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[Patrick]

I'm just saying. If she laughs, she's a keeper. If she cries, she's also a keeper.

Dude, she cries at anything and everything that makes her happy. She cried when she opened my last care package. She's gonna cry at every single song on the CD, guaranteed.

[BeoPuppy]

I swear, for the first year I had no idea of what I was doing aikido-wise. Still baffled at regular intervals, actually.

[Loki]

By the way you guys

http://i.imgur.com/ySJozpE.jpg

It's Oktoberfest.
Wish me luck.

Sind doch Spießer.

(click to show/hide)

Transcript:

Girl: I know a girl from my class, and her father has his own house, where everybody's got his own room.
Dad: Sind doch Spießer. (Such squares.)
Girl: And the Bernd has a flat on the roof, where you can see the whoooole town from.
Dad: Squares 's well.
Girl: Daddy, when I am grown up, I wanna be a square too!
Dad: *spittake*
Girl: ...what?

Voiceover: ...or just save for your own home! LBS - we give a home to your future.

But seriously, good luck!

[Carl-E]

I walk my dogs twice a day, once in the afternoon, and again in the wee hours of the morning.  I go through our neighborhood in the afternoon, but at night I go out to the edge of town by the railroad tracks as the freight trains run through the night.  The old Thomas the Tank Engine stories about the complaining freight cars are true - some of them scream when they have to move.  It's weird to hear. 

Three nights ago, when the moon was at a perfect half, and the night was so clear that the moonshadows were sharp enough to make me look, I saw Orion's arms outstretched, about to catch the moon.  That's always the way I see Orion, the bright upper stars as outstretched hands, not as his shoulders.  A simple jumping jack of glee.  I think I transfer my own glee at seeing him, as he's the only constellation I know at a glance. 

Tonight it was clear again, and the moon, nibbled a little past half, was sailing past his reach.  There he was, the eternal left fielder, jumping for the home run he had no chance of ever catching.  And yet, in that moment at the pinnacle of his leap, as the ball sails a few measly feet above his glove, we all rise from our seats for a moment and gasp at the possibility that none of us would believe could happen. 

And I realised that's how I felt the other night, but couldn't know it until tonight as the ball sailed past, the way we all knew it would, to be caught by some starry-eyed kid in the bleachers.  You can't appreciate the potential of the moment in the moment - when it passes, then you know what might have been but never could. 

I feel oddly comforted, but restless at the same time. 


I guess it's autumn again. 

[Masterpiece]

Oh my god I totally overdid it again.

5 Liters. One of them in one big gulp.

My head, it's fucking cloudy.

[Lines]

But that's what Oktoberfest is for! Or so I've gathered from people who like drinking beer. (They've had both Woodchuck and Angry Orchard at ours the past two years, but I usually drive, so only one big cider for me...)

Also that is the best picture of you ever, the lederhosen are awesome!

[GarandMarine]

I miss my Lederhosen, they made my legs look almost as good as my kilt.

[Carl-E]

I haven't had lederhosen since I was four. 

[Loki]

But that's what Oktoberfest is for! Or so I've gathered from people who like drinking beer. (They've had both Woodchuck and Angry Orchard at ours the past two years, but I usually drive, so only one big cider for me...)

Also that is the best picture of you ever, the lederhosen are awesome!

I cannot find how much Woodchuck has, but do remember that German beer usually has at least 4.8%, which is more than in the US, or so I am told.

[Masterpiece]

But do bear in mind that Octoberfestbeer has 6%.

[Carl-E]

German beer usually has at least 4.8%, which is more than in the US, or so I am told.

BS.  American beers are 4 - 6%.  Bud is 5%, Bud Light is 4.2%.  Light beers tend to have less.  Busch is 4.6, Coors is 5, as are Michelob and Pabst.  Miller High Life is 5.5.  Most things with "Ice" in the title are 5.7 - 5.9%.   And Woodchuck's only 5%, although before it went national it was 12%. 

German beer just tastes better, that's all.   

[Patrick]

The Ale House, which is a restaurant in my town with a shitload of beers on tap, had Pyramid's new Oktoberfest ale. It was alright I guess, the flavor was good but like a lot of Pyramid beers it wasn't very bold. Last week when they had Big Sky's IPA it was a lot better. I had 3 of those. Last night I only had one, and then I decided to go to my usual bar and snag a Sierra Nevada Torpedo because double IPAs rule.

