Bistro Bijou

[unpredictablebijou]

*drags in looking like something that's been gnawed on by a large carnivore*

hey all. whotta party. I really should have separated the birthday celebration from the decompressing-from-mom's-visit celebration, but oh well.

I have got to stop hanging around with 25 year olds. They wear me out.

And speaking of age, I don't think music preference is very much related. Tzara just likes to play 'I'm an old man.' Feh. I for one am not buying it, since you're no older than my hubbie who enjoys techno and Thomas Dolby, and you're somewhat younger than at least one or two folks around here.

After last night, I think I'm the oldest one here today, anyway. And I'm fond of both Moby and Mozart. I even sang in Cosi Fan Tutte long ago.

Got no use for musicals, though. That's pretty much my only hard limit.

Oddly, both of the mates love them. So I have to deal with the occasional Music Man or South Pacific ordeal.

Men. Can't live with em...
*yawning, clutching at huge cup of coffee as if it were the Grail*


bj

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

Here's an interesting little experiment that was shared in psychology class. It's about attention and perception.

In this short video clip, count how many passes the team wearing white t-shirts makes. You should get 14.

I didn't. I got 13 the first time and 15 the next time. Maybe you guys are better at counting. LOL
Let me know what you get.

Basketball Passes

 

[Tzara]

'Tis a generation thing, for sure. Like it or not, you are the adult. Not the parent though. The fact that you cuss and hang out in a (albeit poetic) den of iniquity is good for a few cool points. I'm appointing you the stately and scholarly uncle (who lets us take a few swigs when the parents aren't around). How's that?

Well, let me try that on for size.

*clears throat*

Uh, no, officer, I absolutely did not sell these young people marijuana. I keep it all for myself.

I mean, I would have, if I had any. Like, you know, whatever it is.

Which I don't.

Know.

 

[LeBroz]

Here's an interesting little experiment that was shared in psychology class. It's about attention and perception.

In this short video clip, count how many passes the team wearing white t-shirts makes. You should get 14.

I didn't. I got 13 the first time and 15 the next time. Maybe you guys are better at counting. LOL
Let me know what you get.

Basketball Passes

I watched the thing three times and I kept getting 14. Though having that person in a gorilla suit strolling through the midst of the melee was a bit of a distraction.

.
.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

I watched the thing three times and I kept getting 14. Though having that person in a gorilla suit strolling through the midst of the melee was a bit of a distraction.

.
.

Did you see the "gorilla" at first?
I watched that thing twice, counting.. and did not see the gorilla until I was told to watch it again without counting.
LOL

 

[Tzara]

That statement worries me...

Good.

Nah, not stupid. I had no idea who Mantovani was until I looked.

That was a joke. Mantovani was the kind of act my parents listened to once the extreme coolness of big band music degenerated into elevator stuff. Me da liked Bert Kaempfert for example. Not 'zactly my Cup of Tea.

I do like Glenn Miller, though.

I'm a tad surprised that Public enemy had no recognition, as they sold a LOT of records, and had been in the news quite a bit in the 80's and 90's for their controversial political views and political associations. PE is not quite Britney Spears, but they did get a lot of airtime.

I was joshing you a bit there. Just a bit. I've, of course, heard of Public Enemy, but would probably confuse them with NWA.

Stupid, of course. Kind of like thinking Mick Jagger was one of the Beatles, but it is Not My Genre.

Hip hop (I hope I am using the correct term there) has never appealed to me, so I know next to nothing about it. I don't know anything about reggae or mainstream country, either.

My hearing for speech is not all that great (too many years of headphones and Metallica, probably), so I tend not to listen much to lyrics, which would seem to be the point of hip hop. That may be partly why I was never interested.

Oh, and I don't have kids, so haven't been made to listen to whatever the next gen's mainstream music is. (And consequently missed out on my "this is not music, young man" moment. So you're kind of bearing the brunt of that.)

You're okay, old man

I love you too, son.

