1. Soccer* could be vastly improved by stealing from hockey the radical concept of a third period. These 90-minute affairs are 45 minutes too short.
2. Hockey could be vastly improved by stealing from soccer the radical concept of a World Cup.
*We are no long shamed by calling “football” “soccer” after reading this explanation on Slate. This is such a relief because otherwise the next month would be a confusing mess of saying “football” while feeling like an affected loser or saying “soccer” while feeling like some kind of world-class moron.
Hockey has the Olympics and people care about that. Soccer’s in the Olympics and nobody gives a monkey’s.
Hockey could be vastly improved with singing like in footie and rugby, I think.
Soccer is vastly improved when played 5-a-side, in hatchbacks and with a 10-foot tall ball.
I love teasing the soccer-heads in my office come World Cup time. Someone asked me if I was following the World Cup and I said that I had just finished watching the Stanley Cup playoffs and it is hard to transition from a sport where something actually happens to soccer so quickly.
I can NOT wait for North Korea – Brazil tomorrow. It’s gonna be a shellacking. I also really, really, really want to see how the North Korean media covers the tourney. Will they show all 5 minutes of quality play from their side? Will they tell everyone Kim Jong-Il had a double hat trick and was benched at half-time in the name of good sportsmanship?
You can taste the tumbleweeds in here.
Yeah, but the hockey World Cup was SOOOOO much better than Olympic hockey! I don’t care about non-hockey fans caring; all that matters is that hockey fans loved the World Cup and more importantly, I loved the World Cup! :D
Morgan, soccer’s no hockey, but I gotta say, the Stanley Cup Finals is no World Cup.
And speaking of which, time to go back on radio silence!
I feel like a lot of the appeal of the World Cup, for me, is that there are so many teams from such diverse places playing. There’s so much more competition and competitive balance in soccer.
If you had 32 hockey teams in a tournament you’d wind up with games like Mexico vs. Canada and, well, I don’t think anyone really needs to see that. Besides, while the Olympic hockey is hit and miss, this past year brought us some really fantastic games.
Great Britain could finally make a hockey tournament for the first time since the 1930s or whenever.
Oh man, I love the World Cup. So much fun.
We went down to the pub on Saturday morning for the game. It was total chaos, in a good way. Probably 200 people, standing room only. We were drunk by 10:00 am. There was a sizeable England crowd to keep it interesting. They were loud and proud, but when the US scored to tie the game it was ear-splitting.
That’s about when I was drunk too! I didn’t get to the pub until 1:00 though. I was at my best friend’s little sister’s lacrosse state finals (they lost), and a helping heaping of vodka got me over the fact I had no idea what was going on.
That’s about when I was drunk too! I didn’t get to the pub until 1:00 though.
Hey, as long as you made it eventually! I’m sorry Tim, but I forgot, where are you?…I’m assuming back east, since hardly anyone out here in CA has ever heard of lacrosse.
and a helping heaping of vodka got me over the fact I had no idea what was going on.
That is one thing vodka is good at. Wiping the slate clean.
There was a sizeable England crowd to keep it interesting. They were loud and proud, but when the US scored to tie the game it was ear-splitting.
That sounds like a blast! I should have gone over to the Londoner for that game. That’s where all the local soccer fans go for the regular seasons.
If you had 32 hockey teams in a tournament you’d wind up with games like Mexico vs. Canada and, well, I don’t think anyone really needs to see that.
Hee! That would rock! Seriously, though, the number of teams they had in ’96 was perfect and the results were awesome!
Also awesome? Team Italy is as dashing and as dive-y as last time around!
And… back to radio silence!
I can’t get into this whole World Cup thing. My entire sports quota of my brain has been used up by hockey.
I am ready for a summer of garden and farm talk.
Hello? Anyone? Anyone?
I am ready for a summer of garden and farm talk.
Hello? Anyone? Anyone?
I’ve barely been able to pay any attention to the garden this summer. Too busy finishing up the flooring, along with getting ready for this baby. Not enough time to go around!
I’m just hoping the garden takes care of itself.
Just throw some seeds out there, andrew, I’m sure it will be fine.
(I wish it were that easy.)
We’re getting close to the wire on this baby thing, aren’t we? Early July due date? Or am I confused?
I am shocked, SHOCKED, at how little you all are drooling over Rooney and Crouch.
Hello? Anyone? Anyone?
I think the -Ookies are deep in spoiler avoidance mode. Uh . . . my aloe plant is still alive several years on. That’s totally fascinating right? Yeah, I don’t have much to contribute on the gardening front.
