By all means, if you think it's necessary.
TNP had Japanese food this week.
By all means, if you think it's necessary.
TNP had Japanese food this week.
Nope. The opposite. Pretty much exclusively fast food from drive-thru windows. (But no alcohol, so....meh...it kind of evens out in the wash!)
TNP has a favorite national/widespread chain fast food restaurant, and, if so, will name it. If not, explain why. In 300 words or less. Or more.
Yes, my secret fast-food passion is Arby's. (Don't you judge me!). Back when I was a kid there was an Arby's in the nearest big city to which my sisters and I would very occasionally be taken by my parents, and eating there was a special treat. I still like it.
TNP has read a Western in the past two months.
Ummmmm....I'm going to say "No." Not actually sure I've ever read a Western....though one of my favorite genres in moving pictures for sure. Unless you want to count something like On the Road or Chateaubriand's Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe (which is, actually, kind of a proto-Western...in a way...it's got rattlesnakes biting horses and Iroquois and all that!).
No, I revise that to a hard no, not ever. Unless one gets into Fenimore Cooper....I think I was supposed to read one of his in a grad seminar, but I was busy, you know, doing stuff like research and writing...or, you know, like Kafka, "Wunsch, Indianer zu werden."
But my memory is not the best. Good enough for two months, though. Mostly. Definitely not in last two months. Definitely not....pretty sure.
TNP wishes very much that some people at, say, work, could just can the balloon juice about 95% of the time. IOW, TNP can be pretty irritated by people who have some kind of compulsion to fill up every silence with chatter, especially as it concerns their own lives, about which one is not at all interested. For example.
Yes, now and then. Fortunately, none of the people I regularly work with are chatterboxes.
Some great Westerns to consider: True Grit by Charles Portis (a callow but determined young woman tries to find the man who killed her father), Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker (two gunmen are hired to pacify a wild town) and Inland by Tea Obreht (a wrangler for the U.S. Camel Corps and a tough-as-nails frontier mom are brought together by circumstances beyond their control).
TNP will poke around on Amazon a little to learn more about at least one of those books.
I might. I know about *True Grit*....it has its followers....but somehow I imagine most of them read in my inner ear to take their teeth out in order to do a reading for Mr. Ford, as in a Walter Brennan kind of thing. Meh, I should probably read some Louis L'Amour, or *Lonesome Dove*, you know, one of those. *Appaloosa* made a fine movie, which I believe I first heard about here. *Inland* sound intriguing.
I must say, though, I'm getting back to roots and reinvestigating some (post)-modernist (no later than, say, then 1970s), modernist, and symbolist or even romantic novels. As well as memorizing random bits in foreign tongues I'd forgot, like the Symbolum Apostolorum [the shorter creed, licit for use during Lent and Easter, as well as when praying the rosary] and the Mallarmé *Plusieurs sonnets*.
TNP keeps track of which drugs one takes each day, how much, and at what time, in a notebook. Need not be heavy drugs....benadryl, ibuprofen, Chantix, alcohol, &c.
No, I don't. I rarely take any drugs at all, and when I do by prescription, I just take them as directed, and don't really need to keep track.
I've now finished Inland and very strongly recommend it. Probably the best book I've read so far this year.
TNP would like to go to Arizona this spring.
No. Not unless they build a giant canopy over the entire state to block out the sunlight!
[tks for tip about *Inland*....that's a strong recommendation, so it will be amusing to check it out]
TNP can't really decide which pair of sunglasses (bonus points for prescription shades!) is his or her "Number One," taking after the convention some guitarists use when referring to their favored guitar.
I have two, I'd say: a rugged, matte-black pair of Ironman sunglasses for everyday use including driving, and a tortoise pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers for fancier occasions. If I had to choose, I'd go with the Wayfarers.
When I was a lifeguard and boating instructor at Scout camp back in the early Eighties, I had a prescription pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses, but haven't since then.
TNP has seen snow outside in the past three days.
Yeah. There's still a bit of snow up around here, but over the past two days, day-and-a-half, I'd say, it's rapidly become a victim of the sunlight and warmer temperatures. Three days? Yeah, for sure, little bit here and there.
