Three words I have never typed before, but that’s what this post is.
A boatload of unrelated things.
But first, here’s Henry. Here’s his usual cut.
This is his new look.
Artists/Artisans/Crafting List
If you supplied your info in Sunday’s post: Calling All Artists & Artisans – Submissions Please … then your info has been aded to the Our Artists list that lives in the footer. If so, check it out and let me know if any changes are needed. If you missed that thread but would like to be on the list, please add your information in the requested format in the thread linked above, and you will be added to the list!
Artists, artisans, crafters welcome. (Is crafters the right word?) Someone asked if you have to sell something to be on the list. I don’t think so… if you have a talent or a skill, show it off.
Save Lives / Vote by Mail
There was a suggestion in the Playing to Win thread earlier this week – Save Lives / Vote by Mail stickers that could be worn on masks or lapels. One of our enterprising Jackals (Wolvesvalley) is working on 7 designs for Avery labels that you can print yourselves or can be printed by Avery and mailed to you. If anyone else comes up with more designs, we can make those available, too.
Is anybody else at all interested in these?
BJ Zoom Meetups
There seemed to be quite a bit of interest in some Zoom Meetups, so we’ll definitely do it. Imm and others have offered to help, but we will probably wait another week or so before we start organizing those.
Saturday Morning Pet Thread
Wondering if there is any interest in a weekly Saturday morning pet thread where you can send in pictures of your pets and introduce them to the rest of us? One jackal’s pet or pet family would be featured per week. Think Sunday Morning Garden Chat, only different.
Independent Bookstores
Someone asked today about the independent bookstores that were mentioned in a previous thread. Miraculously, I was able to recall that they were listed in the Book Recommendations thread that’s in the No Cabin Fever section in the sidebar. If you are buying books and want to support one of the little guys, you can find three suggestions there. If you have other suggestions, add them to the comments here and I’ll update the list.
Sharing Alain’s Sourdough Starter
Such a sad week. I have seen lots of “I would love to have some of Alain’s starter” and “I would be happy to share mine” comments in various threads. Is anyone coordinating this? If not, maybe you can sound off in this thread if you would like some OR if you are willing to share once you get yours up and going.
Once there’s a sense of how much interest there is, the next step may be more obvious and someone or several someones may step forward to work out the details.
Open Thread.
Baud
Damn, that’s a cute dog.
WaterGirl
@Baud: He looks like a stuffed animal, now.
debbie
An earless look?
WaterGirl
@debbie: His ears must have been back for some reason.
edit: I looked just now, and his ears are still there.
tomtofa
I seem to remember that Alain marketed his starter under the name “Hott Stuff”.
Is this it? Seller location listed as Ashburn, Virginia:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hott-Stuff-Sourdough-Starter-Aggressive-w-great-flavor-Free-Shipping/233555551541?hash=item3660fee535:g:RysAAOSwuopcsN8
If it is, I don’t know whether his fiance or a friend is still keeping track of it.
Miss his presence here.
debbie
@WaterGirl:
Well, that’s good. A balanced face is a happy face.
Laura Too
Awwww, Henry! I have a Henry as well, Bassett-Springer spaniel. No haircut for him. I’m interested in the Zoom meet up, and the pet addition to weekends, what a lovely idea! They bust so much stress and Dog knows we could all use that right now. I am also interested in getting some of Alain’s starter. I bought some but it never arrived. I was going to reorder it but I didn’t get a chance, And thank you Watergirl for being the amazing glue that keeps us all together.
realbtl
Saturday pet thread could be fun I think. Maybe a sub-category for us serial rescuers.
Spanky
Salmagundi.
Annie
Henry is adorable and I like his longer-haired look.
WaterGirl
I am eating my spaghetti and meatballs that seemed like a total bust when I made it 3 days ago. I thought about throwing it out, but I am trying not to waste any food now, so I ignored it for 3 days. I felt guilty so I tried it just now for dinner, and it’s surprisingly good. It must be the new fridge?
WaterGirl
@Spanky: Did not know that word!
raven
I had a Henry Doodle Bug, hi Henry.
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: I am trying to picture a basset-springer mix. Is the look more springer than basset, or vice versa?
WaterGirl
@raven: Henry says hey.
mrmoshpotato
@Baud: Sheepdog!
Tenar Arha
Giving you three bookshops, while noting there’s lots more in greater Boston area. These are just my 3 picks.
Papercuts in JP just moved before C-19 so if you’re in the Boston area they could use the help. Their shop website is https://bookshop.org/shop/papercuts
Also, Brookline Booksmith https://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/ is a great independent bookstore with a great bargain section & used book basement . (They do a lot of programming, signings etc, including using the Coolidge Corner Theater across the street). FYI They’re also doing virtual events now!
Harvard Bookstore In Cambridge has a similar setup with regular events & bargains & used & they’re also doing virtual events now too http://www.harvard.com/
raven
WaterGirl
@Tenar Arha: Added them just now, thanks.
mrmoshpotato
It’s time! – for a burrito, a can of Golden Monkey and the Professional Left podcast!
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: He’s all springer until about 7 pm then he’s all Bassett. He looks more Basset, wonky legs but shorter ears.
Martin
GDQ speed run marathon for Covid charity is this weekend. https://gamesdonequick.com
For those unfamiliar, this is where expert gamers play new and old videogames to achieve some goal (often winning the game) as quickly as possible. They are often marvels of reflex and understanding of game mechanics, including bizarro glitches in-game. Particularly amusing to anyone who writes code and wonders how badly someone can abuse their code.
