Octopus Overlords

stessier wrote:What is it called when a character in a story has a name that matches their character? For instance, Sir Greed is greedy. Is it just allegory?

Maybe Aptronym?

TheMix wrote:

stessier wrote:What is it called when a character in a story has a name that matches their character? For instance, Sir Greed is greedy. Is it just allegory?

Maybe Aptronym?

That fits.

The first example that comes to mind is Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and a search for "John Bunyan aptronym" brings up examples of people using the term in connection.

Bunyan loomed so large in English writing that it would be nearly impossible to do aptronymish names without appearing to recall him, at least well into the 20th century. (e.g. C.S. Lewis.)

Brian wrote:A couple of Turkey Vultures on the ledge outside of my office window today.

Neat. I like how close to them you are.

I had to take the pics from about 8-10 feet away and use the zoom on my phone.

If I got any closer they would give me a dirty look and waddle down the ledge away from me.

I eventually did get too close and they took off.

Brian wrote:I had to take the pics from about 8-10 feet away and use the zoom on my phone.

If I got any closer they would give me a dirty look and waddle down the ledge away from me.

I eventually did get too close and they took off.

Ah. Well I'm not exactly known for my photography expertise, but the pic did the job nicely.

Had a strange dream the other day - I was making an industrial sized pot of coffee, and for some reason I needed to mix in chopped chunks of raw beef to give it something extra (think chopped carne asada, before cooking).

WTF was going on in my dream brain???

GreenGoo wrote:Ah. Well I'm not exactly known for my photography expertise, but the pic did the job nicely.

Thanks.

My daughter is going to be jealous when I show here the pics and video.

Holman wrote:

TheMix wrote:

stessier wrote:What is it called when a character in a story has a name that matches their character? For instance, Sir Greed is greedy. Is it just allegory?

Maybe Aptronym?

That fits.

The first example that comes to mind is Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and a search for "John Bunyan aptronym" brings up examples of people using the term in connection.

Bunyan loomed so large in English writing that it would be nearly impossible to do aptronymish names without appearing to recall him, at least well into the 20th century. (e.g. C.S. Lewis.)

Like a few of the Harry Potter characters as well...

Delores Umbridge
Remus Lupin

or Dickens... with Mr Bumble, Mr Pecksniff, Martin Chuzzlewit, or Oliver Twist even.

Unagi wrote:

Holman wrote:

TheMix wrote:

stessier wrote:What is it called when a character in a story has a name that matches their character? For instance, Sir Greed is greedy. Is it just allegory?

Maybe Aptronym?

That fits.

The first example that comes to mind is Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and a search for "John Bunyan aptronym" brings up examples of people using the term in connection.

Bunyan loomed so large in English writing that it would be nearly impossible to do aptronymish names without appearing to recall him, at least well into the 20th century. (e.g. C.S. Lewis.)

Like a few of the Harry Potter characters as well...

Delores Umbridge
Remus Lupin

or Dickens... with Mr Bumble, Mr Pecksniff, Martin Chuzzlewit, or Oliver Twist even.

'Hiro Protagonist' comes to mind.

MonkeyFinger wrote: 'Hiro Protagonist' comes to mind.

I'm not familiar with that Dickens character. Sounds cool. Probably has an energy katana that manifests when he gets angry.

After a week spent with my parents, waging war on my yard, we've reached a detente. It's unbelievable how much more I have to do as this marks the close of my vacation and I'm exhausted and I hurt. But that chainsaw, I am sure, will be the best $50 I spend this year, even if it never ever ever gets used again.

LordMortis wrote:After a week spent with my parents, waging war on my yard, we've reached a detente. It's unbelievable how much more I have to do as this marks the close of my vacation and I'm exhausted and I hurt. But that chainsaw, I am sure, will be the best $50 I spend this year, even if it never ever ever gets used again.

My wife bought a cordless electric chainsaw. I was unhappy for a variety of reasons. 2 hours after using it the first time, I apologized to my wife.

Pyperkub wrote:Had a strange dream the other day - I was making an industrial sized pot of coffee, and for some reason I needed to mix in chopped chunks of raw beef to give it something extra (think chopped carne asada, before cooking).

WTF was going on in my dream brain???

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. So it's clearly indicative of your secret desires for a steamy cup of Bovril, i.e. Bovril: a very beefy (and British) love affair.

GreenGoo wrote:My wife bought a cordless electric chainsaw. I was unhappy for a variety of reasons. 2 hours after using it the first time, I apologized to my wife.

There was much criticism from various peanut galleries about how much I would ever actually need a chainsaw. It can now take up 2 square feet in my garage for an eternity and it's been worth it. So many things cut. So many things cuts with so little comparative effort and I'm not done yet.

...

GreenGoo wrote:

LordMortis wrote:After a week spent with my parents, waging war on my yard, we've reached a detente. It's unbelievable how much more I have to do as this marks the close of my vacation and I'm exhausted and I hurt. But that chainsaw, I am sure, will be the best $50 I spend this year, even if it never ever ever gets used again.

