Small Talk: Behavioral Gabbing Unit

[Bookish Jen]

I can't believe I failed to mention this. My mom told me my sister had my nephew's IQ tested. Turns out my nephew's IQ is almost as high as Dr. Spencer Reid's. There must be a moment of silence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, I am back! To say I am proud of my brilliant nephew is an understatement. I just love that kid so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[normasm]

You shall call him Dr. Nephew.

[Bookish Jen]

You shall call him Dr. Nephew.

[Droogie]

Droogie-so sorry for the loss of your rings. I hope you find them shortly. And congrats on your daughter. She sounds amazing, but of course, she is. You're her mama.

 

Turd jokes never stop being funny!

Thank you; you are kind. She actually became fabulous in spite of me, not because. A wise woman told me that we all give our children baggage; you just have to hope to give yours only a carry-on. :-) So that has been my goal. I hope to have been successful at least at that. I always swore I'd never make the mistakes my own dear parents made. And I didn't. I made entirely different ones.

And yes, love that turd humor.

[normasm]

Thank you; you are kind. She actually became fabulous in spite of me, not because. A wise woman told me that we all give our children baggage; you just have to hope to give yours only a carry-on. :-) So that has been my goal. I hope to have been successful at least at that. I always swore I'd never make the mistakes my own dear parents made. And I didn't. I made entirely different ones.

And yes, love that turd humor.

That's the best any parent can do. Sounds like you did it well!

 

Second point: Me too!

[SSAHotchner]

Y'know, every one of us probably has quirks/beliefs/ideas that would put off and/or offend everyone else here. But I have to say, I really enjoy coming here and "talking" with all of you. I quite like you people.

Me, too!

[Bookish Jen]

I'm usually slow to anger, well, usually. I try to stay cool, calm and collected. And I'm usually shy and reserved...

 

And then I read something truly loathsome like this vicious post by the Penelope Trunk regarding the sudden death of Sheryl Sandberg's dear husband Dave Goldberg, and the small inner Bunsen burner of rage deep inside me reaches volcanic proportions:

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2015/05/03/dave-goldberg-cause-of-death-i-think-its-suicide/

 

The lack of sensitivity towards Ms. Sandberg and her children is truly maddening. How dare Trunk accuse Goldberg of being depressed and committing suicide because he couldn't handle Sandberg's Lean-In philosophy or being in Sandberg's shadow. Sure, I had my reservations about Lean-In but I am sure Sandberg meant well. She's always came across as warm and sincere in her interviews, and her late husband sounded like a great guy.

 

Sadly, from what I know about Trunk is she is a deeply troubled person, a total sociopath. She claims to be an expert on careers, homeschooling, marriage and child-rearing. Yet, her own career is based on being a grifter and a charlatan, and her marriage is abusive physically, mentally and emotionally. She exploits her children and she accuses parents who send their kids to school instead of teaching them at home of not wanting to take care of their kids. She lacks wisdom and empathy, and for some strange reason, has a huge following that is truly disturbing.

 

And for her to libel both Sandberg and Goldberg enrages me. And Trunk knows jackshit about depression and suicide. I have suffered from depression and PTSD for several years. As little as three years ago, I was searching for suicide methods on the Internet. I was below rock bottom. I couldn't even envision the life I have today. Fortunately, I did not commit suicide, but instead turned to my faith and friends. I found a support group, started my blog, got involved in my community and began to appreciate the unique qualities that make me, well, me. I'm starting to like my life, and maybe, just maybe, starting to like me. And it hasn't been a piece of cake.

 

Trunk's odious remarks have caught the interest of the media, including the New York Magazine, the gossipy website Jezebel.com and a certain humble blogger named Bookish Jen:

https://thebookselfblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/readin-writin-and-rantin-penelope-trunk-on-the-death-of-david-goldberg/

 

I actually found my rant on the first page of Google when I googled Penelope Trunk earlier today. Hmm....

 

Thanks for letting me blow off some steam. I just felt so much anger.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Bookish Jen

[normasm]

Man, she sounds like a piece of…. I was going to say "work," but somehow that doesn't seem shitty enough. I agree that there is something really wrong with this woman, and i hate to think that people actually listen to her.

 

Sorry you've been through the wringer with depression and PTS, but it's great that you found your way out of that quagmire, and produce something positive. Good for you, Booky!

