each pair with regularity -- in the proper season -- and I know that if I got rid of some of my fancy shoes I would end up replacing them next time I have to get dressed up.
Still. 25 pair. I hear this is not a lot for a woman. But it feels like a lot to me.
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I'm sure I have at least that many. It's really hard for me to find shoes that fit so I hardly ever have a pair that fits well enough that I can wear it two days in a row. That's my excuse. That's also why I don't hesitate to buy something if it fits and put it away in the closet even if I don't need it.
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Today my dog has 100% fewer testicles and 50% larger nostrils than he did at this time yesterday. He is not a fan of the cone and I hope he doesn't actually have to wear if for the the full 10-14 days. Because if nothing else it means I'll get less sleep because a coned dog doesn't sleep in the bed and a dog not sleeping in the bed is a dog that gets me up 3 times a night.
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Do you have the regular plastic cone? We have a thing called the Comfy Cone that is less awful.
Did your breeder help pay for the nose surgery? Seems like something they ought to do, if they're breeding defective dogs who can't breathe.
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Do you have the regular plastic cone? We have a thing called the Comfy Cone that is less awful.
Did your breeder help pay for the nose surgery? Seems like something they ought to do, if they're breeding defective dogs who can't breathe.
We do. I'll run to the pet shop across the street at lunch and look at the soft ones.
The vet recommended the rhinoplasty as a preventative measure. Samson has no issues now but she said frenchies with tiny nostril tend to have more respiratory issues as they age and fixing it while he's young and already under for the neutering is the safest time to do it. We were comparing his nose to the ones in our frenchie calendar and his nostrils were clearly smaller than all 12 of those dogs. The vet first mentioned it when he was 8 weeks old but said his nose might grow into his face. Yesterday she said he wasn't even a borderline case and definitely needed the surgery.
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If you get the Comfy Cone you do have to make sure he can't get at his nose with it on, or rub his nose against things. Because it's flexible, there are some things it doesn't work as well for. But our vet told us not to use it when Lilly had an eye problem and she was so miserable that we decided to ignore him and give it a try and it was fine. Make sure you observe him for a while, and maybe use the regular one when he's left alone.
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If you get the Comfy Cone you do have to make sure he can't get at his nose with it on, or rub his nose against things. Because it's flexible, there are some things it doesn't work as well for. But our vet told us not to use it when Lilly had an eye problem and she was so miserable that we decided to ignore him and give it a try and it was fine. Make sure you observe him for a while, and maybe use the regular one when he's left alone.
The Lady vetoed the comfy cone. Apparently the vet normally gives those out (or off-brand versions, anyway) but wouldn't for Samson because of his nose problem. If it was just the neutering he might not need a cone at all as he doesn't appear to be able to reach the site of those stitches anyway.
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Make sure the dog knows who to blame the cone on then. It's not your fault!
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I made up for the sin of keeping the shoes by arranging to sell my banjo, giving away my extra backpack, and and resolving to list my 12 string electric guitar on craigslist.
Next: total clothing inventory, then CULL.
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How much do you want for the 12 string?
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50 or 60 bucks. It was 120 or so new. But I think I overpaid, it was an eBay find. It is a telecaster look-alike. It has been played very few times, sounds pretty cool. If you want, next time you're in STL you can try it out.
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In a little bit I am going to do a few play-throughs of my song with my roommate, and this saturday we are performing it in front of a bunch of friends. My other roommate coordinated this big thing-- like 40 people are going to come and play songs in our basement. We're just going to leave the guitar/bass/drums/guitar/keyboard set up in one corner and people are taking turns playing songs. This is the first song I have ever written, the first time I am playing music in front of people. Just the thought of playing the song and SINGING for my roommate is making me nervous, much less playing in front of a bunch of friends. But I believe it will be great or at least fun. The whole idea is to stimulate our friends to go out on a limb and perform in a safe space.
The melody came out fully formed in the shower, which means at the end someone will point out it is a ripped-off Beatles song or something.
I am trying to remind myself that if I saw a guy playing surf guitar and singing, there is a 90% chance I would think the guy was cool/brave/whatever, and also I would think "damn, I could do that! why don't I do that!"
I tried to toe the line. I don't want it to be too heart-on-the-sleeve, but I also don't want it to just be a big joke. So it's a simple little Motown-y riff with transparent early-adulthood symbolism.
(They can keep Waikiki-i-i/
I prefer the Missouri-i-i/
Waves may be bigger out there/
I'd rather surf the Des Peres)
someone will inevitably film it on their phone, so maybe I'll have a humiliating youtube link for you guys.
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I was part of a gender-bending karaoke band with pretend instruments called the Guy-Guys in a college dorm competition in front of 400ish people. It also featured my then-future wife (but not girlfriend at the time!) doing a Victor/Victoria thing on bass which goes down as her bravest performance prior to teaching "Health" to 9th graders. To be fair, going burlesque isn't as hard as actually performing something that matters, IMO.
We didn't win, but another (more sincere) male-dressed-as-female did for a sultry performance of "Black Velvet" by Alanna Myles. Completely fooled the entire audience, including the lighting crew. The dramatic reveal was almost spoiled when the spotlight left the performer at the end of the song just as he was doffing his wig. It shot back to him in an almost comical double-take, and the crowd went nuts. Dude was a theatre-arts major though, so he had the stones to perform like that.
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oh man, totally went well. We figured out a structure and a long twangy whammy bar outro and a fake-out intro. Also, hearing my own singing voice is cool, the chorus where I yell a little and my voice gets crackley is great. This is cool.
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i was in theatre from high school through college. in one experimental piece we performed, i hammed the fuck out of an ethel merman impersonation via song-n-dance. in one shakespeare piece, i played several background characters including one with this impossible soliloquy (http://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/plays/2?g=3) and another with a monster rack and a rolling pin, henpecking her husband. there were a couple other times too. drag is super common in theater groups, on- or off-stage.
last night, my car might have finally quit on me. '99 galant, bought in '01, paid off in '06, still under 200k miles. still, it's a 15-year-old mitsubishi, which isn't that bad. in a lucky stroke, the missus had a tour guest offer the use of a friends & family code for the auto company he works for. so today i'm going to run our free semiannual credit reports, and figure out how to get our credit scores without impacting same, so i can go in to the negotiation well-armed and ready to deal.
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followup: fuck the credit agencies.
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time machine trip #3: 1998, atlanta. leave a note for then-me that reads "if you don't pay your credit card bill, you're fuck*ng yourself in the face in the future. go easy on christmas."
trip #2: 80 years in the future, just to check shit out
trip #1: florida, 1996. get katherine harris hooked on coke and arrested.
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In the past year I decided it was a good idea to get a credit card "for emergencies" and to build credit. I got something with a really low limit, and always pay off the balance immediately.
But anyway, interesting, I just got two items of mail. One is an offer of a loan to help me "fix my financial troubles." I am not having any financial troubles. The other was an offer to apply for a credit card-- that I didn't qualify for when I applied 6 months ago. So I guess the credit industry doesn't know as much about me as they'd like to think.
I also just did my tax returns on TurboTax, and it says I'm getting a whopping $10. Total. Federal and State. Hmmm.
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dude the credit card offers are bulk mail bullshit. even when your name is printed on them and they say "pre-approved" it isn't like they're ready to give you credit. i had such awful credit for so long that i'm just now basically able to apply for credit, but that didn't stop any credit card offers from coming to me pre-approved. it's shit like that and weekly coupons that basically just keep the post office running. without the junk mail, a stamp would probably cost the same as sending a letter with fedex or ups.
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I also just did my tax returns on TurboTax, and it says I'm getting a whopping $10. Total. Federal and State. Hmmm.
Then you're doing your withholding right. No tax-free loans to Uncle Sugar from theinevitable
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without the junk mail, a stamp would probably cost the same as sending a letter with fedex or ups.
Seems like a fair deal when you put it that way.
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if you have a wood stove, junk mail is a rad way to supplement heating costs.
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A lady was in my apartment yesterday and she may have given signs, upon which I didn't act because human emotions puzzle me bip bop. Today: brood ruefully at work, then brood ruefully at home.
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'Burning Junk' sounds like a terrible consequence of choices.
Burning Junk? Isn't that by William S. Gibson?
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I sometimes get multiple credit card offers from the same bank on the same day. They freaking love me, apparently. It's nice to feel wanted.
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I did the lifetime opt-out so I haven't received any credit card offers in the mail since I was like 19. Except Amex. They use a different database so the don't respect the opt-out.
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I got a (semi-) cold call from a consumer loan agency about a week ago. They asked if I could use a couple thousand dollar loan. I presume this is because people get themselves into credit card problems over the holidays. Thankfully we learned that lesson about 10 years ago. I declined the offer. The whole experience had a vibe like an old friend who was a pusher on the side dropping by to see if you're still sober.
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Pro Tip: While putting rock candy in plastic test tubes sounds like a really cute idea for a science-themed birthday party, in practice it sort of looks like you're passing out crystal meth to six-year-olds.
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Do they sell bubble-blowing glass crack pipes? Because that would make for a festive goody bag.
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Still not sure where the problem is here.
It's off-theme. I was going for Mythbusters, not Breaking Bad.
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oh man, my other roommate's band of guys I don't know is running through their songs in the basement, and I am suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling tomorrow is gonna rule. So many friends put their little acts together for this gig and sound great. Hopefully some of them will blossom into real bands.
I am so pumped for my performance. My roommates were surprised by my singing voice, and I'm going to go ahead and assume it was in a good way.
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I think regular crack pipes would blow bubbles.
That went great! I felt out of tune the whole time, but it was all kind of a blur. I think I was yelling more than singing. But all the friends have nice things to say. I have a video of my performance on some kind of analog tape, not sure how to convert that to the 21st century.
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I watched the VHS, it is great. Some high school (!?) kid showed up with a videocamera, took the video with a giraffeeye lens, and left the tape behind when his camera ran out of batteries. It is a perfect mix of crowd footage, wandering around our house, and my performance. The other bands are recorded spottily or weirdly focused on just one member. Gonna have to do some googling to figure out how to cheaply make this baby digital.
Everyone loved it. One of my friends approached me afterwards asking if I want to be in a band with him. Also, some guy none of us had ever seen asked "how I got the gig" and started telling me about all of the shows his band has played. He wanted me to pass along the info to whoever "booked" the show. In my basement.
During the guitar solo the drummer/my roommate started yelling the vocal melody, and THE WHOLE CROWD STARTED SINGING ALONG. Oh man I felt like I was exploding.
All the girls I have crushes on showed up after it was over, of course. Because this is still Wombat's world after all.
(the prettiest girl ever was incredibly nervous about playing, and gave me a really sweaty smelly hug, and kept asking for help calming down/finding a tuner/etc. so cute.)
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I can hardly wait to see the tape.
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I think part of the reaction is because I was one of the only people that tried to craft a song built around lyrics. Even if it's just one verse and 2 repetitions of a chorus. Other people did stuff that was more instrumental or with lyrics that were more purposely silly, about aliens taking over or whatever. Obviously the idea of surfing in St Louis is silly, but it's really about loving the city despite its faults? Or something?
Also a wicked catchy melody. I have no idea where it came from.
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dude put the audio on soundcloud or something, i don't need to see it to want to hear it. come on man why you holdin out on us
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people all live-blogging the grammys like, who cares (rant deleted) i'm just playing portal 2 because my wife asleep
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Right now I am having a g-chat conversation with my friend. What is interesting about this is that she is on the subway/metro/whatever commuting to work in France, while I am sitting in my bed at midnight in America.
Amazing.
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Right now I am having a g-chat conversation with my friend. What is interesting about this is that she is on the subway/metro/whatever commuting to work in France, while I am sitting in my bed at midnight in America.
Amazing.
Did you congratulate her for Daft Punk?
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looks like almost 4 inches of snow here today, that should have atlanta metro shut down until midday thursday, which is almost friday already anyway so let's start drinking now and we'll see you on monday
people are all over facebook posting how many hours they're spending in traffic and i'm just like "DUH, YEAH, WHY WOULD YOU GET ON THE FREEWAY"
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don't.
call it.
hotlanta.
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My experience is that there is tweet-worthy traffic every day of the year in Atlanta.
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You don't like the Allman Brothers Band? (http://youtu.be/1iv2RrbWKv8)
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looks like almost 4 inches of snow here today, that should have atlanta metro shut down until midday thursday
check
two friends of mine were stuck out in the cold from 3pm yesterday until... wait for it... 6am today. the sky is clear and blue today, our heat blanket completely dissipating, preventing the temperature from rising past freezing. all that's going to happen is a liiiiiiitle bit of snow is going to melt and then almost immediately refreeze.
neighbors are gathering in the park at 11am to do a bit of sledding. i have to miss it because my permanent telecommute isn't disabled by weather, unless comcast somehow comes down with a major weather-related fuckup. oh well.
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Did the whole family come down with it? Or is the appointment with Dr. Mount Baldy a solo deal?
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4 inches of snow. 27 degree weather. Willy Wonka is not condescending enough.
Feel free to deprive me of cans - I know I'm a bitter new englander.
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Man, the lady is a satanist, if you can believe it. Anyway, all's fair and all that, I took the hint and suggested we watch Rosemary's Baby (which she has never seen because, being a satanist, she has *notions* about the film). Anyway, she agreed and will be coming on Friday. *Me*, dating a satanist. I swear I can almost hear faint canned laughter when I enter rooms now.
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so she believes in an afterlife, but wants to achieve the worst possible one? Dude... she must be freaky in the sack.
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I seem to recall, one of the questions on OKCupid was "Is satanism acceptable?" The answer I chose was "yes, it seems a bit immature though."
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is she a "legit dark lord" satanist, or "there isnt an actual jesus or satan, but i choose to be contrarian/i believe in myself"-type?
(i hope the way i described those beliefs doesnt sound prickish.)
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Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven?
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Damn dude, that sounds like some kinda ride. Let's just hope it's "Space Mountain" and not "tied, gagged and bleeding in the woods."
That would be hellarious.
so she believes in an afterlife, but wants to achieve the worst possible one? Dude... she must be freaky in the sack.
Keeping my fingers crossed...
is she a "legit dark lord" satanist, or "there isnt an actual jesus or satan, but i choose to be contrarian/i believe in myself"-type?
(i hope the way i described those beliefs doesnt sound prickish.)
Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven?
Her dad was/is big into occultism, gave her a Crowley tarot deck when she was 13, so we can extrapolate a good deal of pagan shenanigans going on at her household. When I say "satanist" I was going for "has a freaky New Age background which certainly includes a thorough course in satanism via her dad". But she's a sweet girl, and she doesn't look the part (dresses modestly, even). I loaned her a copy of "Meditation on the Tarot" (I already talked about it in the "book" thread) and she flipped. I guess she's going for some sort of holistic approach where all religious manifestations are part of the same truth or something like that? I haven't delved into specifics with her yet. She certainly doesn't seem like the sort of prick that uses satanism as an excuse to indulge the ego. Still, she made a face when she saw some of the Christian literature I have in my place. Argh! I so want to argue endlessly about religion with her, naked!
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My in-laws are currently as their beach house in NC. Yesterday they announced the local hospital was closed because they felt it was more dangerous to get to the ER on the roads than to just stay home and deal with your severed fingers or heart attack with home remedies, I guess.
I remember we had a "commute from hell" here a year or two ago when it started snowing during the work day and people had to drive home in it. I got home faster than usual that day but I think the Mayor stayed at/near work all night rather that drive in it.
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Yeah, I just went over that with the family last night. That was January 2011. I took the Metro out to Vienna around 3:30 PM (the end of the line in the western Virginia suburbs), and the line for my bus was like 100 people deep. One bus arrived, filled up, and drove off. And then I waited there for 90 minutes while no more buses came, shaking wet heavy snow off my umbrella every ten minutes or so. I had a radio on my MP3 player, and the traffic reports from WTOP were basically "All roads are bad everywhere," and we could see I-66 was a parking lot (so if a bus had shown up, I'd probably have been on it for at least 4 hours). Meanwhile, I could see the Metro was still running, and I had to be in the city again for work the next day. So I called the missus to let her know, then called a friend who lives close to a metro station in Arlington, got back on the train, and eventually slept on his couch. (I did look for hotel rooms, but the only think I could find was a $350 room at the Ritz-Carlton.)
No one at work the next day either noticed or cared that I was wearing the same clothes as the day before.
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There is a commute from hell here every 2 to 5 years. Once the road gets blocked, people start running out of gas because they don't know to turn off their cars except to run the heat every hour or so, and then they can't move their car or stay warm in it so they abandon it. Nobody whines about it though. We just blame it on out-of-towners and it contributes to our general impatience with their lack of driving skill.
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FUCK YOU THURSDAY E'RBUDDY!
The longer I work at this job, the more I realize that everything that goes wrong is management's fault. Not my managers-- at this point I have some great direct bosses-- but the kind of morons that sit in a corporate office and say we can't order more than one box of lids at a time because having backups is a waste of space. That see some asshole tweet a vague complaint about not liking our coffee and decide to come downtown and interrogate us about how often we clean the machines. The people who come in and see our sign advertising a special drink (named after a downtown celebrity) and make us take it down because it "might confuse customers." I hope one day when no one is home your fuck*ng west-county McMansion burns down. I hope you are insured and there are no permanent effects other than a vague sense that the world might hate you.
I am deeply grateful that the worst problems in my life can be emotionally resolved with a grilled cheese and a cold beer.
(and fantasizing about writing a really nasty letter)
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inev 2014: no apologies.
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Fuckin' MBA's.
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No one at work the next day either noticed or cared that I was wearing the same clothes as the day before.
This is a delusion that seems to afflict many of the women I know. I guess if someone wore a gold lamé bikini twice in a row I would notice, but short of that I doubt it. And I'm observant for a living.
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Fuckin' MBA's.
A-Cap and I will CUT YOU
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This is a delusion that seems to afflict many of the women I know. I guess if someone wore a gold lamé bikini twice in a row I would notice, but short of that I doubt it. And I'm observant for a living.
What people like this need to understand is that nobody gives a shit about you.
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This is a delusion that seems to afflict many of the women I know. I guess if someone wore a gold lamé bikini twice in a row I would notice, but short of that I doubt it. And I'm observant for a living.
I trying to avoid falling into patterns. I don't want to accidentally always wear my green shirt on Mondays because then I'll feel like the guy in Fight Club.
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I absolutely notice when people wear the same outfits.
The mistake they're making is thinking that this makes me think either positive or negative thoughts. If the outfit is good, I think it is good. If the outfit is bad, I think it is bad.
Mindy Kaling has a thing about how she has determined that men want their wives/girlfriends/whatever to wear a t-shirt and tight jeans at all times. Everything else is women dressing for each other.
The only thing I worry about is wearing the same outfit on two dates in a row. That is too much. It doesn't help that I have a very set "favorite outfit." But everything I wear is a variation on a dork theme anyway.
I wear the same outfit 40 hours a week. Recently my coworker sewed some big pockets onto the front of my apron, and it is like a whole new world. It turns out that big apron pockets are very functional.
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I have a blocked eustachian tube after a cold, and holy hell is it just about the most major minor inconvenience. Constantly dizzy, can hardly hear people speaking, eating sounds like I'm putting my hearing organs down a garburator, and I can't even listen to music. That's the worst part.
everybody says it's 'normal' and to 'wait it out,' but they wouldn't be saying the same thing if it were my goddamn eyeball that just suddenly stopped working.
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I have learned I can't handle even the most basic tasks in Photoshop and even super basic 3D stuff is way beyond my understanding.
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A-Cap and I will CUT YOU
Why? Do you guys have MBA's and all the shame that should go with such a degree?
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(http://www.pnw4x4s.com/forum/Garage/uploads/cache/garage_gallery_1361293556.jpg)
edit: whoosh correction (http://achewood.com/index.php?date=12112003)
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I usta squirrel around in the BLM land outside Barstow in one of those things. Fun like puppies on crack.
It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home.
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hey aug do you wanna go to the hardware store later? i gotta get some power converters
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and what the hell does the upkeep on deadbeat uncle's ben's 'moisture farm' even entail? I'm imagining dude just sitting around and exhaling onto a single sheet of cellophane until a bead of condensation drips into a bucket. Forever.
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Malcom gets a can for making me laugh in the middle of a graveyard shift.
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hey aug do you wanna go to the hardware store later? i gotta get some power converters
Maybe we could swing by and catch Nick Winters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53DQgbj2mIc) afterwards.
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Nice. Nice. Very nice.
I'm kind of jealous. I have bathroom remodel work that needs to be finished, if it ever gets over 40 for a few days straight.
I'm so close to having my own bathroom again, yet so far away...
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EggMan, thanks for the Bag Balm tip. I bought a tin of it and have it set on the fireplace mantel at the new house for use after joint compound or thinset shenanigans. Spouse doesn't like the smell but we both agree that it sure helps. I hain't split anymore fingertips.
It's great stuff. You can use it all over. I've been known to use it when a bee stings my gentleness.
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It's great stuff. You can use it all over. I've been known to use it when a bee stings my gentleness.
When I was on Accutane* my dermatologist recommend bag balm for my lips. He said it was way more effective than any other chapstick. Southern States** even sold it in tiny tins that fit in that weird jeans pocket. It was effective but messy since you had to apply it with your finger so I switched to Neutrogena in a handy tube.
*is that shit even legal now?
**does that chain still exist? All the ones by me closes like 15 years ago
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Considering the target demo implicit in the store's name, I'm surprised they didn't make it in a back-pocket tin about the circumference of a Skoal's package.
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**does that chain still exist? All the ones by me closes like 15 years ago
Oh hell yes! There's one in Manassas.
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Yeah, Southern States are all over the place here. One in every county.
Another thing I've been using udder butter on lately is Lyle the pitbull's paws. They get badly chapped from the ice and the salt and it gives him some relief.
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well, I am 1/6 more likely to be going to Chile now. And 100% less likely to go live in the Bay Area. This is disappointing.
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"So if I'm considerate enough to never intrude in another person's Facebook timeline to dispute or antagonize, even in the face of the most high caliber bullshit being spouted, that should be enough, right? People will take that hint and they will appreciate such consideration and will return the favor, they will live and let live, and will let me be me in my own timeline, and say the inanities I want to say without having to worry about shit like 'comparing sources' or point per point refutations which are the first indication that someone's been taking the internet way too seriously, right?" -- thought Deja. And then he fucked himself.
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The Valentines Day tables are turned. The couples melting into each other—with their public displays of affection that the lonesome singles have long complained about—are being replaced by the increasingly vocal and visible angry singles. I had to stay away from the social medias yesterday because the self-pity parade got a bit too florid even for my morbid tastes. Hear hear to those, both single and hitched alike, who have the decency to bottle up their feelings until they snap and shoot up a Chuck-E-Cheezes.
The lady got me and my friend some tickets to an upcoming beer festival, though, so we stayed home and had a nice day.
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well, I am 1/6 more likely to be going to Chile now. And 100% less likely to go live in the Bay Area. This is disappointing.
I bet Chile has many Areas with Bays.
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also, I forgot about the school I fucked up the application for, it is 1/5 more likely, not 1/6.
I guess I am glad my 18 year old sister likes/trusts me enough to send me texts about being drunk. I guess.
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"So if I'm considerate enough to never intrude in another person's Facebook timeline to dispute or antagonize, even in the face of the most high caliber bullshit being spouted, that should be enough, right? People will take that hint and they will appreciate such consideration and will return the favor, they will live and let live, and will let me be me in my own timeline, and say the inanities I want to say without having to worry about shit like 'comparing sources' or point per point refutations which are the first indication that someone's been taking the internet way too seriously, right?" -- thought Deja. And then he fucked himself.
I love it when someone posts some falacy that i can shoot down with wisdom, on a public forum, under their real name. Don't be facebook friends with people whose contributions you do not want. There are plenty of assholes like me out there.
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facebook isnt my soapbox. plus, i dont even post much inane lifestuff, either. my wife always tags me when she brags or updates people about our life.
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People that I care about sometimes have ignorant, ill-informed or wrong headed opinions. I'm not happy about that, but unless it rises to a certain high level, I don't cease to care about them.
Everyone is flawed.
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I love it when someone posts some falacy that i can shoot down with wisdom, on a public forum, under their real name. Don't be facebook friends with people whose contributions you do not want. There are plenty of assholes like me out there.
You're lucky if you can get things settled that easily. In my experience Facebook is far from being an optimal platform for debate, which is why I get bored just *thinking* about it. It's a fuck*ng morass of logical fallacies, non-sequiturs, indignant para-morality and yes, poorly thought out counterfactuals. By the way, I posted my previous rant in my timeline and I think it worked. I have been posting whatever since then with not a peep for retort. *Good*.
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Actually, for me having FB friends who I don't agree with politically is somewhat helpful. While it can be troubling at times, it helps remind me that not everyone who disagrees with me is evil or stupid.
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I just want to post my shit undisturbed, 'tis all.
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It seems like if you are not interested in discussion, you could post things somewhere where no one will see them. You could write them in your journal.
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or put the people that give you shit in a list and hide the post from that list, like facebook allows pretty easily
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or put the people that give you shit in a list and hide the post from that list, like facebook allows pretty easily
Every time someone complains about the newsfeed, I tell them that you can put stuff in a list and it'll solve everything they are complaining about - they'll get all the posts, in time order. I am pretty sure that not a single person who's complained about the newsfeed has ever taken this advice. I totally don't get it.
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I'm good now. Nary a peep and I love it.
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Every time someone complains about the newsfeed, I tell them that you can put stuff in a list and it'll solve everything they are complaining about - they'll get all the posts, in time order. I am pretty sure that not a single person who's complained about the newsfeed has ever taken this advice. I totally don't get it.
But if you primarily look at Facebook on a smartphone, you still have to go through a few gyrations to see your lists. It still defaults to the filtered feed.
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I liked JL's solution-- she asked who was interested in kid updates and put those people on a list. I am on that list. Your kids are awesome, JL.
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But if you primarily look at Facebook on a smartphone, you still have to go through a few gyrations to see your lists. It still defaults to the filtered feed.
Well, fine, so you should read stuff you hate and complain about it instead of clicking a couple times to get what you want to see? I still don't get it.
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I liked JL's solution-- she asked who was interested in kid updates and put those people on a list. I am on that list. Your kids are awesome, JL.
I don't recall her asking that questions, but I must have said yes because I get her kid updates. And yes, her kids are awesome.
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Bad news for Team Chile, good news if JL wants another gaming buddy.
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Don't be a tease. Duke? Chapel Hill?
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Central Carolina Community College?
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Yeah, UNC. There are some things about the program that I do not love. And waiting to hear about financial stuff. But I am very excited.
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JL, hands off.
Or at least leave it in better shape than you found it.
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Bad news for Team Chile, good news if JL wants another gaming buddy.
Yaaaaay! Let me know if you need a place to stay in town while you apartment shop or whatever. (Is that creepy? Sorry if that is creepy. I promise I will not molest you.)
If you don't want to live in Chapel Hill proper -- it's lovely, but super expensive -- a lot of my friends live in downtown Durham, I could arrange a tour. It's become a very cool eclectic place to live in the last five years, very walkable/bikeable with lots of locally owned shops, bars, and restaurants, and the commute isn't bad to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, or Research Triangle Park. When you describe the place you currently live, it reminds me most of Downtown Durham.
My house is a good 30 minute drive from downtown Chapel Hill, but it's a hell of a lot closer than Charlotte. I did my graduate minor at UNC so I don't know the campus super well, just a few of the main buildings, but I can show you around a little. And if you move here, you should definitely come for game nights. You would love my friends. Most of them are guys in their mid-twenties, you'll fit right in.
