Let this act as your open thread and your Kids In The Hall Monday both. Happy…it’s President’s Day, right? It’s something that gives us the day off, I’ll tell you that.
I can’t believe we haven’t done this one yet. It is my favorite song in the world; I would like it played both at my wedding and my funeral. I sing it a little bit to myself every time I meet someone named Dave.
Tags: kith monday, meta, national holidays, open thread
I don’t get a day off 🙁 Up for (and currently not paying attention to) a 9 am class instead. How unpatriotic!
What would George Washington’s ghost say! (though seriously, 9am classes are terrible and should go away forever).
Actually (prepare yourself), 9 am is my latest start time. My other four classes start at 8 am. Cry for me.
Ugh. I can sympathize. In my major, there’s a class that’s practically obligatory that’s scheduled at 8am four days a week. That was not a good semester.
No day off for me either! I guess hospitals bow to no President.
The local school district cancelled the holiday today because we’ve had a lot of snow days, and, predictably, there are parents bitching on the school district’s Facebook page about how “we honored MLK with a day off but not the presidents???” etc.
Ditto. My job at the hospital must go on, but apparently the municipal buses I use to get to said job are not obligated to do the same.
All of the cool Olympics were cancelled today and there’s not even any speed skating on.
Nope, I’m at work too, didn’t even know it was President’s Day until NPR on the way to work told us! I’ve never seen Kids in the Hall except for the sketches shown on the Toast.
I completely forgot about it until I got to work and went “Whyyyyyy is there no internet today.” (whyyyyyyyy)
If I got to work and there was no internet, I would pack up and go home. Seriously.
damn straight.
Gasp! Do you have Netflix? This needs to be remedied immediately. KITH were a formative part of my teen life, and helped create this creature before you.
Mine too. My sister and I sing all the Daves we know to each other and all the Daves we know on a regular basis.
If you like these posts, then go and find the rest of them – it’s just genius.
ive never watched it either!
Presidents’ Day is one of those fuck you holidays, where people in professions prone to holidays get to take it off and the rest of us resent them.
(Everyone who is home today, enjoy it! Be lazy for the rest of us, please.)
The schools in my area are open, and so is the state university where I work. If schools don’t even close, who the hell is getting a holiday today? (Banks, probably. Banks are always shut. But surely they’re not the only ones?)
Banks, post office, government? Local schools are open today but only because they needed to make up a snow day.
Yup, the government office I work in is technically closed but since I’m not a fed I still have to work.
Whaaaaaat? Boo.
Banks are closed, as I discovered today when I attempted to go to one. Whyyyyy.
The energy company in my area. I know this mainly because my office rents space in their building, and I had to jump through 50 kinds of hoops to get in the door. If the building we’re in’s main folks are off, we should be off too, dammit!
“people in professions prone to holidays get to take it off and the rest of us resent them”
Perfect description, yes.
I did not mean for that to come off as bitter as it sounds, honestly.
Can anyone tell me why everybody gets some holidays off (Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, etc. all seem to be pretty universal) and others are less universal? Sincerely asking.
yeah, I would like to know this as well. I get Good Friday off, but not today. I do not work for a religious organization. Whyyyy?
I’m sure there are lots of internal reasons but I’m gonna put on my angry theory hat and say probably it comes down to the informalization of most jobs to make more money for big companies, i.e. slowly erode workers ability to have holidays, take rest, get paid living wages to pump up profits. I mean, I don’t think i’ve ever had a paid sick day for sure. YEAAAAH NEOLIBERALIZATION.
Not necessarily disagreeing on the macro level… though in my specific case I think it’s more that my employer is uh, special. (I am lucky to have very good benefits but there is just something about a sanctioned day off.) (That said, this whining has already gotten me through half the workday, so.)
I am actually being SUPER PRODUCTIVE but I spent literally all of Saturday in bed, so.
(The school I work at has holidays literally every month, because in addition to MLK Day and Presidents’ Day we ALSO get the Suffolk County holidays of Evacuation Day and Patriots Day. I love it but I also feel incredibly guilty!)
I had to look up Evacuation Day and now I am SUPREMELY JEALOUS. St. Patrick’s Day! State-sanctioned drinking! Revolutionary War reenactments!
Enjoy your productive day off. I promise you will get more done at home today than I will at work.
EVACUATION DAY IS THE MOST RIDIC. I am fine with having Patriots Day off because that’s Marathon Monday and like fuck am I going anywhere in Boston that day. (Oh god, this year is going to be a security nightmare, I am staying home with a bottle of wine.)
I get nothing off from New Year’s Day til Memorial Day. It’s a long hard slog through the worst part of the year!
You and me both! It is a tough time. I vote we have a for-reals paid national holiday somewhere in there somewhere, for everyone.
It could be called Winter is Stupid Day, or Hibernation Day, or just Fuck This Shit Day…
I HATE fake holidays like this because the university is technically closed so there is no food service on campus but I still have to work and it’s 19 degrees out and ugh just fuck all of the things. I’m semi-tempted to go eat one of those Subway Fritos sandwiches as a grand fuck you to America/the universe but then I’d probably just be mad *and* sick.
I support your protesting, but the Subway Fritos sandwich will inevitably be more of a punishment to you than it will be to the system.
Maybe you could procure some other sandwich and top it with Fritos from the vending machine, which is not only a grand FUCK YOU to all those powers you name but also (crucially) a FUCK YOU to Subway for suggesting you can’t put Fritos on a sandwich yourself.
(Parenthetical remark #1: The ads for that sandwich send me into a tailspin of irritation all out of proportion to the sandwich itself. They put crispy, crunchy Fritos on a wet chicken filling, then top it with cheese, then melt it? By the time it gets to you, won’t the Fritos have disintegrated into a gritty slurry of salt? I’d much rather put Fritos – or, let’s be real, potato chips – on my own sandwich, one bite at a time. Trying to sell me a Frito sandwich is like trying to sell me a milkshake with bits of French fries mixed in instead of letting me dip the occasional hot salty fry into my ice-cold milkshake.)
(Parenthetical remark #2: though the sandwich would surely make me sick, the Fritos wouldn’t. Fritos themselves are surprisingly wholesome as snack foods go: just corn and salt and oil.)
But the real question is, how does a sandwich covered in Fritos jibe with Subway’s healthy eating thing?
I don’t get the day off today, either! MLK Day was our last one until Memorial Day at the end of May.
We’re 90% moved! There are a few things we didn’t trust the movers to take and/or hadn’t finished packing in the apartment still, but otherwise it’s all in the house. I jammed my knee pretty badly on Saturday and my back is very stiff, so I’ve been hobbling around like a penguin all weekend. At least the TV/internet is set up and the kitchen’s pretty much unpacked. That’s about as far as we’ve gotten. I am very tired.
I didn’t get MLK Day off, I don’t get today off, and the next day I DO have off from work is Good Friday. Guess which part of the US I live in.
You have Good Friday off? We’re in until Memorial Day. (I live in Kentucky, which is south but not south?)
(HOW do places decide holidays? How?)
edit: I didn’t have MLK Day off either. Someone needs to map these things out.
I’m honestly surprised I don’t get more Christian religious days off considering I’m in Georgia. I bet you’re either down here in the southern zone, too, or you’re in the midwest, since you ARE getting one.
SO appalled when I found out we still have to work Easter in GA. In Oz we get Good Friday AND Easter Monday. Um hello, Bible Belt? You’re doing it wrong.
I remember when I went to study abroad in the UK for a year we got like a solid week off for Easter and it was MAGICAL. But I think separation of church and state makes it hard to nail that kind of thing down here. Pretty sure most of us would be willing to deal with a breach in that stuff for a week off in April, though. Maybe? Possibly?
Yep, I’m in Tennessee, so hi, neighbor! Hope you guys are dealing okay with all the snow. (We got completely passed over by this last storm. They’re calling it the Nashville Snowdome.)
Our high today is like 60 degrees, it’s hard to believe just last week we were snowed in! This weather is wild.
Hey, congrats on almost-completely-moving? It sounds like it was not THE BEST process, but I am so glad you are almost done!
Thanks!!! Mostly it went fine — we hired movers to handle the big heavy stuff, and kept our valuables/fragile things to move ourselves. We just didn’t manage to pack up the kitchen in time, so we told them to leave it and we’d do it ourselves, which is where a lot of our aches and pains come from, because kitchen boxes get heavy very quickly. (Memo to everyone ever: PACK THE KITCHEN. DON’T LEAVE THE KITCHEN TO LAST. OH DEAR GOD PACK THE KITCHEN.)
Anyway, injuries and that failure in planning aside, it went pretty smoothly, all things considered.
I started moving this weekend! I stupidly moved my bed first, so now I’m on an slowly deflating air mattress for the next 3 weeks uughhhhhhhhh
Hey y’all, I designed the logo (but not the website) here: http://www.jolenebyrne.com/
Very nice. Also Jolene takes a good picture 🙂
I saw a broadcast of the National Theatre’s Coriolanus Saturday and it was AMAZING.
I saw it a couple of weeks ago! Definitely AMAZING.
NGL, I mostly went because I’m obsessed with Tom Hiddleston, but Deborah Findlay’s Volumnia was just…wow. Honestly I have no words for how completely amazing she was. Is. I want to see her in EVERYTHING now.
I had no particular Hiddleston-love before, but I could be a convert now. Volumnia was indeed awesome and she should be in everything. I actually preferred some of the supporting cast to Hiddleston – in a few of his long monologues (just before and after the interval) I lost what he was saying (my friend who I went with claims it was because I was distracted by his chest but I deny this), he seemed to lose the rhythm a bit and start ‘declaiming’. All the others I followed perfectly well, and I’m normally failry good at Shakespeare.
