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** spoiler omitted **
Damn.
I'm so sorry that happened.
I will send Eve a nice Chianti and a can of Fava beans.
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Apparently, I'm sending her more that just aperitifs, I'm also sending dessert.
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This may be a cultural thing. Lots of people outside of the US (read- non whites) LOVE chocolate and coconut together, and almonds is a nice touch too. It's popular in certain areas as it is associated with decadence.We had an interesting candy discussion last night. Impus Major started it off by asking why Almond Joy bars exist: They're nobody's favorite candy bar, so how does the manufacturer make a profit if the only way they're sold is through Halloween "mixed candy" bags?
I brought it up with the group, and the feeling was similar: No one considered Almond Joys anything above middle-of-the-road candy (we have no coconut haters, so nobody in the group hated them). However, two of the group members pointed out that if there were two variety bags offered, one with Almond Joy and one without, they'd preferentially choose the bags with.
Which is hard for me to get my mind around. Almond Joy is consistently everyone's third choice in any mixed candy bag. So why does everyone want to see it in the bag?
I would argue that that's because they're far more likely to get actual chocolate and coconut, which is indeed a brilliant combination.
Here's a U.S. Almond Joy bar:
Corn syrup, sugar, coconut, vegetable oil, almonds, lactose. Contains 2% or less of: Chocolate, reduced protein whey, skim milk, cocoa, cocoa processed with alkalai, whey, salt, etc.
Since they're required to be listed in content order, the bar is less than 1/3 coconut, and less than 6% chocolate products, with *no* cocoa butter nor cocoa liquor. Considering that the online recipe for sweetened coconut for cakes mixes 4 teaspoons of sugar per cup of unsweetened coconut, you can see how twisted those ratios are.
Our complaints are not an indictment of chocolate and coconut; they're an indictment of U.S.-made Almond Joy bars, which have very little to do with the former.
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First, 50% of the staff got laid off. I would have tolerated that. Then, 90% of the contractors. I probably would have stayed. Then our favorite "free speech absolutist" started perma-banning comedians for mocking him, and firing engineers who called out his incorrect public statements. I would have definitely been looking for another job.
Today, we learned that he's demanding everyone be in the office "at least" 40 hours a week and sign a statement declaring that they're willing to go into "hardcore" mode or accept 3 months' severance and leave.
GothBard is unemployed. We have a mortgage and could lose the house if I went unemployed for more than 6 months. Even under those conditions, at this point I'd walk away.
The only people Twitter will have left will be the economically desperate and the fanatical Musk believers.
I don't see Twitter being a functional company by this time next year.
Also, while in NM, I added another entry to my ever-growing list of forum people I've hung out with in real life:
** spoiler omitted **
Ooh! Ooh! Here's my complete list! ** spoiler omitted **
And Vany keeps threatening to visit if he ever follows through on his Big Western Road Trip.
I really want to, but the timing keeps getting hosed for me to take that kind of time off work. The best opportunity I had was in April-May 2021, and it went sideways due to the timing of job hunts and such.
Now...it turns out that there may be an opportunity in May 2023...weirdly.
My brother-in-law is supposed to get married sometime that month (my father-in-law is the one that informed us, and he forgot the actual date). We were also told that they had to get hard numbers now due to the size of the bride's family versus the venue capacity, and we had to get in contact with The Adult Kid to find out if she wanted to go. I assumed she wouldn't, but surprisingly she's committing to going. Slight catch. She can't fly, doesn't have a car or license. Aiymi also won't fly. Amtrak just from our place to The Adult Kid's is 28 hours one way.
So I have been asked if I could drive us to Florida by way of Colorado, and then back to Illinois from Florida also through Colorado. One of those legs *could* go through Texas.
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** spoiler omitted **
On a cheerier note, LisaMarlene, here is a song for yourself & Drejk.
Dammit, I have just bought a bag of pierogi while getting my groceries.
