Thursday Open Thread
March 22, 2012 8:24 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
GM

309 comments
March 22, 2012 8:55 AM - Donatella

Good Morning.

The last time I rode the Cyclone, every bone, vertabra, and internal organ got a readjustment. A rollercoaster snakes and rockets up and down. This one does all that while all the wooden parts rattle at the same time.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:55 AM
#1
March 22, 2012 8:56 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
This is pretty cool! http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120312.html
#2
March 22, 2012 8:59 AM - jessibaby
^^^The first time I rode the cyclone I was with my friend who works at NASA
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:59 AM
#3
March 22, 2012 9:05 AM - Donatella

I only rode it twice. The first time was a long time ago. After we rode it, my friend and I won stuffed animals from the old pitching games. Big stuffed animals. The last time was three years ago; the shaking was unbelievable. It's fun to scream though.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:05 AM
#4
March 22, 2012 9:12 AM - jessibaby
I think I only rode twice as well. Had a friend of a friend staying with me. I think he was couch surfing across America. Friendly enough guy and a short term visitor, I think he pulled it off.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:12 AM
#5
March 22, 2012 9:14 AM - DeLepp
I ride it everytime folks from texas come to NYC. I was a cripple after the last time, but it was life affirming!
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:13 AM
#6
March 22, 2012 9:14 AM - jessibaby
Come to think of it, I brought him along to a dinner party. He hit it off with the other guest from Indiana. He ended up marrying my friend who made the arrangement for him to stay.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:14 AM
#7
March 22, 2012 9:15 AM - jessibaby
Your Texas guests want to ride it every time they visit? Or different Texas visitors?
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:15 AM
#8
March 22, 2012 9:16 AM - rf
Please listen to this.
A Mom's Advice To Her Young Black Sons
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/22/149126015/a-moms-advice-to-her-young-black-sons
In light of the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, Steve Inskeep speaks with writer Donna Britt and her sons Justin and Darrell Britt-Gibson about how she prepared them as young black men for a world that might view them with suspicion.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:16 AM
#9
March 22, 2012 9:19 AM - Donatella
I don't know how many stuffed animals I had from the games. They were all hideous. There was a blue chihuahua, an elephant, other stuffed animals. (we got carried away with this). I put them out on the sidewalk, leaning against the iron gate outside the Brooklyn Heights brownstone. I had a sign: "We were won at Coney Island, but our owner hates us. Save us!" Gradually they disappeared. I would look out the window to see people looking them over. It didn't take too long.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:19 AM
#10
March 22, 2012 9:21 AM - dibs
GM

Busy today.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:21 AM
#11
March 22, 2012 9:22 AM - jessibaby
Jokes aren't usually appreciated in Brooklyn Heights. You lucked out that they were taken at all.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:22 AM
#12
March 22, 2012 9:24 AM - jessibaby
Palm springs...just for old folks or mid century modern oasis?
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:24 AM
#13
March 22, 2012 9:25 AM - Donatella

I can't even process what this must be like for their parents. How do you go on after something like this?
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:25 AM
#14
March 22, 2012 9:26 AM - petebklyn
you moving there or just a vacation idea? is just west coast version of ft. laud. Lot of retired gay guys.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:26 AM
#15
March 22, 2012 9:26 AM - DeLepp
jessi, andy's niece loves the cyclone so it is always me on it with her.

palm springs could be fun for a vaca.
#16
March 22, 2012 9:28 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
ooooooooh i love the cyclone! im always so afraid that it's going get all uber regulated and too safe and be boring like all new rides. the new rides in luna park are gay as hell.
actually, they are straight as hell is more like it.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:28 AM
#17
March 22, 2012 9:30 AM - rf
The Coney Island rides (the old ones, never went to the new ones) are much, much more stringent about height requirements than the ones in Seaside Park where they don't really give a shit. (Short daughter.)
#18
March 22, 2012 9:30 AM - jessibaby
Yeah, just a vacation. Gay stamp of approval is a good sign. I want to stay at the Jonathan Adler decorated hotel there.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:30 AM
#19
March 22, 2012 9:31 AM - petebklyn
you explain to them that according to the NRA says that ever nut job in the country is guaranteed by the constitution to own, buy as many guns as choose without restrictions and be able to carry at all times everywhere and sometimes some of us have to die to maintain that freedom that NRA says we have. but it is all for the best otherwise the gov't will take away all our freedoms.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:31 AM
#20
March 22, 2012 9:33 AM - Slope4Eva
Anyone here in Brooklyn during the Steeplechase years? What a great place. A rainy Sunday and we were off to the amusement park. Great times. It closed before I was big enough to ride the electric horses.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:33 AM
#21
March 22, 2012 9:34 AM - petebklyn
probably hot as all hell in summer but supposedly much easier and cheaper for golfing then. Probably really nice now. I would find it boring - but Joshua Tree nat park isn't all that far and that was nice hiking.
#22
March 22, 2012 9:34 AM - DeLepp
The view at top of cyclone is unmatched, it gives you the impression that you may just sail into the ocean. Great trick of the eye.
#23
March 22, 2012 9:34 AM - Donatella
Re jokes in Brooklyn Heights....... when I lived there, I thought that it was pretty white bread there. But I felt at home, whatever that says about me. I love my house here in Fort Greene and the beautiful houses around here, but I am not so nuts about this neighborhood. I thought one night..... "hmmm.... no, those are NOT firecrackers". Despite everything, this is still ghetto.
#24
March 22, 2012 9:37 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
i was watching the morning news this morning while getting for work and they had a segment about kid foodies. i wanted to barf. the kids were completeley clueless and mildly uncomfortable, and you can tell they were force fed all the shit they were saying by their parents.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:37 AM
#25
March 22, 2012 9:38 AM - DeLepp
dona, did you see beny's delice is adding space? Progress at least!
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:37 AM
#26
March 22, 2012 9:38 AM - petebklyn
I don't really do amusement park rides. So why am I going to disneyworld in may?
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:38 AM
#27
March 22, 2012 9:40 AM - Slopefarm
I love the cyclone!!I ride it about wevery 2-3 years. Took my nephew on it two summers ago. Farmhand missed the height cutoff by millimeters. Nothing like riding the cyclone, a stop at nathan's, then taking in a Cyclones game plus fireworks on a Friday night in July.

Hey jb, while you're in Palm Beach, why don't you go to West PB and play some mah jongg with all those jews who voted for Buchanan!
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:40 AM
#28
March 22, 2012 9:42 AM - petebklyn
uh, slopey -- please read the fine print.....palm SPRINGS, not palm beach.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:42 AM
#29
March 22, 2012 9:43 AM - jessibaby
ooh, thanks, pete - there seem to be tours from palm springs to joshua tree. combining interior design with natural beauty and hiking is sorta just what im looking for.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:43 AM
#30
March 22, 2012 9:44 AM - Slopefarm
Oh. Palm Springs. That's different. Never mind.
#31
March 22, 2012 9:44 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
ome pete, do NOT get in trouble at disney world by doing anything shady (i dont know what constitutes shady down there.. i assume you are going to disney for gay week? lol) but anyway, they have an underground (literally thousands of feet underground) a giant elaborate prison system. don't get caught up in the disney tombs!!!

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:44 AM
#32
March 22, 2012 9:44 AM - petebklyn
dona, too suburban an outlook. neighborhoods can be very mixed.....not homogenous entities ...like whitebread, ghetto, or 1 ethnic group or economic class.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:44 AM
#33
March 22, 2012 9:46 AM - Slopefarm
"they have an underground (literally thousands of feet underground) a giant elaborate prison system"

ROFLMMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:46 AM
#34
March 22, 2012 9:48 AM - petebklyn
you assume wrong rob. I am going with my youngest brother/his wife and 2 nieces.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:48 AM
#35
March 22, 2012 9:48 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
don't laugh at me, it's true.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:48 AM
#36
March 22, 2012 9:49 AM - Donatella
No, delepp, I didn't notice that. I have to check that out. I take whatever retail I can get. I forgot parsley for a dish I was making and people were to arrive shortly and I was juggling a bunch of things to get ready. If I were in Brooklyn Heights, I would have run out around the corner to the Korean grocer. Here it would have been at least a half an hour to walk to and back from a place selling parsley.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:49 AM
#37
March 22, 2012 9:49 AM - rf
Yes, yes, all those people just disappear into the Disneyworld Prison System, never to be seen again. And no one knows what happened to them or ever hears about them. RIGHT!
#38
March 22, 2012 9:51 AM - Slopefarm
Still ROFLMMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:51 AM
#39
March 22, 2012 9:52 AM - DeLepp
"Yes, yes, all those people just disappear into the Disneyworld Prison System, never to be seen again. And no one knows what happened to them or ever hears about them."

But isn't nice to dream about!
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:52 AM
#40
March 22, 2012 9:52 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
i never said they disappear forever. im sure they serve their time like any prison. anyway, im googling disney prison and apparently Serena from Gossip Girl was an inmate once!

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:52 AM
#41
March 22, 2012 9:52 AM - Donatella

Well, Pete, the demographics are really different for BH and Ft. Greene. It is supposed to be "cool" here, totally lost on me. I am a fart. Maybe I should buy a house in Staten Island.

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:52 AM
#42
March 22, 2012 9:53 AM - petebklyn
some of it is location within the neighborhood...if you lived in corner of bklyn ht like willow pl/joralemon you'd face same thing. or some fancy spots on riverside drive/ 5th avenue in manhattan could be a hike too.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:53 AM
#43
March 22, 2012 9:53 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
where is cobble!? has she succumb to septic shock from the leak in her bathroom last night?

