Yo Dawg
January 23, 2023 2:19 AM   Subscribe

Happy Monday, freedom lovers! We heard you like free things so we decided to put a whole bunch of free things in your free thing.

(From ADHDefy at codeberg.org: "A curated list of delightful tools for digital creatives in a variety of mediums. Together we collected these gems of freedom 💎")

Have a nice free thread!
posted by taz (71 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
Well, I finally caught covid. Started feeling symptoms in earnest on Friday, positive test Saturday morning. My fever broke overnight, so I feel amazingly good by comparison this morning. My appetite is finally back, I devoured some lentil stew.

Fortunately I did work from home on Friday, because even though I tested negative that morning and had no fever yet, I felt sufficiently off that I didn't want to risk it. Taking today as a sick day, because I'm sure I still need a lot of rest.
posted by notoriety public at 2:26 AM on January 23, 2023 [14 favorites]


I liked The Oatmeal's 10 8 Things I've Learned About Creativity
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:09 AM on January 23, 2023 [15 favorites]


I bought gas over the weekend, and it was $3.398 / gallon.
I'd never in my life seen a gas price that did not end with 9/10¢
Aren't they going to miss that tenth of a cent?
posted by MtDewd at 3:11 AM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


I just brought a sandwich at the cafeteria, and the person serving started telling me about their tantra course. Other people in cities are never less than 8 feet away from a rat, I'm never less than two conversations from somebody telling me about their weekend workshop in alternative therapies.
posted by The River Ivel at 4:13 AM on January 23, 2023 [12 favorites]


Finally I can free thing WHILE I FREE THING!

Also, get better soon, notoriety public & world.
posted by flamewise at 4:18 AM on January 23, 2023 [2 favorites]


I'm just a few centimeters away from a rat right now. His name is Nicodemus and he's helping me assess student projects.

I've made some (1) bumper (2) stickers (3) so that I'm more likely to recognise my own car (turns out I have some kind of car aphasia, I've attempted to unlock several strangers' cars because I can't tell the difference. )

They're sort of doodles with vynil.
posted by Zumbador at 4:24 AM on January 23, 2023 [18 favorites]


Anybody else having the mid-winter blues, because I sure am. Lately all my dreams are about death and despair. I woke up in a serious snit one day last week because I was so angry in the dream I had, and couldn't get out of my bad mood all day.
posted by briank at 4:27 AM on January 23, 2023 [6 favorites]


notoriety public recover quickly!

Zumbador, those bumper stickers are so cool! I have an expired Pusheen Cat air freshener hanging from my rearview mirror so I can spot my car better as the make/model/color is so common I was routinely walking up and trying to unlock other people's vehicles.

I'm feeling almost human again, after 24 days. Like my brain is in gear this morning and I felt Ok about getting up. I spent yesterday consciously resting. In my case that involved staying on the bed in my pajamas, reading YA Cherie Priest, watching Superstore, building LEGO and doing cross stitch.

I finally relented and purchased a Nurge Table Stand. Which meant upgrading my hoops, since the frames of the current set are not wide enough for the clamp. So I went back to this lovely woman for the hoops. She does spectacular embroidery collages and currently has a display at the University of Oregon Craft Center.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:54 AM on January 23, 2023 [5 favorites]


Oh, I forgot to mention, Mr Zumbador had a dream about one of those themed restaurants where you can only order one kind of food, but in lots of different ways. Like waffles, or pancakes.

Except that this place only served rusks. A rusk restaurant! He said it was very frustrating.
posted by Zumbador at 5:51 AM on January 23, 2023 [5 favorites]


A rusk restaurant!

Infamous for their Eel-on-Rusk which, while ultimately toxic, has die-hard fans who turn up to defend it at every turn.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:16 AM on January 23, 2023 [15 favorites]


Like, I am not into zombie movies or shows, but I kinda want to watch The Last of Us because ya girl is on a huge Pedro Pascal is easy on the eyes kick.
posted by Kitteh at 6:18 AM on January 23, 2023 [7 favorites]


TLOU is my favorite deserved-longer-runs-in-Game-of-Thrones-than-they-got-actors show.

