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Well, I'm sure there's no way to write about it without someone feeling it's strongly political, so I'll just spoiler it and say it's more of a bemused observation than a political viewpoint:
** spoiler omitted **
Lol. It's not just the mainstream media. I've heard the same complaints from members of my local Whovian cosplay club. To which I bit my tongue and did *not* respond with "So, how long have you been a fan, then?"
My friend's adoption fell through at the last minute. Birth mother kept the baby.
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Lol. It's not just the mainstream media. I've heard the same complaints from members of my local Whovian cosplay club. To which I bit my tongue and did *not* respond with "So, how long have you been a fan, then?"Well, I'm sure there's no way to write about it without someone feeling it's strongly political, so I'll just spoiler it and say it's more of a bemused observation than a political viewpoint:
** spoiler omitted **
Apparently they missed out on Captain Jack Harkness.
Aha! That makes more sense.
Turns out everyone in the family but me likes The Smiths, which means I'm going to have to put up with a lot more of their stuff in future (I don't mind the music so much - it's Morrissey's dreary groans that get on my nerves)
The Smiths only needed a banjo player and they would have been the best punk/folk (polka) band of all time. So you best be liken’ them.
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Lol. It's not just the mainstream media. I've heard the same complaints from members of my local Whovian cosplay club. To which I bit my tongue and did *not* respond with "So, how long have you been a fan, then?"Well, I'm sure there's no way to write about it without someone feeling it's strongly political, so I'll just spoiler it and say it's more of a bemused observation than a political viewpoint:
** spoiler omitted **
So I gotta ask... do they do mock whocifixions?
shitf*$~damn
my computer just had a stroke, and i lost my reply to your Doctor Who post, NH. i guess i'll have to get another cup of coffee and start a do-over.
and here's my disclaimer:
i'll spoiler it since it's politics-adjacent, but if The Doctor is a cultural phenomenon in which you have interest, i politely ask that you give what i type up a read, and try to understand why i think it needs to be said.
i'm sure it'll be horrendously unpopular, but perhaps you who read it will be able to strain out something good from within it.
i'm pretty sure it'll be shorter, this time around . . . .
1) RTD & Co. actively took a shit on their series' protagonist. i seem to recall that similar fate has befallen other pop culture icons recently, and 2023 is going down as a monument to the profitability of that proposition: it ain't. i think the buzzline of calling it "The Year of the Flopbuster" is pretty spot-on.
2) and the reason why The Doctor is in such dire "need" of such treatment is explicated in the dialogue of the first of these specials -- because he is "he". it's literally Right. There. and it seems to me that any equivocation on the point is ruled out by dint of the fact the writer(s) wrote it.
incorporating new worldviews, ethnicities, sexualities, and other identifying components into an ongoing narrative isn't a bad thing -- it's often quite good, actually. but when it's done in such a way that extracting the theme of "man bad! because man!" is so overwhelmingly easy, i have to wonder a few things:
-- are the victories of Doctors Past now cast in a diminished light because "you're not a woman anymore"? innumerable times The Doctor staved off the end of valuable things at the machinations of the Daleks/Cybermen/The Master/[insert rogues' gallery member here] through pluck, determination, cleverness, and often no small amount of sacrifice and self-denial. is that measure of nobility lessened by an instance of gender?
-- even if we try to separate the lens of the modern zeitgeist from our examination of these new additions to the lore of The Doctor, it's so "on the nose" that it's quite unavoidable. and in that process, nearly half of the audience is told plainly that at least one of The Doctor's innate characteristics is to blame for his unworthiness in the moment -- a characteristic that many of us who have enjoyed The Doctor for decades share. and isn't that sort of prejudice EXACTLY the sort of thing that "wokeness" is supposed to combat?
-- i wonder how many times we'll see Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor derided for being male during his run in the role . . . . unless, of course, we get a more "wibbly-wobbly gender-bender" treatment of the character, which is entirely probable.
