Metatalktail Hour: My Favorite Thing about This Week February 4, 2017 3:30 PM Subscribe
Helloooooooo welcome to another MetaTalkTail Hour, I am drinking a fairly inferior chardonnay but I used it for cooking so it's open so eh. Today's conversation starter: my favorite thing about this week. (As always, the bouncers hate politics, so keep that shizz to some other thread!)
I actually haven't had a favorite thing this week, sadly. But tomorrow promises to be super awesome because we're heading over to our friend's house for a Super Bowl Commercial Party. I'm making about a dozen different dips and we'll have chili and I'm also making some fancy brownies for one of the younguns' birthday. It's always a good time and we need each other a lot right now.
Oh, my daughter's boyfriend is currently over for dinner and movies and I have burst into the room a couple times to dance to certain songs in Grease. So that's good!
posted by cooker girl at 3:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
Oh, my daughter's boyfriend is currently over for dinner and movies and I have burst into the room a couple times to dance to certain songs in Grease. So that's good!
posted by cooker girl at 3:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
Oh wait I have a favorite thing. INSTANT POT! I've been using that motherfucker twice a day. I wish I could join an MLM for this thing. I can't stop talking about it.
I went to my local hippie food coop yesterday with my kids and bought pounds of steel cut oats and beans. SPECIAL ORGANIC HEIRLOOM BEANS.
posted by bq at 3:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
I went to my local hippie food coop yesterday with my kids and bought pounds of steel cut oats and beans. SPECIAL ORGANIC HEIRLOOM BEANS.
posted by bq at 3:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
MY favorite thing about this week is that the McGee household acquired a new kitten, Leela. A friend of a friend posted to facebook that she'd rescued a litter of five and four were easy to place but the fifth had lost an eye and was having a hard time finding a home and my friend was like "HEY I KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU SHOULD TALK TO" and, anyway, this is my fourth one-eyed cat, that's how I know which ones to adopt. She's a friendly, sociable little thing who likes the chaos of my noisy children. Although we have not yet found her hiding spot that she's been retreating to since she got the run of the house. Existing Cat Oscar seems fine, he's not like BFFs with her yet but he's not running and hiding, just doing his normal things.
After my Feast Ask Me I am much-inspired. Today I made pork chops with mustard sauce, sauteed apples, spinach gratin, and bread. The spinach gratin was meh, I probably won't do that again. But the pork and apples was great ... you sear the pork in a frying pan with white wine and garlic and then cook it on low with a little chicken stock so it doesn't dry out. Then you remove the chops and put in the apples, with a bit more white wine and cook until soft. Then you remove the apples and put in dijon mustard and butter and deglaze and pan and make a sauce, which was UNREAL DELICIOUS, you could taste both the apples and the pork in the sauce.
We let the baby lick the sauce off our fingers and she made the hilarious faces of a baby getting a strong, strange flavor, and kept diving for more.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [31 favorites]
After my Feast Ask Me I am much-inspired. Today I made pork chops with mustard sauce, sauteed apples, spinach gratin, and bread. The spinach gratin was meh, I probably won't do that again. But the pork and apples was great ... you sear the pork in a frying pan with white wine and garlic and then cook it on low with a little chicken stock so it doesn't dry out. Then you remove the chops and put in the apples, with a bit more white wine and cook until soft. Then you remove the apples and put in dijon mustard and butter and deglaze and pan and make a sauce, which was UNREAL DELICIOUS, you could taste both the apples and the pork in the sauce.
We let the baby lick the sauce off our fingers and she made the hilarious faces of a baby getting a strong, strange flavor, and kept diving for more.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [31 favorites]
I just finished a creme brulee imperial stout (among other stuff) so I'm feeling kind of mellow. Looking forward to the Super Bowl at my local bar tommorrow. (Go Falcons! I'm a Giants fan, but fuck the Pats)
posted by jonmc at 3:41 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jonmc at 3:41 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
I've been cooking a lot! I made breakfast burritos for the freezer, turkey chili, and homemade pesto.
Also, I had my hair dyed purple. My mom disapproves (I am 32, married, and have a kid, but she has Opinions About Hair), but everyone else likes it. Or else no one else is brave enough to tell me they don't like. Frankly, I don't care though - it makes me happy!
posted by insectosaurus at 4:03 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
Also, I had my hair dyed purple. My mom disapproves (I am 32, married, and have a kid, but she has Opinions About Hair), but everyone else likes it. Or else no one else is brave enough to tell me they don't like. Frankly, I don't care though - it makes me happy!
posted by insectosaurus at 4:03 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
bq, I've been looking at the instant pot! How long have you had it? I can't tell if it's the kind of awesome kitchen thing that I would use daily for a month then forget about, or the kind of thing I would use regularly for a long time.
posted by insectosaurus at 4:06 PM on February 4, 2017
posted by insectosaurus at 4:06 PM on February 4, 2017
Was able to see the Celebration of Bowie in Tokyo and cheered the whole night.
posted by brujita at 4:08 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 4:08 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
The chinook blew in about 9:30 last night, so I got to listen to about an hour and a half of the ice melting off the tree limbs and falling tinkling on my roof. The temperature went from 20 degrees F to 42 in just about an hour.
posted by Bruce H. at 4:10 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Bruce H. at 4:10 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
Eloise has been particularly enjoying the world of smells and tastes this week.
--Eloise loves her catnip banana.
--Eloise loves a used paperback I bought at Powell's last weekend.
--(paperback after Eloise was done loving it.)
She is ridiculous and makes me happy.
posted by Kat Allison at 4:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
--Eloise loves her catnip banana.
--Eloise loves a used paperback I bought at Powell's last weekend.
--(paperback after Eloise was done loving it.)
She is ridiculous and makes me happy.
posted by Kat Allison at 4:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
I've had the Instant Pot for about six months. It didn't kick into over-drive until we switched to a low-carb diet about four months ago. So far in the past couple of weeks I've used it to make steel-cut oats for breakfast multiple times, made a large batch of zesty black beans* and froze 3/4 of it for later, made a beef barley stew, made a corned beef, and made chicken broth from the leftover bones of a roast chicken, and right now I threw in the the heirloom beans I got at the health food store (orca beans) and the ingredients for a chili so we'll see how that comes out. It means that if I have a bag of baby carrots in the fridge and 15 minutes I can come up with an extra side dish. The time savings is very big when it comes to the long-cooking stuff. With the shorter cooking stuff, it's not as dramatic, but the big advantage is that it doesn't need any attention. I can go down in the morning and dump in the water and oatmeal, go back upstairs and shower and get dressed, and come back to steaming hot oatmeal.
I'd say the usefulness will definitely differ depending on how frequently you cook and how frequently you cook extremely un-processed foods.
*beans cooked from dry are much, much better than canned. So much better.
posted by bq at 4:33 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'd say the usefulness will definitely differ depending on how frequently you cook and how frequently you cook extremely un-processed foods.
*beans cooked from dry are much, much better than canned. So much better.
posted by bq at 4:33 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
I am eating cake. It's my birthday. Yay.
posted by Stewriffic at 4:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by Stewriffic at 4:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [36 favorites]
We went to the BAAITS powwow earlier today and watched the dancing and bought some stuff and ate some Indian tacos, and it was all so good. Now home, with a cat next to me, also so good.
posted by rtha at 4:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rtha at 4:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
This week was the 2nd consecutive week that I got up early and worked out every day M-F, so go me. We Skyped with our daughter for an hour earlier today, she is on Study Abroad in England this semester and having an absolute blast. Jealous, I am. And on Thursday I got offered two tickets for the new Museum of African American History for Friday. I couldn't skip work, but my unemployed wife and son got to go check the fabulous new museum. And speaking of my wife, 2 weeks past her last radiation treatment and she is starting to feel somewhat normal again. So a pretty good week for the COD family.
posted by COD at 4:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by COD at 4:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [15 favorites]
Welcome to the 46 year old club, Stewriffic. Let's sit on the porch and yell at the kids to get off the lawn.
posted by jonmc at 4:39 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jonmc at 4:39 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
This week, I enjoyed reading Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Tiredness of Rosabel" as sort of a side-trip while reading about Victoria Cross's novel Anna Lombard (plot summary, etc.). The short story is full of concrete imagery and draws a nice picture of the lifeworld that would make Anna Lombard a bestseller--supposedly six million copies?
I've also been reading the recent, unexpurgated translation of Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales (a.k.a. Il Pentamerone). It's full of crude language, fun literally-translated idioms, wild metaphors, strange imagery, etc., and this week, I happened to reach the story "The Two Little Pizzas," which may tie for my favorite thing about the week. It's an early variant on / source for Diamonds and Toads, which is the basis for one of my all-time favorite stories: Ursula Vernon's amazing "Toad Words." But this recent translation of Il Pentamerone disagrees with other translations of the same text, leaves out the toad words, and instead makes the unkind girl's hair basically a fountain of ... let's say bugs. Anyway, fairy tales are weird, but if that's your thing, I'd especially recommend this translation.
posted by Wobbuffet at 4:42 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
I've also been reading the recent, unexpurgated translation of Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales (a.k.a. Il Pentamerone). It's full of crude language, fun literally-translated idioms, wild metaphors, strange imagery, etc., and this week, I happened to reach the story "The Two Little Pizzas," which may tie for my favorite thing about the week. It's an early variant on / source for Diamonds and Toads, which is the basis for one of my all-time favorite stories: Ursula Vernon's amazing "Toad Words." But this recent translation of Il Pentamerone disagrees with other translations of the same text, leaves out the toad words, and instead makes the unkind girl's hair basically a fountain of ... let's say bugs. Anyway, fairy tales are weird, but if that's your thing, I'd especially recommend this translation.
posted by Wobbuffet at 4:42 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
jonmc: impressive memory! You must also be in the 1971 club?
posted by Stewriffic at 4:43 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Stewriffic at 4:43 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh, and i'm totally happy to yell at kids to get off my lawn.
posted by Stewriffic at 4:43 PM on February 4, 2017
posted by Stewriffic at 4:43 PM on February 4, 2017
It says on your profile
posted by bq at 4:44 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by bq at 4:44 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
For some reason the two things that have given me simple pleasure this week were the video on YouTube that Soundhog has made for a band called Gallops (using interference and stuff from video equipment that he's circuit-bent). And another video from an old newsreel about someone doing marbling that was posted on Facebook, which I just watched over and over for a bit. I suppose I just needed a bit of gentility and craft, albeit vicariously. I think it might be because I used to watch the Trade Test Transmissions on BBC2 when I was very young. I literally don't expect anyone to understand what that means.
And watching the Oliver Parker film of The Importance of Being Earnest on the iPlayer just now, which is ludicrous and overwrought and rips the play to bits and reassembles it in a different order, but for some reason has left me feeling somehow cheerful. I expect it would make Wilde scholars (and possibly people with taste) very angry, though.
posted by Grangousier at 4:46 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
And watching the Oliver Parker film of The Importance of Being Earnest on the iPlayer just now, which is ludicrous and overwrought and rips the play to bits and reassembles it in a different order, but for some reason has left me feeling somehow cheerful. I expect it would make Wilde scholars (and possibly people with taste) very angry, though.
posted by Grangousier at 4:46 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
"My mom disapproves (I am 32, married, and have a kid, but she has Opinions About Hair)"
My mom was on my back for years to cut my hair now that I was a Grown Up Lady because long hair is for teenagers and adult women have short hair, and finally I DID cut it short (my roommate had to grow her hair out while pregnant as part of a cultural ritual around pregnancy, so we grew ours out together, and then together got it chopped and donated to Locks of Love after she had the baby). I saw my parents the next week and my father started to cry* and my mother made a series of horrified faces and then finally said, "Maybe you should keep it long."
Also career services looked at my short hair and said, "Uh ... can you maybe have it a little longer?" and I was like, "Yes, this is temporary, I donated it to kids with cancer" and they were like "OH THANK GOD NOBODY WILL HIRE YOU WITH THAT HAIR." (Basically when it's short I look like Little Orphan Annie, but having just stuck her fingers in a socket.) Then they got all excited and suggested I straighten it and maybe dye it and I was all "fuck that noise, stay in your lane!"
Anyway my mom has quit having opinions about my hair because her Most Cherished Hair Opinion was the wrongest it is possible to be.
*This has happened exactly three times in forty years and the other two involved people dying
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:48 PM on February 4, 2017 [27 favorites]
My mom was on my back for years to cut my hair now that I was a Grown Up Lady because long hair is for teenagers and adult women have short hair, and finally I DID cut it short (my roommate had to grow her hair out while pregnant as part of a cultural ritual around pregnancy, so we grew ours out together, and then together got it chopped and donated to Locks of Love after she had the baby). I saw my parents the next week and my father started to cry* and my mother made a series of horrified faces and then finally said, "Maybe you should keep it long."
Also career services looked at my short hair and said, "Uh ... can you maybe have it a little longer?" and I was like, "Yes, this is temporary, I donated it to kids with cancer" and they were like "OH THANK GOD NOBODY WILL HIRE YOU WITH THAT HAIR." (Basically when it's short I look like Little Orphan Annie, but having just stuck her fingers in a socket.) Then they got all excited and suggested I straighten it and maybe dye it and I was all "fuck that noise, stay in your lane!"
Anyway my mom has quit having opinions about my hair because her Most Cherished Hair Opinion was the wrongest it is possible to be.
