Small Talk: Hall Of Just Talk

[caprice]

My condolences to HM for the loss by his Cowboys.

I'd like to add that probably 90% of my neighbors were cheering for the Cowboys today. Then again, they seem to really dislike the Packers here.... ;)

I'm not a huge football fan, but I always watch the Superbowl. (Mostly for the commercials, I have to admit....)I did get talked into entering a football pool this year, though. Outside of the Manning brothers and Reggie Bush, most of my team were scrubs, and I wound up finishing 5th out of 8. Gonna try to pay more attention to the stats next year.

You get the commercials? Even if I watched the US feed while in Toronto, I got Canadian commercials.

[The Crazed Spruce]

You get the commercials? Even if I watched the US feed while in Toronto, I got Canadian commercials.

Apparently, our cable system doesn't do that whole geoshifting thing that the rest of Canada does. (We don't have CTV or The Comedy Network, though, so it's a pretty big tradeoff.)

[MarkHB]

You don't have CTV?  Isn't that one of your major networks? 

[caprice]

Good morning, everyone. Waffles with sausage and bacon in the steam tray. Coffee, milk and fruit juices to the right and a loaf of fresh sweet bread by the toaster.

Apparently, our cable system doesn't do that whole geoshifting thing that the rest of Canada does. (We don't have CTV or The Comedy Network, though, so it's a pretty big tradeoff.)

That's a huge trade-off.

[Hanged Man]

Morning everybody, how are things? I was sick and bedridden all weekend and I still feel like a regurgitated dog turd.

 

 

 

My condolences to HM for the loss by his Cowboys.

I didn't see much of the game, I had it on but drifted in and out of sleep, so the only play I remember is Aaron Rogers victory formation. All in all the Cowboys so greatly exceeded expectations that I can't complain. I thought they were going to go 7-9 this season. It never occurred to me that our coaches could learn to run the ball. I figured that they would keep doing the same things they had always done and throw, throw and throw.

 

Speaking of which, ESPN2 has been in town for the college football championship and whenever they get here they seem to bring cold weather with them. Fortunately I think this is their last day.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Hanged Man

[The Crazed Spruce]

You don't have CTV?  Isn't that one of your major networks?

TELL me about it....

[caprice]

*Packing up chicken soup, juices and tea* HM, I hope this is the end of whatever has you down.

[Lantern7]

Anybody interested in the national championship game? I'm not . . . though I am amused that the team nicknames are taken from gentle sources. Who would fear a duck or a buckeye?

 

I need some feedback . . . the place where I post my sketches is doing a vote thing for bragging rights. Here's what I got so far. I have one more slot left, and I don't know which sketch to use. Here's what I collected in 2014 . . .  any feedback would be of great help to me.

[The Crazed Spruce]

I need some feedback . . . the place where I post my sketches is doing a vote thing for bragging rights. Here's what I got so far. I have one mores slot left, and I don't know which sketch to use. Here's what I collected in 2014 . . .  any feedback would be of great help to me.

Lee Moder's Catwoman is my favourite out of the bunch, though Jamal Igle's Twelve and Javier Winnik's Death are pretty good, too.

[Lantern7]

Thanks for the feedback. I have until the end of the week to decide which piece goes into the final slot. My goal is to get as many votes as possible . . . it can be a little deflating to put up five sketches and get a combined four votes, which is what happened last year.

 

ETA: Here's my competition. Just showing you what I'm up against. I'm pretty sure about the four sketches I picked, but I'd be open to any ideas for substitutions.

[Hanged Man]

Hey everyone, how are things?

I am still sick and glad that I primarily work from home though I have had to cancel or reschedule trips to client's offices.

 

Lantern, do the sketches have to be well-known characters? I recognized most of the entries and if I recognize them they must be pretty popular.

My favorite of the ones in your collection is Space Dandy. Good use of color, nice background to set the scene, clean lines, (though I wish the points on the star on the chest were sharper) all-in-all good picture.

[MarkHB]

I like the Space Dandy and the Eleventh Doctor cover.

