Small Talk: a.k.a. 'The Meet Market'

[KAOS Agent]

My neighbor seems to have gotten a llama. I do not understand this at all. What is the point of havng a llama? I wouldn't even really care except this thing looks over the fence and spits on my dog. I'm not impressed.

[HoodlumSheep]

^ the wool.

[sharky]

Yes, the wool! Although if they were going for the wool, they probably should've gotten an alpaca instead. Alpaca wool is divine!

 

So I've done a bad thing. A very bad thing. I've started watching Doctor Who. I've had friends who keep talking about how great it is so I started with series 2 -- the first one with David Tennant -- and now I'm addicted. Why didn't someone warn me this could happen? Seriously, I've been looking at Doctor Who knitting project bags online. The addiction has become that bad. And I'm still so far behind! I'm only in the middle of the third series and it's awesome and David Tennant is amazing and ugh. This will not end well.

[KingOfHearts]

My neighbor seems to have gotten a llama. I do not understand this at all. What is the point of havng a llama? I wouldn't even really care except this thing looks over the fence and spits on my dog. I'm not impressed.

If your neighbor's name is Napoleon Dynamite and the llama's name is Tina, don't be surprised if you hear them yelling "Eat the food!"

[Selina K]

We have a local farm that I patronize and they have a llama for protection for their animals.  Apparently they are quite good at scaring off predators that would otherwise attack the sheep and other livestock.

 

http://modernfarmer.com/2014/02/got-predators-dont-shoot-get-dog-llama/

[Shanna Marie]

Yay, Sharky! Welcome to Doctor Who fandom.

 

And if you're looking for Doctor Who-related knitting projects, you simply must try this one. I've made it once in heavier yarn with bigger needles for a warmer shawl, but I think I'm going to also do a lace-weight version according to the instructions.

[HoodlumSheep]

Nnooooooooo!!!!!' How could you, sharky? How could you skip Nine???? I don't who you're friends are, but please throw a glare or two in their general direction when you see them (and then apologize for me).

Nine is so underrated, it's ridiculous. I don't know if it's because he was only in 13 episodes, or the behind-the-scenes stuff with CE soured things for people. Personally I like him better than Tennant. He kept a good mix of human/alien (Timelord) qualities. I've rewatched series 1 the most out of the new stuff.

And if you like the Doctor/Rose, then you're missing out on some fantastic moments between them.

Aaarghhh!!! Few things make me rage, but the lack of love for Nine is one of them!!!!!

You're missing out on Nine!

Edited August 19, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[sharky]

Yay, Sharky! Welcome to Doctor Who fandom.

 

And if you're looking for Doctor Who-related knitting projects, you simply must try this one. I've made it once in heavier yarn with bigger needles for a warmer shawl, but I think I'm going to also do a lace-weight version according to the instructions.

Oh yea, just feed my new obsession. Damn you! (And I'm going to add that to my ravelry queue now.)

 

Hoodlum -- Saw your post about Nine in the Hook thread. So here's what happened: Nickelodeon is starting to show reruns of Doctor Who and I finally decided this was my sign to jump in and see what all this is about. And then I realized that BBC America also does Doctor Who reruns. So now my DVR is starting to fill up with all these Doctor Who episodes! The problem is that Nick started with season two and BBCA is around the same spot in their reruns -- season two and three. So I'll probably just wait until one of those stations starts their reruns from the beginning and I can catch up back with season one that way. Believe me, this has become a bad addiction so I have no problem with finding a way to watch even more.

 

On the other hand, I'm going to have to start deleting shows off my DVR to make room for the Doctor and also the new fall shows. I think Suits is going to get the ax. I'm more than a season behind and I just can't care anymore. Oh well. It'll be a sad goodbye but it needs to happen. I have better stuff to watch now. :)

[HoodlumSheep]

^ sorry for spazzing, sharky! Don't worry about trying to watch series 1 if it's an inconvenience. It just makes me sad that even the tv networks themselves skip the Ninth Doctor's run. I feel like they're trying to erase him from existence or something. I do think that people who have not watched Series One should give it a chance though. You may not end up liking Nine (I absolutely love him), but I think you would at least appreciate him and Chris Eccleston's acting.