I don’t have much to contribute on the gardening front.
Me neither. Only that I’m glad I planted the mint in a separate pot, because it is growing out the wazoo. It would probably be killing all my other herbs if it wasn’t in solitary confinement.
And strawberries. I’m growing strawberries.
it is growing out the wazoo.
I think there’s a cream for that.
I have no gardening news, as I don’t garden. My mom does and she’s got loads though, just none are edible. There’s an infestation of rhubarb around our mailbox if anyone wants to drive up to CT to get some.
My bro-in-law loves rhubarb. Very difficult to find here in Texas.
And yes, mint should always be kept in solitary confinement. It takes over everything otherwise.
I don’t garden but I love hearing about other people’s gardens and enjoying the bounty from them.
Mmmm rhubarb. I do love me some rhubarb. Mum’s got rhubarb plants, but they’re kind of pathetic. The blackberry, raspberry, and currant bushes on the other hand, they’re epic. Last year she made it all into jam, and ended up running out of space in the pantry. She gave lots of it away as presents, but somehow missed me *sniffle*
I’m going to be super sad when they move back to North America sometime in the next year (or the year after that, depends on what Big Corp wants) and Mummers’ garden moves beyond my reach.
I don’t have much to contribute on the gardening front.
Me neither. I have a tomato plant and a pepper plant in a pot. The front garden is being taken over by the hollyhocks. Those things are insane.
Blackcurrant makes the best jam ever, as well as being the best candy flavour.
The blackberry, raspberry, and currant bushes on the other hand, they’re epic.
My jealously is also epic. I love red currant jelly/jam so much.
Last year she made it all into jam, and ended up running out of space in the pantry. She gave lots of it away as presents, but somehow missed me *sniffle*
I might have to give up speaking to my mother if she did that. Although this reminds me that I need to put in a request for new jams. The ones she made me last summer are all gone and she needs to be forewarned that when she comes to NYC to help me move in August I expect a new supply.
Sounds like I need to make some jams/jellies this summer to go to that next level of motherly duties. :P
Myra, don’t forget that you need to make MASSIVE quantities in order to satisfy the demand. Because seriously, even if it’s kinda crap, homemade jam is always popular.
Me, I’m going to make strawberry pepper jelly.
If I can find jars…
Just throw some seeds out there, andrew, I’m sure it will be fine.
(I wish it were that easy.)
Me too! I actually have a full two beds worth growing right now. One is all lettuce, but the season is just about over. The other has the usual suspects: Tomatoes, various peppers, basil, cucumber, zucchini, etc. I am starting to learn that Thai (lemon) basil is pretty much a weed. It keeps coming back every year on it’s own.
We’re getting close to the wire on this baby thing, aren’t we? Early July due date? Or am I confused?
Yep, we are there. July 7th is the due date. So, really any day now. It’s pretty crazy, but good. Tracie’s doing good. She’s at home, enjoying her 4 weeks on disability. We’ve just been watching movies and getting prepped. Good news is that the heat really just kicked in over the past 2 weeks, so we were spared from an early summer.
my aloe plant is still alive several years on. That’s totally fascinating right?
That’s nothing to scoff at Meg. I’ve never been able to keep a cactus going. Tough plants, my ass.
Hey, everyone! I have been in a mix of spoiler avoidance and having an outrageous amount of stupid work to do. WORK! At work!!! What will they think of next?
I’m so glad to see talk of gardening here, though! ::Happy sigh:: I can’t wait for the day that our berry brambles are prolific enough to generate jam. That all sounds DELISH, and if anyone’s mom wants to send me some homemade jam, I will not say no. Heh.
And andrew, it’s time for your garden to learn to fend for itself! It can’t expect to get to be a constant drain of your attention forever. Pretty soon it isn’t going to be the youngest, cutest member of the household — it’s time it learned that! :D
Our garden’s doing great. We’ve been eating peas and garlic scapes the last few weeks, and our tomatoes are growing like gangbusters. Onions and potatoes are, presumably, growing large underground. The soup beans are all sprouted and motoring along, and the pepper plants seem robust, albeit young. Let’s see… and half of our raspberries seem not to have made it through the winter, but the other half are getting fruity, as are our blackberries, after they looked suspiciously fruitless last summer. We’ve got about 10 blueberries (berries, not bushes) ripening along, and our gooseberry has finally, after a few years, sprouted some fruit. And that’s my story. That, and I managed to kill my potted mint plant. That requires significant skill, right? :P
it’s time for your garden to learn to fend for itself!i>
I know! Same with the yard, and the floors, and the dishes, and the cars, and….
