It was my dog cousin Charlie’s third birthday last week! This picture is from his SECOND birthday, obviously he’s a much more mature, confident animal now.
You can blame any content we have or do not have today on this fool here, direct your complaints accordingly:
IMMEDIATELY read this piece on Gallaudet University and DeafSpace and design in its entirety:
The vibratory doorbell long ago gave way to visual signalers that flash or dim the lights. But it’s an inspiration for the researchers involved in a design movement born at Gallaudet called DeafSpace. Now 10 years old, DeafSpace is an architectural approach that springs from the particular ways Deaf people perceive and inhabit space. It has grown from small workshops—in which participants expressed Deaf sensibilities that were well-known but had never been codified—into the key set of principles shaping new buildings and renovation projects on Gallaudet’s campus, helmed by a cross-disciplinary research institute. The principles have relevance beyond campus. About 3.5 percent of people in the U.S. have experienced significant hearing loss or deafness, but hearing problems are more common,affecting 13 percent of the population, according to the Gallaudet Research Institute. That share is likely to rise as tens of millions of Baby Boomers reach their seventies and eighties. Why should the places designed for them take hearing as a given?
This is a pretty solid read if you’re trying to figure out what the Gawker trial is all about (it seems like Gawker is going to lose, then potentially win on appeal, but would have to cough up the money BEFORE the appeal, which they may not have):
Regardless of their reading of the law, a jury might well want to use its power to reprimand Gawker. Bollea testified this week that the continued existence of the tape has affected his second marriage and caused him great embarrassment, and his emotional distress may trigger empathy from his hometown jury.
At the same time, Gawker’s management likely hasn’t endeared themselves to the jurors: in a videotaped deposition, Daulerio remarked that the only situation where a sex tape would not be newsworthy is if it included a child under the age of four. Gawker later said he was being flippant.
Daulerio also said he gave no thought to the emotional effects on Bollea (or, by extension, Clem) of publishing it. Other evidence showed that Gawker Media employees joked in various ways about the tape: one asked if Bollea’s penis was clad in his trademark head covering; another made a reference to one of his signature wrestling moves; and a senior employee posted a picture of a penis – not Bollea’s – into a group editorial chat in which employees were required to participate.
A car bomb explosion in the Turkish capital of Ankara has left at least 34 people dead and over 100 injured, according to Turkey’s health minister.
Today’s attack targeted civilians at a bus stop, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said.
Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 30 victims died at the scene, while the other four died at hospitals.
Muezzinoglu also said 125 people were wounded, with 19 of them in serious condition.
A crash course in the history of black science fiction:
In 1909 Harvard’s president, Charles W. Eliot, issued a 51-volume anthology he claimed could provide its owners with a complete liberal arts education. In the same vein, I’ve pulled together an annotated list of 42 black science fiction works that are important to your understanding of its history. You’ve got the rest of 2016 to read them. That’s doable, isn’t it? Tackle them one per week…. Sure, some of the older titles are going to be full of archaic and unfamiliar turns of phrase; some of the anthologies are thick, and a couple of the novels I recommend are fairly long. But a few of my suggestions are short stories, a few are children’s books, and all of them are things I’ve enjoyed. And if you start now, you should have at least one week you can use to catch up if you fall behind, or to explore any titles find yourself distracted by as you make your way through this crash course. Plus, you may well have read some items on my list beforehand.
Just one caveat before you start ordering and downloading and diving into things: some of these works could be construed as fantasy rather than science fiction. The distinction between these two imaginative genres is often blurred, and it’s especially hard to make out their boundaries when exploring the writing of African-descended authors. Why? Because access to the scientific knowledge from which SF often derives has been denied to people of the African diaspora for much of history. And the classification of what is and is not scientific knowledge hasn’t been under our control — it’s frequently a matter of dispute. Also, it’s sometimes difficult to understand the history of black science fiction without reference to the history of black fantasy.
my plans for the evening:
Michelle Obama always looks amazing, but this may be my favourite dress of hers.
This story is a mess (I doubt that Richard Simmons’ housekeeper is using black magic to control his mind and body and Oliveira seems like a bit of a grifter) but now I AM really worried about Richard Simmons!
Richard Simmons has vanished from public view, and many who know him best say they haven’t had any contact in more than two years. All repeat the same message, some anonymously and some on the record: Simmons stopped returning calls and emails more than two years ago, behavior that is highly out of character, and his housekeeper is blocking access to him at home. Indeed, for a generous and intensely social public figure, one who taught classes at his Beverly Hills gym until a few years ago; has sold more than 20 million exercise videos, including the mega-popular “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” series; appeared many times on David Letterman’s shows, “General Hospital,” his own talk show and infomercials; and was a seemingly ubiquitous presence for decades, the silence is striking.
Metafilter’s master list of weeknight recipes is full of greatness, and I am bookmarking it for my future perusal.
Another sad element of the Zika crisis:
At the clinic in Campina Grande, 20-year-old Rogerio dos Santos is one of only two fathers present. Standing in the whitewashed corridor, he says he’s shocked by the tales of fathers abandoning their children but says it has been hard to get time off at the gas station where he works.
For fathers like dos Santos, the support network in Brazil is lacking. Whereas the clinic runs a support group for the mothers, there is no specific help offered for fathers.
“There is a certain amount of fatalism about fathers leaving, unfortunately,” said Gary Barker, who promotes gender equality though ProMundo, an organization he founded in Rio de Janeiro 19 years ago and which now works in four countries.
For Barker, the health sector needs to offer support specifically for men.
“There needs to be an understanding that a baby being born with microcephaly is an event that is going to increase the chance the father’s not going to stick around and he’s going to need some extra hand holding,” he said.
LINDY FOUND A SPIDER NEST IN HER SMOKE DETECTOR
Hillary’s swing to the right in anticipation of the general election has begun, so everyone should get excited to watch that happen, it’s not going to be depressing at ALL (her Reagan/AIDS remark seems less calculated to me, because the right doesn’t give a shit about the gay people Reagan didn’t care about):
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton tweeted a statement about the chaos, saying “the divisive rhetoric we are seeing should be of grave concern to us all.” She also condemned violence.
“All of us, no matter what party we belong to or what views we hold, should not only say loudly and clearly that violence has no place in our politics, we should use our words and deeds to bring Americans together,” Clinton continued.
She then mentioned the South Carolina church shooting that left nine people dead in June, and called on people to emulate the victims’ families, who “came together and melted hearts in the statehouse.”
Speaking of the Chicago rally, this is great.
I’m having a bad week, so I’ve watched Justin Trudeau happily do Bhangra maybe eighty times, a gift I am now giving to you (I am having preliminary talks with my husband about moving back to Canada, because it’s been eleven years and I think the US is not on a particularly positive trajectory, but he’s only interested in moving to the pointy snowy parts, and my family is in the flat lake-y parts, so we’re currently at an impasse):
Gotta hear both sides:
To be fair, deleted commenter is right in that Ayn Rand is something a lot of people don’t seem to grow out of!
The best take on Rand: “– There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.”
Ha. John will be remembered for that quote (and for the 27% crazification factor) above and beyond anything else he does.
