Small Talk: The Quiver

[LeighAn]

I decided to watch Reign cause I was bored and I can't figure if it's a period drama, trashy teen soap, royal political drama or a really lame cheap medieval supernatural genre show. It's a very strange show. I don't understand why they need modern pop songs. Also little things like talking about taking trips to Morocco- pretty sure it wasn't a country in 1500-1600s and probably wasn't an exotic vacation locale for European Royals- and reference to condoms and abortions and sex out of wedlock- all things I doubt were as casual and acceptable as the characters act pisses he off a little. And I'm usually not a stickler for historical accuracy. But the clothes jewellery and hair are pretty. Rant over. 

[leopardprint]

8 hours ago, LeighAn said:

And I'm usually not a stickler for historical accuracy. But the clothes jewellery and hair are pretty. Rant over. 

So I've never seen Reign however back when the show premiered the costumes got a lot of attention because the costume designer incorporated a lot of modern fashion brands (it is the CW after all) and I remember reading a blog article by a fashion historian that in one of the scenes they had Mary's ladies in waiting in period accurate costumes for the 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th centuries and that she thought the costume designer was very much in on the joke and playing around with historical accuracy. 

[LeighAn]

The costumes are definitely modern dresses made to look like medieval/Tudor costumes but still pretty haha.

 

Also in the yeah nah that would never of happened department they had an episode were the castle threw an elaborate party for the servants. I don't know much about the 16th century I'll admit but I feel like servants were probably lucky if they got a slice of bread as a reward back then. Oh and also one of the servants gets made Queen for the day and in the process starts a BSDM relationship with the King. 

 

I think the the most annoying part is all of the characters are selfish and terrible people but deeply self righteous at the same time that I find myself rooting for the one character that at least is upfront about her terribleness. Like I'm kind of rooting for Megan Fellows character to beat Mary- go evil Megan Fellows (also you deserve so much better then this trashy show),

[Mellowyellow]

I am happy guys I feel like I can breath again.

The Very Old Decrepit Pup had to be driven to hospital again because it became obvious that he couldn't do a wee. After a harrowing time they've finally found out what's wrong with him. Turns out the pseudoephedrine was messing with the nerves near his bladder causing his bladder to build up.

Anyway, bladder has be drained, he has another 2 day stay at the vet but he is weeing again (Yaaaaaaay of all the things in my life I never thought I'd be so fixated on dog wee or happy about it) and I need to decide what new drug I want to put him on, do lots of washing or use some sort of nappy on him. Hopefully in 5 months that damn implant will run out and he'll get his testosterone back. Should have gone with my Mummy instincts but this was definitely a learning curve.

Also have to say that I love shipping and it's actually helped me so much in this crisis. I actually wrote fanfic last night instead of rocking in the corner crying about his mortality (which is what I was tempted to do). Shipping is so convenient in that you can just abandon the real world and chose to obsess over it as a distraction. Yay for shipping! 

Here he is in his younger years. One of the great loves of my life. I used to sometimes just stare at him and think how undeserving I was to have a boy like him in my life (lol I REALLY worshipped that dog! He was my ultimate bad boy obsession).)

Edited September 14, 2017 by Mellowyellow

[calliope1975]

Last year, my cat had a blocked urethra. It was horrible watching him be unable to pee. After a 3 day vet stay, many, many $$$$ later, and sitting on the floor with him in the bathroom while he struggled in pain to pee for a week, I totally understand. I spent more time worrying about my cat's ability to pee than I have my own. This year, my other cat had diarrhea for 2 months for some unknown reason, and if I never have to think about my cats' bodily functions again, it will be too soon. 

ETA: PET POST!!

 

Edited September 14, 2017 by calliope1975

[LeighAn]

Aweeee if only I could get my pup to sit still for more then thirty seconds Id share a photo as well.

[scarynikki12]

Well if we're bringing the furballs into it...

I present Gus and Cleo. 

[BkWurm1]

Aww!  I have a Cleo as well.  (Plus a Tamsin, a Marco, a Boots and the little wild kitten hanging around outside we feed)  The pooch is a throw back a few years before we had to put our 14 year old Lab/Goldie mix Gaby to sleep.     