Oh hey Ookies, my supervisor made our baby a little quilt! I thought you guys would get a kick out of this: It has all kinds of patterns on the front, but the back is a solid fabric of little hockey players. How funny is that? Someone also got him a little SJ Sharks onesie. I gotta get pictures of this stuff, it’s hilarious.
That, and I managed to kill my potted mint plant. That requires significant skill, right? :P
Holy shit, that is pretty impressive. I thought that kind of plant killing skill was only to be found in my wife.
True fact: by definition, berries can only contain one seed that must be on the inside. Raspberries, strawberries and blackberries are all “droopsacks”, which is one of the most depressing words in the dictionary.
Looks like I’m out of practice with my tags. It’s been a while!
That is SO CUTE that your supervisor made a little hockey quilt for [name of baby (we'd agreed on Schnookie, right?) here]! And that he’s already accoutered for the hockey season! It’s good to know he’s hitting the ground running.
I know! Same with the yard, and the floors, and the dishes, and the cars, and….
:^:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: This is why I can never have kids. I just have too much other shit to do. :P
I thought that kind of plant killing skill was only to be found in my wife.
Heh. It was particularly depressing to discover the dead mint, because the rest of our garden is prolifically lush. So I was all, “It’s MOJITO time! WOOOOOOOOO!” ::walks into garden, looks at pot where mint is supposed to be:: “Or not.”
if anyone’s mom wants to send me some homemade jam
I shall bring you some when you are here in July :)
I managed to kill my potted mint plant. That requires significant skill, right?
Wow. WOW. W-O-W. I bow before thee, plant killer.
My eucalyptus is dead. It just got up and shrivelled to a pathetic facsimile of it’s former glorious self over the course of April and May. Which isn’t interesting at all, except that it was named for Braydon Coburn.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!!!
Yeah!!!
Thank you all, I needed those garden reports.
And andrew, sounds like your garden is doing quite well with little supervision.
Oh and right about now, you need to be giving Tracie lots of foot rubs. It will gain you points for later. I assure you!
I can’t believe baby is almost here! EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Tim, dude, since when are you the pedantor?
“It’s MOJITO time! WOOOOOOOOO!” ::walks into garden, looks at pot where mint is supposed to be:: “Or not.”
That’s the saddest music I’ve ever heard.
I shall bring you some when you are here in July :)
WOO HOO! I’m planning already to bring some salty licorice back for a friend of ours (who failed to try the stuff Boomer brought back in April, before we threw it out), so I’ll need something delicious to balance that out. Heh.
It just got up and shrivelled to a pathetic facsimile of it’s former glorious self over the course of April and May. Which isn’t interesting at all, except that it was named for Braydon Coburn.
:^:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andrew, forgive me if you’ve already told us this, but is it a boy or a girl? Or a surprise?
Tim, dude, since when are you the pedantor?
Stephen Fry has filled my brain full of useless crap thanks to the television perfection that is QI. I hear the Dutch have their own version too, so that’s nice.
My eucalyptus is dead. It just got up and shrivelled to a pathetic facsimile of it’s former glorious self over the course of April and May. Which isn’t interesting at all, except that it was named for Braydon Coburn.
This is bad news for your upstart koala farm.
This is bad news for your upstart koala farm.
:^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: It’s probably better for it to have died now, when it’s still in “infrastructure development” stage, then after the herd of koala have moved in.
Hello, my name is Myra and I am a plant killer.
The family gardening gene from both sides of my family, completely skipped me.
Schnookie, you have to bring the right kind of licorice. Not the icky Scandinavian stuff. I vote for Dubbelzoutjes. They’re suitable for vegans! And they’ll burn a hole in your tongue :D
And they’ll burn a hole in your tongue
Hm… I’m not sure that’s a good thing… :P
The family gardening gene from both sides of my family, completely skipped me.
I don’t think there is a gardening gene in my family. Our father was a terrible, albeit enthusiastic, greenhouse gardener, and our grandparents on both sides were generally inclined to avoid the outdoors entirely. Up until moving into stately IPB Manor, I was the same way, so maybe it’s less that you don’t have the genes and more that you just haven’t found your garden yet? :D
I hear the Dutch have their own version too, so that’s nice.