 

[Angeline]

Phew. We just had a lovely night at the emergency room. My poor sweetheart's chronic back pain went into overdrive. But now we're home, and we even picked up Japanese food, so even though I'm not as ahem *happy* as pain boy seems to be at the moment, I'm sated with tempura and a maki set. Maki sets are good for whut ails ya. Not as good as Dilaudid, apparently, but still...

 

[Tzara]

Phew. We just had a lovely night at the emergency room. My poor sweetheart's chronic back pain went into overdrive. But now we're home, and we even picked up Japanese food, so even though I'm not as ahem *happy* as pain boy seems to be at the moment, I'm sated with tempura and a maki set. Maki sets are good for whut ails ya. Not as good as Dilaudid, apparently, but still...

It sounds like now's the time to get him to sign the check for the new dinette set or whatever.

Back pain sucks. Been there. Don't want to go back.

 

[LeBroz]

Did you see the "gorilla" at first?
I watched that thing twice, counting.. and did not see the gorilla until I was told to watch it again without counting.
LOL

The first time I watched was right after waking up from my unexpected nap, so my eyes weren't too well focused. The monkey man was a subconscious distraction. The second time I noticed there were more black figures and it seemed to make it harder to track the passes. So I figured there was a trick involved and that I might be miscounting. It was on the third go round that, as I was counting the passes, I also tracked the movement of the gorilla moving across the field of play. I also noticed that, while everyone else was bobbing and weaving and twisting all around, the gorilla remained erect and just moved straight across the scene; that was the give away and it took just a fraction of a second to recognize the full extent of the hairy figure. That and the ugly face. What really surprised me was that, on the third viewing, I still was able to get 14 while also taking in all that I noticed about the gorilla.

.
.

 

[Angeline]

It sounds like now's the time to get him to sign the check for the new dinette set or whatever.

Back pain sucks. Been there. Don't want to go back.

I just asked him how he feels, and he said "If I don't move, fine." Lol. Poor baby.

He always has back pain. He broke his back in a car accident years ago and now he has arthritis and stenosis up and down his spine. So it's always a degree of pain--sometimes, like tonight, it's a lot worse. He's amazingly mellow about it. I'd spend my life bitching and moaning about it if it were me.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

What really surprised me was that, on the third viewing, I still was able to get 14 while also taking in all that I noticed about the gorilla.

You must be much better at counting passes than I am. LOL

 

[unpredictablebijou]

You must be much better at counting passes than I am. LOL

What's important is which one of you is better at making them.

bj

 

[Tzara]

I just asked him how he feels, and he said "If I don't move, fine." Lol. Poor baby.

He always has back pain. He broke his back in a car accident years ago and now he has arthritis and stenosis up and down his spine. So it's always a degree of pain--sometimes, like tonight, it's a lot worse. He's amazingly mellow about it. I'd spend my life bitching and moaning about it if it were me.

Yeah, that's what it's like. If you're lucky.

Sometimes it is bad whatever position you are in and you end up fretting around, you just make things worse.

I have a friend who damaged her back in a car wreck. The doctors ended up finally putting springs in her spine because there were no discs there anymore. She still walks with a stoop.

I hope he isn't that bad.

But, drugs are always good.

I wish him well.

 

[LeBroz]

.
.

As one who's normally skeptical of TV news reports of disasters {having lived through a few
myself}, I see them as making the disaster seem more extensive than it is in reality. Of course if
it's your house that gets burned, blown up, or flooded, it's all the disaster you can handle.

Having said all that, here are a pair of photos that puts the California fires in perspective.
They're both of the same view, miles from the nearest fire. Can you image breathing that air for
a couple weeks already?

Here's the view from yesterday.

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/smoke_se_071008.jpg?w=510&h=382

And here's an older shot from before the fires started.

http://bidwellranchcam.com/gallery/__live2.jpg

The really chilling thought is that the first photo shows the way California would have looked a
couple hundred years ago when such fires were the norm. Recent studies have uncovered that,
before 1800, fires burned over 4 million acres annually in California. That's an amount
greater than all the wildfires that occurred throughout the US from 1994 to 2004. Let's hope for
the sake of our California readers that the historical conditions aren't returning.