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Dear diary, got a gig translating a short-story book by Alice Munro. Pay’s good and it certainly puts a shine on the ol’ resumé but holy good Hell is it *boring*.
300 hundred pages of bored, banal housewives contemplating cheating on their banal, boring husbands, all written in a style smothered in primness, ever so impressed with its own supposedly solemn elocution (which just comes out as fuck*ng twee). Not that it doesn’t have its dramatic&lyrical moments or one or two interesting characters, but the overall effect is one of pervasive, inconsequential blandness and ok I’m done complaining.
Also I took 1 ritalin which a friend gave me just to see how it affects my output and I’m pretty sure I’m palpitating.
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Also I took 1 ritalin which a friend gave me just to see how it affects my output and I’m pretty sure I’m palpitating.
Next time try a half.
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Yeah, there is an open house for admitted students next month that I think I will try to attend. I will let you know.
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Deja, are you tempted to make it more interesting, or do translators take some kind of an oath to accurately represent the prim solemn tweeness of the original work?
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Yeah, there is an open house for admitted students next month that I think I will try to attend. I will let you know.
Sure thing -- I can put you up in Hero's room, it's the most comfortable bed in the house. Just ask Paul.
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Deja, are you tempted to make it more interesting, or do translators take some kind of an oath to accurately represent the prim solemn tweeness of the original work?
This is as interesting a question as it is maddening. Let's see: the plasticity of the English language -- the particularities of its syntax, the richness of its lexicon (with its overabundance of words for very specific shades of meaning) -- stands in strong contrast to Romance languages like Portuguese -- which have somewhat narrower syntactic possibilities and a more modest lexicon.
Compared to English, Romance languages are a lot less malleable (as someone who writes in both I can attest that Portuguese feels "harder" to make look/sound good, while often I feel that English offers more possibilities for the articulation of ideas), and I feel that Romance languages don't encourage experimentation and risk-taking -- or at least don't reward it well. Meaning that I feel like English gives more leeway to pyrotechnics that still feel organic, natural, meaningful (I don't think we have a lot of authors that have successfully made "their" version of Portuguese, the way a lot of anglophone writers have made "their" version of English that we can recognize right from the first beats -- just from the top of my head Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy, Don DeLillo).
So (regardless of questions of taste or competence), just the fact that Mrs. Munro's text leans more to the overwrought side of things means that translating it to Portuguese will involve a great deal of streamlining anyway -- a lot less than if her text leaned more towards the "tame" (for example, more along the lines of Hemingway). By the time I have managed to convey the brunt of the meaning (with all the attendant shadings that I was able to preserve -- and I try to preserve as much as possible, always), the sentence structure will have changed so much, the lexical ornamentation will have been so considerably pruned (due to the already mentioned more modest lexicon at our disposal) that whatever personal touch which I might have considered... twee, will have fallen by the wayside already.
There are of course certain passages where the preciousness of her style comes expressed within fairly traditional syntactic structures, and these are the unavoidable sore spots where I have to make a decision: do I keep them, do I change them or do I get rid of them?
For instance, Mrs. Munro loves her some parataxis -- short clipped sentences connected by coordinating conjunctions (like "and", for instance). While I have seen it being employed to great advantage in English (probably coming down from the King James translation of the Bible, which was big on parataxis), in Portuguese this draws a lot of attention and so it is used sparingly, if ever.
So to finally answer your question: most of the time I try to -- not discard, but "dampen" the original effect a bit, hoping that it won't be so jarring in a language that feels a lot more "naked" such as Portuguese: adapting and making approximations to the original, using the resources from the target language and discarding things from the source language which, if they were translated closely, would probably draw the wrong kind of attention in the context of a more "conservative" language (but still, there's only so much one can to soften things; it might as well be that in the end I just end up with a half-assed Portuguese version of "primness". It could be, I don't know, my mind hurts just thinking about how hairsplittingly maddening this subject can get).
And then there are the few cases where just there wasn't much that I could do -- where a literal translation was available and anything else I'd try would veer off into "creation", and not "translation", and so it was off-limits. In these few painful cases, the Portuguese version of Mrs. Munro voice came off as close to the original as possible. What can one do? Some quick eye-rolling, some light cringing and we just keep on plowing.
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Cans for ya, Elton John. You are a cool guy with an enviable job. And as somebody who really enjoy certain aspects of Alice Munro but cringes at others, I'd recommend her short stories. I think they provide a purer distillation of her 'vibe' without always being self-consciously bland. I feel like the reasons you dislike Munro are the ones that prevent me from enjoying Joan Didion. Intentional blandness as a stylistic choice always feels kind of like a cop-out.
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I think English gets a lot of its depth by shameless plundering of words from other languages and repurposing them for changing the shade of a meaning. Pretty and beautiful could both be construed as the same thing. One's Old English in derivation, one is a somewhat less old French. We now shade pretty to mean something of surface attractiveness, maybe childish and less consequential, while beauty is attractiveness with maturity and depth.
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Deja, I hope they are paying you a lot of money.
It's a bit unfair to accuse English of plundering since the reason we have all that Romance-derived vocabulary is that it came into the language after the Norman Conquest so it was more that it was imposed on it. But yeah, we have all the old Germanic-derived words and then the Romance words with similar meanings have ended up with different shades of meanings. Few other languages have this kind of history except a similar thing is true of Japanese. I've always felt that it's kind of awful that English has ended up as this global language that everyone else has to learn, because this is only one of the things about it that are atypical and frankly just annoying and make it so much harder to learn.
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There are a lot of clunky phrases in this Haruki Murakami and it makes me wonder whether it is his style, the translator, or something about Japanese. It is pretty rare that a sentence is so weird that I notice, I am generally not very observant about prose.
This also makes me notice: you can eat ramen and read Murakami and wear Japanese blue jeans and no one suggests you are a "weaboo." But watch some anime and suddenly the other things become intolerably awful to the observer. Apparently.
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The Japanese make blue jeans? Are they sold at Daiso?
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Just the syntax of Japanese, never mind the nuances of vocabulary or anything, is so different I don't know how you could translate and convey anything about the writing style from one language to the other. The translations I've read, the solution the translator seems to take is to write with no style at all, so it's very dull. It's been a long time since I read Murakami though.
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The Japanese make the best blue jeans in the world (according to people who care a lot about jeans). They bought all our old looms when we "upgraded" to faster ones that make shittier denim. Americana wear is a big thing over there, apparently.
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The Japanese make the best blue jeans in the world (according to people who care a lot about jeans). They bought all our old looms when we "upgraded" to faster ones that make shittier denim. Americana wear is a big thing over there, apparently.
This does not surprise me in the slightest. There is a thing with the Japanese where they philosophically believe there is a "perfect" way of doing something. It is unattainable to do so, of course, but one's worth can be demonstrated by how close to perfection the task can be done. It's the underpinning of the famous Tea Ceremony, chanoyu. They were probably terribly disappointed in "our" decision to forgo quality in favour of profit for this most essential of American consumer products.
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The Japanese make the best blue jeans in the world (according to people who care a lot about jeans). They bought all our old looms when we "upgraded" to faster ones that make shittier denim. Americana wear is a big thing over there, apparently.
They sit around in their Japanese jeans listening to vinyl records.
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Ironically, the jeans came in the meal today. These are some fuck*ng badass jeans. And they are made with denim from the last American factory that makes denim the old-school way-- in North Carolina! Sweet.
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Artisanal blue jeans. I do believe I've heard it all now.
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goddamnit brown rice how the hell did you burn i followed the damn recipe you son of a dick
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in an interview, dave grohl said that he wears japanese blue jeans because they apparently are cut to fit japanese dudes, as opposed to lardy ol' fat-assed american dudes.
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(sorry for interrupting jeans chat earlier now we return to the previously scheduled program already in progress)
i stopped wearing jeans because they're pretty much the least comfortable variety of #####, and they don't actually make my ass look any better than a good pair of slacks. the upshot is now i can buy trousers in a lot more colors and always have a way to dress up or down just by changing my shirt and shoes.
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Our cultural mores on blue jeans have become so complex.
OK. If I want to wear cotton twill britches to work, it's perfectly fine as long as they're tan, green, navy blue, black or grey. But not medium/faded blue. That color of cotton twill trousers is simply too casual for business attire. Unless you pay a dollar to charity. Then it's OK.
Also, that faded blue color somehow imparts a level of comfort orders of magnitude greater than that experienced in any other hue of lower extremity attire. How does that work? Are congenitally blind people aware that they're more comfortable when they're wearing jeans?
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i stopped wearing jeans because they're pretty much the least comfortable variety of #####,
what???
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i said "i stopped wearing jeans because they're pretty much the least comfortable variety of #####"
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i stopped wearing jeans because they're pretty much the least comfortable variety of #####
what???
I couldn't get his statement to make any sense either. Levi's 34/30's fit me like they were tailored to me.
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what???
I couldn't get his statement to make any sense either. Levi's 34/30's fit me like they were tailored to me.
Would they be any less comfortable if they were khakis cut exactly the same way?
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bingo, august.
if any of y'all is having difficulty understanding my sentiment, go find yourself a pair of ##### that ain't jeans and actually fit like ##### should. wear them around for a day and then again a few days later and let me know what you think then.
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go find yourself a pair of ##### that ain't jeans and actually fit like ##### should.
You talk like this is actually a possibility.
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well you ain't gonna find them at sears of course but you ain't buying jeans at sears either unless you just don't know what ##### are supposed to be
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I find the idea of ##### to be appealing, but the actual product never lives up. I wash my jeans once or twice a year, and once a given pair has hit its stride they're a second skin. A fairly nice pair of cords I just bought, on the other hand, is already starting to shred and weaken after pretty light use. Jeans are the cast-iron skillets of legwear, and I feel all this 'khaki' and 'chino' hoodoo is like a teflon fry-pan just waiting to deposit cancerous flakes into my scrambled eggs.
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Also, that faded blue color somehow imparts a level of comfort orders of magnitude greater than that experienced in any other hue of lower extremity attire. How does that work? Are congenitally blind people aware that they're more comfortable when they're wearing jeans?
That blind movie critic dude said once he almost exclusively wears blue jeans because somebody told him jeans go with anything so he doesn't have to worry about matching colors he can't see.
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He's not wrong.
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Interestingly, use the same material for a jacket or vest, and it doesn't go with anything at all, no exceptions.
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I'm partial to the perfectly matched jean jacket and jean thing. I'm a hipster though. Also, outside of that and really faded jean jacket and black jeans I agree completely.
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Yesterday, when I put on the blue jean jacket I've worn for 17 years, I detected a slight rip. Oh no. Well, I'm hoping tonight is the last time I'll need it this season. I'll have to see what can be done to patch it.
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(http://25.media.tumblr.com/2a040054afdd2568a346a05cbf14475a/tumblr_n0wwna75LG1s71q1zo1_1280.png)
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I'm disappointed the hoss isn't wearing any.
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^that tumblr has been my favourite thing of late.
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Mine, too.
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Leaving tomorrow on an 8 day trip to west Texas with my brother. Camping out in Big Bend national park for most of the trip. Really, really excited. Anyone have any good audiobook suggestions? He wants to listen to LOTR or recent pop fiction. I want history or older lit.
So far the only pick is Confederacy of Dunces (hat tip to you all). He has vetoed Swann's Way and anything related to urban planning. I do not think I could handle LOTR.
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Have you guys read the Millenium Trilogy? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, et al? Those have been out long enough to be on their way to "classic" territory but new enough that they feel modern and relevant. Plus, they are gritty mysteries with a lot of action and violence.
You could also go with some pop history that reads like fiction. Oooh! The Devil in the White City was really, really good. Urban planning is involved, yes; but also: MURDER! INTRIGUE! FORENSICS! A MULTI-CITY RACE TO HUNT DOWN THE BAD GUY!
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That's a really good suggestion, as I recall the murders in that book were definitely worthy of fiction.
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To-do for to-day: ignore Carnival; translate; douse painful canker sore on the side of mouth, gum area above throbbing tooth root & inflammed throat which feels like glass shards w/ whisky. It's good whisky.
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I agree completely.
FTFY
Yesterday, when I put on the blue jean jacket I've worn for 17 years, I detected a slight rip. Oh no. Well, I'm hoping tonight is the last time I'll need it this season. I'll have to see what can be done to patch it.
Try a patch that covers the entire thing, and is actually a new jacket. That is my stern recommendation.
Seriously guys, you aren't doing jean jackets any favors by wearing them. It just shows everyone else the ultimate flaw that is torso denim.
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But what am I going to do with this huge Judas Priest patch then?
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Big Bend was awesome, Guadalupe Mountains National Park was pretty boring. I think we went at the wrong time of year. West Texas is awesome. It is hard to capture in a picture. It just feels so big and empty. Spending that much time with my brother was mostly positive. Hanging out with family members always stresses me out, because I feel like there is something they all have in common that I don't have. And when that comes out, they always react like I am an alien being. Somehow I am the only person in my family who was not blessed with deep self-confidence. Even my little sister, who is scatter-brained and goofy like I am, sincerely does not give a single shit about what most people think about her. But the trip was great. Even the first few days when
my brother someone was setting up the stove wrong and we had to eat cold meals. Uncooked veggies with undercooked rice is not great, but even in that moment I was happy to be doing something out of the ordinary. My roommates all commented that I seem taller, and everything here feels kind of small and unimportant.
Since I have been on a Murakami kick, I downloaded 1q84 for the drive, and it was a mistake. We both got hooked on the story, but it is definitely written in a really frustrating style. It just goes on and on and we were both losing our minds with impatience. My roommate who has already read it informed me that I will be extremely unsatisfied by the ending. Uh oh. Also, before picking an audiobook with a family member, maybe check out whether a huge part of the book is about sexual assault. Think about whether you want to hear 18 hours that are sometimes about child-rape while driving through Texas.
Also: I used the headlamp that August gave me the whole time. That thing is definitely way better than carrying a flashlight. Thanks, Aug.
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I have been saving my Hilton points for a looooooooong time, and this weekend finally I booked a hotel at Disney Freaking World for next January. Don't tell the kids, they don't know yet.
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It's hard to tell given the scale of the photo - is that a red ink tattoo of a sombrero on your forehead?
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Holy fuck balls, that filter fun wasn't even on purpose which makes it even better-er.
We've covered this ground before, but it never gets old.
http://touamb.com/index.php/topic,6044.msg198014.html#msg198014
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It's hard to tell given the scale of the photo - is that a red ink tattoo of a sombrero on your forehead?
Told you we shouldn't leg the check from El Toro de Mexico.
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We've covered this ground before, but it never gets old.
Best thread for unintentional, and totally retroactive, application of the filter is Fooker's one about the rodent in the speaker:
http://touamb.com/index.php/topic,3280.15.html
This could be a TOUAMBIE nomination.
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"My dad almost managed to get it out without her noticing."
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Phrasing!
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Gaah, Ash has a face!
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It was just unexpected is all. Like, dude, you're out there somewhere!
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Gaah, Ash has a face!
he looks exactly like one would think he does.
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Today Nabu hit me up on Facebook saying that he noticed that he and ACap had no mutual friends from the group and he was sure that he had some before. I told him that I never was friends with ACap on FB and that that he has been AWOL from this place since leaving for Texas a couple of months ago. Anyway, are/were any of you guys FB friends with ACap and now aren't?
Also, I went ahead and stalked him out on FB and he hasn't posted anything since December. Maybe he's having a rough go in El Paso.
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Maybe he is having a great time?
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I'm pretty sure I'm not FB friends with A-Cap (if for no reason other than it just hasn't come up).
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I'm pretty sure I'm not FB friends with A-Cap (probably because we never got along anyway).
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Sounds like Nabu was imagining that ACap had lots of TOUAMB friends, but never really did.
Maybe he is having a great time?
That seems unlikely. I think he's been kidnapped by a drug cartel. If I recall correctly he was actually there in the first place to set up a deal to launder cartel money. These things often turn out badly.
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I was FB friends with him for a while, then I think he had a terrible break-up with his girlfriend (IIRC) and ditched FB altogether for a while. He's back, but hasn't put out the friend requests.
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I had some direct interaction with him a couple years ago. I dropped him an e-mail to see what's up. Maybe he'll respond, or maybe he's already joined the legions of ghosts of figments of Wombat's imagination who haunt this place.
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It seems like he often goes away for a couple months and comes back.
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If I recall correctly he was actually there in the first place to set up a deal to launder cartel money.
did i miss something? holy carp!
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I definitely used to be friends with him, and I definitely am not any more. Dunno why.
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every time I read the title of this thread I want to throw my shoes at somebody and chant "JERRY, JERRY, JERRY"
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Ash, like one page after proving you had a face you took it out and made us all picture it in sad mode.
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Today my work wife informed me that for March madness you have to fill out the whole bracket all the way to the championship instead of doing it round by round in a sane way. I just assume people flip coins because without knowing who's even going to be in the games that just seems like a recipe for cascading failure.
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It is coin flipping and vaguely recognized name association mixed in with whatever collegiate allegiances exist within your social circle. My brother went to, and my uncle taught and administrated at Gonzaga, so I know enough about that team to realize they aren't going to make it more than 2 rounds in this year. I have them losing to New Mexico State in the Sweet 16.
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There are online variations in which you go round by round.
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It is coin flipping and vaguely recognized name association mixed in with whatever collegiate allegiances exist within your social circle. My brother went to, and my uncle taught and administrated at Gonzaga, so I know enough about that team to realize they aren't going to make it more than 2 rounds in this year. I have them losing to New Mexico State in the Sweet 16.
But I grew up routing for OSU and I know they'll beat Gonzaga and could give Arizona a good game (winner gets to be America's most boring state!)
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I called goddamned everywhere that 'Cuse was gonna either gak it in the second or first round.
I don't even know that much about hoopsball.
I just know pattern recognition.
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But I grew up routing for OSU and I know they'll beat Gonzaga and could give Arizona a good game (winner gets to be America's most boring state!)
Did I say boring? I meant racist, sorry y'all...
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Makes sense to me. I'm all for cutting off non essential parts of my body. I wish I could get my appendix out, but they won't do the surgery if you don't have appendicitis...
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I've been having that same problem lately. I've found that sticking my tongue between my teeth helps keep me from clenching my teeth.
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How do you sleep doing that?
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How do you sleep doing that?
That is a special skill.
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I've been working on relaxing my jaw when I sleep, which has worked to the extreme that now sometimes I wake up with my mouth hanging open. I need to find a happy medium because now I am worried about, like, spiders crawling in my mouth or something.
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How do you do that? Is it just talking yourself into a relaxed state?
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My dentist is supposed to be making me a mouthguard to help with the grinding.
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Have you tried minimising your exposure to things that fill you with seething rage?
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How do you do that? Is it just talking yourself into a relaxed state?
Well, you can deliberately relax your jaw like any other muscle, and I think the trick is that I am not a very sound sleeper so I get many times a night to wake up, realize my jaw is clenched, and relax it. After a while it just seems to be replacing one habit with another.
Of course also like Doc suggests, I guess you'd have to not be lying awake having thoughts that fill you with rage.
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For me it's not rage, but anxiety that is filling me. I've got a lot of personal problems right now.
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Yeah, anxiety is more my problem as well. I removed myself from the situations that filled me with both rage and anxiety (ie, academia) so I guess that's an improvement.
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My dentist is supposed to be making me a mouthguard to help with the grinding.
When I first got mine I hated it. It hurt like hell putting it in for the first couple weeks until my gums toughened up. Now I feel weird if I somehow fall asleep without it. Though I do occasionally have a dream about eating Swedish giraffe or Jujube Fruits or something and being unable to get them off my teeth.
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Life?
Ash gets exactly what I was thinking.
Second best might be a sensory deprivation tank but I suspect you'd find the passage of unused time.... irksome.
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My hubby went for massage therapy for the first time yesterday, and the therapist had him fill out some paperwork before his appointment. One of the questions was "How do you deal with stress?" With about five lines of blank space for a response. His answer? "Relax." What a guy.
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My hubby went for massage therapy for the first time yesterday, and the therapist had him fill out some paperwork before his appointment. One of the questions was "How do you deal with stress?" With about five lines of blank space for a response. His answer? "Relax." What a guy.
A can for your husband.
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I have recently realized "cheeseburger or new shoes" is a pretty awful answer to that question.
Yesterday I discovered that you should put the little pieces of (ginger?) on your sushi. Damn that is some good shit.
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It is pickled ginger, Inev. You can buy whole jars of it, and it is good on many things, including cheeseburgers but not including shoes.
I lost my job several months ago, and decided not to get a new one right away in order to deal with anxiety/stress. It did not help. The only thing that helps, as far as I can tell, is success. Even minor successes relieve the stress. A good workout is the easiest, short term, guaranteed way to kill anxiety and stress for 24 to 48 hours, but completing a climb that would previously have been too hard for me and is now at my limit will stave it off for a couple weeks. Completing a small task around the house such as cleaning the unopened mail off of every goddamn surface and placing it indiscriminately in the recycle bin will de-stress me until the next time I carry 2 weeks worth of mail inside and fling it into the living room aimlessly. Fuck mail. I haven't done that since last year, because when I do do it I have to find all my tax stuff and probably do my taxes. That causes more anxiety than mail, expecially considering I have zero money. When I complete the taxes I will probably kill the anxiety for enough time to find myself a job. Gotta go into those interviews confident, with all my ducks in rows.
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I was told that the ginger is meant to cleanse the pallate between the different tastes of sushi. Yahoo Answers bears this out (https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090306084426AAyd8mE). But you know what, fuck that shit, like you, I love the sushi with the ginger together. How can that not be the way it's supposed to be done?
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Doomie that is kind of a brilliant analysis of why doing chores is sometimes really good for mental health.
As for the pickled ginger, you guys go ahead and enjoy your food how you want, but once in a while, just for me, remember to try the sushi by itself without the ginger at the same time? Especially if you get to go to a fancier place than usual?
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Thank you, Wombles! I love it when people say I'm brilliant. It goes straight to my head.
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I KNOW WHAT THIS THING IS FOR.
you are installing a glory hole in the garage door.
either that or a portable out house.
I cannot think of any other reason to cut such a hole in a square.
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As for the pickled ginger, you guys go ahead and enjoy your food how you want, but once in a while, just for me, remember to try the sushi by itself without the ginger at the same time? Especially if you get to go to a fancier place than usual?
First off, I'm not likely to go to a fancier place because I think that fancy (read: expensive) sushi is a scam. The emperor has no clothes. I pay half or less and it's every bit as good. Secondly, I have a plan. It's pretty clear to me that Japanese pop culture borrows heavily from America. I figure, if enough of us put the ginger directly on the sushi, it's only a matter of time before the Japanese start doing it too.
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I KNOW WHAT THIS THING IS FOR.
you are installing a glory hole in the garage door.
either that or a portable out house.
I cannot think of any other reason to cut such a hole in a square.
I think a closet flange will be involved.
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I KNOW WHAT THIS THING IS FOR.
you are installing a glory hole in the garage door.
That's what came to mind for me as well. Given its size, maybe its for the hosss. Or Ash has delusions.
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A sad thought just came into my mind as I set upon contemplating that roughly hewn hole: a hoss will never live to see its own willard. they're not just constructed for navel- or willard-gazing the way we fancy chimps are. A hoss will never know if it happens to be rockin the habanero of all rad chillis. Further proof that there's no benevolent bearded guy up there.
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Also -- I'm curious as to what you'll be doing with them there pickled trotters.
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First off, I'm not likely to go to a fancier place because I think that fancy (read: expensive) sushi is a scam. The emperor has no clothes. I pay half or less and it's every bit as good.
We'll have to agree to differ on this one. Raw giraffe is one food where I am definitely not comfortable going with the lowest bidder.
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We'll have to agree to differ on this one. Raw giraffe is one food where I am definitely not comfortable going with the lowest bidder.
Well I've explained myself on all of this before. Freshness and quality are available at at all levels these days. That's why people have invented shit like $5 coffee and $6 hotdogs, and $50 bottles of vodka, not because it's better, but because they want to feel classy. But the truth is, there's little difference from the bottom of the barrel to the top. And you're just as likely to have the raw giraffe stored at an improper temperature in the fancy place as at the buffet because it's the same wetbacks Lyle's working the kitchen at both places.
For the most part, when you go to the fancy sushi place you are paying extra for the privilege of not having to eat with poor people like me.
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When I cam home after working Saturday, I found my refrigerator had taken a trip down to Old Mexico:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bj-5_NuCQAA2-rr.jpg:large)
I can't see Delores without thinking of Steve, Don't Eat It! (http://www.thesneeze.com/2003/steve-dont-eat-it-vol-2.php)
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And you're just as likely to have the raw giraffe stored at an improper temperature in the fancy place as at the buffet because it's the same wetbacks Lyle's working the kitchen at both places.
Well, at a lot of fancy places they make the sushi right in front of you if you sit at the counter so you can be sure it's not Lyle.
But you know, if you want to believe you are eating the best sushi possible, why should I try to make you feel bad by talking you out of it? Unless I'm offering to pay for it I should probably just shut up.
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They make the sushi right in front of you where I go too.
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So is it Lyle or not?
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And will he dildo your sake for a few extra bucks?
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So is it Lyle or not?
The owners of the restaurant, who work at the front taking the money, are Japanese, or Chinese, or probably Vietnamese, I don't fuck*ng know; as is the lady that makes the Sushi and one other old woman that puts food out on the buffet line (probably the owner's mother is my guess), but literally everyone else is Hispanic. I've been to a few other similar places and the scene is always pretty much the same.
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Yeah, that frickin' blows. I've been lucky to have a couple garages tell me I did NOT need work I thought I needed, which is generally a good sign. But so often you can't help but wonder if they're feeding you a line of bullshit.
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I'm assuming that when you go to pick up the car you're going to tell them how they fucked up and lost you as a customer.
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This open house at Rutgers is so boring that I want to jump in the river.
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Nope. I picked it up and they'll never see me again. Life's too short.
If you're sure it was a deliberate lie you should write them a bad review.
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I know you can't eat a photograph, but here's a picture (https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/pmcd9/13617840705/) of today's ghetto sushi.
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That answers another question I was wondering about. If you're eating rolls with a bunch of ingredients it's a different thing from if you're just eating a plain piece of raw giraffe on a little glob of rice. Because for most of the other ingredients, yeah, there is only so much difference between, say, expensive cream cheese and cheap cream cheese.
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oh you're the guy watching chozen
(it and archer are made here. i met an animator in a bar recently who works for floyd county, the animation studio. i told him "my wife and i love archer" to which he replied that he used to storyboard on archer and moved into motion on chozen. i said "well the animation on chozen is great." he and his buddy chuckle and tell me "that's what we all say too")
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That answers another question I was wondering about. If you're eating rolls with a bunch of ingredients it's a different thing from if you're just eating a plain piece of raw giraffe on a little glob of rice.
I had that too (https://flic.kr/p/9wtfwA). And just for you dear Wombat I made a special effort to only eat the ginger between bites of sushi.
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I had that too (https://flic.kr/p/9wtfwA). And just for you dear Wombat I made a special effort to only eat the ginger between bites of sushi.
Aw, I am truly touched.
You know that's not raw though, right? So your risk is a lot less.
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You know that's not raw though, right? So your risk is a lot less.
I understand your concern, but I'm not worried. I realize I call it ghetto sushi, but it's actually a first world restaurant with reliable modern equipment and subject to health department inspections.
