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As I mentioned, we're feeding the crows cat food, and this resulted in three visiting cats, our two cats, jays, raccoons, skunks, and possibly squirrels partaking of the Purina Cat Chow I put out.
Since I happened to be at Costco, I bought Kirkland brand chicken and rice maintenance formula cat food.
We've lost the visiting cats, the jays, the squirrels, and even possibly the raccoons. And our cats won't touch the stuff. That's a really dark mark for Kirkland, whose stuff is usually remarkably good. But when you can't even get raccoons to eat your food, you get an F.
EDIT: I have no idea why all the animals prefer that I feed them in the buff, but whatever floats their boat...
So, I finally saw Good Will Hunting, and... meh.
They could have at least talked to some real mathematicians or photocopied some research papers; The Queen's Gambit was notable in that they did a lot of research and presented actual chess matches. Good Will Hunting was notable in that almost every bit of mathematics presented was utter nonsense. They got in some buzzwords and managed to get the Fields medal correct, but other than that...
But honestly, nobody cares. It's the character interactions that drive the movie, and *almost* all of those are spectacularly well done. Unfortunately, two of the most-critical ones aren't: The Fields medalist is almost cartoonishly overwritten. I've personally had to deal with egomaniacal thesis advisors seeking to steal glory from overworked, underappreciated grad students. The Fields medalist's performance and motivations just don't make sense; he does what is necessary to forward the plot. Never a good character arc. Similarly, the romance is so chemistry-free that they could safely sell it as a contact lens solution.
So, great writing and interactions between Will, his friends, and his therapist. But at the core the principal antagonist and romantic interest didn't work for me. Which kind of killed the movie.
Ah, well. At least now I've seen it.
Sounds like I've got 2 movies to check out! DEATH TO MATH!
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As I mentioned, we're feeding the crows cat food, and this resulted in three visiting cats, our two cats, jays, raccoons, skunks, and possibly squirrels partaking of the Purina Cat Chow I put out.
Since I happened to be at Costco, I bought Kirkland brand chicken and rice maintenance formula cat food.
We've lost the visiting cats, the jays, the squirrels, and even possibly the raccoons. And our cats won't touch the stuff. That's a really dark mark for Kirkland, whose stuff is usually remarkably good. But when you can't even get raccoons to eat your food, you get an F.
EDIT: I have no idea why all the animals prefer that I feed them in the buff, but whatever floats their boat...
On one occasion, my late kitty maintained eye contact as she flipped her food bowl. The food was...not to her taste.
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As I mentioned, we're feeding the crows cat food, and this resulted in three visiting cats, our two cats, jays, raccoons, skunks, and possibly squirrels partaking of the Purina Cat Chow I put out.
Since I happened to be at Costco, I bought Kirkland brand chicken and rice maintenance formula cat food.
We've lost the visiting cats, the jays, the squirrels, and even possibly the raccoons. And our cats won't touch the stuff. That's a really dark mark for Kirkland, whose stuff is usually remarkably good. But when you can't even get raccoons to eat your food, you get an F.
EDIT: I have no idea why all the animals prefer that I feed them in the buff, but whatever floats their boat...
literally worse than trash.
Communication. Why is it so d**ned hard to figure out?
Albany made all the right decisions when it came to street sweeping: When the state mandated that every city had to run street sweepers at least once a month, Albany mapped out a schedule, notified everyone what was going on, offered free signs, and made sure that moving your car was optional except on the state-mandated streets that had to have permanent "no parking" signs.
Worked beautifully for a few years after the first announcement in 2016.
But guess what? People move. People die. Houses sell. And if your last communication was back in 2016, none of the new residents know about your street sweeping program.
We're down to 33% compliance, and it's hard to blame the residents for not moving their cars for something they have no way of knowing about.
I'm going to write the city and suggest that maybe, just maybe, a once-a-year flyer would be cheaper than paying some guy to drive a street sweeper down every street while not actually cleaning anything.
