Topics

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/05/14/angelina_jolie_breast_cancer_surgery_the_actress_discusses_beauty_after.html

Today, Angelina Jolie published a piece in the New York Times about her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy last month. As a carrier of a gene mutation called BRCA1, Jolie cut her chances of contracting breast cancer from 87 percent to under 5 percent by undergoing the procedure. I felt so honored to read Jolie's detailed first-person account of her experience, as well as her advocacy for all the women around the world to gain access to the too-expensive tests and procedures that have empowered her to fight for her own life. Those warm feelings were soon deflated by some of the unexpectedly nasty commentary that pooled around her story. Commenters snarked that Jolie had received a "boob job." Some suggested that her medical emergency was just a tabloid ruse to cover up elective breast implants. Others morbidly asked after the whereabouts of the breast tissue removed from her body. "RIP Angelina's boobs" was a typical ignorant comment. Said one commenter on a Jezebel post about the op-ed, "How many guys stopped reading as soon as they realized Angelina Jolie has no breasts—she's dead to me!"

Take crockpot.
Line the bottom with onions and garlic. I like to leave them chunky since the boy is not a huge onion eater, but he likes the flavor it lends to the foods. I also use twice as much garlic than I should.
Add chicken stock and vegetable oil. About a cup of stock and a teaspoon of oil should work.


Put the slab of pork on top of the goop .


Assemble stuff. The vodka bottle is actually holding homemade hard cider, I'm using that instead of cider vinegar BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH OF IT, and it's terrible...but great with pork. I only have dark brown sugar instead of light brown, and no mustard. I almost used Nam-Pla instead of Worcestershire, but that got shot down, because of the "aroma". 


Slather. Sprinkle with pepper and cumin.


See ya'll in 5 hours.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/babblecom/my-wife-is-expecting-twins_b_3141819.html

I've been doing some spying lately, casually asking friends and acquaintances about their experiences with having twins.

A buddy from college said of the first year: "Think of the worst thing you can imagine. That's what it was like."

An industry contact back from maternity leave said: "I literally couldn't wait to get back to work. Every weekend is way too long."

A former colleague was more blunt: "Twins were always my worst nightmare."

And now it's my and my wife's nightmare; we're expecting twins this August.

To say we're excited would be an exaggeration. More truthfully, we're pissed. And terrified, and angry, and guilty, and regretful. Why regretful? Because we brought this on ourselves. This is what we wanted, so to speak.

We already have a son, and he's wonderful. But my wife and I each have a sibling, and we wanted him to share that experience. We desperately tried to get pregnant for nearly two years, first the natural way, then via several IUIs (intrauterine inseminations). But getting pregnant when you're both pushing 40 is sort of like trying to blow up the Death Star; it's possible, but you need the perfect shot. Each month we checked my wife's fertility; had forced, dispassionate, purely functional sex; and struck out. It hurt worse every time and caused us both to become more jaded than ever. It affected our relationship, and not in a "this-will-bring-us-closer-than-ever" kind of way.

Each IUI (and we tried three or four) was even worse. Oh, how I miss the cup sex and rushing to the fertility clinic, knowing that I probably wasn't the only one on the subway carrying a jar of semen in my bag. (I never did figure out what exactly was appropriate to masturbate to: A bigger house? Moving to the suburbs?)

And then came the decision to try IVF (in vitro fertilization). Given our ages, we knew the odds were only one in four. And with each shot costing like $10,000, we knew this was money that wasn't going to go toward our house, the kids' college fund, or any other future plans. We also knew each failed attempt would add more cracks in the foundation of our relationship.

Thankfully, we nailed it on the first try. But while we were hoping for one girl, instead we got two boys. My initial reaction was full of disappointment, anger, fear, and guilt. My wife, who had been dreading the possibility of twins for weeks, took it worse. In her mind, this was her fault, since she'd encouraged the fertility doctors to put in two embryos to stack the deck.

As horrible as this might sound, we found ourselves wishing these twins away.

We considered a reduction for about 30 seconds. (That's essentially an abortion of one twin, not both.) If you thought that IVF involved playing God, a reduction felt beyond brazen -- Machiavellian, even. Give us a reason, we thought, as we had the twins tested for genetic anomalies. None came.

Two blessings, two bundles of joy. How could you not be happy, you ask? Of course I'm sympathetic to people who can't get pregnant, or who spend a couple of years trying IVF after IVF. But having kids is a selfish endeavor, and in these cases it's all very relative and highly personal. In our case, my wife and I know better than to think that life with three children is going to be perfect.

