But when I stare at the girls as if I'm free
October 9, 2023 10:25 PM Subscribe
Cement Slippers by Dengue Fever It's your Monday free thread!
I saw Cambodian Rock Band this weekend, and have been a little obsessed with Dengue Fever (previously), the band that inspired it.
I saw Cambodian Rock Band this weekend, and have been a little obsessed with Dengue Fever (previously), the band that inspired it.
Dengue Fever are sooooo cooool. Their new album is incredible.
posted by potrzebie at 10:43 PM on October 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 10:43 PM on October 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Today I was moving underneath something and bumped my head pretty hard
In the immediate shock I recoiled by pulling my head away from the impact, but in doing so whacked the other side of my head even harder on something else.
So after collapsing into a ball on the floor clutching both sides of my head, I took the rest of the day off.
Today could have been better.
No signs of concussion as yet thankfully.
posted by many-things at 10:57 PM on October 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
In the immediate shock I recoiled by pulling my head away from the impact, but in doing so whacked the other side of my head even harder on something else.
So after collapsing into a ball on the floor clutching both sides of my head, I took the rest of the day off.
Today could have been better.
No signs of concussion as yet thankfully.
posted by many-things at 10:57 PM on October 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
There was an earthquake here last night, a 4.3 centered a few miles northwest. Depth was 56km which seems deep to me but apparently is "shallow". For us, there was just a single jolt, which I immediately took for the dog bumping against my desk (poor pup was not happy about the unscheduled bump anyway, and then to have to shoulder the blame seems like a bit much).
posted by maxwelton at 11:11 PM on October 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 11:11 PM on October 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Isn't that a great illustration of what life can be like, hope you recover completely, many-things.
posted by blue shadows at 11:11 PM on October 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by blue shadows at 11:11 PM on October 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
many-things, back when I played D&D a long time ago we had a magic item that was the +2 Mace Of Fuckin' Ooo. When it hit you with a critical you got the exact same sensation as when you stand up quickly and smack your head on the corner of a cupboard door. You have to curl up in a ball and say "fuckin' ooo" for a while. So, my sympathy.
posted by MrVisible at 11:18 PM on October 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by MrVisible at 11:18 PM on October 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
i was recently given business cards from my work, which makes me feel like a responsible adult with a real job here, except.
1. they include my middle name (unnecessary)
2. my name is in the wrong order
3. my name is misspelled
i haven’t said anything about it because business cards can be expensive and we are a very small business, and also i am kinda sorta under the table looking for a new job.
posted by emmling at 11:22 PM on October 9, 2023 [13 favorites]
1. they include my middle name (unnecessary)
2. my name is in the wrong order
3. my name is misspelled
i haven’t said anything about it because business cards can be expensive and we are a very small business, and also i am kinda sorta under the table looking for a new job.
posted by emmling at 11:22 PM on October 9, 2023 [13 favorites]
At my last office all the other full time staff got business cards. I was told I didn't need them because I worked IT. It was the first clue I ignored that I should have found the exit.
posted by zenon at 11:57 PM on October 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by zenon at 11:57 PM on October 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
I am Dekalog-ing right now right after director cutting Kingdom of Heaven meanwhile Sarah Ruden-ing the Gospel contemporaneously reading YATO Iliad by Emily Wilson whose other works with which I will brag about reading after I finish Stamped From The Beginning by Kendi.
The internet ruined my ability to read more than a few chapters of one writer without needing at least an author change if not a slight change in the theme, too. And Criterion Collection has made me a yet again victim to another pusherman. Thank God having interesting taste in pictures has become so easy that I don't even have to think about it.
And now as the woods turn from verdant fortresses of leaves & evergreen to jumples and janegus of leafless blackberry vines and whip thin new lodgepoles I am grateful. I finally released the treadmill. It fell into that wet alley beyond the pines. The now non-empty room has a no-nonsense work-table, all my stencils, notebooks, and a chair. Let the rain come.
And to conclude my open ThrEaD talk let me offer you this: buy a dashcam.
posted by MonsieurPEB at 12:01 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
The internet ruined my ability to read more than a few chapters of one writer without needing at least an author change if not a slight change in the theme, too. And Criterion Collection has made me a yet again victim to another pusherman. Thank God having interesting taste in pictures has become so easy that I don't even have to think about it.
And now as the woods turn from verdant fortresses of leaves & evergreen to jumples and janegus of leafless blackberry vines and whip thin new lodgepoles I am grateful. I finally released the treadmill. It fell into that wet alley beyond the pines. The now non-empty room has a no-nonsense work-table, all my stencils, notebooks, and a chair. Let the rain come.
And to conclude my open ThrEaD talk let me offer you this: buy a dashcam.
posted by MonsieurPEB at 12:01 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I just got back from seeing Slowdive and I’m all kinds of excited. Their 2018 eponymous album is in my top five albums of all time but I missed that tour and haven’t seen them since the ‘90s. The show was wave after wave after wave of swirling guitars in what can only be described as a stunning tapestry of sound. My mind is blown. I won’t sleep tonight but any amount of tiredness tomorrow morning will still have made tonight worth it. I’m a 55 year old kid that’s very happy right now.
posted by grumblemf at 12:08 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by grumblemf at 12:08 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
The other weekend I went to see Liturgy with my ‘kid’ (who is now 20, apparently wtf) because a friend was opening. I am not a devoted listener of black metal - for no particular reason - and if friend wasn’t opening would not have gone. Friend was good, Liturgy are fucking insane. I truly don’t know how they do what they do. It’s maybe not as broad as I might have wanted but damn, each song is a crazy construction of time signatures and key changes that my ‘kid’ (he’s smart like this) clued me in on.
After the show we talked with the drummer a bit - happenstance, waiting for something - and he told us how he’s mostly doing math in his head the whole time.
Fascinating. And wild sounding. And, they seem like good people.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:19 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
After the show we talked with the drummer a bit - happenstance, waiting for something - and he told us how he’s mostly doing math in his head the whole time.
Fascinating. And wild sounding. And, they seem like good people.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:19 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
I'm having a quiet though busy autumn here in rural Worcestershire. It's just getting light now; there's autumn fog and the temperature is forecast to be 23C (on 10th October).
Plans and preparations for the winter (December through March) are bouncing along. Coping mechanisms are also working well (my research is adjacent to, and sometimes in, climate change data and, after seeing how it affects other researchers and scientists it's essential to having coping mechanisms in place). Tentative plans for the summer of 2024 are being thought through.
I've finally extracted the content I needed and deleted my remaining four twitter accounts, which have been mostly unused for several months to several years anyway. I don't miss them, though I do sort-of miss Twitter c.2012. Bluesky has personally become a useful and entertaining social media thing, as increasingly larger waves of academic game researchers, UK librarians, MeFites, and climate researchers and scientists crash in. It's a different vibe from when I joined in May 2023 (100k users) to now (close to 1.5M users).
As we are deep into the Christmas season, mince pies, puddings, and various faux-yule baking products are centric to my diet. I've finished editing my Christmas card list for this year and am on the lookout for suitable cards, especially for overseas ones; timing, as I'll be moving country in December, is everything.
In less than 12 weeks we'll be in 2024. Pleasantries of the season to everyone.
posted by Wordshore at 12:20 AM on October 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
Plans and preparations for the winter (December through March) are bouncing along. Coping mechanisms are also working well (my research is adjacent to, and sometimes in, climate change data and, after seeing how it affects other researchers and scientists it's essential to having coping mechanisms in place). Tentative plans for the summer of 2024 are being thought through.
I've finally extracted the content I needed and deleted my remaining four twitter accounts, which have been mostly unused for several months to several years anyway. I don't miss them, though I do sort-of miss Twitter c.2012. Bluesky has personally become a useful and entertaining social media thing, as increasingly larger waves of academic game researchers, UK librarians, MeFites, and climate researchers and scientists crash in. It's a different vibe from when I joined in May 2023 (100k users) to now (close to 1.5M users).
