Freehold DM |
Drejk wrote:He's alive and well. I got the message on Steam from him.lisamarlene wrote:Has anyone heard from TacticsLion on Discord since the hurricane? It really walloped the town where I lived in high school, which is only half an hour away from him.He seems to be online on Steam (but so does NobodysHome). I sent him a pm there.
That's good to hear.
I am also on discord, on rare occasion.
lisamarlene |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I went to a new eye doctor yesterday for my first eye exam for glasses in over five years. (I got an exam for a contacts prescription at the start of the pandemic).
Doc prescribed occupational glasses, i.e. ones that are just for working with students and reading, as well as my regular progressive bifocals. So, hey, now I'll be able to see.
NobodysHome |
OK, we live in the Bay Area, where it never actually gets cold cold, but it's frequently chilly enough that people like to use their fireplaces.
And their sheer incompetence at this basic act baffles me.
Yep. Yet again, it's a cool, foggy summer morning here in the Bay Area, so someone decided to use their fireplace to warm their house. And yet again, the entire neighborhood reeks of burning plastic because of something the person put in the fireplace.
And I have so many questions:
(1) Who puts anything other than wood or wood-based combustibles into their indoor fireplace?
(2) Can the people who are doing this smell how much they're reeking up the neighborhood?
(3) Who taught them to build fires, anyway?
My father was such an avid pyromancer that one Christmas he piled so much cardboard and wrapping paper into the fireplace that he caught our roof on fire. Yet he never burned anything with plastic in it in the fireplace (this was the age when wrapping paper was still made of paper), because of the filth it left in the fireplace and the stink it sent through the house.
I'm... perplexed...
Drejk |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
(1) Who puts anything other than wood or wood-based combustibles into their indoor fireplace?
Coal or coke.
Of course people around here are know to put anything remotely flammable into their fireplaces, stoves, furnaces whenever it gets remotely cold. Introduction of fines and obligatory replacement furnaces to oil ones helped a bit, but it's still an issue...
(2) Can the people who are doing this smell how much they're reeking up the neighborhood?
I suspect that after a first few whiffs their olfactory neurons get burned out together with the rest of their brains...
<.<
>.>
<.>
*notes down smoke zombies*
(3) Who taught them to build fires, anyway?
No one? They played with matches as a children starting random fires and decided that this is enough of a training?
Themetricsystem |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I gotta be brutally honest and just say that you must live in a very nice neighborhood and haven't really seen how the other half lives if that kind of behavior is perplexing to you. Trash fires, let alone a bit of plastic in a fireplace are more common pretty much worldwide than a recycling bin on the curb.
NobodysHome |
I gotta be brutally honest and just say that you must live in a very nice neighborhood and haven't really seen how the other half lives if that kind of behavior is perplexing to you. Trash fires, let alone a bit of plastic in a fireplace are more common pretty much worldwide than a recycling bin on the curb.
That's not "brutally" honest -- it's a statement of fact.
I live in a densely urban area in the U.S. that simply doesn't get all that cold; temperatures below 40 are uncommon. As a result, burning trash isn't "done" because there are less stinky ways to keep your house warm. Go 90 miles east into the Central Valley with lots of rural areas and farmlands and it's fairly standard practice to build a big old trash pile out back and burn it, but it's still not an "indoors" thing.
I suspect it's more California's climate than our privilege -- we don't burn plastic inside our houses because it doesn't get cold enough that we need to.
Drejk |
Interesting thing is that Wonderlands (this month's humble choice's prime dish) seems to include all the DLCs... Usually we get the base game and, surely completely coincidentally, the publisher makes a sale on expansion packs/DLCs around that time.
I am not sure what does that say about Wonderlands sale.
Borderlands 3 were a pick for Humble Choice, but it took them longer to get there. I am not sure DLCs they had with them, because by then I already had it thanks to NobodysHome.
Limeylongears |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
To the best of my knowledge, most urban areas in the UK severely restrict what you can burn in your fireplace, due to historic problems with smog. Rural areas may not do so, but since you generally have to be pretty rich to afford property in such places, your well-heeled neighbours certainly won't put up with you burning tyres in your back garden.
Drejk |
I ended uninstalling Deathloop to make space for Wonderlands. I keep repeating myself that I will get and finish it one day, but it was almost a year (last played 12th October 2022) since I touched it. It's a great, yet flawed game... Unlike some other recent Arcane products (*cough*Redfall*cough*).
I would finish it long ago if not for a ridonculous loading times. I wonder if it would be so terrible on NobodysHome's or one of the Impish computers?