[GarandMarine]

My beers are at 8% on average, bu I like Belgian tripels and other beers that attempt to actively resist as you drink them.

[Barmymoo]

Wiped-out exhausted this evening. I'm still adjusting to the new schedule, I'm hoping I'll get less tired. I've just provisionally accepted a regular babysitting job - 7 hours a week (basically all day Saturday) which would pay well but would mean I'd not have Saturdays to do fun things. On the other hand, without the job I couldn't afford to do fun things ever. I've told them the difficulty that my degree causes to regular commitments (might have to do shifts on a Friday night or Saturday at two weeks' notice, but only perhaps four times in a year) and how much I charge, and we'll see what they say.

[Patrick]

So I mentioned before that I'm doing a CD of covers for Camille's next care package. Y'all already heard my cover of Cursive, so here's some Elliott Smith.
https://app.box.com/s/47yq6raiewyof0v7uofo

[GarandMarine]

Some motivation for your Saturday!

After invading Greece and forcing the submission of many city states, Philip II, King of Macedon sent a message to the Spartans. "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people and raze your city." The Spartan rulers replied with only one word. "If". Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Mildly Incompetent both avoided Sparta completely.


When asked by a woman from Attica:
'Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?',
she said:'Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men.'
- Queen Gorgo (daughter of Kleomenes I, born ~506. Married Leonidas I)

When the Persians sent envoys to the Spartans demanding the traditional symbol of surrender, an offering of soil and water, the Spartans threw them into a deep well, suggesting that upon their arrival at the bottom, they could "Dig it out for yourselves."

When Leonidas was asked why he had come to fight such a huge host with so few men, Leonidas answered, "If numbers are what matters, all Greece cannot match a small part of that army; but if courage is what counts, this number is sufficient." On being again asked a similar question, he replied, "I have plenty, since they are all to be slain."

Another classic line from the movie with historical fact behind it. the Spartan Dienekes was told that the Persian archers were so numerous that when they fired their volleys, their arrows would blot out the sun. He responded with “So much the better, we'll fight in the shade” this response is now the motto of the Hellenic Army's 20th armored division.


Before the battle of Termoplylae Xerxes sent an offer to King Leonidas that he would spare his men if they gave up their arms. Leonidas replied "Molon labe" (Greek: Μολών λαβέ), which translates to "Come and take them".


The Etipath of the 300


    Ὦ ξεῖν', ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε
    κείμεθα, τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι.

    Ō ksein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tēide
    keimetha, tois keinōn rhēmasi peithomenoi.

    "Go and tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
    That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."

Trigger warning: Music video features gorey cartoons and lots of awesome.

[BeoPuppy]

... So, anyWAY ...

Aikido lesson one-on-one with my teach. Life's goooood.

[Lines]

I cannot find how much Woodchuck has, but do remember that German beer usually has at least 4.8%, which is more than in the US, or so I am told.

Woodchuck is about 5% as is Angry Orchard. (But my favorite Angry Orchard, Iceman, is 10%.) Some American beers that Michael (husband) has had at beer festivals have been as high as 8%. This is not typical, mind you, but I have not seen many beers or ciders in my area that are below 4%. HOWEVER it depends on the state, because once Michael's parents moved out to Utah, we found out that beer on tap out there can't be above 3.8%. Bottles yes, tap no. Poor poor Utah...

[cesium133]

HOWEVER it depends on the state, because once Michael's parents moved out to Utah, we found out that beer on tap out there can't be above 3.8%. Bottles yes, tap no. Poor poor Utah...

In Oklahoma, if you're buying Bud/Coors/whatever (basically any beer you'd find at a 7-11), it's 3.2%... The brands of beer that are only sold at liquor stores are usually higher, though.

[Lines]

That's how it is with liquor in Ohio. You can get it at a grocery store, but it's never above 40 proof. If you want the strong stuff, you have to go elsewhere. It's different for beer, I think, because I've seen higher % craft beers at the grocery.

[Metope]

So it turns out my idiot temporary flatmates have heated the shit out of the flat over summer while I and the regular people who live here were away. The bill came today and it's three times what it usually is in winter, and they lived here during summer! The terrible thing is that the bill only comes every 3 months, and every month up until then you pay an average estimate over the past year, and then when the actual bill comes you either pay more money if you've spent more than the estimate, or they give you money back if you've spent less. So for the next three months I will have to pay a crazy amount of bills because these dickheads decided they wanted to live inside an oven, and even though I'll get the money back I really can't afford this right now, I need to spend a lot of money on art materials for my final year in uni.

