Small Talk: "I'll Take Non-Show Chat For $400, Alex."

[PBnJay]

On 2/12/2021 at 6:27 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

The only thing she couldn't bake was chocolate chip cookies.

At my house we typically eat all the dough before we have a chance to actually bake cookies. None of us have died yet, so I guess it's okay to do that.

On 2/12/2021 at 6:27 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

My father was famous for saying, "Better eat it now before it goes stale..." as if any baked in our house had a chance to get stale.

Your father sounds like so much fun, and with selective hearing about ice cream. I know some people who are "hard of hearing" when some topics come up in conversation!

[Prevailing Wind]

Yeah, he was a great guy. He was dying in the V.A. nursing home in December 99, but he held on for Y2K.  When no planes fell out of the sky, he pulled his sheet up over his head and died.  (He pulled his sheet up over his head to sleep a lot, which alarmed all the new nurses on the floor the first time they saw him like that.) I miss him; I can't believe he's been gone 21 years already.  I'd love to have a bowl of ice cream with him today.

[dcalley]

From the season 37 thread:

17 hours ago, Trey said:

just this week it was announced on the news that he will no longer be Mr. Potato Head but just Potato Head.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are still Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. The overall branding is changing, not the characters' names. It makes sense to me, because the brand makes more than just Mr. Potato Head. Here's an old box that shows the Mr. Potato Head brand/logo and the Mrs. Potato Head toy name on one box. The new box for Mrs. Potato Head won't have the Mr. in the brand/logo anymore, and it will still say Mrs. for the toy name.

[Prevailing Wind]

Re: Polynesia, Micronesia, & Melanesia:

When I was a kid my mom acquired a large Rand-McNally map of the world and hung it with wallpaper paste in our hallway.  My brother and I used to play a game where one of us would pick out a country and the other had to find it on the map. That damn brother chose "Melanesia" for me to find, but the letters were spread out over the entire area, with large spaces between the letters. I never did find it. When he finally pointed it out to me, I said, 'No Fair!" although it was. I was just annoyed at myself for not finding it and annoyed at him for choosing something so difficult to see.  Ever since then, Melanesia is my go-to response regarding the South Pacific if I don't really know the answer.

Now if could only stop confusing the Caspian with the Black Sea...

[Clanstarling]

17 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Re: Polynesia, Micronesia, & Melanesia:

When I was a kid my mom acquired a large Rand-McNally map of the world and hung it with wallpaper paste in our hallway.  My brother and I used to play a game where one of us would pick out a country and the other had to find it on the map. That damn brother chose "Melanesia" for me to find, but the letters were spread out over the entire area, with large spaces between the letters. I never did find it. When he finally pointed it out to me, I said, 'No Fair!" although it was. I was just annoyed at myself for not finding it and annoyed at him for choosing something so difficult to see.  Ever since then, Melanesia is my go-to response regarding the South Pacific if I don't really know the answer.

Now if could only stop confusing the Caspian with the Black Sea...

I never even thought of Melanesia, but you have an excellent reason for that to be your go-to.

This reminds me of a bet I had with my brother. I was 6 maybe, and he's eight years older than me. He bet I couldn't hit a lizard on the side of our motel building (desert, and yes, I wouldn't do it now). He threw a rock and missed. I picked up a handful of gravel and got it. Dumb luck, but he was all "No fair!"

 

[Moose135]

18 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

...one of us would pick out a country and the other had to find it on the map. That damn brother chose "Melanesia" for me to find, but the letters were spread out over the entire area, with large spaces between the letters. I never did find it. When he finally pointed it out to me, I said, 'No Fair!" although it was...

Actually, it wasn't fair. Melanesia isn't a country...

Quote

Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from the island of New Guinea in the west to Tonga in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.

The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. It also includes the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and parts of Indonesia – notably Western New Guinea, which is the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanesia

I think you owe him a virtual smack in the back of the head!

Edited March 3, 2021 by Moose135

[Prevailing Wind]

5 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Actually, it wasn't fair. Melanesia isn't a country...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanesia

I think you owe him a virtual smack in the back of the head!