*This has happened exactly three times in forty years and the other two involved people dying
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:48 PM on February 4, 2017 [27 favorites]
My favorite thing this week is that I am DONE dealing with all the paperwork, insurance stuff, and general annoyance since I was rear ended in moving traffic (yes!) on Halloween and had my car totaled. Of course, I am also so grateful that no one was injured and that everyone involved had insurance--but dealing with this has been like having an extra part-time job and I am so happy that everything got wrapped up this week!
(Also--I just love these threads! I always feel like I'm reading little snippets of a lot of great novels!)
posted by bookmammal at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
(Also--I just love these threads! I always feel like I'm reading little snippets of a lot of great novels!)
posted by bookmammal at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
I discovered this morning that competitive indoor skydive freestyle is a thing. I want to make a FPP about this but haven't finished the research. This makes me irrationally happy (as does everyone from a 10 year old girl to a 30 year old guy competing together and having choreography that's amazing to watch in different ways). I'm sure there's some scandal somewhere I can find in here that'll give me a reason to not like it, but I want to enjoy that people have this much skill at such a wild thing that I honestly hadn't even conceived of yesterday.
posted by Alterscape at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Alterscape at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2017 [8 favorites]
I got to interview for two fun-sounding jobs this week, and I continue to be surprised at how consistently I like the company of the kind of people who do the kind of jobs I want to do (geologists). Unknown whether I'll get either of the jobs, but it is one of my favorite things to get to science-geek out about stuff with other like-minded scientists.
I also started playing Stardew Valley this week. Farmer Ella Mental and her cat Catmium are fixing up Periodic Farms, making friends, and finding crystals in the mine for the town museum!
posted by Secretariat at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2017 [15 favorites]
I also started playing Stardew Valley this week. Farmer Ella Mental and her cat Catmium are fixing up Periodic Farms, making friends, and finding crystals in the mine for the town museum!
posted by Secretariat at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2017 [15 favorites]
I went to a new doctor (just for a regular check-up) and she was awesome, just really smart and quick and easy to talk to. Instant rapport. Except now I'm kind of sad she's my doctor because I want to hang out with her.
We have two open positions at work, and we have a wonderful (over)qualified candidate for each of them, and I'm really excited about it.
My other favorite thing about this week is that I keep seeing amazing water birds, great blue herons and snowy egrets mostly. A snowy egret strutted into the roadway as I was driving last weekend (I know that's stretching the definition of "this week," but I'm going to do it anyway), so I stopped my car to let it cross, and I ended up with a line of about 12 cars stuck behind me as the bird awkwardly but elegantly bobbed across the road.
posted by lazuli at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
We have two open positions at work, and we have a wonderful (over)qualified candidate for each of them, and I'm really excited about it.
My other favorite thing about this week is that I keep seeing amazing water birds, great blue herons and snowy egrets mostly. A snowy egret strutted into the roadway as I was driving last weekend (I know that's stretching the definition of "this week," but I'm going to do it anyway), so I stopped my car to let it cross, and I ended up with a line of about 12 cars stuck behind me as the bird awkwardly but elegantly bobbed across the road.
posted by lazuli at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
I CAN'T GO OUT I'VE HAD THE FLU FOR TEN DAYS MAKE IT STOP *CRY*
That said, one of my favorite things is definitely old Sesame Street videos.
posted by Melismata at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
That said, one of my favorite things is definitely old Sesame Street videos.
posted by Melismata at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
(Trade Test Transmissions: In the late 60s and early 70s in the UK, when colour television was taking off, they used to broadcast the same short films over and over, usually things made by companies like Shell, that they could show for free. This was so that technicians who were installing the TVs would have something to calibrate to. Because I was very small, and I loved repetition I watched them devotedly. My favourites were Giuseppina - 1, 2, 3, and Crown of Glass, which is what that newsreel footage reminded me of. I could, therefore, use the phrase "epoxy resin" and confidently refer to the artist John Piper by the age of five, but it was of literally no use whatsoever.)
posted by Grangousier at 4:55 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Grangousier at 4:55 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
This week I got a new cast iron skillet. How did I go so long without a 12-inch skillet? I don't care that I have no room to store it, so it's gotta live on the stovetop permanently. At least it's prettier than the ugly stove.
posted by asperity at 5:04 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by asperity at 5:04 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
my roommate had to grow her hair out while pregnant as part of a cultural ritual around pregnancy
Intriguing. What culture, and why, if I may ask?
posted by scratch at 5:12 PM on February 4, 2017
Intriguing. What culture, and why, if I may ask?
posted by scratch at 5:12 PM on February 4, 2017
My favorite thing this week is this guy, who attended all of Burkina Faso's matches in CAN 2017. Yes, that is a horse on top.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 5:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 5:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
What culture, and why, if I may ask?
She's Maori (native New Zealander), and cutting the mother's hair during pregnancy is bad luck (well, technically, tapu) and is supposed to make the baby be born bald (which is bad). Hair also has fairly powerful mana (according to ancient traditions regarding the sacredness of the head/hair, which are mostly not observed these days but sort-of come down in stories anyway) and by keeping the hair it provides extra protection to the baby, and prevents the mother from diverting the nutrients needed by the baby to regrowing her hair.
She had just dyed her hair when she got pregnant somewhat unexpectedly (and while her husband was working away on assignment), so she had to grow out a skunk stripe the whole pregnancy (as western medicine won't let you dye your hair when pregnant) and she was very grumpy about the whole thing (the hair, the distant husband), so I offered to grow mine too in solidarity, so we did that and then went and had it all lopped off at the end to donate for wigs for kids.
Her mother, who is not that strict about Maori culture, was SUPER strict about the hair and made my roommate e-mail her weekly pictures to prove she hadn't cut her hair. It was a BIG DEAL. Anyway, the baby was born with an absurd amount of hair so I guess it worked!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 5:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [18 favorites]
She's Maori (native New Zealander), and cutting the mother's hair during pregnancy is bad luck (well, technically, tapu) and is supposed to make the baby be born bald (which is bad). Hair also has fairly powerful mana (according to ancient traditions regarding the sacredness of the head/hair, which are mostly not observed these days but sort-of come down in stories anyway) and by keeping the hair it provides extra protection to the baby, and prevents the mother from diverting the nutrients needed by the baby to regrowing her hair.
She had just dyed her hair when she got pregnant somewhat unexpectedly (and while her husband was working away on assignment), so she had to grow out a skunk stripe the whole pregnancy (as western medicine won't let you dye your hair when pregnant) and she was very grumpy about the whole thing (the hair, the distant husband), so I offered to grow mine too in solidarity, so we did that and then went and had it all lopped off at the end to donate for wigs for kids.
Her mother, who is not that strict about Maori culture, was SUPER strict about the hair and made my roommate e-mail her weekly pictures to prove she hadn't cut her hair. It was a BIG DEAL. Anyway, the baby was born with an absurd amount of hair so I guess it worked!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 5:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [18 favorites]
Mr. Tibbs has been making me smile this week. He is unflappable. Not pictured: his legs and tail hanging off the other side of the window sill.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
I bid farewell to my cabled brakes this week by taking this corner veeeery slowly (since the part you can't see was a rather precipitous drop-off of about 200ft.). My Jones gets shiny, brand-new hydraulic brakes and then I won't care if I go off the edge because it's a flippin' mountain goat of a bike.
Actually, and relatedly, my favorite part of the week might have been the realization that I could afford new brakes for my baby (I've started calling her my bikefriend because I don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend I have a bikefriend) thanks to the SHAMELESS PRODUCT PROMOTION FOR FRIEND'S START-UP Digit.co app socking away moolah for me automatically every day.
I also flexed my patience muscle this week and made the Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies and have been basking in the rave reviews of select few who managed to snatch some out of the range of my maw/delightful afterglow of having eating a bunch of them myself today.
posted by carsonb at 5:40 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
Actually, and relatedly, my favorite part of the week might have been the realization that I could afford new brakes for my baby (I've started calling her my bikefriend because I don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend I have a bikefriend) thanks to the SHAMELESS PRODUCT PROMOTION FOR FRIEND'S START-UP Digit.co app socking away moolah for me automatically every day.
I also flexed my patience muscle this week and made the Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies and have been basking in the rave reviews of select few who managed to snatch some out of the range of my maw/delightful afterglow of having eating a bunch of them myself today.
posted by carsonb at 5:40 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
one of my favorite things is definitely old Sesame Street videos.
Any excuse to go back and watch Stevie Wonder just kill Superstition on Sesame Street again.
posted by carsonb at 5:45 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
Any excuse to go back and watch Stevie Wonder just kill Superstition on Sesame Street again.
posted by carsonb at 5:45 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
I am sipping a very good yet inexpensive wine, a rarer combination than it should be (and local, too), and the house is starting to smell like roasting potatoes, perfect on a cold and rainy winter day.
A week or so ago we decided to very deliberately break the cycle we had fallen into of sitting around in the evening reading depressing political news on separate laptops, so it's been fun to make most evenings about playing games, cooking together, or reading (on paper!). It was a small change, but it is making us so much happier, given the constant stream of terrible revelations every day.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:52 PM on February 4, 2017 [13 favorites]
A week or so ago we decided to very deliberately break the cycle we had fallen into of sitting around in the evening reading depressing political news on separate laptops, so it's been fun to make most evenings about playing games, cooking together, or reading (on paper!). It was a small change, but it is making us so much happier, given the constant stream of terrible revelations every day.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:52 PM on February 4, 2017 [13 favorites]
My favourite thing about this week is between two things: being interviewed for a magazine about my podcast and loving that Shepherd is joining me in the glorious dumpster fire that is Riverdale. (Yesssss, let us wallow in this filth together weekly...)
posted by Kitteh at 5:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 5:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
I somehow missed the last 1-3 stairs in my house very early yesterday morning, resulting in a scary fall and trip to the emergency room. I hobbled out with one ankle in an air cast with a pretty bad sprain. So, this weekend I'm taking it easy. It sucks though, I was just starting to turn the corner in my bellydance class, and had made yoga a regular weekly habit.
(The ankle did get me out of going to a fancy wedding downtown tomorrow night, which is OK because #1 who has a wedding on Super Bowl Sunday?; and #2 GO PATS!!) (#3 Lady Gaga's halftime show!)
Happy Birthday Stewriffic!
posted by Fig at 6:03 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
(The ankle did get me out of going to a fancy wedding downtown tomorrow night, which is OK because #1 who has a wedding on Super Bowl Sunday?; and #2 GO PATS!!) (#3 Lady Gaga's halftime show!)
Happy Birthday Stewriffic!
posted by Fig at 6:03 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
I didn't eat 3 meals alone this week! A long lunch with a college bud, impromptu lunch with a former co-worker, and a dinner with a friend visiting town. I felt so loved and connected!
posted by Lil Bit of Pepper at 6:04 PM on February 4, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Lil Bit of Pepper at 6:04 PM on February 4, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'm having a milestone birthday in two weeks, so I invited a bunch of people over for snacks and drinks at my house and possibly a walk out to karaoke. I know Facebook invites are never indicative of how many people actually show, but I have strong likelies ranging from one of the first people I met in Philly (five years ago) to someone I just met a few months ago. There's even an outside shot that one of my last two remaining high school friends might make the trip in from NJ. It's the first party my household has held, so we get to test the limits of how many people we can squeeze in our tiny living room, and I am so excited to fill the house with loving community.
posted by ActionPopulated at 6:10 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by ActionPopulated at 6:10 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
Well I'm in the right place. We've been rocking the Instant Pot for the last month AND I also had a kitten named Leela, who is now sadly a box of ashes on the mantle.
The most exciting thing that happened this week was that I finally became convinced that no further communication with my parents over the Recent Awfulness is the best thing for all involved. I'm sad that my kids will grow up without grandparents, but I suppose it's ok since my folks don't care much for brown people and need to go live in fear of the Muslim bogeyman.
Tonight I'm going to ChrisR's whiskey drinking meetup, so we're all good. Sort of.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 6:13 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
The most exciting thing that happened this week was that I finally became convinced that no further communication with my parents over the Recent Awfulness is the best thing for all involved. I'm sad that my kids will grow up without grandparents, but I suppose it's ok since my folks don't care much for brown people and need to go live in fear of the Muslim bogeyman.
Tonight I'm going to ChrisR's whiskey drinking meetup, so we're all good. Sort of.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 6:13 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
I had my biannual flight review today. The instructor had me forgo electronics and navigate by paper charts. I dropped down to low altitude to read the name of a town water tower, which he found totally unexpected for some reason. Not quite Kobayashi Maru but I'll take it!
posted by exogenous at 6:24 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by exogenous at 6:24 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
Vegan Sonoran hot dogs.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:30 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:30 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
This week has been all sorts of awesome in lots of tiny ways but my favourite was that it ended yesterday with a big waterfight at a park in the city with some of my favourite mefites.
posted by lollusc at 6:33 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by lollusc at 6:33 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
My great local butcher had some locally raised veal available this week, so I was able to get some nice cuts for dinner this week and some chuck to grind for sausages. I made some classic bratwurst and the butcher liked my photo so I feel like I just won an award.
The sausages turned out really well, too - very authentic. The kaiser rolls I bought weren't hard enough, though.
posted by backseatpilot at 6:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
The sausages turned out really well, too - very authentic. The kaiser rolls I bought weren't hard enough, though.
posted by backseatpilot at 6:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
Last night I had an Instant Pot breakthrough. I was making black bean soup, and I realized that starting the vegetables and the beans at the same time basically turns the veg to mush. So I cooked the beans and the sofrito separately, then combined them at the end.
