An open thread — well, a semi-open thread — for all of those needing a respite from the news. No trolls, no arguments, no discussion of depressing stuff. Adorable animal pics encouraged.
If you have personal stuff to discuss that is more serious, there’s a separate thread for that here.
Email me if someone misbehaves here.
Oh lordy do I need this. I’ve been so strung out and upset for the past couple of days and I am utterly drained.
On more positive notes, I got a cute new polka dot phone case today and I have recently discovered the beauty of videos of Chinchillas which I shall share:
Okay, I have a very happy thing to share. My friend Pam said I need to connect with my inner child and let her “play.” So instead of working on music I already wrote trying to get perfect recordings, I let myself be silly and make this http://amyrosehamelin.bandcamp.com/track/i-lost-my-sister-to-the-drink-3 instead. I am laughing my ass off every time I play the recording. I’m not sure anyone else realizes how funny it is.
I just missed David’s announcement of the happy thread so I hope he won’t mind me cross posting:
http://www.putyouinabettermood.com/
I like it!
Auntie’s tablecloth makes a fine nest.
I’m teaching myself to make chocolate mousse! I’m getting better at it!
In case anyone is wondering, he’s my kitty. (He’s visiting SO’s relatives and yeah… He doesn’t seem to care where he is – he’ll be all mischievous over everything either way :3 )
Hey auggziliary, it sounds like your skin tone is very similar to mine, what colour is your hair currently? I don’t have much specific advice as I’ve never dyed my hair, mine is a soft brown with natural blonde highlights and basically no red in it. But have you thought of trying wigs and seeing which look right? Or talking to a professional hairdresser?
I have some happy personal news. After many years of being disappointed with my stagnant career, I decided to go back to school and I have been accepted into university for Computer Science. It took about a year and a half of distance courses to knock off the maths and a few early courses that I need to get myself started, and I am going to have to sell my cruddy house and move back to the city, and it will probably eat up all of my savings, and I am mildly terrified… but a degree in computer science is something I had always wished I had pursued, and I have no children, it’s just my supportive boyfriend and dog and I, so I have decided to stop using my semi-secure, comfortable job as an excuse not to challenge myself. And I paid my deposit and picked my courses so now I have to do it.
At first I thought, “I am 30 so I’m too old to take this risk”, but then I thought “I’m 30 and that’s at least another 35 years until I can retire anyways, and that’s too long to do something I don’t like if I have other options.”
Also, here is a happy dog with a bucket http://youtu.be/aXfHYHPpAAc
This is a good place to mention how much I love Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge comic books (thanks to leocigale’s icon for sending me to that happy place). I grew up reading them. My favorite story was “Land Beneath the Ground” where Scrooge and his nephews meet the Terries and the Firmies who create earthquakes and speak English with accents they got from listening to a country music station on the radio. Such superb whimsy in all of that.
Anyone else here have a favorite Uncle Scrooge story?
@magnesium
congratulations. i hope your school goes well and you can get the job you want. 🙂
It’s my cat Darrow’s birthday today. He’s eight. More like unofficial birthday as I don’t know when the real one is. But it was May 26th 2007 that I adopted him so today is in effect his b-day.
Yesterday I went to a barbeque at my aunt’s house. My grandmother’s dog was there and so were my aunt’s neighbor’s two dogs. They were all very sweet. It was nice to be drowning in doggy cuteness for awhile because I don’t have my own dog.
Tonight I’m going to a sushi restaurant for my belated b-day dinner with mom and then we’re going to watch and mock the Bachelorette. That’s always fun.
So there’s a lot of movie advertising around LA and I felt the need to do this. (Old timers will get it.)
@ grumpycatisagirl
I love Done Rosa myself. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is possibly one of the best comic books ever written. Highly recommend. He built his duck-mythos around Barks’ works. Many are continuations or otherwise reference his stories. He’s also notorious for doing a lot of research and putting simply amazing attention to detail in his works. Rosa is one of my favorite comic book writers and artists, period ! 🙂
Catfish, yes, I think Don Rosa is great too. He’s so respectful of Barks while holding his own with his distinctive style. I remember loving “Son of the Sun,” his first Scrooge story, when it first came out.
Went out a few days ago to the frogpond and saw a couple of frogs in amplexus – as far as I could tell they were still jumping around while clasped together, making such an almighty splashing that I don’t know why the blue herons weren’t there chowing down. I could get within a couple of feet of the males as they blew out their throats over and over – they really did not care. Saw frog spawn in the water, too. Their throats are amazingly bright yellow; I swear they’re brighter now than at other times of the year. Sometimes they all start croaking at once, and you see the individual male blowing his throat out repeatedly and quickly.
Speaking of active mating: my mother reports that while on a hike she saw a couple of red squirrels going at it. The female didn’t slow down at all while the male was on top of her; she went up trees, down trees, everywhere, and he went along for the ride. Apparently my mother and a bunch of other women had to stop and laugh for a while before they could continue hiking.
Also found pink lady’s-slippers in the woods. The blueberries are all in bloom. I did not think any of them were fragrant, but near where they are all the air is lightly scented, and nothing else is out in enough quantity to account for it. It is the highbush ones, I think, that have the scent. There are at least four species, maybe more, in the woods here, as well as the huckleberries; one species has rather dull gray-green foliage, but when the berries are not quite ripe they are the most amazing and compelling magenta pink. They almost glow.
To whoever mentioned fish pie: we had that last night, as well as a raspberry-blueberry pie. It was all delicious, and there were leftovers for this morning.
@auggz
No clue, sorry :/
Oooh, that’s a pretty color! :3
@katz
::applause::
@magnesium
Yay! 😀 congrats.
https://soundcloud.com/ruk/cbc-pei-mainstreet-interview-about-ethan-the-autism-assistance-dog
The really nice cook in my office keeps bringing me plates of snacks and homemade Turkish delight because I’ve been working extra hours. My students keep buying me coffee too. People are nice!
My older son was invited over by a friend of his yesterday. He actually went, and spent the night (most likely staying up all night playing video games). He rarely gets out of the house of his own volition, so that was a pleasant change.
Also, my husband picked up some dry rub and barbecue sauce from a local artisan – he’s deeply connected with the local food scene, being part of it and all. So I decided to make roast pork. A big shoulder roast, dry rubbed, wrapped and refrigerated for two days, then slow roasted for about eight hours, then slathered with sauce. Leftovers will be made into meat pies and served with homemade red onion marmalade.
I got that idea from an earlier thread here.
The lilacs just bloomed a few days ago where I am. They’re my favorite flower. They smell delightful and purple is my favorite color so a flower that is any shade of purple always makes me happy.
Amazing pancakes for your viewing pleasure. Many of them are in the shape of creepy-crawlies, so if those freak you out, maybe don’t click.
http://www.saipancakes.com
Here’s a cgi animation of mammoths.
I managed 60 situps this morning, and my feet are slowly getting back into ballet condition, and less painful in the pointe shoes!
Also, my new nieceling is three weeks old! I love you, precious Clementine Rose! (And of course, I love Olive Nora, who is three years old, as much as ever!) <3<3<3
Baby cheetahs!
@weirwoodtreehugger: Nice! I have lilac bushes just outside my front door, but blooms are still a few weeks away. We had a late Spring. Leaves are just starting to grow, and it’s raining today, so the scent of the poplar sap is starting to permeate the air. I love the scent of spring.