Like, two of them moved out and kept the heaters on full blast even after they moved, the woman who had my room moved out six days before I got here, so my room was a sauna for six days with no one even being in it.

[Masterpiece]

But do bear in mind that Octoberfestbeer has 6%.

Need to correct this. Octoberfest beer has 12%.

[jwhouk]

Usually my electric bills go up in the summer, but that's because I'm running the A/C, not the heater...

[Barmymoo]

Kris lives in Glasgow - I doubt AC even exists, but it almost certainly won't be necessary for more than about 2 days a year.

[Metope]

AC does definitely not exist here, there's no need for it. Heating on the other hand is really important, but not in summer. I keep my room to about 20 C all year round, but the other rooms and the kitchen were between 25-30 C.

[Patrick]

But do bear in mind that Octoberfestbeer has 6%.

Need to correct this. Octoberfest beer has 12%.

Point of interest: the word "Oktoberfest" is borrowed from German, so when it's used in English, you don't have to turn the K into a C.

[Metope]

One thing I've wondered, which is probably a really stupid and ignorant question: why is Oktoberfest always in September?

[Patrick]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest

It's the days leading up to October!

[Metope]

But what's so special about October? Why are the days leading up to that particular month so special? Kind of just sounds like a thinly veiled reason to drink a lot of quality beer. Silly Germans, you know you don't need a reason for that.

[Barmymoo]

In Cambridge there is a week called May Week. It's in June. No matter what I like to think, it doesn't exist to celebrate me.

[jwhouk]

Anniversary of a German prince and princess being married; it's probably also tied to harvest festivals around the time of the fall equinox.

[Jace]

high utility bills

Somehow starting at the beginning of August my electricity usage has more than tripled. I have no idea what has caused this since I'm actually running my A/C less than from May-July and I can't think of anything else that has changed in the apartment that would warrant such a drastic increase in electricity consumption. Going to have to talk to my flatmate when he gets home from an event.

Also gonna have some serious fucking words with him about cleaning because I found a few moldy french fries in the living room just sitting on the floor. Like, these have progressed beyond just sitting out for a couple days they've been there a while and what the fuck. How can you live mere feet away from rotting fucking food and not notice it.

[Welu]

In Cambridge there is a week called May Week. It's in June. No matter what I like to think, it doesn't exist to celebrate me.

I propose during that week we celebrate you in the forum.

~~

Had a very nice meal with family yesterday. I even drove some of the family to the restaurant and was told I'm way too grown up.

[Masterpiece]

But what's so special about October? Why are the days leading up to that particular month so special? Kind of just sounds like a thinly veiled reason to drink a lot of quality beer. Silly Germans, you know you don't need a reason for that.

It also used to be in October, but has been moved forward because a funfair in winter weather (which sometimes happens in October) is not very enjoyable.

[Jace]

Hey here's a post about armor and an event.

Further on the event:
I had 7 fights in the bear pit tournament.
Duke Sir Maynard. The most recent king who stepped down. He also practices with us out here in Buffalo. I lost
The guy in that picture, don't remember his name, something with a V or a B. I should have won, but lost.
Sir Otto of Westphalia. Another guy who practices with us in Buffalo. I lost.
Duke Sir Matthew. He easily trounced me.
Duke Sir Maynard, a second time. I lost yet again. He moves swiftly like the wind.
Some Samurai jackoff. He was legged when I went in (you kept previous wounds), didn't take his obvious shots, faked him out, made him miss then planted my shield on his weapon so he couldn't pull it back and stepped in and delivered some hatred. I won.
Sir Stephan. Might be a Duke also, I dunno. First he got my sword arm, then gave me honor in allowing me to take the blow to my shield arm and continue fighting. He was most honorable in also taking his shield arm for the remainder of our bout (as in, he would not retain that were he to win) and then he won.

As soon as our fight finished, my pourpoint (a vest for holding up leg armor) decided to tear on the right side so I had to go fix that by putting on a belt to hold up my leg armor. Shortly after returning Maynard won the bear pit by being the first to get 50 wins. Then we split up into pretty much Woodland Watch and Buffalo guys vs everyone else and did a woods battle. I had a guy dead to rights after he crashed through the line and fell but he decided to be a dick and not take my moderate shot of "I've got you clearly defenseless as you're standing up." Our team won anyways so it didn't matter.