[Bookish Jen]

Man, she sounds like a piece of…. I was going to say "work," but somehow that doesn't seem shitty enough. I agree that there is something really wrong with this woman, and i hate to think that people actually listen to her.

 

Sorry you've been through the wringer with depression and PTS, but it's great that you found your way out of that quagmire, and produce something positive. Good for you, Booky!

Thanks, you are so sweet!

 

Yes, I'm been to hell and back. I have at times found the people in my life cruel and inhumane but I have also found people in my life to be truly kind. And those are the people who remain in my life. Like my friend, Nora, you know, the Shemar to my Matthew. She's really a supportive friend. I couldn't make it without her.

 

She once asked me why, being a crime victim,  I watch a show like CM. Doesn't all the violence, mans inhumanity to man and utter depravity bother me? Well, yes, and no. I'd be bothered by these things even if I hadn't been a victim of a horrible crime. But to see the BAU work so hard to find the unsub is oddly comforting for me. It shows people's concern and compassion for others, and how good can triumph over evil. And that, my darlings, is truly cathartic,and gives me hope.

 

And being called Booky makes me feel all warm inside. Thanks!

 

ETA: I just alerted Trunk's awful post to the National Association for Mental Illness.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Bookish Jen

[normasm]

I totally get how watching CM is comforting at times (when it's really well done). I've struggled with depression and one of my sisters was the victim of a horrendous crime, and although i don't like to wallow in depraved people's doings or victim's sufferings, CM - when it's on its mark, doesn't do that. Rather it does give you empathy for the people involved, sometimes even those depraved unsubs. I like to believe in heroes, even though I'm old enough to know none of us are totally heroic; still the thought that someone out there is concerned enough about people in general that they spend countless hours and risk their mental health to stop sick folks from hurting people.

 

I do agree this woman seems to be ill, and perhaps your pointing it out will open some eyes. Ya never know.

[JMO]

Ran across this article about what I still think was the single best episode of TV ever. 

 

www.tvguide.com/news/er-loves-labor-lost-oral-history

 

It's an intriguing look at how an episode comes to life, from the perspectives of the writer, the actors and the director.

 

[missmycat]

Ran across this article about what I still think was the single best episode of TV ever. 

 

www.tvguide.com/news/er-loves-labor-lost-oral-history

 

It's an intriguing look at how an episode comes to life, from the perspectives of the writer, the actors and the director.

JMO, Your link isn't clickable

[JMO]

Re: the link. I know it's not clickable. You would have to copy and paste it into your browser. Couldn't provide it any other way.

[missmycat]

Re: the link. I know it's not clickable. You would have to copy and paste it into your browser. Couldn't provide it any other way.

Okay thanks JMO.

[Bookish Jen]

I totally get how watching CM is comforting at times (when it's really well done). I've struggled with depression and one of my sisters was the victim of a horrendous crime, and although i don't like to wallow in depraved people's doings or victim's sufferings, CM - when it's on its mark, doesn't do that. Rather it does give you empathy for the people involved, sometimes even those depraved unsubs. I like to believe in heroes, even though I'm old enough to know none of us are totally heroic; still the thought that someone out there is concerned enough about people in general that they spend countless hours and risk their mental health to stop sick folks from hurting people.

 

I do agree this woman seems to be ill, and perhaps your pointing it out will open some eyes. Ya never know.

Much hugs to you and your sister. Suffering from depression and being the victim of a violent crime are quite difficult to deal with. I've suffered from depression since I was a child and the assault didn't exactly help. And my assailant was never found. He was a preppy-looking white guy. In fact, he kind of resembled a young Governor Scott Walker (tragic foreshadowing-I don't call my state's governor a despicable fucknugget for nothing). And interestingly enough, the street I was mugged on was Lyon, a street that was named in the CM episode "Rabid." Needless to say, this was a bit jarring when I saw that episode.

 

And it looks like Penelope Trunk is getting a huge backlash due to her harmful and insensitive comments. Will it open her eyes? Well, I'm not holding my breath.

[normasm]

Hmmmm, Gov. Fucknugget? I like...

 

PS - hugs back

[Bookish Jen]

Hmmmm, Gov. Fucknugget? I like...

 

PS - hugs back

Hey, that's Governor Despicable Fucknugget now! Or as my friend Janet and I have called him Scott "I ate paint chips as a kid" Walker.

 

Well, to cleanse the palate, I am thrilled, absolutely thrilled Russ Feingold will being running next year to regain his senate seat. I've been a big fan of Russ ever since I first voted for him back in the 1990s. I actually cheered when I found out the news.

