Octopus Overlords

Didn't take languages in high school but I recall guys thinking the Spanish teacher was hot. Or was it the French teacher?

I'm sure they were both handsome fellows.

I had a year of Spanish in high school and can still remember most of the nouns and verbs. I can roughly parse written Spanish. Spoken? If you speak to me like we're on Sesame Street, I might at least grasp what you're talking about.

I like her. Reminds me of the classic girl singing at work and gets hit. Good solid thunk.

Morgan Freeman was in town again. He seems to like Champys Chicken. Comes in about once a year now. He's getting up in years.

https://newschannel9.com/news/local/mor ... dge-monday

I feel like I may have gotten food poisoned again. I hope not.

EDIT: Laid down for a bit over an hour and listened to calming music. Feel better. Maybe its all going to work its way out the other end.

I'm feeling cranky today. And random peeps at work who are nitpicking my decisions to place less blame on themselves are not helping my mood at all.

How many Lowe's would Rob Lowe rob, if Rob Lowe would rob Lowe's

It would take low Lowes lay Lowe's low!

And now Leslie Jordan showed up at Champys. I gotta go there someday and get some chicken.

Canadia

An Ontario grandmother who bought an educational toy for her 15-month-old granddaughter was shocked when the dancing cactus started swearing and singing about doing cocaine.
...
The cactus was sold on Walmart’s website as an educational toy for about $26 and sings songs in English, Spanish and Polish.

But Tanner, who is Polish, said when she listened to the Polish lyrics, the cactus was singing about doing cocaine, drug abuse, suicide, depression and used profanities.

I cant believe it. I forgot to buy dinner rolls for Thanksgiving. We always had those rolls for Thanksgiving dinner and I walked out of the store last week without them. So now its do without or rush out to a store today and get some. Which I really dont want to do....but buttered rolls is calling me. Argh.

These are the best


But the non sweet kind are great too.

Got a Sprite Cranberry soda. Really good. Id passed them up for a few years but its a lot like the old Sprite Tropical Remix. I miss that one. the new remix isn't quite the same.

I just realized I don't have any dressing / chicken and dressing. Store bought just isn't the same. Everyone who has ever made it has passed on now. I tried one year. Ugh. I used way too much sage and it was soggy. Theres a fine art to getting the moisture just right. Maybe for Xmas Ill look up a good recipe and try again.

Chicken and dressing? Is that like stuffing?

gilraen wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 8:43 pm Chicken and dressing? Is that like stuffing?

Im not sure as I only had stuffing one time in my life and it was Stove Top and wasn't good .

You can see the recipe for southern cornbread dressing in the link below. Usually we always had chicken and dressing as chicken was shredded (think it was boiled chicken) and added to the dressing pre cooking.

I think Ill try to make some early next month....failing that Ill buy a bowl at Cracker Barrel for about $12. Theres was always good. Ill prob need gravy for it too.

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Chicken and Dressing

Gravy recipe

They all look so innocent.

I need to make a list of foods I haven't had in ages or stuff Ive never tried.

So far I got sausage gravy and red tomatoes for next year and something called Shakshuka that sounds really good to try over winter.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:50 am Shakshuka

the bomb if you have a cast iron skillet

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Shakshuka ... 313?prm-v1

gilraen wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 8:43 pm Chicken and dressing? Is that like stuffing?

Got curious, as I always hear both terms, and never really knew the difference. Did some reading. Sort answer: Stuffing = dressing.

Originally it was called 'stuffing', but the Victorians found that term disgusting and started using the term 'dressing' as an alternative. It mostly just confused people. Some took to the new term, some stuck with the old, and eventually people just started coming up with justifications as to which one meant what. There are regional preferences for one term over the other, and some people swear that it's the same food, except that it's called stuffing if it's cooked inside a bird, and dressing if cooked separately. But that's inconsistent, and the terms are more or less used interchangeably.

So, while people will try to tell you that A is always stuffing and B is always dressing, in the end it is really just soda vs pop.

We never refer stuffing as dressing but we do refer to the process as dressing the turkey, so to me they were the same thing even if I didn't know they were the same thing.

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 4:45 am

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:50 am Shakshuka

the bomb if you have a cast iron skillet

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Shakshuka ... 313?prm-v1

I do! 3 or 4 of them in different sizes. I mostly just use the big and medium sized ones.

As I mentioned in the pets thread, we currently have to have two bird cages in the living room, totaling 5' wide x 5' high x 3' deep. The problem we just realized: The living room is based on the idea of on 2'x2' cage. The new, larger cage is currently occupying the exact space we normally use for the Christmas tree. Which we normally put up a day or two after Thanksgiving.

We don't have anywhere to put a tree!

Seems to be a big fad if you search google

v

No, the picture saves me the effort.