Channels may also be skipping Nine due to Tennant being younger, etc. so younger people would have more of an interest. But then again, what are they gonna due when they reach the Peter Capaldi stuff? I wish I could find the tv network heads and give them a good slap over the head.

*sigh* Poor Nine.

[sharky]

I think it may just be because that's where I'm jumping in with the airing of the episodes. I found it a little strange that Nick started out with season two -- I figured maybe it was a rights issue or something since this is the first time they're doing it. Not sure about BBCA. I don't know if they usually rerun Doctor Who and they're coincidentally in the same season or what. I'm assuming since they're doing them in order that perhaps after they catch up with the most recent seasons that they'll start the whole process over again with season one. They also see to be airing the specials so they seem pretty thorough. And on Saturday nights, BBCA showing the best of Doctor Who with some extra features. So yea, I seem to have become addicted at the right time -- or wrong time considering how much of my free time this is sucking up.

[ParadoxLost]

I don't know about Nick, but BBCA has never seemed to go in any particular order.  The last time I saw season one in reruns was when they were celebrating the 50th anniversary.

 

But I agree with HoodlumSheep, if you come across Nine's season, I recommend watching it.  Its not just a very good season but there is a fair bit of crossover via Nine and Ten because Rose was a companion to both.  There are a couple things that I'm not sure would even make sense (or have the same emotional impact) if you haven't seen season 1.  Now I'm not saying you need to wait for season 1 (because who knows if it will ever air again).  But if you have a WTF did that mean reaction, you may want to google or ask.

[yeswedo]

I don't remember where we first started discussing an open thread for some episodes last season, so I'm posting it here--if it's the wrong place, I apologize in advance.

 

Are we going to have an open thread for the season opener?  I really enjoyed last season's open threads, and was sort of hoping we'd be able to try it for significant episodes this season, too.

 

We will have a live chat thread for the season premiere and are open to requests for other episodes as well. 

[Curio]

As a huge Packers fan, I'm irrationally depressed over Jordy Nelson being out the rest of the season. It's hard to describe how awesome he is. He's a midwestern, humble, productive player who still tends to his farm in Kansas. Those freaking tiptoe sideline catches were glorious to watch every Sunday, and now I have to wait until 2016 to see another classic Jordy 60+ yard TD pass. Like, you guys don't understand... Rodgers/Nelson is my NFL OTP equivalent to Captain Swan. So, yeah. Just had to vent about that.

[Souris]

My Panthers have lost two starters to season-ending injuries already in the preseason. Curse you, injury gods!

[OnceUponAJen]

If you haven't seen it, I recommend "Trollhunter" on the Chiller channel right now, though I really do prefer subtitles to dubbed in English.

[HoodlumSheep]

^ if that's the movie I think it is, then I've seen it! It's definitely an interesting movie.

My mom and I watched "A Room With a View" last night. It had a young Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith and a bunch of other recognizable actors and actresses. It was...very odd. We weren't very fond of it. There were a bunch of eccentric characters, but it kind of made it more confusing.

I don't like football, but my brother and mother are Packers fans. I strictly root for the prettiest uniform if I'm stuck watching a game.

The weather is currently in Autumn mode. I'm not sure if it'll warm back up again. It's been in the fifties, cloudy, and rainy. The weather screams autumn, so I'm now yearning for caramel apples, apple cider and the works. We are clearly not going to have an "Indian summer" this year.

Edited August 25, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Mari]

I loved A Room With a View, but I would admit that it's not something I'd watch every day.

[Shanna Marie]

I adore A Room with a View. I don't know about watching it every day, but I do watch it at least once a year. It's a movie I kind of want to crawl inside. And it's highly amusing to see Helena Bonham-Carter and Rupert Graves looking so young and innocent. Given a lot of Rupert Graves's current roles (like on Sherlock), it's a little shocking seeing him as the goofy baby brother.