As we are deep into the Christmas season, mince pies, puddings, and various faux-yule baking products are centric to my diet. I've finished editing my Christmas card list for this year and am on the lookout for suitable cards, especially for overseas ones; timing, as I'll be moving country in December, is everything.
In less than 12 weeks we'll be in 2024. Pleasantries of the season to everyone.
posted by Wordshore at 12:20 AM on October 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
zenon I ignored a sign from a colleague visiting where I was working - her "How long have you worked for X now?" me "about four years.." her "wow, that's a record.." and she trailed off, I stayed two years more, but should've started exit back then.
posted by unearthed at 12:25 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by unearthed at 12:25 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I woke up with a need to re-read Brother Dusty-Feet by Rosemary Sutcliff, so that is my evening sorted. A lovely warm book with just the right amount of mild peril and melancholy. Sadly I have work, chores and exercise to get through before then.
posted by paduasoy at 2:03 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by paduasoy at 2:03 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Achilles' names(s) when he was a girl: Kerkusera, Issa and Pyrrha.
Maps of the Earth if it were different shapes.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:07 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Maps of the Earth if it were different shapes.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:07 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
gentle reminder
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 4:11 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 4:11 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
October truly is the month that nightmares come true. I need a Fucking Fuck thread or something.
posted by wierdo at 4:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by wierdo at 4:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
Middlest is turning 18, and invited 7 friends over for dinner so I am very VERY thankful that the replacement dishwasher is in and am idly wondering if I can thaw shrimp in the fridge (scampi) while I am at work without causing an Incident.
Oh and BLP, my skill level is a collage with superimposed album art glued on, even my photoshop skills wouldn’t be up for digital. However, there would be a good mix of genders and artists. Very fun midrash concept on a classic!
posted by childofTethys at 4:50 AM on October 10, 2023
Oh and BLP, my skill level is a collage with superimposed album art glued on, even my photoshop skills wouldn’t be up for digital. However, there would be a good mix of genders and artists. Very fun midrash concept on a classic!
posted by childofTethys at 4:50 AM on October 10, 2023
One thing I like to keep in mind when I hear the race speeds of Kipchoge is that he weighs ~115lbs. For Kipchoge to do what I do when I am running he'd have to be carrying a barbell with 20lb weights on it in.
posted by srboisvert at 5:01 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 5:01 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
am idly wondering if I can thaw shrimp in the fridge (scampi)
Just put the scampi, still in a bag, in a bowl of water about 30 minutes before you want to cook it. Never thaw seafood in advance.
posted by srboisvert at 5:03 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
Just put the scampi, still in a bag, in a bowl of water about 30 minutes before you want to cook it. Never thaw seafood in advance.
posted by srboisvert at 5:03 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
Today I was moving underneath something and bumped my head pretty hard
I was at a Cracker Barrel once getting a drink from the water fountain. Stood up too fast, cracked my head on the shelf above it and immediately thought "I've been shot!" for some reason, spun around to see who did it, stumbled and backed into that shelf again (though not nearly as hard the second time, I think).
posted by Foosnark at 5:04 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
I was at a Cracker Barrel once getting a drink from the water fountain. Stood up too fast, cracked my head on the shelf above it and immediately thought "I've been shot!" for some reason, spun around to see who did it, stumbled and backed into that shelf again (though not nearly as hard the second time, I think).
posted by Foosnark at 5:04 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
31 Days of Horror movie watching continues apace. I will post the full list of the movies we watched in my AskMe thread at the end of the month, highlighting the ones MeFites kindly suggested.
It was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada so there is a lot of food in the house for the both of us, minimizing any cooking we have to do this week!
posted by Kitteh at 5:12 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
It was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada so there is a lot of food in the house for the both of us, minimizing any cooking we have to do this week!
posted by Kitteh at 5:12 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Every October I see a recurrence (online only, not in real life) of sloppily hand-lettered signs on the fronts of houses, warning that Hallowe’en is either socialist or heretical or both. Today I saw one which solemnly warned that October 31 is the day when Satan impregnates his bride.
The usual calculation for a gestational period is 280 days, so clearly anyone born under the sign of Leo is suspect. Indeed, 280 days from October 31 is August 8, so it seems either Roger Federer or Dustin Hoffman is the Antichrist. It’s just basic math.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:48 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
The usual calculation for a gestational period is 280 days, so clearly anyone born under the sign of Leo is suspect. Indeed, 280 days from October 31 is August 8, so it seems either Roger Federer or Dustin Hoffman is the Antichrist. It’s just basic math.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:48 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
I relearned a valuable lesson this week. Our community had a really cool little spot on open space land that had been converted into a free place people could gather for weddings / memorials / other small community events. It was amazing. Little benches made from rough wood, and the best sunsets overlooking the mountains
Then it hit social media. It became the secret mountain location “you must visit”. Issues inevitably occurred as it “went viral”, and it disrupted other usage of the open space land. And now the local Council are closing it down (they had tried to protect it and had asked folks other the. years to take down online websites promoting it etc)
Not everything free, fun. and local needs to go on social media..
posted by inflatablekiwi at 6:04 AM on October 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
Then it hit social media. It became the secret mountain location “you must visit”. Issues inevitably occurred as it “went viral”, and it disrupted other usage of the open space land. And now the local Council are closing it down (they had tried to protect it and had asked folks other the. years to take down online websites promoting it etc)
Not everything free, fun. and local needs to go on social media..
posted by inflatablekiwi at 6:04 AM on October 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
mother of all saints would one of the companies i've hit the final-round interview with get off the stick and let me know if they want me already
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
Film school update:
No actual film update: last Tuesday afternoon I uploaded my rough edit from my interview last Monday, specifically so I stop futzing with it -- a rough edit is just put it together in order, maybe some creative flourishes, but don't do titles, color grading, sound tweaking, etc, because those are harder to correct if you have to do something like change an entire shot. It gets reviewed in class tomorrow, and I'm excited to see what everyone else did. The class has a broad range of students -- ranging from teenagers who have been producing 'content' for a couple years to people who are taking this just to get the credit (which is obvious based on how they act in class) -- so there should be some fun stuff.
My other class is a writing class where every 4 weeks we read a book, answer long-form questions, and then write an essay, with very little guidance because he's one of those teachers.
Pretty much everything is due on Tuesdays. So, this past weekend I was all ready and scheduled to finish my questions and put together my rough draft for my essay; the rough drafts require you to comment on other student's works and receive notes from other students on your work in the online system.
After getting my stuff done and turning in my work in the online system, I returned to the syllabus to see what's next on the docket, and read closer -- this is almost literally what it says:
1) Turn in your questions by 6pm Tuesday, October 12th.
2) Upload your draft of Essay #2 by Tuesday, October 5th. Respond to peer drafts by Tuesday at 6:00 pm, October 12th.
Wait, I just turned in my draft, how do I respond to other -- um, what does #2 say? It says that my essay draft was due the week before. The week before does not have any assignments in the syllabus, it just says continue reading. Why wouldn't he have put the draft due date on the correct week-- wait, last Tuesday was the 3rd, this Tuesday is the 10th, what...the....
So, I emailed the instructor, who despite sounding gruff in his instructions is a creative writing teacher who sounds very ADHD when you actually talk to him, and he was very receptive of the fact that he had messed up the syllabus and actually sounded relieved that he now had an explanation why there were only 3 rough drafts turned in last week out of 20.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:19 AM on October 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
No actual film update: last Tuesday afternoon I uploaded my rough edit from my interview last Monday, specifically so I stop futzing with it -- a rough edit is just put it together in order, maybe some creative flourishes, but don't do titles, color grading, sound tweaking, etc, because those are harder to correct if you have to do something like change an entire shot. It gets reviewed in class tomorrow, and I'm excited to see what everyone else did. The class has a broad range of students -- ranging from teenagers who have been producing 'content' for a couple years to people who are taking this just to get the credit (which is obvious based on how they act in class) -- so there should be some fun stuff.
My other class is a writing class where every 4 weeks we read a book, answer long-form questions, and then write an essay, with very little guidance because he's one of those teachers.