In terms of dreams, I had what I think is a first in dream content for me the other night: a weed dream, as in, I was using it. Which is odd, because I haven't partaken for about thirty years or so, and was never into it at all. I'm interpreting it as a variation of a drinking dream (which I still occasionally have, and I've learned to take as a welcome reminder that I still have a problem). I wouldn't 100% rule out ever having to use it for medicinal purposes--I have an elderly aunt who has been in recovery for decades who occasionally has an edible for chronic arthritis pain relief--but I'm more than a little wary of using that as an excuse.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:36 AM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


Go get 'em, PlasticAndPolishedMolly! You've got this.

I'm starting a new job as well, depending on when the new company finishes their background checks and gives me the clear to start. So now I'm in this limbo where I'm working like normal and pretending nothing is happening (just in case NewCo falls through), but now OldCo is asking me to commit to things in the next 8-12 weeks and I'm feeling kind of bad about it. Not looking forward to giving them the real news when it's ready.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:39 AM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


Fortunately I did work from home on Friday, because even though I tested negative that morning and had no fever yet, I felt sufficiently off that I didn't want to risk it. Taking today as a sick day, because I'm sure I still need a lot of rest.

If you can, keep resting for as long as possible. Both in terms of just lounging around the house, and then being as slow as possible about reintroducing effort and stress. It's just anecdotal, but the two people I know with serious long covid both pushed themselves with zero rest and are now dealing with serious long term effects. Hopefully you continue to have a rapid recovery!

I like hearing about all the new jobs -- congratulations!

A rusk restaurant!

I had to look up what that is and it looks a bit similar to what is sold as Melba Toast here I think, so definitely an interesting culinary concept.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:53 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


@noteriety public, I hope you recover quickly! @Zumbador, wonderful stickers! If I drove I’d have the same problem! Your stickers are extra cool!

I have been recovering from an awful knee sprain. The worst of it is shopping. I pretty much need a ride both ways. Mr. Roquette has been awesome!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 6:54 AM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


Yo Dawg i've recently been reading Metafilter more on my iPad using Firefox and I notice that i'm constantly getting logged out - like I'll visit a couple times in the morning, and then after lunch, and then an hour later I'm logged out. Log in again, visit two or three times, and then logged out again.

Is this a iOS Firefox issue, or a Metafilter cookie issue or some random affliction? I have the browser set to allow and keep cookies, and no other sites that require login are dropping me. (well, the only other site would be mltshp and it's working fine)
posted by jazon at 6:57 AM on January 23, 2023


In terms of dreams, I had what I think is a first in dream content for me the other night: a weed dream

Only peripherally related, but I take a small amount of CBD / THC every night before bed (maybe 35-50mg CBD / 1-2.5mg THC) and never thought it inhibited my dreams until I stopped taking it for a few days. Holy hell! I sleep fine, but wake up remembering like 2-3 distinct, vivid dreams. It's wild.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:58 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


I am currently stuck in Banner Elk, NC while a wreck on the road to Beech Mountain is cleared. It's been a worse-than-usual ski season here in the Southeast, so I was super stoked to have a free Monday when it's actually snowing... and now I'm in a parking lot.
posted by workerant at 7:04 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


I'm taking my first sick day for myself today in a long time because the Tiny Monster brought home a cold from childcare at the Y. He's two for two on that so far.

I probably need to do a full Ask on this one but we recently found out that our insurance policy excludes speech therapy unless it's due to injury, illness, or stroke. They explicitly don't cover anything due to developmental delays. I'm also finding that every one of our competitors has a similar policy, so maybe I should be angry at the country for allowing shitty insurance policies to exist instead of angry at my employer for selecting one.

