One of these days...
June 5, 2023 8:48 AM Subscribe
... I'm going to cut you into little pieces ?
posted by bjrubble at 9:02 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by bjrubble at 9:02 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you've ever wondered what a decoy really is, it's an elaborate device for catching ducks in which tunnels of netting lead away from a pond, gradually diminishing in size, which the ducks are scared into wandering down. There is only one left in the UK.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:05 AM on June 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:05 AM on June 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
There are many of us who just don’t sit right with the mainstream and we are whimperingly vulnerable. Like, we’re not allowed to express frustration. It’s a tough time for a lot of us.
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 9:14 AM on June 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 9:14 AM on June 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
This is US-only, so probably not FPP material, but maybe worth dropping here: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 available for free on YouTube. It looks like it's also part of Prime Video this month. There are Fanfare threads for individual episodes.
If you haven't kept up with recent Trek--I hadn't--this show has continuity with Star Trek: Discovery, explained in the first episode, but if you saw "The Menagerie" from the original series, you're more than set. Basically, Captain Pike himself got a glimpse of his future that original series viewers already expect to happen.
Main characters from the original series include Pike, Spock, Uhura, Christine Chapel, Number One, and Dr. M'Benga, but everyone is introduced in a way that's accessible to new viewers too.
posted by Wobbuffet at 9:27 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you haven't kept up with recent Trek--I hadn't--this show has continuity with Star Trek: Discovery, explained in the first episode, but if you saw "The Menagerie" from the original series, you're more than set. Basically, Captain Pike himself got a glimpse of his future that original series viewers already expect to happen.
Main characters from the original series include Pike, Spock, Uhura, Christine Chapel, Number One, and Dr. M'Benga, but everyone is introduced in a way that's accessible to new viewers too.
posted by Wobbuffet at 9:27 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
We just started watching ST:SNW on YouTube, but I may switch to Prime since I don't like YouTube ads. It is an Excellent Star Trek series so far!
posted by jazon at 9:35 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jazon at 9:35 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
To the person / people who designed the copier / printer / scanner etc. in my office so that each paper compartment holds almost - but not quite! - a full ream of paper and! those drawers which hold the paper do not shut with a satisfying clunk but instead never feel quite closed even when they are: the devil knows your name and all that extra paper that inevitably gets wrecked from lying around the office is going to be waiting for you. In tiny scraps. (not unlike the ones that come out of your machine after a jam! Quelle coincidence!) That you have to reassemble. With your eyelashes.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:46 AM on June 5, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:46 AM on June 5, 2023 [8 favorites]
A big thank you to everybody who recommended Google Messages for Web on this AskMeFi: My eyes!!! My phone!!!. I've just used it for the first time, and it's great. (StructureSon, who was the recipient of the first extremely long text message I typed on my computer may not be quite as thrilled, as shown by the GIF he sent me of Elmo saying Goodbye Cruel World and falling off a table.) (Too bad for StructureSon.)
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 9:46 AM on June 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 9:46 AM on June 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
so apparently wasps manipulate ants to carry plant galls to safety to gain extra protection for their larvae.
posted by dhruva at 9:50 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by dhruva at 9:50 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you've ever wondered what a decoy really is
Please tell me this was named because ducks can be rather coy but this system removes this ability from them.
posted by hippybear at 9:52 AM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
Please tell me this was named because ducks can be rather coy but this system removes this ability from them.
posted by hippybear at 9:52 AM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
I beat Phantasy Star yesterday! On a Sega Master System with nothing but the manual and a bit more graph paper than I expected to use! I hadn't finished the game previously -- I'm figuring past attempts maybe got at most about halfway through -- and I'm more pleased with myself than I expected to be. Per May Kasahara's suggestion, it's on to Ys next!
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 9:58 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 9:58 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Here’s some bizarre weirdness, on a tiny scale:
I just received an amazon box of like four different kinds of loose tea and a cast iron teapot.
I didn’t order them.
There was no invoice or note.
I’m baffled.
But I’m baffled with tea, so it could be worse.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 10:03 AM on June 5, 2023 [15 favorites]
I just received an amazon box of like four different kinds of loose tea and a cast iron teapot.
I didn’t order them.
There was no invoice or note.
I’m baffled.
But I’m baffled with tea, so it could be worse.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 10:03 AM on June 5, 2023 [15 favorites]
Better than being baffled by tea.
(Hitchhiker's Guide reference)
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:10 AM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
(Hitchhiker's Guide reference)
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:10 AM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
the copier / printer / scanner etc.