When our first son was born, I was naïve. I remember thinking it was going to be nice to be home for a while and have some time off. I couldn't have been more wrong. Those first six weeks were brutal. Then the colic arrived. Two months later, we were shattered, frazzled, damaged. Two years later, our son was still waking up for hours on end in the middle of the night. Three years later, we still struggle mightily with a boy who's fiercely strong-willed and seems to inherently know that crying pushes our buttons.

Our fear is not the new parent fear of the unknown. It's the smart, informed fear of the known. Our biggest nightmare is that we'll have colic again, or double colic. This time around, we're counting down -- not like expecting parents but like cancer patients with only months to live. Enjoy life while you can, for soon it's double the diapers, double the feedings. Half of zero sleep is ... less than zero?

So tell me how this isn't going to suck. (Did I mention we live in a one-bedroom apartment?) Sure, in 10 years I could have close to a starting five of super-athletic, NBA-hopeful alpha males living under my roof smelling up the joint. But right now it's hard for us to see twins as good news.

I'm trying not to be so bitter and to embrace what's ahead of us. It's possible these kids will sleep at some point, I suppose. In the meantime, I've promised to stop referring to one of the boys as "extra" and have told my wife I will try to refrain from calling my first-born son "the free one."

With four months left to go, I'm not sure what stage we're in at the moment -- but it's not acceptance. My wife and I even both privately admitted that we don't like the new children, which is of course insane. Excited? We're not there yet. Terrified? Yes, when we're not practicing denial.

They say the most important thing is the kids' health -- but what about ours?

I think these people missed the punchline.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/04/23/syria-chemcial-weapons-israel/2105609/

TEL AVIV -- The Syrian government has used chemical weapons on rebels, Israel's top military intelligence official said at a security conference on Tuesday.

Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, the head of research and analysis in Israeli military intelligence, said that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons multiple times.

"Shrunken pupils, foaming at the mouth and other signs indicate, in our view, that lethal chemical weapons were used," he said.

He said sarin, a lethal nerve agent, was probably used. He also said the Syrian regime was using less lethal chemical weapons, and that Russia has continued to arm the Syrian military with weapons such as advanced SA-17 air defense missiles.

His assessment echoes similar findings from British and French officials.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here Monday that chemical weapon use would cross a "red line" and that the Pentagon had contingency plans to deal with it.

I am home! Nobody got arrested. In fact, those pussies didn't even show up. We had one Truther who stood near us since we had the view of the President's motorcade, but he stayed out of trouble and held his sign, so we just let him be. We flooded the sidewalk with thousands of people in black with full support from Boston PD. I did NOT see the President, but I did see his car. Pretty much as soon as the Secret Service told us we needed to move, our departure was imminent, so we waited a bit longer (we had no idea what was going on inside, we couldn't hear/see) and then left to avoid the stampede. We beat them back by about 15 minutes. Grabbed lunch at Clery's which is next to Back Bay for a proper pint of English bitters, and then headed home. We didn't head over to the bomb site on Boylston, because I think my friend and I agreed it would have been an ultimate downer. The city seems in good spirits overall.

I was interviewed by a television station from Montreal, but I don't remember the name. My friend did make the guy laugh a bit when he told him he'd find no Canadiens fans here. He more or less wanted to know what we were doing there, and why. He also asked why the Westboro Baptist Church does what they do, to which I responded something to the likes of, "Some people just need a reason to get attention." But I was civil. He found it interesting that I came from Providence to Boston (really people, it's NOT. THAT. FAR.) and was very interested in how many people we had, and how we came together on short notice. So hopefully some of my Canadian friends can help me find what channel.

For the most part, we stood there, we had to deal with other people pushing through for a chance to see the Prez, but it didn't happen, and that's not what we were there for, anyway. Hopefully they'll see this on the news and take the damn hint they aren't welcome, because the same group of people will be going to the funerals and the bomb site as well to make sure they don't rear their ugly head.

I'd say it was 3 hours standing on a sidewalk staring at a church well spent.

...I need a fucking nap.

There's this obnoxious know-it-all in my history class tonight.

I already yelled at her once. The professor TRIES to control her, and can't. She starts to talk to herself when she's cut off and keeps going. The entire class has had it.

Yes, she's an older woman, and if it wasn't for the fact she was uncontrollable and incorrect 99.9% of the time, I wouldn't care. I'm a fan of non-traditional students, but this hen is batshit to the max.

