Metatalktail Hour: The Requested Pony

April 1, 2017 4:42 PM

Good Saturday Evening, Metafilter! This week we're hanging out in MetaFilter's new inn, The Requested Pony, from where diverse adventurers may set forth on quests. But we're just here to shoot the breeze!

No conversation starter this week, just general chatter about whatever's going on in your life/you feel like talking about!

posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) to MetaFilter-Related at 4:42 PM (146 comments total)

RRRROOAAAARRRR!

(Boy, it felt good to get that out of my system)



I've been working on doing my taxes...not really working ON them; working on getting myself to do them. Procrastination seems to be winning.


Today, i created a new beverage for the warm weather: mix cream soda with ginger beer. Serve over crushed ice. It was surprisingly ok.
posted by mightshould (the lion) at 5:00 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I'M DRINKING SCOTCH AND TYPING A LOT, IT'S FUN AND SLIGHTLY TERRIFYING
posted by cortex at 5:00 PM on April 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

I'm eating Parmesan Crisps which are totally going to make me sick BUT I'M NOT GOING TO STOP THEY'RE TOO GOOD.

Excitedly preparing for our first family plane trip, which will make my transit-crazy boys go NUTS. It's already all they can talk about.

The baby has learned to crawl, but mostly only backwards. She tries to go forwards but ends up going backwards, and keeps scooting herself under furniture and then being puzzled as to how she got there. She and the kitten are BFFs and do All The Things together. The baby started crawling to catch the kitten's laser pointer dot. They share toys. When I breastfeed the baby, the kitten climbs up on top of her, curls up, and starts purring. I'm like, "I AM NOT A RESTAURANT, YOU CANNOT BRING FRIENDS!"

Tomorrow's "feast" is pork tenderloin (with roasted seasoned potatoes, apples and onions, green beans, and bread). My kids want pork every week because there's pork in Minecraft. IT'S THE FUTURE OF RESTAURANTS.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (the law-mender) at 5:13 PM on April 1, 2017 [21 favorites]

Me too, mightshould. Procrastination and Breath of the Wild. And procrastination via Breath of the Wild. I've been saying "I'm gonna do my taxes this weekend" for at least a month now.
posted by Mister Moofoo (the bookish) at 5:13 PM on April 1, 2017

I've been cleaning up a bunch today, and I went to the store earlier. I made gnocchi with ricotta last week, but only used a small part of the ricotta container for them so I made calzones tonight to finish it off. Cleaning continues tomorrow, and I'll make burritos for dinner - my wife is going out of town at the end of the week, so my MIL and I need meals that are easy to heat up while she's gone since I don't usually get home from work until 6pm or so. If we have a bunch of burritos in the freezer, we can just pop those in whenever we want. It kind of blows my mind, but here in west Michigan we have a store just down the street that sells giant burrito tortillas that are locally made, and the store isn't even one that specifically caters to the Latinx community. I had a heck of time trying to find those things in San Diego.
posted by LionIndex (the brash) at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Drinking a mug of hot milk (I'm old), and chortling at the goings on in The Requested Pony, while leafing through the criteria for applying to do a PhD in Norway.

Earlier this week I received a bizarre communication from an agent about something I'd previously written on MetaFilter and am wondering what, if anything, will come of it.
posted by Wordshore at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

I've decided to give up booze for April, so naturally last night I had a couple of friends over to help clear the fridge of beer that might otherwise be too tempting. Spent most of today moving very slowly as a result.

I also tried to do my taxes, but the TurboTax site was glacially slow so I had to abandon that task.
posted by sevenyearlurk (the bloodthirsty) at 5:30 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm sipping on Cherry Coke and noshing on Chex Mix in order to fulfill my Brand Name quota (I fell short in March, went in like Lion King and went out like LampsPlus).
posted by oneswellfoop (the magnificent) at 5:39 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Continuing with the beverage theme...I'm drinking pulpless orange juice and trying to decide if I'm hungry enough to fix something real for dinner or just have a bowl of cereal.
Today was chore/errand day--grocery, gas station, Home Depot, a quick stop at Goodwill where I found beautiful Phaltzgraff bowls for 99cents each, laundry, grooming my lovely cat, and general housecleaning. Tomorrow I'm going to make homemade beef barley vegetable soup and then read for most of the day--and then watch the Cubs play their first game of the season tomorrow night!
posted by bookmammal (the queen of bees) at 5:57 PM on April 1, 2017

Today I met Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block. I was just turning 16 years old when Hangin' Tough was released and yeah, there was imprinting. Those eyes...

The first woman in line arrived at 2:00am for an 11:00am start of the meet and greet. It's easy to laugh at boy band fans but there is STILL a very palpable love affair between NKOTB and their now middle-aged-woman fans. Because my sister-in-law works for a local paper, I attended as her sidekick, getting names/towns from the people she photographed. We got to go in first, and ask him a question and I have been stupidly grinning all day.

It's also cheat meal day, so I had buffalo cheese curds and Sweet Chili wings from a local chain of bars. Belly and heart are full. And it's Wrestlemania weekend, which is my Superb Owl. I'll be watching NXT Takeover Orlando in a few.
posted by kimberussell (the luxurious) at 5:57 PM on April 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

I'm home with my toddler daughter for the next four days, and we had a most excellent day, with two playgrounds, two walks, a bike ride, and errands, where we tried out a kick bike(still a shade big) a big girl sleeping bag(enormous) and got some new to her rain pants(and because the kids resale shop is so cheap and fun, a floor puzzle, some pjs, and a much-harder-than-I-thought word association puzzle matching game).

Also managed to adult it up and actually washed most of the windows in the house inside and out, some for the first time since we bought the place three years ago. It is kind of amazing how much nicer things look.

Now hanging in the couch for a few minutes before I do a bunch more chores and make some kind of dinner for reheating next week. Do all the things!
posted by rockindata at 5:58 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Tomorrow's "feast" is pork tenderloin (with roasted seasoned potatoes, apples and onions, green beans, and bread). My kids want pork every week because there's pork in Minecraft. IT'S THE FUTURE OF RESTAURANTS.

I am sure you have a great recipe for it, but for me sous vide was the key to finally being able to cook really good pork tenderloin. Before it never really worked all that well for me, but the sous vide seems to hit the spot with that cut especially.

Now I wish I had been able to make it to Costco this week, because I am suddenly craving tenderloin.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:59 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

My recipe for Pork Tenderloin:

1 whole pork tenderloin
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix oil, garlic, seasonings. Coat meat with seasoning mixture (use hands to rub in).
Place tenderloin in large roasting pan.
Roast 35 to 40 minutes or until thermometer registers 155°F. Broil 5 minutes to brown if desired. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Double seasoning mixture, and toss half with quartered new potatoes. Roast potatoes in pan with meat, stirring after 20 minutes so they do not stick. (I usually put them in a separate dish and cook them an hour, but you may get smaller potatoes!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (the law-mender) at 6:02 PM on April 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Watching Raiders of the Lost Ark because the elder boy came across it. It's pretty good, but I have a question: when Indy is in the Well of Souls and Belloq is taunting him, he says that he doesn't want Indy to be alone down there, and then Toht throws Marion in, but Belloq is pissed off about that and says that he wanted Marion for himself. So who was Belloq planning on throwing in there, and why didn't he chuck that person in too? It wasn't Sallah, because the Nazis don't kill him.
posted by Etrigan (the god-like one) at 6:07 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

We are juggling events-a goodbye potluck for neighbors and watching Oregon in the final four!!!! Not much of a sports fan, but this is the first time since 1939 and pretty damn exciting. Picked up some good wine and made white bean dip. Earlier today, kids had a rocky climbing gym bday party-best kind of bday party-and then I had a couple hours of wonderful alone time to go to the library and and a distillery and try a smoky tea cocktail. Not a bad Saturday so far.
posted by purenitrous at 6:09 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Long, ugly week that has terminated with me drinking a gin and tonic in a beach house in Santa Cruz with my in-laws. Beginning to relax. Getting caught up on Mefi posts. I'm spending the next three days playing on the beach, digging holes in the sand and bodyboarding with my three year old, which is as close to heaven as this atheist will ever get.
posted by not_the_water (the book-lover) at 6:11 PM on April 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

I don't really understand RPGs and I enjoy the Metacocktail Hour threads so hello to you fine people.

