Open Thread FR 18 AUG 23 ~ mixed bag


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“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”

-- Forrest Gump

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Welcome to today's open thread! This is on the fly as a (chocolate) filler.
I'm rather partial to the ones with nuts in them. Which are your favorites?

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Perhaps the political joke of the day (yesterday) was a story about Ukraine wanting to
"get involved" in the geopolitical battles in Nigeria to protect Africans from Russian
aggression. What a hoot. They can't win their own war so they want to spread
democracy elsewhere. Desperation Boulevard.

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Just finishing up a fictionalized novel called Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum

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The story is mainly tied into the meltdown of the Chernobyl reactor, ripples in
space-time blended in with time travel, Hitler, Jewish refugees, life in Philly,
Russian culture and math/science themes. This is within the context of an extended
family over a few generations.
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What is on your plate today?

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QMS's picture

Mildly rainy here today, mostly misty.
The chipmunks are harvesting our cherry tomatoes. That's a new one.
They climb the bushes and pick the ripe ones,
then run across the deck to show off their prize.
Look like little Rudolphs.

Have a good one.

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janis b's picture

@QMS

Too funny ... Look like little Rudolphs.

I can easily imagine chipmunks and cherry tomatoes as a perfect match.

On my plate tonight was one of the first pizzas made at home and delivered by a young couple in this very small community. They are trialing the possibility of setting up a side business offering $10 pizzas to the community, and are looking for feedback. It’s definitely a unique and great idea, which once they perfect could really take off. I hope my feedback which is mixed will help them achieve their goal. It has the potential to be a mutually beneficial endeavour in this little enclave of Aucklanders removed by a 20 minute drive from cafes, and further from restaurants.

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QMS's picture

@janis b

Will probably work out well if they stay small and personalized.
A young local gal did a similar start-up awhile back. She makes
a meal for delivery on Fridays, emails the menu early in the week.
It varies each week and is usually quite good. Reasonable too.

Thanks for sharing your plate!

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janis b's picture

@QMS

They have no other option then to stay small and personalised here. I hope they are successful.

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enhydra lutris's picture

Saw the ukies blathering about the Ukies and Africa. Talk about presumptuous.

My sis is in San Diego and facing Hilary's wrath (spelled with 1 "L" to protect the guilty, or why else?) When all the news about "Oh noes, hurricane, much water and floods a'coming" began circulating in her office yestiday she stuck her head out of the office door and asked "where is this coming from, NOAA?", and one of the techies said "whaaa? The dude with the ark??". Ennyhoo, SoCal isn't really well able to handle canes, so there is that to watch. We are projected to get some fallout from that but the predictions are all over the map. This is a pisser since my week cooking starts Sunday and I really need to know the prospects for cooking outside due to high temps, versus inside due to falling water. Ah well, life goes on.

Sorry about your tomatoes, ours are ripening and we are trying to consume them as they do, but we're falling behind. Meanwhile, I've got a ton of shallots to try to use, tsk, tsk.

Chcolates, eh, "crunchy turtles"?

Still early(ish) here, so time to make somesorta breakfast, my fave.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

QMS's picture

@enhydra lutris

have yet to see nutty seals in the mixed chocolate box
good luck with the liquid sunshine
just drove thru a literal waterfall here
cats and dogs and pigs and cows
coming down like there is no tomorrow
the tornadoes passed north
so we were lucky

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

event, like tornadoes. Tornadoes are a phenomenon of the plains, all that land between the rockies and the mississippi, not up where you is, and, just how close is the nearest trailer park, anyway?

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

@enhydra lutris

"administration", as if they actually administer the oceans and atmosphere. "OK, all you cumulus clouds out west get moving, not allowed between Hwys 101 and 99 on weekday mornings" or such.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

soryang's picture

@enhydra lutris Doesn't look too bad for the next week. I'm in no condition to lift sand bags that's for sure. Maybe in several weeks. I'm not confident about that. It's raining hard here now. Some water will come into the garage, if it doesn't stop soon only because of the northerly wind. This is just the usual afternoon summer rain.

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=7

When Ian stalled nearby last fall, we got somewhere from 18 to 21 inches in about a day. There were slight variations here and there. The local drainage system was mismanaged and still isn't fixed as far as I can tell. My rule of thumb for the lay of land here, (poor feng shui) was more than 8 inches in one day, I'll need to sand bag the house. I think 4 inches or more in a hour can be problematic as well. Just speaking about the local situation here.

Stopped breathing at one point for a very brief period when I was waking up in post op. The post op nurse was like an Army drill sergeant, Breathe, Breathe! She put me back on the oxygen. I was only vaguely aware of my surroundings. Is that, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP alarm going off really me? Fortunately that's as far as it went. Ha, ha, glad to be here. She was tough as nails. Very compassionate staff. It's been two days, now, feeling a bit better today.

I have a bit of a problem with signing consent forms or contracts you can't actually read on those digital signature pads or whatever. It's potentially problematic.

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語必忠信 行必正直

QMS's picture

@soryang

Most surgeries are scary. Good you had an efficient nurse.
Please heal well.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@soryang

mean about signing things on those screens. I always ask them to tell me what the providions of what I'm signing are, which should be sort of quasi binding. Get well.

be well and have a good one, or get well and have the best one you can.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

soryang's picture

@enhydra lutris and @QMS I'll do my best.

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語必忠信 行必正直

Socialprogressive's picture

I've always been partial to See's Bordeaux chocolates.
Local headlines say San Diego will be hit by Hurricane HER bringing high winds exceeding 50mph and as much as 4" of rain. The NWS is predicting about 1.5" of rain and max wind gust of 30mph. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the NWS prediction is more accurate.

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I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

QMS's picture

@Socialprogressive

Being a sailor, I devote much time to comparing conditions to reported expectations.
Usually off by about 50%. Which is OK for a computer, I guess. Used to be people
at the switch, but it is all digital now. Good luck with the hurricane.
Noah would groan.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@Socialprogressive

southern "San Diego" that could go all the way to 10", but the scale was useless, had me thinking things like "lessee, is this part here Jamul, or La Mesa" and stuff like that. I rolled the Fu King and it said "The wise person avoids low elevations. Do not cross the moving water."

be well and hjave a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Socialprogressive's picture

@enhydra lutris
we get heavy rains, parts of the San Diego river floods the roads in Mission Valley. There's always some fool in their car who try's to cross the moving water. It usually doesn't end well.

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I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

enhydra lutris's picture

@Socialprogressive

underpasses and once, in sixty something, a VW bug floating down Rosecrans. There are, FWIW, some parts of OB that are below sea level, back away from the beach.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

I hope everyone stays safe and that the Hericane does no harm.
I am having an unplanned working vacation. My phone is ringing constantly. 4 attorneys have called this week. One had me on standby during her hearing to give her advice. And so forth.
Nonetheless, my hours at the beach go by slowly, making it seem like a much longer stay.
Part of my lunch was a feast of cherry tomatoes from lookout's garden. They were outstanding!
Thanks for the OT, QMS!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

@on the cusp

hoping to get over to the coast sometime next week.

be well and have a good one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris I had packed some white chocolate. That's my favorite "chocolate".
Hope you can get to the coast.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981