| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
On my way to my driving test, I came upon a construction zone that went around a curve and the view was somewhat limited by trees.
Flagger on my end told me to go.
I avoided a head-on collision by diving my car directly into the construction area, between two large pieces of equipment.
The construction guys didn't have a flagger at the other end.
I then got demerits on my test because there's a couple intersections in that town, in areas I had never been before, that had uncontrolled intersections that I did not recognize as uncontrolled.
I really wonder how I would have been scored if the construction zone incident had happened during my test.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Oh. Huh. I sometimes have dreams about giving lectures naked. And here we are.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Well, as I said, the *main* frustration is that I've been badgering him about signaling before pulling out for the entire time we've been training together, and he missed that one as well.
As he put it, he'd just backed down the dead center of the road, hence he'd been looking behind him the whole time. When the instructor said, "Go forward," he already knew there was no one behind him (he'd just been looking there) so he went.
But he should have signaled, he should have checked, and he's going to have 3 more weeks of public transportation to remind him to be more careful during the next test.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Driving tests are a pain.
and I hate the traps they set for the testers.
Mine was a stop sign posted just a LITTLE too far before you actually get to the intersection. (Found out the town the test center is in did that on PURPOSE) So that if you stop AT the intersection, you have actually RUN the stop sign. Auto-Fail. Even though you 'ran' the sign by a total of 2-3 feet., and stopped at the intersection properly. And did everything else right,...
Yeah, Old wizard still a little salty about that even today. ;P
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hermione over breakfast:
"Is there a spell you can give me to make me look like a female aboleth? So when we go up against another aboleth, I can distract it?"
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
The Cidercade taproom was featuring a smoked rye cider last night.
It was good.
They also had Dragon's Lair AND Dragon's Lair II.
I played for about five minutes before I realized, "Oh yeah, that's why I stopped playing Dragon's Lair (arcade). Dragon's Lair for PC was easier."
WW and I spent about half an hour in the Lost World, until we won. It really pissed me off that you have to kill a brachiosaurus, just because it's trying to stomp your jeep. It felt wrong.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Driving tests are a pain.
and I hate the traps they set for the testers.Mine was a stop sign posted just a LITTLE too far before you actually get to the intersection. (Found out the town the test center is in did that on PURPOSE) So that if you stop AT the intersection, you have actually RUN the stop sign. Auto-Fail. Even though you 'ran' the sign by a total of 2-3 feet., and stopped at the intersection properly. And did everything else right,...
Yeah, Old wizard still a little salty about that even today. ;P
I'm fairly sure I mentioned it before, but I am similarly still bitter about my driving test: The tester had me parallel park while facing up a decently-steep hill (maybe an 8-10% grade) in a manual transmission.
As my father had taught me, I got into position, put in the clutch, shifted into first, and let gravity roll me backwards. It's a simple safety precaution: If things go wrong, you're in a forward gear so you can easily pull out again or slow your plummet.
The tester deducted 10 points for rolling backwards in a forward gear. She said it would damage the transmission. "Er, no. It's a manual transmission with the clutch in. It doesn't bother it at all."
"Yes, it does."
"No, it doesn't."
"Yes, it does."
I refrained from explaining basic physics to her and let it go, passing with a 71/100.
Amusingly enough, most of my friends got in the 90s. And most of them got into significant collisions over the years. Even with a 71, I've never been in a reported collision.
(At 18 I had a threefer: Trying to take a U-turn at 30 mph, skidding out, and knocking in the right front tire of the car for a full axle replacement. Trying to swerve into the right lane at 45 mph in a 25 zone while a woman was passing me on the right at 50. And bumping into the back of the car in front of me because they chose not to go at a Stop sign for unknown reasons. One of those, "Oh, it's totally clear, so that guy's going to go, so I should go," except they just... didn't go...)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The Cidercade taproom was featuring a smoked rye cider last night.
It was good.
They also had Dragon's Lair AND Dragon's Lair II.
I played for about five minutes before I realized, "Oh yeah, that's why I stopped playing Dragon's Lair (arcade). Dragon's Lair for PC was easier."WW and I spent about half an hour in the Lost World, until we won. It really pissed me off that you have to kill a brachiosaurus, just because it's trying to stomp your jeep. It felt wrong.
the action/reaction age ended too early. But there wasnt a lot of potential there.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The Cidercade taproom was featuring a smoked rye cider last night.