I have a glass of Oban, which seems to be my brand of scotch, which makes me feel like some sort of sophisticated grown up who has a favorite brand of scotch. There's a fire going in the fireplace and I'm in a bathrobe so I'm in full blown old man mode.

My son, who had not yet been conceived when I first joined Metafilter, will be fifteen in another month and he is a member of Reddit. When he first joined I gave him The Talk about avoiding the back alleys and cesspools that exist there. He's mostly in it for the memes and lols, luckily. He's currently involved in this thing where members are collaboratively filling in a 1000x1000 pixel square. Factions and treaties have formed spontaneously and the whole thing is rather fascinating but just slightly beyond my ability to understand, like most things he's into these days. He's a smart, fun, interesting kid but his whole world is a screen and I wish he'd like, go outside and paint a fence or something.

Yes, I know it's Saturday night and I'm in front of a screen and not currently painting a fence. I did paint a screen door earlier today though. Part of it rotted away so I've spent the last couple of weeks rebuilding what rotted. Figuring out how to machine new parts to fit into the non-rotted parts was a pretty neat problem to solve.

My brother-in-law turned 60 last week and I built this for him. I'm linking to it here because I'm very proud of it and I'm bragging to just about anyone who will let me brag. It's my fourth build and the first one that feels pretty much flawless and beautiful. My other three came out ok but they're very much amateur jobs where this one feels like I almost know what I'm doing.

I just ordered some more wood, three truss rods, a couple pounds of fret wire and some other stuff so I guess I'll be making more. My goal is to turn it into a self-sustaining hobby, if not a side business some day. Or, I'll get bored and move on to other things. I guess we'll see.

I made chicken soup for dinner which always feels like magic to me, like getting something for nothing. I was making chicken salad for lunch and realized "hey, I have some meat and a carcass here!" and there was another carcass in the freezer (we always save them) so I made soup. It was simmering all day and really is there anything better than a house that smells like food that's been cooking all day? No, there is not.
posted by bondcliff (the bastard scotsman) at 6:18 PM on April 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

I am having a nice cucumber tarragon ginger beer while recovering from a massive migraine overnight. It's been a crappy day so far, but the MetaRPG is a bright spot.
posted by Gaz Errant (the new-day) at 6:22 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

You can't say no to a pony request if they bat their big pony eyelashes at you.
posted by drlith (the hunter) at 6:23 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

I made chicken soup for dinner too! I simmer the stock all day, and then about 90 minutes before dinner I cook the celery, garlic, and onions in butter, and the pour in the stock (from the carcass), and it is maaaaaaagic. (Today I added lots of extra garlic because everyone has colds and GARLIC FIXES COLDS.) I add carrots, chicken, and locally-Amish-made egg noodles from there. I use this amazing shizz for herbs, A++++ would season again. (Generally rosemary, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves.)

When I make the stock I do chicken carcass, celery ends, carrot bits, onion bits, garlic, and Herbes Fines de Provence -- savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender, and I gotta tell ya I was skeptical of the lavender but IT IS SO CRUCIAL and it smells SO DELICIOUS.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (the law-mender) at 6:28 PM on April 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I need to schedule my dissertation defense. But I also need to finish my dissertation. Fuckkkkkkkkk this is the worst
posted by dismas (the precious) at 6:31 PM on April 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

I'm drinking beer and watching basketball in the DFW airport, on the way home from a conference.

dismas, I am in exactly the same place! This semester has been seriously rough.
posted by egregious theorem at 6:38 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I do a pretty simple stock. Normally I put in onions and garlic but my wife is on a low acid diet (she's a singer and has been having some issues that are affecting her singing) so I stuck with just celery and carrots and just a very small end of an onion. After it simmered most of the day I let it cool for a bit, skimmed the fat, picked whatever meat I could pick off the carcasses, and then added some fresh carrots, celery, and egg noodles.

I served it with salad and ciabatta, with some nice olive oil to dip the bread in.
posted by bondcliff (the bastard scotsman) at 6:38 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

I went to a pre-season baseball game today! Giants at the A's. It was the first Giants game I've been to, the first Oakland game I've been to, the first time I've been to the Oakland Coliseum, and the first pre-season game I've been to. (I realize that was last week's theme, but I'm apparently continuing it.) I have absolutely no preference on Giants vs. A's, and neither did the people I went with (I thought it was hilarious that we all independently decided to wear gray t-shirts to the game), so we mostly just rooted for good plays, which was nice.

It was also weirdly nice to be around people and not have to do total small-talk but also not have to do big deep conversations. I like big deep conversations, but I needed a break from them today. So we just got to be, and watch people running around on a pretty green field. I challenged myself to not use my phone at all during the game but to stay present and actually watch the game rather than a screen, and I succeeded, and that was good, too.

And a big hawk just landed in my yard, so there's that, too.
posted by lazuli (the orthography typhoon) at 6:43 PM on April 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

kimberussel , that is the best!
posted by Fig (the unready) at 6:43 PM on April 1, 2017

bondcliff, that guitar is beautiful! And the owl you made me still glowers nicely down from my bookshelf.
posted by lazuli (the orthography typhoon) at 6:51 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

tried to make my own stock, ended up with an index fund in a 401K. rather tasteless.
posted by oneswellfoop (the magnificent) at 6:51 PM on April 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

I've been working for two weeks straight, and today had to do several trainings and orientations. I'm trying to rustle up some friends to play cards at our local brewery tonight, because although I have to work tomorrow, too, at least I don't have to wake up early. One of the things I miss about the Midwest is card culture; no one here in the West seems to know how to play Euchre or Hearts or Spades or any other partnered card game, and they don't care to learn--most people know rummy, though, so that's what we play. I learned bridge a few years ago through a Parks & Rec class, and my dream is to have two bridge clubs like my grandmother did; one with cookies and tea and church ladies, the other with Virginia Slims and bourbon.
posted by stellaluna at 7:04 PM on April 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

I'm on day 7 of a really bad cold/sinus thing. I can sort of breath now and my voice is almost normal, but my sense of taste/smell is still MIA. This is especially frustrating because we finally found some St. George's Bruto Americano, which I've been wanting to try for a while. My husband says it's tasty. I got a faint herbal taste from it and that's about it.
posted by ghost phoneme (the fickle) at 7:07 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I need to schedule my dissertation defense. But I also need to finish my dissertation. Fuckkkkkkkkk this is the worst

Me too! Well, I need to finish the paper that is gonna be the last chapter,* then I need to finish transmogrifying papers into dissertation chapters. Honestly, though, finishing that paper and the dissertation itself both seem easier than wrangling my thesis committee into the same room at the same time for the SECOND time this year, after my permission-to-write meeting.

*Speaking of which, time to get a lab-thing done. My Saturday nights have really gone downhill since I decided I needed to graduate.
posted by ubersturm (the bavarian) at 7:07 PM on April 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I am not drinking anything at the moment, but I might make myself some tea later.

This week was pretty good: cat naps; a baby quilt that is all finished and ready for washing and giving away; a long overdue haircut. I was also able to zero out my credit card balance for the first time in six months. It is finally starting to feel like I can put the last year of depressed unemployed poverty behind me, hallelujah.
posted by janepanic at 7:08 PM on April 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Next week is a pretty busy, stressful week at work, so of course the powers that be in my office have decided that it's a good time to have a week where we "honor" the student workers by making goodies at home and bringing them in for the student workers to eat. I sort of feel like the student workers are being "honored" with their paychecks, and I am not convinced that I'm being paid enough to be expected to do a bunch of uncompensated labor on my own time to "honor" my fellow employees, but I don't want the student workers to feel unhonored, so I'm going to do my bit. In the past when we've been asked to make food at home, I have made something elaborate and then seethed, particularly because this is one of those things where women bring in delicious home-cooked dishes and guys buy a bottle of soda. Anyway, this year I have vowed to stop doing things I don't want to do and then seething, so I bought a cake mix and found a doctored cake-mix recipe that I should be able to do with minimal effort. I'm very proud of myself.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious (the troubadour) at 7:09 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Drinking a nice glass of 12 year old Glenlivet. Earlier I had a great nap with the cat and didn't wake up with teeth in my hand. Tomorrow is taxes preparation day, but that's tomorrow and I have whisky.
posted by arcticseal (the unique) at 7:11 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

janepanic, congratulations!!!