Subway's email title today is Buy 1 Footlong and gobble another for 50% off

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 11:29 am As I mentioned in the pets thread, we currently have to have two bird cages in the living room, totaling 5' wide x 5' high x 3' deep. The problem we just realized: The living room is based on the idea of on 2'x2' cage. The new, larger cage is currently occupying the exact space we normally use for the Christmas tree. Which we normally put up a day or two after Thanksgiving.

We don't have anywhere to put a tree!

That sounds potentially… risky.

Keep in mind, there's a well known condition amongst bird breeders and hobbyists known as BFL, or Bird Fancier's Lung:

wikipedia.org wrote:Bird fancier's lung (BFL) is a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. It can cause shortness of breath, fever, dry cough, chest pain, anorexia and weight loss, fatigue, and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (the most serious complication). It is triggered by exposure to avian proteins present in the dry dust of droppings or feathers of a variety of birds. The lungs become inflamed, with granuloma formation. It mostly affects people who work with birds or own many birds.

BFL is diagnosed based on symptoms, and how these get worse on exposure to avian proteins. Radiology can show damage to the lungs, which has a characteristic "ground glass" appearance. Bronchoscopy shows chronic inflammation, with biopsies showing lymphocytosis and granulomatous tissue. BFL may be treated with steroids such as prednisone to reduce inflammation, and removal of exposure to avian proteins. If pulmonary fibrosis has not occurred, treatments tend to be very effective.

…

Cause
BFL is caused by an immune response to inhaled allergens from birds. This may be the dry dust of droppings, or feathers. These antigens usually come from pigeons, but may also come from parakeets, cockatiels, budgerigars, parrots, turtle doves, turkeys, chickens, and other birds. Antigens can also be from feathers in bedding. People who work with birds or own many birds are at risk. Bird hobbyists and pet store workers may also be at risk.

From what I recall of the racing pigeon world, plenty of those working in and around pigeon lofts took the threat seriously enough that they'd wear industrial 3M 6000 respirators, with the canisters that screw onto the mask and filter air particles.

I am familiar with it, but the risks for a pigeon coop with dozens of birds that's cleaned once per week and the risks of two birds whose cage is cleaned daily are very different. Plenty of people have two pet birds, or half a dozen. Very few ever develop any issues from it. Cats spread toxoplasmosis. Dogs, ferrets, fish, reptiles - all have risks. And if kept properly, kept healthy, and not at 'crazy cat lady' levels (or professional breeder levels), those risks are minimal. At the same time, there are health benefits of having pets, too.

The (minor) risk is just a part of having pets.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 1:59 pm I am familiar with it, but the risks for a pigeon coop with dozens of birds that's cleaned once per week and the risks of two birds whose cage is cleaned daily are very different. Plenty of people have two pet birds, or half a dozen. Very few ever develop any issues from it. Cats spread toxoplasmosis. Dogs, ferrets, fish, reptiles - all have risks. And if kept properly, kept healthy, and not at 'crazy cat lady' levels (or professional breeder levels), those risks are minimal. At the same time, there are health benefits of having pets, too.

The (minor) risk is just a part of having pets.

Fair enough, that does make sense.

I just have memories of seeing racing pigeon enthusiasts wearing heavy duty industrial breathing equipment, which left me mighty leery of ever wanting to breathe in pigeon droppings, feathers, and their particulates. But you're absolutely right that the volume of birds one deals with is a hugely significant factor as to the risks involved.

Our cousin had a chicken house. He had to wear the full on respirator stuff. Dust plus ammonia smell and stuff.

And as the article said, it's not a pigeon issue - it's a bird issue in general.

FWIW, pigeons (other than allergic reactions) are fairly safe to have around. A lot of the hubbub about pigeon droppings spreading disease isn't based in evidence. Getting histoplasmosis from it would almost require snorting dried poop dust (you'd have to have a massive amount of exposure), and the vast, vast majority of human cases of crytococcosis are people with weakened immune systems (who should be thinking twice about any pets), and almost none can be traced to pigeon droppings. The fungus that causes it is everywhere. You can get it by gardening, walking through an old forest, or chopping wood. Psittacosis is a risk from any bird, but pigeons are less likely to give you that than parrots or cockatiels are.

That's not to say that there are no risks. Birds do carry diseases. But the risks of infection from pigeons are no worse than from any other bird, and, as mentioned, cats, reptiles, and fish are particularly disease-risky, too. I don't know if there has ever been a study of risks of disease on a per-pet-capita basis (raw numbers don't work when there are 5 million bird families, 42 million cat families, and 63 million dog families), but I would bet that cats would come out the winners.

And with any pet, if you keep them healthy (proper diet and exercise), keep up on check-ups, address any illnesses they develop, and pay attention to basic hygiene (washing your hands after handling them/cleaning up poop, etc), those risks are minimal. Unless, of course, something puts you at special risk - pregnancy, a compromised immune system, having an infant around. People who that applies to should do their research (and talk to their doctor) before dealing with any pet.