 

What else has been going on in my universe? Well, Nora got us tickets to see U2 at their July 3rd show at Chicago's United Center. Yes, I'm well aware U2 is totally corporate rock these days, but their concerts are amazing. We can't wait.

 

And I've been on a huge creative kick lately. I wrote a book review for my blog, and once she gets a chance, our lovely CoStar is going to write a guest book review for my blog. Of course, many of you know CoStar is an excellent writer because of her fan fiction.

 

I've also been on a huge jewelry making kick. I'm just swimming in beads and other accoutrements, and my kitchen table looks like the jewelry making department at Michael's exploded. So far, I've made a baker's dozen of earrings and a statement-y necklace. I also made a bracelet for Nora. And I'll probably make more jewelry this week-end.

 

We're having a lull at work until things heat up in a couple of months so I'm working abbreviated hours. With the extra time to myself I've been able to clean and organize my place. I still have ways to go but I've gotten my bookshelf organized and I'm organizing my desk, cupboards, closets and drawers. As much as I hate doing this shit, I feel very accomplished.

 

And I even think I've lost some weight. I'm not anywhere near obese but being on the small side any extra weight I gain shows up. I have been eating better and moving more and I think that's why some of my clothes feel looser. I have a pair of yoga pants that are nearly jogging pants on me. Yay!

[zannej]

Awesome that you make jewelry. My mother used to be very crafty and used to make jewelry. She collects beads now, but doesn't actually make stuff with them.

 

Meanwhile, I had some frustration trying to explain to someone what its like having chronic fatigue syndrome. People don't get that its beyond being "tired". I'm struggling to stay awake right now.

 

Sounds like your governor is as big of a douchebag as the governor of where I live.

[Bookish Jen]

Awesome that you make jewelry. My mother used to be very crafty and used to make jewelry. She collects beads now, but doesn't actually make stuff with them.

 

Meanwhile, I had some frustration trying to explain to someone what its like having chronic fatigue syndrome. People don't get that its beyond being "tired". I'm struggling to stay awake right now.

 

Sounds like your governor is as big of a douchebag as the governor of where I live.

Well, collecting beads is part of the fun of making jewelry. Their just so pretty to look at! Your mom should come to Milwaukee for the Bead and Button Show at downtown's Wisconsin Center. She'd lose her mind over all the pretty beads. I'm thinking of going if it suits my schedule.

http://www.beadandbuttonshow.com/

 

So sorry you're having issues with people not understanding your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome issues. It's not just about feeling tired as you clearly mentioned. Sending you positive vibes your way.

 

And do I dare ask which state you live in and who is your governor?

[zannej]

Louisiana and the governor is Jindal-- which is actually the name of one of the troll "bosses" in Zul'Gurub in World of Warcraft. Speaking of which, my mother wants me to log in to help her with something in WoW.

[normasm]

Georgia's governor (where I am) is named Deal, and i'll just leave that there...

 

(I wish it would dry up and blow away…)

[Danielg342]

I live in Canada, and our Prime Minister- Stephen Harper- is as much a douchebag as your Governors are, if not worse.

[zannej]

I think politicians suck in general. Most of them have to pretty much sell their souls to get where they are and they just don't have integrity.

 

The poverty rate in Louisiana is very high, incarceration rate is the highest per capita in the country, infantile mortality rate is second highest (I think only Guam beats it), least eco-friendly state, some of the highest medical costs in the country, some of the highest insurance rates, most litigious state, high obesity, and 2nd worst public school system in the country. The governor defunds hospitals, libraries, and schools while he spends $2million on his own travelling expenses for his presidential campaign and personal stuff. We have people who are literally dying because of lack of medical care and he's spending $25k a pop to have helicopters fly him to various churches across the state so he can attend mass. There is a huge list of things this guy does to hurt the state and also lie to people, but I'll stop myself now before I start to get pissed off. LOL.

[Danielg342]

I think politicians suck in general. Most of them have to pretty much sell their souls to get where they are and they just don't have integrity.

 

The poverty rate in Louisiana is very high, incarceration rate is the highest per capita in the country, infantile mortality rate is second highest (I think only Guam beats it), least eco-friendly state, some of the highest medical costs in the country, some of the highest insurance rates, most litigious state, high obesity, and 2nd worst public school system in the country. The governor defunds hospitals, libraries, and schools while he spends $2million on his own travelling expenses for his presidential campaign and personal stuff. We have people who are literally dying because of lack of medical care and he's spending $25k a pop to have helicopters fly him to various churches across the state so he can attend mass. There is a huge list of things this guy does to hurt the state and also lie to people, but I'll stop myself now before I start to get pissed off. LOL.