I started dry black beans in the IP with water, a smoked turkey leg, a head of garlic, a cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet, I made the sofrito (onions/garlic/red bell pepper/celery sauteed with toasted cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, allspice, and smoked paprika).
When the sofrito was soft and touched with color, I deglazed the pan with about a cup of fresh orange juice. Once the beans were done, I took the turkey off the bones, then combined the beans, meat, and sofrito and let it all cook stovetop for about 30 mins.
It was honestly about the best black bean soup I've ever had, total time elapsed under 2 hours. Definitely going to adapt the separate veg trick for other soups. It kind of undermines the one-pot thing, but the flavor results are worth it.
posted by ottereroticist at 6:36 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
I started dry black beans in the IP with water, a smoked turkey leg, a head of garlic, a cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet, I made the sofrito (onions/garlic/red bell pepper/celery sauteed with toasted cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, allspice, and smoked paprika).
When the sofrito was soft and touched with color, I deglazed the pan with about a cup of fresh orange juice. Once the beans were done, I took the turkey off the bones, then combined the beans, meat, and sofrito and let it all cook stovetop for about 30 mins.
It was honestly about the best black bean soup I've ever had, total time elapsed under 2 hours. Definitely going to adapt the separate veg trick for other soups. It kind of undermines the one-pot thing, but the flavor results are worth it.
posted by ottereroticist at 6:36 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
I spent all afternoon in the darkroom making two prints and I only like one of them. But I like the process and they're only the third and fourth prints that I've made yet. It makes me feel good to not know what I'm doing as long as I have a feeling that I have the potential to figure it out.
posted by octothorpe at 6:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 6:38 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
Here is where I once again shamelessly talk about the amazing car my brother is building for me. I've added a comment to my projects post on it because this week the seats went back into the car. I had seen the car and did most of the work on the seats - but getting to sit in the driver's seat of this car was my favorite thing in MONTHS.
Headliner is in, interior is at about 80% done - we have a couple more little pieces to cover and get in place (visors, door handles, pillars, wheel well covers) but my 1958 Rambler Super Station Wagon gets ever closer to road worthy.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:00 PM on February 4, 2017 [12 favorites]
Headliner is in, interior is at about 80% done - we have a couple more little pieces to cover and get in place (visors, door handles, pillars, wheel well covers) but my 1958 Rambler Super Station Wagon gets ever closer to road worthy.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:00 PM on February 4, 2017 [12 favorites]
I've been battling some low-grade illness for about 3 weeks and had a miserable week at work, too much to do and not enough time to do it. Then when I got home every night, I had barely enough energy to talk to my kid, let alone get any decent housework done. Last night, I slept for 16 hours and woke up feeling like something had healed. I scrubbed the bathroom, plowed through the dishes, and dragged my kid out to an afternoon of errands which resulted in a fun dinner out at an unexpected place and lots of chatting and loving. This was my favorite part of this week, to wake up healthy and to spend happy times with my beautiful spawn. To hell with winter. Spring is coming!
posted by lakersfan1222 at 7:12 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by lakersfan1222 at 7:12 PM on February 4, 2017 [10 favorites]
I'm sipping this incredible pale ale I finally snagged, and that makes me happy.
It has overall been a rough week, but I discovered Santiago Ramon y Cajal this week and ordered a print of one of his drawings for my house and I am super excited about that. Seriously how gorgeous is this science art.
Eyebrows, your new kitty is fucking adorable. I want to cuddle the shit out of that kitty.
My own kitty has been a cuddle monster this week, and he keeps crawling under the covers with me while I sleep to cuddle. I know it's really because it's super cold in Iowa right now, but I'll take it.
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:24 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
It has overall been a rough week, but I discovered Santiago Ramon y Cajal this week and ordered a print of one of his drawings for my house and I am super excited about that. Seriously how gorgeous is this science art.
Eyebrows, your new kitty is fucking adorable. I want to cuddle the shit out of that kitty.
My own kitty has been a cuddle monster this week, and he keeps crawling under the covers with me while I sleep to cuddle. I know it's really because it's super cold in Iowa right now, but I'll take it.
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:24 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
My favorite thing about this week is that I'm signing a contract to sell my jewelry in a 10'x6' space inside a big retail shop in the downtown area of where I live! The owner of the shop really wants to build a strong community of local artists and crafters and business people, and part of the rental agreement is 6 business development classes per year. It's a really great opportunity and it's basically a dream come true for me.
posted by d13t_p3ps1 at 7:25 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by d13t_p3ps1 at 7:25 PM on February 4, 2017 [16 favorites]
Happy birthday, Stewriffic!!!
I was having a not-great week for various reasons, but I went to a really cool rock show last night and today I got a le creuset pot at half off, so things are looking up!
posted by leesh at 7:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
I was having a not-great week for various reasons, but I went to a really cool rock show last night and today I got a le creuset pot at half off, so things are looking up!
posted by leesh at 7:37 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
Eyebrows! Leela is wonderful!
I am sending little MetaScritches through the internets.
posted by kristi at 7:41 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am sending little MetaScritches through the internets.
posted by kristi at 7:41 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Several of my favorite Harry Potter fanfics updated.
posted by worldswalker at 8:09 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by worldswalker at 8:09 PM on February 4, 2017 [6 favorites]
I finished mounting my grandfather's old woodworking vise to my workbench. It has a snazzy quick release system that I designed which allows me to removed it when not in use.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:12 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:12 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've successfully been on testosterone for two months now, and the sex drive kicked in.
So, uh, I've been enjoying that.
I am a 47 year old 12 year old boy.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:41 PM on February 4, 2017 [23 favorites]
So, uh, I've been enjoying that.
I am a 47 year old 12 year old boy.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:41 PM on February 4, 2017 [23 favorites]
My favourite thing this week was talking with a more conservative [seeming] coworker who told me how incredibly proud she was of all the women who had marched on Jan. 21 all over the world and how she was making Pussyhats for each of her daughters and granddaughters.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:48 PM on February 4, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:48 PM on February 4, 2017 [8 favorites]
19 years ago, a friend and I drove 3 hours from Raleigh to a junkyard kinda near nothing to get a rare part for the truck we were restoring and the place didn't open until noon so we had some time to kill and he wanted to go see the spot in the woods where he proposed to his wife and why not? So we get there and he's getting all misty and I start hearing this hissing sound and it's coming from one of the tires. Shit, we got to get to level ground.
So he's driving pretty fast for this track cause it's not a small leak and this duck-size jet black bird with longer legs unwebbed feet and a curved horn, tusk (?) atop it's bill runs across the road and I say I have no idea what that was and he, who has been here all his life and knows this land said that was exactly what he was thinking.
We had all kinds of books but whatever that was does not exist.
So yesterday I got the housemates daughters out walking the fence doing repairs and there it was again. What is that? Seen one before but I don't know. C'mon you two, circle. Drive it back towards me so I can get a pic. And these girls can run up some of these roads faster than I can drive them. No dice. That thing was fast.
So we can't find anything on the net that looks like that. Nothing. No, the one I saw before didn't fly either. So it's a ground bird ummm how would they deal with the coyotes? I don't know and it's a ton of fun to try and figure something out with a couple of kids when you don't have a clue either.
So tomorrow's premise is that it ran away from it's nest which must be on the ground. Do birds nest in winter? We don't know what kind of bird it is. It could be a mutant winter bird or an exotic escape. Too many ideas to list. What is plausibility when the subject doesn't exist? I'm pretty sure the unicorn is a mythical beast and people didn't ride dinosaurs but everything is on the table.
I'm game. They will get up before dawn and I will wish they were tall enough to make coffee.
Kids are the best. If they're secure they start thinking outside the box and don't even know there's a box and I just love that. This is the best thing all week.
2nd best was seeing a huge box of pussy hats at the clothing bank.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 8:54 PM on February 4, 2017 [11 favorites]
So he's driving pretty fast for this track cause it's not a small leak and this duck-size jet black bird with longer legs unwebbed feet and a curved horn, tusk (?) atop it's bill runs across the road and I say I have no idea what that was and he, who has been here all his life and knows this land said that was exactly what he was thinking.
We had all kinds of books but whatever that was does not exist.
So yesterday I got the housemates daughters out walking the fence doing repairs and there it was again. What is that? Seen one before but I don't know. C'mon you two, circle. Drive it back towards me so I can get a pic. And these girls can run up some of these roads faster than I can drive them. No dice. That thing was fast.
So we can't find anything on the net that looks like that. Nothing. No, the one I saw before didn't fly either. So it's a ground bird ummm how would they deal with the coyotes? I don't know and it's a ton of fun to try and figure something out with a couple of kids when you don't have a clue either.
So tomorrow's premise is that it ran away from it's nest which must be on the ground. Do birds nest in winter? We don't know what kind of bird it is. It could be a mutant winter bird or an exotic escape. Too many ideas to list. What is plausibility when the subject doesn't exist? I'm pretty sure the unicorn is a mythical beast and people didn't ride dinosaurs but everything is on the table.
I'm game. They will get up before dawn and I will wish they were tall enough to make coffee.
Kids are the best. If they're secure they start thinking outside the box and don't even know there's a box and I just love that. This is the best thing all week.
2nd best was seeing a huge box of pussy hats at the clothing bank.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 8:54 PM on February 4, 2017 [11 favorites]
Taking a 103-year-old patient home from the hospital for hospice and getting there and the entire extended family is in a fantastic mood. It can be so difficult bringing someone home to to die, and so amazing and rare when people are at peace with it. I'm still smiling.
posted by not_the_water at 9:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by not_the_water at 9:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [19 favorites]
I stayed home with my 6-yr-old kid one day this week when she was sick, & in the afternoon we played a roleplaying game for the first time ("Hero Kids," a D&D type game for the 4-to-10 set), & it was uproariously fun. She made up her own character type, a rogue who does capoeira, and we started with a short adventure (down to the basement to battle Rats of Unusual Size) to see how the game mechanics work. I'm not much of a gamer & she's only read some chose-yr-own adventure books, but we ended up playing much of the afternoon--she was really into the improv aspects of it, piling on aliens & rayguns & disco jewels & new quests--it was all weirdly Bowiesque & hilarious.
posted by miles per flower at 9:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by miles per flower at 9:35 PM on February 4, 2017 [7 favorites]
My favorite thing this week is being the mama of a Special Olympic gold medalist in bowling! If he medals in the next round, he goes to the state level.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 9:43 PM on February 4, 2017 [34 favorites]
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 9:43 PM on February 4, 2017 [34 favorites]
I finished the first song I've written in like a decade! It's heavy and mean.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Existential Dread at 9:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
My best dog friend and I did our first skijoring race on Sunday and we came in 4th of 16! Women swept the top 5, which was cool. I provided perhaps 10% of the effort in what will surely stand as my finest athletic achievement, but we are both very proud of his ability to drag me through the woods extremely enthusiastically.
posted by charmedimsure at 10:00 PM on February 4, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by charmedimsure at 10:00 PM on February 4, 2017 [15 favorites]
I've been veeery slowly teaching myself to play the guitar, and after a couple years of happily strumming my major and minor chords I've finally decided to take on... the sevenths. My fingers are not quite yet convinced that they can contort in these new and exciting shapes, but they'll get there eventually.
posted by btfreek at 10:15 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by btfreek at 10:15 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
My 19 1/2 year-old car, which last weekend appeared to be ghost-haunted and crazy, with locks flickering on and off for a day and night, which had me (a person with no prior experience), pulling fuses (and freaking out), was returned to perfection with one new AAA battery on Monday morning. I thought I was going to be forced to purchase a new car, and instead, I didn't even have to leave my driveway.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 10:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 10:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
A couple of weeks ago I used some of the Xmas/bday cash stashed away and got a Le Creuset cast iron grill pan from the outlet during the twice yearly sales. €65. I love getting my kitchen gear and thrifty itches scratched at the same time. So I have been grilling like a happy little madwoman lately, and yesterday I giggled over the mild absurdity of grilling hot dogs for my kids in a Le Creuset.
posted by romakimmy at 10:20 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by romakimmy at 10:20 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
Aw man, charmedimsure, I wish my dog Tribble would be any good at skijoring or any other pulling events--they look so fun! Sadly she responds to being asked to pull by looking utterly horrified and refusing to move, which seems counterproductive. I figure I could have worked with the lack of snow and taken up, IDK, whatever they call 'joring on roller skates, but the refusal to pull makes things rough.
I have finally been catching up to the newest three seasons of Red Dwarf by way of introducing my partner and my roomie to it, and had been relieved that it was still reasonably good. That has not been my experience of shows uncancelled after long hiatuses, but... heeeey. Presently, I am curled up in my slanket with two out of three cats curled up on me and the remains of an alcoholic milkshake warming on the side table, and if Ishka would quit being silly and trying to bite my toes off I would be utterly content.
