Drive Me To Distraction! August 17, 2011 5:27 PM Subscribe
Seeking your favorite "all-consuming, seriously-fascinating, makes-me-forget-the-outside-world-exists" FPPs to read when I need to distract myself.
I'm in the midst of a tense stretch during my job hunt, and got fidgety and nervous while waiting to hear back from job leads today and had the idea to read the Schroedinger's Rapist thread again, from start to finish. It snapped me out of the obsessive worry (and when I was done, I even got a call about a job interview tomorrow!)
Love to hear more of your favorite "couldn't stop reading" threads in case that happens again -- funny, angry, serious, sad, jubiliant, what have you, just as long as they had you completely riveted.
Thanks!
I'm in the midst of a tense stretch during my job hunt, and got fidgety and nervous while waiting to hear back from job leads today and had the idea to read the Schroedinger's Rapist thread again, from start to finish. It snapped me out of the obsessive worry (and when I was done, I even got a call about a job interview tomorrow!)
Love to hear more of your favorite "couldn't stop reading" threads in case that happens again -- funny, angry, serious, sad, jubiliant, what have you, just as long as they had you completely riveted.
Thanks!
What I do in situations like this is do a search in MetaTalk for things like "racist" "asshole" "bullshit" and "troll." Hours of reading material.
posted by Bookhouse at 5:34 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by Bookhouse at 5:34 PM on August 17, 2011
and had the idea to read the Schroedinger's Rapist thread again
GO OUTSIDE.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:47 PM on August 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
GO OUTSIDE.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:47 PM on August 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
Not like that, Hoopo -- sorry, that was a bad way of putting it. It was just a Very Big Thing that my brain could occupy itself with and thus break the cycle of "check-monster.com-one-more-time-apply-to-something-check-email-see-if-they've-called-yet-go-check-linked-in-find-more-jobs-apply-more-check-email-see-if-anyone's-called-in-the-past-five-minutes-go-find-more-jobs-ack". And reading something that big is what stopped me from doing that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:47 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:47 PM on August 17, 2011
Oh you're just in time. Also, yeah. Additionally you could torture yourself here, or be possibly gleeful here.
posted by cashman at 6:04 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by cashman at 6:04 PM on August 17, 2011
You might want to look at some of the winners from the Best Post Contests. I usually enjoy them and they're rarely newsy stuff like you might find if you're checking favorite lists. Here's December 2010, December 2006 and August 2006. I'm sure there are more somewhere but it's a little tough tracking them down. I'll add some tag to all of them so I can find them in the future.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:05 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:05 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
what part of the cow do you use in the burgers cos i heard it was the teeth.
Also, Fanta is FISH SODA.
posted by zarq at 6:10 PM on August 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
Also, Fanta is FISH SODA.
posted by zarq at 6:10 PM on August 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
There was once a post about a guy who melted down alluminum siding to make a bike. And maybe another post on how to make homemade metal lathes. Maybe 10 years back? I stayed up all night reading everthing on the web about making your own blast furnaces and matal lathes by following the links in those posts,and I was totally going to do it but I fell asleep. Anyone have links to those posts? I would like to pick up where I left off and make a blast furnace and a metal lathe.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:27 PM on August 17, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Ad hominem at 6:27 PM on August 17, 2011 [4 favorites]
I Have a Dirty Sack
I can haz marketshare
Pulp Shakespeare
DIE HARD: Dysfunctional cop saves marriage by murdering foreign national.
You'll put your eye out!
posted by zarq at 6:40 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I can haz marketshare
Pulp Shakespeare
DIE HARD: Dysfunctional cop saves marriage by murdering foreign national.
You'll put your eye out!
posted by zarq at 6:40 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
You like anger and invective? How about the Metafilter thread about the disappearance of Violet Blue from Boing Boing! (Boy, does that seem like way less of a big deal now. . . .)
posted by grobstein at 7:12 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by grobstein at 7:12 PM on August 17, 2011
Seeking your favorite "all-consuming, seriously-fascinating, makes-me-forget-the-outside-world-exists" FPPs to read when I need to distract myself.