 

This may be unpopular, but I'll say it anyway- in practice, democracy just won't produce great leaders, except in very rare occasions. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to live under any kind of system, but I think in our system- at least- it can be shown that we still have quite a bit of work to do.

 

I could go on a multi-page screed about why this is so but what it boils down to are two things:

 

1) Some things a country might need to do the people would never vote for. Just think about it- who will vote for the politician that wants to raise taxes? Not me, anyway. I look at Greece and all the trouble their politicians are going through to get out of bankruptcy as proof- even though the country needed to make all those changes, the people- understandably so- still rose up in arms.

 

2) You'll probably never get a real visionary in office. We all know the popular phrase, "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't" and there's nothing that spooks a populace more than change, at least rapid change. Unless the ruling party have made a real mess of things, you'll rarely find someone who will win on a "major reform" ticket, and even then, the reforms still have to be something the vast majority wants anyway.

 

I also think our political system does a lot to ensure that "real democracy" fails. Since we've got a "first past the post" system, people are that much more unlikely to vote for someone who "thinks outside of the box" because, no matter how wonderful their ideas may be, unless there's a real chance that person can win, only "mainstream" politicians will get voted in. Furthermore, since no one in North America really places a premium on education, you have a wide electorate that, quite frankly, isn't qualified to make the decision necessary to vote. Thus, elections become exercises in scare tactics and mass marketing, because the wider public just isn't informed enough to know the impact of the platforms our "great politicians" spout at us.

[normasm]

This may be unpopular, but I'll say it anyway- in practice, democracy just won't produce great leaders, except in very rare occasions. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to live under any kind of system, but I think in our system- at least- it can be shown that we still have quite a bit of work to do.

 

I could go on a multi-page screed about why this is so but what it boils down to are two things:

 

1) Some things a country might need to do the people would never vote for. Just think about it- who will vote for the politician that wants to raise taxes? Not me, anyway. I look at Greece and all the trouble their politicians are going through to get out of bankruptcy as proof- even though the country needed to make all those changes, the people- understandably so- still rose up in arms.

 

Just to this point, IMO, I would and have voted for people who have said we need to raise taxes. I think we should all pay our share, but the richer most people are, the more adept they become at pushing their responsibilities to their fellow man off onto that fellow man until they are the ones shouldering all the burden.

 

The situation in Greece, for instance, was caused by the rich ruling class who employ the politicians to execute their plans to get even richer. The only people who have to suffer austerity are the people who are either in severe austerity already, or will fall into it very soon, because they have had their working class power marginalized to the point of joke status. It happens here, too, but with less dramatic flair, and, in US, the great unwashed, which I have recently joined, have bought into the politician's nearly universal polemic that this failure of our economies is our fault, and that programs which help us lift one another and help us share the burden until, one by one, we get back on our feet, are godless communist plots to make the rich pay unfair taxes.

 

OK, I just got all political on you, sorry. I took someone to task for doing that the other day...

Edited May 17, 2015 by normasm

[JMO]

 

Just to this point, IMO, I would and have voted for people who have said we need to raise taxes. I think we should all pay our share, but the richer most people are, the more adept they become at pushing their responsibilities to their fellow man off onto that fellow man until they are the ones shouldering all the burden.

 

I have as well, and I expect to continue to do so.  Since a goodly number of them have been elected, I think Normasm and I have plenty of company. 

 

I'm a believer that we organize as a society to help us take care of one another, and taxes are how we should be sharing our monetary wealth for that purpose.  And I believe that the burden should be justly distributed.  Not evenly distributed, but justly---meaning that the wealthy carry a burden proportionate to their wealth.  But I guess I do agree that it is unlikely to happen.  Not until we learn to be satisfied with 'enough' without needing to hoard wealth for some unnamed purpose, and not until we decide that our wisest investment is in human beings. 

 

Deleting the next twenty five paragraphs because I could probably rant on this forever.

