Flag it and move on... to this Free Thread

November 20, 2023 2:38 AM

As the World Cup concludes, the Christmas season reaches its peak, 2024 is almost upon us, and the prospect of Easter eggs draws near, so it is time for another FREE THREAD. Meanwhile, a Brit attempts to be champion in Australia, how to make cheese fondue, horses have the right to freedom (alarming last sentence), the best of 4,502 cheeses (who would have predicted that?), and any surface is useful when the mood strikes. Please wear PJs, MeFites.
posted by Wordshore (134 comments total)

“The judges had delectable things to say about Nidelven Blå, a semi-solid, blue mold cheese, made with pasteurized cows’ milk.

“‘It has this sort of short creaminess, like real dense fudginess,’ said one judge. Another called it ‘the perfect blue cheese’.”

Is there any goal more lofty, more admirable, than humanity's desire to create the perfect blue cheese? I think not.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:28 AM on November 20, 2023 [10 favorites]

I'd rate humanity a bit loftier and more admirable if it could learn to wipe its arse well enough for pearl-clutching about skidmarks not to get a run in HuffPo.
posted by flabdablet at 3:34 AM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

So who wants to see a half-hour long, year-old video about why aspects of a 20 year old movie sucked!?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Well anyway, Why does Attack of the Clones look like a video game was really informative about the politics, technology and why CGI cloth drapes like a melted cheese slice.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:41 AM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

Mentioned this on the green, but since I just ran across this new free thread...

We're in Ireland! Yay! Our bnb for the next two nights appears to have ghosted us. Boo! We think we have a replacement place lined up. But,of anyone has insight into a cheap bnb (or even a spare room) in Doolin please memail.

Thanks!

(We are having an awesome time,btw.)
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 4:01 AM on November 20, 2023 [7 favorites]

isn't it goo
Norwegian bleu?
posted by chavenet at 4:03 AM on November 20, 2023 [15 favorites]

I just went e-mountainbiking with a friend, possibly first time ever, definately first time ever in winter! Just a quick one hour ride in semi-suburbia and some nature trails. It was lots of fun, we've been meaning to do this as he has a friend who loans out his bikes every now and then. Was nice to get out since I spent all weekend inside, as here around the 65th parallel north the days are getting quite short and I always enter a kinda hibernation mode around these times.
posted by fridgebuzz at 4:04 AM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Isn't it goo
Norwegian blue?

Gruyére and gouda and swiss melted in a fondue?
But where is the brie?
We've got to have brie.
Don't bother, we'll just have...paneer.

-- Stephen Sondheim, "Send in the Curds"
posted by PlusDistance at 4:35 AM on November 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

Crisis averted!
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 4:44 AM on November 20, 2023 [9 favorites]

I am drowning in mucus and work and my kid just informed me that his other big toe is ingrown. I don't have time for a sick day, let alone a third podiatry appointment in three weeks, but needs must and I'll just have to be further behind and miss deadlines. I'm too tired to exercise, have been living basically on soup for the past 10 days and have not had a full night's sleep in two weeks.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:54 AM on November 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

I had a rant about why I don’t care about nicnklebuck but I just didn’t care enough to finish it. Man. It feels wierd, like a spoiled orgasm.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:05 AM on November 20, 2023 [4 favorites]

butts.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 6:18 AM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

yesterday I was leaving the emergency supermarket (in Germany almost everything is closed on Sundays, including Supermarkets, except for the ones at train stations) with last minute groceries and had that feeling you have when it's two in the morning and the night seems it will never ever end. It felt like the darkness was all-encompassing and I had been swimming through it for weeks. I went to change the car radio and happened to glance at the clock - 5:30 pm. This is the worst but very worst time of year.

On the flip side I went to a 'book-swap' at the neighbors' over the weekend, that was interesting - to see what people are reading. It's the second one (the first was less interesting) and the breadth of books was good - from airport-crime/"Gebrauchtsliterature" (a fantastic German word that is far tastier than 'genre fiction') to L'anomalie by H.LeTellier (this crazy crazy crazy good book about... uh... doppelgängers but more). Importantly I got to get rid of Kruso which is a good book that I just didn't like and feel horrible about not coming to terms with. It's about the time around the end of the GDR which I find fascinating but ... I just... couldn't. The author wrote another book recently which I'll try because he has good things to say. The conversation at one point slid over to Solar by Ian McEwan which, to my surprise almost everyone had read and universally enjoyed - which I agreed with but that everyone had read it surprised me - somehow? It's like T.C.Boyle has a huuuuuuge following in Germany (at least according to my very subjective enquiries) which... is not expected. Some novels, I think, really profit from translation. The Babylon Berlin novels are, I gather, pretty good in english but in German they are particularly mediocre - good story, though, which is why they translate so well, I think.

I'm reading The Ministry of The Future and feeling bad about hating the smug-lefty slant of it. I know, those are fighting words and maybe a bit of self-hate but still - there's times where it's just like, "Here's how we, the smart, educated, intellectual Left would solve all these crises." And, I dunno.
posted by From Bklyn at 6:29 AM on November 20, 2023 [8 favorites]

A Norwegian blue cheese won the awards in 2016 as well, a product called "Kraftkar". Even though they had cheese purchasing agents lined up around the block, they continued fulfilling their contracts with the resellers, so I found a slice at my local supermarket at a reasonable price. I bought it, but had to conclude that cheeses at that level probably are not meant to be appreciated by peasants like me. I went back to my run-of-the-mill regular old supermarket blue, and left the advanced cheeses to the pros.
posted by Harald74 at 6:36 AM on November 20, 2023 [4 favorites]

Tiny film student update:

We had to turn in a mid-point rough cut of our final film, the "interpret a dream" assignment, Sunday night: I say "we" somewhat subjectively, in that my project partner has gone radio silent and has not replied to emails in almost two weeks; I saw her in class two Wednesdays ago but we didn't discuss the project then, and didn't have class last week. I'm chalking it up to "young kid who doesn't really know how to manage their school stuff yet", so I made some edits I thought would improve what we've done together, and I'm beginning to like it -- I added some twee ukulele music, and edited the dream montage in a far less chronological way. My family, of course, thinks it's the best thing ever, but I expect them to say that. Turned it in last night about 5pm, dusted off my hands, put it out of my mind until after Thanksgiving when it needs to be refined into something to show to people other than my loving family, and I'll see my partner in class on the 27th so I can find out what's going on with her.

