No, not really. Ahnuld from True Lies is my favorite character of that sort.
TNP has seen True Lies at least three times.
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No, not really. Ahnuld from True Lies is my favorite character of that sort.
TNP has seen True Lies at least three times.
No, probably twice, I suppose. A cute movie, I suppose, but not a favorite.
TNP thinks Sneakers is a pretty terrific little "espionage"-type movie.
It's OK, but I much prefer True Lies.
TNP remembers the lengthy-instructions-on-how-to-open-a-locked-door gag from Sneakers.
Not at all. I've seen the movie a few times, but that one isn't coming to mind.
TNP doesn't care for Elvis (Presley), even ironically, although is very familiar with his œuvre. (Although admits the sound production and the production of his records in general were top-notch, as well as the musicianship).
Well, I dunno, I can't call myself a fan, but I've got nothing against his music, and could probably even watch one of his movies if I was bored enough, especially if Anne-Margret was in it.
TNP thinks maybe their life would have worked out better if Colonel Parker was running it.
Very unlikely, and I'm sure I'd become resentful of him pretty quickly.
The Sneakers door-opening gag is thatSpoiler (mouseover to read):
the Redford character comes to a locked door and is trying to decide how to get in. He speaks to the Poitier character on the phone for at least half a minute, saying "Uh huh" every few seconds (you only hear his side of the conversation). Finally he says, "OK, I'll try it." Then he just kicks the door in.
TNP knows a real-life colonel other than me (I'm a Kentucky Colonel).
Well I'll be shitting myself all week. I've been trying to get my KY pal (he's from there, got the degrees and whatver) to suck up and become a Kentucky Colonel. Goddamned. A real life KY colonel in our midst.
No, I'm not sarcastic at all — I think it's excellent.
TNP has close family who are military and/or would counsel them into the tradition.
My dad was in the Army in the Fifties, serving in West Germany (started out as company clerk, because he had two years of college at that point, and eventually became a tank commander), but he never suggested for a moment that I should enlist. Now I kind of wish I had.
TNP regrets not serving in the military.
True. Although at age eighteen I don't think I would have been able to figure out the right path, including education.
ETA and belated congratulations on your commission, EH! :)
TNP pretty frequently thinks of day-to-day tasks in terms or concepts that are drawn from a military ethos.
Hmm. Sort of, I guess. I tend to be a direct and goal-oriented kind of guy.
(Thanks, Jizz. A Kentucky-born friend sort of talked me into it, on condition that he be able to nominate me under a joke version of my name. To which I agreed, and which he eventually did.)
TNP has been to Kentucky in the past year.
Negative, Colonel, never been nor have any desire to after reading Hunter Thompson's account of the Kentucky Derby. But I've changed my mind about horses and now I think they're OK. And I suppose the corn liquor flows pretty freely. And it would be a nice excuse to wear a white linen suit, although never after Labor Day, natch.
TNP is extremely resentful at micromanagement techniques, especially when coupled with grossly inefficient and incompetent decisions about business logistics (which is in contrast to actual, scientific logistics).
Definitely. I've seen and been on the receiving end of too much micro-managing during my career. It's irritating and insulting.
Speaking of thinking of day-to-day tasks in terms or concepts that are drawn from a military ethos, I highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Your-Ship...%27s+your+ship
TNP has been aboard a then-commissioned United States Navy warship.
Yeah, in that the U.S.S. Constitution remains commissioned.
TNP has been on more than one museum ship.
Yes - the aforementioned sail frigate USS Constitution, the battleship USS Wisconsin, the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the submarines USS Cod and Requin, the protected cruiser USS Olympia, and the brigs Amistad and USS Niagara. I've also been inside (but not exactly "on") the gunboat USS Cairo.
TNP has been aboard at least two of those other than the Constitution.
Negative, Colonel. I know rowboats, canoes, small single-engined craft, and the occasional pseudo-yacht with quartering facilities below deck. And as a child during "fleet week," getting a tiny view onboard some at least one real boss craft.
TNP would be pretty annoyed, as a KY Colonel if someone insisted on calling him or her "Colonel" for the rest of his or her days.
Definitely. Every once in awhile, though, is OK.
TNP knows an actual U.S. or foreign military colonel.
