USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

I've never figured out why some photos will post and others won't.

 

[Montrovant]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

Hey Montro. You haven't been around as much since you became a working man which is understandable. Missed you. How is the job going?

It's going pretty well. I got moved from book shipping, which I started doing, to quality check on things like business cards and posters. I'm working a bit less than I did in the first couple of weeks, but I'm still going a bit over 40 hours a week. I wish the pay was better, but for now I'm OK with it. I'm keeping my eye out for other positions and have still put a few applications in to places, but this job is only a 10 minute drive away at most, so I need to find something significantly better if I'm going to potentially have a longer commute.

My car has been giving me problems lately. The body control module is going bad, which means all my secondary electronics have been wonky. I ordered a new one and am going to try just putting it in myself with the friend I live with. He found some information which indicates we can do it, where I was under the impression there was some sort of specialized equipment needed to program it. That may only be the case with a used unit, though, so when I get the one I ordered we'll see if we can pull off the top of my dash and replace the failing one. Hopefully that works, but there's a shop nearby that said they would put it in for under $100 if I need to go that route.

Work has given me even less to talk about than usual, and I'm not all that chatty to begin with. I do still browse the thread and read the posts, though.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

In my world, Yes... Animated movies are the future I am afraid... Movies have come along way since

I have not caught on to animated movies yet... I have seen most of the old Walt Disney movies but none of the new animated stuff...

I may just be having one of my

moments...

 

[Foxfyre]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

In my world, Yes... Animated movies are the future I am afraid... Movies have come along way since

I have not caught on to animated movies yet... I have seen most of the old Walt Disney movies but none of the new animated stuff...

I may just be having one of my

moments...

Some of them are quite good. Disney's "Polar Express" for instance is all animated but you kind of forget that it is because it is so well done. However, it is almost all story and not that much in the way of character development so the animated people didn't bother me.

Disney's new version of "Cinderella" was a fantastic, brilliantly done mix of real people and animation, seamlessly produced and directed into a nearly flawless film. You literally forget what is human actors, animals, and what is animation.

But I think as a culture, we lose something profoundly special by becoming all animation and special effects. I lose myself in the artistry of great actors who literally become the characters in the roles they play, and how masterfully they are able to allow us to feel joy, grief, excitement, competitiveness, anger, despair. No animation can do that with the same effectiveness.

 

[Montrovant]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

In my world, Yes... Animated movies are the future I am afraid... Movies have come along way since

I have not caught on to animated movies yet... I have seen most of the old Walt Disney movies but none of the new animated stuff...

I may just be having one of my

moments...

Some of them are quite good. Disney's "Polar Express" for instance is all animated but you kind of forget that it is because it is so well done. However, it is almost all story and not that much in the way of character development so the animated people didn't bother me.

Disney's new version of "Cinderella" was a fantastic, brilliantly done mix of real people and animation, seamlessly produced and directed into a nearly flawless film. You literally forget what is human actors, animals, and what is animation.

But I think as a culture, we lose something profoundly special by becoming all animation and special effects. I lose myself in the artistry of great actors who literally become the characters in the roles they play, and how masterfully they are able to allow us to feel joy, grief, excitement, competitiveness, anger, despair. No animation can do that with the same effectiveness.

I think that animations for kids today do a much, much better job of making the movies also appealing to adults than was done in the past. The Pixar movies are very good at it, but plenty of others have been able to mix the sorts of silly humor kids want with adult references. There's also a good deal of money in it, and some of the A-list actors they get for voice talent do a really good job. I haven't seen any animated movies recently that were geared specifically toward adults.

 

[Foxfyre]

 

[blackhawk]

 

[saveliberty]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

Hey Montro. You haven't been around as much since you became a working man which is understandable. Missed you. How is the job going?

It's going pretty well. I got moved from book shipping, which I started doing, to quality check on things like business cards and posters. I'm working a bit less than I did in the first couple of weeks, but I'm still going a bit over 40 hours a week. I wish the pay was better, but for now I'm OK with it. I'm keeping my eye out for other positions and have still put a few applications in to places, but this job is only a 10 minute drive away at most, so I need to find something significantly better if I'm going to potentially have a longer commute.

My car has been giving me problems lately. The body control module is going bad, which means all my secondary electronics have been wonky. I ordered a new one and am going to try just putting it in myself with the friend I live with. He found some information which indicates we can do it, where I was under the impression there was some sort of specialized equipment needed to program it. That may only be the case with a used unit, though, so when I get the one I ordered we'll see if we can pull off the top of my dash and replace the failing one. Hopefully that works, but there's a shop nearby that said they would put it in for under $100 if I need to go that route.

Work has given me even less to talk about than usual, and I'm not all that chatty to begin with. I do still browse the thread and read the posts, though.

New job in real life and moved from poster to stalker on the board. Overachiever....