Speedruns come in a few general categories, glitch or glitchless – the latter being no game exploits, the former being go to town abusing the code, and tool assisted or non-assisted. Tool assisted is where you generally program another device to provide the inputs to the game faster than humans can do it.
They’re fun and nerdy and usually come with a lot of good commentary and explanations for their strategies and how the games work internally. You can speedrun almost anything. Minecraft has a bunch of categories including set seed and random seed any %. Basically in the first category you spawn in a world you know and race to kill the ender dragon as fast as possible. WR is just under 4 minutes. Random seed you spawn on a world you’ve never seen and do the same. WR is just under 8 minutes for that one. One of my favorites was beating Mike Tyson’s punchout while blindfolded, just knowing the timings for the various opponents and recognizing what was going on by sound alone.
GDQ can raise a few million dollars. It’s kind of a big event.
Expand your world. There’s a ton of shit happening that you’d never know about watching TV.
WaterGirl
@raven: That’s a new one on me.
Laura Too
@raven: Hadn’t heard them! Love it!!! Thanks!!
debbie
@raven:
I didn’t recognize it without the chorus!
WaterGirl
@Martin: There’s a name for watching other people play games, right? I can’t recall what it is.
geg6
I like Henry’s new fuzzy look. We had a Henry, but he was a huge yellow Lab. So no resemblance, unless your Henry is a massively stubborn coot. I miss our Henry! ?
As for me, I am interested in a Saturday morning pet thread, especially since I don’t really garden. And a Zoom meetup would be fun.
Oh, and our ballots are signed and sealed and just need mailed.
Uncle Cosmo
@WaterGirl: No, it’s because you gave the spices time to percolate through the food, particularly if they’re a bit old & dried out.
Speaking as an Italian-American who likes to cook** I can say authoritatively that any Italian dish reaches the acme of spicy perfection about 5 minutes before white fuzz starts to form on the tomato sauce. (The timing is the bitch.)
Pro-am tip: One way to bring out the best in, shall we say, superannuated spices is to toss them into the hot oil right at the start, along with whatever onion or garlic (you didn’t forget the garlic, didja?) you are sauteeing prior to throwing in the other ingredients. I saw this tip in an Indian recipe but it works just as well in Italian. (Maybe it’s something about the letter “i”. Anyone cook Iranian, Iraqi, Icelandic or Israeli recently?)
** I.e., I like to eat tasty food & lots of it but am too stingy to pay someone else to cook it for me.
Martin
@WaterGirl: ESPN
WaterGirl
@geg6: My Henry is a snuggle bug.
I never would have gotten a little dog like that, but my friend got him and after 3 weeks she was overwhelmed and was going to take him back to the rescue.
By then, Tucker and Henry were bonded. My friend and Henry had basically stayed here for most of the 3 weeks because she was so overwhelmed. What else could I do? And that’s how I got Henry.
dexwood
@Laura Too: You must be a youngster. I saw them at the very rowdy Golden Inn, one mentally foggy night in the high desert of New Mexico, in the early 70s. Great music there over the years. Friday nights were legendary. The Golden burned to the ground in 83.
Uncle Cosmo
@raven: Always remember:
(courtesy of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers)
Fair Economist
@WaterGirl: A lot of things taste better after a day or two for flavors to diffuse. Plus, there’s always how hungry you are.
geg6
@Uncle Cosmo:
My high school boyfriend’s parents were from Italy. Cooking the spices and/or dried herbs in oil with the onions and garlic was exactly what his mom taught me to do. Definitely makes a difference. She always threw some fresh chopped basil in just at the end. Delicious!
WaterGirl
@Uncle Cosmo: I had restocked all my spices from Penzey’s in early February. They had $50 gift certificates for $35 before Christmas, so I bought one for a friend and one for me.
In Feb, they had a crazy good sale, so I think I got about $100 in spices for only about $10 more than the $50 gift certificate I got for $35.
So no old spices for me. I thought I had overcooked the meatballs, but it appears that I did not!
zhena gogolia
For any ALW fans, this weekend’s video is Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall with Sierra Boggess.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
I stupidly failed to heed his warning and did not order spices before they closed. I’m getting perilously low on paprika. Oh well.
lamh36
Laura Too
@dexwood: LOL, last year of the boomers. I missed a lot but always hung out with older folks but they never introduced me to these guys or I wasn’t paying attention. :)
Bill
@tomtofa: That is Alain’s ebay presence. I would imagine that his people are otherwise occupied. Just a few days ago, I received some in the mail, and I’ll be making portions available as soon as they’re ready, barring objections.
WaterGirl
@Martin: Ha! I meant electronic games.
WaterGirl
@Uncle Cosmo: @geg6:
I did not know the hot oil / spice trick. I will have to remember that.
UncleEbeneezer
@WaterGirl: Pasta with red sauce is one of those meals that gets better after a day or two in the fridge for some reason. Maybe not “better” but equally good in a slightly different way.
dexwood
@Laura Too: Music of the times. Pot Culture good time party album. You’ll always be a youngster to me.
laura
@Laura Too: Our last “family” dog Phred was a Brittany Basset -britanny colored but def in the pull up your socks basset shape. Man he was a reluctant go’er – more of a be’er. Once found brother the elder’s stash in a sock. Stoned so hard our mom thought we’d killed him. She got a call years later from brother the younger out on the road crying because she didn’t tell him Phred had died and he heard it from another Roadie who Christmas’d with us as a tour orphan. Thank you for the remembery.