No, I've never known a Colonel or a Lt. Col. personally. I think the highest ranks I've personally been regularly engaged with socially are Capt. (Army), Sgt. (Marines), Capt. (Marines) and some few Navy enlistees whose rank or rating I never thought to ask. Navy: an avionics guy in an analog electrical engineering class, and a digital electronics instructor/professor whose rating I didn't know. Of course our own WE? counts, but I don't know him IRL other than that he has excellent taste in music.
TNP is amazed at how often some older ideas one had vehemently discarded, after fully investigating, keep resurfacing, at least on a metaphorical level. Hegel's general notion of a dialectic is one example.
Sure. Practically any concept or theory other than those definitively and scientifically shown to be flat-out wrong, like the canals of Mars, might come back into vogue sometime.
TNP thinks at least 10% of people will believe just about any damn thing.
Actually, 100%.
TNP has seen a UFO.
Sure. But on reflection, I'm pretty sure that was Halley's Comet sometime in the 1980s. But I could not identify it with certainty at the time.
TNP would rather walk a few braces of miles in snowshoes or use cross-country skis with a loaded backpack than even contemplate downhill skiing or snowboarding.
Yeah, probably. I wouldn't mind trying snowboarding, but I'm sure I'd break something if I did downhill skiing.
TNP prefers the mountains in winter to the beach in summer.
Yes — mountains if I had adequate gear with me, including sunglasses (no, I don't rock climb, but I don't have a problem hiking in the snow with some good leather boots — up to the limit of "post-holing" each step).
TNP would never consider surfing (on the ocean) as a good thing to do.
I've never done it myself, but other than the remote risk of shark attack, I have no objection to it.
TNP regularly listens to podcasts.
No. I think I've heard maybe a small handful ever (excluding recordings of lectures and radio segments and so on).
Shark attack??? That would be the best! OK, that was insensitive to the sister of a HS classmate who was killed by a shark off the CA coast, but, still, that would be way cooler to meet the great white beast than just riding the curl. But I'm just a hodad, so my opinion can't be trusted.
TNP is annoyed that it's becoming acceptable to substitute a YouTube video for what could have taken fifteen seconds to read. "Rich/enhanced media" my ass. Damn fool kids.
Nah, doesn't bother me.
TNP has been to Harpers Ferry, W.Va. in the past five years.
No, never. Heard of it though!
TNP thinks an air horn designed for marine uses (i.e., extremely loud) could come in handy on occasion while driving or walking, and would not hesitate to use it when appropriate.
Hell, yes! Or at least I'd be tempted.
TNP thinks that John Brown's cause was good but that his methods were bad.
Negative. I think, in general, extreme action is appropriate when the traditions have failed. The law is a civilized man's recourse, but when it is too slow to respond, the failure should be acknowledged and corrected. That's the IMHO raison d'être of labor unions, and other so-called scoundrels. ETA, yes, IMO Brown's actions were correct, but I don't wish to generalize.
TNP will name his or her favorite Kiefer Sutherland role, movies or TV.
Dr. Schreiber in Dark City, hands down.
TNP has seen and enjoyed that movie.
Yeah, one of those good references from you, I believe. In fact, I should see it again sometime: it's pretty rare to find a movie that is really a "genre of one," IMO. Unique and fascinating, in a dark sort of way.
TNP is still puzzled why Tim Roth's character in Reservoir Dogs included the detail "so, I was sitting watching The Lost Boys and the phone rang" in his little invented story to impress the gang of hoods he was going undercover in. There may not be a reason, but, what an odd reference to another movie within a movie.
TNP is pretty sure he or she could not really wear a string tie à la Col. Sanders without being mocked.
I think I did once, for Halloween or something, but no, otherwise I couldn't get away with it.
TNP has a costume in mind for Halloween this year already.
Nah, can' remember the last time I wore a Halloween costume. Might be 30 years.
TNP has already bought their Halloween candy.
Naw. There really aren't any kids in my community; and, even if there were, I somewhat suspect a savvy parent would strongly discourage a child from approaching my unit. Just in case, I, as always, have the Shure SM57 (on a table-top mic stand) hooked up to the mixer, so I can scare the shit out of anyone outside. Just unmute the channel it's plugged into and start shrieking, or something.
TNP thinks it's too early to start thinking about Halloween. That's like a month away, man!
No, I've already been invited to a friend's house to help pass out candy to the neighborhood kiddos, so it's on my mind.
TNP hated getting fruit or nuts as a Halloween treat.