--------------------
The Doctor hasn't been a hero since "The Timeless Children", frankly. but the character's humanity has been exactly what made all the versions so popular. but now, part of the character's history has been cast in a negative light not because of fateful decision, but due to a component of biology. i can understand why some furor would be raised.
crafting a thought-provoking narrative that challenges a viewer's ideas is laudable; telling a viewer they're "not as good" because of how they're constituted is an even better way to destroy an IP than by rending the fabric that made someone recognizably heroic in the first place.
if being a man is so horrible, how did we get to even have this conversation?
i'm pretty sure it'll be shorter, this time around . . . .
** spoiler omitted **...
Hmm... obviously I'm going to have to watch the new special. You're the second person to mention that argument, and it would definitely change my impression of things. Being stuck in the 1970s I'm nowhere near the modern specials...
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My friend's adoption fell through at the last minute. Birth mother kept the baby.
I know it's not your pain directly but I'm so sorry.
My brother and his wife had this occur to them three times in the span of two years before giving up and instead getting involved with foster care to help raise a family with the potential for permanent placement and adoption... they helped raise two children for over a year, brother and sister, the mother was/is a hopeless drug addict min-wage earner and had a third child before deciding she wanted them back so... well they lost them.
They stayed in close touch with the mother and basically act as surrogate free babysitters and a place of shelter for the two kids several days a week without any rights whatsoever... it's really sad but they love the kids and are loved back. The mother ended up having two MORE children with an abusive partner and the older ones end up neglected with the youngest having mild developmental issues caused by being sat in a bouncer or lying on the floor for hours at a time for most of the day. They're looking at getting foster placement of that poor baby but the mother is just... not having it.
Looking to take in a child, be it a complete adoption, fostering, or even "simple" guardianship is fraught with legal complications, changes of heart by the family, kids being forced into and out of one situation and into others, and an insane amount of bureaucracy and FEES even if you're going through an ACTUAL non-profit organization that truly means well.
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It's got to be really frustrating for non-English speakers to find out that the way words are pluralized can just completely shit the bed. For example:
die (n): a device used for cutting or stamping materials into a given shape
die (n): an isohedral polyhedron used in games of chance
Both words are spelled and pronounced exactly the same, and have the same etymology, but for the first meaning, the plural form is "dies," while for the second, it's "dice." And there's no rule for it, it's just something you have to know.
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It's got to be really frustrating for non-English speakers to find out that the way words are pluralized can just completely s#$* the bed. For example:
die (n): a device used for cutting or stamping materials into a given shape
die (n): an isohedral polyhedron used in games of chance
Both words are spelled and pronounced exactly the same, and have the same etymology, but for the first meaning, the plural form is "dies," while for the second, it's "dice." And there's no rule for it, it's just something you have to know.
Unfortunately, it's not just English. Drejk? Care to share some examples from Polish?
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So, living in the Bay Area is rough. All of our closest friends either have moved or are in the process of moving away because it's too staggeringly expensive to live here. San Francisco has gone from, "I hate driving there but at least they have some nice shopping and restaurants," to, "Can't we find something in Berkeley or Oakland instead?" And the COVID traffic relief is gone; even with most people only being required to be in-office twice a week, the 3-minute drive along the Eastshore highway typically takes closer to 10-15 minutes, as it did pre-COVID.
But on days like today, where it's sunny and 68˚F after two days of rain so I can open up the house and smell the wet green around me while I do post-Christmas cleanup makes me think, "Wow! Is there anywhere else in the world with a climate this perfect year-round?"
Of course, you have to like it in the 50s-70s all year; I know most people prefer the Hawaiis or Floridas of the world where you're in the 80s-90s for most of the year, but that's too hot for my Northern European blood.
Well, I'm sure there's no way to write about it without someone feeling it's strongly political, so I'll just spoiler it and say it's more of a bemused observation than a political viewpoint:
** spoiler omitted **
I am not a Dr. Who fan, so have no skin in the game, but my partner is extremely keen to watch the newest episodes. I recall (possibly wrongly) that some early episodes* were written by members of the Communist Party of Great Britain - if so, I imagine they tried to sneak some right-on politics in, at least.
