Small Talk: Behavioral Gabbing Unit

[zannej]

I'm hoping the kid will turn out ok, but I don't think that will happen if he stays in this town.

 

Here is the video of the fire damage to my friend's house. His daughter's play-room was mostly untouched but the smoke smell saturated everything. His bedroom (which was at the back) didn't get as much fire damage, but everything got soaked with water from the firehoses. You can't tell from looking, but the electronic stuff was melted. I wish I'd done a better job with the video, but it was still hot in there and reeked of smoke so it felt like I was going slower than I was. The video isn't good enough quality to see just how bad it is in person.

 

 

Admins, would it be ok for me to link to his gofundme page? Or should I just say that people can PM me for the link-- no expectation to donate-- just to spread the word so he can get some $ toward getting the house torn down and get a trailer moved on to the lot. Plus he will need to replace the clothes, food, furniture, etc that was lost.

 

In other sucky news, Tari aka Finewine aka Willowy who runs the Criminal Minds Fan site (not to be confused with Criminal Minds Fanatic site) had a heart attack yesterday and was kept in the hospital overnight for observation. Her son said it was a minor heart attack, but it was still a heart attack nonetheless.

Edited March 31, 2016 by zannej

[normasm]

Sorry to hear about Tari, I hope she'll be OK.

[SSAHotchner]

Scary, scary stuff. I think a kid that starts fires should be under constant observation. Thank goodness no one died. 

[Bookish Jen]

Sorry to hear about Tari, I hope she'll be OK.

Yes, what horrifying news. I hope she is on the mend.

 

As for the kid starting the fire and thus, destroying his family's home. Yikes, how truly frightening. Like SSAHotchner, I hope this kid is under vigilant observation. He needs help and I hope something can be done before he causes more mayhem and destruction.

Sorry to hear about Tari, I hope she'll be OK.

Yes, what horrifying news. I hope she is on the mend.

 

As for the kid starting the fire and thus, destroying his family's home. Yikes, how truly frightening. Like SSAHotchner, I hope this kid is under vigilant observation. He needs help and I hope something can be done before he causes more mayhem and destruction.

[zannej]

Update on Tari: She's got hypertension so they are keeping her in the hospital for a few more days. She was smiling in the picture she posted, so it seems like she's taking it well.

[thewhiteowl]

Zannej, you can post a link to the gofundme page here.

Best wishes to your friend and Tara.

[zannej]

I should stipulate that I don't think the child possess the mental acuity to have foreseen that he would cause a fire in the house. Both he and his mother seem to show a serious lack of foresight and understanding of cause and effect. When people explain simple concepts to the mother, her response is often "That don't make no damn sense" and she has difficulty following instructions. The 3-year-old child shows more common sense and problem solving than both the mother and half-brother.

 

I'm still waiting to hear updates on Tari.

 

My friend's gofundme is here: https://www.gofundme.com/3ywdb88s

 

Even if people can't donate, spreading the word is good enough. Every small bit helps.

[Bookish Jen]

Any updates on Tari? Please keep us posted.

 

And if I could be a bit self-indulgent today kicks off National Library Week here in the USA and I have some related library links posted at my blog:

 

https://thebookselfblog.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/books-marks-lets-celebrate-national-library-week/

 

 

Edited April 11, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Booky, the link won't load. :-(

[Bookish Jen]

Booky, the link won't load. :-(

Try the link again. It worked for me when I posted a new link. Good luck.

 

And could all of you send some positive vibes my way. Two of my close friends are dealing with some serious health issues. One has just been diagnosed with Tinnitus, and the other has just been told she has cancer. These are two good women who deserve so much better than this. Thanks.

[Old Dog]

Sending best wishes and buckets of positivity from here over the Pond for your friends - I do hope their treatments are successful. And hugs to you too - it's hard for you as well with  close friends battling ill health.

[Bookish Jen]

Sending best wishes and buckets of positivity from here over the Pond for your friends - I do hope their treatments are successful. And hugs to you too - it's hard for you as well with  close friends battling ill health.