 

Edited September 14, 2017 by BkWurm1

[Mellowyellow]

OMG @BkWurm1 I didn't know you had a goldie/lab mix! What a cutie! 

Goldies are my weakness. Before I got my own I used to stalk them when I saw them being walked on the street like a deranged fan! 

[BkWurm1]

3 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

OMG @BkWurm1 I didn't know you had a goldie/lab mix! What a cutie! 

Goldies are my weakness. Before I got my own I used to stalk them when I saw them being walked on the street like a deranged fan! 

She leaned more lab in looks but she was a very sweet soul.  I actually kind of stole her from my brother's family for the last couple years of her life.  She'd been living with three other dogs in an outdoor kennel for many years (when she wasn't running loose during the day) but she was getting so old that I was afraid she wouldn't last another winter.  At the time, I had the basement apartment in a split level that my brother and his family lived in upstairs.  So one day I just let Gaby in downstairs rather than letting her be kenneled up that night and she not only had two more winters but two more summers as well.  :D  Nobody even complained.  She did lord it over the other dogs though, lol.  

[Mellowyellow]

Aww good on you for giving her a nice retirement.

Winter is a scary time for old dogs. My husband fusses and flaps over the old man every winter like it's his last. 

My one does not have the true personality of a golden at all. He is so standoffish and "cool" with everyone but he loves me so he makes me feel pretty special and kind of starstruck that he chose me! You should have seen us in his early years! He was cool as a cucumber and unimpressed with most things while I used to throw myself at him with kisses and cuddles and he'd be like "Just so you know I'm only doing this for you! Doesn't mean I like it!" He's gotten a lot more goofy and snuggly in his old age. 

hehe sorry for the pet invasion folks! 

[LeighAn]

I'd rather talk about pets then Barry Allen so don't apologise for the pet invasion @Mellowyellow ?

[lemotomato]

I love all the pictures of everyone's pets. I've never had one for various reasons, so I've always been envious of other people's cats and dogs, especially dogs. 

[SleepDeprived]

Oh, pet posts! Awww... Animals are the best.

This is my buddy. She's turning 15 in November. She was, actually, my sister's dog but became mine, by default, when my sister had to move and couldn't take her. We had lots of great times when she was younger and she was the best bud ever. But she's been through a lot in her senior years--went through surgery for ovarian cancer because the vet who spayed her left a remnant of the ovary inside which grew into a benign mass that went undetected until she was 13, then went through chemotherapy that caused a small stroke in her brain which was the probable cause of her seizure. According to her neurologist, the seizure, coupled with her advanced age, may have triggered her doggie dementia. She's still quite healthy (her oncologist is always so surprised to see how little she's declined physically despite her mental limitations) and I take care of her the best that I can but it's really hard caring for a dog that suffers from doggie Alzheimers. Even though I've been told that she might not really recognize much anymore because of the deterioration in her memory/learning, there are times when I feel like she remembers me when she looks at me a certain way. I know she's not gonna be here forever (her breed's lifespan is 16 years old) but I love my buddy and, even if she doesn't know me anymore and she's got special needs, I'll still do my best to take care of her until the end of the line.

[Mellowyellow]

@SleepDeprived What a lucky girl she is to have you to love her like that and I'm sure no matter what she does or doesn't remember she can sense that you love her.

[Kymmi]

Oooh, pets are my jam!  I have 2 cats at the moment; Tyra is 9, and she's my moody black OCD cat (won't use a litter box unless it is pristine, has been on kitty pheromones, anti-depressants, nothing works). 

We recently adopted a kitten, Saffron, for my daughter (Tyra likes me and that's about it).  She's a diluted calico and the sweetest, craziest kitten I've ever met.  She can fetch!

