Small Talk: Out of Genoa

[Cupid Stunt]

Merry Christmas from Charlie the Venus Flytrap!

[Cupid Stunt]

Mommy's busy. Those Christmas cards aren't going to get done by themselves.

[Cupid Stunt]

 

 

Keely Smith, the Grammy winning singer known for her solo recordings of jazz standards as well as her partnership with her first husband, Louis Prima, died Dec. 16 in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 89 and had been suffering from heart failure.

She was hired as “girl singer” in Prima’s big band when still a teenager, and went on the road with the band in 1948. Smith and Prima married and had two children.

The duo won a Grammy in 1959, the first year of the awards, for best pop vocal performance by a duo or group for “That Old Black Magic,” which stayed on the charts for 18 weeks. They had hit albums with “The Wildest!” and “The Wildest Show at Tahoe.”

She was also Grammy-nommed later in life for the 2001 album “Keely Sings Sinatra.”

A mainstay of the Las Vegas lounge scene for many years, she was honored in the Las Vegas Hall of Fame as well as with stars on the Hollywood and Palm Springs walks of fame.

[pearlite]

Well, Cupid, you're so generous with Christmas visuals that I had to send you one from Toronto today!

#trashpandasshoptoo

Edited December 18, 2017 by pearlite

[Cupid Stunt]

1 hour ago, pearlite said:

#trashpandasshoptoo

Get a gun.

[valleycliffe]

raccoons are called trash pandas?  i didn't know that.

however, now that i think about it, fits..

[Capricasix]

12 minutes ago, Cupid Stunt said:

Get a gun.

Up here in Canuckistan, we regular folk don’t usually run around with weapons, concealed or not ?

[boes]

17 minutes ago, Capricasix said:

Up here in Canuckistan, we regular folk don’t usually run around with weapons, concealed or not ?

We get one for our First Holy Communion!

[Cupid Stunt]

3 minutes ago, Capricasix said:

Up here in Canuckistan, we regular folk don’t usually run around with weapons, concealed or not ?

In California, the authorities frown on the that sort of thing as well. But a baited live-trap with peanut butter only works in the short-term with raccoons. Most urban raccoons can teach themselves to escape traps; you have to be there the minute they trip the latch, otherwise they'll figure out how to get out.

I grew up on a ranch. If you saw a raccoon, rat, skunk, opossum, you killed them and tossed the carcass out into the open for the carrion-eaters to clean up. They spread disease to humans and other animals, eat and foul food stores, their nesting causes structural damage to buildings.   

[Capricasix]

14 minutes ago, Cupid Stunt said:

In California, the authorities frown on the that sort of thing as well. But a baited live-trap with peanut butter only works in the short-term with raccoons. Most urban raccoons can teach themselves to escape traps; you have to be there the minute they trip the latch, otherwise they'll figure out how to get out.

I grew up on a ranch. If you saw a raccoon, rat, skunk, opossum, you killed them and tossed the carcass out into the open for the carrion-eaters to clean up. They spread disease to humans and other animals, eat and foul food stores, their nesting causes structural damage to buildings.   

My husband took this pic in our backyard this past summer. This bold fellow was raiding our bird feeder! 

[Cupid Stunt]

Raccoons are relentless feeders. The more food available, the larger the litters.

[peacheslatour]

Have you ever looked into their eyes? They have NO SOULS!

[Cupid Stunt]

17 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Have you ever looked into their eyes? They have NO SOULS!

Raccoons don't appear to be on a path to purification or enlightenment, so having souls is doubtful.

[peacheslatour]

I just mean that when I look into the eyes of a cat or a dog I see something ineffable, something more. Raccoons have black eyes, like a lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites ya. And those black eyes roll over white, and then... oh, then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin'.

[Cupid Stunt]

That too, Captain Quint.