It sucks. It’s much less funny when it isn’t Stephen Fry telling me things, and Alan Davies getting things wrong (possibly on purpose).
This is bad news for your upstart koala farm.
It’s probably better for it to have died now, when it’s still in “infrastructure development” stage, then after the herd of koala have moved in.
:^:::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I am slain. As dead as I would be if I wear a plant in Myra’s care.
so maybe it’s less that you don’t have the genes and more that you just haven’t found your garden yet? :D
I like your thinking there, Schnookie! One of the jobs that Dave just applied for is in East Texas where supposedly you can grow anything. Hmmm.
I do hate to try and do anything here because the soil is nasty clay and incredibly difficult to dig in.
It sucks. It’s much less funny when it isn’t Stephen Fry telling me things, and Alan Davies getting things wrong (possibly on purpose).
Triest!
One of the jobs that Dave just applied for is in East Texas where supposedly you can grow anything. Hmmm.
Well, there’s a silver lining if this is The One, and you have to move! (I know you don’t want to move, but hey… the promise of a kick-ass garden would help, right? :D)
And the soil in our yard is really heavy and clay-y, too. That’s why you have to put in raised beds!
And that he’s already accoutered for the hockey season! It’s good to know he’s hitting the ground running.
I know. It’s too funny. Give me a day or two to get some pictures and I’ll post them for you guys.
Andrew, forgive me if you’ve already told us this, but is it a boy or a girl? Or a surprise?
We’re having a boy! We haven’t picked a name yet, but we’ve narrowed it down. He’ll either be named Dylan or (plug your ears, Ookies) Alex.
And in the unlikely event that the ultrasound lied (which we have seen happen to friends and family), we will likely name her Lauren, or possibly Audrey.
This is bad news for your upstart koala farm.
Tim, you ever see Mitch Hedberg? “My apartment is infested with koala bears. Its the cutest infestation ever. Much better than cockroaches. I turn the lights on and a bunch of koala bears scatter. I’m like, come back! I want to hold one of you, and feed you a leaf. “
Oh and a report on our new veggie of the week plan. This last week was eggplant and my sister made a mousska(?) using zuchini and eggplant. We had all zuchini of course but not everyone had had eggplant. Anyway, Gracie ate every last bite of hers. I thought for sure she would pick around the eggplant and zuchini! It was really good.
This week is Swiss Chard.
I do hate to try and do anything here because the soil is nasty clay and incredibly difficult to dig in.
Hydroponics? Hydroponics makes great veg, I spent a week or so in South Africa working on a hyroponics farm. You will, however, run the risk of having your lettuce “deflate”.
Mitch Hedberg was a comic genius, R.I.P.
andrew, all of those baby names you and Tracy picked are wonderful. (I’m partial to Alex & Audrey, myself.)
Myra, can you let me know how the adventures in chard go? I see a ton of leafy greens at the farmers market and they look good, but I am at a loss on not only what to do with them, but also on how they taste.
This week is Swiss Chard.
Mmmm…we buy swiss chard every week at the market. Love the stuff. I like to saute a big batch of it in a little bacon fat with some pine nuts and dried cranberries. Add a little salt and pepper…wonderful!
He’ll either be named Dylan or (plug your ears, Ookies) Alex.
Darn, I was really hope for Lemuel.
I think those are wonderful names, andrew! I can’t vouch for Dylan, but I’ve known a number of Alexes in my life, all of whom are delightful people (that guy with the Caps doesn’t count). :D (I know that my input was the most important for you. Who would EVER name their baby without my signing off on the name???)
Myra, that’s an ambitious approach to a new veggie! Grace is way ahead of me, then, on the eggplant front. Swiss Chard, though, I love. We’ve got a pound of it in the fridge from the farm — I like to saute up some thinly-sliced waxy potatoes in a lot of olive oil until they’re brown, then add some chopped garlic (or scapes), then some roughly chopped chard (and salt and pepper to taste), wilt the chard down, and toss it with pasta. Mmmm… We’re having that this Thursday night, and frankly, I can’t wait.
Mitch Hedberg was a comic genius, R.I.P.
One of my all time favorites.
andrew, all of those baby names you and Tracy picked are wonderful.
Thank you, Amy!
Andrew, those sound like great names! (Ookies, if all else fails, you could totally call Andrew!Baby “Sasha”. That’s what we call one of our Alexes [there are 3] on the hockey team. Apparently that’s a perfectly acceptable substitute for Alex)
This week is Swiss Chard.