.
.

 

[Angeline]

Yeah, that's what it's like. If you're lucky.

Sometimes it is bad whatever position you are in and you end up fretting around, you just make things worse.

I have a friend who damaged her back in a car wreck. The doctors ended up finally putting springs in her spine because there were no discs there anymore. She still walks with a stoop.

I hope he isn't that bad.

But, drugs are always good.

I wish him well.

Nope, no stoop, though I can tell when he's really hurting because he walks more carefully. I don't think you'd notice unless you were around him a lot. He does really well. After the accident they thought he'd never walk again, but he not only walked he learned to climb California redwoods. And then years later he fell off a roof he was repairing and broke a bunch more stuff. And came back from that. Now, when he feels good he still goes to the gym and plays basketball. He's the stubbornest man I've ever known. When it pisses me off, I remember it's also one of the things I love most about him. His father says he has more lives than a cat.

P.S. We like you, too.

 

[Homburg]

Here's an interesting little experiment that was shared in psychology class. It's about attention and perception.

In this short video clip, count how many passes the team wearing white t-shirts makes. You should get 14.

I didn't. I got 13 the first time and 15 the next time. Maybe you guys are better at counting. LOL
Let me know what you get.

Basketball Passes

14, and, yeah, I caught the added bit there. I remember the first time I saw this video thinking "Did that just happen?"

 

[Homburg]

Good.
That was a joke. Mantovani was the kind of act my parents listened to once the extreme coolness of big band music degenerated into elevator stuff. Me da liked Bert Kaempfert for example. Not 'zactly my Cup of Tea.

I do like Glenn Miller, though.

I really dig big band. I have a bunch of Glenn Miller, Glenn Phillips, Duke Ellington, etc. I'm more into smaller jazz outfits though, digging stuff like Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong's various early bands, and a whole slew of great modern acts like Royal Crown Revue (truly fantastic band), Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

I was joshing you a bit there. Just a bit. I've, of course, heard of Public Enemy, but would probably confuse them with NWA.

Whew.

Stupid, of course. Kind of like thinking Mick Jagger was one of the Beatles, but it is Not My Genre.

Hip hop (I hope I am using the correct term there) has never appealed to me, so I know next to nothing about it. I don't know anything about reggae or mainstream country, either.

Again, I wouldn't consider that stupid, just ignorant. Ignorant is treatable, stupidity is terminal.

My hearing for speech is not all that great (too many years of headphones and Metallica, probably), so I tend not to listen much to lyrics, which would seem to be the point of hip hop. That may be partly why I was never interested.

Oh, and I don't have kids, so haven't been made to listen to whatever the next gen's mainstream music is. (And consequently missed out on my "this is not music, young man" moment. So you're kind of bearing the brunt of that.)

Ah, well, okay.

I love you too, son.

LOL

 

[Homburg]

Ange, depending on what sort of issues he has, and how much ROM he has in his spinal column, I might be able to make a few minor suggestions that might help. A good friend of mine has three surgically fused vertebrae in his lower back from a car accident many years ago, and chronic back pain. On a whim, he asked if he could lift with me. I discussed his issues and wrote him a program around his back, and we built a homebrew version of a particular machine that was invented by Louis Simmons of westside powerlifting.

Getting his back strong was what he needed to get rid of his pain issues, and he's been good for a couple of years now, even though he doesn't lift any more. And doing myofascial release on various muscles in his back and legs also did MAJOR things to help him deal with the pain. His hamstrings were crazy tight, and I taught him a trick with a tennis ball that he still does every night, and it really significant;y helped with his pain issues.

If you want to talk about some of this stuff, PM me. I'll give you any info you might want. You say that he's active, and goes to the gym. Bill Pearl put it best when he said "Where there is movement, there can be improvement". The stuff I know may not help him, but it might be worth a shot. Especially the myofascial release, as we used that to make some pretty solid improvements on my buddy Ron, and on MIS' recurring frozen shoulder.