Thanks. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

 

Got the nicest compliment last night. I went to a meeting for a group that helps others with mental issues. I haven't been to a meeting in months due to other commitments. One of the members asked me if I lost weight because I look a lot thinner. I've cut back on soda and other junk, and have developed a fitness routine that combines Pilates, ballet barre movements and yoga. I also walk a lot and will start my belly dancing classes once my teacher has fully healed from foot surgery. Now, I thought I had lost some weight because a lot of my clothing is a bit loose, but the fact that someone I haven't seen in a while has noticed must mean something.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Today is Beverly Cleary's 100th birthday. If you do not know who Beverly Cleary is, I feel sorry for you. :-)

[zannej]

My friend who lost his home is getting a trailer set up. I was over there helping with repairing the subfloor today and noticed a plumbing fail of epic proportions.

I'll explain briefly how the plumbing is supposed to be set up: From the bottom of the sink it is supposed to have a straight pipe down, and then a P-trap (called so because it is shaped sort of like the loop on a P-- it's actually more like a shallow U). From the end of the trap is the trap arm which is supposed to slope downward at 1/4" per foot for a minimum of two pipe diameters (so if the pipe is 1.5", then the trap arm needs to be at least 3" long) and maximum of 5' (depending on pipe size) before it goes to a sanitary tee. The top goes to a vent pipe that is supposed to go out through the roof or out a wall and routed around the overhang so it sticks above the roof by at least 2'. The bottom part is supposed to go down and connect with the main soil pipe (usually with a combo wye or wye + 1/8 bend) and the horizontal run needs to have the same slope mentioned before. If the vent pipe has any horizontal runs, it must be at least 6" above the flood level of the fixture and must slope upward at 1/4" per foot. For drains, it is ok to use copper, cast iron, ABS, or PVC. You generally can't mix the different types because they don't use the same sort of glue-- although sometimes you can get away with using a Fernco fitting (a black rubber tube with metal clamps on either end to secure it) to merge different types.

 

Anyway, I discovered that my friend's sink originally had an ABS hookup, but instead of having a vent go through the roof, they used a "cheater valve" called an AAV (air admittance valve). This is no longer legal where I live. For some reason, they disconnected the ABS and have a PVC cleanout (it has a port where if you remove a cap you can run a plumbing snake down to clear clogs) with some sort of hose that looks like its' from a vacuum cleaner duct taped on. A metal hanger is twisted around to add extra support. This hose then runs under the trailer and dumps out at the corner. The hose is not even supported properly to make it run at the proper angle so it can clog. Not to mention it is completely illegal for it to just dump out like that. It can cause soil erosion and undermine the foundation. I think it would make an inspector's head spin. LOL!

 

Edited April 13, 2016 by zannej

[Bookish Jen]

Today is Beverly Cleary's 100th birthday. If you do not know who Beverly Cleary is, I feel sorry for you. :-)

Beverly Cleary's books are amazing and loved by generations of kids. So cool she's still around. But good books survive. They are true classics.

[Bookish Jen]

Stop it 2016, just stop it! I can't take losing so many musical greats. Prince is dead at 57.

 

[Mislav]

Stop it 2016, just stop it! I can't take losing so many musical greats. Prince is dead at 57.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-uQwLODkw

So sad to hear that news. R.I.P.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

You beat me to it, Booky. I just can't believe this. Bowie was enough of a crusher, but Prince? Damn it, 2016.

[normasm]

This is heartbreaking

[Bookish Jen]

I was just thinking about Prince this week. I'm writing a post about the poetry of Dorothy Parker (one of my writing idols) and Prince has a song called "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker."

[Droogie]

I'm so so so sad about this right now. Listening to Purple Rain on continuous loop.

You have to watch this. I watched it years ago and still find it hilarious. Prince has corroborated the story, as have others -- and I think it's a riot.

