Octopus Overlords

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:12 pm my dad mixes that with his daily vodka in the apparent belief that it makes it healthy

No amount of vodka makes sugar-water healthy.

Pom is 100% juice. Yeah, there is sugar in juice, but that isn't what most people mean when they say 'sugar water.'

Sure, that's all fine and well, but then the joke doesn't work.

Yesterday when I woke up, my ankles were itching like hell and I found numerous small red welts on them, clustered in one spot, and individual spot in another, etc. I assumed something had been gnawing on me in my sleep and I vowed to check all around my bed before turning in. Later in the day when I showered, I felt a sudden burning pain as water ran down my leg and found a new cluster of small red welts and it clicked.

A week ago I had been mowing and bumped an old wheelbarrow we had flipped over under the deck. A small swarm of yellowjackets came out and attacked my ankles. While the stings hurt when they happened, they didn't seem to leave any mark except little red spots. Every single one of the red welts I had yesterday corresponded with a spot where I had been stung.

It just took a week for my body to respond.

Paingod wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 6:38 am It just took a week for my body to respond.

After I mowed I had both poison oak and bug bites. Those places got well but more have popped up. It never fails I get poison oak and it tends to spread in my blood and pop up places. Hell that tick bit on my back still itches sometimes and its been 2 months.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:34 am After I mowed I had both poison oak and bug bites. Those places got well but more have popped up. It never fails I get poison oak and it tends to spread in my blood and pop up places. Hell that tick bit on my back still itches sometimes and its been 2 months.

Have you ever considered using a barrier product like IvyX Pre-Contact Solution?



Seems like it'd be better than nothing.

Never heard of such a product. Interesting.

i get worse reactions from black fly (buffalo gnat?) bites than mosquito, which seems weird.

Paingod wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 6:38 am
It just took a week for my body to respond.

this is actually not out of the ordinary. i've heard of several-week-long delayed response. it's all up to your own individual immune system (over)reaction.

Slow simmered a pair of chicken thighs. Very tasty. Then I condensed the chick broth and added salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then when it was done I added an egg and made egg drop soup out of it. Also very tasty.

I was flipping around and came across Jeopardy but it was an old ep they were playing. It was from the mid 1980s of all times. One question had to do with Van Halen's Jump song and one was about MLK Day which became a holiday in 86. Alex was like a man who had consumed 10x too much caffeine. He was reading questions super fast and as they answered more right he seemed to get more and more excited lol. Was crazy. I dont remember it being like that. He had hardly a grey hair either If nothing else told me it was the 1980s the lady's glasses were a dead instant giveaway....giant 747 windshields for lenses. Always HATED glasses like that with a passion.

Damn it, Chad. Do any of your emails make it to the right address? If you ever get your shit together please share your techniques with Cindy and Carl.

I got tired of running downstairs to refill my water bottle and I don't want to drink cola all the time. So I bought a 5L "folding" water container with a plastic spigot so I can refill my water bottle easily. And it's great for emergencies. And being an SF resident, it's important to keep some water around.

Tossed the water from my mop bucket and bent a fingernail backwards. That F'n HURTs. I dont even have long nails. I keep then small with a file. Freakin A.

A few weeks ago, I reached for something on the lawn chair and got a grommet edge under a nail. 'Twas not pleasant.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2020 2:14 pm A few weeks ago, I reached for something on the lawn chair and got a grommet edge under a nail. 'Twas not pleasant.

Ugh. Been there.

I have a lawn chair but now that I have no tree to sit under it has become useless.

I can't stand having nails longer than several days' growth. Among other things, I find I form a fist with one hand while sleeping on my side, and long nails dig into my palm. I have no idea how people tolerate longer nails.

Mine aren't long. I keep them nibbled down.

One of my neighbors acquired some sort of power tool a few weeks ago. I don’t know exactly what it is, but whatever it is makes an extremely loud, very high-pitched grinding noise.

I normally wouldn’t care that someone is using a power tool, as that’s a normal part of owning a home. But he has this thing running non-fucking-stop. It literally runs for between 4-6 hours straight every day for the past three weeks. I’ve been trying to give him the benefit of the doubt because maybe he’s doing some sort of home improvement project, but I’m about ready to lose my goddamn mind.

This neighbor and I don’t get along at all, ever since his kids got a hunting bow a few summers ago, set up a target range in their yard, and kept sending arrows over the fence into our yard while our kids were outside playing. He’s a typical MAGA asshole who gives no shits about how anything he does affects anyone around him because “FREEDOM!”. When I confronted him about the stray arrows, for example, he told me to “quit being such a pussy about it”. I had another neighbor who is a cop go have a chat with him, and the arrows stopped.

Trying to determine the best course of action here, short of simply screaming “SHUT THE FUCK UP” over the fence at him. Noise complaint, maybe? Not even sure how to go about that, but it might be a good first step.

Maybe you can get in touch with Rand Paul's neighbor.

Last night I opened a new bag of pistachio nuts.
More than 50% of them were not open!!!
What is this world coming to??
You ever try using a nutcracker on pistachios? It's futile.
What a waste.