 

And I've just added this film to my mental list for my Labor Day weekend movie marathon ...

[Curio]

I don't like football, but my brother and mother are Packers fans.

They're smart people. ;)

 

The weather is currently in Autumn mode. I'm not sure if it'll warm back up again. It's been in the fifties, cloudy, and rainy. The weather screams autumn, so I'm now yearning for caramel apples, apple cider and the works. We are clearly not going to have an "Indian summer" this year.

I had to be outdoors all Sunday and refused to put a jacket on at first because it's still August. Finally, I caved because it was 50s with 30mph winds. I love me some autumn weather, but not in August. Thanks, midwest.

[Shanna Marie]

I had to be outdoors all Sunday and refused to put a jacket on at first because it's still August.

I don't want to hear any complaints about that. We were excited this morning because it was "only" 80 degrees at 10 a.m. And I just got home from a week in Spokane, where it was lovely to go walking in the morning and need a sweatshirt.

[Rumsy4]

I really like Merchant Ivory's A Room With a View. I didn't much like the more recent version with screenplay by Andrew Davies. The ending was practically bizarre. I also adore Howards End. Both the book and the movie are one of my favorites. That one has Emma Thompson and HBC as the main leads.

[Curio]

I don't want to hear any complaints about that. We were excited this morning because it was "only" 80 degrees at 10 a.m.

 

Well, when 6 months of the year is filled with snow and ice, and 4 of those months have the potential to go into the negative degrees for weeks on end...you tend to expect mother nature to give you the best damn summer weather to make up for it. But yeah, I'd much rather bundle up than desperately try to cool down.

[OnceUponAJen]

Ugh, well today I just lost access to ABC because of a network/Dish Network dispute. Guess I need to invest in an antenna in the meantime!

[Souris]

They always work those disputes out eventually. They've got a month to work it out for you.

[OnceUponAJen]

Yeah, I know it's mostly a game of chicken. :)

[HoodlumSheep]

I'm going to watch some harness racing at a county fair tomorrow with some of my family! Makes me sad that this style of horse racing has been going out of fashion. Not too many places seem to have it anymore, at least in our state.

I've been raising monarchs this summer. Yeah, it's more of a little kid thing, but I consider them all to be my butterfly children. It's been kind of stressful. This sudden cold weather is not good for them. It's always cloudy and they need sunlight. One hatched this morning that has partially crumpled wings and it can't fly good. I found it on the ground after I had released it onto some flowers, so I brought it inside the house so it could soak up some lamplight. That probably doesn't really help, but I don't care. Then I fed it some sugar water from our hummingbird feeder and released it back onto the flowers.

And yes, I did all that for a butterfly, but I consider them to be my babies. It's just too hard to not get attached.

I'll probably cry if it doesn't make it. Curse my love for adorable creatures!

[ABitOFluff]

Yeah, I know it's mostly a game of chicken. :)

Honestly, my mom wanted to get rid of some her AT&T U-verse boxes to cut down costs, so I set her up with 3 TVs with antennas, and even in a mid-size city like the one she's in, the antenna TVs get several channels with good reception.

Edited August 26, 2015 by ABitOFluff

[daxx]

That's how I watch Once live, with an antenna. I re watch with Hulu plus though.

On a far less fun note, I went to an allergist and I have to avoid nearly everything I normally eat.

Suggestions on a breakfast meal that doesn't include the below list would be greatly appreciated.

I did get some soy milk and vanilla chex(rice). An alternate would be appreciated since I have to avoid for a month before adding back in. I could also end up truly being allergic to the entire list and have to avoid the rest of my life.

Egg substitute won't work, it still contains egg.

Avoid; chocolate, wheat, carrot, cashew, chicken, corn, eggs, milk, avocado, cucumber, cinnamon, and blueberry.

Edited August 26, 2015 by daxx

[Selina K]

Daxx, I have one word.  Bacon.