ArbitraryandCapricious, as someone who has basically started skipping any work-related potlucks for those exact reasons, I approve!
posted by lazuli (the orthography typhoon) at 7:12 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Conclusion from today's home repair adventure: I have no idea what I'm doing with grout.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 7:16 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

janepanic and articseal-- Impromptu naps with cats are one of my favorite inventions!
posted by bookmammal (the queen of bees) at 7:18 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

My daughter's FB page is filled with pictures of Ireland, the first of 7 countries she is visiting on her 3-week Easter Break while on Study Abroad in England. I want her life. My wife and I are doing a day trip to Solomons Island, MD tomorrow, just to get out for a day since it's going to be a nice day.
posted by COD (the lion) at 7:18 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I used to work at a bike shop in Solomons Island. If you haven't been there before it's a neat place.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 7:23 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

That's an excellent question about raiders. Now I'm busy thinking about that.
posted by valkane (the god-like one) at 7:33 PM on April 1, 2017

I'm actually here on time for this! I managed to find a 90% off sale, and got jeans IN MY FAT LADY SIZE for like FIFTY CENTS. And then I prepped oysters Rockefeller while starting a new ambitious rewatch of Game of Thrones, so this day is AMAZING.
posted by corb (the redemptress) at 7:41 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

My mom sent us an echo dot because she thinks I need one, so now my kids are spending 24/7 talking to Alexa, and getting upset when Alexa doesn't understand their questions, because they do not know how to frame a limited query. So great!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (the law-mender) at 7:42 PM on April 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

And the owl you made me still glowers nicely down from my bookshelf.

Yay! In the class I'm taking we've been learning about how wood moves so I have this fear that one of these day's it's just going to self-destruct but since the grain is all going in the same direction it should be ok. It does come with a lifetime warranty, so please let me know if it ever does explode. I'll fix it.
posted by bondcliff (the bastard scotsman) at 7:45 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm happy about the dissertation solidarity.

My problem is that one paper is just theory and I'm stuck on how to move forward with a proof. And the other is going to be garbage but I think I get one garbage paper at most.
posted by dismas (the precious) at 7:50 PM on April 1, 2017

And I would really like to defend by May graduation, especially since my wedding is in June and I'd like to avoid other distractions!
posted by dismas (the precious) at 7:50 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Just spent the evening with my sister and her bf. It was a nice evening of pizza and talking and general hanging out. Simple things like this mean so much more to me as I've grown a bit older. I'm not ancient but I think I'm just starting to appreciate these more intimate and quiet kind of settings. So yeah, I'm glad that this evening happened. :)
posted by Fizz (the stern counsellor) at 8:03 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Also, I just started playing Valkyrie Chronicles and holy shit is this game amazeballs. :)
posted by Fizz (the stern counsellor) at 8:03 PM on April 1, 2017

I had a life admin day, and bought this book, to try 28 days of meditation.
posted by ellieBOA at 8:04 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I am listening to the very fabulous Suzanne Vega album that downtohisturtles' introduced me to in this comment a few weeks ago, and thinking that I never thanked him or her and really should have.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 8:06 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

So, um, when will there be a link from our profile page to our fave & flag character page? Asking for a friend. Me.
posted by valkane (the god-like one) at 8:19 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yay! In the class I'm taking we've been learning about how wood moves so I have this fear that one of these day's it's just going to self-destruct but since the grain is all going in the same direction it should be ok. It does come with a lifetime warranty, so please let me know if it ever does explode. I'll fix it.

OK, so I'm totally in love with the owl, and I look upon it fondly fairly regularly, but the possibility that it might explode adds a frisson not previously present in my relationship with it, and adds an edge to its glower. Which is lovely. (And if it ever does explode, I will let you know.)
posted by lazuli (the orthography typhoon) at 8:19 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Bookmammal - me, too! My cat makes this little chirping noise when he wants to snuggle, and comes and lies down on my chest/neck/arm/stomach. We talk about his plans for the day, and I try to sneak in some claw clipping while he's mellowed out. It is my favourite part of Saturday afternoon.
posted by janepanic at 8:20 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

So use http://www.metafilter.com/character-sheet/?user=102200 but replace 102200 (my user #) with whatever YOUR user # is, and then put it in your profile page! We'll see if there's a more elegant solution in the future. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (the law-mender) at 8:21 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Thanks, Eyebrows.
posted by valkane (the god-like one) at 8:27 PM on April 1, 2017

In January I began my journey to a PhD. I took three classes in Sweden, and am finishing up the assignments as we speak: two done and sent for grading, and one to go that is due in two weeks. I was wondering last night whether there is a MeFi subgroup for those of us crazy enough to undertake the PhD journey.

I'm returning to Stockholm in May/June to continue with three more courses, and then I have four years to complete all courses (there are 12 total), write articles and compose my dissertation.

This week I've been teetering between 'what am I doing?? I could be working full time, making money and having real evenings and real weekends like my friends do' and 'oh yeah, this is what I want to do, this feels so very right - why on earth didn't I begin this sooner'.

I raise my elegant small flute of snaps to you all tonight.
posted by seawallrunner (the navigator) at 8:34 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Heh. Ok, maybe not explode, but I worry that perhaps a glue joint may give way some day. Probably not though, since it's pretty strong stuff.

Mostly I just doubt everything I do, ever. I'm like a walking case of imposter syndrome.
posted by bondcliff (the bastard scotsman) at 8:35 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

MLKSHK shut down this weekend. We had a lot of notice and there's an active group of maybe 200-ish nerds all trying to get up a new post-MLKSHK site (code name: MLTSHP). It was a goofy image-sharing site and it was one of my short list of internet homes for the past six years. Everyone knew it was switching to read-only mode last night around midnight and the final images that made the Popular page are so poignant and sweet. Related: not_on_display faved a pic of mine right before the site went read-only. So when I load the site, I have one favorite and it is from him. I clear it and it always comes back. Between that and this DYNAMITE "April Fools" thing you wonderful folks did, I am having a really nice April first online, which basically never happens.
posted by jessamyn (the exile) at 8:39 PM on April 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Walked to café. Playground with little one. Walked to beer garden for brazilian BBQ, ran into our neighbor who was selling his homemade pretzels there (with crazy flavors like salted caramel!). Walked to coffee shop and got refreshing iced coffee. Checked out bike store #1 looking for a bike for big kid. Walked home. After a short rest, walked to bike store #2. On return, cooked mediocre Adama kebap on grill and superb braised bell peppers (plus, neighbor's pretzels, but not the caramel variety!). Bike store #3 after dinner. Wow, that was a lot of walking and a lot of checking out bikes. Phew.
posted by The Toad at 8:46 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

I've been marking 100 student quizzes this week. And while I desperately want to post some of the more hilarious answers, I'll respect their privacy (a little). All I'll say is ooh boy, when you teach advanced cultural studies students about technology, you get a whole heap of students claiming things like, 'the digital is what you make it', and 'who is to say whether or not hard copies of books are actually digital'? (Me, that's who, and they are not). Or 'the digital has been with us throughout human history.' (These are paraphrases, not actual quotes. See, respecting student privacy, that's what I'm doing. The actual quotes are worse.)

That is to say, today I hate everyone.
posted by lollusc (the prudent) at 8:48 PM on April 1, 2017 [18 favorites]

I finished the big doodle (ooh err!) last night. It does look better in real life. It looks really good under a uv light! I also watched 'The Fifth Element' again and cooked beef ribs for youngest son and I.

The Metafilter April Fool's was such fun. I've never done any kind of RPG before.
posted by h00py (the avenger) at 9:06 PM on April 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

This week my public school orchestra kids had two Very Big Deal concerts; an adjudicated festival on Tuesday and our music program's big crazy bake sale fundraiser on Thursday. They rocked both and we raised $20k at the bake sale, which is kind of bonkers and I worry that if I type that number it will go away. The two best things that happened this week, however were:

1) a snow day on Wednesday, perfectly timed to not screw anything up, which made us all a little punchy on Thursday.

2) This happened at the bake sale (I learned to blur videos just so I could share this! but he is grinning like a nut under that blur). I had not really considered this piece a tambourine solo feature until that night.

Tuesday he asked if he could dance a little. I asked if he could handle NOT dancing, he said "not really" and I said "well okay then." 3.5 minutes of this- truly a tour de force. It was just joyful and silly and perfect and I am still smiling.