Pretty much everything is due on Tuesdays. So, this past weekend I was all ready and scheduled to finish my questions and put together my rough draft for my essay; the rough drafts require you to comment on other student's works and receive notes from other students on your work in the online system.
After getting my stuff done and turning in my work in the online system, I returned to the syllabus to see what's next on the docket, and read closer -- this is almost literally what it says:
1) Turn in your questions by 6pm Tuesday, October 12th.
2) Upload your draft of Essay #2 by Tuesday, October 5th. Respond to peer drafts by Tuesday at 6:00 pm, October 12th.
Wait, I just turned in my draft, how do I respond to other -- um, what does #2 say? It says that my essay draft was due the week before. The week before does not have any assignments in the syllabus, it just says continue reading. Why wouldn't he have put the draft due date on the correct week-- wait, last Tuesday was the 3rd, this Tuesday is the 10th, what...the....
So, I emailed the instructor, who despite sounding gruff in his instructions is a creative writing teacher who sounds very ADHD when you actually talk to him, and he was very receptive of the fact that he had messed up the syllabus and actually sounded relieved that he now had an explanation why there were only 3 rough drafts turned in last week out of 20.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:19 AM on October 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
The other day in this thread I wondered if there were a way to make all your music sound kinda distant and reverby and dreamy. I had put together a Spotify playlist full of Seeburg and Muzak and stuff like that...but it was too here, too present. Anyway, after searching around a while, I finally just this morning found DeskFX, which lets you run all your Windows audio through reverb, chorus and other effects! So now I've got my playlist going as though it were playing from the bottom of a well, which is the only right and proper way to listen to music. I love it so much.
(I'm also on week three of being sick, which I do not love quite as much. Every COVID test comes up negative, but I'm having trouble believing that.)
posted by mittens at 6:42 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
(I'm also on week three of being sick, which I do not love quite as much. Every COVID test comes up negative, but I'm having trouble believing that.)
posted by mittens at 6:42 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Maps of the Earth if it were different shapes.
we need a dodecahedral earth society - flat is like so boring ...
posted by pyramid termite at 6:56 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
we need a dodecahedral earth society - flat is like so boring ...
posted by pyramid termite at 6:56 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
we need a dodecahedral earth society
Oh come on, everyone knows it is a Klein Bottle. Do your research, sheeple!
posted by Literaryhero at 7:00 AM on October 10, 2023
Oh come on, everyone knows it is a Klein Bottle. Do your research, sheeple!
posted by Literaryhero at 7:00 AM on October 10, 2023
Saw a joke that went (nitter link, no need to click through, there's no more to it): If I owned an Italian restaurant, in October I would change the menu to say "fettucine afraido" and "garlic dread" and "boocatini". I would go out of business, but it would be worth it.
So now my sister and I been texting terrible Halloween Italian food puns at each other. Chicken parmezombie. Terrormisu. Mummistrone. Chicken cacciagory. Boooolognese. Etc.
She's still hoping for puns on vampire, haunt and graveyard/grave, if anyone wants to get in on this.
posted by the primroses were over at 7:04 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
So now my sister and I been texting terrible Halloween Italian food puns at each other. Chicken parmezombie. Terrormisu. Mummistrone. Chicken cacciagory. Boooolognese. Etc.
She's still hoping for puns on vampire, haunt and graveyard/grave, if anyone wants to get in on this.
posted by the primroses were over at 7:04 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
Oh come on, everyone knows it is a Klein Bottle.
So I was correct when my 5th Grade Geography test had the question "How big is the Earth?" and I answered "No."
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:05 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
So I was correct when my 5th Grade Geography test had the question "How big is the Earth?" and I answered "No."
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:05 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I haven't done Halloween for a long time, and no parties this year, but I realized earlier this week that I had all the needed items to teach on the 31st as Wednesday Addams. Really, it's just a variation on what I would wear anyway with braids, Doc Martens and dark red lipstick. I have a lot of black clothes. I am assuming of course, that Wednesday Addams will not change her look when she is in her 60s.
posted by pangolin party at 7:05 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by pangolin party at 7:05 AM on October 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
Much of the last year has been an existential crisis for me. Finding yourself hitting the 50 year mark can do that to a person. But late last year, a 60 year old co-worker was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (He’s still kicking, but he’s also wondering for how long.) Earlier this year my uncle had a fatal heart attack while out on a hike. Just like that, gone. He was 61. Both of these people had worked to set themselves up for a comfortable retirement. My uncle had been saving, investing, had a pension waiting, 401k, all that kind of thing, and was reluctant to spend money on many things that he would have liked. Doesn’t matter now. A co-worker was mentioning a 55 year old friend who had maybe a few weeks left due to disease. So on and so forth. I’m getting a lot of reminders that the clock is ticking and it makes you spend time thinking about your own mortality. That’s something everyone will eventually have to think about, but it’s not really fun.
One thing that I’ve been thinking about is where is the sweet spot to start dialing back on work. The house will be paid off in a few years and when that happens it opens up options, of course. I find myself wondering where the balance of “you need to have enough money to be able to live in retirement” and “you need to start doing more of the things you want while you’re able to do them” is best struck. I went on a weekend trip to hike Grand Canyon and also stopped for a bit of a hike at Bryce Canyon, and every time I’m out there I find more things I want to do. I also see so many sprinter van campers, and I’m wondering about those. We have a small old fiberglass travel trailer that we love. We just want to spend more time traveling and we need to balance that with some monthly bills, the bulk of which will be gone in a few years.
As a side note, sometimes I see things in places like bike forums where people are asking about financing a purchase and there’s replies of “don’t finance something like that, it’s a stupid financial move, save up for it.” My thoughts tend to drift to “maybe it’s a stupid financial move, but it gets them out there sooner, because you never get lost time back.” In short, think about what you’d need to do to be able to do what you want to do, because a full lifespan or full use of your abilities are never guaranteed. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
posted by azpenguin at 7:17 AM on October 10, 2023 [11 favorites]
One thing that I’ve been thinking about is where is the sweet spot to start dialing back on work. The house will be paid off in a few years and when that happens it opens up options, of course. I find myself wondering where the balance of “you need to have enough money to be able to live in retirement” and “you need to start doing more of the things you want while you’re able to do them” is best struck. I went on a weekend trip to hike Grand Canyon and also stopped for a bit of a hike at Bryce Canyon, and every time I’m out there I find more things I want to do. I also see so many sprinter van campers, and I’m wondering about those. We have a small old fiberglass travel trailer that we love. We just want to spend more time traveling and we need to balance that with some monthly bills, the bulk of which will be gone in a few years.
As a side note, sometimes I see things in places like bike forums where people are asking about financing a purchase and there’s replies of “don’t finance something like that, it’s a stupid financial move, save up for it.” My thoughts tend to drift to “maybe it’s a stupid financial move, but it gets them out there sooner, because you never get lost time back.” In short, think about what you’d need to do to be able to do what you want to do, because a full lifespan or full use of your abilities are never guaranteed. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
posted by azpenguin at 7:17 AM on October 10, 2023 [11 favorites]
what about scarinara sauce?
posted by pyramid termite at 7:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 7:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
We held an Addams Family-themed Hallowe'en party one year. Everybody wants to be Wednesday.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:18 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
My little girl really, really, really wanted a sewing kit for her birthday, so we got her a very beginnery "sew these cute, simple projects" kit, and she did one over the weekend. I give you Mr. Fluffingston. That is all.
posted by Naberius at 7:22 AM on October 10, 2023 [17 favorites]
posted by Naberius at 7:22 AM on October 10, 2023 [17 favorites]
Terrormisu
Are they still handing out Nobel prizes? Because--
posted by mittens at 7:47 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
Are they still handing out Nobel prizes? Because--
posted by mittens at 7:47 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
butts.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 7:51 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 7:51 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
it makes you spend time thinking about your own mortality.
Probably because I started going bald quite early in life, I've been pondering my morality and working to come to terms with it since my early 20s. And yet it still seemed to sneak up on me early. Now I'm in my early 60s and wondering how that happened, how much time I have left, and what I'm going to do with it.