 

[beautress]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

That reminds me of our first weekend at Fort Richardson in territorial Alaska when I was about 8 years old. The base had a large area where nothing grew but clover and the (now) state flower, Forget-me-nots. My mother made a tiara out of the clover and put it on her head, then showed me how to make one. You just pick the clover, and an inch from the bottom of the stem, use a fingernail to make a long hole. You put the next cut clover through the loop, pull it till the flower covers the hole, rinse, repeat, until you have enough to make a small floral crown for yourself. That was the sweetest-smelling jewelry, too, because those clovers up there near Anchorage are sweet and wonderful smelling. Those forget-me-nots, though made wonderful small nosegays to put in water when we got home. Oh, and that day was so long, mother looked at her watch and noticed it wasn't 4:30 in the afternoon, it was 10 pm. It was astonishing to all of us that it was long past bedtime, but we got used to it just about the time school started and days were light and nights were dark. Sometime, the night truly overtook the daylight, and we had to walk together to get to the base school, sometimes with flashlights, which my brother carried.

 

[beautress]

'Night everyone. Gotta get up early the funeral for EJ is in the morning.

​

 

[Foxfyre]

 

[Foxfyre]

Alas, the love of my life, soul mate, and very dear Hombre is one of those guys. You know, the ones who get much more excited about the gadgets and equipment than they do about the actual activity.

 

[Foxfyre]

 

[Hossfly]

 

[Foxfyre]

View attachment 266139

Actually though, now that I am retired, I love Mondays. They are more often than not the one day that we don't have any appointments or responsibilities other than putting out the trash carts late in the day for Tuesday trash pickup. So it's the day we just mostly relax and do things we enjoy doing.

But then its back to volunteer responsibilities, doctor appointment either ours or driving other people--I don't remember being so busy when we were still working. Later in the week we are gearing up for house guests or preparing for the dinner and movie at our house for people who really need that to look forward to.

So Monday is most often my one real day off.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

Hey Montro. You haven't been around as much since you became a working man which is understandable. Missed you. How is the job going?

It's going pretty well. I got moved from book shipping, which I started doing, to quality check on things like business cards and posters. I'm working a bit less than I did in the first couple of weeks, but I'm still going a bit over 40 hours a week. I wish the pay was better, but for now I'm OK with it. I'm keeping my eye out for other positions and have still put a few applications in to places, but this job is only a 10 minute drive away at most, so I need to find something significantly better if I'm going to potentially have a longer commute.

My car has been giving me problems lately. The body control module is going bad, which means all my secondary electronics have been wonky. I ordered a new one and am going to try just putting it in myself with the friend I live with. He found some information which indicates we can do it, where I was under the impression there was some sort of specialized equipment needed to program it. That may only be the case with a used unit, though, so when I get the one I ordered we'll see if we can pull off the top of my dash and replace the failing one. Hopefully that works, but there's a shop nearby that said they would put it in for under $100 if I need to go that route.

Work has given me even less to talk about than usual, and I'm not all that chatty to begin with. I do still browse the thread and read the posts, though.

Having a job already does a few things for you. First: you are establishing a work history. Second: you have more leisure to look for a more suitable position. Good that you've already been "promoted", that doesn't hurt, either. Good luck and fingers crossed for you, all the same.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Alas, the love of my life, soul mate, and very dear Hombre is one of those guys. You know, the ones who get much more excited about the gadgets and equipment than they do about the actual activity.

And...he moves to Alaska to use it all to catch those big salmon!

 

[Foxfyre]

Alas, the love of my life, soul mate, and very dear Hombre is one of those guys. You know, the ones who get much more excited about the gadgets and equipment than they do about the actual activity.

And...he moves to Alaska to use it all to catch those big salmon!

I suppose if we didn't have so many responsibilities here right now, we would move somewhere. We did love Alaska when we were there but have family ties elsewhere so. . . .

 

[gallantwarrior]

Damn! It's just around 70F but feels more like 85F. It's been stink-hot these last few days and that makes working tough.
A buddy of mine came out yesterday. He's a pyromaniac at heart and burned a lot of trash and slash. It's important to keep old, dry branches and such byproduct of firewood cleaned up. I managed to get my old travel trailer set up so he had a nice place to sleep with his dog. He did confess though, that he like it better when he could bring his dog up and just let it out of the truck to run as it pleased. Now, I have the birds running around and his dog would like nothing better than to chase and play with them.
My needy old cat got out last Tuesday and I've not seen hide nor hair of her since. I searched high and especially low. Did some math and figured out she was between 16-17 yrs old. It's been almost a week and I miss her, with mixed feelings. My table is now cleaner and I don't have the weight of a cat on my hand as I type. I do miss the purr and rubbing. I hope she found her happiness.
I have so much to do and only a few more weeks to do them. I'm on a break right now but will soon get back to making as much order as I can before I become an invalid (however temporary). Later this afternoon, I'll go split and stack firewood. Again, my buddy has been cutting up the trees ready to become firewood. He's a lot of help and is always welcome. I feed him well and he'll be going home with a fresh dozen eggs.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Alas, the love of my life, soul mate, and very dear Hombre is one of those guys. You know, the ones who get much more excited about the gadgets and equipment than they do about the actual activity.

And...he moves to Alaska to use it all to catch those big salmon!

I suppose if we didn't have so many responsibilities here right now, we would move somewhere. We did love Alaska when we were there but have family ties elsewhere so. . . .

Alaska is beautiful but can be pretty tough, especially in the winter. It's really cold, often icy, and dark. We are also pretty remote, so family ties are best local, if possible. I can't remember how many times my siblings asked me if I realized how expensive it was to go to Alaska. Hell, yeah, I visited the Lower 48 often enough to know that.