 

Ok, I have more words.  Can you eat non traditional foods for breakfast?  I actually like a salad for breakfast and you can bulk it up with fresh fruits - peaches are in season right now and meat or nuts, like bacon or walnuts.  Vanilla rice with coconut milk?  It's sort of like a sweet oatmeal.  The elimination diets suck in terms of getting prepared foods, but there are corn and rice cereals that we just eat dry a lot of the time.  Kashi makes some wheat free frozen waffles that aren't bad, too.

[Souris]

I've had quinoa prepared as oatmeal before, with almond milk and nuts, and that can be quite tasty & has protein. You can make it the night before & heat it up in the a.m. and have a pot of it over a few days. I've seen rice-based hot breakfast cereal. There are dairy-free cheeses you could put with gluten-free bread; Daiya brand is considered the best, I think.

[KingOfHearts]

Once is currently the only show I watch live. I use an antenna as well!

[Lieutenant]

Once is currently the only show I watch live. I use an antenna as well!

Same here.  I absolutely refuse to pay for cable.  Not when I can get a gazillion times the content for $8 a month with Netfilx/hulu/etc.  Once is the only show I absolutely must watch live.  I still remember just about losing it during the season 3 finale because there was bad weather about and the freaking meteorologist would NOT GET OFF THE AIR and let Once play uninterrupted.  Priorities.  I clearly have them.

[OnceUponAJen]

Well, my local channels have been restored. That was quick!

[HoodlumSheep]

Went to a county fair today. The harness racing was average. The fastest time was a 2:06.

Anyways, walking around that fair made me realize how Frozen will probably never go away (especially now that there's going to be a sequel).

A pig named Elsa (complete with snowflakes on the name plaque), cows named Olaf and Sven. When will it ever end???? I liked the ouat Frozen version, but all the stuff with the real movie is slowly starting to drive me insane. There are now Olaf inner-tubes everywhere floating down rivers.

There was also a draft horse named Cora, which made me think of Ouat, but the horse has been around a lot longer than the show has. The draft horses at this certain fair are typically always the same ones year after year.

The horse barn was also decorated in a medieval theme, which reminded me of Camelot.

Sorry to hear about all the possible/actual allergies, daxx. :(

Edited August 26, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[regularlyleaded]

I'm a happy cord-cutter as well. Going on 6 years now. Unless there are specific cable channels/show you can't get without cable, I recommend it.

 

Luckily, I always live close enough to the metropolitan areas that I can get all the major networks OTA and then some. And because I can't do without DVR capability (and I'm a nerd), I have the Mohu Leaf antenna running to a HDHomeRun connected to a computer that then acts as my DVR. Best part is that if I need more space on the DVR I just throw another hard drive into the computer and *boom*, easy DVR upgrade (yes, I do need all of this season and last season's American Ninja Warrior on my DVR if you must know. Delete something to make space? That's crazy talk). Also, any cable shows that I want to watch/keep, well, I can get them all via Netflix, Hulu, iTunes or Amazon Prime Video. 

[Lieutenant]

I'm going to watch some harness racing at a county fair tomorrow with some of my family! Makes me sad that this style of horse racing has been going out of fashion. Not too many places seem to have it anymore, at least in our state.

I worked with the state vets one spring for just a few weeks working a harness meet.  It was like a whole different world compared to what I was used to in flat racing.  So much gear, and the drivers are huge, and just the vibe and everything.  I really respect Standardbreds as a breed though.  Those suckers are hard knockers, and really have some serious longevity.  They have really long careers compared to Thoroughbreds overall.  But yeah, it's not really my cup of tea sporting-wise.  I feel like I'm watching paint dry almost -hehee.  Then there's the Quarter Horses and their insanity.  Talk about a crap shoot.  Blow the break at the gate and your race is over.  No way to make that up in 17 seconds!  Not to mention they swerve all over the track like it's bumper cars out there.  I've paddocked a few QHers up for races for friends.  Absolute nut jobs, every last one of 'em.  Nope.  It's Thoroughbreds for me.  A nice mix of distance and speeds!

 

Speaking of, American Pharoah is heading for the Travers!  Can I get a HALLELUJAH?! 