On the syllabus it said that we would be watching these rough cuts in class today and receive feedback to direct our final edit -- but this weekend I did a big upgrade for a customer and have to skip class today -- but, reprieve!, the professor emailed late last night to say that enough people emailed to say they wouldn't be in class due to the Thanksgiving holiday that he made today an extra-credit day, anyone who shows up and writes an analysis of the short movie they're watching instead gets points -- the upgrade went well and the system seems to be working properly but oops some people who use the software didn't get notified of the changes (which was their IT's responsibility but they complain to me) -- oh darn, I forgot, thank you Google Calendar for reminding me I have a physical at the doctor today -- now I got a calendar notification that a different customer wants, next week, to get training on their upgrade, which won't be done by next week....everything is so busy.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:47 AM on November 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

Who doesn't wash sheets at least every week? Even more important when eating cheese in bed. Priorities.
posted by 3.2.3 at 7:07 AM on November 20, 2023

I'm reading The Ministry of The Future and feeling bad about hating the smug-lefty slant of it.

I read it, but found it a conflicting mixture of interesting, informative, ridiculous, aspirational, infuriating, patronising, and some other emotions. And partway through, on one particular chapter, came close to (ironically) burning it. Overall, the predominant feeling after reading it was 'naive'. It is not, as various people have claimed, a "manual for fixing climate change" or anything close.

Heavily related to this is recently completing an unexpectedly intense online course on climate change-centric energy transitions (heard today I got the maximum grading so something must have soaked into my brain). Which further confirmed that the outline of Ministry of The Future is never going to happen and, barring an unexpectedly positive event or technological breakthrough, things are ... not good.
posted by Wordshore at 7:25 AM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

My quote of the day, from an article about civil rights leader Bayard Rustin: "To build coalitions is to embrace contradictions. The perpetual tragedy of leftist politics, in turn, is the complete inability to imagine the Other—not the near-at-hand Others of allies who marginally deviate from your views, or the fantasy Others of the working classes who would agree with you if they only understood that you were right, but the actual Other of religionists and ferocious ideological reactionaries who think that minimal programs for social equality are a form of personal theft. They get a vote, too. Rustin understood that the exhausting part of democratic politics is working within that reality..."
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:28 AM on November 20, 2023 [4 favorites]

Cheese AND shit AND Wordshore in the same free thread? This is one of the Most MetaFilter Posts EVAR. Mods, sidebar this one at once!
posted by briank at 7:32 AM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

We wash sheets every three weeks. We make the bed every day, don't eat in bed, we shower right before bed, and tbh there's not a lot of sexytimes going on. Honestly the gating factor on when it's time to change the sheets is the slow accumulation of cat litter and other detritus tracked in on our feet.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:38 AM on November 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

Hey, are we going to resuscitate the sheet-washing/pajama-changing shame game?
Let's not and say we did!
posted by the sobsister at 8:04 AM on November 20, 2023 [7 favorites]

I don't care what people wear in their own beds. And I change sheets mostly to get that Fresh Sheet bliss once a week. That's good stuff.

"Thing You've Been Doing is Actually Disgusting!" is an article genre that goes all the way back to ads about how your breath smells but no one has told you yet. Bodies are a little bit disgusting at all times but making ourselves frantic over it only benefits people selling you stuff.
posted by emjaybee at 8:10 AM on November 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

It's kind of weird thinking we all have a skeleton inside of us, right?
posted by Czjewel at 8:19 AM on November 20, 2023 [13 favorites]

Part Man, part...SKELETON

SKELETON MAAAAAN!
posted by Windopaene at 8:22 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

... if it could learn to wipe its arse well enough

Ctrl+F "bidet"
Phrase not found

Metafilter, you surprise me!
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:28 AM on November 20, 2023

I wear something when I sleep now, because otherwise I get nightmares where I am naked in public spaces. Before, I preferred not to wear anything. Actually, in the yearbook in the dormitory I lived in, one of my "famous sentences" was one day when someone knocked on my door in the morning and I shouted wait, I need to get my PJs on.

The darkness is a bit overwhelming this year. I've probably quoted this many times before on the blue, but the Danish poet Henrik Nordbrandt's most famous poem is:

A year has 16 months: November
December, January, February, March, April
May, June, July, August, September
October, November, November, November, November

I couldn't find an official translation online, so this is mine.
posted by mumimor at 8:30 AM on November 20, 2023 [11 favorites]

Things are a struggle (and I'm certainly not changing the sheets once a week even when they are not). Walked out of a nurse appt today (about HRT) - started crying, apologised for wasting her time, and left. Saw my father, who has dementia (I'm getting to the point where I feel certainly a small section of MF knows this, as I keep Going On), yesterday. We were behind a car which said DWC on it. My father excitedly said that these were his father's initials. My sister pointed out that it was a driving school called Driving With Care. My father: "Did dad start a driving school called that? I think he did!" (he didn't, and indeed I believe was known for driving without care). It's sad and hard and I don't like it. Sorry to insert this between the bidet and whatever comes next - people's updates and other comments here are good.
posted by paduasoy at 8:31 AM on November 20, 2023 [13 favorites]

It's kind of weird thinking we all have a skeleton inside of us, right?

Shepherd and I were out running errands the other day--I was sociably stoned--and I kept going, "It's wild to think that I am just a skeleton out here living my life, walking to the store, checking out library books. I mean, I am just surrounded by skeletons. So cool."
posted by Kitteh at 8:33 AM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

This is the one I think of, mumimor (though I quite like the month, as months go)

No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November!