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:53 AM
#44
March 22, 2012 9:54 AM - DeLepp
dona, not open yet. from BS:Beny’s Delice, on Fulton Street and Clinton Avenue, applied for construction permits at 567 Vanderbilt Avenue, between Pacific and Dean. The store manager confirmed the popular grocery/cafe is indeed expanding! It will be a “slightly expanded model” from the original location but will still serve coffee, fresh pastries, sandwiches, and groceries. There will also be wine and beer. Construction is expected to wrap in one month. This stretch of Vanderbilt, which faces the Atlantic Yards construction, is far quieter than its southern counterpart. But we also spotted construction work happening at 581 Vanderbilt, also between Pacific and Dean, so there’s definitely an uptick in commercial activity closer to Atlantic Avenue.

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:54 AM
#45
March 22, 2012 9:57 AM - Donatella

Good for them, Delepp!!! I really admire those guys. They figured it out!
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:57 AM
#46
March 22, 2012 9:57 AM - petebklyn
I can't picture you on staten island. I don't care if you grew up there. but I do like having supermarket 100 ft from my front door especially when in middle of cooking forget something. downside of being close to lot of commercial is noise and filthy streets.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:57 AM
#47
March 22, 2012 9:57 AM - Slopefarm
Now ROFL, thinking about a whole disney system of criminal justice, with judges, bailiffs, court-appointed defense attorneys, parole officers, etc.

Oh, and they are all in costume as disney characters. (State your appearances for the record counsel: "Scrooge McDuck for the prosecution, your honor." "Snow White for the defense." "OK, Jiminy, swear in the witness.")
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:57 AM
#48
March 22, 2012 9:59 AM - Donatella

Yeah, Pete, I remember your telling me that you can run outside with a pot on the stove, buy the forgotton ingredient and run back in two or three minutes. No, Staten Island is not for me because of how far away it is from everything.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:59 AM
#49
March 22, 2012 10:00 AM - dibs
Finally, the sun is out.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:00 AM
#50
March 22, 2012 10:00 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
Here it would have been at least a half an hour to walk to and back from a place selling parsley.

i am SURE you can pick up "parsley" on any corner in your neighborhood.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 10:00 AM
#51
March 22, 2012 10:00 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
oh wait im thinking oregano

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 10:00 AM
#52
March 22, 2012 10:01 AM - petebklyn
my 1st walk thru ft. greene was winter 1977. from cobble hill to washington avenue. walked by schoolyard and kids started throwing snowballs and yelling something about whiteboy.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:01 AM
#53
March 22, 2012 10:04 AM - DeLepp
"walked by schoolyard and kids started throwing snowballs and yelling something about whiteboy."

I had that happen last year, tossed snowballs back.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:04 AM
#54
March 22, 2012 10:04 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
that happened to me on the LES in the early 2000's. i wish they could have been charged with a hate crime.


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 10:04 AM
#55
March 22, 2012 10:06 AM - Slopefarm
Hey, dibs, arkady. This is some spring, garden-wise. Cherry blossoms will be off the trees by the time of the cherry festival in BBG. We have a rhododendrun in front yard that is already starting to bloom. Periwinkle is in flower. Full foliage on butterfly bush. There is a magnolia next door that is two weeks ahead of last year.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:06 AM
#56
March 22, 2012 10:09 AM - dibs
Yes, Slopey. I suspect I have missed it all down in PA already. Hopefully I can catch the cherry blossom season on the Cape when I'm there mid April. I have 3 HUGE cherry trees there and that season is usually about a month behind it here.

I'll try and post a pic of my cherry trees up there later.

Gotta run now.....
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:09 AM
#57
March 22, 2012 10:13 AM - Arkady
Slopey - I keep a garden diary & a few things are ahead but our magnolia is on time as are peonies peeking out. Oddly, grape hyacinths were a bit late.
Underground at Disney is amazing. Pneumatic tubes for rubbish, walkways for 'talent' to get in position so they're not seen walking to work, an entire city, really. You can get tours through it sometimes.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:13 AM
#58
March 22, 2012 10:16 AM - Arkady
Obviously, the tour doesn't go to the prison - a replica of Abu Graib in the international spirit of Epcot.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:17 AM
#59
March 22, 2012 10:16 AM - Slopefarm
Yes, but did you see the underground disney prisons?
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:16 AM
#60
March 22, 2012 10:22 AM - dibs
I was in jail in hong kong once
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:23 AM
#61
March 22, 2012 10:23 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
i know someone who worked as disney as part of their intern program after college and said it was truly TRULY awful. like borderline abusive. others agreed. and this was not even the prisons, just regular work. apparently they have INSANE rules for working there in their intern program. lame

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 10:23 AM
#62
March 22, 2012 10:26 AM - Slope4Eva
Pete, if your nieces are young, and want to have breakfast with the Princesses in the castle, make reservations NOW. I made reservations the day I booked the trip (directly with Disney) and when I called to confirm the day before, they had me booked for lunch, sans Princesses. I went balistic, and they gave us a seating for the next morning. You may also want to fib and say it is one of their birthdays, they will get a little more attention at your table. I think my daughter was the only one their who was not celebrating a "birthday". We kind of had to tell the Princes/Princesses to give her a little attention too. My baby was not going to be disappointed!!
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:26 AM
#63
March 22, 2012 10:26 AM - Arkady
Rules are stringent for everyone, rob, to keep the magic alive. Workers are called actors so that Disney can dictate 'costume' & appearance. It's a place that you can't really experience on the interwebs.
#64
March 22, 2012 10:29 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
Didn't ANYONE look at the NASA link!? Losers!
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:29 AM
#65
March 22, 2012 10:36 AM - Donatella
......*rob* i am SURE you can pick up "parsley" on any corner in your neighborhood.

I know this is bait, but WRONG. On the other hand, you can get 62 varieties of potato chips, cheeze doodles, snoballs, and other assorted imitation foodstuffs within spitting distance of my house. I have to walk a nice distance in either direction to find a place that actually sells produce.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:36 AM
#66
March 22, 2012 10:37 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
Workers are called actors so that Disney can dictate 'costume' & appearance.

so what is the Apple stores excuse for referring to their retail monkeys as "geniuses?"
don't get me started at the "partners" at starbucks :-/ how awful that we've turned into a total service economy and to try and make ourselves not feel embarrassed by it we've collectively come up with a bunch of meaningless over-inflated job titles that mean squat.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 10:37 AM
#67
March 22, 2012 10:39 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
donna... you completely missed the joke. when i said that you could probably pick up "parsley" on any corner in your neighborhood, i was talking about weed.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 10:39 AM
#68
March 22, 2012 10:39 AM - Slopefarm
Whoa, dp. Freaky. Gomez's Hamburger?
#69
March 22, 2012 10:39 AM - Donatella

Why were you in jail in Hong Kong, dibs? Pray tell.
#70
March 22, 2012 10:41 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
slope, you HAVE to learn to always cut and paste before posting.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 10:41 AM
#71
March 22, 2012 10:41 AM - Arkady
That's neat, CHiller. Have you seen the Eames Power of Ten?
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:41 AM
#72
March 22, 2012 10:41 AM - Slopefarm
Rob, dp posted the link. I don't have to repost it.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:41 AM
#73
March 22, 2012 10:42 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
"Whoa, dp. Freaky. Gomez's Hamburger?"

Fun, right?! I know...there are a few odd/amusing names for things in there!
#74
March 22, 2012 10:43 AM - Donatella
see...... *rob* I obviously don't belong here!! You are right. There are plenty of drugs. boo hoo....I'm have to be careful here not to get myself in a bad mood. It is a beautiful day today.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:43 AM
#75
March 22, 2012 10:44 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
That's pretty great, Arkady!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0
#76
March 22, 2012 10:46 AM - rf
Ok, the world is coming to an end. Remember the house on the corner of Jefferson and Marcy? They were asking $1.3 million? I just met the new owners and they said they paid close to ask because there was a lot of competitilon.
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/02/house-of-the-day-271-jefferson-avenue/
DIBS, you was robbed!
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:46 AM
#77
March 22, 2012 10:47 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
actually i think moonfaces actually buy AND use the most drugs in this city. they just fly under the radar or something or pay for expensive delivery services. there really should be a crackdown. Operation: Moonface

*rob*

#78
March 22, 2012 10:50 AM - MontroseMorris
"Yes, yes, all those people just disappear into the Disneyworld Prison System, never to be seen again. And no one knows what happened to them or ever hears about them. RIGHT!"

*chuckle, then guffaw!*
#79
March 22, 2012 10:51 AM - Donatella

I love it! A parallel universe.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:51 AM
#80
March 22, 2012 10:53 AM - MontroseMorris
Rf, there may be something to the common wisdom that brownstone Bklyn is impervious to national trends. Maybe that means I can sell my house for megabucks, even though it is a wreck, inside and out.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:53 AM
#81
March 22, 2012 10:53 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
OH rob—here's a story for you!

NYC Nannies Fetching Six-Figure Salaries, Plus Bonus And Allowance

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/new-york-nannies-salaries_n_1370124.html?1332351242&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:53 AM
#82
March 22, 2012 10:55 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
you know those summer programs where they take poor inner kids to the country for fresh air and stuff? why can't they have it for dogs? i really want to send my dog on a fresh air in the mountains trip. just got an email from my dog walker service. does anyone else find their prices a tad high for these kinds of trips?

Dear Clients:

We are off to the Endless Mountains this coming weekend, Friday March 23rd til Monday March 26th for some fun and play in the sun (Snow is gone - for now!) If you are interested in sending your baby, e-mail ....and we will get back to you asap. We are leaving Friday morning (March 23rd) and coming back Monday (March 26th) in the afternoon. Price is $44/night and pick-up and drop-off fee is $30 each way.