Here she is, trying to tell my professor that the Magna Carta was King John being tried by a jury of his own peers. Yes, this is also the same woman who said that there were no boats in the Middle Ages.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151424449448143&set=vb.510548142&type=3&theater

The semester is almost over, and I feel like I've gained nothing from this course except how to drink a couple glasses of wine before hand as anger management.

How do I get her to SHUT THE FUCK UP by not undermining my professor, and not sending her to the hospital? I've walked out of this class twice already because of her.

I can't even spoil it, but know it goes to 90+ pages until it's resolved. After that you can pretty much stop. There's some NSFW too, just...yeah. A friend of mine sent this to me tonight. Holy fuck.

hxxp://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=forum.posts&forum=2&thread=2156204&page=1

I know this may be a bit preemptive, but I know you guys may worry if it hits national news.

There is a possible gunman on my main campus right now here in RI. I am home from school on Thursdays, however, Dimo is not, and has classes in the building that this guy is supposedly in.

Nobody has been shot yet as far as I know, but I will update with what I can.

Just...read it. All of it.

http://news.yahoo.com/lehigh-university-student-got-c-now-seeks-1-124956605.html

So...she went to grad school tuition free because daddy is a professor there.
She gets a job there, because daddy is a professor there.
She gets a C+ in a class because she didn't behave well...as a grad student. (Profanity and crying? Really?)

And now she wants $1.3 Million because her career is "ruined."

Good luck with that.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/French-Toast-Alert-System/147732205282316?fref=ts



I am not getting eggs, milk, and bread, and you CAN'T MAKE ME.



Also, where is Aput these days? I need to have a word with him.

This coming weekend, we have a local SCA event involving food with various categories for judging. I'm not a huge foodie, but I have a copy of recipes from Apicius I got for class last year. One of them, a sweet and sour pork recipe, sounded damn good, so I've been meaning to try it. I found a decent modern redaction online, so I shall be gathering ingredients today and cooking it Saturday night/Sunday morning of next week for the event.

It's called Minutal ex Praecoquis, and here is the best modern redaction I could find:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/roman/fetch-recipe.php?rid=roman-minutal-ex-praecoquis

BECAUSE MY FUCKING ROOF IS LEAKING. THAT'S WHY.

Okay, in defense of the new place, this storm outside was really fucking bad, and it definitely ripped something off the roof (I've been awake the whole fucking time, I know.) And it's a true ceiling, not a drop ceiling, and it's only a drop of water every couple of seconds, and the SuuBF says it's practically not an issue and I need to relax...BUT FUCK YOU RELAXATION, BECAUSE I LOST HALF OF MY FUCKING FABRIC FOR MY JOB 2 YEARS AGO WHEN THE DROP CEILING FELL ON MY SHIT.

I am not in the mood to deal with this fucking month. It needs to back the fuck off or it's getting its feelings hurt.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323689604578220132665726040.html#project=WEALTH0105&articleTabs=article

The first image, showing the disdained faces of the "middle class", such as the single mother making 260,000$ a year. Or the poor retired couple with the elegant tennis sweaters. Yes, this is their view on America.

Below, another interactive image that shows you how worthless you are if you are unemployed or a college student, and how they assume we don't pay "any" taxes.

The kicker, the comments. You can't post there unless you pay to have an account (surprised? I am not.) But the minute someone brings up the lower classes, they are immediately labeled as lazy and a socialist.

In short: The rich really have no fucking clue.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-california-school-shooting-20130110,0,6293844.story

This one sounds like gang violence, though. And no dead.

"Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike..." Of course I failed at presenting my best Jon Anderson does Paul Simon as soon as we hit that notorious stretch of highway.

I roadtripped my annual holiday journey to Florida this year. It's the first time I've driven the 21 hour East Coast pine swamp grand prix in 10 years. It was cheaper than flying by at least a roundtrip ticket for the two of us, Navyguy and I, and despite my ass and hips killing me for a good solid day after the trip was done, I have to say that I've never had the experience like this.

When I was a kid, my dad was strict about roadtrips. We stop ONLY every 3 hours, if you have to pee, hold it. No stopping at attractions, and STFU. This was my first chance to really do what I wanted. Granted, on the way down, we were trying to outrun a cold front that caught up to us in 14 hours when we finally stopped in South Carolina for the night at the infamous South of the Border. It was in the 70s outside and pouring buckets. We awoke the next morning at 6am to the 40s and me cursing. 8 hours left, we made it to Clearwater. Navyguy and I decided that 8 hours was a good leg to drive at a time on the way back, and that we should stretch it out over 3 days, and take our time to allow us to stop more often and shake off the annoying leg cramps from the Megalopolis traffic and working the clutch in his little standard, so that's what we did.