TNP thinks it will be completely futile to try to "chase" the upcoming total solar eclipse, for reasons of likely overcast weather, or not being near the arc of totality, or general whatever reasons. Maybe next time!
In many places, yes. Fortunately, I won't have to chase it, because we're right in the path of it. I'm just hoping for clear weather that day: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/fu...24/where-when/
TNP already has effective and safe eye-protective glasses to watch the total solar eclipse on April 8.
You lucky son of a bitch! I hope you and yours have a great experience. (Oh, no, I don't have any welding glasses or such...not in the path, and it will be overcast anyway, per usual in the PNW).
TNP has had an enduring affection for artists, writers, musicians of the XVIth century for several decades...really, most his or her adult life. And never comes up empty when searching for inspiration in the past.
No, I'm more of a XVIIth and XVIIIth century kind of guy, especially for music (Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Boyce, Telemann, etc.).
TNP got rained on today.
Nah, not really. Few sprinkles here and there, but my work day is just almost beginning.
TNP thinks an appropriate response if some coworkers start in with that "happy birthday" crap is: "Yep, sure is. Whoopty fucking shit! Thanks for reminding me! 39 years!"(No, it's not my birthday, and I am not 39, nor will ever be again!)
Nah, I never minded if people remembered my birthday, even if I didn’t advertise it.
TNP has discovered a movie recently they want to recommend.
Not a movie, but one of my sons and I have been watching the new Hulu series Shogun, based on the James Clavell novel, and it's pretty good. It's about an English sailor marooned in early 1600s Japan, trying to survive the political maneuvering and murderous feuds between various clans after the death of the Taiko (regent).
TNP is interested in Japanese history.
You know, I'd say true, because it is a colorful history.
A lot of ins and outs and what-have-yous. Mind you, I know next to nothing about, say, Japanese classical poetry compared to Chinese classical poetry (about which I know only somewhat more), but that's my final answer.
TNP does not have any patience for internet trollery, but knows exactly how to avoid it, in addition to the endless screeching it or those accused of such tends to invite. As a follow-up question, TNP has the least patience imaginable for politically disingenous and provocative speech, whether by a Youtuber or an elected member of congress.
Yes to both. I try to treat everybody with courtesy and respect, both online and IRL, and expect them to do the same. If they don't, then I typically will have nothing more to do with them unless absolutely necessary.
TNP observed the North American total solar eclipse yesterday.
Heard about it. Was not in the real path, though, and so I was either at work or sleeping. Or both.
TNP *did* find its way nearer to the path of totality.
No, but wife and kid did, and were impressed.
TNP is traveling soon.
Not too far, no.
We were able to see the total solar eclipse from our backyard; my niece and her husband drove up from Columbus, Ohio to see it with us. It was a warm spring day and the temperature dropped noticeably during totality. Our old dog didn't react at all, but our neighbor's dog barked nervously just before that. Absolutely stunning to see that dark disc with its eerie, fiery white rim, and a red prominence like a laser dot at about the 6:30 position; I now understand why people will travel great distances to see a TSE. Loved it!
TNP has at least three pairs of scissors in the house.
Goodness indeed. I'm very happy you witnessed the ancient battle between the moon and the sun. Truly. They come through here in the PNW once in a while, but it's always overcast anyway.Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Well, yeah. (TNP looks within a three-foot radius and finds at least three scissors. Sharp ones, too.)
How the hell else is one supposed to stab one's pizza onto the plate?
TNP finds that people who throw around the term "troll" IRL or online indiscriminately should probably be disposed of. And one doesn't much care how.
For to accuse someone of being a troll is a pretty serious matter, and simpletons and retired technicians and the like cannot adjudge such an affair.
Yes, any insult should be levied with at least some degree of care, "troll" included.
TNP knew that ABBA gave permission only three times for one of its songs to be sampled, and that one of those times was for this 2005 Madonna hit:
(Sigh)....No! I actually have very few ideas about anything to do with ABBA, nor Madonna, for that matter. It's well beyond my realm. No, TNP had absolutely no idea.
TNP would be, or has been, driven to a near-frenzy by someone...a coworker, or whatever....who insisted on listening to recorded music on a personal device, such that one could hear it while doing other things.
TNP would even go so far as to say he or she *despises* listening to music he or she does not desire to at any given moment.