*Might have been the novels?
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We lost our cat of 20-something we're not sure years last week.
spoilered for the weirdest mix of sad heart warming and gross
"Sorry for your loss. Uhmmm..."
"If he was dead before I got here I'm not surprised. But he's come back from the dead before so I wanted to be sure.
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We lost our cat of 20-something we're not sure years last week.
spoilered for the weirdest mix of sad heart warming and gross
** spoiler omitted **
I'm sorry to hear that, but we're hoping for much the same for our Cranky Calico -- that she manages to pass on quickly and at home.
Unfortunately, it's not just English. Drejk? Care to share some examples from Polish?
It's got to be really frustrating for non-English speakers to find out that the way words are pluralized can just completely s#$* the bed. For example:
die (n): a device used for cutting or stamping materials into a given shape
die (n): an isohedral polyhedron used in games of chance
Both words are spelled and pronounced exactly the same, and have the same etymology, but for the first meaning, the plural form is "dies," while for the second, it's "dice." And there's no rule for it, it's just something you have to know.
MUAHAHAHAHAHHAAaaa!
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Stół (table) - stoły (tables)
na stole (on the table) - na stołach (on the tables)
...
mężczyzna [... how to suggest approximate pronunciation to native English speaker... menshchizna?] (man) - mężczyźni (men)
mężczyźnie (to man) - mężczyznom (to men), eg. this present is being given to (a/-/the) man/men
dla mężczyzny (for a/the man) - dla mężczyzn (for men), e.g. this deodorant is for a/the man/men
kobieta (woman) - kobiety (women)
kobecie (to woman) - kobietom (to women)
dla kobiety (for a/the woman) - dla kobiet (for women)
pies (dog) - psy (dogs)
psu (to dog) - psom (to dogs)
dla psa (for dog) - dla psów (for dogs)
There are actual rules behind the pluralization, but they are based on declension, grammatical gender, status as a being, animate object, or inanimate object, family of words, and the exact letters present in the middle and end of the word. Practically no one except Polish majors knows those rules explicitly, every other native Polish speaker just operates on deeply internalized experience and ingrained vocabulary.
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We lost our cat of 20-something we're not sure years last week.
spoilered for the weirdest mix of sad heart warming and gross
** spoiler omitted **
Awwwww :(
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Stół (table) - stoły (tables)
na stole (on the table) - na stołach (on the tables)...
mężczyzna [... how to suggest approximate pronunciation to native English speaker... menshchizna?] (man) - mężczyźni (men)
mężczyźnie (to man) - mężczyznom (to men), eg. this present is being given to (a/-/the) man/men
dla mężczyzny (for a/the man) - dla mężczyzn (for men), e.g. this deodorant is for a/the man/menkobieta (woman) - kobiety (women)
kobecie (to woman) - kobietom (to women)
dla kobiety (for a/the woman) - dla kobiet (for women)pies (dog) - psy (dogs)
psu (to dog) - psom (to dogs)
dla psa (for dog) - dla psów (for dogs)There are actual rules behind the pluralization, but they are based on declension, grammatical gender, status as a being, animate object, or inanimate object, family of words, and the exact letters present in the middle and end of the word. Practically no one except Polish majors knows those rules explicitly, every other native Polish speaker just operates on deeply internalized experience and ingrained vocabulary.
Thank you! That was the terror I was looking for.
Wow... I've reached the point that I'm getting into the "classic" Doctor Who writers (Terry Nation's started showing up as a writer), and the difference is striking. Death to the Daleks was a tight, well-written 4-part series. The Monster of Peledon (the very next series) is an atrocity that undoes everything the original Peledon series tried to accomplish.
It seems clear that the "bad writer" purge has started, which is unfortunate for Jon Pertwee because the majority of his stuff was pre-purge, but his last few series are actually quite good (with a few very notable exceptions).
