Small Talk: The Library

[cko]

Big hugs to Barphe. Vent all you want, that's what we are here for. You are amazingly strong, as you have shown in your support for the rest of us here when we've gone through our stuff, so yeah.

 

Elder care issues are overwhelming and all-encompassing as many of us here know. I only have the one parent, and no in-laws (I want to say thank heaven, though I'm sure lots of in-laws are wonderful and non-burdensome). I've really been aware lately, in trying to get coverage for Dad for my various jaunts, just how all my daily thoughts, plans, and action are intertwined with him and his needs.

 

Of course you parents out there know what this is like. And many of you are doing both; I stand (or rather lie) in awe.

 

Kudos to all of us. Whatever our privilege or hardship, we are all here trying to be good people, enjoy the things we love, be there for our friends (each other) and our loved- and not-so-loved ones. That's a lot.

[buffyjunkie]

Crap Barphe, there is only so much one person can handle. Please take care of yourself. Hugs.

[harrie]

I'm way late, but wish you many hugs and much strength, Barphe.  

 

Assisted living might be a good (and logical) option, but not everyone will accept it.  My parents would not. Period. End of discussion.

[harrie]

And buffyjunkie, I hope your poison ivy is healing quickly.  The hub got it years ago and ended up in the emergency room (which also our walk-in place around here) with disgusting, oozing sores.  The upside being that they took him almost immediately so as not to gross out the other people in the waiting room. 

 

This weekend was the Gathering of the Vibes, a four-day music festival.  I didn't go, being a semi-agoraphobe, but a local radio station played a lot of the music live, and I found some great new bands -- like Dumpstaphunk, Barefoot Truth, Orgone  -- in addition to ones I already like, like Ziggy Marley, Edward Sharpe/Magnetic Zeros, Trombone Shorty, Rusted Root (and John Fogerty, who I totally missed).   Plus Wavy Gravy, for anyone who might remember him - he turned 78 on Saturday.  

Edited August 3, 2014 by harrie

[Endeavour]

Finding new groups/music is always fun. I gave up on the radio years ago though. There was one great localish station that I found a lot of new music through, but it switched over to a style I didn't care for. I do find some new groups through Pandora. I don't listen as much as I used to.

Going back a bit for this...

 

Man, things were always gigantic back in the day. So nice most things are more compact nowadays.

 

How about the early cell phones? Did anyone have one of those? They were huge. Mine looked something like this:

 

Heh, I'm so old.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Vibes and Love to everyone.

 

I didn't get a cell phone until 2005.  My Mom got all wigged out and decided that I *must* get one in case a disaster.  I resented her for her nagging.  Now I don't think I could live without mine.  Especially since I can read kindle books on it too.  I laughed when I recently caught a 90210 episode and the phones were so bulky.

 

I can't believe how expensive movies are.  "They" say it is because movie piracy is such a problem, but then people resort to pirated movies because movie tickets are so expensive.  We joke in the theatre that it's cheaper to see a small show than it is to see a movie and buy popcorn.  

 

I don't know how to find interesting music anymore.  I know I was able to find it when I was a kid but now, I'm flummoxed.  Pardon me while I now go tell some kids to get off my lawn.

[buffyjunkie]

Heh, I made my daughter watch Somewhere in Time with me this afternoon and had to explain that CR was considered quite the dish in his day, that JS was a Bond girl, and that CR's character was using a type writer. Needless to say, the girl fell asleep half way through. Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueler have held up better.

Thanks for the well wishes Harrie. Unfortunately, it feels like the ivy mocks me. "Hey, remember that time when you were on vacation and happy? Welcome back to the real world, sucka."

[Chyna]

I had one of those phones with the attached case too, Endeavour! It was one of the earliest car phones and I thought I was sooo cool. The husband (then boyfriend) lived about an hour away and there were some dangerous neighborhoods between us (and his broke ass didn't have a car) so it seemed like a good idea. I kept it for a few years, and when I went to the cell shop to trade it in, the dude was like, "Wow--these are still out there?"

