DumpsterGrackle's recent activity
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Comment on What’s something that you weren’t supposed to see/hear, but did? in ~talk
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Comment on What have you spent "too much time" trying to fix or streamline? in ~talk
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentOh wow. This just unlocked a memory of all the hours I spent manually organizing my music collection on a Windows PC in the early 2000s, only to switch to my new Mac and have iTunes completely...Oh wow. This just unlocked a memory of all the hours I spent manually organizing my music collection on a Windows PC in the early 2000s, only to switch to my new Mac and have iTunes completely disregard and rename/reclassify large swaths of it. I've rarely been that close to throwing a computer out the window.
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Comment on What long book series is worth its page count? in ~books
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentThere's also a lot of rape, and the messaging around it is off-putting and might be upsetting to survivors. I used to love these books as a teenager, and I didn't realize how problematic those...There's also a lot of rape, and the messaging around it is off-putting and might be upsetting to survivors. I used to love these books as a teenager, and I didn't realize how problematic those portrayals were for a long time. It's certainly not an issue which is unique to this series (unfortunately), but it is a factor people might want to take into account. It comes up repeatedly, as well. There's also an instance of beastiality, although I guess since it's a made-up creature it might, technically, be called something else?
But there's also a standoff with an evil chicken in book 5, which is hilarious in hindsight.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
DumpsterGrackle LinkI was a big fan of Dragonball Z as a kid, but had limited access to it. I decided to watch the rest of the series, because the little me that made a great Angelfire image gallery would be so...I was a big fan of Dragonball Z as a kid, but had limited access to it. I decided to watch the rest of the series, because the little me that made a great Angelfire image gallery would be so disappointed to find out I had the means to do so, but decided not to.
Crunchyroll is having a disagreement with my Chromecast, so I can't currently turn off the captions. I'm pretty sure this is going to burn into my TV screen.
Still, I'm having a delightful time.
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Comment on Star Trek: Section 31 | Teaser trailer in ~movies
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentHow dare you remind me of this book. I demand you bring me my breakfast of buttered scones with Moba jam and red leaf tea as recompense!How dare you remind me of this book. I demand you bring me my breakfast of buttered scones with Moba jam and red leaf tea as recompense!
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Comment on Looking for advice — extreme frustration with my dog in ~life.pets
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentWell-said. I have cared for multiple dogs through all stages of their lives. I get the frustration, as it's difficult to watch your buddy decline, and have to deal with the fallout. It can be very...Someone else mentioned that it seems like perhaps your real life stress is resulting in some of this being so irritating, and I hope you really think about that, because many of these sound relatively minor in the grand scheme of what living with an aging pet can mean. He is not a young dog anymore, his needs are different now and yours are too. You are busy with your life in a different way, doing a PhD and TAing is a large time commitment with a very large level of stress attached. Consider which of these are actual problems with the dog and which are maybe scapegoats for other things.
Well-said. I have cared for multiple dogs through all stages of their lives. I get the frustration, as it's difficult to watch your buddy decline, and have to deal with the fallout. It can be very inconvenient, especially with an anxious dog, or one who develops incontinence and other health issues. If you are lucky enough to have a dog who lives to be a teenager, they almost always do.
They are as scared and frustrated as you are when things go wrong. And they can't tell you what's going on. Wouldn't you feel anxious and seek comfort if you had arthritis and other health problems? If they're anxious already, pain and other issues will magnify it. They'll want to be comforted, but things like arthritis and pain when touched will confuse them. Sometimes, their minds start to depart in old age (just like ours do), so they do take more time on walks. Even if they're all there, they may just be in so much pain all the rest of the time that smelling things on the walk is one of the only times they're really happy and distracted from said pain.
Your dog is on a limited timeframe, and then they'll be gone forever. They need grace and patience.
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Comment on What are your cooking experiments that haven't turned out well? in ~food
DumpsterGrackle LinkNot sure if it's really an experiment in the same way, but I recently came across a recipe in a comment that used metric measurements. Instead of converting them to imperial, I decided to try...Not sure if it's really an experiment in the same way, but I recently came across a recipe in a comment that used metric measurements. Instead of converting them to imperial, I decided to try using a scale we already have.
The issue was that this scale isn't for food, and doesn't have enough decimal places to properly convert to grams. We were originally given this to weigh our cat. I guess I mostly just wanted to see if I could eyeball my ingredients well enough to bake one small cake.
Turns out, I cannot. Especially trying to bake in metric, when I've been baking in imperial all my life.