By the way, on Saturday I bought a case of salsa (https://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/13626865215/) 4 years past it's sell date.
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By the way, on Saturday I bought a case of salsa (https://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/13626865215/) 4 years past it's sell date.
omg, this is no way to make me less worried about your standards for risk.
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It was delicious.
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Oh, so apparently I am now a dude who plays d&d 3 nights a week. I think I have the exact wrong playing group, though. You see, they're nerds.
This one twerp in particular wants to see the rule book every few minutes because he thinks he should have gotten a bonus to _____. Shut up dude.
But really, these guys and I are just not on the same wavelength.
I am super pumped for the scenario I came up with to play with my roommates. I am finagling some stuff so they end up in a sort of Aztec-inspired jungle setting. The main NPC is going to be a creepy, smelly jungle elf dude who goes into mysterious battle trances (some kind of barbarian build).
Oh god, what happened. I used to be cool.
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Inev, I love you, please move to NC so that I can hook you up with my D&D-playing friends. They will nurture and adore your lovely nerdiness every bit as much as i do.
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sorry, I am moving to New Jersey.
I am going to go crazy, because there is no way it is going to work out to play this campaign with my roommates. We all have different schedules, and a few guys have girlfriends/responsibilities which mean they aren't just sitting around the house every night. Ughhh. My schedule might be the biggest limiter, because it changes so much from week to week.
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Congratulations!
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sorry, I am moving to New Jersey.
*weeps*
I'm glad you made your decision, Inev. We'll always have biscuits and sweet tea.
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Seconding Ash's fanboy admiration of Paul's work.
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Seconding Ash's fanboy admiration of Paul's work.
Wait, what are we talking about here? **scrolls** Aw dang, now I'm hungry for Sushi again.
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One of my roommates insisted on rolling the stats for his D&D character, and now has a totally overpowered monster dude who will ruin everything. Is it mean-spirited or unfair to have his character have an "accident" somehow that drains some stats?
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The former graduate student advisor in me can't help but be relieved that Inev is not going to grad school in the place where he has a friend to introduce him to D&D players.
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Point Wombat.
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Overpowered characters can be controlled by shaping the story to be less dependent on dice rolling, and feature more decision making and character story development. This takes experience of course, but the sooner you start down that path the better you'll become at it. A good workaround is not to roll the DM's dice out in public view. That allows you to make decisions about the degree to which you allow chance to shape the story. You need to do it from day 1 though. You can use a public die roll as an element of heightened drama, too. The hidden DM dice can be a good device to keep the players guessing to. You can just roll and inspect some dice at various points whether it means anything or not. If someone gets uppity about questioning your motives, just say , "Look, are we here to adventure, or to argue game mechanics?".
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Hey, I've been grouting lately -- gonna finish up this weekend. Grout brothers!
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if you're the DM it's unfair not to do that
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were they Toughskins (http://www.searsarchives.com/brands/toughskins.htm)?
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You know that curse "may you live in interesting times"? I'd like to propose a new version "may you live in a house with a yard." The lady picked up free flowers from another neighbor which required planting said flowers. Hell of lame.
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Welcome to middle age.
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Jersey? Hell, next time I can afford to get to The City, we oughta hang out.
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LFM, hell yes. I had a weird dream all night where I went into NYC and my stupid high school friends who live there were making me go see a play or something, when all I wanted to do was buy some comic books and eat some dumplings. Meeting up sounds great.
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I think there's a decent noodle shop around the corner from Desert Island Comics in Billyboog.
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The guy who I follow on twitter who got me really into urban planning just sent me a message telling me his best friend lives by Rutgers. Ummmm
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today I cooked gallo pinto (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/gallopinto-nicaraguan-rice-and-beans-recipe.html), carnitas, and corn salsa. I think it might be the first time I have cooked a meal with this many parts. The "gallo pinto" wins as the best way to prepare rice and beans. Unfortunately it took me pretty much all day.
I think a big part of it was using "small red" beans. They are so great! Also had never cooked beans from the dry state, I don't think, which may be part of it.
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That recipe seems overly complicated.
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A much easier way to cook dry beans is to just soak them overnight, then slow boil them for an hour or so.
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but these were so good. so good.
so good.
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Oh I can believe it, especially when paired with carnitas and corn salsa.
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but these were so good. so good.
so good.
My method would not make them taste any different, just less trouble.
I'm just saying, if you like dried beans, put 'em on to soak before you go to bed, or before you leave for work in the morning.
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ugh bell pepper
use a poblano or an anaheim or serrano or something with some actual flavor, not one of those awful, bland, soul-crushing atrocities now in seventeen of your favorite pantone colors
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Pepper snobbery, really?
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pepper snobbery, or pepper preference?
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Paul, I'm gonna let you eat your sushi any way you want, but don't tell me a guy from Texas can't tell that different peppers taste different. Oh wait, you mean they're all the same, like all the different tomatoes you can buy?
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Paul, I'm gonna let you eat your sushi any way you want, but don't tell me a guy from Texas can't tell that different peppers taste different. Oh wait, you mean they're all the same, like all the different tomatoes you can buy?
No, I'm not saying that at all. But seriously "soul-crushing atrocities." Did a bell pepper rape Choop's family? The bell pepper isn't as exciting as some peppers, but it is not flavorless. And perhaps this dish we've been discussing, which according to Inev. was "so good," was just right with the simple bell pepper.
I'm gonna make this dish today and see no reason to mess with success.
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I eat bell peppers every day - I'm not looking to them for heat, I'm looking for crisp, cool, bell-pepperiness. I like them julienned and raw, chopped in an omelet, and stir-fried. I'm not fond of them baked and stuffed with other food.
Anaheim, Serrano, Poblano, and Jalapeńo make great additions to other food, but they're really not something I'd eat by themselves. Anything north of those on the Scoville scale is strictly for seasoning (Tabasco, Cayenne, Habanero, Scotch Bonnet) or bragging rights.
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If you wouldn't eat a Poblano by itself, I think you should reconsider. Roasted Poblanos are fabulous.
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if you are gonna make it, don't worry about the "refrigerate rice for a day" step. I believe that it would be better with day-old rice (like asian fried rice) but it was really awesome with fresh-er rice.
Yeah, I made tons of pork, but not enough of the gallopinto. But this pork is going in everything-- fried eggs with pork, stir fry with pork, pork on a sandwich, pork with different beans.
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pepper snobbery, you betcha. no sexual assaults have been perpetrated by bell peppers to my knowledge. still, i hate bell peppers with a passion.
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You yanks, getting all fussy about capsicums.
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WOOHOOOOOOOOOO
your turn :)
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The rice and beans are cooking as we speak. Will assemble the gallopinto tomorrow or later this evening maybe. I'm not going to throw out the bell pepper though, that's just wasteful. Poor Nicaraguans ain't throwing away any bell peppers either I'll bet.
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hey man you guys go ahead and enjoy those ok buds. none for me is more for you and i guess the nicaraguans
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The names of 745 doomed men. Where is Cartilage Head?
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Gallopinto (https://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/13990206335/)
I am disappointed that it didn't turn out crispy like the recipe promised. I think I can make that happen for next time. It was extremely delicious anyhow. At the last minute I decided to remove the bell pepper because I was worried the liquid from the peppers would cause it to not crisp up. I realized I could add it back in to the tacos I made. It was pretty dang good, but a little bit bland. I had to juice it up with hot sauce.
Will definitely make it again.
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yeah, the second time I made it (used the extra beans, made new rice) it wasn't crispy. I have no idea why, I am pretty sure I did it the exact same way. But I am not great at knowing what is "medium," "medium high," etc.
Today I rode my bike to work for the first time in almost a year, after a winter of not riding my bike, and set personal records on multiple segments both ways. This is a little mysterious, because I am definitely out of shape. Over the winter my old skinny jeans started fitting again in the calf/thigh but stopped fitting in the waist/hips.
Yesterday some mysterious girls came in looking for me at work, and my coworker told them I moved to Nebraska. He said he hadn't seen me in a few days so he assumed I was "already gone." I didn't think "telephone" was a real thing until this job. I don't remember whether I posted this on here when it happened, but another coworker was told at one point that I had a master's degree in physics.
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Hey, Nebraska starts with an N, it's almost the same thing as New Jersey.
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Well the gallopinto was good, but what I just did with the leftover beans was fuck*ng awesome. I didn't know what to do with them so I just rummaged around the kitchen and threw some shit together. I had some ground beef, an extra bell pepper, a bunch of green onions and a package of vermicelli. Added lots of garlic, I think that's what made it so good. They were starting to sprout so I put them all in. Salt and pepper to taste.
I'm a better cook when I don't use a recipe.
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No bidet function, eh?
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celebrating successful board maintenance with a new avatar
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I feel like I am approaching a weird thing where me and the other least-confrontational member of my house have a fight about dungeons and dragons. There are so many reasons that I can't handle this. I do not like feeling like I am being an uptight nerd. But like, if you don't want to play, don't play. No one is forcing you to play.
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I feel like I am approaching a weird thing where me and the other least-confrontational member of my house have a fight about dungeons and dragons. There are so many reasons that I can't handle this. I do not like feeling like I am being an uptight nerd. But like, if you don't want to play, don't play. No one is forcing you to play.
Didn't you used to get laid a lot?
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Didn't you used to get laid a lot?
Yow.
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playing a game with my friends is more fun than making out with people I only kind-of like. There will be women in New Jersey, but not my best friends.
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Actually, I think I am realizing that fourth edition sucks. Also, trying to think of a way to cancel this game that won't make me seem like a baby taking his toys and going home. Frankly I am realizing that no matter what I try to do one or more roommates is going to whine about it. It just isn't worth my time. I'd rather do something with them we can agree on that doesn't bring out our worst qualities.
And believe me, if some lady were showing interest in spending time with me I would not be posting about arguing with my roommate about whether he can play as a "walking talking ballsack."
I am having a fuck-you Wednesday. People yelling at me to get on the sidewalk while I'm biking to work, roommates telling me they don't want to play our game unless they get their way, customers demanding that I double bag their food in plastic before double bagging it in paper (note: I work in the coffee department and she was not buying coffee and there were 4 angry people behind her waiting to get coffee...)
Ready for New Jersey. Everything will be happy and fun there, of course.
Ugh.
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hosted bruncho de mayo today. queso fundido, fruit salad, chicken chilaquiles, egg chilaquiles, chipotle candied bacon. to drink: coffee w/ kahlua, bloody marias, goyallinis (champagne with mexican fruit nectars), corona, margaritas. the weather cooperated (low 80's, clear, low humidity) and the day just felt perfect.
beforehand, the missus raided the peony bushes out front.
(http://i.imgur.com/yM6arFP.jpg)
sorry for the blurry. margarita for scale.
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Sounds like a hell of a dinner.
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Nice peonies!
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brunch started at noon. supper at 8 was grilled cheese and tomato soup. a perfect day :)
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There will be women in New Jersey, but not my best friends.
True. After all, that's where Snooki comes from.
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I hate microsoft so hard.
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I hate microsoft so hard.
So does everybody else.
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Ash is angry because his car wasn't broken properly.
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Maybe the fault code computer is broken?
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I think my midlife crisis is just not having a job for a really long time and leaning on this and that here and there. I never used to do that and now I am and it feels really fuck*ng good. I wish my midlife crisis was cool like a ranch or something though.
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I think it's pretty obvious what my midlife crisis is, to anyone who knows me at all.
SPOILER: It's not a sports car.
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I wanna have JL's midlife crisis.
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jesus, housing in the northeast is expensive. Looking at spending twice as much for lower quality/less space, plus living with multiple people I don't know.
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Well look on the bright side, they won't be people you don't know for very long.
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True. I moved into a group house in Arlington via an ad in the City Paper when I was 25 or so. One of those roommates ended up being in my wedding party.
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hmm. Now there is another contender-- a guy in the program I'm entering (but in the transportation program, so probably won't have any of the same classes.) $150 less! The house looks smaller/cruddier, but $150 a month can buy a lot of cheap food at the Asian grocery store.
Today this customer who is always a total pain in the ass was going on and on about how much she doesn't like homeless people asking her for change (including saying she wants to slap them,and that "where [she] grew up, if you didn't work you didn't eat"), and I leaned in and said "well, you don't seem like a very nice person!" and handed her her bags and walked away. I think I am getting sassy. I am kind of into it but maybe this is a bad habit.
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Inev knows that he'll be leaving his job soon. This could be fun.
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Inev's getting short.
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whoa, golfhaus hasn't been online in over a year?
I am going completely nuts because every day for the past week (or more) it has said it was going to rain, so I decide not to bike to work, and then it doesn't rain. Today is my day off and it says there is a 50% chance of rain all day. I guess I should just go for it.
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There are worse things than riding in the rain. Although if you're on a mountain bike on dirt trails with no rear fender, the result can be...unsettlingly embarrassing.
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well, I got to 4 years with this computer without it getting to where I want to throw it out the window. Upgraded the OS and now everything has a lag. This blows.
Also stupidly paid for/downloaded a game without checking what specs I needed. Will not run and I am feeling major nerd rage.
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There are now two different romantic relationships among my friends that I thought were weird Facebook jokes until they got engaged.
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There are now two different romantic relationships among my friends that I thought were weird Facebook jokes until they got engaged.
That's hilarious!
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It took me until now, a month and a half before I leave, to realize the burger joint by my job is staffed exclusively by beautiful women.
(Also the chili fries are exactly what I want after work. Biking home after eating them? Uhhh report to come.)
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You need to bike home after the chili fries.
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My stomach felt bad, but overall I am happy with my choices.
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There are now two different romantic relationships among my friends that I thought were weird Facebook jokes until they got engaged.
So I am curious, is there any other evidence that people make weird Facebook jokes about their relationship status - I mean, other than obvious stuff like including their cat - or was this just a personal notion of your own?
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I am trying to find a way to tell this story without sounding like a dude saying girls my age are very silly, but... yes. I have multiple facebook friends who are "in a relationship" or "married" to their female friend as some kind of dumb joke.
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Even speaking as someone who does her best to fill in her FB profile with dumb jokes instead of real answers, that seems like a lame kind of joke.
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In your place you have dads afraid to take a bb gun into the woods. Round here we have loonies trying to carry assault rifles into Chili's and Home Depot. Somehow I feel like things are out of balance slightly and we perhaps need to find a happy medium.
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In your place you have dads afraid to take a bb gun into the woods.
Or maybe they just... don't want to?
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It's because they don't own a bb gun because guns are dangerous.
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I don't smoke cigarettes because they are dangerous, is that the same as being "afraid" of cigarettes?
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Yes Inev I think a lot of people are very fearful of guns.
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A lot of the kids were disappointed with the reality of shooting, compared to media depictions it's kinda boring. Good!
Interesting point.
did I forget to tell this story? I have been living in the same place for like 20 years now. There are two stores that have been here that whole time that I never set foot in till last month, because the cultural gap was so wide. One is a gun store - I went in to look for ear protection for my taiko class. The other is a comic book shop.
I finally went to the comic shop on Free Comic Book Day and I was unsurprised they didn't have the free comic I was looking for, proving that I hadn't missed anything. The gun store was more successful. But both, I had to kind of work up my nerve to walk in the door.
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TBogg had a real good piece on how hunters have changed since he was a kid.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/25/i-was-the-nra/
A comic book store opened up in the mall across from my office. This, in principle, is a good thing. However, I don't actually read comic books. I want to support them, but when I go in and look around I have a hard time finding anything I actually want to spend money on.
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A postscript to that story is that when that store was useless, I went to a different store listed on the Free Comic Day website and although they also didn't have the free comic I wanted, I ended up spending fifty dollars there - I think that is doing free comic day wrong, but I was glad I found it. I've also gone back to buy another couple of things. They have lots of webcomics books and a big selection of translated Japanese stuff which my local shop doesn't have any of - they are mostly superheroes etc with just a tiny section of graphic novels and indie comics. Whereas when I walked into this other store I immediately found on the first shelf I looked at a half dozen things I already owned, which is a good sign.
I buy most of my books online and I buy nearly all of them as ebooks now, except for comics, which are not fun to read as ebooks. Even the Amazon samples often aren't really useful, so it's good to have a place to look at them physically.
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I look at guns the same way I look at power tools or motor vehicles. They'll all severely injure or kill you (or somebody else) if you aren't careful with them, but as long as you approach them with respect they are very safe and extremely useful. And fun.
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Also...I think what I was really sniveling about with my original bb gun post is how dads just seem to half-ass it too often for my taste. I mean, these guys knew the opportunities of the area and no one was prepared to take advantage of it. It double chaps me that, when I set up shop for my kid and friends, they were more than willing to let their kids gang in on the experience. How about a little initiative?
And my original post was meant to create a juxtaposition between two radically different views on guns. I don't think that Ash's friends are necessarily fearful of guns, but those people definitely exist. It's why "You'll put your eye out" from The Christmas Story has such currency.
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Actually, you're right, guns are very different from cigarettes-- cigarettes take years to kill you.
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I look at guns the same way I look at power tools or motor vehicles. They'll all severely injure or kill you (or somebody else) if you aren't careful with them, but as long as you approach them with respect they are very safe and extremely useful. And fun.
L,B,T,T
Loaded, Barrel, Target, Trigger
Four simple little rules that every kid should learn before they're out of 6th grade, IMO (or depending on your environment, before they're old enough to encounter one in their day-to-day)
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Yesterday biking home from work I was stuck in mysterious stopped traffic through several red/green light cycles. Finally decided to do the bad thing and bike between the cars-- at the front was someone trying to turn left at a no-left-turn light. Are you kidding? No one was even honking or yelling at them. The midwest.
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Yeah, these days I regularly shock myself by looking down and noticing I've been tootling happily along at 53 or so. Between middle age and living in the country, I've lost my sense of urgency.
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Yeah, these days I regularly shock myself by looking down and noticing I've been tootling happily along at 53 or so. Between middle age and living in the country, I've lost my sense of urgency.
It must be the middle age because I live in the heart of the city. Whenever I see a cop my natural inclination is to slow down. Then I realize I'm only going 35 to begin with so I have to speed back up.
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Yesterday I realized that if NYC is 30 miles from my new house, it is absolutely within striking distance for a mildly-in-shape cyclist. The ferry is part of that too. Downloading PDF maps of New Jersey bike lanes and pedestrian/bicycle trails and dreaming. Would definitely want to test out the route in a car first, i am not that adventurous.
Absolutely prepared to get there and realize this is a bad idea. "Midwestern jackass dies trying to bike in New Jersey" is not the headline I want.
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Headline writers should work blue more often.
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I have to admit I might be better off if my employer blocked Tumblr. I might spend more time working and less time looking at pug pictures.
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Rarely do I read something so completely full of shit as that article.
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Paul, elaborate please.
Having Tumblr blocked kind of sucks. My employer has blocked many--but not all--forms of audio and video. YouTube still works, as does MLB's video, but most other forms of Flash-based video don't, and Spotify is blocked (boooooooooo!). Oddly, the web site for the beach house rental agency we're using this year is blocked. Don't get that one.
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Paul, elaborate please.
Did they consider the fact that the population is expanding at a way faster rate then they are building roads to keep up with the increase? OF COURSE the roads are still congested. In the 10 years it took them to add 2 lanes to the freeway 1 million more people moved into the city.
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Yes, the people whose entire career is building and designin roads take population growth into account.
I have actually been curious about this for a while, I'll let you guys know what I find.
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Yes, the people whose entire career is building and designin roads take population growth into account.
I think you'll find that the people who design roads and the people who approve them have different priorities. The urban planners will report that we need x number of roads and the the powers that be will say, we can only afford y number, or it's not politically feasible at this time.
And the "they" I referred to were the people who did this study.
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Hah. I wrote a long post talking about this, and then said that my laptop bit the dust yesterday and I hate using the Internet on my phone, and to prove my point it didn't post what I wrote and now it is all gone. Damn.
Long story short, I am almost certain that those economists took pop growth into account. Thinking it through, it also occurred to me that if the model is true, you would expect the old roads to have stayed at the same level of congestion for years despite population growth, because that level was the equilibrium point beyond which people would avoid driving.
Damn you guys are making me want to take transpo planning courses.
Pretty convenient that my "hard drive failed" right when you are about to come out with an OS that my computer can't upgrade to, huh Steve Jobs? "Yeah, the same day I upgraded to the next-newest operating system my hard drive coincidentally died."
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I have the depressing feeling that Paul has just described how the whole world works: Smart well-informed experts say X, and the people who can make X happen never listen.
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Anyway, to sum up my position, we need more roads or less people. I'm all for less people.
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Less roads, more people.
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That's easy to say in shrinking St. Louis where there is plenty of elbow room. You're moving to crowded Boston. You'll be hating people soon enough.
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He's moving to New Jersey, actually, and I am looking forward to seeing if he hates the people. In fact - Inev, you should do a better controlled experiment: I want you to get a part time job in a coffee bar and see if you post the same stories about customers.
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I'm sure I'll hate the people in New Jersey a lot. I do wonder how customer interactions would work out, maybe in New Jersey people would have different expectations.
Actually, the type of problem I am thinking of wouldn't go away, because the problem is that I have still not learned how to say "no" to unreasonable requests. No, you can't leave your food sitting here while you go grab "one more thing" before you pay. There are people in line. No, you can't just grab a cup-- there are people in line. No, I can't put this frozen chicken in my cooler so you can buy it later. Buy it now or put it back on the shelf. No, I can't "spot you" 25 cents. You aren't going to bring it back later. You do this every day. Bring enough money or go get money. I am not a bank.
One that I've never figured out the appropriate way to handle is people who walk up and want ice cream samples while there is a line of coffee customers. Do the sample people have to wait in line? Do the people trying to get coffee have to wait for some asshole to try 5 different flavors of ice cream and tell me their reactions to each flavor in real time?
My coworker has a theory about St Louis's problem-- "everyone in this city is trash and acts like trash." I think that line to myself a lot when dealing with this shit.
Part of the reason St Louis has shrunk is because of building too many roads. The city got drained out to the suburbs by the highways.
Part of the reason Boston is nice and so many people want to live there (and do) is because they took out a big highway that went through the middle of the city.
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Speaking as a New Yorker, I doubt that people in New Jersey - who as much as we like to rag on them, are basically our people - would be shy with unreasonable requests. But I am also sure they'd help you out by yelling at guy asking for ice cream samples if they perceived that as cutting into the coffee line.
I'm sure Boston is nicer with the highway gone, but are there really more people who want to live there now? I don't recall it being particularly depopulated when I lived in the area a couple of decades ago. If it's even more crowded I am not sure that would make it nicer at all.
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They didn't take out the highway through the city, they converted it to a tunnel. the road is still there, it's just underground now. And that is awesome!
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San Francisco was markedly improved by the destruction of the Embarcadero freeway in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Perhaps not the destruction so much as the removal of the debris. It was an elevated freeway that essentially walled off the view of the bay from 1/4 of the perimeter of the City. My mom (who was working at 1 Market Plaza for Southern Pacific RR at the time) said one of the unanticipated effects was the sudden relocation of Bigwig offices from the "view of the Financial District" side of the building to the "view of the Bay" side, which was much less desirable as the "view of the soundwalls of the freeway".
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Bicyclist was hit and killed (by speeding cars that the cops think were drag-racing) along the route I take home from work when I had a frustrating day, at the same hour when I bike home from work. I got in the habit of going a longer way when I'm mad to try to work out some more tension. Guess that won't be happening anymore.
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In the summer, a month before leaving town forever, is the exact time when you realize you love every girl.
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Never mind that Inev, look to the future. Did you know there is a musical on Broadway right this minute that is about a city planner?
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that sounds awful! I can see it in my head and almost even hear the songs.
I am worried that 1 month without work or school in NJ is definitely enough time to do all the stuff Wombat doesn't want me to do-- find a D&D group, meet women, learn where all the cool restaurants are, etc. I think I'm going home to NC for a week or so of that time, luckily.
Today I am trying to plan which classes to take to fulfill all the requirements, and my problem is that I want to take everything, and am not sure how to find out when classes will be offered in the future. They want me to send my advisor a list of what classes I will take each semester. Hmm. Also lots of questions about overlap between classes with slightly different titles.
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You have that wrong - I definitely think you should find out where the cool restaurants are. Even in grad school people have to eat. I must never have told this story: In Amherst while I was in grad school, a really good new Chinese place opened. They had at least one great dish I've never seen elsewhere and made a couple other things better than I've had them anywhere else. About ten years after I graduated, I was visiting, and went to pick up takeout to take back to where we were staying. I was waiting around at the register and the cashier was looking at me funny and finally said something along the lines of, "Did you used to live around here?"
So, ten years later they remembered me - I guess I ate out a lot in grad school.
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There is no good way to say "I'm not being a creep," but sometimes that is what needs to be communicated. I know that it is pretty clear that I am into your cute haircut or whatever, but actually I really do want to make sure you don't want me to bike with you back to your place, because I know you got mugged outside your place like a month ago. I'm not trying to invite myself over, really.
I think I have matured enough to not try to explain myself, at least.
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I say make the offer. If she would rather take her chances with the muggers then that is her decision.
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ugh, today I interacted with a customer and realized exactly where my line is for cussing at someone. But I didn't do it.
There are a lot of people I interact with who are rude, demanding, clueless, whatever. It's nothing personal, maybe they're kind of jerky. But this guy (and, I now realize, certain other customers who made me get this same feeling) are well aware of what they are doing-- trying to humiliate me. Either to punish me for not doing what they wanted, or just because they like the feeling of power.
Ugh and I hesitated and did what he wanted, too. And still got cussed at! Fuck you, old man!
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Fuck You Old Man (http://youtu.be/_ecVERmxa70)
Sorry, it has nothing to do with what you wrote, but I thought it might make you smile.
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I really hope I can grow up to be chill and wise instead of mean and angry like that famous guy.
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I really hope I can grow up to be chill and wise instead of mean and angry like that famous guy.
He should just eat his square bagel and shut the fuck up is what you are saying?
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I did not click that link but anyone who is given a square bagel has reason to be angry.
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I think getting mad about a bagel is the epitome of childish futility. I get it, he's a comedian, he's being funny, but I don't aspire to be a comedian, I just want to one day be a human with a less toxic emotional life. Getting mad about bagels or what bands people like or how people like their coffee is never going to lead to anything but suffering. I agree that that advertisement is infuriating. I wish I could live in a world where everything didn't cater to morons but it ain't happening.
I retyped this 20 times trying to make it sound less preachy and I can't figure it out. Sorry.
Let me know if any of you guys know the one weird trick to know how dumb literally everything/everyone in the world is without getting so mad that you make yourself miserable. I have figured out that part of it is finding a way to do things for their own sake.
As the wise birthday boy has said, the reward for work is more work.
The good news is, looks like there might be good bagels near my new house. There are not bagels in St Louis except the grocery store kind.
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This weekend in New Jersey someone gave me the wrong kind of jelly doughnuts, but I didn't get mad. I politely asked for the right one and explained that I had come all the way from Maryland for jelly doughnuts. I like to believe that there is a way to return the wrong jelly doughnut without being a dick to strangers.
You have every right to expect good bagels in that part of New Jersey. If they also have the right kind of jelly doughnuts, the ones that are rectangular and have granulated and not powdered sugar on them, I may have to come visit you.
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Let me know if any of you guys know the one weird trick to know how dumb literally everything/everyone in the world is without getting so mad that you make yourself miserable.