[Lantern7]

Last year, the only sketches that got votes for me were Aya/Anti-Monitor (one vote) and Finn/Jake/Ice King (three). Both were done by the guy who did Space Dandy for me, so I'll consider it. I think the votes go to big name artists, as well as to stuff with detail. In 2014, I put this sketch of Pam from Archer up because it was done by Adam Hughes, but it didn't get any votes.

[caprice]

Good luck with the sketches, Lantern.

Big day for football. I think I'm the only one in the neighborhood with a team still in the running. I wonder if it would be too much to toss the idea out that we might have a "do" for the Super Bowl.

*long, warm hug for HM

[Hanged Man]

Good morning everyone! I had a pretty great weekend

 

Congrats to Mark's Patriots and caprice's Seahawks

[caprice]

Waffles in the steam tray.

 

Thanks, HM. It was an ugly game but we'll take it. Hopefully the offensive line will be awake for the Super Bowl....

[Lantern7]

I have way too many comics. I just leave them scattered throughout the house, and I'm just dealing with the enormity of it now. I haven't done bags/boards/boxes, but I might start soon. And before you ask . . . I'm too old-fashioned to go with online comics.

[MarkHB]

Don't allow yourself to get too invested in the tidying-up process, Lantern.  I know from experience that once you get behind in taking care of the books, not only does the task grow exponentially but you also start thinking things like 'I wonder what Overstreet says about this one," etc.  And then it just never ends.

[caprice]

The Pats were using under-inflated balls? Well, y'all know where to find me....

[Lantern7]

Anybody else got snow? I think we had 1-2 inches . . . nothing too bad, though I had to push the stuff off my car.

 

Forgive me . . . I'm at the library and I'm bored, but there's nothing else for me to do.

[MarkHB]

We're supposed to get quite a bit more than that; we're probably at half a foot now.

[caprice]

There's a rumor that we're getting some snow tonight, but differing amounts depending on who you hear it from.

[The Crazed Spruce]

We were just hit with our second huge snowstorm this week. The drifts are already more than six feet high, and we've still got another two months of winter to go.

Doesn't help that our town employees are locked out right now, so our snow removal is severely slowed down. (The town locked 'em out before they could go on strike over their pensions. Y'see, they scaled back the pension contributions on any future town workers, claiming that they didn't have it in the town's budget (an argument which might've held more weight if they hadn't voted themselves a 110% pay raise just over a month ago).)

[MarkHB]

The town locked them out????  Seriously????  That's pretty hardcore.

[Lantern7]

It's snowing right now. I was thinking of going to the gym, but I don't want to take any chances. Right now, the Mayor is hyping the heck out of the oncoming storm.

[MarkHB]

Nothing here yet, but they've already cancelled trash collection for the next two days (this never happens).  We have a blizzard warning starting at 10 Pm tonight and going to 4 Am Wednesday, with a prediction of 14-20" of snow.

[The Crazed Spruce]

The town locked them out????  Seriously????  That's pretty hardcore.

Seriously.

[Hanged Man]

Hey everyone, how are things?

 

It is supposed to get to the low 70s tomorrow and Wednesday, though by the weekend it will be down to the mid-40s, brrrr....

[caprice]

As much as I enjoy tennis, my god, I am tired of Sharapova and her screaming!

We were just hit with our second huge snowstorm this week. The drifts are already more than six feet high, and we've still got another two months of winter to go.Doesn't help that our town employees are locked out right now, so our snow removal is severely slowed down. (The town locked 'em out before they could go on strike over their pensions. Y'see, they scaled back the pension contributions on any future town workers, claiming that they didn't have it in the town's budget (an argument which might've held more weight if they hadn't voted themselves a 110% pay raise just over a month ago).)

Oh, the bastards! I hope it doesn't drag out too long. As a former City employee, this would have pissed me off.

It's snowing right now. I was thinking of going to the gym, but I don't want to take any chances. Right now, the Mayor is hyping the heck out of the oncoming storm.

I wouldn't risk it, either.

Nothing here yet, but they've already cancelled trash collection for the next two days (this never happens).  We have a blizzard warning starting at 10 Pm tonight and going to 4 Am Wednesday, with a prediction of 14-20" of snow.

Stay warm, my friend!

Hey everyone, how are things?

 

It is supposed to get to the low 70s tomorrow and Wednesday, though by the weekend it will be down to the mid-40s, brrrr....