 

Edited May 17, 2015 by JustMyOpinion

[secnarf]

 

I also think our political system does a lot to ensure that "real democracy" fails. Since we've got a "first past the post" system, people are that much more unlikely to vote for someone who "thinks outside of the box" because, no matter how wonderful their ideas may be, unless there's a real chance that person can win, only "mainstream" politicians will get voted in. Furthermore, since no one in North America really places a premium on education, you have a wide electorate that, quite frankly, isn't qualified to make the decision necessary to vote. Thus, elections become exercises in scare tactics and mass marketing, because the wider public just isn't informed enough to know the impact of the platforms our "great politicians" spout at us.

I absolutely despise the first past the post system, and the whole concept of only being able to vote for the person in your riding rather than the actual leader of the country (or province). For example, I would have loved to vote for Jack Layton, but NDP didn't have a shot in hell at winning my riding, so it would have been a wasted vote. And again in the latest provincial election, I would have loved to vote for our Lib premier, but I really didn't like the Lib MPP candidate and I really did like the incumbent NDP MPP. I continue to vote, because if I don't vote then I feel I don't really have much of a right to complain, but it irritates me to no end that I can never vote for who I actually want.

 

And I definitely agree that people need to be better educated about the platforms and be able to see through the scare tactics used, but unfortunately critical thinking isn't exactly a common skill.

[MCatry]

For me, democracy only works in groups of ten or less people. Larger groups will always divide and fight. It's in our nature.

[normasm]

Well, actually, in US, we are not a democracy, we are a republic, and yes, an absolute democracy this big would be chaos. 

 

I quote lexrex.com:

These two forms of government: Democracy and Republic, are not only dissimilar but antithetical, reflecting the sharp contrast between (a) The Majority Unlimited, in a Democracy, lacking any legal safeguard of the rights of The Individual and The Minority, and (b) The Majority Limited, in a Republic under a written Constitution safeguarding the rights of The Individual and The Minority...

 

But i think we are speaking of the ideal of free election system, in which one person has one vote.

[MCatry]

 

But i think we are speaking of the ideal of free election system, in which one person has one vote.

I lived in two countries with that system. It doesn't work well neither.

[Bookish Jen]

Jindal, Deal, Harper? You people have my sympathies.

 

And thanks so much for your thoughtful and measured comments on our countries' political landscape.I learned a lot, and you gave me so much to think about. And I want to commend everyone for being so civil and gracious, which is a wonderful way to cleanse the palate after "hate reading" Chicks on the Right, their hateful screeds and the truly detestable and bigoted comments left by their followers.

[normasm]

Booky, I guess someone has to read that crap to keep tabs on them, but i plead high blood pressure, so i'm glad it's you...

[Bookish Jen]

Booky, I guess someone has to read that crap to keep tabs on them, but i plead high blood pressure, so i'm glad it's you...

Well, blood pressure be damned, but I need to know what the other side is thinking (or not thinking).

[normasm]

Well, blood pressure be damned, but I need to know what the other side is thinking (or not thinking).

Yeah, more like what they are being told to think.

[JMO]

Just a little update, in case anyone else becomes plagues with these things:

Last summer I posted about having phantom raccoons in my walls.  They would chatter at random, but refuse to show them selves.  I played recordings for two different pest removal companies, each of whom were sure they were raccoons.  Both said it shouldn't be happening, because the house was sealed up tight. But one of them set up traps anyway (the other just took the money and ran), and, on four different occasions, caught skunks (same low-learning curve skunk at least twice).  Fast forward to May (after a quiet winter) and the chatter is back.  But, courtesy of a Facebook friend posting a recording of an annoying pest in his backyard, I now have my answer.  Tree frogs.  This makes sense (sort of), as a few frogs were found baked inside the enclosed porch a few years ago.  Individually, they really do sound a lot like baby raccoon recordings.  Why they decided to set up residence inside the siding of my home, which looks nothing like a tree, is a mystery.  But at least they can't dig their way inside.  I hope.

 

Some other time, I could tell the story of the bird, the nest, and the 88 cent Walmart dinosaur.

[MCatry]

 

Some other time, I could tell the story of the bird, the nest, and the 88 cent Walmart dinosaur.

Now would be a great time.

I am curious...