OzarkHillbilly
Sharing Alain’s Sourdough Starter
I have to say that would be a great quick link. People here share little tips left and right, whether it be gardening, installing a door, a recipe for bread, or tweaking a computer.
ETA: tho that might be a lot of work for somebody. Still I think it’s a cool idea.
Laura Too
@dexwood: You won my heart!
Bill
@WaterGirl: With powdered spices, you can toast them (carefully) over medium heat in a dry pan as well, just keep them moving and remove from the heat as the color begins to deepen. Your nose knows.
Adam L Silverman
@tomtofa: That was it. But I thought his fiancé closed the sale down.
WaterGirl
@Bill: My mom taught me to cook by smell.
dexwood
@Laura Too: Let me run that by my wife.
dmsilev
@WaterGirl: ESPN actually has been airing some e-sports lately.
Twitch.tv is the main nexus for that sort of thing though.
WaterGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: I’m not quite sure what you’re saying. Sorry for being slow on the uptake.
WaterGirl
@dmsilev: I am not a gamer, so I can’t see how it would be fun to watch someone else play an electronic game. But maybe I’m missing out on something great.
Laura Too
@laura: OMG, that is awesome and sad all in the same breath. I was reading about how vets had to brush up on what pot does to animals as it was happening so often. Only problem we ever had was the damn deer would eat the plants when they were only a couple inches tall. No idea how they could find them and leave everything else…
Adam L Silverman
The Dog Lanterns approve of Saturday morning pets!
Adam L Silverman
@realbtl:
I prefer to think of myself as an enthusiast…
Laura Too
@dexwood: You can let her know I’m only talking my heart, the rest of me stays here.
Delk
Henry probably isn’t the only one needing a trim.
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: My first cocker spaniel (I was 20 at the time) loved alcohol. She would deliberately knock over drinks so she could lap them up.
The outside party for my 21st birthday started at noon, and somewhere around 2 o’clock, someone pulled me aside and said I needed to take care of Mellon. She was toasted. Drunk.
I had to hold her head up so she could lap up water. Here she is.
OzarkHillbilly
@WaterGirl: I am saying that under the quick links header, Sharing Alain’s Sourdough Starter could be a header that leads one to a bunch of comments or hints of how to do any number of things easier. Or better. Or quicker.
As I noted in the ETA tho, thinking about it further that may not not be very practical. It would require a lot of work by a very dedicated person. sigh…
I still think it’s a cool idea, sharing, especially as a way to honor Alain. Just not very practicable.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: Light saber dogs.
OzarkHillbilly
@Adam L Silverman: Heh.
WaterGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: I see where you’re going with that. Cool idea, but yeah, lots of maintenance.
HinTN
@WaterGirl: Sauce gets better with age.
Mousebumples
In addition to supporting local book stores, I would also suggest that those that have a favorite local game shop see if they can support them in some fashion during this time.
My brother in law is a big board game player in the Madison area, and I’ve used some of these links to support his local game shop – http://www.imboardgames.com/?page_id=6645
If you have your own gaming shop, I’m sure you can try to help them get some $$$ support for whatever games you want or need to keep your brain occupied.
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: What a cutie! We have a cocker spaniel who lives upstairs of us. Quite a sweetie but no taste for booze as far as I can tell. That had to have been an amazing day!
OzarkHillbilly
@WaterGirl: Yeah. Not practicable.
Just spitballing here.
rikyrah
Henry is soooo cute ??
dexwood
@WaterGirl: My Bouvie des Flanders, a rescue, was famous for knocking over beer bottles and cans. No other alcohol, only beer. Great dog. Gone too soon.
Seth
Keep that hair.
MisterForkbeard
@WaterGirl: I’m generally not that into it, but I do have friends who all get together and stream playing a game together.
It’s fun- sort of like watching a bunch of funny people perform, but they’ve got a thing they’re all doing they can react against.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: I tend to walk them after dark because it is usually cooler, though for much of the year, cooler is a relative term. So the light up colors and leashes are actually essential. Also, Rosie, the older one, is solid black, so I can turn her collar on and let her out after dark to pee and not lose sight of her.
These are from a company called Blazin Bison and I got them from Amazon. They are guaranteed for life. The harnesses are high visibility. They are from a veteran owned company called Chai’s Choice, also ordered from Amazon. Overall I’ve been very pleased with them.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
Wouldn’t Microsoft Teams be a better alternative? I’ve heard Zoom has security issues
dexwood
@dexwood:
eta: guests were often curious about his breed. French Beer Herder became our standard reply.
HumboldtBlue
@Uncle Cosmo:
You ain’t never lied and the same goes for soup, stew and Thanksgiving leftovers.
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: Do you prefer him with short hair, or long hair?
Adam L Silverman
@OzarkHillbilly: And when they say no squirrel, they mean NO SQUIRREL!!!!!!!
HumboldtBlue
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Yes, Zoom has security issues and I would not recommend downloading their program. It caused me some issues and I’m sure the computer nerds here can explain the details, all I know is it allowed my computer to be accessed from an outside source.
WaterGirl
@dexwood: So was my sweet Mellon. She died at 9 months old. I lived in a house with 9 people, and someone let her out not on a leash while i was at work.
It was fall, and she LOVED leaves. Apparently she followed a blowing leaf into the street and was hit by a car. The people stopped and knocked on the door, and my roommates jumped in the car with Mellon but she was gone before they could get her to the vet.