7th graders, you guys, are often more awesome than you would imagine.
posted by charmedimsure (the she-wolf) at 9:12 PM on April 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

janepanic: My cat makes this little chirping noise when he wants to snuggle, and comes and lies down on my chest/neck/arm/stomach. We talk about his plans for the day ...

I ask my cat about her plans for the day each morning when she sits on the bathroom sink when I'm getting ready for work. Her plans rarely vary--eating, bathing, litterboxing, bird watching, napping, moving her toys from one room to the other, waiting to greet me at the door when I come home--but she always seems ok with it.
posted by bookmammal (the queen of bees) at 9:15 PM on April 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Today we went and saw Alton Brown do his thing, which appears to increasingly be "being America's weird dad who also knows a lot about food," and then had a nice dinner and took the light rail back home. On our ride back we sat across from a young guy with an even younger service dog, so I struck up conversation like you do when awww, puppy. It quickly became clear that the guy was a) farther on the autistic spectrum than anyone I'd ever had an extended conversation with, and b) trying really hard to be social back in response to our puppy-related inquiries. He asked how our night was going. He recommended a new spot in town with many food vendors under one roof, trailed off, pulled an unrelated business card from his pocket nervously and urged us to check it out. He apologized in advance for his "maybe funny story I've been telling everyone," and then proceeded to tell us a logically consistent, convoluted joke involving a mix-up between strangers and an angel only one of two people can see. I laughed politely trying not to seem like I was laughing at him, and he shrugged apologetically. "It's kind of a Christian joke I guess." Then he pulled out his phone and we all avoided eye contact for a bit until he got up for his stop, but first shook both of our hands and said his name and that it was nice to meet us.

And ok: if I'd been on my own or in a different mood this would maybe have been a little unsettling, but I walked away thinking how much effort it takes to just human in a way that other humans don't find super weird.
posted by deludingmyself (the new-day) at 9:18 PM on April 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

I'll stick this here: I am looking for Mefites who would like to play word games online. I play EA Scrabble (intermediate player, avg 1.5 bingos per game), and have an 89% win rate with Letterpress. Memail if interested!
posted by sylvanshine (the last) at 9:32 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

This afternoon I finished the last data chapter of my dissertation, so I re-activated my metafilter account to celebrate (and get in on the April Fool's Day fun). I defend in four and a half weeks. I am about to explode. I don't know where I will be after May 10. Maybe unemployed in Cote d'Ivoire. Maybe Orlando. Maybe Cameroon. Maybe the Netherlands. *giant shrug* WHO KNOWS.

Anyways, I'm very pleased to be back! I missed everyone. In the interim, I've watched a lot of British Bakeoff and read and written a lot about monkeys and the numbers for my congressperson and senator are two of the three most-called numbers in my phone.
posted by ChuraChura (the sifaka lemur) at 9:33 PM on April 1, 2017 [36 favorites]

Yay, ChuraChura is back!
posted by lazuli (the orthography typhoon) at 9:34 PM on April 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

It was a weird and mildly disappointing weekend. So spouse and I are drinking Glenmorangie Nectar d'or which is a weird but never disappointing. It really is quite delicious and I'm enjoying it.
posted by crush (the bookish) at 9:35 PM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

The other day, my partner was lying down in our bedroom, and I went in to lie down and chat with him. After a few minutes, our 13-year-old came looking for us, and he lay down between us. The three of us cuddled and chatted, and sometimes just all lay there quietly and cozily. And then our nine-year-old (fortunately very small for his age) came in and squeezed into the narrow space between me and the 13-year-old. And then some cats came and got on top of us. At one point, our bit ol' 22-pounder was lying across both kids, and all four of us were petting him. He'd never been happier.

Things have been rough around here for various reasons. But that was a moment of transcendent happiness.
posted by Orlop (the sailor king) at 9:38 PM on April 1, 2017 [22 favorites]

Bondcliff, that guitar is fantastic! Please let me know if you're ever in the mood to build, say, a flame-maple fretless bass.
posted by Greg_Ace (the unavoidable) at 9:51 PM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I saw Jupiter's moons again, this is THE most exciting thing, I love it.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (the law-mender) at 10:08 PM on April 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

I did two things today I have never done before. I went to a marijuana store this morning. It was super interesting. Honestly, it reminded me of something out of Harry Potter. Like a cross between the Weasley twin's candy shop and some kind of wizarding potion ingredient store. So many little apothecary bottles with interesting labels! So many foods and candies with unique names!

And then I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a book that a friend of mine wrote! It came out today and it is her first book. I took some pictures of myself fondling her stack of books and posted them on her facebook page. I'm really looking forward to curling up on the couch tomorrow and finding how the book changed from when I read it back when it was just a first draft word file.
posted by ilovewinter at 10:08 PM on April 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

I just got back from a concert of "Music from China and its Western Neighbors" presented by the European Foundation for Chinese Music Research (CHIME) at UCLA. It was fantastic. A friend of ours performed on dutar and frame drum. One of the highlights was her vocal performance of an Uzbek song.

I just repaired my 25-year-old VCR because... well, they're rare now, and I want to digitize my old tapes.

And I'm going to Shanghai for 10 days for work, in just a couple of weeks. I will probably post an ask or two about that.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 10:59 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I am currently having a drink of ginger beer, ginger liqueur, and gin. It is good.
posted by limeonaire (the enlightened) at 11:04 PM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I went to see Rep. Jackie Speier and Ambassador Michael McFaul talk about Russia and Trump, which I wrote a bunch about in the politics thread, because I apparently don't get enough politics here on the blue. It was depressing and now I am deciding what cocktail to make.

In less depressing news, I mean actually there's a lot that's depressing in there, but anyway, I saw the first company of the Hamilton Tour in San Francisco last night. It remains an utterly fantastic show, even if I'm now at the point where I'm hyper-focused on fairly obscure details and differences, about which I'm happy to obsess at length.

So yeah, US politics and Hamilton. My offline life is pretty much the same as my MeFi life nowadays.
posted by zachlipton (the be-shitten) at 11:33 PM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I missed last weekend's Metalktail hour because I finally painted the girls' room which took 3 days instead of 2 because the primer the guy assured me was ok was actually crap, so two coats were needed. But soooo worth it when we discovered a two inch red marker scribble behind the door on Friday and it came off with a teeeeeny bit of water and a light touch.

On Tuesday, our new VW Up arrived and I love it. But my weekend driving around plans are pushed to next week since we're on Round 2 of chicken pox. Whee.
posted by romakimmy (the precocious) at 12:27 AM on April 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

My 3-year-old is just recovering from chicken pox and back to her normal self (currently: insisting on wearing Superman outfit 24/7, using it as bath avoidance technique as "Supermans don't have baths"). After a week and a half of miserably ill child followed by stir-crazy-but-quarantined ill child, I am very glad to see the back of it.

Also a little while ago I signed up to a Body Pump class at the gym because a friend was going. I had this very Jane Fonda idea of gym classes where it's all people doing star jumps in leg warmers, and HAHAHAHA no. Weights. Many weights. I could not even climb the stairs at work the next day. But, I am getting really into it and now go every week, and last week I went up a step in weights because my starter ones were too easy now. It is great!
posted by Catseye at 1:21 AM on April 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Churachura, I'm really pleased you're back; I missed your presence on the site and even sent the mods a quick note asking if you were okay! (spoiler: you were)

Yesterday was catching up with friends, today was spent bathing in the nexus of yesterday's fried chicken and its impact on my colitis (cutting my run short, cutting my cooking short, cutting my awake time short)

I made lamb curry. Cooking for the kids is possibly the most thankless job in the universe; they adore shit and complain about stuff that is not only healthy but that I've gone to great trouble making. I've been progressively "De-flavoring" my curries to make them more palatable for the children. This one is basically essence of lamb and maybe someone waved a tomato over it; if it's too exotic I freaking give up!
posted by smoke at 1:46 AM on April 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

I decided to make a really simple Android app last weekend for personal use and rather than stop working on it after an hour when it was "good enough", I am still working on it now and I honestly don't know why. Well I do know why. I really enjoy deeply focusing on problems and being able to do something properly. Even if it is just for me, making sure that it is both cosmetically appealing and bug free is worthwhile.