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/e748yj/chappelle-s-show-charlie-murphy-s-true-hollywood-stories---prince---uncensored

[Bookish Jen]

I initially thought of this sad song when I saw Nelson's Sparrow last season. But I think it's is pretty appropriate on this sad day when once again, we lost a musical great.

[Danielg342]

(Retracted)

Edited April 21, 2016 by Danielg342

[normasm]

Daniel, I'm ignoring you from now on...

[Danielg342]

Daniel, I'm ignoring you from now on...

 

If you can see this, I got rid of my post. It wasn't right of me.

[normasm]

Thanks, Daniel, that was painful for me, and probably others.

[Danielg342]

Once again, I am really, really sorry I made fun of Prince's death. There is just no excuse for it.

I admit, he always did rub me the wrong way. Not that I would wish death upon him or anyone else for that matter, I'm just not going to mourn any more for him than I would for someone else whom I didn't know well died.

I was too young to appreciate his talents. Like how there is a generation of people who only know Michael Jackson as a child molester, I only really know Prince as the guy who sued everyone for even using one note of his songs and changed his name to that symbol. Thus, he came across as an obsessive narcissist who put himself on a pedestal and never really appreciated the people who helped make him famous.

For me, there's an irony in seeing all these tributes to him posted after his death, because if he was still alive he'd sue to get rid of them all. This was a guy who sued Stephanie Lenz for having a song of his playing faintly in the background of her video, after all.

Perhaps that is the real tragedy- he died not truly understanding and appreciating the love and admiration his fans gave him. That he was too caught up in himself to realize he already was massively loved and accepted. That he never did need to change who he was and that his fans share his songs because they loved him.

I'm not saying he didn't love his fans. I am sure he did. I'm just not sure he understood them and now, unfortunately, he never will.

R.I.P. Prince. At least know you didn't die in vain.

[normasm]

Daniel, you are so wrong about Prince it ain't even funny, but I don't think this is the place for me to hold forth and argue down every point you made (which I could do at length). You have your opinion of him and I probably could never "enlighten" you. Thank you for retracting your previous statement.

[ReidFan]

I was never even really a Prince fan, but I have a huge amount of respect for the talent the man obviously had and the fact that he was never --if I may use the words--a pretentious a-hole about it. He lived in Toronto (my home town) for a while, with his then wife and they were from all accounts wonderful neighbours and citizens. One memory of have of him is a sports guy talking to him at one of my beloved Leafs NHL games. Prince, who I never realised until then was only 5' 2" tall, was looking waaaay up to talk to this reporter (a guy I know personally, and is about 6' 3" tall), and the reporter asked him about hockey (I don't remember the specific question) but his reply indicated he really DID know and understand the game, and it wasn't just a 'LOOK AT ME! I'm a celebrity moment'. He was wearing a Leafs jersey and in the conversation, it came up how expensive hockey jerseys are, and Prince laughed and mentioned that he'd bought a boys size so it wasn't as bad as having to pay the full price of a men's size. They were both laughing, and it was a very genuine moment.

[Droogie]

I was moved by all the photos of landmarks worldwide that were bathed in purple light in tribute last night. I was in Cleveland (where the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame is located) when Bowie died -- the city was lit up in blue ("Planet Earth is blue ...). It was quite a sight.

I was up in the middle of the night reading some Twitter posts. I didn't realize the man wrote 49 albums! I have a bunch but I just wasn't aware of the massive amount of music he actually made.

Prince just always seemed so energetic and fit, and 57 is so young -- if it really was complications from the flu, that's a pretty good incentive for folks to get their flu shots on the regular (just sayin).

