My July 4 hasn't exactly been a party so far. And the fireworks mostly consisted of me saying bad boy words. However, the grass is cut and several trees and bushes are pruned to cut down on blue language (when a branch is 5' off the ground and you are 5'11", swearing oftentimes is the result).
I'll just hunker down with some iced tea as the temperature rises. 32C here today per the forecast. And that's set to last through the coming week.
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Crazy old ape
Nice to see you slipped some Canadian ones in there, too, Daisy. We Canucks appreciate it.
To honour both countries, I'm taking a star and a beaver with my afternoon green tea.
I dashed off something today that I might drop on here. Too long to be a micro, but close to it.
To honour both countries, I'm taking a star and a beaver with my afternoon green tea.
I dashed off something today that I might drop on here. Too long to be a micro, but close to it.
Crazy old ape
Hunkering down for another hot one here. Got some online shopping done (one for curbside pickup, one for delivery) and that's really about it. Not very ambitious but, hey, it's a day off and I am sure it's okay to just crash and rest on those.
Anyhow, one of my orders was to replenish my tea stash. Scottish Breakfast, Duke of Earl (a fancy Earl Grey), Wakoucha (a Japanese black that's on sale so I decided to try it), and my favorite sencha. I will restock the loose leaf here once they arrive.
Anyhow, one of my orders was to replenish my tea stash. Scottish Breakfast, Duke of Earl (a fancy Earl Grey), Wakoucha (a Japanese black that's on sale so I decided to try it), and my favorite sencha. I will restock the loose leaf here once they arrive.
Crazy old ape
Quote by Survivor
Talking about animals nearby within a mile of my home I've seen muskrats, geese, ducks, loons, beaver sign, several kinds of turtles including snapping. Plenty of fish since a fishing pond is across the street. And we are in an urban area.
Our area has gone from being the northern edge of the city when we built in 2000 to well inside it now as development has spread North from us. Our neighbourhood has a creek in a small valley running down the Western edge. There's been beaver there in the past (seen trees they've cut) but not sure about right now. Definitely deer, because they sometimes come up into the neighbourhood. And when I was walking down a new trail they made into the valley last year, I noticed there were coyote warnings up so I guess there's coyotes down there now. And then the usual urban/suburban wildlife like coons and squirrels.
Gettin' steamy here again, but last night was still cool enough that I got a good bike ride in. Will probably stick to walking tonight or maybe stay in and use the stationary bike (though I am trying to get outdoors for exercise as much as I can).
Time for an iced tea and ... oo, there's a cupcake-shaped cookie left.
Crazy old ape
Quote by DenimAngel
Saw two little lizards sunning themselves outside on my porch
An animal I rather wish we had. In terms of reptiles, there are literally no lizards native to Southwestern Ontario, just a few snakes and turtles that are rarely seen by city boys like me (I fondly remembering finding a snapping turtle when visiting relatives in Caledonia, Ontario as a kid). So I love visiting places that have them. The first time I spent time in the Caribbean I fell in love with iguanas, but also enjoy cute little lizards like anoles and such.
Nice day. Getting a bit warm but not terrible. Apparently Ottawa, where Little M lives, is going to get the worst of this heatwave. Which is weird because in winter, they are colder than us. Must be the moderating influence of us being sandwiched between two Great Lakes (Huron and Erie).
* takes a palm tree and sunglasses from the cookie jar and some iced tea from the fridge *
Crazy old ape
Quote by Rumple_deWriter
sit outside to watch the Gila Monsters basking in the sun.
Please tell me you're joking. I will be so jealous if you get to see gila monsters on a regular basis. Skunks and rabbits are all well and good but the wildlife down in your neighbourhood is another plane of interesting compared to here. We technically have rattlesnakes in Ontario but I never saw one until I went hiking in Zion. I did see a deer recently while cycling along a creek near my place.
Wildlife envy aside, all is well here. Got some much needed rain last night with a fairly high probability of more this afternoon. Been a bit dry (but nice) the last couple weeks.
Morning tea is on for those who need it.
Crazy old ape
(to the tune of the Spiderman theme)
Saturday, Saturday,
Everybody loves Saturday
Do we work?