Yes, it can be very annoying, especially when it's from someone driving by in a car with the windows rolled down and their music blasting.
TNP has seen a movie with the score performed live by an orchestra, and will tell us which film(s).
Certainly at least once, but I cannot tell anyone the name of the film. It was a revival theater in "historic" Oregon City or Hillsboro, OR, and although a younger pre-teen at the time, there was much whooping and hollering IIRC.
Memory has escaped me, which I consider forgivable given the uncouth surroundings at the time.
TNP has recently "invested" some in acquiring a good several handfuls of "classic" (by which I mean, maybe, prior to the XXe century) books of novels and poetry in decent editions, or has been entertained by such adventures in consumerism in the past. (Inclusive "or").
Not recently, am kind of meaning to read a few dozen of the books I already have before getting many more. Three months into retirement,nand still haven’t gotten very far into my reading.
TNP seldom gets bored, because there’s just about always something entertaining to do or think about.
Definitely. I will almost always have a book or magazine close at hand, or will noodle around on the Internet.
There's a movie TNP really wants to see on the big screen over the summer.
There is, starting July 11th, but discretion does not allow me the tempting mentioning the title of this magnificent blockbuster.
I don't talk politics at work and I will not here....but....but....opening date of a really hilarious movie! Shazam!
TNP is on a diet, of sorts, in a desperate attempt to lower his or her blood pressure before a visit with his or her GP. Or not. A diet, anyway. Alternate TNP: TNP finds that not drinking and smoking is actually pretty good! It greatly simplifies day-to-day life. And therefore TNP advises this diet to others, as this poster does.
Last edited by Jizzelbin; 02 Jun 2024 at 01:00 AM.
Not really, although I am trying to eat less. Also, I fast now and then, often having just a small glass of OJ for breakfast and then sometimes skipping lunch. Sometimes I also cut out sweets.
TNP could go for a big slice of apple pie right now.
Yeah, even though it’s only 9:00 a.m. Pie makes a fine breakfast.
TNP prefers their apple pie not to have cinnamon.
My Platonic ideal of apple pie actually includes vanilla ice cream with a slight sprinkling of cinnamon!
TNP will be on a beach somewhere this week.
More or less — in a cottage on a lake with some of my wife’s friends, but the beach is a steep walk downhill.
TNP sometimes finds “fun” activities more tiring than fun.
Yep. "Fun" as an idea just evokes a lot of extra unnecessary effort to me. Confetti and balloons and nonsense. Humbug.
TNP occasionally gets pretty lost, even if on purpose, while driving around on country roads near where one lives or works and such. Or, you know, technically "lost" but not exactly....one may have a good idea where one is, but not exactly where a certain road ends up.
A lot of twists and turns and what have you.
Yeah, I do like to do that now and then, or to take a route home I've never taken before, just to see what other parts of the city look like.
TNP is ready for bed.
Technically, yes. I start my day job job at around 1600 five days a week, but woke up at 0700 today to get ready for an appt with my doctor for a blood pressure check-up, and do some chores. Meh, I'd just as soon drink some beer and maybe putter around my place for a while, organizing some audio cables or putting back in order the hundreds of loose pages of music staff paper lying around.
TNP is absolutely convinced that carrying excess water weight is mostly the fault of diet (alcohol even in modest amounts, and perhaps salt in foods or electrolyte replacement powders).
And that it must be fought diligently....especially when "weighing in" on an accurate balance! A properly hydrated body should not be bloated with excess water! Combat this evil with heavy weights compressing one's torso for up to eighteen hours a day, diuretics such as "water pills"....by any means necessary!
Whatever works for you, bruh.
TNP has a loved one out of town right now.
Sure. My mother, who is undergoing non-curative chemotherapy for a partially surgically removed brain tumor, is doing that whole "Fourth of July" thing at the coast. It's usually a very unpleasant gathering full of in-laws and unnecessary strife.
TNP has always kind of hated the "Fourth of July" (yes, Canucks can be included as TNP! pretty sure TO probably gets a fair bit of pollution spilling over from bflo and niagara falls, NY)....and thinks "they" should just turn it into a Purge Day, for all the "fun" to be had by a bunch of a-holes "doing fireworks." It's a good chance to dip back into *The Federalist Papers*, though, I suppose, or other bits of North American history.