Edited April 22, 2016 by Droogie

[Bookish Jen]

I was never even really a Prince fan, but I have a huge amount of respect for the talent the man obviously had and the fact that he was never --if I may use the words--a pretentious a-hole about it. He lived in Toronto (my home town) for a while, with his then wife and they were from all accounts wonderful neighbours and citizens. One memory of have of him is a sports guy talking to him at one of my beloved Leafs NHL games. Prince, who I never realised until then was only 5' 2" tall, was looking waaaay up to talk to this reporter (a guy I know personally, and is about 6' 3" tall), and the reporter asked him about hockey (I don't remember the specific question) but his reply indicated he really DID know and understand the game, and it wasn't just a 'LOOK AT ME! I'm a celebrity moment'. He was wearing a Leafs jersey and in the conversation, it came up how expensive hockey jerseys are, and Prince laughed and mentioned that he'd bought a boys size so it wasn't as bad as having to pay the full price of a men's size. They were both laughing, and it was a very genuine moment.

A local reporter covered the opening of Paisley Park back when he was a fledgling reporter in the 1980s. Yesterday this reporter when to Paisley Park, and even though he didn't lose it on camera you could just tell he was greatly saddened. The reporter talked to several mourners at Paisley Park who reminisced about Prince performing impromptu concerts and the venue and often came out with food for fans milling about.

 

Prince also played several concerts here in Milwaukee, a couple at the Marcus Amphitheater at Milwaukee's iconic music festival Summerfest. A bigwig at Summerfest mentioned how Prince was a dynamic performer on-stage but very shy and humble off-stage. Sure, Prince was probably an exacting genius when it came to his music and very concerned about the rights of artists, but in his day-to-day life didn't go around like an entitled diva.

 

And green activist Van Jones teared-up when asked about Prince's very effective, but private humanitarian efforts (Bowie and Robin Williams were the same way). Here is a clip:

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/04/22/van-jones-remembers-prince-lemon-intv-ctn.cnn/video/playlists/celebs-pay-tribute-to-prince/

 

[Bookish Jen]

I know many Prince fans are in deep mourning. Even my mother has a case of the sadz because, me, her music-loving daughter is cursing 2016 for taking so many musical greats like Prince (Bowie, Haggard, Sir George Martin, Natalie Cole, Maurice White, etc).

 

Anyway, I think we need to lighten the mood a bit.

 

Dang, if Prince could turn a grocery list into musical genius imagine what he could do to a crappy CM script like "200" or "The Forever People?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl_t6efp8zA

 

Standard prices to see Broadway sensation Hamilton: $139.00 and up.
Premium prices to see Broadway sensation Hamilton: $549.00 and up.
Cost to see the cast of Broadway sensation Hamilton pay tribute to Prince: Priceless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l82Zhciehes
 

 

 

[normasm]

Just trying this new site out...

[Old Dog]

Wow! Change is hard for Old Dogs! Looks good though - just need to get used to it now.

[ReidFan]

I like the new font! :)

[thewhiteowl]

12 minutes ago, Old Dog said:

Wow! Change is hard for Old Dogs! Looks good though - just need to get used to it now.

It takes some getting used to, for sure. 

[ReidFan]

hmmmmm this is Matthew related, but not Spencer related so I'm not sure if this is the right place for it. if not, please move and accept my apologies.

So, Matthew is currently in New Orleans filming a movie. It's called 68 Kill based on a book by Bryan Smith. I read this book yesterday. OMG so *not* Spencer like. His character is dragged into one bad experience after another, thanks in part to his girlfriend (played by AnnaLynne McCord). As a MGG fan, I'm looking forward to him playing a role that is such a departure from squeaky clean nerdy but beautiful Spencer Reid. But I'm really not looking forward to the beaten-to-within-an-inch of his life trailer park scene :-( 

[Bookish Jen]

2 hours ago, ReidFan said:

hmmmmm this is Matthew related, but not Spencer related so I'm not sure if this is the right place for it. if not, please move and accept my apologies.

So, Matthew is currently in New Orleans filming a movie. It's called 68 Kill based on a book by Bryan Smith. I read this book yesterday. OMG so *not* Spencer like. His character is dragged into one bad experience after another, thanks in part to his girlfriend (played by AnnaLynne McCord). As a MGG fan, I'm looking forward to him playing a role that is such a departure from squeaky clean nerdy but beautiful Spencer Reid. But I'm really not looking forward to the beaten-to-within-an-inch of his life trailer park scene :-( 

Egad, Matthew's character getting beat up. Yikes! Still, I'm glad he's getting work and stretching himself as an actor and broadening his scope beyond Dr. Spencer Reid. And I can't wait for him to do some more work behind the camera too. I hope he gets to direct a feature film shortly.

