Toadfish Monastery

Chickens are the stupidest creatures in the world when you're trying to convince them to do something.

However, when you don't want them to do something, they become the smartest creatures in the world, at least as it applies to doing that particular thing.

I'm currently looking after some budgerigars for friends, which seem verbally adept but not particularly bright for a parrot species. These ones haven't learned any human words and mostly chatter amongst themselves, but do seem to appreciate it when I whistle the song Rockin' Robin.

Last _{chicken eggs are decidedly better; budgie albumen is rubbery and weird when fried and like a jelly bean when boiled} Post

...because I'm not particularly enthused with the new King.

Any comments on the coronation? I don't have any particular ill will toward Charles, but wish we could just leave the Queen on our coins.  I didn't mind Elizabeth, who I always thought looked a bit like my gran. She'd been in the role for so long that she was synonymous with it, where Charles's previous life brings a lot of baggage to the throne. The monarchy could quietly fade into the background at this point, at least from my position in The Colonies.

I see that this time around, the public will be encouraged to swear to the King. Do you think "F*ck Chuck" is appropriate? 

Quote from: Sibling Zono (anon1mat0) on April 27, 2023, 03:12:18 PM

Quote from: Aggie on April 27, 2023, 04:57:59 AM
Sky burial has some appeal, but I'd rather not be devoured by dinosaurs. I could tolerate ravens I suppose (my corvid is improving), not keen on vultures.

Erm.. all of them are dinosaurs...
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What's wrong with vultures? Besides, they are the ones that will probably be better suited for the task.

Aye, they're all dinosaurs, but if it must be a dinosaur, let it be one with a brain in its head (and your point is relevant, I'd like to think I will leave an appealing corpse that is acceptable to a discerning palate). We have turkey vultures around here, and I'd rather be incorporated into a raven. Ravens take delight in aerial acrobatics and vocal variations, and eat all sorts of things; vultures just soar in circles trying to catch a whiff of stink, and like their meals a little on the ripe side. Ravens seem better dressed for dinner; vultures look like Skeksis, vomit in self-defence and shit on their legs to cool down. I haven't conversed with a vulture, so can't comment on their wit, but doubt they have a raven's sense of humour. Lastly, I've not heard of a band called Cathartes Aura, but I have seen Corvus Corax play live and quite enjoyed the show. 

Last _{better to be consumed by the creator and trickster than a bareheaded floating fart-sniffer} Post

Ah, Harry. I need to make some time to spend with that voice.
He did make it to a ripe old age, but time flies like an arrow for everyone...


Sky burial has some appeal, but I'd rather not be devoured by dinosaurs. I could tolerate ravens I suppose (my corvid is improving), not keen on vultures. Somehow being devoured by mammals is more appealing (the insects and annelids are inevitable in either case).  I'd be fine with my carcass being left out in the forest, and given my recreational habits there's a good chance that any premature death will be outdoors, accidental and likely alone.

Last _{there'd be interesting betting odds on which happens first: I eat a bear, or get eaten by a bear.} Post



A plain pine box in the ground would be fine, or some strategic ash-scattering, but constructing a burial mound has crossed my mind, too.

I have little hope in this game these days.  I only internet 2 - 3 times a month.

Last _{nearly 2 years without a home or mobile internet connection} Post

We had a cold snap before Christmas, but it warmed up considerably for Boxing Day. We built a massive snow fort, approximately 3 m in diameter with 1.6 m walls, a window,  a snow slide and a carved tiger's face on one exterior wall in my sister's back yard. Two children trying to have fun, and three adults in overly serious work mode.  At one point my brother-in-law actually booted the kids out of the fort because they were getting in the way.

Last _{that's the true spirit of play, eh?} Post

I've got a winter like that as of last night. A cold snap is forecast for next week (down to -15C) so I expect that the snow should last at my place for approximately the next 6 months. Haven't been snow-free across the property, especially the forested parts, until about May 1st the last two years.

Last _{loading up on used ski touring gear today. should be buying disability insurance but that's more boring...} Post

I did not get a large back up generator installed this year like I should have... I'm at the end of a power line spur and low on the priority list in case of weather-induced blackouts (wind knocking trees on the line is the biggest worry). I'm all electric for heat and our grid is largely based on hydroelectricity so energy prices shouldn't bite provided the power stays on. I may get around to wiring in a circuit for a small generator, to run at least the freezer and a small heater if necessary (it's my trade so it's a day project).  We had a multi-day outage last November which brought me close to having to drain the pipes in the house and move the freezer contents (think I put them in a cooler outside, as it was below freezing and the bears were already in bed).

I won't freeze....  I can cook, sleep and bathe to some degree in my wood-fired sauna on wheels, and the wood shed is well stocked.  I resorted to that last year during the 3rd night of the outage once the house dropped below 7 C.

I shouldn't starve either, as I will eat anything with four legs (except the table) and have even resumed shooting and eating things with two legs recently (with wings, don't worry! ).  Fishing's been good at the river just down the road from my house, but it closes for fishing next week and will ice over soon.  There's a lot of technically edible tree bark in my forest, although it's better to eat in the spring when the sap is rising.  Do need to dig and pot up some dandelion roots before the ground freezes, to force for winter greens (oh, and haven't dug all the potatoes yet - this weekend).

Last _{snow is already blanketing the mountains, better finish my outdoor chores soon} Post

Quote from: Griffin on October 07, 2022, 05:45:27 AM

Quote from: Sibling Zono (anon1mat0) on May 29, 2022, 05:03:34 PM
I'm reviving this thread because...
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I have to say that:

"That incompetent.. well, what a clever way to fully undermine your country in one fell swoop."

Not quite as clever as our new PM and Chancellor perhaps. We are almost a failed state.