The first day, was ruined. An accident backed up traffic 30 miles south of Savannah, and we were stuck in the smelliest part of the East Coast outside of Elizabeth for an extra hour and a half.  For those that haven't experienced Georgia's coast, it's 50% Okefenokee Swamp, and 50% Savannah River Drainage Basin, with paper mills dotting the marshy scenery. Being downwind of a paper mill is like being within 50 miles of Roger's work toilet. DON'T. Not that there's terribly much more to see in South Carolina other than pine swamps and South of the Border billboards, we decided "fuck it" and stayed at South of the Border again. As luck would have it, we got the same room we did on the way down, only now it wasn't raining, and we had time to get food and shop for the stupid stuff they crammed into their kitschy stores. Or fireworks. Lots of fireworks. Good fireworks they don't let north of the Carolinas. So after Navyguy loaded up on enough artillery to level Rhode Island, we hit the sack, and prepared for the 2nd day of driving, which, if planned correctly, would get us past DC and Baltimore into the mythical state of Delaware, home to more corporations than people, if not Southern NJ for the night.

Stopping at some podunk town in North Carolina for a refuel, I noticed that there was a battlefield nearby. Bentonville: One of the last major battles in the Confederacy to stop Sherman's rampage through the states. I looked it up on the GPS, and it would put us 20 minutes back south. It was also still very early, like 9am, so assuming the park wouldn't even be open, I shrugged it off, but had the epiphany (but not ON Epiphany. It was a day early.) that we should check out one of the major Virginia battlefields, as there would be several along the way. I remembered seeing an exit for Manassas on the way down, so I had my sights set on that one; the one that started it all. Navyguy agreed, barring we did well through Richmond with traffic on a Friday afternoon, so off we went. Stopping at the VA border, we grabbed a bunch of Civil War trail info from the visitor's center, and I was able to determine what to do. I still wanted Manassas, and now it was clear that it wasn't on 95, instead, it was 30 mins off from our path to I-66, an HOV interstate leading right into Washington. It would put us in the lion's den of traffic at evening rush hour when we left. Surely, we could just spend an hour looking around...

We flew through Richmond like the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry, and I started to get excited. We could have gone to any amusement park in Florida, we could have gone to Virginia Beach to visit friends. Hell, we could have just stopped in DC for some touristy pics,  but no, I wanted to see an open field with some cannons, which could have been at Richmond, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville, right off of 95. What I got was much, much more.

The exit for Manassas was severely delayed. We sat on the off-ramp without moving for nearly 15 minutes, and my heart sank. Ready to concede, Navyguy said, "Look for an alternate route. There has to be something." There was, all local, lights, it took us an hour, but we got there.

Seeing some of the period fencing from I-66, I got giddy, but also realized that I was damn hungry, so we stopped for lunch. Lunch in Manassas? May as well bring it to the ridge and see what happens. It was cold though, so we opted out of chowing on our Wendy's in the outdoors of the Virginia Piedmont, and proceeded on our way.

For those that aren't familiar, Manassas had 2 major Civil War battles, the first infamous "Battle of Bull Run" which was the start of the war after Ft. Sumter, and the 2nd, a year later, fought less than mile from the original farm. Yes, farm. The quiet farmland of the area was the site of a horrific, impassioned battle between brothers, cousins, fighting for what they believed it, yet being so unprepared to do so. It was unorganized, and pure chaos, and you can feel this tension the minute you set foot on the grounds.

It was quiet. I didn't hear or see a single bird. Just open fields with extant cannons, carts, and monuments. It was cool out, but not unbearable to walk around, but when I say that the place knocked the excitement out from within, I want you to understand exactly what I felt. It wasn't gravitas, it wasn't patriotism, it was pure unadulterated, "Holy. Fucking. Shit. People died here." It was spooky and serene. Not the place you would expect to see boys, because that's what they were, farm boys, engaging in a bloodbath. This isn't a roadside attraction, this is America at its best and worst at the same time. This is a passion most people forgot outside of Facebook arguments about Barack Obama and guns. I could have sat there on the ridge all day and stared. It was beautiful and horrifying. I was silenced and humbled. It could be the hopeless romantic history major in me, but I don't think it was.