In other news, all three of my little kids (5, 2 and 1 years old) were capital T Terrible today. It is now 8pm here and I am trying to get them to lie down and chill out before I completely lose my mind. So yeah, good and bad.
posted by Literaryhero (the first-crowned) at 3:52 AM on April 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

It's my birthday this week AND I have a book coming out AND we got our offer accepted on a condo to buy.
posted by veggieboy (the sluggard) at 4:18 AM on April 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

I've asked this before, but now it looks like it could actually happen. Can I get a "staph" icon next to my name?
posted by Bruce H. at 4:39 AM on April 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I've been marking 100 student quizzes this week.... That is to say, today I hate everyone.

I had to stop grading exams yesterday because I was getting too angry, and if I keep at it after a certain point, everyone starts to get Ds and Fs.

Hooray for ChuraChura coming back! I have missed you, fellow Ohioan.

Today is the last day of Spring Break. :-( 5 more weeks in the semester and then I will be in Prague.
posted by chainsofreedom (the monk) at 5:36 AM on April 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Grading, gardening, cooking.
Also I've been thinking.
posted by carter (the philosopher) at 5:46 AM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

So spouse and I are drinking Glenmorangie Nectar d'or

The liquor store by my parents will randomly have the the Glenmorangie sampler pack (100 ml bottles of the d'or, lasanta, qunita ruban, and original) on sale for around $20. It's a fun way to introduce hesitant newbies to scotch. The Nectar d'or is still my sister's favorite.
posted by ghost phoneme (the fickle) at 6:40 AM on April 2, 2017

nuttn' much, oh created a few universes, one with a negative fundamental constant, we'll see how that goes...


(see tag below)
posted by sammyo (the god-like one) at 6:50 AM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Ooh! I have a question that I can't ask on AskMe because it's total chatfilter. Is it ok to ask it here?

My question is what podcasts (or other media, I guess) everyone consumes that are on topics about which they have no underlying interest. Mine is Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, which is the podcast affiliated with the romance novel site Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. I don't read romance novels: nothing against them, but I've read a few and always come away wishing that the book focused less on the romance and more on everything going on around the romance. But it turns out that I enjoy listening to interviews with romance novelists. Who knew?

So what's yours?
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious (the troubadour) at 6:59 AM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Eyebrows, I'm very excited for your Jupiter discovery. I will never get bored of seeing those moons. There are websites and apps that will show you which moons you're looking at each night and when you can see shadows from the moons on the planet.

Keep an eye out for Saturn. You can sometimes see Titan through binoculars and, although I don't think you can see the rings in binoculars, you can see them through any $100 dime store telescope. It's kind of an amazing thing to see.

Please let me know if you're ever in the mood to build, say, a flame-maple fretless bass.

A laminated, neck-through, five string bass is on my list of stuff to build in the near future. It will have frets though, because I consider fretless anything to be kind of like sorcery.
posted by bondcliff (the bastard scotsman) at 6:59 AM on April 2, 2017

So there's this local Chinese place that I kind of love, and I go there so often that they know me. I'm not a regular or anything, and I don't hang out at their bar, but I order from them once every week or so and they know who I am.

In spite of that they ask me the same question every time I order, and there's always a touch of resentment in their voice when they ask. "Do you want gravy with that?" To which I invariably reply, "On the side."

See, the controversy goes back over a hundred years. The Chinese have been in this country for quite a while, but they have rarely been made to feel at home. The Exclusion Act and the Geary Act made it illegal to hire Chinese labor and as a result many Chinese immigrants opened their own businesses, including grocery stores and restaurants. But almost immediately they found themselves in the position of having to modify their dishes to suit the American palate. And egg foo young is one such dish that has been changed by the US.

In GuangDong this dish is very different, and the most notable difference is the lack of a gravy or sauce. It's typically served with a condiment, a sweet sauce, but usually on the side for dipping. In the US the EFY patties are usually swimming in some goopy yellow liquid. That's not how it's made anywhere else but the west. And I can't even imagine who first came up with that or why. Suffice it to say it's not right, and on that I and my local Chinese restaurant are in complete agreement.

So I think this is the source of the conflict. They're good cooks, and I always try new items on their menu and their monthly specials, but my favorite dish of theirs hands down is their Cantonese-style egg foo young. EFY at most Chinese restaurants come in the typical variations of vegetable, chicken, shrimp, pork, and house, with house being everything. At my place they have the regulars, and those all come standard floating in gravy, but they also have authentic Cantonese style, and yeah it's got a bunch of yummy meats, but it's very different. Not just a bunch of sprouts woven together with eggs and other chunks, this is a thick patty with thoughtfully blended seafood, pork, scallions, and just a bit of egg. And it doesn't come with gravy. They tell you that when you order it. If you want gravy they'll whip it up, but it's not a part of the dish.

Thing is, the gravy they make for that one is different. It's not the typical yellow translucent stuff, but this delicious brown, stocky, thick, umami heavy gravy. And I order it every time because I like it. Not with the egg foo young, but with other things, like these fried eggs with chopped leftover skirt steaks and peppers steaming on a bed of leftover rice. I poured the gravy over that, and it's awesome. In fact, in improves almost anything, and I would include crispy creme donuts with that, if they're warm.

So they know I like their food, and they know I know the difference between adulterated Chinese food and real Chinese food, but in spite of that they think I do this stupid thing with one of their best and most authentic dishes. And I want to tell them, but I think they won't believe me. Instead, once a week, I hear this sigh before, "Do you want gravy with that?" to which I ashamedly reply, "On the side." But damn, this gravy is good with this steak and eggs and rice. Sorry, local Chinese restaurant. I probably am a bad person, but I'm a fat and full and happy bad person.
posted by Stanczyk (the philosopher) at 7:10 AM on April 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

Yesterday I thought I would have to work, but I didn't! Yay! So instead I went to the library, then I went home and plopped on the couch and read for a few hours. That's my favorite thing to do. Later, went to see The Blackcoat's Daughter, and I'm here to tell you it is scary!
posted by scratch at 7:16 AM on April 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

There is Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie flavored gum, y'all. It's not bad. Also... faves and flags! I didn't know my life was missing this until it appeared.
posted by selfmedicating (the monk) at 7:21 AM on April 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

what podcasts (or other media, I guess) everyone consumes that are on topics about which they have no underlying interest.

I really like reading books about sports much more than I like being any other parts of sports culture. The science and backstories of of football is a lot more interesting than football. Same with bridges/engineering. I don't care about bridges much when I drive over them but I do love reading books about how they fall down.
posted by jessamyn (the exile) at 7:38 AM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

My husband and I are getting our feet wet in this whole "buying a house" thing. We spent yesterday meeting with a few realtors (surprisingly exhausting for an introvert like me) and are now at the point where we should probably go back to the bank we liked best and get pre-approved. The whole thing is completely exciting and terrifying and overwhelming, and I already can't wait for it to be over. (Joke's on me... somehow, I doubt this gets easier.) But the end result, with us actually having a yard for the dog and space for a garden and no longer sharing walls with college students who can't cook so much as popcorn without setting off the building fire alarm will be totally worth it.
posted by cellar door (the manifest) at 7:39 AM on April 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Seconding jessamyn on reading books about sports--I am most definitely NOT athletic and before I finally realized that "No" can be a complete sentence, I hated participating in any type of team sport situation. But-- I LOVE reading about sports! I love the backstories and behind the scenes stuff--but I have zero desire to participate in any sport myself.
posted by bookmammal (the queen of bees) at 7:53 AM on April 2, 2017

> So I think this is the source sauce of the conflict.
FTFY
posted by moody cow (the slit-nosed) at 7:54 AM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

I totally agree about sports. My university has a Sports Studies department, and the kids who love sports usually look at the classes and nope out immediately. But I'm like "ooooh, I want to take a class on Sport and Nationalism! Religion and American Sport looks great!"

Actually, religion is another one. I personally am not at all religious, but reading about religion is super interesting. I actually think that theology is much less stressful if you don't actually believe it. I should see if there are any good religion podcasts other than that Christa Tippett one, which I find inexplicably annoying.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious (the troubadour) at 8:08 AM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

I had no idea there was such a thing as "sports studies" but now I think I need to investigate that.
posted by bookmammal (the queen of bees) at 8:22 AM on April 2, 2017

My nine-year-old just baked a cake and frosted it with sotonohito's cream cheese and cool whip frosting. It's excellent. It didn't have any words on it for us to eat, but if it did, it would have said something like, "sotonohito is my new cake-frosting hero."

Also, I like that my 9-year-old boy learned to make this frosting from a grown-up man. Something touches my heart about man-to-man generational transmission of frosting recipes.
posted by Orlop (the sailor king) at 9:56 AM on April 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

IT'S WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND.