I believe your copier and the last copier I used to use at work must have mated in an abattoir of hell and the offspring is the copier I am forced to use currently. Clearly they've been steadily designing utility out of these damn contraptions, I think the sole purpose is to consume greater quantities of paper and ink and require more service calls and generally just work worse than they used to, steadily and over time
posted by elkevelvet at 10:10 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
I believe your copier and the last copier I used to use at work must have mated in an abattoir of hell and the offspring is the copier I am forced to use currently. Clearly they've been steadily designing utility out of these damn contraptions, I think the sole purpose is to consume greater quantities of paper and ink and require more service calls and generally just work worse than they used to, steadily and over time
posted by elkevelvet at 10:10 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
I don't golf and I participated in a tournament on a friend's team on Friday. I still don't golf nor will I become a golfer, but time with friends is always time well spent.
I do disc golf, but not well, and Sunday's outing was splendid. We get a lot of red-winged blackbirds as we approach any of the ponds, they scold us and we try to keep our distance. The ducks and geese enjoy the ponds. A few years ago we met the interest of a great grey owl, perched on a fencepost by the tee-off zone.
The church held a Pride Picnic on Saturday and attendance was up 3X from last year, and we held a concert that evening and it was really great.
posted by elkevelvet at 10:14 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
I do disc golf, but not well, and Sunday's outing was splendid. We get a lot of red-winged blackbirds as we approach any of the ponds, they scold us and we try to keep our distance. The ducks and geese enjoy the ponds. A few years ago we met the interest of a great grey owl, perched on a fencepost by the tee-off zone.
The church held a Pride Picnic on Saturday and attendance was up 3X from last year, and we held a concert that evening and it was really great.
posted by elkevelvet at 10:14 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
Be aware that the SNW episodes will only be free on YouTube until the end of the month.
Season 2 premieres on Paramount+ next Thursday (6/15) and I can hardly stand the anticipation.
posted by briank at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Season 2 premieres on Paramount+ next Thursday (6/15) and I can hardly stand the anticipation.
posted by briank at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
I love Strange New Worlds so much. It just feels so Trek-y to me. I didn't realize it was coming back next week and now I'm so hyped. So thanks for that.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:29 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 10:29 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Decided to get the sprinkler system up and going today, and discovered one of our buried sprinkler heads needs to be replaced. Digging it up has been an adventure of what seems to be mostly roots with a bit of soil in between. Hoping it's an easy repair. Figuring out why one entire zone of our sprinkler system isn't turning on from the control box, but will manually, will be the other part of this year's turning-on tune-ups. ChatGPT suggested to me that it might be the solenoid on the valve unit, so now I get to learn how THAT all works!
posted by hippybear at 10:33 AM on June 5, 2023
posted by hippybear at 10:33 AM on June 5, 2023
I'm sorry, is anyone else watching the WWDC stream? Craig Federlinghi just played, or mimed playing, I guess, Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" on a triple-neck guitar. What is happening.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:00 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 11:00 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Earlier this spring I spent a week attending various family graduations in Florida in a pretty crowded house. Had sleep issues from the jump -- the air mattress I was using suddenly deflated not once, not twice, but three nights in a row (requiring some furtive rummaging in the kitchen for duct tape by the end). Got woken up by the family dog at 6am the next day (felt like 5 thanks to the time change). At some point lost my eye mask that was making the LED-strewn room bearable. And during the day, spent many long hours clambering into cramped vans, standing in endless queues, and sitting in rigid church pews, plastic school chairs, and the world's least comfortable stadium seating.
So on the last night, I guess packing up was the straw that broke the camel's back, as simply folding a T-shirt led to STABBING PAIN OH GOD next to the base of my spine, especially scary since I had major scoliosis surgery there years ago. Could barely walk, couldn't even sit down unassisted, and had to flag my brother when he happened to walk by the door outside. Hobbled into urgent care first thing in the morning and got a big butt-shot of Toradol and prescription for chlorzoxazone relaxant (for muscle spasms/strains). Hey, at least it wasn't a surgery complication/kidney stone/slipped disc! Had a lovely experience being wheeled through the airport only to get a physical patdown because I could scarcely walk through the scanner. VERY bumpy flight. 😬 Ended up sitting next to a nice lady old enough to be my grandmother and we pretty much had the same body language during takeoff and landing.
Was thankfully able to get a ride home, including a pit stop to pick up a plastic walker from Walmart which I definitely needed by that point. Had to miss over a week of work while things slooowly healed. Took twenty minutes to sit upright, pulling socks on was my Everest. Couldn't even stand to sit at my computer or hold a laptop, just lots of tablet, TV, and fitful sleep (cleared out a good chunk of my to-watch list, though a curious number of episodes seemed to revolve around characters hurting their backs...)
I'd actually recovered enough to (gingerly, druggedly) return to work for a few days when the Bad Sleep Gremlin struck in the worst way. Ever have a moment, half-asleep in the wee hours, when it seems like there's something Ominous in the room? Well I felt that bad enough to sit bolt upright and stand up from the sofa I'd been recuperating on. BAD mistake. It took a moment for the shock to pass, but when it registered it was almost awful enough to make me puke. Basically aggravated the original lumbar strain and gave it a buddy in the obliques.