(Thomas Hood)
posted by paduasoy at 8:34 AM on November 20, 2023 [10 favorites]

It's kind of weird thinking we all have a skeleton inside of us, right?

And when you brush your teeth, it is the only time that you clean your skeleton.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 8:35 AM on November 20, 2023 [11 favorites]

isn't it goo
Norwegian bleu?

Beautiful plumage!
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:38 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

I was awakened at 7:21 this morning by my newly assigned agent at Empower who wanted to have an introductory chat about my financial future. I only answered the phone because the number was from Denver, I'd just had bloodwork on Friday, and I thought it might be the hospital.

And he's like, OH IS THIS NOT A GOOD TIME?

No, David, it is not a good time.
posted by mochapickle at 8:39 AM on November 20, 2023 [13 favorites]

Art of Noise performing Opus 4 ("November") live in 1986.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:43 AM on November 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

"In August, a bear freed itself from its crate on an Iraqi Airways flight headed from Dubai to Baghdad, the Associated Press reported."
In 1989, Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw-worm was discovered in North Africa. A mentor of mine had just landed a nice sinecure at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome when he was put in charge of a $100 million eradication project . . . at least partly to prevent infection of the large native biodiverse herbivores of sub-Saharan Africa. The cunning plan involved hatching 1.2 billion X-irradiated sterile male larvae in a factory in Mexico. Then shipping them in batches to Tunisia and Libya and firing the the now-adult males into the air to mate with the local invasive females. As female screw-worms only mate once, this meant batches and batches of infertile eggs and eventually the end of the crisis. One shipment was delayed on the ground in Frankfurt, the flies escaped and the cargo-hold was filled with a blooming buzzing confusion. Cue Eddie Izzard covered in beeeees.
posted by BobTheScientist at 8:49 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Weval have a new record out. Very much my kind of thing. If you are a Tycho fan I think you’ll like it.
posted by aesop at 8:53 AM on November 20, 2023

And when you brush your teeth, it is the only time that you clean your skeleton.

Which is not to say that your skeleton is unmaintained. Osteoclasts are constantly drilling holes in your bones, and osteoblasts are constantly filling up those holes with new bone. It's as if wooden houses had termites, but also anti-termites that filled up the termite holes and together they kept the wood in your frame constantly fresh.
posted by clawsoon at 9:04 AM on November 20, 2023 [11 favorites]

Rhod Gilbert on Scandinavian winters
posted by flabdablet at 9:05 AM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

we definitely don't change the sheets weekly but also we DO NOT eat in bed. EVER. no food in the bedroom!

also, hard agree with the above sentiments about Ministry for the Future. like, its a fun read, but the premise is completely ridiculous. if such things were possible, or likely, I think we'd see them happening...
posted by supermedusa at 9:43 AM on November 20, 2023

It's kind of weird thinking we all have a skeleton inside of us, right?

What's worse, your bones are wet! Not only that, you don't have a skeleton inside of you. You're a brain; you are inside of a skeleton. You're piloting a bone mech that's using meat armor.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:05 AM on November 20, 2023 [9 favorites]

Yeah, Shepherd kinda Debbie-Downered me when he said that he felt we were just juicy wet tubes from mouth to anus borrowing a skeleton.
posted by Kitteh at 10:10 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

you don't have a skeleton inside of you. You're a brain; you are inside of a skeleton

Sweet, my new bedtime anxiety just dropped.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:17 AM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

thank you friends for the skeleton discussion.. we don't acknowledge/celebrate our bones nearly enough

I was very aware of my bones.. my joints and muscles, really.. after helping a buddy Friday evening, he wore the Grinch outfit and I wore Olaf, parade and community hall appearance. I've never seen "Frozen" but I think I got the silly movements of Olaf down sufficiently to please the younger kids. The older kids approach you with a mixture of unconcealed nostalgic happiness and inability to refrain from asking for a high five, fist bump, or even a hug; or attempted concealment of nostalgic happiness and refusal to acknowledge, but you can see it there in their eyes: they wish they could still hug; for the final category I'll just say there was a person about 11 or 12 I'm guessing, they kept asking me if I knew what 'tabernac' meant and letting me know "I HATE OLAF" and that was kind of the best/worst part of the evening. Mascoting is no job for old folks, I'll say that.
posted by elkevelvet at 10:20 AM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

I was coming in here to complain mightily about my water heater, which began leaking and must be replaced except the plumber won't be here until tomorrow and the bill is so exorbitant that I'm still in a state of nervous collapse over it (I literally had to get him to repeat the number to me as I assumed I'd misheard): however, the thought of termites and anti-termites is so delightful that they may serve as a brief distraction from my woe.

ALSO, no need to get worked up about all the poop in your bed, it's just that it has to go somewhere, now that we've discovered we can't hide it in our beards.
posted by mittens at 10:35 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Rhod Gilbert on Scandinavian winters

My husband and I watch this periodically to laugh and laugh and laugh.
posted by cooker girl at 10:36 AM on November 20, 2023

I loaned Ministry to a coworker who didn’t finish it. Actually I intended it as a gift and wasn’t explicit enough about that so he gave it back.

Robinson is a gorgeous writer but I feel like he forgot to really have an antagonist in this one so it didn’t feel like a novel to me.

Also I read his whole Mars trilogy back when it came out but the paperback didn’t have an author photo so until this year I thought Kim Stanley Robinson was a woman.
posted by The Monster at the End of this Thread at 10:45 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Horses do not have a right to escape; it's their duty.

Also, they must always obey the orders of the senior member of the herd and keep faith with their fellow herd members. They shall accept no special favors from their owners, nor shall they respond to questions by their owners, except maybe if they are asked if they'd like to have their ears scratched. None of this applies to mules, as they have their own rules.

Getting a tasty apple now and then is allowed.

OTH, the bear that escaped might be problematic. Bears have no rights in the human sense of that word and should be repatriated to the wild ASAP.

Don't get me started on snakes.
posted by mule98J at 10:45 AM on November 20, 2023

It's kind of weird thinking we all have a skeleton inside of us, right?