Tragic. She was one special girl.
Jo Jo las Orejas
Eso es un lindo perrito. Me encantaría jugar con él. ¿Dónde están sus oídos? ¿Los dejó en alguna parte?
WaterGirl
@Jo Jo las Orejas: Alas, Henry is not bilingual!
Van Buren
My Jackson could be Henry’s separated at birth twin.
WaterGirl
@Van Buren: Really!
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: Oh I’m so sorry! That is my greatest fear with every dog I’ve ever had.
Fair Economist
@WaterGirl: Like with physical sports, watching video games is mostly interesting to those who have played and enjoyed them.
dexwood
@WaterGirl: Oh, man, too sad. We had nine years with Ike.
Dinner bell. ‘Night, all.
danielx
@Uncle Cosmo:
I’ll kill you, you insensitive Nazi scumbag!
– Phineas upon being distracted by Fat Freddy, after scarfing a Colombian kazoo and imagining the most hilarious comic EVAR
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: It was traumatic. I told my roommates that I NEVER wanted to know who let her out. Ever. I was afraid that I could not be gracious about it, so it was better not to know.
She was one special dog.
edit: When we walked on a leash, she held the leash in her mouth.
Dorothy A. Winsor
My building asked for permission to repost some of my blog posts on their site in an attempt to suggest that not everyone who lives here is decrepit. The first one popped up today. For some reason, I kind of cringe at having my age spelled out there. I mean, you have to be old to live here!
Dorothy A. Winsor
Henry is cute both ways.
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: I was going through a divorce when mine got out (on ex’s watch) never did find her, and never did get over it. You were better off not knowing who did it.
Joy in FL
Henry will be perfect with any haircut or no haircut. What a sweet face : )
PersistentIllusion
@WaterGirl: I had a Lab who was addicted to cigarette butts and would hoover the ash trays (back when I smoked), chew them to extract the nicotine and then spit them out. You have no idea how disgusting it is to step on a damp cig butt left on the floor. And then have to deal with his paranoia. Gave him a beer, as he had been given since he ate a gram of hash during my ex’s Vietnam service. Dogs….
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: Oh, no.
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: Cute! I’ve always admired dogs who walk themselves. I’m too paranoid to let it happen. Reason I could never have kids, I’d be THAT parent, hovering over them, watching them sleep…even the tought gives me the willies.
Laura Too
@PersistentIllusion: I worked with someone who was a 3 pack a day person. When she quit the dog went through withdrawl. Who knew?
John Revolta
Huh. That’s one mighty cute pooch. Y’know, they say it ain’t seemly for a man to squeee….I’m just gonna go out on the porch for a second…
.
.
.
*ahem* yep, mighty cute pooch. Yessir.
MazeDancer .
Very dapper, Henry!
Would love a Saturday Pet Chat. And will be impossible to run out of material any time soon, one imagines.
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: She was so good, but I wouldn’t do that anymore. Age and wisdom and all that.
dmsilev
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
You should take a page from Oscar Wilde and claim to be thirty five: “Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years. Lady Dumbleton is an instance in point. To my own knowledge she has been thirty-five ever since she arrived at the age of forty, which was many years ago now.”
Dorothy A. Winsor
@dmsilev: Oh. What a good idea!
Anne Laurie
@danielx: Too many great FFF lines to recount, but the ones I use most often IRL are Shake a leg, you pedestrians! and I’m sorry, Senor, but it is against our religion to interfere with a naked crazy person…
raven
@Uncle Cosmo: I often use that quote.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@WaterGirl: Henry’s a fine lookin’ dog. Here’s my Nikki.
Barbara
@WaterGirl: Leftover spaghetti is always better. The pasta absorbs the flavor.
WaterGirl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: What a doll!
Bill
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): We have zoom on a burner chromebook, but not putting it on the other machines. Actually about to use it to watch a comedy show from LA
raven
@Laura Too: Oh my, lots of great stuff
Lonesome L.A. Cowboy
raven
and the ever popular
Panama Red
That same year, David Nelson, expert in both country and rock guitar, joined the group on electric lead guitar. Filling out the rhythm section in those early days were Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and engineer Bob Matthews on bass, who was later replaced by Phil Lesh. In 1970, Dave Torbert took over on bass and the New Riders played every chance they got. Soon enough, smoky clubs all over the San Francisco bay area were filling up with whooping, foot-stomping crowds as their music got tighter and more dynamic. They began to tour extensively with the Dead, and in December of 1970, Spencer Dryden, who had previously showed his impeccable drumming style with the Jefferson Airplane, had stepped in on drums.
WaterGirl
@MazeDancer .: Oh, good. I think you’re right about plenty of material, as long as people are interested.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: I love cocker spaniels.
Ruckus
@geg6:
Had a great aunt from Italy, I stayed with her and my great uncle for a couple of weeks and attended a number of family picnics over the years as a kid. Her family owned a small chain of supermarkets and raised the beef for the stores on a fairly large ranch they owned.
She taught me how to make fried zucchini flowers, an amazing dish that I’d never heard of and haven’t seen since.
The point of course was that she also showed me how to cook just like you said, put the majority of the spices in the oil as you are browning the garlic and everything is infused with the flavor. Plus it smells amazing while you are cooking.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: I have trouble with Henry if I let him out and there’s a lot of snow.
