Three days left, and the Final Countdown Video Party is overrun by tubas and pugs

Actually, those were Sousaphones.

They’re easy to distinguish: You hug a Tuba, the Sousaphone hugs you. And gives you an elephant ear.

Well after a whole day fast asleep looks like the worst of the breathing difficulties from this chest cold I’ve got have passed. Still feeling somewhat grotty but at least going to the kitchen to make a cup of tea doesn’t feel like climbing Everest now. Sounds like a merry Bonfire night going on outside, although hopefully what happened last year won’t happen again when the people next door let off a tonne of fireworks at once at 0300.

@ varalys

Ah, yes. Remember, Remember…..

In other news, I was able to vote in about 15 minutes at about 2 in the pm at the early voting site a couple of days ago. No sign of intimidation going on (I almost wanted there to be… Almost… )

But truthfully, I didn’t really expect it. San Antonio has been a multicultural town since it was founded, and there is less casual racism visible here than in most places I’ve lived. I’m not claiming we don’t have our racist idiots, because oh, boy do we, but in this town the cultural segregation is (mostly) financial rather than racial. Middle and upper class live north and less well-off live south, but you can find someone of just about any albedo just about anywhere in this town. This fact makes attempts at intimidation of racial minorities (Anglos are our largest minority) not easy to manage.

I once passed a snack area near the lab I used to work at where a black woman, a hispanic woman, and a white woman were arguing in a mix of Spanish and English, about which Thai restaurant had the best food for a reasonable price. I walked away thinking “Puro San Antonio“.

Also, @Axecalibur:

-salutes-

I voted a while ago, thank goodness for the people who got mail order voting to be a thing.

In my Divinity: Dragon Commander game, oh the things I did. I legalized gay marriage, equal conscription, enforced geneva conventions, restricted the sale of magical swords to prevent magical swordings, turned my empire into a republic with equality put into the constitution, equal pay, health insurance, right to die, banned underage and arranged marriages and legalized unions. The Republic Lizards, environmentalist Elfs and and Atheist experimental Imps seemed to like that. The Howard Taft conservative dwarves and religious conservative undead not so much. My lizard general learned over time to be less racist, even he admitted he might not be fully free of thay prejudice but is making strides to the right path.

My war vet general learned to trust his fellow female generals, my youngest general was fine with being open about her sexuality and my naval general finally stopped thinking I was a chauvinist pig. That being said I really wished the devs wrote a few lines where she isn’t giving me backhanded compliments.

My mid terms are done, stressed about the resutls but at the least I’ve noticed after weeks of using Anki core 2/6k I am getting a bit faster and better in translating.

@Troubelle
Contra horns are meant for sitting, dammit! Like how do these people walk with those things? My arm would fall right off. Took me years to get to the point where a sousaphone wouldn’t kill me. BTW, did your concert tubas have quadvalves? We got some in during sophomore year, blew our fuckin minds. We were gonna get some rotaries too, but it wasn’t in the budget. Anyway, tubists unite!

Currently sworn off 538 for a while, since I’m starting to get worried and anxious near to the point of physical sickness. Not helped by my state pretty much being in the bag for Clinton already, meaning I have to trust to hope, luck, and her skill and support that she’ll pull it off in other, more competitive states. Trying as best I can to distract myself with games and laundry until I vote on Tuesday.

Currently trying to beat FTL on hard mode with all ships (one down, 27 to go, dozens or hundreds of attempts down). Debating opening up Europa Universalis 4 once and for all and attempting to actually play it, rather than getting intimidated away by the loading screens (attempt # 1) and the tutorial (attempt # 2). Finally replaced my copy of DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3, and using that to distract myself with physical activity (god, I love the Wii version).

National Enquirer Paid to Suppress Story of Donald Trump Cheating on Melania: Report

The headline doesn’t tell the whole story. The National Enquirer paid Playboy model Karen McDougal (Playmate of the effin’ year in 1998, people!) for the exclusive rights to her story about her year-long affair with Trump in 2006, after he was married to Melania. “Exclusive rights” means that McDougal can’t have her story published elsewhere — but the Enquirer has no obligation to print it.

Turns out that David Pecker, the chair and CEO of American Media, which owns the newspaper, is friends with Trump. The newspaper has endorsed Trump and has attacked her (and his other rivals) as only a tabloid can and does. For example, “Bungling Surgeon Ben Carson Left Sponge in Patient’s Brain!”

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/national-enquirer-paid-to-kill-trump-affair-story-report.html

@Varalys

Well after a whole day fast asleep looks like the worst of the breathing difficulties from this chest cold I’ve got have passed.

Glad you’re on the mend!

@Ooglyboggles

My mid terms are done, stressed about the resutls but at the least I’ve noticed after weeks of using Anki core 2/6k I am getting a bit faster and better in translating.

Time flies! It seems like only yesterday you were starting another year of school. Best wishes with the midterms!

@RayofRays

Currently sworn off 538 for a while, since I’m starting to get worried and anxious near to the point of physical sickness.

Lots of people are feeling the stress. With any luck, we’ll be able to party on Tuesday after the polls close. Hang in there!

Pussy Grabs Back
Kim Boekbinder

We’re not your daughters, your wives,
We’re humans with lives.
And on November 8th,
We’re gonna rock it.

http://whohaha.com/pussy-grabs-back/

2nd day of my craft show (last day is tomorrow) and I spent about $10 more than I made. 🙂 I got my cousin a knit hat with a black cat pin, and my brother some little wooden ducks for his own crafts.

I was annoyed, though, to hear someone make a gross comment – the kind of sexist bullshit that I’d expect to see mocked at WHTM. One of the visitors, a middle-aged man walking around with some friends/family, kind of winked at one of the artisans (she’s new in the club, about 30, and she makes cool things with recycled fabric) and said as she was passing by, “Are you for sale?”

She just said, “No, but my stuff is” and I couldn’t tell whether she was angry or not. I was pretty mad. It wasn’t just creepy, it was also… well, people aren’t for SALE, okay?!

Of course I’m not saying it’s bad to flirt/joke with people – one of the woodturners joked that I was his girlfriend (and that was the reason he was giving my friend a discount) but he knew I wasn’t uncomfortable with that and it wasn’t a joke about a person being for sale. Grr.

@Axe

My mom made me do marching band in my high school freshman year. She wanted to prove that I, a high-functioning autistic female, could in fact do marching band despite the dude running it dismissing me.

However, I did not want to actually do marching band, and this wasn’t the hill I (or my feet) wanted to die on.
I made a friend, but in recent years he’s been proving himself to be disgustingly transphobic…so, yeah. Gains are low.