 

[sassynyc]

Well, let me try that on for size.

*clears throat*

Uh, no, officer, I absolutely did not sell these young people marijuana. I keep it all for myself.

I mean, I would have, if I had any. Like, you know, whatever it is.

Which I don't.

Know.

Mary Jane? And I was just talkin' a little grade A hooch.
When the cops (um sorry, I mean "the fuzz") come a knockin' about your choice of herbal refreshment, I'm pleading the fifth.

And upon my speedy exit, the booze goes with me.
Bad, bad uncle. You better hope mom never finds out you showed me how to roll my first doobie

I do like Glenn Miller, though.

In The Mood is my favorite Glenn Miller song! This is my favorite Benny Goodman cut.
*looking for my box of Kleenex*
This is a beautiful moment. Look at us, relating to each other. Porn brings everyone together.


Uncle Tz, for even knowing of NWA's existence, you get another 5 cool points.
Though, if you'd known any of their songs, I'd have been worried

 

[Homburg]

Okay, so I did a good thing today. It made me honestly feel good of myself, and proud of my choices. Not something I usually feel consciously.

Anyway, a year ago or so, I was in the first poly relationship that we tried. It was a bad thing. Emotionally unstable, left us all ragged, very bad idea, but it did open me up to the idea. Regardless, my friends knew about it, and talked quite a bit, as I was rather anti-poly prior to this. We all have our idiocies, guess.

The wife of one of my best friends in the world, a guy that I honeslty call my brother from another mother, decided that this relationship was WRONG. that I was wronging viv and being an utter bastard. Instead of talking to me or viv about it, she decided to out me to my mother. Yeah, it was exciting.

The fallout was nuclear, and caused major problems between my mother and I, but my dad and I wouldn up with a stronger relationship, oddly. My girlfriend couldn't deal and went away, and things went quite strange in my life.

I was seriously, deeply, poisonously furious at the woman (we'll call her ER) that did this to me and mine. Stayed that way for a long, long time. I drifted out of my circle of friends, as she was there and I didn't want to associate, and I'm not the sort of person to try and force someone else out of a social environment. I didn't quite lose my friend, but our relationship was strained by it. Tough to be best friends with someone that hates your wife, and only refers to her by an exceedingly derogatory nickname. Fortunately, said friend agreed with me that what she did was stupid and wrong, and ripped her a new one for fucking over his best friend. Anyway, fast forward to today...

My buddy AP is going to NYC with ER and a friend. I was thinking that it would be cool if I could toss them some gas money and ride along, then split and hang out with MIS for a bit. I'd catch up with them and ride back later. I've done this sort of thing with AP before. I mentioned it to MIs, and she said that I probably would be able to stomach being in the car with ER for that long. I agreed, thoughtfully.

I got to thinking about it, and decided that I could bury the hatchet if it meant being able to hop up and spend time with MIS. Well, it turned out that there wasn't any room in the car, as I found from talking to AP, so it was a moot point.

Well hell, right? I sat there thinking about it(I spent 7 hours behind the wheel today for work, so lots of time to ponder) and realised that I really was willing to put it behind me becaus eof MIS. That made me ask myself why would I be willing to put it behind me to see MIS, and be willing to put it behind me period?

So I thought and thought and thought. This woman trespassed against me in a staggering fashion, violated my trust, and outed activities to my parents that no parent wants to hear thier offspring involved in (many of which wer euntrue, but that is another issue). Yet it was a year ago. And I wasn't feeling particularly pissed at her any more. And I wasn't gaining something from holding that grudge, right?

I realised that I was holding onto that emotional baggage for no good damned reason. And that things turned out okay. My folks don't like what I do, but they accept it enough to not scream,and it means we don't have to be so bloody circumspect these days. So while she did me no favours, it kinda turned out okay.

So I called her. I left a long voicemail saying that I was calling to see about putting it behind us. It's time to bury the hastchet that I've carried for too long.