Fortunately it had much less staying power and I'm more or less upright and mobile again. But the whole experience has been highly Not Fun, especially since I'm not even old enough to run for president. I cringe now every time I hear a twentysomething coworker talk about hauling something heavy the day before or practicing an improper lift on some bulky equipment. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BACKS, Y'ALL. And if you ever find yourself attending an extended family get-together, maybe spring for a motel room instead of sleeping on the floor. (And maybe one of these days I should get a sleep study done.)
posted by Rhaomi at 11:05 AM on June 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
So on the last night, I guess packing up was the straw that broke the camel's back, as simply folding a T-shirt led to STABBING PAIN OH GOD next to the base of my spine, especially scary since I had major scoliosis surgery there years ago. Could barely walk, couldn't even sit down unassisted, and had to flag my brother when he happened to walk by the door outside. Hobbled into urgent care first thing in the morning and got a big butt-shot of Toradol and prescription for chlorzoxazone relaxant (for muscle spasms/strains). Hey, at least it wasn't a surgery complication/kidney stone/slipped disc! Had a lovely experience being wheeled through the airport only to get a physical patdown because I could scarcely walk through the scanner. VERY bumpy flight. 😬 Ended up sitting next to a nice lady old enough to be my grandmother and we pretty much had the same body language during takeoff and landing.
Was thankfully able to get a ride home, including a pit stop to pick up a plastic walker from Walmart which I definitely needed by that point. Had to miss over a week of work while things slooowly healed. Took twenty minutes to sit upright, pulling socks on was my Everest. Couldn't even stand to sit at my computer or hold a laptop, just lots of tablet, TV, and fitful sleep (cleared out a good chunk of my to-watch list, though a curious number of episodes seemed to revolve around characters hurting their backs...)
I'd actually recovered enough to (gingerly, druggedly) return to work for a few days when the Bad Sleep Gremlin struck in the worst way. Ever have a moment, half-asleep in the wee hours, when it seems like there's something Ominous in the room? Well I felt that bad enough to sit bolt upright and stand up from the sofa I'd been recuperating on. BAD mistake. It took a moment for the shock to pass, but when it registered it was almost awful enough to make me puke. Basically aggravated the original lumbar strain and gave it a buddy in the obliques.
Fortunately it had much less staying power and I'm more or less upright and mobile again. But the whole experience has been highly Not Fun, especially since I'm not even old enough to run for president. I cringe now every time I hear a twentysomething coworker talk about hauling something heavy the day before or practicing an improper lift on some bulky equipment. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BACKS, Y'ALL. And if you ever find yourself attending an extended family get-together, maybe spring for a motel room instead of sleeping on the floor. (And maybe one of these days I should get a sleep study done.)
posted by Rhaomi at 11:05 AM on June 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
"...ChatGPT suggested to me that it might be the solenoid on the valve unit..."
I wonder if ChatGPT knows the difference between a sprocket and a socket.
posted by Gorgik at 11:11 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wonder if ChatGPT knows the difference between a sprocket and a socket.
posted by Gorgik at 11:11 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
My kiddo is showing real improvement in the heavy fatigue she's been dealing with, after 4 nights of a CPAP. I really wish we'd known to start her sooner but she never snored or made any gasping noises when she slept that we could hear, so we tested everything else first. Poor kid.
So Rhaomi, I'd say: do that study.
posted by emjaybee at 11:28 AM on June 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
So Rhaomi, I'd say: do that study.
posted by emjaybee at 11:28 AM on June 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
I can second the improvement with a CPAP.
I had some success with my own creaky ol' bod this past weekend; did 20 miles on my bike, the most since I did whatever I did to my knee weeks ago that had me using a cane for about a week. I'll still have to do RAGBRAI with flexible knee braces, but that would be fine, as I also wore those on my ride. I probably could have done more, but my blood sugar was kind of iffy starting the ride; I think that I actually felt better on the way home than on the way out, thanks to a convenience store stop midway through. I've got a group ride coming up this Saturday that consists of three 20-mile loops that can be mixed-n-matched, and we'll see how far I get on that.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:42 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I had some success with my own creaky ol' bod this past weekend; did 20 miles on my bike, the most since I did whatever I did to my knee weeks ago that had me using a cane for about a week. I'll still have to do RAGBRAI with flexible knee braces, but that would be fine, as I also wore those on my ride. I probably could have done more, but my blood sugar was kind of iffy starting the ride; I think that I actually felt better on the way home than on the way out, thanks to a convenience store stop midway through. I've got a group ride coming up this Saturday that consists of three 20-mile loops that can be mixed-n-matched, and we'll see how far I get on that.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:42 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Seeing this post title gave me an earworm courtesy of Jill Sobule. Seeing the link about her down the home page inspired me to share it with everyone else.