So anyway, I'm coming to terms with the idea that our money is now going to go to speech therapy and we don't have to spend this year shopping for the house we'll never afford now after all.
posted by The Monster at the End of this Thread at 7:09 AM on January 23, 2023 [5 favorites]


I read somewhere that TLOU had a fungal angle? Is there any substantive mycological content or is it just handwavey "and then a fungus happened" type stuff?

(A near brush with early termination at the hands of a fungal infection last year led me to read up on the epidemiology of sapronoses, and it would be super cool to watch a movie about that, but I suppose it's probably more of the ol' Hollywood bait-n-switch.)
posted by Not A Thing at 7:31 AM on January 23, 2023


That is a nice list of tools.
posted by jaded at 7:31 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


I got new glasses that were way overdue. I am trying out online dating. I am in the throes of a work project where we really need to tell the client their budget is ridiculously small and we're not interested.

My new anxiety meds work great but I am also dreaming a lot more, it feels like? Not bad dreams, just more of them. Maybe I should try CBD, like uncleozzy.
posted by emjaybee at 7:35 AM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


I read somewhere that TLOU had a fungal angle? Is there any substantive mycological content or is it just handwavey "and then a fungus happened" type stuff?

I don’t think it’s any deeper than calling it some kind of Cordyceps. Which at least means they picked the kind of fungus which is known to do that kind of thing to insects.
posted by notoriety public at 7:39 AM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


I'd never in my life seen a gas price that did not end with 9/10¢

DONNY'S DISCOUNT GAS!

(One of my favorite gags from the Simpsons)
posted by RonButNotStupid at 7:42 AM on January 23, 2023 [2 favorites]


Monster, Tiny Monster may be eligible for free speech therapy through your local school district (extrapolating from "shitty insurance" that you're in the US). Search for Early Intervention services to get him evaluated if he's not in public school yet.
posted by Daily Alice at 7:49 AM on January 23, 2023 [6 favorites]


I am also dreaming a lot more, it feels like? Not bad dreams, just more of them. Maybe I should try CBD, like uncleozzy.

Supposedly it's the THC that inhibits REM and, therefore, dreaming. I still dream when I take it, but it never felt like less until I discontinued it, so I don't know if it's that I dreamed less while taking it or that I'm dreaming more after stopping. Who knows.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:53 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


Curtains update: Yesterday, I finally got around to finishing the first 86" x 108" panel after some earlier cutting and measuring, using fusing web on the longer sides (the shorter ones won't need any additional treatment, thank goodness). The process, mostly consisting of additional measuring so I could be absolutely sure everything was right, took me all day and now I ache all over, and I still have one panel left. Wish me luck...

Freshmaker update: So, you know that roll of fruit Mentos I bought? Turns out the entire roll was strawberry Mentos, except for one which was lemon. No orange. Weirdest fruit Mentos roll of all time. Clearly, I need to buy another roll sometime and try again!
posted by May Kasahara at 7:58 AM on January 23, 2023 [4 favorites]


Alice, he's not even two so he'd be eligible for Early Intervention for a little while longer. We've been trying to call EI but haven't actually managed to talk to anyone yet.

It bothers me that he has a speech therapist he has been seeing for months and now he'll have to start over. I also noticed that their website has something about a sliding scale of payment for therapy so we might potentially pay even more through Early Intervention, in which case I guess I could just go back to his first speech therapist and pay cash.
posted by The Monster at the End of this Thread at 8:05 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


I am technically getting paid to read Metafilter right now, because the goddamn power went out at work about an hour ago. But only for the part of the building my office is in. Thank god for 5G hotspot, gee too bad I'm not supposed to hook my work computer up to it, guess it's personal laptop MeFi time! Your tax dollars at work, folks
posted by caution live frogs at 8:34 AM on January 23, 2023 [5 favorites]