I've been making big breakfasts, drinking a little too much, and watching wrestling. I did also go for a nice run yesterday, and fixed up a bike and loaned it to a friend today. But mostly wrestling.
posted by misskaz at 10:26 AM on April 2, 2017

YAYYYYYYY ChuraChura!

I've got back to back research conferences next week and since I've been kind of introverted about going to conferences the last few years I have a lot to present. So I was DETERMINED this was the year I would not be making the power points for my talks while on the plane or picking up my posters 10 minutes before the print shop closed. And I did it! And after picking up one set of my posters, each of which could sleep comfortably in our queen bed, I decided it was time to take the plunge and arrange to have the rest printed on-site instead of hauling them there. I feel a little nervous something's going to go wrong, but also so bold, so relaxed, so free!

Anyway, was feeling pretty proud of myself. But then yesterday after successfully separating 10 egg whites for a group size tiramisu I was making, I managed to drop the entire bowl on a freshly cleaned wood floor. Do you have any idea how hard it is to mop up 10 egg whites that have coagulated together?! They would not adhere to anything - not paper towels, or the mop, or dish rags. All I managed to do was chase that fucking wild glob of egg snot around the floor. It was such a metaphor for regret. I've never felt more like a failure. . . until about 3 minutes later when I had to fucking google how to clean up egg white. Apparently you sprinkle salt! I sprinkled and sprinkled and ended up dumping an entire box of kosher salt on it and it was still a pain in the ass. Mad respect for protein, yo.

Anyway, so off I go to this conference. . . .thoroughly humbled by eggs.
posted by barchan (the exile) at 10:37 AM on April 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

I have a seemingly unlimited supply of fresh, organic grapefruit. So after making candied grapefruit rind, which makes excellent pancakes that do not need syrup, I have a new favorite drink. The juice of one squeezed grapefruit and all the pulp I can easily scrape off, a teaspoon of raw cane sugar mix well, pour in a 12 ounce can of La Croix grapefruit fizzy water, and enjoy. Whoa it is good stuff.
posted by Oyéah (the sifaka lemur) at 10:52 AM on April 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

what podcasts (or other media, I guess) everyone consumes that are on topics about which they have no underlying interest.

Ever since I discovered it (probably via Metafilter), I've been fascinated by the "Project Binky" series of YouTube videos by Bad Obsession Motorsport, where they're shoehorning a 200HP motor from a Toyota GT4 into a dilapidated old Mini 1000, and in the process completely replacing everything except the basic body shell (and actually replacing a fair bit of paneling pieces on that as well). Never in a million years would I get into car modding myself, but watching them do all the steps and explaining everything as they go is fascinating. They're also pretty funny and entertaining. Here's the intro video where they explain the start of the project, just for a taste. It's up to 15 episodes and they still have a long way to go.
posted by Greg_Ace (the unavoidable) at 11:00 AM on April 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

It was a hard week (the tragic event that led to Guide leading became even more tragic. I just. If you could think good thoughts for a family that lost a child, I would appreciate it.) but I spent Friday and Saturday with my old flat mate, drinking endless amounts of tea, knitting and generally decompressing and now I'm back home, having a quiet day in the house with my husband, more tea and some crochet.
posted by halcyonday (the independentist) at 11:04 AM on April 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

I think I might have recorded a new species of moth for the UK a couple of nights ago. I just sent off a picture to the county moth recorder. He’ll probably tell me I misidentified it or, at best, that it can’t be confirmed without the actual specimen, but I’m enjoying the feeling while it lasts.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:13 PM on April 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

county moth recorder

I'm totally intrigued. Is there someone whose full-time job is to be the county moth recorder, or is that part of a larger job description?
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious (the troubadour) at 12:18 PM on April 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

Gardening! This was the first weekend since, I dunno, October, when it was pretty much dry for the entire weekend in my part of the Pacific NW, and so I went out and poked around and made a few discoveries:
--The peony that I was certain had died (on account of how in its second year of life I idiotically planted a rock rose right in front of it, overlooking the fact that the rock rose would become HUGE, and thus the peony spent five years being completely shaded and crushed)--the peony is alive! I cut down the rock rose last fall, but the trunk and roots will still need to be grubbed out by someone whose back is in better shape than mine.
--I need to build a new trellis for the climbing roses, this one perhaps made of 2x4s or I-beams or something. (Extricating the wreckage of the old trellis from the viciously thorny rose branches will be fun...)
--The lilies that I planted last spring and that never emerged, apparently spending the entire summer sulking underground, are now coming up, right where I was planning to put the delphiniums that I got at the nursery yesterday, and which I will now have to jam in somewhere else.

Oh, garden. You may be a headache but you're never a bore.
posted by Kat Allison at 12:30 PM on April 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Is there someone whose full-time job is to be the county moth recorder, or is that part of a larger job description?

They are volunteers, who gather up the local records, collate and verify them, and pass them on to the National Moth Recording Scheme. Not surprisingly there are quite a few counties which are missing recorders, because it’s a job which requires a lot of expertise and a willingness to do drudge work. But increasingly we’re all going to be putting our records directly into the national database over the internet anyway, I think.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:30 PM on April 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

As I've mentioned before in multiple places, Thursday I got implanted a Pacemaker in my less-than-perfect heart. It was weird; my cardiologist, one of the most highly-regarded heart surgeons at one of California's top rated cardio care hospitals did it all with local anesthesia, leaving me with a numb chest and an aching back on a very hard table while hearing them chat that it was taking longer than usual to attach all the leads to my "rather oddly shaped" heart. I even got to warn them of my prior experience with insufficient pain-killing at a hospital across the street from Disney studios and my subsequent screams that were heard inside the sound stages. But it all went well, I was discharged the next morning, have gotten my third 10-plus-hour-sleep-with-memorable-dreams in a row, am hyper-conscious of the warnings not to lift anything heavy with my left hand or raise it up over my head (it may loosen my pacemaker's connections) and in reviewing my post-operative instructions, I find my biggest problem will be reducing my sodium intake, since everything in my kitchen seems to have more salt than a lake in Utah.

Still not sure whether to relabel myself as "2% Cyborg Foop" or "2% Bionic Foop".
posted by oneswellfoop (the magnificent) at 1:11 PM on April 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

I'm glad the surgery went well, foop!
posted by zachlipton (the be-shitten) at 3:04 PM on April 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Still not sure whether to relabel myself as "2% Cyborg Foop" or "2% Bionic Foop".
posted by oneswellfoop

Speaking as a person who has chronic illnesses he wouldn't mind seeing in the rearview mirror, you could retcon another pun out of your current name and even make an oblique reference to the famous anagram of your name before that by calling yourself 'againwellfoop'.
posted by jamjam at 3:38 PM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Took delivery of my kilt today.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:40 PM on April 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Still not sure whether to relabel myself as "2% Cyborg Foop" or "2% Bionic Foop".

You seem to have made a few Star Wars references on the blue, so I trust you will follow me when I say, "He's more machine now than foop; twisted and evil."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:43 PM on April 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I just realized the doctors who initially called my heart "rather oddly shaped", as the surgery went overtime did use the terms "twisted and evil". It still seems too soon for "againwellfoop"; I'm waiting to be less "oneswolenfoop". (I actually own an old motocross racing shirt from a friend's team that had developed a reputation for injuries then named themselves 'TEAM SWOLEN')
posted by oneswellfoop (the magnificent) at 4:06 PM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

My mom was admitted to the hospital today. Her oxygen levels were dangerously low, but her lungs were fine. She finally convinced herself to go to urgent care because she was sooo exhausted after her hike yesterday, and it was only 18 miles! She's 69, by the way. My sister and I are worried, but my mom mostly seems relieved that she wasn't just getting old. Now she's texting me about coping with the boredom of the hospital by watching double feature of Contagion and Outbreak.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk (the rash) at 4:17 PM on April 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

Also, glad the surgery went well, foop!
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk (the rash) at 4:19 PM on April 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

National Moth Recording Scheme. I think I'm just going to say that over and over to myself until I understand Brexit.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:06 PM on April 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

" I actually think that theology is much less stressful if you don't actually believe it."

Eh, it's pretty great even when you do believe it. IMO. I've found few things more intellectually rich and interesting! But maybe I am just a sucker for intellectual richness regardless of belief system.