[thegirlsleuth]

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in the fan fiction thread, but the writer of the "My Immortal"--which is universally acknowledged to be the worst fan fiction ever written--recently revealed herself. There is a sort of sad/sweet story behind the writer:  At the time she was a 15-year-old girl in foster care after being sexually abused, and she was hoping that her fic would be so popular that she would be able to get the readers to help her find her 5-year-old brother, who had been placed in another home.  There was some question as to whether the bad writing was intentional or unintentional, and the author has declared that it was intentional.  That said, it did give us one of the greatest opening paragraphs since Pride and Prejudice:

"Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). I’m not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a witch, and I go to a magic school called Hogwarts in England where I’m in the seventh year (I’m seventeen). I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there."

The author revealed herself after the big young adult book brouhaha a few weeks back. Additional fandom connection:  the sham publisher involved in the YA book scandal was started by Clare Kramer, who portrayed Glory on Buffy.

Here's an article on the big reveal which includes link to the awesome web series:  https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/9/13/16275802/who-wrote-my-immortal-tara-rose-christo

You may now return to your cute pets.

Edited September 15, 2017 by thegirlsleuth

[Mellowyellow]

Do you have birds that swoop on children where you come from?

Here's another scary Aussie tidbit! Magpies swoop on our children in early spring. In especially bad areas kids need to wear helmets and sunnies when they play or walk to school in early spring if they are around trees/parks.

I've never been attacked by magpies personally but the little minor birds like to fly at my head and try to peck me when I'm dog walking if I walk under their tree so I usually wear a hat.

[BkWurm1]

12 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Do you have birds that swoop on children where you come from?

Here's another scary Aussie tidbit! Magpies swoop on our children in early spring. In especially bad areas kids need to wear helmets and sunnies when they play or walk to school in early spring if they are around trees/parks.

I've never been attacked by magpies personally but the little minor birds like to fly at my head and try to peck me when I'm dog walking if I walk under their tree so I usually wear a hat.

Um, no!

Lol.  If I didn't know better I'd think you were making that up.  

I guess technically, really large eagles have been known to go after cats and dogs so it's not out of the question that they could target toddlers or babies.  And barn swallows are known to swoop, but they are smallish birds and it's more about protecting their nests than targeting kids it's and it's not that common (and happens in barns, lol).  The geese will chase you if you get too close though.  (And bite)  

Edited September 15, 2017 by BkWurm1

[statsgirl]

13 hours ago, thegirlsleuth said:

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in the fan fiction thread, but the writer of the "My Immortal"--which is universally acknowledged to be the worst fan fiction ever written--recently revealed herself. There is a sort of sad/sweet story behind the writer:  At the time she was a 15-year-old girl in foster care after being sexually abused, and she was hoping that her fic would be so popular that she would be able to get the readers to help her find her 5-year-old brother, who had been placed in another home. 

Quote

As the world soon learned, Under the Same Stars is about how Christo purportedly came to write My Immortal as an intentional parody, as a way of meeting new people and using them to help locate her brother. The book’s marketing makes her ploy sound even more exploitative, claiming that she “infiltrated and used the fan fiction community to search for her brother by baiting their attention with a deliberately badly written tale.”

I've never heard about the fic so I'm not upset that it was a deliberately badly written parody.  But I'm struck by the amazing reliance of the writer.  She was 15, she was being sexually abused in foster care, and she was desperate to find her young brother (and probably make sure that he's safe since she wasn't).  That's not exploitative or manipulative, that's strength.

She has all my respect.

Edited September 15, 2017 by statsgirl

[catrox14]

Quote

but the writer of the "My Immortal"--which is universally acknowledged to be the worst fan fiction ever written--recently revealed herself.

Wait, something is WORSE than 50 Shades of Grey, which was fanfiction originally? I don't believe it! LOL

[Mellowyellow]

26 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Um, no!

Lol.  If I didn't know better I'd think you were making that up.  

 

Not at all!!!! Totally normal for us I swear!

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/magpie-put-down-after-attacking-perth-boys/news-story/8d6b4d00ed92286f04a6b4dc29f2994c

There are more articles like this but you get the idea!

[JamieLynn832002]

13 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Do you have birds that swoop on children where you come from?