[KittenPokerCheater]

buffyjunkie,  call your doctor for a prednisone shot or some pills.  It will TOTALLY do the trick.  I had poison sumac when I was a teenager, and that's what they gave me.  

 

I never saw Somewhere in Time, but I can see how dirty dancing would  hold up pretty well.  I wonder how long it will take someone to remake it, since I hear they are also remaking point break.  If they cast Zac Ephron as Johnny Utah (or Bodhi), I may cry.

[Endeavour]

I got mine because I have no sense of direction so it was for safety reasons too. Although, I believe one of the first calls (if not the first) a friend and I made was to order pizza so it would be ready to pick up when we got there.

 

I don't know how to find interesting music anymore.

Give Pandora or a like app a try. I found some good music through that.

[Harvester]

Patrick Swayze in his day was just outrageously hot. I loved Dirty Dancing and I think I always will, dumbass sequel notwithstanding.

[Chyna]

I believe one of the first calls (if not the first) a friend and I made was to order pizza so it would be ready to pick up when we got there.

 

 

I still think that's one of the awesomest things you can do with a mobile phone.

[AnnieF]

I don't know how to find interesting music anymore. I know I was able to find it when I was a kid but now, I'm flummoxed.

It's almost backwards, but it was...simpler, maybe, to find the new cool music back in the day? For me it was super-simple -- we went to Mirabelli's Music City (in the mall, of course) and checked out the latest imports from England. Usually cassette tapes, sometimes albums, and always expensive, because they actually came from England. PHYSICALLY. So freakin' weird to think about now.

[Endeavour]

There was a small record shop a short walk from my house growing up. I was there all the time. I remember waiting for albums to be delivered that were just coming out or special ordering some. There was no downloading songs or listening to a sample, just flipping through all the albums and deciding to take a chance if you only knew one song. It's funny - my niblings will now make a special trip to a couple of the stores that still carry "vinyl" and buy records occasionally.

[trudi-tru]

I'm in Canada! Montreal to be precise.

I' ve seen a lot of squirrels already! And a racoon came tapping on my window!! Weeee!

[KittenPokerCheater]

double post.

 

Sorry.  Someone use their cell phone to order a pizza, and maybe all will be well.

Edited August 4, 2014 by KittenPokerCheater

[KittenPokerCheater]

Squirrels!  Racoons!*

 

I'm glad you made it to this part of the planet and all its flora and fauna.

 

Happy Monday everyone!

 

 

 

*I see Erratic's work is done.  There's a rumor that in her spare time, she's a disney princess who can talk to animals.

[Earl Is Dead]

I realized a few years ago that I had no influx of new music into my life either.  The only time I listen to the radio is when I'm in the car, and that's rarely for music anymore.  As odd as it sounds, I have found a number of songs and artists by googling for songs I hear as part of commercials or TV shows. 

 

Anti-itch vibes to you @buffyjunkie .  I am mosquito bait myself, so I can (sort of) relate.

[AnnieF]

Squirrels! Racoons!

Vermin! :P (I only kind of kid; raccoons are the worst. Getting into garbage cans, making enormous messes, stealing any other food you might be foolish enough to put outside [if you have raccoons you can't have any other pet food outside]. They will also raid your fruit trees. And then there's the rabies. Yay raccoons! Heh).

Seriously though, I hope you have a great visit, trudi, and I'm jealous of all y'all who are meeting up. Take pics! :-)

[Loandbehold]

 

Patrick Swayze in his day was just outrageously hot. I loved Dirty Dancing and I think I always will, dumbass sequel notwithstanding.

There was a sequesl to Dirty Dancing? What was it called, Dirtier Dancing? Clean Dancing? Slow Ambling? (Dirty Dancing did take place in the Catskills, right?)