Hilfy
@WaterGirl: Flavors blend as the dish sits in the refrigerator. This is especially true of chili and other complex recipes. Please do organize a Pet Picture day, that would cheer me up a lot. Cole has been stingy with photos of his pack lately.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Me, too.
danielx
Joy.
WaterGirl
@Hilfy: Sounds like there is enough interest to make it happen. Thanks for the feedback.
J R in WV
We are so lucky to be up a tiny hollow, called a cove, in the WV mountains.
Our dogs can literally run for miles before they hit a blacktop road. Forested hillsides all over the mountain. We live on the south side of that mountain, and our tiny cove is pointed due south. The road into the hollow is paved until it reaches our little farm, where it turns into a country gravel road.
Laura Too
@raven: Wow! I have a lot of catching up tp do! Schlamezel left me too soon! We never even touched on his encyclopedic knowledge of music other than his awesome stories of working for a radio station. I will be spending time this weekend catching up. Good thing I don;t have anything else to do. Thanks!!
Uncle Cosmo
@WaterGirl: Last time I was in Prague we started going for meals to a craft brewery in walking distance from my friend’s place in the NE ‘burbs. Good food, reasonably priced
One day a guy came in to meet his partner, towing a couple of chocolate-brown retrievers (I think, I’m not good at breed recognition) who rather lustily lapped up (literally!) the golden liquid right out of his mug. I was wondering if that would do the dogs harm but they appeared none the worse for it.
Dan B
@lamh36: You’re so right!
People who seem like real people you’d want to spend time with and every so often realize that they are amazingly accomplished, in addition to spreading joy in their wake.
I get that Michelle Obama glow. And there really are people who are talented and who succeed because people love it when they do.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Omnes Omnibus:
We had a cocker all the while I was growing up. Mr DAW and I have had only mutts adopted from somewhere or other. They were all good dogs.
Jay Noble
You all have managed not to mention the BEST second-day food – Ham and Beans!
Chili finally got mentioned
Lasagna is darn good the second day but rarely does any of it make to a second day.
WaterGirl
@Uncle Cosmo: My parents owned a neighborhood tavern when I was growing up, and we lived upstairs.
There were two boxers who always came to the tavern and their owner would put two little plates down on the floor and pour beer on them to be lapped up.
WaterGirl
@Jay Noble: You must not live by yourself! Lasagna lasts a long time at my house.
Laura Too
@danielx: What a voice! Beautiful.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: I am not surprised. The funniest thing here is Rosie goes out at after dark, color is on, and she decides to have the zoomies. All you can see is the red collar zipping around the yard.
Barbara
@OzarkHillbilly: I would be intetested in receiving some.
danielx
@Laura Too:
And a slide guitar necromancer.
Dan B
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I’ve heard from a couple folks that Zoom has addressed the big security issues but it may only be the Zoombombing.
I’ve read that Skype is as easy and is more secure. The limit is 25 which seems like enuf to be pandemonium / anarchy.
raven
@Laura Too: This stuff is I’m my wheelhouse.
WaterGirl
@raven: @Laura Too: Uncle Raven!
Dan B
@WaterGirl: Such sad sweet memories of Mellon.
Uncle Cosmo
@danielx: The episode I remember starts (as do practically every FFFBros episode) with Phineas saying,
FTR I gave up weed about 35 years ago one New Years, after a couple of hits of some very potent stuff. In five minutes I was hiiiiiiigh. Five minutes later I had The Munchies. Five minutes after that I was falling asleep. Negative tolerance on speed. I thought, I’m risking jail time and my security clearance for 15 minutes of sortakinda fun?!!??!?!?!
Dadadadadadada
Just got off the phone with my fairly right-wing boomer dad. He’s doing social isolation, but is not a fan of so much “government control” and is openly derisive of the directive to always wear masks in public. He calls it a “superstition.” This is a guy who’s worn Mormon temple garments literally every day of his life since 1974.
WaterGirl
@Dan B: Exactly.
catclub
@Uncle Cosmo: no love for iroquoi ?
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: that is sweet. It is the reason I love this place so much. I miss the stories, he was such a great storyteller and so many people here are funny, warm, snarky storytellers. And fonts of knowledge about all subjects. Family.
Uncle Cosmo
@Jay Noble: Used to be a tradition that Us Guys would make Sauce on Sunday. And the longer it sat in the fridge the better it got!
(Whaddaya mean, what kind of sauce??? Spaghetti sauce!!!! Is there any other?)
raven
We’ve had 2 cockers, Raven and Lil Bit and my wife’s family raised them for years. Raven had the heart of a lion and fought anal cancer like a champ, it turns out we didn’t think it was fair to him to put through the hell of treatment but he lived 2 1/2 years after so maybe it was worth it. Now we’re in that shitty place where both Lil Bit and Bohdi are fading and it sucks to watch. Lil Bit sleeps in diapers and about tow nights out of three she goes in them. She still gets all they eye meds everyday as well as pred, thyroid and autoimmune meds. Bohdi is in pretty good spirits but the legs are going and we hope the daily rimadyl help him. I have a lift harness for him and he’s not going to like when I put it on him but it’s the only way I think I can help him.
raven
Hell, I even did a front page on these critters once upon a time.
Uncle Cosmo
@catclub: They send a rep to the UN, I’m all over it. Till then…
But how about Indonesia? Nasi goreng! Bami goreng! Rijsttafel!