My wife bought a cordless electric chainsaw. I was unhappy for a variety of reasons. 2 hours after using it the first time, I apologized to my wife.

Can you elaborate? We have an electric chainsaw and it works "okay" but really lacks the oomph of its gas-powered rivals. We also have 8.5 acres of woodlands to contend with and most of what I do is trees that are 6+ inches wide. I'm not supposed to daisy-chain 100' extension cords out into the deep woods, and the gas-powered chainsaw bit the dust late last year and isn't worth repairing.

Ok, but it doesn't sound like what you're looking for.

Like LM, I have a suburban property. It happens to have an unreasonable amount of wilderness on it.

I was unsure about cordless chainsaws because as you know, it takes a lot of sustained power to chop logs, and that's not batteries forte. I also knew nothing about them (cordless) and I KNEW my wife didn't do any research, so she could have spent money on a piece of junk.

But for my usage, which is no log with a diameter greater than about 6-8", and usually only for short periods of time (say 15 minutes) it works great. Sure it struggles at times, but only if I'm trying to chew up something bigger, and only if the battery has been in use for awhile. Otherwise it handles like a dream. It's light, easily handled and effective.

Now they do make larger ones with bigger batteries, so you might not be completely out of luck, but for anyone measuring their property in units larger than feet, I just don't see it getting the job done without frustration and constant recharging. I'd also invest in at least one more battery for any sustained work so you can swap them out.

Paingod wrote:Can you elaborate? We have an electric chainsaw and it works "okay" but really lacks the oomph of its gas-powered rivals. We also have 8.5 acres of woodlands to contend with and most of what I do is trees that are 6+ inches wide. I'm not supposed to daisy-chain 100' extension cords out into the deep woods, and the gas-powered chainsaw bit the dust late last year and isn't worth repairing.

I don't have that kind of yard. A $50 corded 14" electric with an easy tension setting and auto oiler had no problem getting through 8" "branches" of overgrown yews or assorted hard wood trees. Gas would have just been one more thing to worry about and I find that electric motors can sit for years and then start right and gas motors have to be maintained or babied to function over time. I have no idea what sort of battery it takes to replicate but my maker was greenworks, so making mine cordless is the difference between $50 and $250.

https://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-20222 ... c+chainsaw

https://www.amazon.com/EGO-Power-14-Inc ... 2832502011

Mine's a Riyobi with a...12" bar? maybe. Can't remember. Average as far as chainsaws go, although maybe just a smidge below average length. I'm sure they make smaller ones, but it's definitely a garden tool rather than a tool for logging.

I need to borrow or rent a chainsaw pretty soon. Got about a dozen lower tree branches that I'd like to prune. Knowing how these things go, I will discover a lot more cutting that needs to be done once I have the power in my hands. But I really don't think it's worth buying one.

Just remember that raising a chainsaw over your head is verboten from a safety standpoint.

GreenGoo wrote:Just remember that raising a chainsaw over your head is verboten from a safety standpoint.

I didn't know that, but I have trouble raising my arms over my head for any length of time or while bearing any kind of load anyway. That's an Old Age thing that hit me about 5 years ago.

I can easily reach the branches that I want with a step ladder. That's why I need to remove them -- they're only 8-10' high, and when it snows they bend to the driveway.

I'd like to hire an arborist but those guys are crazy expensive.

Kraken wrote:

GreenGoo wrote:Just remember that raising a chainsaw over your head is verboten from a safety standpoint.

I didn't know that,

Yep, because if they kick, like when they hit a knot or something, instead of cutting your leg off as nature intended, it kicks back into your face/head, which, if I'm reading the safety guidelines correctly, is bad for you.

Kraken wrote: I'd like to hire an arborist but those guys are crazy expensive.

Crazy expensive.

On the plus side you can rent a chainsaw from home depot or wherever for like 20 bucks or something.

Chainsaws scare the crap out of me. One uncle chopped up his leg, another his arm, and a third clipped his cheek. Be careful!

Zarathud wrote:Chainsaws scare the crap out of me. One uncle chopped up his leg, another his arm, and a third clipped his cheek. Be careful!

I read Out, Out in high school. It's all nope for me.

Fretmute wrote:

Zarathud wrote:Chainsaws scare the crap out of me. One uncle chopped up his leg, another his arm, and a third clipped his cheek. Be careful!

I read Out, Out in high school. It's all nope for me.

Oh look, a link.

*click*

Zarathud wrote:Chainsaws scare the crap out of me. One uncle chopped up his leg, another his arm, and a third clipped his cheek. Be careful!

Power things designed to rip apart or crush together stuff scare the crap out of me, so careful I am. Having never run a chainsaw before this week, I find they have way less kick then I imagined, which makes taking care easier than I thought it would be but they change in heat, seriously loosening the chain, so you have to keep checking to make sure the chain taut but not to taut and being a creature who was shielded manly things growing up, this was the sort of thing I would never know by just picking one but for reading the manual before taking on the scary stuff.