Upthread From Bklyn marveled at how their child was now 20; mine is now in his mid-30s which is impossible since I'm clearly still in my 30s...in my mind (but not in my knees).
On the plus side, I recently got well-tested confirmation that my heart at least is in good shape.
---
In other news, I mentioned this at the very end of the previous free thread, but just in case I'll mention it here too because I'm so excited. I got the bright idea this weekend (how had I never thought of this before??) to smoke the chuck steak before searing it and cutting it up to put in a big pot of chili. I did some research and found that I'm certainly not the first to think of it - not surprised at all - and that, gratifyingly, others have confirmed it works great.
It's rainy and cold outside, so today's the day! I'm going to start the smoking process at lunchtime and finish the rest after work. I already have some dried chilies roasted, deseeded, and powdered, so I got that that goin' for me.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:23 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
Probably because I started going bald quite early in life, I've been pondering my morality and working to come to terms with it since my early 20s. And yet it still seemed to sneak up on me early. Now I'm in my early 60s and wondering how that happened, how much time I have left, and what I'm going to do with it.
Upthread From Bklyn marveled at how their child was now 20; mine is now in his mid-30s which is impossible since I'm clearly still in my 30s...in my mind (but not in my knees).
On the plus side, I recently got well-tested confirmation that my heart at least is in good shape.
---
In other news, I mentioned this at the very end of the previous free thread, but just in case I'll mention it here too because I'm so excited. I got the bright idea this weekend (how had I never thought of this before??) to smoke the chuck steak before searing it and cutting it up to put in a big pot of chili. I did some research and found that I'm certainly not the first to think of it - not surprised at all - and that, gratifyingly, others have confirmed it works great.
It's rainy and cold outside, so today's the day! I'm going to start the smoking process at lunchtime and finish the rest after work. I already have some dried chilies roasted, deseeded, and powdered, so I got that that goin' for me.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:23 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
I am assuming of course, that Wednesday Addams will not change her look when she is in her 60s.
Of course not! I once saw an awesome older lady walking down 9th Ave in NYC. She must have been in her 80s, dressed all in black, was wearing fishnets and stilettos, bright red lipstick and nails, and walking with the aid of a black cane with a silver skull handle.
She rocked, and that's how I want to look when I'm that age (which is, on reflection, not that long)
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 10:05 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
Of course not! I once saw an awesome older lady walking down 9th Ave in NYC. She must have been in her 80s, dressed all in black, was wearing fishnets and stilettos, bright red lipstick and nails, and walking with the aid of a black cane with a silver skull handle.
She rocked, and that's how I want to look when I'm that age (which is, on reflection, not that long)
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 10:05 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
1. they include my middle name (unnecessary)
2. my name is in the wrong order
3. my name is misspelled
*colossal eye-roll* Seriously, I get that they're broke and you want to leave and I get not bothering them, but man, does that make them look silly. What are you supposed to do, correct the spelling on them in pen and hand them out?
I technically had business cards at some point, but never used them. I despise my current title and refuse to use it because it makes me sound like a shitty customer service abuse target (which unfortunately I am), and every manager rewrites your title anyway, and my official work title is actually "blank assistant number," so :P
=================
In other news, I just auditioned at Snooty Theater last night. Zero expectations on this one, it's yet another play with a bunch of men and a whopping two women, 60+ people auditioned, etc. I will note that it is The Play That Goes Wrong. I was auditioning for the part of Annie the stage manager. I had reasonably assumed I'd end up reading Annie's opening scene, in which she's thrown into the show because the original actress has a concussion and is out for part of the first act. I found the script online, rehearsed it, came up with interesting acting choices, etc.
So...of course, surprise, I get the scene in which Annie and Sandra are getting into a brawl instead. I did not expect them to do THAT one in an audition. So the other girl and I cheerfully got into full on fake brawling. My butt hurts today, but that's ok.
AND I GOT A CALLBACK YOU ARE SHITTING ME I AM SERIOUSLY SO DISTRACTED AT WORK THIS MORNING YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I had to text my current show that I'll be late to rehearsal tonight, I did not expect this to come up or be a thing, especially given how many people have told me I am not good enough for Snooty Theater.
Even if I don't get in, it's a pleasure to be nominated, y'all.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:07 AM on October 10, 2023 [22 favorites]
2. my name is in the wrong order
3. my name is misspelled
*colossal eye-roll* Seriously, I get that they're broke and you want to leave and I get not bothering them, but man, does that make them look silly. What are you supposed to do, correct the spelling on them in pen and hand them out?
I technically had business cards at some point, but never used them. I despise my current title and refuse to use it because it makes me sound like a shitty customer service abuse target (which unfortunately I am), and every manager rewrites your title anyway, and my official work title is actually "blank assistant number," so :P
=================
In other news, I just auditioned at Snooty Theater last night. Zero expectations on this one, it's yet another play with a bunch of men and a whopping two women, 60+ people auditioned, etc. I will note that it is The Play That Goes Wrong. I was auditioning for the part of Annie the stage manager. I had reasonably assumed I'd end up reading Annie's opening scene, in which she's thrown into the show because the original actress has a concussion and is out for part of the first act. I found the script online, rehearsed it, came up with interesting acting choices, etc.
So...of course, surprise, I get the scene in which Annie and Sandra are getting into a brawl instead. I did not expect them to do THAT one in an audition. So the other girl and I cheerfully got into full on fake brawling. My butt hurts today, but that's ok.
AND I GOT A CALLBACK YOU ARE SHITTING ME I AM SERIOUSLY SO DISTRACTED AT WORK THIS MORNING YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I had to text my current show that I'll be late to rehearsal tonight, I did not expect this to come up or be a thing, especially given how many people have told me I am not good enough for Snooty Theater.
Even if I don't get in, it's a pleasure to be nominated, y'all.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:07 AM on October 10, 2023 [22 favorites]
The gent had a great time at the Slowdive show…and brought home covid. I’m still testing negative but he feels like he was hit by a truck. On the plus side we’re doing Sobertober and it’s been a good change.
Also, ciabat-ta, hauntipasto, and vermincelli.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:08 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also, ciabat-ta, hauntipasto, and vermincelli.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:08 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
Okay, okay, so here's what I did. (You can do it too.) Couple, three tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, warmed it up on low. Threw in a couple teaspoons of jarred minced garlic and a tablespoon of chili powder (Ancho Chili Pepper from McCormick, nothing fancy, though I could have used red pepper flakes if I had them.) Mixed it and let it cook on low for five minutes.
While that was going on, boiled a pack of ramen noodles, drained them, and set them aside. Then got a small bowl and mixed a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, teaspoon of sugar, and a quarter cup of water.
Once the garlic started to brown in the pan, threw in the sauce, cranked the heat up to medium-high and let it boil off water to thicken. About five minutes. Then I turned off the heat, stirred in the noodles, and topped it with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
Ate it for lunch. It was cheap, easy, and goddamn good.
So I've got that going for me.
posted by Naberius at 10:22 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
While that was going on, boiled a pack of ramen noodles, drained them, and set them aside. Then got a small bowl and mixed a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, teaspoon of sugar, and a quarter cup of water.
Once the garlic started to brown in the pan, threw in the sauce, cranked the heat up to medium-high and let it boil off water to thicken. About five minutes. Then I turned off the heat, stirred in the noodles, and topped it with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
Ate it for lunch. It was cheap, easy, and goddamn good.
So I've got that going for me.
posted by Naberius at 10:22 AM on October 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
I decided to get a bagel this morning, and asked my boss if he wanted one, and he gave me $8, 3 $1 and one $5, because he thought he was giving me four $1 and treating us both to bagels. I said, "this is way too much" and he said, "whatever," so I got half a dozen bagels this morning and we will have bagels all week.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:30 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by joannemerriam at 10:30 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Last week when the temperature was dang chilly I opened the back door to see if I needed the heavier jacket and a snake fell down on me. Poor thing had probably been enjoying the bit of warmth seeping out at the door frame. We were both surprised, but fine. Given the exercise bit I did, a heavy jacket wasn't necessary.