** why do we say "the" Ukraine?

Well, really we should be calling it Ukraïna, I suppose.  My guess is the 'the' is a reflection of not historically recognizing it as an independent state. It's always a little weird how the English world (and many other language scapes, I assume) insists on sticking to its own names for countries that bear little resemblance to the name these places call themselves (think Japan, Korea, Germany).

As for the UK, popular culture has been suggesting you're not quite a failed salad.

My father's family fled the Ukraine shortly before the Holodomor, which is why I am Canadian. I caught up on my Ukrainian history (especially of that period) last fall before the latest invasion. This war sickens me. I will be there with my tools to help rebuild when Ukraine wins.

I'm in an isolation forest, not a cavern, but still staying pretty isolated other than work. I see friends for outside activities occasionally, but essentially do not do inside gatherings (visits with family about once a month excepted).  I've been living in my house for 20 months now, and have never invited friends over for dinner etc. A few have been there for incidental visits, but it's pretty much locked down.

After a major crisis of grief from trying to come to terms with the fact that the number of anti-vaxxers in my social circles is way higher than statistically expected based on the population at large (and having major resentment of these people), I've decided to fall into a place of sympathy with them and declare myself an 'anti-virer'.  As much as I still disagree with their choice, at least they HAVE a choice on whether or not to expose themselves to their object of horror.  I don't. I tell my anti-vax friends to imagine that any time they're in a public setting, they know there are an unknown number of agents covertly spraying aerosolised vaccine particles into the air, and if they breath in at the wrong time BOOM! they're unwillingly vaccinated.  Yeah, it's a crazy perspective, but why does everyone else get to be irrational assholes without me? My turn.

Every trip to the grocery store is still a daunting prospect, so I hoard food to stretch those visits out when needed (it's also about stocking up on sales items to beat inflation). Last January (as Omicron 1 was cresting) I stopped shopping on a whim, without any major preparations, and made it 2 months quite easily. Had to start making bread and use evaporated or powdered milk for my coffee, but that was about the worst of it (I do directly source eggs from a friend; the rest was in the cupboard or freezer).  I expect to go through another few rounds of it this winter; I've also started home brewing this year so I don't visit the liquor store much either.   

Not spending money on things is also a way of coping with mortgage anxiety; current targets are to put half of my net earnings towards the house (principle, finishing materials and savings - interest, insurance and utilities are considered 'discretionary spending' and don't count).  Essentially, this means saving a second full mortgage payment every month, and I'm generally in the ballpark.  Fortunately, rising interest rates mean that the money I'm saving is actually accumulating interest at better rates than my mortgage is, so it's better to hold cash and guaranteed term investments than to pay off the house at this point.

I'm not particularly concerned about dying or becoming gravely ill from acute covid, but I am very scared of long covid.  The contrast between all restrictions being dropped and the non-concern of the public vs the continued warnings from health experts of the dangers of repeated exposure (plus the grim state of our health care system at the moment) is giving me major cognitive dissonance.  So far I've dodged it, and I plan to keep trying to win at this game despite cratering my social life.

Still very digitally isolated with no internet at home and my good ol' flip phone, and no plans to change in the foreseeable future. I'm always too damned busy with life and never get bored to want the internet; CBC radio and the Economist are enough to keep me informed about the world, and there's always the library for a little additional information.  The environment surrounding my house is endlessly fascinating and biodiverse. I don't have much need or time for entertainment.

It's way beyond this Luddite... I have to upload videos to U-Toob to share them.  Can you do an embedded html based on that?

I do understand what you're asking, though, and have wondered about the same thing myself. Presuming I ever set up a website I'd like to post videos that were not dependent on the Googleverse to share with friends. I imagine that hosting them on your own rented server space and using your website bandwidth to play them would get expensive pretty quick??

Hmm, a smoked grape red (perhaps a Pinotage? Like dark roast coffee) sounds quite lovely, especially as a cooking wine.  Rauchbiers can be quite nice, though... and also good for culinary use.

Started dabbling with home brewing, beginning with hard apple cider last fall (which turned out well), and currently with small batches of sodas... yeast carbonated but not necessarily alcoholic. Currently working on a birch syrup soda which is quite lovely, and I might let the end of that batch ferment out to see what birch wine (primarily fructose based) tastes like. It's getting to be time to tap the trees again, so I'm using up old supply and creating some motivation for a new harvest.

Last _{I've smoked salmon in the past, but it's rather hard on the lungs.} Post

I know of at least one winery that uses sound to settle out the fines...

Last _{and describes their Zweigelt as having "notes of cannabis"} Post

Heh, I mentioned Everclear in the Last Post thread first... I've drank Everclear and orange juice during an early-morning final exam before, but certainly not at hamster levels (did OK on the exam, from what I can recall).

Quote from: Aphos on December 16, 2021, 07:25:39 PM
(A real headline - from the Economist)


Ivermectin May Help COVID-19 Patients, But Only Those With Worms

Interesting article, that one (I subscribe)....  I'd been wondering about the careful wording the CBC was using about Ivermectin and COVID in its reporting.  There was a push for a time to discourage the Ivermectin junkies, but it did sound like they were dancing around some possible effectiveness. Apparently the worms in question tend to explode in population in people treated for COVID with dexamethasone, with some associated mortality.  Ivermectin takes out the worms, and leads to better outcomes.  The article solved the mystery in the way it was being reported, and will be a good point of conversation with my local anti-vaxxer libertarian plumber.

Now, there's some indication that long covid may be an auto-immune disease, and other evidence that infection with certain parasitic worms prevent auto-immune diseases, so the best idea is to ingest some worm eggs first, then get COVID, and then take the ivermectin.