Man, the reason you don’t grow out of Objectivism is because it’s a philosophy designed to stunt your moral growth.
Sick burn, Ellsworth.
My burns are the sickest; my takes — the hottest.
Nicole I am excited to hear your thoughts on The Night Manager! That plus Happy Valley is making my cold spring nights veeeeeery tense but also incredibly watchable.
IT’S SO GOOD I’ve been dying for people to talk about it with.
I need to watch yesterday’s episode, but I love it so. I am kind of a Le Carre junkie, though, and I love his attitude towards this adaptation (“THEY CHANGED EVERYTHING, I sorta love it, good job team”).
I love the way that for years Le Carre was like ‘No I was never a spy, it’s just books, what the hell are you talking about’ and then he gave up and was like, ‘Yeah of course I was a spy, could have told you that earlier but I like lying too much’.
Riiiight? Haha. I mean, he lost his job because of Kim Philby, OF COURSE HE WAS A SPY.
Yeah it’s pretty great, I have to say! I was never even a Hiddleston person, til this.
It’s filling the War and Peace shaped hole in my life pretty well, all in all.
I like Hiddles perfectly well, but let’s face it, I am here for Olivia Coleman who is my simultaneously motherly yet ruthless everything.
Also I am here for Hugh Laurie has a villain and TOM HOLLANDER you are vicious and perfect with the sick burns.
‘Alternatively, fill your pockets with stones and keep walking directly into the sea’ – I am waiting for an opportunity to use this in my own life.
That moment was flawless. I had to pause my stream so I could laugh and then also text that to several people (as evidence of the excellence of the show, not as an insult).
Oh man Tom Hollander is absolutely sublime in it. Now THERE’s a guy who can do nice and bumbling as well as total evil bastard with conviction.
Does anyone else find T Hidds profoundly unconvincing as a Hard Man? Every time he chest jerks at someone to assert his dominance I full-body cringe.
I have nearly started watching it, but another friend said it was all about fridging women. :-/
HAPPY VALLEY is so good. I have to watch it with my sister so when it gets too much to bear she can accurately report what’s going on. It is juusst on the line of unbearable. It is just the best television, isn’t it?
I watch it on my own, and also watched all of series 1 on my own in one weekend, after which I was astonished NOT to have one single disturbing dream! Can’t wait for the next (last?) one tonight!
Sophie Trudeau’s dress is nice enough, I suppose, but it just looks so feeble here, no matter how bold the colors. Just don’t stand next to Michelle Obama–the light of her glory is too blinding.
Michelle clearly turned it up to 11 here.
I like Sophie’s dress because it looks like something that Mindy Lahiri would wear, therefore I cannot but defend it as a stylistic choice.
It’s an objectively excellent dress!–I’m not sure what she could have picked to even match Michelle glory for glory, though.
Personally, I think her dress is better than Michelle’s here:
Pffft, she’s wearing a coat! That occasion was clearly not a dress-off that Michelle was even trying for.
Plus as cute as Sophie’s outfit is, Michelle gets comfort points for ditching the pantyhose.
Look, it’s important to trade off who gets to be the most glorious and perfect in photo ops. Sometimes, good international relations are about making sure your friends have the opportunity to shine, because everybody was paying attention to you yesterday, and it’s their turn.
I will now believe this to be true.
It’s like never looking better than the bride, except you switch off who gets to be the bride, fashion-wise.
I felt so sorry for her in that photo- she’s trying to be taller too! Not fun times.
That Boehner pic is a pretty good Dad Magazine cover candidate. Maybe for the Rich Dads special issue.
“SPRING LAWNCARE: Who can think about politics at a time like this?”
Drought? I Hadn’t Heard: Dads in Denial
“Why remove political opposition when you can remove dandelions”
Rich Dads Special Issue: Which car feels most like you’re driving a spaceship?
It’d be better if I actually believed he mowed that lawn himself, rather than just posing with the lawnmower after his staff has done the actual work.
I don’t know- he might do it just because it’s such a change from being in DC. I expect the novelty will wear off and he’ll get a riding mower soon. He’s going to love that riding mower so much he’ll probably end up doing commercials for it ala Bob Dole and Viagra.
(I’m sorry I mentioned that but I was impressed with Mr. and Mrs. Dole for talking about something that was so important to a lot of people.)
Goddamnit, stop making me find John Boehner endearing.
Wow, that Richard Simmons story was unexpectedly bleak and took a turn for the bizarre with a self-published “living fairy tale” and just wow. Wow. That is bizarre on many levels.
I don’t even know what to think about that whole mess, other than that I want to hang out with him and play wig dress-up.
I am so excited to read the Gallaudet article because I live just around the corner from the university and it’s such an interesting area.
I used to ride a bus line that passed a blind school, and that’s when I realized that I had made it to college without knowing how blind people used computers.
Braille, ASL, a cane or a dog, sure, people are aware (hopefully) of the larger obvious signifiers of Deaf and Blind experience, but dang. There’s more to life than that.
It is SO COOL! I saw a play there once where the actors signed and there were voice actors sitting on the side of the stage, voicing over at microphones. Like the reverse of how ASL translation is usually done. But also better because the voice actors were also acting!
Based on every ASL interpreter I’ve seen at a performing arts event, they are acting as well. I would assume it goes both ways.
I don’t like 24-hour time and I won’t respond to it.
1400 hours!
This seems like the place to ask: I’ve been meaning to get into Octavia Butler’s work, but where should I start? The linked list has three of her novels, and all of them sound interesting.
For reference: I can deal with abstract concepts and weird stuff in my science fiction, but I do like to have a central character to follow and a self-contained story (the foundation series was very much not my thing).
I am a huge fan of Kindred, which is AMAZING (and self contained), but it’s also extremely intense. I mentioned on the open thread that it’s incredibly rewarding to read but also at points I had to just stop and stare blankly. It’s INTENSE.
The Lilith books are my favorite and I would recommend anyone start there, but the Clayark books are good too.
Parable of the Sower is a fast, accessible read (popular for curriculum) if you want a Sunday afternoon read to give you a taste of Butler’s work. (And, hey, a dystopian novel about American society disintegrating and people fleeing north is on point right about now).
Going back to my hometown in Northern California just FEELS like the Parables so if you don’t want to keep putting your book down b/c it’s too real I would start with Lilith.
I loved all of her books. I thought the Lillith series was a good place to start.
I just read Parable of the Sower this weekend. It seriously is one of my favorite books I’ve read in a long time.
And, sad as it is, her vision of a future that disintegrates slowly, due to climate change and increasing poverty, with water scarcity, no jobs, corporate takeover of cities and increased violence, etc. seems so dead-on to me. Honestly I wanted to be more like Lauren (the protagonist) while I was reading it. Like I should have an emergency pack and some real savings and learn some useful skills.
So, so real, and fucking terrifying. I love this book but it scares the shit out of me if I think about it too hard.
A colleague just leant me ‘Blood Child and other stories’ this very morning! At the gallery where we work we’re going to be holding a conference to coincide with an as yet unannounced exhibition by an artist who allegedly has an amazing collection of Black Sci-fi, it’s all pretty exciting! I really want to get hold of the Xenogenesis Trilogy too though. Now going to forward on the above link..