I won't, though. He's turning 77 next week and he just blew out his knee. He's already seeing an orthopedist for his back, so karma is his to "enjoy."  Bwaahahahaha.

[Prevailing Wind]

4 hours ago, Jaded said:

The way the woman who ended up winning kept holding her arm annoyed me once I noticed she was doing it.

I used to work with a woman who held her left arm out at a weird angle. It looked really odd. She told me why one day and a few months later, someone made a crack within my hearing about the woman's affectation of holding her elbow out like that.  So I asked the wisecracker, "Do you know that's what's left of a corrected birth defect?  When she was born, it was much worse and as a baby, she had surgery to correct it. That's as good as it got."  Wisecracker thanked me for letting her know.  And since then, I try not to judge people's physical quirks.  We never know the story behind the reason for it.  I'll be happy to judge someone negatively who leaves a puppy atop a Mayan pyramid, though.

[Jaded]

5 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I used to work with a woman who held her left arm out at a weird angle. It looked really odd. She told me why one day and a few months later, someone made a crack within my hearing about the woman's affectation of holding her elbow out like that.  So I asked the wisecracker, "Do you know that's what's left of a corrected birth defect?  When she was born, it was much worse and as a baby, she had surgery to correct it. That's as good as it got."  Wisecracker thanked me for letting her know.  And since then, I try not to judge people's physical quirks.  We never know the story behind the reason for it.  I'll be happy to judge someone negatively who leaves a puppy atop a Mayan pyramid, though.

I deleted my post in the thread and will lurk from now on. I didn't mean to come across as a judgmental asshole. 

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm sorry you interpreted my post that way. It wasn't directed totally at you - we're all guilty of doing that on occasion. Please continue posting.

[Clanstarling]

23 hours ago, Jaded said:

I deleted my post in the thread and will lurk from now on. I didn't mean to come across as a judgmental asshole. 

Happens to the best of us. Keep posting.

[zoey1996]

Anyone else bummed with the time change? I’d be fine with either standard or Daylight Saving Time, but quit switching twice a year!

[Bastet]

I don't enjoy mornings the first week of DST while I adjust (I am not a morning person), but it's well worth it for getting another hour of daylight in the evenings. 

[Prevailing Wind]

The Senate is working on it.   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daylight-savings-time-permanent-bill-senate/

Georgia also has 4 bills: one to keep standard time, one to keep DST, one to put it on the ballot for the voters to decide which way to go, and I don't remember what the fourth one was, but...even if we DO pass it, it requires approval of the US Congress.  I don't care which one they choose, just DO it & stop moving the clocks around. The keeping of time is a human construct anyway; it really makes no difference. The cats still get hungry at the same "time" they did last week.

[laredhead]

Prevailing Wind, I tried to feed my cat at 4:00(DST) yesterday instead of 5:00 which is his usual time.  He wasn't ready to finish his afternoon nap because he was still on standard time.   

[Clanstarling]

5 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

  I don't care which one they choose, just DO it & stop moving the clocks around. The keeping of time is a human construct anyway; it really makes no difference. The cats still get hungry at the same "time" they did last week.

I've often said "I don't care, just pick one."   My medications are sensitive to the time I take them (or my body is - who knows), so I always have physical consequences with each time time change.

[Prevailing Wind]

38 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Prevailing Wind, I tried to feed my cat at 4:00(DST) yesterday instead of 5:00 which is his usual time.  He wasn't ready to finish his afternoon nap because he was still on standard time.   

My two are on the same 8 hour schedule they've been on, but instead of feeding them at 3 EST, I feed them at 4 EDT.  It's the same time for them, but an hour different for me. I have the alarm set on the phone to go off every 8 hours. Stella doesn't really react that much, but as soon as Bosco hears the music coming out of the phone, he's all over me to get up & feed them. He can be sound asleep, but when "Good Day Sunshine" starts playing, he's awake, alert, & apparently starving to death.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

My two are on the same 8 hour schedule they've been on, but instead of feeding them at 3 EST, I feed them at 4 EDT.  It's the same time for them, but an hour different for me. I have the alarm set on the phone to go off every 8 hours. Stella doesn't really react that much, but as soon as Bosco hears the music coming out of the phone, he's all over me to get up & feed them. He can be sound asleep, but when "Good Day Sunshine" starts playing, he's awake, alert, & apparently starving to death.