No, I had nice neighbors when I was at that age! No pennies wrapped in tinfoil, none of that shit. No toothbrushes. None of that bullshit.
TNP never quite mastered the despicable "art" of bobbing for apples.
Correct. Not my favorite party game, not by a long shot.
TNP was reminded of this Far Side cartoon: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f0/8e/1d/f...ary-larson.jpg
Heh. Somehow I never saw that one. Pretty good.
TNP is not friends with anyone whom one would describe as "bland."
I don't think so, because I don't think anybody is really bland if you know enough about them.
TNP is friends with someone who people would describe as "psycho".
No, not really. Well, I've been friends or friendly with people who supposedly had some serious psychiatric problems, but they weren't like serial-killer, drive-their-kids into the lake kind of psycho.
TNP is happy with the amount of empathy he or she has now — not too much, not too little, just about the right amount.
Yeah, pretty much. Much less and I'd be callous, any more and I'd almost be a blubbering wreck.
TNP has a friend who has been a blubbering wreck at some time.
Tchey. You're telling me. I've had — and still have — a close friend who is just wild id. She's got a lot of energy, and she's fun to be around, and seems to have a knack for being very loyal as well as drawing out introverts.
TNP never uses a cookbook anymore, just sort of puts it all together in a way that makes sense.
I can't say "anymore," because I hardly ever used one in the first place!
TNP knows someone who met Julia Child (as my sister once did, in an airport).
No. I think I would be frightened, or overly-excited, or both. I imagine her to be an imposing, authoritative woman — although I'm sure she was nice enough IRL, and probably had some good French jokes to swap.
TNP has watched more than enough PBS cooking shows to last a lifetime, including, of course, Child, Pépin, Yan Can Cook, all that.
Yeah, probably, haven't watched one in years, but kinda binged on them in the 80's.
TNP still feels kinda sad about the whole Frugal Gourmet thing.
Yeah. I'm not so sure what exactly the facts were, but the Frug and his books were a big influence growing up — and I think many, even famous chefs, feel the same way. It is too bad, whatever happened, that the newer generation probably is not going to be able to have the same experience.
TNP admires and reads several authors who were complete bastards, misanthropes, and maybe even complete nutters.
Yes, Ernest Hemingway certainly had his issues (at least somewhat anti-Semitic, an isolationist before WWII, definitely a womanizer and a serious alcoholic who enjoyed shooting animals, and suicidally mentally ill by the end of his life) but I love his writing. And although not best known as an author, Frank Lloyd Wright was both an amazingly gifted, visionary architect and a thoroughly unpleasant human being - arrogant, rude, a tyrant to subordinates, dismissive of practical engineering, and not above bleeding his clients dry.
TNP has been in a FLW-designed building.
Not inside, but there was one right near the house of one of my "team" of professors toward the end of grad school I used to travel by pretty often. I never really felt like going in — not one of his super-famous ones, but still a minor local attraction.
TNP likes exploring abandoned industrial buildings (grain mills, old "psychiatric" institutes, abandoned skyscrapers, old pieces of civil infrastructure), but is not that good or stealthy at actually gaining access to the interiors (which, should be plain, are pretty often extremely unsafe).
TNP needs one day a week at least to literally rest, physically and mentally. No shopping, no nothing like that.
Not to rest, as such, but a day or two away from work is definitely a good thing for my mental health.
TNP will make immediate plans to visit Fallingwater, widely regarded as FLW's masterpiece and not to be missed before you die: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater
I'm afraid not immediate plans, but definitely "sometime." If I had a reason to switch location (or even just I wanted to), I do like that part of the country and I would make it a point to visit Fallingwater. Someone closer to the area (hint, hint, number of posters here) definitely should, though, even if it's a bit of a road trip.
TNP would describe himself or herself as somewhat demanding of acquaintances and friends.
Now and then, but not as a rule.
TNP has a friend who has 'way too many personal "rules."
Sure. I consider myself a friend, in a Rimbaud, "I is an other" sort of way. I make up lots of rules for my own personal conduct, but I break them pretty much a lot.
TNP thinks it can be more important to know the limits of the flexibility of certain rules than to rigidly obey them at all times.
Absolutely. Some rules were just made to be broken, as it were.
TNP would rather live in a semi-benign police state than in an anarchy.