Ooh, where is this gallery?
I love all of her series so can’t really suggest where to start. An FYI I give everyone, though, is that there’s a lot of questionable sexual consent/not quite acknowledged sexual assault in the books, in case that’s ever a concern when reading.
I started with the Lillith’s Brood series. Each book in the series follows a main character and is a contained story. Actually, you can say that about almost all her books. I recommend getting the omnibus of “Lillith’s Brood”.
I really want to read her books, but I can’t handle reading anything with very graphic sexual violence or torture in it at the moment, which I think might rule a lot of them out?
if you have extra good wishes, thoughts, etc. to send to victims of another terrorist attack, the shooting on a beautiful beach in Cote d’Ivoire killed 16 people and stole a place where Ivorians can relax and vacation close to Abidjan. It costs less than $5 to get a bus from the city to Grand Bassam, and Bassam is a place where regular Ivorians get away from the city and relax and enjoy the ocean, even more than it is a tourist resort.
BBC Coverage
Coverage in French from Le Monde
It’s so horrible! Have you seen this article about a woman hiding with her baby – terrified that the baby would cry and draw the attackers attention?? SO HORRIFYING.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/world/africa/iv…
Yes it is so upsetting. Abidjan had just calmed down after the civil war. And apparently it’s not enough that half of Mali is now no-go: al Quaeda is planning attacks in Senegal as well as Cote d’Ivoire. Really awful.
I know that she is the lesser of evils and our best hope against a Trumpocalypse, but I am genuinely stunned and hurt by Hillary Clinton’s ignorance about the Reagans’ unconscionable response to AIDS. What a punch in the gut to those who’ve witnessed firsthand the cost of their indifference and the stigma they helped shape. This history is common knowledge, hell, Teen Vogue published something about it after Nancy died.
How on earth does someone as intelligent as HRC know so little about that history and still feel qualified to speak about it? Her apology on Medium still minimizes their despicable legacy and fails to acknowledge, even as she tips her hat to ACT UP etc, that much of that activism wouldn’t have been necessary if the government of the time had given a damn about the marginalized people first associated with AIDS.
I’m so pissed about this.
Like, I think she probably did think she was being accurate, but that doesn’t excuse her from the responsibility of actually knowing facts before she talks about them. Rewriting the history of AIDS in this country is super, super not okay and she did a lot of damage in an offhand comment.
Yes! The “excuse” that she was speaking off the cuff and grasping for nice things to say about Nancy Reagan doesn’t cut the mustard here. She had to know she’d be speaking about Mrs. Reagan at some point, and should have had prepared remarks. That’s it. Period. End of Story.
I was disappointed too.
I am still baffled. And the initial Twitter comment about how she “misspoke” made me angrier than I was to begin with. Like, did she not REMEMBER the ’80s and the stark public silence of the Reagans, and/or did she not care enough to bother to fact-check? Neither option makes her look good.
She keeps making these dumb comments that are hurtful to large swathes of people (this one and the “superpredators” one) and it’s almost as though she believes people won’t be affected by them or remember them when they go to the polls. That, or she flat out doesn’t care about anyone who would be affected by these “misstatements” of hers. Oh well, I should be used to politicians not caring about the things I care about by now, I suppose.
‘misspoke’ is to me the worst weasel out. Don’t get me wrong here. I intend to vote against federal power as opposed to civil liberties. That leaves Clinton in the running for me. However, what a sad choice on so many levels.
The Medium post also doesn’t actually contain the words “sorry” or “apologize,” soooo I’ve been less than impressed with it, tbh.
It felt like a really convenient talking point set-up, if anything.
I don’t think I can take any apology seriously without her making at least SOME comment about what the hell she was thinking. This just makes no sense to me as a fatigue/brainfart/attempt to say something nice that could come under “misspoke.”)
do people not remember the last Clinton presidency? it wasn’t exactly days of wonder and delight for gay folks, or marginalized people generally, or progressives. Swinging hard right regardless of what it cost anyone else was how they got in power in the first place and they’ve always sworn by it.
I do remember, it just seemed like this was over the top, super avoidable, and downright bizarre. Democrats/liberals have said a lot of polite things about Scalia without saying `I`ll always remember his great record on abortion.`
Just in this campaign this comes on the heels of her talking up Lost Causer rhetoric about how the real evil of the Civil War was Reconstruction. It was “avoidable”, but she’s not trying to “avoid” courting the bigot demographic and you can expect her to split the difference or calculate who’s weaker/going to ‘have to’ vote for her regardless going forward, just as she always has.
She prints a ‘sorry you’re offended’, people forget about it in six months, but everyone remembers that it was them she really secretly supported all along, except the handful of kids with long memories waving superpredators signs who can be escorted out by security.
Not just someone who is as intelligent as Hillary, someone who was an adult in politics during the 80s! She basically straight up admitted that she gave zero fucks about gay people and the AIDS crisis at the time.
THIS. It boggles the mind to think how she got through the ’80s (and the early ’90s, when the legacy of the Reagans’ AIDS-denialism was still part of the conversation) without realizing this. I guess she had zero gay friends to go along with her zero fucks to give.
(And you know, I know people of Hillary’s generation who don’t have any out gay friends and who STILL gave plenty of fucks about this, because of little things like empathy and justice.)
It was quite strange and disappointing. My assumption (because I don’t think she’s either stupid or cruel, generally) is that her memory was just plain wrong, which I know can happen because for YEARS I believed that Paul McCartney had left Linda while she was dying of cancer, even though I remembered when Linda died and I knew that they were together at the time. Yet for years I had it in my head that what happened was the exact opposite of what actually happened. So that kind of thing happens, memories are weird little devices. But there’s no excuse for not confirming that your memory is accurate before you go on tv and talk about it, especially when it’s something that important.
Guys, Richard Simmons is FINE and called into the Today show yesterday (which is confusing, but it’s also fine) and he’s definitely ::not:: being held prisoner in his own home and that was absolutely his voice on the telephone and not a witch-cum-maid named Teresa casting a vocal spell!
Doing a phone interview is totally the best way to announce to the world that you are not being held captive in your house.
This made me laugh out loud. Thank you.
At least Skype or something
“Yeah, Teresa says our Internet’s being weird?” — R. Simmons
I learned military time as a child out of necessity. My watch somehow switched itself to it and I could not figure out how to switch it back, so it was learn or die for me! (as a child, I was rather obsessed with always knowing the time). Now I prefer it on all my devices because it means I won’t accidentally set my alarm for 6 pm instead of 6 am.
The salutatorian of my HS once turned to me and went: my watch is stuck on military time, but only after noon!
I learned it when i was young to just because I randomly wanted to? And it has actually come in handy often!
I wanted to because I am a contrarian and it sounded fun, but I learned how to judge distances in metric instead. Not long distances, short ones.
That is totally a useful skill. I got a little bit of that from doing a science undergrad degree but it could be better.
I randomly wanted to learn 24-hour time as well when I was younger. And by younger I mean like the last year of high school when I heard that was the time France used (I dunno if that’s true or not) so I set my computer to it.
Also I kinda like it better??