No idea if she'll call, and I honestly don't care. Making that call was enough. I feel like I shed 60lbs of emotional weight just by giving up on that grudge. Not that she doesn't deserve my ire, but because I just don't need to carry it around. And, lastly, it was remaining baggage from that relationship of last year. It was good to let it go.

And it was a beautiful day, with a good drive, and work wasn't too awful.

I can't complain.

 

[sassynyc]

You are well within your rights to be proud. Impressive stuff. That's growth. My growth is a little stunted, as it were
I'm a little slow on that lesson. I have been able to dismiss/walk away from grudges, but depending on my level of piss-ivity,
some take longer than others. Some never happen.

I'm generally a nice enough person. I never do anyone intentional harm. Try my best to right my wrongs.
However, I'm also the type of person that, if you shoot my dog, I'm coming for your cat...the parakeet....the fish...the hamsters....and if you have a pet rock, it's destined to become gravel. This isn't healthy by any stretch, of course, but, baby steps.

You did a good thing. Her response remains to be seen. If she can't get past it, it's on her.
It's worth it if it gives you peace of mind. I'm sure your friend appreciates it too, even though you weren't at fault.
Undoubtedly, you've got some good karma coming your way.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

I'm having a rough night. Someone in my class posted an ignorant, judgmental message about people who have psychotic symptoms. Keep in mind, my class is an upper-level psychology class. I can accept the negative comments on my piece about living with bipolar disorder from the general public easier than from someone who is studying to work in the mental health field.. you know what I mean?

I guess I just expected more. I don't know why. I've about had it with people.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Here's an interesting little experiment that was shared in psychology class. It's about attention and perception.

In this short video clip, count how many passes the team wearing white t-shirts makes. You should get 14.

I didn't. I got 13 the first time and 15 the next time. Maybe you guys are better at counting. LOL
Let me know what you get.

Basketball Passes

Drat I can't watch movies YouTube or anything else something to do with my connection speed and it's like watching the clip in slow motion!

Phew. We just had a lovely night at the emergency room. My poor sweetheart's chronic back pain went into overdrive. But now we're home, and we even picked up Japanese food, so even though I'm not as ahem *happy* as pain boy seems to be at the moment, I'm sated with tempura and a maki set. Maki sets are good for whut ails ya. Not as good as Dilaudid, apparently, but still...

Gentle hugs to EE although nowhere as bad since my car smash I have to conscientiously remember to sit up straight and walk tall as a combination of that and a slightly curved spine was making me look like the hunchback of Notre Dame

I'm having a rough night. Someone in my class posted an ignorant, judgmental message about people who have psychotic symptoms. Keep in mind, my class is an upper-level psychology class. I can accept the negative comments on my piece about living with bipolar disorder from the general public easier than from someone who is studying to work in the mental health field.. you know what I mean?

I guess I just expected more. I don't know why. I've about had it with people.

Well that's it .... someone elses ignorance is nothing to do with you it's their problem not yours you know who you are and for my money you are caring, sensitive, funny and disgraceful so just carry on being you and let some other jerk carry their own baggage.

Hey Homb you did good for you and much the same advice to you it's no longer your weight to carry although you could poss find it gets right up her nose to be forgiven especially if she still reckons she's in the right. Anyway time will tell and good luck there

 

[UnderYourSpell]

A Woman's Ultimate Fantasy!


Ask any man, and he will tell you that any woman's ultimate fantasy is to have two men at once.


While this has been verified by a recent sociological study, it appears that most men do not realize that in


the fantasy, one man is cooking and the other is cleaning.

 

[champagne1982]

UYS, ty for the haha...

Hom, I'm a blurt and forget kind of girl. I'm still occassionally set back when someone comes along and asks if I'm still pissed at so-and-so for whatever. I seriously can't remember most situations they're talking about.

It comes from inheriting trout shoulders. Shit may float in the current and hit me in the face, but it doesn't stick for but an instant and then just washes away with the flow. It's good to see other people can let it go and move on with life. Besides, dropping that load just freed you up to help lift heavier weight for other people .