[normasm]

Just a little update, in case anyone else becomes plagues with these things:

Last summer I posted about having phantom raccoons in my walls.  They would chatter at random, but refuse to show them selves.  I played recordings for two different pest removal companies, each of whom were sure they were raccoons.  Both said it shouldn't be happening, because the house was sealed up tight. But one of them set up traps anyway (the other just took the money and ran), and, on four different occasions, caught skunks (same low-learning curve skunk at least twice).  Fast forward to May (after a quiet winter) and the chatter is back.  But, courtesy of a Facebook friend posting a recording of an annoying pest in his backyard, I now have my answer.  Tree frogs.  This makes sense (sort of), as a few frogs were found baked inside the enclosed porch a few years ago.  Individually, they really do sound a lot like baby raccoon recordings.  Why they decided to set up residence inside the siding of my home, which looks nothing like a tree, is a mystery.  But at least they can't dig their way inside.  I hope.

 

Some other time, I could tell the story of the bird, the nest, and the 88 cent Walmart dinosaur.

Where do you live, JMO? Peepers (tree frogs) make the cutest noises, but they don't come indoors and chorus, they are strictly outdoors, porches and the like. If they happen to get indoors, they might peep, but they are doomed, especially if there are cats in the house. They might get into siding, because it's warm. That's why I asked where you live: is it cold at night?

[JMO]

 

Where do you live, JMO? Peepers (tree frogs) make the cutest noises, but they don't come indoors and chorus, they are strictly outdoors, porches and the like. If they happen to get indoors, they might peep, but they are doomed, especially if there are cats in the house. They might get into siding, because it's warm. That's why I asked where you live: is it cold at night?

 

I'm in CT.  Yes, I think they're in the siding, probably just above where it meets the foundation.  We get a full chorus of them from the woods on a hot summer night, but the individual ones are just disruptive.  I wish they would just go and move back into the trees.  But at least now I'm not worried about something in the wall, eating through wiring.

 

 

Now would be a great time.

I am curious...

 

Re:  the bird, the nest and the 88 cent Walmart dinosaur:

The lights on either side of my front door are shaped like lanterns.  A couple of springs ago, a bird was trying to build a nest on one of them.  I would have let him do it on the other one, but not on the one he chose, because the way the door opened, the birds could have flown into the house.  So, for a few days, I knocked the straw down with a broom, but it would just appear again the next day.  So I looked for ideas on line, and found the same one in several places:  get an 88 cent plastic snake from Walmart, and put it on the light.  Off I went to Walmart.  Apparently there had been a run on plastic snakes, and all I could find was a little 88 cent blue plastic dinosaur.  Forgetting that birds and dinosaurs were cousins, I put the little guy on the light.  And it worked!  For a week.  Then, apparently the bird recognized his long lost relative----and maybe there was a family feud----because I came home one day to find the dinosaur on the ground and the straw back on the lantern. 

 

I finally found something that pointed out that birds see by contrast.  So I took that white Walmart bag (same color as the house) and put it over the black lantern, and then the bird couldn't find it again.  Problem solved. Until the next year, when the wrens built their nest in the hanging geranium.  On fledge day, every last one of them flew the wrong way, into the screen door, where they all got stuck.  Fortunately, their parents plucked them out. 

[MCatry]

I'm in CT.  Yes, I think they're in the siding, probably just above where it meets the foundation.  We get a full chorus of them from the woods on a hot summer night, but the individual ones are just disruptive.  I wish they would just go and move back into the trees.  But at least now I'm not worried about something in the wall, eating through wiring.

 

 

Re:  the bird, the nest and the 88 cent Walmart dinosaur:

The lights on either side of my front door are shaped like lanterns.  A couple of springs ago, a bird was trying to build a nest on one of them.  I would have let him do it on the other one, but not on the one he chose, because the way the door opened, the birds could have flown into the house.  So, for a few days, I knocked the straw down with a broom, but it would just appear again the next day.  So I looked for ideas on line, and found the same one in several places:  get an 88 cent plastic snake from Walmart, and put it on the light.  Off I went to Walmart.  Apparently there had been a run on plastic snakes, and all I could find was a little 88 cent blue plastic dinosaur.  Forgetting that birds and dinosaurs were cousins, I put the little guy on the light.  And it worked!  For a week.  Then, apparently the bird recognized his long lost relative----and maybe there was a family feud----because I came home one day to find the dinosaur on the ground and the straw back on the lantern. 

 

I finally found something that pointed out that birds see by contrast.  So I took that white Walmart bag (same color as the house) and put it over the black lantern, and then the bird couldn't find it again.  Problem solved. Until the next year, when the wrens built their nest in the hanging geranium.  On fledge day, every last one of them flew the wrong way, into the screen door, where they all got stuck.  Fortunately, their parents plucked them out.

Thank you so much for the story!