Most of continental Europe uses 24-hour time (see the many examples of English characters in Chalet School books exclaiming over the use of phrases such as “half-past sixteen”).
I’ve gotten better at it recently, because I have to read a lot of medical records at work (and hospitals often use it).
I still have to count on my fingers sometimes, though…
Justin Trudeau’s current political strategy seems to be “overwhelm the world with squee moments”. Let’s pose with baby pandas! Let’s start a charming broromance with Obama! Let’s adorably flip out over babies with Obama!
It’s like he woke up and thought, “How can I fulfill Stephen Harper’s worst fevered-soaked nightmares this week?”
If only his policy were equally Harper terror-inducing.
Well, there’s that. Surprised that this whole past week hasn’t been an elaborate plug for TPP.
Still, in which universe is Stephen Harper waking up with mortifying agony of the soul more often? One in which a properly left NDP government is remaking Canada? Or one in which the entire world is losing their shit for Justin Pretty-Boy Trudeau’s hair? My bet’s on the latter.
I secretly suspect that the whole Panda thing was to distract us from TPP negotiations.
idk, I kind of think that Emperor Harper didn’t care about the hair jokes. I honestly think that he is a terrible enough person that socially progressive policies would make him angrier than knowing that the world is dousing its drawers for his rival.
in which a properly left NDP THANK YOU. *mutters derogatory things about Jack Layton but not loud enough that anyone can discern them*
It’s really sad to see Trudeau and Obama and think we’ve got to say goodbye to Obama and we can’t elect someone like Trudeau. 🙁 If you’re Canadian and want to go back, God bless you, I understand. (I’m pretty sure my SAD would wreck me, so no Canada dreams for me. Enjoy the Northern climes if you are built for it!)
Yeah, it’s been wandering through my mind that immigration north may not be a bad idea… I mean, Nicole, cmon – pointy snowy bits are still more Canadian than SLC! & no republicans!
I’m hoping that was his unofficial campaign slogan.
He keeps making me think a little bit of Rogelio from Jane the Virgin. (Okay, can you picture a party with Obama, Trudeau, AND Rogelio? #epic.)
oh god why did I read the spider nest article
You knew better and you did it anyway. Why, annecara, why?
There are probably no spider nests in your house. Just don’t open up things that should be closed.
D:
I know there are reasons not to have clear mailboxes, but I kind of think we should just make them harder to break into and do the Plexiglas.
I feel so sorry for all of you with spider-fear problems. It’s so much easier when you don’t really care about spiders but it’s not something I can teach or let you borrow or anything. (PS Thanks Mom for insisting that we weren’t allowed to pretend to be freaked out by spiders just because the other girls were!)
I can handle one spider at a time. But a nest? FUCK THAT SHIT.
This is a fine and valid point. I can handle lots of baby spiders because they scatter quickly, but one of the very few times I’ve passed out in a non-medical setting was when I ran into a swarm of ants. I don’t mind ants, well, I mean I kill them when they move into my house, but they’re fine outdoors but a heap of them? No-siree, not okay with that.
this is why I don’t google “why are there ladybugs coming out of the walls” because yes, it’s annoying to have to do a dead ladybug sweep every day, but no, i definitely don’t want to know if there’s some kind of ladybug motherlode nest in the attic. Ladybugs are nice and all but I’m sure a pulsing nest of them is plenty awful.
I was curious and googled it for you and it turns out ladybug infestations are basically the best bug infestations ever? There’s no nest and they don’t eat any of your stuff, they’re just trying to hibernate and will apparently leave in the spring.
Same same. I opened my mailbox and found a black widow had taken residence. I stood and stared at it for a good 20 minutes, completely frozen in panic, and then tried to flag down a friendly pedestrian to kill it for me. I finally grabbed the most toxic thing I could find under my sink, screamed, and sprayed it to hell, at which point TWO MORE BLACK WIDOWS unearthed themselves from the corners and escaped.
I did not retrieve my mail that day.
I’m getting panic sweats just typing this.
No no no no no no no
I once failed to notice that a redback (poisonous Australian spider – though not the most poisonous Australian spider) had built a web that basically positioned it in the EXACT CENTRE of my parents’ bathroom; when I finally saw it it was level with my eyes like right in front of my face, and I ran away but to the wrong side so I was trapped between it and the door, and then I had to climb over the sink to escape the bathroom. The whole thing took like 20 minutes. Plus I was the only person in the house so I couldn’t yell for my dad to save me.
(Whole other story: when I went to the garage to find the spider spray it was conveniently located BEHIND ANOTHER SPIDER WEB. Get it together, parents.)
Toasties! This has nothing to do with the roundup but much to do with The Toast. I was at the library on Saturday, wandering aimlessly through the disorganized shelves, and happened upon somebody’s book in a very fitting location:
Of COURSE, a man wrote a book called “The Smartest Book In The World”. Of COURSE.
It’s Greg Proops from Whose Line Is It Anyway?, so I’m hoping it’s sarcasm.
The book was in this mini humor section, but the mini humor section itself was in the British Literature section (across from Emily Dickinson and such). The whole thing felt very Toast-appropriate.
Mallory’s dad’s book is in one of the Little Free Libraries on my way to work!
Oh my goodness the prime minister of Canada is a living cinnamon bun? I am looping this video to find my place of joy today.
WHY IS HE SO GOOD AT IT? God, that was so delightful.
I also want to know who the dude in the slacks is. Why is he trying to horn in on Trudeau’s action, man?
Also, it really looked like he was trying to dance up on Trudeau, then awkwardly realized Trudeau wasn’t having it, and decided to just spin in forlorn circles.
I saw several headlines and posts about this prom last night and every time I read it as “Obama and Trudeau PORN.” Like “here are the most adorable pictures from the Obama/Trudeau PORN!” Just thought it was some very aggressive internet shipping.
That slash is just so believable it never even occurred to me to read more carefully until this morning.
I hope you enjoy this Buzzfeed list as much as I did:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/laurenstrapagiel/visibly-…
(don’t worry about the url–there are no actual visible bulging crotches, although there is some questionable photoshopping)
I did. Enjoy it.
I think Trumbama definitely justifies questionable photoshopping.
I originally interpreted “Trumbama” as Trump/Obama — nevermind the context — and I don’t think I’ll be recovering anytime soon
Yeahhh, that unfortunate M, same
Oh God I’m so so sorry.
I generally don’t really get RPF, but with these two? I can see it.
You weren’t entirely wrong: http://wonkette.com/599553/worlds-sexiest-north-a…
Related to this article: babies aren’t really my thing, but I always find Obama + baby pictures delightful. He just seems to be really into kids. It’s one of the (many!) little, personal things I’m going to miss when his second term is over.
YES. I agree completely. He is the most natural with babies and little kids of any politician I’ve ever seen. I so wish I could bring my baby to meet him.
Oh God no now you’ve raised the horrifying specter of Trump clutching the babies* of America
*the white ones, obvs
I saw this in a fb post with the caption – If you had to put your child into the arms of any of the current presidential candidates – for an hour, a day, or a lifetime – who would you pick?
Hillary. I don’t like her all that much, but look at the others. Bernie, I think, would mean well, but might forget a kid was even there.