True story: I’ve never had Swiss chard. It’s been one of those veggies I’d love to try, but I have no idea where to procure some. I hope the plan works out!
a little bacon fat with some pine nuts and dried cranberries.
Bacon fat makes anything taste good! I like the idea of adding dried cranberries.
Well, the boss is back so I guess I better actually get some work done.
Well, the boss is back so I guess I better actually get some work done.
During Brazil – North Korea? Nonsense!
Darn, I was really hope for Lemuel.
Sorry Myra! Maybe we can work something out for number two.
I think those are wonderful names, andrew!
Thanks! We like ‘em.
I can’t vouch for Dylan
I’ve only known one, myself, which is one of the reasons I like it. It’s a fairly common name, but no one has it. Like girls named Jane. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever met a girl named Jane.
My aunt’s named Jane.
Andrew, just, whatever you do, do not name the kid any variation of Margaret. Especially not Margaretha. You will be damning the poor child to a lifetime of having their name misspelled and mispronounced. Also, Helena is not an acceptable alternative for Helen. People will always forget the “a” at the end.
Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.
Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever met a girl named Jane.
I have. She was a BITCH.
It’s a fairly common name, but no one has it.
That’s a good point. A friend of mine named his kids (now 12 and 10 years old) Peter and Sara. At first I thought, “Wow, those are totally unoriginal names,” but then he pointed out that while everyone knows tons of Peters and Sara(h)s, there sure as hell weren’t going to be any in his kids’ classes at school. (I have, actually, known a surprising number of Janes. All of them at least a decade or two older than me, but still.)
But I’m sure I haven’t met Tim’s aunt, and I’m also sure she’s a lovely person called Jane.
During Brazil – North Korea? Nonsense!
I can’t believe it’s still 0-0.
Andrew, those sound like great names!
Thank you Mags!
Bacon fat makes anything taste good!
Is there anything bacon can’t do?
Is there anything bacon can’t do?
Touch me. Not if it doesn’t want to be blown into the next dimension anyway. Eeeeeeeew.
(That was your bleeding-heart-vegetarian moment for the day. Please continue on your way as if it hadn’t taken place)
ACK!!!! SPOILER! SPOILER! I’M GOING AWAY NOW! SEE YOU ALL AFTER I’M DONE WATCHING THE GAMES!!!
Finally! We’ve got rid of her!
but then he pointed out that while everyone knows tons of Peters and Sara(h)s, there sure as hell weren’t going to be any in his kids’ classes at school.
Exactly. I think that some day my kid will thank me that I didn’t name him something crazy. And Peter was on my list! Although it almost didn’t make it strictly because of Forsberg.
And I looked at the top 50 of the decade (or something of that sort)….seems like every boys name ends in some form of -aden. Jayden, Braden, Aiden, Caden (seriously).
ACK!!!! SPOILER! SPOILER! I’M GOING AWAY NOW! SEE YOU ALL AFTER I’M DONE WATCHING THE GAMES!!!
Shit. I blew it on that one! Sorry Schnookie, come back!
Although the only spoiler coming from that game is how many goals Brazil will eventually score.
I am very cautiously coming back here, but you’re all on notice! :P
And Peter was on my list! Although it almost didn’t make it strictly because of Forsberg.
::Shudder:: I think that’s a wise move on your part.
As for the -aden names, I have a ridiculously disproportionate hatred of the name Jaden. Like, it just makes my brain explode. I can’t deal with that name at all. I don’t even know why, but I have to share that. (I hope I haven’t just offended anyone. Heh.)
I can’t vouch for Dylan
I’ve only known one, myself, which is one of the reasons I like it. It’s a fairly common name, but no one has it.
I have a cousin named Dylan and he’s a pleasant and successful human being (which I would not say about all my cousins so I’m not only being biased toward family members). I think it’s a nice name.
Touch me. Not if it doesn’t want to be blown into the next dimension anyway. Eeeeeeeew.
:o
As for the -aden names, I have a ridiculously disproportionate hatred of the name Jaden.
Moi aussi.
Also, Tyler. Hate Tyler.
And Pierre. But you don’t get that much in the English speaking world, so it’s ok. If I’d been a boy, I’d've been called Martin Hugo Pierre. One of the reasons I’m glad I’m girl.
