Monday Evening Open Thread

 

Good evening, Balkers.  It's been a bloody awful day here, cold and pouring rain, and I've spent most of it wrapped in a blanket and panicking over Xmas.  We're starting week 2 of lockdown and no shopping can be done until after the 21st, when lockdown is scheduled to be lifted.  I'm already waiting for packages I have ordered online to get here, and am worried about whether they will arrive in time.

On that anxious note, what's the worst present you ever gave?  I mean, you might not have meant it to be the worst, but it just worked out that way?  I have several examples I can cite for your edification:

(a) I gave a very nice cheese board to someone who had just found out he was lactose intolerant.

(b) I gave my friend Betty and her husband a Kodak instamatic camera as a wedding present, so they would be able to have instant memories.  Six months later digital photography was all the rage and that sucker was obsolete with a capital O.

(c) The worst present I ever gave was, oddly enough, also the most successful by far.  My friend M was getting married under dubious circumstances - i.e. to keep her boyfriend in the country - and what hung unspoken in the air was the very likely prospect of an amiable divorce a couple of years down the line.  I got them a pair of matching coffee mugs that read IF YOU CAN'T EAT IT, DRINK IT, OR FUCK IT, THROW IT AWAY.  I freely acknowledge that this was in the worst possible taste but I knew it would appeal to the happy couple's sense of humour and the mugs were really intended as a joke.  What I did not expect was that the bride was absolutely over the moon with the gift.  I died a little inside as she excitedly showed them to her mother.  I died a little more as she made sure they were prominently displayed along with the rest of the wedding presents.  And when the not unexpected divorce came to be, the bride got custody of the mugs.  As far as I know she has them still.

So what was the worst you gave?  Or you got?  Let me know in the comments.

Let the Battle Begin!

 Welcome to today’s installment of Parley Vous Mondays.

Wikipedia defines a parley as thus: A parley (from French: parler - “to speak”) refers to a discussion or conference, especially one designed to end an argument or hostilities between two groups of people.

And vous means you! Yes, you.

What a mad delusion. Living in that confusion. Frustration and doubt. Can you ever live without the game?

 

Monday Morning OT

Good (for a Monday) Morning, Balkers! Hope all is well as can be expected in your parts of the world. Let the conversation about, you know, whatever, flow. Radio on.

Can't Catch Me! OT

 

I'm feeling very ready for December. I'm sitting here with my eggnog, I've rounded up anything still out from Halloween and I've got a box of candy canes ready to be hung on the tree. I think I can embrace the weirdness of virtual holiday gatherings and appreciate not having to go anywhere in the snow.

I think I'm going to try to make a gingerbread house from scratch this year. I've made kits, and graham cracker houses with the kids at school, but I've never tried baking one myself. Has anyone done this? Any suggestions? Or eggless royal icing recipes? I'd rather not get salmonella if I eat the house.

Still not sick of the holiday tunes yet: https://somafm.com/ 

How is the weekend winding down for everyone? Got a favourite version of "Baby, it's Cold Outside"?

Or maybe you hate this song. 

"The Thing That Wouldn't Leave" - Saturday Night Live 03/25/78 - Host Christopher Lee - Musical Guest Meat Loaf

 

Soy un perdedor. Things are going to change. I can feel it.

 

Life is so strange, when you don't know. How can you tell where you're going to? You can't be sure of any situation. Something could change and then you won't know...

Who Needs an OT? Nobody, That's Who

The Photo Gallery

 

It’s your weekly Photo Gallery! Come on in, take a look at what people have been up to over the past week and share some of your own photos.

They don’t need to be taken with a fancy camera or works of art. Share any SFW photos you’ve taken with even the poorest of potatoes. Of course we love to see that arty stuff too.

Darth Vader has died

 

The original Darth Vader has died. Actor and bodybuilder Dave Prowse has passed away, aged 85. 