As for this - on the one hand I feel like I have to warn you that in one sense this will only get worse. The more years I have been alive, the more things I have become well-informed about, so the more things make me want to scream when someone says or does something stupid in those areas.
On the other hand I think lately I am managing to cultivate the self-discipline to just step away. Last week there were three things in two days that made me want to write an angry letter to the Washington Post, and I didn't. Today, I was about to unfollow an editor at Slate whose tweets generally give me one of two angry reactions: A, that is interesting but they should have hired me to write it because I would have done a better job and why can't I ever get a gig writing for a place that actually makes their writers famous or B, they should have hired me to write that because what they ended up with is bullshit. But then I decided not to unfollow her because it is good practice for stepping away and not engaging with something that makes me mad.
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As for this - on the one hand I feel like I have to warn you that in one sense this will only get worse. The more years I have been alive, the more things I have become well-informed about, so the more things make me want to scream when someone says or does something stupid in those areas.
On the other hand I think lately I am managing to cultivate the self-discipline to just step away. Last week there were three things in two days that made me want to write an angry letter to the Washington Post, and I didn't. Today, I was about to unfollow an editor at Slate whose tweets generally give me one of two angry reactions: A, that is interesting but they should have hired me to write it because I would have done a better job and why can't I ever get a gig writing for a place that actually makes their writers famous or B, they should have hired me to write that because what they ended up with is bullshit. But then I decided not to unfollow her because it is good practice for stepping away and not engaging with something that makes me mad.
Amen! The more I learn to do this, the happier I am. I've become a lot more consciously selective about what I'm willing to get emotionally involved with. Can I change the situation? No? Not much point in burning new holes in my stomach over it then. Yoga and the dang ol' Serenity Prayer.
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Yeah, can I change the situation or influence it in any way? That's what I am trying to think about. In my experience writing to the newspaper is usually futile, because even if they print a letter, it's so dissociated from the original article that it doesn't correct the information for the people who read it. Comments on the internet are at least there with the article, but it's easy to see which are the places where they will get drowned in a sea of idiotic comments. The time spent there is unlikely to have any useful effect.
On the other hand, there are cases where I can communicate directly with the author and I feel like I have a chance of making sure that they don't continue to pass on misinformation. That's worth it. There are sites and people who post on Facebook where comment threads are sometimes actually interesting discussions with only a few ignorant people who might be educable. That's worth it. There are cases where I can put it on a list of things to write about elsewhere to inform a different set of readers of the correct information. That's worth it and even a possible moneymaking proposition. Otherwise I try to move on.
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Yeah, it's generally worthwhile posting things here because the audience quality is so good.
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Wombat, one thing you've failed to consider is that the powers that be actually like those ill informed post because they are red meat to their fans as well as the detractors. They don't care if it's accurate. It's very cynical and calculated. If they hired you they would get well informed and reasonable writing, but that just doesn't sell in today's market.
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The kind of sites you're talking about I don't even read, because that's step number -1 to stepping away from things that make you mad.
The kind of stuff I'm talking about is mostly the kind of writing you get when you hire a generalist instead of someone who knows a beat. It means well, but is crazy superficial, or uses people as sources who they'd know has an axe to grind if they knew the topic, or repeats common wisdom that has little or no factual support... that sort of thing.
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the older and more experienced I get, the weirder infatuation is. Still very powerful, but damn, I definitely know better than to have this intense of a crush on someone I am about to move very far away from. And I know that part of this infatuation is because I am freaked out and anticipating loneliness in my new home.
ughhhh she's sending me cool anime videos though, that's unfair. My asexual and uncool interests aren't supposed to interact with my "hip" and romantic interests like this.
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I had not previously considered an intersection between 'anime' and 'asexual' existed.
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I am sorry if I am a terrible person but I am turning off the radio when there is news about the middle east. I am too old. I have been hearing news about conflict in the middle east my whole life now. So it isn't news. Tell me if something different happens - that will be news. If people in the middle east STOP killing each other, that would be news. If the world is falling apart in a NEW way, that would be news. It's very simple: Bombings in Israel etc - not news. Zombie apocalypse - news. Isn't that simple enough?
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I am sorry if I am a terrible person but I am turning off the radio when there is news about the middle east. I am too old. I have been hearing news about conflict in the middle east my whole life now. So it isn't news. Tell me if something different happens - that will be news. If people in the middle east STOP killing each other, that would be news. If the world is falling apart in a NEW way, that would be news. It's very simple: Bombings in Israel etc - not news. Zombie apocalypse - news. Isn't that simple enough?
Oh my yes.
When did I get so jaded.
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Ways I make myself feel less worried about moving: I set up a "freak out fund" in my bank account. $2 a day will be moved to a separate little digital envelope, and after a few months of that I will have what it takes to fly to St Louis for a long weekend. Or New Year's Eve or something! Nice.
I made a list of everything I need to get done before I leave and it is freaking me out. One thing at a time, self.
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Breathe deeply everybody.
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Who wants to take bets on whether Inev will really want to spend money on a long weekend in St Louis once he's in grad school right down the road from one of the greatest cities on earth? Not that I'm biased or anything.
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The trick is that spending New Year's Eve alone (or with radio-station acquaintances I haven't seen in years) in NYC is a lot less fun than spending it with friends in STL. I'll definitely spend way too much of my money going into New York. $13 each way is no joke. Trying to decide if it's too undergrad-y to post on the school of planning facebook page asking if anyone wants to go see concerts with me. But I've made a long list of places to check out once I get there. Also glad to report there is a bagel place on the road between home and school that will sell me A REAL BAGEL THAT ISN'T FROM A BAG toasted with cream cheese for $1.50.
oh, you guys might like this story:
The other day my extremely talented friend (whose stuff I have linked to on the I'm Listening To... thread) came over to play music and try to plan something for our second house open-mic night. He is so incredibly, disgustingly good at guitar that I completely froze. I do not think I have an overly critical view of my own guitar skills, I think I just know my limits-- I can noodle, I can come up with some cool chord progressions, but it is not coherent, and I am not very experienced at playing along with people. This guy just picks up the guitar and starts travis-picking (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8vOTKMqzw4#t=43) and I completely froze. My roommate said I actually turned green. I started trying to play rhythm along and it was so stilted that it sounded out of tune. I was obviously not correctly figuring out what chords he was playing. Anyway, it was bad enough that he seemed really uncomfortable and asked if I wanted to play bass. That went a lot better.
Anyway, we figured out a kind of new-wavey song that I'm going to play drums for. Drums are incredibly fun. We're also doing a 12-bar country song where we sing together and I play rhythm under his lead. But holy hell I didn't know whether to puke or cry for those first few minutes.
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I sure am excited to see the Statue of Liberty.
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I love those books.
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I still like the train (a whole lot) but I dropped into a really full one this morning so when dude with a window seat didn't get the hint of me standing there waiting for him to move his backpack so I could sit in the aisle side seat I gently picked it up and put it in his lap. Before he could say something punchable I chirped "Thanks, Mate!" and dropped anchor. It all worked out.
This happens all too frequently on our metro. In my experience when I say "Dude, you mind?" they pick up the bag and open up the seat; I've never have anyone be a total dick about it. But I always wonder--do you really think it's cool for you to hog an extra seat on a crowded train during rush hour? Or are you just that oblivious?
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I think it's totally fair to put my bag on the seat to ward people off when there are plenty of other places for them to sit. But at rush hour, yeah, not cool.
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Can I Sit Next to You, Girl? (http://youtu.be/IJvOnCeEXZI)
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Played music loudly in my basement in front of a crowd. People said we sounded like parquet courts? Not sure why. I got nervous and yelled instead of singing. So actually I guess that was it.
Playing drums in front of people is excellent.
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Today is my last day at my job.
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If anybody asks you where a certain product is, take them to something completely different. Then feign disbelief when they tell you that's not it. Vehemently insist that it is. Ask them if they're calling you a liar.
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Almost done packing. Need to figure out where to take bulk trash (ie, falling-apart furniture from Target).
The last day at the job was anticlimactic.
I just tried to register for classes and the only class I was really excited about is full. So instead I'm taking a social science-y class.
I am having a problem where I think of social science/theory classes as "fun," and finance/economics/real estate classes as what I should actually take. The reality is that none of them will be fun.
I went to three different stores looking for the new edition of D&D that just got released... two were sold out and the third hadn't heard there was a new one coming out. Whyyyy. I just wanted to play for a few hours with my buds before I leave.
I am eating too much good food and drinking too much beer. It is pretty good.
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I am eating too much good food and drinking too much beer. It is pretty good.
Cleaning out the refrigerator?
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I hope you sent a helicopter for her.
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I was figuring a hoss was involved.
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Hey life? [...] Oh and here's another thing so your won't forget, FUCK YOU!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoUWdzNp9SM
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I'm having a fairly lousy week, but when I start feeling sorry for myself I remember you had to send a helicopter to pick up your wife who was riding on a hoss and vomiting to bring her home to a house with no kitchen or AC, and I figure I'm not so bad off, even if you did get the AC back.
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I'm guessing your brother wasn't involved in the A/C repair. So is the insurance going to cover the labor for getting all that fixed, or just materials?
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I don't see why you should mention that. It doesn't even seem like an issue. You had flooring materials on the floor and they were destroyed and having them pay to replace them is exactly why you pay premiums to the insurance company.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoUWdzNp9SM
Not what I was expecting.
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Fixed the A/C just in time to fight off a 97d day!
In southern California where you have perfect weather year round?
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Had a big send-off pizza party tonight. Very strange. Surprising people cried. Not me. Drank and ate a lot, got a little sick but didn't throw up. But the highlight:
two of my (female) friends have had, for several months, a secret [inevitable] fanclub. With meetings. They have a blog, somewhere. They printed posters of my silhouette and put them up around town with my initials. Everyone is amazed that I didn't know this was happening. What is this? Is this a dream? I do not know how to respond to this other than laughing?
My google-fu is not strong enough to find this blog.
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two of my (female) friends have had, for several months, a secret [inevitable] fanclub. With meetings. They have a blog, somewhere. They printed posters of my silhouette and put them up around town with my initials. Everyone is amazed that I didn't know this was happening. What is this? Is this a dream? I do not know how to respond to this other than laughing?
That's pretty astonishing. I mean, that's Hollywood movie weird.
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I mean, that's Hollywood movie weird.
I wanted to insert a reference to a movie I once saw and only vaguely remember that was about a young adult Japanese girl who has a secret crush on an American, perhaps soldier stationed in Japan. The details are fuzzy. It's an American movie and it's totally swinging 60s. I can't remember the name. I was thinking it was Too Wong Foo with Love, but apparently the Only Wong Foo movie that Google knows about is a thing from the 90s starring Patrick Swayze. If anyone has any idea what movie I may be referring to please let me know because I would like to clear up this gap in my faulty memory.
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I "stole" the iced coffee recipe and a giant coffee filter from my old job and made it at home, but without the step where we cut it with water. Drinking an ice-cold cup of that in a very hot shower felt like being launched into space.
Still can't find my fan-blog. But did find lots of criminals with my name.
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sex criminals, drug dealers, scam artists, a famous bad republican.
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I think I remember that bad politician.
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The flavinoids in the green are actually good for you, y'know.
Glavin.
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Earl Grey is for tea sissies, anyway.
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Do not diss the Earl. The Earl and I have a thing.
Also, the dietician at the baby group I go to says all black teas inhibit iron absorption, and she had some actual, legit articles about it. But I typically drink my tea between meals, and she was saying so long as there's a 2 hours window between drinking it and having food with iron it should all be good in the hood.
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I am in Philadelphia and will be moved into my apartment in New Jersey by the end of the week. I am very grateful that my parents are helping me move, but it makes me feel like a child and I am losing my mind.
Also, these people do not know how to drive. They hang out in the left lane and talk about all the "crazy" drivers tailgating them or passing them on the right. Have they always done this?
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When in Rome, drive like the Romans do.
You wanted to learn about urban life, right?
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sorry, that was bad phrasing: my parents are the ones who don't know how to drive.
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My kid rode his bike smack into the back of my neighbor's (parked) truck. Thank God for helmets; he's fine. But he busted his lip and has a wicked shiner. And guess what? Tomorrow's picture day at school. Gonna look like the losing side of a bar fight in the yearbook. Nine year old boy? Yeah, sounds about right.
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My kid rode his bike smack into the back of my neighbor's (parked) truck. Thank God for helmets; he's fine. But he busted his lip and has a wicked shiner. And guess what? Tomorrow's picture day at school. Gonna look like the losing side of a bar fight in the yearbook. Nine year old boy? Yeah, sounds about right.
God, I did that when I was in 9th grade. Not looking where I was going and clipped the back of a car. Flipped right over the handlebars and landed on my back in front of the bike. Ow. Got up and pedaled away, so I guess it wasn't too bad.
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Sounds like he should have been wearing the helmet on his face.`
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Moved into my new place today. Put together some Ikea furniture, stared at the pile of boxes for a while, went to the Korean grocery store and stocked up on all the good stuff.
No AC, no fan. I'm dying. Eating my kimchi fried rice I was sweating bullets.
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We had a cold front in Houston today. Of course cold is a relative term, but mid 80s this afternoon and into the 60s tonight in AUGUST is fuck*ng insane.
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Semi-spontaneously went into NYC at the last minute last night and met an acquaintance and went to a show. Ate pierogies, bagels, arepas, a burger. Drank many beers and one enormous coffee. Slept on said acquaintance's couch, then met up with a good friend from college. Hugged lots of people, almost fell asleep in a park in Brooklyn, watched hispanic dudes play volleyball for a few hours with a girl from my program (the only friend I've made in NJ) who introduced me to her extremely friendly Brooklyn friends. They spent all of dinner talking about looking for an apartment and citing prices and damn if you don't have to pay a premium to be where the fun is (IE where it's provided for you instead of making your own like in St Louis).
I think if I sit home and read library books and eat rice with veggies for the rest of the week my budget will work out to be only spending twice what I should have.
That city has so many pretty ladies. Hot damn.
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Make your own pierogies!
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Are you doing the work yourself again?
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Thank goodness, because I couldn't stand the thought.
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It is pretty funny that my parents were super gung-ho about me going to Rutgers, but now they keep mentioning that the Northeast is really expensive and I might not want to stay here long term. Sending me articles about how unhappy New Yorkers are and how it's hard to have a family there.
New apartment is going pretty well, I just need more storage space. Second roommate arrives today, who seems much friendlier than the guy who is already here based on our emails.
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Because everything I've heard is that in this field you mostly find jobs in the region where you went to school. And we talked about that a lot, and they agreed that the northeast seems like a good place to find jobs. Who knows.
Anyway, my plan is that when it's time to do an internship I'll apply to a few interesting places (including NYC, St Louis, maybe a few other northeastern/mid-atlantic cities) and see what pans out and where it leads.
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yeah, totally. I think their worry is actually that I get excited and mentally commit to things instead of keeping my options open. Which is true.
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They immediately deleted your post in the Achewood facebook group, AD. With extreme prejudice.
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how unhappy New Yorkers are and how it's hard to have a family there.
Right, that's why people move there from all over the world and it's the most populous city in the country. Because it's such a terrible place to be.
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Odd, I can see the post just fine. But Facebook has been deleting comments of mine at random so who knows, man
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wombat-- that's what I said. I sent them a study about how people rate themselves as "less happy" when they start a challenging job or have kids.
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wombat-- that's what I said. I sent them a study about how people rate themselves as "less happy" when they start a challenging job or have kids.
Well played.
And Ash, you can blame that at least in part on the Technical Staff, although who knows if I'd be able to get a job in NYC if I wanted one. It's not like Canada where there's legal preference for the natives or anything.
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Insurance companies are evil. I'm sure they have whole departments devoted to thinking up such intricate ways to be evil.
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Insurance companies are evil. I'm sure they have whole departments devoted to thinking up such intricate ways to be evil.
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Insurance companies are evil. I'm sure they have whole departments devoted to thinking up such intricate ways to be evil.
As a former insurance industry regulator, I can assure that this is exactly the case.
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Remember, you need at least 4 feet of depth or you'll still smell the decomp.
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I am having a Problem with my knees and the doctor says I need to start wearing real shoes. You know, with arch support and stuff. I did not realize how vain I am about my cool shoes, but I am having issues finding a single pair of sneakers that I would wear. That aren't "retro" bad-for-your-feet ones.
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My wife was recently despairing over her inability to walk more than a couple blocks without making her knees hurt for the next few days. She bought new shoes for the kids, then picked up a pair of sneakers for herself to replace the ones her toe was wearing though. Its been like magic, she can walk for miles now, day after day.
Buy yourself some ding-dong long bell bottoms and you won't have to see them?
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When you feel the comfort of old-fart shoes you will gladly wave goodbye to "style". Style is for the sore-footed.
Come to cushioned side, Luke. Together we shall walk around the galaxy.
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I am up to running 5 miles a day. I bike another 5 most days (just wherever I need to be that is reasonable to bike to.) My left leg is probably broken. My feet are in constant pain. I wear cool shoes. Just say fuck it! Don't listen to these old fools.
Edit- I am hella close to being an old fool now.
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I used to wear Chuck Taylor's most of the time. I had to give them up and start wearing shoes with support.
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It's weird that the way fashion has gone is that I wear brown leather shoes and the "uncool" shoes I don't wanna wear are mostly shiny and brightly colored.
I'm not gonna ignore this, because I am too young for it to hurt when I stand up. I might just get inserts though. Really intense inserts. I have bow-legs and my feet turn out at a sharp angle, so apparently my knees are going to deteriorate really quickly if I don't do something about it. Exercises and better shoes.
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I'm going to have to break down and buy myself some proper motorcycle boots. When I first started riding I bought a pair of trail boots (sneaker/hiking boot crossover) because I didn't want to drop a bunch of cash on something I wasn't sure I would stick with long term. They have broken down enough now that I should replace them, because they can't do the job of protecting my ankles like they used to (not stiff enough).
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I hate the brightly coloured athletic/Tennis/Whatever shoes as well.
Oh god what is up with that. Can that fashion please be over now?
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Plain grey New Balances purchased. Already feeling better.
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New Balance is my comfort shoe of choice.
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Mine too, but even they do those garish colors now. The best I can do is gray with hot pink.
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They Still make them in white.
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I started retiring my running shoes to daily walkers after about 250 miles and that's been working out pretty well*.
I think I've got like 600 miles on my current pair, and my pinkie toes show through the sides where they've worn a hole. I just might take the afternoon off and go get a new pair of Brookses.
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They Still make them in white.
Maybe for guys. Or maybe I am shopping at the wrong store. When we lived in the Boston area a zillion years ago we shopped at their factory outlet, so we were spoiled.
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My experience with New Balances is that each store only has a few kinds/colors, for some reason, even the New Balance store. Or, rather, limited selection of the "not crazy colors" varieties. Online there are much more attractive options.
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Maybe for guys. Or maybe I am shopping at the wrong store. When we lived in the Boston area a zillion years ago we shopped at their factory outlet, so we were spoiled.
I buy my shoes at Academy.
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A really cute girl who works at the museum of modern art gave me a free ticket to get in. Then I went to see my friend play in Brooklyn and met up with lots of St Louis emigrants. Meeting my old roommate soon-- and my NYC-raised roommate (the one who went to wombat's high school) is supposed to get into town today. Maybe after I take the train back to Jersey, though.
The Museum of Modern Art has this one room with every painting I have ever heard of. It was cool because I didn't know what stuff they had there, so I kept walking around corners and seeing stuff that freaked me out.
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Did I know you had a roommate that went to my high school? I don't remember anything about this. Of course I don't remember anything about a lot of things.
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Yeah, it came up somehow. My college roommate grew up in Brooklyn and went there.
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These yankees don't know how to do anything. The screen in the windows only covers the bottom half of the window, so the bugs can just go over the top. None of the rooms have AC or even fans. What is wrong with these people. I tried to explain the screen thing to my roommates and they acted like it was crazy to expect to not have bugs flying around my room.
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That is not normal. I have lived in the northeast all my life and I have never had bugs get in my window screens.
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Glad to know.
Tomorrow I will take the A train (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb2w2m1JmCY) to meet my college roommate at Rockaway Beach. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6siGKxcKol0) What a life. Long-term St Louis roommate and his girlfriend, who is awesome, are stopping by for the day on Sunday and we're going to explore some fun places nearby in New Jersey.
It feels really good to look at my finances and realize that all those hours working at that dumb job were saving up for this (and school). All my fun trips this month came out of the "oh wow I saved more than I had planned to" fund. Also, NJ is crazy and I am probably going to get in-state tuition for my second semester of school, which is a TON cheaper. Life is good. (Because I haven't gotten to the part yet where school is really hard.)
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some fun places nearby in New Jersey.
LOL.
Nah, I'm just jerking your chain. I'm sure there are fun places in New Jersey, although the only one I can think of off the top of my head is the big Mitsuwa Japanese supermarket in Edgewater.
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yeah, notice I didn't mention that I had figured out what those fun things will be. Actually they're driving on Sunday, so maybe we'll just eat and go to a bar. I've heard the bars in New Brunswick are quite a sight to see once the undergrads show up.
"Hey girl... what's your major?"
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That is very sad Ash. I'm afraid it's gonna cost you a can of DP.
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My brother lives in Hoboken. If you need advice on fun places in New Jersey I can ping him.
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My brother lives in Hoboken. If you need advice on fun places in New Jersey I can ping him.
Hoboken? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3C0tr9RE-8)
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...slowly I turned!
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Carlos-- yes! I am always up for suggestions. Thanks a lot.
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Both the Mayor and sMets were/are in LA. Have either of you guys hooked up with Ash?
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I forget where I was posting about Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but this show just went completely insane. Or, you know, it did in the mid-90s when they made this season. I do not know how to talk about this without spoiling an incredible thing. Maybe even talking about "a crazy thing" happening is spoiling it.
Game of Thrones ain't got nothing on this 1990's space anime.
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Smelts never says shit. I think I've said too many cusses at him.
Maybe he gots a real life now and has no time to play with imaginary friends anymore.
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wait, didn't he move to New York several years ago?
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wait, didn't he move to New York several years ago?
He's in LA visiting his brother. He may be back home now, I'm not sure.
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The Mayor set up a baseball game meet for his West Coast Commission but I had to bow out.
We did meet up for an Angels game in 2011. There may be photographic evidence somewhere.
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went over to our local game store for d&d night, and did not anticipate this fairly obvious outcome. Which was that my roommate and I sat in the corner and watched a group of teenagers play, very badly. They occasionally looked over at us guiltily and tried to engage us in conversation, but did not invite us to join. But he said he now gets how it works, and is interested in playing if I find people to play.
meanwhile, roommate told me on the way home that he is really into 4chan.
other roommate and I had a long, weird conversation where I tried to explain that I mostly listen to bands that are not on the radio without feeling like a dick. She just wouldn't get it.
"What about Dave Matthews Band, you HAVE to like them, right?"
"no."
"wait, but what about Third Eye Blind?"
"where do you even hear of any of these weird old bands?"
"um, I read books about music and blogs about music and talk about music with my friends."
"oh. For fun? Really?"
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I happened to find myself in the comics store a couple of days ago helping my 13 year old nephew choose a graphic novel. There were at least 25 kids, they appeared to be mostly late teen, early 20somethings, playing D&D. Except none of them were actually playing D&D. There seemed to be 3 different games going on. Two of them were Fantasy games in the D&D vein, but I can't recall the name and the 3rd group was playing My Little Pony.
100% dudes. I had been led to believe that women were starting to pick up on nerd culture. That doesn't seem to be the case in Humble Texas.
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Yeah, a lot of people switched away from D&D and now play other games because 4th edition was really different and controversial. The internet and other advances have led to the rise of cheap or free alternatives. The new edition is awesome, though.
There were two girls playing at this shop-- one who was the most mature person there, and one who was being a total twit. Actually everyone there was acting completely horrible. All arguing with each other, getting derailed in non-game-related discussions, and actively sabotaging each other to be "funny."
I have read some stuff online that basically said that young kids are the most fun to play with (with adults helping them with the mechanics), adults are second, teens are a distant third. Too awkward to have fun with their imaginations like the kids, not mature enough to focus like adults. Worst of every world. I'm sure I would have been the same way if I had played at that age. I was even more of a loser-- a wannabe d&d nerd who couldn't find people to play with.
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and the 3rd group was playing My Little Pony.
100% dudes.
I assume there has to be some mistake here.
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I have read some stuff online that basically said that young kids are the most fun to play with (with adults helping them with the mechanics), adults are second, teens are a distant third. Too awkward to have fun with their imaginations like the kids, not mature enough to focus like adults. Worst of every world.
Isn't this true of everything in life?
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"where do you even hear of any of these weird old bands?"
I get this sometimes too. I had this awful ongoing argument with an otherwise intelligent college friend who believed that if music is popular (in the Top 40 sense), by definition it must be good.
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I think it's fair to say that if music is in the Top 40, it is good at something. The question is whether you think "appealing to a huge number of people" is the important thing to be good at.
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Meanwhile, the "where do you learn about music" roommate is a library science student who only likes recent bestsellers. She gave me her copy of Confederacy of Dunces, which some relative had given her, because she said it looks too weird and she knows she won't like it. She is also mad that she has to take a class about the Dewey Decimal System and other classifying systems. You know, the activity that as far as I know is literally all librarians do.
Someone who isn't me needs to ask this woman "why do you want to work in a library?"
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I get this sometimes too. I had this awful ongoing argument with an otherwise intelligent college friend who believed that if music is popular (in the Top 40 sense), by definition it must be good.
I have a Facebook friend who post a lot about music. Just yesterday I unfollowed him because he is so snobbish. He has great taste in what he likes, but hates anything that has mass appeal. So he's basically the polar opposite of your friend.
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I have realized after a few more discussions that this woman is the type of person that I have the hardest time understanding-- people who don't put effort into learning about the things they like. Want to make pasta? Follow the directions on the box, add sauce from a jar. Want Asian food? Go to the Chinese restaurant down the street. Want to listen to music? Whatever is on the radio. Want a bike? Find the cheapest bike on craigslist. I don't get it. When we got here she was totally amazed that I had already looked up where the grocery store is, how to get to NYC on the train, etc. She is clearly a smart person, just not... curious?
I am hoping that at some point I am going to find out about that one thing she really geeks out about. I do not know how to relate to... non-geeks. Maybe this can be a learning experience. I am trying not to judge but I just don't get it.
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True, and many people are like that all their lives, but I also think sometimes it is an effect of youth. When I first started teaching I was always amazed at how passive most college students were, until I realized, they may look like adults but they are really young. They aren't used to having to run their lives for themselves. If all this person has ever done is study the right answers for tests, eat what her parents cooked for her, and ride the bike they bought for her, it might take her a while to figure out how to engage with the world on her own.
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Yeah, I hope this is not a person's whole life, because that makes me feel a sad/snobby feeling that is a pretty bad combination.
Today I walked around the Metropolitan Museum of Art and confirmed my suspicion that art peaked with the Egyptians and has been mostly downhill since then. Really, Romans, you had to just keep making those orange vases? You encountered all the AWESOME art from Egypt and Babylon and decided to just keep making vases and mosaics? Some of the statues are cool, I'll give you that. There was also come really cool stuff in the American wing-- John Singer Sargent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singer_Sargent) had some paintings that stopped me in my tracks. Sometimes I worry that I like what I'm "supposed" to like, so breezing through the European wing felt refreshingly adolescent and dismissive.