Oh Bernie is a wonderful person, I would definitely say him. I know him semi-personally (I am close with his closest friend and adviser). I’m still voting for Hillary but it took me a long while to reconcile myself with that.
That little girl looks so serene while being hugged by Obama, it’s amazing
Trubama is real, we have been #blessed
Also, this is probably the last time both Canada & the US will simultaneously be this level of cool for a while, so take your time to fully bask in its glory.
We have such a brief, brief window.
“U get to decide the type of person u r.” I love Lindy’s husband.
Well now I have a couple dozen new books to add to my “to read” list. I’m especially excited to find sci-fi that’s the same premise as The Years of Rice and Salt, but not written by a white guy.
I also have no idea who to vote for still. And my primary is tomorrow. Does anyone have good analyses I can read on who is more likely to win the general election? I’ve heard points on both sides. I think Clinton would be the more effective president, but I agree with Sanders’ policies more, so my vote is gonna come down to who I think can definitely beat the Republican nominee.
I agree with you. I think Clinton has a better chance in the general, because once the Republicans unleash on Bernie it’s going to be full Red Scare, and that he supported Latin American dictators (never mind that Clinton has also supported undemocratic leaders, that won’t come up because they weren’t communists), etc. Everybody already knows the attacks on Clinton, so there won’t be those sorts of surprises. On the other hand, sexism runs deep, so I could be wrong.
ETA: Sexism runs deep, and Clinton isn’t the most plausible on economic populism. So if that’s the deciding factor, that’s another way I could be wrong. I still don’t think that the people supporting Trump would support Bernie, which is why I still come down on the Clinton side of things, but I certainly don’t know.
Yeah. Clinton’s negatives are known and baked in. The GOP hasn’t gone after Bernie yet, and when they do it’s going to be a shitshow.
I think she’s more likely to win, though of course there’s no guarantees of anything this year. Excuse me while I go back to hide with cute animal pictures and Hamilton.
p.s. Also I love your handle.
Thank you!
Most polls show Sanders doing better in a general election than Clinton, fwiw. I just looked on RealClearPolitics, and they had both beating Trump (praise be!), but Sanders by a larger margin. Then the polls show Clinton losing to Cruz, Rubio, or Kasich in a general election, but Sanders winning.
I don’t think national polls at this point are worth much, though. Most of the voters still don’t know who Sanders is.
Exactly.
This was my dilemma as well. I am more politically in line with Sanders, but I think Clinton knows more about how to get stuff done. My primary is past, but I am still conflicted about my vote.
One thing I saw, being in a caucus state, was the overwhelming number of new voters and Independent voters who were switching to Democrat so they could vote for Sanders. I have spoken to a lot of people who like Hillary, but no one who is really excited about her. Sanders brings out passion, and passion can mobilize voters. So maybe he has a better chance in the general election because he’ll inspire people who don’t vote to get to the polls? It seems to be the year of angry old guys, so maybe having one yelling about economic inequality will be the best shot for Democrats?
Right. I wish I knew what would win out. Sanders has the “inspires people to turn out and vote” thing going for him, but is too far to the left to attract middle-of-the-road voters; Clinton in theory would attract more of those voters, except there’s all the (largely sexist) vitriol that’s been thrown at her over the years, so plenty of people hate her so much they won’t consider voting for her. Basically I just need to be able to see the future and vote accordingly. Not much to ask, right? Blargh.
Yes! That’s exactly how I feel. I just really, really need to see the future right now. So many of the prospects are scary.
I’m kind of dubious about the “Clinton knows better how to get stuff done” argument. Bernie has been an actual elected official for decades longer than Hillary.
That’s fair. It’s kind of interesting how he has the reputation of not being establishment when he has spent years in the Senate and on high-profile committees. Of course, he’s not a party ideologue so that has a lot to do with the reputation.
I think people might be referring to their history of legislation in congress. If you look at Sanders’ record, he is ranked as the very lowest at writing bipartisan bills, one of the lowest at leadership and getting cosponsors (on either side) for his bills, among the bottom at even introducing bills. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/bernard_…
govtrack doesn’t have the same report card for Clinton, but for her last year in the Senate, she was number 1 as far as sponsoring bills, and number 3 as far as cosponsoring. (Sanders is currently number 44 and 60 respectively)
Me too. Especially because my state has gotten a lot closer than I thought it would.
On one hand the Gawker vs Hulk article is really interesting and I’m intrigued to see what the effect is should Gawker lose but on the other hand Gawker GOT RID of Kitchenette and C.A Pinkam and I can’t forgive that.
May they sink underneath the weight of their legal fees and be forced to wear the bandana of shame forevermore.
O, I miss those things too! Solidarity.
And they got rid of Millihelen run by the wonderful Jane Marie!
Well…
http://clashtalk.kinja.com/evolution-of-a-writer-…
Yeah, I wasn’t sorry to see Pinkam lose his platform. The way he was bullying people behind the scenes was awful.
Yeah, i liked Behind Closed Ovens because it spoke to me, but in the comments? he was a TOTAL. DOUCHE. He needed a moderator, because he clearly could not be trusted in his own commentariat.
Oh noooo :(. Man, I wish I’d dug slightly deeper into him now, the behind the scenes stuff is disgusting.
He’s also badmouthed The Toast on Twitter previously, claiming that Mallory and Nicole don’t pay their writers as promised. I’ve never written a paid piece for this site, but I’d be damned surprised if his claim turned out to be true.
Getting rid of Behind Closed Ovens was my breaking point when I vowed to never return. Actually, that’s also when I found The Toast so maybe it all worked out for the best.
Behind Closed Ovens moved to Wonkette. I don’t know if they’ll ever top Mother’s Hot Food but please let me know if they do.
What is it with Randists and redundancy tho. Just me?
Lazy, nonrigorous philosophy attracts lazy, nonrigorous thinkers?
Oh god that part in Atlas Shrugged where she goes on about A equals A for pages. Even as a susceptible teenager with a crush on Dagny Taggart I rolled my eyes at that. Like YES, Ayn, A does equal A, well done, and yet your stated conclusions DO NOT FOLLOW.
I shall found a NEW religion, the religion of…TAUTOLOGY
Hallelujah! John Galt is John Galt!
Because their ideas are bad and dumb, but they’re flabbergasted by the idea that any given stranger might not agree with them, so they keep repeating themselves until everyone gives up and goes home and they can declare themselves victorious.
I am so interested in the Gawker case but it’s hard to read about while at work due to the key words, so instead I’ll just add an easy weeknight meals to the list:
The peanut sauce that got me through college: very approximately: 1/4 c creamy peanut butter (this is not the time for fancy natural stuff), 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (unsweetened), 1 tbsp warm water, 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce (rooster brand). Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until combined, then stir in pasta, vegetables, tofu, or whatever floats your boat.
Also I love celebrity endorsed/designed dog toys because it’s ridiculous but harmless. 9I have never found a dog who likes *dog toys,* though, like they like rope and stuffed animals and balls but not squeaky toys or inferior cloth frisbees.)
My dog loves stuffy things that squeak, but just plain squeaky things scare her. Being a sucker, I have sewn a lot of squeaker toys back into the shells of beloved stuffies.