It was good.
They also had Dragon's Lair AND Dragon's Lair II.
I played for about five minutes before I realized, "Oh yeah, that's why I stopped playing Dragon's Lair (arcade). Dragon's Lair for PC was easier."WW and I spent about half an hour in the Lost World, until we won. It really pissed me off that you have to kill a brachiosaurus, just because it's trying to stomp your jeep. It felt wrong.
There's a couple locations in Peoria and Bloomington called 8-bit Arcade. Same idea. Bar and about 20-30 old arcade games. The one in Bloomington also has a monthly day where the local game store (Red Raccoon) sets up shop with a bunch of board games. Win-win for both businesses.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hermione over breakfast:
"Is there a spell you can give me to make me look like a female aboleth? So when we go up against another aboleth, I can distract it?"
Do aboleth even have sexual differences, much less genders? I'm honestly curious, they're not one of the kinds of critters I've done much reading on.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Do aboleth even have sexual differences, much less genders? I'm honestly curious, they're not one of the kinds of critters I've done much reading on.Hermione over breakfast:
"Is there a spell you can give me to make me look like a female aboleth? So when we go up against another aboleth, I can distract it?"
Taking into account their supposed alien, eldritch nature, I'd make them asexual or otherwise non-standard when it comes to reproduction.
| 8 people marked this as a favorite. |
Credit goes to the kids.
We told them we were shutting off electronics for the day and they didn't act like we were punishing them.
Yes, I realize I'm on an electronic device, but what happens in the laundry room stays in the laundry room.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Taking into account their supposed alien, eldritch nature, I'd make them asexual or otherwise non-standard when it comes to reproduction.Do aboleth even have sexual differences, much less genders? I'm honestly curious, they're not one of the kinds of critters I've done much reading on.Hermione over breakfast:
"Is there a spell you can give me to make me look like a female aboleth? So when we go up against another aboleth, I can distract it?"
To the best of my understanding, Paizo presupposes asexual reproduction - the new one being a clone of the old one with a perfect memory of single ancestor before it (though none of the inherent abilities; think Flowers of Algeron, I suppose, which seems like it would be enough to make anyone grumpy).
Also the newblets are formed into things that make sense/best help "the plan" out.
Prior to PF, my best understanding is that aboleths either reproduced by fish-like eggs ('cause, you know, they're basically psychic mutant three-eyed fish), or reproduced by way of their slaves (because, you know, ew - more specifically, transforming their slaves).
According to this, in FR:
Aboleths were all hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. When aboleths bred, they did so in private, laying roughly three to nine eggs once every five years. When laid, the eggs gestated for the same five years before hatching into fully functional aboleths. Although these young aboleths were, for all intents and purposes, adults in all but size, they typically remained with their parent for roughly a decade, obeying the elder aboleth without question before setting out on their own.
That seems to be about the most definitive non-Paizo lore.
The 5e Aboleths are suuuuuper-different, and I don't know how well they're integrated into various canons, because they're basically unkillable (they get killed and insta-respawn into the plane of water) - I don't know if they have any reproductive methods.
One should never, ever confuse them for Abeloth.
(Though she is, I'd say, the definitive "female version" of such things. So the spell Hermione is looking for should make her "look" like this. It'd be... lovely.)
EDIT: That said, based on her expressed desires, I'd recommend making them fish-like. Wikipedia for reference (warning: dissected fish, like, right there) - for best results, I'd recommend you fusing the best (read: creepiest) elements of Angler Fish Sea Horses, and Octopi () that also allow her trick to work. But, uh. Definitely watch those videos without your kids, at first. They're hilarious, but prooooooobably not considered kid-appropriate by most.
Oh, sure, here's the whole playlist. Enjoy, and try not to laugh too loudly around those who aren't watching with you. :)
(Language warning. A lot.)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Last I heard aboleths were dual gendered and reproduced by laying eggs they fertilized themselves.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Also, I got the pin.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
How you know you've raised your kids to not be min/maxers.