My supervisor definitely heard my whisper “I will kill everyone with my hands” as I clumped around the office dealing with incompetence a minute ago. HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYONE
and then you got a promotion, right?
Any day now, I’m sure of it (she said, refreshing The Toast)
GUYS I SAW VAMPIRE ACADEMY THIS WEEKEND.
It was absolutely ridiculous. I have Concerns.
Absolutely ridiculous in that “it was definitely a bad movie but still a ton of fun to watch” or just “bad overall and not even in that good way”?
Little of both? It’s fun to yell about, so maybe more of the first than the second. Some of the acting/writing is absolutely painful, but the lead girl is pretty great, despite the fact that she is Not Even A Little Bit A Vampire Why Is She Even Here. Lead blonde girl has serious Minnie Driver jaw. The Femslash Friday writes itself.
I’m pretty excited to find some free time to go and see it with a friend of mine, we both read the books so we’d like to see the movie. I’m expecting “I enjoy this in a made-for-TV disney movie kind of a way,” I think?
I think it’s best viewed in association with a reading of Mallory’s materials on it. Lower your expectations and everything will be great fun.
OH MY GOD I KNOW RIGHT unexpectedly had a load of friends behind me, we were collectively the eldest in theatre. Of hooting people. Also, ELLEN PAGE.
ELLEN PAAAAAGE.
I’m in the UK so we have no presidents to warrant a day off. WOE. I could do with a day off as well, I’m shattered.
You know how to fix that problem, right? Join us on the Dark Side
I’m sometimes tempted because there are many lovely things about the US, but I think I want to keep my reproductive rights more than I want today off! (I really want today off though, so it’s a close run thing at the minute…)
I’m in the US but working for a UK company that doesn’t believe in American holidays, so basically worst of both worlds!
Bastards!
My mom left after spending the last five weeks with us (three in Canada, two in Utah!) and now I am DESOLATE.
If that happened to me, it would be the anagram of that: SO ELATED. (I’m sorry you’re missing her, but I couldn’t resist the word play. I love my family but in short bursts.)
I know that feeling 🙁
she’ll come back though! Can you FaceTime? (I know it’s not the same but it helps)
She’s just so AMAZING. She hung a painting, organized all my closets, sorted all the baby’s stuff into too small, too big, and just right, cooked, did the laundry, FOLDED the laundry (which I have never done), and, in one final burst of over-enthusiasm, found and stacked our condoms into a neat little pile.
We watched all the Sherlock, we read the dishy Ava Gardner “Secret Conversations” book out loud to each other, she spoiled my husband and praised him until he preened, and then woke up early before her flight today to clean all my cast iron one more time.
She is seriously the greatest mother in the world, and we never get tired of each other.
You may have seen on Twitter, but she came out of my closet and said “Why do you have a book called ‘I Love Dick’?” and I was all “IT’S AN IMPORTANT WORK OF INTERDISCIPLINARY FICTION and Mooooom get out of my stuff!”
Haha my mom had the same reaction upon seeing that book in my house, but added “I hope it’s not really about penises.”
Mom Magazine cover-worthy
Why isn’t there a Mom Magazine? Should someone with photoshop skills pitch that?
I LOVE your mom and she can come here to VA anytime.
you guuuuuys!!! Does anyone watch House of Cards? And is anyone crazy like me and already finished the whole season?
SO. MUCH. AHHH. And I just realized it was very clever of them to release on Presidents’ Day Weekend…
I’m starting it today.
Enjoy the roller coaster, Nicole. And post back your thoughts after the first episode here if you feel so inclined… 🙂
I WATCHED THE WHOLE THING I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS
oh SHOOT how can we talk about this without ruining it for everyone else… womp, womp
but yeah in general, holy shit. SO many thoughts.
Episode Eleven! EPISODE ELEVEN.
oh I didn’t see this when I posted down below! I only watched the first three episodes but I don’t know if I’ll make it all the way to the end if there isn’t a long, long, very long scene of every bone in Doug Stamper’s face being lovingly broken, one by one. snap snap snap. Doesn’t have to be done by Rachel, could be done by anybody. I do not care. This is not a spoiler as it has nothing to do with the events of the first three episodes; I felt that way last season and I will feel that way until I die.
& I still get as much pleasure as I do eye-rolling from the show, roughly equal amounts, so I do like it, but hearing the showrunner’s interview with Julie Klausner back a while killed any hope I might have had that they understand which characters are morally ambiguous and which characters are unambiguously and irredeemably loathsome. They do not understand.
I don’t want to spoil you so all I will say is: keep watching. It will be worth it.
goooood
I will be happy with humiliation and disgrace or just a lot of physical suffering but I would really like to see both
I like the rest of Shame Based Man, but I do think there is something nice to be said for his Terriers song.
Kids In The Hall Monday is making me reminisce about high school, when I would basically mainline Comedy Central and absorbed this, MST3K, and Short Attention Span Theater, and the original Talk Soup with Greg Kinnear.
Can we have Talk Radio Friday?
Ack, News Radio, I mean.
I seem to have met an awful lot of Daves recently, and they are, without question, the second strangest group of same-named people in my life. The first strangest would be the Mikes.
Daycare parents are competitive about the dumbest things, and I’m only starting to glimpse our future as parents where the schools and teachers are helicoptered and tigered to death. The Valentine’s Day arms race was epic and I want no part of this. One parent gave out four part valentines that included money and cardstock custom printed cards (it was lucky money for Chinese New Year, but still).
That sounds incredibly horrifying. I blame Pinterest. (Pintrest? Both of those look wrong.)
I’ve had to block most of my mom friends on facebook because they are horrifying. The Valentine’s they made for their kids to hand out were cray PLUS people buy Valentine’s gifts for their kids?? Some candy? Okay. Full on xmass style hauls? No no no.
suddenly glad the BBs go to a lower-socio-economic strata daycare where they were given a shit ton of candy & cupcakes w little plastic heart-shaped choking hazards on top.
This will toughen them up for the future.
Lord of the Flies / Survival of the Fittest 😉
Solidarity high-five. Wee Howlet’s candy and crap haul included pointy wooden sticks (apparently for scratching off stuff on pictures? Who knows), many character-branded pencils, and so much Fun Dip (which is now all mine). I myself grabbed some My Little Pony cards at CVS and he demanded we add Starburst. Ok, then.
Yeah we seized & sorted the candy, lots of shit we are not prepared for the Bergy Bits to eat (Pixie Sticks?? NO.
That sounds absurd. Although, to be fair, my mom and I always gave out handmade valentines, and the hours and hours we spent making those valentines together is one of my favorite memories from my childhood.
D:
I guess it was a matter of time before lucky money would have an artisanal option.. -_-; I’m a big fan of the cheap, commercialized envelopes myself. Did you know they have ones with Angry Birds now? I find it both hilarious and absurd.
Not only am I at work, but I got to get up at 5 am to catch a “Saturday Schedule” commuter train! Extra bonus fun: five minutes later, our crap plastic showerhead decided to finally crack open making a super happy fun fountain! The cats found the whole morning very exciting.
On the plus side, I’m the only person at work today in the computer monitoring room, so I’m gonna listen to podcasts as loud as I damn well want to. EDIT: Also, now loudly humming the Daves song.
ALSO, guys, get excited, Rainbow Rowell and I have begun our Sherlock s4 discussion in earnest, and we disagree about the thing Sherlock does at almost-the-end of the third episode and it’s going to be fun for everyone to process!
Bah, that Thing is just a cherry on the shit sundae of every other horrible aspect of that episode.
Bleuuuugh. And you know why they had him do it, right? It’s because the idea of a woman with any agency whatsoever is BEYOND ALL COMPREHENSION for Steven Moffat. http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/sherlock-bbc-moffa…
Yeah, there’s all that. And there’s how every single character becomes the absolute worst possible version of themselves. And Moffat’s insatiable need to have cheap ‘gotcha!’ moments, regardless of whether or not they make sense. And and and and and and
The episode is made of Wheel of Time vintage Balefire. It annihilates my Sherlock affection retroactively, so that I wonder why I ever bothered watching it at all.
PRIMO WHEEL OF TIME REFERENCE RIGHT HERE
Ex-ZACKT-ly. I was really offended by the idea that John chose Mary not because he loved the person she seemed to be, but because of her hidden psychopathy. It showed such an infantile understanding of human emotions that it could only have come from the mind of Moffat.
Which thing? The Mikkelsen thing, or the exchange at the airfield?
I think it must be the Mikkelsen thing, since that’s what Sherlock does, whereas the stuff at the airfield is something the show does.
Ah, yes. I know that some people had a really big problem with the shooting, and I can see why, but it didn’t strike me in the emotions. I’d been so confused by who the characters really are anymore that nothing any of them did really surprised me. Well, the drugging of the family surprised me, but that’s because it would have been unexpected for anyone to do. The shooting being “out of character” just doesn’t rate for me. He already seemed like a big jerk to me in eps 1 and 3 (though not 2, of course, <3 u, sentimental Sherlock), and he’d already said a lot of things that seemed out of character. I thought that that was going to be one of the points of this season—Sherlock being kind of shell-shocked and dealing with whatever he’d been doing for the last 2 years—but apparently the writers don’t feel it’s necessary. Moving on to even more “exciting” and globally threatening mega-plots now, I suppose.
Wait, what, where?
Come on, little Archie! The WHO, the WHAT, the WHY, the WHEN, the WHERE?
I’m all tired out from discussing this season, which I did NOT like and I believe has actually turned me off watching the show from now on (maybe not, but I certainly don’t care much about it anymore), but I’d like to read what you have to say.