I have my first cold since the Before Times. It's pretty weird. So far as I can tell it is actually a cold: just sinus gunk and sore throat, no fever, and two negative covid tests. But I wish I knew where I got it: I mostly mask in the office and definitely mask on the bus! But I did get a little sloppy with my office masking next week, so it's back to hard-core for me...
posted by suelac at 8:35 AM on January 23, 2023 [2 favorites]


OH NO the power is back on! Welp back to productivity for me then, carry on folks
posted by caution live frogs at 8:44 AM on January 23, 2023 [9 favorites]


I spent this weekend doing financial planning, so free sounds real nice. (Verdict: I can spend like I did during lockdown or like the Before Times when I was more social. Not both. Alas.)
posted by mersen at 8:55 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


I am successfully recovering from my brain surgery last month, but just found out that I will need to have another ablation procedure (my 3rd in the last dozen years) to treat my cardiomyopathy.

Even though I'm bummed about my heart function decreasing and the many thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses, I'm just grateful to be alive and not facing anything more serious. I told Mrs. Guy the other day that all of these medical experiences makes me think of all the people without insurance who can't get even basic health care, let alone help for urgent issues. It makes me so damn mad (and sad) for all of them.

I wish you all happiness and good health.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 9:16 AM on January 23, 2023 [24 favorites]


Stardew Valley was finally, finally, finally updated to 1.5 on mobile, so now my shoulders are all fucked up again. Turns out sitting in front of a computer all week at work and then spending the weekend lying in bed playing on an iPad is not actually good for you, who knew?

Also spent the weekend trying to finish up my annual review of my 2022 photos, which will culminate in a 2023 calendar which, of course, is already too late for January. The last two months have been too chaotic to get anything done. I thought things were getting better on the overstuffed house full of family front and then I had a big fight with my daughter on Saturday night, so, no, they're not really. But in 45 minutes I have a phone call with a health insurance navigator who will point me to a phone therapist, so, progress!

Two dead whales washed up on the beach one week apart. I went to see the first one the day after it happened and then the second one was a couple days ago and I went to see it yesterday. It was huge; turns out a baby Grey Whale is bigger than an adult Sperm Whale and I never knew that before, certainly not in a visceral way like this. Going to see the dead whales is kind of weird, but at the same time it is like participating in this odd thing that is not quite a ritual, not quite a carnival, but a little of both. There were tons of people, both times and it just felt, I don't know how to express this, timeless in this extraordinary way. Seeing the Dead Whale: it felt as if I could turn around and buy a penny postcard from someone in a top hat and turn around again and there might be a shaman with a bone flute (there was a middle aged lady with bells and a fierce expression.) Both whales washed up right at the bones of the wreck of the Peter Iredell, a noted 1906 shipwreck, too, so there you are with the storming skies and the wreck and the dead whales, and idk, it's kind of intense and sublime in that overwrought 19th century way that I suspect is going to be the 21st century way soon if it isn't already. Penny postcards from the apocalypse, coming your way soon!
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:22 AM on January 23, 2023 [15 favorites]


This week I need to get out and buy Valentines for the Valentines exchange.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 9:45 AM on January 23, 2023 [2 favorites]


From yo dawg to cool story brah:
The community ambassador who watches the street elevator likes to listen to gospel and other Christian music on her shift.
Friday she was playing music in Chinese. She told me that earlier a shoeless man got on and started singing along and then wept.
He told her that he'd been on the streets for half a year due to his drug addiction but that hearing the music reminded him of the family that was begging for him to go home.
I'm not Christian--more of an agnostic recovering comparative religion major mishmosh--but I hope that the universe had a message for that man and that she was the messenger, and that he will visit her again clean and sober as he hoped to do.
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 9:47 AM on January 23, 2023 [7 favorites]