Then of course there’s that culinary wonderland, Ireland…::rolls eyes::
SectionH
Late as usual. I should change my nym to Pirate Scum… but please do add Mysterious Galaxy to your Indie bookstore list. They’re doing a lot of virtual events it seems too, and as with their in RL events, they feature a lot of new cool authors in both mysteries and sf/f. And yeah, of course, they’ve fairly recently moved from their longtime location.
Oh, and Love the idea of the Saturday AM Pet feature.
raven
We’re liking Mrs America. Episode three centered on Shirley Chisholm and her run for president.
Ruckus
@WaterGirl:
My sense of smell has been gone for a few years now and it’s made cooking a lot tougher because I learned the same way, by smell. Now it’s just don’t burn it and all is good. I knew for sure it was completely gone one day a few years ago when I was cooking garlic shrimp and my roommate’s daughter said “Whatever that is that you are cooking smells amazing” from the other side of the living room and I was standing over the pan and couldn’t smell a thing.
WaterGirl
@raven: You could share photos of The Bohdi and Lil Bit through the years.
Gin & Tonic
@Uncle Cosmo: Up here it’s called gravy.
WaterGirl
@SectionH: Added!
raven
@WaterGirl: There are 500 pics of our dogs in here. Raven, Bohdi, Lil Bit, Ralph, Henry, Mr Big, Lenny and a cast of hundreds! The first one if Bohdi the day we found him.
JaySinWA
@WaterGirl: I’ve heard it called frying the spices, very common in Mexican cooking as well.
WaterGirl
@Ruckus: Oh, man, that would suck. I am all about the smells when cooking and baking.
raven
Bohdi wearing a bra!
Ruckus
@WaterGirl:
My mom told me once about 15 yrs ago that I had learned to drink alcohol when I was 3. Folks thew a party one night and one of the guests found me drinking out of the glasses that people set down. She said was drunk off my butt and was lucky that I didn’t pick up a drink that someone had put a cig out in. Ever since I was a whiskey guy.
WaterGirl
@raven: Holy cow, that’s a lot of pics. Saving that in an open browser window to look at. Really cool to have them all in one place like that.
WaterGirl
@Ruckus: I had my first sip of beer when I was 5.
WaterGirl
@raven: Baby Bohdi wearing a bra!
WaterGirl
I can’t believe it’s only 9 o’clock here. It feels like midnight. What a long, hard week. I think it’s time for bed.
Currants
I would love to sign up for some of Alain’s sourdough starter—I’d looked at his links when he posted them but was already too late for that round then.
Ruckus
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
It is a good idea. Anyone who cares how old a person is, is only trying to compare with you. What’s the old line, you are only as old as you feel. Some days I feel like, well never a youngster any more but maybe late middle age. And other days, I feel too old to think about how many sunsets I’ve seen. They are all pretty though. Especially when there is only water between you and the sight of the setting sun. See how easy that is, I forgot how old I am………
WaterGirl
Took a minute before closing down the computer to see what time Anne Laurie puts up the Sunday Morning Garden Chats. So I clicked on Garden Chats in the category bar. First one, around 5am. Next one, around 6am. Next one, around 7am.
The next one? A post by Alain, called Seeds. It’s breaking my heart. He was so excited about everything he was planting. Sobbing again. Damn.
WaterGirl
@Currants: Tomorrow I’ll put up a separate post called Alain’s Sourdough Starter Exchange, or something like that, and pin it in the sidebar.
People who would like some and who are willing to share theirs once it’s ready can all comment, and then we’ll have all the names in one place.
WaterGirl
‘Night, everyone.
Gin & Tonic
@WaterGirl: Are you going to be managing OTR? I keep meaning to post some travel photos, now that travel isn’t in the cards for a while.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Ruckus:
Spaulding!
dmsilev
@WaterGirl: A long time ago, back in the Usenet days, I remember seeing a posting that a regular of one of the groups I read had died in an accident. Thing is, messages could sometimes take several days to percolate around the world, and for about three or four days after the announcement, posts from the deceased popped up in various conversations. Pretty depressing.
CaseyL
@dmsilev: @Dorothy A. Winsor:
I knew someone who celebrated the Xth Anniversary of their 30th birthday. I thought that was kind of cute. (Though as we get older, we might want to move up which birthday we’re celebrating the anniversary of.)
Ruckus
@WaterGirl:
Like everything else, you get used to it. You learn what to do or how to do things different. Getting old isn’t for sissies. I just remember the man I met when I worked in professional sports. I’ve told about Jim before, when I met him and if you didn’t know how old he was you’d have bet no older than 65. He was 95. Lived for 9 more years and I saw him every one of those years. He didn’t really start to slow down till he was about 101. Sort of amazing, someone full of life and over 100.
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: Night Johnboy.
CaseyL
Henry is adorable in both Freshly Groomed and Oh It’s Been A While, but I have a slight preference for Freshly Groomed. His face seems a bit more expressive.
@raven: Fine looking family. Fabulous pups! How many years does it span?
zhena gogolia
Wow, we just watched the first half of Phantom of the Opera. I’ve never actually seen the thing, although I know lots of the music. I am lapping it up, but I cannot believe it was a huge hit on Broadway (and is still playing, or would be if it weren’t for Covid). It is sooooo kitschy.
The singing is great in this version. I think Sierra Boggess is the best interpreter of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
randy khan
Hey, WaterGirl (and everyone else), one more museum with virtual tours (and a lot more):
Corning Museum of Glass
They literally have glass from the dawn of glassmaking to the most current contemporary work.