" did it all with local anesthesia, leaving me with a numb chest and an aching back on a very hard table while hearing them chat "

Just like a C-section! (During my second one, the surgeon said, "Hey, could you hold this uterus for me for a second?" to a nurse. AS IF THERE WERE SEVERAL UTERI SO HE HAD TO SPECIFY WHICH ONE.)

My children ate and liked the apples and onions, so I feel today was a success.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (the law-mender) at 5:10 PM on April 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

I am so sorry. I violated the no-politics rule. I wasn't thinking about what the rest of the world might consider politics.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:58 PM on April 2, 2017

Today I got rtha and a couple of other friends to go glasses shopping with me. I now finally need progressive lenses (although I was very proud when my optometrist said I had the eyes of a 40 year old) but am too blind to see how I look in glasses so I have to take friends and photos to see how I look in them. We had brunch and walked to the preferred glasses store and I ordered the most expensive option because those looked the best on me.

Now we're sitting in the backyard drinking a cocktail that rtha created --dry cider, mezcal, and muddled kumquats.

Also, I favorited all of the comments from people drinking ginger beer. I see you.
posted by gingerbeer (the greymantle) at 6:15 PM on April 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Ugh, Multi car accident has closed the highway home so I'm stuck in staff housing 2.5 hours away instead of going home. At least internet is still working.
posted by Mitheral at 6:57 PM on April 2, 2017

I think I might have recorded a new species of moth for the UK a couple of nights ago.

On Facebook, I follow an account called Bug Addiction. It's an entomologist in New Jersey who just loves bugs and moths. Apparently it's National Moth Week here in the US. I am interested in insects, but not enough to get heart-eyes over a queen wasp he finds wintering under a log, say, but I love that he gets heart-eyes about the wasp, and a million other things. His enthusiasm and passion is wonderful to see. I love listening to people talk (or write) about the things they are really into, and his whole Facebook feed is like that. To him, the whole world is magically full of wonderful creatures of great beauty.

I give you joy of your moth, Bloxworth Snout.
posted by Orlop (the sailor king) at 8:37 PM on April 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

My 22 year old also spent the weekend in the hospital with a heart-related thing. They were recently diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a thickening of the muscles of the heart), which is one of those diagnoses that, on the one hand, explains a lot, and, on the other hand, isn't a great thing for someone so young to have to live with. The past couple of weeks they've been on a 24-hour monitor as part of a month-long test, and there have been some scary moments (heart rate suddenly 170 bpm for no apparent reason). Thursday night they were having chest pain, and on their cardiologist's orders, went to the ER.

They spent the weekend under close monitoring while the doctors did some medication adjustments. The heart medications exacerbated their asthma, so there was a whole challenging thing about getting enough oxygen for awhile there, too.

Home as of today; more tests in the near future, hopefully with some livable solutions.
posted by Orlop (the sailor king) at 8:48 PM on April 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Spouse just came off dialysis a couple of hours ago. We're both nocturnal and we have a machine at home, so she can go anytime she wants. Well, "want" is such a strong word but we try to be responsible. The sessions are oddly relaxing, for me anyways. After we've got the anesthetic applied, the anti-clotting agent injected, the needles inserted, and have checked the numbers to ensure panicking is not iminent, then I just sit in my comfy chair and read. I get up every 30 minutes to record numbers until the session is over, 3.5 hours later. Writing down the pressures: arterial, venous, effluent, & blood. How much filtration was done per hour and how much is left. Partner is usually snoring away at this point.

It's something which almost seems normal now. All of it almost seems normal. This machine pumping my partner's blood at 500 ml / minute with a resonant hum. A drawer full of 14 gauge needles and two different kinds of syringes. Boxes of bright blue non-latex gloves and boxes of never-used facemasks. Big bags of dialysate and smaller boxes of plastic cartridges--full of curving tubes and a large-ish cylindrical filter--for the machine. The fistula on my wife's left arm: veins and arteries joined together in a structure where the blood thrums violently within. Heparin and lidocaine in the closet. Epogen in the fridge. I like telling my partner she's forever disqualified from the Olympics for that prescription, but it should help her on the Tour de France. Always gets a snort in response.

Tonight, it ended well. The sessions usually do. But the endings are occasionally worrisome. The one thing I never quite get used to is pulling the insanely sharp needles out. There's always the risk of the needle scraping the sides on exit and causing my partner considerable pain. I sometimes worry I'll move the wrong way and cause an infiltration. I've never done that, but it's still on my mind. Have to slam the gauze down at just the right time, centered on the exit. Hold it in place for six minutes. Gingerly lift it up after to see if the bleeding is done. Usually it is. Occasionally, the arterial access gives us a surprise with a little fountain of blood. There was a time the fountain would cause a panic. Now, it's just push the gauze back immediately and think about how long it's going to take to clean the floor that now looks like a murder scene.

This is our nights together, 3-4 times a week. It's odd what can become normal and almost boring, something which would have seemed unbearable and terrifying just a few years ago.
posted by honestcoyote at 1:22 AM on April 3, 2017 [17 favorites]

what podcasts (or other media, I guess) everyone consumes that are on topics about which they have no underlying interest.

I cant believe the number of gun vlogs/podcasts/etc I watch. All the big ones, Hickock45, Iraqveteran8888, TheYankeeMarshall, Sootch, etc. etc.

I've never seen a gun, let alone handled one. What's more, I live in the UK, so I'm never likely to get the opportunity to handle a gun -- other than a low powered airgun, or maybe a shotgun if I *really*, *really* wanted to.

But I don't want to. Not that much. I like British gun laws as they are -- even if they are somewhat irrational. It's not like it used to be when I was a kid, when police were armed only with a wooden truncheon. These days, it's not unusual to see the police pulling over a drug dealer with their Heckler and Koch MP5's at the ready. And after I've watched a few gun podcasts, you might catch me ranting about how unreasonable it is that the police are allowed to defend themselves from armed criminals, but ordinary citizens aren't.

But mostly I think our gun laws work very well and keep gun ownership down to very low levels among everyone.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:52 AM on April 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

it was sunny and warm today in Toronto, so we had our first barbeque! local organic rib eye steaks over charcoal, with baked potatoes and caesar salad, and a bottle of Cote De Rhone. heaven. We also got to meet our new neighbours, which was good - their house is attached to ours, and they asked if we had been away for the last few months, because they hadn't heard any noise through our shared wall. That was surprising, we tend to be up at all hours watching movies and generally whooping it up, but I guess none of that makes it through the wall. I've worried about that for years!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 (the holy) at 2:53 AM on April 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

It's foggy / drizzly / rainy here in Oklahoma, which is good because the lakes are low and we really need the rain. Not the tornadoes and hail, but some good soaking rain.
Which is probably why the first wet weekend in April coincided with the Medieval Fair in Norman. Kind of a meteorological tradition: rain for the state fair in September, rain for the gathering of bards and minstrels and others mythological creatures on the village green (or rather, Reeves Park instead of University of Oklahoma campus).
Honorable Oldest Offspring is low in cash and wisely stayed away. Honorable Youngest Offspring either went with friends or had other plans. So it was a day out for my sweet baboo and myself.
We spent part of an hour asking a tanner how she worked her hides. We watched blacksmiths and spinsters, jugglers and dancers, and thoroughly tired ourselves out. And the rain held out until we were back in our own driveway.
I miss doing things with the kids, but sometimes it's nice to have a "milkshake date" with my honey.

Side note: this is day 29 on keto diet and my husband informed me that Eldest Offspring is impressed by how committed I've been to my new lifestyle. He sounded impressed, too. No soda -- or milkshakes -- for nearly a month after 50-plus years? Not bad.
posted by TrishaU (the curly) at 3:46 AM on April 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Our sweet scaredy cat, who is otherwise doing quite well thank you, had a nasty mishap on Friday and came home with one front leg doused in diesel. No idea how or where that happened. I managed to wash him fairly well, using a gentle soap and lukewarm water as well as a firm but loving grip on the scruff of his neck, and got most of it off but he was still stinky. It did not seem to bother him otherwise.
On saturday, the leg was somewhat sensitive, probably irritated; Sunday afternoon, it seemed worse, a bit swollen and he was complaining a little. So we planned a vet visit for this morning, which is a challenge in and off itself because it comes with plenty of stress which always needs to be balanced against the potential upside, and I cannot possibly get him onto a carrier by myself.