Oh, and I'm beginning to properly take up knitting again. I think I lost my favorite cable size and two of my beloved Hiya Hiya interchangeable tips, which means I can't really make hats until the replacements I ordered come in. So I'm toying with potential ideas about what I want to make for now. I have categorically refused to make brain hats because I don't want to learn icord right now, dammit, and that was definitely a smart move because my boss was clearly going to ask me to make one for him and I have too many demands on my time as it is without feeling obligated to do that. So I don't know. We'll see. I have a half-finished very simple striped pullover on needles, and I should work on that except I keep forgetting to make my decrease rows for the shaping and I'm sort of concerned that the darts will come out weird. Maybe I'll use it to learn how to steek and turn it into a cardigan. Who knows.
posted by sciatrix at 10:23 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
I have finally been catching up to the newest three seasons of Red Dwarf by way of introducing my partner and my roomie to it, and had been relieved that it was still reasonably good. That has not been my experience of shows uncancelled after long hiatuses, but... heeeey. Presently, I am curled up in my slanket with two out of three cats curled up on me and the remains of an alcoholic milkshake warming on the side table, and if Ishka would quit being silly and trying to bite my toes off I would be utterly content.
Oh, and I'm beginning to properly take up knitting again. I think I lost my favorite cable size and two of my beloved Hiya Hiya interchangeable tips, which means I can't really make hats until the replacements I ordered come in. So I'm toying with potential ideas about what I want to make for now. I have categorically refused to make brain hats because I don't want to learn icord right now, dammit, and that was definitely a smart move because my boss was clearly going to ask me to make one for him and I have too many demands on my time as it is without feeling obligated to do that. So I don't know. We'll see. I have a half-finished very simple striped pullover on needles, and I should work on that except I keep forgetting to make my decrease rows for the shaping and I'm sort of concerned that the darts will come out weird. Maybe I'll use it to learn how to steek and turn it into a cardigan. Who knows.
posted by sciatrix at 10:23 PM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
Don't learn how to make icords, especially not enough to do the brain hat. Buy an inexpensive hand cranked machine to do it for you. Spend your valuable time instead with things like decreases and increases and shaping and knitting that does not make you want to tear your hair out nearly as much as making yards of icord with knitting needles.
posted by pearshaped at 10:29 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by pearshaped at 10:29 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
I love your fun topics Eyebrows; thanks
posted by soakimbo at 10:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by soakimbo at 10:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
I dropped my wife off at Costco (she works there.) While I was there, I had the tire shop fix the tire that had a big nail in it, ordered two new pairs of glasses, tried all of the samples, picked up prescriptions, and bought some groceries and a set of two comfy chairs and a small table that were finally on clearance. On the way out, I talked to our friend about our upcoming double date with me, my wife, him, and his partner. We're all excited because none of us has been on a real date in years.
Shopping at Costco is even better when you have your people working on the inside.
posted by double block and bleed at 10:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [11 favorites]
Shopping at Costco is even better when you have your people working on the inside.
posted by double block and bleed at 10:59 PM on February 4, 2017 [11 favorites]
Ha! Our plan is to make our Costco run tomorrow...right before/after the Superb Owl kickoff, because in our experience, it is as near empty as Costco ever is (other options here in SF is when the Niners are playing at home, but I reckon that has changed a bit the last couple years, between their terrible seasons and the move to San Jose).
We look forward to (fingers crossed) cart rides down the ramp uninterrupted by other people. Yes, we do go "Wheee! Must kill Moe! Wheee!" while doing so.
posted by rtha at 11:16 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
We look forward to (fingers crossed) cart rides down the ramp uninterrupted by other people. Yes, we do go "Wheee! Must kill Moe! Wheee!" while doing so.
posted by rtha at 11:16 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
My fun thing for the week - I bought the kitties new catnip meese - and they have been having a swell time with them. Running up and down the hallway - batting them around - making the "I have caught a mouse meow" at o'dark thirty, all week. I don't know why they can't play with the meese at a reasonable hour.... but what can you do. Also - the meese at the end of playing always end up in the water bowl..... if someone can explain that one to me, I will be forever grateful. (no, my cats are not actually raccoons, and are not just washing their food before they eat it... or maybe they are - who knows.)
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 11:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 11:18 PM on February 4, 2017 [4 favorites]
I got my professional accreditation this week!! After 6.5 years of study, 750 hours of practice, 5 years of voluntary work, scary amounts of money in University fees and lost wages due to said voluntary work, a big accreditation application process and a three month wait on the decision. It's a big deal and most people don't get it first time and I did so I'm feeling extra smug. And the lovely Universe found fit to advertise an actual paid job in the profession two days after I got my shiny certificate - they're like hen's teeth here but goddamn that one has my name on it. So I had a whole bottle of Prosecco to my wee self on Friday night while my partner brought me fish and chips and various chocolates and I got txt messages from people I'd studied with saying "omg I'm so jealous" which are just the best messages :D
posted by billiebee at 12:33 AM on February 5, 2017 [37 favorites]
posted by billiebee at 12:33 AM on February 5, 2017 [37 favorites]
So about a month ago, trying to cope with heartbreak, I went looking for spaces where I could scream and cry my heart out. Someone on a Facebook group I'm a part of mentioned an abandoned warehouse near their apartment; the moment I saw it, I knew it was perfect. It was a former commercial laundry, now dusty and covered with graffiti and SO SO MASSIVE.
I called on a close friend the next day and got them to be my lookout while I vented in the warehouse. Not only did I process the recent heartbreak, I also got to really air out some pent-up frustration and pain over an abusive ex, friends being weird, feeling like I can't get what I wish for without things being screwed up, yadda yadda all this pain. I was really fuckin' drained by the end of it and my friend had to help me get food.
That abandoned warehouse yelling was possibly one of the best things I've ever done. I felt so much better afterwards - the heartbreak didn't bother me anymore, I felt stronger and lighter at the same time. Some beautiful catharsis.
So I knew the abandoned warehouse was the place to go to deal with the mess that is the US immigration ban.
I'm coming to the US in a couple of weeks (less, now), for an industry event as well as to catch up with friends (and ironically the person that spurred the aforementioned heartbreak - we've patched up some). My passport isn't on the ban list, but it is from a Muslim country, and there have been reports of people with my passport detained at US airports.
Now, the possibility of detention or deportation is not at all new to me; having travelled on an even less-regarded passport for most of my life, I always expect a chance of being turned away or locked up every time I cross a border. (Strangely enough I seem to get more issues departing, but that's a whole other thing.) The US Muslim ban just confirmed to me something I already knew. However, the constant change of rulings, the lack of certainty, the chaos of it all...it just reaffirmed the special kind of hell that was having your life be dictated by the whims of Immigration rules. It's a long-held trauma, and all this mess was bringing it up again.
I put a call for lookouts for my next abandoned warehouse jaunt (the original friend was/is dealing with another friend's emergency). One of my best friends, a magical vaudeville fellow who's a cross between Thomas Sanders and Snagglepuss with an edge of deviousness and who I'd describe as "chaotic sparkly", offered to join me.
So a couple of days later, this Tuesday, we met up at the abandoned warehouse. We spent a while walking around it; he marvelled at all the potential the space held, how it could be rigged for circus acts and oh a DJ could play in that corner and wow there could be different rooms for kink play on and on...I knew he'd love the space. I thought of him the first time I saw the warehouse. I don't know what the legalities are for reclaiming abandoned spaces like these, and the Ghost Ship disaster was still fresh on my mind, but oh if only his dreams could come true, because I thought pretty much the same thing.
Eventually I got him to wait outside while I once again poured my heart out, this time about immigration. This time it felt different - it wasn't really as cathartic, probably because it wasn't necessarily as raw. It was a deeper sort of pain, a lifetime of trauma and abuse by systems bigger than I, anger and frustration and sadness and despair and despondence.
When I popped out of the warehouse my friend wrapped me into a deep, deep hug - the deepest hug I've gotten in a long while. I squeezed harder and he held on tighter, a strong ballast of love and care for my broken heart. We swayed and he rubbed his head against my hair; we stayed like this for what seemed like both forever and for a moment.
That hug. That obvious demonstration of love. That he offered to help me deal with some really intense shit. That's my favourite thing about this week.
Sometimes when I'm still feeling down I remember the feel of his hands, his fists, on my back - and I see wings.
posted by divabat at 1:56 AM on February 5, 2017 [25 favorites]
I called on a close friend the next day and got them to be my lookout while I vented in the warehouse. Not only did I process the recent heartbreak, I also got to really air out some pent-up frustration and pain over an abusive ex, friends being weird, feeling like I can't get what I wish for without things being screwed up, yadda yadda all this pain. I was really fuckin' drained by the end of it and my friend had to help me get food.
That abandoned warehouse yelling was possibly one of the best things I've ever done. I felt so much better afterwards - the heartbreak didn't bother me anymore, I felt stronger and lighter at the same time. Some beautiful catharsis.
So I knew the abandoned warehouse was the place to go to deal with the mess that is the US immigration ban.
I'm coming to the US in a couple of weeks (less, now), for an industry event as well as to catch up with friends (and ironically the person that spurred the aforementioned heartbreak - we've patched up some). My passport isn't on the ban list, but it is from a Muslim country, and there have been reports of people with my passport detained at US airports.
Now, the possibility of detention or deportation is not at all new to me; having travelled on an even less-regarded passport for most of my life, I always expect a chance of being turned away or locked up every time I cross a border. (Strangely enough I seem to get more issues departing, but that's a whole other thing.) The US Muslim ban just confirmed to me something I already knew. However, the constant change of rulings, the lack of certainty, the chaos of it all...it just reaffirmed the special kind of hell that was having your life be dictated by the whims of Immigration rules. It's a long-held trauma, and all this mess was bringing it up again.
I put a call for lookouts for my next abandoned warehouse jaunt (the original friend was/is dealing with another friend's emergency). One of my best friends, a magical vaudeville fellow who's a cross between Thomas Sanders and Snagglepuss with an edge of deviousness and who I'd describe as "chaotic sparkly", offered to join me.
So a couple of days later, this Tuesday, we met up at the abandoned warehouse. We spent a while walking around it; he marvelled at all the potential the space held, how it could be rigged for circus acts and oh a DJ could play in that corner and wow there could be different rooms for kink play on and on...I knew he'd love the space. I thought of him the first time I saw the warehouse. I don't know what the legalities are for reclaiming abandoned spaces like these, and the Ghost Ship disaster was still fresh on my mind, but oh if only his dreams could come true, because I thought pretty much the same thing.
Eventually I got him to wait outside while I once again poured my heart out, this time about immigration. This time it felt different - it wasn't really as cathartic, probably because it wasn't necessarily as raw. It was a deeper sort of pain, a lifetime of trauma and abuse by systems bigger than I, anger and frustration and sadness and despair and despondence.
When I popped out of the warehouse my friend wrapped me into a deep, deep hug - the deepest hug I've gotten in a long while. I squeezed harder and he held on tighter, a strong ballast of love and care for my broken heart. We swayed and he rubbed his head against my hair; we stayed like this for what seemed like both forever and for a moment.
That hug. That obvious demonstration of love. That he offered to help me deal with some really intense shit. That's my favourite thing about this week.
Sometimes when I'm still feeling down I remember the feel of his hands, his fists, on my back - and I see wings.
posted by divabat at 1:56 AM on February 5, 2017 [25 favorites]
As part of my job I have to rotate around to posts at different sites. Three weeks ago I was told that the next one would be a 6-month stint in an office way out in the middle of nowhere. It would mean a 90-min bus/train/bus commute each way with a ridiculously pedestrian-unfriendly walk at the end, and I'd hardly get to see my kid during the week, and I have been dreading it. I objected but... mobility clause in contract, not holding out hope.
Anyway, last week I heard that I wouldn't be going to the middle of nowhere any more, and instead I am being moved to an office less than a mile from my house. Which is not only better than the middle-of-nowhere office, but even better than right now. I will be able to walk to work for the first time in years - and bike my kid to nursery, and get an extra half-hour in bed every morning. I am massively relieved and happy.
posted by Catseye at 4:03 AM on February 5, 2017 [13 favorites]
Anyway, last week I heard that I wouldn't be going to the middle of nowhere any more, and instead I am being moved to an office less than a mile from my house. Which is not only better than the middle-of-nowhere office, but even better than right now. I will be able to walk to work for the first time in years - and bike my kid to nursery, and get an extra half-hour in bed every morning. I am massively relieved and happy.
posted by Catseye at 4:03 AM on February 5, 2017 [13 favorites]
One of my chores these days is to sort through the house of my parents. It'll take me yeeears I feel. Anyway, among others I'm finally sorting through the workshop of my dad who passed away 2 1/2 years ago. What fun project to do while I'm about it? Well.
At home I have one of these Presso coffe makers ( it's great . you're gonna love it ), but only a silly old plastic scoop/tamper which irks me every time I'm making coffee.
Here in the workshop I have, and I kid you not, an old WWII-era US Army turning lathe that was put together from several old discarded ones just after the war. I fired it up. It does still work. I also found a bit of pre-turned Mahogany. So I will make a new tamper for my coffee maker. The best thing this week has been anticipatory glee.
posted by Namlit at 4:33 AM on February 5, 2017 [11 favorites]
At home I have one of these Presso coffe makers ( it's great . you're gonna love it ), but only a silly old plastic scoop/tamper which irks me every time I'm making coffee.