No. Absolutely not. A several-tiered system where certain civilians are granted rights, up to and including the odd summary execution, not available to the proles, is completely unacceptable. A military state, where so-called "peace officers" are segregated, forbidden from enjoying the freedoms of the civilian life, is probably superior — at least the military groups can probably be detected and avoided by those with sharp eyes. But "anarchy" is too broad to comment on — what is that? An anarcho-capitalist libertarian "state"? Mad Max Land? A minarchist state?
I complain. The question is too hard.
TNP thinks coherent, somewhat-novel political and economic theories are not very many, at least today.
Vanishingly few, it sometimes seems. I'll stick to the tried and true - constitutional democracy, the rule of law, utilitarianism and post-industrial capitalism.
To provide real-world examples for post #7452: TNP would rather live in Singapore than Somalia.
Sure, who wouldn't? Nobody wants to live in Somalia: certainly virtually no Somalis.
TNP is convinced more transparency in naming the police a paramilitary force and treating them as such, including severe punishments for disobeying regulations (applied at the federal level), and severely regulating their private conduct, would go a long way to destroying the de facto domestic terrorism agency the police in the US have come to possess. ETA, yes, I think there is a reason that it is, to my understanding, largely the FBI in the US who is responsible for controlling self-styled militia police companies, and, yes, I think policing within one's borders is an appropriate task for the federal government. Not Carroll O'Connor wearing a size 60 suit and wielding a baton, or some little kids playing army with military equipment, as in some "swat" team or some boobs serving warrants without sufficient oversight. This is a concession I make to centralization of extraordinary powers within a country, and I think it's correct.
I don't know what "naming the police a paramilitary force" would entail, so I'd have to say no.
TNP personally knows a cop.
Former cop, a first cousin. I guess that counts.
TNP can name something he or she regrets selling (or perhaps losing, but only things, not people).
Hmm... no, I really can't, although I'm sure there's been something over the years.
TNP can name something he or she regrets buying.
No. I don't believe I've ever bought or even acquired anything that was regrettable.
TNP has thought of people who buy (in hindsight) foolish things that they are fools. For example, years ago I know someone who bought a Nissan Leaf (it's an electric car), and I think in the past year he just donated it to charity and had them haul it away. Durr. What do you think when you buy disposable technology? It's garbage in a few years, just like the best computer in the world.
TNP doesn't believe in spending much for disposable items, in general. Not toilet paper, or stuff like that. Computers? Disposable, limited life-span, with failure points at every single insertion point. Cars? Unless one's a hard-core shadetree mechanic, same. Electro-mechanical equipment, however, can generally be salvaged with some average soldering skills — many music instruments and recording equipment, for example.
Mostly true, with one exception - I love Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens, although they're a bit pricey.
TNP owns and frequently uses a fountain pen.
No. I hold my pen/pencil in one of those hybrid tripod manners which makes fancy lettering improbable.
TNP thinks his or her handwriting is exceptional, in its regularity, precision, and speed of writing, but would characterize it as angular, rather than rounded or otherwise filagreed.
No, my handwriting is pretty average, although it's more legible than most.
TNP knows what movie the phrase "ice-devouring sex tornado" is from.
Haven't got a clue. Deadpool?
ETA legible? I didn't think that was a thing in handwriting. Well, I can read and write legibly, it's just some people disagree, and are therefore wrong.
TNP has had to work/think/try pretty hard at least once to pitch woo to a lady (successfully!).
Been awhile since I was out on the dating scene, but yes.
(Not Deadpool, but Blades of Glory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32z3eyPhB0A)
TNP has big weekend plans.
Sure. Do some laundry, wash some dishes, maybe vacuum up some spilled diatomaceous earth, drink modest amounts of beer instead of liters of wine. That's about all the excitement I can handle.
TNP thinks nerds should be timid and thoughtful, rather than arrogant and loud. Because of Ape Law, or something.
Yes. Most nerds are timid and thoughtful, but the arrogant and loud ones can be particularly bothersome IME.
TNP will tell us the first three tenets of Ape Law.
Not really: Ape Law is written in a very obscure set of scratchings and rubbings on various trees. A planet where apes evolved from men, indeed. Preposterous. Maybe even a madhouse. Yes, a madhouse.
TNP is extremely disappointed when he or she loses data, regardless of the form or value of the data.
Yes, it can be really aggravating.
TNP owns at least three computers.