It it helps, and you are willing to consider self centred in the brain, then really we're all just brains in a jar piloting a bio mech. And most of the sensors are kinda dodgy.
posted by Mitheral at 11:00 AM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wow! Preview fail!
posted by Mitheral at 11:01 AM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Triggers that tap into to base childhood emotions suck.

It was supposed to be an "OG Fam Dinner" yesterday--my sister and our parents. Due to Reasons, my nephew and BIL joined us. I got a "I hope it's ok we changed the plans and spaced on mentioning it to you" from my sister and a "I haven't heard back from your sister" from my Mom.

Cue the childish urge to lash out, which my adult decided to calmly process with the help of Mary Jane. Lots of breathing and self-talk and I was ok by the time we left for dinner. (I thought about asking if my boyfriend could join us, but he works retail and had a closing shift on Saturday night and an opening one on Sunday, which means he'd be tired and not social, as we're both introverts.)

Dinner went well, but it kinda felt like a waste of my time. The intention behind the OG Fam Dinner is to have time with the 4 of us the way it was before my sister and I grew up and left the house. At least my sister knows it's better to run things by me first and not rely on my Mom to do it.

Thanks for the opportunity to ramble.
posted by luckynerd at 11:12 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

I wanted Ministry to be better, BUT, we actually do need scifi that helps us dream a better future if only because that's apparently the only way to influence tech bro billionaires.

More seriously, dystopian books can serve a purpose but without any counterpoint they just end up being ways to doomscroll and be passive. Utopias are much harder to write. Realistic ways to talk about getting from Here to Somewhere Better are very difficult and invite nitpicking and naysaying.

We need inspiration if we want to keep trying.
posted by emjaybee at 11:13 AM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

I rewatched the last episode of Andor last night and was nearly blubbing by the end. The Rebellion really IS the friends we made along the way! What a great show.
posted by orrnyereg at 11:16 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

I thought the takeaway from Ministry (spoilers) was that the bureaucrats could only manage to get anything done because the terrorists softened up their targets first and made them scramble for solutions that didn't get them murdered in their beds.
posted by joannemerriam at 11:18 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Why Do You Always Kill Gods in JRPGs?
posted by lock robster at 11:39 AM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

he felt we were just juicy wet tubes from mouth to anus borrowing a skeleton

Topologically speaking, we are very complex donuts.

Is that better?
posted by Naberius at 11:39 AM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Topologically speaking, we are very complex donuts.

Does that count the internal path from one nostril to the other?
posted by clawsoon at 11:41 AM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

So, squirrels. A couple months ago YT suggested a cute video and channel by a lovely woman (never on camera) and the squirrels that come to her window. She recognizes them and names them, and after a couple dozen videos I still can't tell any of them apart. She got a new kitten recently, and started introducing the kitten to the squirrels, first through the window then carefully with an open window. Fine so far.

But then things went weird. She posted (typing, not speaking): God created animals to be at peace with each other, but because of human sin they became predator and prey. One day, when evil and sin will be removed, animals (and humans) will live in perfect harmony again.

But... your cat. Never mind. :|
posted by Glinn at 12:07 PM on November 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

talking of donuts - and not the body-horror kind - a new French bakery has opened in our neighbourhood and it is off the charts. Its donuts - proper Berliner beignet, none of that tiny nun's fart stuff - will be the death of me.

Also: much to our surprise, our silver wedding anniversary is coming up next week. Quite how two nerdy misfits from other sides of the world became best friends, married only because it was legally expedient so we could live together in one place, can still make each other laugh uncontrollably and make a room uncomfortably sappy for the other inhabitants after a quarter of a century, I'll never know. But I'm so glad we did.
posted by scruss at 12:10 PM on November 20, 2023 [17 favorites]

Now I want to open the boutique shop Body Horror Donuts. Like Zombie Donuts only much more extreme.
posted by hippybear at 12:12 PM on November 20, 2023 [4 favorites]

I'm a few pages shy of finishing Samuel R. Delany's Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand (1984). It's very wow. Ahead of its time exploring gender and sexuality for mainstream SF.
posted by neuron at 12:19 PM on November 20, 2023 [4 favorites]

Did anyone else actually watch some or all of the Cricket WC final? I'm an american who roots for Sri Lanka (who were doomed after collapsing in the Asia cup and never really showed up), and I saw the first few hours, but had to rely on highlights for Australia's innings.
It was clear that the Aussies had a mad defensive plan that caught the home team completely off guard. India had breezed through the tournament and the finals probably seemed more like a coronation than a contest to them until the Aussies fielders started chasing every ball to prevent boundaries and ended up holding them to way fewer runs than they could defend. Great strategic match.
posted by OHenryPacey at 12:22 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm not a big donut fan but I would definitely go for some Body Horror Donuts. the jelly possibilities alone!!!
posted by supermedusa at 12:23 PM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Well anyway, Why does Attack of the Clones look like a video game was really informative about the politics, technology and why CGI cloth drapes like a melted cheese slice.

"Few people are better at not looking like they are acting in this movie than Hayden Christiansen"
posted by Gorgik at 12:24 PM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

Metafilter: donuts - and not the body-horror kind.

I was very aware of my bones..

So I was just at the doctor for a physical, which at one point went like this:

Me: jumps off the table as he's raising it

Me: "here -- let's see if it'll do it"

Me: squats slowly, during which my right knee sounds like a bowl of rice crispies with milk just poured on it

I make eye contact with the doctor, who looks mildly horrified, and not at all entertained by my magic trick.

Getting old is...getting old I guess. But at least my knee doesn't hurt while I'm doing it, like my shoulder hurts when I go "look, I can't reach up any further than this"
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:25 PM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

And when you brush your teeth, it is the only time that you clean your skeleton.