Can't you just get drunk like a normal person?
posted by jonmc at 7:19 PM on August 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
Can't you just get drunk like a normal person?
posted by jonmc at 7:19 PM on August 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
This is Metafilter. There are no normal people here.
posted by crunchland at 7:26 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by crunchland at 7:26 PM on August 17, 2011
Look up the meta callout on people using the term "mouthbreathers" for a good lol
posted by 1000monkeys at 7:28 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by 1000monkeys at 7:28 PM on August 17, 2011
This is Metafilter. There are no normal people here.
Eh. Weird is the new normal, dude.
posted by jonmc at 7:32 PM on August 17, 2011
Eh. Weird is the new normal, dude.
posted by jonmc at 7:32 PM on August 17, 2011
If you haven't already, work your way through the Anniversary Cat-Scan page, some seriously good posts there (even if they aren't threads). Good luck on the job hunt.
posted by arcticseal at 7:45 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by arcticseal at 7:45 PM on August 17, 2011
God, that McDonald's thread makes me laugh out loud every time I go back to it.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:26 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:26 PM on August 17, 2011
I spent most of today rereading the Amy Chua Tiger Mother and attendant Metatalk thread. I don't really know why.
posted by Errant at 9:47 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by Errant at 9:47 PM on August 17, 2011
Ad hominem, is this the post you're looking for?
posted by lesli212 at 9:56 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by lesli212 at 9:56 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Thanks lesi212!
posted by Ad hominem at 10:14 PM on August 17, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 10:14 PM on August 17, 2011
Ralph Wiggum declares himself a Viking, sparking a 467-comment debate.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:41 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 641-A at 10:41 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Can't you just get drunk like a normal person?
....Not while I'm still at work. They tend to frown on that. (Technically, they frown on websurfing, but it's a lot easier to do that subtly than it would be to mix a Ramos Gin Fizz in the break room.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:42 AM on August 18, 2011
....Not while I'm still at work. They tend to frown on that. (Technically, they frown on websurfing, but it's a lot easier to do that subtly than it would be to mix a Ramos Gin Fizz in the break room.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:42 AM on August 18, 2011
The massive Egypt threads from Jan/Feb of this year had me on the edge of my seat for day after day.
posted by marsha56 at 6:12 AM on August 18, 2011
posted by marsha56 at 6:12 AM on August 18, 2011
I'm sad that the McDonalds question page is no longer a question page.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:47 AM on August 18, 2011
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:47 AM on August 18, 2011
You can still ask questions. And they still list 3300+ questions answered, none of which mention the Spurlock McGurgles. Guess they edited out a few.
posted by zarq at 9:03 AM on August 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by zarq at 9:03 AM on August 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh! I did not look carefully enough. I am happy!
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:07 AM on August 18, 2011
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:07 AM on August 18, 2011
Revisiting the "That's where I'm a Viking" thread that Room 641-A mentioned above, and giggling helplessly at the level of crankypants on display.
posted by catlet at 1:50 PM on August 18, 2011
posted by catlet at 1:50 PM on August 18, 2011
What experience most shaped who you are?.
It's chatfilter, but it's astonishingly good chatfilter. That thread was a big reason why I ponied up the five bucks.
Also I still get a bit misty when I get to the story about the girl seeing her father rescue someone from an escalator accident. Puts my heart in my mouth even when I know how it ends.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:23 AM on August 19, 2011
It's chatfilter, but it's astonishingly good chatfilter. That thread was a big reason why I ponied up the five bucks.
Also I still get a bit misty when I get to the story about the girl seeing her father rescue someone from an escalator accident. Puts my heart in my mouth even when I know how it ends.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:23 AM on August 19, 2011
My lot in life has improved a bit, and I'm doing better, but this is great. Thanks and I'm eager for more.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:05 AM on August 19, 2011
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:05 AM on August 19, 2011
I've just run across this 22 minute epic. Don't know if music applies to your recent needs, but it is pretty damn cool:
Mathowie's Community Blog
Also love this: 88 Lines About 44 Mefites
posted by Glinn at 2:59 PM on August 20, 2011
Mathowie's Community Blog
Also love this: 88 Lines About 44 Mefites
posted by Glinn at 2:59 PM on August 20, 2011
How about the Kaycee Nicole thread, which was the first thing I ever read on Metafilter, and possibly the prototype for hyperemotional megathreads to this day.
posted by Grangousier at 4:39 PM on August 20, 2011
posted by Grangousier at 4:39 PM on August 20, 2011
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Also any of the Palin ones, for grar-y lulz.
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:30 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]