This month was particularly ironic: A clarion call warning about global warming. Sent in a thick envelope with at least 6 pages of paper. Umm... just HOW much pollution did you generate sending that to your 3.5 million members instead of emailing them like a modern company?
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Invite one hawk in?How bad is housing situation in Kraków these days?
I get daily applications from pigeons, to move in as my room mates.
Seriously, I constantly have to shoo those feathered bastards trying to set up a nest or two on the interior side of my windows.
We don't have hawks in our neighborhood.
Kestrels on the other hand...
** spoiler omitted **
Or maybe Tressym are REAL!
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As I mentioned, we're feeding the crows cat food, and this resulted in three visiting cats, our two cats, jays, raccoons, skunks, and possibly squirrels partaking of the Purina Cat Chow I put out.
Since I happened to be at Costco, I bought Kirkland brand chicken and rice maintenance formula cat food.
We've lost the visiting cats, the jays, the squirrels, and even possibly the raccoons. And our cats won't touch the stuff. That's a really dark mark for Kirkland, whose stuff is usually remarkably good. But when you can't even get raccoons to eat your food, you get an F.
EDIT: I have no idea why all the animals prefer that I feed them in the buff, but whatever floats their boat...
Maybe they don't like the smell of your laundry detergent.
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Speaking of amazingly appalling security practices in 2024, I think the Sierra Club now holds the prize of, "I'm glad I don't give these people any important information."
NobodysHome: Hi! I'm trying to create an online account but I can't because you have my email address wrong.
Rep: OK. Can you give me your last name and Zip Code?
NH:
Rep: And are you NobodysHome?
NH: Yes.
Rep: And is this your address?
NH: Yes.
Rep: And is this your email address?
NH: No. Please change it to xxx.
Rep: OK. You're all set. You should be able to create your account now.
So if you examine that conversation, the only information I provided was my last name and Zip Code, and I was able to gain full access to my account.
That does not make me comfortable that the Sierra Club will keep my information safe. Fortunately, they don't have any information that isn't public, but still...
EDIT: One could argue that since I don't block caller ID, they saw my full name with the call, which is why they didn't need it, but still...
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Ah, yes. Everyone’s favorite road song. 299 Eyes Glittering in the Dark. “Poke one out, give a great shout; 298 Eyes Glittering in the Dark!” Etc, etc.
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I would be very happy if people would stop causing their own IT security incidents.
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*Can’t help but poke 300 Glittering Eyes in the Dark with a stick.*
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'na..I mean.. Chitter?
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Even in california feeding critters naked probably makes it easier for them to tell that it's you. Humans are essentially Fey to them , no two are alike, and you want to be sure you're being seen by bringer of food and not smacks with broom.
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Snacks, not smacks, in other words.
I could use some snacks right now.
Over maybe an hour, I have to rise the broom (which lies on the table, next to the window) over half a dozen times to shoo the pigeons walking into the window ignoring the fact that I am sitting less than two meters away. Ok, it's likely that they can't actually see me through the curtain, because sun is shining on the curtain.
It means that I will need to close the window while going to sleep (in the other room), so later the air in the room will be really stuffy.
Book-reader's problems.
Many years ago (2014? I think it was a book that I read in English while being in UK, I might be wrong on one or the other or both aspects) I read a book borrowed from a library that was middle-part of some fantasy series.
I remember it was interesting. I remember that sapient animals played role there. There might had been suggestion that sapience of those animals was based on stole mind/souls? Reincarnation? Or maybe something was decreasing the number of those sapient animals. A sea travel played a key role in this specific tome...
I have that annoying feeling that if I saw the cover I would recognize it, but I also think it is more of a feeling than actual chance.
I recall too few characteristic things of that book's content to have a chance of finding it even with the help of modern technology and magic of internet...
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Apparently the company-sponsored "Take Your Family to Work" day is coming up.
Trying to get all of them to sit in the dining room while I work seems like it's going to be hard...
