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Topic: Useless Conversation (Read 3420161 times)
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Abagadro
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12227
Possibly the only user with more posts in the Den than PC/Console Gaming.
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Plus it helps with malaria!
I had not heard this one before and as an avid G&T drinker I was curious so looked it up, the article I read stated you would need to drink 67 liters of tonic water in order to have enough quinine in your system to be effective against malaria. Challenge accepted.
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"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
-H.L. Mencken
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IainC
Developers
Posts: 6538
Wargaming.net
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Monkey 47, Schwarzwald dry gin is really good. It's probably my favourite gin.
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Salamok
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2803
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Plus it helps with malaria!
I had not heard this one before and as an avid G&T drinker I was curious so looked it up, the article I read stated you would need to drink 67 liters of tonic water in order to have enough quinine in your system to be effective against malaria. Challenge accepted. Don't forget to add the appropriate amount of gin, 45 liters maybe?
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Rasix
Moderator
Posts: 15024
I am the harbinger of your doom!
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One of my cats has kept me up for 4 straight nights. I've run out of ideas on how to deal with this little fucker. I think he's just cracked.
Giving him up would be difficult considering we've had him 4 years, and his brother is our other cat. He's a friendly cat and loves people, but he just will not stop yowling at night.
Also, if I'm a bit weird today: sleep depravation is amazing. I feel drunk, tired, and beat up all at once.
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-Rasix
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Watch some Jackson Galaxy reruns There's usually something the cat is yowling at/because of, an outdoor cat visiting the yard or something.
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Khaldun
Terracotta Army
Posts: 15157
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One of the amazing/bad things about having a kid is that you discover that extended sleep deprivation is super-bad for you and alters everything about your basic emotional rest state. I sobbed in front of some hospital clerk because we had to have our kid brought back due to jaundice. It's routine; I would normally have been talking about percentages of occurance etc. with the admitting nurse and instead I was sobbing and talking about how I was so worried, etc., while being barely able to read anything or even walk a straight line, after only a week and a half of being semi-awake for 24 hours with short stints of sleep. I mean, you start to see shit and not be able at all to maintain normal emotional equilibrium, etc.
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MahrinSkel
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10857
When she crossed over, she was just a ship. But when she came back... she was bullshit!
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If you have a partner, start the night early, take shifts. 5 hours of uninterrupted rest each is better than 8 hours of responding to wailing. It means a few months of never getting to actually sleep in the same bed, but it will do wonders for your sanity.
--Dave
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--Signature Unclear
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Rasix
Moderator
Posts: 15024
I am the harbinger of your doom!
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OK, correct me here if I'm being crazy: someone that got a signing bonus, $25k in moving/housing assistance, and likely a salary that dwarfs mine shouldn't still get lumped with the "children" for Christmas gifts. Why do I need to give this person an Amazon gift card?
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-Rasix
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Strazos
Greetings from the Slave Coast
Posts: 15542
The World's Worst Game: Curry or Covid
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Um, you 100% shouldn't get that person shit.
I'm apparently a scrooge. I only get my mother and GF gifts out of a sense of obligation. I'm perfectly happy to receive nothing in exchange for giving nothing.
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Fear the Backstab! "Plato said the virtuous man is at all times ready for a grammar snake attack." - we are lesion "Hell is other people." -Sartre
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345
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OK, correct me here if I'm being crazy: someone that got a signing bonus, $25k in moving/housing assistance, and likely a salary that dwarfs mine shouldn't still get lumped with the "children" for Christmas gifts. Why do I need to give this person an Amazon gift card?
Who is that someone in relation to you?
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Abagadro
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12227
Possibly the only user with more posts in the Den than PC/Console Gaming.
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My guess is a niece/nephew situation.
My policy on such things is whatever it takes to keep the organizing Mother/Mother in Law off my back so I can just drink wine all day on X-mas.
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"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
-H.L. Mencken
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Rasix
Moderator
Posts: 15024
I am the harbinger of your doom!
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Nephew. He's an adult, hell, we're almost all adults save my kid. But seriously, they always brag about how great his job is and how much he makes now. Umm, ok, then buy your own stuff? Like I'm still getting his brother (high school senior) something.
It just seems dumb on principle.
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-Rasix
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Rendakor
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10131
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I'm with you on principle Rasix, but in practice Ab has the right of it. Better to spend $20 than hear shit all Christmas day.
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"i can't be a star citizen. they won't even give me a star green card"
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RhyssaFireheart
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3525
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I gave the nieces/nephews gifts until they were 18 and then it was cut off. And by the end, I was mostly doing it out of my own sense of obligation because it's not like they were going out of their way to acknowledge the gifts. Granted, it wasn't the most exciting thing (I picked a themed Xmas ornament for each kid so that they'd have a nice start on gifted ornaments when they moved out/got their own place) but I wanted to do something since I rarely got to see folks.