NobodysHome |
To the best of my knowledge, most urban areas in the UK severely restrict what you can burn in your fireplace, due to historic problems with smog. Rural areas may not do so, but since you generally have to be pretty rich to afford property in such places, your well-heeled neighbours certainly won't put up with you burning tyres in your back garden.
At least urban areas in the UK have fireplaces. West of the coastal range in California, if your house was built after 1970 or so it doesn't have a fireplace. And most pre-1970s houses lost their fireplaces due to the frequent earthquakes (we did). And *no* apartment buildings have fireplaces. Ever.
So this is someone sitting in a million-dollar home burning plastic in their fireplace.
Hence my bafflement.
lisamarlene |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I gotta be brutally honest and just say that you must live in a very nice neighborhood and haven't really seen how the other half lives if that kind of behavior is perplexing to you. Trash fires, let alone a bit of plastic in a fireplace are more common pretty much worldwide than a recycling bin on the curb.
Hey, where I grew up, people would throw styrofoam on the Fire and not mind the smell just because they like to watch the way it melted and bubbled as it burned.
This explains a lot about Northern Wisconsin, actually.
David M Mallon |
Trash fires, let alone a bit of plastic in a fireplace are more common pretty much worldwide than a recycling bin on the curb.
Definitely pretty normal where I grew up. If you lived more than a half mile outside of town, chances were pretty good you had a "burn pit" somewhere out back.
Limeylongears |
Limeylongears wrote:To the best of my knowledge, most urban areas in the UK severely restrict what you can burn in your fireplace, due to historic problems with smog. Rural areas may not do so, but since you generally have to be pretty rich to afford property in such places, your well-heeled neighbours certainly won't put up with you burning tyres in your back garden.At least urban areas in the UK have fireplaces. West of the coastal range in California, if your house was built after 1970 or so it doesn't have a fireplace. And most pre-1970s houses lost their fireplaces due to the frequent earthquakes (we did). And *no* apartment buildings have fireplaces. Ever.
So this is someone sitting in a million-dollar home burning plastic in their fireplace.
Hence my bafflement.
Flats/apartments and new builds don't normally have them here, either. A lot of the housing stock locally was built in the 1800s/1900s for mill-workers, etc., and those do have fireplaces, but they may or may not be operational. Ours certainly aren't.
Cap'n Yesterday, FaWtL Tourism |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Themetricsystem wrote:I gotta be brutally honest and just say that you must live in a very nice neighborhood and haven't really seen how the other half lives if that kind of behavior is perplexing to you. Trash fires, let alone a bit of plastic in a fireplace are more common pretty much worldwide than a recycling bin on the curb.Hey, where I grew up, people would throw styrofoam on the Fire and not mind the smell just because they like to watch the way it melted and bubbled as it burned.
This explains a lot about Northern Wisconsin, actually.
Styrofoam smells when it melts, I just thought it was tires that smelled when they burn, and that's only if you aren't drinking Milwaukee's Best.
Dancing Wind |
In one rural area where I lived, you sorted your household waste into 'trash' and 'garbage'.
Garbage was wet, and was pig food. Trash was dry and burned. The local pig farmers came by and picked up the garbage. For trash, you were on your own, either taking it to the local dump or burning it.
But the storytelling bonfires on the beach never included trash as fuel. Kerosene as fire-starter? Yeah. But no trash.
Freehold DM |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I went to a new eye doctor yesterday for my first eye exam for glasses in over five years. (I got an exam for a contacts prescription at the start of the pandemic).
Doc prescribed occupational glasses, i.e. ones that are just for working with students and reading, as well as my regular progressive bifocals. So, hey, now I'll be able to see.
But you look fine!
Yes, I've been waiting a while to use that one.
captain yesterday |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Former Coworker's car was hit by a dump truck yesterday driving to work, he is absolutely fine, but as a precautionary measure they had me work with him today since I've known him the longest (18 years) which is something I very much appreciated.
The boss said we have to stick to together, because we're family. Which honestly got me right in the feels.
He still needs to change his saw blades more though!
David M Mallon |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
The company I work for has started transitioning from doing small to medium-sized residential landscaping to doing big commercial installations, and it's causing some... issues. Namely that my boss, who is an otherwise intelligent, conscientious, capable guy with a decade's worth of residential experience doesn't have the kind of PTSD that a guy like me has after years working in commercial construction. Today's argument:
Boss: "Why did you guys waste two hours moving our materials around and taking half our fill dirt off-site? We need to get moving on these retaining walls."
Me: "The GC asked us to, said another crew is doing a concrete pour on Monday morning and everything was in the way."