 

My dad bough a car phone in the early 80s. And, I used to go record shopping at a place near the Empire State Building where I was working during summers and winters while off from college. Once, I got a Doors album which was badly warped. I went to exchange it and they said I hadn't bought it from them b/c the album was an import from Canada (it had a small maple leaf on the back). I knew I had, so we looked and found another copy of the record and it had the maple leaf. So, there, Jack Black (High Fidelity reference).

 

Welcome (back) to North America, trudi tru!

[Erratic]

Welcome to Canada, Trudi-Tru!!!

Enjoy our maple syrup and friendly Mounties.

[Harvester]

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights featured an appearance by Johnny Castle (who approved that name?) but was mostly a shitty "reimagining" of the story. Perhaps sequel was the wrong word.

[Valny]

Trudi-tru - Yay for arriving in Canada on the first part of your journey/vacation. Just don't pet the raccoons, ok?

How's the weather over there? It's beautiful in the NY area.

 

My dad bough a car phone in the early 80s.

 

I think the first time I saw a car phone was on Charlie's Angels. Shut up, I liked that show. It was so bad it was good.

 

I have a summer cold. Blah. Or allergies. Not sure. But the guy who sits next to me at work was sick a couple of weeks ago and was still coughing last week so I'm thinking his germs had to fly by me sometime.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Valny

[KittenPokerCheater]

Really?  Johnny Castle was in a sequel/reimagining?  Gah.

 

Raccoons are adorable when they are babies, but when the grow up, they very much less so.  They always knew how to open garbage cans (and in some cases, pull them out of the ground).  They are, however, less objectionable than skunks.  Our dog used to get "skunked" and the first time it happened we tried to give her a tomato juice bath.  Not only didn't it work, but our dog escaped the tub and ran out into the rest of the house, tomato juice all over the place until we finally caught her.  It sort of looked like a murder scene, which was awesome to my sister and I, and far less so to our Mom.

 

After that, she went to a groomer.

I hope you are all having a spectacular time visiting each other.  Photos or it never happened.  

Edited August 5, 2014 by KittenPokerCheater

[Earl Is Dead]

Raccoons are sort of an unfortunate constant on my property.  They mostly keep to themselves, the exception being that they love my birdfeeder.  I once saw what I can only assume was an adolescent one, basically raccoon-shaped but without its black markings, and I swear all I could think was R.O.U.S. 

[harrie]

Summer colds are going around - my sympathies, valny.   I had mine for about two weeks, but my lungs are crappy, so hope yours is much shorter in duration. Or, best scenario, not a full-blown cold, just a bad day or two.

 

In high school I was one of the few in our crowd who had a car - a 1969 Barracuda, nothing great -- and I took a friend to the phone store to pick up a phone for her room. (This was the late '70s, and AT&T had stores for landline phones.)  So anyway, we drove around and Nancy picked up her receiver and started talking on it and stuff.  We got some looks, and it was fun for a while.  And that is as close as I ever got to a having a car phone. 

 

In college a custodian fended off a raccoon that apparently didn't want me to get to class - I couldn't get past him to the building door.   Since then I have not had any love for the rackety-coon.   

 

Our condo sprang up in a very wooded area, and we're still surrounded by woods and thus critters.  When we first moved in there was a tank-size skunk  who was very cool and very laid back, and he'd lumber around, no problems.  He's long gone, and the ones we have now will skunk you in a heartbeat; luckily, they're pretty ant-social and so scarce during people hours. 

 

To keep up with the nature motif, this weekend in the garden a hummingbird stopped in to feed on some zinnias and didn't notice me so I was able to watch him from a couple feet away.   And a sparrow was hassling the resident hawk, and sent him flying over our garden, only about ten feet off the ground - could even hear the whoosh of his wings. It made all the weeding and bugs and stuff seem worthwhile.

 

Sorry for the oversharing!

Edited August 5, 2014 by harrie

[cko]

- a 1969 Barracuda, nothing great --

 

What! Toooo cooool.