Yeah. :( At least five, not counting "mobile devices," but they're in various states of crappiness.
TNP doesn't think the term "toxic masculinity" is useful or fit for use in thoughtful analyses.
I can't say I've ever used it myself, but I can see when it might be useful.
TNP has never heard the term "toxic femininity" used.
Not seriously. No reputable sociologist with a traditional education uses terms like those, IME, unless they're trying to write pop-sociology for the groundlings.
TNP thinks "Fix it, or I'll have you fixed" is a fine thing to write when opening a support "ticket" asking for a correction to be made to one's timesheet, because the phrase is just fine.
A bit too aggressive for me, so no.
TNP has seen the terrific wine documentary Somm: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2204371/
No. So much to watch, so little time.
TNP has both Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
True, although we use Netflix a good bit more (and just saw Somm on it last night - worth a look!).
TNP reads more books than he or she watches TV.
Yeah, I guess. I read more music scores than books now (easier to fold up into a jeans pocket), but those are the same, I guess, medium. Time spent on TV, including movies? Probably more, but I pay less attention to them.
TNP is a bit of a new-tech luddite (ETA meaning, not so much into "voice assistance," "apps for everything," and all that).
True. As my grandfather was fond of saying, "Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside."
TNP likes that saying.
Yeah, that's a good piece of advice.
TNP will select (a) rage or (b) disappointment when he or she doesn't get enough sleep.
Never rage; not really disappointment, either, but definitely not rage. More like... wistfulness.
TNP can remember the last time he or she was wistful.
No. In my twenties when I was figuring out how memory worked as an experience. Since then, no.
TNP would like to own a powerful car which, while safe, even death proof, could punish with mutilation, or severe property damage, those who do not take their hobby as automobile owners and drivers seriously. E-braking someone so hard that the ABS causes your car to fishtail and burn rubber is not that great. Although, watchers of the Lynch movie The Lost Highway will recall that it takes six fucking car lengths to stop a car at thirty-five mph. And that offenders should get a drivers' manual, and they should study that motherfucker.
Uh... yes?
TNP would own a Bentley if he or she had the money for it.
Negative. Not powerful enough. Too nouveau riche. Too English. The only luxury car I would make an exception for is the out-of-production Mercedes Robert Loggia drove in Lost Highway. Or the truck terrorizing Dennis Weaver in Duel. For 12-cylinder, I like the old BMW 750il: Bavaria is one of the good German states.
But, of course, the ideal is a clone of the white Challenger in Vanishing Point. Or maybe the Charger Kurt Russell drove in Death Proof.
TNP has shopped for wrist or elbow or other "support garments" recently.
Nope. No need for 'em.
TNP owns at least three pairs of sneakers.
Nah, I keep my shoes to a minimum, especially since I prefer ones with built-in plantar fasciitis protection.
TNP has plantar fasciitis.
No, but I hurt one's feeling's once.
TNP has more than five medical ailments that have latinate names.
Fortunately not.
TNP takes a small aspirin every other day.
No. More like four or five generic ibuprofen quod diem. I should be more concerned about possible benefits to using aspirin on occasion, since I'm not a perfect specimen of health, at least for variety or to compare analgesic effects.
TNP is convinced that hard labor can mitigate a lot of sins when it comes to potables and comestibles.
Or when it comes to anything else.
TNP likes Bojack Horseman
Never heard of it.
TNP likes David Suchet's Poirot when he substitutes an expression of mild approbation for an inward contempt.
Yeah, he's OK, although I prefer Albert Finney's Poirot in the Seventies version of Murder on the Orient Express.
TNP has seen that movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3IPtYxYZs
Negative, Col. That's been on my list for quite a while, but I haven't tracked down a copy.
TNP can name another movie (or TV show) that he or she just hasn't had the follow-through to track down.
Yes, someday I know I really ought to watch Schindler's List.
TNP has seen that movie, and would recommend it.
Sure. That's the one with "I could have saved more!" right? No, I haven't seen it all in one sitting. But I would recommend it, I suppose, for some people.
TNP dislikes revisiting Nazi-Japanese times, primarily because of how many excellent thinkers (as well as regular people) they fucked over. Better to carry on the traditions of people like Edmund Husserl or Edith Stein, than be consumed by fury.
Although, there is a certain righteousness in watching war movies set in that period. After all, The Good Guys/Gals (and the Russians!) won, so always a happy ending to those kind of movies.