I’m headed to DC at the end of the week! What should I do/see/eat?? In particular, what are good activities to do with parents who are not good at walking/standing for long periods of time?
In terms of food, DEFINITELY go to Farmers Fishers Bakers! It is so so very delicious, and pretty reasonably priced for the quality of the food (locally sourced, pretty creative recipes, etc.). When I was there, I had this pizza with ricotta and balsamic and brussels sprouts and butternut squash and it was amazing. Also, their drinks are incredible, and only like $8 each, which is cheap for DC.
omg AND ALSO, if you have a whole day – like, budget at least 5 hours – go to the Newseum. It might be the best museum experience I’ve ever had.
Although it is not great for parents who have trouble walking and standing for a long time, so maybe save it for your own personal visit another time?
What kind of food do you all like?
Also fun activities – the Kennedy Center has free performances every day at 6 pm. http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium… The Smithsonian museums are also free and GREAT and most of them have lots of benches and such scattered around so you can take sitting breaks if necessary.
The not walking/standing thing is tough because even though most touristy stuff is around the mall it’s still a huge area. I would recommend going to museums more off the beaten path, so you might actually be able to find a seat in one. One of my personal favorites is the National Building Museum (not Smithsonian affiliated so it costs money now). They hold inaugural balls there, so it’s plenty beautiful, and there’s a big open space with lots of seats. A nice little cafe and a cute shop. It’s also near Chinatown/Penn Quarter so it’s not too far from the Mall and other stuff to do. Nearby is the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum. It’s also on the quieter side for DC museums and has a nice roofed in atrium for relaxing.
Other personal favorites: Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art. Of the big museums the National Museum of the American Indian has the best food. And it’s close to the Botanical Garden, which is really nice for a break from winter grey. Though not full of seats, it is small and achievable.
One of my favorite places to eat is Zaytinya if you like Mediterranean style tapas. Rasika is an Indian place that is impossible to get a reservation at on the weekends, but you might have luck during the week. Both are on the higher end of the spectrum, but not ridiculous. Teaism is good for lunch, but it’s crazy busy due to all the Federal workers, but their salty oat cookies are delicious. I know some people hate them, but I personally love them!
There are some good Neopolitan pizza places around. 2 Amys is the classic, but I prefer Pupatella (out in Arlington so you’d need a car).
If you do have a car check out the DC suburbs for some great ethnic food. Ruan Thai in Wheaton, MD is one of my favorites, so I’m biased. Bon Chon has great Korean fried chicken (and a number of locations – though I think Fairfaxis the best). Oe Gad Gib in Annandale, Virginia has great all you can eat Korean BBQ. There are good Ethiopian places all over. There’s a bunch of good Salvadoran/pupusa places in the area too, I’m more familiar with the ones in Maryland, but I know there are tons of options. If you’re okay with a drive there’s a great Taco place in a gas station in Gaithersburg, MD called Taco Bar. It’s at least an hour out of the city though. And there’s not much out there unless you want to drive up to Frederick or Western MD.
Uh…I like food, so, yeah.
Oe Gag Gib! Ethiopian! Pupusas! You are a fellow Marylander after my own heart! <3 <3 <3
I know! I got really hungry just writing all that. Ethnic food is my jam.
A few weeks ago I went to Founding Farmers for brunch and it was pretty fantastic. Make a reservation though, it would have been a long wait if we hadn’t snagged a spot at the bar.
My dad loved the Museum of the American Indian. Call ahead and get an appointment. There are lots of places to rest. Plus they have an awesome restaurant in the basement
Seconding the recommendation for NMAI’s restaurant — they have a very creative chef who uses new world foods in dishes both traditional and modern. It is so fun.
It also tends to be one of the less crowded Smithsonian museums (…sigh) so probably easier to find a place to sit and rest, if necessary.
If you like deep dish-esque pizza, District of Pi is quite delicious and it’s close to the Spy Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. It’s also really close to the Chinatown/Verizon Center stop.
I don’t have any suggestions for parents who are not good with walking/standing for long periods of time, I feel like every time in DC, that is all I do. 🙁 Well, the Shakespeare Theater Company is quite delightful, I saw Much Ado About Nothing there recently on their free day.
My mom was just in town and I took her to Mourayo, which is around Dupont Circle and is an extremely good Greek restaurant. Doesn’t make all those top-10-DC-restaurant lists but that is because it is too good for them. And Beuchert’s on Capitol Hill has a terrible name but is a great place to go if you have nice parents who will be happy to buy you very expensive food and drinks. maybe not so nice if you are a nice child who will be buying them dinner though.
You Toasties are the best! Except now I’m also planning a solo trip back where I can be unencumbered by parents with bad knees and unadventurous palates!
Take them to Busboys and Poets! It’s a delicious Southern-food restaurant that is also a bookstore, so not only can you sit, you can also keep yourselves entertained (individually, even) while you recover from your activities.
I’ve only ever been to the one on the U Street Corridor, which is great (and the original?). 14th and V.
“Billy Dee Williams watch out!”
Look out now. 😀
I have the day off, but don’t be too jealous, because it’s unpaid. My agency used to let us work on these stupid nonholiday holidays, but then money became more of an issue and they stopped. So, I appreciate the day off, but I’d like my money please. Which is why I’m spending my day off applying to new jobs.
But I did make waffles this morning. So that’s cool.
Soooo many people get screwed with the unpaid holidays. In my office at least all the well paid folks get paid time off but the people like receptionists and custodial staff are all contractors so none of them get paid today. And I’m guessing they would really like to.
Guys, make sure you read that interview I did with Rachel Shukert, and then buy her books: http://the-toast.net/2014/02/14/interview-rachel-…
ELLEN PAGE DISCUSSION THREAD STARTS HERE.
OH MY GOD, ELLEN PAGE.
I mean, we knew, because Halifax is tiny and tightly linked to Toronto but THAT SPEECH.
Woo! I love how my tumblr page immediately went 90% Ellen Page.
I’M SO PROUD OF HER but I’m also really unhappy with all of the “well FINALLY we all knew already gosh” rhetoric?
eta that also the speech as a whole was magnificent and I hope people pay attention to the rest of it beyond her coming out, because that was only a tiny piece of it.
Her speech was so great! And you could tell she was so nervous, poor thing. She done good.
interesting! I sort of shrugged and was a promoter of that rhetoric but I wasn’t super loud about it. And yes, super problematic.
I’m so glad for her, but I still wish HRC was not the giant umbrella representing all teh queerz, because man, I have a lot of problems with them. :\
That speech was INCREDIBLE. I hope everyone’s hearing the whole thing, too. It was amazing, through and through.
The “gosh we already knew geez” stuff is pretty obnoxious. It’s pretty dismissive, really, of her choice of when and where to officially state her orientation publicly.
I just want to give her a big hug, like we’re besties or something (we’re not).
As a mom, I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her how brave and good she was. She looked so nervous.
Also she is pro-sweatpants. Ellen Page says it’s okay to wear sweatpants. She is the perfect woman and I will henceforth wear sweatpants at all times.
Oh, and this is my last word vomit of the morning, but I chose not to approve the BEST comment on that great Student Activism at Tufts piece bc it was atrocious but it’s such Mansplaining 101 I have to share it here:
1. He says he did not bother to read the article.
2. Women who are raped should just go to the police.
3. Problem solved!
thanks, men! for explaining the world to us!!!!!!!!!
PUT HIM ON THAT LIST – as one of the men who will not be spared when the Revolution comes.
Sorry, buddy. Go to the police, we’ll tell him.
It’s quicker to just make a list of the men who will be spared.
God, you americans have so many days off. How do you get any work done?
We went to the zoo yesterday! A tree had come down on the tiger enclosure damaging their fence so they weren’t out – instead they were in their indoor enclosure, where we could see them through the glass. Two adults, and two little cubs, all sleeping except for the smaller adult who kept pacing around looking out of the windows. I was about 6 inches from a sleeping tiger cub. It was adorable.
Only some Americans get today off. The rest of us are here at The-Toast dot net. No one is getting any work done.
We have to have weird holidays because we only get like 10 vacation days a year.
I mean, we have the bank holidays, a christmas and boxing day, and if a member of the royal family dies or gets married we get some time off, too (all of these unless you work retail, or in a hospital etc etc) but we do get like a month of holidays.
I don’t think it’s Americans who are known for their copious paid days off.
I didn’t get MLK day off, nor today.
Can we talk about wheat and dairy alternatives? Because I am struggling to find normal breakfast/lunch foods I can bring with me to work. I cut out wheat a couple months ago because I realized it was giving me digestion problems and I’ve been dairy-free since last week as an experiment to see if it clears up my acne. BUT it’s so hard to find breakfasty/lunchy things that aren’t super expensive ;_;
Does the dairy ban include eggs as well? [I realize the answer might be “YES, DUH” but I just want to check because I am slightly lactose intolerant but have no problem with eggs, for obvious reasons.]
I’m including eggs so far!
Haha, I see a bunch of us have been like “eggs? yes no?”
I do like frittatas, and they reheat well, but I am often too lazy to make them. [Also, if I do them, I usually do them in serving size form by dropping them into muffin tins.. just drop an egg per muffin receptacle, top with whatever veggies or frittata fillings you like, bake until it’s cooked through.]
Usually what I do is bake some eggs in the oven in the beginning of the week (I find that it’s easier then hard boiling them) at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, and then dropping those suckers in a cold water bath. I usually pack some with me, alongside some precooked sausage or sauteed ground beef, and tie it all together with an apple. The baked eggs can be eaten cold or warm, I like crumbling them together with the meat.