Two of my favorite music folks (VoicePlay and Geoff C) just dropped their annual Halloween videos and they are making me happy. So rewarding to replay and discover unseen gems.
Went to orthopedic doc last week about hip pain. Surprised to discover that joint is so bad it needs total replacement. Will find a way to somehow wait till I'm 65 and can afford it next year.
posted by mightshould at 10:42 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Two of my favorite music folks (VoicePlay and Geoff C) just dropped their annual Halloween videos and they are making me happy. So rewarding to replay and discover unseen gems.
Went to orthopedic doc last week about hip pain. Surprised to discover that joint is so bad it needs total replacement. Will find a way to somehow wait till I'm 65 and can afford it next year.
posted by mightshould at 10:42 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
MORTadella and GORGONzola, of course
Rawgoo alla bolognese
Chop-pino
Ravage-ioli
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:43 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Rawgoo alla bolognese
Chop-pino
Ravage-ioli
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:43 AM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Library Board and Budget voting is today in many places, PLEASE VOTE!
In the past, I haven't been as diligent about this as I should have been, which may be part of the reason my library became a national story/disgrace.
Please do a little research, and vote the bigots out.
posted by Marky at 10:53 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
In the past, I haven't been as diligent about this as I should have been, which may be part of the reason my library became a national story/disgrace.
Please do a little research, and vote the bigots out.
posted by Marky at 10:53 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I didn't know there was a musical featuring the music of Dengue Fever! I'm not generally a theater person but I am intrigued.
posted by jomato at 10:58 AM on October 10, 2023
posted by jomato at 10:58 AM on October 10, 2023
Pain-zan-hella salad
Count Negroni Spookliato
For the blood-drinkers, Count Sangi-buvese
Porchetta is better as Boo!-rchetta than as P'haun'chetta.
Monday? It's probably Monday somewhere. I'm at the end of a Tuesday in the office, gone for a pint on the way back to the train.
posted by k3ninho at 11:12 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Count Negroni Spookliato
For the blood-drinkers, Count Sangi-buvese
Porchetta is better as Boo!-rchetta than as P'haun'chetta.
Monday? It's probably Monday somewhere. I'm at the end of a Tuesday in the office, gone for a pint on the way back to the train.
posted by k3ninho at 11:12 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
i wonder if there's frequentist abbots
you know, to go with the bayesian priors heyoooo
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 11:27 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
you know, to go with the bayesian priors heyoooo
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 11:27 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
We went to two concerts last week: Squeeze/Psychedelic Furs and Wynton Marsalis with the JLCO. I'm a huge Squeeze fan and would have preferred to see them as the only artist on the ticket. Their show was under an hour. Great while it lasted. Marsalis & JLCO was also great.
I'm in a nordic (cross-country) ski patrol. This weekend I attended a day of training with the patrol of a nearby alpine (downhill) resort. I got to be "rescued" from a lift chair by being belayed with a rope operated by a woman on the ground who is about 80 pounds less than me.Magnets Pulleys, how do they work?
posted by neuron at 11:32 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm in a nordic (cross-country) ski patrol. This weekend I attended a day of training with the patrol of a nearby alpine (downhill) resort. I got to be "rescued" from a lift chair by being belayed with a rope operated by a woman on the ground who is about 80 pounds less than me.
posted by neuron at 11:32 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you need help naming your pet moth, this kid's got you covered
posted by Gorgik at 11:58 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Gorgik at 11:58 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I didn't know there was a musical featuring the music of Dengue Fever! I'm not generally a theater person but I am intrigued.
It's very enjoyable, albeit intense.
posted by Gorgik at 12:11 PM on October 10, 2023
It's very enjoyable, albeit intense.
posted by Gorgik at 12:11 PM on October 10, 2023
I'm a huge Squeeze fan and would have preferred to see them as the only artist on the ticket. Their show was under an hour.
I saw them in 2015 during their "At Odds Couple Live!" tour. They were fantastic.
Spouse received a certified letter over the weekend from a manager who appears desperate to interview him. Spouse stated that they tried a couple of times to set something up, but the schedules never aligned, then he took another position.
He was going to call today, but as that same company announced a layoff of 10% of their workforce this morning, I suspect it would be a waste of time.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:28 PM on October 10, 2023
I saw them in 2015 during their "At Odds Couple Live!" tour. They were fantastic.
Spouse received a certified letter over the weekend from a manager who appears desperate to interview him. Spouse stated that they tried a couple of times to set something up, but the schedules never aligned, then he took another position.
He was going to call today, but as that same company announced a layoff of 10% of their workforce this morning, I suspect it would be a waste of time.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:28 PM on October 10, 2023
In short, think about what you’d need to do to be able to do what you want to do, because a full lifespan or full use of your abilities are never guaranteed.
I'm in my mid-50s, have had a stroke (which I recovered from with no defecits, thankfully), and thankfully mortality isn't something I dwell upon...and when I do, it's mainly in the context of "what happens to my poor grumpy dog? I'm his only human!"
That said, one of my best friends is a guy I went to high school with (we won't dwell on how long ago that was) and who has and remains physically active, biking and what-not. He has a serious case of denial about aging. One of his friends, in their late 70s, had to be admitted to hospital with a serious heart condition and my friend is "I don't get it, that only happens when you're old". I'm like, dude, I don't know how to break it to you but 78 is old.
posted by maxwelton at 1:37 PM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm in my mid-50s, have had a stroke (which I recovered from with no defecits, thankfully), and thankfully mortality isn't something I dwell upon...and when I do, it's mainly in the context of "what happens to my poor grumpy dog? I'm his only human!"
That said, one of my best friends is a guy I went to high school with (we won't dwell on how long ago that was) and who has and remains physically active, biking and what-not. He has a serious case of denial about aging. One of his friends, in their late 70s, had to be admitted to hospital with a serious heart condition and my friend is "I don't get it, that only happens when you're old". I'm like, dude, I don't know how to break it to you but 78 is old.
posted by maxwelton at 1:37 PM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm like, dude, I don't know how to break it to you but 78 is old.
But I'm also in my mid-50s, and when I was a teenager, people who were approaching their 80s were SERIOUSLY old, often quite infirm and showing their decades. This is very much NOT the case today, with people I know in their 70s living lives that I would associate with people in their 50s back then.
Yes, 78 is old, but it's not as "old" now as it used to be.
posted by hippybear at 1:50 PM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
But I'm also in my mid-50s, and when I was a teenager, people who were approaching their 80s were SERIOUSLY old, often quite infirm and showing their decades. This is very much NOT the case today, with people I know in their 70s living lives that I would associate with people in their 50s back then.
Yes, 78 is old, but it's not as "old" now as it used to be.
posted by hippybear at 1:50 PM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
For those of us hurtling into senescence with multiple chronic diseases and conditions, late 50s feels pretty dang old.
posted by MrVisible at 2:58 PM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by MrVisible at 2:58 PM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh believe me, the warrant expires at 35 and I have never been kind to my body. I hope to feel well again, but right now don't see it in my future.
posted by hippybear at 3:13 PM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 3:13 PM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah. I just wish 'never been kind to my body' was more of a choice, you know? I did what I had to to survive, and a lot of that wasn't good for me long-term. People act as if our health in our old age is a choice, but you roll the dice on the parents you get, the situation you're born into, and the effects all that will have on you as you get old. I always knew I'd pay a price for my reckless youth, and so this is all expected, but as I grow older and understand that the reasons that I was so reckless were directly due to the reckless decisions of grown-ass adults who should have known better, well, it peeves me.
I'm peeved.
posted by MrVisible at 3:33 PM on October 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm peeved.
posted by MrVisible at 3:33 PM on October 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
It's better to be peeved than peed on (I think that's how the saying goes?)
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:36 PM on October 10, 2023
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:36 PM on October 10, 2023
let's not kink shame folks...
having turned 60 this year, and having a horrible amount of medical shit that should have killed me...
Yes, ageing, and realizing our time is short is pretty harsh.
Try to be the best you can be.
posted by Windopaene at 10:26 PM on October 10, 2023
having turned 60 this year, and having a horrible amount of medical shit that should have killed me...
