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  1. #8701
    Oliphaunt Rube E. Tewesday's avatar
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    Nah, last year spoke to a childhood friend for the first in years. I haven't kept in touch that great with where I grew up.

    TNP thinks movin's the closest thing to bein' free.

  2. #8702
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    No. I feel free already, and I don't like all the bother of moving.

    TNP will probably take a nap today.

  3. #8703
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Yeah, I think so. I did some swapping around of shifts so I have today free. My feet hurt and I don't feel like playing Bach or anything else today. I just would like to reset myself for a bit.

    TNP has spent most of his or her life copying others, and finds the only freedom is in dreams.

  4. #8704
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    Disagree on both counts. If you live in a Western democracy and don't think you're free, try a year in North Korea or Syria sometime.

    TNP actually wouldn't mind a stint in North Korea or Syria.

  5. #8705
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Yeah, I would mind very much. Lebanon or rural South Korea seem a little more to my tastes.

    TNP does not care for pedestrians who, at a minimum, don't carry (and use) a high-powered LED flashlight, and neglect wearing a reflective vest, if they're going to be poncing around in the dark during rush hour.

  6. #8706
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    No, actually, I'd be surprised to see pedestrians thus equipped regardless of the hour.

    TNP knows who Georgy Zhukov was.

  7. #8707
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    This, 100% honest, but wasn't he some guy who got shot down in a plane and then did some stuff? I'll look him up after this post, but that's my honest impression.

    ETA Whoops! Well, at least the name sounded familiar. I'm still pretty sure he had a plane named after him, or a tank, or something, but I don't feel like reading an encyclopedia entry just now.

    TNP takes most opportunities he or she can to inspect and assimilate the roles other people part of one's "profession" do, even though it can be a path fraught with various people who are like "Well, we don't do it like that," or whatever.
    Last edited by Jizzelbin; 09 Feb 2020 at 01:29 AM.

  8. #8708
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    I'm always willing to learn more about other professions and careers, yes. I usually find it interesting how people do things I don't know how to do (even if I don't always have the patience or time to learn how to do it anywhere near as well as they do!).

    TNP has seen the 1984 Mozart tragicomedy Amadeus in the past year.

  9. #8709
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Ha. Haha. Hahahaha. Hahahaha! Hot? Who's hot? I don't know when I've ever felt quite so comfortable! That's a true.

    TNP thinks present-day Pee-Wee (AKA "PW") is still pretty awesome...but slightly less so than back in the day.

  10. #8710
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    Haven't seen him lately, so I couldn't say.

    TNP has or had a red bike.

  11. #8711
    Oliphaunt Jizzelbin's avatar
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    Sure. Still have it, in fact, just up on my balcony with the front wheel off, where it just...I don't know....it just sits there. Well, it's red and black, I guess. Most people would say, "That's a red bike!" though, I guess. I'll be fucked if I'm going to be riding a goddamned bike in this fucking crap town, though.

    TNP can think of a less childish way of dealing with sluggish, dumb-fuck coworkers than just lowering oneself to their standards, and if so, will say what that is.

  12. #8712
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    Ignoring them, working around them, bitching about them to non-coworker friends or mocking them silently in your mind, maybe?

    There are times when TNP wouldn't mind having a working flamethrower.

  13. #8713
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    Not really: my next firepower-related purchases are going to be a good empty gasoline can to carry in the trunk, and a Mossberg 500 with a bunch of #00 and a few slugs for fun.

    TNP probably should not be slinging a backpack full of fuel and a torch anywhere near anyone, but still owns and uses a blowtorch somewhat often.

  14. #8714
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    No, never had one of those, although I've seen them used.

    TNP would like to learn how to blow glass.

  15. #8715
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    Absolutely not. That just seems entirely wrong to me. Everything about it seems wrong, somehow. Some of those hippies do make some pretty cool stuff, though.

    TNP knows somebody with a pretty cool collection of those glass floats used (perhaps not so much any longer) in maritime fishing.

  16. #8716
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    Nah, can't say as I do. Sounds sharp, though.

    TNP thinks Coke from a glass bottle tastes better than Coke from a can.

  17. #8717
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    I'd go along with that. I really have more experience with beer than Coke, but regular beer out of a can is, to me, not that best way to drink it. Kind of a metallic taste, I guess, but for all I know that's a preconception. I don't like it much, though, whatever it is, but poured into a glass, I doubt I could tell the difference. It's fine for ghetto beers like Steel Reserve 211, or others that aren't exactly things you drink for subtle flavors.

    TNP thinks whiskey and a modest amount of Coke is a very good combination indeed.

  18. #8718
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    No, I don't like Coke in anything. And I drink my whiskey neat.

    TNP has listened to some Mozart today.

  19. #8719
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    Yesterday? I don't really remember. I seem to remember a few seconds of going back to my bugbear, namely, trying to figure out how to arrange Mozart's aria "Der Hölle Rache" for solo piano. It's likely pretty rare a day goes by I don't recall a small fragment of Mozart's music, but it's rare I actually find a recording and project the performance via speakers.