I used to have a cat who was only affectionate in the morning. Just before the alarm went off, she'd sit on my chest, purring. If I didn't get right up, she'd drool on my face. Very much carrot and stick. 😂

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Clanstarling

[saber5055]

On 3/15/2021 at 11:11 AM, Clanstarling said:

If I didn't get right up, she'd drool on my face.

Cat drool ... and just when I though I'd heard everything.

[Clanstarling]

16 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Cat drool ... and just when I though I'd heard everything.

And it was always just one perfect drop.

[saber5055]

Two night ago my dogs told me there was a critter on the roof where they had "treed" it. My solar lamp wouldn't cast its light far enough, but I figured a raccoon based on the time of day (night) and the big raccoon tracks I found in my front yard after the snow melt. Last night I kept hearing thunking on the roof, so I went out and some critter was ripping and digging in a tarp I have up there. Again, solar light too weak to shine far, and I wasn't going up there in the dark. I gave it my best I'm-A-Killer-Monster-GIT-OUT shout and the thunking and ripping stopped.

I've been pondering whether to climb up today and pitchfork the thing if it's there, asleep for the day. I'm not sure trying to shoot a rifle while standing on a roof with a huge raccoon coming at me is a wise option. I also could live trap it I guess. I have a live trap in the barn, but it has a skunk in it.

So many decisions for a Sunday.

[Prevailing Wind]

On 3/28/2021 at 12:47 PM, saber5055 said:

 a skunk

The National Park Service posted on FB that they refer to them as "Fart Squirrels."

[Clanstarling]

 

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

On 3/28/2021 at 9:47 AM, saber5055 said:

 a skunk

The National Park Service posted on FB that they refer to them as "Fart Squirrels."

How about smelly cats?

[saber5055]

54 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

How about smelly cats?

Phoebe, is that you?

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm not making suggestions, just reporting what the NPS FB folks said.  LOL

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I'm not making suggestions, just reporting what the NPS FB folks said.  LOL

I know. I was the one making suggestions. 🙂

[zoey1996]

@saber5055, or anyone else, watching Pooch Perfect?  Some cute pups, some dreadful puns. I’ve wasted my time on worse.

Edited March 31, 2021 by zoey1996

[saber5055]

13 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I know. I was the one making suggestions. 🙂

And I was the one making a joke about it.

[saber5055]

32 minutes ago, zoey1996 said:

, or anyone else, watching Pooch Perfect?  Some cute pups, some dreadful puns. I’ve wasted my time on worse.

I watched, wondered if I would know any of the contestants. I know several competition groomers but done who specialize in the creative cuts, that's a separate competition at grooming shows. So I didn't know anyone, although a couple of the teams aren't far from me. I felt badly for the person whose heart dog was a Boxer. Didn't agree with the Schnauzer winning that segment.

I loved the skunk, but my favorite was the badger. So adorable. I thought the fire ant lady should have made that dog a lobster instead.

I did do a big WHAAAA? at the Afghan guy saying he's the top Afghan handler in the United States, then he embellished it to say he's the best in the world. Honey, I don't think so.

But the guy who did the goldfish is def a dog handler, he knew how to present that Bichon.

I guess I should look for a thread about that show. Ha ha!

[zoey1996]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

guess I should look for a thread about that show. Ha ha

I made one, it's in other reality competition shows. On my kindle now, too hard to link, sorry.

[saber5055]

3 minutes ago, zoey1996 said:

I made one, it's in other reality competition shows. On my kindle now, too hard to link, sorry.

Found it, been there, already posted! Thanks!

[Bliss]

16 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Found it, been there, already posted! Thanks!