I am a big fan of crunchy/starchy things, so I often have some plantain chips on the side because my diet leans more on the paleo side of things. You can do something similar with prepping some potato or sweet potato hash (or just bake the suckers) at the beginning of the week and bring that in with you as well.
Thank you so much for this!!
You’re very welcome. I love food and eating but have to make an effort to eat breakfast so I think about this sort of thing quite often. Maybe too much. 😉
P.S. My husband and I had katsudon for the first time ever in a Japanese restaurant in DC this past weekend and we’ve been really enamored with the whole “gently beaten egg, lightly cooked” thing. (You can see what I mean if you click on the above link!) It’s has the texture of melted cheese when cooked just right, and I’ve been thinking a lot about how it could potentially use as a cheese substitute for the appropriate dishes. Just a thought to consider re. dinner or weekend meals!
That egg does look really interesting 😮 Let us know how it goes the open thread after you try using it as a cheese substitute!
are you eating eggs? You could make a big frittata with veggies, meat, eggs and then eat it for breakfast every day for a week – microwaved, toaster oven-ed, or cold.
Yeah, eating eggs! I hadn’t thought of reheating them, I’d been under the impression that they’re terrible reheated. I will have to try it (:
They can be gross reheated, but for some reason I dont have a problem with it if they’re in baked form – it’s like quiche without crust! I usually roast some veggies (broccoli) and meat (sausage or ground beef) and then put it in a casserole dish and pour 12 beaten eggs over it and bake until set.
Sounds like baked eggs is the suggestion of the day 😀 I am excited to try!
Yes, try it and report back!
I like to do mini-frittatas in muffin tins, with shredded zucchini, wilted spinach, sauteed mushrooms & onions, maybe a little red pepper, maybe some (fake) sausage… chop up all the fillings, then keep adding eggs til it’s enough to cover them, then pour into muffin tins! Either grease them well or use liners though.
Noooooo what this is genius! brb trying this immediately
eggs? corn puffs with almond milk? weird hippy bread with peanut butter and jam? grits? giant pile of bacon?
GRITS ALL THE GRITS. mmmm.
I’ve actually never had grits! And I live in the south, shame on me 😮
I actually think they’re really gross, but a lot of people seem to enjoy them… Also oatmeal made with almond or whatever milk instead of cow milk.
If you have a non-dairy grits recipe, please share it with the class. I’m allergic to dairy and this is opening up whole new vistas in my worldview. I can’t imagine grits without cheese. Omg, I’m googling right now.
I think they are less gross sweet, so I would do Earth Balance or something buttery, and brown sugar, and maybe a hint of cinnamon. My vegan friend swears Daia “cheese” is good, but I think she’s just forgotten what cheese is supposed to be like…
Sweet grits weird me out. Back before the allergypocalypse, I had a mean recipe for cheddar jalapeno grits. I’ve found some recipes now that are giving me hope that I can cook the grits in broth and then throw in some coconut milk and nutritional yeast at the end for creamy + cheesy. SO EXCITED
Basically 100% of polenta recipes would do the trick, I imagine. I can also see replacing the cheese with bacon working out pretty well.
We’ve been doing sauteed mushrooms on everything for breakfast lately and it is awesome, if you’re a savory breakfast person.
I’m a big fan of the HUGE salad (seriously, go big or go home). Lots of toppings – seeds, nuts, meats, BACON, pickled/fermented things (beets, peppers, sauerkraut).
YES I have been having salad for lunch CONSTANTLY (: It does seem to make me super hungry a couple hours afterwards so I have to back it up with snacks later on. I haven’t put any pickled fun things on it though, that sounds delicious!
meats and / or seeds is one of the keys to fending off after-salad hunger. Also some crackers or something – Nut Thins are a delightful wheat-free option, there are surely others…
Thanks for the salad tips!! 😀 And I have had a bunch of different kind of gluten free crackers, both homemade and store bought. I need to start getting them / making them as a staple item though.
That “food should taste good” company makes these kimchi chips that are gluten free and dairy free and they TASTE LIKE DORITOS. for real.
I actually just finished a bag of their chips just now haha! They were the sweet potato tortilla chips that oddly tasted like tortilla chips but also corndogs??? THEY WERE AMAZING. I’m sad they’re gone now ;_;
yeah, those bags are NOT BIG ENOUGH.
I like how BACON is important enough to have its own category separate from the other, less lovely meats. (I am eating bacon right now).
yes, that was NOT an accident. BACON. BACON. BACON. Also ham. HAM. I love Ham. PORK!!!!!!!!
What about good oatmeal–I can cook up a pot of steel-cut oats on the weekend and then reheat some for breakfast each morning. A+ great with fruit, brown sugar, nuts, whatever makes you happy.
I’ve been doing a lot of oatmeal lately (: I’m the kind of person that gets bored with food easily though, so maybe I can find some more fun toppings and such!
I definitely know the oatmeal rut. I got into a fun dessert-for-breakfast phase where I would chuck a couple tablespoons of cocoa in with the oatmeal while it was cooking. CHOCOLATE OATS.
Ooooh that sounds yummy!
Bon Appetite had a gingerbread steel cut oats recipe that I’ve been making lately. Molasses + ginger for the gingerbread flavor. They have you boil the oats for +/- 10 minutes the night before and then 10 min the morning of, which means breakfast is actually ready when you want breakfast.
Oatmeal is also awesome with savory toppings- I’ve done tomato/basil/garlic (all fresh), sauteed mushrooms, some other stuff I don’t remember. Throw a fried egg on top for extra goodness.
Have you ever done savory oats? I don’t much like sweet things in the morning, so I’ll have steel cut oats with soy sauce, sesame oil, and a poached or soft-boiled egg. Works brilliantly.
I make a big bowl of oatmeal and I put berries in it (I usually buy a big frozen bag and just stick a bowl in the fridge overnight for morning) and then I slop a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses in it for sweetness/iron. SO DELISH. SO FIBRE. WOW.
In this same vein, I am excited to try this custard:
”
6 eggs
2 cups coconut milk
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoon vanilla
Preparation Instructions: Preheat oven to 325ºF. Pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into each ramekin, swirl to cover the bottom.Whisk together egg, vanilla, maple syrup. Gently whisk in coconut milk. Pour equally into ramekins. Place ramekins into a baking dish and fill with boiling hot water until 1/4 of the side of the ramekins is covered. Bake for 60-70 minutes. They are done when the middle of the custard is set and does not wiggle when lightly tapped. Let cool completely, cover and store in the refrigerator.”
Sounds easy and yummy!!
ALSO TACOS. for breakfast and any meal.
ALWAYS TACOS, love ’em. Any ideas about tortillas that don’t fall apart when I want a soft taco though?
I like regular old corn tortillas
I’m super picky but maybe I could get used to them *sighs dramatically*
See if you can find a Mexican market or somewhere that makes fresh ones. They are a whole different thing than the sad flaky kind you can find in the grocery store!
yes, agreed! if you can find a little mexican market, check those out! also, they might sell tostada style tortillas, and those with some beans and veg would be a nice little breakfast in my opinion. I find the packaged tortillas available at a tienda are far better than grocery store options.
I live in Texas so I’m sure there’s one close to me, thanks!
Or migas? Fry your corn tortillas and then mix them with your eggs.
How do you feel about burritos (with corn or other wheat-free tortillas, of course)? They’re infinitely customizable with different kinds of veggies or rice, and you can get your protein in with beans or meat (if you’re eating meat).
I LOVE BURRITOS, but I’ve actually been having a lot of trouble finding wheat-free tortillas the hold up well 🙁
I have never tried, but I have heard that trader joe’s makes some decent ones, if you have a TJ nearby.
It’s not near but we make a pilgrimage out that way every once in a while (: I will have to investigate!
Similar, how about Vietnamese salad rolls with rice paper wrappers?
Sounds very yum! I think we even have some of those rice paper wrappers lying around too!
How about coconut rice with roasted sweet potatoes and/or squash and toasted almond slices? It’s not exactly a breakfast food, but I’ve been eating it for breakfast and it’s been working well for me, and it’s cheap.
That sounds super yummy! I adore sweet potatoes. This thread is wonderful, I’ve got to take some notes O_O
This maybe doesn’t qualify as normal, but I eat soup for breakfast all the time. It’s warm and comforting and you can crack an egg into it if you want.
What kind of soups would you recommend? I could do those for lunch!
I make bone broth with chicken or beef bones and then add any other things I have lying around. Boil some chicken bones for like three hours, strain that shit, fry a bunch of onions and garlic and carrots (and whatever) in butter and put them in the broth, and then add whatever else you want. Pretty much endless variations according to what veggies are looking sad and wilty in your fridge.
YEAH! Miso! http://www.thekitchn.com/comfort-food-miso-soup-f…
I’ve been grain- and dairy- free for three(ish?) years. I’ve completely trashed the idea of “breakfast food.” Food is food is food. I just ate beef stew (with Yukon Gold potatoes and roasted butternut squash) for breakfast and it was delicious.
Breakfast food is the only reason I wake up in the morning tbh. I’m an idealist and a romantic, and I have both kinds of feelings about breakfast :p
Another related question here if anybody’s still around: What kind of dairy alternative is best in coffee? Cause I’ve tried soy, coconut, and almond milk in my coffee and I’m not impressed.
Coconut is probably the best, sadly. Or just try transitioning to black?
Aw that is depressing! I will investigate the matter further.
Oh! But are you putting in the milks, or the creamers? There are specialty creamers in little pints made from all these things. They are… creamier…
Just the milks! I DIDN’T KNOW THEY MADE CREAMERS
Don’t forget potatoes.