No we don't.
Monday we will but today we won't,
Hey there,
Hey there, it's Saturday.
(end bad singing)
Getting some nice, summer weather to welcome Summer (solstice is this evening in EDT, I believe) this weekend. I would prefer it a bit cooler but that's coming Tuesday or so.
Had takeout for the first time since Covid's arrival. Viet-Thai. They have added a fairly slick online ordering system that also lets you book your pickup time (to minimize the number of people arriving at any given time). No new cases in my area in yesterday's testing but we've been running around 5 a day recently so it's definitely not over yet here.
Kettle's on and there's some David's Buddha's Blend (blend of white and green tea with jasmine and hibiscus) in the pot. Anyone else for tea?
Saturday, Saturday,
Everybody loves Saturday
Do we work?
No we don't.
Monday we will but today we won't,
Hey there,
Hey there, it's Saturday.
(end bad singing)
Getting some nice, summer weather to welcome Summer (solstice is this evening in EDT, I believe) this weekend. I would prefer it a bit cooler but that's coming Tuesday or so.
Had takeout for the first time since Covid's arrival. Viet-Thai. They have added a fairly slick online ordering system that also lets you book your pickup time (to minimize the number of people arriving at any given time). No new cases in my area in yesterday's testing but we've been running around 5 a day recently so it's definitely not over yet here.
Kettle's on and there's some David's Buddha's Blend (blend of white and green tea with jasmine and hibiscus) in the pot. Anyone else for tea?
Crazy old ape
Good evening. Had a nice bike ride tonight. Temps are rising here so it may get a bit hot for that in another day or two but we shall see.
Not writing these days for here or there. Just finding it hard for some reason. I'm sure my mojo will come back once I find the right story to write.
Now, an iced tea and some of those butterscotch crunch cookies would go down nicely.
Not writing these days for here or there. Just finding it hard for some reason. I'm sure my mojo will come back once I find the right story to write.
Now, an iced tea and some of those butterscotch crunch cookies would go down nicely.
Crazy old ape
Quote by DancingintheRain
Not sure who Gav is but I’ll thank him in advance
Gav is the heroic overworked programmer who keeps this place and our sister site in line. He generally manifests as an Imperial stormtrooper, but don't let that fool you. He is actually not evil and can actually hit the broad side of a barn from the inside.
Crazy old ape
Gav is bringing over the responsive design implementing on our sister site. There were teething problems there and likely will be here, too. The stories, profiles, messages will adapt to the mobile screens if you DO NOT check the option shown below (it's a disable, not enable). The forums, as of yet, do not though that may come. I will point this thread out to Gav so he is aware. He may have more to say.
Crazy old ape
If it makes the Brits feel better, Ontario's new bubble rules aren't exactly the pinnacle of clarity, either.
I actually wore a mask for the first time. Mrs. Mendalla does the lion's share of the shopping so I have not generally been in situations where one was mandated or necessary. However, the car had to go in to the shop and cars are my department. We actually own two, but decided that with neither of us going to work (I am on work from home; my wife, a professor, is almost retired and no longer teaching, just doing research and admin work from home) or doing much else requiring a car, one was enough and we didn't insure the smaller of the two. We will reinstate the insurance if/when we need a second car or if my son needs it in Ottawa.
Just coming off a bout of lovely weather. Temps in my comfort zone, no rain, and generally quite pleasant. Environment Canada tells us that we are, however, going to welcome the summer solstice with a heat wave so that is going to change towards the end of the week.
I actually wore a mask for the first time. Mrs. Mendalla does the lion's share of the shopping so I have not generally been in situations where one was mandated or necessary. However, the car had to go in to the shop and cars are my department. We actually own two, but decided that with neither of us going to work (I am on work from home; my wife, a professor, is almost retired and no longer teaching, just doing research and admin work from home) or doing much else requiring a car, one was enough and we didn't insure the smaller of the two. We will reinstate the insurance if/when we need a second car or if my son needs it in Ottawa.
Just coming off a bout of lovely weather. Temps in my comfort zone, no rain, and generally quite pleasant. Environment Canada tells us that we are, however, going to welcome the summer solstice with a heat wave so that is going to change towards the end of the week.