In Honor of #TinyDesk Trending This Week

But not because of any of these great artists

Black Thought – Tiny Desk Concert

 

Alicia Keys – Tiny Desk Concert

Erykah – Tiny Desk Concert

Lizzo – Tiny Desk Concert

Mumu Fresh featuring Black Thought and DJ Dummy – Tiny Desk Concert

But instead because of a tiny man who shrank the office even as he continues to try to wreak havoc

Also, y’all.  Even if your family member begs you  to during a pandemic, do not try to move the furniture around because they injured themselves slightly during a holiday weekend because they weren’t doing the strengthening exercises for the rest of their limbs that you suggested because nobody is getting enough exercise because we’re all indoors other than the Essential Workers who aren’t being paid essential wages corresponding to their essential work, or the 1%-ers well-enough-to-do to have one of those IMO rather occult-looking Lululemon Mirror Trainers on one of their walls. Because if you do try to move that furniture, you will inevitably drop something on your foot that you were moving that wasn’t supposed to be on the floor in the first place, and not only will it hurt, but you will have to wonder if you broke it until the doctors (who also deserve a holiday more than anyone else) get back in their offices.

 

So there’s all that.

 

How is your Aura today?

Simply glowing I hope? It's International Aura Awareness Day. Also National French Toast Day and Red Planet Day. Mix a drink and settle down. 

Friday Evening Open Thread

 Hullo, how was your Thanksgiving? (if you celebrate) It's my favorite holiday. I cooked for myself and then went to dinner today at my friend's house.  

Me and the kitties are doing fine. Blanco wasn't eating & threw up, but he's all better now after a vet check with supportive care. My poor boy was low on Monday. Glad to see him better!

I've got two terrier mixes for the week, wish me luck :) 

Featured Animal of the Week

 In an attempt to be a better balker and because of the fact that I really like this platform so much more than kinja, I am introducing an occasional (maybe weekly) feature called featured animal of the week where I will outline one great animal and their accomplishments.  Today's featured animal is Baba the Cat who is featured on Smithsonian magazines website. Baba is the narrator of Paul Kondounaris's book "A Cat's Tale: A Journey through Feline History" which can be found as an ebook here and probably a nice gift for your local balker.  Baba narrates this walk through history and demonstrates his sartorial flourish through his historical costuming. Baba shows us all the historians and travelers can come from humble beginnings (a local shelter) and achieve great heights.  This sweeping view of history starts in prehistory and ancient Egypt, continuing through Asia cat migration, the Roman Empire, the Age of Navigation and ends in our present day. Baba should truly be considered among the greats.  Like he's the Mary Beard of cats. Or maybe Mary Beard is the Baba of Humans. 

An excerpt:

Those of you who see us as meek little creatures shall find that notion dispelled in no uncertain terms within these pages. I will introduce you to cats who have not just traveled the globe, but traveled all the way into space (so much for not letting the cat out, eh?); others who have stood fast during the world’s great conflicts, choosing sides among the armies of man, and earning for themselves medals of valor; and still other cats whose exploits garnered great adulation. Why, in honor of Trim, who sailed the Seven Seas in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and is remembered as the world’s most famous maritime cat, there have beenerected four statues. How many of even the most heroic humans can match that?

Koudounaris, Dr. Paul; Cat, Baba the. A Cat's Tale (p. xvi). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition. 

 

Fur Face Friday

 Hello and welcome to Fur Face Friday! I, leahaven, will be your host for the day. This is my first Backtalk Village post so if there's some wonky formatting, my apologies. I do hope you hang in there for the cute!

In case you're new here, favorites are chosen by one of the Snout Selectors (facw, k2b, Hannibal, leahaven, and Iroqdemic), entirely on our own whimsy. WHIMSY! However, in the interest of solidarity, we try to select one dog picture and one cat picture (minimum!) each week. Other pets will also, of course, be considered. We love all your rats, bunnies, ferrets, and other furry, feathery, and finny pals. WE WILL NEVER DISCRIMINATE AGAINST CUTE.

Friday Morning Open Thread

What was I thinking not taking today off? It's cold and dark and rainy and I don't wanna. 

I know k2b's with me.  What about the rest of you? Anyone smart enough to take the day off. Or even crazier, actually like their job?

Thursday Evening OT(urkey)

 Sooooo; I posted the Thursday evening post on GroupThink by mistake! What a turkey!

Blaurgh!Talk

Who's up for a good Blaurgh session? I'm sure we all have something to complain about. Unless Cheetolini has gone on a rampage, pushed the red button, and I'm sending this into a nuked void. Anyway, begin the mighty fussing!