I used to date a bioarchaeologist who called my teeth "your outside bones". :(
posted by birthday cake at 12:33 PM on November 20, 2023 [9 favorites]

My request for antibiotics was denied via the "let's just ignore this" method. Which annoys me off as I hate taking antibiotics and only ask as a last resort. The last time it was a last resort was 10 years ago. At least send me a message via the stupid patient portal saying you can't fill it! Not that I could have picked up the script anyway, as the alternator in my vehicle died while I was picking up my kid and two of his buddies from school. Nothing quite like have the car lose power everything while escaping the school pickup line. On the upside, spouse is now officially responsible for taking kiddo to have his other toe dealt with as I cannot drive a standard.

I'm trying very hard to look at this as the universe's way of telling me to just take a break.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:52 PM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Last year on this day I tested positive for covid-19.

This morning a kidney stone ripped 2/3rds of the way through my ureter sending me to the ER.

I am starting to dislike Nov 20.
posted by srboisvert at 1:05 PM on November 20, 2023 [7 favorites]

So now I have laryngitis...I wouldn't care so much on this topic (I note I lip-synched yesterday's show, since I have no solos it doesn't matter, it would have been a bigger deal if I had broken an ankle and couldn't dance) except for all the talking appointments I had today. I used to have a miracle cure for laryngitis that I kept around the house--I note I still have around a fourth of an old bottle of it in the house--BUT I tried to buy more and it's been discontinued for unknown reasons. (Which is to say, if you Google for why, you get a porn site. WHUT.) A castmate loaned me his "miracle spray" and between that and dragging ass out to get a humidifier yesterday, I've so far managed to get through half the day without totally being out of voice. Presumably as long as I get through appointments I will be fine, but I slept 11 hours today and wish I could go back to bed and do more.

First appointment was sad and not very helpful, but I kind of expected that. As for the medical doctor one, she gave me a few more days leave because well, I can't talk so well, said she wrote the doctor's note, and I can't find it on my end. She also said some Concerning Things re: my reaction to the medication I tried, which scared me, and she's referring me to an actual psychiatrist before I'm put on anything else in case that set off...something worse :/ (Yeah, like all I need is to escalate things with worse...) Though on the good news side, the pill issue can be worked around, thank gawd.

In the meantime, I really need that doctor's note ASAP or else I have to work tomorrow...grrr, where is it?
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:48 PM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

if you Google for why, you get a porn site

this is the most 21st century thing of the day for me. never change, humans
posted by elkevelvet at 1:52 PM on November 20, 2023 [4 favorites]

Srboisvert. I'm feeling you...I had COVID in September...same month I had a UTI...My Urologist discovered a 9mm kidney stone somewhere up there. Waited till COVID subsided and he went in and ultrasoniced it to pieces. He inserted a stint which was in place for 10 days....While this was going on I had cataract surgery, on one eye. The other is in December...
posted by Czjewel at 1:59 PM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Outside Bones? Never better expressed than in Titus Andromedon's jingle pitch for Trident gum.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:39 PM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

I have been tasked with bringing pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and gravy for my social circle's Friendsgiving potluck this Friday. As I'm not cooking a turkey, I bought plenty of chicken giblets and simmered them down to a broth yesterday so I have something to make the big batch of gravy with in place of pan drippings. Very satisfying to have that in the fridge ready to go; I wanted to get it out of the way ahead of time since it needed to simmer for a couple hours. Now I can focus on everything else on my day off Thursday. And it made the house smell good, which is always a plus!
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:53 PM on November 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

We're going to my oldest's house for Thanksgiving. My brother-in-law is cooking (no one goes to his house). He's not good at planning. Dinner could be anytime between 5 and 9 PM. But I don't have to cook or clean up so it's going to be a win no matter what.
posted by tommasz at 3:11 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I feel like Metafilter will appreciate the arcane nerdiness of this joke. So, everyone knows The Count from Sesame Street, right? Well, do you know what The Count’s favorite landscaping element is, for his castle gardens and grounds?
posted by eviemath at 3:12 PM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Chicken gravy for Turkey seems wrong, but, OK. GRAVY...!!!

Who is making the whipped cream for the pie? Mmm, pumpkin pie...

Not much to add, healing continues, all the kids are coming back for Thanksgiving, so it will be crowded, but awesome, (not trying to brag or anything, but my kids are awesome). And if I can avoid another physical, post-thanksgiving medical meltdown, it will likely be a better Thanksgiving than last year.

May you all enjoy Thanksgiving with the people you love.
(Sorry if you have MAGA people involved. Grey Rock those folks, breathe deeply, etc.)
posted by Windopaene at 3:27 PM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

So, everyone knows The Count from Sesame Street, right? Well, do you know what The Count’s favorite landscaping element is, for his castle gardens and grounds?

Donut teeth?

I'm just going on the vibe of the thread here.
posted by clawsoon at 3:28 PM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Chicken gravy for Turkey seems wrong, but, OK.

Turkey's a bit bland, gotta zhuzh it up a li'l with chicken-enriched gravy...

Who is making the whipped cream for the pie?

Oh geez, thanks for reminding me!! I need to get whipping cream to take with me so I can make it on-site.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:40 PM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

As we get into the season for these things, here's a video about making cinnamon rolls with Claire Saffitz that is a recipe I can vouch for. It's lengthy and fussy and feels a bit ridiculous, but it really turned out great when I made them. Maybe the one thing I'd do differently is a bit less vanilla extract in the icing as it was very VANILLA. There is a link to the recipe in the video description that seems to have no paywall if you click directly from the video.

I'm planning on making a double batch of these for the holiday season. The recipe calls for the dough to be cut into 15 for a 3x5 layout in a pan, but there are only two of us. So I'll do 16 and cook 2x4 and freeze the other rolls and half the frosting, and then two more half batches for a total of three frozen, to have across the winter.
posted by hippybear at 3:44 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Srboisvert. I'm feeling you...I had COVID in September...same month I had a UTI...My Urologist discovered a 9mm kidney stone somewhere up there. Waited till COVID subsided and he went in and ultrasoniced it to pieces. He inserted a stint which was in place for 10 days....While this was going on I had cataract surgery, on one eye. The other is in December...