Then I went to a concert. It said "6pm to Midnight." In my dumb lil brain that meant the first band would go on at 6, so I got there at 6. And then sat at a corner table by myself until the band I wanted to see came on... at 10:30pm. Watched them for half an hour, then ran and caught the train home so I wouldn't have to catch the 1am train.
Pretty much everything I do in New York makes me feel like a kid. I find myself just watching people walk by and grinning. Hey, at least I don't stand in the middle of the sidewalk and look up.
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I think you may be exaggerating how bad the history of art has been since then, but what you said on Twitter was pretty good.
Speaking of things that Inev might like, did I ever remember to ask if you know this podcast?
http://99percentinvisible.org/ (http://99percentinvisible.org/)
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Yes, I love that podcast. It is really the best.
I think the Egyptian stuff is so incredible. Something about hieroglyphics and relief carvings just does it for me.
I'm looking at my class schedule, and it's like they calibrated it to only offer classes during meal times. Everything is either 11-2pm, or 6-9pm. What gives?? This is a recipe for inev only eating granola bars or late-night cheeseburgers.
PS: cooking for one is hard. I keep having to throw out leftovers that I've eaten too many days in a row that are getting gross/old. Making my roommates and the nice girl I met from my program pulled pork tacos as a First Day of School dinner tomorrow, hopefully everyone will pig out and eat most of it.
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True, and many people are like that all their lives, but I also think sometimes it is an effect of youth. When I first started teaching I was always amazed at how passive most college students were, until I realized, they may look like adults but they are really young.
I noticed this a few years ago with some new college hires we had at work. When asked to introduce themselves a at a team meeting, it was "Hi, I'm Dan, I went to Florida State... and that's pretty much it I guess." Really? You can't come up with one freaking interesting thing about yourself to possibly help people get to know you?
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Don't worry, most graduates of my alma mater would have talked your ear off about all their hobbies and accomplishments. Or at least, that's what they did when they were asked to introduce themselves in classes.
Despite playing one online, I am not a person who goes on at length to groups of people I don't know. I prefer to corner my victims individually before telling them about every bite of my most recent meal.
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I'm looking at my class schedule, and it's like they calibrated it to only offer classes during meal times. Everything is either 11-2pm, or 6-9pm. What gives?? This is a recipe for inev only eating granola bars or late-night cheeseburgers.
You need to learn to make exquisite little bento to carry to class with you. Or you could even make them look like anime characters. (http://www.afachan.asia/2014/03/jfood-eating-anime-characters-oh-wait-just-charaben/) That would be so much work that you'd never make the mistake of cooking more than you needed for one person.
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Dang dude, be careful.
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Wait, there was a holiday weekend?
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First day of classes today. Only had one class, it seems great. Lots of really cute girls in the program. Who, logically, are probably also smart and into the stuff I'm into. At least the urban planning part.
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Naked study sessions.
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Are there enough jobs in your field that two people can expect to move to a city and both get jobs?
I understand that I am jumping the gun a bit.... and it might not matter in a field where I presume people are going to be looking for actual jobs instead of growing up to be professors. But for academics it's a big problem. They don't get out enough to date outside their grad program and then they end up married to people who live half a continent away.
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The answer is: yes if you want to be in a major east-coast metro area, probably no if you want to be anywhere else. Almost everyone from my program who graduates gets a job in Philly, New York City, or New Jersey.
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That sounds grand (except for the New Jersey part maybe).
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Yeah, I hope so.
Today I went to the weekly social at a local bar and got drunk and talked to people and forgot all their names. One particular girl I met made me feel weird feelings.
One day I'll look back at all the times I met someone and had a "weird premonition" about them that was wrong and learn. But. It hasn't really sunk in yet.
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Well, hopefully one time I'll be right. That's optimism.
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I think the gruff northeast thing is majorly growing on me. So free to zone out in public situations.
The drivers, though. So much honking.
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Rearranged some classes and now I have a 4-day weekend every week. Unfortunately I should probably get a job to fill that time so that next semester I can take out smaller loans.
Tonight is my first Finance class. Crossing fingers.
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Yeah, there is no danger of me doing that. Well, maybe if the job were something really cool. I just sent in an application to work in the housing office in a nearby town. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TokYdNmOt3s)
Real Estate Finance is totally awesome. Being taught by an NYC real estate guy who has all kinds of great stories. He opened by talking about how sometimes it's about seeing what other people don't see. One example is that about 10 years ago he toured a building that had, for some reason, giant basements. It was in an awesome location, but this giant underground area seemed like a liability, or at least like something that wouldn't produce any money. A few years later they built escalators and rented the basement out to Apple Computers (http://www.applegazette.com/wp-content/uploads/apple-store-new-york-city-fifth-avenue1.jpg) for their (flagship?) most iconic Apple store. But today we mostly talked about types of real estate and what issues arise with them. No math yet.
Later in the night, I now realize that the Amboy Dukes are not from Perth Amboy. I have been fooled.
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Yeah, there is no danger of me doing that. Well, maybe if the job were something really cool. I just sent in an application to work in the housing office in a nearby town. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TokYdNmOt3s)
Detroit?
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Later in the night, I now realize that the Amboy Dukes are not from Perth Amboy. I have been fooled.
Nevermind.
Terrible Teddy spends most of his time in Texas now. We are very proud.
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The way that my roommate reorganized the whole fridge without asking anyone brings up a lot of interesting planning and governance questions:
1. Cultural assumptions about "legibility" and organizational schemes-- do "on the ground" users have a perspective on local conditions which may be different from top-down organizers and policy-makers? Is the best organizational scheme for day-to-day use the same as the best scheme from the POV of non-stakeholders?
2. Why do some people think it's OK to move other people's shit?
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2. Why do some people think it's OK to move other people's shit?
If you have a problem with this, you'd best never get married.
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Well, presumably my wife and I will not keep our groceries separate. And we will have known each other for more than a month.
Who knows, though.
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The internet: my old history teacher/drama teacher from high school has become a body builder. One of my classmates found pictures of him, bright orange and greased up and making the same dorky old faces I remember from 2002 but now with huge muscles. Whaaaat.
To return to a topic from the other day, I will definitely give Henry Rollins respect for writing an article that made me "get" weight training and other body-training as a vehicle for building confidence, self-esteem, and self-respect. The POV he conveyed in that article really changed my perspective on an experience a lot of people have-- which is part of why I'm disappointed when he writes unsympathetic stuff. Being able to convey experiences that way is a gift, and what I think the highest purpose of writing is.
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I'll have to look that one up. I agree with you about the highest purpose of writing.
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Ash, I promise to give no shits about our baseball consolation game if you don't.
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Spent all day Saturday wandering around Brooklyn. Nobody is surprised except me: the parts of Brooklyn that locals say are still like "the old Brooklyn" feel like a more crowded St Louis. Especially the Italian and Irish neighborhoods in STL are like the further-out Brooklyn neighborhoods but with a slightly different flavor.
Finally learning some stuff that makes me scratch my head in my finance class. It's a good/terrifying feeling. And the book we're reading for History of Planning is excellent.
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Just got a letter saying I've been approved for in-state tuition, retroactive to the start of this semester. Which means they're mailing me a check for $5,000. That takes a nice chunklet out of my student loans.
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How did you do that? It sure is easy to become a New Jerseyan.
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Yeah. Their guidelines are really loose. Officially you have to be a resident for a year "except in special cases", but it seems like all the graduate students I know have gotten in-state tuition. So clearly there is some kind of calculation where they think that is benefitting their programs.
I'm doing homework right now, and I successfully created a spreadsheet that tells me the answers to these real estate finance problems. Satisfying.
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This week's ultimately-inconsequential-but-fun celebrity Twitter interaction: almost helping Patton Oswalt meet John Waters.
https://twitter.com/carlosdelvaca/status/513805253796696066
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider-blog/bal-patton-oswalt-dines-at-salt-invites-john-waters-to-meet-him-20140922,0,1548411.story
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today is my ex's birthday/our former anniversary. I am celebrating by cooking some spicy pork, and then going on a date with a geeky Jersey girl with a big butt.
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He's been in Jersey a month and he's dating Snookie.
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Is snookie really into D&D?
That was a good date. We drank beer and ate pizza and went to an arcade and played Tetris.
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Is snookie really into D&D?
She would be for you, bro!
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So our band, OTIS, has its first gig on Saturday. Very short notice, I found out at about 7 tonight. We've been practicing, off and on, for about 3 years now and it looks like the big night is almost here. I'm nervous cause I'm pushing the envelope a little bit with this, playing leads and gulp singing. But what the hell? We're going to rock our (tiny little) city. One more thing checked off the bucket list. If you happen to be within a few hundred miles of Frankfort, KY on Saturday night, stop on in!
Now I must return to frantically memorizing Neil Young lyrics. Damn his meandering! Anybody spare some Adderall?
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I think three years of rehearsal is more than adequate. Have fun!
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Do you like big butts? Don't lie to me.
AW, I'm sure you'll be awesome. In my return to playing live music I've found that about half the battle is showing up, just being willing to get up there and do it. The other two quarters are preparation and talent. You've definitely got the prep covered, and I'll wager you all have sufficient talent as well. Do it, have fun, people will dig it.
We played an open mic last night and ended up being out until 1 AM, which kind of sucks this morning. But we got invited back to do an hour next month, and possibly a full Thursday or Friday night gig to follow. So that's coming along.
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I like the butts, yes.
AW, you are gonna rock it. I don't know if I've ever been as exhilarated as when I've played music in front of people. Doing it with people you've practiced with for years should be even better.
My roommate saw me unpacking groceries and expressed the opinion that it's impossible to make good Indian food at home. I must finally be kind of confident in my cooking because that just made me smile and say "wait 'til you taste it."
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My roommate saw me unpacking groceries and expressed the opinion that it's impossible to make good Indian food at home.
I wonder how the Indians do it.
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My roommate saw me unpacking groceries and expressed the opinion that it's impossible to make good Indian food at home. I must finally be kind of confident in my cooking because that just made me smile and say "wait 'til you taste it."
I can make good Indian food at home, but not great Indian food. I have a couple of Indian cookbooks, and while I get decent results, everything tastes like "Indian food" and the dishes don't have distinct individual tastes. I'm sure if I made a couple of them and had them side by side I could tell differences, but on a meal-to-meal basis I might as well be making the same thing every time.
Paul, that's just it, I don't know how they do it. I have NEVER made butter chicken or chicken tikka masala that was as good as what I get at a restaurant. But I got to try a homemade version from a friend of a friend and it was freaking perfect. Apparently he doesn't measure his spices--he just has this big spice rack next to the stove and dumps in whatever he thinks he needs as he goes. That can't be taught, really.
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I wonder how the Indians do it.
They go next door to cook.
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This recipe (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/) is awesome. But I also bought a bunch of cumin seeds and coriander seeds and other whole spices from the cheap international grocery store, so curry might be in our future.
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Fuck dude, makes me want to visit just for the cooking smells.
No, not the smells. I avoided trying Indian food for probably 20 years because of the cooking smells. When I traveled for work I spent many a night in Indian run hotels. Often their living quarters were just behind the lobby. Ugh, that smell! How can something smell so rank, yet taste so delicious? It's like the inverse of coffee, which smells delicious, but tastes horribly bitter.
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That has not been my experience when cooking Indian food. It always smells great to me.
The one cooking smell I can't stand is giraffe sauce. And even that turns into a much better smell over time.
I wonder if it has to do with the source of the smell. Maybe when it's coming from your own kitchen it smells great, and when it's from someone else's it smells bad.
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Today, I was told to look up my record collection (especially early 2000s stuff) on ebay and discogs (an online record-auction site). I am rich, you guys. Everyone wants early 2000s garage rock singles. I have one record that I never even opened that is worth $100.
OK most of them are worth $1 and a few are worth $10, mostly just that one surprised me.
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That has not been my experience when cooking Indian food. It always smells great to me.
Now that I love Indian I don't. Notice the bad smell anymore. I'm not sleeping in fleabag Indian run whorehouses anymore so I'm not really exposed to it anymore. The Indian restaurants I go to don't smell bad to me so maybe it's something else and not the curry. I can't imagin what though.
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Went to meet up with a friend in Queens for the New York Art Book Fair. Being a country bumpkin, I naively assumed it would be people selling books about art. Maybe I could find some cool architecture or planning books. Nope. That is not what it was. Good people-watching, at least.
Spent a lot of time on the train or the subway train or a bench in the subway reading this History of Planning textbook. Good job, textbook, you have successfully convinced me that city planning is pretty bad. Also that there are some good reasons to hate the suburbs, but most of them are just being a snob. Still struggling with that one.
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You said something a while ago on Twitter about reading a terrible article that I wanted to reply to, but couldn't get it down to 140 characters, and now I can't remember what you said, but what it made me think of was this - I didn't realize till much too late that reading bad articles is a really important part of graduate education. I didn't realize it till after I'd left teaching and one of my grad students told me many years later that they'd had this conversation and realized in retrospect that what I did wrong as a teacher was that I only had them read great articles. The thing is, sure those articles are role models. But you actually also have to have role models for what is terrible, if you're really going to know the difference.
And also - the thing I really get now - they felt like they could never write articles that good. Because they weren't seeing what's out there that it is so easy to exceed. And now basically this is what keeps me going as a writer through repeated rejection - I know for a fact that people much worse than me are getting published. But I didn't realize at the time how important that was, despite the fact that many of my memories of grad school are about sitting around tearing apart some article we thought was garbage.
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Oh, I phrased that ambiguously-- this textbook is well-written, and is tearing Planning apart as a discipline. It is successfully convincing me (and I already largely thought this) that Planning does a pretty bad job of the things it wants to do. There was a long chapter on the theory of planning that basically concluded "we have still not figured out, on a philosophical level, what planners should do and how they should do it." People do better if they have free reign than if things are planned completely, but not as well as if there were some guidelines, but whatever guidelines you make are going to distort things and only create new problems. The problem of planning is that different people want different things, and you kind of have to pick who gets what they want. If you try to avoid picking, the default is "poor and possibly also middle-class people lose."
Also, planners don't actually have that much power to decide things, and mostly implement politicians' decisions. I had thought about these problems before, but reading hundreds of pages about it was discouraging even if it was interesting.
But yeah, we did that a lot when I was a cognitive science major-- read papers and talk about what was wrong with them. It is definitely a great way to learn.
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Yeah, that wasn't really a reply to that post, it was a reply to whatever forgotten thing you said on Twitter. And clearly more about me and my life regrets than that anyway.
If your textbook is teaching city planners that it's a good idea to leave more stuff the hell alone, I am encouraged about the future.
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So our band, OTIS, has its first gig on Saturday. Very short notice, I found out at about 7 tonight. We've been practicing, off and on, for about 3 years now and it looks like the big night is almost here. I'm nervous cause I'm pushing the envelope a little bit with this, playing leads and gulp singing. But what the hell? We're going to rock our (tiny little) city. One more thing checked off the bucket list. If you happen to be within a few hundred miles of Frankfort, KY on Saturday night, stop on in!
Now I must return to frantically memorizing Neil Young lyrics. Damn his meandering! Anybody spare some Adderall?
So the gig went really well last night. First set was a little rough due to nervousness, but we calmed down, smoothed things out and things ended up great. I got a lot of positive feedback, but it was almost all about my singing instead of my playing, which is weird. Who knew.
I also have gained a new appreciation for roadies.
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And groupies!
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Literally every weekend for the past several months at least one person I know on facebook gets married or engaged.
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Today I went to the weekly social at a local bar and got drunk and talked to people and forgot all their names. One particular girl I met made me feel weird feelings.
Ran into this girl today and we said Hi. She commented that she hasn't seen me at all since we met, and asked if I am going to be at the department social tomorrow. Good vibes and smiles.
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Ran into this girl today and we said Hi. She commented that she hasn't seen me at all since we met, and asked if I am going to be at the department social tomorrow. Good vibes and smiles.
It was weird. Showed up and did the mutual awkward "pointedly not looking at each other or saying hi" thing. Then 20 minutes in she came and sat at the table I was at, but the opposite corner. Then a minute later we finally said hi. Then I moved over a seat to be opposite her. Then we talked intensely for 2 hours straight, ignoring everyone else, and then she left.
[Thumbs up.]
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Are you trying to keep it under wraps within the department?
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Not that I know of? I think we are both just dweebs. Need to arrange to hang out one on one.
Well, I guess part of it is that, thinking it through more, because the last thing I want is classmates making comments to me about what girl I like. No thanks.
Maybe this is Roast Beefian. "Dan, how DARE you talk to a nice girl? Who do you think you ARE!?"
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So maybe that woman has a boyfriend? Saw her walk in with a particular guy today and realized that every time I have ever seen her, they have arrived and left together. Ugh. Psyching myself out about this.
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Back now.
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Welcome back.
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How's life treating you?
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We already scared him away again.
Other guys in my program keep making vague references to the idea that there aren't a lot of cute girls in our program. Which makes me feel like I am going crazy. I think they're almost all cute. And frankly I think of myself as kind of a picky person about appearances, sometimes. But nerdy girls who like cities are totally my thing.
When I want to take a break from schoolwork I am working on Dutch on duolingo. In poking around elsewhere on the internet I have learned two words that I love, and that indicate that the Dutch care about what I care about. Gezellig-- cozy/intimate/fun combination adjective that means, like, "meaningful and emotionally/physically close enjoyment with loved ones." And the adjective "Jarig," which means "having a birthday today."
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Hey inev I know what you're talking about. My current work-group is constantly bitching about the lack of tang on our floor. I don't know what they're talking about. The confluence of nerdy girls who intuitively understand my line of work and handle sarcasm at a functional level is a recipe for a sexual harassment lawsuit.
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Why is it that people who like to complain about the appearance of girls almost always share the same conception of the feminine ideal?
And why does that feminine ideal always involve pro-wrap and yoga #####?
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yes, that is another thing that is going on.
The thing that is weirdest to me is how, um, simplistic that particular feminine ideal is. Like, "busty and not fat = hot, blonde = extra hot, all else = boring/not hot." Where my criteria is mostly face-based. And how cute I think the face is increases a lot based on being nice and smart and talking to me. I got in a FIGHT with my roommate about how he thought the waitress at the restaurant (WHO WAS 20 AND HAD BRACES AND A CREEPY FAKE CUSTOMER SERVICE SMILE) was super hot because she was busty/fit/tall, and I liked the girl with curly hair in the corner who was playing board games. This type of guy gets MAD when you do not agree about who is ugly. What is wrong with people. Yes, we both have stupid involuntary preferences, they do not have to be the same ones.
I am doing an ongoing tinder experiment. This experiment is that I say "yes" to every single woman. Interesting results.
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This experiment is that I say "yes" to every single woman. Interesting results.
You mean you've ever said, no?
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I've been in Japan. Did I miss anything?
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I lost a fight with the back of a Prius.
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Eeek! Are you OK?
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I originally read that as "lost a fight IN the back of a prius" and was a lot less concerned. This version sounds less fun.
Wombat, how was your trip? When you were gone everyone stopped posting.
My new thing is that instead of watching TV shows in between homework, I am trying to keep up with Duolingo a lot more. My new thing is Dutch. It is a cool language, mostly like an easier (and less useful) German. It is a lot more fun to start a new language than it is to keep grinding away at Spanish.
I think a lot about the weird availability of regionally specific knowledge in the internet age. Thanks to Duolingo there are random people in the US learning Dutch and Hungarian and Romanian, and thanks to sites like Forvo (http://www.forvo.com/languages/nl/) I can hear a native speaker pronounce practically any word. Whenever I read about old polymath types who could "speak 7 languages" I wonder how many of them would have actually been intelligible. Lately when I reflect on those claims what comes to mind is 14 year old Inev claiming he was learning Quenya, the elven language from Lord of the Rings. But this aspect of the internet is my blessing as a person who wants to read 10 articles of instructions before he tries anything. Although maybe this is only reinforcing bad habits.
Midterms this week and I need to start research for final papers, so the language learning is going to fall by the wayside. Also about to register for classes next semester, and it looks like it might be a tough one. Methods II (demographics and computer modeling), GIS (mapping), Historic Preservation Methods, and maybe a zoning law class. Reports indicate the first two are going to mean lots of long nights in the lab compiling census data.
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Wombat, how was your trip? When you were gone everyone stopped posting.
Trip was too jam-packed for me to keep my figments active, apparently.
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My new thing is that instead of watching TV shows in between homework, I am trying to keep up with Duolingo a lot more. My new thing is Dutch. It is a cool language, mostly like an easier (and less useful) German. It is a lot more fun to start a new language than it is to keep grinding away at Spanish.
I was doing really well at Duolingo Spanish for a while there, but then got out of the habit. I need to get back on that particular hoss (caballo).
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I crossed some sort of mental threshold and am going completely stir-crazy all at once. Too much TV and schoolwork and duolingo, not enough talking to people I care about and seeing things in the world. Went on a pretty good date today, though, that was nice. And I think I aced my finance midterm, I was the second person done. Or else I missed a page somewhere...
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Eeek! Are you OK?
Mostly
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320x240q90/661/QIKJXB.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/idQIKJXBj)
Broken hand, lacerated elbow and big toe.
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...,
GIS (mapping),
You just uttered the Summon Somebody nice spell
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Mostly
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320x240q90/661/QIKJXB.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/idQIKJXBj)
Broken hand, lacerated elbow and big toe.
Dang, dude!
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Mostly
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320x240q90/661/QIKJXB.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/idQIKJXBj)
Broken hand, lacerated elbow and big toe.
Hey, don't do that anymore.
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If there's one thing I know, kids love to high 5.
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So fuckin' A people, be cool to each other if you can. Your little thing might be someone else's big thing.
So true.
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In the other direction, because I am a perpetual child, today I saw a woman/former student in my program who I had met when I came to visit. I walked over and informed her that she is the person who convinced me to come here, and it was clearly uncomfortable for her that she did not remember me. Oops! Don't sweat it, lady!
She has literally a job I would kill for, so maybe she should be a little uncomfortable. (bad joke? not OK joke?)
(dan is the guy who has weird ideas romanticizing working in a horrible government bureaucracy. I am the only human who thinks "NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development" sounds cool and fun.)
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I am the only human who thinks "NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development" sounds cool and fun.)
Nope.
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I guess I don't scare kids anymore because now I got a several little girls and boys who queue up for their morning Hi-5's before I leave. We have fun and they really go for it.
Just wear this:
http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=WON-ACCEPTS&Category_Code=ALLSHIRTS
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(dan is the guy who has weird ideas romanticizing working in a horrible government bureaucracy. I am the only human who thinks "NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development" sounds cool and fun.)
Bureaucrat for life, right here.
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I am having culture shock moving from a household where we cleaned the kitchen maybe once a month if someone remembered, to a household where I clean the counter and stove after I cook but someone sends me a text message about missing a spot.
Someone in my program referred to my roommate as a drama queen and that is 100% accurate. If there's a spot you missed cleaning it's "filthy," if some cooking oil splattered on the tea pot it's "getting ruined." Gimme a break bro.
After my last class this week I'm getting in the car to drive to Boston and meet up with my family. That is going to be good. I can't wait. And tomorrow I'm going to see a movie in NYC with a friend from college I haven't seen in ages. Today just reading some research for a future paper.
edit: I think we had talked on here before about different ways of seeing messes-- "there's a cup half-full of water in the sink, there's a spot of soup on the burner, and someone left the paprika out" vs "this kitchen is messy right now."
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I just cannot wrap my mind around the idea that some people strongly differentiate between a "bathroom" and a "restroom"/WC/Toilet room to the point that when I ask where the bathroom is they will think I need a bath. I need someone to find me an example of something Americans needlessly differentiate between so that I can feel less frustrated with this. I think I remember a frustrating argument with someone about freeway/highway/parkway
Yesterday on Duolingo I read a long comment thread about whether "to ride a bike" is the appropriate translation for "fietsen" (the action of biking). With some English-speakers claiming no one would ever say "to bike," others saying everyone says "to bicycle," and others that only "to ride a bike" is acceptable. One person was even saying that Americans assume "to bike" means to ride a motorcycle.
In other linguistic news, I read today about how linguists believe that German is moving, slowly, towards using a more English-like (Subject Verb Object) word order, and that it seems to be following a pattern similar to the pattern English followed back in the day. It is now getting closer, if I remember right, to the Dutch word order, which is S-V-O in main clauses and S-O-V in dependent clauses. I can't celebrate this one, "I have her in the kitchen helping needful" is way more fun than "I need her help in the kitchen."
Whoa: just learned that in Dutch "each" is elke, and "which" is "welke"... which makes me realize "which" is w+each.
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In New Jersey there are people who think a bathroom means you want to take a bath? Or are you on a trip now that I missed?
I think there are definitely people to whom "bike" means motorcycle in contrast to bicycle. But only people who, like, actually have motorcycles in their life. To the rest of us it's short for bicycle.
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no, I just keep getting questions wrong on duolingo, and it is reminding me that I have had that issue when I traveled in the past.
Related: if your language is one of those languages, make this clear in phrasebooks for tourists.
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On some television show the other day I saw someone get called out for calling a bathroom a restroom. The distinction I gathered in that context was that a restroom is in public and a bathroom is in someone's home. My reaction was aren't those two things the same, interchangeable words? I didn't know that this was a thing now.
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Yeah, apparently a lot of languages make that distinction. When I was talking to that cute German girl she actually refused to believe that I used those words interchangeably, and got mad at me for not admitting I was "just teasing." Also when I was in Italy in high school I asked where the bathroom was and they always said there isn't one and looked perturbed/confused.
I also have this problem, no matter how hard I try, with "sweater" and "sweatshirt." Why is that the one item of clothing where what material it's made of matters? Or is it OK to call sweatshirts sweaters, like a jeans/##### thing?
Oh, better example: it seems like a lot of languages use the same word for "morning" and "tomorrow." Maybe we're the weird ones there.
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On some television show the other day I saw someone get called out for calling a bathroom a restroom. The distinction I gathered in that context was that a restroom is in public and a bathroom is in someone's home. My reaction was aren't those two things the same, interchangeable words? I didn't know that this was a thing now.
Seriously, some people need to find better things to nitpick about.
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Maybe its because here we adopted daily-ish bathing and indoor toilets at about the same time.
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By the way, in some places the distinction between "bathroom" and "restroom"/WC/Toilet room" isn't some kind of weird nitpicky language thing. In Japan they are always actually separate rooms.
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Abruptly find that I have lost a lot of my focus/energy to deal with school. I find myself completely zoning out in class and suddenly realize I'm staring at the wall with my jaw hanging open. What gives? Come on dude, you mostly care about this stuff. I'm having this problem even in the classes I really like. Ugh.
And of course this is right when I suddenly have tons and tons of work to do.
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Did research all day and was pretty reasonably focused, then went on a nice date and got an intense goodnight kiss. Everything's coming up Milhouse.
(damn this girl is smart and sweet and really cute don't screw this up inev)
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I guess its not surprising that the Japanese cultural obsession with cleanliness led to separating the polar opposite functions of eliminating and washing. My dad spent the earlier years of his business career as one of Far East account managers for Boeing. He told me that they shower before bathing, so you're not sitting in a stew of dirtiness. With no personal experience in the matter, I don't know if he was being funny, or if that was old-fashioned or perhaps characteristic of some stratum within the culture; I think about the anecdote quite a bit when I do decide to take a bath myself. Which is happening more frequently these days because its easier to ensure my hand stays dry.
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Yes, you shower before taking a Japanese bath, or at least you clean yourself. In the old days it was by pouring a bucket of water over yourself, now you can still do that if you are old school, but there's usually also a handheld shower thingy. The bath is for soaking, not for cleaning yourself. The bath water is usually shared so you don't want to be soaking in other people's dirt.