It America's Thanksgiving But Just a Thursday Morning Open Thread For Some Of You

 

It is 2020, so this maybe the year the Turkeys fight back. Just be on the look out.

Hey Hey It's Wednesday

I think I'm getting the hang of all this shheduling stuff (famous last words). How is everyone? Our US friends recovered from turkey day yet? With no T-Day in Oz, we go right from Halloween to Xmas decorations (in stores at least), so our turkeys are fairly safe down here. They can relax with the soothing sounds of nature all around them. Anyone else feeling relaxed? Or attempting to be?

That's a wrap! AC12 is almost back

 

Season six of Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty has finished filming. No broadcast dates yet, but it is in the frame for 2021. Filming was interrupted by the lockdown in March and they had to reschedule and replan the remaining production. Filming picked up again in August and finished yesterday in Northern Ireland.

Auntie Beeb have marked the occasion with a few pics of Kelly Macdonald as DCI Joanne Davidson. 

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

 Good morning, lovelies. How is your week?

 

Mine has had serious ups and downs so far.  I don't even know.

So who's got big plans tomorrow? Not me, that's for sure.

Tues Eve Open Thread

Is this Tuesday evening? My entire attempts at shhheduling things have been Tuesday'd (can't say Kinja'd anymore), no matter what happens. Let's hope I get this right. If not, let the owls get me.

Tuesday Haiku

One leaf falls, enlightenment!

Another leaf falls,

Swept away by the wind...

-Hattori Ransetsu

Two Days Til Thanks Be Given

 

Good morning! I hope everyone has made safe plans for your Thanksgiving feasts later this week. 

Monday Evening Open Thread

 

Greetings, my peeps.  What with American Thanksgiving looming and Xmas not far behind, it is the time of year when mrsfinch turns into mrsgrinch.  I am not a fan of the Festive Spirit that possesses so many others.  I loathe Hallmark Xmas movies and I only like the depressing Xmas carols.  That said, it's a big week for American Balkers - what are your plans? Are you getting time off? Are you hosting a feast or feasting a host? Do you ever reflect on how Canadian Thanksgiving is possibly better timed, being held good and early on the second weekend of October? 

Let me know your plans for the Festive Season, and all other plots and plans, in the comments.  No festivity here, we're under lockdown for the next 28 days, which means that I will once again be doing the Xmas shopping on Dec 24th, but this year I will have an excuse for it.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!

 

Today seemed like as good a time as any to launch a new weekly feature. I’ve been kicking around this idea for a while. Since we’ve settled into our new home quite comfortably, now I think we’re ready for some new content. 

Introducing: Parley Vous? Mondays

Monday Morninging

Welcome to Monday, where we Monday our hearts out. I should be settling into a quiet week of just me and the cats, all quiet and peaceful-like. May your week have as decent a beginning.

Sunday Evening OT

 Let me see if I can figure this blog thingy out...

This is basically what things look like out my window right now. Winter has arrived! (For now anyway.) I embraced it and listened to some folk and indie Christmas/ winter playlists on youtube. I think my goal is to be sick of xmas music well before the 24th.

We're back in a lockdown tomorrow, just in time to crush holiday shopping for small, independent businesses. Amazon, however, continues to suck up all the money in the world at a frightening rate. If at all possible, if anyone is buying anything in the next little bit, let's try to keep it in our local shops. My little neighbourhood has had a lot of construction too, so the small businesses here have already been struggling. The different levels of government are promising more relief for people in the areas with lockdowns, so I just hope the $ actually goes to workers and small places that have to close, not corporations with well-paid CEOs who can weather the shutdown better.

The rest of my eveing involves a puzzle, a movie, maybe making a pot pie and doing another hour of work to be ready to teach tomorrow. I'm not going to get all that done, am I? What are you all up to this evening?

Sunday Morning Open Thread

Not ready to face the day. Certainly not ready for the upcoming week.

How about you?

The Photo Gallery

It’s your weekly Photo Gallery! Come on in, take a look at what people have been up to over the past week and share some of your own photos.

They don’t need to be taken with a fancy camera or works of art. Share any SFW photos you’ve taken with even the poorest of potatoes. Of course we love to see that arty stuff too.