No, I've been interested in WWII for a long time.
TNP likes folk music.
Yes, some more than others. But yes, in general. Colonel.
TNP thinks the best answer to what kind of rock/jazz/blues/country music one plays is "American improvised music" And if one is hip to European art music, just say: "American and legit music." IOW, it's a confusing question that should be cut off at the knees: you can't play rock music without blues and country, and you can't play jazz without all the above. (That's just my opinion, of course).
I'm not that musically savvy, but that sounds about right.
TNP has seen the new Neil Armstrong movie, First Man.
No, somehow just doesn't speak to me.
TNP has seen the new Halloween movie.
Negative. In fact, I probably won't see it. Too much other stuff to see. I do rewatch the original somewhat often, though — a modern classic!
TNP might be the last person on earth to realize that if one wears a ballcap, one doesn't need to comb or even wash/wet his or her hair. It is genius invention!
If not the last, close to it, yeah, probably.
TNP owns at least six baseball caps.
I own one. And it's real, and it's magnificent.
TNP has ever bought a hat from a real boutique haberdasher, like, say, a Hoquy beret, or other nonsense like an ascot. Pretend you were young and stupid in answering, if it helps bring out the truth.
No, nothing that refined.
TNP has seen a red car today.
Hunh. No, not that I remember. That's kind of odd. I've seen a shitload of cars today, but not a red one. Very odd.
TNP has helped a stranger parallel park into a "tight" (for them, I guess) spot sometime. Just because.
Yeah, a few times I've gestured "keep going" or "stop," when they seemed to need help.
TNP prefers not to parallel park, when it can be avoided.
Definitely. It's more trouble than it's worth, in most cases.
TNP has used Uber or Lyft in the last week.
Not that recently, no.
TNP knows an Uber or Lyft driver personally.
Yes, about a handful in quantity. They seem to like the extra money, and to a man/woman, they don't seem concerned about insurance "issues." The ones I know aren't stupid — I guess they just figure it's worth the risk. I've heard all the complaints IRL, but usually from cab drivers who, in my (US) state, have many similar problems (ETA getting soaked on car/cab "loans," having sub-par contractor status, and the rest — they're, at least people from both camps where I live, similarly screwed, except Über/Lyft guys seem to make a lot more money in their spare time. A cabbie doesn't really have spare time, IME, and if they do, it's not going to be spent driving more).
TNP is somewhat surprised at how many people in low-paying jobs have late-model or nearly-new cars — and TNP supposes they prioritize things differently.
A little, yes. I have noticed that now and then.
TNP likes using umlauts, like in Über.
Nah, I like things simple.
TNP would like to know how to make flint tools.
Sure, could come in handy after the impending Trumpian collapse of civilization.
TNP knows a survivalist.
Negative. In fact, among people I know well, I think I'm the only one who has plotted out lists of equipment (and made efforts to acquire such) in order to head out to wherever. Including little things, like needle and thread, a shaving razor, and so on, in addition to compact, durable clothing that would fit in in a city or work well in the woods (i.e., versatility) and all the usual boyscout/survival equipment (tarp, cord, rain gear, compass, topo maps, etc.).
TNP never bothered to make a "bug-out bag," but still has a plan for....I don't know what, Red Dawn or something.
Correct on both counts. The plan is pretty sketchy, admittedly.
TNP thinks the U.S. has more to fear from climate change than invasion.
No: call me an optimist, but I think a sudden, unpredictable change in the world's economy is not all that likely. Although there are some problems. Even grave problems, possibly.
TNP thinks œconomics is worth studying, even if it's a "soft 'science'."
I didn't mention the economy.
As to your question, yes. And I still like to quote my college econ professor, who said, "Don't give 'em hell - sell it to 'em!"
TNP has sold something important in the past week.
No. Not selling any more, rather, gathering.
And, yes, I know you didn't say economy, but that is what I infer from either of the two options presented, in ecology or in war. The human-scale effects are to be measured in the terms of trade, unless one is merely talking about glossy pictures. I don't think the devastations can be properly measured without putting a human-sized price on its head: does one look at an ocean and say, "this much is that big"? No, one doesn't.
TNP thinks the only wise collection to take up is acquiring land. But the trouble is, it's too damned expensive.
TNP is somewhat not wanting to eat "tamales" out of a can.