Crazy old ape
Quote by Survivor
It's apparent that Gav has been doing some work on this site today. I just noticed the lineup at the top of the page to access our messages, our profile, the main page, etc., has been modified to be in the same order as our sister site. And, I checked on the problem with accessing our second page of favorite stories. It is no longer giving me a 404 error code. I will look forward to seeing more corrections of some glitches on the site.
Thanks for giving us some attention, Gav. It is always appreciated. I did have a question from another member this morning who was having trouble with using the site on her mobile phone. She will get back to me later today and if she still has problems we will be sure to post it in the forum here.
Thanks again, Gav.
Cool. Nice to see this site getting caught up to the big sister. Been wondering when Gav would bring those updates over here.
Crazy old ape
Nice weather here in Southern Ontario, if a bit too warm and muggy for my taste. Supposed to get cooler, though.
Sorry I'm scarce. So many forums, so little time.
All is well around here. Hope June is going to be an improvement over May, but I'm not seeing much evidence of it except in the weather.
* find a pecan divine left * Perfect to with an afternoon green tea.
Sorry I'm scarce. So many forums, so little time.
All is well around here. Hope June is going to be an improvement over May, but I'm not seeing much evidence of it except in the weather.
* find a pecan divine left * Perfect to with an afternoon green tea.
Crazy old ape
Quote by henrietta_fielding
[quote=] The curious history of our official bank holidays begins in 1871, when they were first recognised in an Act of Parliament authored by Sir John Lubbock. He was a banker who, it is said, was so keen on cricket he chose dates when village matches were played in his home county.
Makes sense. Tie long weekends to a sport that requires a long weekend to finish a match.
Good day, all. Nice weather here in spite of a forecast that insists otherwise.
Tea and cookies time.
Crazy old ape
Quote by Dreamcatcher
Yes, I am aware that The Time Machine has already been remade, but in my opinion very poorly. My hope is that with current technology and a better cast it could be remade properly.
Emphasis on the cast part. The fx is almost a no-brainer now. Also, a writer and director who respect the material and don't go overboard trying to make it "modern". The whole Eloi-Morlock story still largely works as is, for instance. The problem, of course, is that Wells is seminal to steampunk and the temptation for any period adaptation of Wells now will be to give it that aesthetic.
One scene that I don't think has been used in any adaptations is the one where he goes into the far future and sees weird lifeforms under a dying sun. It doesn't jibe with modern understandings of stellar evolution and the fate of the Earth, but it is a spectacular vision that would look great with the right people working on it.
Crazy old ape
Quote by Rumple_deWriter
How y'all are? Always a good day when it begins with and early morning visit from our Henrietta-unit. Someday, someone might be able to clue me in on the backstory of 'Bank Holidays'. No doubt it's tedious and boring but then so is my life story. ;)
The really good news is Ms H. did not take all the cookies prepared by Ms S., he says, cryptically.
Later Spacers.
Not sure about the UK but in Canada, a "Bank Holiday" is when government offices and regulated corporations, like banks, get a holiday but the rest of us do not. Schools often get them, too. For instance, at Easter, Good Friday is a a statutory holiday, meaning everyone gets it off, but Easter Monday is a bank holiday, meaning government offices and schools are closed, but most everything else is business as usual.
Crazy old ape
Quote by AnnaMayZing
Don't, for goodness sake, let Jonathan Frakes get his hands on it!!!
LOL. Actually, he'd be one of the directors I would have in mind (probably not a regular cast member, though). There's a few Trek people I could see being involved. For instance, I could see Avery Brooks playing Commander Koenig (Martin Landau in the original) but the character is probably too similar to Benjamin Sisko, his Trek character. I have not watched much current Trek (Discovery, Picard) so maybe there's some people there I could use.
That said, I'd be overhauling the dramatis personae quite a bit, I suspect. I don't want to be straitjacketed by the past. There's no need for a character to be male or female in my version (or a given race) just because they were in the original.