I drive that orange/copper 2007 Honda Fit that is incredibly common in CA/Bay Area. I am surprised I have never tried to open the wrong car door...but I'm pretty sure that is because my car is generally the dirtiest Fit in town. oh well! (saving water! yeah, that's it...)
posted by supermedusa at 9:52 AM on January 23, 2023 [4 favorites]


I drive a relatively anonymous small grey car, but I've got stickers in both front and back windows that help me pick it out of the crowd. They're bootleg Calvin and Hobbes bright-white line drawings that I bought literally decades ago, long before "Calvin peeing on X" became a thing - in fact I bought quite a few duplicates, so that I could adorn multiple cars as I replaced them over the years (this is my 4th such car). One is Spaceman Spiff, the other is Calvin and Hobbes in the time machine. They've received quite a few delighted comments.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:27 AM on January 23, 2023 [5 favorites]


We got some really nice free things: a cousin sent us a bag of 3MVflex masks, "my favorite mask for folks with facial hair" with extensive notes on how to swap out the elastic for better material & fit. I'm getting out my prettiest Thank You card and sending some pics of partner, just so touched that this cousin took the time from their very hectic & stressful hospital job to reach out to us and share. Lifts my spirits on these cold grey days. Lemon cookies might do that as well...cookies are nourishment, right?
I have the usual big long list of stuff to do, grateful that my partner is recovering from shoulder surgery and well enough to do a few things, and their physical therapy is making a difference.
Anyway, I've got rabbit stamps and kittenpupheart stamps on the way, and succumbed to glittery paper, so time to add to the mountain of delightful projects I try to squeeze in between BLLOSTD. It's sunny today so I might poke my face outside and think about starting seeds.
posted by winesong at 10:46 AM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


WRT the thread title: last weekend I had to explain the "Yo dawg" meme to my 19-year-old son, which lead to looking up the original source of the meme, which lead to watching some YouTube videos of the show...including one where the host disclaims much of the whole thing. We laughed so hard my neck hurt all evening. It was fun for both of us.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:51 AM on January 23, 2023 [4 favorites]


on the topic of bumper stickers/car decals, the variation on "MY OTHER CAR IS A MERCEDES" always struck me as pretty great?: "MY OTHER PENIS IS A VAGINA"

it's the only thing I saw in a Family Guy episode that kind of stuck with me, long after I stopped watching Family Guy
posted by elkevelvet at 11:17 AM on January 23, 2023


I have a lot of bumper stickers on my 2007 Prius. Admittedly, most of them were affixed closer to 2012ish (when I got it), and most are (wildly liberal) political. But my favorite and the one that gets the most comments is, "Remember who you wanted to be." It is so rare to see a car with bumper stickers these days that I am surprised when I see them (even more if it isn't a very old car). I don't know when that happened, that people stopped putting bumper stickers on.

Sometimes I feel embarrassed and make plans to remove them all but then I don't do that.
posted by Glinn at 11:35 AM on January 23, 2023 [7 favorites]


I’m here to extoll the virtues of weighted blankets! Especially over the last few years of isolation and staying home I would have very long, vivid dreams that were complicated stories. On weekends I would wake up and then doze in and out of sleep until late afternoon, continuing my dream and was constantly tired.

With this 15-pound blanket, I wake up refreshed, either with or before my alarm, and am rarely able to immediately fall back asleep. And I don’t have constant fatigue! It’s been amazing.
posted by bendy at 11:37 AM on January 23, 2023 [7 favorites]


I bookmarked those tools, SUPER handy list. Though bummed by the ones that weren't being developed anymore. It's a hard life out there for software devs, especially the ones who do FOSS software.

Had my birthday Saturday and popped a fever that evening. Fairly sure it was the flu as it came on quick. Bought a big pile of books: The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard, The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James, Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty, An Unintended Voyage by Marshall Ryan Maresca, and The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal. Looking forward to all of them.

I wore a mask Saturday since I was starting to feel ill, and like 99% of the people in Cheesecake Factory, West Town, & B&N were not masked at all, even with flu + RSV + Covid going around.