Tiny T-Rex rolled his scores for Starfinder, got mostly 10-12 scores. And is super happy about them.
| 7 people marked this as a favorite. |
Rules questions no one else has to answer.
The General: Can my solar weapon look like a little yippie dog? It would function like a mace. I found it in the woods.
Me: Yes.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Is he beating people to death with a little yippie dog?
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Random thoughts on a Saturday evening:
And it's hard.
(I'm pretty sure you're all already aware of the threads, but there's:
- The family Strange Aeons game
- Our just-started Shattered Star game
- My PC's "journal" of Shiro's AP
And yeah, it's a lot of reading
And then I remembered: When I was a kid and my friends weren't around (i.e., most weekdays), it was TV or reading. And the TV was crap. In my 20s and 30s before we had kids (no taking care of the kids), we had a rental place (no home repairs), and so we had massive amounts of free time. Video games didn't take all of it, so we read. Especially during the summers, since I was a teacher.
It's just amazing how little "free" time I have now, and how differently I use it
Anyway, back to work on my outline of Magnimar. Yeah, I have the book, but I need a 6-page reference, not a 50-page one...
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Is he beating people to death with a little yippie dog?
That ought to result in you, everyone you know, and everyone you'll ever meet losing their paladin status, should they have it.
If that isn't cruel and unusual punishment, really, what is?
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Is he beating people to death with a little yippie dog?That ought to result in you, everyone you know, and everyone you'll ever meet losing their paladin status, should they have it.
If that isn't cruel and unusual punishment, really, what is?
The General, being my wife, is a she.
And frankly, after what she does to me tonight she can have her solar weapon look like whatever she wants.
However, if anyone mentions it says that in the rules and isn't subject to my approval and I'll sell you all for spice.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Random thoughts on a Saturday evening:
Having given up on reading, television, and video games in favor of writing and working on the house, I end up writing a lot. And running three journals at once is likely to overwhelm all but the most avid of readers. So I'm sitting here on tons and tons of material saying, "One post a day, NobodysHome. One post a day."
And it's hard.
(I'm pretty sure you're all already aware of the threads, but there's:
- The family Strange Aeons game
- Our just-started Shattered Star game
- My PC's "journal" of Shiro's AP
And yeah, it's a lot of reading
Speaking of reading, as I was shoving a bunch of our "keeper" books under the bed in the studio, I started thinking of the hundreds and hundreds of books I'd read over my lifetime. And I wondered, "How on Earth did I ever find time to read so much?"
And then I remembered: When I was a kid and my friends weren't around (i.e., most weekdays), it was TV or reading. And the TV was crap. In my 20s and 30s before we had kids (no taking care of the kids), we had a rental place (no home repairs), and so we had massive amounts of free time. Video games didn't take all of it, so we read. Especially during the summers, since I was a teacher.
It's just amazing how little "free" time I have now, and how differently I use it
Speaking of campaigns, GothBard's unbelievably sick, so at least I won't have any new journal entries to write; just slowly trickling in the old ones
Speaking of kids, the driving test taught me a lot about what was lacking in Impus Major's driving education. It's getting to the point that it'll be nighttime when he drives home on Mondays, and he has maybe 20-30 minutes of nighttime driving under his belt. He...
Honestly, being one of your loyal readers on your campaign journals for a while now, the only one that feels long to me is Strange Aeons. That's mostly because everyone is frustrated with it. I know we're all hoping that the writing gets better for Books 5-6.
Shattered Star has had a very good beginning with Impus Minor's character entries.
Trig is interesting. Almost feeling like she should have been an alchemist instead of a rogue.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
NH I hope that GothBard feels better soon.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
An ashen fox strolls through the thread! (monster on the blog)
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Taking the train to work, I always read in the train.
Yeah, when I worked in San Fransisco and commuted by BART, I got in a LOT of crosswords and reading.
Somehow, commuting from the bedroom to the living room, not so much...
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
An ashen fox strolls through the thread! (monster on the blog)
I want it.
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Riding with Impus Major for the last couple of days after his failure, giving him free rein has really let me start seeing the issues (and try to correct them).
- He knows the dimensions of the car ridiculously well, and he's willing to use that knowledge. Great when you're trying to pass a car going the other way on a narrow street. Really, really bad when you're passing a bicyclist or pedestrian. "If I can reach out the window and grab the cyclist's behind, you're TOO CLOSE! Give them space!"