Yes, ageing, and realizing our time is short is pretty harsh.
Try to be the best you can be.
posted by Windopaene at 10:26 PM on October 10, 2023
Scampi worked out well with the just-before thaw & peel. Happy well-fed teens, happy parent, and very happy birthday celebrant. Had a couple surprise vegetarians, all manageable. Whew.
posted by childofTethys at 5:06 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by childofTethys at 5:06 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Against my own better judgement I started "Spelling Bee" in today's NY Times. I hate Spelling Bee but about once every couple of months I forget and start it. This is a big reason I despise it, I can't stop until I've reached 'genius' and 'won.' Sometimes I go read the comments in the forum and then am filled with even greater self loathing - "how could I miss that? Ugh." The other reason I despise "Spelling Bee" is because - for example - today "Octile" is 'not in word list' but 'tootle' is and 'bocce' ! which should be disallowed as a non-english word: yeah, I know, it's an arbitrary list but wow, it makes me fighty every single time.
There is another 'game' which I enjoy called "connections" - which is similar to this game we have called 'codenames,' which is a good time.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:27 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
There is another 'game' which I enjoy called "connections" - which is similar to this game we have called 'codenames,' which is a good time.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:27 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you enjoy Codenames, which you should, try Codenames Duet for a 2-player, or more I guess), co-op version. It is very hard.
posted by Windopaene at 8:57 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Windopaene at 8:57 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Callback went well, but I've been told by others that the chosen few are told immediately and then everyone else isn't told they've been rejected for 2-3 weeks "just in case" someone falls through *eye-roll* I haven't heard anything this morning. Which isn't a surprise, I'm not really "in" with this theater like other people and one girl got to read more than anyone else up for the same part, so....
Well, it was flattering. Back to my regular life, being my regular shitty self, on the usual track of my usual life.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:49 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
Well, it was flattering. Back to my regular life, being my regular shitty self, on the usual track of my usual life.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:49 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
....So.
Occasionally my work requires some documents to be notarized, and where we are the only option is to send someone (usually me) to walk the 4 blocks up the street to where the Avenue Of Occasional Notaries is. This is a street with a bunch of banks, mom-and-pop pharmacies, and a UPS store scattered along about 6-7 blocks; there are ostensibly notaries in each, but it is a complete crapshoot whether the notary in a given place would be there on a given day. There are times I've had to leapfrog from one place to another back and forth along the block looking for a notary.
Today I had to get a couple things notarized, and decided to try my luck with the UPS place. I got there and got in line behind another guy who was going through some papers at the counter; I waited a respectful distance behind, hoping that the notary would be there that day. It was a bit slow and there was only one person there at the counter. But - then after a few minutes, I saw that person pull out the notary stamp and start processing his papers. Yay!
"Oh good!" I said out loud. "I'm here to do the same thing!"
Both of them turned to me, the man giving me an odd look. After staring at me a few seconds he said: "You're signing divorce papers too?"
...I stammered out something about how I maybe wasn't doing quite the same thing, and avoided looking at him the rest of the time he was in there.
Someone kill me.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:05 PM on October 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
Occasionally my work requires some documents to be notarized, and where we are the only option is to send someone (usually me) to walk the 4 blocks up the street to where the Avenue Of Occasional Notaries is. This is a street with a bunch of banks, mom-and-pop pharmacies, and a UPS store scattered along about 6-7 blocks; there are ostensibly notaries in each, but it is a complete crapshoot whether the notary in a given place would be there on a given day. There are times I've had to leapfrog from one place to another back and forth along the block looking for a notary.
Today I had to get a couple things notarized, and decided to try my luck with the UPS place. I got there and got in line behind another guy who was going through some papers at the counter; I waited a respectful distance behind, hoping that the notary would be there that day. It was a bit slow and there was only one person there at the counter. But - then after a few minutes, I saw that person pull out the notary stamp and start processing his papers. Yay!
"Oh good!" I said out loud. "I'm here to do the same thing!"
Both of them turned to me, the man giving me an odd look. After staring at me a few seconds he said: "You're signing divorce papers too?"
...I stammered out something about how I maybe wasn't doing quite the same thing, and avoided looking at him the rest of the time he was in there.
Someone kill me.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:05 PM on October 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
Kiddo just informed me that he is not “feeling” A Haunting in Venice and I am SORELY tempted to use guilt to make him go anyway by reminding him that I sat through the Angry Birds movie, so HE OWES ME.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:19 PM on October 11, 2023
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:19 PM on October 11, 2023
Ms. Windo refuses to watch The Peripheral, solely because I have suggested it.
I "feel" your pain.
posted by Windopaene at 5:40 PM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I "feel" your pain.
posted by Windopaene at 5:40 PM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Hello everyone! I've been insanely busy the first days of this week, so though I have tried to keep up, I haven't been able to follow up. I hope you all are good.
Autumn arrived Saturday. It wasn't so much the change in temperature, this summer has brought more chilly days and rainy days than usual, and obviously also warmer days than usual, as predicted by the climate science. No, autumn is about a total difference is atmosphere, maybe specifically smell and light, but I'm not sure. I enjoyed walking in the woods and feeling that atmosphere, even as every new season is a reminder of time and age, and the unseasonal condition of the flora is a bleak reminder of the state of our home, earth.
I'm struggling a bit in many ways these days, but I try to keep up my spirits, among other things by walking and eating well. Later, I'm going to go over to my aunt, she had a stroke just before Christmas, and then because of that had a really bad fall and broke her leg. So she is still recovering. She asked me to fetch her paintbox at her house at the farm, which I see as a good sign -- she feels capable of doing a bit of creative work now. She is a textile designer, so it means a lot. Life goes on, even at 78 and after a stroke.
posted by mumimor at 5:07 AM on October 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
Autumn arrived Saturday. It wasn't so much the change in temperature, this summer has brought more chilly days and rainy days than usual, and obviously also warmer days than usual, as predicted by the climate science. No, autumn is about a total difference is atmosphere, maybe specifically smell and light, but I'm not sure. I enjoyed walking in the woods and feeling that atmosphere, even as every new season is a reminder of time and age, and the unseasonal condition of the flora is a bleak reminder of the state of our home, earth.
I'm struggling a bit in many ways these days, but I try to keep up my spirits, among other things by walking and eating well. Later, I'm going to go over to my aunt, she had a stroke just before Christmas, and then because of that had a really bad fall and broke her leg. So she is still recovering. She asked me to fetch her paintbox at her house at the farm, which I see as a good sign -- she feels capable of doing a bit of creative work now. She is a textile designer, so it means a lot. Life goes on, even at 78 and after a stroke.
posted by mumimor at 5:07 AM on October 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
I nearly forgot to give an update on my chili plans above! It came out very tasty, though overall barely smoky. Next time, instead of pre-smoking just the meat, I'll try smoking both the meat and the (canned, pre-cooked) beans together.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:28 AM on October 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:28 AM on October 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Using a toothpick to put one or two drops of liquid smoke in at the end isn't cheating in my book.
posted by hippybear at 12:02 PM on October 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 12:02 PM on October 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Today I learned that I prefer to have my teeth cleaned manually instead of with an ultrasonic scaler. It was fast, but painful. Kiddo also had his teeth cleaned and he agreed he preferred the manual method as well.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:12 PM on October 12, 2023
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:12 PM on October 12, 2023
One or two drops in a whole pot of already-flavorful chili isn't nearly enough to be significant. Either way, where's the fun in that?
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:19 PM on October 12, 2023
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:19 PM on October 12, 2023
I find liquid smoke is a bit more penetrating than that, and might be just the tiny bit that you need to push it into the flavor profile you're looking for.
posted by hippybear at 12:28 PM on October 12, 2023
posted by hippybear at 12:28 PM on October 12, 2023
Definitely in favor of manual teeth-cleaning.
I seem to have a skunk living under an out-building I spend a lot of time in.
One suggestion that I read was loud talk radio.
I found a YouTube list of 4362 Rachel Maddow shows.
I like Rachel, but I'm hoping the skunk[s] don't.