You win! I guess the prize is getting it all over with at once or something.
posted by srboisvert at 4:28 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Donut teeth?

I'm just going on the vibe of the thread here.

Good one, but no - it’s completely unrelated to the rest of the thread so far.
posted by eviemath at 4:42 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I don't know. Donut Teeth gets into the body horror we were talking about earlier. I think it's completely correct.

Just imagine that dream where you go in to eat corn on the cob but it turn out your teeth are made out of donut.
posted by hippybear at 4:50 PM on November 20, 2023

See, I was picturing donuts with teeth, not teeth made out of donuts. But it's a free country, eh?
posted by clawsoon at 5:05 PM on November 20, 2023

→ The Count’s favorite landscaping element

ha ha?
posted by scruss at 5:55 PM on November 20, 2023 [8 favorites]

donuts with teeth

And we've circled back to Body Horror Donuts.
posted by MrVisible at 5:57 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

It just occurred to me that Body Horror Donuts could have gluten-free options and vegan options, and it would only make things even more disturbing.
posted by MrVisible at 6:09 PM on November 20, 2023

Body Horror Donuts.

Sounds like a Timmies Hallowe'en special.

(I hope someone appreciates what I did with the apostrophes there, given the discussion the other day.)
posted by clawsoon at 6:10 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

According to Google, we were beaten to the phrase "body horror donuts" only by body horror donuts and fruit taxonomy, a reflection from 2020 on trick-or-treating in Minnesota.
posted by clawsoon at 6:34 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I feel like Metafilter will appreciate the arcane nerdiness of this joke. So, everyone knows The Count from Sesame Street, right? Well, do you know what The Count’s favorite landscaping element is, for his castle gardens and grounds?

It’s a ha-ha!

You’re all a bunch of bullheaded intransigents, refusing to participate in the formalities of joke-telling.
posted by eviemath at 6:57 PM on November 20, 2023 [7 favorites]

Except for scruss.
posted by eviemath at 6:58 PM on November 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Ohhh, ok. Speaking for myself: not bullheaded or intransigent, just pig-ignorant (especially about landscaping). Best I could come up with is "werewolf-infested dark forest??"...
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:58 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

→ It’s a ha-ha!

Even as the only non-bullheaded intransigent around here, doesn't the Count say 'ah, ah, ah!'? So he'd be saying the ha-ha backwards
posted by scruss at 8:12 PM on November 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

"That will be one! One gross eyeball donut! Ah-ah-ah-ah! And one! One gelatinous oozy donut! Ah-ah-ah-ah! And... what even are those? Oh! One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Six! Timbits! Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!"

Thunder rolls, lightning flashes.
posted by MrVisible at 9:15 PM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

I’m 39K into NaNoWriMo, writing the fantasy novel with the trans protagonist and his lesbian girlfriend and the Insanely Conservative villain (emphasis on insane - he murders a family because they don’t do reverence to his god). I didn’t get as much done today as I wanted on it because I realized that I had to buckle down and properly draw a map, as the second half is a series of catch-up games with people going hither and yon and others trying to get there.

I am planning once it’s done to reup Skillshare for a month and take the “how to write a song” course they have, then write music for it (including a bardcore version of 30 Seconds To Mars’s “This Is War”). Hopefully I will be employed soon and be able to get some art done for it as well,

We’re prepping for Gluttony Day as well, thanks to my wife’s workplace’s catering department selling full kits. I’m hoping my new painkillers to work better on my knee than Tylenol, so I can think about going on walks again to burn more calories.
posted by mephron at 9:27 PM on November 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

→ It’s a ha-ha!

Even as the only non-bullheaded intransigent around here, doesn't the Count say 'ah, ah, ah!'? So he'd be saying the ha-ha backwards

Peak Metafilter right here, soothing my soul.

In an attempt to CHEER UP I am dressed in My Little Pony Unicorn tights from Snag underneath a pair of cutoffs and a lavender sweater. And new Taos sneakers, which need to be broken in for travel anyway.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:43 AM on November 21, 2023 [3 favorites]

I love our Mefi community --- especially those out of my time zone for being here. I'm in a La Quinta Inn and have been keeping my mind occupied by reading various threads while my dad ails in a hospital a few miles away and I lie in bed feeling hopeless & helpless. Therefore, fun & fighty threads are just the absolute BEST (yes, I was even reading one from 2009) and I just want to say I am thankful for Mefi.
posted by honey badger at 6:27 AM on November 21, 2023 [17 favorites]

doesn't the Count say 'ah, ah, ah!'? So he'd be saying the ha-ha backwards

I always heard it as “ah-ha-ha-ha-ha” (thus the initial “a” in “a ha-ha” being key)? But understandable that other folks have heard it differently! (I mean, the variation in how animal noises are described even within North America, let alone around the world, indicates that we’ll have quite a bit of variation in trying to phonetically represent any non-word noise.)
posted by eviemath at 9:35 AM on November 21, 2023

But maybe he says it one way when he’s inside his castle, and the other way when he’s on the outside of the ha-ha? Like, to a deer, maybe it’s an ah-ah?
posted by eviemath at 9:38 AM on November 21, 2023

>Oh Good – If You Sleep Naked, There's Probably Poo In Your Bed

The please Wear PJs link doesn't convince me. I have to do laundry either way.
posted by Wilbefort at 11:23 AM on November 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

So all job hunts suck, but this one has been throwing me a whole lot more curve balls than usual.

* At the beginning of the month I was asked about my availability for the second-round interview stage for two jobs. I sent them both my availability. One of the two positions scheduled a zoom call with me for a week ago today....I will hear back sometime next week about whether I make it to the third round. The other position....never called, and as a matter of fact I recently heard that they instead were going to "pause and take a second look at the candidates we've already talked to." Never mind that they had SPECIFIALLY REQUESTED to set up an appointment with me.

* I'm also still hanging fire about a job with the city. Everyone has been telling me that "they may still hire you, they're just backed up with red tape" - but I have no idea whether that's what's going on, or if they just are saying no.

