What made me happy today?

[CatrionaGrace]

Long ago in a universe far away, I got to play Lucy in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. My little brother suggested it was type casting. I put jalapeno juice in his coke.

We have a new internet provider for about two-thirds the cost of the old, and with a much better reputation than the old. Hope it lives up to its reputation. It sold to a new owner a while back.

 

[MoonChild]

Today I saw the first daffodil in bloom!

 

[Stuart Dren]

Warm vegetable soup on a cold day. I had to really haul Stuart these last two days at work, but I think the next three days will be easier.

Also, my stud extractor arrived and worked like a charm, so I've got the accessories bracket off (the studs go into one of the heads), which let me get at the last connector for the wiring harness, which gave me room to take off the valve covers then the rocker arms (holy shit a four cylinder would have been nicer to faux work on). Lower intake, then heads, here we come! I've really fooled Ms. Dren into thinking I'm fixing this thing.

 

[Schism]

Saying all scifi and fantasy is overrated because I'm a troll who has never read a fiction book. I have to live a little, right?

Also "litfic" is a dead and meaningless label.

Maybe after another cup of coffee, I'll think of more controversial opinions.

 

[GrahamLewis]

Playing Scrabble tonight, I drew both blanks, all four "S"s, and every big letter. I won comfortably, with 450+ points to 307. I took my foot off the gas when I got 200 ahead. I do, after all, share a bed with my opponent.

 

[Heartlet Happer]

With help of AI was able to find the name of house spirit Khaalga-nii Savdag.

It is a children spirit (from Mongolian folklore), who lives in a felt rolled up door of a yurt. Its responsibility is to guard against evil. I tried to confirm its existence (in lore) for years, but could not search well, so was in constant doubt of my memory, which is pain.

Now I think of a proper way to host it on top of common door frame. Maybe a piece of rolled cloth as it originally was.

 

[Schism]

Read about...don't want to say what I read about since that might give the story away. But I have the story in my head now, and all I have to do is write it. I'm always spilling the beans though.

Gotta write this thing before the merciless beanstorm ruins all the good surprises in life.

 

[GrahamLewis]

While at my local St. Vinnie's a few days back I noticed a nicely-framed charcoal print of two toddlers, for $15. The girl, who faced forward, looked a lot like our daughter those many moons ago; the other, a boy with his back turned, reminded me of her twin brother. The next time I went back it was still there, and I realized it might make a nice Valentine's Day gift for my wife, so I bought it. She loved it. She noticed the signature, and asked about it. I had no idea, but I looked it up. The artist is fairly well-known, and I found an exact copy of the print, framed as this one, selling for $200 on Etsy.

So I am happy on many levels.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Read about...don't want to say what I read about since that might give the story away. But I have the story in my head now, and all I have to do is write it. I'm always spilling the beans though.

Gotta write this thing before the merciless beanstorm ruins all the good surprises in life.

Oh, yes. A beanstorm would blow your story away! *lends Schism an electric fan to blow the beanstorm the other way*

I got the chance to see one of my childhood rock 'n roll heroes in concert last night. He's been rocking for a long, long time (and he's 79 now), but he still brought down the house. Played for two hours, non-stop -- no music sheets, just guitars, a keyboard and the occasional accordion. People were singing along, clapping, getting up and dancing. 'Twas a good feeling.

I only wish I can still rock that hard when I'm his age.

 

[Amontillado]

I'm both amazed and thankful for how much can be learned from other people's misconceptions.

Today I saw an X post claiming the usual drivel about flat earth theories and mentioning how earth has to speed up and slow down for its slightly elliptical orbit.

My physics expertise fades once we get past the large-fries-with-that stage, so I was delighted to realize the cyclical change in speed does not represent a cyclical change in total energy. Where earth slows down in its orbit and loses kinetic energy, it's farther from the sun which means it gained more gravity potential energy. Where earth speeds up, gaining kinetic energy, it is at a shorter radius with less gravity potential.

A stable orbit is a body in motion with constant total energy. Isn't that cool?

Makes me feel like celebrating. I think I'll go for the large fries.

 

[Heartlet Happer]

A stable orbit is a body in motion with constant total energy. Isn't that cool?

Fine. Cool. A body. One body problem is easy. Sun is bolted motionless to the ether. You are happy for moment, like Galileo once was, the universe is made of Sun, planets and tiny stars. With a side fries of Kepler. (something something constant ellipse area per unit of time).

But then Newton (?) runs into the room to ruin the mood. The center is not the sun, but a point on a line between the sun and earth. Sun is also orbiting, just much smaller orbit. We have 2 bodies. But wait. There more bodies and their fries, and cats and dogs fill the room. With happy excited faces they present you 3 body problem.