But this morning the leg looked less swollen if at all, he seemed happier to walk on it and he was not complaining. So we decided to give the vet a miss and to keep an eye on things.
posted by Too-Ticky (the chansonnier) at 4:04 AM on April 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

My kids want pork every week because there's pork in Minecraft.

There's also beef, chicken, mutton, fish... Tell them to lay off the pigs and kill something else for once.
posted by Segundus at 4:39 AM on April 3, 2017

Awww man! I'm so sorry I missed this.
posted by lazaruslong (the one-eyed) at 5:36 AM on April 3, 2017

It's been a good week in some ways and a really tough week in other ways. The baby is 11 months old and is wonderful and adorable and the world's greatest comedian, in the unbiased opinion of her parents. She's walking and climbing and using the (resignedly compliant) cat as her cuddle-pillow whenever she gets the chance. So that's super wonderful! We spent some quality time this weekend in the company of wonderful mefites, and I led a very productive church retreat yesterday. My friends and I are soon to resume a D&D campaign that's been on hiatus for awhile and that makes me very happy.

But it's been a psychologically and emotionally difficult week, because I've been doing a lot of work in my spare time researching local anti-immigrant hate groups that position themselves as mainstream, and attempting to expose their extremism. My role in this work has become a little more prominent and public--I've called the groups out by name at city and county government meetings--and I don't know what the consequences of that might be.

But the baby has her hair up in little twists today, thanks to grandma, and she looks very sweet.
posted by duffell (the precocious) at 6:43 AM on April 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

I had a massively productive weekend and am cleaning out clutter like a freaking boss. I am actually pretty proud of this.
posted by Sophie1 (the bookish) at 8:21 AM on April 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

I am just back in the office after my Taipei/Shanghai trip, and things have piled up. Oy!

Also, someone has apparently stolen my chair while I was away, so I am getting a lot of use from my sit-stand desk setup. Really, folks? We have sunk to chair stealing?
posted by blurker (the one who fights alone) at 9:13 AM on April 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I have a St Matthew Passion on Sunday (choir II plus a couple of arias) and am quietly panicking about it. Bach scares me to bits. Handel is friendly and familiar; I understand Handel. Bach is WAY smarter than me, and is JUDGING me for not understanding him.

But it's with friends, and we'll have drinks and chocolate afterwards, so yay, I guess?
posted by Pallas Athena (the spider) at 10:12 AM on April 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I honestly regret that telling my tale of hospitalization and surgery prompted so many tales of medically worse experiences; I almost feel personally responsible for them happening. I remember back when I was waiting for my Social Security Disability qualification, I was participating in a mefi-semi-affiliated chatroom with several other applicants and felt so guilty that mine passed so quickly and without need for appeal. The reasons, as I have concluded, were (1) I was the only one in the group with Full White Male Privilege, (2) I had stumbled onto a Counselor who knew the system inside out and (3) I had massive support from my last previous employers who felt guilty for laying me off in the first place. But it was hard chatting there after my good fortune.

There are times I feel like my last words on my deathbed will be "I know people who have it worse".
posted by oneswellfoop (the magnificent) at 11:53 AM on April 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

I love metatalktail (not metatarsal, autocorrect!) hour and the windows into my fellow mefite's lives.

I'm in the airport on the way home from luge camp. IT WAS AMAZING YOU GUYS. I LUGED!!!! Many times!! With no crashes!!! And only one hard wall smack! Many, many wall grazes, but those really do not hurt. The only time I cried was at last night's dinner where I talked about how dang proud I am for doing something that is so outside my comfort zone and being surprisingly adequate at it , despite being the least athletic person ever born. Then the Olympian coach turned to me and said 'Fig, that is bullshit. You did great, and are absolutely an athlete.'. I am getting verklempt typing this out. But I really did do well - I got the first sub 40 sec run, and consistently posted fast times and great form.

So, they've run this luge camp for 17 years, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested. it's not cheap, but it is awesome. On top of getting to luge, you forge some pretty deep intimacy fast with your co-lugers, after hanging out in a tiny warming room waiting to slide down an ice track , while dressed in an extremely revealing neck-to-toe suit. It was a wonderful weekend, despite my many, many reservations going in.
posted by Fig (the unready) at 1:28 PM on April 3, 2017 [24 favorites]

Fig, that is such an awesome thing! Is it scary?
posted by Room 641-A (the sly) at 1:32 PM on April 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I was getting verklempt reading that!

Go, Fig, go!
posted by mochapickle (the book-lover) at 1:47 PM on April 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thanks you guys! I forgot to mention that this group had the most women in the camp (4), and I feel extremely blessed to have been a part of that amazing team. Room 641-A -- the first 2ish runs were scary, for sure! After that , you got to learn the track. The last day, we got to do the start (launching yourself with the handle thing), and I had a few scary runs where I wasnt settled in the sled quite right, but just had to deal with it since I was going down the track, and fidgeting results in bad things (the steering is Very sensitive). Before that, you laid down in the sled beforehand and someone gave you a gentle push down the start ramp.
posted by Fig (the unready) at 1:52 PM on April 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

I rarely say this about a fellow MeFite, but.... 'what a luger!'
posted by oneswellfoop (the magnificent) at 2:08 PM on April 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

Moth update: as I expected, the CMR isn't going to confirm my moth as a new species for the British list without a specimen (difficult moth IDs tend to be checked by dissecting the moth’s genitals). Which is slightly disappointing but completely fair. But it’s a species which seems to have been spreading across Europe, and I suspect mine was the first of many in the UK, so perhaps I’ll be vindicated later.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 2:21 PM on April 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Go, Fig!! That sounds fantastic and I am in awe of you!
posted by blurker (the one who fights alone) at 2:57 PM on April 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I spent most of my day stressed out about my mom's health, and also sending in my personal information for a website and brochure. I spent ages trying to decide whether or not to use my full first name (with the added bonus of feeling petty for worrying about such a thing while my mother is in the hospital). My full name feels more professional, but the only person who ever calls me by my full name is my grandfather, usually when he's about to say something that is both clever and kind of mean. So I turned in my paperwork with the name I'm more comfortable with. Then I immediately panicked and worried I'd never go anywhere in life with an unprofessional name (think "Tom" vs. "Thomas"). Then I thought about my mom in the hospital and was like "I guess there are more important things in life to think about." There's a lesson in there somewhere, maybe.

I have earned the evening off and you can't convince me otherwise. I'm going to play that train game.

Also, go Fig!
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk (the rash) at 4:35 PM on April 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I honestly regret that telling my tale of hospitalization and surgery prompted so many tales of medically worse experiences; I almost feel personally responsible for them happening.

I was glad you did! And I told our story mostly out of an urge to solidarity: "What a coincidence! Our family is also facing heart-related health issues!" Also I can add a little extra oomph to wishing you well when I run across your name.
posted by Orlop (the sailor king) at 5:07 PM on April 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Health trivia: finished reading the 150-page booklet that comes with my pacemaker (but is NOT implanted)... I was most impressed by the long gibberish brandname for the device: "MedTronic Amplia MRI™ Quad CRT-D SureScan™" ...how did they get a trademark for "MRI"??

Three days since discharge and no real relief in my wobbly legs or shortness of breath... at least I'm checking back in at the doctor's office on Wednesday. Gonna give them all the talking to my lungs will allow. Tell them this needs to be turned up to 11...maybe 12.
posted by oneswellfoop (the magnificent) at 5:08 PM on April 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Yeah, I remembered that you'd said you were going in for surgery, so I was glad to hear it turned out well! My medical-related post can be blamed on my mom's internal organs.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk (the rash) at 5:09 PM on April 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

April 14, 2017 is my Freedom Day anniversary, the day I escaped my marriage to the domestic violence shelter. Help me celebrate my five years free by donating $5 to the 180 Turning Women's Lives Around shelter. You'd go a long way to helping other ladies and their kids like I was helped since the shelters are run 100% on donations.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit (the tough) at 10:07 AM on April 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Also? Here's five minutes of pure love from Professor Pumpkin Pants the Great Pumpkin Cat.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit (the tough) at 9:02 PM on April 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Here in England, I remain both intrigued and excited at the possibility of Nude Eel Day.
posted by Wordshore at 12:59 PM on April 7, 2017 [1 favorite]

Nude Eel Day

Pix or it didn't happen.
posted by Bruce H. at 9:06 AM on April 8, 2017