 

Of the six major organized religions by number of followers, three of them — Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism — believe in reincarnation, that is, a cycle of death and rebirth.  This rebirth takes place in both humans and animals. The Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, are more nuanced in their approach.  But in their sacred writings all of them assert that animals praise and glorify God and that He watches over them. Quotes from those six religious beliefs --

Christianity:
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.   (Matthew 10:28)

Islam:
Each one (i.e. all beings) knows its own prayer and praise, and Allah knows well all that they do.  (Quran 24:41)

Hinduism:
Deer, camel, donkey, monkey, rats, creeping animals, birds and flies — one should consider them like one’s own children, and not differentiate between one’s children and these creatures.  (Bhagavata Purana 7.14.9)

Buddhism:
All beings tremble before violence.  All fear death, all love life.  See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt?  What harm can you do?  (Buddha)

Sikhism:
Nature in species, kinds,  colors.  Nature in life forms.  All nature is yours, Oh powerful  Creator.  You command it, observe it and pervade within it.  (Guru Granth Sahib)

Judaism:
The beast of the field shall honor me. The wild beast of the field shall glorify me.  (Isaiah 43:20)

[Snaporaz]

I know they're rabid nuisances, but I think raccoons are so damn cute.  I love their little burglar masks.  I just don't have it in me to kill any animal.  And I probably shouldn't mention that I once helped two raccoons escape an empty dumpster they were trapped in.  I looked for things to put inside the dumpster so they could climb out.  And I swear, once they were free, one of them stopped in his tracks, turned to look at me, nodded his head, then scurried off.  I think he was thanking me!

[peacheslatour]

Quote

 know they're rabid nuisances, but I think raccoons are so damn cute.  I love their little burglar masks.

And their fancy driving gloves!

[Capricasix]

The babies are really cute, too ?

[jewel21]

2 hours ago, Snaporaz said:

I know they're rabid nuisances, but I think raccoons are so damn cute.  I love their little burglar masks.  I just don't have it in me to kill any animal.  And I probably shouldn't mention that I once helped two raccoons escape an empty dumpster they were trapped in.  I looked for things to put inside the dumpster so they could climb out.  And I swear, once they were free, one of them stopped in his tracks, turned to look at me, nodded his head, then scurried off.  I think he was thanking me!

I love raccoons and think they're adorable. I got to pet a baby one. At the former animal hospital I worked at, they were taking care of an abandoned baby raccoon and she was super cute. She purred when content. Also, one of the girls who worked there had a raccoon as a pet. Her father was a vet and the raccoon lived in the house with them.

[Cupid Stunt]

4 hours ago, Snaporaz said:

I know they're rabid nuisances, but I think raccoons are so damn cute.  I love their little burglar masks.  I just don't have it in me to kill any animal.  And I probably shouldn't mention that I once helped two raccoons escape an empty dumpster they were trapped in.  I looked for things to put inside the dumpster so they could climb out.  And I swear, once they were free, one of them stopped in his tracks, turned to look at me, nodded his head, then scurried off.  I think he was thanking me!

Fish in a barrel.

Gun.

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

And their fancy driving gloves!

All the better to open garbage cans.

Gun.

2 hours ago, Capricasix said:

The babies are really cute, too ?

Shotgun with bird shot.

1 hour ago, jewel21 said:

I love raccoons and think they're adorable. I got to pet a baby one. At the former animal hospital I worked at, they were taking care of an abandoned baby raccoon and she was super cute. She purred when content. Also, one of the girls who worked there had a raccoon as a pet. Her father was a vet and the raccoon lived in the house with them.

[AngelKitty]

My mom was feeding a family of raccoons once when we lived in Maine. The babies were adorable and she even got them to eat from her hand. It was all fun and games until one bit her and we made her stop. 

[Capricasix]

6 hours ago, Cupid Stunt said:

Shotgun with bird shot.

Again, that’s kind of frowned upon within city limits. 

[pearlite]

13 hours ago, Snaporaz said:

I know they're rabid nuisances, but I think raccoons are so damn cute.  I love their little burglar masks.  I just don't have it in me to kill any animal.  And I probably shouldn't mention that I once helped two raccoons escape an empty dumpster they were trapped in.  I looked for things to put inside the dumpster so they could climb out.  And I swear, once they were free, one of them stopped in his tracks, turned to look at me, nodded his head, then scurried off.  I think he was thanking me!

In the same place, Snap, where raccoons are concerned. Where I live [near the lake, west end, and right beside an immense park], they're a constant. And as the area grows more chichi, with more trendy food shops and restaurants and more food waste, and with 100+ year-old trees, it's raccoon paradise [not to mention the odd fat, self-satisfied rat who'll stroll across one's backyard]. They ate their way through a spot in the fascia on the side of my third floor, and actually moved around between floors--this is not uncommon, and even though, yes, they're pests, no one uses exterminators--live-capture services, yes. But I acknowledge the screaming, pooping, and general bad behaviour--as well as the 20K new roof/fascia, thanks.

