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

[Prevailing Wind]

I just watched Dave Letterman interview Malala Yousafzai. I was amused at how many times she started a sentence with, "So..."

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I just watched Dave Letterman interview Malala Yousafzai. I was amused at how many times she started a sentence with, "So..."

If that bugs, start listening for people saying "absolutely" instead of "yes." That's my big irk. Also, "That's a good question" when someone is being interviewed.

[Browncoat]

I'll give most folks a pass on "That's a good question" -- sometimes you need a second to formulate an answer, and that makes a convenient place holder while you gather your thoughts.  Much better to say something like that than to have dead air.

[saber5055]

22 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I'll give most folks a pass on "That's a good question" -- sometimes you need a second to formulate an answer, and that makes a convenient place holder while you gather your thoughts.  Much better to say something like that than to have dead air.

To me, "That's a good question" is pandering, needlessly buttering the interviewer. Why is it such a good question? The person could say, "Let me think about that a sec" or "I never thought of that before," instead of repeating what everyone says just to fill and kill time -- and butter up the host. Being okay with that time filler, to me, means other time fillers are okay: Starting sentences with "So ..." and saying "like" and "you know" every few seconds in the same sentence.

I listen to a lot of radio interviews so these things become glaring after hearing them over and over. JMHO of course.

I did a new channel scan yesterday and came up with a new station ... one that shows old westerns on certain days. I got to watch two Dead of Alives yesterday! Mr. McQueen's pants fit nicely. I never noticed that when I was a wee kid. Heh.

[Browncoat]

10 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Being okay with that time filler, to me, means other time fillers are okay: Starting sentences with "So ..." and saying "like" and "you know" every few seconds in the same sentence.

I will disagree that "So...", "like" and "you know" are the same type of filler.  "Like" and "you know" are lazy speech habits/patterns to me (and ones I'm guilty of, but have put great effort in to break).  I'm not sure how to classify "So..."  As for "That's a good question", I was thinking more of a job interview situation, where you might not want to say immediately that you'd never thought of that before, but you might just need a sec to collect your thoughts.  However, I do not recommend trying to bullshit your interviewer, and if you don't know, you should admit it, but it still might take a second to figure out that you really don't know.

 

Meanwhile, I am already sick of snow!  And this is only the first snow of the season!  But it's snowing at a rate of about two inches per hour -- by the time I got to the back of my car, the front needed clearing again!  I think we're up to about 9-10", and it's still coming down like crazy.

Edited December 9, 2018 by Browncoat

[Prevailing Wind]

I've always felt that the questions that reflect "That's a good question," are questions for which there are no answers.  Why did the chicken cross the road? That's a good question.  Unless, of course, you're playing Jeopardy! - then, "good questions" are the correct response.

[saber5055]

4 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Meanwhile, I am already sick of snow!  And this is only the first snow of the season! 

Good luck with that. The 14 inches that fell here (in one day) three weeks ago was the fourth snow of the fall. Temps have been in the teens/20s the past two months, when we should have been in the 40-50F range. I only keep from going insane by following the AA mantra of "one day at a time." Still, I teeter on the brink almost every day.

[Browncoat]

7 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Good luck with that. The 14 inches that fell here (in one day) three weeks ago was the fourth snow of the fall. Temps have been in the teens/20s the past two months, when we should have been in the 40-50F range. I only keep from going insane by following the AA mantra of "one day at a time." Still, I teeter on the brink almost every day.

Oooh, I'm sorry!  We should at least have highs in the upper 30s to mid-40s in a couple of days, and for the rest of the week.  Where are you?

[saber5055]

I'm in the middle of the tundra of northwestern Illinois. We expect this in January and probably December but from Halloween on weather has been brutal this year. Just remember: It builds character. (Insert joke about Browncoat and Saber being real characters.) At least here we all own snow shovels and 14 inches of snow doesn't keep us home. My sympathies to folks in the southeast getting socked. Although many people are seeing their first snow ever. Maybe that's you, Browncoat?

40-degree temps = wearin' shorts weather.