Crazy old ape
Any brass band or pipe & drum music. Dad was heavily into it and listened to a program of it from a local radio station on Sunday nights. I was rather disappointed that my tour of the UK did not overnight in Edinburgh. We were there during their huge band festival and I would love to have gone.
"Forever Autumn" by Justin Hayward (lead singer of the Moody Blues but this was solo). It came from a concept album for a musical version of the s-f classic The War of the Worlds. I remember we were driving to Toronto and the radio show we had on played an except (not that song) from the album. Already a fan of the book and the 1953 movie, I was hooked. And, lo and behold, I found it in the huge Sam the Record Man on Yonge Street when we went shopping in downtown Toronto. While I love the whole album (2 disc set on vinyl and CD), "Forever Autumn" was really the song that introduced me to Hayward and made me a lifelong fan of the Moodies.
"Forever Autumn" by Justin Hayward (lead singer of the Moody Blues but this was solo). It came from a concept album for a musical version of the s-f classic The War of the Worlds. I remember we were driving to Toronto and the radio show we had on played an except (not that song) from the album. Already a fan of the book and the 1953 movie, I was hooked. And, lo and behold, I found it in the huge Sam the Record Man on Yonge Street when we went shopping in downtown Toronto. While I love the whole album (2 disc set on vinyl and CD), "Forever Autumn" was really the song that introduced me to Hayward and made me a lifelong fan of the Moodies.
Crazy old ape
Quote by DancingintheRain
The other one that caught my attention was one of my top ten favorites, The Ghost and Mrs, Muir! It’s a classic and should never ever be remade. How can you improve on perfection?
OTOH, it is based on a novel and any movie based on a novel often misses elements of the novel or even the point of the novel, so a new version of the novel that incorporated material the old version skipped over might still be worthwhile. I haven't read the novel or seen the old version so can't say, just speaking from experience with other book to film adaptations.
One that's been talked about many times among s-f fans is Gerry Anderson's live action (vs. his usual puppets) Space 1999. Updating the show (Space 2049 or something) and fixing the premise (the moon blasted out of orbit by a nuclear explosion and somehow skipping through space fast enough to visit multiple systems, but slowly enough for adventures to happen in those systems) could result in a fairly good modern s-f show. I was thinking of having the explosion push the moon through a wormhole to another system, then have all the action happen in that system before they hit another wormhole. Basically visit a new system each season and do maybe 8 or 10 episode seasons.
Crazy old ape
Hmmm. * takes a cinnamon star and a peanut butter banana *
Evening, folks. Nice day here so I got a walk in. Still a bit chilly but apparently it's all uphill from here temp-wise.
Tried my new neck/stubble razor yesterday. Kind of works but not as close as my disposables. Need to try doing it in the shower since it supports wet and dry.
Evening, folks. Nice day here so I got a walk in. Still a bit chilly but apparently it's all uphill from here temp-wise.
Tried my new neck/stubble razor yesterday. Kind of works but not as close as my disposables. Need to try doing it in the shower since it supports wet and dry.
Crazy old ape
Puppies! Yay! More cute animals to populate the Internet (because, hey, we all know that's what DARPA built it for).
* Takes one of each cookie and makes a green tea. *
Kind of meh weather here. Cool and had flurries going on and off until noonish. Apparently similar tomorrow.
So guys, ever started using a disposable razor and realized that it was probably past time to dispose of it? Because that happened to me today. Still have a sore spot below my jaw (I sport a beard, the razor is just to clean up stubble below my jawline and on my neck).
* Takes one of each cookie and makes a green tea. *
Kind of meh weather here. Cool and had flurries going on and off until noonish. Apparently similar tomorrow.
So guys, ever started using a disposable razor and realized that it was probably past time to dispose of it? Because that happened to me today. Still have a sore spot below my jaw (I sport a beard, the razor is just to clean up stubble below my jawline and on my neck).
Crazy old ape
Quote by AnnaMayZing
Love it!
And thanks to all who left greetings. Somehow, I managed to not come here yesterday. Sorry for that.
It was a rather quiet birthday. My son went back to Ottawa last week so just me and the Mrs.
Cinco de Mayo cookies, eh? I can handle that. With a tea, of course.