Do you suspect any animal abuse on this Pooch Perfect show?

[saber5055]

48 minutes ago, Bliss said:

Do you suspect any animal abuse on this Pooch Perfect show?

Absolutely not. Dogs used for grooming competitions love being washed, fluffed, puffed, and getting hours of full-time attention. Just as some people love spa pampering, so do these dogs. Dogs will jump onto the grooming table by themselves and stand perfectly to be fawned over and be the center of attention. Dogs that don't like it will pout, sulk, head and tail down, won't walk on a lead ... and therefore will not be used in any competitions. It's the same as dogs that don't like to show just don't become show dogs, they stay home on the couch. My old best-in-show dog loved the spotlight so much, he would literally turn his back on me if I took another dog to the ring instead of him.

I've loaned some of my retired show dogs to competition groomers and the dogs LOVED being back in the spotlight and center of attention instead of just another dog hanging around home being bored. All of the dogs on Pooch Perfect are experienced grooming competition dogs, and they love their jobs. Creative grooms are a division of every grooming competition, it was not developed for tv. Prize money at competitions is substantial so I was not surprised at the $100,000 end prize. I know people who make their living doing this. A big key to success is keeping the dog happy. An "abused" dog is not a happy dog.

I would def let any of my dogs be on this show.

[Driad]

57 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Dogs used for grooming competitions love being washed, fluffed, puffed, and getting hours of full-time attention.

Thank you.  I was wondering about that.  I'm most familiar with Siberian huskies, who tend to be high in intelligence but low in patience.  Some of them will stand still for a few minutes while a human puts a costume on them and takes a photo, as long as the dog knows there will be a good treat afterward.  None of those I have known would enjoy being in a grooming competition.

[saber5055]

6 minutes ago, Driad said:

Some of them will stand still for a few minutes while a human puts a costume on them and takes a photo,

Not that you know anyone who does that, right? Ha ha ha!

[Prevailing Wind]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

 

I'm old enough, but I never drank hard liquor (well, more accurately, I never bought hard liquor after tasting it). So it didn't come to mind.

Re: Fifths of liquor.  My parents always bought fifths. (a fifth of a gallon, rather than a quart) because a quart would last about 5 years in our house. Even after my Mom decided she REALLY liked Southern Comfort, a quart of it was never purchased - always fifths.  Dad liked bourbon/ginger ale highballs and he'd usually drink them around Xmas time. He'd let me have a taste and to this day, I associate the taste of bourbon/ginger ale with Christmas.  With both parents having European parents, it was customary to give the kids tastes.. So when we finally turned 21, it wasn't that big a deal to drink - we weren't tempted by forbidden fruit because it had never been forbidden. Now, I mostly consume my alcohol by pouring butterscotch schnapps on vanilla ice cream. LOL. (That only comes in one size - I don't have a choice of fifth vs quart. Hahaha)

[saber5055]

I never gave a thought to "a fifth" being a measurement. I thought it was just a generic term for a bottle of whiskey. So I did some online shopping; whiskey and scotch is sold by ML, with 750ML being "a fifth." Who knew.

I guess I do now.

Letting kids taste beer and hard liquor was a good idea in my case. Nasty stuff. Decades later, I still am a teetotaler. I wouldn't date any guy who drank, or smoked or did drugs for that matter. Then or now.

[Prevailing Wind]

I grew up having beer with meals. When I was little, it was only about 2 inches in a skinny glass, but I learned early that certain foods demand beer and beer is to be consumed with those foods - like stuffed cabbage or beef stew.  Now that I'm a septagenarian, I can safely say I have never sat down & just drank a beer. It goes with food.  Then I developed an allergy - I could drink one-third of a beer and my sinuses would close up and I'd get a horrible sinus headache (Not a hangover - this would happen WHILE I was drinking, and, of course, having food with it.  I finally found a decent non-alcoholic beer.  I love Beck's N/A. But, still, it goes down with pizza.  (Pizza with Diet Coke is really sucky.)