Our pigeons get annual avian vet visits, regular physical inspections, the proper food and supplements, regular baths, the proper light (most birds do not - windows don't count), we are educated in what warning signs of illness look like, and pay attention to their poop and behavior. We clean their cages daily with vinegar, and wash our hands any time we handle them. We've also begun to give them a regular antiparasitic treatment, It's basic pet care, the same as should be done with a cat, a dog, or a snake.

Our neighbors keep chickens and turkeys, but the birds are in outdoor compounds. The neighbors sell the chicken eggs and seasonably send the turkeys to a butcher. When they go on vacation, my kids feed and water the birds.

Because this is all outside, I assume there's no health risk. Am I right?

Holman wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:32 pm Our neighbors keep chickens and turkeys, but the birds are in outdoor compounds. The neighbors sell the chicken eggs and seasonably send the turkeys to a butcher. When they go on vacation, my kids feed and water the birds.

Because this is all outside, I assume there's no health risk. Am I right?

If they wash their hands and mind what they step in.

In SF Bay Area, news crew are now accompanied by security guards after previous robbery attempts, and just the other day one guard got shot during a robbery attempt.

The KRON4 crew was covering a story on a recent smash-and-grab robbery where 12 thieves wearing masks and hoods raided the Prime 356 clothing store on the 300 block of 14th Street.

The shots were fired around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday.

The KRON4 security guard was shot in the lower abdomen and taken to Highland Hospital for surgery, according to police.

As of 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, the guard is out of surgery and in stable condition. The guard is a former police officer.

Reward of $25000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of the individual(s) involved.

Some robbed the bank beside my bank yesterday. So strange.

Looks like Im going to need to build a bucket trap for mice but without water. Want to catch them alive and release. Saw one in the kitchen and wheres theres one theres likely 30 more .

I was today years old when I learned that quite a few years ago, the model Tyra Banks tried her hand at YA fiction. It's a book called Modelland...and it's apparently one of the worst things ever written. Even worse than Brian Herbert's Dune books, you ask?

It's so bad, that a guy started a kickstarter asking people to pay him to read it.

He ended up selling his soul for a hundred bucks.

You can buy it on Amazon.

My first attempt to read Tyra Banks’ Modelland started in 2012. It also ended in 2012, somewhere about 20% into the book. I couldn’t take any more. There were so many other things I could enjoy, why spend time on Modelland? There were birds…trees…

Then, in 2015, I decided “screw birds and trees.”

I threw up a Kickstarter. Pete’s Exhaustive Review of Modelland. And with that, I answered the question, “How much would money would convince me to read Modelland?”

A hundo, it turns out. A well-earned hundo.

I read the damn book, and as part of the deal, I wrote a long, detailed, exhaustive review.

And here it is.

Now, full disclosure, this gets long. About 50,000 words long, if numbers matter to you. There was just so much to say, so much to outline, and so many dead ends and wrong turns that made reviewing the book a true challenge. Which details are significant, and which will be dropped almost immediately and without fanfare? Which characters will return, and which will be left to the wayside as completely unimportant? It’s impossible to say.

But I’ll say this: the book itself clocks in at over 500 pages, and I counted exactly ONE decent joke in those pages. So if you want to experience the crazy of Modelland without the pain, or at least without ALL of the pain, then this is the way to go.

Think about this like the MST3K of book reviews. Frame by frame, page by page, we’ll go through this mother.

Crack a beer. Maybe five. Hundred. And enjoy Pete’s Exhaustive Review of Modelland.

Want just a summation?

Here's his list of the 14 things he finds most hilariously bad.

My favorite?

In a slew of crazy things, one of the early events that...caught my eye was the way in which Tookie's father, Chris, lost his...eye.

Chris was once known professionally as Chris-Creme-Crobat because of his great acrobatics. Sort of like how I'm professionally referred to as Pete-Pasturbate.

But Chris' acrobatic days are long gone due to a tragic accident.

FLASHBACK!

Here's what happens.

Chris is doing a high wire thing way up in the air, suspended over the circus ring, which is encircled by swords just to up the tension.

During a crucial part of Chris' performance, Creamy, Tookie's mom and Chris' wife, takes out her makeup mirror to do a little touchup. She accidentally flashes light right in Chris' eyes, and he falls from whatever the hell it is he's on.

Now, you might think the fall is where Chris lost his eye. Just wait.

The crowd gasps, and just when we think we're going to get a new Robin out of the deal, Chris lands on his back, does some kind of tumbling maneuver, and ends on his feet, perfectly fine.

The crowd goes apeshit. And Chris runs around the ring, bowing like crazy, bowing deep and hard until he bows in the wrong spot and he skewers his eye on one of the aforementioned swords lining the circus ring.

Goodb-eye.

*Brian*