Here in the workshop I have, and I kid you not, an old WWII-era US Army turning lathe that was put together from several old discarded ones just after the war. I fired it up. It does still work. I also found a bit of pre-turned Mahogany. So I will make a new tamper for my coffee maker. The best thing this week has been anticipatory glee.
posted by Namlit at 4:33 AM on February 5, 2017 [11 favorites]
Definitely the discovery that Jamie Cullum songs at karaoke are wonderfully easy and satisfying to sing.
posted by Juso No Thankyou at 4:40 AM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Juso No Thankyou at 4:40 AM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
The thing I'm happy about this week is that I took the USMLE Step 1 yesterday (that's the first step in the US medical licensing process, taken after the classroom portion of med school). I'm sooooooooo happy it's over. I've been having 12 hour study days for weeks, and now I don't have to study a single thing for the next two weeks. It's blissful freedom.
posted by ocherdraco at 5:00 AM on February 5, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by ocherdraco at 5:00 AM on February 5, 2017 [19 favorites]
Ocherdraco--congratulations!
I remember when I took my grad school comps after weeks of intense studying and only reading professional journals, the only thing I wanted to do when the comps were over was read really trashy paperbacks!
Enjoy your freedom to NOT STUDY for awhile!
posted by bookmammal at 5:29 AM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
I remember when I took my grad school comps after weeks of intense studying and only reading professional journals, the only thing I wanted to do when the comps were over was read really trashy paperbacks!
Enjoy your freedom to NOT STUDY for awhile!
posted by bookmammal at 5:29 AM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
I just finished a creme brulee imperial stout (among other stuff) so I'm feeling kind of mellow.
posted by jonmc at 6:41 PM on February 4
Hey, Mr. Freedom was drinking that exact same beer at basically the same time. You're not secretly my husband, are you? (His evaluation was that it was very sweet, and he also didn't look at the label beforehand so wasn't expecting the 10% ABV. I didn't like it much, myself.)
My favorite thing from this past week was that my crocheting is getting much better! I have been taking a class at a local craft shop/boutique for the past 3 weeks, and I never thought I would ever get the hang of crochet (I am a knitter), but I'm really improving!
posted by chainsofreedom at 6:28 AM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by jonmc at 6:41 PM on February 4
Hey, Mr. Freedom was drinking that exact same beer at basically the same time. You're not secretly my husband, are you? (His evaluation was that it was very sweet, and he also didn't look at the label beforehand so wasn't expecting the 10% ABV. I didn't like it much, myself.)
My favorite thing from this past week was that my crocheting is getting much better! I have been taking a class at a local craft shop/boutique for the past 3 weeks, and I never thought I would ever get the hang of crochet (I am a knitter), but I'm really improving!
posted by chainsofreedom at 6:28 AM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
This is depressing, but the honest-to-god happiest I was this week was when my most emotionally abusive client was entitled to & requested conflict counsel, and I got to ship his file off to some other poor underpaid, unsuspecting soul.
On a lighter note, I spent most of yesterday playing Troyes (and debating its pronunciation) and you guys, it is SUCH a fun game with a really great mix of strategy, choice, hidden goals, cooperative goals, chance, and competition. It's got it all! Now, if only it didn't retail for like $100...
posted by likeatoaster at 7:40 AM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
On a lighter note, I spent most of yesterday playing Troyes (and debating its pronunciation) and you guys, it is SUCH a fun game with a really great mix of strategy, choice, hidden goals, cooperative goals, chance, and competition. It's got it all! Now, if only it didn't retail for like $100...
posted by likeatoaster at 7:40 AM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
This week I found out my friend has a working Amiga and he still uses it for animation.
posted by kendrak at 7:45 AM on February 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by kendrak at 7:45 AM on February 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm going to cheat and list three, because I can't decide...
1. Blood oranges. These are the best fruit and I have ate thirty of them this week.
2. Watching Luca Guadagnino's "A Bigger Splash", which just started streaming on HBO. I really, really needed a good movie that would have me thinking about it long after it was over.
3. My indoor/outdoor cat tried to get my attention by inserting all four of his clawed feet into one of the window screens and then attempting to climb up it. He looked ridiculous. I was too busy laughing to take a photo.
posted by nightrecordings at 7:55 AM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
1. Blood oranges. These are the best fruit and I have ate thirty of them this week.
2. Watching Luca Guadagnino's "A Bigger Splash", which just started streaming on HBO. I really, really needed a good movie that would have me thinking about it long after it was over.
3. My indoor/outdoor cat tried to get my attention by inserting all four of his clawed feet into one of the window screens and then attempting to climb up it. He looked ridiculous. I was too busy laughing to take a photo.
posted by nightrecordings at 7:55 AM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
It was such a hard week, both work wise and in the shitstorm that is America right now. But still:
*I finally got to eat at Portland's Toro Bravo-had an amazing meal and celebrated a family member's birthday. Fabulous cocktails at the Secret Society bar next door, too.
*Successfully made yogurt in my instant Pot (I have the one without the yogurt setting) and fabulous no knead bread using some of the leftover whey. And my curmudgeonly 7 year old thanked me both times for making such yummy food.
* My fifth grader had a marimba concert. She's nearing the end of her time at her wonderful Spanish dual immersion school-half the kids speak Spanish at home-and watching the kind hearts, compassion, awareness of social issues, and confidence of this awesome kid and her group of kids gives me hope for the future. She marched with me in the women's march along with her best friends-one born in Ecuador and one in China-and stood with me at the protest of the Muslim ban the next week. Both times, she carried a sign she worked on for hours-one side an American flag with a word representing things she wants in our country in each line, like togetherness and kindness. The other side said "Si se puede" (Yes we can). Love this kid so much.
posted by purenitrous at 8:29 AM on February 5, 2017 [7 favorites]
*I finally got to eat at Portland's Toro Bravo-had an amazing meal and celebrated a family member's birthday. Fabulous cocktails at the Secret Society bar next door, too.
*Successfully made yogurt in my instant Pot (I have the one without the yogurt setting) and fabulous no knead bread using some of the leftover whey. And my curmudgeonly 7 year old thanked me both times for making such yummy food.
* My fifth grader had a marimba concert. She's nearing the end of her time at her wonderful Spanish dual immersion school-half the kids speak Spanish at home-and watching the kind hearts, compassion, awareness of social issues, and confidence of this awesome kid and her group of kids gives me hope for the future. She marched with me in the women's march along with her best friends-one born in Ecuador and one in China-and stood with me at the protest of the Muslim ban the next week. Both times, she carried a sign she worked on for hours-one side an American flag with a word representing things she wants in our country in each line, like togetherness and kindness. The other side said "Si se puede" (Yes we can). Love this kid so much.
posted by purenitrous at 8:29 AM on February 5, 2017 [7 favorites]
The coffee I'm drinking and the beer that is chilling in the fridge that I'll drink later this evening during tonight's Super Bowl. These are the best parts of my week. I'm off today and tomorrow and I do not plan on leaving my home. Comfortable pajamas and video-games.
posted by Fizz at 9:51 AM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Fizz at 9:51 AM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
I had a 6 hour long interview this past week for a job I really want. I've only had two "Oh god, maybe that wasn't the right thing to say," flashbacks since then. So, better than usual and regardless of the outcome I don't think I have to feel too embarrassed.
I also used both of my newly acquired enameled cast iron dishes from Lodge (casserole dish and Dutch oven) when making dinner for a small get together. I have finally surpassed by my mother as queen of pot roast in my husband's eyes, so that was nice too.
posted by ghost phoneme at 9:55 AM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
I also used both of my newly acquired enameled cast iron dishes from Lodge (casserole dish and Dutch oven) when making dinner for a small get together. I have finally surpassed by my mother as queen of pot roast in my husband's eyes, so that was nice too.
posted by ghost phoneme at 9:55 AM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've had a pretty awesome week! Not only was it my birthday (and I love my birthday), but I got my first two responses from the grad school programs to which I've been applying*: both places accepted me, and one offered me a scholarship - huzzah!
(*Even neater, the programs I'm applying to are a direct result of a 'what should I do with my life?' question I'd asked here a few years ago - best AskMe I've ever posted!)
posted by DingoMutt at 10:04 AM on February 5, 2017 [9 favorites]
(*Even neater, the programs I'm applying to are a direct result of a 'what should I do with my life?' question I'd asked here a few years ago - best AskMe I've ever posted!)
posted by DingoMutt at 10:04 AM on February 5, 2017 [9 favorites]
Troyes (and debating its pronunciation)
I spent a week there some years ago and I swear to Buddha none of the actual French citizens and residents pronounced it the same way, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:53 AM on February 5, 2017
I spent a week there some years ago and I swear to Buddha none of the actual French citizens and residents pronounced it the same way, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:53 AM on February 5, 2017
Pronunciation of Reims was even more variable, though.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:55 AM on February 5, 2017
posted by soundguy99 at 10:55 AM on February 5, 2017
This is the official start of The California Journal. That is how it is. I am gonna get this going. There is so much here, on both the minute and grand level.
Well, the parrots are all out, on a morning like this. Next door to the west, the parrot is making muttering, crusty, parrot sounds, and the lady is talking at him in passing, as she heads for the garage. I can see parts of this through the fence slats, but really I am all about the sun. Then my neighbor goes inside, and suddenly from the direction of their porch is what sounds like a parrot's imitation of the neighbors having passionate sex. I am like oh, if the walls could talk, but they can, kind of thinking. This is brief, but it seems to be coming closer. All of this is taking place in a radius of 20 feet, behind a tall board fence. Closer, louder, closer, then coming around the corner of my house, is a large, ratty orange cat who is actually making the incomprehensible noise. He sees me on the little porch, and has a full, crouching, kitty "oh shit," moment, and then he is rocket kitty, and gone.
My plan in my new life, is to document and celebrate the small wonders. Small wonders such as $.25 avocados, that are ripe, and have teeny pits as well.
posted by Oyéah at 11:19 AM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
Well, the parrots are all out, on a morning like this. Next door to the west, the parrot is making muttering, crusty, parrot sounds, and the lady is talking at him in passing, as she heads for the garage. I can see parts of this through the fence slats, but really I am all about the sun. Then my neighbor goes inside, and suddenly from the direction of their porch is what sounds like a parrot's imitation of the neighbors having passionate sex. I am like oh, if the walls could talk, but they can, kind of thinking. This is brief, but it seems to be coming closer. All of this is taking place in a radius of 20 feet, behind a tall board fence. Closer, louder, closer, then coming around the corner of my house, is a large, ratty orange cat who is actually making the incomprehensible noise. He sees me on the little porch, and has a full, crouching, kitty "oh shit," moment, and then he is rocket kitty, and gone.
My plan in my new life, is to document and celebrate the small wonders. Small wonders such as $.25 avocados, that are ripe, and have teeny pits as well.
posted by Oyéah at 11:19 AM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
My favorite thing about this week was actually also the whiskey meetup! Lots of greatness. Delicious food was provided, great conversation was had, and a muchly-appreciated mefite who had moved some hours away was a surprise guest.
As a secondary cool thing, the game ARK, which is a survival game with dinosaurs and kind of reminds me of an adult Minecraft is half off on Xbox, so whenever I've felt sad or frustrated, I've just logged in, set it to 'single player', and built some cool stuff.
posted by corb at 11:48 AM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
As a secondary cool thing, the game ARK, which is a survival game with dinosaurs and kind of reminds me of an adult Minecraft is half off on Xbox, so whenever I've felt sad or frustrated, I've just logged in, set it to 'single player', and built some cool stuff.
posted by corb at 11:48 AM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
OH WAIT and also my kid got to the first stage in a scholarship process for a really great school that she really wants to get into! I can't believe I forgot that! This week was better than I thought!
posted by corb at 11:48 AM on February 5, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by corb at 11:48 AM on February 5, 2017 [13 favorites]
Somebody branded a premium ice cream with the name "Turkey Hill"; which brings nothing about ice cream to mind. Ergo; local CO groceries have it all on 2-for-1 pricing. Soes; favourite thing; lots of ice cream - even a 3AM binge last week. Turkey. Hill. heh.
Bad thing? It really seems to want to um, remain upon my midsection more than ice cream used to.
Good ice cream. Yum.
posted by buzzman at 12:02 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Bad thing? It really seems to want to um, remain upon my midsection more than ice cream used to.
Good ice cream. Yum.
posted by buzzman at 12:02 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
We were going to go to Restaurant A last night for date night (spouse is only home 2-3 nights/week for the foreseeable future, so we're trying to do better about doing fun things), but it was packed, so we rerouted to their sister restaurant, Bar B (a tiny spot that specializes in mezcal). I'd had enough introvert time this week that my social batteries were recharged, so I cheerfully informed the bartender that we knew absolutely nothing about mezcal and would like to taste something so that we could learn the first and maybe even a second thing about mezcal. Bartender's eyes lit up, and he immediately bought our first round, broke out his photo album of traveling to various palenques in Oaxaca*, and proceeded to nerd out with us while giving us the 101 on cultivating, harvesting, processing, and roasting mezcal-producing agave.
*Which, plastic containers and trucks aside, often use some seriously stone-age technology - lots of crushing plant matter with giant stone wheels or wooden maces. Once again, I am amazed at humanity's repeated ingenuity when it comes to getting drunk.
posted by deludingmyself at 12:33 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
*Which, plastic containers and trucks aside, often use some seriously stone-age technology - lots of crushing plant matter with giant stone wheels or wooden maces. Once again, I am amazed at humanity's repeated ingenuity when it comes to getting drunk.
posted by deludingmyself at 12:33 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
Last night I watched the Eurovision Song Contest from 1981 and it had this entry from Austria and I couldn't stop laughing.
posted by JanetLand at 12:51 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 12:51 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
My furry monster got neutered and microchipped last weekend, and got through it (fasting, getting poked by vets) with flying colours and lots of compliments on his good behaviour from the vet tech. All his kitten vaccinations are done now and we're down to once a year checkups. Hurray!
posted by janepanic at 1:13 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by janepanic at 1:13 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
Puppy Bowl!
posted by minsies at 1:19 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by minsies at 1:19 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
It’s been a great week for LPs. Midweek I listened to my newly-acquired vinyl copy of Blonder and Blonder by The Muffs and it made me very happy indeed. And I found a copies of (i) Van Morrison’s Saint Dominic’s Preview and (ii) Bob Lind’s Don’t Be Concerned at a junk-shop yesterday morning.