TNP also thinks it would be more American and probably safer to just fire guns into the air (using lead-free ammunition, of course). It's not *that* dangerous, and probably wouldn't cause as many fires, if any.
Canada: a luxury apartment over a meth lab.
No, I've always enjoyed Independence Day - the flags, fireworks, cookouts, concerts, parades, ice cream, etc. I'm listening to Sousa marches even now!:
TNP has heard a Sousa march in the past month.
Probably not, although I might have tuned one out when the Americans were doing July 4th stuff.
TNP is always mildly astonished by how many jobs can be fit into the military, such as full time musician.
Yes, although in the U.S. military in the past twenty-some years, the trend has been towards using civilian contractors, especially for support functions.
U.S. Marine Band musicians are, IIRC, the only Marines who don't have to go through boot camp. They are already established, talented musicians when they enlist, and they start practicing and performing as Marines at once.
TNP knows a U.S. Marine or former (never "ex-") Marine.
Sure. I used to hang out pretty regularly with a neighbor who was a Marine over a period of a few years...he kind of went the Drew Carey route in terms of physique after he pulled his six years (he did ROTC or one of those as an undergrad), but still walked a brisk fifteen minute mile despite his weight....probably would not advise getting in a fist fight with him. A bartender I knew pretty well went to the USN Academy at Annapolis and did his six as a Marine. Among people I'd stop and chat with for a good while those come to mind....I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking of....extended family maybe? I dunno. But, yeah.
If TNP were going to several funerals in the next few years....you know, time flies and all that...TNP would go ahead and order a made-to-measure black suit....but to ensure versatility such that it could be worn with some flair at other events, would go ahead and have the company add things like a ticket pocket, select unconstructed shoulders ("spalla camicia," or shirt-like collars where the only real structure comes from the horsehair canvas to which the suit is sewn), or perhaps other style additions according to one's taste (color of the lining...and how much of the jacket is lined, how many shirtsleeve buttons, and are they functional or not....etc.)
IOW small details that one wouldn't necessarily add to a workplace suit (not to mention that one probably wouldn't wear a black suit during daylight hours except for certain occasions....one could....but....probably one wouldn't very often....no matter how cool Marcello Mastroianni made his unstructured black suit look in La Notte and elsewhere).
Yeah, that makes sense to me. However, I don't really go to enough funerals to make it worthwhile to have a suit just for that; in any event, I have a dark grey suit which I've found works well for such occasions.
TNP is following American politics pretty closely these days.
Sure. One can never get enough of whatever Kardashian Hilton Jersey Queens reality TV.
It's great. Trust me.
TNP would go for single or double vented suit jacket if one had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and chose to carry with an outside-the-waistband holster (OWB) a double-stack full size pistol (say five inch barrel) with an exposed hammer chambered in 9mm.
ETA TNP is pretty confident that double vents wouldn't print with that setup.
Can’t say I have given it much thought, but yeah, that would probably work.
TNP regularly uses food delivery apps.
No. I went through a "phase" of using fast food apps (Burger King, Jack in the Box) to pre-order drive-thru stuff, but I can't really feature paying the premium for whatever dude or gal to go run errands for me. If I'm at home, I'd just "cook" something easy and fast, anyway. Maybe if I was at the "office" for a long day, I'd go in on a group order, but, no.
TNP's experience with Uber/Lyft amateur drivers has been that they are mostly idiots who don't know the roads and have their face buried in their phone, figuratively, to figure out where the hell they're going. Because they don't know, unlike cab drivers who generally know their heads from their asses (usually, but not always!)
I've had very limited experiences with Uber/Lyft drivers, but the few trips I took went OK.
TNP wants to go to Alaska.
Well, I’ve been there and it was fine, but there are lots of other places I would like to go in the time I have.
TNP has been to Pompeii.
Negatory. I read in this article by this guy, Pliny something or other, that there's some good stuff there, but they had some trouble with some kind of lava, like soap or something.
TNP owns a suit (or even just a coat/blazer) with unconstructed shoulders (spalla camicia), after an Italian style supposedly originating in or about Naples. Or would like to have one made for him or her (or it/they).
I don't think so, no. I have some neckties from Italy, though.
TNP is just a bit chilly right now.
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