This may be a cultural thing. Lots of people outside of the US (read- non whites) LOVE chocolate and coconut together, and almonds is a nice touch too. It's popular in certain areas as it is associated with decadence.We had an interesting candy discussion last night. Impus Major started it off by asking why Almond Joy bars exist: They're nobody's favorite candy bar, so how does the manufacturer make a profit if the only way they're sold is through Halloween "mixed candy" bags?
I brought it up with the group, and the feeling was similar: No one considered Almond Joys anything above middle-of-the-road candy (we have no coconut haters, so nobody in the group hated them). However, two of the group members pointed out that if there were two variety bags offered, one with Almond Joy and one without, they'd preferentially choose the bags with.
Which is hard for me to get my mind around. Almond Joy is consistently everyone's third choice in any mixed candy bag. So why does everyone want to see it in the bag?
I have a degree of fondness for aforementioned Bounty, though it part it might be caused by them being included in packages that my grandfather received in 80s and early 90s from some acquaintances from... Germany? Austria? I am not sure, but there were German-language things inside as well.
I also like almonds combined with chocolate, though I'd strongly prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate.
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I don't see Twitter being a functional company by this time next year.
It was functional company before?
I never understood its popularity in the first place.
Facebook gives you ability to keep your contacts and communicate with them. It has many-many flaws, but it is still useful for that purpose.
** spoiler omitted **DANCE MONKEY!!
This is NH's fault. I just found out that Musk was testifying in court today. Apparently during questioning it came up that Musk asked for engineers from Tesla to work after-hours at Twitter. It's a Tesla shareholder suing Musk and the Tesla board.
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Also, while in NM, I added another entry to my ever-growing list of forum people I've hung out with in real life:
** spoiler omitted **
Ooh! Ooh! Here's my complete list! ** spoiler omitted **
And Vany keeps threatening to visit if he ever follows through on his Big Western Road Trip.
I really want to, but the timing keeps getting hosed for me to take that kind of time off work. The best opportunity I had was in April-May 2021, and it went sideways due to the timing of job hunts and such.
Now...it turns out that there may be an opportunity in May 2023...weirdly.
My brother-in-law is supposed to get married sometime that month (my father-in-law is the one that informed us, and he forgot the actual date). We were also told that they had to get hard numbers now due to the size of the bride's family versus the venue capacity, and we had to get in contact with The Adult Kid to find out if she wanted to go. I assumed she wouldn't, but surprisingly she's committing to going. Slight catch. She can't fly, doesn't have a car or license. Aiymi also won't fly. Amtrak just from our place to The Adult Kid's is 28 hours one way.
So I have been asked if I could drive us to Florida by way of Colorado, and then back to Illinois from Florida also through Colorado. One of those legs *could* go through Texas.
And through Kansas.
And through Kansas.Also, while in NM, I added another entry to my ever-growing list of forum people I've hung out with in real life:
** spoiler omitted **
Ooh! Ooh! Here's my complete list! ** spoiler omitted **
And Vany keeps threatening to visit if he ever follows through on his Big Western Road Trip.
I really want to, but the timing keeps getting hosed for me to take that kind of time off work. The best opportunity I had was in April-May 2021, and it went sideways due to the timing of job hunts and such.
Now...it turns out that there may be an opportunity in May 2023...weirdly.
My brother-in-law is supposed to get married sometime that month (my father-in-law is the one that informed us, and he forgot the actual date). We were also told that they had to get hard numbers now due to the size of the bride's family versus the venue capacity, and we had to get in contact with The Adult Kid to find out if she wanted to go. I assumed she wouldn't, but surprisingly she's committing to going. Slight catch. She can't fly, doesn't have a car or license. Aiymi also won't fly. Amtrak just from our place to The Adult Kid's is 28 hours one way.
So I have been asked if I could drive us to Florida by way of Colorado, and then back to Illinois from Florida also through Colorado. One of those legs *could* go through Texas.
Yes. Absolutely would.
I was just in Kansas yesterday.