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Thank you! That was the terror I was looking for.Stół (table) - stoły (tables)
na stole (on the table) - na stołach (on the tables)...
mężczyzna [... how to suggest approximate pronunciation to native English speaker... menshchizna?] (man) - mężczyźni (men)
mężczyźnie (to man) - mężczyznom (to men), eg. this present is being given to (a/-/the) man/men
dla mężczyzny (for a/the man) - dla mężczyzn (for men), e.g. this deodorant is for a/the man/menkobieta (woman) - kobiety (women)
kobecie (to woman) - kobietom (to women)
dla kobiety (for a/the woman) - dla kobiet (for women)pies (dog) - psy (dogs)
psu (to dog) - psom (to dogs)
dla psa (for dog) - dla psów (for dogs)There are actual rules behind the pluralization, but they are based on declension, grammatical gender, status as a being, animate object, or inanimate object, family of words, and the exact letters present in the middle and end of the word. Practically no one except Polish majors knows those rules explicitly, every other native Polish speaker just operates on deeply internalized experience and ingrained vocabulary.
Meh... I took four years of Latin in college, and, while hideously complicated, I found it to be fairly regular (with a few exceptions). The Polish examples seem pretty similar.
Thank you! That was the terror I was looking for.Stół (table) - stoły (tables)
na stole (on the table) - na stołach (on the tables)...
mężczyzna [... how to suggest approximate pronunciation to native English speaker... menshchizna?] (man) - mężczyźni (men)
mężczyźnie (to man) - mężczyznom (to men), eg. this present is being given to (a/-/the) man/men
dla mężczyzny (for a/the man) - dla mężczyzn (for men), e.g. this deodorant is for a/the man/menkobieta (woman) - kobiety (women)
kobecie (to woman) - kobietom (to women)
dla kobiety (for a/the woman) - dla kobiet (for women)pies (dog) - psy (dogs)
psu (to dog) - psom (to dogs)
dla psa (for dog) - dla psów (for dogs)There are actual rules behind the pluralization, but they are based on declension, grammatical gender, status as a being, animate object, or inanimate object, family of words, and the exact letters present in the middle and end of the word. Practically no one except Polish majors knows those rules explicitly, every other native Polish speaker just operates on deeply internalized experience and ingrained vocabulary.
What can I say?
You're Welcome!
Drobnostka! ("It's nothing", lets just say that Polish text of the song differs in many aspects, the English subtitles are from the original song, and not really reflecting the Polish version).
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I had a bit of an epiphany about myself yesterday. Call it "an introvert's New Year's":
(1) I enjoy going out to dinner or a movie on a random Tuesday night. There aren't many people out, so there's little traffic, the restaurant/theater isn't crowded, and I can relax and enjoy myself with few people out.
(2) I don't care for going out to dinner or a movie on a Friday or Saturday night. Traffic is significantly worse. The restaurants and theaters are more crowded. It's far less fun for me because "everybody's doing it" and I have to deal with much greater crowd density.
(3) I despise going out for holidays. Valentine's Day, New Year's, Memorial Day. You name it, I hate it. Because everyone is out. The streets are a nightmare of jammed traffic. Ironically, somehow in spite of this drunk driving deaths skyrocket. Every restaurant is booked months in advance. It's far too crowded and stupid for me to be anywhere other than someone's home.
Unfortunately, GothBard grew up loving the energy of such crowds. She's an extrovert through and through. So the Fake Russian managed to cater to us for several years: We'd get a crowd of 15-20 people together at his house, have dinner there, play games, celebrate the New Year, then spend the night there. I got to avoid crowds and traffic, and GothBard got to be at a decent-sized social event.
We were trying to do the same things with the kids this year (a bunch of their friends were planning on coming over), but the venue got changed so now GothBard and I are on our own for New Year's. Sounds awesome to me -- a quiet dinner at home, some movies or video games to pass the time, and ringing in the New Year at home. And the kids are safely at someone's house a few blocks away. Unfortunately, GothBard isn't happy with that, and wants to do SOMETHING out in the crowds. It'll be exhausting, but she got hosed last year (we went to the Fake Russian's but everyone went to bed by 9:30 pm, which was pretty staggering on New Year's Eve), so this year it's my turn to suck it up and brave the crowds. *SIGH*.