Ahhh homemade college peanut sauce! My grad school peanut sauce was even less refined: giant scoop of creamy JIF, generous pour of soy sauce, little squeeze of sriracha. Plop on top of something that’s already warm (typically rice + steam-in-bag vegetable) and mix it all up. YUM (but also, I do not miss grad school at all).
I loooove peanut sauce but have actually never tried making it at home. May have to do that now.
I just bought some hot pepper relish at the farmers market that was good on toast, but a scoop of it and some peanut butter on top of steamed vegetables has been a big part of my diet lately. I’m ancient now, but a college roommate taught me a version very close to yours, and it was a revelation and delight. Good stuff.
Tangentially related to the Gallaudet article, who else is super sad that season 5 is the last season of Switched at Birth? 🙁
I highly recommend listening to the DeafSpace episode of the 99% Invisible podcast as well. It’s a great supplement to that article. They also did a really fascinating (though short) early episode on Chris Downey, who is a blind architect.
HAPPY PI DAY!
THAT’S RIGHT!!!
If by flat lakey parts of Canada you mean Muskoka, I say GO. My family is scattered across the Georgian Bay region, and we’ve been visiting a lot lately, and it’s just… GOOD.
I am intrigued as to how Charlie is your dog cousin. Does he belong to your aunt/uncle? Does he belong to your cousin? Is he related through Sansa? I like the sound of all of these options. (Also, I am very endeared by Charlie’s party hat and noble expression.)
This morning I woke up thinking the man at the door was here to kill me. All because I can’t read military time.
Based on having seen this sort of anecdote in a few places, does the US just not use 24-hour time? Because in the UK we’re primarily 12-hour, but most digital stuff will show the time using the 24-hour clock instead (my computer is doing so right now), and doing stuff like looking up trains online will get you results which are written down in the 24-hour style. I will use them pretty much interchangeably in writing. Is that not a thing in the US?
Yeah, we can’t really handle military time here, much like our attitude toward the metric system.
But it avoids confusion over whether you mean the morning or afternoon! Hence why doing stuff like writing down flight times should be done using the 24-hour clock!
Like so many other things in this country, we are obstinate and refuse to accept the mostly-worldwide standard for no legitimate reason.
In day to day situations, there is little occasion to be confused by whether your friends want to meet up at 2pm or 2am since contextual clues generally suffice. When dealing with times that may be ambiguous, such as flight times, they helpfully add AM or PM to the flight times so you know which they mean. This is not at all a situation like the metric system.
Ok!
He is my cousin’s dog, and that cousin has now presented us with a baby human cousin, but I don’t want Charlie to think he’s less important to us.
So he’s your second cousin dog and Sansa’s second cousin once removed. Cool! 🙂
(I grew up in an extended family that talked genealogy terms at every big get-together. AMA)
But of course! Canine cousins = just as important.
Also from the UK and talk about time as AM/PM, but would be surprised by anyone here not being able to parse the 24h clock. I remember being amused taking a flight in the US when the person checking us in crossed out the 15:25 departure time on our boarding cards and wrote in the 3.25 instead.
“Military time” means more than just 24h clock to me too, it has to come in a shouty “oh-eight-hundred hours” format.
Yeah, I also interpret “military time” as something different to the 24-hour clock, but it sounds like they’re being used interchangeably in Mallory’s tweet.
I particularly like it when we do both types of time in one sentence, as in, “my train’s at 15.47, so could you drop me off about half-three?”
It makes sense! 15.47 is what will be on the display boards at the station and the National Rail journey planner results, so you would stick with that when referring to the exact train time but “about half-three” is what you would actually say in a more general context. Completely comprehensible.
Except if you are bilingual in German and English, and get hopelessly confuzzled by the fact that in Britain, “half three” means three-thirty, whereas in German, “halb drei” (“half three”) means TWO-thirty, because it’s halfway to three. I am ever grateful that Americans say “half PAST three,” because otherwise my always-already-late tendencies would be utterly unreal.
It is still incredibly weird to me as an ex-Floridian to wake up every morning to the news talking about Hulk Hogan and freaking Bubba the Love Sponge. Shudder.
One of our radio stations here in San Diego underwent a format change…gosh, I don’t know, in the late nineties? For a couple of weeks they played Bubba the Love Sponge in the morning. It was entertaining for a short period of time, and the only reason I would know who that guy is.
Oof, I’m having a bad week too. Thank you for that JT video (Justin Trudeau is the new JT, right?), and hugs to anyone else who is feeling overwhelmed with anxieties both micro and macro.
He’s bringing sexy back…to the world stage?
YOU GUYS are you all following LMM’s twitter right now? The Hamilcast is on a DC field trip and it’s the most adorable thing ever.
For a second I was like, “Did Lucy Maud Montgomery get Twitter? How…is that possible?”
Cancon rears its head once more.
Wouldn’t that be amazing though?
If she was around now, she’d have an amazing Twitter. I still suspect she’d be more into Instagram, though.
Or Pinterest? I can see her compiling an inspiration board with a massive number of puffed sleeve pictures.
Maud, not so much, I don’t think?
But I think modern!Anne and modern!Diana would do Pinterest. Anne’s would have the puffed sleeve dresses; Diana’s would have doilies and “Pinterest hacks” that may or may not work.
Okay, so I know that this isn’t the weekly cocktail hour post, but does anyone have advice on what to do when their skin has become sensitive to seemingly Every Skin Care Product In Existence? I can’t figure out if there’s a specific product that triggering the reaction–I think it might be the St. Ives, but I’ve had this happen with other products before. Any advice?
Can Obama and Trudeau be our government leaders forever? Pretty please? ;____;
I have very sensitive skin that is prone to eczema and acne, and the only thing I can reasonably use to clean and moisturize without breaking out in one or the other is straight up olive oil. On a moist washcloth, dab just a little, and gently rub all over, then pat dry with a dry towel and viola! Clean, gently exfoliated, and moisturized just enough. Seems to remove makeup fairly well too, acts like a cold cream somehow I’ve noticed. YMMV.
I do this same thing but with coconut oil! For an occasional deeper clean around my nose, I like to gently scrub with a konjac sponge before wiping clean. A+ will recommend.
Coconut oil can be comodegenic though so maybe proceed with caution if you have sensitive skin.
There’s some soap you can get that’s just made of olive oil and salt. I have sensitive skin and used to use this one.
The Sensitive Skin Mystery. Been there. So many times. My MO: stop everything. Wash skin with tepid water, no cleanser. Do laundry with scent-free, dye-free detergent, no fabric softener other than white vinegar in the rinse cycle.
After several days of the Nothing On Skin regimen, the irritation should clear up. Add products one at a time, a few days apart. New irritation indicates the culprit. For me, it’s always something I can smell. The stronger the scent, the more likely it will irritate my skin.
Or don’t add anything from before. Switch to known non-irritants. Plain shea butter for dry skin. Cetaphil *Gentle* for face. (The other Cetaphil is harsh enough to de-grease an engine block.) Dr Bronners unscented (baby) soap for hair and body. Any hair conditioner is OK if you rinse it off in a way that keeps it off your skin.