Here's another scary Aussie tidbit! Magpies swoop on our children in early spring. In especially bad areas kids need to wear helmets and sunnies when they play or walk to school in early spring if they are around trees/parks.

I've never been attacked by magpies personally but the little minor birds like to fly at my head and try to peck me when I'm dog walking if I walk under their tree so I usually wear a hat.

Other than a giant bird that supposedly tried to carry away a child about 30 miles from here a few years before I was born as far as I know there aren't any birds that swoop at children. Magpies sound terrifying.

[Mellowyellow]

Haha I love how what we accept as a normal part of life is terrifying/bizzare to other countries. 

I wish I would pick your brains about stuff that happens in your country that would freak me out. 

[ComicFan777]

I heard that there's fire tornadoes in Australia - do you know if that's common?

[calliope1975]

25 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Haha I love how what we accept as a normal part of life is terrifying/bizzare to other countries. 

You are not selling me on visiting Aus between the giant spiders and attacking birds! :D 

[scarynikki12]

Don't forget the ten foot red jellyfish that hangs out in the Pacific.  I don't know if it's near Australia but I'm sure it will find me if I ever fly down.

[apinknightmare]

I think a good rule of thumb is to never get into water where you can't see your feet.

[Mellowyellow]

17 minutes ago, ComicFan777 said:

I heard that there's fire tornadoes in Australia - do you know if that's common?

We get a lot of bush fires in summer but no fire tornadoes! They are getting good at back burning to make sure things don't get too bad in summer. 

10 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

You are not selling me on visiting Aus between the giant spiders and attacking birds! :D 

I swear the spiders are nothing to be scared of! Only the funnel web and the redback are bad. Everything else is usually fine and eats the bad bugs! I usually try and consult my spider book to check if it's poisonous when I see one in the garden before I kill it.

8 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Don't forget the ten foot red jellyfish that hangs out in the Pacific.  I don't know if it's near Australia but I'm sure it will find me if I ever fly down.

Oooh do you know about the stinging jellyfish in far north Queensland? Causes extreme excruciating pain. We still holiday there every year though. We wear stinger suits before we swim.  

Do you guys really have racoons running around? And bears??? 

Edited September 16, 2017 by Mellowyellow

[scarynikki12]

Just now, Mellowyellow said:

Oooh do you know about the stinging jellyfish in far north Queensland? Causes extreme excruciating pain. We still holiday there every year though. We wear stinger suits before we swim.  

You're doing this on purpose now aren't you?

[lemotomato]

Here's something unique to Australia that's the opposite of terrifying-- quokkas!

My Australian coworker told me about them and how they love to have their picture taken.
Here's more info (and more cute pictures) : https://www.boredpanda.com/cute-smiling-happy-quokkas/

Edited September 16, 2017 by lemotomato

[scarynikki12]

That is the happiest animal I've ever seen.  So cute.

[Mellowyellow]

Just now, scarynikki12 said:

You're doing this on purpose now aren't you?

Lol no seriously we go to Hamilton island or Cairns every year and if you're on a boat tour they hand out stinger suits before you swim. I try to pick the non peak jelly fish season and we brave it in the water without the suits. The suits are a pain!

There are vinegar dispensers on the beach in Cairns so you can vinegar your wound if you get stung before you get to a medical centre. 

[ComicFan777]

We have poisonous fat toads in Arizona that like to camp out on my front porch.  Those kinds of toads are notorious for killing dogs around here.

[scarynikki12]

I might as well join in.  In the (American) South we have cockroaches that are not only gigantic (like, bigger than my thumb) but they also fly.  And you can have the cleanest house and still encounter them because they like to come inside if it's too hot or cold. 

The worst part is that my cats have no interest in killing them.  At best they'll wake up and observe as I spray the demon while screaming in fear.

[statsgirl]

We have ice storms -- freezing cold and you lose electricity.  People who have a wood fireplace or stove and highly desirable friends.

For those who love Australians, specifically Miss Fisher and Friends, there is a kickstarter campaign for a Miss Fisher movie.