Today a guy was walking along at a good clip and Impus Major barely touched the brakes, since he would obviously miss him. Passing a pedestrian at 12 mph, even if the pedestrian is already clear, is Not OK
- Signaling, signaling, signaling. It turns out the only reason he signaled was because I'd say, "Turn right up here," and he'd immediately start signaling. Letting him navigate on his own has been horrifying, both for his lack of direction and for his sudden complete inability to signal.
So yeah, I'm afraid the tester was right: Impus Major has a few kinks to work out. Fortunately, they're behavioral rather than ability-driven, so it's just hour after hour after hour of, "You came too close to that pedestrian/bicyclist. You signaled too late. You didn't move over enough."
Really important stuff, but so far nothing that's been actually out-and-out dangerous. (I started in on cyclists early, so he gives them "enough" space; I'm just trying to get him to add a couple of feet of cushion because stuff happens.) And it helps that his friend got an auto-fail for exactly that: failing to give cyclists enough room.
Around here, a significant portion of the cyclists are absolute <obscenities>. Still doesn't mean you get to hit them or force them off their bikes. If I can open my door and hit the cyclist, then you drove too close to the cyclist.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
"If you're passing cyclists, pedestrians, or wheelchair users on the road, be sure to keep your distance.
Drivers who don't create at least a five-foot space between their vehicles and the people they're passing can be ticketed."
We've actually got a local ordinance that specifies the minimum distance.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
We've actually got a local ordinance that specifies the minimum distance."If you're passing cyclists, pedestrians, or wheelchair users on the road, be sure to keep your distance.
Drivers who don't create at least a five-foot space between their vehicles and the people they're passing can be ticketed."
SWEET BABY JESUS
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Riding with Impus Major for the last couple of days after his failure
PLEASE tell me you told him to meditate on his failure while wearing a black robe.
Around here, a significant portion of the cyclists are absolute <obscenities>.
HEY!
Still doesn't mean you get to hit them or force them off their bikes.
Okay this is true...
If I can open my door and hit the cyclist, then you drove too close to the cyclist.
...That doesn't work around here.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
We've actually got a local ordinance that specifies the minimum distance."If you're passing cyclists, pedestrians, or wheelchair users on the road, be sure to keep your distance.
Drivers who don't create at least a five-foot space between their vehicles and the people they're passing can be ticketed."
5' is amazingly large -- practically a car width. I'm amazed any city in the U.S. grants that much space. As a cyclist, I was always happy with the "car door" method because even though it was closer to 3', it always felt ample.
EDIT: And yeah, back from our drive, and he was really good with cyclists and pedestrians the whole trip, but now it's the whole, "Just because you CAN stop that quickly doesn't mean you SHOULD."
Trying to get him to brake early and softly instead of late and hard...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
And yeah, 79˚F today. Welcome to mid-November. Glad I didn't work on the roof...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
But he should have signaled, he should have checked, and he's going to have 3 more weeks of public transportation to remind him to be more careful during the next test.
How the hell did you schedule a driving test three weeks out? Here in the South Bay, it takes about three months. I have a driving test December 4th, and I scheduled that back in September, for the earliest day available. And if I fail, I fully expect to wait months to take another test. Since I have no family I can practice with, that means at least another several hundred on professional lessons, on top of what I've already spent, just to keep practicing through those three months.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Around here, a significant portion of the cyclists are absolute <obscenities>.
It's not like drivers are any better. It just gets shrugged off because drivers are the majority and cyclists are the minority.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
How the hell did you schedule a driving test three weeks out? Here in the South Bay, it takes about three months. I have a driving test December 4th, and I scheduled that back in September, for the earliest day available. And if I fail, I fully expect to wait months to take another test. Since I have no family I can practice with, that means at least another several hundred on professional lessons, on top of what I've already spent, just to keep practicing through those three months.But he should have signaled, he should have checked, and he's going to have 3 more weeks of public transportation to remind him to be more careful during the next test.
*YOU* weren't willing to drive all the way to Eureka to get a new test.