Also, like nightrecordings said, it’s blood orange season!
posted by misteraitch at 1:50 PM on February 5, 2017
Also, like nightrecordings said, it’s blood orange season!
posted by misteraitch at 1:50 PM on February 5, 2017
Yesterday I picked up a couple Trader Joe's $1 you-color-it Valentine's Day cards for my parents and sister and really enjoyed the meditative coloring experience.
posted by soakimbo at 1:55 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by soakimbo at 1:55 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
I decided to try and learn Spanish at long last, so I have been using Rosetta Stone and yelling at my computer in terrible terrible Spanish for the last few weeks. My microphone is not that great so it necessitates a lot of repetition. "Nosotros. Nosotros! NOSOTROS! argh. NOOOOOOSSSSOOOOOOOOOTROS!!!!!!! omg" which is both frustrating and hilarious. I am often left scowling and cackling at my computer at the same time. Also I remembered the existence of Destinos and will be watching that in my spare time, I am so down.
Metafilter: tenemos cámaras.
posted by supercrayon at 1:58 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
Metafilter: tenemos cámaras.
posted by supercrayon at 1:58 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
Because all of our spouses/partners had something to do this weekend, my brother and sister and I went to visit our parents alone to celebrate my dad's recent 70th birthday. LIke this thread, it was supposed to be my politics-free weekend but that was impossible because my lightly-liberal father is SO ANGRY, and I'm not going to say that's my favorite part of my week but it was pretty great.
My favorite part of the visit was either:
A) last night, when Iowa Public Television just happened to be showing the first Doctor Who episode I ever watched with him 30+ years ago ("The Pirate Planet") and I fell asleep on the couch in my childhood tv room watching it.
B) When we were all in the car to drop my brother and I off at the train going home, "Close to You" by the Carpenters came on and we were all singing along and no one wanted to stop singing to comment on it.
(Also I won a fair amount at blackjack and my sister is the cool-as-a-cucumber queen of the craps table which was a sight to behold.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 2:28 PM on February 5, 2017 [8 favorites]
My favorite part of the visit was either:
A) last night, when Iowa Public Television just happened to be showing the first Doctor Who episode I ever watched with him 30+ years ago ("The Pirate Planet") and I fell asleep on the couch in my childhood tv room watching it.
B) When we were all in the car to drop my brother and I off at the train going home, "Close to You" by the Carpenters came on and we were all singing along and no one wanted to stop singing to comment on it.
(Also I won a fair amount at blackjack and my sister is the cool-as-a-cucumber queen of the craps table which was a sight to behold.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 2:28 PM on February 5, 2017 [8 favorites]
My library loan copy of (Mefi's own!) veggieboy's Will It Waffle? arrived, and I had a grand time paging through it watching my six-year-old's eyes light up at every entry. Tonight we are taking the last chapter to heart and inventing our own waffled version of broccoli fritters. We also have waffled corn muffins later in the week to go with chili, and waffled veggies for a Greek veggie pita. My husband is already making complainy noises, but I've only just gotten started, bub.
posted by Liesl at 2:41 PM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Liesl at 2:41 PM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
I am applying for a prestigious thing this week and it's been stressing me out to deal with letters of recommendation, paperwork, and so on. But! One of my letter writers, someone I admire very much, sent me a really encouraging note yesterday. I have about a 1% chance of actually getting said thing, but that note was definitely the highlight of my week.
Anyway, at this point I'll be happy as long as I can turn in all the application materials by the deadline.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 2:56 PM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
Anyway, at this point I'll be happy as long as I can turn in all the application materials by the deadline.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 2:56 PM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
My favorite thing this week was the crème brûlée macaron I had from Rose's Meat Market and Sweet Shop. It's a macaron with a burnt sugar crust!
Walking over to Morgan Imports and staring at all the things was pretty good, too. And no accidents were observed under the Gregson Street bridge. The bridge is notorious for enforcing the laws of physics on any vehicle over 11' 8" in height.
posted by research monkey at 3:07 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
Walking over to Morgan Imports and staring at all the things was pretty good, too. And no accidents were observed under the Gregson Street bridge. The bridge is notorious for enforcing the laws of physics on any vehicle over 11' 8" in height.
posted by research monkey at 3:07 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
I got sick this week and that sucked - just totally knocked out at the beginning of the week. i've been pretty stressed because the federal hiring freeze is screwing up the job market for academic economists (so much so that there was a wall street journal article about it!), which has also sucked.
BUT: i got an interview for a postdoc, which would be a nice alternative to unemployment AND I kicked my fiancee's ass at cribbage last night, so that's nice.
posted by dismas at 3:51 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
BUT: i got an interview for a postdoc, which would be a nice alternative to unemployment AND I kicked my fiancee's ass at cribbage last night, so that's nice.
posted by dismas at 3:51 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
My 1.5 year old niece currently responds to all questions along the lines of "Who is the X?" with "Me!"
So, yesterday:
So, yesterday:
"Hey, Emma! Who's going to destroy the patriarchy?"posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:57 PM on February 5, 2017 [31 favorites]
"ME!"
"Yaaaaaaaay!"
I chilled out with the local druids in the woods to mark Imbolc, and there was fire and lanterns but think I wrote about that elsewhere somewhere on MetaFilter. More recently (Friday) I went to Lincoln and visited (several times a year now) my second-favorite cathedral after Worcester for a good wander around, also attending Evensong which is pretty cool there. I also have a semi-regular favorite seat there now.
posted by Wordshore at 4:45 PM on February 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Wordshore at 4:45 PM on February 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
I determined that yes, you can waffle broccoli. Proof. Oh baby, we are gonna waffle everything.
posted by Liesl at 4:53 PM on February 5, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Liesl at 4:53 PM on February 5, 2017 [12 favorites]
Brocolaffles!
posted by lazuli at 4:54 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lazuli at 4:54 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also career services looked at my short hair and said, "Uh ... can you maybe have it a little longer?"Wow. I haven't heard that sort of comment since I was a high school student applying for entry-level amusement park jobs. (I didn't get any of them, despite my clean cut and gender normative looks. Perhaps because I couldn't help but laugh at the shockingly anachronistic and dumb HR reps who felt that park attendees would go elsewhere if forced to confront a man with an earring.)
Sadly, this week has been almost entirely frustrating along every dimension. But, I was introduced to Harry Belafonte's live 1959 Carnegie Hall version of The Bucket Song which is the perfect distillation of everything I love about folk singers, and everything I hate about folk music. (Here's a similar later version.)
posted by eotvos at 5:00 PM on February 5, 2017
I finished making all the arrangements this week and I'm finally getting that colonoscopy I've always wanted. Best part, 100% covered by insurance. The only thing better than a colonoscopy is a free colonoscopy!
posted by Rob Rockets at 5:44 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Rob Rockets at 5:44 PM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]
Hey, colonoscopies are nice. They give you the good drugs for 'em. Best nap I've had in years.
posted by chainsofreedom at 6:39 PM on February 5, 2017
posted by chainsofreedom at 6:39 PM on February 5, 2017
Kittens have no manners, y'all. Cats are not allowed on the tables in the McGee house and Leela does not understand this rule. (iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ‹-that is kitten help)
I did try a new bratwurst recipe that worked really well! In the past I've boiled them beer and then popped them in the cast iron skillet for color, and that was fine. This time, I spread peppers and onions on a cookie sheet, then put the bratwurst on top of them (poking three holes on top and three on bottom of each brat with a toothpick), and cooked for 40 minutes at 375*, then flipped them over and browned them up under the broiler on high for 5 minutes. It was so much easier than my usual stovetop method, and the peppers and onions were GREAT, much better than when I make them after the brats in the skillet.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:48 PM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
I did try a new bratwurst recipe that worked really well! In the past I've boiled them beer and then popped them in the cast iron skillet for color, and that was fine. This time, I spread peppers and onions on a cookie sheet, then put the bratwurst on top of them (poking three holes on top and three on bottom of each brat with a toothpick), and cooked for 40 minutes at 375*, then flipped them over and browned them up under the broiler on high for 5 minutes. It was so much easier than my usual stovetop method, and the peppers and onions were GREAT, much better than when I make them after the brats in the skillet.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:48 PM on February 5, 2017 [5 favorites]
Made activist tea: Dwayne vs. Nazis, morning blend, with part of the proceeds going to the ACLU. Also posted this in the Activist Thread. This may blend into 'politics' too much, but I had a lot of fun creating it, and also sharing my love and knowledge of tea with other people. Tea is something else I want to dedicate more time and energy towards; I just adore it so.
Bought myself some of this said activist tea, which is a blend of Irish Breakfast and Masala Chai. I cannot wait to try it. Also got myself a tea tumbler to bring with me to school, in a dusky pink. It's a chunk of $$ up front, but I see it as self-care as tea is massively gentler on my stomach than coffee, and if I can get my stomach under control, I can cut down my Omeprazole usage.
This evening's brew to study with - a tasty first flush Darjeeling, mixed with a pinch of Assam.
posted by spinifex23 at 7:07 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
Bought myself some of this said activist tea, which is a blend of Irish Breakfast and Masala Chai. I cannot wait to try it. Also got myself a tea tumbler to bring with me to school, in a dusky pink. It's a chunk of $$ up front, but I see it as self-care as tea is massively gentler on my stomach than coffee, and if I can get my stomach under control, I can cut down my Omeprazole usage.
This evening's brew to study with - a tasty first flush Darjeeling, mixed with a pinch of Assam.
posted by spinifex23 at 7:07 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
Kittens have no manners, y'all. Cats are not allowed on the tables in the McGee house and Leela does not understand this rule. (iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ‹-that is kitten help)
My cats completely understand the rule that they are not allowed on tables when I am at home. It is so frustrating to drive up to my house every evening and see one of them lying on the table, perking up when he hears my car, and jumping off to meet me at the door.
posted by lazuli at 7:23 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
My cats completely understand the rule that they are not allowed on tables when I am at home. It is so frustrating to drive up to my house every evening and see one of them lying on the table, perking up when he hears my car, and jumping off to meet me at the door.
posted by lazuli at 7:23 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
Fuck the Patriots! Fuck Tom Brady!
*drowns sorrows*
posted by jonmc at 7:26 PM on February 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
*drowns sorrows*
posted by jonmc at 7:26 PM on February 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
We did Flexbox Froggy with the girls in the group of middle-schoolers who I volunteer teaching code to--well, TAing--and it was absolutely delightful because this was the first time they've gotten seriously excited by going from the "this looks impossible" to "oh my god look it worked" in a short span of time. Like, we have a good time normally, but our projects don't usually set them to actually shrieking. It was incredible.
This made up for the fact that the other big event of my weekend was a date that didn't go precisely horribly, but was a stark reminder that the Metafilter quality of discourse is not actually the norm for the real world, and has left me wondering whether I make do with being single indefinitely waiting for someone more articulate, or try to manage with this for at least awhile.
posted by Sequence at 7:31 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
This made up for the fact that the other big event of my weekend was a date that didn't go precisely horribly, but was a stark reminder that the Metafilter quality of discourse is not actually the norm for the real world, and has left me wondering whether I make do with being single indefinitely waiting for someone more articulate, or try to manage with this for at least awhile.
posted by Sequence at 7:31 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
My wife's birthday was Sunday and I was able to make it a great day for her. We had brunch and I made cinnamon rolls and candied and regular bacon. My kids really did great on their gift giving. I'm super proud of the fact that they're so good at picking out gifts for other people. I can't help but think I'm doing something right when my 5 year old is able to tell the difference between earrings SHE would like and earrings MOM would like.
Also (in case we get two favorite things), my dog got stuck on top of the compost and the chickens all watched. You wouldn't think chickens could manage to convey the fact they were laughing at a dog, but boy did they.
posted by Gygesringtone at 8:25 PM on February 5, 2017 [13 favorites]
Also (in case we get two favorite things), my dog got stuck on top of the compost and the chickens all watched. You wouldn't think chickens could manage to convey the fact they were laughing at a dog, but boy did they.
posted by Gygesringtone at 8:25 PM on February 5, 2017 [13 favorites]
My favorite thing. I ran into my personal Voldemort, if Voldemort strung Harry along and pretended to care about him and then ghosted and then pretended not to see him when he saw him in public. I did not throw a drink in his face, punch him, scream expletives in a museum, or get arrested. Winning. So much winning I'm tired of it.
posted by bunderful at 8:28 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by bunderful at 8:28 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
This is this week's revelation, via my Facebook:
I've been unemployed for more than two and a half freaking years now and the dew is long gone from the rose. I've been turned down for more jobs than I care to think about and have settled into a life of sloth and apathy.
I am determined to get a job before I become one of those people whose skin degrades so much that the couch invades and I have to be surgically removed from it. Or that person who reads so much news they become a trembling figure with a very unhealthy obsession.