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may your CON checks be successful, your Bluff skill maxed, and your love for her as strong as ever!! Godspeed, NH. :)
Speaking of my idiot family:
Thanksgiving Morning: We're doing a Zoom call at 2:00 pm! See you there!
Considering I was serving dinner to my guests at exactly that time, I didn't attend.
Christmas Eve: We're trying to have a Zoom call at 8:00 am tomorrow morning. Can you attend?
We can try, but the kids have active social lives. We need 24 hours' notice or it's unlikely we'll be able to drop everything and show up.
That call got cancelled because younger brother couldn't show up either.
New Year's Eve Morning: I know this isn't 24 hours' notice, but today's Zoom call is at 2:00 pm. Can you all be there?
It's strange to me that he believes that during the incredibly busy holiday season all four of us can drop everything at a moment's notice to be on a call. Of course the kids are going to be out all day today. So I told him that GothBard and I would be there, but without 24 hours' notice he would never see my kids; their social lives are too booked for this, "Hey, let's meet later today!" nonsense.
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Wow... mind blown...
GothBard and I were just discussing "introvert" vs. "extrovert" and she pointed out that there's another fundamental spectrum that is uniformly exploited yet rarely if every mentioned: "xenophile" vs. "xenophobe".
GothBard and I are both strong xenophiles; we love meeting with and socializing with people who are different from us. GothBard frequented the Filipino club meetings in college because she loved the people and the food. I went to a family-run Ethiopian place where they insisted you sit on the floor and eat with your fingers and I was delighted. We're always happy to meet people from different backgrounds, different cultures, or what not, because we find them interesting. I've had many friends who were clear xenophobes; socializing with anyone outside of their immediate category made them visibly uncomfortable.
And GothBard pointed out that, just like being an introvert or extrovert, being a xenophile or xenophobe is likely an intrinsic psychological trait that you should be aware of. And forcing someone out of their comfort zone will lead to resentment one way or another.
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And a final note before I get back to end-of-year paperwork: In a bit of kindness and sympathy (and realizing that it's the morning of and we have no reservations anywhere), GothBard decided she'd be happy to do an evening at home with me: We'll buy a few goodies from Trader Joe's, get takeout from Dumpling Time, watch some simulcast movies with Shiro until his midnight or later, then curl up and ring in the New Year with some Toe Jam & Earl and likely the kids.
It'll be a good evening.
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Speaking of my idiot family:
Thanksgiving Morning: We're doing a Zoom call at 2:00 pm! See you there!
Considering I was serving dinner to my guests at exactly that time, I didn't attend.Christmas Eve: We're trying to have a Zoom call at 8:00 am tomorrow morning. Can you attend?
We can try, but the kids have active social lives. We need 24 hours' notice or it's unlikely we'll be able to drop everything and show up.That call got cancelled because younger brother couldn't show up either.
New Year's Eve Morning: I know this isn't 24 hours' notice, but today's Zoom call is at 2:00 pm. Can you all be there?
It's strange to me that he believes that during the incredibly busy holiday season all four of us can drop everything at a moment's notice to be on a call. Of course the kids are going to be out all day today. So I told him that GothBard and I would be there, but without 24 hours' notice he would never see my kids; their social lives are too booked for this, "Hey, let's meet later today!" nonsense.
I blame the cell phones. People got so complacent with their ability to catch anyone at a moment's notice that it creates a self-reinforcing loop of ignoring the fact that other people have their own lives and their own schedules.
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Fantasy NPC: End-Of-Kings, The Anarchist Dragon
Topple the kings, burn their thrones, eat the queens!
...
Ok, maybe lets not go that far...
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Wow... mind blown...
GothBard and I were just discussing "introvert" vs. "extrovert" and she pointed out that there's another fundamental spectrum that is uniformly exploited yet rarely if every mentioned: "xenophile" vs. "xenophobe".