Other than that, after a November 16 appointment, Davis had the earliest at January 26, and everything else, from Sacramento to Stockton to Napa to San Jose, was February and beyond.
So I took the day off and Impus Major and I are going to have a fun road trip. Just for a DMV test.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Around here, a significant portion of the cyclists are absolute <obscenities>.It's not like drivers are any better. It just gets shrugged off because drivers are the majority and cyclists are the minority.
So, we can agree to disagree on this, but a driver who's trying to run a stop sign and sees you typically brakes and lets you through; I have to slam on the brakes for a driver running a stop sign maybe once a month, if that.
For bicyclists running stop signs, it's at least once a week.
If bicyclists are in the minority, why do I have to brake more often for them when I have the right of way?
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Around here, a significant portion of the cyclists are absolute <obscenities>.It's not like drivers are any better. It just gets shrugged off because drivers are the majority and cyclists are the minority.So, we can agree to disagree on this, but a driver who's trying to run a stop sign and sees you typically brakes and lets you through; I have to slam on the brakes for a driver running a stop sign maybe once a month, if that.
For bicyclists running stop signs, it's at least once a week.
If bicyclists are in the minority, why do I have to brake more often for them when I have the right of way?
Because, while drivers don't follow the rules any more than cyclists, they commit different violations than cyclists do? Like, cyclists habitually run stop signs, but drivers habitually speed, block the box, and block crosswalks. Drivers also are prone to not signal or look before changing lanes, just like cyclists doing stuff without warning.
And, as a cyclist, I can assure you drivers don't give a damn about giving a 3 foot passing distance, and very often don't respect the right to take the lane. Also, while it is fully legal to make a left turn on a bicycle, it's insanely dangerous, because no driver lets you make those lane changes.
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
We've actually got a local ordinance that specifies the minimum distance."If you're passing cyclists, pedestrians, or wheelchair users on the road, be sure to keep your distance.
Drivers who don't create at least a five-foot space between their vehicles and the people they're passing can be ticketed."5' is amazingly large -- practically a car width. I'm amazed any city in the U.S. grants that much space. As a cyclist, I was always happy with the "car door" method because even though it was closer to 3', it always felt ample.
EDIT: And yeah, back from our drive, and he was really good with cyclists and pedestrians the whole trip, but now it's the whole, "Just because you CAN stop that quickly doesn't mean you SHOULD."
Trying to get him to brake early and softly instead of late and hard...
Next time you're in the netherlands we should totally go cycling.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Why is it so hard to get two small boys out of the house.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Why is it so hard to get two small boys out of the house.
You don't have a big enough catapult?
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Last night's Pathfinder session was very nearly a TPK, but for the lone spriggan we had left to fight graciously accepting the ranger's surrender. Oh, the indignity.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Why is it so hard to get two small boys out of the house.You don't have a big enough catapult?
This.
But we can remedy this! :)
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Next time you're in the netherlands we should totally go cycling.We've actually got a local ordinance that specifies the minimum distance."If you're passing cyclists, pedestrians, or wheelchair users on the road, be sure to keep your distance.
Drivers who don't create at least a five-foot space between their vehicles and the people they're passing can be ticketed."5' is amazingly large -- practically a car width. I'm amazed any city in the U.S. grants that much space. As a cyclist, I was always happy with the "car door" method because even though it was closer to 3', it always felt ample.
EDIT: And yeah, back from our drive, and he was really good with cyclists and pedestrians the whole trip, but now it's the whole, "Just because you CAN stop that quickly doesn't mean you SHOULD."
Trying to get him to brake early and softly instead of late and hard...
I'll let you convince GothBard of that. :-P
NobodysHome: Commuted by bicycle for 16 years; did 320 km tour of northern Germany during his 1987 trip to Europe...
Impus Major: Was called a "bicycle centaur" in his youth; hasn't ridden in years, but game for anything
Impus Minor: Can ride, if you force him to. And is the only family member other than NobodysHome who still owns a bike
GothBard: Considers bicycles a form of horrific torture perpetrated by sadistic fitness psychotics
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Today we have Paco & Poopa (which should absolutely be a detective show on CBS) working with us.
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Also, our carpenter is named Scooter and our electrician is called Sparky.
Gotta love the Midwest!