Potatoes are the best, always.
granola bars are it for me this week. Many granola bars have no wheat. Don’t know if that includes oats, but there are many options in that region.
What about a rice based dish like kedgeree (http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/feb/24/how-to-cook-perfect-kedgeree)? It’s kind of an Anglo-Indian fried rice. I may be biased since I like savory breakfasts but it’s one of my favorites.
I also like chorizo/potato breakfast tacos, breakfast bowls with sweet potato or homefries on the bottom and crumbled breakfast sausage or leftovers on top, and any kind of vegetable fritter or potato pancake.
What even is President’s Day, though.
Halfway between Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday, because 2 Mondays off in February would be taking things too far. (Also because we should apparently celebrate all of the Presidents for some reason. Also mattress sales.)
can we get a first ladies’ day please?
I’m not sure, but judging from this documentary I’ve been watching called Sleepy Hollow, I think it’s got something to do with the Freemasons and honoring the fallen in the secret battle between good and evil?
On this day, we remember Zombie G-Dubb’s sacrifices in saving our country’s immortal soul from the forces of darknses.
So I work for I guess, kind of, a placement agency? I am a contactor working at my current place, and they have wanted to bring me on permanently but it is expensive, because they have to buy out my contract from the people who placed me there.
Well, I found out on Friday (after the open thread, obvs) that I have officially worked enough hours on the contract that there now is *no* fee to purchase out my contract. What that means is that if they want to make me a permanent employee, it now only will cost the price of the position, not the position plus, like, 3-months salary, and that *should* make it more likely that they will do it.
I know it won’t happen until, at earliest, the next fiscal year. But I’m going to talk to my boss this week about how likely she thinks it is, and what my strategy for employment should be (she wants to bring me on but didn’t have the money this year. She knows I am underpaid for my skills, to the point where she sometimes sends me job listings of things she thinks I’d be good at).
Anyway, it’s potentially exciting future job news yay!
I didn’t know today was a holiday (for some people) until I noticed there was noooo traffic and thought “Shit, did I get confused and try to go to work on Sunday morning?”
I work with a 70 year old man who never has uttered a positive phrase about anything, except himself and maybe a sandwich. He recently lamented to me about how when he was a kid they had a holiday for Washington’s birthday and Lincoln’s birthday, and by putting them together they have NO MEANING ANYMORE, America is lost. Save yourself.
I would have been like, “When you were a kid, back when they were still alive?”
Thank you so much to whoever recommended Cold Magic by Kate Elliot a while back. I just finished the first one and really enjoyed it!
YESSSSSSSSS. \o/
yessss!
Yes yes yes. I am in the middle of the book and it is GREAT and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
New Facebook gender options: discuss.
I kind of want to switch mine to “cis woman” because some of my friends would actually have to look it up and it would be good for them BUT more importantly, I don’t want to seem flippant/like I’m flaunting my cis privilege. Thoughts?
Yup, no day off for grad students, except the project I’m on involves dealing with municipal governments, so, guess what, nobody can help me today. Also my school is having a faculty strike which I mostly 100% support but it means class gets canceled (finance ahhhh) and I’m still at work and I resent my program, but still. Solidarity forever.
I know there was astrological stuff on Friday thread, but if you are a Mercury retrograde believer, has anyone’s month been just a complete slog? Losing transit passes (not cheap), inability to get anything done, my house is a joke, and sharkweek jumped on me four days early with awful cramps this morning. I also apparently will never be able to get to work on time. Rant over. Sorry y’all.
Chicago snow, knock it the fuck off.
Yep, I’m willing to blame everything bad that’s happened this month on Mercury retrograde, and I’m not even an astrology person. It’s either Mercury, or the end of the world. And I agree re: fucking CHICAGO SNOW AHHH STOP FOREVER.
Yuuuup. Car accident and tailbone injury and just a lot of yuck.
oh god I am so sorry. halfwayish through.
I am currently lazing around in a bathrobe, just like the Lady of Leisure I was always meant to be. Aah …
The real question is: do I go out for breakfast for the third day in a row, or do I laze all undressed for as long as possible? Decision, decisions …
Has anyone read Bill Bryson’s collection “I’m a Stranger Here Myself”? It has a delightful short essay (it’s a chapter really) about how deeply weird Presidents’ Day is as a Washington/Lincoln birthday portmanteau that then turned into a celebration of all the presidents, including Franklin Pierce and Warren G. Harding, neither of whom are really known for their accomplishments.
Is this it (or some of it)? Hail to the Chief
That’s part of it! (Although yikes that font is hard to read.) if I find a longer excerpt, I’ll come back and post the link.
Love that book. I used one of those essays as my piece for high school speech team one year.
I have! My sister and I were both obsessed with him in high school through most of college. I still think of his rant about Northwest Airlines in I’m A Stranger Here Myself whenever I book flights and his excitement over finding dimple-dots maxi pads (though I think that one was from A Walk in the Woods).
Soooo, I’ve been semi-passively job hunting for the past year, and on Friday, I basically got a job offer from my brother-in-law’s boss. As in, they’re still creating the job, they don’t know what the financials look like yet, but is theoretically within my minimum price range with cost of living increases every 6 months, and dude wants me there based on a short description of my skill set, and I don’t need to apply the normal route. They’ll know financials for sure in 2 weeks, which incidentally is right after I move. New home, new job, new life…
Time to PHOENIX!
I’m stealing your phrase “time to Phoenix” because I love, love, love it.
At first I thought it was shorthand for, “I’m moving to Phoenix for my new life,” and I was curious as to why you would want to steal what amounts to a marketing slogan for Phoenix, AZ.
But yeah, the other kind of phoenix is badass and I agree.
Mornings are so haaaard. I swear I gain IQ points as the day goes on.
I though about explaining in the original post, but ultimately decided against it, even though I was also like, “it kind of sounds like I’m going to go to Phoenix.” But was ultimately, Ehhhh, I’ll explain if asked, shit’s getting wordy as it is. SO! Not just you.
Also, I made men build me bookshelves and cabinets in my new office on Saturday. They look awesome with the paint color. I need little stickers that say “built with the power of misandry” to go on the sides.
I’m at work today as well! However, most of our clients are gov’t agencies, so they’re off… I guess today is for catch-up work/getting ahead of their needs day.
Over the weekend I found this wonderful quote on Minnie Driver’s IMdb page:
“I box as a sport, but I’d never box with a man. I’m not afraid of getting hurt. Quite the opposite: I’m afraid I’d get carried away and hurt the guy.”
oh can I ask some advice too?
I am now finally figuring out how to be somewhat of a growed-up-person. Anyway, long story short, I met a gentleman through research for a project last semester and he’s helping me with a thing I’m doing currently. Super charming, smart, connected to a NFP I admire, etc.
Anyway, I helped him and some of his people out yesterday with some free consulting. We email casually and sort of have a banter about cool things we like in the neighborhood but I can’t tell if this is… flirty banter or if I’m crushin’ on him? Obviously I’d never do anything now as project is not finished but how can you tell when people are into you? I’m finally starting to maybe realize I’m more appealing than previously thought (example: one of the other dudes at this meeting was very eye-contacty and excited about inviting me to record and wine club, but??? what is that even I don’t know!) and god it’d be nice to like, I dunno, date someone who is not a total fucking schmuck.
Ask him out and see what he says!
It is impossible to tell whether someone is interested in you. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.
[exits left, toward the sea]
this is the truest.
Ahoy! I’ll double down on that. Not only is it impossible to tell whether someone is interested in you, it’s a waste of time. Figure out if you’re interested in them. Dating only folks you’re sure are into you and not the other way around is a soul-crushing. Not that I know anything about that.
“Figure out if you’re interested in them. Dating only folks you’re sure are into you and not the other way around is a soul-crushing.”
This is possibly the best thing I could have read today! I mean, I think I knew it already but it’s one of those things that you need someone else to say, too.
You can never tell for sure until you say something to them about it.
I must say something about it or I will eventually vomit, so I always end up knowing, but I have been surprised a lot, in both directions.
Taking to the sea is a fine substitute for awkward situations.
well, it sounds like he is at LEAST definitely interested in being friends, so maybe ask him out to something casual? like lunch or coffee rather than dinner or wine. that way if you (or he, or both of you) decide that it would be better as just friends, you haven’t already done something definitively romantic.
although I think the idea that two friends of the opposite sex (or of the same sex, if you’re queer) cannot have dinner together is ludicrous, in this case coffee or lunch seems better.
it is ludicrous! and it is also odd, because we have gotten coffee and beer in official interview setting times, but then emails (full of general business type things) end up including things like, oh! I was at x-bar near where you live, I will hit you up next time!
also Mercury, so I’m gonna sit on it for a minute.
goodluckhavefun!
as a last note of caution, sometimes having coffee can create more pressure than having a drink together, even though it sounds casual. It’s too reflective or something, and not enough of an activity — you can both start wondering “what am I doing here.” Coffee is better for a first meeting, or for old friends, but not something in-between, is my accumulated late-thirties-person wisdom, fwiw.
It sounds very exciting! And appealing! But also….I have the same rule for dating as I do for buying thrift store clothing, which is that if it’s not a YES it’s really a NO.
If it’s a yes, w00t! Invite him out for a one-on-one hangout (to a show? a museum opening? a pinball arcade, whatever people do now) for a drink (put a 2-drink maximum on it!) and see if he gets super flirty. I mean touches your arm, offers to walk you home, invites you up, etc etc. Those are usually the signals, pretty standard fare.