GothBard's lack of U.S. travel is somewhat legendary: She's made it to:
- California
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Washington
- Utah as a drive-through on the way to Yellowstone
- Wyoming for YellowStone
So... 8 states, including the one she was born in. Conservatively, she's been to:
- Australia
- Belgium
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Ireland
- Portugal
- The Netherlands
*IF* you count Scotland and/or Wales as separate countries, she's been to more foreign countries than states. Even if you don't, it's a tie.
|
GothBard's lack of U.S. travel is somewhat legendary: She's made it to:
- California
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Washington
- Utah as a drive-through on the way to Yellowstone
- Wyoming for YellowStoneSo... 8 states, including the one she was born in. Conservatively, she's been to:
- Australia
- Belgium
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Ireland
- Portugal
- The Netherlands*IF* you count Scotland and/or Wales as separate countries, she's been to more foreign countries than states. Even if you don't, it's a tie.
How well did she enjoy England? Were we a good host country?
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** spoiler omitted **
That was the plan all along.
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How well did she enjoy England? Were we a good host country?GothBard's been to:
- England
OMG! We love England! From London to the surrounding countryside, we drove up the east coast up into Scotland and Inverness, then all the way across Scotland to see the Scottish games in Inverary, and down through Wales and back through London. Pre-Brexit we were seriously discussing retiring to Edinburgh (yes, not technically "England", but proximity to London was a strong "pro").
In spite of all the horror stories I've heard, being a Californian traveling through both urban and rural England and surrounding countries has never been anything short of a delight.
EDIT: Amusingly enough, traveling Ireland was far less pleasant; the natives on the mainland seemed far more charmed by our outrageous accents, and the Irish seemed like they'd be happier if we just went away.
EDIT 2: And for other 'Merikuns traveling Europe, the best three answers to, "Where are you from?" are:
(1) Canada
(2) California
(3) Omahadaho. It's a state in the midwest I'm sure you've never heard of.
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I am excited
Now, I was expecting to see a Y-Wing made of McRibs in stockings and a leather corset, but that wasn't it.
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It's interesting how people with different life experiences approach the same requirement.
When we complete a course, we're supposed to provide names of authors and reviewers so everyone can get credit in the published guides.
In my former department, all of us were former trainers and knew that putting our names into a guide would guarantee a neverending stream of emails from customers asking for free technical support. (In my life as a technical trainer, I had to dedicate around an hour a day to answering such questions. We're not allocated that kind of time as curriculum developers.) So we insisted on being the "Global Megacorporation Curriculum Development Department." No way to contact us.
In my new department, I'm the only one who's ever been in front of a class. And so they desperately love to get their names in the credits. And they cheerfully add the PM and instructor names as technical resources.
I'm sure the PMs and instructors aren't fans of this. But it's what I've been instructed to do, so whatever. Direct communication with an internal person? Why not?
It's interesting how people with different life experiences approach the same requirement.
When we complete a course, we're supposed to provide names of authors and reviewers so everyone can get credit in the published guides.
In my former department, all of us were former trainers and knew that putting our names into a guide would guarantee a neverending stream of emails from customers asking for free technical support. (In my life as a technical trainer, I had to dedicate around an hour a day to answering such questions. We're not allocated that kind of time as curriculum developers.) So we insisted on being the "Global Megacorporation Curriculum Development Department." No way to contact us.
In my new department, I'm the only one who's ever been in front of a class. And so they desperately love to get their names in the credits. And they cheerfully add the PM and instructor names as technical resources.
I'm sure the PMs and instructors aren't fans of this. But it's what I've been instructed to do, so whatever. Direct communication with an internal person? Why not?
And with every class taught, the list of people with your name, contact information, and a belief in the right to contact you with all of their issues grows...
It's completely unsustainable in the long term.
