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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
HamsakagoosewhispererPolishing the 'just so'Veteran
That said, the excitement and anticipatory love for a new pet is excellent. But we'd do our fellow sentient beings a favor by respecting their species, go to great lengths to provide them a 'dog's life', sensitive to their doggie needs. It means educating ourselves about the 'psychology' of whatever pet, which is where dog behaviorists come in, for instance.
I have geese as pets, seven of them. There is one goose who will allow me to pick her up and love on her, mainly because she's old and can't get away fast enough. I don't go out and grab her whenever I get an urge to snarfle on her. Here comes this great oaf, arms outstretched -- that inspires TERROR in her, she's a prey animal, wayyy down there on the food chain. Once she's in my arms, she's OK but I have to terrify her for a few moments to even get her in my arms, and you know, it's not worth it. Since she's fragile, I do have to examine her sometimes, so I only pick her up when necessary. She's the goose in my avatar, btw.
I have a parrot too, talk about sentient beings . . . he's like having a feathery room mate rather than a pet. We share the house, and I am really not his boss or 'owner'. I think of that Bugs Bunny cartoon with the Abominable Snowman holding Bugs by the neck and petting him hard on the head and calling him "George". It's very sobering how arrogant we humans can be.
In all seriousness, I do see where you are coming from, @federica. The "Grandma, "Grandpa", etc. terminology is in jest, and it's admittedly something of a long-running joke in my family.
I'm not big on dressing up animals outside of short-haired breeds of dogs needing a little extra protection in colder climates when they're outdoors. I do believe in animals being animals and not treating them like mini-children. My cats would probably scratch me pretty badly if I even entertained the notion. I apologize for being unwieldy with my words and, well, weird sense of humor. No offense intended.
Gee!!!
Has anyone gone over the threads???
People are truly inspired tonight with kilometric soliloquies that would make the very same Hamlet blush...
I'm sooo off to bed!
Nightie everyone...
Who knew a tie was so damn hard to tie. ..... Hubbie is out doing flights and Kofi needed a
tie for the spelling bee yesterday morning....it took 3 women, a book illustration, and
a you tube video to get it!! Lololol....I got frustrated and handed him a bow tie...and he said...
No mommy...im determined....Ill get it. I walked off for a few...and came back and it was
good except the seem side was showing....haha...he got it after 3 more times.
4th place in the spelling bee. he got out on the word ...celestial. He put an R after
the T. I blame the Memphis accent for sounding it out....lolololol.
2
SarahTTime ... space ... joySouth Coast, UKVeteran
Over £5.7K just awarded in back dated benefits! Can't quite get my head around it yet. Will be so good to be able to pay off my debts, not to have to ask my parents to pay for petrol to be able to visit them and to afford food that might be tempting enough to eat. Have bought my son a PS4 to celebrate - he's spending this weekend with me away from Uni.
^^^ Gosh I always thought of humans babies as hairless apes that need house training. Knew I was doing something wrong . . .
Was on FaceTime (like Skype) with my sister, checking out a Tara T-shirt she has bought for me in Thailand where she is. Amazing to be able to video phone so easily.
I will be the envy of all the sangha, apart from the Ultra-spiritual who will prefer robes or plain clothes . . .
@SarahT said:
Over £5.7K just awarded in back dated benefits! Can't quite get my head around it yet. Will be so good to be able to pay off my debts, not to have to ask my parents to pay for petrol to be able to visit them and to afford food that might be tempting enough to eat. Have bought my son a PS4 to celebrate - he's spending this weekend with me away from Uni.
That has made my day. Very happy for you. Wonderful news.
0
SarahTTime ... space ... joySouth Coast, UKVeteran
Wow, don't things look different after a good night's sleep!
Congratulations, @SarahT, on your money! I hope it helps you solve many problems
@Vastmind: I'm an expert at tying ties.
I went to a school were a tie was part of the uniform, so I've been doing knots since I was eight.
Never got hubby to learn how to do the knots himself, though...