Now that this is a spoiler-free zone I can drop in to say, I really like the names you guys have picked, andrew! I might, out of habit, call him dylan or alex instead of Dylan or Alex. :D
Speaking of spoilers, I made a little sign for my name tag at work that says, “Please do not tell me World Cup scores”. One of my favorite customers had a nice little conversation about it with me and then said, “I’m having computer issues. If you don’t fix them for me right now, I’ll tell you the scores from this morning!” Hee!
I would like you all to know that I just ordered a PS3, so that I may waste my summer more effectively than ever before.
I am very cautiously coming back here, but you’re all on notice!
Sorry! I’ll be better I swear!
Not a big fan of the -aden names either. I have a nephew and a neice named Jaden and Jayden, respectively.
Also, Tyler. Hate Tyler.
Funny, that was Tracie’s first choice for a boy’s name. I don’t like it, so we skipped past it.
Regarding Sasha, a family friend who’s little girl is named Sarah Ashley uses it as a nickname.
I think that some day my kid will thank me that I didn’t name him something crazy.
I’ve gotten sucked into the crazy that is Toddlers & Tiaras, and all of the little girls have some horrible name that makes you wonder if Mom & Dad were playing scrabble in the labor & delivery room. It may work when the child is five, but when they’re a grownup, they may regret it.
I might, out of habit, call him dylan or alex instead of Dylan or Alex. :D
Okay, now that is funny! Thanks Pookie.
I would like you all to know that I just ordered a PS3, so that I may waste my summer more effectively than ever before
Woo! You go Mags! I would say prepare to battle, but alas, I’ve got an xbobx. You’ll have to play online with Frisby.
I would like you all to know that I just ordered a PS3, so that I may waste my summer more effectively than ever before.
Huzzah! PS3s are good fun, especially with Littlebigplanet 2 coming this year. Hubba hubba.
I hate the name Hunter with the passion of a thousand Trekkies.
It may work when the child is five, but when they’re a grownup, they may regret it.
Based on the ten seconds of previews I’ve seen from that show, that’s not all they’re going to regret.
If I’d been a boy, I’d’ve been called Martin Hugo Pierre.
If you were a boy named Martin Hugo Pierre I think you’d be virtually required to go everywhere in pastel polo shirts and Sperry Top-Siders. It’s would be the only way to live up to that level of fussiness.
If I’d been a boy, I’d’ve been called Martin Hugo Pierre.
If you were a boy named Martin Hugo Pierre I think you’d be virtually required to go everywhere in pastel polo shirts and Sperry Top-Siders. It’s would be the only way to live up to that level of fussiness.
You would have caused a worldwide beret shortage.
Frisby has PS3 too? I thought I was the only one here.
Based on the ten seconds of previews I’ve seen from that show, that’s not all they’re going to regret.
:^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
If you were a boy named Martin Hugo Pierre I think you’d be virtually required to go everywhere in pastel polo shirts and Sperry Top-Siders. It’s would be the only way to live up to that level of fussiness.
You would have caused a worldwide beret shortage.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can just see poor alternate-universe boy Mags, spending his entire adulthood in therapy with the Toddlers & Tiaras set.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can just see poor alternate-universe boy Mags, spending his entire adulthood in
therapy with the Toddlers & Tiaras setParisian cafes smoking gitanes and pissing off everyone by disussing Moliere non-stop.Margaretha
Is that what Mags is short for? I like it, but can see where people might get tripped up.
Based on the ten seconds of previews I’ve seen from that show, that’s not all they’re going to regret.
Word. That’s some scary television.
If you were a boy named Martin Hugo Pierre I think you’d be virtually required to go everywhere in pastel polo shirts and Sperry Top-Siders.
You have no idea just how closely you’re describing everyone I knew (and despised) in school.
You would have caused a worldwide beret shortage.
Do that anyway.
Frisby has PS3 too? I thought I was the only one here.
Yup, Frisby has one too. You two are welcome to kick my ass at whatever. I’m not a very good gamer, but I love doing it regardless.
Frisby has PS3 too? I thought I was the only one here.
Yeah. I think it’s just you two. But there may be a few more out there.
:^:::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Y’all crack me up :D I’m now almost sorry MHP doesn’t exist! Perhaps I should invest in some sperry top-siders and head to Paris. The smoking might be an issue, but not as much as Moliere. I know jack shit about Moliere.
Amy, yes it is. And I can’t remember anyone getting it right on the first go.
You have no idea just how closely you’re describing everyone I knew (and despised) in school.
Awww…and also that doesn’t really surprise me.
I know jack shit about Moliere.
I know that Richard Wilbur (a poet I like) has translated a bunch of his plays. I’m not sure if that counts as knowing something about Moliere though.