44 dollars a night? and a pick up AND drop off fee of 30 dollars each way? :-/


Edited at March 22, 2012 10:55 AM
#83
March 22, 2012 11:04 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
NYC Nannies Fetching Six-Figure Salaries, Plus Bonus And Allowance

i have no problems with the nannies that work for the 1%. they USUALLY do pay taxes and their employers pay payroll taxes on them. it's the the wannabe upper middle class / upper class and their nannies that are scamming the system. tho honestly i dont really give a shit about any nannies these days. go make yo money however you need to is how i feel about it these days..


*rob*

#84
March 22, 2012 11:06 AM - rf
Rob, do you have any idea what it costs to send a kid for a weekend away? The sophomore-junior weekend trip to Pinegrove, a low-rent dude ranch in the Catskills, $255 for 2 nights and transportation. 4 kids in a room.
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:06 AM
#85
March 22, 2012 11:11 AM - gay smurf hoodlum
omg what is a low rent dude ranch? that sounds, rather dave-ish

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 11:11 AM
#86
March 22, 2012 11:17 AM - MontroseMorris
The doggie vacation is cheap! Considering whoever is running it will be legally responsible for the care and safety of people's pets out in the country, I would imagine they barely see a profit. New Yorkers are so ready to sue someone. If Fido comes back with one tick or flea, or a burr in his coat, their owners will be running to lawyers in a hot minute. Not to mention food, transportation, staff, insurance. I'm sure someone will follow the doggie daycampers up there to make sure the people running this aren't taking the dogs to a local brownfield, and letting them run around. Think of the headlines!
#87
March 22, 2012 11:18 AM - rf
Much, much too 99 percent for DIBS!
http://www.pinegroveranch.com/
#88
March 22, 2012 11:29 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
MM, check your email!
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:29 AM
#89
March 22, 2012 11:31 AM - Donatella


French shooting suspect jumps to his death
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Mohammed Merah, the 23-year-old Frenchman of Algerian origin suspected of killing three paratroopers and three Jewish students and a rabbi, died on Thursday in Toulouse, France. According to French Interior Minister Claude Gueant, Merah jumped from a balcony firing "with extreme violence" as security forces stormed the apartment in which he had barricaded himself for over 30 hours, surrounded by 300 policemen. After negotiations on Wednesday the suspect had said he would turn himself in, but had gone back on the pledge and cut off communication. However, during the conversations, he confessed to the killings, saying they were to avenge the deaths of Palestinian children, as well as to protest France's role in the war in Afghanistan and last year's banning of Muslim women wearing face veils. He said he was a member of al Qaeda and was trained in the Waziristan region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins, Merah shot and wounded two police officers during the raid before coming to his death.

#90
March 22, 2012 11:43 AM - Arkady
I hope Zimmerman's in a cell w/ open windows on a top floor.
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:42 AM
#91
March 22, 2012 11:53 AM - Cobble B. Hiller
"w/ open windows on a top floor."

Why's that, Arkady? Hoping he'll leap...
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:53 AM
#92
March 22, 2012 11:54 AM - dibs
I just checked room rates at the Sukhothai in bangkok, arguably one of the best city hotels in all of Asia and they are $220 for a suite in October!!!!

Back from shopping. What's for lunch?
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:53 AM
#93
March 22, 2012 11:56 AM - Arkady
Shopping? For more stuff for the Great Ghetto Giveaway?
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:55 AM
#94
March 22, 2012 12:03 PM - dibs
No, for my new look as a retired dandy.
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:03 PM
#95
March 22, 2012 12:04 PM - DeLepp
Only if you are in backseat. Who's driving latin or asian talent?
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:04 PM
#96
March 22, 2012 12:09 PM - dibs
On Tuesday I put out about 12-15 kitchen items at the curb, including a large box of plastic storage containers. They were scooped up in 20 minutes.
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:09 PM
#97
March 22, 2012 12:14 PM - MontroseMorris
Dibs, I can't see you rocking the Quentin look.

Cobble, nothing on either email, yet.
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:14 PM
#98
March 22, 2012 12:16 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
*****RANT!!!*****

I hate hate hate these medical billing dumbf*cks! These dumbf*cks have my insurance card on record, they INSIST you give it to them BEFORE you are seen/treated! So why the f*ck am I being asked to jump through all these hoops for them? F*ck it. It's their tough sh*t if their computers don't talk to each other! They have the information. They can figure it out. Oh, and I am NOT running out to find a fax machine because these f*cking losers can't provide an email address in the year 2012!!! F*ck 'em!
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:21 PM
#99
March 22, 2012 12:17 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
"Cobble, nothing on either email, yet."

No worries, MM, I see you already attended to the issue. Something about assignations! ; )
March 22, 2012 12:24 PM - MontroseMorris
Yeah, stupid spell check. :)
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:23 PM
March 22, 2012 12:44 PM - dibs
I thought Obamacare fixed everything!!!!!

[running for cover from Cobble]
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:44 PM
March 22, 2012 12:55 PM - dibs
And what the hell happened to the NO SALES TAX on clothing in NYC???
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:55 PM
March 22, 2012 12:56 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
This has nothing to do with Obama.

But everything to do with STUPID humans who create moronic automated voice mail calls and even more moronic overly complex phone trees where they spell out the word 'patient' v e r y v e r y s l o w l y, as if no one's ever heard or seen the word before in a doctor's office and no menu item so that you can choose to talk to a HUMAN who may or may not have the intelligence of a rock anyway! And offices that tell you 'just to fax' information they ALREADY HAVE!!!

I called the docs office and spoke to a human who apologized to me and confirmed that there was no reason for the robo call and that they do indeed ALREADY HAVE THE INFORMATION!!!!!

Sheesh.
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:56 PM
March 22, 2012 12:56 PM - Arkady
It sounds to me as if CHiller's problem arises w/ private industry, not gov't.
Edited at March 22, 2012 12:56 PM
March 22, 2012 12:59 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
what kind of ghetto ass clinic are you going to? jeez

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 12:59 PM
March 22, 2012 1:00 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
Yes, private doc and idiot hospital billing company which has one computer one place and another computer another place and apparently 'never the twain shall meet'!!!!



Edited at March 22, 2012 1:00 PM
March 22, 2012 1:03 PM - Donatella
I thought no sales tax on clothing under 100 bucks. Isn't that still the case?
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:03 PM
March 22, 2012 1:04 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
welcome to outsourcing! land of the clusterfuck and time waste

*rob*

March 22, 2012 1:08 PM - Slopefarm
Dibs, now you are coming around to MY critique of the health care law. There would be tremendous efficiencies and savings in administrative costs if we moved to a single payer system. But no, we had to leave the whole crazy insurance apparatus in place.
March 22, 2012 1:09 PM - dibs
Probably, dona. I didn't buy anything under $100, except my tuna salad sandwich.


Edited at March 22, 2012 1:09 PM
March 22, 2012 1:12 PM - dibs
Wait...What the hell??? I bought 4 silk pocket squares each under $100 and there was tax added at 4.375%. Then I bought 5 pairs of socks with no sales tax. Each pair of pants was over $100 and the Walter Steiger shoes, well...forget it.
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:14 PM
March 22, 2012 1:13 PM - rf
http://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/memos/sales/m10_16s.pdf
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:13 PM
March 22, 2012 1:15 PM - dibs
That's enough shopping to last me another 10 years.
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:15 PM
March 22, 2012 1:16 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
the cashiers were probably jealous and felt like you werent paying your fair share of taxes and so they decided to charge you sales tax. it's like cigarettes at the bodega. 13 dollars for moonfaces, 11 for non moonfaces.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 1:16 PM
March 22, 2012 1:18 PM - dibs
I shouldn't have bought my iPad and Mac Air in NYC. I should have bought them in Philly. Why should I continue to pay NYC sales tax when I'm no longer a resident? What services do i benefit from that I don't pay directly, like the MTA.
March 22, 2012 1:19 PM - dibs
One of the cashiers at Bloomingdales was cute. Unfortunately he was probably the only straight one there. :(
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:19 PM
March 22, 2012 1:20 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
Just look at paying the sales tax as your way of saying thank you to NYC for giving you a job, a home and all your PLUSA friends! : P
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:19 PM
March 22, 2012 1:28 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
how much is sales tax in philly? how much are cigs down there? can you buy me some packs each week and mail them and ill mail you back the money?

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 1:28 PM
March 22, 2012 1:30 PM - dibs
I think cigs down there are $7. A friend from down there was up here and complaining about prices here.
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:30 PM
March 22, 2012 1:30 PM - DeLepp
That tax document silly. If it's tuesday tax is xx%, but if Wednesday and a full moon it's xx%
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:30 PM
March 22, 2012 1:30 PM - Donatella
My bf just bought an ipad 3 and had to get a replacement for his iphone which was defective. He needed to back up data from his old iphone to the new iphone, sync the ipad, choose a data plan for the ipad, sync all this stuff to his computer. Between waiting to buy the ipad, replace the iphone, choosing a plan, and getting the help in setting up and sync'ing all these things, he spent an entire day at the apple store. He attended phone and ipad classes. He said the place was a madhouse with the number of people. He was particularly impressed by how they found him in the crowded store when his turn came by a GPS system.
March 22, 2012 1:31 PM - dibs
I don't enable bad behavior, rob. Besides, I'd have to go to the post office to mail them and I'd rather have sex with Minard than do that
March 22, 2012 1:34 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
lol @ rather having sex with minard hahahahah. so i guess the answer is no! hahah.
damn 7 bux. cheap! no, not cheap actually, just not as ABSURD as nyc. however ive cut my smoking down this week quite a bit by chewing gum.