Cry us a river, honey buns. ;) Temps here hit the mid-40s today, which was nice, but we'll be back in the 20s this weekend.

I'm at a loss with my laptop. I was having trouble getting into YIM consistently, so I uninstalled it, thinking I'd be able to reinstall the updated version. Nope. Stupid seven year old laptop....

Oh, I'm hosting the neighborhood Super Bowl party!

[Hanged Man]

Nothing here yet, but they've already cancelled trash collection for the next two days (this never happens).  We have a blizzard warning starting at 10 Pm tonight and going to 4 Am Wednesday, with a prediction of 14-20" of snow.

14-20" of snow? Holy cow, DFW would come to a screeching halt. Seriously we freak out when there is snow on the grass but not the roads. Though really I think it is because people want to take a day off and not that the roads are undriveable.

 

I'm at a loss with my laptop. I was having trouble getting into YIM consistently, so I uninstalled it, thinking I'd be able to reinstall the updated version. Nope. Stupid seven year old laptop....

 

Try installing Trillian or Pidgin and connecting those to your YIM account.

[MarkHB]

14-20" of snow? Holy cow, DFW would come to a screeching halt. Seriously we freak out when there is snow on the grass but not the roads. Though really I think it is because people want to take a day off and not that the roads are undriveable.

They upgraded it to as many as 24" of snow later last night, and I haven't turned the TV on to see what they're saying this morning.

 

Boston is supposed to get as much as 3 feet.

 

I took this this morning:

[caprice]

14-20" of snow? Holy cow, DFW would come to a screeching halt. Seriously we freak out when there is snow on the grass but not the roads. Though really I think it is because people want to take a day off and not that the roads are undriveable.

 

 

Try installing Trillian or Pidgin and connecting those to your YIM account.

Atlanta was like that with snow, too.

Cross your fingers on that download, okay?

They upgraded it to as many as 24" of snow later last night, and I haven't turned the TV on to see what they're saying this morning.

 

Boston is supposed to get as much as 3 feet.

 

I took this this morning:

Nice video, Mark. In fact, we have the same railing. That's what I chose for the deck. :D

[Lantern7]

I'm okay. I went out for an errand, and I didn't have much trouble driving through the snow. It was only dicey immediately leaving and coming home, though the plow has been coming around the neighborhood a lot.

 

The Lowry voting is over. Here are the results for the category I submitted five sketches to; three of my sketches got two votes apiece, one got one vote. I'm always disappointed as to how few votes I get every year, even though I don't get the massive commissions the others get. I just wanted to break double digits. Better luck next time.

[Hanged Man]

Hey everyone how are things?

 

I took this this morning:

Yuck. Looks like a great day to not go outside.

 

Here are the results for the category I submitted five sketches to; three of my sketches got two votes apiece, one got one vote.

I think it is ballot stuffing.

 

 

NOOOOOOOOOooooo, We traded Ross to the BoSox? The Texas Rangers GM does not give a flip who the fans like. Not a single flip.

[Lantern7]

So . . . is everybody staying home for the Big Game on Sunday? I'll be going out to a meetup, but I'll be back in plenty of time. I don't really have a rooting interest; I just want a close game . . . unlike last year, which was a blowout.

[The Crazed Spruce]

I've got to work that night, but I'm planning to watch most of the game before I go. (Not gonna lie, it's as much for the commercials as anything.)

[MarkHB]

We have a couple of friends coming over, and have planned the cooking and ordered the not-cooked-here stuff (barbeque).  But then we have a rooting interest ;)

[caprice]

Another rooting interest here ;)

 

So, funny story from the trying household. I talk ttm into hosting the neighborhood Super Bowl party and he just can't understand why I insist on chicken wings as the dish to represent the 'hawks. "It should be salmon. We should serve salmon, because that's from Seattle."

 

On to Costco (along with half of western Minneapolis) to do the party shopping. Looking around, he changes his mind from clam chowder to lobster bisque. Okay, and even more okay when I realize that the clam chowder available at Costco is from Ivar's... a Seattle institution!

 

I won out on the wings, though. It makes sense when you think about it. Three generations of fans referring to their team as "Sea Squawks" or "Sea Chickens?" WTF else is there to serve?