Guns, hell no. Far less common here, as personal possessions. And illegal to fire them in the city.

2 hours ago, Capricasix said:

Again, that’s kind of frowned upon within city limits. 

And, they are Toronto's spirit-animal--check out the Porter Airlines site: https://www.flyporter.com/en-ca/

Doesn't mean we delude ourselves about them--they're just there, and they work, in graphic-design terms.

Edited December 19, 2017 by pearlite

[Capricasix]

Not to mention the sidewalk shrine to the dead raccoon from a year or so ago ?

[Cupid Stunt]

6 hours ago, AngelKitty said:

My mom was feeding a family of raccoons once when we lived in Maine. The babies were adorable and she even got them to eat from her hand. It was all fun and games until one bit her and we made her stop. 

As someone who treats any animal with tiny, sharp teeth cautiously, and has a deep-seated distrust of anything rodent/vermin-like, I don't treat wild animals like pets.

Quote

Shotgun with bird shot.

5 hours ago, Capricasix said:

Again, that’s kind of frowned upon within city limits. 

 

Sure. I've never shot a gun within city limits, and don't intend to start; my neighbor picks off raccoons and opossums with a wrist rocket off his back patio. It is a little unnerving to see him with night vision goggles, waiting for the Critter Parade (as he calls it). Depending where you reside in LA, it's not unusual for some people to pop off a few rounds, prohibitions be damned.

3 hours ago, pearlite said:

In the same place, Snap, where raccoons are concerned. Where I live [near the lake, west end, and right beside an immense park], they're a constant. And as the area grows more chichi, with more trendy food shops and restaurants and more food waste, and with 100+ year-old trees, it's raccoon paradise [not to mention the odd fat, self-satisfied rat who'll stroll across one's backyard]. They ate their way through a spot in the fascia on the side of my third floor, and actually moved around between floors--this is not uncommon, and even though, yes, they're pests, no one uses exterminators--live-capture services, yes. But I acknowledge the screaming, pooping, and general bad behaviour--as well as the 20K new roof/fascia, thanks.

Guns, hell no. Far less common here, as personal possessions. And illegal to fire them in the city.

And, they are Toronto's spirit-animal--check out the Porter Airlines site: https://www.flyporter.com/en-ca/

Doesn't mean we delude ourselves about them--they're just there, and they work, in graphic-design terms.

3 hours ago, Capricasix said:

Not to mention the sidewalk shrine to the dead raccoon from a year or so ago ?

 

 

 

I love you all, but you need to be cautious with wild animals, no matter how adorable, harmless or soulless they might appear. 

[Cupid Stunt]

Riffing on a theme ...

 

It's Gonna' be a NRA Christmas for the whole family!

[valleycliffe]

when i worked at a heavy equipment place as the office person, a squirrel used to come into the office when the doors were open..(atco trailer, like a heat box in summer).  i used to buy him shelled peanuts and he even took them from my hand.  then he bit me.  so, i had to phone the clinic and ask them if i needed a rabies shot.  they said no.  never tried anything like that again.

[pearlite]

23 minutes ago, Cupid Stunt said:

As someone who treats any animal with tiny, sharp teeth cautiously, and has a deep-seated distrust of anything rodent/vermin-like, I don't treat wild animals like pets.

Sure. I've never shot a gun within city limits, and don't intend to start; my neighbor picks off raccoons and opossums with a wrist rocket off his back patio. It is a little unnerving to see him with night vision goggles, waiting for the Critter Parade (as he calls it). Depending where you reside in LA, it's not unusual for some people to pop off a few rounds, prohibitions be damned.

I love you all, but you need to be cautious with wild animals, no matter how adorable, harmless or soulless they might appear. 

Oh, Cupid, I didn't say I'd touch the buggers! And their ratty friends? Gawd no! I respect the fact that they're wild animals--I'm not interested in chumming up, thanks. I won't even touch the odd wee field mouse that the next-door cat hunts down relentlessly--I just yell at the cat until she lets go. Amusement from a distance, and not on my property, if you don't mind are the keynotes here.

But may the Almighty help you if you use a firearm in downtown TO...'cause the first responders will be on your butt like white on rice.

[peacheslatour]

We had a raccoon gang war right on the street in front of our house once. You never heard such screaming and growling and snarling. There had to be about fifteen of the soulless bastards. It was chilling.