*rob*

March 22, 2012 1:35 PM - Slopefarm
"What services do I benefit from that I don't pay directly, like the MTA."

You only pay for the MTA partially through the farebox. The rest is subsidized. But let's see. Do you drive on City streets? Over any bridges or through tunnels? Walk on the sidewalk? Cross the street? Do the cars generally stop for you when they have a red light? Are hordes of poor children camped out in front of your house begging you for food and money -- or are they in school and having school lunches (and sometimes breakfasts)? Do you manage to eat regularly in City restaurants without getting sick and going to the emergency room? Do you ever use tap water to drink? Brush you teeth? Take a shower or bath? Do you ever flush the toilet in NYC? Do you ever take a walk by the Hudson or East Rivers and does it smell like sewage or not? Ever take a walk in Prospect Park? Was title recordeed when you bought your house? When you sold? Ever take a taxi and were you charged the proper fare? How often were you mugged while living in the ghetto?

Edited at March 22, 2012 1:35 PM
March 22, 2012 1:37 PM - dibs
You only pay for the MTA partially through the farebox. The rest is subsidized. But let's see. Do you drive on City streets? Over any bridges or through tunnels? Walk on the sidewalk? Cross the street? Do the cars generally stop for you when they have a red light? Are hordes of poor children camped out in front of your house begging you for food and money -- or are they in school and having school lunches (and sometimes breakfasts)? Do you manage to eat regularly in City restaurants without getting sick and going to the emergency room? Do you ever use tap water to drink? Brush you teeth? Take a shower or bath? Do you ever flush the toilet in NYC? Do you ever take a walk by the Hudson or East Rivers and does it smell like sewage or not? Ever take a walk in Prospect Park? Was title recordeed when you bought your house? When you sold? Ever take a taxi and were you charged the proper fare? How often were you mugged while living in the ghetto?

Fuck off. Besides, I paid sellers tax on the house. Only in NYC.
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:37 PM
March 22, 2012 1:43 PM - Slopefarm
If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question.
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:43 PM
March 22, 2012 1:46 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
all of those stupid things you listed should be tailored to each individual. for instance since i dont use the public schools i should get more of a refund. i drink tap water and cross streets. big woop. so i should only pay a miniscule amount of taxes compared to someone who hogs the school system and takes those handicapped vans all over.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 1:46 PM
March 22, 2012 1:48 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
basically im saying is that my public services neediness footprint is VERY small, much like my carbon footprint

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 1:48 PM
March 22, 2012 1:53 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
"If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question."

Snort!
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:53 PM
March 22, 2012 1:54 PM - Donatella


So getting back to my earlier question, dibs...... what's the story with you spending time in a Hong Kong jail???
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:54 PM
March 22, 2012 1:55 PM - rf
So how much are ciggies in SC? Are you planning on stocking up?

Are you chewing regular gum or nicotine gum?

Just wondering.
Edited at March 22, 2012 1:55 PM
March 22, 2012 2:02 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
ive been chewing the nicotine gum. i dont know how much cigs are down there but my roommate said some of the cheapest in the country. theoretically i should stock up, it depends if i can somehow manage to get away on my own or what is around? im gonna be stuck with my grandmother and then with her neighbors and then other family members sorta, it's really going to be awful, but i plan on not smoking, how im going to handle that i dont know. im probably going to have a major meltdown. im also making sure i have enough money in my bank account in case i want to buy a ticket to go home earlier than expected. might have someone call my cell and pretend there's an emergency with duke or the apartment or something and i have to come home sooner than expected.


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 2:02 PM
March 22, 2012 2:11 PM - rf
http://www.theawl.com/2011/06/what-a-pack-of-cigarettes-costs-state-by-state
43. South Carolina: $5.42
18. Pennsylvania: $6.80
1. New York: $11.90

Edited at March 22, 2012 2:11 PM
March 22, 2012 2:17 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
. New York: $11.90

14 in manhattan. (at least lower manhattan)
13 in brooklyn, 11.50 at the bodega i go to.

brands kinda vary tho. im talking newport, which are usually a tad bit cheaper because it's a lower-income brand.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 2:17 PM
March 22, 2012 2:18 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
43. South Carolina: $5.42

i could totally stock up and sell them here! people sell legit packs (not chinese shitty knockoffs) for usually 2-3 dollars less than the cost... so i can get 9 bux a pack for newports here... maybe i should stock up and sell them when i get back.

*rob*

March 22, 2012 2:21 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
maybe i should ask my grandmother if she could mail me a few cartons a week when she goes to the post office so i can sell them up here as a second job? sounds like a great way to make extra income! im sure she would go for it


*rob*

March 22, 2012 2:21 PM - rf
They called gas stations and asked for the price of Marlboro Reds.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:21 PM
March 22, 2012 2:23 PM - rf
Gas stations in the most populous city in the state. Rob, have you checked the price at the Hess station at Union St. and 4th Ave.?
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:23 PM
March 22, 2012 2:29 PM - MontroseMorris
Isn't sending cigarettes across state lines illegal?
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:29 PM
March 22, 2012 2:32 PM - Donatella
Yes, it is MM. You can buy whatever you like for your own use, but transporting them to sell them is illegal.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:31 PM
March 22, 2012 2:32 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
Gas stations in the most populous city in the state. Rob, have you checked the price at the Hess station at Union St. and 4th Ave.?

that station is more expensive than my bodega, not by much tho... the gas station on houston here in soho is 14.50! 14.50 for a pack of newports!!!! gas stations used to be expensive, but they figure what the hell, if people are paying this much for gas, i guess they can afford to overpay for cigs too! moonface mathematics!


quote:
Isn't sending cigarettes across state lines illegal?

i dont know. i will say tho, that minding your business *IS* legal

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 2:32 PM
March 22, 2012 2:33 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
sorry mm, didnt mean to tell you to mind your own business lol. but you are probably right. i know you can cross state lines with UP to two cartons for personal use tho.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 2:33 PM
March 22, 2012 2:36 PM - MontroseMorris
Hey rob, when the cops stop you with cartons of cigarettes stuffed into your luggage, and a list of names of people who want them, I promise not to show the district attorney this thread, showing that you knew it was illegal. That's as close to minding my own business as I'll get.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:35 PM
March 22, 2012 2:36 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
donna, it's only legal to cross state lines with 2 cartons. i assume some people purchase the soft packs tho and stick them up their orifices?


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 2:36 PM
March 22, 2012 2:37 PM - MontroseMorris
Lol to you too. Kindly edit post BEFORE pressing send next time.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:37 PM
March 22, 2012 2:38 PM - dibs
Dona...I had just arrived in HK and didn't yet have an ID card. I wasn't going to carry my passport around and I was in a bar in Lan Kwai Fong...the police came around with the drug sniffing dogs and since it wasn't crowded, asked for everyone's ID.. Me, a local Chinese and an Aussie didn't have any so we were walked up to the police station. I gave my friend my apt keys and he came down with my passport.

i had to go to court and payt a fine of about $20 US but I got this really cool rice paper summons with engrish on one side and chinese on the other which i immediately framed and still have.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:38 PM
March 22, 2012 2:43 PM - Arkady
I was hauled into Women's House of Detention once for a demonstration in Wash. Sq. Pk. but not formally arrested.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:43 PM
March 22, 2012 2:44 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
no one cares about that part, they just wanna know if you were anybody's bitch in chinese prison


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 2:44 PM
March 22, 2012 2:44 PM - dibs
What was it for back then, Arkady, Occupy The Speakeasy????
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:44 PM
March 22, 2012 2:45 PM - rf
I was once arrested in Houston. Not my favorite place.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:45 PM
March 22, 2012 2:47 PM - dibs
Unfortunately I didn't get put in a cell, just waited in the office, drooling over the Chinese cops in uniform.

Actually if you read any history about Chinese, when the men are in prison, resorting to homosexual behavior is pretty rare culturally
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:47 PM
March 22, 2012 2:48 PM - dibs
"I was once arrested in Houston."

By the fashion police???
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:48 PM
March 22, 2012 2:51 PM - rf
No, I was quite fashionable then. 29 years old. Long ago!
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:51 PM
March 22, 2012 2:52 PM - jessibaby
Never got arrested. I was passed out drunk, already having puked , upstairs in my friend's house when she and my other closest friends got arrested for underaged drinking on the back deck.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:51 PM
March 22, 2012 2:54 PM - Deleted
yeah, shipping cigs across state lines is now illegal. wasn't up until a year ago. i used to buy them online and they would ship from somewhere in kentucky. now if you buy online you can only order them from Europe.
Edited at March 22, 2012 2:54 PM
March 22, 2012 3:07 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
i was kicked, handcuffed, and thrown into the back of a cop car by two cops once, but i have no clue if that was an arrest or not? i wound up strapped to a bed in the hospital! my grandparents signed me out and it was never talked about again lol.
that's my only incident with police, and honestly the whole thing was a complete misunderstanding.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 3:07 PM
March 22, 2012 3:11 PM - Deleted
i'm sure that's why the nurses were mean to you. typically people brought into a hospital by cops and handcuffed to a bed don't get VIP treatment.
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:11 PM
March 22, 2012 3:12 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
i guess bag searching counts as a police incident sorta

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 3:12 PM
March 22, 2012 3:17 PM - Donatella

Racking my brain for arrest stories. Never was arrested. I did cry once when stopped for speeding in Kansas. I am not sure why. The guy was trying to scare me, threaten me with something. A ticket? It seemed more ominous at the time.

Very cool, dibs to have an official arrest document in Chinese.