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Nobody could be more delighted than I, @SarahT, for your long-awaited and much-deserved good fortune! What a sigh of relief that must be!
And @Rowan1980, please don't apologise, really, it's in no way necessary. I totally agree with putting coats on element-vulnerable dogs, and it's only right we keep the little critters warm. Unfortunately anthropomorphism is - pardon the pun - a real pet-hate of mine. I almost entirely hold Walt Disney and his studios, to blame for the trend among some pet-owners to humanise their pets, seriously I do. That man did more to set back the connection between humans and their fellow earth-dwellers, than anyone or anything else, I'm convinced of it.
So I apologise for my outburst. Unless your real name is Walt Disney, you're safe....!
So, the day began with a ban, another member almost bowing away and the strangest OP. @federica: I don't envy you at all on days like this.
Long day ahead and the hunting season is officially open.
I'm off to my routine and hopefully I'll return a more skillful dragon later...
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
@DhammaDragon, 'fraid I too have been hunting. Caught one Snark and one Wabbit. I blame Elmer Fudd, myself.....
2
silverIn the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast.Veteran
I was having a lovely evening watching my daughter with my wife and 2 sons take part in her school's 140th birthday celebration. Got to back to my car and someone had put a brick through the window. What did they steal? My kids school bag!
Honestly, is the education system so bad in the UK now, that delinquents only method of learning is to steal other kids textbooks, pencil cases and homework! If they had looked properly in the car they would have found a lot more of value, but thats why alarms work, it makes people fear someone will view their actions and they know what they have done is wrong!
Last week I stupidly left my car boot unlocked - what did they steal? the spare wheel - really. Sitting on the cover of the spare wheel was my wife's suitcase I'd left in there after coming back from a work conference. Of course they opened it, but the fact that it was full of dirty clothes, knickers and stockings, made them miss something of real value. lol
There are fools and there are real fools!
0
SarahTTime ... space ... joySouth Coast, UKVeteran
((( @anataman ))) Do hope you won't let this petty thievery wreck what was a good evening. Boo
I left my truck unlocked by mistake and a crackhead got in. He took the battery off my cell phone. I can only assume that some people keep money or dope in there. He left the phone there and turned up his nose at a brand new Buddhist audio book that was still in the bag on the seat.
Another time he cut the wiring harness to the steering column, about 20 wires. It had cruise control on the wheel. I don't know what he was thinking he would do next, since the steering was locked. Expensive to fix.
@SarahT said:
((( anataman ))) Do hope you won't let this petty thievery wreck what was a good evening. Boo
NO we decided to focus on the positive aspects of the evening and let the negative fade away, but 3 children exposed to such actions don't let such experiences fade away easily, especially when there's homework that has to be handed in tomorrow! been e-mailing teachers etc to decrease anxiety. Of course there is the work of contacting carpark/police/insurance co/repair agent etc. but as kids will be in school tomorrow, that's my tomorrow free time gone - but I'm gonna be so mindful of that guy's karma!
Toraldris -`-,-{@ Zen Nud... Buddhist @}-,-`- East Coast, USAVeteran
@robot said:
I left my truck unlocked by mistake and a crackhead got in. He took the battery off my cell phone. I can only assume that some people keep money or dope in there. He left the phone there and turned up his nose at a brand new Buddhist audio book that was still in the bag on the seat.
Another time he cut the wiring harness to the steering column, about 20 wires. It had cruise control on the wheel. I don't know what he was thinking he would do next, since the steering was locked. Expensive to fix.
We need a "Sigh" to click for posts like this. It's just a shame what addiction does to a person, and they then pass on to others by doing things like this.
I enclose a picture I recently took of a 'marmalade sandwich' addict, who has been terrorising local people in the Paddington area of London. This Peruvian street person may look benign but . . . beware bear . . .
I am having trouble finding galaxies and think I need a bigger telescope. I'm currently using a five inch reflector but I've been told that eight or ten inches would get much better results. Size matters!