[Browncoat]

Definitely not my first snow ever!  Probably the first snow I remember seeing was when I was about four or five and living in the middle of the tundra in Illinois!  (My parents were in grad school.)  This snow is not even the first 14 inch snow I've seen -- we had three two-foot snows in about two months about ten years ago.  That was truly annoying.  I'm in the mountains of Virginia now.  For being a southern state, Virginia gets a surprising (to some) amount of snow.

My brother lives in Texas -- 60 degrees requires a heavy winter coat for him.  LOL

[saber5055]

Apologies for stealing your "snow thunder" by one-upping your inches @Browncoat. I feel your pain. I saw that storm was hitting Virginia and the Carolinas. My reaction was relief it was missing me. I'm selfish like that.

If your parents did grad work at Northern Illinois or U of I Chicago, you were in my part of the tundra. Both excellent schools.

I once shared a hotel room with a friend from LA. Worse vacation ever. She was freezing while I was sweating like a pig in that room.

I hope your brother is okay in Texas, which has been under water for the most part of this year.

[Browncoat]

No worries, @saber5055!  I know our snow isn't really bad, it's just bad for here -- and it's exceptionally bad for here, where six inches is bad.  I can't tell you how many idiots I saw driving on my residential street today, going way too fast, then slamming on their brakes at the top of a blind hill.  It's a wonder no one was hurt.  But there's always tomorrow!  People will be more idiotic then, after the snow stops and the plows can really make some headway.

The official total as of 6pm was just over 14 inches, but it is still snowing!

We were in Champaign-Urbana, in married-student housing, where "they" (whoever they are) had built a hill for the kids to sled on, because there are zero hills of any variety in that part of Illinois.

[saber5055]

19 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

The official total as of 6pm was just over 14 inches, but it is still snowing!

That total officially sucks for any part of the United States. AND Canada! But fun if you like to toboggan and/or sled and/or cross country ski. And don't have to go to work/school tomorrow. Good luck with what the snow plow puts at the end of your driveway. IF there are snow plows there!

Champaign/Urbana ... practically to Kentucky!

[Browncoat]

Fortunately, my work is closed for tomorrow, so at least I don't have to worry about trying to go anywhere at the crack of dawn.  Hopefully, by the time I want/need to go anywhere, the roads will be in better shape.  Even the interstates were a nightmare.  We do have some snowplows, but it's hard for them to keep up when it's snowing at about two inches per hour!  I cleared off my (small) car this afternoon, starting at the front, and by the time I'd finished with the back, the front needed it again.  Same with the walk from my house to driveway -- by the time I got to the driveway, the part up near the house was covered again!  I'm one of those weirdos who would rather shovel four inches three times than a foot once, so I was out a lot today.

Ugh, the dreaded snow hump!  I dug it out three times today, and the last time, just as I was finishing up, the plow came by.  Once again, I had to start all over.  I think I'm going to go take some ibuprofen....

12 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Champaign/Urbana ... practically to Kentucky!

Maybe so, but it is tundra-y -- flat, windy, freezing....

[saber5055]

11 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I'm one of those weirdos who would rather shovel four inches three times than a foot once, so I was out a lot today.

I'm with you on that. On my 14-inch day, I shoveled the back deck multiple times so I could 1. open the door and 2. so the dogs could walk outside without bottoming out. Shoveling two to three inches at a time is greatly preferred to shoveling 14 plus (because drifts) all at once. The term for what we had was "heart-attack snow" since it rained all day before temps dropped and it started snowing.

The result is what kids call "packin' snow" since it's perfect for snowmen and snowballs. That's the dif between kids having fun and adults not.

Home all day, yeay! Enjoy your day off, B-coat.

[Browncoat]

If they get the roads cleared, I might go see a movie.  Or, more likely, I will stay home and catch up with all the TV shows I’ve recorded but haven’t watched.

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I will disagree that "So...", "like" and "you know" are the same type of filler.  "Like" and "you know" are lazy speech habits/patterns to me (and ones I'm guilty of, but have put great effort in to break).  I'm not sure how to classify "So..."  As for "That's a good question", I was thinking more of a job interview situation, where you might not want to say immediately that you'd never thought of that before, but you might just need a sec to collect your thoughts.  However, I do not recommend trying to bullshit your interviewer, and if you don't know, you should admit it, but it still might take a second to figure out that you really don't know.