That being said, ReidFan, you mentioned you had read this book. Would you be interested in writing a guest review of this book for my blog. CoStar as already written two guest reviews, and I am always open to other guest reviews, especially by talented writers.

Here is a link to my blog:
https://thebookselfblog.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1350&action=edit

[Droogie]

On April 27, 2016 at 0:23 PM, ReidFan said:

hmmmmm this is Matthew related, but not Spencer related so I'm not sure if this is the right place for it. if not, please move and accept my apologies.

So, Matthew is currently in New Orleans filming a movie. It's called 68 Kill based on a book by Bryan Smith. I read this book yesterday. OMG so *not* Spencer like. His character is dragged into one bad experience after another, thanks in part to his girlfriend (played by AnnaLynne McCord). As a MGG fan, I'm looking forward to him playing a role that is such a departure from squeaky clean nerdy but beautiful Spencer Reid. But I'm really not looking forward to the beaten-to-within-an-inch of his life trailer park scene :-( 

I'm digging the ensemble.

[ReidFan]

oh, Droogie......looking at this, and his surroundings, I'm just imagining which of the three relevant scenes he may have been shooting this day. His face looks made up a bit, but not as per the horrific trailer park scene, so I'm thinking he may be 'in costume' for the er, backseat of the car scene or the motel bedroom scene or perhaps the hood of the Pontiac scene (any one of which will burst our ovaries, if they're as graphic as in the book). Anna Lynne McCord who costars and plays his girlfriend tweeted a picture of herself in full Liza makeup, hair and costume with the quote "Chip, take off your f*****g clothes". In the book, she says that before dragging his @$$ into the backseat of the car for...well, figure it out 

[Droogie]

Yikes.  I'm not convinced this is a movie I will watch, not the least reason being I don't know if I can watch him be beaten.  Plus my poor old abused ovaries might not be able to take much more.

I did see Annalynne McCord's IG post and I got a good idea what she was talking about.  Years ago, I read an interview in which MGG said he promised a friend he would do a nude scene, even though he was nervous about it.  I don't think whoever is making this movie is said friend, but I do wonder if he would still consider doing that.  I haven read the whole book, only a few snippets, but what I read made me think the movie would earn a serious "R" rating.

[ReidFan]

oh definitely R. There's a billion f words in the first ten pages alone. At least four really graphic sex scenes --yay! O:-)-- all involving MGG's character but somehow I doubt that'll be translated to the screen. American film/tv audiences seem to be allowed to hear awful language and see heads blown off on celluloid, but graphic sex, not so much. It'll be implied, but I doubt we'd see much of anything,

The writer actually put (imo) quite a bit of humour into the novel too, wonder if that will translate. MGG likes the comedy, likes the horror stuff.

 I think the beating will probably be a full on 'spectacular' event though. The director is known for that kind of film, and the novelist is known as a crime gore writer. It's also the pivotal life changing moment for Chip, so I'm sure it'll be pretty graphic.

And no, Trent Haaga was not the friend he was referring to when he said he promised a friend he'd do a nude scene. I'm not sure MGG even knew Trent Haaga before being cast in this movie. He was probably referring to longtime friend and former classmate at film school, director Richard Bates for whom he shot Suburban Gothic and Trash Fire.

[Mislav]

I'm so glad for Matthew! Hopefully he will direct a feature length movie soon.

But yikes, this new forum design looks terrible in the mobile version.