I know that Richard Wilbur (a poet I like) has translated a bunch of his plays. I’m not sure if that counts as knowing something about Moliere though.
Wilbur gets the credit, but Mr. Ed did most of the legwork there.
Ahwwww baby andrew names.
I was almost called Veronica Kelly. *Shudder* I would have been a Mean Girl that got impregnated by the captain of the football team.
alix is much better.
HAHAHAHAHAHA! alix, that was a narrow escape!
It really was! Haha
spending his entire adulthood in (…) Parisian cafes smoking gitanes and pissing off everyone by disussing Moliere non-stop.
Wait, is there anything wrong with that?? :P
And Molière isn’t nearly elitist enough to be snob about it. We study Molière in secondary school, so everyone “read” it here. If you really want to be an obnoxious snob, discuss Sartre or Foucault! :)
Look at Grrrreg, with his hifalutin’ French edamacation! :P
Ahaha, on the other hand I know nothing of Shakespeare! :P
Seems fair then, to know nothing of Moliere, since I know a thing or two about Shakespeare. And Foucault. He was in my History of Scientific Thought (which would more accurately have been titled: An In Depth Look At What The Philosophers Were Smoking)
I’ve just caught a mouse under a teacup. Then I sat on the floor for a while, wondering whether I was the March Hare or the Mad Hatter in this equation.
And Molière isn’t nearly elitist enough to be snob about it.
I was trying to think of another dull French playwright from the 17th-18th century whose name begins with an M, but couldn’t remember. So there you go.
I’ve just caught a mouse under a teacup. Then I sat on the floor for a while, wondering whether I was the March Hare or the Mad Hatter in this equation.
You should feed that to Schroedinger’s cat.
Four years of tertiary education has been made all worth it, now that I’ve made a Schroedinger’s cat joke on a hockey blog.
You should feed that to Schroedinger’s cat.
I could. Or I could not.
Speaking of Shakespeare, I was so annoyed this weekend. We were playing Taboo with friends, and I was teamed up with the most literate guy I know. I had the word “bottom” so I said, “the donkey in Midsummer Night’s Dream” and he had no idea what I was talking about! Gah! But, he made up for it later with this awesome exchange:
Me: [gets the card for Tomas Edison] He’s from New Jersey.
Paul: Joe Piscapo!
Me: But smarter.
Paul: Thomas Edison!
Heh. When praised for figuring it out with just the “but smarter”, Paul responded, “Well, it could only be one answer”.
I could. Or I could not.
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I think with Taboo sometimes you have to be in the right mode.
And Foucault. He was in my History of Scientific Thought (which would more accurately have been titled: An In Depth Look At What The Philosophers Were Smoking)
I too had to learn about Foucault. I can’t remember for what class though. The nice thing about Foucault though is that he’s so easy to understand compared to Derrida (who made me want to cry). I wound up being kind of fond of Foucault just for not being completely unintelligible.
Stephen Fry’s the only philosopher for me:
“We live, they say, in The Information Age, yet almost none of the information we think we possess is true. Eskimos do not rub noses. The rickshaw was invented by an American. Joan of Arc was not French. Lenin was not Russian. The world is not solid, it is made of empty space and energy, and neither haggis, whisky, porridge, clan tartans or kilts are Scottish. So we stand, silent, on a peak in Darien a vast, rolling, teeming, untrodden territory before us. QI country. Whatever is interesting we are interested in. Whatever is not interesting, we are even more interested in. Everything is interesting if looked at in the right way. At one extreme, QI is serious, intensely scientific, deeply mystical; at the other it is hilarious, silly and frothy enough to please the most indolent couch-potato.”
Stephen Fry says Lenin wasn’t Russian? That’s pretty interesting. Certainly, he was born in European Russia the former Simbirsk is western bank of the Volga, it’s now named Ulanovsk after him. His father was a Great-Russian although there was a Tartar ancestor somwhere in there – but his father was clearly a Russian and considered one – not a Tartar. It’s his mother who may not have been Russian – however, she was probably a German Protestant, however, the children were thought of as Russian and the father became a hereditary nobleman.
If they had not been regarded as Russians (through their father), the oldest son would have had much more trouble getting into university – Lenin did have trouble but that because of his older brother – who tried to assassinate the Tsar.
According to the Tsarist government, he was “ethnically mixed” and therefor, not truly Russian.
It’s totally pedantic, but hey.