For fast relief of irritated skin, an old fashioned soak in an oatmeal bath or with Epsom salts. Wishing you soothed, healthy skin soon.
Is it possible you may have an aloe allergy? A friend of mine is allergic to aloe (my 1st reaction was bwuh?!?), and since pretty much every skin care product includes aloe as an ingredient, she’s had to put in extra time to find aloe-free products that won’t make her skin angry.
Maaaaybe try cutting out products with aloe for a little bit and see if that reduces your skin’s adverse reactions?
Stop using everything except for water. If you need a moisturizer, you are pretty much guaranteed to not be sensitive/allergic to unscented vaseline or mineral oil. When the irritation dies down, introduce products back in one at a time to see if you can figure out what is causing the issue.
Olive oil, yes/no? I find it better than either Vaseline or mineral oil but I can see how maybe it could set someone off once they’re in the full skin-freak-out mode.
Olive oil is a better moisturizer, but it is also way more likely to cause an adverse reaction than petroleum based products are. With natural oils in general, they can be great if your skin can handle them, but they can also be pretty pore-clogging, even on non-irritated skin. With something that is so much of a YMMV product, I’d be wary of using it on skin that is already freaking out.
When that happens I cut off all my products and switch back to Neutrogena oil-free face wash and the Neutrogena “oil-free moisture sensitive.” That usually calms things down pretty quickly.
Try a mineral water spray, like Avene or La Roche Posay, for calming irritated skin. Also super nice and refreshing if you’re in a hot environment.
Look for tocopherol or anything starting in tocopheryl. In particular, tocopheryl acetate causes an allergic reaction in some people. Sometimes if you’re using a “natural” product, they’ll hide it under “vitamin e” in the ingredients. It is the devil.
Also, if you have any food allergies, even mild ones, they can eff up your skin. Or sometimes you can eat them but putting them on you is bad. I’m allergic to coconut anything and almond oil, which are in almost every damn skincare product these days.
Am I the only one who is more saddened than I have any reason to be at the prospect of Nicole (who, to be clear, I do not know) repatriating?
We have Internet and everything up there now, it’s fine! But I’m touched.
I’m not sad, I only wish there were a way for you to take me with you!
I had actually never grasped that she does not live in Canada now.
I’m in the library and working right now, but I wanted to share this, a complete (for now) list of all lesbian and bisexual characters on TV shows who were killed off.
I just read through this list which was a mistake because it told me my favorite character from Lost Girl gets killed off in season 5.
Also, every show I’ve ever watched with a bisexual or lesbian woman character on it has a death on this list. wtf?!
With the exception of Grey’s Anatomy. I’m now officially worried about Callie and Arizona.
This is making me so mad. I’m following someone on tumblr who was really into The 100, and I’d decided I should watch it based on the awesomeness of Clexa. And then this happened.
I was literally about to start watching the show the night that episode aired. One of the people I was following (toodrunktofindaurl) is really active in the fandom, so it was kinda heartbreaking to see all of her posts that night.
The sadder thing about Autostraddle’s list is that it started at 65 and jumped to 130 in only a couple of days. LBPQ character deaths are way too common.
I particularly liked the argument over the canonicity of Xena/Gabrielle, 15 years later.
Scrolling through that was relentless. And makes me cross both about representation and lazy writing.
I have spilled the coffee on myself THREE times already this morning, I live in ohio, and my coworkers keep discussing DT. Send help!
Hey now, delirium tremens is a serious issue that isn’t appropriately recognized often enough! Awareness is good. (I refuse to acknowledge any other DT your coworkers might be talking about today.)
Nightmanageeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer. Although I must say that the whole Alps-scenes were the highlight so far….. The guardian does a good recap.
I saw on twitter briefly that Mallory does not appreciate Nicole’s appreciation of the Night Manager but I was on the go and did not look up the title to confirm my initial interpretation, so all this time it’s been in my head that they disagreed about the seminal erotic psychological drama from the 70’s, The Night Porter.
Not LR related but too good not to share: on Sunday I had a photo of Grace Jones in my FB feed; my friend’s 3yo daughter saw it and asked, “is that our queen?”
I feel like either she or I is doing good work there.
THAT IS PERFECTION I LOVE THAT CHILD
Frankly, Mauro Oliveira sounds like exactly the sort of charismatic-but-flaky hanger-on that tends to latch onto celebrities like a lamprey. The Daily News is supposed to be the somewhat more responsible NYC tabloid alternative to the Post, and I’m sad that they are airing the fulminations of someone who believes in black magic and claims that Simmons caused his heart problems. Simmons may be going through a bad patch, but at least he (or his people) are taking the positive step of kicking the leeches off the gravy train.
I mean, I think it’s very plausible that Oliveira is a mooch AND Simmons’ people are controlling them – it’s not mutually exclusive… I think Oliveira comes off poorly in the story because the black magic tangent (and the book! good grief) is a little nuts, but I think it’s certainly possible that Simmons is being taken advantage of. He is (was?) a very exuberant presence across many platforms, and a mysterious absence from public life is very rarely a good sign.
It’s possible that he is being taken advantage of. It’s also possible that he simply needed some alone time; some celebrities with very successful careers will take some time off from their public, or just retire without making a big deal out of it. (Rick Moranis hasn’t done any acting, except for a couple of cartoon voice gigs, for the last nineteen years–he says that he’s not formally retired from it, he just doesn’t feel the need.)
Mauro Oliveira is probably a bit of a leech, but there is nothing unreasonable about believing in black magic if you come from a culture where it is practiced, as he does.
I’m not saying black magic *works*, at all. But people definitely do practice it and believe in it in a lot of cultures, under a lot of different names, and it is definitely practiced widely in Brazil as part of santeria. Again, not commenting on whether or not these practices are effective in any way — just saying, it is a fairly common thing that people do to influence others in a range of culture, including the one Oliveira is from. I don’t think it is fair to be dismissive of him for bringing this up. I wonder what culture the housekeeper is from.
Good point. I should have pointed out the other red flag, which was his blaming an unpleasant encounter with Simmons for his heart disease.
I overslept by an hour this morning even though I went to bed an hour early last night. Blaaaaaaaaaaah happy Monday to me.
Did you oversleep by a real hour or did you just wake up at your usual time, which is now another time altogether thanks to the Work of Satan, aka DST?
It was definitely the result of DST trickery. My alarm did go off at the correct time, but I slept right the fuck through it.
I just want to say that today’s link roundup has really outdone itself. Did you know Mallory would miss her flight and we’d all need a higher than average amount to occupy ourselves with?
I DID NOT MISS MY FLIGHT
Did anyone else see the OTHER Lindy West-related Twitter craziness of some guy yelling about her alleged racism TO her black husband and sister-in-law? That may have been my favorite nonsense of the weekend.
Pretty much any time I watch Justin Trudeau do anything, I’m like, “Stephen Harper would NEVER have done that” and that Bhangra video is NO EXCEPTION.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
I suppose I better touch this thing for the photo op. Here, you hold it, I’m not holding it, it will get my shirt all dirty. OK, here we go – just one pat with one hand. That’s all I’m doing.
vs
Double Panda Cuddle in my red Muskoka Chair!