 

AnnieF, I am in your (wet, foggy) neck of the woods! Dang, it POURED on us all the way over the hill, crazy fog and trucks sending up sprays of water, and gorgeous views. Here for a quick jaunt with multiple cousins and Julie. Tell me which direction to look, I'll see if I can see your house from here! *waves*

 

RE: New music--my sis Lori and I have a theory that at a Certain Age--put it at age 42, hah--something happens to your brain that closes it off to new music. After that you have to consciously work at it. I didn't realize this had happened to me until one day, at a new student orientation fair, there was a booth where they were playing "name that tune" and I didn't recognize a single one (or at least not as fast as the dude who was playing the game). And after he said the names, I had only heard of one of the songs he called out. (It was Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry, which had already been out for years). Let me tell you, that was a dark day for me. Talk about a mortality check, it was worse than finding one's first grey hair (which I got in my 20s so no big) or a landmark birthday. After that I gave up and didn't try again 'til my 50s. How I do it now is I watch music award shows, listen to satellite radio, and if I hear something I like, I look it up. That and YouTube odysseys. Still tough, though.

 

One factor is that, while up to my 30s I had music on ALL THE TIME, now I can't work with it on, and don't care for it playing when I'm doing stuff around the house. Also, no great (independent) radio stations.

 

On the upside, my sis and I went to see a casino show of "Broadway Showstoppers" that covered shows from several decades (Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, Grease, and the current spate of "jukebox musicals") and during their tribute to Stomp I turned to her and said "God I'm glad I missed out on the 90s." Apologies to those who loved that show, but it was the 90s "costumes," LOL. (Apologies to those who wore those outfits, I'm sure you looked fantastic!)

 

Edited because "doing stuff around the house" is not the same as "dong stuff around the house", at least not for me.

Edited August 5, 2014 by cko

[AnnieF]

It rained all day yesterday, and it is still raining now. I have no words for this weirdness. Water comes from the sky in flakes, derp, everyone knows that. This liquid thing is too frelling weird. ;)

[harrie]

QUOTE

- a 1969 Barracuda, nothing great --

What! Toooo cooool.

 

 

Edited because "doing stuff around the house" is not the same as "dong stuff around the house", at least not for me.

 

I grew up in a wealthy town (Westport CT), where lots of kids drove their brand new Camaro Z28s, Firebirds, and 280Zs to school.  One kid even had a car for nice weather and (what he considered) a junker for bad weather so he didn't mess up his favorite car.  Plus my mother banged up the 'Cuda, didn't get it repaired, and handed it down to me. So.....well, at least I had transportation, and it was semi-indestructible.  Can't complain too much. 

 

The character actress Mary Wickes had a highly developed sense of propriety and thus turned down a grandmother role in Sixteen Candles.  She would have played the part that went to Bille Bird - the woman who keeps saying "Dong! Dong!"   So thanks for the chuckle, re dong stuff around the house. 

 

I must be blessed re finding music.  There's a Long Island station, WEHM (they stream, too) that plays all kinds of music - great old stuff, lots of new stuff, and of varied genres.  I also subscribe - I don't recall how, maybe through following Rhett Miller? -- to Noise Trade e-mails highlighting mostly new, smaller artists.  You can listen to stuff to decide how you feel about it, and downloads are free, with the option to make a contribution.   They also do books, same way.  The website is noisetrade.com if anyone's interested in checking it out. 

[romantic idiot]

I'm not sure what cool music is, but i've definitely come across a lot of new to me music on Glee. And the radio for the Bollywood movie songs - especially a few years ago when I'd go to office by office cab. I also used to come across a lot of nice songs in school and college at the cultural festivals. 

 

My first cellphone was in college - a pretty big one that I'd clip to my belt. And for same reason as the most - safety. I was travelling by myself to college (in the same city but way far, an hour away) and my mother wanted to keep in touch. 