Boss: "You should have told him that they're just going to have to wait until we're done. What are they going to do? Pour concrete anyway, bury our fill pile and box us in? That's not possible."
Me: *thousand-yard stare* "...no, that's absolutely, 100% possible."
David M Mallon |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
David M Mallon wrote:Boss: "You should have told him that they're just going to have to wait until we're done.Bless his heart!
Sounds like he's about to be chewed up and spit out trying to play on that playground.
Nah, he's getting a feel for how things run in the slightly bigger leagues. I'm guessing things will start running a little more smoothly by next season, it's just kind of a frustrating learning curve *right now*.
BigNorseWolf |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I lived in a very nice cabin tent for 3 months in idaho doing a wolf center internship. Usually you had the time to make the nice square kindling lattice for the tiny bits of paper, tiny splinters, and rolled up newspapers to set everything off.
And sometimes it was -20 and you wake up and the fireplace is out. You just throw a bucket of kindling in there spray on some rubbing alchohol, light it up and be thankful the beard is thick enough to count as an asbestos layer.
lisamarlene |
7 people marked this as a favorite. |
My forty-ninth year started well.
After the dumpster fire that was my birthday last year, when all four of us had Covid, WW and the kids decided to spoil me extra rotten, and my mom and sister did, too.
I got actual Wonder Woman bracelets, y'all. Val is begging me to let him shoot his Nerf guns at me to see if I will be able to deflect his bolts now.
Spoiler alert: I won't.
And in making my cake, I tried an experiment on a hunch and ended up coming up with the best frosting I have ever made.
I despise cream cheese frosting, because it is greasy and cloying and ruins food, so I tried substituting mascarpone for the cream cheese and ended up with something lighter, silkier, and more delicately-flavored. So much better than regular buttercream, too.
captain yesterday |
My forty-ninth year started well.
After the dumpster fire that was my birthday last year, when all four of us had Covid, WW and the kids decided to spoil me extra rotten, and my mom and sister did, too.
I got actual Wonder Woman bracelets, y'all. Val is begging me to let him shoot his Nerf guns at me to see if I will be able to deflect his bolts now.
Spoiler alert: I won't.
And in making my cake, I tried an experiment on a hunch and ended up coming up with the best frosting I have ever made.
** spoiler omitted **
Did you substitute on a 1-1 ratio? I feel the same way about frosting myself and would like to try this.
lisamarlene |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
lisamarlene wrote:Did you substitute on a 1-1 ratio? I feel the same way about frosting myself and would like to try this.My forty-ninth year started well.
After the dumpster fire that was my birthday last year, when all four of us had Covid, WW and the kids decided to spoil me extra rotten, and my mom and sister did, too.
I got actual Wonder Woman bracelets, y'all. Val is begging me to let him shoot his Nerf guns at me to see if I will be able to deflect his bolts now.
Spoiler alert: I won't.
And in making my cake, I tried an experiment on a hunch and ended up coming up with the best frosting I have ever made.
** spoiler omitted **
Yep. I'd made a 6" coconut cream cake, so I cut the recipe in half, and used 1 stick unsalted butter, 4 ounces mascarpone, 2.5 cups powdered sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla.
Syrus Terrigan |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
2) i fell off the no-smoking bandwagon pretty hard. trying to relapse my relapse. sorta.
3) i've been on a ketovore diet for just about a month, and it has been amazing. i haven't felt this good, physically, since i was in my early 20s. i haven't branched out to poultry or fish, yet, but i can already tell that beef is king for me -- i just feel fantastic. one of the wildest fringe benefits? --> i don't sunburn anymore. and i'm "pretty [white] for a white guy"; i've still got scars on my shoulders from a sunburn when i was 13 or 15. i'm losing weight, losing waistline, building muscle mass, focusing more effectively, . . . . i can tell that i'm stronger, that my bones are more durable, that my vision is sharper . . . . if i were to hazard a guesstimate, i'm taking in less than 150 grams of carbohydrates in a week, and the returns are nothing short of satisfying. if you're contemplating making a change in your lifestyle, i heartily supply my anecdotal testimony that investigating carnivore/ketovore is worth your while.
4) my youngest brother moved to PA a little while back. it's just plain weird not seeing him at work anymore, or hanging out on the weekends. but he's trying to make a career change with HUGE upside, and i'm all for that. he might even mess around and finally marry his girlfriend -- and she's so good for him it's almost disturbingly freakish. lol
5) i've had another 'position change' with my employer (with which i just passed the 5-year mark a few days ago). i've stepped back down to a role that is more "operations" oriented than "leadership" oriented. took a little bit of a pay cut to do it, but i've stepped away from yet another "the patients are running the asylum" environment into one where i can be effective at my job, receive suitable appreciation for the same, and endure less stress. so it's been good; i'll be more thorough with my research the next time i "bid up".