In the end, our hour turned into 3. We could have made it 3 days, easily. The National Park service installed dozens of walking and hiking trails around the sites with markers. The joggers made me feel a little odd, but the terrain was tough, I can see why they would enjoy the workout, and possibly be inspired by the landscape as much as I was.

We got back into the car quietly, and I wasn't sure if I should cry or geek over the experience, but mostly I was silent except for getting directions back to the highway, right into DC traffic, which cost us another hour.

It was worth it.

I didn't find the America I was looking for, but I found a piece of it that people are forgetting slowly, day by day, 150 years later. They didn't have petitions to secede online in 1861, they had the true will to get up and do something.

I found America's death.

Stonewall and I.
Looking at Rickett's guns on the Union line.
The Confederate line, there's a wood cross back there. We didn't walk that far. I wish we would have.
The monument built in 1865.
Facing in the direction of 2nd Manassas, the Bull Run mountains are in the background.
Confederate mass grave site.
The Old Stone Bridge crossing Bull Run that the Union retreated over in the middle of the night during 2nd Manassas. The Confederates blew it up shortly after. It was rebuilt 20 years later during the Reconstruction.

More pics: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/theonlyang/Facebook/Manassas%20National%20Battlefield%20Park/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CE0Q904gtMI

Just...watch this.

I don't know if I'm horrified or "FUCK YEAH! NATURE!" Either way, I laughed, probably because of the slow-mo at the end.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/18/kkk-step-in-to-counter-god-hates-fags-picket-at-military-memorial-ceremony/

Dennis LaBonte, 'Imperial Wizard' of a KKK chapter said that 10 members of the group came in "support of the troops."He aded that he's not a "hate-monger," and said he "thinks that it's an absolute shame that [the WBC] show up and disrupt people's funerals."

God Hates Fags protestor Abigail Phelps said the KKK "have no moral authority on anything."

"The Bible doesn't say anywhere that it's an abomination to be born of a certain gender or race."

?

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/14/15907407-many-children-reportedly-shot-at-connecticut-school-alleged-gunman-is-dead?lite

I can't even look at the picture of the kids crying. Holy. Fuck...

Here is the list of people in charge of what:

EoC: You get the entire thing. The whole thing. Accidentally. The keys to the rocket launchers on top of the Newport Bridge are where I left them last time. Remember the Mount Hope sometimes needs a jumpstart, unlike the Braga, which needs a jumpshart, and probably a new everything. Don't tell Fall Reev I said that though, they get all uppity and shit.

Richter: You are not in charge of my apartment. Nothing personal, but I don't think the world is ready for the next creative stickerbombing. I also don't need any of my fabric sharpened for the time being. I know, I know...idle hands and all that, but trust me, it's really for the best. I wouldn't want Federal Hill having to deal with THAT again. However, anything you do to my neighbors is fair game. The next time they drop the bass, I expect to hear they've been delivered a year's supply of striper.

Luna: You're in charge of Richter. Keep the pimp hand strong. In Navyguy's absence, I am assigning you Eastern Connecticut, to ensure that Western Connecticut doesn't do anything funny, like gentrify downtown New London. I know that you're familiar with the area, so setting up the necessary barricades and obtaining the right amount of artillery should be a snap.

Dimo: You're in charge of making sure URI doesn't float away like it almost did during Sandy. Then again, considering you were the reason FOR Sandy, I advise you make it to high ground. Preferably on the West Coast.

Cainad: YOU LEAVE EASTERN CONNECTICUT ALONE.

Leln: In the event Western Connecticut attacks, you have permission to drop all of Central Massachusetts on it. From orbit. Just to be sure. If in fact at any time the world needs to be saved by Library SCIENCE, inform me immediately so that I may witness the fire power of a fully armed and operational Dewey Decimal System catalog since 1998.

LMNO: Keep Boston in line this time. I fucking mean it.

Twid: You need to do something about Cambridge. Just...SOMETHING. I know you don't live there, and with good reason. Shit just isn't safe.

Questions/comments/concerns will be answered in the order they are received. Estimated date of departure is Thursday AM. This may be delayed if in the event my sewing queue is not sufficiently culled.

That used toilet a few blocks up on my street was moved across the street, right in my path, and ....used.   Providence!

What do?

It's a fairly good sized piece. My boyfriend got it from his boss, from what I understand it's pretty fresh, and the boyfriend moved it from the freezer to the fridge yesterday, so it's thawed and needs to be cooked. I know you can't go wrong with the classic salt/pepper/garlic, but I'm open to other options.