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Just made my winter break plans, and I am very excited. Going home for a week and a half, then meeting up with my old roommates in NYC for New Year's Eve debauchery. Then me and one of the guys are taking my car and taking our time heading out to St Louis-- we're thinking we'll check out Philly, Pittsburgh, maybe Detroit? Chicago? Indianapolis? Somewhere in Ohio? Then I'll be in St Louis for a week or so, then back to my parents' house for a bit before heading up to school. Probably setting myself up for way too much driving in winter conditions, but I think it'll be worth it.
I am feeling a lot of sympathy for every girl my old roommate ever dated, because they all complained that he was impossible to communicate with, and now I am having that experience. It is hard not to take it kind of personally when someone just never responds to your messages, you know? Obviously we are just not on the same friend-wavelength, because he emailed me wanting to coordinate our plans for visiting St Louis. I guess it's just one of those things where you have to deal with people on their terms.
I'm reading this crazy racist dude's plan for eliminating welfare (http://www.amazon.com/In-Our-Hands-Replace-Welfare/dp/0844742236) as research for a paper and it's actually really compelling. It is all kinds of mind-bending and mind-enhancing to read something arguing for a policy you kind of like (universal unconditional income for all citizens) but for reasons you don't like (eliminating all other social supports) using reasoning you don't totally agree with. It's really interesting reading because although he claims to be a libertarian, there are some things he claims that seem pretty damn not-libertarian to me (for instance, that the government should be incentivizing marriage), and he states some things (poor people who make what seem like "bad decisions" are usually acting rationally in response to their limited opportunities) that I don't normally expect to hear from that side of the aisle.
On the other hand, I am reading more and more for this paper, and having a lot of thoughts, but the more I think the less of a thesis I have. The paper is due in a week. I guess at this point it's too late to turn back.
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Gotta keep thinking till you come out the other side.
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I'm reading this crazy racist dude's plan for eliminating welfare (http://www.amazon.com/In-Our-Hands-Replace-Welfare/dp/0844742236) as research for a paper
Do yourself a favor and don't read The Bell Curve. I read that dribble cover to cover.
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Good God, whatever for? It was out of date the day it was published, unless you're looking for some nice race bait to drop in anonymous fora.
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Gotta keep thinking till you come out the other side.
"If you find yourself going through hell, don't stop walking"
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Good God, whatever for? It was out of date the day it was published, unless you're looking for some nice race bait to drop in anonymous fora.
For the same reason I read Mein Kampf and The Little Red Book. I have a perverse interest in insanity and the idea that ink on page can inspire people to awful nonsense is intriguing to me. The Bell Curve was interesting from a stats point of view. It was like a case study in how data can be misused.
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How can you do such a shitty job insulating a house IN NEW JERSEY, that the pipes freeze every winter? Just got told we need to leave the faucet dripping any time it goes below freezing. Are you kidding?
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That's what we do in Houston, but that's basically maybe twice a year. I was in New Jersey for 3 days one Dec. and I think it went above freeing maybe a couple of hours a day.
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shitty landlords make me hate humanity. Seriously, how do you justify this? How much more do I have to pay a month for this guy to put some foam around the pipes or whatever?
ash and wombat responded to something silly I tweeted, and it only reminded me of the fact that you can get stuck in an internet bubble. There are things that I assume everyone knows about and is talking about, and then I realize literally no one I know in real life has that experience. Even people who ostensibly have some of the same interests as me are not clued into the exact same sources as me, and may have never heard about that thing that I think is a huge deal. I spend too much of my time reading what academics and journalists have to say about things, and i forget that almost nobody in real life is either of those things.
The internet consistently makes me feel like every person is somehow involved with writing or reporting. I honestly at one point felt anxiety about the fact that as a planner I would have to somehow be involved in journalism or book-writing. And then I caught myself and realized that no, actually, those people are not urban planners. They are urban affairs writers. The real urban planners on twitter are mostly people like me, tweeting random thoughts or reading other people's feeds. Most of the people in my classes have never heard of the things that I thought were really important, but they do know a lot more than me about technical things. Actually, yeah, there are certain concepts that it is troubling how few of my classmates have heard, and they are certainly not being taught in class.
In my grad classes I am really coming to appreciate the value of 1. my liberal arts education and 2. the four years I spent after college learning about random shit that interested me. Also realizing how much of "being smart" can be taking something you learned elsewhere and applying it in a new context. Especially with regards to "critical thinking," I literally think to myself "what would that snarky guy on twitter think about this" or even "what would Ash think about this" and it leads me to insights.
PS:
Where have you gone?/
J-L-D-ee-ee/
a lonely TOUAMB turns its eyes to you/
oo-oo-oo
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It is cold. Damn.
I did something wrong in the last 3 years and my leather winter boots completely dried out and got all cracked and nasty looking. I cleaned them and re-waterproofed them so hopefully they'll last the winter but DAMN they look awful. I am telling myself that I am not going to reward ruining my old boots by buying new ones. At least not until next winter, provided these don't fall apart or something.
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People who can freakin' bite me, today:
- Whoever only allocated 30 GB on the C drive of this server. I need 26 GB to upgrade the OS, you twit.
- NatureBox customer service. 48 hours and they haven't responded to my help desk inquiry (aside from the system auto-acknowledgement e-mail). You suuuuuuuuuck
- Verizon, because my home network keeps losing packets.
That's all for now but I'm sure I'll think of more later. Happy Fuck You Friday, mofos.
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UGHHH this statistics homework is so unhelpful. The assignment is to go through these output printouts from a statistical analysis and do a writeup of the data, but there is no explanation of any of the variables. So I'm writing sentences like "a model that additionally includes CENSUS_ASIAN and CENSUS_HISPANIC explains more variation of CENSUS_UNEMP than a model with only CENSUS_NONHISPWHITE." Are these percentages? number of people per 1000? 10,000? The final exam is apparently going to be all this kind of stuff, and I just find it so uninteresting and fruitless. Going through the class notes, there are examples of how to write understand a writeup, and examples of how to understand the computer output, but nothing about how to turn one into the other. Am I using this number, or that one? That one says adjusted, so maybe it's that one? OK, now I got "9.314." Is that a percentage? An actual number? Is it out of 100?
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my professor sent me an email telling me he liked my comment on the class facebook page. It was nice to hear, but... you know... if only there were some easy function to let people know you like their facebook post.
I am the only person who ever posts anything there, so clearly I am setting myself up to be well-liked by my classmates.
Yesterday I went to a party in brooklyn and it was a very particular stereotype, but maybe not the one you're thinking of. It was a bunch of up-and-comers in fancy clothes drinking expensive liquor in a converted warehouse attic. If you went into there porch you were looking out at the Manhattan skyline.
It's really weird going to NYC and meeting people my age with very professional jobs. My designer friend from STL moved there, and his friends are all web designers for big media companies that I have heard of. Weird.
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My basal nervous system wants this shovel. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ryyAenmzHM&feature=youtu.be)
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When they started sawing and chopping stuff up with it I about made with the messy.
When they started cutting vegetables I got a little wet.
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Thanksgiving pet peeve: family members who, rather than asking "What can I bring?", tell me what they're going to bring, without regard to whether I am already making similar items.
In particular, my mom showed up yesterday, and in addition to the things she'd told me she was bringing (which I'd already adjusted the menu to compensate for), pulled out a container of homemade cranberry sauce. Which, you know, not a bad thing per se. But I wish she'd told me that before i bought fresh cranberries and oranges. At least I hadn't assembled the stuff yet.
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I'm going to Golden Corral. This is not my idea of fun. But it's what everyone else wanted so whatever. Then football.
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I think I could eat Thanksgiving food every day. Vary up the spices a little, maybe different side dishes, some salad, and you're golden. Turkey is lean, only do a pie 1 day a week. Different stuffing recipes, prepare the turkey different ways, combine leftovers into new dishes. All week I've been eating a small lunch and then a big meal of leftovers, and I am into it. Filling and flavorful but not overwhelming with any one thing. Probably pretty salty.
This year all the food was perfect, no one was visiting, we just sat down and had a pleasant meal and talked. No weird formality or stress with more/less religious parts of the extended family (since they weren't here), everybody helped cook. This is a good holiday.
I also made an amazing cheesecake that no one in my family can eat. In all things, your audience is important.
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I agree, Turkey is awesome. Best part is it's super cheap. For the last many years I have filled my freezer with $ .35 per pound meat. I eat it year round. I'll cook a bird, have a nice Thanksgiving dinner then separate the remainder of the bird into recipe sized portions and freeze. Seriously, I buy 5 frozen turkeys every Thanksgiving season. I cook one right away, cook the second one about a week to 10 days later and have 3 more in the freezer for the rest of the year. It's glorious!
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I will buy cheap frozen turkeys this time of year as well, and then barbecue/smoke them in the summer. Good stuff.
Slate published a couple of their uber-contrarian articles about Thanksgiving last week. I tweeted about it and it was well-received.
https://twitter.com/carlosdelvaca/status/537617742862372864
I survived the holiday, despite my expectations that the oldest was going to tell Grandma to stop talking for a while (which would have been totally justified), and my own desire to tell her at one point "I do not need a play-by-play of you checking your e-mail." Either of these things would have resulted in Grandma moping and not saying anything for the remainder of her visit.
Ash, scotch is for Christmas. Thanksgiving = bourbon.
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I will buy cheap frozen turkeys this time of year as well, and then barbecue/smoke them in the summer. Good stuff.
Me three.
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(Big Hero 6 was fun but the cartoon before the feature, Feast, well, FUCK YOU DISNEY FOR MAKING ME FEELS)
QFT. I think they're just setting you up for the plot development in BH6 about 15mins in. The short was so well arranged though - that's pretty much exactly what I think a dog's POV is like.
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Wow, the next 7 days are gonna blow. 2 exams, big project, short paper due. Then a big paper due and another exam the week after. no thanks.
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Ice-T favorited one of my tweets this morning, so I got that going for me.
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We don't pay Marines enough to buy Christmas presents for their kids? That seems kind of fucked to me.
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We don't pay Marines enough to buy Christmas presents for their kids? That seems kind of fucked to me.
They don't get paid a lot, but they get paid enough. Ever since our shame at the demonization of Vietnam veterans, and more recently the rise of the right wing it's become our national duty to elevate veterans to almost godlike status. At least superficially.
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http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp
$18,564 for a buck private (or equiv)
Sergeant pay tops out at $37,512 for >12years of service
Highest non-commissioned officer will be earning $91,020 after >38 years in
Fresh-faced 2nd Lieutenant gets $35,208
A captain in for >12 years earns $76380
The highest ranked, old officers have "TBD", but a general with 30 years in is earning $167,868
Combat pay adds $225 per month to your basic pay grade, which is a 20%-ish bump for the guys who are mostly in those situations. Hopefully/presumably it doesn't go on 12 months a year.
There are other compensations as well (perks, if you will) but that appears to be the cash basics. I think they are not far off from what a civilian might earn in comparable job complexity and seniority.
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That's decent pay.
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After working at the grocery store and feeling like I was living pretty well, and then coming to grad school where people talk about expecting salaries that are multiple times that, and also having grown up with parents who are, um, "upper middle class," amounts of money mean nothing to me anymore. I can't figure out the scale of anything.
I think that the only money thing I have figured out is that married with no kids is where the action is. One-bedroom apartment or house, two salaries. Sounds good. Buying some nice presents for my nieces and nephews a few times a year seems like the right cost/benefit ratio on kid investment. "Cool uncle inev." Unfortunately I am not a rational economic animal and having at least one little person sounds like something I need out of life.
Meanwhile, trying to figure out financing on building affordable housing for this class project and basically... wow, no wonder we don't build enough housing for all those poors.
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Dual income, no kids: the DINK lifestyle. My friends who do that (and there are rather more of them that I think there were in my parents' generation) lead the kind of lives most people think they want: lots of travel, expensive hobbies, new electronic toys, and an average of 3 cats and/or 2 dogs. The pets are called Furkids, and feature prominently in their wallet photos and phone lock screens. I've always known I wanted to be a dad though.
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Yeah. As I live more life, I am increasing both in how much I think I want a kid, and how much I think having a kid will totally take away a lot of the things I like and replace them with KID.
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Yeah. As I live more life, I am increasing both in how much I think I want a kid, and how much I think having a kid will totally take away a lot of the things I like and replace them with KID.
I had my first kid during my last semester of law school and as a result never got to experience that DINK thing. Let me assure you that the tradeoff you speak of is real. For me, it's been absolutely worth it but it's unquestionably a huge use of your resources in time and money to have children. Luckily, I'm still young enough to have some fun now that my kids are grown. I can start saving for retirement instead of college!
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ALSO: Tonight we are going to see SANTA CLAUS! And have a TRAIN RIDE! And see a MOVIE! And get free Mrs. Field's COOKIES! And Oggie's PIZZA!
Nice.
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Yeah, I think doing vaguely what my parents did, timeline wise, is ideal. But maybe with just 1 kid. Have a kid after several years of DINK-dom, when you feel the timing is right.
Although, they had me right when my mom was finishing her PhD. Doesn't seem like purposeful timing to me...
OK, now I just need to get married ASAP so my life plan can take effect.
inev: went on several dates with a very nice/pretty/smart girl, but wasn't sure how much I was into it. Then I got really busy and kept having to delay another date. Now she stopped answering my messages. Maybe for the best? Still doesn't feel great.
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The pets are called Furkids
The hell they are. Not in my house, ever.
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The best thing about a dog is its dogginess, and not that you have a little mascot to dress up and tuck into your purse/pickup. Although those can be fun on occasion, too.
Best of both worlds:
(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=23960620146&l=0d3d3c3cbe)
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ALSO: Tonight we are going to see SANTA CLAUS! And have a TRAIN RIDE! And see a MOVIE! And get free Mrs. Field's COOKIES! And Oggie's PIZZA!
(you can do that stuff without a mini-me but I think the experience lacks something without one)
Subtract the kid and add booze and you are describing me and my friends.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/112/314367088_9ab88455f2_b.jpg)
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The crappy thing about studying something I am really interested in is that it feels like a much more personal failure when I do a bad job. I would really like if both of these papers turned out really good, but I do not have time to read any more for them. I have exams and other projects to work on.
Also this paper I'm writing on the justifications for Historic Preservation is bumming me out. Because none of them hold much water, logically, other than "well, people with certain tastes like the old buildings." Which is pretty weak when it comes down to using money that could be used for something else with a more objective benefit. You can also argue that it's more sustainable to use an old building than build a new one, but that does not really explain having all kinds of aesthetic rules about not replacing window-frames or whatever. Ugh.
Lighter note: just realized I have picked up my dad's habit of unconsciously humming/whistling songs that are thematically related to what I'm doing. Roommate asked what I was humming while we were all sitting in the living room, and... oops (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDrfHj3j398).
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Historic preservation does not need a logical argument to support it any more than art and music need logical arguments to support them. Everyone who produces art or music could be spending their time and effort on things that have a more "objective" benefit too. It's about living in a world that has beauty and soul and understands where it came from.
I suppose you'd get an F if you handed that in as a paper though, so I'm not recommending it on that level.
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Well, the question isn't whether it should happen at all, it's whether the government should do it. I feel pretty conflicted about the government spending money on cultural stuff. But without government money (or at least tax expenditures) historic preservation would basically only happen when some rich person liked an old building. Maybe cultural preservation is different than just generic arts spending.
Your point is kind of the argument I'm making, though. It is really tempting (and maybe politically necessary) to make an economic argument, but that argument is always going to be weak. Once you start putting a price tag on history, you're going to have to prove that not only is there an economic impact, it's also more "bang for your buck" than any other possible use of funds (there is actually evidence that investing in rehab of old buildings is more efficient than investing in new construction, though). But of course if you make a purely "public history" argument you get into all sorts of "whose history" and conflicting opinions and politics. Also, you know, things cost money.
The current state of the profession seems to be what this author I'm reading calls "essentialism," basically that the value of old buildings is intrinsic and all subjective value judgments should be avoided. The same way we do archaeology, saving the pot sherds and coprolites along with the sarcophaguses and marble statues. But if you try to erase politics you're still gonna end up making value judgments, just not acknowledging them.
At this point my big concern with this paper is that I'm relying almost entirely on two sources. One of which is a literature review. I am kind of confused about the the ground rules (he is calling it a "take-home exam" instead of a paper) so I am going to stop by his office and make sure this is OK. This is something I feel like I missed somewhere-- how legit is it to use something as a source that is just a compilation of analysis of other work. Something about citing someone quoting someone else's writing feels like cheating. The kind of cheating you do accidentally when it's midnight on a saturday and you have tons of other stuff to work on between now and when this paper is due.
This paper is also a response to the phenomenon, including my past self, of white-dude urban planning types looking at fucked up neighborhoods and thinking "wow look at these poor buildings" instead of "wow, these poor people." Trying to challenge myself to justify why we should ever care about buildings. Also the decision to mothball old buildings in St Louis and other declining cities where it's very possible we might NEVER have people to live in them.
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There's a similar thing in conservation where people try to make the argument that we should save endangered species or nature in general because it has some economic value. It's the "we might find drugs in the rain forest" argument. Someone recently wrote a really good essay on why that is bullshit and we should stop saying it. If only I could remember who it was so I could post it here...
I don't think caring about poor people and caring about old buildings is contradictory. In fact, you think think they are, I'll bet that's part of how historically you end up bulldozing places that have history and soul and building huge soulless apartment complexes that end up being mentally and physically unhealthy places for people to live. I'll bet if there is an economic argument to be made, that's the direction it should go. People have healthier communities and healthier lives in the kinds of cities we used to build. We don't seem to know how to reproduce that so we better not tear down what we already have.
Also, "never" is a long time. It happens over and over again that neighborhoods change in ways that boggle the mind of people living there. Ask anyone old enough to have lived in Brooklyn before it was fashionable. They will tell you that they were positive it would NEVER cost so much to buy an apartment there, etc.
As for your sources, surely for an exam it's OK to cite a literature review? You're not writing a PhD thesis here. But this is the sort of question you should never guess about and always ask.
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It happens over and over again that neighborhoods change in ways that boggle the mind of people living there.
Sometimes I hardly recognize Houston anymore.
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As someone who has spent an inappropriate amount of time at art auctions for my age, I can tell you there is plenty of funding for every kind of art. We were literally bidding on individual letters of the Lehman Brothers sign one minute and the next minute bidding on portrait style contemporary art. Those auctions were some sick shit. I got off on the sheer absurdity of it. Dick Fuld ("The Gorilla" former CEO of Lehman) famously told the board room that he would bail out the firm if his wife would just sell some of her art. I now own a piece of her art and he did not bail out the firm.
My point is the government doesn't need to step in and subsidize weird art. There are plenty of us that will subsidize it all on our own at an extreme premium.
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I think that won't help with historic preservation because it's my impression that people who get into the building business basically hate buildings. They must, because they're clearly only happy when they get to tear them down.
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Today I went and asked my prof a question about that paper. The answer was that I'm doing fine, but more importantly I am now even more sure we have something in common. Despite his grumpy/sarcastic exterior, when he saw me at the door he stammered "I'm... I'm almost done grading them! Sorry! They'll be in your boxes soon!" He was so relieved when I explained I just wanted to make sure I'm not plagiarizing.
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On the subject of tearing down old shit. I heard this song (http://youtu.be/KZ8-XGGgEoo) today and it made me wonder if they wrote it about Houston.
Ash, don't wait until they are gone. Weird 'em up now while they are young.
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The winner of our corporate lazer tag party earlier this year was a tiny 50+ software engineer who cackled gleefully as she mowed down her victims. She was like a force out of a nightmare - coming relentlessly for you in plain sight, seemingly immune to your attempts to strike her down. Literally 6 games out of 6 she was the #1 scorer.
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The lazer tag arena around here has guns equipped with "grenades." I have no idea how these "grenades" function. Maybe a broad flash of infrared as opposed to the targeted normal shot. But somehow I don't think the dudes trying to lob their "grenades" Call of Duty style really understand how the technology behind the game works. Also, you can not hold down the trigger and sweep as if you are Cyclops. The guns are a semi-auto, man.
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yesterday I took a day off from Drudge to go to my friend's birthday party in Brooklyn. I did not think about how much I needed to change my usual MO for the city now that it is cold out. "Just walking around" for hours is not as fun when it gets dark at 5 and is pretty cold. But still had a blast.
Saw a woman who I, years ago, posted some drunk angst on here about. She is still gorgeous and awesome. We talked about grad school.
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True story: I hate the bird that is known as an ostrich. My elementary school took a field trip to a petting zoo and one of the things to pet was that giant asshole bird. I asked my teacher/chaperone if he would rather fight an ostrich or box a kangaroo. He explained that either of those animals would "kick his ass" and I called him a wimp. So I confronted the bird and it was having none of my nonsense. It jumped up and kicked me in the face. Took my glasses off, leaving me blind and vulnerable. Then it did some kind of dance, yelled at me, and stood there staring at me, waiting for my next move. At this point the zookeeper person yanked me away and teamed up with the bird to yell at me. 20 years later I found a thai place that served ostrich steaks. So I went there with my girlfriend's family and devoured two ostrich steaks. "I'm satisfied. I've had the last word here" I said. At this point my girlfriend's father told me I was a very sick person with issues. I guess he wasn't entirely wrong.
Today for lunch I returned to the thai place and again demanded to consume my enemy. This time I was able to eat without judgement, but I don't really feel good about myself right now.
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Don't blame yourself for your psychological scars. None of this would have happened if someone hadn't been irresponsible enough to let innocent children try to pet an ostrich.
Are they tasty, at least?
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My wife's grandmother was attacked by a chicken as a child, and as a result never wanted to eat chicken. Which I think is the completely wrong reaction. You should want to eat as many of those devil birds as possible.
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Are rabbits really worth the trouble? They seem pretty small and bony to me. I think I'd want more of a return for murdering something with my bare hands.
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Rabbits are very easy to process.
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That's interesting, actually, although that wasn't really the part I was thinking of. It's the payoff for all the care beforehand. With chickens at least you're getting eggs up till you turn them into soup. (Not that I have ever found anyone who actually turns them into soup despite having asked a fair a number of chicken owners that question).
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The thai ostrich I prefer is less like turkey or chicken and more like pork, IMO. I guess it would be gamey if it wasn't so wonderfully marinated in a nutty/spicy sauce.
My crew went through a phase where we would raise all sorts of birds, then rabbits and other small fur balls. I am a product of the suburbs so it was a fun experiment to learn from my more rural friends how to process various beasts. Birds are a pain in the ass, but like Ash said, rabbits can be stripped of their good parts fairly quickly. This fad came to a head when these dudes started raising bees. I was fine with donald duck and bugs bunny, but I can't get behind the bee thing. I can't eat a bee, but bees can eat me. Eventually I realized I live in the first world and can just source my meats from D'artagnan or Dean and Deluca. Hell, I can order a damn bobcat from the aptly named Exoticmeatmarkets.com.
P.S. there is one holdout who still keeps bees. Apparently there is good money to be made renting out your bees.
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Goats! Goats are totally a hoot. I'd much rather you got goats. See, that seems worth the bother to me. There are better messageboard posts to be gotten out of goats.
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Goats! Goats! So many good messageboard posts!
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Anyway, then it would be longer before you had to eat the hosss when the apocalypse comes. Better to keep the hosss for transportation as long as possible, isn't it?
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Anyway, then it would be longer before you had to eat the hosss when the apocalypse comes. Better to keep the hosss for transportation as long as possible, isn't it?
I have not eaten a hoss, but I have eaten a zebra. It is a terrible experience. Tough, stringy meat with no flavor to speak of. It is my understanding that eating hoss is A Thing in some places of the world. I weep for these parts of the world where beef is not a thing. Camel, on the other hand, is delicious.
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My fav professor at school is famous (in planning circles) for his proposal that we should stop subsidizing Great Plains states that have been losing population for 100 years, and then reintroduce buffalo herds. Giant national park. Buffalo meat. I am not good enough on my geography to know whether those are the same states currently having an oil boom. This proposal was back in the 70s or 80s when he was a young troll instead of an older troll.
And right now I'm writing a paper for him where my main reoccurring example is butchering a pig in a public park. So clearly there is a Meat theme going on tonight.
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And right now I'm writing a paper for him where my main reoccurring example is butchering a pig in a public park.
Go on...
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Is it worth the investment of time/dollars?
I'll be finding that one out, I s'pose.
For me, the dollars would probably work out but the time wouldn't. What are you looking at, averaging out to a couple hours a day?
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Basically I am talking about how we decide what is and is not allowed in public places. And how someone is always gonna be mad about what you allow/don't allow. The real example (because there was not really any info in the books I read about pig butchering in public, although it's probably out there) is from my old job. There were all these homeless dudes who would hang out outside the store, and would often heckle/panhandle/catcall people. On the one hand, yeah, it's a free country and there isn't a law that says you can't yell vulgar things at people. And beyond that, even a polite homeless person makes people uncomfortable, just by sitting/sleeping on a bench. On the other hand, those people they are heckling are being driven out of a public space (which they also have a right to be in). Maybe a better example is teenagers. Certain people are always going to be made uncomfortable by large groups of teenagers. But teenagers are people too, you can't just say "no groups of teenagers may sit on the benches in public."
Mostly the point of my paper is that pretending there's such a thing as a win-win scenario in this situation, or an objectively "fair" solution, is not going to accomplish anything. There are these multiple groups (protestors who want to occupy a park, people who want to play with their kids in the park, people who want to BBQ a whole pig in the park, homeless people who want to sleep in the park) and there is no way to make everybody happy. The park cannot have all of those things in it at the same time, and there will always be winners and losers.
The more I think about it, maybe butchering a pig or having a rowdy public protest is a better example. Some people are squeamish about protests or pig-slaughter but they are both things that need to happen somewhere, no matter how much they might involve squealing or unpleasant odors.
Yeesh, my thoughts are even less organized than I thought they were.
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Goats! Goats! So many good messageboard posts!
Has anyone played Goat Simulator? If so, why is it rated M for Mature? Off-hand it seems like something my 11-year-old would find riotously funny, but I saw that M and stopped.
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Tonight some friends and I met for dinner at a deli in a strip center. For some reason they chose this strip center parking lot to hold a vigil for the victims of the terrorist attacks today. I had to park a damn mile away from the restaurant because of all the people come to protest.
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Is there a Pakistani restaurant there, maybe?
When you've done something so fucked up that other Taliban groups say you're doing it wrong, there's no hope for you.
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When you've done something so fucked up that other Taliban groups say you're doing it wrong, there's no hope for you.
The thing that makes this event even worse is that they attacked dozens of families' kids. Regardless of culture, when you slaughter their kids, there will be blood revenge.
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Is there a Pakistani restaurant there, maybe?
No, they were beside the Starbucks.
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Read his other articles, link at the bottom. He's pretty spot-on.
Yeah, that whole series has been quite fascinating.
I've been thinking quite a bit of late about what a vindictive lot we Americans are. We (collectively) don't want to rehabilitate people, we want them to be punished, harshly. Apparently we think prison rape is part and parcel with the sentence for anything. You got busted for shoplifting, then got involuntarily fucked in the ass? Ha! Ha! Shouldn't have gotten sent to prison!