So why were you arrested in Houston, rf?

*rob* that sounds like a nightmare.
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:17 PM
March 22, 2012 3:21 PM - Donatella

oh, I was hiding under a bed in a fraternity house during a police raid. It was a Rutgers/Princeton football game; the details are all a little foggy. I was smoking pot and drinking with my date at the frat party afterwards and several police cars pulled up to the house and people were getting searched and arrested. My level headed boyfriend at the time dragged me under a bed and I was trying to surpress laughter and he told me years later, he never got what was so funny.
I guess it takes a certain amount of detachment to find that funny. But it was me and him and the dust bunnies, while the police were running around the house.

Edited at March 22, 2012 3:21 PM
March 22, 2012 3:22 PM - Slopefarm
"yeah, shipping cigs across state lines is now illegal. wasn't up until a year ago. i used to buy them online and they would ship from somewhere in kentucky. now if you buy online you can only order them from Europe."

Yes, but it was always illegal not to pay NY State and City taxes if you bought online here. You were technically on hook for local cig taxes not collected by the seller. Online sellers were supposed to advise you of this, but instead most pretended cigs were tax free.

Edited at March 22, 2012 3:22 PM
March 22, 2012 3:27 PM - Donatella

I was actually screaming at two cops a couple of years ago. I couldn't believe it afterwards, how pissed I got. And that I actually allowed myself to lose it with the NYPD. I double parked outside of my house to run in and get some windex since some bird shit right on my windshield on the drivers side. Everywhere all over this borough people are doing outrageous things; I couldn't believe that I got a 100+ dollar ticket for that.
I was gone 1 minute, with the flashers and I came out and they were ticketing me.
March 22, 2012 3:29 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
oh , read an article today about bloomberg donating 220 million dollars of his own money for a campaign to make me stop smoking in developing third world countries :-/ um, why exactly would we want healthier third world workers!? what good would that do for us? nothing. it's actually bad FOR our economy!

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 3:29 PM
March 22, 2012 3:39 PM - Slopefarm
"campaign to make me stop smoking in developing third world countries"

rob, when was the last time you smoked a cig in a third world country?
March 22, 2012 3:47 PM - rf
Donatella, wrong place, wrong time, schmuck with lots of pot in the house, everyone arrested. Charges eventually dropped, but I was fingerprinted and sent to a cell. And when I adopted 20 years later, I had to get a report from Harris County about the resolution of the charges--even though it was "expunged," the FBI never forgets.

Met many strange people in Harris County Jail.
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:47 PM
March 22, 2012 3:47 PM - rf
What business is it of yours how Bloomberg spends his own money?
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:47 PM
March 22, 2012 3:48 PM - rf
Rob, were you fingerprinted?
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:48 PM
March 22, 2012 3:49 PM - lechacal
Hello
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:49 PM
March 22, 2012 3:50 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
fingerprinted? no. i didnt do anything to warrant that.


*rob*

March 22, 2012 3:52 PM - lechacal
I have never been arrested or had any other interaction with the police beyond a couple of speeding tickets many years ago.
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:52 PM
March 22, 2012 3:56 PM - Slopefarm
Yeah, same here, jackal. A few speeding tix and running a red light once. Nothing more for me in the way of polcie interaction. Lots of speed traps in the less touristy parts of the Berkshires and hilltowns to the east. And Mass. fine is $10 for each mph over the limit.
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:56 PM
March 22, 2012 3:57 PM - Donatella

rf, that doesn't sound fun. I don't know what happened in the end with the police at our "raid", if anyone was arrested. But it was part of an ongoing hatefest with the frat house and the local community -- somebody called in yet ANOTHER noisy party. My friend was really scared and pissed. He had just started working on Wall St. and had been recently bonded.
Edited at March 22, 2012 3:57 PM
March 22, 2012 4:02 PM - rf
Donatella, if you listened to the NPR story about The Talk that black parents give to their sons about dealing with police, you would know that most black moms would not advise their sons to scream at the police, no matter how right they were! Did you fight the ticket?
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:02 PM
March 22, 2012 4:10 PM - petebklyn
I have my speeding ticket coming up beginning of april in westchester.
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:10 PM
March 22, 2012 4:18 PM - sixyearsandcounting
Not poo mist, but fart spray:

"A University of Toronto study found that if people were asked to wash their hands with soap and water before filling out a questionnaire, they become more moralistic about issues like drug use and pornography. Researchers found that interviewees on Stanford’s campus offered harsher, more moralistic views after “fart spray” had been released in the area."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/opinion/kristof-politics-odors-and-soap.html?src=tp&smid=fb-share

March 22, 2012 4:20 PM - Arkady
My mother was stopped by one of those classic cops in a speed trap in W. Va. in 1950. I was in the back seat & started bawling my head off: "My father's dead. If you take her to jail we'll be orphans! You can't arrest my mother." etc. She didn't even get a ticket!!
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:20 PM
March 22, 2012 4:27 PM - Donatella

rf, believe me, all those thoughts ran through my head afterward. First, I was using my brothers City official NYC placard, (of course abusing it, I know...I know) which made the police a little nervous about giving me a ticket. I think that they started writing the ticket and then realized that so they were a little nervous afterward. So they started saying they tried to let me know, that they waited 5 minutes. Which wasn't true. So that annoyed me. AND I was late going where I was going; totally out of order in every way and treating those cops like they were annoying teenagers. I know I was out of order.

And that thought actually occurred to me, rf. It is only because of that placard, my sex, my age and my ethnicity that I didn't get hauled off in the police car. I have often thought about that; I actually dressed those guys down (my mother has done it too). But if I were a young black teenager, forget about it. My father told me that once my mother called a cop a punk. I think he probably was scared of her. The young Hispanic one got up the nerve as this ugly interchange ended "you are a very selfish person".


Edited at March 22, 2012 4:27 PM
March 22, 2012 4:30 PM - Donatella

Wow, Arkady. You were a powerful advocate!
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:30 PM
March 22, 2012 4:41 PM - dibs
Glad to see there are so many scofflaws here.
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:41 PM
March 22, 2012 4:43 PM - Legion
***LEGION'S ECONOMIC STIMULUS PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT***

I just received a message from one of my contacts at the New York Restoration Project,
he states that the NYRP is accepting applications for 6-month "Environmental Steward"
positions. Basically involving gardening and beautification projects throughout the city.
I don't have a link, only a pdf. document so contact me through the usual channels if interested in learning more.
I believe the stipend is $1,500 monthly plus perks and such.


...now back to your usual OT programming.
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:43 PM
March 22, 2012 4:46 PM - dibs
Legion...are there any interesting "no pay" jobs with the city? Nothing of course that requires a 9-5 presence, of course.
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:46 PM
March 22, 2012 4:49 PM - Legion
I will keep a lookout for anything interesting dibs,
I know the city is full of all kinds of volunteer work opportunities. Someone with your skill sets, for example, would be great for the school programs which are in need of science and math degrees.
Edited at March 22, 2012 4:49 PM
March 22, 2012 4:54 PM - dibs
School programs would be interesting. I should start checking around as I get bored later in the year or next year.
March 22, 2012 4:59 PM - dibs
LOL...some Republican from Southern CA just said he's "sick and tired of listening to crazy people from Hollywood and San Francisco telling them how they should manage their water in the Valley."
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:00 PM
March 22, 2012 5:09 PM - Deleted
It is not illegal to transport cigarettes across state lines, if they are for yourself. The two carton limit is for coming into US customs.
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:09 PM
March 22, 2012 5:10 PM - DeLepp
Water fight is big in west. All those real housewives have big lawns.
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:10 PM
March 22, 2012 5:13 PM - dibs
I would probably align myself politically and literally (horizontally) more with the lettuce pickers than the housewives.
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:14 PM
March 22, 2012 5:27 PM - petebklyn
'their water', ha. like it fell from the sky and all landed in semi-arid land. Always a fight between different economic interests/users.....agriculture vs. others.
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:27 PM
March 22, 2012 5:29 PM - dibs
Pete, aren't you on a lake up their that you can jump into??? Why don't you.
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:29 PM
March 22, 2012 5:33 PM - petebklyn
actually sitting outside in just shorts and looking at the lake now. warmer up here than in the city.
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:33 PM
March 22, 2012 5:34 PM - dibs
Ahhh, the life of a landlord.
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:34 PM
March 22, 2012 5:35 PM - petebklyn
whitney houston died from drowning?
March 22, 2012 5:48 PM - dibs
Are you asking us or telling us???
Edited at March 22, 2012 5:48 PM
March 22, 2012 5:55 PM - dibs
I love the Grand Prospect Hall ads on CNBC

"Ve make djour dreams come true."
March 22, 2012 6:00 PM - lechacal
Left work early for parent teacher conferences. The river is spectacular in the afternoon sun.
March 22, 2012 6:14 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
Marijuana, Xanax, Flexeril and Benadryl, and cocaine. Yikes. That's some kind of chemistry set Whitney was playing with. Sad.
Edited at March 22, 2012 6:14 PM
March 22, 2012 6:15 PM - Arkady
Can't wait to hear how the conferences go, lech.
Edited at March 22, 2012 6:15 PM
March 22, 2012 6:29 PM - dibs
My god 4 mangoes for $5. Me in chinatown
Edited at March 22, 2012 6:41 PM
March 22, 2012 6:48 PM - Legion
Controversial Painting:
Edited at March 22, 2012 6:48 PM
March 22, 2012 6:50 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
dumb question? i was doing some end of day filing this afternoon (shut up). actually more like getting rid of super old files and replacing them with new ones, anyway i pricked myself in the finger with a staple that had to be at least 15 years old. it wasnt rusty or anything, but it wasnt shiny either. i immediately ran to the first aid kit and doused it with peroxide, etc.. do i need a tetanus shot? i know when you step on old nails youre supposed to get a shot, but i dont know about old staples that i dont think was rusty, but it was dirty and dull and not shiney.