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Apparently the company-sponsored "Take Your Family to Work" day is coming up.
Trying to get all of them to sit in the dining room while I work seems like it's going to be hard...
prep a meal beforehand. it might hold them for a few minutes . . . .
I have eaten lunch.
We understand the concept of fairness at an incredibly early age; I think the latest research shows it to be in babies as young as 6 months old. In school, in church, in our family, and in our peer groups, we're constantly taught some variation of, "Treat others as you would like to be treated."
Then the world sets in. People stop even thinking about each other as human. Cutting someone off in traffic to get a single car length ahead? Completely justified. Playing your stereo at 89.9 decibels on your front lawn at 10:59 pm at night on a Tuesday? You haven't broken any laws, so no one has any right to complain. Even worse, business leaders and politicians who demonstrate ruthless selfishness are considered "strong leaders" or "decisive".
And as each of us suffers these petty indignities day in and day out, week in and week out, year in and year out, WE stop thinking of others as "humans" and rather as "impediments", and WE stop considering their circumstances, and think nothing of inconveniencing THEM, as they are "the other".
Which brings us to Wednesday's example. It was street sweeping day. We're down to a handful of people who still move their cars. So our old neighbors moved their car and put up their sign. I moved our cars and put up our sign. To his vast credit, new neighbor saw what we were doing, fired up his beloved old BMW (he feels about the BMW about the same as I feel about the Celica), and moved it a block away.
So of course since *he* didn't have a sign up, someone moved their Honda CRV in front of his house, blocked the street sweeping, and hasn't moved since. In short, new neighbor tried to do the right thing and be neighborly and participate in the street sweeping program. His "reward" is that his beloved BMW has been parked a block away for days, with no end in sight.
I doubt he'll move his car for street sweeping again, and I don't blame him for it. And it's a little trickle of failure to be considerate of others. "Oh, that person didn't put up a 'No Parking' sign so I'm going to take the space. Oh, I don't need my car today, I can leave it where it is for another couple of days," without once thinking, "I wonder how the people in that house feel about my car being in front of their house for the last few days? How would I feel about that happening in front of my house?"
And hence I grumble about parking endlessly, even though it's a tiny symptom of a much more endemic societal issue.
EDIT: And it doesn't take much. There's another guy from a block away who's having work done on his house and he parked in front of my house. He saw me and asked, "Is it OK if I park here for a few days?" and I said, "Well, the opposite side of the street is far less impacted. In fact, that spot over there almost never gets used."
He said, "OK," cheerfully moved his car, and nobody has minded its presence. And it cost him virtually nothing to be a decent neighbor.
I live in the Midwest, we've got parking for days .
I park in my driveway. I did have to pour a strip of concrete to make room for two vehicles.
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On our way home from Maine. Today was my longest driving day, made it through nine states to Virginia. We'll make it to just past Nashville tomorrow, home on Sunday.
So. Damned. Tired.
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I'm looking at new cars today.
I am at work.
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I did in fact get a new car. It was needed.
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A great tusked ape.
Huh. That is not the news I expected at the moment...
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Ok, now, the new computer for the first time since its arrival ramped up the fan into a level of activity where I could actually hear it working (the tower stands a bit farther than in the previous computers, though).
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Huh. That is not the news I expected at the moment...
Reporter: Who do you think the Democrats will nominate?
PotS: Harris, Clinton, or Pelosi.
Good news: we got our other senior technician back at work. He got fired earlier in the season (which I thought was a mistake at the time), but we've been so short-staffed that the big boss called him back in.
Bad news: even with senior tech #2 back with the company, we still only have six landscapers left out of the ten we started the season with, and one of the six is going to be out of town until mid-August.
More importantly, name one that could win.
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** spoiler omitted **
That is an incredibly salient point I was unaware of.
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More importantly, name one that could win.** spoiler omitted **
My personal non-female running mate choice would be Senator Mark Kelly, but Secretary Buttegieg would also be good.