2
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Last year someone tried to break my side window of my work Van with a pick axe, missed and destroyed the door frame beside it. The second shot broke the window and they ran off with a school briefcase filled with old dirty rags I use on fireplaces.
They had to reach over thousands of dollars worth of measuring tools to get it.
I assume they were too befuddled by their own condition to notice.
.
Sometimes, when I happen to land on the "Who's online" column, I see a bunch of names that log in often but never contribute.
That picked my curiosity as to the why?
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited November 2014
"There was an owl, lived in an Oak;
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard -
We could all do to be like that wise old bird....."
4
SarahTTime ... space ... joySouth Coast, UKVeteran
Or, perhaps, conversation is a dying art? Grateful to all those who do share their thoughts and experience.
2
Toraldris -`-,-{@ Zen Nud... Buddhist @}-,-`- East Coast, USAVeteran
Back in 1977, when I was six, I was totally smitten and forever in love with Star Wars Episode VI.
I'm almost ashamed to confess that Darth Vader's imposing, masculine, screen presence had a lot to do with that.
I wonder what a psychoanalyst would make of that
2
silverIn the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast.Veteran
@DhammaDragon said:
Back in 1977, when I was six, I was totally smitten and forever in love with Star Wars Episode VI.
I'm almost ashamed to confess that Darth Vader's imposing, masculine, screen presence had a lot to do with that.
I wonder what a psychoanalyst would make of that
Hey, I'm gonna hafta check that movie out. I've seen 1 thru 4 so far.
...Sounds normal to me!
0
SarahTTime ... space ... joySouth Coast, UKVeteran
Loved this:
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Taking all the anger and hatred that is standing in your way and replacing it with love is the most healing thing you can do. Fill your soul with love, rather than anger and so many things will change in your life. None of us needs revenge, but we all need love. It is all we really have to give away.
@DhammaDragon said:
Back in 1977, when I was six, I was totally smitten and forever in love with Star Wars Episode VI.
I'm almost ashamed to confess that Darth Vader's imposing, masculine, screen presence had a lot to do with that.
I wonder what a psychoanalyst would make of that
Bravo brave servants of the Dark side . . . nobody will suspect your presence . . .
That is hilarious -- and really well done! Including Isaac Newton's admission (historically true) that "God" is owed the final cause for all that Newton could not explain. Thus "God of the Gaps" .
0
SarahTTime ... space ... joySouth Coast, UKVeteran
@Hamsaka said:
That is hilarious -- and really well done! Including Isaac Newton's admission (historically true) that "God" is owed the final cause for all that Newton could not explain. Thus "God of the Gaps" .
There's quite an art to writing this kind of thing, it's not as easy as it looks.
2
HamsakagoosewhispererPolishing the 'just so'Veteran
No it's not easy. When I was younger I was going to be a writer and one of my favorites was writing satire. You need to have your facts down firmly, and do as much 'research' as if no satire was involved. Unfortunately I wasn't particularly encouraged my English teacher in HS 'got it' but most others just said 'huh?' alas so now I just appreciate it from afar.
@Bunks said:
I broke into a few cars as a kid for a bit of a thrill and to impress my mates. Just stole silly little things.
I am not proud of it. In fact I am ashamed.
I hope whoever did this to you anataman feels the same way!!
If it's a karmic consequences, then I'm probably reaping somethings from my early inbetweenager years (9-12), when my cousin and I found a knife and stabbed someones tyre in an allotment - sorry, I really am!
I had my bike stolen at university 3 times - when I was around 10 years old I was with a kid who stole a bike and then I got my mum to buy it off him dirt cheap...
I was with the same kid who stole a wallet from a bag on a squash court, and we shared the spoils; I can't tell you how many times I've had my wallet stolen!
Coincidence, Karma, or just life...
Guess what - I forgive them, and hope they can forgive me.
I got a letter from the police saying they can't take the investigation further - No worries: it's just another couple of hundred pounds I can throw away. If I had claimed on the car insurance, I've already checked - my insurance premiums will sky rocket - icon will have to do, although an icon depicting an unsmily shoving a fist in it's own mouth would be really appropriate here!