    Today? Well of course. It's like the white bear, not thinking about it.

    TNP thinks auditory recall of a performance or a piece of music (an abstracted performance, say) can be a much more powerful and flexible tool than inspecting a realized performance.

  20. #8720
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    Yes, that's probably true.

    TNP ate some form of chocolate today.

  21. #8721
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    Not yet, haven't eaten a thing.

    TNP generally skips breakfast, except on weekends.

  22. #8722
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    Other than a little OJ before I walk out the door, yes, usually.

    TNP prefers grapefruit to orange juice.

  23. #8723
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    I suppose not. I can't remember the last time I had grapefruit juice, but I have orange juice a few times a year on purpose. It appears sweet appears has won a decisive victory over sour, in the opinion of this commentator.

    TNP thinks holidays are mostly for kids (or young adults): the adult mind tends to grim matter-of-factness and revels daily in the austerity of the quotidian.

  24. #8724
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    Mostly, yeah, but I enjoy holidays too - just not the same as kids do.

    TNP has a favorite non-related kid in his or her life.

  25. #8725
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    Not really. I get along with some kids from work, and young people who do things like work at the grocery store or tend bar or whatever. Late teens/early twenties, is what I'm calling a "kid." A favorite of those? One of our floor-level supervisors is not of drinking age, but he seems to enjoy my sense of humor, so it's always good for a laugh. Impromptu comedy dialogues. Anyone who sees the comedy in muttering "Motherfuckers...." while pretending to be outraged is OK, and moreso if they contribute their own mockeries of common emotions.

    TNP can say there was a specific moment when he or she, figuratively (or literally, in my case), shined a bright light on himself or herself and decided that he or she was physically not exactly the freshest. IOW, old. For example, tobacco-stained fingers, toenails, and flesh, brought to you by Philip Morriss, don't use drugs, kids.
    Last edited by Jizzelbin; 15 Feb 2020 at 11:56 PM. Reason: del to ensure more pleasure to audience

  26. #8726
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    Maybe when I turned fifty, but every year I become a little more aware that I'm older now than I used to be.

    TNP was particularly close to one grandparent.

  27. #8727
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    Sure, although my only and best contacts, with respect to the order presented in the following sentence, were when I was below the age of ten. Both my maternal grandmother and my paternal grandfather were pretty bitchen, in very different ways.

    TNP has sprained his or her ankle in the past ten or fifteen years.

  28. #8728
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    Oh, yes. I do it every year or so, I think.

    TNP has taken iron supplements in the past five years.

  29. #8729
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    Don't think so, no.

    TNP has pretty much given up on the idea of taking dietary supplements.

  30. #8730
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    No, I take a multivitamin every day.

    TNP has read a literary classic in the past three months.

  31. #8731
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    Hmmm....read a lot of old stuff, but not a lot that most people would consider "classics", I suppose.

    TNP thinks that any booze with "Old" in its name is probably worth drinking, except for Old Milwaukee.

  32. #8732
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    Hmm. Guess not. Can't think of any "Old"-named booze I prefer.

    TNP has smoked a cigar in the past month.

  33. #8733
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    No. And I did not have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, either. The experience doesn't fit well with Old Crow or Olde English 800, either, I'm guessing.

    TNP knows which of his or her eyes is dominant, presuming at least partial vision in both eyes.

  34. #8734
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    Yes, my right eye.

    TNP has had an eye exam in the past six months.

  35. #8735
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    No. In fact it's probably been a quarter century since I had an actual opthamologist examine my eyes, as opposed to a regular optometrist. It's on my list of things to do to get a new (stronger! better!) prescription, though. Probably will get around to it sometime this year unless an eye becomes infected or physically damaged.

    TNP has found it impossible to feel the discomfort of others unless one has experienced, at the least, strongly analogous circumstances. For example, spraining or perhaps breaking one's ankle and becoming hobbled. All I can think of are past examples of observing others with such an affliction and observing to myself, "Well, that must hurt: lots of luck!"

  36. #8736
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    Kinda sorta. I try to empathize but sometimes I don't really have grounds for comparison.

    TNP has seen a great movie in the past week.

  37. #8737
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    Sure. An oldie (but still recent) again, The Commitments. I think in the past week there have been at least a few others, but I can't say if they were from the past week or maybe two weeks ago. I don't keep a diary, you know. ETA Oh! Yeah. All That Jazz counts.

    TNP has given notes on somebody's original manuscript recently: you know, sort of editing just for a friend and all that. (Really hard to be diplomatic, but sometimes the brutal truth has to be said, however much one sprinkles sugar on top).

    More generally, TNP has recently given critical notes to someone about his or her creative efforts, and if so, feels pretty confident in his or her judgment.
    Last edited by Jizzelbin; 24 Feb 2020 at 01:44 AM. Reason: bollocks

  38. #8738
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    Not too recently, but yes, I have provided a friendly edit to others' writings quite a few times.