So far, I'm on episode 344. Not sure if the skunks are still here. I know I would have moved out after 3 solid days of her playing upstairs.
posted by MtDewd at 2:58 PM on October 12, 2023
I seem to have a skunk living under an out-building I spend a lot of time in.
One suggestion that I read was loud talk radio.
I found a YouTube list of 4362 Rachel Maddow shows.
I like Rachel, but I'm hoping the skunk[s] don't.
So far, I'm on episode 344. Not sure if the skunks are still here. I know I would have moved out after 3 solid days of her playing upstairs.
posted by MtDewd at 2:58 PM on October 12, 2023
All y'all talking about chili is just one of the multiple factors that are getting me thinking about getting all kitcheny today.
* We also have a houseguest due today (my roommate's sorta-kinda girlfriend from Europe is coming to stay over a couple weeks), and the weather's going to be a bit on the autumnal side...and then we get two days of rain.
* I also have successfully made kimchi for the first time ever - and that lead to my TRYING kimchi for the first time ever. I'd avoided it for a long time because I'd heard it was fermented cabbage, and cabbage gives me bad indigestion. That is - savoy cabbage does. Napa cabbage, I've happily learned, does not. And - napa cabbage is the kind that goes into kimchi. And I got this ginormous head of napa cabbage from my CSA, and I knew there was no way I would be able to use it up otherwise - so after a slightly hiccupy job interview last week I consoled myself by starting a batch of kimchi with half the napa cabbage. And....y'all, that shit is GOOD. My Korean-food-loving roommate has been greatly amused that I've been going kimchi crazy for the past few days (kimchi fried rice for dinner last night, a braised chicken and kimchi stew is on the docket....).
* A week from tomorrow is my garden's big fundraising bake sale, and well, I have to practice for that, right?
So I am probably going to be holed up most of the day with a big pot of something in the slow cooker and a loaf of French pain d'epices in the oven, and then there will be more pots of other good stuff in the slow cooker tomorrow and Sunday and D and R can help themselves too while I look on indulgently and sip tea in the corner. (And one possible option for "something in the slow cooker" may be budae jjigae.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:29 AM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
* We also have a houseguest due today (my roommate's sorta-kinda girlfriend from Europe is coming to stay over a couple weeks), and the weather's going to be a bit on the autumnal side...and then we get two days of rain.
* I also have successfully made kimchi for the first time ever - and that lead to my TRYING kimchi for the first time ever. I'd avoided it for a long time because I'd heard it was fermented cabbage, and cabbage gives me bad indigestion. That is - savoy cabbage does. Napa cabbage, I've happily learned, does not. And - napa cabbage is the kind that goes into kimchi. And I got this ginormous head of napa cabbage from my CSA, and I knew there was no way I would be able to use it up otherwise - so after a slightly hiccupy job interview last week I consoled myself by starting a batch of kimchi with half the napa cabbage. And....y'all, that shit is GOOD. My Korean-food-loving roommate has been greatly amused that I've been going kimchi crazy for the past few days (kimchi fried rice for dinner last night, a braised chicken and kimchi stew is on the docket....).
* A week from tomorrow is my garden's big fundraising bake sale, and well, I have to practice for that, right?
So I am probably going to be holed up most of the day with a big pot of something in the slow cooker and a loaf of French pain d'epices in the oven, and then there will be more pots of other good stuff in the slow cooker tomorrow and Sunday and D and R can help themselves too while I look on indulgently and sip tea in the corner. (And one possible option for "something in the slow cooker" may be budae jjigae.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:29 AM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
That's great, Empress! There was a Korean recipe in The Guardian the other day. It looked simple to cook, and delicious.
posted by mumimor at 6:36 AM on October 13, 2023
posted by mumimor at 6:36 AM on October 13, 2023
Oh, yeah, this whole world of "rice + kimchi + literally anything else = dinner" has opened up for me.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:40 AM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:40 AM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Well, turnabout's fair play, I guess - the chili talk got you inspired, now I'm inspired to have kimchi fried rice for lunch! There's some (nearly forgotten and well matured) store-bought kimchi in the back of my fridge that needs using, and I've got leftover rice from takeout Thai food I had earlier this week, so away I go...
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:52 AM on October 13, 2023
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:52 AM on October 13, 2023
I'm going for what will most likely be mediocre Mexican food in half an hour. I would much prefer kimchi fried rice.
I took the day off and took myself shopping for good walking shoes that will not make me look like a tourist for our trip at the end of the year. I think I found a nice pair, and they are currently sitting in the box, as I am second guessing myself. I wish I could remember the shoes I wore on my first trip to Paris in October, but that was almost 20 years ago. I have a pair of Dr. Martens that would do nicely if I could get the heels to break, but it has been many years and the heels remain stubbornly stiff.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 1:57 PM on October 13, 2023
I took the day off and took myself shopping for good walking shoes that will not make me look like a tourist for our trip at the end of the year. I think I found a nice pair, and they are currently sitting in the box, as I am second guessing myself. I wish I could remember the shoes I wore on my first trip to Paris in October, but that was almost 20 years ago. I have a pair of Dr. Martens that would do nicely if I could get the heels to break, but it has been many years and the heels remain stubbornly stiff.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 1:57 PM on October 13, 2023
I love, love, love my Ultraboost slip-on Adidas. Right now they seem hard to find, and I actually need a new pair but they should still be out there.
posted by mumimor at 2:16 PM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mumimor at 2:16 PM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
And ironically, today's cooking projects have been:
* a honey spice cake
* cooking up two small batches of beans so they can be used in the coming week's meals
* cooking up a half pound of hominy, so it can be used for a crock-pot pozole tomorrow
Kimchi may also feature in the week's rotation, I'm not sure yet. Tonight is likely going to be a Fridge Rummage to get some leftovers used up and to make room for the beans and the hominy before tomorrow. (The recipe I have will use up the radishes I got from last week's CSA, yay!)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:19 PM on October 13, 2023
* a honey spice cake
* cooking up two small batches of beans so they can be used in the coming week's meals
* cooking up a half pound of hominy, so it can be used for a crock-pot pozole tomorrow
Kimchi may also feature in the week's rotation, I'm not sure yet. Tonight is likely going to be a Fridge Rummage to get some leftovers used up and to make room for the beans and the hominy before tomorrow. (The recipe I have will use up the radishes I got from last week's CSA, yay!)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:19 PM on October 13, 2023
I took the day off today to go costume shopping (I note that yes, I made my costume this year, but I always go shopping if I find something else fun) and bought myself a dress, a Barbie jumpsuit, a space-looking top that I've been trying to find for years, a light set, and a light-up flower headdress. I'm very happy.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:04 PM on October 13, 2023
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:04 PM on October 13, 2023
Now I want kimchi.
It's Friday. I'm tired. And the house needs to be ready to be listed in 2 weeks. Realistically it needs to be emptied before then so they can do pictures and I can get the carpet cleaned. The grass is scraggily as is the flower bed and it's supposed to rain all weekend. All I want to do is hibernate.
posted by kathrynm at 3:47 PM on October 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's Friday. I'm tired. And the house needs to be ready to be listed in 2 weeks. Realistically it needs to be emptied before then so they can do pictures and I can get the carpet cleaned. The grass is scraggily as is the flower bed and it's supposed to rain all weekend. All I want to do is hibernate.
posted by kathrynm at 3:47 PM on October 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
I love, love, love my Ultraboost slip-on Adidas.
I am REALLY digging the style of those shoes and will start looking around.
In other news. I started the audiobook of Jessica Knoll’s Brave Young Women today. It is read by Sutton Foster and so far I am enjoying it, grim subject matter not withstanding.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:02 PM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
I am REALLY digging the style of those shoes and will start looking around.
In other news. I started the audiobook of Jessica Knoll’s Brave Young Women today. It is read by Sutton Foster and so far I am enjoying it, grim subject matter not withstanding.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:02 PM on October 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
I did my first storytelling performance since pre-pandemic. It went really well!