Making preps for kids birthdays to find a friends mum has been diagnosed with dementia, his wife's sister has terminal cancer, and that's following on the heels of a close relatives 'suicide'
Then there's Syria, Afghanistan, UKraine, Russia, UKIP, Ebola, Celebrity and suspected parliamentary paedophilia in the UK. Am I being a little negative, then time to consider the positive: I'm going to focus on my kids a bit more, and encourage them to be nice to one another and all of you out there!
I was reminded this morning that nothing screams impermanence than the graphics card on my work laptop dying. During a heavy week of financial reporting.
0
Toraldris -`-,-{@ Zen Nud... Buddhist @}-,-`- East Coast, USAVeteran
@Rowan1980 said:
I was reminded this morning that nothing screams impermanence than the graphics card on my work laptop dying. During a heavy week of financial reporting.
Unless you're lucky, that's likely the end of that! Few laptops have the kind of video cards you can replace (a painful situation).
@Toraldris -I was interested to learn that it was something really specific to this particular-and old-type of Dell. It plagued a couple of other coworkers very recently, both of whom had the same model. (The type escapes me at the moment.) Luckily, IT gave me a loaner to use until my new one comes in. So not a total loss, thankfully.
Comments
That said, the excitement and anticipatory love for a new pet is excellent. But we'd do our fellow sentient beings a favor by respecting their species, go to great lengths to provide them a 'dog's life', sensitive to their doggie needs. It means educating ourselves about the 'psychology' of whatever pet, which is where dog behaviorists come in, for instance.
I have geese as pets, seven of them. There is one goose who will allow me to pick her up and love on her, mainly because she's old and can't get away fast enough. I don't go out and grab her whenever I get an urge to snarfle on her. Here comes this great oaf, arms outstretched -- that inspires TERROR in her, she's a prey animal, wayyy down there on the food chain. Once she's in my arms, she's OK but I have to terrify her for a few moments to even get her in my arms, and you know, it's not worth it. Since she's fragile, I do have to examine her sometimes, so I only pick her up when necessary. She's the goose in my avatar, btw.
I have a parrot too, talk about sentient beings . . . he's like having a feathery room mate rather than a pet. We share the house, and I am really not his boss or 'owner'. I think of that Bugs Bunny cartoon with the Abominable Snowman holding Bugs by the neck and petting him hard on the head and calling him "George". It's very sobering how arrogant we humans can be.
I'm not big on dressing up animals outside of short-haired breeds of dogs needing a little extra protection in colder climates when they're outdoors. I do believe in animals being animals and not treating them like mini-children. My cats would probably scratch me pretty badly if I even entertained the notion.
Has anyone gone over the threads???
People are truly inspired tonight with kilometric soliloquies that would make the very same Hamlet blush...
I'm sooo off to bed!
Nightie everyone...
Who knew a tie was so damn hard to tie. ..... Hubbie is out doing flights and Kofi needed a
tie for the spelling bee yesterday morning....it took 3 women, a book illustration, and
a you tube video to get it!! Lololol....I got frustrated and handed him a bow tie...and he said...
No mommy...im determined....Ill get it. I walked off for a few...and came back and it was
good except the seem side was showing....haha...he got it after 3 more times.
4th place in the spelling bee.
he got out on the word ...celestial. He put an R after
the T. I blame the Memphis accent for sounding it out....lolololol.
Over £5.7K just awarded in back dated benefits! Can't quite get my head around it yet. Will be so good to be able to pay off my debts, not to have to ask my parents to pay for petrol to be able to visit them and to afford food that might be tempting enough to eat. Have bought my son a PS4 to celebrate - he's spending this weekend with me away from Uni.
^^^ Gosh I always thought of humans babies as hairless apes that need house training. Knew I was doing something wrong . . .
Was on FaceTime (like Skype) with my sister, checking out a Tara T-shirt she has bought for me in Thailand where she is. Amazing to be able to video phone so easily.