So my cake batter was very liquidy, took way longer to cook than the stated time, rose up like a souffle, burned on the top, and was generally an embarrassment. This wasn't entirely unexpected, but I just needed to truly rule out the possibility that I'm some sort of cake wizard.
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Comment on Electric cars are not the future – In cities at least, e-bikes make more cultural and consumer sense in ~transport
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentAgreed! That's why I asked for some clarification. I'm disabled and I drive, as do most of the other disabled people I know. It's a huge spectrum, and it's frustrating that articles and...Agreed! That's why I asked for some clarification. I'm disabled and I drive, as do most of the other disabled people I know. It's a huge spectrum, and it's frustrating that articles and discussions about altering infrastructure tend to either leave us out altogether, or make sweeping generalizations and ignore all the nuance. Some other comments already elucidated many of these concerns, luckily.
Maybe a better question would be, "What percentage of drivers are disabled in some way?" I'll try to find something.
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Comment on Electric cars are not the future – In cities at least, e-bikes make more cultural and consumer sense in ~transport
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentWhat's your basis for this assumption?Disabled people typically cannot drive
What's your basis for this assumption?
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Comment on Quizzle – Can you guess the word in fewer than twenty questions? in ~games
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentHow strange. I asked, "Is it kept as a pet?" and got a thumbs down.How strange. I asked, "Is it kept as a pet?" and got a thumbs down.
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Comment on I used to love Marvel. Now it feels like homework in ~tv
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentThat shift put me off, too, when it persisted. It's like the tone of everything started to blend together. I get that they were merging all the storylines, but part of the fun of that is seeing...That shift put me off, too, when it persisted. It's like the tone of everything started to blend together. I get that they were merging all the storylines, but part of the fun of that is seeing the interactions between serious and light-hearted characters. Those moments can have great humor and chemistry precisely because of the clash, but now that everyone feels like they're more or less in line with the tone of Guardians, it's not as interesting. It's frustrating that the more serious characters seem to have lost their gravitas, even in their own movies. The balance of humor is off.
It's great to have a lot of content to choose from, and the series still have different styles. It just feels like the characters are falling flat, or doing too many little forced, uncharacteristic things.
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Comment on What game mechanic or boss could you just not overcome? in ~games
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentI'm not alone! I adore the Zelda games, but the bosses (and some of the other enemies, to be honest) in the 3D ones really spike my anxiety. I think I must get too invested, coupled with the...I'm not alone! I adore the Zelda games, but the bosses (and some of the other enemies, to be honest) in the 3D ones really spike my anxiety. I think I must get too invested, coupled with the reasons you mentioned. I loved the concept of Majora's Mask, but that constant time limit was no bueno.
I do much better with turn-based games.
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Comment on After two decades the dominance of Google Search comes into question in ~tech
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentIt is a little disappointing, isn't it? I've been able to successfully migrate my bookmarks for many, many years, and I dread to think how many of them are dead links. I lost a knitting pattern...Consequently, the old adage of "nothing is ever deleted from the internet" is also not really true anymore, as this content consolidation has accelerated. Occasionally I remember something I saw on the web 20 years ago, finding it now is often impossible.
It is a little disappointing, isn't it? I've been able to successfully migrate my bookmarks for many, many years, and I dread to think how many of them are dead links. I lost a knitting pattern that had three slight variations on three different websites, all of which are now defunct. I'm pretty sure I can find it again with the archive or a new search, but it was a little disconcerting that my redundancy (which seemed like overkill at the time) wasn't enough.
I've actually started printing out recipes I really love. It feels like a step backward, but does save me from scrolling the gauntlet of the SEO life story before the actual instructions. I suppose paper backups will help protect me from the Cylon hordes, too. That doesn't help with miscellanea I don't know I'll want to reference again in the future, though.
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Comment on What’s a value that you hold but also struggle to live up to? in ~talk
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentI know what you mean. There have been a number of times I've fought through this anxiety and pushed back, and it's never gone well. I've spent more time on thorough debunkings than I did on some...I know what you mean. There have been a number of times I've fought through this anxiety and pushed back, and it's never gone well. I've spent more time on thorough debunkings than I did on some of my college classes. I've taken great pains to remain civil, measured, compassionate... which is already far more consideration than the other parties have shown to me. Even just asking for something as simple as refraining from using racial epithets in my presence has been met with vitriol, condescension, hand-waving dismissal, or other defensive reactions. Some truly impressive relationship implosions have resulted, but I doubt I changed their minds.