    TNP has a favorite philosopher.

  39. #8739
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    Yeah. I'm going with two who are certainly among the most influential in modern Anglo-Austrian "technical philosophy" (as it sometimes used to be called): Wittgenstein and Husserl. Both very interesting people in their private lives, as well. For sheer pleasure to be found among his fragments on cultural topics, I'll stick with Wittgenstein, even though his technical work on language, mathematics, and logic can be a bit gnomic. And, no, I don't necessarily agree with every feature of their various systems developed in their developments as thinkers, but there's plenty of room for disagreements large and small as well.

    TNP has a pretty good bone to pick with people who, out of ignorance or malice, dismiss logicians and rigorous philosophers as mere navel-gazers, when in fact, the practical applications of the best philosophers of the past century are vast and of crucial importance to a great many scientific fields.

  40. #8740
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    I suppose so, but I can't say it keeps me up nights. I think the more pressing problem for humanity right now is accepting that hard science is real.

    TNP has a favorite dead scientist.

  41. #8741
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    I guess. For the sake of argument I'm excluding all mathematicians and logicians, but Maxwell was a remakable synthesist, as was Leibniz. I can't go back to the pre-early moderns, including the Greeks, because that didn't really observe the stale old divisions between humanitarians and mere experimentalists, so Epicurus is out, as is Eratosthenes and Archimedes, not to mention Gauss, Goethe, and so forth.

    I'll stick with Maxwell, just for fun. He was really good at hammering stuff out, it seems, and I don't have much interest in atomic chemistry or its kid brother, particle physics, and still less anything whatsoever to do with cosmology. I think I can sometimes understand electromagnetic fields, Lenz's law, all that.

    TNP has recently had one of those "helpful people" hawks his wares, like in a parking lot, "Hey, esse, I see you have body damage on your car, I do insurance adjustments and can get you a good deal!" Yeah, right.

  42. #8742
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    No, I rarely see that kind of thing.

    TNP has a favorite dead leader (president, king, queen, prime minister, pope, etc.)

  43. #8743
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    Not so much, although over the years I've developed a strange affection for George Washington, particularly the strength of character it took to walk away from a place where he could have been dictator.

    TNP follows Spring Training baseball a bit.

  44. #8744
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    No. Just not that hardcore. But I see the appeal, and given the chance, I'd watch some highlights + commentary on the tube, above many other things, certainly.

    [Ditto GW: I still can't abide his having assisted the Brits against the French in his earlier days, but the more I read about him, the more I think he was a remarkable man and soldier.]

    This is a bit of a retread, but it recently came up today and I'd like to know if the TNP would feel the least bit bad about, after having had three or four beers at a bar, as a tip, just dropped some loose change on the bar. Like eighty odd cents or something like that. For the mere fact of the bartender being slow as mollasses.

  45. #8745
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    No, I've given small tips - or none - for sucky service. Not often, though.

    I'm a big GW fan, too! Recommended reading: Chernow's masterful bio, Washington: A Life, or Ellis's Founding Brothers, both of which won Pulitzers.

    TNP has read a bio of Washington in the past ten years.

  46. #8746
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    I'm not really sure: the closest I do remember for sure is probably McCullough's 1776, which had some good Washingtonia, IIRC. I might have read an actual bio, or I might just have picked up information from textbooks and such, which I sometimes browse just to see what the kids are up to, besides twerking and texting.

    TNP is somewhat outraged that some companies, including some government ones insist on doing certain things by phone. More generally, TNP finds it a giant waste of time to deal with business-type stuff over the phone.

  47. #8747
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    Depends on what they want to do by phone, I guess. Sometimes it's easier and quicker, but there are certainly times when I'd rather have a paper trail or an email record.

    And yes, McCullough's 1776 is a great intro to the Revolutionary War and to Washington's generalship. Fischer's Washington's Crossing covers some of the same material but is even better, I'd say.

    TNP has texted more recently than twerked.

  48. #8748
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    Tough question! J/k: I text all the time to quite a few of my peeps. It's great fun, even when discussing various work problems with some of my crew, or even just joking around. Text+forums >> (i.e., "much greater than") e-mail any day of the week, mostly. IMHO. I don't dance, period: I got the rhythm covered, and am not shy, but it just seems very, very wrong. If it's a good tune, I want to listen to it, not be busting a move and getting all distracted. Besides occasionally air-drumming or beating time or air-conducting or air-keyboarding.

    TNP dances every now and then, of one's own accord (not just dragged into it by, say, a romantic partner!)

  49. #8749
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    Yes, usually if I'm alone and a particularly good dance tune comes on.

    TNP is a big fan of Saturday Night Fever.

  50. #8750
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    Nope, you can count me right out of that party! I still think Travolta's not an inherently bad actor, though. Not great, but he did a few very-good-to-excellent movies.

    TNP would not intervene in a street-fight between punks and the softboys of disco/Kiss Army, but knows who to root for. Purely as spectacle.

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