I have a phone interview tomorrow with a company you've heard of - this is the second of three steps before an offer. I spent three hours today studying, taking notes and brushing up on the knowledge I already have - I have a lot more knowledge than I remembered.
There's still no guarantee that I'll succeed here, but I plan to keep studying and practicing and keeping up with the latest technology so that I can eventually succeed somewhere.
Still, the important question is, once I get that offer, what's the first thing I should treat myself to?
posted by bendy at 9:12 PM on February 5, 2017 [10 favorites]
I've been unemployed for more than two and a half freaking years now and the dew is long gone from the rose. I've been turned down for more jobs than I care to think about and have settled into a life of sloth and apathy.
I am determined to get a job before I become one of those people whose skin degrades so much that the couch invades and I have to be surgically removed from it. Or that person who reads so much news they become a trembling figure with a very unhealthy obsession.
I have a phone interview tomorrow with a company you've heard of - this is the second of three steps before an offer. I spent three hours today studying, taking notes and brushing up on the knowledge I already have - I have a lot more knowledge than I remembered.
There's still no guarantee that I'll succeed here, but I plan to keep studying and practicing and keeping up with the latest technology so that I can eventually succeed somewhere.
Still, the important question is, once I get that offer, what's the first thing I should treat myself to?
posted by bendy at 9:12 PM on February 5, 2017 [10 favorites]
Also, I got my Fidget Cube this week and it's been entirely life-changing.
posted by bendy at 9:13 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bendy at 9:13 PM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've officially branched out from just coloring things to watercolor painting. Right now it's sort of a hybrid using watercolor markers to lay color down and then getting all the actual painting part done with a wet brush, but it still feels and looks like painting. On wednesday, I painted something I don't hate for the first time ever in my entire life. (It's an iris. I have since gone on to successfully paint a hibiscus and a poppy, and semi-successfully paint a daffodil. Flowers are very forgiving to my poor sketching skills.)
I have a student set of Windsor and Newton watercolors arriving tomorrow. I feel like someone contemplating trying cocaine for the first time.
posted by KathrynT at 9:16 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
I have a student set of Windsor and Newton watercolors arriving tomorrow. I feel like someone contemplating trying cocaine for the first time.
posted by KathrynT at 9:16 PM on February 5, 2017 [6 favorites]
I don't know if it was my favorite thing, but in taking one of my meds this morning, I accidentally took a sleeping pill instead. I've never done that before, and I felt very... irresponsible. Anyway, I gave my wife a heads up, passed out in about an hour, and got a refreshing time of sleep before waking up after lunch. I fell asleep feeling stressed, and now I feel pretty fantastic, so it must be something that I needed.
posted by SpacemanStix at 9:38 PM on February 5, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by SpacemanStix at 9:38 PM on February 5, 2017 [7 favorites]
This evening's brew to study with - a tasty first flush Darjeeling, mixed with a pinch of Assam.
In keeping with your theme of activist tea, spinifex23, I just misread that as "mixed with a pinch of Assata." Maybe I should go back by the local bookstore this week and get that Assata book they had in the window.
posted by limeonaire at 1:38 AM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
In keeping with your theme of activist tea, spinifex23, I just misread that as "mixed with a pinch of Assata." Maybe I should go back by the local bookstore this week and get that Assata book they had in the window.
posted by limeonaire at 1:38 AM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
My cats completely understand the rule that they are not allowed on tables when I am at home. It is so frustrating to drive up to my house every evening and see one of them lying on the table, perking up when he hears my car, and jumping off to meet me at the door.
I had a dog that was like this with armchairs, only she'd deduced (correctly) that I was a pushover and wouldn't tell her to get down every time. So I'd sometimes catch her curled up on her favourite armchair, keeping an ear out for a car pulling into the drive, but nobody else ever saw it.
This went on for so long that the rest of my family didn't believe me that she slept on chairs at all, and thought all the dog hairs must have been from one of the cats. My brother thought she wouldn't even be able to fit on an armchair. So I tried to prove it one day by telling her to jump up on a chair and lie down with other people around, to demonstrate that she could indeed fit and this might just explain the 'cat' hair distribution pattern - and she lay in this really awkward way sprawled half over an arm with her head hanging off the seat upside down, like "well I'll do my best to do this strange thing you ask of me, but I cannot possibly fit on this armchair."
posted by Catseye at 4:56 AM on February 6, 2017 [13 favorites]
I had a dog that was like this with armchairs, only she'd deduced (correctly) that I was a pushover and wouldn't tell her to get down every time. So I'd sometimes catch her curled up on her favourite armchair, keeping an ear out for a car pulling into the drive, but nobody else ever saw it.
This went on for so long that the rest of my family didn't believe me that she slept on chairs at all, and thought all the dog hairs must have been from one of the cats. My brother thought she wouldn't even be able to fit on an armchair. So I tried to prove it one day by telling her to jump up on a chair and lie down with other people around, to demonstrate that she could indeed fit and this might just explain the 'cat' hair distribution pattern - and she lay in this really awkward way sprawled half over an arm with her head hanging off the seat upside down, like "well I'll do my best to do this strange thing you ask of me, but I cannot possibly fit on this armchair."
posted by Catseye at 4:56 AM on February 6, 2017 [13 favorites]
Aww, Catseye, that's adorable. My family dog when I was growing up wasn't allowed upstairs, but he snuck up every night to sleep in my room. My parents never knew, apparently, until I mentioned when I was in my 20s. I assume that our cats must have been blamed for all the hair in that spot, too.
posted by lazuli at 5:41 AM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lazuli at 5:41 AM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
We made corned beef from scratch! This bleeds into last week but I hope it's OK: we got some pink salt for curing meat, a huge brisket, and made a brine with various seasonings, and left it in the fridge for a week. Then we threw out the brine and cooked the cured brisket with the usual carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. It was great, and now we can have corned beef any time! (Around here, you can only find it in stores around St. Patrick's Day.)
posted by Quietgal at 5:53 AM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Quietgal at 5:53 AM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
My favorite thing this past week was finally cutting up the awesome red buffalo plaid fabric that Melismata gave to me in December.
I have never sewn anything "real" before, but I used my existing Filson wool vest as a model and a few weeks ago I cut patterns from an extra roll of Tyvek that I had laying around. Yesterday I screwed my courage to the sticking place, then pinned down the patterns and cut out the five pieces of fabric. (There's enough left for at least one more vest, plus maybe a simple hat and some other small things.) (Which maybe I should have done first, for the practice, but what the hell.)
My wife is good with the needle and machine, but I am doing this one solo.
(Plus also the Patriots won but that made me actually feel sick with anticipation so please no more with the tension.)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:42 AM on February 6, 2017 [5 favorites]
I have never sewn anything "real" before, but I used my existing Filson wool vest as a model and a few weeks ago I cut patterns from an extra roll of Tyvek that I had laying around. Yesterday I screwed my courage to the sticking place, then pinned down the patterns and cut out the five pieces of fabric. (There's enough left for at least one more vest, plus maybe a simple hat and some other small things.) (Which maybe I should have done first, for the practice, but what the hell.)
My wife is good with the needle and machine, but I am doing this one solo.
(Plus also the Patriots won but that made me actually feel sick with anticipation so please no more with the tension.)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:42 AM on February 6, 2017 [5 favorites]
I survived a chicken fat-fed grease fire, which I created by not cleaning our outdoor grill and turning the temp up to near-max (it's a half-decent little electric grill, and this tactic has generally worked to cook chicken without actual flames).
I saw a little flame and thought "eh, it's probably nothing serious," so I closed the lid and went about my business. My wife looked out and said "the grill is burning," because there was now smoke billowing out of it. We ran outside, I opened the lid and FOOM! The fire bloomed with a sudden burst of oxygen. The teenage boy in me thought "AWESOME!" and the adult in me thought "hey, that wasn't so bad," but the fire was still burning, so my wife, being the mature one of us, ran inside and got baking soda to douse the fire.
With the fire out, I realized I smelled like burnt hair, and sure enough, some of my arm hair was burned off/short. That was the worst of it, besides the baking soda doused burnt-but-not fully cooked chicken.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:43 AM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
I saw a little flame and thought "eh, it's probably nothing serious," so I closed the lid and went about my business. My wife looked out and said "the grill is burning," because there was now smoke billowing out of it. We ran outside, I opened the lid and FOOM! The fire bloomed with a sudden burst of oxygen. The teenage boy in me thought "AWESOME!" and the adult in me thought "hey, that wasn't so bad," but the fire was still burning, so my wife, being the mature one of us, ran inside and got baking soda to douse the fire.
With the fire out, I realized I smelled like burnt hair, and sure enough, some of my arm hair was burned off/short. That was the worst of it, besides the baking soda doused burnt-but-not fully cooked chicken.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:43 AM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
I am getting the weird bump removed from my tongue! Everyone agrees that the weird bump is not a tumor doesn't really and truly need to be removed, but I'm constantly biting it and irritating it, and I'll be happy to have it gone.
I went to a big Solidarity Against the Ban protest yesterday that made me remember that many of my neighbors share my values, and now I feel way less alone. Also, I am totally cribbing "How the Fuck Is This Even A Thing?" to use on future protest signs.
I got a thing of hot chocolate mix to put in the not-very-good work coffee that I drink every morning. Not-very-good work coffee is definitely enhanced by hot chocolate mix.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 8:05 AM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
I went to a big Solidarity Against the Ban protest yesterday that made me remember that many of my neighbors share my values, and now I feel way less alone. Also, I am totally cribbing "How the Fuck Is This Even A Thing?" to use on future protest signs.
I got a thing of hot chocolate mix to put in the not-very-good work coffee that I drink every morning. Not-very-good work coffee is definitely enhanced by hot chocolate mix.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 8:05 AM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
ArbitraryAndCapricious: Not-very-good work coffee is definitely enhanced by hot chocolate mix.
This is my favorite trick to improve sub-standard coffee, though cinnamon can also improve bad coffee if you find yourself wanting something less chocolaty.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:33 AM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is my favorite trick to improve sub-standard coffee, though cinnamon can also improve bad coffee if you find yourself wanting something less chocolaty.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:33 AM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
Today, Seattle is blanketed in snow, and school's closed. Since all of my homework I need to do is on school property (They have programs installed that I don't have on my laptop), all I need to do is catch up on school reading, and continue studying for my General Ham License Exam.
And sip tea.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:45 AM on February 6, 2017 [4 favorites]
And sip tea.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:45 AM on February 6, 2017 [4 favorites]
I am happy because my boyfriend and I are repairing a big rift in our relationship. It's slow, but it keeps knitting back together. I know things won't ever go back to what they were.. but I'm becoming more ok with that as time goes on.
posted by INFJ at 10:57 AM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by INFJ at 10:57 AM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
My Hell Month at work (which involved about 8 days of staying at work anywhere from 9pm to 2am, and one at-home Skype call which ended at 4am) is officially OVER! I came into work on February 1st feeling like I was on vacation. That night, I did three loads of laundry, cleaned my bedroom and living room and dining room, superglued three things which had been in desperate need of supergluing, moved some furniture and framed art around, assembled the wine rack my sister gave me for Christmas, and ran a load of dishes. Now when I come home, I look around and am happy rather than depressed.
(Yeah I need a new job but that's not the point)
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:14 AM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
(Yeah I need a new job but that's not the point)
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:14 AM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm a real uncle for the first time, and I got a job. So, not a bad week.
posted by transient at 11:30 AM on February 6, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by transient at 11:30 AM on February 6, 2017 [8 favorites]
We blew off the Super Bowl and went to Chicago Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade instead. It was fantastic.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:06 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:06 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
I turned to my wife on Saturday and told her I wanted to go to the local animal shelter and play with dogs, and she was on board! I'd been craving some dog time after a recent visit with my parents, who have more dogs than they need. We picked a pair of older dogs who needed to be adopted together because they're buddies, and who can't handle a home with a cat (so that meant we couldn't possibly take them home) but these two sweet hounds just loved getting some attention and I loved getting slobbered on. We're signing up to be weekend dog walkers now.
posted by emelenjr at 12:57 PM on February 6, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 12:57 PM on February 6, 2017 [9 favorites]
It looks like Mr. Nat and I have a solution to our long-standing two-body problem. So-- we're gonna go from living on different continents to living together. Woah.
posted by nat at 1:39 PM on February 6, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by nat at 1:39 PM on February 6, 2017 [13 favorites]
I made a couple Corpse Reviver #2s last night and they worked out great
posted by Joseph Gurl at 2:12 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 2:12 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
I like this thread.