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Then I developed an allergy - I could drink one-third of a beer and my sinuses would close up and I'd get a horrible sinus headache

That was the combo of your brain and body telling you to stop polluting your body with that trash*.

*I include the poison called Diet Coke in with that "T" word.

ETA: Not that I'm telling anyone else how to live. Apologies if my views were taken that way. I'm just a granola and Earth Shoes kinda guy.

Edited April 1, 2021 by saber5055

[Clanstarling]

6 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Re: Fifths of liquor.  My parents always bought fifths. (a fifth of a gallon, rather than a quart) because a quart would last about 5 years in our house. Even after my Mom decided she REALLY liked Southern Comfort, a quart of it was never purchased - always fifths.  Dad liked bourbon/ginger ale highballs and he'd usually drink them around Xmas time. He'd let me have a taste and to this day, I associate the taste of bourbon/ginger ale with Christmas.  With both parents having European parents, it was customary to give the kids tastes.. So when we finally turned 21, it wasn't that big a deal to drink - we weren't tempted by forbidden fruit because it had never been forbidden. Now, I mostly consume my alcohol by pouring butterscotch schnapps on vanilla ice cream. LOL. (That only comes in one size - I don't have a choice of fifth vs quart. Hahaha)

We had very little hard liquor in our house. We did seem to have a bottle of Crown Royal, which was big at the military bases we lived. A soldier would be gifted a bottle when he was a short timer (30 days to go). My dad did have some schnapps with gold flakes. And I remember vaguely that his "cure" for a cold, when I was little, was bourbon. He let me take a sip of that and I ran to the sink to wash my mouth out with water. But mostly my dad had beer - which I liked for a sip or two, but I think I've only finished one beer in my life. I do like some wines, but I rarely drink just to drink. It's usually when we're out at dinner, and we don't do that very often. We're more going out to lunch people, now that we're old.

I grew up mostly in Europe, where it's no big deal. I didn't like the taste of most liquor, and I have maybe one mixed drink a year (a lemon drop martini). I was really happy that my youngest was in France on a study-abroad when she turned 21. No pressure to drink heavily.

[saber5055]

Trivia time! A while back I emailed a friend a story about when I was in Nashville for business and went to a special performance of The Grand Old Opry at the Ryman, this well after the Opry had moved to its new location. The only performer I remember was Little Jimmy Dickens, but what I remembered most were the singing commercials for Goo Goo Clusters, one of my favorite candy bars. LOVE them. They have always been a regular sponsor of the Opry.

I found out today that Goo Goo Clusters, made in Nashville, are named for the G-rand O-ld O-pry. Heh, I never made the connection. --TM Mr. Obvious

And now you (and I both) know! Hey, you'll thank me when it's a J clue some day.

[Browncoat]

3 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Trivia time! A while back I emailed a friend a story about when I was in Nashville for business and went to a special performance of The Grand Old Opry at the Ryman, this well after the Opry had moved to its new location. The only performer I remember was Little Jimmy Dickens, but what I remembered most were the singing commercials for Goo Goo Clusters, one of my favorite candy bars. LOVE them. They have always been a regular sponsor of the Opry.

I found out today that Goo Goo Clusters, made in Nashville, are named for the G-rand O-ld O-pry. Heh, I never made the connection. --TM Mr. Obvious

And now you (and I both) know! Hey, you'll thank me when it's a J clue some day.

I hate to burst your bubble, but that isn't true.  GooGoo Clusters were introduced 13 years before the Grand Old Opry, and they were actually named because the inventor's son's first words were "goo goo".  Source:  googoo.com.

[saber5055]

30 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I hate to burst your bubble, but that isn't true.

NOOoo! Say it ain't so, Joe! Danged Chicago radio host spreading fake information.

Sending email correction to WGN morning host now. Thanks Browncoat. Eh. I think.

[Prevailing Wind]

How in the world can "goo goo" be considered a "first word" - it's random gurgling noises attempting to mimic speech and failing.

[Clanstarling]

5 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

How in the world can "goo goo" be considered a "first word" - it's random gurgling noises attempting to mimic speech and failing.