these two teenagers on the train were making out like MANIACS and everyone kept making grossed out faces atout them, some people literally clucking, rolling their eyes, sucking their teeth, etc... but i was watching everyone and they all kept turning back to look, pretening to read, etc.. i was like ew you old perverts lol. ill admit tho i was watching too but moreso watching everyone on the train pretending to not watch them!
the girl kept doing this weird circular motion with one of her elbows like she was winding up a baseball and throwing a pitch.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 6:50 PM
March 22, 2012 6:50 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
dumb question? i was doing some end of day filing this afternoon (shut up). actually more like getting rid of super old files and replacing them with new ones, anyway i pricked myself in the finger with a staple that had to be at least 15 years old. it wasnt rusty or anything, but it wasnt shiny either. i immediately ran to the first aid kit and doused it with peroxide, etc.. do i need a tetanus shot? i know when you step on old nails youre supposed to get a shot, but i dont know about old staples that i dont think was rusty, but it was dirty and dull and not shiney.

these two teenagers on the train were making out like MANIACS and everyone kept making grossed out faces atout them, some people literally clucking, rolling their eyes, sucking their teeth, etc... but i was watching everyone and they all kept turning back to look, pretening to read, etc.. i was like ew you old perverts lol. ill admit tho i was watching too but moreso watching everyone on the train pretending to not watch them!
the girl kept doing this weird circular motion with one of her elbows like she was winding up a baseball and throwing a pitch.

*rob*

March 22, 2012 6:55 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
the meaning of that painting is totally lost to me :-/ i must really be dumb.. can you explain? maybe cuz i cant tell what is on the floor in that painting?

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 6:55 PM
March 22, 2012 6:55 PM - Legion
If you've had a Tetanus booster shot in the past 10 years or if you've had 3 or more booster shots in the past, you probably don't need another one for a staple.
Staple punctures aren't "Tetanus prone" wounds for the most part.
Edited at March 22, 2012 6:55 PM
March 22, 2012 6:58 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
thanks, doc. i dont know if ive had a tetanus booster in the last 10 years... wait, do they give you one for dog bites? you know when duke bit me i had to get RABIES shots when i went to the emergeny room!?! i was like he totally doesn't have rabies (but he hadnt been up to date with his shot at that time...) so i got the shot and was scheduled for another one a few weeks (or months?) later. i never went back. but i did get duke up to date on his shots.

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 6:58 PM
March 22, 2012 6:58 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
thanks, doc. i dont know if ive had a tetanus booster in the last 10 years... wait, do they give you one for dog bites? you know when duke bit me i had to get RABIES shots when i went to the emergeny room!?! i was like he totally doesn't have rabies (but he hadnt been up to date with his shot at that time...) so i got the shot and was scheduled for another one a few weeks (or months?) later. i never went back. but i did get duke up to date on his shots.

*rob*

March 22, 2012 6:59 PM - Arkady
Also, if the wound bleeds you should be o.k. - it flushes out the hole - tetanus occurs when the wound is sealed up.
Edited at March 22, 2012 6:58 PM
March 22, 2012 6:59 PM - Legion
...it's a painting depicting President Obama standing on the torn Constitution as the 43 previous Presidents look on in shock and concern. James Madison is the one directly behind him, pleading for him to stop.
Edited at March 22, 2012 6:59 PM
March 22, 2012 7:00 PM - dibs
So far had duck tongue and raw geoduck
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:00 PM
March 22, 2012 7:06 PM - Legion
If you went to the ER for a dog bite you probably got a booster shot too.
Dog bites are bad but cat bites are worse because they tend to be puncture wounds.
Dog bites tend to be lacerations.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:06 PM
March 22, 2012 7:07 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
Where are you eating, DIBS?
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:07 PM
March 22, 2012 7:08 PM - Legion
Duck tongue?
Sounds tasty, I always order duck when it's on the menu cause I never make it at home.

Edited at March 22, 2012 7:08 PM
March 22, 2012 7:11 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
I'm making a fusilli pasta with leftover turkey meatballs, a couple chicken and apple sausages with a spinach, ricotta cheese and lemon zest sort of sauce and steamed brocolli on the side.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:14 PM
March 22, 2012 7:13 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
I've roasted whole duck twice, it turned out ok. I need to cook about 20 more to feel like I've mastered them.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:13 PM
March 22, 2012 7:15 PM - Legion
I hear duck roasting produces a lot of duck fat,
which is really good for frying potatoes.
ummmmmm!
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:15 PM
March 22, 2012 7:17 PM - Legion
I used to go to a Greek diner in TriBeCa often,
The Delphi.
They had THE best french fries ever, they fried them in oil that was
left over from roasted lamb.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:17 PM
March 22, 2012 7:19 PM - Legion
...stream of consciousness,
I had duck the last time I went to El Teddy's,
the classic restaurant with the statue of liberty head on the roof.
That place was like a landmark.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:19 PM
March 22, 2012 7:21 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
Yes, a LOT of fat, very much worth saving for other things.

Ooh, El Teddy's, precursor to one of the worst hangovers of my life! But it was a fun place at that time. Is it still there?
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:21 PM
March 22, 2012 7:21 PM - lechacal
6 yo daughter is normal and plays well with other and reads well.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:21 PM
March 22, 2012 7:23 PM - lechacal
Waiting to talk about 5 yo son
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:23 PM
March 22, 2012 7:24 PM - Legion
El Teddy's is no more. Not since 2006 I believe ditmasparker.
The Odeon is still there....as a tourist trap.
Last time I went the food was barely passable.

Great news lechacal. I still find myself getting nervous going to school on PTA nights believe it or not.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:24 PM
March 22, 2012 7:24 PM - Deleted
Lots of people out on their fire escapes and balconies drinking tonight.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:24 PM
March 22, 2012 7:25 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
my dog bite was a puncture wound on the top of my hand. it swolled up like a balloon! i still have the scar.

*rob*

March 22, 2012 7:25 PM - Legion
...if you get a chance,
write them a nice note and leave it in their desk. ;o)
March 22, 2012 7:26 PM - lechacal
I still have a scar on my hand from a dog fight I broke up.


Edited at March 22, 2012 7:26 PM
March 22, 2012 7:27 PM - rf
It never stops, Legion. Last time, 2 teachers told me that they loved my daughter, that I was a great mom (!!!), and a third said that she loved my daughter, that I'm a LUCKY mom. The third is the mother of a h.s. senior. Going again next week.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:26 PM
March 22, 2012 7:27 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
Lots of people out on their fire escapes and balconies drinking tonight.

i have not seen that around here yet. also it seems like that's ALL people do these days is drink and eat. sadly the numbers of moonfacey bars and restaurants just proves the point. im actually enjoying a blood orange cocktail right now myself, but i aint on no stupid fire escape (ghetto much?) or balconey (moonface much?)


*rob*

March 22, 2012 7:28 PM - rf
I used to buy half a duck, the kind that hang from a hook in the window of various Chinese restaurants and take-out places in Chinatown. I brought it home, wrapped it in 6 paper towels, and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes to get rid of a bunch of the fat.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:28 PM
March 22, 2012 7:29 PM - Deleted
Lol rob.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:29 PM
March 22, 2012 7:29 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
i'd go on my roof, we *ARE* allowed, except it's sorta frowned upon these days by the people who have the rooftop extensions and cabanas up there :-/ sometimes they put on shows up there, me and krazey went up there one night and he went over and took a hot dog (i told him that was a bad idea but he did it anyway) so i went in some cooler and took a beer (well he started it) and people gave us the stink eye. kinda snobby. i was all like ugh this band sucks anyway let's get outta here and we left.

Edited at March 22, 2012 7:29 PM
March 22, 2012 7:31 PM - Deleted
If you think about it. People with balconies. Ever use them. Maybe on the few nights a year like this. But for the most part they turn into gross outdoor storage closets.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:31 PM
March 22, 2012 7:32 PM - Deleted
Never
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:31 PM
March 22, 2012 7:32 PM - Deleted
Blood orange cocktail? Wtf is that? Sounds moonfacey.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:32 PM
March 22, 2012 7:33 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
I imagine I'll be out on my fire escape at some point, but for now just opening all the windows.

Weird Item of the Day: So...we have these air conditioners. They have remote controls. We obviously have had no reason to use them yet. Weird part: From time to time, they just go on! I think it must be the neighbors TV remote turning them on!
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:32 PM
March 22, 2012 7:34 PM - Legion
It's great hearing positive feedback from the teachers rf!
Sounds like you owe your daughter a nice dinner for those comments.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:34 PM
March 22, 2012 7:34 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
"But for the most part they turn into gross outdoor storage closets."

We (especially BH) 'lived' out on the deck 3 seasons of the year! It was like a little tree house! We had chairs and tables and plants...it was heaven!
March 22, 2012 7:37 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
i used to hang out on the fire escape in an apartment i had in new brunswick. it was fun. if i had one now i still would. in harlem (the bad harlem apartment) me and one of the roommates used to hang on the fire escape, but it was on an airshaft. anyway people started complaining and we got nasty notes on the door. WHO did we get the notes from!??!?! THE COKE DEALERS IN THE APARTMENT NEXT DOOR! apparently they didnt like us smoking in the airshaft. i mean i guess i understand that duh, but these were not the kind of people i thought should be complaining, cuz of them the damn halls smelled like a crackhouse!


quote:
Blood orange cocktail? Wtf is that? Sounds moonfacey.

a glass of blood orange - mixed berry vitamin water with a shot (or five) of the cheapest vodka you can buy is NOT moonface. it has 100% of a day's worth of vitamin c, 100% of vitamins b5, b6, and b12, and a ton of electrolytes so one doesnt wake up with any kind of hangover whatsoever; just ready and fresh and vitamined up and nutrinized ready to start a brand new day with a smile!