That said, my M.O. is usually to turn and face a dude dead-on and say “WELL ARE YOU COMING HOME WITH ME OR NOT” so don’t count me as an expert in the subtle arts.
You guys, my boyfriend told me that he would make me breakfast, but I have been awake for 2 hours now and he is still asleep. I would really like to eat the takeaway that we got last night but I think he might cry if I finish eating his kofta.
Wake that lazy bones up! Kofta does not sound good for breakfast!
Poke him and ask him whether he’s going to get up and make you breakfast or if you should just eat his kofta instead.
Get really close to him in bed, and whisper “breakfast” in his ear louder and louder until he wakes up. Then move away really quickly, look innocent, and casually say “oh, hey, you’re up. you were going to make breakfast, right?” Unless you think his takeaway is likely to be better than his cooking, in which case, eat that now.
Guys someone in my building is attempting to learn to play Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah on the accordion. I don’t really know how to process this information.
Are they…are they any good?
hi everybody here is some news:
A. not long ago I tricked my cat into eating an apple [*] and last week she ate a vegan crispy kale salad of her own accord [**]. mallory please publish more food trolling articles so that I can continue to food troll my cat. thank you. I have not fed her almonds yet but I bet I could.
B. does anybody else thing it would be hilarious and series-redemptive if that dude on House of Cards kept on obsessively rewatching the grainy footage of that thing that happens the first episode until LIGHTBULB and EUREKA and he goes running around yelling that he has cracked the case, on the seventeenth viewing of the evidence he noticed that the tiles are rectangular not hexagonal and also there is no metro stop called Cathedral Heights, so clearly the whole thing was faked?
because…I do. it would be extra good if he had assigned some reporters to “dig deep” into the matter and this discovery was aided by their expert research.
also I love that character because she and I have the same name but I don’t remember her being that stupid in the first season. Are there any D.C. residents who did not know what would happen the second it became clear where they were meeting?
[*] I can explain how to do this if anybody else hates their cat
[**] she thought it had feta on it but it was just tofu molded to look like feta. joke’s on you, cat! joke was on me as well as I paid money for it.
My cat is insane for apples. Also strawberries, and most of all peaches. He also is very fond of kale and other leaves. Most of these things make him barf though, so he rarely gets any. Also because I am mean and wish to deny him all pleasures.
whenever I bring home a thing of strawberries my cat just undulates all over it. like first she makes love to it with her face and then with her whole body. She doesn’t eat them though, just despoils them.
How about the fact that the metro stop is obviously on the Baltimore metro? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
As a Baltimorean, House of Cards is obviously and egregiously Baltimore-tastic and I LOVE IT. Although most Baltimoreans haven’t even been on our subway system so that’s a reasonable pass, I guess, aside from the fact that DC Metro’s architecture is kind of on the iconic side and Bmore’s is.. not.
Also, I don’t recall the reporters being that stupid in general and yet, all evidence in season 2 points to them being very, very dumb. Or at least the reporters from season 1.
I am not past episode 9 yet, pls no spoilers
ETA re. cats: your cat food trolling delights me.
OH was that scene in Trohv where Lucas talks to that other guy actually filmed in the Baltimore Trohv? Because I got SO EXCITED when I saw the sign, as I do whenever they film in a place I have been, which doesn’t happen all that often actually because, fake D.C., but why (I said to myself) were they up in Takoma Park?? I mean, it’s a nice place to be, but…maybe the reporter needed a fake decorative antique typewriter? Maybe the cop needed a tobacco and vetiver scented candle? Maybe they both needed some coasters with mustaches on them? I mean these are all plausible explanations. Anyway if it was not filmed at the Trohv I know then I got all excited for nothing.
It was filmed across the street from the Baltimore Trohv, in a longstanding furniture store that I’ve never actually been in. I love your train of thought though. “Maybe they need a midcentury modern armchair? I don’t know, whatever works for the source, I guess.”
B. I love this. I feel like a REPORTER who has been canoodling with a CONGRESSPERSON should know better than to meet on a Metro platform and go to the abandoned end. Like duh, girl, you will die. As a regular person without political enemies, I don’t like going to the abandoned end of the Metro platform because that is where BAD SHIT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU WITHOUT WITNESSES. Come on Zoey.
(This is the same kind of indigence I feel when people do document drops at the monuments on Scandal. Like come on, really? Pick somewhere with less security presence at least.)
ALSO, why would you somehow trust that you are safe with a person who you suspect is able and willing to murder people in cold blood! COME ON NOW, GURL.
[the addendum to this is also “if you think he is willing to murder someone to cover his tracks, why would he be willing to tell you if you asked him straight up?”]
Yeah and also it removes a lot of tension because now that it has occurred to Francis that he can do that, he can just push literally all of his obstacles under the train, one per episode. just make it the red line and nobody will question it. If he pushes people off the escalator for standing on the left he will even be applauded for it.
I would genuinely enjoy that as a plot development, especially if it leaves Janine or perhaps Rachel as the last one standing, having figured out at the last minute that they can take cabs or rent bikes or even just walk everywhere and avoid the metro altogether.
If he pushes people off the escalator for standing on the left he will even be applauded for it.
i am dying of laugher, pls help
Tofu that looks vaguely like feta cheese from a distance is the cruelest thing in the world. Your poor cat!
IN CATS-EATING-ALMONDS tales, my cat once ate an almond from the floor, failed to chew it properly, and got almond fragments lodged in the curve between his large and small intestines. RESULT: $$$$ surgery. Also, now I am super paranoid about dropping food or things that could be mistaken for food.
Basically, that was my cat food-trolling me.
oh god, my cat once clawed off a foot-long piece of black string from I don’t know where and ate it — I saw it going in her face and told her to stop and ran at her to grab it and she said, oh, better hurry up and eat it much faster, which she did. and then I spent all night first giving her diluted hydrogen peroxide as the internet says to, and then worrying if that would kill her, and then worrying because she did not throw up, and then googling kitty cat heimlich maneuver, and then computing the cost of a cat taxi to the late-night cat emergency room, and then hating myself for weighing millions of dollars against my cats life. In the end she did not die or even show any ill effects. but I do not want to repeat that experience so maybe no almonds after all.
Oh man, I am also paranoid about my cat eating his string toy. I am overseas / away from him right now and don’t really trust anyone but me to prevent him from eating all of the things that he shouldn’t.
He is such a bastard. But, also, so furry.
Captain Stripeypants loves string and eats it whenever I slip up and leave any anywhere. He really likes the little net bags you get oranges in, which I discovered by finding little piles of chewed and puked-up string all over the carpet one morning.
String, plastic bags, RUBBER BANDS, all kinds of things. Maybe my cat is just suicidal…
I put some roast chicken I made in my cat’s bowl and he 100% ignored it, and then I turned away to get my coffee this morning and he was drinking out of my cereal. Stop it, catbutt! That’s not good for you and also it’s mine.
Of this thread, in general, I have to say, I am a big fan of extended discussions about cats doing things. Eating things, puking things up, whatever.
Toasties! I need some brainstorming help!
I am turning 30 next month, and I am normally a low key person when it comes to birthdays or any other celebration of myself–usually for my bday I do a trip to DC, visit some red pandas, and eat some delicious food when there. My husband would like to plan a bigger thing for my bday, and while I would love to have a gathering to see some people I haven’t seen in awhile, I’m not sure what to do.
What have you guys done for milestone birthdays (other than drink heavily)? Any thoughts or suggestions? I’m trying to think of something that is not food or drinking centric, but also something that allows people to have access to those things if they want. (My body is becoming increasingly intolerant of alcohol, which is sad but also means that I am very wary of being hungover the following day.) Duckpin bowling? One of those wine painting parties thing? Ice cream party? (fuck it, I love ice cream, i don’t care if I’m turning 30).
Happy impending birthday!
How many people are you thinking? If less than 10 or so, what about trivia night at a local bar that also has food? (If more than 10, this gets unmanageable.)
Oh MAN. Trivia night sounds awesome, actually–I haven’t done one in awhile. I have to think about how many people I want to invite though.
Alternately/similarly, if you want to do a game night type thing with more people, you can host it at your place/a friend’s house, and have a variety of games available for people. This involves more logistics, but can be a lot of fun when done well!
My house is pretty small! I’m really trying to mull over the logistics of having it there anyway or thinking about asking a friend to host.
Or completely outsource it! If you have a local game shop they probably have a giant game library and open gaming nights. Or if you want food/drink some bars or cafes are very board game friendly. In my area there are a few bars that have very limited game libraries but folks bring their own in all the time and as long as they buy food and drink (and it’s not Friday night) the bar is happy to have them.
SmrtCookie is indeed a smart cookie. In addition to bars and cafes with game libraries, see if there are any breweries/taprooms where you are? The ones around me are happy to have people come have events there, and often there are food trucks if you don’t want to bring your own food (or even if you do!). We did my mom’s 60th birthday party at a brewery here and brought in snacks and cake and balloons and everybody had a great time.
There are definitely breweries nearby.. hmm, this is making the wheels in my head turn a bit. Thanks!
Ice cream party, absolutely! Or if you want to get kinda throwbacky and you and your people are the crafty sort, one of those ceramic painting places? Or just force people to come to you. As someone who’s not a big fan of parties, I am a big fan of having all of my friends in one place and being in a room full of only awesome people. So just throw a party? With lots of ice cream!
This option is becoming increasingly attractive.. I wish the weather was more reliably nice in March so I could just be like “ice cream in a park!” and be done with it. ;D
absolutely ice cream party. with a sundae bar, or something, don’t be afraid to rent a chocolate fountain! it’s a big birthday 🙂
It doesn’t sound childish? I mean, I really am a little worried about that and the logistics of having a lot of ice cream and keeping it cold but on the flipside, ICE CREAM.