Pistachio shells are rich in fiber. What did you think teeth are for?

Like not open at all? One "hack" that really works if there's at least a crack is to wedge in another half shell and twist. Since learning this, my pistachio eating experience is 68% more satisfying.

Sudy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 12:52 am Like not open at all? One "hack" that really works if there's at least a crack is to wedge in another half shell and twist. Since learning this, my pistachio eating experience is 68% more satisfying.

Some had tiny cracks, but probably not big enough to fit anything in there. But yeah....a majority were just plain closed.

And just the thought of trying to gnaw one open with my teeth makes my jaw hurt.

In the mood for Kooba Cola? Probably not. Here's a bit of bizarre trivia, hidden in a YouTube video about a Golden Age comic book hero:

stimpy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 12:22 am Last night I opened a new bag of pistachio nuts.
More than 50% of them were not open!!!
What is this world coming to??
You ever try using a nutcracker on pistachios? It's futile.
What a waste.

Pliers. When I get pistachios I put the closed ones to the side until last and then use a pliers on them.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sat Jul 25, 2020 3:06 pmTrying to determine the best course of action here, short of simply screaming “SHUT THE FUCK UP” over the fence at him. Noise complaint, maybe? Not even sure how to go about that, but it might be a good first step.

I hear he likes arrows launched into his yard randomly.

In case anyone is wondering who long it takes a single adult male to go through 18 boxes of Mac and Cheese, even during a pandemic, the answer is 10 months (and their sell buy date is only for 6, though the extra 4 months didn't change anything about the Mac or Cheese powder). It looks like I won't buying another one of those 18 packs from Costco.

LordMortis wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:06 pm In case anyone is wondering who long it takes a single adult male to go through 18 boxes of Mac and Cheese, even during a pandemic, the answer is 10 months (and their sell buy date is only for 6, though the extra 4 months didn't change anything about the Mac or Cheese powder). It looks like I won't buying another one of those 18 packs from Costco.

Those are rookie numbers.

Seriously I could do it in a couple of weeks. Slacker.

...and if I tried it, I would suddenly be a single adult male so it would all work out.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:46 pm I was flipping around and came across Jeopardy but it was an old ep they were playing. It was from the mid 1980s of all times. One question had to do with Van Halen's Jump song and one was about MLK Day which became a holiday in 86. Alex was like a man who had consumed 10x too much caffeine. He was reading questions super fast and as they answered more right he seemed to get more and more excited lol. Was crazy.

When I hear about this kind of behavior in the 1980s, I don't assume caffeine is the issue.

I got a pocket full of quarters and I'm heading for the arcade.


I don't have a lot of money but I'm bringing everything that I made.

wonderpug wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:17 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:06 pm In case anyone is wondering who long it takes a single adult male to go through 18 boxes of Mac and Cheese, even during a pandemic, the answer is 10 months (and their sell buy date is only for 6, though the extra 4 months didn't change anything about the Mac or Cheese powder). It looks like I won't buying another one of those 18 packs from Costco.

Those are rookie numbers.

That's what I figured when I bought it. Food generally doesn't matter much to me but the reality was 1) I don't keep milk in the house like used to. 2) As much as I could eat oatmeal, chili, pizza, burgers, chicken, pizza, chips/cookies/brownies, and hosts of other foods pretty much every day in a row, I cannot eat mac and cheese a again and again and again (which made keeping milk on hand even more problematic)

I will probably not have mac and cheese again for a very long time unless it is as a side when I do carryout somewhere.

I dont get mac&cheese at all now.

Theres not one out there that taste good now
Too many calories for me now
I cant eat enough to justify a box never mind more

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:26 pmI dont get mac&cheese at all now.

Theres not one out there that taste good now

We tend to make the Annie's Organics brand, white cheddar and shells. I also skip a little milk, add some real cheese, garlic powder and pepper. I really don't care for the "yellow" varieties.

Paingod wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 6:35 am I also skip a little milk, add some real cheese,

I do this as well.

I see Annie's at Meijer and Costco and always passed based on the price difference... But then I've also made Mac and Cheese from scratch which is considerably more expensive (but way better). I'm broken that way, I guess.

Paingod wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 6:35 am

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:26 pmI dont get mac&cheese at all now.

Theres not one out there that taste good now

We tend to make the Annie's Organics brand, white cheddar and shells. I also skip a little milk, add some real cheese, garlic powder and pepper. I really don't care for the "yellow" varieties.

I'll second this. Annie's is good.

If I really want bad for me mac and cheese, though, I just buy frozen Stouffer's brand.

You need to unlock the achievement where mac and cheese becomes the base, not the point. For example, adding a spoonful or two of chili or BBQ pulled pork over a bowl of mac and cheese.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:41 am You need to unlock the achievement where mac and cheese becomes the base, not the point. For example, adding a spoonful or two of chili or BBQ pulled pork over a bowl of mac and cheese.

Ding ding ding! The missus makes mac and cheese from scratch in the crock pot. And she just made a batch of barbacoa. The former makes and excellent base for the latter.