I kept checking for your response, and I was afraid you went off line and into bed...

Birds are beautiful, but they can also be truly annoying...

[normasm]

JMO, I love that story! Mr.and I have the mixed fortune of having Carolina wrens around that love to nest and raise young'uns, but who always choose the freaking worst places to build their nests. This year, they picked inside the garage, nestled next to the place that the garage door lever comes to rest when it's opened. The garage door we keep closed at night. Which we have to open every morning so the parent bird can get out to get food, etc. Honestly, there have been so many Carolina wren egg disasters over the years, I just sort of think of them as albatrosses...

[zannej]

I actually miss the frogs that used to be all around. There used to be these tiny little cricket frogs that were just adorable, but they were gone when I returned from overseas. I think the poison the city sprays for mosquitoes might have killed them (every once in awhile they send a truck out to drive down the roads spraying some anti-mosquito chemical-- I don't want them to enter my yard because the stuff makes me sick, but they don't ask permission and they don't give prior warning). it also annoys me that they will send people to spray chemicals in my yard, but they won't send people to pick up the trash at my gate or deliver mail. So I have to drive about a mile away to leave my trash for pickup and I have to drive 20 miles to get my mail.

 

There are a bunch of birds-- some made a nest at the top of a column on my porch. I was going to knock it down one day because I thought it was empty, but a bird flew to it so I decided to leave it. I really missed birds my first few years in Guam because most of the endemic birds were killed off by the brown tree snake (which managed to get in via ships that came from the Philippines). The birds had no natural predators so they didn't stand a chance when the snakes showed up. I actually "met" one of the snakes in my kitchen during my first month in military housing there. We had the desk and computer in the kitchen instead of a dining table. One day I was sitting at the computer and I saw something out of the corner of my eye-- a brown tree snake (which is mildly venomous) was trying to climb on my shoulder from the counter. It only had about 4 inches of its tail still left on the counter and was stretched out toward me. I'm not fearful of snakes, but it startled the hell out of me. LOL.

[JMO]

 

JMO, I love that story! Mr.and I have the mixed fortune of having Carolina wrens around that love to nest and raise young'uns, but who always choose the freaking worst places to build their nests. This year, they picked inside the garage, nestled next to the place that the garage door lever comes to rest when it's opened. The garage door we keep closed at night. Which we have to open every morning so the parent bird can get out to get food, etc. Honestly, there have been so many Carolina wren egg disasters over the years, I just sort of think of them as albatrosses...

 

That is some saintly patience, opening the door every morning for the birds. And you probably get rewarded with an unholy racket, if they're anything like the wrens around here. 

 

 

I actually miss the frogs that used to be all around. There used to be these tiny little cricket frogs that were just adorable, but they were gone when I returned from overseas. I think the poison the city sprays for mosquitoes might have killed them

 

Or maybe the pesticides just killed their source of food?  I don't hate frogs-----as long as they're outside.  Anybody who comes inside better be paying rent.

[JMO]

 

I am a TCK, third (and last child) of a couple of rolling stones. My dad was the son of a Spanish woman and a French guy living in Feuerland, while my mom was the daughter of a Galician woman and a Welsh shepherd living in the Falkland Islands. Unfortunately, I never met any of my grandparents, since they were long dead when I wasn't even in my parents plans.

Born in Patagonia Argentina because that was the most near place with a hospital, I spent my early childhood between Chile and the Falklands. Then moved out to Australia, then Germany, then Portugal, and finally Scotland. Once I finished the A levels I got my Univesity degree in Argentina, then the master in Spain and the PhD from an interamerican U based in Panama. I've had the opportunity to visit awesome places while doing research in coastal environments, but now I am currently on my last couple of months in the USA. I am on my way to move to Buenos Aires. The plan is to then try to move to Southern Patagonia, and then live happily ever after, but only after doing some more voluntary work whenever I win a position chasing penguins, black rats, marine snails or albatrosses, or running vegetation biodiversity studies.

I'll be gone by the end of August.

MCatry, what a fascinating life!  And lucky you to actually have learned about the world by living in so many different parts of it.  Have you made it to Antarctica yet, or is that reserved for you next time with the penguins?

[MCatry]

MCatry, what a fascinating life!  And lucky you to actually have learned about the world by living in so many different parts of it.  Have you made it to Antarctica yet, or is that reserved for you next time with the penguins?