It's reflected in so many things: our attitude toward torture, police brutality, gun incidents (people who are "defending their home" and use deadly force when it's not really necessary), and how we treat ex-cons. Remember that "pointer-gate" thing a few months ago where the mayor (Minneapolis?) was posing with an "ex-con" and making "gang signs?" Yeah, that guy was an ex-con, but one who had turned his life around and was now a community activist. He's exactly what we should WANT to happen when someone gets out of prison. But that TV station was just willing to shout "ex-con!" as if no decent person should ever associate with him again.
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It's almost like someone figured out it's easier to control people if you fragment them up all against each other.
QFT.
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Went to Williams-Sonoma today and bought a bunch of foodie junk for too much money. Christmas shopping is nearly done.
I'd like to get one more thing for my mom that is not a book or a food item (got those covered). Suggestions welcome.
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I should get the pugs to buy those for me. I have some similar but those look like you could actually walk in them.
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I went to Plow & Hearth, resolving not to leave until I picked SOMETHING. Bought this goofy thing. http://www.plowhearth.com/solar-mercury-glass-mason-jar-with-color-changing-led-lights.htm
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Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.
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Merry Christmas, y'all.
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My bus caught on fire between Amarillo and raton at 6 am! Had to go back to Amarillo, headed back now!
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Merry Christmas friends!
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So how do you administer the eye medicine if the hoss isn't cooperating?
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I survived the holiday. The kids were actually pretty good, enjoyed their loot, and gave out some good stuff as well.
It's the grandparents who drive me bonkers. One grandma who is overly sensitive + another grandma who doesn't know how to accept gifts graciously, even if she doesn't like them = bad combination.
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Went to visit relatives for Christmas for the first time in I can't remember how long. The nephew really wanted us to come and soon enough he'll be a teenager and won't give a fuck, so I figured it wouldn't happen again any time soon. Very complicated traveling with the pug geriatric ward. The blind one did great, actually, but the one on heart medicine that makes her pee all over the place was not an ideal guest. I warned them though and they still wanted us to come.
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In other holiday news, a "gift" to the kids was the news that we're going to Florida at the end of January. The oldest is happy about going; the younger one is surprisingly cynical about the whole thing. I'm legit more excited than the two of them put together (but honestly, the trip is as much for Mrs. del Vaca and I as it is for them). 29 days to go.
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My debut (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c2V0qvkCro) is finally online. Out of tune sounding guitars, flubbed notes, bad singing, grainy video. It's all here. Still proud. Filmed in the basement of my old house in St Louis.
(I wish I'd written a second verse, though.)
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I can hear my mom watching it and I am thinking about how the only easy-to-hear line includes the word "marijuana."
(in the song I am saying that instead of smoking or drinking I just go surf, but the lyrics are pretty nervous-guy-garbled. Also she might know that I do not literally surf.)
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My mom came to one of our gigs when I was in college. She left halfway through.
I enjoyed "Surfing the Mississippi."
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Hey, is there any kind of setup documentation for this application? It's not working right.
Did you check this thing?
Yes.
How about this other thing?
Yeah, looked at that too.
Hmmm. Well, it SHOULD work.
<spend two weeks fuck*ng around with it>
Did you do everything in the setup guide?
What setup guide?
The one on the SharePoint site?
What SharePoint site?
Here, I'll send you a link.
ISN'T THAT WHAT I ASKED FOR ORIGINALLY? PRETTY SURE THAT'S WHAT I ASKED FOR.
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Stay off the beach Mayor.
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The snow is foiling my plan to get free birthday lunches all week.
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My particular mode of rail transit has a somewhat dinosaurian system of clipping off a portion of your pass with an automatic "validator". The validator was apparently designed by out of work '80s Ford automotive engineers, because on any given day, one or the other of the two at my station will have a bag over it, indicating it has broken down. One day last month was extra special, because they were BOTH out of commission. They can be hand validated by an attendant (one of those), but there are about 400 people that get on at my station for my ride. Thankfully the fare enforcement officer (actual title) didn't check passes that day, presumably because he wouldn't be halfway done writing tickets once the 3 hour trip to the boondocks was finished.
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C'mon Ash, it's quaint.
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Hopefully it's the only place they were cutting cutting corners on the system.
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Damn Ash, looks like you done fucked yourself.
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Uh, this process isn't working.
OK, so I looked at the job output logs, and I found this error where it says incorrect number of arguments. So here's the function, it takes one argument, and when it's called in the code, there are none.
Oh wow. Good catch.
Yeah. Especially considering that YOU'RE supposed to be the developer here, and I'M supposed to be the functional guy.
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Spent 9 days in St Louis. Good visit. Cooked, ate, drank, hung out in the cold. All my friends are leaving. Some thinking about NYC area, so maybe I'll have some more local-ish friends soon.
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Favorite professor told us we could email in the final versions of our papers any time before the end of the year. I sent mine the 24th. Never got any response, but didn't think anything of it. Got an email on the 6th of January saying "don't worry, finally managed to open your paper." I responded asking what he meant, and stated that I am fairly sure I sent it as a microsoft word file. Was there a problem? He responded something like "no worries, I figured it out now." Just got my grades and that class is marked as "incomplete." Auughhhh wtf dude.
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I've always kinda scorned the morning coffee fetish. Some of those people are real douchebags until they get some coffee in.
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He responded something like "no worries, I figured it out now."
My officemate that I am somehow apparently common-law married to always has to share a room with me when we're on the road. 99.9% of the time, when we leave in the morning he gets off the elevator the second the door opens. However, 99.9% of the time, it is not the lobby. It is just some other person getting on the lift. Whenever someone opens their mouth to try to correct his mistake as he stands in a hallway looking confused, I stop them. "He's 34 years old and runs risk analysis for a living. He'll figure it out."
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When he's waiting on the elevator on the first floor, does he barge in the second the doors open, without waiting to see if anyone's getting off?
That's like my biggest pet peeve the whole world.
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Anyone who has ever used mass city transportation knows that you let the goers go before the comers come. Because I'm used to his ritual of getting lost in hotels, it gives me a few minutes to grab a complimentary bagel and coffee. He has also been known to "forget" that he has a rental car and just leaves it at the hotel and shuttles to the airport. Our company has crazy blanket insurance that goes full bore automatically when we rent a car. We could literally leave it in a flaming pile of metal on the side of the highway. I assume the rental agency sends someone out to recover the car, but we've never heard any negative feedback. We're usually loaded when it comes time to bring the car back anyway, but on the occasion we actually make it to the airport with the car he has a habit of doing donuts around the giant parking lot where all the rental places are congregated. He then hands the keys to whoever tells him to knock it off, whether it was their car or not. Drew is a man who is merely a passenger on this planet with bosses that have no clue what it is he does all day. From what I gather from other inhabitants of the risk analysis pod, he spends 10 hours a day looking at spreadsheets that he has already programmed to automatically update his reports the moment he turns on his workstation and then he e-mails them out at the end of the day.
Me: Drew, I don't know what you do when we're not together. But the shit I see you do is beyond bizarre and without explanation. What is your deal?
Drew: I don't know, ACAP. Honestly my uncle set up an interview with a small DC consulting firm that was absorbed by our firm. So I just show up to work, then I go home and feed my cat. If I'm not working or feeding my cat, I'm just enjoying the ride.
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Oh my Fuck and Balls!
I found a regularly scheduled O-Mok-See (http://www.calgymkhana.com/districts/district17.asp) club!
You really should plan a vacation to come check out all the hossy stuff in my vicinity. I think you'd dig it.
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Lots of cool hossy stuff in his vicinity. Also bourbon.
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Also bourbon.
Oh yeah. That too.
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Today I have spent entirely too much time reading reviews of Disney World restaurants and making reservations. Because it is fun.
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Speaking of That Too...
We're going out to visit the old carpenter uncle and such this weekend and that always means evenings are for visiting and sipping.
Unfortunately, old carpenters have taste-buds (and tastes) as hard as their hands. To avoid drinking from a plastic 1.75L jug of Kessler (also known as "bathing in kerosene") I found this (http://whistlepigwhiskey.com/100-100/) at my local BevMo!. I'm looking forward to trying it out and also sharing the 'secret knowledge' of what a goddam whistle pig (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCibiJrk4_Q) really is.
That stuff's made in Vermont. Vermont.
You don't see us dabbling in maple syrup do you?
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OK, I need outside adult opinions on this. My roommate is going UP THE WALL about how "loud" our upstairs neighbors are. By this, she means that they walk around "really loudly" in their apartment, walk up and down the stairs "really loudly," and possibly slam doors/allow self-closing doors to slam early in the morning. She says that yesterday at 7am they were doing calisthenics or something. She wants to write them a note telling them they need to be more considerate.
My opinion about stuff like this is usually that, you know, they get to walk around their apartment whenever they want. The noise of walking is not a nuisance noise that we get to complain about. But I am a pushover. Thoughts?
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To be fair, people differ greatly in their sensitivity to noise and it's easy for people who aren't bothered to tell people who literally can't get any sleep that they are making a big fuss.
Are there really calisthenics at 7 am? I think it's fair for HER to say something to them about that. But if mere walking bothers her, she needs to move to a top floor apartment. Either way I don't see any reason you need to be involved.
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Yeah, I think the mistake I was making here was thinking I need to be involved at all. Although I would prefer her not to antagonize people in our building.
I almost never hear them. But her room is by the front entrance. This is what happens when you find an apartment that is mysteriously a hundred bucks or more cheaper than anything else in town.
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Yeah, different rooms could also be a very different experience. She could have a legitimate issue, unlike all the other things she sounds like she is apparently a lunatic about. Still not your problem.
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Her complaint is invalid and you should tell her so and try to dissuade her from going to the neighbors or worse the landlord with this bullshit. If she insist you should definitely distance yourself from her on this issue, perhaps even telling the neighbors yourself that you don't agree with her and tried to tell her she was being unreasonable.
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I think it is reasonable to be annoyed by people doing "calisthenics" on the floor above you at 7am on a sunday, but I do not trust her to define what "calisthenics" are and what is a reasonable amount of noise. I also see a lot of space between being annoyed and thinking it is their problem that she is annoyed.
My sister got to meet this lady, and her opinion was that she is completely nuts. That was reassuring.
She is also a great example of a Type I dealt with a lot in my grocery job. I think it taught me not to be like them. The type who thinks they are incredibly sensitive/conscientious, and that they therefore have the right to get mad/try to punish people who they think are insensitive or not conscientious. The trick there is that each of these dicks have a slightly different idea of what is appropriate behavior. How fuck*ng DARE you double-bag my heavy items.
Trying very hard to be good and nice without being self-righteous is a tough path. To repeat my favorite phrase from a Buddhist essay I read, once ego enters into it, even the most enlightened activity becomes trash.
(yeah that's right I am enlightened as hell, all 11,001 posts of me)
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Someone on this board will be pleased to learn that my eldest daughter was cast as "Wombat Woman" in her school's production of "Adventures of a Comic Book Artist."
Her super power is burrowing.
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Photos please!
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Photos please!
A must!
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It'll be a couple of months, but will do.
Also, the character is described as "snarky and sarcastic." They picked her for that part for a reason.
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TIL: I walk an 8 minute mile. As part of my new year's resolution to "walk more" I got off a stop early from the train and hoofed it to work. I learned two things. The pace of the city is like the NJ Parkway. If you're not doing 80, you are slowing people down. If you aren't walking an 8 minute mile, you are slowing people down. Second, if you are not moving at all, say standing on a corner, you are probably breaking the law. Sidewalks in the city are ways of transport. If you are not transporting, you are either a drug dealer, prostitute, a counterfeit hawker, a cop, a guy selling loosies, or a homeless person. There is no legitimate reason to be not moving and standing in NYC.
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That sounds about right.
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Today I am looking for spring jobs and summer jobs. And realizing that none of my classes this semester seem very interesting. Oops. I was hoping Historic Preservation would be interesting, but the professor is a grumpy old man who asks questions and then interrupts when people try to answer. Hopefully the other classes will at least teach me useful stuff.
I really should try to find a job on campus, at least for the spring. Bleh. This summer and next year I can do real internships, once I have skills to put on my resume.
In re: A-Cap's statement, I don't know how any non-native dealt with NYC in the days before phone GPS. Just carrying around maps all the time? No way. I went in with my sister this week to get dumplings and window shop, and she was teasing me a lot about how much I try to act like I know where I'm going. Those dumplings were great, though.
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Most of NYC is dead easy to get around - it's a grid and the streets are numbered. What's so hard?
Wait till you go to Tokyo. Even natives get lost in Tokyo.
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Really, it is not any more confusing to me than other cities. It is probably more my own thing (feeling slightly anxious if I don't know exactly where I am) than anything about a particular city. Also not great at choosing public transit routes. Although, visiting the city with my non-urban planning roommate made me feel like a genius in that department.
But I don't understand how anyone got around anywhere before cell phone GPS. When I learned to drive there was not such a thing, and I remember a lot of time sitting in parking lots looking at maps. Or having to call my dad to get directions. Bleh.
I guess it's more about the idea that in Manhattan if you are standing and holding a map you are definitely in someone's way.
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Most of NYC is dead easy to get around - it's a grid and the streets are numbered. What's so hard?
Wait till you go to Tokyo. Even natives get lost in Tokyo.
Yeah the grid falls apart at critical intersections downtown, though. I can generally find my location by looking at what avenue and street I am, but then comes 6th ave (The avenue of the Americas) or Broadway. Those obliques mess my step up and I just look for the nearest subway. (Subway NYC is one of the few instances where capitalism proved how dumb we are. There are redundant North-South lines built by competing companies, but hardly any East-West lines.)
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Also not great at choosing public transit routes.
You should ask someone for help. You will quickly have half a dozen people suggesting half a dozen routes with great enthusiasm. There is nothing New Yorkers like better than thinking they know better than anyone else about the subway.
Really we got around fine with maps in the Olden Times and some of us still do. GPS is a great idea for driving when it is not safe to read a map, but it seems to me like way more complicated technology than needed for walking. I tried to use it in Tokyo and lost patience and gave up after a couple of tries. It was much easier to just call up a static map on the screen and use that. It would tell me to start by going north when the entire problem was that I didn't know where I was, so how would I know which way was north? Then I'd try to see what happened when I just walked in some direction and found myself spinning around trying to figure out what the right direction was. Much more conspicuous thing to be doing on the street than just looking at a map.
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Yeah, for walking usually I just use it to find where I am and where my destination is, and then try to plot out the route on my own. Otherwise I feel like computers are telling me where to go all day.
In NJ, I pretty much only know how to get 3 places (and the places in between those places). So if it isn't between here and school, here and the library, or here and the grocery store, I have to look it up. Weird.
Oblique streets throw me for a loop, too. There was a big one (Gravois Ave) that cut through the area I lived in in St Louis, and I never quite mastered which streets were east/west of it at different points going north/south.
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I am so bad at sleeping of late. It's getting ridiculous. When we get back from this trip I have to hit the gym hard again, because that helps. But I get in this cycle where I feel like shit and can't get out of bed in the morning, so I don't go to the gym. But not going to the gym makes me feel like shit.
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Re: Limp c*ck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEsZkTTgydc
Farewell sweet prince.
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Went to see the "career counselor" at school and she did a pretty good job of convincing me I will never get a job. If the world is full of people who will shred your resume if you write Master's in City Planning instead of Master of City Planning, I am not sure I want what they have. Although I guess this is what I should expect if I'm going to apply to jobs in New York.
Also, seriously, everyone I have ever spoken to about that sort of thing tells me I need to put my skills on my resume. Do you see the stuff on my resume? That's all of it. You don't think that if i had awesome skills, I would put them on there? I put "microsoft word and excel," that doesn't sufficiently convey that I scraped the bottom of the barrel in that department? OK, I can add "GIS-- enrolled spring 2015." That was helpful advice.
She suggested I put on "activities" like being president of my student body or vice president of a club. Yeah, if I had done those things I would have put them on there. I did not know how to express this to her without whining so I just said, thanks, I'll work on that.
"How much was this grant you wrote the application for? You should put how much you got."
"It was zero dollars. We didn't get the grant."
"Oh."
This summer job I'm applying for is actually on Wall Street (doing affordable real estate analysis) so clearly I am attempting to punch above my weight, both skills-wise and confidence-wise.
I figured it had been a while since you guys got a good ol' fashioned inev-fest. The good news is, my class today (housing markets) was good, class tomorrow is cancelled due to snow, and I'm making baked chicken wings (http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2015/01/crispy-honey-sriracha-chicken-wings.html) and drinking Allagash White. This beer is good as hell.
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If the world is full of people who will shred your resume if you write Master's in City Planning instead of Master of City Planning, I am not sure I want what they have.
I'm neither in city planning, nor in New York, but I do review resumes regularly and my gut reaction is this is hossshit. If you wrote "MasturZ in City Planing" then yeah I'm not going to take you seriously, but I'm sure as hell not going to quibble about something like that.
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Fun Fact: The Career Counselor at my law school is Tom Cruise's first cousin. Also, entirely useless.
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I was hoping this would be y'all's response.
Good news: a group of women in my program invited me over for snow-day booze and board games. This is Important, because I was reflecting while in St Louis that I could not name a single person in Jersey who I could imagine inviting me to their house.
I should bring the wings.
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drank a lot of rum, walked around in the snow and sledded down a big hill, threw snowballs, fed all my wings to people. life is good.
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That was very satisfying. Thank you Inev. Also, good luck!
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Majorly overdid it with the rum, I am lucky I did not make a fool of myself. Just fell down in the soft snow a lot. Man, that was a blast.
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Fun Fact: The Career Counselor at my law school is Tom Cruise's first cousin. Also, entirely useless.
Fun Fact: I had a class that included both Mary Kate Olsen, Haley Joel Osment, and I was dragged to a talent show where the lady gaga (then known as Stefani Germanotta) performed a better song than anything she made after her name changed. The class was screenwriting and the only class I attended at Tisch School of The Arts. There are roughly three different buildings called Tisch Hall and I spent a day finding which Tisch that class was in.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM51qOpwcIM
The host was a tool.
There was a time when all three of those people and ACAP occupied the same space. In a distant fourth place was my roommate who majored in the euphonium and had a nervous breakdown due to euphonium related stress. Of the four, I count myself as #1. Mary Kate, Haley (who traveled with some posse of hangers-on, the gaga, and the euphonium dude haven't done shit with that screenwriting class. Neither have I, but that is besides the point.
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These characters are getting out of control. There is no way that I could have written either that last scene or Inev's heartwarming and somewhat cliched evening of youthful socializing in the snow.
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Well, it was a little more inev-cliche, I was not going to mention that I met a really charming PhD student who is into anthropology and speaks spanish and has a boyfriend. But anyway maybe she can be a friend too. She's even from St Louis! Ugh.
Yeah last night was way over the top. We played drunk charades and I was so far gone that I could not understand how to mime basic concepts. Then I sobered up somewhat while we walked pretty far to sled down a HUGE hill.
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I was not going to mention that I met a really charming PhD student who is into anthropology and speaks spanish and has a boyfriend... She's even from St Louis!
See, I would know that you could not get away with this in fiction.
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There was even, weirdly, a beer bottle opener in the kitchen with the logo of my favorite St Louis craft beer. They said it was there when they moved in.
Also had the rare moment where a guy was being a jackass and I realized I knew exactly what to say to take him down. But decided against it. Later he was speaking Spanish with the nice girl and I swear he was saying something about black men getting testicular cancer (!?). Maybe the booze was hearing that.
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Earlier releases of this Inev program didn't use as much booze. I like grad school Inev.
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Maybe after college I stopped posting drunk as often because I had more friends in real life. It was definitely not because I stopped being drunk as often. Although our house was more of a couple of beers several nights a week place than a go to a party and drink rum and throw yourself down a hill place.
I am still sore all over my body. Apparently rum is the way to get inev to put his back into it.
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Went to another party yesterday and got totally wrecked. I need to lay off the hard alcohol. Throwing up is really unpleasant.
Then woke up and tried not to act hungover on a coffee date with a nice girl who is a PhD student in economics. Whoa. Tonight me and the roommates went to the great thai place on our street and watched some football.
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Oh well, I posted it at two and by seven I had a pocket of money and was watching the tail lights drive away down the road.
Niiiice.
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Seems like a decent return for a little twitchiness.
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I just got a check for the equivalent of a month's pay from my old job. I knew they owed me some money, but definitely not this much. I'm not questioning it.
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If you didn't figure it out from my posts on the Facebooks, traveling to and from Florida went A-OK. In fact the day we left, in the "mega-blizzard," it was actually the emptiest I've ever seen our airport, since flights to and from points north were all cancelled. The kids missed one less day of school than anticipated, as that was a snow day, and the next day was a two-hour delay, so minimal academic impact.
The trip was hell of awesome. Good weather, good times, and the kids were actually appreciative. My personal highlight was being able to check in on Untappd that I was having a Duff at Moe's Tavern. I'll have photos up on the Flickr soon, and will probably write a trip summary on my blog that I never post to and no one reads.
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Used part of my Surprise Money to buy a nice little thermos so I can stop buying coffee/tea at school. Gonna hide some tea bags in my mailbox and use the electric water-boiler in the faculty kitchen. Nice!
...also bought a guitar pedal. Because I have poor impulse control. (It was a good price on ebay!)
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Carlos, you didn't get infected with the Measles?
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Used part of my Surprise Money to buy a nice little thermos so I can stop buying coffee/tea at school. Gonna hide some tea bags in my mailbox and use the electric water-boiler in the faculty kitchen. Nice!
...also bought a guitar pedal. Because I have poor impulse control. (It was a good price on ebay!)
How many cups of coffee not bought add up to a guitar pedal?
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This math concept is good so I am not going to actually do the math. I would have probably have gotten more utility from buying one more collared shirt so I don't wear the same 5 shirts every week. I could've gotten a couple good shirts with this amount of cash. Or like, many many cups of coffee.
This thermos is awesome, though. During my boring class I distracted myself by drinking tons of tea. Nice.
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Carlos, you didn't get infected with the Measles?
Fortunately no. That was at Disneyland and we were at Disney World.
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SEC hearing about a bank I used to do business with was pushed to Monday. I mentioned this before. It turns out that loaning yourself an unlimited line of credit and signing it to yourself is a Bad Idea. I guess some houses in Va Beach got built out of it. See you in hell, brosef.
The last time I had to do this went:
Person Asking Questions: ACap is this your signature?
Acap: No. I made this document at the request of *** and handed it off as a matter of protocol.
Person Asking Questions: Acap, we know you didn't sign this. Tell us who did.
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SEC hearing about a bank I used to do business with was pushed to Monday. I mentioned this before. It turns out that loaning yourself an unlimited line of credit and signing it to yourself is a Bad Idea.
A leveraged buyout is sort of a convoluted way of doing this, no? Those things should be illegal as hell.
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This guitar pedal sounds so good. Although it's always tough to tell how much of the "wow" is not having played my guitar at volume in a long while.
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Person Asking Questions: Acap, we know you didn't sign this. Tell us who did.
so.... why wasn't the first question "Acap, who signed this?"
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so.... why wasn't the first question "Acap, who signed this?"
Who's on First? They were being polite?
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so.... why wasn't the first question "Acap, who signed this?"
There were a bunch of these trick questions to make sure I was being truthful. The rest of it was pedantic explanations of the machinations of how loans worked at the defunct bank. I don't think it would have caught anyone's attention if he stuck to just loaning himself money. He got in the mud when he started loaning to every developer who walked in the door and the only payments on the loan were to him. Beats me why some dudes suck. Sure isn't my scene.
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Which reminds me, I am infuriated by how much this grad program refuses to teach me about how the housing market actually works. I signed up for a class fuck*ng called HOUSING ECONOMICS AND MARKETS and there is no math or finance in the course. Teach me how to do something besides read, for the love of God! I took a real estate class that definitely taught a lot of the basic concepts, but a more specific course would be so awesome. I'm also in a class that is going to teach me unspecified "quantitative analysis." It's supposed to be tough, so that sounds promising?
I am taking GIS (Geographic Information Systems) right now and it is so satisfying to make maps.
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Seriously, any of you guitar-playing guys, the OCD Overdrive I got is killing me. I can't stop playing. It's weird how getting a new sound makes you think of new riffs-- I am cranking out some gritty 60s r'n'b right now. It has an H/L switch (which I assume stands for high/low something) and one side is really crunchy and the other side is more... shiny? I have heard Vox amps called "glassy" which is what I am hearing here.
Also, when it comes to riffs... it's amazing to me, still, how your ear naturally finds the major scale. I was messing around with a minor pentatonic but trying to emphasize weird notes, and then I wrote it down and... yup. B major.
A weird thing: I posted on Twitter last semester asking if anyone had papers to suggest about criticism of historic preservation. My historic preservationist friend said "this?" and sent me a paper that was pretty badly written and seemed to be someone's term paper for law school. Thanks a lot, buddy. Now I'm in the actual Historic Preservation class, and the professor assigned that paper as required reading. I'm taking crazy pills!
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It is weird to be reminded that there are people who believe that certain people "should" get grammys/oscars/etc, and are surprised when the thing they like does not win. I have never expected any cultural thing I like to get that kind of award.
Also, weird that people who sing/perform music written/created by others (T-Swift, maybe Beyonce? Wikipedia says she is credited as a writer on most of her songs) are in the same category as people who write/perform their own music. These are two different categories, in my mind, of musical creation. Although it isn't "songwriting of the year," it's "album of the year," which I guess is more about a cultural moment than it is about "what is the absolute greatest piece of pop art this year." If that's the definition than Beck should not have won, I didn't even know he put out an album this year, while almost every person I know has strong opinions about T-Swift and Beyonce (mostly weird worship).
We are having a fundraising dinner/dance thing for my dept in two weeks, so today I tried on both suits and all my dress shirts/#####. Good news, none of them fit because I have gained weight since college.
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Hating on the Grammy's is about as fun as hating on the Super Bowl. Maybe I'm just getting old and soft in the head, but I really love a lot of today's top pop stars. Taylor Swift, love it! Miley Cyrus, Awesome! Pharrell Williams, heck yes! Bruno Mars, Fuckin' A! Beyonce, Damn and Hell Yes!
I did know Beck put out a new album, but I kinda overlooked it. Last night was a reminder. Oh yeah, I love this guy! Beck is a weird one. It's almost like he has two careers. In his day job he creates fun alternative dance electronic music. But every 10 years or so he does a dark, mostly acoustic album that blows the critics away. I almost wish he would only do the acoustic stuff because I'm not a huge fan of his other career. It's nice, but I'll take Sea Change or Mutations over Odelay or Mellow Gold anytime. Now that he's won Album of the Year maybe he'll linger here for one more album before heading back to his day job.
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Man I do not give a shit about the Grammies. Or the Oscars, the Tony's, the Emmy's, the Golden Globes, the CMA's, the People's Choice Awards, or the fuck*ng MTV awards.
Hey look everybody! We're self-indulgent corporate showbiz fucks and we're patting each other on the back about how brilliant we all are! Why should I give a shit about that? Why should I give a shit about whether a piece of music wins a trophy? I like the music or I don't. Bullshit trophy has no relevance. Bah.
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I don't watch the Grammy's because I care who wins. If you'd watched the show you know that the awards are definitely an afterthought. Hell they give the vast majority of them away before the show ever begins. I watch the show for the music. Maybe you don't care about the music, so be it. I love a wide spectrum of artists and styles. Facebook is blowing up today with people comparing Beyonce to Beck as if that were even possible. They each performed at the Grammy's and I loved them both. Then there's Kanye who made an ass of himself again, but he also performed a cool new song with frikkin' Sir. Paul McCartney and Rhianna, and I loved it. Weird Al won best Comedy Album, so there.
