Useless Conversation

[IainC]

The buses to work have been canceled due to the weather here, so i cant make it in.

 

The inability of the UK and Ireland to handle mildly inclement weather never ceases to amaze me. There has been up to 2 feet of snow here over the weekend and not a single person has failed to make it in to work today, buses and trains are running, life is continuing. Even when I was in Paris, the exceptional amount of snow and record low temperatures in 2006 didn't bring the city to a halt (insert 'of course it made no difference because everyone was on strike' joke here).

[Endie]

I was late into work today, not because of the snow, but because of a puncture.  It's no fun changing a tire in sub-zero temperatures, snow on the ground, a wind blowing and in the dark, all while wearing a suit.  Took me nearly 20 minutes to change the damn thing.

[Sky]

Going to be cold here this week, but not much in the way of snow unfortunately. At least what we have won't melt. Until xmas when temps jump up to the mid thirties and we get a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow. Ecch. This year's working out to be pretty crappy, this time last year we had over a foot of snow on the ground.

[Fraeg]

Gahh.... Fucking Drunk Drivers.

We lost a student intern friday night, she was killed by a drunk driver while driving through reservation land.   Perhaps it isn't fair for me to assume the person who killed her was native american but from what I have seen since moving to New Mexico, it is a pretty safe assumption.

Pretty fucking sad, she was in her early 20s and worked in our lab.

[stray]

I find it funny they you're willing to call em out on the drunk loser stereotype..


YET.. you're kind enough to call them "native american" and not "indian". 

[Murgos]

I miss being able to do 8 to 12 hour gaming binges when I felt like it.  I'm not sure how I ended up giving this other person so much control of my life.

[Signe]

I think just about everyone is drunk in that part of NM.  There's a lot of serial killers all over that part of the US, too!     I'm sorry about your friend, though, Fraeg. 

Are we having our Festivus Airing of Grievances this year?  Even I miss the holiday cheer that thread always brings.

[voodoolily]

I find it funny they you're willing to call em out on the drunk loser stereotype..


YET.. you're kind enough to call them "native american" and not "indian". 

The current preferred identifier is American Indian (and Alaska Native), not Native American.   

[Sky]

No shit, I'm a native american.

[voodoolily]

No shit, I'm a native american.

[Righ]

Nativism is different, although it is fairly popular again thanks to Lou Dobbs and his paymasters.

[rattran]

There is a huge possum in my trash can, very cold looking, and very angry. Dunno how long he's been in there, but it's tall and smooth sided enough I suspect he couldn't climb out. The can is now on it's side, I tossed a warm shirt in there with him, and some catfood in a bowl to entice him out.

Will update as the story developes.

[update] It dragged the shirt all the way in, and is now hidden. So I didn't bother to get a picture.

[Trippy]

Setup a Web cam so we can all watch

[Signe]

You should go in there and check to see if he's okay.  (after you set up the webcam)

[Fraeg]

I find it funny they you're willing to call em out on the drunk loser stereotype..


YET.. you're kind enough to call them "native american" and not "indian". 

Well given that she was driving on reservation land, chances are.....  yes but I do realize I made an assumption.

[Merusk]

Hey, by the way.. the world ends in 3 years from today.

 

[Fraeg]

There is a huge possum in my trash can, very cold looking, and very angry. Dunno how long he's been in there, but it's tall and smooth sided enough I suspect he couldn't climb out. The can is now on it's side, I tossed a warm shirt in there with him, and some catfood in a bowl to entice him out.

Will update as the story developes.

[update] It dragged the shirt all the way in, and is now hidden. So I didn't bother to get a picture.

so basically it is setting up shop in your trash can?  That is cute in a way I suppose.  Possums are low on my cute scale,  I just picture this old possum with your shirt grumbling about kids and the snow. The  possum if you will.

[rattran]

I suspect he climbed into the can off the porchrail, then couldn't get out. I've got the large size roughneck trash cans, so smooth plastic about 3' tall. The can is on it's side now, but he seems content to stay there. All the cat food was gone, and there were beady red eyes and a sniffy nose poking out from under the shirt collar. If he's not gone in the morning, I'll move the can to the side of the house, and he can live there for the winter if he wants.

[Sky]

I had a possum in the backyard a month or two ago. I whipped a stick at it and haven't seen it since. Fuckavarmint.

Lucky for him I live in the city and my death threshold has been made a deterrence threshold. Same goes for that fucking woodchuck living under my neighbor's shed. Lazy assholes letting the varmints creep in and wreck shit. And then there's the lady who feeds squirrels. Squirrels make my trigger finger itchy...maybe I should get a slingshot again, very effective with a bag of marbles.