[trudi-tru]

I'm on a train from Montreal to Quebec City. There's supposed to be a parade tomorrow with costumes and fireworks. Neat.

The two ladies from California who were at the B&B with me told me. They're going to Quebec too, only by bus. What a coincidence.

 

Barphe, you can vent here whenever you want and about whatever you want, from the more serious (like you are experiencing right now) to the more trivial.

I hope you and your husband can find an arrangement that's good both for you and for your in-laws.

 

if I want to go into the city for an I-Max show, it's $25

Whaaaaaaaaa?

 

harvester, I thought I was the only one who saw that movie. Heh. The kids were cute, though.

 

Speaking of old cell phone, do you guys remember that giant thing Saved by the Bell's Zach used to carry around?

[Erratic]

My first car and first cell phone were both seven years ago, when I finally moved to a place that had both roads and cell towers. It was a very exciting time!

[Barphe]

My first car was a 1966 Volvo sedan. It was a tank. I once grazed a Honda hatchback and the poor Honda had a dent the size of a boot.

My first cell phone was in 1995 -- my mom didn't like the neighborhood my grad school was in (bars on the windows, bulletproof glass on the liquor shops.....) so, to be 'safe.' 

[Harvester]

My first car was a 1984 Ford Tempo. I would turn off the ignition, and it would just keep grinding and lurching. It was a total piece.

I had a prepaid cell phone for years. Last year, I backed down and got an iphone with a plan.

[Hostile16]

I had a yellow Plymouth Arrow with black interior and no A/C. In the South.

 

And I once had such a bad case of poison ivy -- down the insides of my legs -- that I missed a week of school, including the class picnic /still bitter. You could watch it throb like something I caught from a flying saucer in a fifties sci-fi movie.

 

Barphe, don't the in-laws qualify for some type of medical assistance? I agree that assisted living should definitely be looked into as an option; it seems that both of them are going to need graduated care that two working parents simply cannot provide.

[harrie]

I had a yellow Plymouth Arrow with black interior and no A/C. In the South.

 

 

The good old bumblebee car.  A classic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry I killed the forum.

Edited August 6, 2014 by harrie

[Barphe]

I won the lottery!! No, not in money, but in getting to spend time with the fabulous, gorgeous and extremely talented KPC. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

Barphe and I had a great time.  So much fun, in fact, that we forgot to steal each other's organs.  At least I think I have both my kidneys (one which I stole from cko the last time she was out East).  We both wished we could be out in Chicago for the latest Meet Up.

 

If it rained out by you, Annie, does this mean the drought is over?  I thinking of sending my sister cases of water for her birthday, since the drought out in CA has been so bad.  She only thinks I'm kidding.

 

How is your cold doing val?

[Hostile16]

Watching Deep Impact tonight was improved by seeing a spotty, hair-parted-in-the-middle,  15- or 16-year-old Jason Dohring in a scene as an obnoxious teen. An age appropriate teen.

 

Also, for The West Wing fans, there was the James Cromwell, Richard Schiff, Mary McCormick hat trick.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Hostile16

[Erratic]

Wasn't Laura Innes is Deep Impact too?

I have my Mud hero run on Sunday. We are camping the entire weekend, and my newly married friend is coming in from Vancouver for the race too. It's going to be a good weekend :)

[Hostile16]

She was! However, all she did was carry around a child-sized plot device. If I have to listen to that voice, I want caustic Kerry or sleep-around Bunny.

[Valny]

Summer colds are going around - my sympathies

 

 

Thanks harrie. Summer colds should be outlawed!

 

How is your cold doing val.

 

 



 

Better thanks KPC. It's still lingering but it's almost gone.  As long as I don't lose my sense of taste, I can deal. When the taste buds go, then I'm pissed.

 

And I once had such a bad case of poison ivy -- down the insides of my legs -- that I missed a week of school, including the class picnic /still bitter. You could watch it throb like something I caught from a flying saucer in a fifties sci-fi movie.