Maybe it was learning to sing "I am the Walrus."

Edited April 2, 2021 by Clanstarling

[saber5055]

9 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Maybe it was learning to sing "I am the Walrus."

Okay, this made me LOL and I am still LOL-ing as I type this.

[Prevailing Wind]

Re: Tricia Nixon.

For all you seniors...Do you remember the picture of Sammy Davis, Jr. hugging Nixon from behind?  That happened in Miami at a Nixon rally during the Republican convention in 72. It was at the "Marine Stadium" which was a weird structure - all the seats were on solid ground, facing Biscayne Bay, but the stage was floating on the water. They could move the stage away so people could watch boat races.  We had the stage, and Sammy D. did a bit of a show. A boat docked at the edge of the stage and Tricia got off in some pink frilly thing. When she spoke, it was clear why Julie was more the representative of the daughters - Tricia had this weird-ass accent and kind of rambled.  Then Nixon showed up to hug her, Pat was waving to everybody (who had been given a box dinner of KFC) and the crowd (most of 'em, anyway) yelled "Four More Years."  Then Sammy D. came up behind Nixon and hugged him like that. The look on Nixon's face when it first happened was priceless. He looked like he thought he was being nabbed & arrested.  When he realized it was just Sammy, he got into the moment and grinned. But it was a shaky few seconds there.

At the same time, there was supposed to be an Anti-Nixon protest at the convention center, where I worked just a half-block away. I had been having a great time talking to the media people (my job included me walking to the bank and other places during the day) and my boss was enjoying my stories when I got back to the office. When he heard about the protest, he was worried I was gonna go to that, but I assured him my brother had gotten the whole family tickets to the Nixon Rally - hey, it was a free meal. (They were worried nobody would show up, so they gave the City of Miami employees all the free tickets they wanted)

My office was a travel agency and the boss asked my opinion - he wanted to run ads encouraging the delegates to do quick side trips to the Bahamas, since they were already in Miami, and the agency was SO close to the convention center...He asked me if he should mention we're "A stone's throw away..."

Because of the scheduled protest, they finally took security seriously and parked old, out-of-service busses, end-to-end, surrounding the convention center with just a few, heavily guarded entrances, for which you had to show your credentials to get in. It was a crazy time. I'm glad I was there.

OH, one more thing - I was coming back from lunch, walking in between the parking meters. As i approached a car with its light on, a media dude was getting out of the car. I said to him, "You left your lights on." and he said, "You're from Philadelphia."  I was floored. I was 3½ when we left Philly for Miami, but apparently, I still had the accent, learned from my parents.  Weird.

[saber5055]

Wow PW, what a great story. I didn't know any of that (well, except that Julie married David). So I looked up the photo and did some reading about that Miami event. I'm not sure if politics were covered so much back then or they just weren't in my area of thinking. People went to vote and that was about all the political talk there was in my world. I had no idea Nixon was an outright racist. So yeah, that photo went around the world. How exciting you were there to see it.

I got a laugh that the free lunch was KFC. That at least is a step up from Trump-era White House catered dinners. KFC is delicious!

I found the photo. It's credited to AP, but no photographer's name. Those were the days of Speed Graflex 4x5 cameras. It was a one-shot-and-you-got-it (or not) so those photogs had to be good. Thanks for a great story. So fun and interesting!

 

[zoey1996]

I was involved in the Kansas Teen Age Republicans in 68-69. I had a cousin (older than my mom) who was a Republican committeewoman who roped me in. Anyway, during the campaign, Bob Dole, who was running for the Senate, Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower campaigning for Nixon, all appeared at the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas. Several of us went and got to meet them. Julie and David were engaged at the time. It was a thrill for me to meet them.

Not nearly as entertaining as Prevailing Wind’s story though!

[Prevailing Wind]

Thanks! It was a fun time of my life.

When the rock band was setting up, one of the bass drums said,"Pink," and I thought , "Whoa! Pink Floyd?"  No, it was Frijid Pink. LOL.