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 7:37 PM
March 22, 2012 7:39 PM - ij
There really aren't a lot of places that have good sidewalk seating. All the patios are in the back and I'd rather people watch.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:39 PM
March 22, 2012 7:41 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
oh yeah it's true. in park slope in particular, facades of buildings are completely ruined by balconies and the shit they put on them... children's toys, bikes, just any random shit as if it's an extra room. makes it look like a fucking third world favela. if you cant appreciate having a balcony ugh, rent it out or something?! it's obnoxious to fill it up as a storage closet. i NEVER saw that in manhattan, EVER. here in park slope? every building..
mostly new buildings, i guess i can understand as their living space indoors is so small and shittily designed i guess. dont get me started on the full length floor to ceiling glass building that i pass everyday between 4th and 5th avenue... ugh skanks, make your beds! or put up window treatments. no one wants to see that mess at eye level. it's so trashy.


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 7:41 PM
March 22, 2012 7:42 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
"a glass of blood orange - mixed berry vitamin water with a shot (or five) of the cheapest vodka you can buy"

And how many of those will you have, rob?
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:42 PM
March 22, 2012 7:46 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
And how many of those will you have, rob?

just one

*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 7:46 PM
March 22, 2012 7:46 PM - Legion
"WHO did we get the notes from!??!?! THE COKE DEALERS IN THE APARTMENT NEXT DOOR! apparently they didnt like us smoking in the airshaft. i mean i guess i understand that duh, but these were not the kind of people i thought should be complaining, cuz of them the damn halls smelled like a crackhouse! "

LOL,
did I ever tell you guys about the time a crack dealer's stash fell through the air shaft as I was doing laundry in the basement? The idiot was trying to break through the metal pipe and concrete to get it back.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:46 PM
March 22, 2012 7:48 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
crack vials are fucking ADORABLE. they switched over to balloon knots sometime in the early 2000's.

*rob*
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:48 PM
March 22, 2012 7:49 PM - Arkady
I used my balcony in the village non-stop. Plants, bbq - it was great. Only thing I stored was wood for the fireplace.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:49 PM
March 22, 2012 7:50 PM - Deleted
Haha legion. You're having many thoughts tonight
March 22, 2012 7:50 PM - Legion
"There really aren't a lot of places that have good sidewalk seating. All the patios are in the back and I'd rather people watch."

You know what I recently realized that I should have known since forever?
That people like to go to crowded beaches just to watch other people semi-naked.

Edited at March 22, 2012 7:50 PM
March 22, 2012 7:52 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
jester, people who sit on tables OUTSIDE of places hardly people watch (trust me, once i snagged someones sandwich right of their plate... well they werent AT the table, but still) they are so oblivious. they sit outside TO be seen, not to see other people. if i was ever homeless tho i will say you can easily fill your belly up good just by passing by outdoor cafes and snatching leftover food, and probably get your fair share of peoples leftover wines if you choose to be so gauche. (just dont do it around where you live. rule of thumb for every base thing one does in live, dont eat where you shit...)



*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 7:52 PM
March 22, 2012 7:54 PM - rf
Legion, my daughter gets a good dinner every night! I am making her come with me next week.
March 22, 2012 7:56 PM - Cobble B. Hiller
I saw more crack vials in Cobble Hill than I do here in Ditmas Park.
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:56 PM
March 22, 2012 7:58 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
the picture of that beach makes me want to HURL. i can smell the dysentary from all the way here in this year! guh-ROSS. like that is literally disgusting on every possible level. you know what's gonna look JUST LIKE THAT this summer in 2012? the re-opening of the mccarren park pool. except it's going to be even FILTHIER, despite the massive amounts of chlorine pumped into the pool. my skin is crawling just thinking about the cankle and beard fest.

*rob*



Edited at March 22, 2012 7:58 PM
March 22, 2012 7:58 PM - Legion
ha, it's true dh,
I don't think I've ever gone to the beach specifically to watch other people,
usually I just considered it a bonus to see some skin and tan lines.

Thumbs up if you've ever worn one of those tiny Speedos.
How does a dude become a Speedo guy?
Does he say one day in the mirror: "you know, these swim trunks aren't showing
my package enough, let me try these rubber swim thingies today"
Edited at March 22, 2012 7:58 PM
March 22, 2012 8:01 PM - Legion
"Legion, my daughter gets a good dinner every night! I am making her come with me next week."

I'm sure she does,
but you know what I mean, like a unique special occasion dinner.
With a bundt cake or something.

March 22, 2012 8:02 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
WHERE do you see crack vials, cobble? do you mean years ago, or seriously now? if you see any can you pick them up for me? i like them and would like to make a crack vial version of a Lite-Brite. but i would need a gazillion crack vials with different colored heads. honestly i dont think ive EVER seen a crack vial on the street anywhere ive lived, even in the ghetto! and im always looking at the ground when im walking around.


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 8:02 PM
March 22, 2012 8:03 PM - Legion
*rob*

That picture is from Coney Island believe it or not!

...how many people must have peed in the water on that hot, sweaty day?
March 22, 2012 8:05 PM - Legion
"honestly i dont think ive EVER seen a crack vial on the street anywhere ive lived, even in the ghetto! and im always looking at the ground when im walking around."

*rob*

...next time I do a drive-by, I'll pick some up for you. ;o)
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:05 PM
March 22, 2012 8:06 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
yeah i definitely knew it was from coney island. poor people back in the day used to go there for their vacations. my grandmother went there when she was a little girl and her older sisters abandoned her there. looking at that picture im thinking um, they probably didnt abandon you they just couldnt find you! they lived in union city NJ, youd think they could have gone to the beautiful jersey shore instead of the shithole that was coney island, ew! this was in the early 40s. were the trains even running back then?

*rob*

March 22, 2012 8:06 PM - Legion
...gotta walk the dog.
Maybe the fog will still be around. I like that.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:06 PM
March 22, 2012 8:07 PM - petebklyn
too bad. i wear speedos. but not the real tiny ones. but I don't really go to beach much. those long baggy shorts things all the guys wear these days are not for swimming .
March 22, 2012 8:26 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
so you wear granny panty versions of the speedo? :-/ that might actually be worse. when i swim im a bit of a prude and ashamed of my body so i just pretend to fall in the pool with all my clothes on and stay that way. in the ocean, well ive only gone in the ocean twice in the last 10 years and once i nearly drowned cuz i went in with all my clothes on and the last time i just went up to my knees.


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 8:26 PM
March 22, 2012 8:30 PM - Legion
...clear sky out tonight,
should be a nice, sunny day tomorrow.

I could see how a speedo would work well in the water, like that Olympian Phelps wears, or all those divers, but I'm way too modest. The most I would go for is a pair of those short swim trunks with the elastic waist band.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:30 PM
March 22, 2012 8:34 PM - petebklyn
waste of gov't money but I bet council of bishops would not through hissy fit if have to cover drug costs:
Male-pattern baldness may be caused by a protein in the scalp, according to research that raises the possibility drugs being tested by Merck & Co. (MRK) and Actelion Ltd. (ATLN) for other uses might prevent hair loss.

Bald spots had an excessive amount of a protein called prostaglandin D2 or PGD2, according to a study in Science Translational Medicine. Merck’s experimental treatment for facial flushing and Actelion’s allergy compound, both in late- stage studies, block the protein.
The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and other medical groups

Edited at March 22, 2012 8:34 PM
March 22, 2012 8:35 PM - petebklyn
not those long ones that look like biking shorts -- those are the tri-athlete guys. mine are like size of regular underwear briefs. only tighter of course.
but it is for swimming. I probably average 4 miles a week.

Edited at March 22, 2012 8:35 PM
March 22, 2012 8:39 PM - petebklyn
to be honest I don't buy real speedos just the cheaper brands. because I am cheaper.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:39 PM
March 22, 2012 8:41 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
i know the secret to not going bald, but im not gonna share it with the medical community, oh hells no. ;) my trip is one week away. im afraid :( someone share the secret of not panicking for such a (non) event like this?!


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 8:40 PM
March 22, 2012 8:41 PM - Legion
When I was a kid, I remember going on a trip to Connecticut and my dad forgot my speedos so I was forced to go in the water in my underwear.
I couldn't have been more than 5 but I was still embarassed.
That was not cool!
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:41 PM
March 22, 2012 8:43 PM - petebklyn
secret way too late for me anyway.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:43 PM
March 22, 2012 8:43 PM - Deleted
Euro trash love speedos.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:43 PM
March 22, 2012 8:45 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
and barf @ the thought of tax money going towards studies to cure baldness :-/ while aids, cancer, and canklemia have yet to find cures? baldness is not a disease or a condition (other than perhaps skin cancer on the scalp) that can cause other problems! it's a vanity issue. get a fucking hat. oh yeah but make sure you dont be wearing that stupid hat if you put up pictures on a dating website or anything.