Actually, that is a significant component in psychological and sociological analysis of divide between conservatives and progressives. Xenophobic tendencies tend to be statistically more noticeable in people leaning toward conservative world view.
A few years ago, when I talked with a friend who is doctor of psychology, we jokingly came to a humorous conclusion that I am so much of a xenophobe that I fail to form basic tribal affiliations based on nation or shared culture, which makes me go full circle into xenophile territory because everyone is The Other to me.
I might have pointed out to my father in an argument over nationalist ideas that in some ways I have more in common with a (certain) Black guy from NY than with many of my neighbors.
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Wow... mind blown...
GothBard and I were just discussing "introvert" vs. "extrovert" and she pointed out that there's another fundamental spectrum that is uniformly exploited yet rarely if every mentioned: "xenophile" vs. "xenophobe".
Actually, that is a significant component in psychological and sociological analysis of divide between conservatives and progressives. Xenophobic tendencies tend to be statistically more noticeable in people leaning toward conservative world view.
A few years ago, when I talked with a friend who is doctor of psychology, we jokingly came to a humorous conclusion that I am so much of a xenophobe that I fail to form basic tribal affiliations based on nation or shared culture, which makes me go full circle into xenophile territory because everyone is The Other to me.
I might have pointed out to my father in an argument over nationalist ideas that in some ways I have more in common with a (certain) Black guy from NY than with many of my neighbors.
I aligned very closely with the definition of a "social introvert" that came out a couple of years ago -- I can be sociable, and I'm quite good at it, but I find it exhausting.
But this was my first exposure to the xenophile/xenophobe thing, and it really opened my eyes. I never understood "guys' night out" -- why would I marry someone if I didn't want to spend my social hours with them? I never understood any kind of social interaction that excluded others. I find my own kind boring. I had way more fun cooking and bartending for the Portuguese Hurricane's bachelorette party than I ever had at a bachelor party. It was pretty funny taking corporate training on unconscious bias and realizing that I had the exact opposite problem -- I need to consciously be kinder to people like me because I'd rather work with someone not like me.
There are advantages and shortcomings to all types, but understanding yourself and the way you perceive the world is the first step in being understanding towards others.
OK. This really is too pathetically hilarious NOT to share.
Younger brother and his significant other are in Australia at the moment, spending a great deal of time out on the ocean or driving across the outback. They have very limited windows of internet access, and need to plan accordingly.
So, anyone with any time management skills whatsoever would have sent an email to everyone involved at least 48 hours in advance (if not a full week) to try to get everyone's schedules in sync.
Instead, apparently Older Brother FIRST set up a time with Younger Brother. Then, as I mentioned, didn't tell US about it until the morning of, at which point I told him the Impii wouldn't be around. So he unilaterally rescheduled to tomorrow. And we just got the email that Younger Brother and S.O. aren't available tomorrow. So now he's working individually with them to set a time, at which point he'll get back to us, we'll tell him that time is no good, and so forth, and so on, and so forth.
I have honestly never seen anyone this bad at organizing a group of people. It's honestly a bit astonishing (and immensely amusing) to watch...
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I have honestly never seen anyone this bad at organizing a group of people. It's honestly a bit astonishing (and immensely amusing) to watch...
I sense a challenge...
Oh, wait, I'd have to try to organize group of people. Nope. Pass. Never mind me.
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Today's discovery: 1987. I can't stop listening to her. Well, cycling with the Ghost Dance's Deeper Blue.
I might have a thing or two for 80s...
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You wouldn’t be the only one. Some great music came out of the 80s.
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You wouldn’t be the only one. Some great music came out of the 80s.
Some of us grew up then...
I took advantage of my winter break to finish the Third Doctor (through Season 11, for those counting).
I'm still of the opinion that Second Doctor > Third Doctor > First Doctor, but after seeing some of the writing dramatically improve for Jon Pertwee's final season and a half, I think he was hurt more by his writers than by his character. And I'll give him credit: He was obviously a fencer in school because his swordplay was quite good, and he clearly took the laughter at his action scenes to heart because by late Season 10 and through Season 11 it was clear he'd taken lessons in Aikido and his fights weren't nearly as painful.