posted by DebetEsse at 11:43 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by DebetEsse at 11:43 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
The new season of Preserving Worlds is releasing over on Means TV and I'm very much enjoying it.
posted by signsofrain at 11:49 AM on June 5, 2023
posted by signsofrain at 11:49 AM on June 5, 2023
I'm going to need to renew my methylphenidate prescription. Haven't yet found a pharmacy that could actually get the stuff. Wish me luck.
posted by SunSnork at 11:59 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by SunSnork at 11:59 AM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
I saw doctor #1 (gyno) on the list of healthcare professionals I need to see in order to sort out my respiratory issues. She helped me figure out what tests I should insist on having and which HCP should order them. I explained about the perimenopause / asthma studies. She had not heard about that particular connection (but was not surprised) and I and walked out with a prescription for a low dose estrogen patch on the condition that I carefully track my symptoms for the next three months and follow up - so she can recommend it to other patients if the experiment is successful.
I'm not used to asking for things from doctors. I'm so happy I did!
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:59 PM on June 5, 2023 [8 favorites]
I'm not used to asking for things from doctors. I'm so happy I did!
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:59 PM on June 5, 2023 [8 favorites]
Oh hey. Yesterday we watched David T. Little's opera Black Lodge, which is streaming for free this week on Philadelphia Opera's platform (which suprisingly has a Roku app, so getting it onto our television was easy.)
Recommended if you like new opera, metal, and trippy visuals. The libretto is a somewhat odd concoction which references to David Lynch and William S. Burroughs.
Here's one of the pretty parts on youtube.
posted by anhedonic at 1:01 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Recommended if you like new opera, metal, and trippy visuals. The libretto is a somewhat odd concoction which references to David Lynch and William S. Burroughs.
Here's one of the pretty parts on youtube.
posted by anhedonic at 1:01 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Learning and training for a another brand at my domains company today and learning about cPanel & WHMCS ins and outs makes me want to throw my head into a cement wall. My brain is just full of too many tabs and portals and sign-ins.
Going to pop an edible and play Fallout 4 as soon as work is done.
posted by Fizz at 1:14 PM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Going to pop an edible and play Fallout 4 as soon as work is done.
posted by Fizz at 1:14 PM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
My mom called me because part of our complex burned up over the weekend (all humans/animals expected to survive last I heard). My place.wasn't damaged, but dang ma? You got my address on Google alerts or something?
posted by East14thTaco at 1:39 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by East14thTaco at 1:39 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
but dang ma? You got my address on Google alerts or something?
There is a certain subset of parents (moms and dads) who just know. It is their slightly annoying superpower. Both of spouse's parents have it. Kind of eerie sometimes.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 1:45 PM on June 5, 2023
There is a certain subset of parents (moms and dads) who just know. It is their slightly annoying superpower. Both of spouse's parents have it. Kind of eerie sometimes.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 1:45 PM on June 5, 2023
This is a genuine curiosity but doesn't feel worthwhile for a whole Ask, but man. Why is it that small children (and I don't mean babies, but kids in that, say, 4 to 8 year range) literally only scream? Like they just SCREAM, as though being murdered, at all moments when they are awake. They aren't screaming a word, or being injured, or doing anything in particular but they are running and they are screaming at a bloodcurdling level, 100% of the time, and I just don't understand, what is it.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:51 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:51 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
They also run. A lot. Loudly. I'm thinking, there must be a collective word for kids at that age. Like a trample of kids. Or a scream of kids. Or a splash of kids (if in water).
And we all were part of one!
posted by flamewise at 2:02 PM on June 5, 2023
And we all were part of one!
posted by flamewise at 2:02 PM on June 5, 2023
They aren't screaming a word, or being injured, or doing anything in particular but they are running and they are screaming at a bloodcurdling level, 100% of the time, and I just don't understand, what is it.
A lack of laudanum in their juice boxes.
posted by hippybear at 2:05 PM on June 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
A lack of laudanum in their juice boxes.
posted by hippybear at 2:05 PM on June 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
And we all were part of one!
I was not! I really didn't know this was a thing until I moved into my first place after college, which was playground-adjacent. And since then I notice it everywhere I go, it is so bewildering.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:06 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was not! I really didn't know this was a thing until I moved into my first place after college, which was playground-adjacent. And since then I notice it everywhere I go, it is so bewildering.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:06 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just wrote a rather large check for the people who put in a permanent foundation on my house (doublewide on piers, they blocked around the perimeter with an access door, ventilation grills and stuccoed the blocks after removing the plastic skirting) and goodness, it has been a hot minute since I wrote checks. But I learned in school actually! (Independent Living class at my first HS). I prefer the card or bank transfer tbqh. I'm horrid with keeping track of paper and balancing accounts.