 

Meanwhile, I am already sick of snow!  And this is only the first snow of the season!  But it's snowing at a rate of about two inches per hour -- by the time I got to the back of my car, the front needed clearing again!  I think we're up to about 9-10", and it's still coming down like crazy.

I'd just want to add, in some cases, "that's a good question" can translate to " that's the same thing I've been asked over and over, and here's my stock answer..."

[saber5055]

16 hours ago, Browncoat said:

If they get the roads cleared, I might go see a movie.  Or, more likely, I will stay home and catch up with all the TV shows I’ve recorded but haven’t watched.

Let us know what you decided, and if a movie, which one. I heard some areas around you got 20 inches. Holy cats. That's impressive, even for the Great White North where I live. Hope your power stayed on.

[zoey1996]

Here in Williamsburg, probably around 4”, but our cable, phone, and internet went out around 4:30.  All with the same company.  It came back about 30 minutes ago, several hours ahead of their estimate.  So yay!  We were lucky; several places lost power but we didn’t.

Last night, we watched Love Actually and several episodes of Season 1 of The Middle.  

[Toothbrush]

Wow! I bitched that we didn't get above 55 over the weekend. Still only high 50s in Houston, but better than what y'all are getting. Leaving for Cozumel Thursday - who wants to come? 

20 hours ago, Browncoat said:

My brother lives in Texas -- 60 degrees requires a heavy winter coat for him.  LOL

Truth!

[Mindthinkr]

37 minutes ago, Toothbrush said:

Leaving for Cozumel Thursday

Have a wonderful time and enjoy all of  the warmth that you can soak up. 

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Let us know what you decided, and if a movie, which one. I heard some areas around you got 20 inches. Holy cats. That's impressive, even for the Great White North where I live. Hope your power stayed on.

I ended up going to see "Boy Erased".  It was really good.  Heartbreaking, but really good.  I did have to shovel a bit this morning, since it snowed a couple more inches overnight, and of course had to clean off the car, but the roads I needed were fine.  Getting back in my driveway was a bit of an adventure, since I only dug out a space just barely larger than the car!  I had to aim carefully...  :)

@zoey1996, I LOVE Williamsburg!  I was kind of keeping an eye on y'all with the VDOT website.  It has traffic cameras all over the state, and is a great tool if you have to travel anywhere in VA. 4" is just enough to make it pretty without being too terribly annoying, although I'm sorry you lost power, etc.  Mine didn't even flicker this time, thank goodness!

Edited December 10, 2018 by Browncoat

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Toothbrush said:

Leaving for Cozumel Thursday - who wants to come? 

Have a great time!  I'm leaving for Antarctica in two weeks, so I'm considering this snowstorm practice at being cold.  At least I won't have to shovel this stuff on vacation!

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, Toothbrush said:

Leaving for Cozumel Thursday

I hate you. Don't take it personally.

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

I'm leaving for Antarctica in two weeks,

Now that's a place where I would feel right at home. Just no penguins here ... that I've seen yet.

[Sharpie66]

Have great trips, both of you!!

[zoey1996]

About phone technology...

I grew up out in the country.  Originally our phone was on a switchboard, when we lifted the ear piece and turned the crank.  When the operator answered we told her the 3-digit phone number, but we could also tell her who we wanted to reach, and she knew or looked it up.  When we got a dial phone, we were on a party line with several other households.  And our 7-digit number began with MA (Mayfair), followed by 5 digits. 

911 became active beginning in early 1968.  Touchtone technology was introduced at the 1962 World's Fair, but took a while until it was more prevalent. 

[Browncoat]

Greetings from Buenos Aires!  There’s a giant TV in my hotel room — do you think they’ll have Jeopardy tonight?  I’m staying out of the show threads just in case I get to watch the shows I miss when I get back home.  :)  I look forward to reading everyone’s comments regardless!