 

 

Eeew, nasty!  And if someone touched it with a stick, it would latch onto their hand and infect then kill them!

 

@KPC- are you all ready and psyched for your first performance this Sunday?

Edited August 8, 2014 by Valny

[KittenPokerCheater]

I am excited about opening on Sunday.  I wish we had a few more rehearsals, but I always wish that.  Some casual friends of mine are in fringe shows that are already selling out- and while I am happy for them, they are doing a lot of gloating online, and are acting a little condescending to the" little shakespeare play" I'm doing.  It's made for a confusing day.  I wish I was popular the way some folks were. Man, do we ever get out of middle school?

 

BUT it's the weekend and my show opens sunday.  Yaaaaaaaay!

 

Any news from Trudi and Co?  I hope hey are having an great time.

What are everyone else up to this weekend?

Edited August 8, 2014 by KittenPokerCheater

[harrie]

Man, do we ever leave get out of middle school?

 

 

Sadly, I do not think so.  

 

Best of luck, KPC, and kick ass and all that good stuff.

 

I saw Boyhood today and it is every bit as good as everyone is saying;  if you have the opportunity to see it, I highly recommend.   (Small warning, it's close to three hours long but does not feel like it at all.)

Edited August 9, 2014 by harrie

[Endeavour]

Best of luck on Sunday @KittenPokerCheater!

Nothing exciting to report for the weekend but very glad it's here.

[cko]

At least I think I have both my kidneys (one which I stole from cko the last time she was out East).

 

 

I KNEW something was suspicious when KPC brought me a Crumbs instead of a Magnolia cupcake.

[Earl Is Dead]

Break a leg KPC! Shakespeare is way cooler than fringe shows.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Earl Is Dead

[buffyjunkie]

 

Some casual friends of mine are in fringe shows that are already selling out- and while I am happy for them, they are doing a lot of gloating online, and are acting a little condescending to the" little shakespeare play" I'm doing.

<editor voice> #1 acquaintances, NOT friends and #2 idiots, as you do NOT condescend to the Bard.  Break a leg KPC.

 

I'm not sure where trudi_tru currently is in this great big continent of ours but I for one am very excited.  I think I have bases covered with guidebooks covering food, public art, and cool buildings.  JHeaton has found us bike rentals for $7/day.  And once we've parked the car and hit the hotel, I am counting on Darkpool for all of our navigational needs.

 

 

I KNEW something was suspicious when KPC brought me a Crumbs instead of a Magnolia cupcake.

Speaking of cupcakes, the food guidebook recommends Molly's in Lincoln Park and More Cupcakes Gold Coast.  Anyone with knowledge of the aforementioned and care to weigh in with an opinion?

 

Also, I think I remember Chyna's kids dressing up in Harry Potter regalia for Halloween and I know YME visited Universal Studio's Harry Potter themepark but who were the adult Harry Potter fanatics amongst us?

 

ETA: I hate The View but I love the muppets: https://tv.yahoo.com/tv-in-no-time/unlikely-candidate-view-hosting-position-195340009.html

 

P.S.  AnnieF I hope the house move is mellowing out a bit.  I know it doesn't end after only one week.

 

P.S.S.  I'm really going to miss you west-annd-east-coasters at the midwest meet-up. 

Edited August 9, 2014 by buffyjunkie

[Loandbehold]

 

Some casual friends of mine are in fringe shows that are already selling out- and while I am happy for them, they are doing a lot of gloating online, and are acting a little condescending to the" little shakespeare play" I'm doing.

I never knew actors engaged in trash talk. 

 

Break a leg, KPC! Just remember to save something for next Saturday's matinee performance.

[cko]

P.S.S.  I'm really going to miss you west-annd-east-coasters at the midwest meet-up.

 

 

I'll say it again, so jealous. Darkpool can represent we West Coasters, and yes, is the King of Gettin' Around, so you guys will have a blast.