[HoodlumSheep]

Awww...I'm going to have to miss it. I'll be at my cousin's wedding and reception on Saturday.

Harness racing can be quite entertaining if you get some good horses. It was a slower field this year. there's excitement when some of them break, but they can still recover and come back to win. The drivers are definitely bigger than jockeys, but I wouldn't consider them huge. I don't think a jockey would be able to hold down a cart; they'd probably be too light. :P

There can be some excellent races though.

A mile in 1:54 and 1:59 is pretty amazing, considering the horses are just pacing and trotting.

I wonder if you caught trotting or pacing? Fillies or colts? Usually you see both.

[tennisgurl]

I moved to Kentucky last year, and man, I thought I knew about horse racing before, but I had NO IDEA! People love them some horse racing in Kentucky. Went to my first Derby party and everything. Even had the giant hat and bourbon. 

 

I used to barrel race when I was in high school, so the more horses the better. I should look into more races to watch. 

[HoodlumSheep]

We got half a bushel of peaches today! My mom was going to skip peaches this year but I convinced her to get some. We got Red Havens and will be spending some time this evening peeling and slicing them.

We usually freeze ours. I can't believe it's already the start of apple season too.

[ParadoxLost]

We got half a bushel of peaches today! My mom was going to skip peaches this year but I convinced her to get some. We got Red Havens and will be spending some time this evening peeling and slicing them.

 

Embarrassing story.  A couple of years ago, someone I know who owns a peach orchard gave me some peaches.  I very politely said thank you.  I went home, called my parents (their fault), and asked this question...  'How do you eat a peach?  Do you eat the skin?  Do you peel the skin and then eat it?'  My parents didn't know either.  We had to check the internet and there is apparently no correct answer. 

 

Now so you can point and laugh.  I spent most of my life living in the 'Peach State' which meant to me slimy fruit in a can and decorating themes for water towers.  This is because my parents transplanted from a land where random homeowners know how to graft apple trees.  I know how to eat an apple. An orange.  Berries.  Bananas.  Oh crap, I just remembered.  I had to call to ask how to eat/prepare fish once.  It was the skin question again.  I did not have a varied diet as a child.

Edited September 2, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[Selina K]

I got an embarrassing amount of peaches this year.  Two half bushels of whites that wound up weighing over 50 pounds.  I've whittled it down to about ten pounds after peach shortcake, canned vanilla peaches, three batches of white peach vanilla jam, a peach tart, peach bbq sauce, a delicious salad of peaches, arugula, toasted walnuts with garlic and bacon that was lunch every day last week nd I'm just freely eating the rest though the idea of a peach crisp keeps wandering through my mind.  Other foods need attention, though.  I feel like tomatoes days are limited and I want to do some dilly beans or pickles before we lose the weather.  Late summer is the best harvest time!

Now so you can point and laugh.  I spent most of my life living in the 'Peach State' which meant to me slimy fruit in a can and decorating themes for water towers.  

 

I've been to Gaffney, too.  I went to college a few hours southwest if there :)  I was a Yankee in SC which I didn't know was something other than a baseball team until freshman orientation.

[OnceUponAJen]

Can I have the recipe for that salad? It sounds wonderful! Or was that it?

[Selina K]

That's more or less it, but there are some instructions that I loosely followed while making my own substitutions.

 

From Food52 https://food52.com/blog/11207-a-lot-of-peaches-2-dinners-and-3-desserts

 

i used regular bacon, subbed walnuts for the hazelnuts because that's what I had on hand, my peaches were pealable as is so I didn't blanch them, and then I made a red wine vinaigrette because I don't care for mustard.

 

Peach and Smoked Duck Bacon Salad
I love a mixture of flavors in my salad and am very partial to including both smoked meat and fruits... Feel free to use smoked pork bacon if you prefer.

Start by blanching 3 peaches in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Peel them when they’re cool enough to handle, then slice them into half-moon pieces and set aside. Sauté the smoked duck bacon until it's cooked and golden. Next, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a pan and sauté 1/3 cup of finely chopped hazelnuts and a clove of minced garlic until slightly crunchy. Serve the sliced peaches, bacon, and hazelnut mixture over a bed of salad greens like red chard, watercress, or arugula, and dress with a Dijon vinaigrette.