Never have and, God willing, never will.
TNP has no objection to a tamale prepared fresh for consumption in a restaurant.
Not any objection whatsoever. I went through a phase of using Diana Kennedy's classic writings on "Mexican" food, but I don't really have the discrimination to tell between regional variants. I just like most of what I eat from the very large region, somewhat similar to "Indian" food.
TNP isn't too picky about where the tongue tacos come from, and likes them just the same.
Never had one, but I'm willing to try! Fish, steak, chicken or ground beef tacos are the only kinds I've had, I think.
TNP knows someone who raises chickens.
Yeah, my sister and her family have ... I don't know, at least two or three chickens in a backyard coop. The kids seem to like them, and supposedly the eggs are good.
Tongue/lengua tacos are excellent! Very tender meat, doesn't taste strong or upsetting like some other "specialty" meats. I think one tongue taco and one made with carnitas is my regular order, but can't always get them at a taco truck.
TNP despises driving in heavy rain, particularly through standing pools of water of unknown depth.
Yeah, not my favorite. At least twice I've been in rainfall so heavy I could barely see, so I pulled over and put on my blinkers until it lightened up.
TNP has driven in a rainstorm that bad.
Yes, I believe so: rain as well as especially snow. However, I've judged it to not the best to stop moving in such cases, to preserve momentum. Just drive extremely carefully. Of course, getting actually stuck in the snow is a real problem: not much choice there except to pull over and start pushing.
TNP can give an estimate to how many times he or she has actually broken important bits of his or her automobile.
Hmmm...two or three, maybe?
TNP thinks that it's a good idea to have a back-up skill, like say fork-lift operator papers.
A good idea, yes. But have I done it? No.
TNP knows a forklift operator.
Well, kinda, in that my kid has the papers, so he's got the back-up skill.
TNP knows someone who has registered a patent.
Yes, the husband of a former staffer at our church. Some kind of complicated electrical-engineering thingie; I couldn't understand it, although I saw the Patent Office document.
TNP has a great idea that, with the proper financing and technical know-how, could win a patent.
Not really. I think the standards for a patent are rather precise and I wouldn't know feel confident in taking the next step after publishing a technical paper or producing an innovation without extensive intervention and aid from a specialized attorney.
TN has not met a businessman/inventor with patents who is not kind of annoyingly secretive, if not paranoid.
I only know the one guy, and no, he's not annoyingly secretive or paranoid.
TNP felt some rain fall today.
Yep, sure did.
TNP thinks umbrellas are kind of useless: tend to get blown inside out when they're needed most, awkward and easily lost.
In a high wind, yes. Otherwise I find them useful.
TNP has lost at least two umbrellas over the past year.
No, just one.
TNP uses an umbrella of OK quality which isn't too much affected by moderate wind, and finds its use less disruptive than wearing rain hat, top, pants, and waterproof shoes.
True. I have several umbrellas, including a pretty rugged one that handles moderate winds well.
TNP needs to buy new pants (rain or otherwise).
Not really "need" — rain pants are fine, but I'd just as soon buy another pair of those Carrhart cargo pants, for backup.
TNP needs to buy some more eyeglasses/prescription sunglasses, but also finds it kind of a hassle shopping for them.
Yeah, I could do with another pair. I just have one, and if I lost or broke 'em I'd be in a tight spot. I like these Ben Silver frames, but they're pricey: http://www.bensilver.com/The-Pantheon-Shape.html
TNP has heard of Ben Silver before.
Never, ever. I don't know "designer glasses."
TNP hates not wearing non-prescription sunglasses, but is pretty happy about using off-the-rack eyeglasses and having them add the tint, at their vigorish rate.
Yeah, I'm cool with that.
TNP has worn sunglasses in the past three days.
Of course! They're clip-on types that fit over regular eyeglasses, but necessary since I got superglue all over my backup aviator-style prescr. sunglasses.
TNP has worn a ballcap over the last three days.
Not that recently, no, but earlier last week when I took a walk and it was a little chilly.
TNP has been to Austin, Texas, from where I just returned.
No. I heard it's pretty weird city, though. At least that's what they say, anyway.
TNP had some good old food down south Texas way recently.
Austin does have a funky, countercultural feel to it, I thought. The food was OK but nothing remarkable. Never had the chance to have BBQ, alas.
TNP loves BBQ.