[GarandMarine]

Thought for the night, does any one else have what I call a "Culture Hang up"? It's a random point of another culture that you're just stuck on for no explainable reason. It can be a really small detail, something people within the culture and out don't pay much thought but you find it fascinating.

[Papersatan]

About to leave for my first day of this internship.

Kind of want to vomit from nervous. This is the part where my impostor syndrome rears it's head and I am not sure how I fooled them into thinking I was qualified for such an awesome position.

This is really made worse because I don't really know what I am going to be doing. Hopefully something I know how to do!

I know I should be fine. I have learned so much in the past 2 years, and when I am objective with myself, I am well qualified for a ton of work.  I didn't lie on my resume or in my interview, so there is no reason to expect that I will be given tasks beyond my abilities.  But still.

[snalin]

Good luck!

I worked as an intern this entire summer, and it turned out that what they wanted me to do, I knew very little about (writing in programming languages I didn't know, doing stuff I hadn't done before). It worked out fine!

Remember, no matter what job you get, you'll probably not know the vast majority of the things you need to do that job well before you get there. Nobody expects you to be an expert on day one! You'll do fine!

[Allie_Allie]

What I found works for me is acting until I believe I am perfectly qualified, even when I'm totally not. It usually works well for me. Where are you doing your internship at, Papersatan?

[Loki]

Good luck!

I worked as an intern this entire summer, and it turned out that what they wanted me to do, I knew very little about (writing in programming languages I didn't know, doing stuff I hadn't done before). It worked out fine!

Remember, no matter what job you get, you'll probably not know the vast majority of the things you need to do that job well before you get there. Nobody expects you to be an expert on day one! You'll do fine!

Absolutely this. I had not even HEARD of R or awk before I started my internship. They loved me.

[Barmymoo]

Does it help to consider the fact that the people who hired you are experienced at selecting applicants, and that it's kind of an insult to their ability to do their job to assume that they made a mistake?

[nekowafer]

How can you live mere feet away from rotting fucking food and not notice it.

My roommates have 4 dogs, in total. Only one wanders the upstairs - living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. She is not let out often enough and occasionally poops on the floor. There were two tiny turds on the floor next to the doorway into the kitchen that stayed there, and I'm not exaggerating here, for at least 4 months. I refused to get myself involved with their dog's poop, and I was curious how long it would take them to see it. Every single person in that house goes into that kitchen at least twice a day, and it took 4 months to notice the poop.

[Is it cold in here?]

A neighbor was able to spot the location of the yellow jacket nest, so the exterminator will be able to make the area safe.

Much as I resent the week of pain from being attacked, it was one of the best possible outcomes that the victim was an adult with resources and not one of the dogs or babies that use the sidewalk they live next to.

There was also an opportunity for spiritual growth in overcoming my glee at the prospect of flooding their home with nerve gas.

[BeoPuppy]

[Is it cold in here?]

Thousands of my enemies are now dying in convulsions.

[Papersatan]

I am working for GE.  Day one was great. If not a bit like being thrown into the deep end while learning to swim.

I am going to be doing some project management and then some Business Analysis/User experience things. 

[Welu]

Yay for Kat!

I am covered in mysterious bruises and I usually never bruise. Most of the areas with bruises were sore last week but stopped being sore in the last couple days and the bruises mostly came up today. It was like my body was saving them up.

[Metope]

My regular flatmates have moved back in, and I'm so happy. One of them made lamb and chickpea curry last night and it was the best thing ever, everything is back to normal. Oh and we're all in ou final year in various courses at uni, so we can stress and vent together! It's perfect.

[Loki]

That moment when you are just in time to peefectly miss the office hours of your mun(i?)cipality.

[Carl-E]

Go, Kat, go! 

Re: bruising.  Deep tissue bruising that happens further below the surface usually doesn't show up until the blood pooled in the muscles finally starts to be reabsorbed and the byproducts work their way out of the muscle and make their way into the fat layers below the surface of the skin.  I pulled a calf muscle a few years back, and it was nearly a month before the bruising showed, and it drifted down my leg to the ankle - it was pretty weird.