Edit: Package says it's a roast.

And the bridges.

I'm certain you mean the Portland bridges, although the East Coast bridges are pretty fierce. The Mount Hope will fucking ANYTHING on a windy day, especially when they have only one lane open (on a 2-lane 80-90 year old suspension bridge) and you're on a bus. 

I think the West Coast has superior bridges, though.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/11/24/war-on-men/

I'll just leave this here. 

I've been planning this attack now for a couple of years. I knew that a solitary Thanksgiving was imminent, and tried to come up with something that would at least be fun to keep me from being bummed out. The boyfriend is serving the country today (see also: stuck on base for a 24 hour watch,) but he'll be here tomorrow for Thanksgiving Mark II, which is why I cooked too much for one person. I also have a potluck on Saturday, so anything leftover is going there, plus another batch of green bean casserole.

Disclaimer: I am in no way shape or form a good cook. In fact, most of these dishes are going to make ECH come through the computer and strangle me.

First off, they make turkey cutlets! Who knew? They aren't always easy to find, but Navyguy managed to grab them for me at the commissary. I also had some bacon laying around.



So I did this:



While those sat in the fridge for a bit, I started the sides. Such as the pinnacle of Thanksgiving garbage:



I pan seared those bitches like a bawz:



It was actually a bit trickier than I thought. The bacon affects cooking times. So I had to monitor the internal temperature of the turkey pretty carefully. In the end I had to remove the bacon and finish it with them separate. It still only took about 10 minutes total. The turkey turned out PERFECT.



The bacon went to good use. Yes, it IS Stove Top stuffing, I know, I know...But I really don't know how to make a good stuffing, I never liked my mom's homemade version, and it's not like I'm trying to impress anyone.



While the stuffing was finishing, I made a gravy, heated up some leftover scalloped potatoes, and toasted a sub roll...Then started building my creation, starting with cranberry sauce.



Then this happened.



If I didn't actually have a gallbladder attack, I will now.



Bisected for your viewing, from the bottom up: cranberry sauce, turkey, gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, potatoes:



And plenty of leftover food as a base for tomorrow's larger, more-formal meal, when I add another turkey breast, corn, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie:




I'm going to take a nap, then bring some brownies up to the poor bastards at the mall who are stuck working Thanksgiving shifts.

This is one of my favorite websites, and they've updated it for the first time since 2007 this year. I just linked it in the Vampire thread, but I thought I would share it with the rest of the class.

http://strangene.com/home.htm

It's a collection of high weirdness around New England, this guy essentially chases wild folktales and it's given me a list of things I want to see around here.

I'm sure you all remember Hale-Bopp, and if you don't, you were either blind or didn't go outside much at night in 1997, it was probably one of the most beautiful natural phenomena I have ever witnessed in my life. Either way, next year their predicting a comet that could be of equal brilliance.

Meet ISON, the next sun-diving comet:

http://earthsky.org/space/big-sun-diving-comet-ison-might-be-spectacular-in-2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld1DTmXesTo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=Id63iSuprDs&NR=1

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-and-britain-sending-warships-to-gulf-2012-9

Warships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and submarines from 25 nations are converging on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in an unprecedented show of force as Israel and Iran move towards the brink of war.

Western leaders are convinced that Iran will retaliate to any attack by attempting to mine or blockade the shipping lane through which around 18 million barrels of oil passes every day; approximately 35 per cent of the world's petroleum traded by sea.

A blockade would have a catastrophic effect on the fragile economies of Britain, Europe, the United States and Japan, all of which rely heavily on oil and gas supplies from the Gulf.

And I had to go and become a Navy girlfriend. Fortunately, he's not going anywhere until a year from now.

http://jezebel.com/5943057/woman-injects-mans-penis-with-silicon-man-immediately-dies?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_facebook&utm_source=jezebel_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Gee, and imagine what a kitchen table abortion would do?

The course is on the Crusades, all of them, even the little ones no one talks about, from the 11th to the 15th century. So I have to stay within the confines of this genre. Naturally, I've narrowed it to Byzantium, and it has to be roughly 50 pages. So not TOO narrow, but also not too broad. But, knowing the fine scholars here at PD, ya'll can probably convince me otherwise. I need a topic by November and a finished prospectus by December, then I have 6 months to write it. So it's a time crunch, unless a master's thesis which I can take 2 years to do and have kinda already started.