[Mindthinkr]

14 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Greetings from Buenos Aires!  There’s a giant TV in my hotel room — do you think they’ll have Jeopardy tonight?  I’m staying out of the show threads just in case I get to watch the shows I miss when I get back home.  :)  I look forward to reading everyone’s comments regardless!

Take some pictures to share please. Have a wonderful time. 

[saber5055]

Hola Capa de Marrón! Cómo estás? I would love to go to Argentina, but even my bucket list has a bucket list -- that will never happen. But know that based on where you are, odds are good you will get today's FJ! So early contrataciones to you!

Meanwhile, safe travels and check in often. You know, from that Starbuck's in the Antarctic.

[Browncoat]

Estoy bien, gracias!  Lo siento that I don’t know how to do accents or upside-down punctuation.  My decades-old high school Spanish has gotten a workout, and the accent here is very different from that of Mexico, Spain, or even Ecuador.  We mostly didn’t wander around the city by ourselved, though there were a few places considered safe enough as long as you don’t wear any bling at all.  I mean nada!  We went to see Eva Peron’s mausoleum this afternoon, and also saw the Pink Palace and the infamous balcony from which she gave her speech.  And then, after dinner, I watched a Food Network cake-making competition in Spanish, and surprised myself by how much I understood.  

We’ll be boarding the ship tomorrow, so it might be a couple of days until we get internet sorted, but I expect I’ll post again.  And I feel confident that I will not be able to watch Jeopardy in any language!  I mean, I could probably stream it, but that would cost a fortune!

[saber5055]

Que interesante! And good on you for using your high school Spanish there. I thought was quite articulate in that language until I struck up a conversation with non-English-speaking grooms at a horse training barn. They would look all confused, then it would dawn on them what I was saying, and they'd repeat it correctly. That's when I realized learning from a gringo is muy malo if one wants to learn correct pronunciation. Qué triste!

I would love to see all you are seeing. My eyeballs couldn't get enough. I never thought until now but you must have flown into Buenos Aires. For some reason I was thinking you hopped the ship in New Orleans or something. Que estúpido!

Keep track of all the different penguins you see. And photos photos photos. Viajes seguros, Capa de Marrón. Say "Hi" to the cute research fellows you meet. Do it for Saber.

[Browncoat]

So many cute naturalists on the ship, and most of them are from Australia or the UK!  We got to the South Shetland Islands today, and walked among the Chinstrap Penguins.  It was amazing.  I took a ton of photos, and I might even make one of them my avatar, since I don’t have one. :)

I hope Jeopardy is having some good games while I’m gone!

[saber5055]

You are SO LUCKY @Browncoat. That's my dream life. Take photos of the cuties on the ship too. You know, for Saber who lives in the shallow end of the pool. What's the temp? And yes to a Chinstrap avatar. You can switch to a different penguin every few months. I hope Jeopardy has an Antarctic category when you return!

[saber5055]

Here are my favorite penguins, the Macaroni. It's like looking in a mirror. Just so you guys will recognize me when I get on Jeopardy. I even had a dog named Macaroni.

 

[opus]

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Here are my favorite penguins, the Macaroni.

Awwww, my boy feels rejected

 

[Browncoat]

We got to walk on sea ice today, and saw four juvenile Emperor Penguins!  That was extra sepcial, because we didn’t expect to see Emperors at all.  There was also one Adelie hanging out by the landing spot, so I think I got some good photos of it.  It was very curious about all the equipment lying aroung, like the shovels and the metal grated that were put in the snow/ice to help with our footing as we disembarked the Zodiacs.  Our ship is parked in the ice alonside the other Lindblad ship that travels to Antarctica.  It’s a little surreal, y’all.

[Driad]

Browncoat, thank you for the reports. If you are tempted to include Firefly quotes, feel free! I hope you have a Jayne hat to keep you warm.