* But then today....a STAGE MANAGER job has fallen into my lap. It would be a showcase contract for chump change and would only be two months' worth of work, but I am...much more available than usual these days. I haven't done that work in like ten years, but it sounds like it'll be easy and the rehearsal schedule is actually sane (4 days a week, and they are taking two weeks off for Christmas). The worst case scenario is if I get hired for something that wants me to start in January because that's when the tech rehearsals are, but...honestly I should be so lucky.

I did NOT see that coming, yo.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:47 AM on November 21, 2023 [8 favorites]

So I have mentioned this a lot of other social media places and even though I've been pretty quiet here lately, it's a place I hang out a lot. I've been sick but I'm chronically ill and just thought it was the seasons changing/stress/etc. One of the big stressors has been that I had a biopsy upcoming. It was a just-in-case and we were waiting for the news, hoping to have something to celebrate for my birthday on Saturday.

Turns out I have early-stage endometrial cancer. I have an oncologist appointment in early December, but I know what the next course of action is going to be: removing my reproductive innards (fine, I wasn't using them anyway). That may be enough to clear it up or they may have to do some radiation or chemo, depending on what they find in the tissue they removed.

It was not the news I wanted but at least we caught it early. Also, post-menopausal folks, if you have bleeding, GET TO YOUR DOCTOR ASAP. I got that message from Tumblr, of all places, and it may have saved my life.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 12:40 PM on November 21, 2023 [21 favorites]

Aw man, gentlyepigrams. Hope all goes well, sorry you have to deal with this.
posted by emjaybee at 1:22 PM on November 21, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'd say "snag that side gig EmpressC!" Looks cool on a resume. Unless you get the other job before you take the side gig.
posted by Windopaene at 3:05 PM on November 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

And if you take on that side gig, take it on training a strong understudy for your stage manager position so if you do have to leave you aren't fucking the production.
posted by hippybear at 4:23 PM on November 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

Oh, I'm definitely taking the SM gig. It'll be a fun return to something I'd much rather do (honestly, the biggest reason I'm not doing theater any more is because the pay is total shit). And I was up-front with the producers about how my schedule may be wacky, but....honestly, I think it is very unlikely to be an issue unless I have a stroke of good luck so big that everyone agrees that "well, yeah, no shit you'd do that, go with God."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:43 PM on November 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

Good luck gentlyepigrams.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 8:06 PM on November 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

I'm not sure if this is enough for FPP material (if someone thinks it is, go for it! I have posted a ton today already! Because seriously, I don't have the brainpower to do much besides recap television and film this week and it's easier than figuring out job hunting or Tunisian crochet), but Invisible Pie Labor is quite something to read.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:13 PM on November 21, 2023 [6 favorites]

Tunisian crochet?
posted by eviemath at 1:36 AM on November 22, 2023

Antibiotics finally obtained. Had a few moments of mental debate (I HATE taking them) but common sense won out in the end. I'm hoping to feel well enough by Friday to go buy gifts for my Secret Bean. I'm temporarily carless, but I have the day off and I'm not too far from a bus stop so I can treat the day as one grand adventure.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:59 AM on November 22, 2023 [3 favorites]

Really enjoying the spontaneous popping currently happening on TFP, apparently started by an article about JFK getting popped.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:51 AM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Tunisian crochet seems to be the bright idea someone had to turn crocheting into some form of looks-like-knitting.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:10 AM on November 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Not wanting to fight the popcorn love going on on the front page, so I will add it here.

When I was much, much, younger, I had a job taking inventory. The worst table side in any given store was the microwave popcorn aisle. Not a ton of value, lots of boxes to count, and, "it's the smell".

By the time you were done counting it, you were saturated with it. Just fake grease and fake salt flavorings, OMG. Pretty sure there were times when I "had a problem with my calculator" or "needed to go to the bathroom", with hopes someone else would finish their section and start on the popcorn. So gross.
posted by Windopaene at 11:51 AM on November 22, 2023

Dear YouTube, Why why oh WHY are the interstitial/interlude music segments of a video always SO much louder than the presenter's voice in the rest of it?? Are you trying to drive us all insane? Give us carpal tunnel syndrome from constantly riding the volume control?
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:49 PM on November 22, 2023

I spent seven solid hours today (and two-ish yesterday) pre-prepping Thanksgiving (and Friendsgiving brunch): spatchcocking and dry brining the turkey, making stock, baking two chocolate babkas, four pies (pecan, pumpkin, and two quiches), one turkey-shaped bread, a dozen and a half stuffed mushrooms, sweet potato casserole, and a tray of stuffing. I have a schedule written up for tomorrow that starts at 7am with dinner rolls, but I am still somewhat concerned about the timing and availability of the oven for cooking / warming.

And I just remembered that “make gravy” isn’t on the schedule, so …
posted by uncleozzy at 12:59 PM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

“Gravy! “Is so important! But, you can buy some good gravy.

Just did, as I am not cooking a Turk this year. But, got lots of Turk, lots of gravy, lots of mashed potatoes, almost all my kids home…

Happy Thanksgiving metafilter…
posted by Windopaene at 5:28 PM on November 22, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'm making clarified butter that I will use to confit (very slow simmer in fat until unctuous) garlic, that will end up in the mashed potatoes I'm making for Friendsgiving on Friday. The house smells wondrously of butter, and my upstairs neighbors probably wonder why they're so hungry...
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:42 PM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

I have good (crossing fingers) news. We got an offer on the house today. Not as much as I had hoped for, but I'm just glad we got an offer. I think the size of the house hurt us. It's nearly 2500 sqft where as most houses in the city are 50 bungalows, most under 1500. I just want this whole nightmare to be over, have money in hand so I can start shopping for a house (eek).