I will be the envy of all the sangha, apart from the Ultra-spiritual who will prefer robes or plain clothes . . .
Yeah Tara, she is the Buddha babe!
That has made my day. Very happy for you. Wonderful news.
Thanks @lobster
Wow, don't things look different after a good night's sleep!
Congratulations, @SarahT, on your money! I hope it helps you solve many problems
@Vastmind: I'm an expert at tying ties.
I went to a school were a tie was part of the uniform, so I've been doing knots since I was eight.
Never got hubby to learn how to do the knots himself, though...
Nobody could be more delighted than I, @SarahT, for your long-awaited and much-deserved good fortune! What a sigh of relief that must be!
And @Rowan1980, please don't apologise, really, it's in no way necessary. I totally agree with putting coats on element-vulnerable dogs, and it's only right we keep the little critters warm. Unfortunately anthropomorphism is - pardon the pun - a real pet-hate of mine. I almost entirely hold Walt Disney and his studios, to blame for the trend among some pet-owners to humanise their pets, seriously I do. That man did more to set back the connection between humans and their fellow earth-dwellers, than anyone or anything else, I'm convinced of it.
So I apologise for my outburst. Unless your real name is Walt Disney, you're safe....!
@federica: I don't envy you at all on days like this.
Long day ahead and the hunting season is officially open.
I'm off to my routine and hopefully I'll return a more skillful dragon later...
@DhammaDragon, 'fraid I too have been hunting. Caught one Snark and one Wabbit. I blame Elmer Fudd, myself.....
@Hamsaka ~ w0w, that is a real eye-opener.
I was having a lovely evening watching my daughter with my wife and 2 sons take part in her school's 140th birthday celebration. Got to back to my car and someone had put a brick through the window. What did they steal? My kids school bag!
Honestly, is the education system so bad in the UK now, that delinquents only method of learning is to steal other kids textbooks, pencil cases and homework! If they had looked properly in the car they would have found a lot more of value, but thats why alarms work, it makes people fear someone will view their actions and they know what they have done is wrong!
Last week I stupidly left my car boot unlocked - what did they steal? the spare wheel - really. Sitting on the cover of the spare wheel was my wife's suitcase I'd left in there after coming back from a work conference. Of course they opened it, but the fact that it was full of dirty clothes, knickers and stockings, made them miss something of real value. lol
There are fools and there are real fools!
((( @anataman ))) Do hope you won't let this petty thievery wreck what was a good evening. Boo
I left my truck unlocked by mistake and a crackhead got in. He took the battery off my cell phone. I can only assume that some people keep money or dope in there. He left the phone there and turned up his nose at a brand new Buddhist audio book that was still in the bag on the seat.
Another time he cut the wiring harness to the steering column, about 20 wires. It had cruise control on the wheel. I don't know what he was thinking he would do next, since the steering was locked. Expensive to fix.
NO we decided to focus on the positive aspects of the evening and let the negative fade away, but 3 children exposed to such actions don't let such experiences fade away easily, especially when there's homework that has to be handed in tomorrow! been e-mailing teachers etc to decrease anxiety. Of course there is the work of contacting carpark/police/insurance co/repair agent etc. but as kids will be in school tomorrow, that's my tomorrow free time gone - but I'm gonna be so mindful of that guy's karma!
This is when banghead icon is useful @Linc
We need a "Sigh" to click for posts like this. It's just a shame what addiction does to a person, and they then pass on to others by doing things like this.
I enclose a picture I recently took of a 'marmalade sandwich' addict, who has been terrorising local people in the Paddington area of London. This Peruvian street person may look benign but . . . beware bear . . .
I am having trouble finding galaxies and think I need a bigger telescope. I'm currently using a five inch reflector but I've been told that eight or ten inches would get much better results. Size matters!
No comment.
@anataman
Last year someone tried to break my side window of my work Van with a pick axe, missed and destroyed the door frame beside it. The second shot broke the window and they ran off with a school briefcase filled with old dirty rags I use on fireplaces.