Hmmm…if he had wanted to pick someone who ran that country who wasn’t Russian, Stalin would have been a more obvious choice. He really wasn’t Russian…but liked to pretend he was.
Quite. *swirls brandy snifter, lights pipe and relaxes back in wing-ear chair*
This discussion is precisely why I love this place so much. :D
All I can remember from my one Philosophy class in college was that the professor had the most overgrown curly uni-brow I have ever seen all of my 47 years. I still remember it quite vividly curling all around his glasses. It was really quite interesting in a grossly disgusting kind of way.
Hmm. Maybe that is why it’s the only thing I can remember from the class.
(I made a B, I believe, but I have absolutely no idea how.)
I made a B, I believe, but I have absolutely no idea how
Do any of us truly know how we received our Bs? Do we even have Bs? If they come, shall they leave? From whence do we receive them? Is its honey still sweet if it’s lost its ‘ee’s? Do you think your professor was just trying to copy Nietzsche’s mustache with his monobrow? These are the questions we must ask if we truly want to understand the universe.
I had a philosophy major as a roommate two years ago. It was a living hell.
Quite. *swirls brandy snifter, lights pipe and relaxes back in wing-ear chair*
You guys are much to sophisticated for me. It’s all I can do to keep myself from flinging poo all over the place.
You guys are much to sophisticated for me. It’s all I can do to keep myself from flinging poo all over the place.
I store my poo in my brandy snifter.
I’m glad you’re here to keep the place from getting ridiculously overeducated, andrew :)
My Philo (proper philo, not the history of science class) teacher was a bouncy 27YO who’s only just got his PhD. He had the whitest blonde hair I’ve ever seen. He was so enthusiastic that we all had a hard time feigning disinterest.
I have a cousin who was a philosophy major. He mostly used it to justify being mean to his (admittedly somewhat crazy) mother. And who ever said that philosophy wasn’t a practical course of study?
If they come, shall they leave?
All I know is that if you build it, they will come. No one said anything about leaving.
All I know is that if you build it, they will come. No one said anything about leaving.
A fate worse than a fate worse than death: the never-ending baseball game.
All I know is that if you build it, they will come. No one said anything about leaving.
A fate worse than a fate worse than death: the never-ending baseball game.
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I got nothin’. I’ve just turned my house upside down in search of my camera cable. I unearthed 2 old iPods, 3 phone chargers for phones I haven’t owned in at least 2 years and a whole other whack of stuff I didn’t know I had. And no camera cable. And that’s my story.
Oh, and if anyone has any clever ideas as to what I’m going to do with the poor mouse that is still trapped under my teacup, I’d love to hear them.
I store my poo in my brandy snifter.
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All I can contribute to the philosophy discussion is this joke a friend told me ages ago:
Descartes goes into a bar. The bartender says, “The usual?” Descartes says, “I think not!” and disappears.
Oh, and if anyone has any clever ideas as to what I’m going to do with the poor mouse that is still trapped under my teacup, I’d love to hear them.
Slide a postcard underneath the cup and release him outside. If not, dissect and stuff it, like Beatrix Potter used to do.
Slide a postcard underneath the cup and release him outside.
This. But not directly outside because he’ll just head right back in. You need to carry him a little way.
I’m glad you’re here to keep the place from getting ridiculously overeducated, andrew :)
It’s what I do. I’m the person to come to for a quaint and sophisticated discussion about violent movies and beer.
I store my poo in my brandy snifter.
Indeed.
This. But not directly outside because he’ll just head right back in. You need to carry him a little way.
The neighbour’s mail-slot should be a sufficient distance.
dissect and stuff it, like Beatrix Potter used to do.
Nah, I don’t really wanna be a taxidermist. I don’t want to stuff animals with sand.
Right-o, I’m off for a walk with my cup and a birthday card. That’ll be a sight for the neighbours.
All I know is that if you build it, they will come. No one said anything about leaving.
In order to get them to leave, you need to plant the cornfield, too. Otherwise, they never go.
The neighbour’s mail-slot should be a sufficient distance.
You are very devious! I like it. Unforch, I really like my neighbours and wouldn’t do that to them. I went to the little park near our house and dropped it off there. Bye mouseling!
In order to get them to leave, you need to plant the cornfield, too. Otherwise, they never go.
That went straight over my head. What?
That went straight over my head. What?
Field of Dreams.
Field of Dreams.
Ah! Gotcha.
I just love World Cup so much and the way it unites the world. Well, minus America and Canada maybe ;)