There's to be a strike by a lot of subreddits as Reddit's decided to charge a lot of $ for API access, basically blocking out various 3rd party clients, and even tools that are used for accessibility and moderation, so a lot of users are planning on boycotting Reddit June 12-14. So I'm spending the rest of this week going through my saved posts and saving them to my files (copy-pasting a LOT of recipes). There are a lot of good places even if there are some cesspools and creeps.
posted by tlwright at 2:08 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
There's to be a strike by a lot of subreddits as Reddit's decided to charge a lot of $ for API access, basically blocking out various 3rd party clients, and even tools that are used for accessibility and moderation, so a lot of users are planning on boycotting Reddit June 12-14. So I'm spending the rest of this week going through my saved posts and saving them to my files (copy-pasting a LOT of recipes). There are a lot of good places even if there are some cesspools and creeps.
posted by tlwright at 2:08 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don’t have anything to say, I just wanted to drop by and say thanks to the folks who posted something. It’s nice to read a cozy thread. As someone who has grandchildren aged eight, six, and two, can confirm there is a great deal of screaming. It only feels like it’s 100%. It is less, but it is still too much.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:31 PM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Bella Donna at 2:31 PM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Do you wanna know what's really boring? Locating town fence code, reading it, and understanding it, and then trying to apply it to a project you're working on.
posted by tarantula at 2:34 PM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by tarantula at 2:34 PM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
Australia's largest successful environmental campaign - saving Tasmania's Franklin River - is 40 years old this year. There is a beautiful film called Franklin (SBS) which follows the offspring of one of the campaigners as they navigate their own journey down the river, interspersed with archival footage. There is also a podcast about the campaign iteself (apple, spotify).
I arrived in the region in the aftermath and ended up working on other environmental campaigns with many of the original Frankliners. Listening to the podcast has been a delight as I identify people by their voices and get carried back to times decades old. A dear friend, now 75, had a key role in the campaign, film and podcasts and it has been a joy to hear of her tell her experiences in media, despite us talking about such things for the past 35 years.
Participating in environmental campaigns is undoubtedly one of the best things I have done in my life.
posted by Thella at 2:46 PM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
I arrived in the region in the aftermath and ended up working on other environmental campaigns with many of the original Frankliners. Listening to the podcast has been a delight as I identify people by their voices and get carried back to times decades old. A dear friend, now 75, had a key role in the campaign, film and podcasts and it has been a joy to hear of her tell her experiences in media, despite us talking about such things for the past 35 years.
Participating in environmental campaigns is undoubtedly one of the best things I have done in my life.
posted by Thella at 2:46 PM on June 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
My house was built in 1873. Been living in it for 24 years, and finally saved enough for a much-needed new kitchen.
Demolition, during which the still-beating heart of my home was torn out, revealed the date of the last renovation: July 4, 1942. Local newspapers from that date were used as underlayment for the hideous old linoleum flooring, and were surprisingly intact.
In spite of 150 years’ worth of dust, the papers are very readable. I love time travel and this is vivid stuff. So much about shortages and rationing. Even the smallest items are interesting.
The discovery has made for fun reading to slightly offset the stress of doing dishes in a bathroom sink and otherwise making do without the most-used room in the house.
posted by kinnakeet at 2:46 PM on June 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
Demolition, during which the still-beating heart of my home was torn out, revealed the date of the last renovation: July 4, 1942. Local newspapers from that date were used as underlayment for the hideous old linoleum flooring, and were surprisingly intact.
In spite of 150 years’ worth of dust, the papers are very readable. I love time travel and this is vivid stuff. So much about shortages and rationing. Even the smallest items are interesting.
The discovery has made for fun reading to slightly offset the stress of doing dishes in a bathroom sink and otherwise making do without the most-used room in the house.
posted by kinnakeet at 2:46 PM on June 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
I just received an amazon box of like four different kinds of loose tea and a cast iron teapot.
I didn’t order them.
There was no invoice or note.
Remember the great Chinese seed panic of 2020? Well USPS and destroyed about $75 worth of seeds that I had ordered because of it and only notified me about it a year later.
Be careful ordering tea people.
posted by srboisvert at 3:16 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I didn’t order them.
There was no invoice or note.
Remember the great Chinese seed panic of 2020? Well USPS and destroyed about $75 worth of seeds that I had ordered because of it and only notified me about it a year later.
Be careful ordering tea people.
posted by srboisvert at 3:16 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I spent a year working at a K through 5th grade 300 student elementary school where I ended up being the main and almost always solo playground supervisor before and after school and during lunch and recess because no one else wanted to do it and I loved it.
You couldn’t see all of that playground from any vantage, and from many you couldn’t see most of it.
I quickly became very dependent on the quality of screaming I was hearing from any point on the compass to know where something might be going wrong that I needed to intervene in as quickly as possible.