The videos linked on this page are phenomenal, too, including lots of demonstrations. But if people are interested in understanding how glass pieces are made, I’d strongly recommend the series on Venetian glassmaking. The guy who made them, William Gudenrath, is one of the modern masters of the technique (despite being born in Texas) and is great at explaining it.
ET
If anyone wants to go the used book route https://www.capitolhillbooks-dc.com/ on Capitol Hill in DC is still open at least for online orders. They were (I think still are) doing a mystery bag. You tell them what you want and give a price you want to spend and you get what they pick.
Ruckus
@raven:
Lil Bit looks so much like my old dog Bud. He was a grouchy old fart but he was a great companion for one person.
The two of them could have been twins.
randy khan
@zhena gogolia:
I saw Phantom when someone in my office had tickets and couldn’t use them. We were sitting way up in the 2nd balcony, close to where the chandelier sat before it made its grand entrance, which was kind of strange.
Anyway, yes, it’s really kitschy. Maybe kitschier if you’re sitting so close to the chandelier.
zhena gogolia
@randy khan:
I guess it blew people’s minds when it first appeared.
Yutsano
You guys are here talking about a kitsch thread and all I can think about is smörgåsbord. And I just ate dinner.
joel hanes
Help save the US Postal Service.
Order stamps by mail at
usps.com
And then, write a letter to someone. How long has it been since you did that?
Many of us can no longer plausibly use the “Who has the time?” excuse.
mrmoshpotato
Shake your bones in the air like you just don’t care!
Technology Connections – It’s time for the coffee percolators!
randy khan
@zhena gogolia:
It did.
Sometimes I think that stagecraft is underestimated as a contributor to what we think of as classic shows. Phantom has the chandelier and the boat ride; A Chorus Line has the mirror that appears at the end; Miss Saigon has the helicopter; heck, Hello Dolly has a freaking train on stage *and* a parade. Of those shows, only two have really good music, and only one has a strong plot.
Belafon
I just saw an ad on here for Rosegirl.com selling things like paper masks and face shields. Googling the company it looks like a lot are calling it a scam.
JaySinWA
@Dan B: Skype is easy if you have 1 or 2 people, it gets more difficult the more people you add. As to security, I wouldn’t bet my money on it.
Zoom seems much simpler to me. Much of the security issues were poor defaults that left things open. Some are design issues, but the latest version’s defaults work around most of those. They don’t do end to end encryption yet, so don’t expose corporate secrets, plot bank heists or government overthrows. Yes, they didn’t design with security in mind, for the most part it was ease of use.
Teams is a bear to use for hosting meetings out side of a structured group setting. It is constantly changing as an MS work in progress. I would have even less confidence in its security than Skype and maybe a toss up with Zoom. Zoom has a huge user base now so it both a major target and a subject of study. Teams is mostly security by obscurity IMHO.
Grover Gardner
That’s a much hipper look for Henry. ;-)
JaySinWA
@Grover Gardner: He does seem to be going for the Miami Vice look, if that’s your thing. Not mine:) I kid, he looks more natural.
rikyrah
@Adam L Silverman:
that is so cute??
Adam L Silverman
@raven: He was fine until he sprung that booby trap!
Bill
@Currants: I’ll make sure to pass some along. It’s percolating now.
gwangung
@randy khan:
I know that.
My highest grossing show? I literally crashed a train on stage (AND I dropped an actor onto the top of the set from a hovering airship).
Yeah, that shit works.
The Lodger
@WaterGirl: Reminds me of the old euphemism for haircut, “getting your ears lowered.”
mayim
Bookstores:
I see that Harvard Books in Cambridge has been mentioned. Not to be confused with the ‘official’ university bookstore, the Harvard Cooperative, now run by Barnes & Noble. A moment of silence, please, for the independent Coop (rhymes with loop) of my childhood, as well as the late and very lamented brick & mortar Schoenhof’s Foreign Books (web presence just isn’t the same…), along with the 24 hour Brattle Books, long gone except for fond memories of being judged old enough to tag along with my parents after my younger brother went to bed.
Other good options, all doing phone/mail orders as far as I know:
The Tribune, Norway, Maine
Left Bank Books, Belfast, Maine
Both of these are small town [Norway pop. 4500, Belfast 6600] book stores that ~ in addition to being great indie book shops ~ provide excellent support to the local libraries and other cultural institutions [The Tribune, for example, sells tickets for local theater companies and events at the historical society with no service fee].
Longfellow Books, Portland ME
Talking Leaves, Buffalo NY
And, finally (yeah, librarian me has opinions on good bookstores…. ), in Chicago, 57th Street Books/Seminary Co-op Bookstore.
Adam L Silverman
@rikyrah: They just got their walk. And since it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow, we went twice as far tonight as we usually would have gone.
something fabulous
i like his more wooly look! Did you ever read the cartoon Tintin? He looks just like sidekick Snowy! a favorite!
joel hanes
@WaterGirl:
Late to this, but …
I spent a summer working in the kitchen of a summer camp, helping cook for 120 kids. By the time I’d been fooling with 120 servings of something for three hours, I could no longer smell it, and was seldom very interested in eating it. The next day, when I was cooking something else, the previous day’s menu items tasted great.
Smell is a big part of taste, and your nose goes “blind” to persistent smells after a couple hours — turns them off, as background.
So if you simmered the sauce, and cooked the meatballs, and then ate, all in one go, your nose was probably blanking out the aromatic parts of the flavor — the spices and garlic, particularly.