Camping with Owl

 

Get ready for an overdose of the cutes. There are a few videos, tweets and instagrams out there. Check them out!

It Can Happen Here

Brewing for the last 40 years at least. Now it is all starting to boil over. 

 

This is one of the most important threads I'll write.

Trumpism is fascism.

We are in a full-blown crisis. We must recognize we're dealing with a religious death cult and warring over reality itself.

Here's what I discovered writing AMERICAN RULE.

1/https://t.co/84HbGzJKwe

— Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) September 26, 2020

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1309895500200579073.html 

Fifty Days To Leave the White House and Other Weekend Whimsy OT

 

Because truly -- dude gotta go.   

The rest of the G20 was meeting to figure out what to do about, you know, the COVID--19 and the vaccine, like normal world leaders.  

But this clown?

BREAKING: The United States has just surpassed 12 million coronavirus cases, and trump skipped the G-20 virtual event on pandemic preparedness to go golfing.

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) November 21, 2020

Also, we will still not have any healthcare unless Moscow Mitch McTreason is defanged as majority leader.  And for THAT to happen, we have to help get Rev Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff elected to the U.S. Senate from GA.

(You knew I was going to say it.  It’s true, though.)

One of the reasons Republicans loathe AOC is because she connects the dots for constituents that they would rather we not connect – making CLEAR the relationship between their literal budget allocations for the purchase & tax exemptions of their own YACHTS, and the fact that the rest of the country lacks universal healthcare in the middle of a global pandemic

Also, Amber Ruffin says

You do NOT have to be nice to that racist uncle

 PRINCE – FUNK MACHINE – FULL ALBUM

How you do in this weekend run-up before the T-giving holiday …?

How to Post on Blogger and Embed Tweets

This purpose of this guide is to provide detailed steps for the following authoring actions:

• Create a post.
• Embed a tweet.
• Add a jump break for long posts.
• Add a tweet in a Disqus comment.

Saturday Stuffing

 

https://youtu.be/deSPDfdVSxo?t=3

Get stuffed! It's National Stuffing Day in some quarters. So get out that pack of Paxo and plump up some poultry. Why is Paxo called Paxo? Not quite sure, but butcher John Crampton from Eccles, Manchester concocted the herby breadcrumb mix as an extra for customers in 1901 when chicken was still a luxury meat. Come the Fifties, popularity began to snowball.

Of course, this time of year you need a big bird.

It is also Gingerbread Cookie Day, World Television Day, Red Mitten Day, Adoption Day, Pumpkin Pie Day, Guinness World Record Day, Alascattlo Day, False Confession Day, International Games Day and others.

You might need to indulge in some time travel to check these out.

Odd stuff!

Tomorrow is the day for mixing mincemeat to use in pies, puddings and tarts.

#OnThisDay 1978: Miss Piggy was in town and her mind was very much set on Mr Parkinson. Poor Kermit! pic.twitter.com/57Auidvns7

— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) November 20, 2020

Pretty sure that Frank Oz later reminded Parky that he had been making love to his left arm.

Beyonce is ladling the love for the December Vogue. Her gear is inspired by Welsh lovespoons, the colour of cottages at St Fagans Museum, and fabrics on display. Last year I could say "Amgueddfa", this year it has gone.

A hero of the Resistance.

Jan Morris dies. Obituary.

Translating the cat's meow! 

I can tell them that Tiddly has more than 13 ways to say feed me.

And as for this chap ...

You could get philosophical about this.

Not just mice then ...  

Sack o' Bats.

Dozy Dormouse gets stuck.

The World of Pygmy Sea Horses.

Shiver me timbers, lover. It's Blackbeard.

There is a tv version of this, but I'm not sure it travels so well.

Barak Obama talks to David Olusoga. 

Obama takeaways.

Radio 4's Book At Bedtime will be serialising Obama's memoir in December and it will be available online after broadcast. It usually comes in 15 minute chunks.

Some years back, the buzz word was "imperial overstretch", broadly the idea that empires had a finite life expectancy, hence the end of the Roman, Ottoman and British empires, to name a few, and part of the forward projection was about America reaching that tipping point, if it could be averted, and so on. Wondering if that deserves a relook?

So what do recent years tell us about America? 