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There's nothing like sitting here on a cold, cloudy afternoon with all my major work done, knowing I have to do another day of work before a weeklong Thanksgiving break:
- At work, I handed off my first course for my new department. Both the lead instructor and the manager have been very clear that they're extremely happy with the quality of my work, and astonished at my pace. Which is exactly where you want to be with a new department. I'm supposed to hand off a course for my old defunct department, but the release-defining feature is broken in our environment, so I'm doing due diligence to put the course to bed and recommend delaying it by a quarter. So I have nothing to do tomorrow, and an entire work day to do it.
- Impus Major's third and final midterm was today. We studied our butts off for it. I'm hoping he breaks 80%. We'll see.
- GothBard's interviews have dried up for the holiday season. She did a fourth-round interview on Tuesday and we'll likely hear back from them tomorrow (they run a tight ship), but if they say, "No," then we're going to be single-income through the holiday season.
So it's cold, it's dark, and everything's winding down. The kind of evening I'd get blind drunk just to pass the time a few years ago. Now? I'll probably just burn away the evening in Final Fantasy XIV, where I'm trying to get all 32 character classes to level 90. As you do when you're an obsessive-compulsive.
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In my new department, I'm the only one who's ever been in front of a class. And so they desperately love to get their names in the credits. And they cheerfully add the PM and instructor names as technical resources.
Noobs. Evan I stood in front of a class.
And I mean as a teacher.
So it's cold, it's dark, and everything's winding down. The kind of evening I'd get blind drunk just to pass the time a few years ago. Now? I'll probably just burn away the evening in Final Fantasy XIV, where I'm trying to get all 32 character classes to level 90. As you do when you're an obsessive-compulsive.
Only ten characters on their way to 140 in Lord Of The Rings Online. Not counting those few on different servers than my main one.
I think I'm level 72 or something in Elden Ring. I haven't played it in a while though as I got burned out on it.
I started back on Fallout 4. I just murdered Kellogg, and yes, I absolutely shot first (or more specifically I threw the first grenade, and then shot first, I don't even let him talk, it's just a waste of time and always ends with having to shoot him in the face anyway).
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I've started Skyrim again, this time as a High Elf fighter/mage, who I intend to turn into Elric.
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54 solar revolutions and still cruising! :)
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54 solar revolutions and still cruising! :)
And a felicitous solar return to you!
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54 solar revolutions and still cruising! :)
Carry on, youngster!
FREEHOLD!!!
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Impus Major: Your trigger safety is terrible.
Moocher Girl, laughing: What's trigger safety?
And it just got me thinking: Think of all the countries you think about when you hear about people firing off guns for fun, or teenagers considering going out and shooting stuff for fun a perfectly "normal" activity.
If you exclude the U.S., it is not a good list.
I'll leave politics out of it beyond that. It just really struck me that here in the U.S., a bunch of teenagers going out to a shooting range and shooting targets for an afternoon is perfectly "normal" and "fun", and I know of few other countries I've visited where it would be thought of as "normal", much less "fun".
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However you would look at it, Impus Major is not a teenager anymore. Sorry, NobodysHome. I don't know about the rest of the pack.
Going to shooting range can be fun, but it needs to be done responsibly.
Here, if you are not a registered gun owner bringing your own guns to a shooting range (which generally requires going through basic safety training and passing a test, if I remember correctly) you will be accompanied by a shooting range instructor who will oversee the shooting (and might berate you for unsafe behavior or even throw out if you fail to follow the instructions).
It is not a widespread pass-time, though, and many would consider that weird.
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54 solar revolutions and still cruising! :)
Hoi chummer. Happy birthday!
FREEHOLD!!!
Yes?
However you would look at it, Impus Major is not a teenager anymore. Sorry, NobodysHome. I don't know about the rest of the pack.
By the technical definition of "teenager", you are correct... but:
- He still lives at home and is entirely dependent on his parents for support- He's still in junior college
- He still makes foolish decisions when his friends are involved
- He still can't manage his own time and scheduling, and his grades suffer as a result.
I tend to agree with rental car companies that people aren't responsible adults until they hit at least 25. (And for many, many people, it's either "and much older" or "never".) Until then, I take the liberty of calling them, "Teenagers," even if it's not technically accurate.