[stray]

Possums all over the place here. Even more so since they built a new college campus right by my house. It kicked out all the critters and deer from the woodland it used to be. Sometimes I'll see a Coyote or Deer standing on someone's lawn at night... let alone possums. I've snapped a few creepy night pics of those things. They are not photogenic.

Wtf have squirrels done to you?

[Sky]

VARMINTS

[Endie]

Now that it's below zero all day and the dog is in soon after dark (so around 5 or so) we've got deer coming into the garden most nights, judging by the tracks in the snow.  I think that they're eating the exposed grass under the apple trees in the orchard.  I like it.  Twenty years ago I'd be leaving venison to hang by now, but I've heavily revised my views of the value of life, since I grew up a bit.  Now I'm delighted that they're there.  Beautiful to see in the next field in the morning.  I haven't even shot the pheasants that try to get under my netting and at my cabbages (yet).

[Sky]

Yeah, the deer have finally come down out of the woods. A bit late, they usually start pretty early in hunting season, I just got tracks over the weekend.

[rattran]

You're just missing raging against skunks and raccoons to complete my backyard menagerie, Sky. You'd go well with the neighbors who kept calling animal control on the woodchucks, until they started getting fined.

And the possum seems to have sort of left. Judging by the marks through the snow he went all of about 10 feet to the entry to under the front porch, dragging my shirt with him.

[Cyrrex]

Now that it's below zero all day and the dog is in soon after dark (so around 5 or so) we've got deer coming into the garden most nights, judging by the tracks in the snow.  I think that they're eating the exposed grass under the apple trees in the orchard.  I like it.  Twenty years ago I'd be leaving venison to hang by now, but I've heavily revised my views of the value of life, since I grew up a bit.  Now I'm delighted that they're there.  Beautiful to see in the next field in the morning.  I haven't even shot the pheasants that try to get under my netting and at my cabbages (yet).

This is basically my view of the world as well.  I never understand people's complaints especially about deer, but also about many of these other so-called "pests".  I'd personally much rather have the fluffy, cute animals than the stupid azaleas or whatever.  

[Merusk]

Deer fuck shit up.  Deer fuck up cars, people, yards etc.  I expect deer when I live in a rural setting, when I'm in suburbia reading about the 4th person killed because a deer went through their windshield (because the fuckers like to wait until your car is RIGHT THERE to leap across) I can see the appeal of a $1.25 solution.

Granted, our need to expand and drive off all the predators has let deer thrive in some places, but that doesn't make them any less of a pest than squirrels, rats, rabbits and raccoons.

[Sky]

You're just missing raging against skunks and raccoons to complete my backyard menagerie, Sky.

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=10495.msg706775#msg706775

[Lantyssa]

Granted, our need to expand and drive off all the predators has let deer thrive in some places, but that doesn't make them any less of a pest than squirrels, rats, rabbits and raccoons.

In addition to killing off the predators, there's the expanding into their habitat...  We have more than ever, and they have fewer places to retreat since we like taking over their prime areas.

[Oban]

I am going to stop saying Merry Christmas and just switch to saying "Here's hoping you find a parking spot."

[voodoolily]

Yeah, having a newborn puts us in a fog, so this year the holidays are just a huge pita. I just need groceries, motherfuckers. Get the fuck out my way!  

[Sir T]

Yeah. I usually dont really bother with christmas shopping, but I was out today as I needed sugar and some stuff and the shopping center was jammed to the gills with people with the most miserable faces I have ever seen. I was probably the most cheerful person there, and I dont get the christmas spirit at all. "Joy to the world" indeed. They looked more in need of anti-depressents than me!

[Ironwood]

Yeah, having a newborn puts us in a fog, so this year the holidays are just a huge pita. I just need groceries, motherfuckers. Get the fuck out my way!  

I remember the first Baby Christmas.

Jesus, it was hard.  Just LISTEN to what people tell you ;  don't worry about it being the babes first - they don't remember a thing.

 

[Cyrrex]

To be honest, I don't think they remember the second or third one either.  Not consciously, anyway.

[voodoolily]

Yeah, having a newborn puts us in a fog, so this year the holidays are just a huge pita. I just need groceries, motherfuckers. Get the fuck out my way!  

I remember the first Baby Christmas.

Jesus, it was hard.  Just LISTEN to what people tell you ;  don't worry about it being the babes first - they don't remember a thing.

 

We bought him an ornament, but we don't have a tree to put it on. I stuck some pine boughs and berry branches in a vase and that's our goddamned tree.  

Frankly, I think we've spent enough on this kid already. I have no problem waiting until he can actually hold his giant noggin up on his own before he gets more loot.

[Trippy]

No politics in here or else my Christmas present to you all will be mass bannings