But he still stands by far and away as the "action Doctor": More often than not he resorted to fisticuffs, he killed often and without hesitation, and he loved exotic vehicles and chases in them.
I was never a fan of Tom Baker's more awkward, pacifistic Doctor when I was young. Let's see what I think now that I've added a few decades...
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I'm going out for the first time in years.
I never understood "guys' night out" -- why would I marry someone if I didn't want to spend my social hours with them?
I really like pizza but I don't think I want to have it EVERY night for the next 40 years.
5/7 nights tops.
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We lost our cat of 20-something we're not sure years last week.
spoilered for the weirdest mix of sad heart warming and gross
** spoiler omitted **
Damn.
I am sorry. May she rest peacefully.
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I have been incredibly ill over the past few days. Really really bad cough that would lead to convulsions at some points, no fever(even though I felt like I had one), and lots of chest and head congestion- the former making me cough severely should I hit a patch while breathing, the latter making me dizzy/headachey. I have been in bed or in a super hot shower from Friday until...well today. Haven't left the house since Thursday. Still not 100%. Abscondation is at an all time low.
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I will never fail to be perplexed by some of the text messages my mother sends me. For example, this morning she informed me that a friend of my uncle's who I've never met (the friend, not my uncle) had died. Just over a minute later, she also sent me a message telling me to expect a large package in the mail. I'm afraid to ask what it is.
We lost our cat of 20-something we're not sure years last week.
spoilered for the weirdest mix of sad heart warming and gross
** spoiler omitted **
Poor mog. Sorry to hear that.
Bad IT is such a bane on everyone's existence.
DVC already has a concert-ticket-style class registration process, where if you don't select a class the moment it opens you're not going to get it.
But the true nightmare is that their system can't properly check prerequisites. Impus Minor needs to take his second semester of physics. We tried to register. "You need to have taken first semester physics and first semester calculus before we'll let you in."
And I go to his transcript. He passed first semester calculus in Fall of 2022, and first semester physics in Fall of 2023. So the system simply can't read his class records to verify his prerequisites.
No wonder that particular class isn't full yet...
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Disney Vacation Club?
Data Version Control?
Diablo V(alley) College?
Ok, I can possibly see why Impus Minor might pick that one...
And yet another indication as to how much easier it is to get your way through bureaucracy by being nice to people.
Cranky Calico has her annual urinary tract infection and is crapping all over the house. Unfun. Since we know the symptoms and we've seen them for many, many years, all we need is the Clavimox prescription. But if you call and demand that, most vets'll make you come in for a visit, insist on a urinalysis, and you'll be out a few hundred bucks before you get your drugs. So I took the opposite approach of, "Well, we know what it is, but we know you have a bunch of regulatory hoops to jump through, so we'd like to do the minimum possible so that you're allowed to give us the prescription." No demands at all. A simple statement that I knew that they had standards to uphold and I was perfectly willing to comply.
And of course the guy looked up her history, found that we'd gotten her last checkup in May, and said, "Well, it's been under a year, so technically I think we're allowed to just prescribe it to you. Let me talk to the doctors when they're free and we'll take care of you."
It's all about how you approach the Fortress of Forms.
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Just got a call that my mother's gone missing.
I am amused.
It's 1:30 in the afternoon on a sunny day. She had an irregularly-scheduled physical therapy appointment. They went to her apartment and she wasn't there. They searched the facility and she wasn't there. So they called me (medical power of attorney). I informed them that she was almost guaranteed to be outside on a walk, as it would be far more likely for her to flake on an appointment than wander off, especially since we just had a Zoom call with her yesterday and she was mentally fine.
But it's nice to see that they take their jobs seriously. I greatly appreciate them for that.
EDIT: OK. Even funnier. I told them I was in the San Francisco area and they should call older brother to help them find her. And she was with older brother running errands at the time, so he could respond, "Found her!"