*rob*

March 22, 2012 8:45 PM - petebklyn
I assume you are taking the dog with you.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:45 PM
March 22, 2012 8:46 PM - Legion
Don't panic *rob*
just consider yourself one of the characters in an Agatha Christie novel like the The Orient Express.
...and maybe make a short film about your trip. You want to keep a solid memory of these events.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:46 PM
March 22, 2012 8:46 PM - petebklyn
do they wear hats on dating websites? apparently you know this somehow.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:46 PM
March 22, 2012 8:47 PM - petebklyn
how about throw momma from the train?
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:47 PM
March 22, 2012 8:50 PM - rf
Rob, it will be fine.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:50 PM
March 22, 2012 8:51 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
Euro trash love speedos.

it's a very unpleasant thing to look at. i dont think most people who wear them should (and im so not a fashion / style nazi duh). i just think they are so unflattering to 99% of people who wear them, but i guess if you can wear them and not give a flying fuck well then maybe that's a mentally healthy thing. someone asked me to wear a jockstrap once, and um, i looked like a fucking retard and nearly made my ownself throw up. certain articles of clothing people.should.just.NOT.wear even if they *think* they can get away with it. it's like extremely low scooped tops on chicks with extremely large breasts, but droopy and large, etc. you know what i mean, things dont look good on everyone. i look amazing in moonboots and fur coats tho. im not gonna hate on myself TOO much.

March 22, 2012 8:51 PM - petebklyn
I would print a map out of the route....and see which towns/cities you'll travel thru. and carry with you so make sure that amtrak doesn't go off route somehow.
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:51 PM
March 22, 2012 8:54 PM - petebklyn
snappy is looking for cat sitter for same wkend- says she is going away-- she sn;t going with you, is she?
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:54 PM
March 22, 2012 8:55 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
I assume you are taking the dog with you.

no my roommate is taking care of him. he was like, um it's about fucking time youre going down there lol. he's actually going down this weekend to virginia to see his mom (have the apartment to myself. WOOT PARTY! not cuz im broke), he goes every few months, and i would take care of his dog when she was alive and whenever they went on vacation. that will be the problem if i have to find another share, someone to share the dog responsibilities with. i actually clicked on the dog button on craiglist shares recently to see how hard it would be if i have to move, and was shocked that there ARE many people out there with dogs and are willing to take in boarders who also have dogs, etc. im not going to think it's all doom and gloom at this point. i mean i found this place and it worked out GREAT for me and my dog, im sure i can find another if i have to. im an Aquarius, we are the most resourceful sign of the zodiac.

*rob*
Edited at March 22, 2012 8:55 PM
March 22, 2012 8:56 PM - petebklyn
bikinis or 2 piece swim suits are not real swim attire either.

Edited at March 22, 2012 8:56 PM
March 22, 2012 9:02 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
Don't panic *rob*
just consider yourself one of the characters in an Agatha Christie novel like the The Orient Express.

im hoping that people on the train like to play live action Clue! that would be fun. like a whodunnit type it game on the train... i just dont know how im going to wake up being nervous all night to get to penn station for the 615 train?! ill set my alarm for 2 or 3 am and take a cab there, but i wont be asleep by that time. i could just break day and not sleep but then ill miss the scenery and the partying in the aisles and the game of live action Clue. this bugs, i should have seriously picked out a better time to leave, should have just left friday night instead. grrrrr would have been better cuz it would be one less night of actually sleeping over at my grandmother's house which is a one bedroom house. the living room is hers and the bedroom is a playroom :-/ i think there is a bed in there but it's a child's bed, which is probably bigger than my couch i sleep on. but im gonna have total nightmares in there i KNOW it. i should have booked a hotel, i guess i still can when i get paid on monday. im cool with hanging out with everyone during the day but i dont wanna have to sleep there and i think ill go bonkers if i dont have my me time alone. im essentially just going to pretend this is a crash course in reality bootcamp.



*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:01 PM
March 22, 2012 9:04 PM - gay smurf hoodlum
quote:
snappy is looking for cat sitter for same wkend- says she is going away-- she sn;t going with you, is she?

no, snappi hates me.. i even gave her two puzzles. :-/ it's just coincidental she is going away the same weekend, unless im gonna wind up on a REALLY fucked up episode of intervention down there lmfao

*rob*


*rob*

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:04 PM
March 22, 2012 9:20 PM - Donatella
I wore speedos pretty much since being a teenager. I swam on a team and that was what we wore. Very nothing. 2 oz of material and no inner engineering. After a while you really can't pull that off. I don't wear them now.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:20 PM
March 22, 2012 9:20 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
I don't hate you, Rob. I luv you more than you'll ever understand/be able to grasp. I'm just a bit disgusted because I want more for you - better than what you are giving yourself. I think Dave accidentally took home those puzzles...I never got them.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:20 PM
March 22, 2012 9:21 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
And no, no intervention in the south. I'm going to see Mama Snappy. I miss my momma :-(
March 22, 2012 9:36 PM - etson
Mama Snappy does sound very cool (of not quite as cool as etson-mum, who is of course the e in etson, but probably very close ;-))
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:36 PM
March 22, 2012 9:41 PM - etson
Completely unrelated: I was messing around looking at houses in the UK (if I ever moved back what does x $ / pounds get me. Not serious or likely, just curious). I saw this ad, which is for the most strangely decorated place.
Weirdness starts on photo 6:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-21900387.html?premiumA=true

Think my favorite is photo 13 where they have spelt out "Bath" (twice) above the bath.

Edited at March 22, 2012 9:41 PM
March 22, 2012 9:43 PM - etson
Would be even funnier if they had spelt out 'bath' above a bidet or a sink but guess they weren't being ironic.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:43 PM
March 22, 2012 9:46 PM - Donatella

They sure like that slate. That is one giant slate patio. Charm free. No landscaping at all. The interior appears to be done without irony. That's not cheap either. Where is that, etson?
March 22, 2012 9:48 PM - etson
Epping, end of a tube line about 15 miles NE of London. Near a big forest and some nice countryside.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:48 PM
March 22, 2012 9:51 PM - jessibaby
Rob, your staple ended up in my salad. Almost swallowed it and from what I've seen on House, it wouldn't have been pretty.
Edited at March 22, 2012 9:51 PM
March 22, 2012 10:38 PM - lechacal
Taking a hard look at college savings tonight. Damn that shit is expensive!
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:38 PM
March 22, 2012 10:39 PM - Arkady
Love the super graphic of the Bklyn Bridge in #8!
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:39 PM
March 22, 2012 10:42 PM - Arkady
How'd the 2nd meeting go, lech?
March 22, 2012 10:51 PM - lechacal
2nd meeting was pretty much as expected. Both meetings were. 5 yo boy's teacher notes that he is one of the youngest kids in the kindergarten class, so socially he is in a different place than the others, but at the same time he's doing stuff that's several grades higher, and that combination is a potential recipe for trouble. This all sounds familiar to me. I was the youngest kid in my class even before they had me skip a grade, and I was a little shit for many years after that.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:51 PM
March 22, 2012 10:52 PM - Arkady
So how're you/they going to deal w/ it?
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:52 PM
March 22, 2012 10:58 PM - lechacal
By doing nothing at all and letting him just be a kid.
Edited at March 22, 2012 10:58 PM
March 22, 2012 11:11 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
"By doing nothing at all and letting him just be a kid."

My best friend is going through that with her oldest boy who is going on 7. He was reading fluently and writing pretty well at age 3. The boy is super genius - scary level genius for a kid that age. His math skills are better than mine. (so ashamed to admit that) She decided to do just what you plan to do - nothing. She decided not to let them skip him ahead grade-wise because she didn't want him with kids more advanced socially/emotionally. She figures it's best to keep him with kids his age so he can be a kid and not feel pressure to 'act older.' So far it's working out well for them. She figures that if, when he gets older (like early high school) if he needs to skip ahead, they'll let him do it then.
March 22, 2012 11:12 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
And because we are lacking kitty pics...
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:12 PM
March 22, 2012 11:15 PM - lechacal
Not super genius at all. Nothing superlative like that. Just doing stuff a couple of grades ahead. Not that big a deal. My wife likes to make a big deal of it, but I don't.
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:15 PM
March 22, 2012 11:18 PM - lechacal
More surprising is his quasi-English accent. It's basically a unique and temporary speech impediment.
March 22, 2012 11:20 PM - Arkady
Snaps - Comparison to your math skills is not a criterion by which to measure.
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:20 PM
March 22, 2012 11:20 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
English accent, eh? You been letting Etson babysit or somethin'?
March 22, 2012 11:21 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
ROFL Arkady! True, true. I suck at math. But the boy can do some serious division, etc. I have to think a long time for shit like that!
March 22, 2012 11:21 PM - lechacal
lol, no, he just sounds, I don't know... kind of English or something. Wait maybe I can find a video where he's talking.
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:21 PM
March 22, 2012 11:24 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
Does he say things like, "Dad, can you iron me knickers?"
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:24 PM
March 22, 2012 11:24 PM - lechacal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vycrowr8lyU&feature=context&context=C430485cVDvjVQa1PpcFPi7kuct36S0mjTOpYtgrSfmITE-2qhGxk=

OK maybe just a normal kid speech impediment and not so much English.
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:24 PM
March 22, 2012 11:28 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
Ok...that's just too damned funny! "This looks like a bad situation!" ROFL!

He just sounds like a young kid typically sounds to me. Not too English or anything.
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:28 PM
March 22, 2012 11:31 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
And, even though the claymation has serious gore (I think all the ones you've shown me have involved death by one means or another!), it's got a nice moral to the story. I for one will remember not to step in front of the R train when I'm in a hurry :-)
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:31 PM
March 22, 2012 11:31 PM - InsertSnappyNameHere
Alrighty...time to snooze. Have a good nite all!
March 22, 2012 11:43 PM - Arkady
Cute film - neat sound fx!
Edited at March 22, 2012 11:43 PM