Yes, on board of the Endeavour, two seasons before the storm that crashed her. But I think South Georgia is even more awesome than Antarctica. Any time you had to go to the toilet in the middle of the night you had to grab a stick to make the sea lions move out of your way. And for the record, Magellanic Penguins really sound like donkeys. Imagine a whole colony of donkeys voicing their thoughts night after night, day after day. You learn to sleep anyway, but it is so funny and annoying at the same time! And Macaroni penguins are the meanest of all. They start arguments and fights all the time, without any reason. And the rock hoppers are thieves! Once I was weighing chicks and they were running away with my measuring tape and one of my markers.

Sorry for the rant, but I could talk about penguins, and nature, for ages.

Actually I have a lot of friends that had similar life experiences. TCKs are being more and more common nowadays, thanks to globalization but I've met people like me along the years. I don't know if this saying is used here, but I heard it once and it remained with me: 'God rise them, the wind gets them together', meaning that you are born somewhere, but somehow you will always find people like you to share your life. Right now in my current university there are quite a few: Daria, from Russia but also based on The Uk, Fabrizio from Italy, but raised also in Spain and Venezuela, Catalina, from Poland, then Holland, then Belgium, and Geraldo, from France, but born and raised partially in Ghana.

I own everything I learnt to my parents, a couple of radical people that never worked a day under a boss rules, who never had a fixed time to do anything (including having dinner or going to bed), who never rised us on any religion but respected all of them, and that made their goal to show us how awesome is the planet where we live. I admire them deeply because of their courage to break the mold. My dad liked a song of Pearl Jam (and he was on his sixties back in those days) that said something he agreed with passion: ' I know I was born, and I know I will die. The in-between Is Mine.'

I never regretted leaving classmates and friends behind. I kept in touch with some of them by regular mail (the ones that need a real envelope) and I remember writing, gluing pictures and pieces of magazines and newspapers to share fragments of my life with them. And for the most important people such as those uncles/aunts that are not your real uncles/aunts but they were real brothers and sisters for my parents, I would write, draw, paint and glue stuff on small notebooks, to give them away when we would meet again. I would glue feathers of 'new' birds, grains of sand and stuff like that. I still like sending real mail from time to time. Receiving a real letter is one of the most beautiful, powerful feeling one can experience.

Well, I will stop now. Again, sorry for the rant.

[Bookish Jen]

Ugh, I wish the weather here in Milwaukee would find a temperature and stick with it. One day I'm walking along the lake in warm, sunny 70 degree weather, and the next day the temps are in the 40s and I'm bundled up in layers and my winter jacket.

 

I'm still busy with organizing and deep cleaning my apartment. I can't believe some of the stupid crap I have collected over the years, time to go to Goodwill, I guess.

 

But I do have some good news. A friend of mine has commissioned me to make a bracelet for her niece's birthday! Squee!

 

And how are my fellow Americans celebrating the extended Memorial Day week-end?

Edited May 20, 2015 by Bookish Jen

[normasm]

Booky, I and Mister will be working. And I think our anniversary is in there somewhere. What about you? Besides cleaning and crafting?

[Bookish Jen]

Well, beyond the C and C, I seriously need to run some errands. Target beckons me. And I might go to my local Trader Joe's and Barnes and Noble because I got to use the gift cards I received for my b-day. Are you surprised I got gift cards for stores that deal with food and books? Of course not. Oh, then there is church on Sunday.

 

And if you'll indulge me, I'd thought I'd share some Unitarian humor:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2015/05/an-eighth-graders-yo-mama-jokes-for-unitarian-universalists.html

[JMO]

Apart from windows to wash, and screens to install, and plants to plant (and thank goodness I forgot to request the delivery of mulch), there is a family graduation, with ensuing celebration, a family birthday, also with ensuing celebration, and another social gathering.  I will be in heaven if at least one of those things includes a hamburger with a toasted bun. Corn on the cob adds an angel chorus.

 

And, of course, the reason for the holiday.  We have our own Wounded Warrior in the family, as well as some who, blissfully, escaped being hurt.  So we'll be remembering them, and their colleagues.

 

To Normasm and 'Mister'---Happy Anniversary!

[Danielg342]

I spent Victoria Day- that's the Canadian “Memorial Day”, and it's a week earlier than it is in the U.S.- sleeping and shopping at Costco. However, I went downtown two weekends in a row, so the sleep was well worth it.

[Droogie]

Well, it's my holiday to work, so I'll be spending it at the hospital. But I hope for good weather and good memories made for everyone!