Perhaps as a result, I now take pleasure in children screaming as long as it has an overtone of innocent fun — there can however, be an overtone of fun in children's screaming which is not so innocent, and which I find very alarming.
posted by jamjam at 4:05 PM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
You couldn’t see all of that playground from any vantage, and from many you couldn’t see most of it.
I quickly became very dependent on the quality of screaming I was hearing from any point on the compass to know where something might be going wrong that I needed to intervene in as quickly as possible.
Perhaps as a result, I now take pleasure in children screaming as long as it has an overtone of innocent fun — there can however, be an overtone of fun in children's screaming which is not so innocent, and which I find very alarming.
posted by jamjam at 4:05 PM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Update: My aunt sent me some of her favorite teas after a conversation we had about tea a few weeks ago, which I had forgotten.
There is also a trivet for the teapot.
Also, at my 6-month followup visit to the cardiologist, I found myself recommending things to people in two separate conversations (buckwheat pillow to the nurse, zero drop shoes to the cardiologist). They asked in both cases ("What kind of pillow do you use?" and "I've been meaning to try out minimalist shoes. Do you like those?"); I don't just go around endorsing stuff.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 4:11 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
There is also a trivet for the teapot.
Also, at my 6-month followup visit to the cardiologist, I found myself recommending things to people in two separate conversations (buckwheat pillow to the nurse, zero drop shoes to the cardiologist). They asked in both cases ("What kind of pillow do you use?" and "I've been meaning to try out minimalist shoes. Do you like those?"); I don't just go around endorsing stuff.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 4:11 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
I guess I was a screaming kid, often because I enjoyed pretending to be a monster and chasing people. I had a pretty good roar and was great at hiding/jumping out during a game.
After you stop being a kid, there are many fewer options to full-on scream while having fun, I think that's a reason we let kids do it.
posted by emjaybee at 4:12 PM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
After you stop being a kid, there are many fewer options to full-on scream while having fun, I think that's a reason we let kids do it.
posted by emjaybee at 4:12 PM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm thinking, there must be a collective word for kids at that age. Like a trample of kids. Or a scream of kids. Or a splash of kids (if in water).
A Mistake of Kids.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:12 PM on June 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
A Mistake of Kids.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:12 PM on June 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
Positive news: I feel optimism that I am climbing out of my low-key long-covid situation. 7 months to get to the point where I feel like I am merely out of shape and a bit too heavy (thanks to the 7 months of almost no intense aerobic activity). I have some energy and restlessness! Such a foreign feeling. I can't touch caffeine or my sleep will be ruined and I now need a morning and night-time dose of antihistamines, instead of the single morning dose that worked for 15 years, but that seems to be all the remaining noticeable consequences. Fingers crossed.
posted by srboisvert at 4:18 PM on June 5, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 4:18 PM on June 5, 2023 [11 favorites]
This is US-only, so probably not FPP material, but maybe worth dropping here: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 available for free on YouTube. It looks like it's also part of Prime Video this month.
Well, there went my evening.
I’ve really wanted to see SNW, but not enough to subscribe to P+. But, we have Prime, so I dove in tonight. What a great show! It has all the feels of TOS, but updated just enough for modern sensibilities. Fun stuff!
posted by Thorzdad at 8:05 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Well, there went my evening.
I’ve really wanted to see SNW, but not enough to subscribe to P+. But, we have Prime, so I dove in tonight. What a great show! It has all the feels of TOS, but updated just enough for modern sensibilities. Fun stuff!
posted by Thorzdad at 8:05 PM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
This new Apple Vision thing looks really cool but I'm not really sure that 49 pounds on your head is going to go well.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:29 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:29 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's not that heavy. They've off-loaded the weight of the battery pack into a separate packet meant to be carried in a pocket. Sucks for women who wear dresses.
I mean, really, the Vision Pro looks really great. But the price point is basically the modern day equivalent of what the original Macintosh computer cost. And on some level that's fair. It's a complete, stand-alone computer with more pixels than ever known before with an entirely new method of interacting with a computer we've not really seen before. Eye motion plus small finger movements plus voice. That's pretty amazing. That would be amazing even if it were a desktop computer, but it isn't.
I cannot now and probably will not for a long time be able to afford one of these units. And I'm going to say, at that price point it's really going to need a lot of WOW for people to adopt it. It isn't a device you can carry in your hand and look at or not, or even a device on your desk you can look at or not, it's a device you wear, and it claims it will be transparent to the world around you, and it's Apple so it probably does that thing but this is the 1.0 and so...
At some point this device is going to become about the size of ski goggles or Ray-Bans, maybe with a brand cross-over, and at that point they will be a consumer device. Right now, this is a thing for Jared Leto to wear as a Final Encounter Character in some movie at some point. I appreciate the projected eyeballs for that "see through" effect, but until that becomes "I'm looking through this and also these things are there for me" like a heads-up display, this is going to be very very niche.
Also, I have a very strong eyeglass prescription.