At this point, I can't be bothered to write further theses for even those I care about most. Distancing to protect myself is the best I can do. I can't control their reactions, so removing myself is the only recourse. Maybe something I said will eventually sink in, but I either won't be in their lives to find out, or I won't be having further conversations on the subject with them at all.
These confrontations have not helped my anxiety, but they have given me the "gifts" of several bigoted manifestos, numerous conspiracy-laden emails, and one racist PowerPoint. The absurdity of that last one almost makes up for the heartache.
Not everyone can confront things in the same way. Your distance may be more effective than you think, too. Sometimes, a fight is what they're looking for, so denying them the attention is also a tactic.
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Comment on Texas woman injured after hawk drops snake on her in ~news
DumpsterGrackle LinkAll of the characters in this story are extremely tenacious. The snake, the hawk, and the woman. I don't know who to root for. I'm surprised the hawk went after a human to get the snake back, but...All of the characters in this story are extremely tenacious. The snake, the hawk, and the woman. I don't know who to root for. I'm surprised the hawk went after a human to get the snake back, but I'm guessing the drought has made food scarce. I've had a few snake drops in my yard, but I never imagined it could 1) land directly on me, and 2) not be the most alarming thing to happen that day, or even that minute. I hope someone offers her some designer glasses with a snake and hawk theme.
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Comment on Do you look up words while reading a novel? in ~books
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentUntil embarrassingly recently, I thought "capricious" was akin to greed or cruelty. It's possible I confused it with "avarice," but I'm pretty sure I just misinterpreted the context in which I...That did lead to some problems. Like, for example, knowing that chrysoprase was a type of colour, but not quite being sure what colour it was.
Until embarrassingly recently, I thought "capricious" was akin to greed or cruelty. It's possible I confused it with "avarice," but I'm pretty sure I just misinterpreted the context in which I first read it. My brain refuses to update to the actual definition.
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Comment on Three Cheers for Tildes (Android version) is open for alpha testing on the Google Play Store in ~tildes
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentNo, no... I've watched a lot of Top Gear. Let them go first.No, no... I've watched a lot of Top Gear. Let them go first.
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Comment on Futurama Season 8 Episode 1 discussion in ~tv
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentI haven't watched The Simpsons in a while, but I'm pretty sure they do some stuff with President Trump, so I'm guessing Futurama will stick with Nixon's head when it comes to political lampooning....I haven't watched The Simpsons in a while, but I'm pretty sure they do some stuff with President Trump, so I'm guessing Futurama will stick with Nixon's head when it comes to political lampooning. I agree that I'd rather not have direct stand-ins. To your point about relatable politicians, I guess they'd have to go with Bush Jr. to preserve that same time gap, but that feels odd, too. Or maybe I just feel old after reading your comment, haha.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
DumpsterGrackle Link ParentIt's like pulling that "bank error in your favor" card in Monopoly. Maybe they'll just be pleasantly confused. Who doesn't like a surprise windfall? I had a minor panic a while back that I...- Exemplary
It's like pulling that "bank error in your favor" card in Monopoly. Maybe they'll just be pleasantly confused. Who doesn't like a surprise windfall?
I had a minor panic a while back that I might've accidentally labeled a comment as "malicious," only to find out I'd forgotten the meaning of a few other stripe colors for comments. I'm sure I will butt-label someone at some point while putting my phone in my pocket.
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Comment on Why did you select your username for Tildes? in ~tildes
DumpsterGrackle LinkRusty, you giblet-head, it's already 110 in the summer, and if it gets one degree hotter, I'm gonna kick your ass! Dumpster Grackles have it all. Tenacity, beauty, vocals, rage, discarded french...DaleRusty, you giblet-head, it's already 110 in the summer, and if it gets one degree hotter, I'm gonna kick your ass!Dumpster Grackles have it all. Tenacity, beauty, vocals, rage, discarded french fries, a regular colon, a will to survive that would inspire Beyonce... what's not to love?
This is a light-hearted one. Or, at least, it ends positively. I was having some pretty severe anxiety, so I decided to go for a brisk walk around the park. It was already dark, so this wasn't the smartest move.
However, the potential peril in the park turned out to be... me. An adult, working out at an unorthodox time. I ran across a group of teenagers who were clearly smoking pot in one of the more secluded areas. They awkwardly greeted me as I passed, and then made a totally normal and not at all paranoid move for the exit. I continued on my circuit of the walking path, and happened to catch up to them while they were carefully, nonchalantly getting into their car.
I told them I wasn't a narc, and they didn't have to worry. One said, "Ok... have a good night..." in a standard human way.
The whole thing just tickled me, and caused much of my anxiety to dissipate... like a puff of smoke.