I made my cranberry sauce (omg amazeballs) and the filling for the mince meat pie so far. My sweet potatoes are baked for mashing tomorrow. Tomorrow the pies must be made and so does the dressing and my greens. I'm just happy I don't have to cook the turkey this year. My (good) brother is throwing it in his smoker after brining it over night.
posted by kathrynm at 7:04 PM on November 22, 2023 [3 favorites]

The only - only - downside to smoked turkey is the lack of crispy skin. I've tried crisping the skin in the oven after smoking and it just doesn't happen, the skin still ends up chewy rather than crispy. I do love crispy bird skin, so when I'm cooking a turkey I alternate between smoking and roasting it.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:27 PM on November 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

I am not cooking a Turk this year

The implication being that you have done so previously, on more than one occasion o_O. Yet Erdogan worries about Kurds.

/s
posted by eviemath at 7:31 PM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

The cinnamon buns I made a month or so ago that felt so intimidated when I made them that first time are much less troublesome and much less worrisome this time around. I'm making two batches, and since there are only two of us that will be 4 half-batches, one to bake for tomorrow morning and three to put in the freezer for later baking.

Ridiculously fussy recipe, involves running the stand mixer for 40-45 minutes for a batch of dough, but it end result that first time was worth it. I hope it continues to be good.
posted by hippybear at 7:32 PM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Cranberry sauce, check. Turkey dry brining, check, (but do I spatchcock or not, oh no!). Pecan pie, check. No knead loaf, check. Tomorrow there's the stuffing, gravy, and actually cooking the turkey and some sweet potatoes somehow. The sweet potato preparation is up to my spouse, who always just says to roast them, but I would do something more interesting, just give me a sign!
posted by mollweide at 7:32 PM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Add butter, salt, chives or green onions, and optionally some sour cream or yogurt to the whole-roasted sweet potatoes, and thank me later.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:14 PM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

I assume before I die the normal food supplies I rely on could collapse and I might need to eat more tubers in general, but I have never gained a taste for either yams or sweet potatoes. And I've tried.
posted by hippybear at 8:34 PM on November 22, 2023

Butter and salt are definitely a given for the sweet potatoes, but this is one situation where I really just want my spouse to tell me what she wants me to do to make them more interesting, and she's like, whatever. Should I roast them with garam masala? Chile powder? Give me a sign!

When I eat sweet potatoes myself, I just remind myself that they have lots of nutrients that most of the foods that I eat don't have. I treat them as supercharged potatoes and chow down on them with with chile peppers and hot sauce.
posted by mollweide at 8:58 PM on November 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Should I roast them with garam masala? Chile powder?
...with chile peppers and hot sauce.

Any or all of those also works. Surprise!!

(honestly it sounds like you wouldn't have to go to a lot of trouble to satisfy your spouse, so make them however you like and let your spouse deal with the consequences....if they don't like it they can bloody well be more specific next time!)
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:14 PM on November 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

That's the crux of the problem, Greg_Ace. I want to do more but she doesn't want to impose. Then I feel like I'm not doing enough. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it! It's not really a problem, and I'm glad this is like the worst issue we have. Neither of us are really into making decisions, and given the current gestalt, I completely understand.
posted by mollweide at 9:32 PM on November 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Can I ask a dumb question? If I am already subscribed to various streaming services and would like to take advantage of the ridiculously cheap BF deals, I just literally unsubscribe and re-subscribe again 5 minutes later and it works? Is there any catch to this I can't think of? Is that even allowed?
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:05 PM on November 22, 2023

The general principle to bear in mind when working with online systems is that if the system allows you to do it, then unless you're forcing the system to allow it by methods that the DMCA declares illegal, it's allowed. Even when, as in YouTube's case, they pop up a massive modal that says in so many words that it isn't.

If YouTube's marketroids want me not to use an ad blocker when I'm browsing their site, then they have the option of restricting access to it to people with whom they have established a prior contractual relationship, and enforcing that restriction via DMCA-protected DRM.

Unless and until they do that, I will continue to consider the conversation that my uBlock Origin equipped browser has with their server as the automated negotiation-by-proxy process that it actually is, and instruct my proxy to press for the best deal that theirs will offer.

Go thou to thy streamers and do likewise.
posted by flabdablet at 12:29 AM on November 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

Sweet Potatoes: peel, cut and toss in olive oil, garlic salt and rosemary. Roast until desired doneness. Cover with truffled hot sauce.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:27 AM on November 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

There's such a great pleasure in knowing I don't have to deal with US Thanksgiving anymore. I barely deal with the Canadian one because while yes, we have a Thanksgiving, it seems to be much less of A Thing up here. Christmas is more everyone's jam. Canadian Thanksgiving has the vibe of "I mean, I guess we can get together if you really want to."
posted by Kitteh at 3:34 AM on November 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

Perhaps someone who is not me will make a nice post about the source code for tooling of the early Infocom games being released publicly.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:57 AM on November 23, 2023

ALRIGHT! Perhaps the most perfect synergy in marketing ever, AARP is leveraging a membership in their organization against early access to Rolling Stones tour tickets.

I'm a bit speechless about this, but also... IT'S FUCKING BRILLIANT!
posted by hippybear at 2:37 PM on November 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

I tried it, it didn't work. It says my subscription is still working till 12/17 even after cancellation and would not let me resubscribe or reactivate (or even access) at the new price :( I guess I'll just have to unsubscribe altogether once I'm unemployed then, dammit.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:53 PM on November 23, 2023

Did you use your normal email address, or a burner?
posted by flabdablet at 10:24 PM on November 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Normal because I didn't want to lose my settings? I don't know how burner emails work exactly.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:48 PM on November 24, 2023

It means you'll essentially be setting up as a new user. So you'll need a new email for that (like an alternate gmail account, which you can set up for free). It does mean you'd lose your settings under the new account because technically they don't know it's you.

If I'm reading this right, Peacock and Paramount+ (and I think Max) let you use their deals as an existing user, though. I think.
posted by mochapickle at 4:10 PM on November 24, 2023

Hm, yeah, looks like using a different email address doesn't work either. Sigh. Oh well, I tried.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:22 AM on November 27, 2023