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Yes?
FREEHOLD!!!
What is THAT?!
Well, half of it seems to melted away since I saw it earlier.
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In the parking lot, there's a car with a license plate that reads "NITFURY." I'm assuming that the desired reading is "night fury," but there's a non-zero possibility that the owner has chronic lice.
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However you would look at it, Impus Major is not a teenager anymore. Sorry, NobodysHome. I don't know about the rest of the pack.By the technical definition of "teenager", you are correct... but:
- He still lives at home and is entirely dependent on his parents for support
- He's still in junior college
- He still makes foolish decisions when his friends are involved
- He still can't manage his own time and scheduling, and his grades suffer as a result.I tend to agree with rental car companies that people aren't responsible adults until they hit at least 25. (And for many, many people, it's either "and much older" or "never".) Until then, I take the liberty of calling them, "Teenagers," even if it's not technically accurate.
I'm reading an old transformers comic that goes over the strengths and weaknesses of various characters. This is a writeup very much in that vein.
Yes?
FREEHOLD!!!
What is THAT?!
Well, half of it seems to melted away since I saw it earlier.
Looks like snow.
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In the parking lot, there's a car with a license plate that reads "NITFURY." I'm assuming that the desired reading is "night fury," but there's a non-zero possibility that the owner has chronic lice.
I just added pubic lice to my group discussion as an sti. I differentiate them from head lice by referring to the latter as public lice.
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Ah, corporate work!
I finished my proofreading and handoff of my major project this morning (a 2-month project, so no small potatoes). I provided a detailed analysis as to why my other project couldn't be started until 2023. I proceed to go through all of my outstanding action items and dealt with ALL of them.
So I'm done and have no work left to do, with a weeklong vacation staring me in the face.
My old manager would've told me to go. My new manager is "by the book", so I have to be on the clock until 4:00 pm. In spite of the fact that I get infinite vacation, infinite sick time, and have no work to do.
So by the book, I'll stay logged in and have my right monitor watching for messages that I'm 99.99% sure won't come in. And on my left monitor I'll be playing FFXIV like a sensible person.
It's one of those situations where having a reasonable manager who knows that sometimes you finish stuff ahead of time and lets you go early as a reward is an amazing blessing.
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54 solar revolutions and still cruising! :)
Cruise on! :)
However you would look at it, Impus Major is not a teenager anymore. Sorry, NobodysHome. I don't know about the rest of the pack.
Going to shooting range can be fun, but it needs to be done responsibly.
Here, if you are not a registered gun owner bringing your own guns to a shooting range (which generally requires going through basic safety training and passing a test, if I remember correctly) you will be accompanied by a shooting range instructor who will oversee the shooting (and might berate you for unsafe behavior or even throw out if you fail to follow the instructions).
It is not a widespread pass-time, though, and many would consider that weird.
And literally right now I am reading a press note that a 22-year old man somehow mortally shot himself on a shooting range earlier today despite the instructor's oversight.
And the second press note informs about four people dead in an explosion and a fire on a shooting range that was part of a hotel.
Did the writing team for Netflix's Warrior Nun all jump off the same cliff at the end of season one?
I haven't gone back to watch season one again, so my memory of it may be faulty, but . . . . I thought S1 was fairly solid, narratively. I'm 4 episodes into S2, and I've watched the last three waiting for the clumsy writing and dialogue to "self-correct" (??).
There's no grace in the plot progression. Despite the fact that the premise for the season is not a great reach for complexity, what I would expect to be full to the brim of smooth transitions and emotionally resonant motivations has been inundated instead with jarring trope-shots and plot-required revelations . . . . You can get the full dose of "What?" answers, but as soon as you ask "Why?", the whole thing shatters.
Or so it seems to me.
I think I'll try just one. more. episode. I might even get all the way through it.
Does anyone else see what I'm pointing at?
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** spoiler omitted **
Perhaps you're expecting too much from a show called Warrior Nun.
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I know what *I'd* expect from a show called Warrior Nun.