So far, the best one I've come up with is:

"You F*N Normans! Get off my lawn!": A Byzantine Perspective on the Fourth Crusade

GO!

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/07/r-e-m-orders-fox-news-to-stop-playing-losing-my-religion-during-dnc/#.UEoMD1higxg.facebook

Apparently they've been playing "Losing My Religion" during DNC coverage without permission.

http://www.nzwide.com/swanlake.htm

I assure you, despite it being ballet, it's worth the four and a half minutes.

They're making me read Livy. Again.



-Suu
Is paying penance for SOMETHING she did last semester. She knows it.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/new-report-examines-salaries-of-megachurch-pastors-81092/

The 2012 report looked at salary trends for 209 megachurches (the highest number of participants since Leadership Network began the survey) – all of which had a weekend worship attendance of at least 2,000. These surveyed churches are considered "game changer" churches or "pacesetting innovative churches."

Church size was found to be the most influential factor in setting staff salaries. The larger the church, the higher the salary for its leaders. "For each additional 1,000 people in attendance, annual salary increases by roughly $8,000 on average for large church senior pastors," the report stated.

Salaries – or total cash compensation – for senior pastors ranged from over $80,000 to more than $260,000, though most of the salaries for megachurch pastors were in the $100,000 to $200,000 range.

Because being Christ-like with that kind of money is simply out of the question.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/medieval-well-discovered-beneath-couple-living-room-191037139.html

The first thing I said after reading this was, "Divorce that bint and sell me the house."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/lake-park-man-obsessed-with-fox-news-and-the-repub/nRPgF/

When Kappheim was approached by the arresting deputy, he said "he was very conservative and (his girlfriend) was a liberal." He also told the deputy that "he felt that he was going to have to kill her," the report said.

Kappheim also admitted to trying to kill his girlfriend three times, the deputy said. When he was placed in handcuffs, he allegedly had a panic attack and kicked the sheriff's car's rear door so hard it was knocked out of its alignment.

While inside of the woman's apartment, the deputy said he found documents that made him believe Kappheim is obsessed with Fox News and the Republican Party, and that he may be a danger to others.

http://host.madison.com/business/cheese-lovers-rejoice-recently-discovered--year-old-cheddar-to/article_941f88b6-f219-11e1-af20-001a4bcf887a.html

Because, you would buy it too.

In the back of his walk-in cooler, Zahn, 73, found several wooden boxes of cheddar cheese from the now-closed County Line Cheese in Oconto that over the years had repeatedly been buried by incoming cheese products.

The result is 40-year-old cheddar that makes up part of what is likely the oldest collection of cheese ever assembled and sold to the public, according to experts.

"It just got overlooked," Zahn said. "It looks just like the others except it's just a lot sharper. It's got character."

The others? Those would be the boxes of 34-year-old and 28-year-old cheddar.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2012/08/28/cities-with-the-worst-drivers-2012/

FUCK YEAH! PROVIDENCE IS #3!

THE 6-10 CONNECTOR, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT IT.



-Suu
Feels more justified that she doesn't currently own a car.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/in-akko-a-2300-year-old-naval-pier-emerges-from-the-sea/

The two folks they show in the photo are professors I had last semester who goaded/twisted my arm into joining them in Israel this coming summer as they go every year. This just makes me more excited for next year's expedition!

So, keeping that in mind, every period after ovulation is a goddamn abortion.

http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-08-24/according-to-new-az-law-pregnancy-begins-two-weeks-before-conception/

Wait. What? I must be reading this wrong. The "Women's Health and Safety Act," signed into law yesterday by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, and referred to by some as "the egg drop bill," defines pregnancy as beginning two weeks before conception, as it calculates the gestational age starting with the first day of the last menstrual period. The goal of this extreme law, of course, is to reduce the legal window of when a woman may have an abortion.

Good Reverend, please 'splain your state. Again.

It started last week with an annoying rash on my leg.

"Maybe it's poison ivy?" Navyguy asked.

No, I'm not allergic to poison ivy. I am, however, allergic to lots of things, some things I don't even know of, that will make me rash out. So I throw some prescription steroid ointment on it, take a couple of Benedryl and go comatose for 12 hours solid.

I also noticed I was feeling croupy. Now, returning from Pennsic can do this, and going to New York City shortly after isn't something that can help, so I chalk it up to rapid air quality changes affecting my asthma reflecting the swamp gas from Venus or whatever...and leave it be. Nope. I come home to Providence today and my lungs start BURNING. Like, bronchitis burning, but I only typically get bronchitis after a cold, and I don't feel sick, just, well, chest congested.