If you spend hours preparing a meal, do yourself a favor and wash your hands and face, rinse your mouth with water, go put on clean clothes, and step outside for a minute or two before sitting down to dinner. It’ll taste much better.
Jackie
@joel hanes: I’m old-fashioned and write to my Florida grandsons on a regular basis. They’re learning cursive writing and I’m part of their education!????
NotMax
Mmmmmm, smorgasbord.
Do miss seeing a regular weekly food/foodie post. It doesn’t need to include a recipe in the post itself, just be dedicated to food (and drink!), however obliquely (examples: (1) favorite food scenes in books, TV or movies, (2) recipes I will never, ever make again, (3) home brewing tips and tricks, (4) the signature dish my parent/grandparent/other relation is/was known for). Recipes, of course, to be shared and traded in the comments themselves as demand sees fit.
James E Powell
@joel hanes:
That’s exactly what happened to me the summer I cooked Kentucky Fried Chicken. I would go home and shower but I couldn’t be sure I didn’t still smell like it. To this day, I don’t eat it.
SectionH
@Ruckus:
@joel hanes: I’m not sure about the mechanisms that shut some smells off but not others, vs. just a sudden loss of any sense of smell. I “get” that there are receptors one is just not born with for certain smells. I can’t smell Lonicera fragantissima, which is just ridiculous. Most fragarent ffs?
About overkill loss, I hung around stables enough starting when I was about 10 that I realized one day walking in that I couldn’t smell “horse” pee or poo or just warm horse. It was Whoa wut? Spent many years after that in and out of stables, never got much smell.
When I got a nasty Southern Hemisphere bug in NZ en route to Melbourne years ago, it was a very new bug to me, and I fought and fought it while we were working 16 hours a day, and then taking our helpers around the East Coast. But that bug was nasty and did not want to give up. We were up on the North Shore of Oahu on the way home when I totally lost my sense of smell – I mean zip. It was a real WTF thing even though I’d been sick for weeks. Found a doctor in Kahuku, who took one listen to my chest, said I had srsly bad bronchitis, prescribed me drugs and an inhaler, and offered to write me a “I mean this: she should not fly” note to my airline. Never had such a lack of interest in food ever. It was almost active disgust.
My sense of smell came back gradually over a couple of weeks and was a good as it ever was for a long time. These days it’s not all that great, but damn. Of course now I’m constantly checking the things I still can smell. This fucking allergy season is not helping.
edited for crucial trading that t around. I couldn’t have made that up.
smike
@NotMax: I like that.
WaterGirl
@Gin & Tonic: Yep. I’m putting something up tomorrow to let everyone know the plan.
WaterGirl
@joel hanes: Just woke up, heading for bed. I didn’t even eat it the day I made the spaghetti and meatballs. It didn’t appeal to me at all.
That is what I love about eating at someone else’s house. You walk in and it smells fabulous, which you don’t get to experience when you’re the one doing the cooking.
Ruckus
@SectionH:
It was a sort of gradual loss for me over what seemed a couple of years. It just snuck up on me that I just couldn’t smell anything. The biggest change was noticing that food just didn’t do much for me any longer, because so much of our sense of taste is really sense of smell. The garlic shrimp story was a while after it was gone but I hadn’t really accepted it before that. It may be among some other neurological crap that nothing can be done about either. People lose senses or at least some degree of them all the time. Things like the 20% loss of my hearing in one ear.
Still, I can’t recommend it as something to look forward to.
And I can still listen to John Prine sing. A legacy can be a good thing.
Lymie
@WaterGirl:
two more bookstores
Still North https://www.stillnorthbooks.com in Hanover, NH
Book Passage https://www.bookpassage.com in San Francisco
Uncle Cosmo
Don’t tell me, let me guess: “Up there” yinz call soda pop “tonic” and sub sandwiches “grindahs”, amirite?
There’s a word for you people, & that word is fuctup. ;^p
Albatrossity
Good to make Henry’s virtual acquaintance!
He’s looking great!
TheronWare
Hello Henry!
JAFD
Greetings from New Jersey, where April showers pour down this morn, fellow jackals.
Some recommendations – local bookstores
wordbookstores.com – in Jersey City (also Brooklyn)
http://www.wordsbookstore.com/ – In Maplewood
https://www.montclairbookcenter.com/ – If you miss Leary’s, and the Strand is too crowded…
Game shops
timewarpcomics.com – Cedar Grove, near Wayne. Pure Jersey grunge
MaplewoodHobby.com – Thursday night historical miniatures will resume sometime…
thecompleatstrategist.com – Half a block from the Empire State. Manhattan brusque, crowded, if they don’t have it in stock, nobody does
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Games-Keep/310790778965039 – In West Chester, Pa. A national treasure
(You all know about boardgamegeek.com, right ? )
Was at Newark’s old main post office yesterday. New Deal vintage building, lobby shows that someone got a good deal on pink marble (not countertops, tho ;-) ). Bought three sheets of stamps – JFK, sportsballs, and flower bouquets.
Have great weekend. Stay healthy, happy and hydrated – dogs and all.
WaterGirl
Good morning,
How nice to wake up to all the kind words and hellos to Henry! He appreciates it, too, and Tucker is saying, “What am I, chopped liver?”
WaterGirl
Thanks for all the indy bookstore recommendations. They have all been added to the original post that’s in the sidebar:
Book Recommendations & Indy Recs