(Yes, I know JT has some terrible policies, eg has done nothing on C-51, singed onto TPP, etc. but after all the Harper years he is SUCH A RELIEF.)
Speaking of comparing and contrasting…
http://www.thebeaverton.com/national/item/2509-st…
My ovaries just did something funny at the sight of that second photo.
At a party at my grandma’s house in the late 1970s, my mom turned around and RICHARD SIMMONS was there. She was so thrown by his random appearance at this party in Seattle that she never asked why he was there. It was just crossing paths with greatness in the living room.
Unrelated to Link Roundup, but knowing many Toasties are Librarian-types, the City of Santa Barbara is currently hiring for a Strategist & Manager of Innovation (Library Services Manager). Just thought I’d share! 😀
http://santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/adminsvs/hr/j…
Speaking of library positions, another Toastie posted this last week for a librarian to work in the Sonoma County collection of wine-related books: wine librarian.
JESUS is that my dream job…?
SHUT UP DAULERIO SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP
Nicole, if you move to the snowy, pointy parts AND IF that move is influenced by epic ski towns AND IF Red Mountain is on your partner’s radar, I will happily welcome you with open arms and supply you with a horse of your choosing (currently have 2.5, the “half” is a pasture pet of sorts).
Bonus: the West Kootenay housing market (Rossland/Trail/Greater Trail is fairly affordable!).
I’m in a similarly snowy and pointy epic ski town (Revelstoke) and got similarly excited at the prospect of a nearby Nicole, though I don’t have a pony to offer!
Ooh…Revelstoke is niiiiiiiice! I’ll make you the same pony offer!
A few months ago, I watched a video of a Diwali celebration at a college in Vancouver that featured this amazing combo of Bhangra dancers and Scottish highland dancers. I was like, Canada is magic.
Maybe you could move to Vancouver? It’s very close to several pointy snowy ski hills without being all that snowy itself, and it has direct flights to many of the flat lake-y bits.
You’re not particularly attached to seeing the sun regularly, are you?
[Someone] found a Nest of Spiders/Insects in their [X} is pretty much one of my nightmares that I live in fear of constantly.
I don’t fear insects on their ownsies, or in nature, but the idea of, like, opening a cupboard or reaching for a shoe, etc. and suddenly being OVERRUN with a MASSIVE AMOUNT of SPIDERS/INSECTS makes me want to have panic attacks just thinking about it.
My grandmother has been gone for ages and yet I will never forget the time she told me she was in a hair salon in Thailand in the 60’s and she saw several cockroaches crawl in and out of this woman’s lacquered beehive.
D: D: D: NOOOO
My husband used to work as a Geek Squad agent. The stories he told about computers they’d get from customers, only to open them up, discover…whatever untold horrors were living in them…and then have to double-bag them and call their owners to take their nasty infested shit back home.
*shudder* You have NO IDEA how many things cockroaches can colonize. Gahhhhhh. They LOVE cozy warm devices, apparently.
Y’ALL ARE NOT HELPING MY FEAR
IT IS BECOMING A RATIONAL ONE INSTEAD OF IRRATIONAL
😉
When my son was a baby I left him at home with grandma and went grocery shopping. He was little enough that one of his foods was mushed bananas. Came home, put away groceries, bring bananas out of paper bag, my mom says, “you might want to take the bananas outside RIGHT NOW because they are stuck together with a massive spider nest and it is squirming”.
I still have nightmares. I think I poured gasoline on it and burned them in the driveway. I don’t know, I was freaked.
Ahhhhhhhhhh D: D: D:
I am so sad about everything going on in Turkey right now. If it’s not terrorist attacks, it’s the government being cartoonishly evil (not to mention ordinary people being idiot nationalists and attacking the Kurds).
I took a trip to Turkey six years ago and loved it so much, and I feel like I got there just in time before things started really going to hell in a handbasket. I still want to go back, but an awful lot of the places I want to go are in areas that seem to be becoming increasingly dicey. So awful to see this happening to an overall lovely country.
Nicole, I’m happy to send Mr. Nicole any glamour photos of my family compound in Land of Lakes north of Kingston if you think that’ll help your cause. Tell him it’s not too far to skiing in the Laurentians (and don’t tell him about the mosquitoes).
On moving to Canada … family (usually) wins over climate. Besides with climate change, in a few years snowy parts could just be slushy and wet, and then you’d feel silly.
I’m in Toronto and we’re really benefitting from climate change this year. I mean, it’s terrifying and all, but hey, I was able to ride my bike in February!
Did anyone else read The Devil in America?
Not yet, but I own it and plan to read it soon?
…I realize this is not the answer you’re looking for.
Toasties, this is unrelated to anything, but I BOUGHT A HORSE. The ranch I ride at went suddenly & unexpectedly (to me, anyhow) out of business, and I saved the mare I’ve been riding for 2 years, and I love her and I’m moving her to her new boarding space today that has 3 arenas and 4k acres of state land to ride on and I am scared and psyched.
How exciting! I’m excited for you. I wish my life allowed for more horse riding (i.e., the closest I ever get to living my LOTR fantasies).
Yes! I wish that for you too! My husband got befuddled and asked, “Are you just doing this because you have soft feelings for a particular horse?” and I said, “Yes, but also because this brings me some of the most sincere exhilaration and joy I feel, ever.” So he came around.
Apropos of nothing except that I just found them: two pics of Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma with her helmet off.
HNNNNNNG.
I love her give-no-fucks hair and makeup. I have a tyranny-of-distance BFF who is almost as tall as her, so I feel like I never had any choice but to love everything about Gwendoline Christie. <3
I agree that Michelle Obama looks STUNNING in those pictures from the state dinner. Yowza.
She is so beautiful and poised in a way that always feels relatable and friendly rather than pretentious and I really hope she and the whole fam get to live exactly the lives they want after the presidency (and through to the end). They’re just such clearly wonderful people.
Nicole, I am dying to hear the podcast on which you discuss your conversion! I am sick and accidentally high on cold medicine so perhaps my giddy anticipation should be taken with a grain of salt but I am so interested. Did I miss the link?
It\’s here! I\’m linking tomorrow bc it just went up.
Thank you! I listened and loved it – so mysterious. I’ve been looking for a reading list and now I have one. Am going back to read the gabbing about God series.
Toastfriends, I do not know if it has been discussed yet, but Pat Conroy passed away last week. I only learned about it now.
He wrote about the south carolina lowcountry, especially about his childhood there on one of the barrier islands. My childhood was a confusion of places, but I have strong ties remaining to one of those same islands. I have a lot of feelings about my home(?), and gentrification and class divisions and tourist resorts and my place in it all, but so did Pat Conroy and that brought me comfort. I am sad that he is gone.
oh, there’s a toast article about it. well then, I see where I should take my feelings. sorry about that.
Guys, this is not link related, but I must share that I’m dogsitting for an itty bitty yorkie (3 1/2 lbs) that is terrified of my comparably gargantuan 10 lb cairn/poodle mix and it’s adorable. Also I just can’t get over how small this dog is. Every time I look I’m surprised all over again.
And then there is this….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuSpZ3_5pTc
Justin Trudeau — Patrick Brazeau Charity Boxing Match