And itchy.

WTF itchy?!

I look at small patches of hives forming in familiar places on my body. Chest is always shellfish, but thighs are always...oh god. Not that, anything but that. That...that will KILL ME. I think to myself, "How did I get exposed to mold?"

There's some mildew in the bathroom. It happens, and mostly I've gotten to it before it got bad...roommate has been attempting to clean kitchen tops with vinegar and failing, as hippies with training wheels don't understand that the shit DOESN'T WORK ON CAKED ON GREASE. She did the dishes, amazingly, though leaving mine as she always does. Why does she do that? I always wash hers...

Then my thoughts go to the fridge, and her inability to clean that out on a regular basis. I dump my leftovers in a week, yet I opened a sour cream container in there that was hers and it was green last week.

Last week.

FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

Not to mention the bags and bags of "compost" she has in there. Who the FUCK composts in the fridge? I understand we live in the city, I understand our backyard is a driveway, but for FUCKS sake, I've told her a million times I'm severely allergic to mold and NOT to do it! I go away for 2 goddamn weeks and weekend and nothing get's cleaned out of the fridge, and she adds more decaying material in paper bags.

Tomorrow, I'm going in with a respirator and gloves and removing my last week's leftovers, and anything I know of that's composting or a petri dish. I'm done. It's ruining my fucking beach day.

She can start the fuck over when I move out.  My health isn't worth this for the next month.





...sorry, I need to rant SOMEWHERE. If I end up in the hospital tomorrow. Ya'll know why.

Yes, that's right. Tomorrow I turn 30. Finally.

I fucking hated this decade of my life. I feel like I gained more exp points than most people twice my age in a fraction of the time. Six of those years, I've posted here at PD. Yes, that's right, I was just a wee 24 year old Suu when the fine upstanding folks of Peedee started shaping my mind into what it is today.

So tell me, trusted advisers and Holy Men^TM, what should I do to celebrate my last day as a 20 something?!

I shit you not.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/mitt-romney-issued-comically-bizarre-cartoon-mitt#HTWF2

As head of the Salt Lake Olympics Mitt Romney became the first Olympic executive to approve a series of commemorative pins in his likeness. (They're in the news right now because they were made in China, but their mere existence is its own indictment of Romney's judgment.)

http://birdswitharms.tumblr.com/

You're welcome.

-Suu
Just wasted your day.

You once told me that everything is Tucson. I'm cool with this. Hell, I see it everyday: The descriptions you give of your fair city, you even saw Tucson in Providence when you came here.

However, it's now come to my attention that Providence is also everywhere. Only instead of sand and javelinas, we have that nature stuff you said we had too much of, and hipsters. Even when I was in Clearwater last, visiting the folks, I saw both Providence AND Tucson at the same time. I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. I mean, maybe Providence is just Tucson, unless Tucson is also Providence. They're still pretty damn different cities with their own kind of crazy, ours is just a far more ancient crazy than yours. That doesn't necessarily make us superior, it just gives a different feel. You know, like that feeling your stomach is always getting pulled by a different gravity than the rest of your organs. A sickening heaviness that ties you to the ground you're walking on, in case you decide to fly away.

I've been here for 10 years now, Roger. Ten years. A decade of madness in the land of Lovecraft, mafioso, and Ivy Leaguers. I always say I hate it too, but I think somewhere deep that, that ancient crazy is keeping me grounded til it decides to let me go.

Then there's the problem of Portland...

In sincerity,

Princess Kaousuu

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you find that you tend to craft better when you are making something with a specific person in mind?

And...

What do you about customers who want to change their orders after you finish it?!

A friend of mine out in Wisconsin is a registered Republican. He identifies himself as being a fiscal conservative, but cannot fucking stand what the party has become. So, when the RNC sent him an envelope asking for money, he thought about how he could contribute.

This is his donation:






That's 110 pennies glued on wood, folks.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/11/lawrence-edmonds-lick-every-cathedral_n_1665699.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

Lawrence Edmonds made a cheeky bet 13 months ago that almost has him licked -- literally.

Edmonds, 26, an English Heritage worker from London, has vowed to lick every single Anglican cathedral in the United Kingdom before December 16.

If he fails, he must run naked around the York Minster, according to Oddity Central. If he succeeds, his roommate, Adam Drury, will have to streak.

"We've no idea why the bet was centred on licking cathedrals -- it just was," he told The Sun. "I've tasted a lot of new places."