Still 18 and no older. Cut them off!
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Give him a copy of Art of the Deal for xmas.
Let it all burn.
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Yegolev
Moderator
Posts: 24440
2/10 WOULD NOT INGEST
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Why do I need to give this person an Amazon gift card?
Freedom isn't free. If you don't, what's the worst that can happen?
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Why am I homeless? Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question. They called it The Prayer, its answer was law Mommy come back 'cause the water's all gone
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Polysorbate80
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2044
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There's always the bag of dicks option. It is, technically, a gift
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“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19220
sentient yeast infection
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OK, correct me here if I'm being crazy: someone that got a signing bonus, $25k in moving/housing assistance, and likely a salary that dwarfs mine shouldn't still get lumped with the "children" for Christmas gifts. Why do I need to give this person an Amazon gift card?
Does this person get you a gift each year? If not, they have communicated that they're not into holiday gift exchanges, and freed you from obligation. I started giving Christmas gifts to my aunts and uncles (all 7 of them) when I was... nine years old, maybe? I mean, when I was a kid it was shitty arts and crafts ornaments I made myself, but it got the habit started early, and I'd say the gifts had become non-shitty by the time I was in high school. If someone goes a few years without giving me anything (which occasionally happens as people decide they don't have the energy to get gifts for the whole extended family), I might quietly drop them from my list too. My cousins get added to the gift list as they're born, but by the time they're teenagers if they aren't giving me something themselves and are instead just putting their name on the gift that comes from their parents, I consider it free license to just do the same with the gift I give their parents. I try to never do gift cards; I just take a guess at what someone might like (usually it's a book I like that I'm pretty sure they haven't read) and see what lands. If you don't have enough of a relationship with someone to get them something more personal than a gift card, I'd say that's also a good clue that they don't need to be on your list. Unless they also get you a gift card, in which case sure, give them a gift card of equal value to make it a perfect net zero.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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rattran
Moderator
Posts: 4257
Unreasonable
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Several of my friends have been regifting the same $50 Borders gift card for the last 6 or 7 years. I suspect I may be the recipient this year. There was a $20 Blockbuster card doing the same rounds, but it seems to have been lost.
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Rasix
Moderator
Posts: 15024
I am the harbinger of your doom!
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Does this person get you a gift each year? If not, they have communicated that they're not into holiday gift exchanges, and freed you from obligation.
This person has never given me anything. Like ever. This kid has been pretty damn sheltered all his life. edit: I've also done a good deal for him professionally, including job shadowing and submitting resumes to hiring managers in different locales. That's all besides the point. My objection was simple: he's an adult and it's probably a decent opportunity for him to be one. If not now, when? Anyhow, I said I'd get him something, which was still met with hostility. To be less flippant, I actually have gotten him non-giftcard gifts the last 2 years. He collects Nintendo stuff, and I usually have something laying around.
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« Last Edit: November 28, 2019, 08:01:52 PM by Rasix »
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-Rasix
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Paelos
Contributor
Posts: 27075
Error 404: Title not found.
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Buy them a book with a subtle context and quit worrying about it.
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CPA, CFO, Sports Fan, Game when I have the time
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MahrinSkel
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10857
When she crossed over, she was just a ship. But when she came back... she was bullshit!
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Buy them a book with a subtle context and quit worrying about it.
Fuck subtle.--Dave
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--Signature Unclear
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calapine
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7352
Solely responsible for the thread on "The Condom Wall."
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Yeah, you are being too nice / worry too much here. Paelos' suggestion is good - buy him a book with subtle context. Something that makes him grow as person.
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Restoration is a perfectly valid school of magic!
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Salamok
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2803
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Ya'll have some twisted views on competitive gift giving, that said for Christmas I go out of my way (or more accurately, since I am 1500 miles away, I won't go out of my way) to avoid any family beyond my wife and daughter. Furthermore If I am not spending xmas with you I probably am not getting you or your kids a gift and sincerely hope you return the favor.
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Paelos
Contributor
Posts: 27075
Error 404: Title not found.
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I'm almost 40 so I just ask for books and clothes now. Anything more than that people generally screw up or don't want to buy.
I honestly don't want more stuff I can't consume, wear, or sell on ebay after I'm done with it easily.
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CPA, CFO, Sports Fan, Game when I have the time
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345
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I ask for steam gift cards from _every_ family member. Except my mom. We're Jewish so I ask for what I actually want. Last year was stair runners.
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Rasix
Moderator
Posts: 15024
I am the harbinger of your doom!