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Thanks for giving me some perspective, Paul. Thanks for not saying "Just watch it for the music, dumbass!", like I deserved.
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Weird Al won best Comedy Album, so there.
And yet there were people going "Gaffigan, Oswalt, Silverman and CK were nominated, and WEIRD AL won this?!?" But I know Patton Oswalt tweeted that he was glad Weird Al won.
Can't imagine Louis CK giving a shit either way.
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So I lost the last two days to the flu.
Protip: when Ill, not feeding your caffeine addiction acts as a misery multiplier.
Also, the hosss kept pooping. I managed to stagger out and feed ontime but didn't shovel until this morning. Two days equals four bushels of crap, for your future reference.
I forgot that I prodded Wombat to unlock this thread so I could respond to this post! Anyway, you know how an acre is the amount of land that a single ox plow can till in a day, and a pint is the volume of water that weighs one pound? Maybe a bushel is the quantity of hoss-apples a hoss produces in a day.
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On a slant to that, you know what I'm finding a rip? Sirius programming.
I enjoy Sirius every time they have a free trial period. But I never enjoy it enough to want to pay actual money for it. It's not like I lack for other stuff to listen to in the car.
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And yet there were people going "Gaffigan, Oswalt, Silverman and CK were nominated, and WEIRD AL won this?!?" But I know Patton Oswalt tweeted that he was glad Weird Al won.
Can't imagine Louis CK giving a shit either way.
That is a whole lot of funny.
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Yeah, that's my feeling. I have nearly 30k songs on my iTunes playlist. I don't need Sirius, I've got my own, thanks.
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Although Spouse did get a little fluffed the time I left the car set up for ALL THE BLACK FLAG.
That is one cool thing about SiriusXM--you can set it up to alert you when an artist you like is playing on one of their stations.
That's also how I know that there's a trial period going on right now, when this morning on the drive in I got "TV On the Radio is playing now on SiriusXMU."
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Thing I would like to post on Facebook: "If you post links from Upworthy and similar sites, do me a favor: in your post, tell me what happens in the video. That'll save me some time."
Not sure that would be well-received, though.
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Right, especially now that I can plug in an 16G USB drive of my own stuff.
I can do this now. Pretty impressive given the fact that my last car had a cassette player. Still, it would be nice if it could display the titles of the Japanese songs. I know, the future is MAGIC and still we are NEVER SATISFIED.
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Waking up to a flat tire is a great way to toss all your day's plans into the grinder.
I was awakened at 5:30 this morning by a 90 pound dog leaping into bed with me. Mere moments before, said dog had had some sort of less than friendly encounter with a skunk, so the eye watering skunk funk doggy-cuddled all over my bed (and face) propelled me right out of my peaceful slumber.
Dragged his stinky butt down to the shower, which helped some, but not before he made sure we'd be enjoying Eau de Pepe (w/hints of turpentine, musk and burning tires) around the house for several days to come. Just in time for the single-digit weather no less -- no open windows for us this week. And the guys in the neighboring cubicles here at work are loving it too!
Luckily it happened early -- 5:30, so I was still able to get to work on time. So I got that goin' for me.
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Hey Dad! Check out this dead thing we found in the yard! We brought it in for you to see! We even left some meat on it for you!
Dogs. Gotta love 'em.
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Man. The older I get, the less appealing having dogs or children or even a spouse sounds. Living alone in a little apartment and walking around in my boxers sounds so nice.
Lately I have been practicing my Spanish and feeling pretty good about it. I think I have learned most of the simple grammar that people use every day, and I have sat and listened to people speaking Spanish around me and understood most of it. Nice. There were a few verb things I hadn't learned yet that I finally cracked and now it's all falling into place. But I'm sure some new curveballs will pop up soon.
...which of course means I'm getting the itch to do another language, now. Not because I feel "done," but because I've been practicing enough for it to stop feeling fun. Wondering if instead of Dutch I should have done German. You know, a similar language but spoken by way more people. Although glancing over German stuff online, it doesn't seem to have any of the charming characteristics that Dutch has. Also, cases. And less pleasant sounding.
Looking at lists online of how many speakers different languages have (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_total_number_of_speakers), I wonder when Hindi is gonna catch on as the next trendy language to teach your kids. It also drove home just how useful Spanish is. Spoken as HELL.
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OK, I complained a lot about that meeting with the career counselor about my resume, but
- Developed and enforced station programming policy for a staff of over 100.
- Revamped station review system, as well as record filing system.
- Organized monthly music review board of a dozen students.
- Maintained relationships with record label representatives.
looks and sounds so much better than the wishy washy stuff I had before about coordinating a staff of volunteers.
If nothing else it is making me feel good about this thing I have to turn in to see if I can get a TA position for next year or an increased scholarship.
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AW: Re: Skunk spray. Did you know that cats can do basically the same things? If feeling extremely threatened they can point shoot a potent smell of urea and fatty stank oils.
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ACap what did you do to a cat??
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ACap what did you do to a cat??
Word!
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Asleep style?
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Education! (http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/analglands.htm) I was incredibly amused by my browser's enthusiastic "Pin It!" prompt on the illustration.
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Hector: Mr. Hanna, what can I bring for you on this glorious afternoon?
Mark Hanna: Well, Hector here's the game plan. You're gonna bring us two Absolut martinis, you know how I like 'em, straight up.
[he gives Hector some money]
Mark Hanna: And then precisely in seven and one half minutes after that you're gonna bring us two more. And then two more after that every five minutes until one of us passes the fuck out.
[Jordan laughs]
Hector: Excellent strategy, sir.
Jordan Belfort: Oh, I'm...I'm good with water for now though. Thank you.
[to Hector]
Mark Hanna: It's his first day on Wall Street, give him time.
Yeah. It is a fuck you Friday. I waited in my director's office for 3 hours because he wanted to teach me a lesson about waiting for money. Fuck to the You.
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"hey girl, do you have a windchill? Cuz you're 24, but you seem like a 10 to me..."
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"hey girl, do you have a windchill? Cuz you're 24, but you seem like a 10 to me..."
She's the cause of global warming!
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I am really into this urban planning stuff, but damn if all my friends who studied computer science aren't up to their necks in money. Even the ones who majored in something else and then learned to code after graduation.
Related/unrelated, I am really enjoying my GIS (computer-aided mapping) class and apparently if you want to really use that software you need to learn basic coding stuff. So maybe I'll look into that.
A girl I had a crush on in college was on Letterman tonight. I'm looking for a video.
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Related/unrelated, I am really enjoying my GIS (computer-aided mapping) class and apparently if you want to really use that software you need to learn basic coding stuff. So maybe I'll look into that.
Younger daughter is a Geography major (graduating in May!) focusing on GIS. It's a cool, and we're told, a rapidly growing field.
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Today I decided that since it's 60 out I should start my journey of getting back in biking shape. Since Jersey roads still terrify me, I figured I'd go through the park by my house. Today inev learned that when snow melts it turns into giant, muddy puddles and you can't see the potholes underneath. Narrowly escaped sprawling out face-down in the mud.
I guess I need to do laundry, because this was my last clean pair of #####.
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I spent all of last semester using Open Office, and this semester I was fed up and forked over the cash to get Excel. Come to find out, it's not the same! Different hotkeys! Weird missing functions! Ugh!
In Brooklyn on Sunday I saw a woman with a knuckle tattoo that said P I S S.
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It is official as of today: there are 3 different people who I have called "stupid" out loud in their earshot who are going to Ivy League graduate programs. WTF. Meanwhile my old roommate, smartest guy ever, got rejected from every school he applied to but one.
(which is a very good school, but in a world where these morons are going to Harvard I expect better)
One of these people was described as a "pretentious illiterate" by a classmate, which is a really good insult.
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(http://nick.mtvnimages.com/nick-assets/video/images/the-troop/vampsters-1.jpg)
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That didn't freak me out but I had to read it twice to make sure I followed it. That is a complicated tooth story.
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(which is a very good school, but in a world where these morons are going to Harvard I expect better)
A lot of morons go to Harvard. They know someone, or they know how to look good on paper, or any number of reasons.
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(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/8972333950_916cb71d75_b.jpg)
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I am drinking whiskey and watching people on Youtube play Hotline Miami because I am bad at this game. Even when not drinking. today I made pickled peppers and did laundry and grocery shopped. Spring Break is cool. A thing I need to work on is scheduling time off for myself. Because I am always half-distracted when doing work, I never feel like I worked enough, and so I always feel guilty when I relax. Not to say I don't relax, I relax possibly too much, but it always has this guilty edge. Working hard during set hours and relaxing during other hours seems ideal.
I have reached a procrastination equilibrium where everyone is impressed at how early I start our projects, but I still finish them the day they're due.
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I have gotten really good at having hangovers. Ugh.
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I did it. Spent an entire day in NYC without spending money on anything but the train. Brought a sandwich and thermos full of coffee and ate/drank in a park looking across the east river, wandered around Astoria Queens, took the subway down to Brooklyn and read in another park, then realized my old roommate lived nearby and walked to his place for dinner with him and his parents. I felt a little awkward about crashing their dinner, but they are sweet people and it was nice seeing them.
On the other hand, I tried to make plans with 4 different friends to do stuff this week and all 4 never got back to me. So the rest of spring break is gonna be school work and solo hangout time.
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It's like you're describing a Woody Allen movie.
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Speaking of walking around looking at New York, do you know this blog? It's great.
http://www.scoutingny.com/ (http://www.scoutingny.com/)
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That is great!
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Amusing conversation from last Friday:
Mrs. del Vaca: "So-and-so's daughter does Irish step dancing. They're performing at Ned Devine's tomorrow night, we should go."
Me: "So you're saying you want to go to an Irish pub the Saturday night before St. Patrick's Day."
Also, amusing actual thought I had today: "I know how I'll deal with that guy! I'll drop an anvil on him!"
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Also, amusing actual thought I had today: "I know how I'll deal with that guy! I'll drop an anvil on him!"
Just make sure you don't order your anvil from the ACME Corporation.
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This was a Disney-branded anvil, so it worked OK. It in fact did not kill the guy in question, but I was able to drop a TV instead and that sufficiently distracted him.
(If you haven't guessed this was video-game related. I finished Epic Mickey last night, yay me.)
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Fuck 'em.
Yeah, that.
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I do the same on the morning shuttle bus (fill from the back), but at least it's not a van. In the evening my strategy is different, on account of the Flintstones era ticket punching validation rigamarole the train requires. Since the validation machines break down weekly, you have to assume that fewer than 4 machines will be available for the 600 or so train passengers. The "fare enforcement officers" aren't sympathetic to woeful stories about the long line you had to skip in order to make the train (there are 3 trains, on the hour starting at 3pm, after which you are hosed and have to walk* home). Since I'm the first stop on the evening shuttle route, I take advantage of the primo seating selections to get the one right behind the driver, which guarantees an earlier spot in the validation queue since I can shoot out as soon as the door opens. I do, however, take the window seat so noone needs to drag their ass over me to sit with me in that row. I think that keeps everyone happier. The only drawback is when the driver decides to share her family crises with her captive audience.
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So into being able to walk to school. Only concern is that I have to park the car around the corner on a residential street (I live on a weird road with not many buildings on it) and I don't check on it as often as I should.
Today I realized I have 3 midterms next week. So I guess spring break is over. Also, trying to figure out how I could manage doing an unpaid internship for the summer. Because the paid internships are just not magically appearing.
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Fuck unpaid internships.
I've done an unpaid internship that was 100% worthwhile and I got my zoo jobs based on years of unpaid volunteer experience. But I don't care. People have a lot of nerve offering unpaid internships.
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Well, the thing that's killing me is that even if I'm willing to take an unpaid one my pickings seem pretty slim. I went to talk to the career counselor and her suggestion was to keep looking on internet job posting websites. The only things related to housing/community development on the department's website (which she maintains) are unpaid jobs with the New York City Planning Department. Great. So I can spend ~$30 a day to get to and from a job that doesn't pay.
I am feeling this unpleasant sensation like I "need to be trying harder" but I don't really know what that would mean. I'm emailing some professors who work in housing policy to see if they can give me some guidance in terms of where to look. Right now I'm just googling and using indeed.com and it isn't going anywhere. I am very aware that people get jobs from people/connections, not websites, but so far my only connections in the world of urban planning are people who work at large organizations that offer unpaid internships.
Did I tell you guys my brother moved to New Zealand? Right now he's hiking and stuff but I guess he has friends who he thinks can get him odd jobs. He graduated last spring and has spent the last year applying to jobs without finding anything (other than a gig waiting tables) and just said "fuck this I'm going to have some adventures." This is funny, he was always the quiet guy in the family who follows the rules.
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I went to talk to the career counselor and her suggestion was to keep looking on internet job posting websites.
And she gets paid for that??
Are there any jobs that aren't in urban planning but that would teach you something you could bring to that career in the future? Like this is not a real suggestion but an extreme example would be, if you worked for a few months cleaning sewers, there's some hands-on knowledge of how the underbelly of a city works.
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Are there any jobs that aren't in urban planning but that would teach you something you could bring to that career in the future? Like this is not a real suggestion but an extreme example would be, if you worked for a few months cleaning sewers, there's some hands-on knowledge of how the underbelly of a city works.
I am sure things like that exist, I am not sure what they are. My classmate who is a transportation guy did something like that last summer-- he worked for the Department of the Interior mapping fire access roads in national parks. He drove around big empty western plains/mountain region states, brushed up his mapping skills, and camped a lot.
I typed a lot more worries here, but I am going to try to think positively. It's just aggravating that I have spent the last 5 years applying to jobs (intermittently) and have not gotten one, ever, except the grocery store job. I am obviously doing something wrong but I am not sure what it is.
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Your idiot career counselor should be able to tell you what they are. SIGH.
Camping and mapping out in the wild west wouldn't be totally unrelated, would it? Surely mapping is related. You should ask him. You'd probably be better off asking fellow students who have actually gotten jobs recently than that career counselor.
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Maybe I can work for Uber, it's almost like my dream job. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IAJFCxAP_Y)
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Did I tell you guys my brother moved to New Zealand? Right now he's hiking and stuff but I guess he has friends who he thinks can get him odd jobs. He graduated last spring and has spent the last year applying to jobs without finding anything (other than a gig waiting tables) and just said "fuck this I'm going to have some adventures."
I believe we suggested something like this for you back when you made the insane decision to go to graduate school.
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Oh, by the way, I came to tell you the board was back up and running.
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Oh, by the way, I came to tell you the board was back up and running.
Thanks Paul. Here's a tiny can of Dr. Pepper for your trouble.
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I believe we suggested something like this for you back when you made the insane decision to go to graduate school.
Oh well at least maybe we'll get stories from his brother.
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I typed a lot more worries here, but I am going to try to think positively. It's just aggravating that I have spent the last 5 years applying to jobs (intermittently) and have not gotten one, ever, except the grocery store job. I am obviously doing something wrong but I am not sure what it is.
Can't let this pass - This is not you. This is the economy being fucked.
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I'm loving the shove your hand up the golden goose's ass analogy.
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Ash is right. In fact, I'm also in touch with people from a field I'm not in anymore, and right now, I'm doing some writing work for them that's the best paid work I've had in a while. And that's setting aside the dinners they took me out for when I was in Tokyo.
When I think of the work I've gotten - and this is in three or four vastly different professions - nearly all of it has been because of who I knew. My first writing gig was because my best friend from high school convinced her colleague to give me a chance. My first zookeeping job was because I'd volunteered for years and they knew me.
Even in academia, which the naive may think is a meritocracy, who I was associated with in grad school was the first thing people cared about. The second thing was my own work. Once you got past those two hurdles, the decision was made based largely on how much they felt like they could stand your personality if you got tenure and they had to work with you for the rest of your life.
So really, no matter what your other skills and accomplishments are, faking being friendly to people is pretty much essential. Even in writing gigs where I have never met the people I work with in person - often never even spoken to them on the phone - I think it has mattered a huge amount that I've learned to stick little bits of friendly in our email interactions.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAy4rXJUcAArQCY.jpg)
Funny, I am actually playing video games in a sleeveless shirt right now. But yeah, I am definitely attempting to pursue that strategy. Trying to be friendly with everyone no matter how dumb they seem. Went by two professor's offices today to ask questions about internship search, emailed a contact at another org. So at least that feels like doing something.
Today my professor pulled me aside after class and told me he really likes my writing, and that I should consider a PhD. I did not say "lol are you kidding a PhD in urban planning sounds like a horrible life decision," which I consider another victory for the forces of Networking. I gather that there are actually non-academia research type jobs for PhDs in planning, but that does not seem super compatible with my tendencies and abilities. Who knows.
Meanwhile, a first in my 2 years of internet dating, this woman was definitely responding to me sarcastically for her own amusement. That doesn't feel great. Sorry for having the gall to say hi to you on a fuck*ng dating website.
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It seems like lately, my job on the board is to give Ash cans daily.
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Will you catch a giraffe, clean it cook it and eat it? I think you should do that.
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Today my professor pulled me aside after class and told me he really likes my writing, and that I should consider a PhD.
Aw, isn't that adorable. The professor likes a person and thinks the person is smart, and the only thing he can think to do about it, is suggest that this person grow up to be a professor too, because the professor never had a job in the real world and can't suggest any other options.
Also seriously: he likes your writing so you should get a PhD? Where you would progressively learn to write things for an audience of fewer and fewer people?
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On the dam side they stock this hybrid monster that is part salmon and part rainbow trout
OMG seriously? They made this giraffe on purpose? This seems really wrong. Does it have a name?
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Interesting. When I was in grad school we used to sometimes visit the trout hatcheries for fun, but I never really thought about it - it's a bizarre concept that we stock lakes with non-native giraffe for people to catch, it's totally not the modern approach to the environment, but it's been going on for so long that it seems normal. There must be a story here. I'm not sure what I can do with it, but there's a gig I applied for that might be persuaded that this is relevant to their interests, if I get it.
I am sorry about your dinner plans though.
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Aw, isn't that adorable. The professor likes a person and thinks the person is smart, and the only thing he can think to do about it, is suggest that this person grow up to be a professor too, because the professor never had a job in the real world and can't suggest any other options.
Also seriously: he likes your writing so you should get a PhD? Where you would progressively learn to write things for an audience of fewer and fewer people?
Yeah, this guy is a nut. He started his PhD in his 40s and is now a 50-something guy just getting started as a professor. He seems like he thinks he is a lot more clever than he actually is, and I thought that before he complimented me, so this isn't just my Roast-Beef-Burying-The-Fancy-Shirt tendencies talking. Also, what he liked about my writing was that it was not very academic. I think that was because I got fed up of writing this paper and used a lot of short sentences.
Today I met with my advisor, who is a Big Deal in historic preservation circles, and he did not really have any job/internship advice. But he said if I apply to things I should let him know, and if it's someone he has worked with he'll shoot them an email. Which is great. He also confirmed my belief that if I wanted paid internships I should have chosen some other field. Or even a different sub-field, for some reason city transportation departments have funding to pay interns.
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Patio boat?
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I have a really clear image in my mind when I read "Patio Boat" but I don't know what it actually is.
Holy crap, my mental image was correct. (https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToPcCytrvW9uBZNyAVMJ9zzUqz-G-RYrnV2UyWp9Yd0crf2_Yr7Q)
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We call that a "pontoon boat" round here.
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My new weird fantasy is that this summer I'll be an unpaid intern but also work at the cute mom n pop bagel place on my street. Like a weird mini repetition of my old job. But this time, funding actual career advancement.
That is a horrifying image, Ash.
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I am in favor of this plan. I want to hear the stories from the bagel place.
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I am a concerned that the summer job market in a college town might be kind of tight.
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Sure, but for that job who is going to beat your prior experience?
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We call that a "pontoon boat" round here.
That's what we call it around here as well.
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I kind of like patio boat. It's descriptive.
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It's a nice word. And who wouldn't want to hang out on a patio... on a lake?
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Yeah, I am really into Patio Boat. It is a boat that knows what it is.
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Because of The Mayor I am spending my train ride talking hosss with a pro-dom on the East Coast. Life be weird if you stop to think about it, yo.
Huh?! I don't disagree that life is weird but how is this my doing?
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...and a "pro-dom" is somebody who does BDSM for a living?
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I don't really get into that side of things, but hosss and dogs, you betcha.
Now I'm curious about how you found out her business (trade? line? career choice? lifestyle?) in the first place. Does she have business cards? Wearing a uniform? Prior history with you? Are your particularities that well known in the community that you are regularly approached by, uh, potential admirers?
Inquiring minds want to know.
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Sent copies of my cover letter to two people (my dad and school career counselor) and got back completely opposite advice. Which can maybe give me the strength to accept that cover letters are stupid and move on with my life. She told me to explain more, he told me to cut out all the lengthy explanations. She told me to spell out full titles of things (Masters of City and Regional Planning, the Bloustein school at Rutgers The State University of New Jersey) and he said that that sounds stupid and pretentious.
(Who the fuck names their school "Rutgers The State University of New Jersey!?" Almost as bad as Washington University in Saint Louis.)
Went on a nice date with a biologist today.
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Going back to the giraffe thing...doesn't it seem weird that the hatchery didn't know the state was cutting off their water in November? It seems like something that would at least deserve a form letter.
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Rutgers The State University of New Jersey
That part at least does sound stupid and pretentious.
Also, are you applying for jobs on the moon or what? Is there anyone reading your cover letter who isn't likely to know what "Rutgers" means? Consider your audience, like with any kind of writing.
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Yes, I agree. The career counselor person at school flipped her lid that I just wrote "Rutgers University." I think she is a crazy person.
Also: I did not know that Rutgers was the state university of New Jersey until I was looking into applying here. But also, I didn't care, and I can't imagine anyone caring.
Anyway, I just submitted the application with Rutgers University so she can deal with it. (I did put the official name on my resume, Rutgers The State Whatever).
The guy reading the applications is also named Daniel so I am pretty sure I am getting the job. Based on people in my program, though, a really large percentage of urban planners are named Daniel.
(I would give anyone named Daniel the job, if I were hiring. We Dans think that way.)
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Daniel's are good people.
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I am really really good at distracting myself from work, so lately I have been reading about computers. Specifically, really basic computer stuff, like how RAM works, how a CPU works (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNN_tTXABUA), etc. Read some wikipedia articles and found a logic circuit simulator online so I could make a binary adder. I read about how they work and then fiddled around with it (ok, actually, drew it during a boring lecture) and it worked. It was a really good experience in realizing how smart humans are... there is no way I ever would have made that logical leap. Not in a million years. Sure, I can think through OR and AND and XOR and figure it out, but the initial idea? Mind-blowing. For some reason I never understood how Binary works, I thought it was some kind of secret code. Now I can count to 1023 on my fingers! How's that for a party trick. (4 is flipping someone off! pretty Radical!)
I am thinking about this stuff a lot because of my GIS (computer-aided mapping) class. It's a frustrating program where you have to use weird tricks to do things that seem like they should be easy. The trick is that it looks like you're fiddling around with shapes, but really what you're doing is telling a computer how to draw a database or many databases. Definitely parts of it are really making me think of a computer as a complicated machine that is good at manipulating numbers, instead of as a magical box that lets you run "programs," whatever those are. For this class a lot of the readings are about people in the 60s and 70s figuring all this stuff out on mainframes, and it's really cool. Having pretty much grown up with computers, it's weird thinking about how it all works. I feel like there is a huge mental gap for me between the stuff I'm reading about (connecting wires and transistors and switches so that little lights turn on and tell you what two numbers added together are, using magnetic tape to store information, etc) and Facebook or a video game or making a map that tells me where the major watersheds are in New Jersey. Trying to think about how I'm typing this right now and sending it to all of you on a machine descended from that simple little 4-bit adding machine is pretty insane.
(Buying wires and toggle switches and little lightbulbs and making an adding machine in a little box is such a beautiful nerdy project. One day I won't have homework.)
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Have you read this? (http://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0060512806)
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Yes! I might need to read it again. High school was a while ago.
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Random bar dude interrupted our conversation to tell us "you're all a bunch of loud assholes" and that we were being "disrespectful to females." Would not explain. Kept saying things about how we are in public and people can hear us. I cannot name a single thing we were talking about that I wouldn't say in front of my mom.
Why do jerks exist? Come on dude.
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Today I went to Bayonne, NJ, which is a small city across the Hudson river from Brooklyn. I'm doing a project about it and I needed to take some pictures. It is adorable. I was expecting gross post-industrial Jersey, not cute row-house Jersey. It was the kind of place that makes you wanna get married and bring up kids in a place where they can walk to school. Exploring, though, I could not figure out where to get a view of NYC. Finally I looked at the map on my phone and realized I was only seeing the western half of the peninsula, divided by the highway-- on the other side of the highway is a weird wasteland of half-abandoned warehouses and factories and docks. I drove through a few miles of that emptiness and eventually got to a park with a 9/11 memorial and a gorgeous view of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The memorial was kind of creeping me out because it was dedicated by "The Russian People and Vladimir Putin to the victims of global terrorism." I get why they put it there, best view of the Manhattan skyline, but something about driving through empty streets brownfields to get there gave me the heebie jeebies. Definitely effective though, staring across the bay at 1 WTC and imagining seeing the attacks from there was intense.
Have any of you guys been to the actual memorial? I don't really want to go, but I cannot really explain why.
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I have never wanted to go because my friend in NYC did not care for it. She was there for the actual event, and she is a travel editor so she knows her historical monuments, so I am willing to trust her expertise.
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Did some more research and it turns out that monument was originally going to be in Jersey City and the city council rejected it for being huge and ugly. So they put it in Bayonne.
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I support this Endeavor.
"New York City spends 3.7 times more money on affordable housing than the next 50 largest American cities-- combined." So now I can say I want to live there because it's where the jobs are, right?
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I swear there is some popular culture medium set in Bayonne. Maybe The Born Loser?
Edit:
Ah hah! It was Ernie/Piranha Club. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piranha_Club)
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I swear there is some popular culture medium set in Bayonne. Maybe The Born Loser?
You're thinking of Hoboken:
(http://www.jenn98.com/bugs/images/bugs-n-penguin.jpg)
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I've been to Pismo Beach a few times. Haven't been to Albuquerque yet.
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I'm moving to L.A. in September and have years of management experience, where should I send my resume?
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Went on vacation. Back to work today. Stared silently at the wall for the last hour debating a massive life-change that will result in me not working for Megalo-Corp but rather myself.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leavi,37957/
Coming back from vacation is the fuck*ng WORST.
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Go for it Ash, be your own man!
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Have an interview for the internship I really want. Trying not to count my chickens. But whoa, pretty pumped.
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My head is going though a funny thing where I can't fall asleep because I am worrying it might take me until after 5 PM to iron my shirt and take the train to my interview. What if I miss the train because I spent all day ironing my shirt. What if I get on the train and it takes more than 2 hours to get there. What if I get there and I forget what the job is and spend the whole time talking about coffee machines or something. What if they ask to see a "portfolio." What if I freeze up.
My dang dress shoes are too small.
(I'm sure it will be fine.)
Thing that makes me simultaneously very embarrassed and less worried that they're going to be tightasses: I referred to the organization by a (slightly) wrong name for my entire cover letter and still got an interview. Just left out a conjunction, but YIKES dan...
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Maybe now that this thread has gone on for over a hundred pages, it's time to admit I have no idea what the title is about.
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C'mon, man. Over a hundo.
Do it again like the first time, homey.
Why the hell not?