That said, if anyone wants to front me the money to get one of these plus the very costly Zeiss vision correction lenses it would take for me to use it... probably pushing the cost of the device well above $5K... I promise I will use it a lot and provide whatever reports you want, both for private consumption and if needed public YouTube videos.
posted by hippybear at 8:47 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I mean, really, the Vision Pro looks really great. But the price point is basically the modern day equivalent of what the original Macintosh computer cost. And on some level that's fair. It's a complete, stand-alone computer with more pixels than ever known before with an entirely new method of interacting with a computer we've not really seen before. Eye motion plus small finger movements plus voice. That's pretty amazing. That would be amazing even if it were a desktop computer, but it isn't.
I cannot now and probably will not for a long time be able to afford one of these units. And I'm going to say, at that price point it's really going to need a lot of WOW for people to adopt it. It isn't a device you can carry in your hand and look at or not, or even a device on your desk you can look at or not, it's a device you wear, and it claims it will be transparent to the world around you, and it's Apple so it probably does that thing but this is the 1.0 and so...
At some point this device is going to become about the size of ski goggles or Ray-Bans, maybe with a brand cross-over, and at that point they will be a consumer device. Right now, this is a thing for Jared Leto to wear as a Final Encounter Character in some movie at some point. I appreciate the projected eyeballs for that "see through" effect, but until that becomes "I'm looking through this and also these things are there for me" like a heads-up display, this is going to be very very niche.
Also, I have a very strong eyeglass prescription.
That said, if anyone wants to front me the money to get one of these plus the very costly Zeiss vision correction lenses it would take for me to use it... probably pushing the cost of the device well above $5K... I promise I will use it a lot and provide whatever reports you want, both for private consumption and if needed public YouTube videos.
posted by hippybear at 8:47 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
And, I've been saying all day, if this thing can't connect with VRChat so a zillion furries using Apple platform can't use it in their hangout space, this is NEVER going to take off. That's their user base, right there.
posted by hippybear at 8:49 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 8:49 PM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
re the printer discussion upthread, the best printer commentary I've ever read was from DirtyOldTown on mefi.social:
"You know what they should make?posted by taz at 11:15 PM on June 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
A printer that prints when you tell it to print.
One that doesn't arbitrarily lose connection. One that won't jam. One that won't decide it can't print a B&W page because it's out of magenta. One that doesn't swear it's out of paper when there are 25 sheets left. One that won't repay you for reloading by immediately fucking jamming. One that won't refuse to print a single page for a meeting by deciding today is a good day for a cleaning cycle. One that won't make you think, "Hey... I should find the home address of this fucking company's CEO. I should buy the first ticket out there, I should rent a car and leave directly from the airport and go straight to his house. I should run up to this fucking guy while he's playing with his kids in his yard and push him into the mud. And I'd yell, "That's what you fucking get!" And I'd look at his crying kids and say, "Did you know your father was a fucking failure?"
They should make a printer like that."
If you want a feel-good video and you like (or even if you're indifferent to) horse racing (in this case hurdles), give this a watch:
Extraordinary! 59-year-old jockey celebrates his first-ever winner and comes from miles back to win!
The winning jockey seems like a lovely guy, nice interview with him after the race. There is a comment below from his brother which gives more context and backstory.
It's a nice pick-me-up.
posted by maxwelton at 1:42 AM on June 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Extraordinary! 59-year-old jockey celebrates his first-ever winner and comes from miles back to win!
The winning jockey seems like a lovely guy, nice interview with him after the race. There is a comment below from his brother which gives more context and backstory.
It's a nice pick-me-up.
posted by maxwelton at 1:42 AM on June 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I’ve really wanted to see SNW, but not enough to subscribe to P+. But, we have Prime, so I dove in tonight.
If you're patient Prime offers 99cent trial subscriptions for two months every now and then for their partner channels. I subscribe and then throw a reminder to cancel in google calendar for two months minus a few days. Then I binge through a few shows I want.
posted by srboisvert at 3:02 PM on June 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you're patient Prime offers 99cent trial subscriptions for two months every now and then for their partner channels. I subscribe and then throw a reminder to cancel in google calendar for two months minus a few days. Then I binge through a few shows I want.
posted by srboisvert at 3:02 PM on June 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Dragon's Dogma is on sale on Steam and PSN right now.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:41 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:41 AM on June 7, 2023
Be careful ordering tea people.
The Tea People don't like to be ordered around.
Also, the Koala Tea of Mercy is never strained
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:38 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Tea People don't like to be ordered around.
Also, the Koala Tea of Mercy is never strained
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:38 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Why is it that small children (and I don't mean babies, but kids in that, say, 4 to 8 year range) literally only scream?