[Browncoat]

We’re back in the Drake Passage now, and it is nothing like the Drake’s Lake we had on the way south!  It’s pretty bouncy, with swells (as they call them) of 3-6 meters. I’m on the lowest passenger level, one or one and a half levels above the sea, and the waves are occasionally hitting my window (yep, I have an actual window, not a porthole) as I type.  It’s exciting!  I suspect we’ll be short a few folks at breakfast (and possibly lunch and dinner) later today.

The day before yesterday was the best day ever!  It was warm, sunny, and dry, and I spent nearly two hours sitting on a rock near an Adelie Penguin colony, just watching them and their chicks.  One decided to come visit me, to see if it could figure out what I was, and just walked a circle around me, stopping every couple of steps to take a closer look.  It was only about a foot and a half or so from me.  The rule is to stay five or six feet from them, but they don’t always read the rules!  I just sat very very still and tried to take photos very very quietly.  The only word for that is surreal.  Oh, and ahhh-mazing!

[saber5055]

Browncoat, from shows I've seen, you are in the worst seas, many do not make it through. But I trust Lindblad to get you back safely. Your penguin adventure is indeed surreal. No one will be able to top your stories at the next cocktail party you attend! Safe travels! (And good on you, being able to eat extra at upcoming meals ... given the attendance will be down.)

[GenerationX]

What do you notice about sunlight?  There's only a few hours/day of civil twilight there and the rest of the time should be daylight.  I remember when I was in Aruba being struck by how close the sun seemed to be and by how different the angle was from anything I'd seen before.  The sun was noticeably more overhead than in Chicago.  

[Sharpie66]

On 1/5/2019 at 9:28 PM, GenerationX said:

What do you notice about sunlight?  There's only a few hours/day of civil twilight there and the rest of the time should be daylight.  I remember when I was in Aruba being struck by how close the sun seemed to be and by how different the angle was from anything I'd seen before.  The sun was noticeably more overhead than in Chicago.  

Definitely curious about this, too! When I was in Orkney in mid-July several years ago, the amount of daylight really blew my mind. It was so weird going to sleep at 11:00 pm with some light still in the sky, then waking up at 3:30 am to see the sun back up again! 

If I ever visit my grandpa’s hometown of Lulea, Sweden, I want to go at the summer solstice, since it is just about 40 miles from the Arctic Circle. 

Edited January 7, 2019 by Sharpie66

[Browncoat]

I'm back!  I'm still avoiding Jeopardy though, until I can try to at least watch FJ of the shows I missed.

It is very weird to have dark again.  I feel like it's super late, even though it's only 7:30.  I never saw anything like civil twilight while I was in Antarctica -- I usually conked out before midnight, except on New Year's Eve.  We celebrated GMT New Year's at dinner, and then Antarctica New Year's at midnight.  We were passing through the Lemaire Channel on New Year's Eve, and it was so gorgeous.  The Lemaire channel is pretty close to the Antarctic Circle, so the sun got low, but I didn't see it set, and I'm not sure when it did, or when it rose again. The furthest south we got was about 65 degrees, 15 minutes -- missed the Antarctic Circle by just a tiny bit!  But the ice below that was just too much for our ship. 

I can't say the excessive daylight bothered me, exactly, but, as it was when I was in Alaska over the summer solstice, I really didn't know when to sleep.  I never had any idea what time it was without looking at my watch or a clock.  Finally, I just started going to my cabin after dinner (which was generally finished by about 9 or so), and reading or just putzing around.  Sometimes there was an after dinner movie or other program, but I could watch that from my cabin.  So, I did use, "I'll be in my bunk", although the context was a bit different.  :)  We had a turndown service (with chocolates on our pillows!), and the housekeeper left the room with the lights dimmed.  Since I have trouble with insomnia, and always wake up early, I made a concerted effort to try to go to bed at a reasonable time every night.  I rarely slept past 5 am, despite the blackout shades -- and that's 3 am in Virginia!  I can't wait to see what time I wake up tomorrow!  When I got up early on the ship, I'd head up to the bridge and watch for wildlife.  Lindblad has an open bridge policy -- only under very special circumstances were we not allowed on the bridge.  We could even stay up there while the ship was docked back in Ushuaia, and while they were navigating around all the big ice bergs in the Lemaire.  I mean, we tried to stay out of the Captain's and crew's way if they were really busy like that, but it was okay if we were there. 