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** spoiler omitted **More importantly, name one that could win.** spoiler omitted **
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We got home about half an hour ago. Stopped at Sprouts on the way to get groceries for the week.
I did a smart thing and booked myself a massage appointment for tomorrow night while Hermione is at ballet. Three weeks of sleeping on an inflatable hide-a-bed followed by three days of cross country driving and then straight back to teaching summer school tomorrow morning... well, I think it's the only sane and rational thing to do.
** spoiler omitted **More importantly, name one that could win.** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **
Don't tease me.
but we all know that's highly unlikely.
most everything else i want to append to the above would be inarguably thermobaric.
-----------------
but on a related note: my parents went and early-voted on either Thursday or Friday. there's absolutely no mistaking which way those two votes were cast. i wonder how they feel about that today?
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RFK Jr is a piece of shit, through and through.
Edit: I say this as someone that has met him on multiple occasions.
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Teensy Valeros has been begging to watch Jaws, so I rented it on streaming and watched it with him last night.
He said it wasn't scary enough and he cried when his favorite character (Quint) got eaten.
OK, I understand: Porch pirates exist. Oakland has a particular issue with property crime at the moment. So GothBard's father's request to have stuff delivered to our house instead of his seemed perfectly reasonable... at first.
But he's now trying to transition to a life on the road in an RV, meaning he's trying to fully prepare an RV for permanent residence, meaning that every week we're getting enough boxes and packages to overwhelm our front closet. I'd guesstimate a full Prius trunk every single week. And at a certain point, doing a family member a favor turns into resentment as day after day, week after week, packages show up on your porch addressed to your father-in-law and you have to find yet another place to put them.
"Father-in-law, I know you're having issues with porch pirates, but your deliveries are getting out-of-hand."
"I know. I'm sorry. But it's almost done. There are just a couple more things I need and then it will stop."
That was when he was picking up the last carload of stuff. And over the weekend another full carload of stuff showed up on our doorstep.
*SIGH*. Relatives.
EDIT: And speaking of antisocial behavior, the Honda CRV is still in front of New Neighbors' house, so 5 days unmoving in front of someone else's house. Albany's ordinance is that you can't park in a single location for more than 72 hours, so our neighbors could have them towed at this point, but just like us, they would like to keep cordial neighborly relations with the people around them, if only the people around them would stop being insensitive jerks...
EDIT 2: And for the record, Albany is the only town of over 10,000 people that I've been to that manages parking (almost) to my satisfaction:
(1) There is *no* paid parking anywhere. Period. The city does not collect revenue on parking.
(2) The only spaces with time limits are in heavily-congested retail areas, and those are free 2-hour spaces.
(3) You cannot get a ticket while parked on the street unless the current resident of the property you're in front of complains. Park across the driveway? Park for a month? Let your car rot on the street? No tickets with the sole exception of parking the wrong way, which, as I've mentioned, I approve of. So we have all these ordinances: No blocking driveways. No parking in one spot for over 72 hours. But not a single ordinance (other than wrong-way parking) is enforced unless the resident calls up and complains.
(4) As I've mentioned, my *only* complaint is that they allow non-residents to complain about sidewalk-blocking. So we have 13-14' driveways (a little over 4m) that we're not allowed to park in because our cars poke 1-2' into the sidewalk. And as I've also mentioned, if it were disabled or elderly people complaining I'd say, "OK, they have a point," but it's not. It's bicyclists and electric scooter riders riding illegally on the sidewalk in the first place and then complaining when we block it.
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In more terrifying news, one of the kids' friends is "really into" Final Fantasy XIV and mentioned that he had over 200 hours in it. I asked him how you find out.
Yes. Those are 24-hour days. That is a bit over five thousand hours of playtime. As Shiro put it, if I were working at it as a full-time job I'd now be two and a half years in.
My response, "I'd happily play FFXIV as my full-time job."