[pearlite]

Just now, peacheslatour said:

We had a raccoon gang war right on the street in front of our house once. You never heard such screaming and growling and snarling. There had to be about fifteen of the soulless bastards. It was chilling.

And once they get to humping... Worse than Philly, I tell ya.

[basiltherat]

At least raccoons don't have thumbs so they can't sext!

[Ki-in]

Cute but extremely dangerous. Wild animals as pets aren't a good idea no matter how adorable

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/9-month-old-baby-georgia-eaten-raccoons-animals-chewed-face-head-hands-cops-article-1.450275

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189486/Charlotte-Ponce-Girl-mauled-raccoon-baby-gets-reconstructive-surgery-face-years.html

[Ki-in]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

We had a raccoon gang war right on the street in front of our house once. You never heard such screaming and growling and snarling. There had to be about fifteen of the soulless bastards. It was chilling.

One night my bf came over and started beeping his horn. I came outside wonder why the heck he's beeping in the first place and he said that if I had come out sooner I would have seen my car covered in raccoons. The next door neighbor was some tough New Yorker (he would always mention he was from there lol) who said the amount of wildlife in our neighborhood(raccoons, possums) freaked him out. I live in the city (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale) but there's wildlife everywhere (we have a fox where I work, saw it up close one night but I never approach)

[peacheslatour]

Just now, Ki-in said:

One night my bf came over and started beeping his horn. I came outside wonder why the heck he's beeping in the first place and he said that if I had come out sooner I would have seen my car covered in raccoons. The next door neighbor was some tough New Yorker (he would always mention he was from there lol) who said the amount of wildlife in our neighborhood(raccoons, possums) freaked him out. I live in the city (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale) but there's wildlife everywhere (we have a fox where I work, saw it up close one night but I never approach)

They were chasing each other all over the street, climbing fences to get at each other and racing in and out of peoples yards. We watched from the living room window because no fucking way were we going out there.

[valleycliffe]

last week was my husband's birthday...he wanted to go see the canucks in vancouver so i booked a hotel room by rogers stadium.

the "parq vancouver" is also a casino and it only just opened at the end of septemberi

i had received a special offer in the mail cause i had gone to the edgewater casino which used to be across the street and closed once new hotel opened.

i was disappointed.

although the design is supposed to be considered luxurious i had complaints.

when we checked in, we asked about parking and we were told it was $40 a day and $45 for valet.  i asked them why so much and usually parking was free when we stayed at other places.  they said cause it was downtown.

in the room i set up my laptop and wondered about wifi...that also was another $7.95 a day.  i complained again and they said if i set up a rewards card for marriott hotels, then it would be free so i did...

the coffee maker in the room was for espresso pods.  i hate espresso.. they said to add water to it.

the fridge had sensors in it and as soon as you touched a product, it registered it to your room as an expense.  when i called down to the front desk and told them we had taken out some of the product in fridge and put in our own.  they sent up someone from housekeeping to take note.

no tub in bathroom, just a big ole shower.  it leaked...........they said they were aware of it.

however, when my husband inquired about where to buy a ticket for canucks game, concierge obliged him and he paid for it at the front desk..

i even got a survey from hotel to fill out.  so i did and mentioned every little thing i could remember.

people at front desk were great tho.

[jewel21]

So I had my follow up appointment with the boob doctor. I have to see him again in a year and then have surgery to remove some tissue from the axilla. He says it's fine and I'm young now, but it can turn cancerous when I get older so best to get rid of it. I've never had surgery. Gah.

[valleycliffe]

surgery is the pits jewel21, but it will probably be for the best and then you can forget about it.

[peacheslatour]

18 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

So I had my follow up appointment with the boob doctor. I have to see him again in a year and then have surgery to remove some tissue from the axilla. He says it's fine and I'm young now, but it can turn cancerous when I get older so best to get rid of it. I've never had surgery. Gah.

I have. They give you really good drugs and being away from work and home stresses can be very therapeutic. Who's going to take care of Steve the Wonder Bird? I'd offer as my hubby was raised with Cockatoos but I'm all the way over here in WA.

[Capricasix]

50 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

So I had my follow up appointment with the boob doctor. I have to see him again in a year and then have surgery to remove some tissue from the axilla. He says it's fine and I'm young now, but it can turn cancerous when I get older so best to get rid of it. I've never had surgery. Gah.

Jewel, anticipation is the worst part! It will hurt, but you’ll get some good drugs, and that will help. Just go easy on yourself. I have had two c-sections, and the second one was less scary because I knew what to expect. Plus, I got a baby out of each surgery ? That was the best part!