Zarathud wrote:Chainsaws scare the crap out of me. One uncle chopped up his leg, another his arm, and a third clipped his cheek. Be careful!

I've got a vivid, horrible childhood memory that haunts me still:

I was born and raised in the South, but for a brief time we lived in New Jersey. After the heavy snow, my dad borrowed a chainsaw and went out into the backyard to cut apart a large fallen tree to make firewood.

While my mother and I watched from the kitchen window, he cut for a while and then slipped on the snow/ice. He fell down behind the fallen tree, obscured from our vision, while the running chainsaw arced up and then came down right where it seemed like his face would be. I remember stopping breathing, and I remember turning towards my mom, whose face had gone totally pale.

We ran outside and it took a few seconds to reach him. The chainsaw had missed him by a couple of inches.

Learned something new from watching Brockmire. ASMR videos are a huge thing. Oh Internet, you are unique and new all of the time.

By the time I get my chainsaw started Im give out. I had a electric one but it had plastic gears and as soon as I hit something hard than plastic with it it broke.

Found out my kid is monetarily supporting a published author through some sort of fancily named GoFundMe equivalent. When l pointed out that she has multiple books published and earns a decent living and he has a poverty level job, he got quite angry with me. Which was when l pointed out that he has done zero research on apartment costs, utility costs​ or how much buying his own food will cost and that l was letting him live here rent free specifically so he could save up to move out at the end of this December.

And he just stood there and fuckin' glared at me. Jesus fucking christ, how long am I supposed to carry you? You are fucking 27 years old. Grow the fuck up and get the fuck out.

Patreon, I'm guessing?

Zarathud wrote:Chainsaws scare the crap out of me. One uncle chopped up his leg, another his arm, and a third clipped his cheek. Be careful!

Sounds genetic. Avoid!

Default wrote:l was letting him live here rent free specifically so he could save up to move out at the end of this December.

Is it time to revisit the arrangement?


For context, my oldest is 14 and has no inkling of what he wants to do. But neither did I at his age, let alone when I was 22.

But I'm bumping into enough others who have had it with their 24+ kids who live still live with them and have no gumption to get up and get out. I have a coworker who has a 40+ year old daughter with no friends, not much of a career and is still living with her.

It blows my mind and I just hope that I don't end up facing a similar scenario with my own kids...

Left home at 18 and got married.

Daehawk wrote:Left home at 18 and got married.

How did Default take it?

Blackhawk wrote:Patreon, I'm guessing?

Probably comes with hot nudez at the $25 per month tier.

Our 26 year old eldest daughter still lives with us at a cost of $0 per month.

She WANTS to move out almost as much as we want her to move out but she's crippled by a combination of expenses (car payment, student loans, etc) and ownership of a pitbull which severly limits her choices in available housing (for example, she would have to live outside the city limits of Omaha and Douglas County) so finding a place she could afford that would also allow her dog is very much an uphill battle. One that she shows little to no signs of embarking upon I might add.

In addition to a 26 year old child living with us, we also have my 72 year old mother living with us as well. However, she makes a contribution in the form of covering the cable bill as well as investing in remodeling projects for the home.

So, we have yet to have the "empty-nester" experience we had actually planned for.

All of this might change soon as we have been planning to sell the house and move to Arizona in approximately 1.5-2 years but that timetable might get accelerated depending on how an upcoming interview with a pet clinic in Mesa, AZ goes.

If she is offered this job that she really wants, she may move down there early and rent an apartment while I continue with remodeling and upgrading the house in preparation for selling.

While mom has a tentative plan in place for what to do once we sell the house and move to AZ, the daughter has only a vague plan to complete her degree and then possibly move to California.

Maybe we'll get lucky and win that HGTV Smart-Home they are giving away in Scottsdale, AZ. Then daughter and mom could keep this house for themselves.

So, we have yet to have the "empty-nester" experience we had actually planned for.

Thats all I ever wanted from 18 onward. I just wanted a life with me and my wife. Well in the 90s and 2000s family started passing away. We lived with my wife's parents and they died in 2006 and 2008. For a bit it was as I had dreamed of living. But over time Ive grown to miss everyone fiercely. Its too quiet, too dark, a bit lonely without them here. Cant just talk to them or get advice. Yes all the negatives associated with living with others is gone but so are the advantages. The social. The safety. The fun times.

Its not what you think it will be...or at least not me. Id give a lot to be back the way it once was. But thats life. I guess others have as much trouble getting used to life moving on as me but sometimes it feels like Im the only one.

The idea of kids moving out of their parents' home as soon as they are considered adults is a very modern one, It started changing during the industrial revolution, but the numbers only really began to drop after WWII. We aren't experiencing a change so much as we're experiencing a return to historical norms, much of it driven by the iffy economy of the past decade. Of course, that's improving lately, but the jury is still out on whether that improvement will continue for anyone who isn't already rich.