[Sakura12]

Australia sounds terrifying. Lol. Still want to visit though. It's the cost and the plane ride that are keeping me from seeing giant spiders and birds and trees that attack people. 

We have Thudersnowstorms here in Chicago and for one freezing cold year a polar vortex that brought us to -50 degrees. We also have Cicadas every single year and those things just dive bomb down from trees for no reason. One of my dogs used to love eating them.  

[Mellowyellow]

@statsgirl how cold is your average run of the mill winter?

At around 16 degrees Celsius we start to freak out about how cold it is.

We get ant invasions and there always seems to be a cockroaches season when the weather gets warm. I have this unnatural rage towards roaches! They really offend me! I usually try to whack them with a paper catalogue but if I get a stubborn bugger who dodges me a few times I lose my sh@t, stick my hand in bag, grab it and squash it! I keep a small stash of plastic packaging around so I can reuse them as gloves when it's roach season.

Queensland has cane toads which poisons dogs if they lick them. Only reason why we won't move there. That and the bad asian food! I adore Queensland!

[statsgirl]

16 Celsius is a coolish summer day.  One summer the temperature never got above 18.

Our winters actually aren't too bad.  It used to be that they floated around freezing, leading to a freeze/thaw cycle that was murder on the roads.  Lately winters have been warmer with the occasional big cold.  Winnipeg is colder; the high in winter averages minus16C.

Vancouver is one of the warmest cities in Canada.  Excluding the snow this winter (hello, climate weirding), it snows about 11 days a year but the snow doesn't stay on the ground long,  That's something the rest of the country envies.

[Mellowyellow]

OMG I just googled average winter temperatures for Vancouver! It's 4 degrees C in January!!!!!

That is soooo cold!!!!!! Like so so so frigging cold! I was born in South East Asian so I'm uncomfortable at anything below 20 degrees C.

Can you wear dresses in summer? Are you all super cold resistent? Do people walk around in summery cotton dresses if your summer temperatures are only 18 degrees C.

In Kim's Convenience they all looked so....warm and comfortable and didn't seem to be heavily layered! 

[Sakura12]

You'd hate Chicago then, our average temp in January is -6 degrees C. 

[Mellowyellow]

haha my bestie wears two pairs of pants when it's 16 degrees C and tells me off for wearing a thick dress with stockings! I can't imagiine what she'd be like at -6 degrees C!

Funny story a looong time ago she was online dating and refused to go out with a dude because he was SOOO into snow boarding. They exchanged messages and he was pretty nice but she was like "I don't see a future with someone who likes such a cold activity so much."

[statsgirl]

Is Chicago still very windy?  That makes the cold so much worse for me.

I think for many 18C is sweater weather, over the summer frocks for most people.  I think it's perfect tennis weather.  In Kim's Convenience (s2 starting Sept 26 ) they're under the warm lights.  But they also shoot partly in the summer where it gets into the upper 20s, humidity into the low 30s (I hate the humidity).

What surprised me is that cities like Edmonton don't put salt on the roads when it's icy because it doesn't get warm enough for the salt to work.  They use sand instead.

Edited September 16, 2017 by statsgirl

[Sakura12]

8 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

Is Chicago still very windy?  That makes the cold so much worse for me.

I think for many 18C is sweater weather, over the summer frocks for most people.  I think it's perfect tennis weather.  In Kim's Convenience (s2 starting Sept 26 ) they're under the warm lights.  But they also shoot partly in the summer where it gets into the upper 20s.

What surprised me is that cities like Edmonton don't put salt on the roads when it's icy because it doesn't get warm enough for the salt to work.  They use sand instead.

Yes it is, that's why our weather people usually gives us the temp and the temp plus wind chill which usually brings it to - 9 degree C. They go with this is the temperature, but this is it what it really feels like. Of course after those days or days that reach -23 c we consider anything around -1 c warm. And now I've used Celsius to describe my weather more times than I ever have before. Lol

Edited September 16, 2017 by Sakura12

[statsgirl]

We get wind chill too. It's worse than the cold.