[Cupid Stunt]

5 hours ago, pearlite said:

Oh, Cupid, I didn't say I'd touch the buggers! And their ratty friends? Gawd no! I respect the fact that they're wild animals--I'm not interested in chumming up, thanks. I won't even touch the odd wee field mouse that the next-door cat hunts down relentlessly--I just yell at the cat until she lets go. Amusement from a distance, and not on my property, if you don't mind are the keynotes here.

As has been illustrated in earlier posts, people shouldn't assume any animal they encounter is benign, has been domesticated, have human emotions or have been churned out of the Disney rainbow sausage factory. 

Quote

But may the Almighty help you if you use a firearm in downtown TO...'cause the first responders will be on your butt like white on rice.

That's me ...

At my parent's ranch, all rifles and shotguns are locked up; there are no handguns. Last summer there was a pack of feral dogs threatening horse and cattle herds, killing yearling sheep. I took a bolt-action Remington 660/6mm when we went out riding. I haven't shot anything since I went quail hunting with my brother 3 years ago. 

Unlike some people in United States, I respect the rule of law, and follow Federal and California firearm regulations. My two rifles and shotgun are registered and locked up. I am alarmed by the escalation in military-grade weapons available to the general public, and the obsequious posture of my government has taken to weapons manufacturers, the gun lobby, and the misapplication of the 2nd Amendment to service racial hatred and commerce.

Edited December 20, 2017 by Cupid Stunt

[Snaporaz]

While I find all wildlife charming and love to observe them, I keep a respectful distance.  Even when I helped those two raccoons get out of the dumpster, I never got anywhere close to them.  I just looked for things to create a makeshift ramp for them, and then I stepped way back as they made their way out.  I hate to see any living thing trapped or in distress, so I'll always try to find a safe way to help.

[jewel21]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I have. They give you really good drugs and being away from work and home stresses can be very therapeutic. Who's going to take care of Steve the Wonder Bird? I'd offer as my hubby was raised with Cockatoos but I'm all the way over here in WA.

Aww, too bad you're so far away. My cousin will probably be able to come and check in on him. I'm not sure how incapacitated I will be. He didn't go into the specifics of the surgery. Just said to come back in a year and he'll examine me again and we can schedule the surgery around the holidays if I want. I could do it sooner as well, around the summer, but I'm not sure if it's better to prolong it or get it over with, heh.

[Cupid Stunt]

Butch Walker -- Over the Holidays and Under the Influence

Edited December 20, 2017 by Cupid Stunt

[Capricasix]

22 hours ago, Snaporaz said:

While I find all wildlife charming and love to observe them, I keep a respectful distance.  

One summer night a few years ago, we heard something rummaging in our recycle bins on the front porch. We looked out the window and saw a skunk in the bin ?. Called my younger son, who would have been six or seven at the time, to come have a look - he saw it and said, “Ooh, kitty!” ?

[Cupid Stunt]

Reggie Osse — better known as Combat Jack, Hip-Hop podcaster, died from colon cancer at 48

Reggie was a well-known figure in the hip-hop community not just for his podcast but also as an editor at The Source magazine, a marketing executive (including a stint at MTV) and not least as an attorney: during the 1990s he represented Jay-Z, Damon Dash, Capone-n-Noreaga and Roc-A-Fella records. His “Combat Jack Show” podcast, which launched in  2011, was the beginning of big-time rap podcasts. Dubbed the "undisputed #1 HipHop podcast," The Combat Jack Show covered a full range of topics including music, news, culture, and race. Reggie had a generous heart, giving many unsigned artists a major venue to perform on his podcast. An upright hip-hop historian and voice is with us no longer.

Rest in the arms of the Father, Reggie.

[Cupid Stunt]

The EtsyFail for that perfect Pink Elephant/Office Exchange gift ...

A Penis Candle Cozy! Choose from three adorable designs! 

[Cupid Stunt]

Happy Winter Solstice! Here Comes the Sun!

[peacheslatour]

Happy Holidays, Preverts! Merry Christmas,  Happy Chanukah,  Krazy Kwanzaa,  Tip Top Tet, and a solemn, eventful Ramadan.

[Cupid Stunt]

Santa Baby and Linda wish you a Happy Holiday!

[valleycliffe]

LOLOL  i wonder if she can make those tassels swing in a circle?