Hidden figure behind GPS.

In Scotland there is no sympathy for Margaret Ferrier, MP after her Covid flit to London and back.

#OnthisDay 1985: Glyn Worsnip caught up with the “pictorial poet” Norman Thelwell to chat about his career as a cartoonist. pic.twitter.com/8NAV0oKlPN

— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) November 20, 2020

Just in case you were wondering ...

Last week I asked who was the swish chick knocking down a baddy henchman? No guesses, no answers given, no points awarded. It was, of course, tennis champ Jamie Sommers as played by Lindsay Wagner in the tv series The Bionic Woman. Jamie's dog was Maximillian the Bionic Dog, commonly known as Max. I don't think she had a cat. 

The image was from the comic version as drawn for Look-In by John Bolton before he went on to Night-Raven, Hulk, Kull, Black Dragon, X-Men, Books of Magic, Man-Bat, et al. They had a bit of a bionic overload in Look-In for what felt like an eternity. There was a Six Million Dollar Man feature upfront and then The Bionic Woman later on. The two eventually combined as Bionic Action. Simple days!

This week, who voiced Teller in the Penn & Teller episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?

Over to you folks!

Not the Friday Evening Open Thread Thread

 I can see with special powers that Periwinkle has a post scheduled, but it's still in draft mode, and it's not my place to publish it. But since it's getting late and maybe she is tied up, here's a calming video of a ferocious pup for your Friday evening zen/decompression. It's been a long week...

Pals, mummy and Granny say you is spoiling me rotten. Thank to everyone for your love 💕 support and comments. Please know you don’t need to send me anything. You love and friendship is enough. 💕😘 Here is some of my pup antics. ( excuse the Christmas movie in the background) pic.twitter.com/Dhve9dkZ49

— Petunia Mae 🐑 & Daisy Mae 🌈 🐷 (@daisymae31806) November 13, 2020

Fur Face Friday!

Welcome to the first Backtalk Village edition of Fur Face Friday. I'm Hannibal, your host for this week. 

Snacktastic's Frankie in a rare moment of stillness.

Friday Morning Open Thread

This is very 2020 meta - but in a charming way. 

omg

— Schitt's Creek (@SchittsCreek) November 14, 2020

So happy Friday, I guess. Because still 2020.

Thursday Evening Open Thread

 

It's Thursday evening again! Let's hope the scheduling thingy works.

Blaurgh!Talk

Welcome! For any newcomers to our little Backtalk Village, this is our regular Thursday purge of any particular gripes, grievances, and general grousings we want to get off our chest. Anything from stubbed toes to the state of the world is fair game for our fusspottery. Dive in and have a good growl!

Thursday Morning Open Thread!

 

So far I think the first week here has gone smooth, considering the door behind us didn't just close but got boarded up and now has a no trespassing sign.  

So for today in history.

• 1620 the Pilgrims spotted Cape Cod.  
• 1863 Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address
• 1897 London had the Great City Fire
• 1969 Apollo 12 lands of the Moon
• 1985 Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time.
• 1990 Milli Vanilli have their Grammys taken away after it's revealed they didn't sing for their album.
• 1996 US House of Representatives begin the impeachment of Bill Clinton.

Found a version of the Gettysburg Address on youtube if anybody needs a refresher. 

Have a great one everyone.

Evening OT, Wednesday-Style

Welcome all! Hopefully by the time this post appears, the movers will have arrived and gone, I'll be reunited with husband and The Tonk Patrol, and poor Pigmon won't be staring wistfully at a barren ground floor. If not, I'll fuss mightily about it below. Did everyone's hump day go well?

Welcome to Wednesday!

Well, hello. Let's see if I can make this work. I think I have this set to publish so the early risers on the East Coast of the US see it. We'll see. 

I'm just now realizing that I can no longer star an image to make it bigger, so I probably need to make adjustments to how I find images. 

How is everyone adjusting to our new home? I like many things about it. Though it will take some getting used to. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4KqUxfCnXY

In real life, I am supposed to be going back to work today. However, in typical work fashion, they still have fucked up my VPN access that they've had two months to arrange and it won't be ready until next week. Next week is a better week to go back anyway. But still. Typical of them to leave me hanging.

What are everyone else's plans for this week?