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:41 PM on October 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:41 PM on October 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
I came across Old and Interesting today - here's a post about Setting up home in 17th century London - and came here to post it, but found aniola had already done so a few years ago. Worth a look if you fancy a historical rabbit hole. I enjoyed the series we had a while ago where people were re-posting older posts; perhaps we could do that again.
posted by paduasoy at 1:56 AM on October 14, 2023
posted by paduasoy at 1:56 AM on October 14, 2023
So it's game night. We live quite far away from the stadium, but I think a lot of fans park their cars here and have a pre-game dinner and post-game drinks, because there are tons of affordable restaurants and bars here, more than in the neighborhood closer to the stadium. There are also a few bars doing game nights for the fans who didn't manage to get a ticket. It seems tonight it was Denmark against Kazakhstan.
Whatever. The thing is my dog likes game nights a lot, because many soccer fans want to cuddle him, and I'm fine with that. They also leave hot dog scraps all over the place.
Tonight, I met a couple of philosophical young men who were very enthusiastic about the cuddling thing, and then they asked me "can we agree that capitalism is shit?". Yes, I said, yes we can. And suddenly felt I was in Ulysses and all was good.
posted by mumimor at 2:40 PM on October 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
Whatever. The thing is my dog likes game nights a lot, because many soccer fans want to cuddle him, and I'm fine with that. They also leave hot dog scraps all over the place.
Tonight, I met a couple of philosophical young men who were very enthusiastic about the cuddling thing, and then they asked me "can we agree that capitalism is shit?". Yes, I said, yes we can. And suddenly felt I was in Ulysses and all was good.
posted by mumimor at 2:40 PM on October 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's gray and drizzly all weekend here in Brooklyn. I have no definitive job offers yet, but some very intriguing leads keep falling into my lap, and I'm hanging in for now.
Plus I have somehow also managed to be handling money well enough that...I may come out fiscally ahead of the game, and I have no idea how it happened. Sometime in January I started this super deep-dive analysis of my spending habits and had already begun the legwork of a bit of an overhaul there, and it turns out that I'd timed things so that I was already starting to scale down on my spending at 100% exactly the right time. My grocery bills are also down from what they once were, to the point that I can afford to splurge even.
And now that it's gray and drizzly and autumnal, that means some digging out of the slow cooker and making long-simmering stews. A few weeks ago I started getting into the habit of freezing some of the overstock of CSA vegetables for later use. I also found a recipe for a "chili base" - a big pile of dried chiles and sun-dried tomatoes, all dumped into the slow cooker with some water and simmered all day; then you puree that, and freeze it in smaller containers. The cookbook with that recipe then had a few other recipes where you can use a cup or two of that base as a shortcut for something else.
And so that is why I have a big pot of pozole simmering in my slow cooker in the kitchen right now, and the apartment smells amazing. I just added the hominy (thank you, Rancho Gordo) and some radish greens (thank you, CSA) and I'm letting that heat through before I grab a bowl, which I will top with the actual sliced radishes. I also roasted up some poblanos this afternoon and chopped them up for the freezer - in a week they'll go into a chicken chili that will be simmering away here while I'm out all day at a bake sale.
And at some point next week I could probably get some more pork and make the pork-and-kimchi soup from that cookbook as well, because the kimchi I made is probably going to be pretty funky at that stage.
My roommate's sorta-girlfriend is here for the next couple weeks and they're downstairs in his pad watching Bluey or something; I'm frankly surprised they haven't come up here yet asking if they can have a bowl of whatever smells so good. (And yes, they can, there's a ton of it.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:02 PM on October 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Plus I have somehow also managed to be handling money well enough that...I may come out fiscally ahead of the game, and I have no idea how it happened. Sometime in January I started this super deep-dive analysis of my spending habits and had already begun the legwork of a bit of an overhaul there, and it turns out that I'd timed things so that I was already starting to scale down on my spending at 100% exactly the right time. My grocery bills are also down from what they once were, to the point that I can afford to splurge even.
And now that it's gray and drizzly and autumnal, that means some digging out of the slow cooker and making long-simmering stews. A few weeks ago I started getting into the habit of freezing some of the overstock of CSA vegetables for later use. I also found a recipe for a "chili base" - a big pile of dried chiles and sun-dried tomatoes, all dumped into the slow cooker with some water and simmered all day; then you puree that, and freeze it in smaller containers. The cookbook with that recipe then had a few other recipes where you can use a cup or two of that base as a shortcut for something else.
And so that is why I have a big pot of pozole simmering in my slow cooker in the kitchen right now, and the apartment smells amazing. I just added the hominy (thank you, Rancho Gordo) and some radish greens (thank you, CSA) and I'm letting that heat through before I grab a bowl, which I will top with the actual sliced radishes. I also roasted up some poblanos this afternoon and chopped them up for the freezer - in a week they'll go into a chicken chili that will be simmering away here while I'm out all day at a bake sale.
And at some point next week I could probably get some more pork and make the pork-and-kimchi soup from that cookbook as well, because the kimchi I made is probably going to be pretty funky at that stage.
My roommate's sorta-girlfriend is here for the next couple weeks and they're downstairs in his pad watching Bluey or something; I'm frankly surprised they haven't come up here yet asking if they can have a bowl of whatever smells so good. (And yes, they can, there's a ton of it.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:02 PM on October 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
I saw a Peregrine Falcon strike a Canada Goose this morning. I was watching the Geese because it was very windy and they were trying to fly south but were really drifting southwest due to the wind. The Falcon hit an outer Goose on the drifting V to largely no effect. The Geese flew on and the Falcon flew around a bit and hovered using the wind for a while and then flew west into the city.
posted by srboisvert at 4:44 PM on October 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 4:44 PM on October 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
In the past couple years I've been falling prey more often to the convenience of delivery or take-out food, and only now and then making an effort to cook for myself. But EmpressCallipygos, your recent comments have been inspiring me to do more home cooking, so thanks! Today at the grocery store I got a chicken to roast (not a fancy or cutting-edge dish, but oh so good) as well as some potatoes and some "Joe Parker" (?) peppers to roast with them. I'm not familiar with that pepper, but I'm told they're sweet and not very hot and roast well...we'll see!
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:22 PM on October 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:22 PM on October 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
I saw a Peregrine Falcon strike a Canada Goose ... to largely no effect
Sometimes you're the falcon, sometimes you're the goose....
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:24 PM on October 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sometimes you're the falcon, sometimes you're the goose....
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:24 PM on October 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here's a cocktail called The Falcon that you could make with Grey Goose vodka...
posted by hippybear at 6:33 PM on October 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 6:33 PM on October 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
EmpressCallipygos, your recent comments have been inspiring me to do more home cooking, so thanks!
Yay, happy to compare notes! I'm getting more and more food-motivated as I get older.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:22 PM on October 15, 2023
Yay, happy to compare notes! I'm getting more and more food-motivated as I get older.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:22 PM on October 15, 2023
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On the topics of marathons, Eliud Kipchoge recently won Berlin, which makes me happy because he is basically a middle aged man, just like me (ok, I am a few years older, but not too many). This past weekend, though, Kelvin Kiptum just absolutely destroyed the men's world record in Chicago, which is also exciting, but I am still kind of rooting for the old guy - and they both plan to run in the Paris Olympics next year, so yay!
But anyway, it is probably time for Kipchoge to pass the torch, and I wonder how difficult it must be for him to acknowledge that since he was so absolutely dominant up until now. I kind of have this weird dream (totally unrealistic, I know), that in retirement he will just randomly sign up for local or regional races around the world. The organizers will see his name on the sign up sheet and think that someone has a sense of humor but just disregard it. Then on race day he shows up at the starting line and people are like...is that? can it be? and he just "jogs" a 2:10 and completely destroys everyone in the annual Podunk, USA Marathon and Flea Market. At the end of the race, if you are lucky, you might get an autograph or he might take a picture with some kids, but then he will just kind of disappear without fanfare just to pop up again halfway around the world to do it again.
Ok, ok, so I admit it, I am writing Eliud Kipchoge fan fiction, and that's a little weird.
posted by Literaryhero at 10:38 PM on October 9, 2023 [10 favorites]