SIDEBAR: if you recall some of my posts related to work from just over a year ago, all i can say is that i made the transition to a much less stressful environment, but quickly figured out that my peers were, in the main, a pack of lazy good-for-nothings, and that my manager was . . . well, "lazy" might be too generous a descriptor for him. he sold me a bridge to nowhere, so i went back to the team i used to be on, though now there are only three "repeat offenders" on the roster, including myself. we three form the core of the unit now, and we get $#!7 done, so i'm good with it.
6) i continue to work on my ttrpg frankensystem, and it's coming together steadily. the main thing, though, is that my table is having fun, and so am i -- the crux of the matter.
- - - - - - - -
anyway, that pretty much sums up my world. just wanted to share, and see what, if anything, y'all had to say to it.
Limeylongears |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My forty-ninth year started well.
After the dumpster fire that was my birthday last year, when all four of us had Covid, WW and the kids decided to spoil me extra rotten, and my mom and sister did, too.
I got actual Wonder Woman bracelets, y'all. Val is begging me to let him shoot his Nerf guns at me to see if I will be able to deflect his bolts now.
Spoiler alert: I won't.
And in making my cake, I tried an experiment on a hunch and ended up coming up with the best frosting I have ever made.
** spoiler omitted **
Happy birthday, LM!
Syrus Terrigan |
Syrus Terrigan wrote:** spoiler omitted **...My other half does the no-carb/lo-carb thing too, and it works well for her. I'm not sure it's right for me, but it might be worth a go.
if you do try it, limey, make sure that you cover your sodium, magnesium, and potassium intakes -- you'll probably need a supplement, or make sure you source them as "whole foods" as possible.
let me know how it goes, if you decide to give it a shot!
Freehold DM |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My forty-ninth year started well.
After the dumpster fire that was my birthday last year, when all four of us had Covid, WW and the kids decided to spoil me extra rotten, and my mom and sister did, too.
I got actual Wonder Woman bracelets, y'all. Val is begging me to let him shoot his Nerf guns at me to see if I will be able to deflect his bolts now.
Spoiler alert: I won't.
And in making my cake, I tried an experiment on a hunch and ended up coming up with the best frosting I have ever made.
** spoiler omitted **
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
gran rey de los mono |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
How the balance of power in DnD works:
The GM has the power to make the next adventure be a heist. The players have the power to determine if the soundtrack to said heist is Pink Panther, Mission Impossible, or Benny Hill. Mind you, they do not consciously choose the soundtrack, and it will, inevitably, become Benny Hill no matter what they do.
gran rey de los mono |
Had a guest come in and say "There's no parking." So I went outside with them and pointed at the 4 open spaces there. To which she replied, "Oh, I guess I didn't see those." Didn't see the open spaces that you had to drive past? Multiple times, if you did, as you claim, circle the lot several times? I find this hard to believe.
gran rey de los mono |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
DM: "Alright! Welcome back to the game, folks."
Player 1: "Yeah! It's been a long two months off."
DM: "I know, everyone got so busy all at once. But, we're back."
Player 2: "I don't know about you guys, but I'm a little confused about where we left off. DM, can we get a recap?"
DM: *quietly* "Oh, Lord, please grant me the manic energy of Tim Curry in the third act of the Clue movie where he re-enacts the movie in its entirety for the other characters BY HIMSELF!"
lisamarlene |
lisamarlene wrote:My forty-ninth year started well.
After the dumpster fire that was my birthday last year, when all four of us had Covid, WW and the kids decided to spoil me extra rotten, and my mom and sister did, too.
I got actual Wonder Woman bracelets, y'all. Val is begging me to let him shoot his Nerf guns at me to see if I will be able to deflect his bolts now.
Spoiler alert: I won't.
And in making my cake, I tried an experiment on a hunch and ended up coming up with the best frosting I have ever made.
** spoiler omitted **HAPPY BIRTHDAY
No no; THIS is MY Wonder Woman.
Syrus Terrigan |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
How determined is the Cranky Calico to survive everything the world can throw at her?
Yesterday I put the first coat of paint on the doors to WhimseyShire, then set the brushes to soaking so I could clean them later.
Yep. She trotted over and started drinking the paint water.
Because Calico.
who needs plastic surgery for aging when you can just ingest them?