[HoodlumSheep]

Can't you technically eat the skin of a peach though? It's not preferable, but you could still do it. Same with fish skin. You can eat it, it's just that all the bad chemical, etc. stuff gets absorbed in the skin, so people don't normally eat it.

My dad eats the bitter pith (the white stuff) of oranges. I don't know he does it, because I gag when I try eating it.

And weird food confession time, because why not?

I eat shrimp tails. You know how most people usually just leave the tails if they're eating deep fried shrimp or something? Well, I don't.

[Selina K]

Yes, you can eat peach skin.  You don't even technically need to take it off to can peaches, though I find it kind of slimy and icky after sititng in a jar of sugar syrup for a few months.  No worse than apples, pears, etc. though I think it's a bit bitter compared to the sweetness of the peach so I will usually peel peaches, even to eat fresh.  Really ripe peaches often have easy to peel skin, and if not the blanching method int he recipe above is fast and easy.

 

Weird food confession - not sure how weird this is, but I eat pizza backwards to save the best part of the pizza, the tip that was closest to the center of the pie, for the last bite. What's weird is that my brother wound up marrying a girl that has the same approach and it used to bug the hell out of him when I did that in high school.  Now he has to deal with it forever, ha ha :)

[OnceUponAJen]

My father used to complain that I ate one thing on my plate at a time. Who cares, I'm eating the food! Don't do that anymore...guess I grew out of it at some point!

[HoodlumSheep]

My father used to complain that I ate one thing on my plate at a time. Who cares, I'm eating the food! Don't do that anymore...guess I grew out of it at some point!

I eat one thing at a time too (I still do currently). Typically I save best for last, or I eat whatever I don't like cold first. This involves me usually spinning my plate around a billion times too. And I don't like my food touching. Certain things can touch, but others are a no-no. Like if my mashed potatoes and jello were touching I'd have to spend time carving out the bits that were touching. It just freaks me out.

I think I live a life of contradictions when it comes to food. Certain things are acceptable, but then other things are the end of the world for me even though they probably shouldn't.

I pick apart my pizza (and have done so since I was young). I eat each topping seperately, starting with the onions (which I give to my dad because I don't like onions :( ). Then the pepperoni, then the olives, etc.

I can't just eat a "whole" slice of pizza anymore.

It's the same with my cereal and certain candies that have distinct color groups.

Trix, lucky charms, skittles, m&m's, jelly beans, etc.

I always eat my least favorite color group first and make my way down to my favorite color. And when it comes to skittles or M&Ms, when I get down to the last three colors I then worry about even distribution. And I also spend time rearranging them in different patterns.

It boggles my mind how people can eat a spoonful of trix and not be worried about all the colors mixed together.

Basically, a lot of my food habits seem to be OCD-ish in nature.

***apparently I am not alone when it comes to eating my M&Ms in a certain order according to studies.

Edited September 3, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Lieutenant]

I eat peach skins. Never had an issue with it. I would think it would be a mega hassle to try to peel a peach! Zest/rind on citrus doesn't bother me much either. Same with very pulpy juice.

Now, if I find a bit of eggshell in my egg concoctions, I'm done. I just can't enjoy eating it if I know I've gotta sift it through my teeth, just waiting to hear that crrruuunch again. Fish bones are like that too. Blegh!

[ParadoxLost]

Weird food confession - not sure how weird this is, but I eat pizza backwards to save the best part of the pizza, the tip that was closest to the center of the pie, for the last bite.

 

 

You are also supposed to eat it upside down.  Read that in an article.  It puts the toppings in contact with taste buds instead of the bread.  Tried it..  It is actually better that way.

[Souris]

My poor boss, who had emergency gallbladder removal surgery 2-1/2 weeks ago, ended up back in the hospital today with a severe allergic reaction after a bee flew into his mouth and stung him ON HIS THROAT!