I have a lot of friends in their late 20s/early 30s and not a damn one of them would complain about an ice cream party. (They would all be totally delighted, actually.)
I really love and appreciate that all of you are affiming my instinct to have an ice cream party. 😀
Absolutely! I think some adulty options in the toppings department (like, I dunno, gold colored balls or something?, and keep the decorations minimal & classy
OH MY GOD FIRIE LOOK AT THESE: http://www.fancyflours.com/category/gold-color-sh… http://www.fancyflours.com/category/Sugar-cake-je… http://www.fancyflours.com/category/edible-glitte…
WTF THOSE ARE AMAZING
RIGHT?! so those and some hot fudge sauce & caramel sauce (boozy?), maybe a couple jammy fruit based sauces, chopped cashews & roasted almond slivers and then whatever candy bars (Heath, Milky way) chopped up small and mini Reeses cups, M&Ms?
can you tell *I* want this party now? 😉
You know how we tell kids to combat gender policing by saying “I’m a girl, so this is a girl’s toy”? You’re 30, so it’s an adult party theme! Anyway, everybody loves ice cream.
Whatever you do, don’t allow candles on your cake. My family doesn’t do birthdays much, so I hadn’t seen candles on my birthday cake since I was eight years old. I was not prepared for the jump from eight flaming sticks to THIRTY of them. I’m forty-four now and the memory is still a little traumatic. It wasn’t the age. It was just All That Fire.
Horrible.
Horrible.
DO allow candles, but not the full age number! Candles are important, but good lord, not 30+ of them (THE FIRE). Six to ten, max.
hahahaha duly noted!
Lady! I am turning 30 next month, too! Woo!
My husband is doing something that I don’t care what it is, just that it is something that I didn’t have to plan, and that I only have to approve and show up to.
I have to work today, so I sent my husband to buy groceries and told him exactly what he is is making for dinner.
Plus we made Butter Pecan ice cream this weekend and it was so delicious. We used our Cuisinart Ice Cream maker that we got for Christmas. Now I want to make ice cream every day.
I got a cuisinart ice cream maker and the Jeni’s splendid book over the summer, and now I make ice cream at least once a month, maybe more. I find that it’s a fun/impressive thing to bring to summer parties, and a nice way to spend a snow day in the winter. I now have to do yoga every single day to keep myself from getting super fat.
I’ve been thinking about the holidays and the evolution of a country/culture. I think it’s no coincidence that the older a country is, the more holidays they have. For example, the US added MLK Day, and rightly so, only recently. No need for it before the country had its so-far greatest awakening regarding race. Did I read somewhere that Japan has lots?
So when I indulge in a logic daydream, I decide a country could just as well declare there shall be x number of holidays per year. Here in the US, for example, we might decide 12 is a good number. Then – and this is the important part – declare forever henceforth that every second Monday shall be a national holiday. That way we can plan ahead, never wondering in which week will Easter fall this year, or what day of the week will be New Year’s Day. And parents can get a break, aligning at least a majority of holidays between schools and offices.
Am I wishing on a star? Could this happen? Or are there logical flaws? Let me know your thoughts, please.
I like Trinidad’s approach where, because they’re so multicultural, they celebrate everyone’s holidays and so every month is awesome and celebratory. Like they do Diwali and Eid and Carnivale and Halloween and Christmas. I wish we could do that–a smorgasbord of every holiday, all the time, forever.
Maybe I’m just lazy. 😉
Yes, you bring up an important factor. To be respectful of all citizens, celebrating all possible holidays is best. But the older a country gets, the more holidays there will be, in order to include everyone. Also respectful is celebrating *none* of the citizen’s individual holidays – not nationally. Every Second Monday, each citizen decides for herself what she will be celebrating that month. December’s Second Monday can be named Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Rose’s Birthday, or Sue & Roger’s Anniversary.
I don’t think I really understood what you meant by Second Monday the first time I read your comment, but now I do and I love it.
Can we talk about the Ellen Page thing a bit? Because it was my whole FB feed this weekend. And, like, there is a part of me that is really over the whole “celebrities/sports people come out publicly and it’s a big deal” thing that has been happening lately. Press conference/impassioned speech… or career move to drum up publicity? A little column A, a little column B.
I really just thought, literally, “Yeah, so what? Lots of people were gay long before you, honey.” (Hear that in a gravely waitress/smoker voice, which is how I’m saying it.)
*blows out cigar smoke* “Yeah, you shoulda been a fag in the 30s. Call me when you can time travel. I’m so fuckin’ over this century. New York is over.” *falls to the pavement*
When “celebrity comes out” stories aren’t outnumbered ten to one by “homosexual people are fucked over by society/the government/their families” stories, I will agree with you. Until then, I’ll be backing them to the hilt.
(Michael Sam, though, right? MICHAEL FUCKIN’ SAM. This fubbowl fan is super excited for the draft.)
And I totally get that. but there’s also a part of me that thinks if we keep making such a Big Deal about each person coming out, being gay will never be a normal act. People will always feel like they are obligated to have a press conference to announce where their sexuality places them on the spectrum of possibilities on any given day.
And PS, it is hard to imagine that Ellen Page’s fanbase was made up of many hardcore non-allies. Juno? that thing with the roller girls? the one where she is chained up in the basement and people put out cigarettes on her? Not exactly The 700 club. It would be a much braver act for Kirk Cameron to come out. For that, I’d like a press conference.
“People will always feel like they are obligated to have a press conference to announce where their sexuality places them on the spectrum of possibilities on any given day.”
Do you truly believe that at any point heterosexual people will feel pressured to declare their heterosexuality? Will they feel the impulse to be a role model to young people persecuted for their heterosexuality? Will they suffer professional and personal consequences from declaring their heterosexuality? Will friends and relatives treat them differently, now that they’re known to be straight? Will hate groups announce boycotts of their products, now that they have publicly avowed that they exclusively love people of the opposite sex? Not in any society I am aware of.
And I would seriously question our ability to declare the relative bravery of something like that, just because I’m not a gay woman. I get to fuckin’ debate this stuff on the Internet and then happily return to my nice job and my family and my apartment and my place in society, none of which is at risk because of who I love. I can talk about bravery and lack thereof in knitting patterns. I can’t talk about it in coming out, not when I’m a straight woman.
The bravery comment was a joke. Didn’t mean to hit a nerve.
Hmm. Well, it wasn’t actually a funny joke, is the thing. Which is kind of important, for jokes.
Yeah, my bad. But I stand by my original opinions. To wit:
1. This kind of thing is not news.
2. Calling a press conference to announce one’s sexuality assumes that sexuality is newsworthy. I want to live in a world where being gay is NOT newsworthy.
Bully for you that you live in a magic fantasy land where all flavors of sexuality are accepted, I guess? This is all still clearly newsworthy for a lot of people, even if you don’t give a shit about it. I mean…How exactly do you think something becomes commonplace IF NO ONE EVER TALKS ABOUT IT?
“When “celebrity comes out” stories aren’t outnumbered ten to one by “homosexual people are fucked over by society/the government/their families” stories, I will agree with you”
FUCKING PREACH
No day off for me either. Alas! But we got Thursday and Friday off due to snow, and tomorrow half the office (including me) is leaving for a conference in the Florida Keys. I’m going to go home tonight and paint my toes in the most obnoxious flamingo pink shade I possess.
I do not have today off, but my students do. My husband does. I am spending the day being professionally developed. So far I have learned two useful things but heard a lot of things I already knew about and revealed that I know what I’m doing when it comes to technology (mo re than older ladies), so I was forced to help everyone. I want a nap.
I have a two hour lunch though.
So, the other day I accidentally led a casual acquaintance to believe that I don’t watch any TV shows (it was midnight and we were speaking my second language, so I ended up misunderstanding one of his questions.) I guess now I just have to avoid him forever, because the only thing worse than people who “don’t watch TV” are people who lie about not watching TV.
I do have the day off, but am on vacation all week anyway. I’m just getting to this post now because I got out of bed half an hour ago.
anybody got some awesome non-fiction to recommend?
I really love Tony Horwitz’s “Confederates in the Attic”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederates_in_the_…
I also recently read both of Jan Wong’s books about her time in China, and I have previously read her book about depression and they were all fantastic and very recommendable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Wong
Ugh, that Wiki article about Jan Wong is pretty biased. Sorry! I’m a big fan of hers, but was being lazy. Maybe look for reviews/info on her elsewhere 🙂
thank you!
Nonfiction is totally my wheelhouse! From the stuff I’ve read fairly recently that I’ve enjoyed:
If you’re into WWII and art history you would probably really enjoy Lynn H. Nicholas’s “The Rape of Europa” or Robert M. Edsel’s “The Monuments Men,” which is what the currently-in-theaters movie was based on. There is a documentary film by the same name as the Nicholas book that is also really good.
If you are interested in Holocaust survivors and family histories, Daniel Mendelsohn’s “The Lost” is fantastic.
If you have any interest in the murder of Mary Phagan and the subsequent Leo Frank trial and lynching, there is no book better (or more thorough; this thing is a beast) than Steve Oney’s “And the Dead Shall Rise.”
Erik Larson’s “Devil in the White City” is great — it’s half the story of the 1893 World’s Fair, and half the story of a serial killer (H.H. Holmes) that was active in the city during that time.
The Devil in the White City is SO GOOD! I just lent that to my mum
Seconded times a million. Start with this one!!
just put on hold! thanks guys!
“In the Heart of the Sea” if you enjoy Nantucket and cannibalism (and if you don’t, then why are you here?)