 

Too bad we had to go out-of-state for the beer....

[MarkHB]

Tell me you're serving Sam Adams ;)

[caprice]

LOL! That was the first thing he bought. We had to settle for Rogue to represent the NW.

Edited February 1, 2015 by caprice

[Lantern7]

Just checking to see how everybody is handling the weather. I wound up having to go to NJ in a blizzard that's been going off and on. It's slippery, but it's not that bad to navigate through.

[MarkHB]

The snow's falling pretty heavily here, although the wind isn't as bad as it was last week.  Hopefully it won't be too slippery on my way home.

[caprice]

Oh, just in time for me to pay a visit to my friends in Toronto. Thanks, winter weather.

 

I'm really tired of these ridiculously brutal headaches I get with changes in air pressure.

[MarkHB]

If I were you, I'd hold off visiting your friends in Toronto until the weather clears up a little... and either Heroes or Suicide Squad starts filming.  :)

[caprice]

Unfortunately, I can't do that, Mark. My old theatre troupe is opening a show tomorrow, and it's one that I really, really wanted them to stage (and to audition for).

[caprice]

I'm so excited!! (And I just can't hide it!)

 

I'm getting ready to spend the afternoon with my best friend! Tonight, we're going to be ushers at our theatre company's show. Yes, the one I wanted to be in. After the show, drinks with a whole bunch of old friends! :D

[caprice]

*Looks out window* Oh, snow. No wonder I have a massive sinus headache. Has anyone seen my favorite masseur?

It really is sinuses. Drinks after the show were canceled because there wasn't enough seating at our usual pub and the back-up place was closed. Still, the show was great, I got to see a bunch of people I've missed over the past nine months, AND some of the audience members recognized me and asked why they hadn't seen me in anything lately! *proud*

[MarkHB]

How's this for a note on a site I use regularly:

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: This application requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or better or Netscape 5.0 or better, with 128 bit encryption. You also must have Java Script enabled. Use of pop-up blocker software may cause unexpected results in this application.

[Hanged Man]

Hey everyone, how are things?

Brutally busy week, next week should be butter but only marginally.

 

Congrats to the Pats for winning a 4th Super Bowl. Sadly you are at a number where I am now required to root against you at almost all costs, since your Championships are getting close to the real football team's. ;-)

btw Mark I approve of you finding Pat and using him as your profile pic.
 

No wonder I have a massive sinus headache. Has anyone seen my favorite masseur?

I am not sure massages work on sinus headaches...
 

Drinks after the show were canceled because there wasn't enough seating at our usual pub and the back-up place was closed.

I think I would have found any random nearby place and told everyone to meet there. Some of the most amusing bars I've been in are because they were the closest to where we were when it was drinking time.

 

AND some of the audience members recognized me and asked why they hadn't seen me in anything lately! *proud*

Nice, you should try to find a troupe in your new area. Then start migrating in your peeps from Toronto and before they know it, BAM bloodless coup.

 

How's this for a note on a site I use regularly:  

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: This application requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or better or Netscape 5.0 or better, with 128 bit encryption. You also must have Java Script enabled. Use of pop-up blocker software may cause unexpected results in this application.

 

Umm wow. If it is the year 2000 again, I have some calls I need to make...

Edited February 8, 2015 by Hanged Man

[caprice]

Hey everyone, how are things?

Brutally busy week, next week should be butter but only marginally.

Everything's better with butter! Sorry....

 

I am not sure massages work on sinus headaches...

Well, the massage would have felt good on my sore neck, shoulders and feet. ;-)

 

I think I would have found any random nearby place and told everyone to meet there. Some of the most amusing bars I've been in are because they were the closest to where we were when it was drinking time.

The usual place and the back-up place are both across the street from the theatre. I think they found another place, but by then my bestie had already left and my face was starting to hurt.

 

Nice, you should try to find a troupe in your new area. Then start migrating in your peeps from Toronto and before they know it, BAM bloodless coup.

I do like the way you think.... I am on e-mail lists for two local companies and will work "front of house" for one when they open their show next week. I'm hoping their show will be close to the standard I'm used to now.