24 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

And now I've used Celsius to describe my weather more times than I ever have before. Lol

Hee.  Whenever I email with American friends, I try to translate all the C temperatures and the kilogram and kilometres in my head just to make sure it's still working. 

[bijoux]

I tried to find the information about average temperatures in continental Croatia, but it's confusing. This summer we had about 40C. The bad part was that it was in the 35-40C range for weeks. That was exhausting. Usually, 30C is what I'd call the norm. In the winter, I'd say mostly it's somewhere in the -5-0C range. -10 isn't that unusual, and sometimes it drops a little below. Funnily enough, there's usually no wind with lower temperatures. Plus, no mush, i.e. the worst part of winter. Super cold, sunny winter days can actually be beautiful.

[Kymmi]

6 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Haha I love how what we accept as a normal part of life is terrifying/bizzare to other countries. 

I wish I would pick your brains about stuff that happens in your country that would freak me out. 

Have you heard of Donald Trump?

[Kymmi]

Ice storms are really freaky.  You can hear the ice groaning and cracking on tree branches.  It's so cold, and so dry that I could never try a door handle/knob without shocking myself with static electricity.  I grew up in a beach town in Northern California, and Virginia winters were so weird.  Snow is one thing, and manageable, but there's not a lot you can do about an ice storm.  

[Mellowyellow]

Ohhh good nature thing about Aus! We have the CUTEST Cockatoos and Corellas!

You feed them at the park and they will sit on your shoulder or head and take food from your fingers. They are also fairly good natured. They aren't tame enough to be patted but if you try and pat them they'll just squawk at you and tell you off, they won't bite!

[BkWurm1]

10 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

We get a lot of bush fires in summer but no fire tornadoes! They are getting good at back burning to make sure things don't get too bad in summer. 

I swear the spiders are nothing to be scared of! Only the funnel web and the redback are bad. Everything else is usually fine and eats the bad bugs! I usually try and consult my spider book to check if it's poisonous when I see one in the garden before I kill it.

Oooh do you know about the stinging jellyfish in far north Queensland? Causes extreme excruciating pain. We still holiday there every year though. We wear stinger suits before we swim.  

Do you guys really have racoons running around? And bears??? 

I'm out in the country now (the neighbor behind us has cows) and yes to raccoons but when I lived in the suburbs also yes to raccoons.  Back then we'd have to strap the garbage lids on or the raccoons would go through your trash.  Here in the country we never have that problem but I put cat food outside and now we have the biggest, fattest raccoon I've ever seen that cleans up and kibble not eaten during the day every night.  Size of a springer spaniel but a lot wider. So damm cute though.   Love 

No bears this far south in my state but lots of them up north were it is more wilderness.  And some wolves as well.

9 hours ago, statsgirl said:

We have ice storms -- freezing cold and you lose electricity.  People who have a wood fireplace or stove and highly desirable friends.

For those who love Australians, specifically Miss Fisher and Friends, there is a kickstarter campaign for a Miss Fisher movie.

Love Miss Fisher!   It kills me they did so few episodes.  

 

@Mellowyellow. Here's the average temp, the record highs, and record lows for where I live.  Just to give you a feel for some of the extremes we might get, lol.  (Also, the summer averages make it seem a lot cooler than reality which is normally 3 months of anywhere between 27 to 33 C)

Twin Cities (Minnesota) Celsius

           ( Average temp but *Record highs and lows )

         Avg  High*  Low*

Jan:  -11    14     -41

Feb:   -7    18     -36

Mar:  0      28     -36

April:  8     35     -17

May:  15    41      -8

June:  20  40       1

July:  23   42       6

Aug:  22   39       4

Sept:  16  40     -3

Oct:      9  32    -12

Nov:     0  25    -32

Dec:    -7  20   -39

 

But like @Sakura12 mentioned with Chicago, wind chill is a big deal here as well.  

Anytime after December and before April, 5 degrees Celsius (41 F) is a warm balmy day where everyone will ditch their coats.  Come fall though we will complain how cold that same temp is, lol   

Edited September 16, 2017 by BkWurm1