It took me three days to pop a fever when I had Covid in Dec 21, and my sense of smell still fades in and out, so that is definitely not helpful in figuring out if it's Covid or the flu.
posted by tlwright at 1:12 PM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


Sometimes I feel embarrassed and make plans to remove them all but then I don't do that.

Nah, don't do that. Bumper stickers are one of the things that shine small rays of light into otherwise dark days. I have one that I put on my 10-year-old Subaru, which has paid untold dividends. You have perhaps seen it:

How am I driving?
How does an engine even work?
How could a loving god cause such agony?

It is the perfect blend of nihilism and weird inversion-of-expectations. As an added bonus, a month after I stuck it on, part of the rear bumper (which was apparently designed by a committee of angry raccoons and built by meth-addled toddlers) sheared off while I was driving to a wedding. Net effect: ghastly-looking rear bumper with rusty bits of metal exposed, with a bright-yellow sticker next to it. I've noticed a severe drop in tailgating since it happened. I'm not planning to fix it, because it so perfectly captures the ethos of the moment.
posted by Mayor West at 1:39 PM on January 23, 2023 [14 favorites]




I had an online session today with a decluttering coach. One of the most hideously embarrassing two hours I have spent for a while. Tomorrow to see whether it will help me tackle one of the Rooms of Doom.
posted by paduasoy at 2:48 PM on January 23, 2023 [4 favorites]


Maybe that “how am I driving” existential bumper sticker should be the unofficial mefi bumper sticker and then we can recognize each other in the wild…
posted by obfuscation at 3:12 PM on January 23, 2023 [2 favorites]


Metafilter Stickers
Which yes, I may as well add to my bumper stickers.

Also found this tote bag, labeled Normal Human Items (at the other bumper sticker store).
posted by Glinn at 4:04 PM on January 23, 2023 [2 favorites]


this tote bag, labeled Normal Human Items

I would be sorely tempted to use a magic marker on that: cross out Items and scrawl in Parts.
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:10 PM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


Yep Urine Utah- bright yellow bumper sticker, an old fave.
posted by Oyéah at 6:49 PM on January 23, 2023


Back in the day, you could buy packs of square bumper stickers with a picture of a screw, that (by design) perfectly covered the heart symbol in the ubiquitous "I [heart] my dog" bumper stickers. At the time I didn't have the money to waste on them but I was sorely, sorely tempted. As evidenced by my link above you can still get the screw stickers, but now I'm too old to bother.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:16 PM on January 23, 2023 [4 favorites]


Today during a business meeting with a crush I spent 30 minutes in romantic anticipation between the time they told me they were getting divorced and when they told me about their girlfriend in Illinois.
posted by bendy at 1:41 AM on January 24, 2023 [5 favorites]


...15-pound blanket...
That seemed a little heavy to me, so I weighed our top blankets.
My wife and I each have one, got them from Lucy's Toys back when we used to see Lucy at several craft shows a year.
They don't have extra weighting, just very heavy material. We use them all year long- have slept outside in winter under them. Something about the weight keeps me from tossing and turning. (Usually! YMMV)

So I weighed one this morning: 7.6 pounds, so 2 for 15#.
posted by MtDewd at 5:46 AM on January 24, 2023


"My boss is a Jewish carpenter" bumper stickers were popular

Those were very popular in Texas. For a while, my boss was a Jewish endocrinologist and I considered getting a sticker with that.
posted by neuron at 10:01 AM on January 24, 2023 [3 favorites]


BRB, going to start a business selling My Boss Is a Cold Indifferent Universe bumper stickers
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:06 AM on January 24, 2023 [3 favorites]


I upgraded a crappy underpowered lenovo tablet for a nice overpowered samsung tablet and the experience is causing me weird dissonance because physically it is just swapping one rectangular glass slab for another almost identical rectangular glass slab. I've never had a tech upgrade where the physical objects were so similar before.