“The Crime of the Century” if you enjoy SVU but wish it took place in the 1890s (ditto)
Anything written by Sarah Vowell.
Have you read In Cold Blood? Read In Cold Blood.
Today’s presidential knife-fight post reminded me how much I loved David McCullough’s Mornings on Horseback, which is about Theodore Roosevelt’s youth.
At the total opposite end of the nonfiction spectrum, Amy Leach’s Things That Are is a book of audaciously gorgeous lyric essays about (mostly) nature.
the Amy Leach sounds wonderful, thank you!
I absolutely second “In the Heart of the Sea”! Who could ever say no to whaling and cannibalism?
Also: “Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum” by Richard Fortney, if you’re interested in… natural history and museums, and “Sea Room: An Island Life in the Hebrides” by Adam Nicholson, for a love letter to three tiny islands in the Outer Hebrides.
Non-fiction I have read and liked:
97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement- really cool mix of social and food history.
Cod by Mark Kurlansky, but totally the audio book version. This can be hit or miss for a lot of people, but the audio book version is really good. I would probably not recommend reading it on paper/ kindle, actually.
Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners- the first half is basically an architectural history book, but it’s a neat read- so many things changed during her lifetime.
And, one more food history: A History of the World in 6 Glasses. I like my history through the lens of food, what can I say?
The Skies Belong To Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking by Brendan Koerner. Hijacking used to be so common that you could hop on a flight in Miami, get hijacked, get fed a post-hijacking meal at the Havana airport, and be back on your way to your destination only 90 minutes late! It’s amazing how little security there was at airports- airlines actively campaigned against passengers even having to show their ticket because it was considered declasse.
The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam – Come for the in-depth history of the Korean War, which always seemed to get glossed over in my history classes, and stay for the epic amount of shade everyone was throwing at Douglas MacArthur, especially Truman and Eisenhower. Truman wrote in his diary: “And what to do with Mr. Prima Donna, Brass Hat, Five Star MACARTHUR. He’s worse than the Cabots and the Lodges – they at least talked to each other before they told God what to do. Mac tells God right off.”
My boss gave me the job of researching when schools start next fall. All the schools. In the U.S. And Canada.
Tell him Septemberish. That’s good enough, right? Septemberish.
She wants it today.
Every single one?? Just select all dates from mid-August – the end of September. That’ll pretty much catch it.
She wants 5 districts from each state/province. I’m already on Connecticut! *cries*
In case you’re still bogged down in the fifty states, I can tell you that Saskatchewan and British Columbia have a law where they always go back on the Tuesday after Labour Day.
I hope that helps a bit.
I managed to come down with a wicked cold and contract food poisoning, all in the first two days of vacation. I’m sure SFO is lovely, but right now I would welcome death with open arms.
Oh god, I read that as “contact food poisoning” and was really concerned about the potential horror of that affliction being contagious. Hope you feel better soon!
Oh god, just the idea of this being contagious is horrifying. I do get to spend the day in bed and watch Mean Girls, bit actually enjoying the sun would be better.
Oh no, how horrible!
For what it’s worth, when you find yourself ready to eat again, we have many fine purveyors of amazing soups and rice porridges.
OH! I have a very important question: how long does cooked pasta (w sauce) keep in the fridge? Like, forever, right? Or until it starts to visibly mold? Or…I dunno, two weeks?
I eat leftovers that are probably A Little Too Old and never have problems. I’d say you’re fine unless there’s visible mold. However, I also follow in the footsteps of my grandmothers and my mother by setting meat to thaw in the sink instead of the refrigerator. I laugh in the face of standard food safety recommendations.
A woman after my own heart (my personal food safety philosophy is “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” [I have had salmonella {AND NOW I AM A GOLDEN GOD}])
I had salmonella when I was a baby, which is how I attained immortality.
Took a few years off my mother’s life though.
I usually use the smell test – if it smells off, toss it. if not, eat it. 😛 pasta usually smells weird and tangy before it molds, for me.
Sadly though, the buggies that will hurt you don’t have a smell. The ones that smell generally don’t hurt you… Perhpas they are growing together, but you can never really be sure…
My fridge can generally handle cooked food for about a week regardless of provenance.
My rule of thumb is “when in doubt, boil the hell out of it.” Or in the case of pasta, fry the hell out of it. Throw it in a pan with a little olive oil and stir fry until very hot and a little bit chewy around the edges. Delicious.
I had my Medal-Heads event this weekend! Yay! I’m looking forward to just enjoying the Olympics for the rest of the week. Although I’ve been reading weird Russian rhetoric all over the place. It makes me dizzy.
On the other hand, I’m starting a new writing project and I’m excited to bring it to the NYC Coterie writing group on Friday! It’s kind of weird and crazy though, hopefully they won’t be disturbed by me…
Haters’ Olympics thread here! I refuse to be outraged on Bode Miller’s behalf and I refuse to like Charlie Davis or Meryl White. Take your preapproved TV narrative and shove it, NBC. I firmly believe the fix is in.
Genuinely asking: what’s the problem with Meryl and Charlie?
I know literally nothing about anything, but she looks like a terrifying living doll and he looks like a lion that got turned into a human and decided to go into ice sports, so… I’m pretty down with them, is what I’m saying.
Aw, I kind of like his hair! He looks sort of like a Romantic-era poet, which is always good for points in my book.
Nothing that I know of personally, but I really don’t like being told I must like someone/something. The coverage of them is omnipresent and ridiculous, so … I never said it was rational hate.
Not sure if I should respond, since this is a haters’ thread. There are other pairs with more chemistry, and Meryl and Charlie don’t focus as much on the artistry aspect. But it’s been universally acknowledged that they’ve been technically superior to all the other ice skaters for this competition. Regardless of how terrible NBC is, that shouldn’t be a reason to put down two skaters whose hard work has led them to be undefeated since 2012. They don’t need a fix to win.
Currently our only plan for acknowledging the winter olympics is to take a curling class next weekend. I may watch some at some point, but I find that if it’s not instantly available (and we don’t have broadcast television) it turns out I’m cool with watching old episodes of Top Gear instead.
I am so pissed that Tessa and Scott didn’t take gold, and I’m EVEN MORE PISSED because I don’t even have a legitimate reason to be angry, because Meryl and Charlie skated amazingly and it was so close and they deserved the gold too BUT THEY ARE NOT MY PERFECT BEAUTIFUL CANADIANS FUCK YOU AND YOUR MEDALS AMERICA.
(Guys, I’m so sorry, but every mean-ish thought I’ve ever had about an American comes out during the Winter Olympics. It’s not personal.)
One way to celebrate the holiday Monday is to find mouse poop in your cupboard. My kids are thrilled – “Maybe there’s three mices with babies!!” Kitchen under minor renos = really shitty time to disinfect everything in it. Blerg. So that’s the news from Small Prairietown Canada.
Ahhhhhh noooooo! Mice are the worst. My toddler saw a mouse at my mother’s house a few weeks ago and said “kitty! ittle kitty!” at it.
This has been SUCH a bad year for mice in Prarie Canada, hasn’t it? We moved out of an old house a few months ago, and discovered that there was mouse poop under all the furniture!
Update: Caught one of the little mofos! My kids weren’t too phased by seeing the dead mouse, but they seemed optimistic that we might still find another one to keep as a pet.
GUYS– I heard someone refer to the Kardashians as “a matriarchy of succibi” and now I feel like I love them.
Quick, use that as your title to a book of horror
hopefully with more mythical continuity than Vampire Academy or Toasties would COME FOR ME
I am leaving on vacation for three weeks starting Saturday (yayyyy) and both my first and second cat sitting options have bailed on me (boooo). I can have someone look in on them, but three weeks with no snuggles will be hard on my two lovey kitties. Also, the girl cat is at the vet today with what I hope is a minor bladder infection. Arghh, Anyone want to stay for three weeks in a tiny studio in downtown SF and play with my cats?
No holiday at my food job, but yes holiday at my volunteer gig! The irate pet-seeking citizens will have to yell at someone else this week.
I also wickedly took the bus that gets me in to my opening shift 10 minutes late rather than 20 minutes early, and I regret nothing. I did the same on Sunday, and was rewarded with a jovial driver who played his own radio loudly, sang along, and yelled commentary on the traffic and passengers! “One of y’all smells like farts inside a pepper,” he said. Not one fuck given.
When you’re a demi-unemployed, Everyday is President’s Day!
So like two weeks ago I vowed to change my okcupid profile “About Me” part to say “Go to http://www.the-toast.net and if you like that you’ll probably like me” or some variation. Anyway I didn’t get any new messages until today when I got a GREAT one from someone who mentions the Awl and Ada Lovelace in his profile. So maybe it’s working!
If the Toast can really help me find a good person to date I will pledge my eternal devotion to Nicole and Mallory (more than I have already, that is) and tithe all of my leftover income.
Take them to Busboys and Poets! It's a delicious Southern-food restaurant that is also a bookstore, so not only can you sit, you can also keep yourselves entertained (individually, even) while you recover from your activities.
I've only ever been to the one on the U Street Corridor, which is great (and the original?). 14th and V.
goodluckhavefun!
as a last note of caution, sometimes having coffee can create more pressure than having a drink together, even though it sounds casual. It's too reflective or something, and not enough of an activity — you can both start wondering "what am I doing here." Coffee is better for a first meeting, or for old friends, but not something in-between, is my accumulated late-thirties-person wisdom, fwiw.
This is late but whatever, I WATCHED THE WHOLE THING TOO, I GOBBLED IT UP IN ONE DAY.
YAY GOOD JOB YOU!