[secnarf]

I'm sure most of you have heard about the fire in Alberta, given the level of media coverage.
Thankfully, I am halfway across the country, with very little risk of any wildfires of this nature, but the videos are absolutely crazy.
If you haven't seen them, you can watch a few here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-videos-round-up-devastating-footage-1.3567316

Luckily, nobody has been seriously hurt or killed in the fire - which is pretty incredible given some of those videos - but that leaves upwards of 80 000 people displaced. The fire is nine times bigger today than yesterday, so the problem is getting worse, not better, and more communities are being evacuated. The government is matching all donations to Red Cross, so if you are able, please consider donating at http://www.redcross.ca

[ReidFan]

:-(  my son has a friend in Fort McMurray he has not been able to get hold of. I keep telling him (hoping I'm right) that there's probably just no Internet or cell service where the family is. Parents, three kids and an entire melange of pets I hope everyone is safe/

[JMO]

24 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I'm sure most of you have heard about the fire in Alberta, given the level of media coverage.
Thankfully, I am halfway across the country, with very little risk of any wildfires of this nature, but the videos are absolutely crazy.
If you haven't seen them, you can watch a few here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-videos-round-up-devastating-footage-1.3567316

Luckily, nobody has been seriously hurt or killed in the fire - which is pretty incredible given some of those videos - but that leaves upwards of 80 000 people displaced. The fire is nine times bigger today than yesterday, so the problem is getting worse, not better, and more communities are being evacuated. The government is matching all donations to Red Cross, so if you are able, please consider donating at http://www.redcross.ca

It's so hard to absorb the magnitude of the fire, even having seen the videos.  It's a miracle that that there's been no loss of life.  Praying that remains so.  

And then, there's this:  http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/we-understand-what-theyre-feeling-syrian-refugees-in-calgary-step-up-to-help-fort-mcmurray-fire-evacuees

Edited May 5, 2016 by JMO
typo

[normasm]

Is this a tar sands area?

[secnarf]

25 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

:-(  my son has a friend in Fort McMurray he has not been able to get hold of. I keep telling him (hoping I'm right) that there's probably just no Internet or cell service where the family is. Parents, three kids and an entire melange of pets I hope everyone is safe/

Or perhaps they left the phone charger at home? I hope your son hears from his friends soon! I believe Facebook activated their "safe" feature.

23 minutes ago, JMO said:

It's so hard to absorb the magnitude of the fire, even having seen the videos.  It's a miracle that that there's been no loss of life.  Praying that remains so.  

And then, there's this:  http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/we-understand-what-theyre-feeling-syrian-refugees-in-calgary-step-up-to-help-fort-mcmurray-fire-evacuees

Yes, I saw the bit about the refugees! So nice to see :)

4 minutes ago, normasm said:

Is this a tar sands area?

Oil sands, yes. The oil companies have basically shut down or severely limited operations and converted their camps into shelters for displaced people. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/fort-mcmurray-fire-oilsands-impact-1.3565696

[normasm]

Oil sands, yes, sorry. Is this why the fires are burning out of control? Places which are just drought-laden certainly burn, but these fires go deep underground and stay burning, sometimes for years. It begs the question, were those folks who were dismissed as alarmists in fact right?

[secnarf]

2 hours ago, normasm said:

Oil sands, yes, sorry. Is this why the fires are burning out of control? Places which are just drought-laden certainly burn, but these fires go deep underground and stay burning, sometimes for years. It begs the question, were those folks who were dismissed as alarmists in fact right?

I don't think so? I haven't heard anything about that - doesn't mean it isn't the case, just that none of the media outlets are reporting or even speculating about it. I got the impression that the active oil operations are all far enough away to be considered safe.

At this point, the fire is so severe that it is causing lightning, which is making it spread even faster, and there is ample (very dry) forest for the fire to burn through. Forest fires (and even some evacuations) are not uncommon in Northern Alberta and BC, but this one is unusual in that it occurred earlier in the year, is huge, and ripped through a populated area.

Edit: I found this article that explains a bit about why the fire spread so fast: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/albertas-highway-of-fire/article29863650/?from=29909532

Edited May 6, 2016 by secnarf