Huge difference in performance though.
posted by srboisvert at 12:17 PM on January 24, 2023


Keep an eye on Costco if you can, hippybear, I scored an amazing deal on a new iPad there this fall. My beloved 2015 model was failing fast and I was scared, but the transition to the new one was absolutely seamless.
posted by mygothlaundry at 12:58 PM on January 24, 2023 [1 favorite]


I'm in the middle of tapering off Venlafaxine and it's no fun. But as always, being a writer helps me cope with even the most unpleasant experiences as there's a part of me going: "Huh. So that's what it's like. I can use that."

So look out for my next book featuring withdrawal symptoms of some kind.
posted by Zumbador at 8:52 PM on January 24, 2023 [2 favorites]


I got so agitated and full of anxiety when I tapered off of that stuff.
posted by bleary at 5:17 AM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]


My local newspaper is, like many such, struggling. It has some online presence on social media with links to its pieces. A seemingly random selection go to full stories free to read but most go to a preview of the first sentence of two and then a plea to become a subscriber so you can read the whole thing.

Fair enough: I understand the economics of the current era well enough to see why this is so. I am baffled, though, by what standard they use to decide what is being the paywall. This morning I see that the Ontario Provincial Police are looking for the public’s assistance in locating an individual wanted on outstanding charges of aggravated assault. Become a subscriber to learn more!

(Maybe a few dollars of the swollen police budget could go to making a newspaper story like this free to the public, hmmmm?)
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:09 AM on January 25, 2023


Today's mystery. Something stung me on the butt while I was swimming this morning. But I was wearing shorts?

Bluebottle?

Doesn't seem bad enough. Just stings a bit.

The waves were so fabulous I stayed in for another half hour despite a stinging butt.
posted by Zumbador at 7:31 AM on January 26, 2023


My boss has been unexpectedly out for the past week, so I've been indulging in various Oscar-season-related news and gossip. I've gotten all of the jibber-jabber about specific films out in other threads, but had to share this somewhere:

So, elsewhere I had a thought. The Oscar Awards ceremony traditionally calls on last year's Best Actress winner to present this year's Best Actor award, and vice versa. The only thing is - last year's Best Actor winner was Will Smith, who - as you recall - had slapped Chris Rock about a half hour prior; and as a result, he has resigned from the Academy and has been banned from all further Oscar Ceremonies for the next ten years. So I wondered aloud what the hell the Oscar people were gonna do for a Best Actress presenter this year.

A couple friends made some quasi-serious suggestions ("Someone no one hates like Keanu Reeves", or "let's see if the donkey from EO can do it"). But then someone suggested: Chris Rock. Which - honestly, that's just crazy enough an idea to be plausible.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:56 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]


Eh, maybe they just get whoever got Best Actor two years ago for it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:17 AM on January 26, 2023


I'm looking at what they did last year - and they actually did something different last year with presenting Best Actor instead of having Frances McDormand as presenter (John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Samuel L. Jackson did this dippy Pulp Fiction tribute where they pulled the envelope out of a briefcase or something).

This year is the 20th anniversary of the original Matrix film, so they could work that angle for Keanu doing it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:24 AM on January 26, 2023


I want to talk about Flurb, but I have to type quietly, because he's currently asleep on a dining room chair and I hate to wake him up because he looks so cozy.

Flurb, if you recall, is the stray kitty who I coaxed into my house a few days ago. And it turns out that he's wonderful. He's still exhausted from his ordeal, of course, but the vet said he's in good health. He's also not microchipped, and he's young, maybe a year old. And he's been through a lot; the vet showed me a few minor injuries I'd missed, scratches and bits of fur missing and scabs.

And despite that, he's the most relaxed cat I've ever met. He's found his favorite place, a dining room chair, and he spends his time there sleeping and grooming. He loves being petted and brushed. He's very quiet; even his purr is this quiet, intermittent, hoarse little purr that doesn't last very long, but it's marvelous to hear.