When my son was 4 or 5-ish he spent some time around girls his age who had absolutely piercing high-decibels screams while playing, and he started to pick up the habit. As someone who's sensitive to sounds I simply could not stand that; I forget exactly what I said to him but he got the message quick that such screaming was absolutely verboten. Which fortunately nipped that behavior in the bud.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:43 PM on June 7, 2023
When my son was 4 or 5-ish he spent some time around girls his age who had absolutely piercing high-decibels screams while playing, and he started to pick up the habit. As someone who's sensitive to sounds I simply could not stand that; I forget exactly what I said to him but he got the message quick that such screaming was absolutely verboten. Which fortunately nipped that behavior in the bud.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:43 PM on June 7, 2023
a trivet for the teapot
Wasn't that a Cat Stevens album in the 70's?
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:44 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Wasn't that a Cat Stevens album in the 70's?
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:44 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
As you can probably tell from my swarm of comments while catching up in this thread, I spent the last 3 days out in the boondocks (and out of cell service range) thoroughly enjoying nature. I was with some friends that provided great company, for which I'm grateful, but after 4 or 5 years of not camping due to COVID I was perfectly ready to go by myself! The weather was a tad warm in the afternoons, but the mornings and evenings were appropriate for a comfy campfire. AAA+++ would go to the woods again.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:48 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:48 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
So I planned a whole all-purple concept for my community garden plot this year....purple peas, purple beans, purple carrots, purple kale. (No eggplants, I tried that last year and it didn't work too well.) I planted the peas in mid-March, the carrots a month later and then the beans in early May. Nothing happened for the longest time, but then the peas started shooting up about 6 weeks ago, and the beans are starting to take off now. The carrots greens are also getting all full and lush.
I noticed the first flowers on the peas last week, and was grooving on that; I've been focused more on tending to the herb patches we have as well, and trying to nudge some of our lazier gardeners with a politer-worded version of "dude, you need to shit or get off the pot, someone else would be glad to have your plot if you don't wanna do anything with it". And while I wasn't looking, my pea plants were quietly doing their thing - and then yesterday, when I went to give everything a quick water, I noticed -
Baby pea pods! And they're purple! Like, they are legit purple! Like, Panetone hex #4B0082 or #410056 - but they're peas! Purple peas!
....See, this is why I have been getting into the gardening, I get blown away at some point by "holy crap, this WORKED."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:22 AM on June 8, 2023
I noticed the first flowers on the peas last week, and was grooving on that; I've been focused more on tending to the herb patches we have as well, and trying to nudge some of our lazier gardeners with a politer-worded version of "dude, you need to shit or get off the pot, someone else would be glad to have your plot if you don't wanna do anything with it". And while I wasn't looking, my pea plants were quietly doing their thing - and then yesterday, when I went to give everything a quick water, I noticed -
Baby pea pods! And they're purple! Like, they are legit purple! Like, Panetone hex #4B0082 or #410056 - but they're peas! Purple peas!
....See, this is why I have been getting into the gardening, I get blown away at some point by "holy crap, this WORKED."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:22 AM on June 8, 2023
I am getting online stalked and harassed at work today and I'm sick to my stomach and I'm really scared.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:35 AM on June 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:35 AM on June 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
My heart goes out to you Jen.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 9:01 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 9:01 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I hope he doesn't come back again today (I got told not to respond any more by management even though he's demanding response) and at least he's on the other end of the state so he can't easily just pop over here for a visit, but...god. I hate that putting up with this shit is how I stay alive and I don't have other job options. It was an onslaught alllllllllll dayyyyyyyyyy long.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:17 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:17 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
He came back. He would not stop until I responded to him. Upper management told him he has to wait on further processing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:15 PM on June 9, 2023
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:15 PM on June 9, 2023
That it took this long for upper management to step in is ridiculous. He should have been cut off yesterday after the first short while.
posted by hippybear at 2:21 PM on June 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 2:21 PM on June 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I mean, this is, given time off work, twenty-eight hours of harassment you've gone through. That is a situation that needs to be addressed at a policy level.
posted by hippybear at 2:22 PM on June 9, 2023
posted by hippybear at 2:22 PM on June 9, 2023
I asked. They said he wasn't making threats and it's pretty typical behavior in our industry, so they would not. They said just let them know if he continues. At least he stopped for the rest if the afternoon and I will be out Monday.
Usually if someone acts like this at work to other people they shut it DOWN by the end of the day. Maybe this is (yet) another "if it's *me,* things are different" situation. Either that or they don't care as long as he isn't calling the public lines and/or coming in person to throw a fit. Luckily he's hours away.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:37 PM on June 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Usually if someone acts like this at work to other people they shut it DOWN by the end of the day. Maybe this is (yet) another "if it's *me,* things are different" situation. Either that or they don't care as long as he isn't calling the public lines and/or coming in person to throw a fit. Luckily he's hours away.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:37 PM on June 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
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posted by Peach at 8:52 AM on June 5, 2023