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I really don't get a lot every year, and that's just fine with me. I'll get something nice from my in-laws (specific video game or needed clothing item), something from my wife (that has usually been picked out long before Christmas), and something from the yearly gift exchange. I'd be fine with nothing. I'm an adult; I can buy something if I want it. As evident here, I don't get really sentimental about gift giving.
BTW, the nephews are just asking for Nintendo eShop cards. That's easy and my sister doesn't seem to be in a shit mood, so no harm no foul. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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-Rasix
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19220
sentient yeast infection
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I'm an adult; I can buy something if I want it.
This is why the concept of asking for presents or gift cards will never make sense to me. It turns the whole thing into essentially a cash transfer, which at least makes some sense when one of the parties involved is a child and it's a generational transfer of wealth, but two adults exchanging $50 bills is a no-op.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345
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I'm an adult; I can buy something if I want it.
This is why the concept of asking for presents or gift cards will never make sense to me. It turns the whole thing into essentially a cash transfer, which at least makes some sense when one of the parties involved is a child and it's a generational transfer of wealth, but two adults exchanging $50 bills is a no-op. I have a handful of gifts I buy for people who I see irl enough and I know I can get something they like. Typically it's art. Typically it's very nice. Sometimes it's not great (because good art at a good price is hard to get, queue womp womp trombone). This years gifts are off the fucking chart though.
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« Last Edit: December 03, 2019, 10:14:44 PM by schild »
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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If you know anyone into representational art, Patrick Jones has had a bunch of his sketches up on IXGallery for a while now, dirt cheap. I have a nice little portrait from that batch. Most of the nudes are gone, ofc.
I have one of his nudes on newsprint and it's pretty cool having one of the sketches that's in one of his art instruction books, so double bonus if you know someone who has those books.
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Yegolev
Moderator
Posts: 24440
2/10 WOULD NOT INGEST
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I'm an adult; I can buy something if I want it.
This is why the concept of asking for presents or gift cards will never make sense to me. It turns the whole thing into essentially a cash transfer, which at least makes some sense when one of the parties involved is a child and it's a generational transfer of wealth, but two adults exchanging $50 bills is a no-op. I'm of the same mind. However it is a tradition that I have to participate in. It is super irritating to be told someone has to get a gift for me so say what I want, then find out the thing I want is too expensive for the rich old lady to buy me. Then I ask for underwear. It's all a farce.
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Why am I homeless? Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question. They called it The Prayer, its answer was law Mommy come back 'cause the water's all gone
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19220
sentient yeast infection
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I'm an adult; I can buy something if I want it.
This is why the concept of asking for presents or gift cards will never make sense to me. It turns the whole thing into essentially a cash transfer, which at least makes some sense when one of the parties involved is a child and it's a generational transfer of wealth, but two adults exchanging $50 bills is a no-op. I'm of the same mind. However it is a tradition that I have to participate in. It is super irritating to be told someone has to get a gift for me so say what I want, then find out the thing I want is too expensive for the rich old lady to buy me. Then I ask for underwear. It's all a farce. I have exactly one aunt that I have to do this for, and my system is now that starting in November, if I'm thinking about buying myself something that costs less than $50, it goes on my Amazon wishlist that I maintain just for her. The day after Christmas I look at the list and buy myself everything she didn't get me. Most of my family is getting craft whiskey this year, just like last year. I went to the distillery last night to do my shopping and found out that their license only allows them to sell me three bottles at a time, so I'm going to have to make several trips over the next couple of weeks.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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Teleku
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10510
https://i.imgur.com/mcj5kz7.png
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Yeah, I try to emphasize to my family that I'm an adult who has no children, makes a good salary, and doesn't even pay any rent or utilities. Thus, the moment something even crosses my mind that I might want it, I've already ordered it. But they all still feel the need to buy me things, so I just make a random list of shit on Amazon to order for me. Curious to see if anybody gets me the five pound bag of just strawberry Starbursts.
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"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor." -Stephen Colbert
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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So apparently retail chains are losing their minds this year. One site has been sending me 7 emails a day, most are in the 3-5/day range over the 'pre-black friday' period. This has been great because I've unsubbed from dozens of lists already.
Btw, my local booze store stopped carrying Laphroaig (I asked them to restock it so I don't have to drive 10 minutes away to get it, heh). So I picked up the Ardberg, which is a decent enough substitute. So thanks for that!
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justdave
Terracotta Army
Posts: 462
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Nephew. He's an adult, hell, we're almost all adults save my kid. But seriously, they always brag about how great his job is and how much he makes now. Umm, ok, then buy your own stuff? Like I'm still getting his brother (high school senior) something.
It just seems dumb on principle.
He's an adult. Get him fuckin' socks. Rinse, repeat, see how long that lasts. "What? It's a gift! Same socks I wear, they're great! Are you saying this is a shit gift?!"
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"They started to resist with a crust that was welded with human brain and willpower."
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