They had to reach over thousands of dollars worth of measuring tools to get it.
I assume they were too befuddled by their own condition to notice.
.
I broke into a few cars as a kid for a bit of a thrill and to impress my mates. Just stole silly little things.
I am not proud of it. In fact I am ashamed.
I hope whoever did this to you @anataman feels the same way!!
Sometimes, when I happen to land on the "Who's online" column, I see a bunch of names that log in often but never contribute.
That picked my curiosity as to the why?
"There was an owl, lived in an Oak;
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard -
We could all do to be like that wise old bird....."
Or, perhaps, conversation is a dying art? Grateful to all those who do share their thoughts and experience.
The teaser trailer is OUT for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens... here: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lucasfilm/starwarstheforceawakens/
Back in 1977, when I was six, I was totally smitten and forever in love with Star Wars Episode VI.
I'm almost ashamed to confess that Darth Vader's imposing, masculine, screen presence had a lot to do with that.
I wonder what a psychoanalyst would make of that
Hey, I'm gonna hafta check that movie out. I've seen 1 thru 4 so far.
...Sounds normal to me!
Loved this:
Bravo brave servants of the Dark side . . . nobody will suspect your presence . . .
Oh, yes, they can mess up a girl's unconsciouss in the weirdest ways
After Darth Vader, I would only settle for an All Blacks rugbier...
Yes, rugby players are real men, not like those drama-queen footballers.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/evangelical-scientists-refute-gravity-with-new-int,1778/
I'm soooo speechless
( it's a spoof )
But this people really presented the material as serious...?
Yes, it's what The Onion does.
Here's another: http://www.theonion.com/articles/buddhist-extremist-cell-vows-to-unleash-tranquilit,34623/
Okay, now I catch the drift of The Onion...
They're extremely clever. I read almost all the way through it before I thought "Hang on... who's publishing this....aaah! NOW I get it.....!" LMAO!!
That is hilarious -- and really well done! Including Isaac Newton's admission (historically true) that "God" is owed the final cause for all that Newton could not explain. Thus "God of the Gaps" .
"Intelligent Falling"! Superb
There's quite an art to writing this kind of thing, it's not as easy as it looks.
No it's not easy. When I was younger I was going to be a writer and one of my favorites was writing satire. You need to have your facts down firmly, and do as much 'research' as if no satire was involved. Unfortunately I wasn't particularly encouraged
my English teacher in HS 'got it' but most others just said 'huh?' alas so now I just appreciate it from afar.
Whoops!
If it's a karmic consequences, then I'm probably reaping somethings from my early inbetweenager years (9-12), when my cousin and I found a knife and stabbed someones tyre in an allotment - sorry, I really am!
I had my bike stolen at university 3 times - when I was around 10 years old I was with a kid who stole a bike and then I got my mum to buy it off him dirt cheap...
I was with the same kid who stole a wallet from a bag on a squash court, and we shared the spoils; I can't tell you how many times I've had my wallet stolen!
Coincidence, Karma, or just life...
Guess what - I forgive them, and hope they can forgive me.
I got a letter from the police saying they can't take the investigation further - No worries: it's just another couple of hundred pounds I can throw away. If I had claimed on the car insurance, I've already checked - my insurance premiums will sky rocket -
icon will have to do, although an icon depicting an unsmily shoving a fist in it's own mouth would be really appropriate here!
Making preps for kids birthdays to find a friends mum has been diagnosed with dementia, his wife's sister has terminal cancer, and that's following on the heels of a close relatives 'suicide'
Then there's Syria, Afghanistan, UKraine, Russia, UKIP, Ebola, Celebrity and suspected parliamentary paedophilia in the UK. Am I being a little negative, then time to consider the positive: I'm going to focus on my kids a bit more, and encourage them to be nice to one another and all of you out there!
Unless you're lucky, that's likely the end of that! Few laptops have the kind of video cards you can replace (a painful situation).
Went to Tate Modern. Some pics enclosed.