He does make tiny little mew noises when he sees the feral cats, his friends from outside, taking over the lounge chairs on my back porch. He seems to miss them. I'll have to look into getting him another cat friend sometime, I'd hate for him to be lonely.

He's not black, as it turns out. His fur is a dark, dark brown, only visible as brown when he's in full sunshine, it's magnificent. And all the brushing and grooming is making his long, fluffy coat look amazing. And he has this brilliant white belly and cute little white socks and a white stripe on his nose and I may be just the tiniest bit smitten.

He's very polite, too. Uses the litterbox every time, covering up after himself assiduously. He likes to be petted while he's starting to eat, as if he's nervous and asking permission. The only time he's been grumpy was right after the vet visit, when he planted himself by the door and made it clear that he wanted to go out, but he was back to his usual self by the next day.

So, apparently, I have a cat now. Which means I'd better find a job because my backup plan of homelessness and despair isn't really workable with a cat around, and I'll be damned if I let anything else bad happen to this little guy.

Except the neutering appointment I've got scheduled in a couple of weeks. That's going to be rough. But I think he'll eventually forgive me for that.

The ferals are doing well, except I think Tom Jones and Luna are hooking up; they showed up at the feeding station together yesterday, and Tom hung out while she ate, and neither of them are fixed so I've got cages on order from the local shelter and I should be trapping and neutering them next week. If I can; Luna has been impossible to trap so far. And there's this one skinny tiger-striped grey cat that I've seen a couple of times now, I'll see if I can get him too. Also, there seem to be a couple of stray dogs in the area who've been eating the cat food I leave out, so I'll have to call the animal care center to see what they can do for them.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna go pet the kitty.
posted by MrVisible at 1:24 PM on January 26, 2023 [4 favorites]


He's very quiet; even his purr is this quiet, intermittent, hoarse little purr that doesn't last very long, but it's marvelous to hear.

😍❤️😍❤️😍
posted by Zumbador at 7:33 PM on January 26, 2023 [2 favorites]


Huzzah Flurb!

...The Oscar Race has officially started (I've got a movie blog, this is stuff I pay attention to), and I'm working out how to see the Best Picture nominees between now and March 12th without running out of time or going broke. I'd only seen one so far, so that's 9 movies in the next 7 weeks.

And...(sigh) one of them is Avatar Way of Water, and I hated, hated, hated, hated the original film so I'm trying to figure out what to do about that. (Then again, I also blew off seeing King Richard last year; I may just issue myself one "get out of jail free" card every year and let myself skip one if I have a good reason.) My roommate has been on me to go see RRR in a theater so I may do that instead as a sort of protest vote.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:58 AM on January 27, 2023 [1 favorite]


I haven't seen your blog, but it's your blog! If you can't stand Avatar, you don't have to make yourself pay $18 and sit for three hours to see it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:49 AM on January 27, 2023 [1 favorite]


Feral cat colony update:

A while back, as you may remember, I heard caterwauling outside one night and went out to find a white cat with black spots was serenading my house. I shooed him off and named him Tom Jones. He's been showing up a lot lately, so I've got traps on order from the local animal rescue and hopefully should be able to get him neutered soon.

Except... this morning I looked out to find not one, but two identical white cats with black spots out there, having a little standoff. So now I've got Tom Jones and Steve McCoy (a noted Tom Jones impersonator).

My little colony isn't usually this dramatic.
posted by MrVisible at 11:05 AM on January 28, 2023 [3 favorites]


I wondered aloud what the hell the Oscar people were gonna do for a Best Actress presenter this year.

I am 100% certain that AMPAS has provisions for what happens if a slated presenter dies before or is otherwise forced to be absent during a ceremony. Presumably for all things the fallback position is, “Let’s have Tom Hanks do it.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:37 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]


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