 

[GrahamLewis]

While at my local St. Vinnie's a few days back I noticed a nicely-framed charcoal print of two toddlers, for $15. The girl, who faced forward, looked a lot like our daughter those many moons ago; the other, a boy with his back turned, reminded me of her twin brother. The next time I went back it was still there, and I realized it might make a nice Valentine's Day gift for my wife, so I bought it. She loved it. She noticed the signature, and asked about it. I had no idea, but I looked it up. The artist is fairly well-known, and I found an exact copy of the print, framed as this one, selling for $200 on Etsy.

So I am happy on many levels.

This is the print:

 

[Amontillado]

Fine. Cool. A body. One body problem is easy. Sun is bolted motionless to the ether. You are happy for moment, like Galileo once was, the universe is made of Sun, planets and tiny stars. With a side fries of Kepler. (something something constant ellipse area per unit of time).

But then Newton (?) runs into the room to ruin the mood. The center is not the sun, but a point on a line between the sun and earth. Sun is also orbiting, just much smaller orbit. We have 2 bodies. But wait. There more bodies and their fries, and cats and dogs fill the room. With happy excited faces they present you 3 body problem.

Spoil sport!

 

[Heartlet Happer]

Spoil sport!

Ha ha sorry. Thought you liked more fries

 

[Madman Starryteller]

Took a walk with a friend, was nice. Saw an odd-looking bird. Was a common bird.

Went home into the warmth, was nice. Drank some tea. Was common Earl Grey.

 

[Homer Potvin]

Was a common bird.

Dog and I were accosted by about 50 ducks paddling down a tiny stream today. They came onto the snowbank and quacked at us for a bit. My dog barks at everything regardless of size. He nearly got me killed by a bear on a few occasions. He shares about the same eye level as a duck and took a step toward one of them but didn't make a sound. I think he saw three dozen of his boys milling around and was like, yeah, maybe not.

 

[Madman Starryteller]

He nearly got me killed by a bear on a few occasions.

I wanna hear these bear stories!

Also, dog is man's best friend, as the saying goes. I have another saying, best friend's usually try to kill each other somehow through their dumb adventures.

A friend and me went swimming in a lake one summer. I hadn't slept at all the night before. We decided to swim across the lake instead of next to the shore. I had to abort before half-way, he decided to continue as I went back. I almost did not reach the shore, but got lucky and found some stone to stand on for a moment, to catch my breath, then I swam to shore and puked. Friend made it to the other side and back fine.

Next time, Darwin award!

 

[Homer Potvin]

I wanna hear these bear stories!

Also, dog is man's best friend, as the saying goes. I have another saying, best friend's usually try to kill each other somehow through their dumb adventures.

A friend and me went swimming in a lake one summer. I hadn't slept at all the night before. We decided to swim across the lake instead of next to the shore. I had to abort before half-way, he decided to continue as I went back. I almost did not reach the shore, but got lucky and found some stone to stand on for a moment, to catch my breath, then I swam to shore and puked. Friend made it to the other side and back fine.

Next time, Darwin award!

Birds are up to something coordinated this. 15 degrees and two feet of snow cover, there were several hundred adorning the trees around my house like leaves the other morning at about 4am. They woke both me and my wife up squawking. Then they all took off. If you've never heard the sound of a few hundred bird wings beating the air at once, well, Hitchcock doesn't have shit on reality. Somehow soft and defining at the same time.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

My dog barks at everything regardless of size. He nearly got me killed by a bear on a few occasions.

I, too, am curious about the bear stories. Would you please share, Homer?

I've never seen a bear IRL, but I don't want to get any closer to them than I have to. They are magnificent animals, but they're fast and dangerous.

I will never understand all those stories about tourists wanting to get a selfie with a bear (or any wild animal, for that matter). In a world where a sufficiently-spooked cow (or even a herd of sheep, especially a ram) can kill a person, why would anyone want to get closer to an apex predator?

 

[Homer Potvin]

I, too, am curious about the bear stories. Would you please share, Homer?

They were all over New Hampshire when I lived there. Most of the time they run away when they see humans, but he barked at one in my driveway once and the bear took a step or two in our direction before taking off into the woods. It was a solid 80 - 100 feet away at the time, but it was between us and the house driveway-wise, so if we had to bounce it would have been into the road. You're supposed to make a bunch of noise at them, so a barking dog is good, but you never know when you're going to get that one bear that has something to prove to the humans.

One of them ate my tool shed when we stupidly left a bag of garbage in there. It didn't eat it eat it, but ripped the molding around the door and clawed a few panels off.

Probably the dumbest thing I did was when I hear a pack of them at night traipsing through the woods. I had two decks, one with stairs to the ground and one without. I was on the inaccessible one, staring down at the four of them like "Far out, man!" They crossed to the other side of the house so I crossed through the house to the other deck, kept staring at them until they stopped and kind of looked at me. It was then I realized on was on the deck with the flight of stairs. I probably imagined it, but I thought one of the bears looked at the stairs and then up at me. I went back into the house and locked the door.