I got on plane #1 yesterday at about noon, plane #2 at 9pm, plane #3 at about 9am this morning, and after that last, very bumpy flight, an a three or so hour drive, I finally made it home.  And now that it's dark, I'm about ready to get ready for bed!  (8pm here is 10pm in Antarctica, so it's bedtime, right?)

I did use another Firefly reference, but at the minute, I cannot remember what it was! 

[saber5055]

Welcome home, @Browncoat. I can't imagine all you saw and did. A trip of a lifetime. Well, it would have been for me. I'm interested in all the minute details ... about everything! You need to watch Insomnia, a movie you can relate to in a different way now. Stop back when you are tan, rested and ready ... to jump back into the Jeopardy thread. Glad all went well.

[Browncoat]

@saber5055, I have seen Insomnia!  And I can totally relate.  If you want some Lindblad-produced info, go to expeditions.com, and look up the Daily Expedition Reports for Antarctica and the Explorer.  Ignore the dates drop-down, but scroll down and start with Dec. 29.  Jan 6 is our last one.  Some of the reports are short, but they all have some really nice photos.

I promise I'm not shilling for the company or the website!

[Grundoon59]

Browncoat - it was fascinating reading your posts about your travels.  I am a devoted cruiser but not sure I will be adventurous enough to try that one.

Zoey1996 - I remember snowfall in the Burg very well.  They shut down the College for 3 1/2 inches during my time there and I got out of Norfolk one spring break just ahead of a storm that closed the airport for days.

[saber5055]

Thanks for the link, @Browncoat. I did search through the Lindblad (and other ... there are others!) sites but did not know about expeditions.com. I will for sure go and read the daily journals. Yeay! I get to go to Antarctica vicariously!

Did you see any of my twins, the Macaroni penguins? I am taller, but otherwise, the resemblance is scary.

[Browncoat]

@saber5055, we didn't see the Macaronis, but we saw Rockhoppers, Magellanics, Chinstraps, Gentoos, Adelies (my favs), and a couple of juvenile Emperors.  Which was exceptional -- we didn't think we'd see any Emperors at all.  In fact, the first day, our Expedition Leader told us straight up not to expect them because we would not see them.  Glad to know the animals don't listen!

I loved the trip, and I would do it again, but I can't recommend it to everyone wholeheartedly and unreservedly.  If you are in the least bit susceptible to motion sickness, this is not the trip for you.  Even with the extraordinarily smooth initial crossing of Drake's Passage (small 3-4 foot waves at most), people wearing the patch felt unwell.  And the return, when the waves were 15-18 feet, with occasional bursts of around 20 feet or so, kept quite a few people in their cabins all day.  And they were using the patch as well.  Even some of the hotel staff felt those waves -- the ship's doctor was quite busy that morning! 

I wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow.  I'd prefer to sort through my photos, and perhaps even choose one for an icon to replace the giant pink B.  :)

[saber5055]

@Browncoat, I am looking forward to your rotating penguin avatars. No offense to @opus. What? Are you not feeling the residual sea sickness? For sure that's a call-in *cough* for a day off work tomorrow. Jet lag and all. Although I was surprised to learn the time is only two hours off. I guess it is straight south though, not east or west. So DUH to me

I'd be all about that trip, waves and all. Not sure if the 20-ft. waves wouldn't squee me out though, not from motion sickness but rather thinking about the ship capsizing. Life jacket, please.

What was the temp while you were penguin viewing? I'm good to about -10F, lower than that I have to zip up the coat.

[Toothbrush]

@Browncoat thank you so much for sharing! Can't wait to see which picture you choose for your avatar. I agree with @saber5055 - call in sick tomorrow. 

[Browncoat]

Actual temps were rarely below 0 Celcius, so generally in the mid- to upper 30s.  But the wind!  On a couple of days the wind was just brutal, and I needed all the layers, and no one stayed out very long.

The world is still rocking slightly, but I hope that goes away soon.  It’s a little disconcerting.