I just got home after twelve days mostly away (one 36 hour home visit in the middle) and so now I can sort of close the file on this work trip. Did not get sick. Gave three great talks that were well-received. Got out of the US for a while though I kept up on my activism. Pushed myself to be a bit more social than I might otherwise. Went to a great librarian meetup and a GREAT MeFi Meetup (Torontonians, you showed me a great time and I thank you). Had good-enough travel karma. Got to the post office one minute before closing and they said "Welcome back"
So it was a good week+ but my favorite thing about it is that it is over, it went well, and I'm home in pajamas eating peanut butter on rice cakes checking my web feeling good about things. Regular GRAR resumes tomorrow.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 3:11 PM on February 6, 2017 [7 favorites]
I just got home after twelve days mostly away (one 36 hour home visit in the middle) and so now I can sort of close the file on this work trip. Did not get sick. Gave three great talks that were well-received. Got out of the US for a while though I kept up on my activism. Pushed myself to be a bit more social than I might otherwise. Went to a great librarian meetup and a GREAT MeFi Meetup (Torontonians, you showed me a great time and I thank you). Had good-enough travel karma. Got to the post office one minute before closing and they said "Welcome back"
So it was a good week+ but my favorite thing about it is that it is over, it went well, and I'm home in pajamas eating peanut butter on rice cakes checking my web feeling good about things. Regular GRAR resumes tomorrow.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 3:11 PM on February 6, 2017 [7 favorites]
I looked at MetaTalk and saw this post and thought, jeez, you people are drinking on Mondays now too? before I realized that it was actually posted 2 days ago. Last week was pretty annoying workwise and I didn't get time to ride for 4 days straight but I made up for it by riding the new yak Friday and Saturday and pulling a two-fer on the new yak and the old giraffe on Sunday which was beyond all shadow of a doubt my favorite thing. Did you know that you can trim a fjord's mane, come home, change clothes, put on entirely new clothes, and still find mane stubble in your underwear several hours later?
posted by drlith at 3:17 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by drlith at 3:17 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
I made a couple Corpse Reviver #2s last night and they worked out great
I did a double take, Joseph Girl, because I too enjoyed a few Corpse Revivers last night, and I wondered if I'd was drunk posting for a split second.
I then realized that I started drinking them during the third quarter. Sooo...I may owe Falcon Fans and the rest of the Rebel Alliance an apology. Sorry guys.
posted by ghost phoneme at 3:34 PM on February 6, 2017
I did a double take, Joseph Girl, because I too enjoyed a few Corpse Revivers last night, and I wondered if I'd was drunk posting for a split second.
I then realized that I started drinking them during the third quarter. Sooo...I may owe Falcon Fans and the rest of the Rebel Alliance an apology. Sorry guys.
posted by ghost phoneme at 3:34 PM on February 6, 2017
Went out in the snow to run errands, came back with coffee, cookies, and testosterone.
Now this party can *really* get started!
posted by spinifex23 at 4:07 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
Now this party can *really* get started!
posted by spinifex23 at 4:07 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
Late to the party as usual. I keep forgetting these posts exist.
I didn't even think I had anything good to report, but my fellow MeFites inspired/reminded me.
First thing: I made mushroom risotto in my Instant Pot. I'm an okay cook who is not afraid to try labor-intensive recipes, but I had never tried cooking risotto before. Now that I've done the super simple version, I may never try the traditional one. It was delicious! If you're interested--this recipe, the mushroom version.
Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq.'s comment reminded me that our cat's favorite toy (a little catnip mouse that I got super cheap on clearance) had been MIA for a while. We had to move the bed to do a little repair on it, and Mousie Toy was found. It was so much fun to watch her bat it, bunny kick it, carry it around, and then all of a sudden, she didn't have it! Ligerpants said "did she put in the water again?" Yup. In fact, within a day and a half of having it back, she dropped it in her water (and I had to retrieve it) twice. she once sis this three times in one day. I thought it was just my weirdo cat who did this until I read the comment above. Is this a common thing?
posted by zorseshoes at 6:22 PM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
I didn't even think I had anything good to report, but my fellow MeFites inspired/reminded me.
First thing: I made mushroom risotto in my Instant Pot. I'm an okay cook who is not afraid to try labor-intensive recipes, but I had never tried cooking risotto before. Now that I've done the super simple version, I may never try the traditional one. It was delicious! If you're interested--this recipe, the mushroom version.
Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq.'s comment reminded me that our cat's favorite toy (a little catnip mouse that I got super cheap on clearance) had been MIA for a while. We had to move the bed to do a little repair on it, and Mousie Toy was found. It was so much fun to watch her bat it, bunny kick it, carry it around, and then all of a sudden, she didn't have it! Ligerpants said "did she put in the water again?" Yup. In fact, within a day and a half of having it back, she dropped it in her water (and I had to retrieve it) twice. she once sis this three times in one day. I thought it was just my weirdo cat who did this until I read the comment above. Is this a common thing?
posted by zorseshoes at 6:22 PM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
Don't worry, ghost phoneme - I have the Falcons coming back strong in game 2, 21-10.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:48 PM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:48 PM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
My kitties love putting favorite things in water bowls: sccccooooorrr! They also like covering leftover wet food with anything available (for safekeeping?)
My mom's kitty puts favorite things in the food bowl.
Cats. Go figure....
posted by mightshould at 2:57 AM on February 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
My mom's kitty puts favorite things in the food bowl.
Cats. Go figure....
posted by mightshould at 2:57 AM on February 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
My cat is also a big fan of drowning her toy mice in the water bowl.
She also used to scoot the water dish across the floor, making a huge mess . We tried blocking in the bowl with cans of food, and came home to 2 of the cans moved and the water bowl in the middle of the kitchen. So, I got this ridiculously oversized two-bowl thing, which weighs too much for her to scoot when both bowls are filled. When I was buying it, the cashier said "Wow, you must have a big dog!" I laughed and said "No, my biggest is under 20 lb. This is because of my 6 lb cat"
Cats.
posted by Fig at 7:29 AM on February 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
She also used to scoot the water dish across the floor, making a huge mess . We tried blocking in the bowl with cans of food, and came home to 2 of the cans moved and the water bowl in the middle of the kitchen. So, I got this ridiculously oversized two-bowl thing, which weighs too much for her to scoot when both bowls are filled. When I was buying it, the cashier said "Wow, you must have a big dog!" I laughed and said "No, my biggest is under 20 lb. This is because of my 6 lb cat"
Cats.
posted by Fig at 7:29 AM on February 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Late to the party, as always, but the closed captioning on this Swedish Chef video made me smile, then laugh, then smile some more.
posted by PearlRose at 7:42 AM on February 7, 2017
posted by PearlRose at 7:42 AM on February 7, 2017
This is tagging onto last week's post, but I feel like more people will see it here as the original post is buried a month or so back - I finally started compiling a list of post-Trump books for a Fanfare book club (requested in Fanfare Talk via a post on The Handmaid's Tale). Anyone who wants to join this should take a look at the preliminary list!
posted by chainsofreedom at 9:59 AM on February 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by chainsofreedom at 9:59 AM on February 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
My most villainous cat is also about six pounds, at which weight she might actually be a bit chunky. She's itty bitty and makes up for it by being composed of hilariously grumpy spite. (She is also the only one who is unequivocally my cat, despite being the worst cat by far.)
She doesn't care so much about water bowls, but she will chew through any kind of crinkly bag she can find in case it's got food inside, and also apparently because she likes to gnaw crinkly things. When we got her as a three-pound six-month-old kitten--there were four-month-olds twice her size, she was a failure-to-thrive baby who pulled through--she used to prefer to chew on human flesh over literally anything else. I have a photo of her somewhere glaring at a "kitty chew treat" I'm hanging to her in the hopes that she'd stop gnawing my fingers. She plays with lure toys and flirt poles harder than my thirty-five pound dog.
She keeps the twelve-pound tomcat in line and still bites me (extremely gently, now) when she's particularly pleased with the quality of scritches. And she photobombs like nothing else, too.
posted by sciatrix at 11:12 AM on February 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
She doesn't care so much about water bowls, but she will chew through any kind of crinkly bag she can find in case it's got food inside, and also apparently because she likes to gnaw crinkly things. When we got her as a three-pound six-month-old kitten--there were four-month-olds twice her size, she was a failure-to-thrive baby who pulled through--she used to prefer to chew on human flesh over literally anything else. I have a photo of her somewhere glaring at a "kitty chew treat" I'm hanging to her in the hopes that she'd stop gnawing my fingers. She plays with lure toys and flirt poles harder than my thirty-five pound dog.
She keeps the twelve-pound tomcat in line and still bites me (extremely gently, now) when she's particularly pleased with the quality of scritches. And she photobombs like nothing else, too.
posted by sciatrix at 11:12 AM on February 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
"I looked at MetaTalk and saw this post and thought, jeez, you people are drinking on Mondays now too? "
It's five o'clock somewhere!
Don't worry about being late to the party, I post these on Saturday nights when it's slow and there's a 2-3 hours gap between when my kids go to bed and when SNL comes on when I've usually run out of BuzzFeed quizzes and if there's no FPPs about crabs making new anemone friends by ripping their existing ones in half, well ... seems like the moment for MetaTalkTails! But it's an asynchronous bar so don't worry if you're popping by 72 hours later. :)
To brighten up your Tuesday, I give you this Very Important picture of my six-month-old baby and four-month-old kitten, who are already Best Nap Buddies. (Kitten looks kinda big in that pic but that's just camera foreshortening.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 11:37 AM on February 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
It's five o'clock somewhere!
Don't worry about being late to the party, I post these on Saturday nights when it's slow and there's a 2-3 hours gap between when my kids go to bed and when SNL comes on when I've usually run out of BuzzFeed quizzes and if there's no FPPs about crabs making new anemone friends by ripping their existing ones in half, well ... seems like the moment for MetaTalkTails! But it's an asynchronous bar so don't worry if you're popping by 72 hours later. :)
To brighten up your Tuesday, I give you this Very Important picture of my six-month-old baby and four-month-old kitten, who are already Best Nap Buddies. (Kitten looks kinda big in that pic but that's just camera foreshortening.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 11:37 AM on February 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
Well, it's Wednesday morning, here now, and my little man is rumbling around the house discoursing loudly as regards his needs. He's the best thing. The second best thing has been a Pozible campaign I'm running to raise funds to attend a conference in Germany later this year, which has almost doubled its target in a week, and made me feel very, very supported (which I guess is the point!)
posted by prismatic7 at 2:21 PM on February 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by prismatic7 at 2:21 PM on February 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
We stopped to help somebody and we looked like hell and frightened them even worse and after they began to believe we were there with good intent they were embarrassed about their initial response to us and that created some Luria broth and we wallowed. He said something so primal and wrong.
It's wrong to think the world should make sense but I do this and the things that don't make sense get filed until they do and this random encounter formed a bunch of those dots into an evil constellation.
Maybe this doesn't sound like a best thing but it is. I'd repeat the conversation but you really had to be there and there would have to be trigger warnings. It was a big reminder to pay attention.
I'm gonna smoke a cigar in the house now.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 10:04 PM on February 7, 2017
It's wrong to think the world should make sense but I do this and the things that don't make sense get filed until they do and this random encounter formed a bunch of those dots into an evil constellation.
Maybe this doesn't sound like a best thing but it is. I'd repeat the conversation but you really had to be there and there would have to be trigger warnings. It was a big reminder to pay attention.
I'm gonna smoke a cigar in the house now.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 10:04 PM on February 7, 2017
Yay kanata! Congrats! It's 2 hours off Thursday here and I'm drinking a G&T so I'm raising it now to you.
posted by billiebee at 2:04 PM on February 8, 2017
posted by billiebee at 2:04 PM on February 8, 2017
kanata: I am drinking a most splendid cup of tea and raising it in your direction.
posted by Wordshore at 2:17 PM on February 8, 2017
posted by Wordshore at 2:17 PM on February 8, 2017
Kanata-- it is NEVER too late for happy news!!! I'm excited for you and am as proud of you as an internet stranger can be! (I have no cake in the house--but will think of you as I eat my gluten-filled pasta this evening!)
posted by bookmammal at 3:47 PM on February 8, 2017
posted by bookmammal at 3:47 PM on February 8, 2017
From one Trans person to another, congratulations Kanata!
posted by spinifex23 at 10:16 PM on February 8, 2017
posted by spinifex23 at 10:16 PM on February 8, 2017
Congratulations kanata!!! Yay!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:41 PM on February 8, 2017
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:41 PM on February 8, 2017
kanata, I am eating fistfuls of bread flour just for you.
No, seriously, I'm raising a cup of tea to you. Congratulations!
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 11:40 PM on February 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
No, seriously, I'm raising a cup of tea to you. Congratulations!
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 11:40 PM on February 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
I am eating a bagel on your behalf, kanata!
posted by tofu_crouton at 7:22 AM on February 9, 2017
posted by tofu_crouton at 7:22 AM on February 9, 2017
I am eating this delicious hot doughnut that I swiped from the break room in your honor, katana! Congrats!
posted by PearlRose at 10:35 AM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by PearlRose at 10:35 AM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Kanata, I realized that I accidently bought another jar of yeast, having bought a jar a couple months ago, and my bread machine was getting to the use-it-or-lose-it point in my cycle of decluttering, so I decided to make this maple syrup and milk loaf in your honor. It is extremely delicious, and you played some small part in that!
posted by drlith at 12:58 PM on February 9, 2017
posted by drlith at 12:58 PM on February 9, 2017
This is not nearly as big news any other people's big news, but you guys, I made a thing with code! Yesterday I was talking to someone at work and she said "I wish I didn't have to do this boring thing," and I said "you know, I think I have the coding skills to automate that boring thing." I made the thing last night and tweaked it this morning, and today I thought "hey, that's not terrible," so I put it on my heretofore-empty Github account! I now have a thing on Github. In other news, Github is confusing, and Ravelry has spoiled me for any other site where you post your projects.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:17 PM on February 9, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:17 PM on February 9, 2017 [5 favorites]
Kanata I made bread rolls which is like the first bread I have made all week and I am eating them for you now. I am incredibly impressed with anyone who has the bravery to be themselves in the fact of fear right now.
posted by corb at 7:27 PM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by corb at 7:27 PM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by bq at 3:33 PM on February 4, 2017 [5 favorites]