Yeah, but although pulled pork BBQ is one of the great delights, I'd give the edge to a nice bowl of red — beef stewed with loads of red chile peppers, beans on the side.
ETA Actually, that's wrong what I said earlier — my sister and her brood don't "raise" chickens, because of the whole thing about roosters and noise and laws and stuff. More accurately, they just "have" some chickens/hens. A maternal aunt did have kind of a pet chicken, but I think a dingo ate it or something, and she wasn't very happy, but that was years ago.
TNP favors one or the other — BBQ brisket or pulled pork.
Brisket, yeah.
TNP wouldn't mind trying a Mad Dog Margarita.
Not at all. I've had a margarita or two and, although they're not the first thing I'd usually order, I have no objections to them.
TNP could do with some Mexican food right about now.
True. I've got to run out to the grocery story this evening, so maybe just some corn tortillas, a can of beans, and some kind of meat would make a pretty good breakfast tomorrow.
TNP has bought a couple of new books recently, and is sort of excited about it.
Not bought, but I've gotten some good ones from the library recently, including Space Odyssey by Michael Benson, a fascinating look behind the scenes at the making of Kubrick's 2001.
TNP has listened to a Simon & Garfunkel song in the past week.
Hmmm....maybe, Alexa's idea of "traditional folk" is kind of odd, and I lose track of time.
TNP saw Paul Simon on his farewell tour.
No, never had the pleasure of seeing him perform live.
TNP has been to a concert by a big-name performer in the past month.
No, I'm afraid not.
TNP doesn't actually enjoy symphony-hall concerts (in whatever genre) as much as smaller recitals or performances in more intimate venues. Namely, the tuning up of the orchestra, for example, is very exciting, but the extra-musical pomp can be a little tiring.
No, I like both about equally, if it's music I like and the musicians are talented.
TNP voted on Tuesday.
No, I voted by mail last week sometime.
TNP had some glimmer of optimism for the O'Rourke/Cruz race in Tejas, but is overall not outraged or surprised by national voting results.
Not an American, but yeah, what happened didn't astonish me.
TNP has an annoying itch.
Yeah, a little one, on my right forearm. No biggy.
TNP followed yesterday's American election results with great interest.
Sort of, in that I knew roughly what was going on, but I waited until the following morning to see what happened.
TNP is very annoyed at news websites which always try to play videos. Just the facts, please.
Yes. If I wanna click on a link to watch a video, I will. Don't start it on me automatically, dammit.
TNP took a long walk tonight.
Not too long, but a walk, which not many people do in my neighbourhood. Trying to get back into the habits I got out of when my kid moved away.
TNP is missing somebody right now.
Yeah, I was just thinking about a college friend I'd like to see again sometime.
TNP has been to a college reunion.
No, I went to a very large, private, research-and-grad-student-oriented university as an UG. While I made friends, most of us were rather busy with studies. The few "core group" from the first year I kind of "grew up with," well, we keep in touch as much as desired.
TNP did quite a bit of "partying" (define it however you like) during the first year of college.
No, I was pretty boring on the social front.
TNP drinks a lot less now than in college.
No. I drank quite a bit in college, but not daily. Not enough to affect my studies, but probably enough to cause some amount of irreversible brain damage. Weed, hallucinogens, and cocaine probably contributed their share to brain damage as well. It was not a "party school," by any means, but it was in a "party city."
TNP is amazed at just how much one can drink on a daily basis and still be "functional" (go to work, drive a car safely, not get hangovers, maintain good hygiene, pay bills on time, have coherent RL conversations, etc.).
Yeah, I guess. Just based on the number of highly successful people who crash from their alcoholism after years of getting by, not personal experience.
TNP has more than three bottles of top shelf liquor at home.
No. A bottle of Johnnie Walker whisky and another of Bacardi rum is the only liquor we have in the house, and it's not exactly "top shelf."
TNP knows someone who's a knowledgeable oenophile.
No, not personally. I'm the most knowledgeable person I know about wines, but most of that is from a combination of a bartending school certification about wines, just hanging around places where various wines are served, and knowing enough about home wine-making to be dangerous (probably to myself and others). Actually, I take that back: I went to high-school with a daughter of one of the guys involved in the famous "Franco-American" wine taste-testing from...I forgot what year, but the really famous one that upset the French very much — I got to see some of his distilling equipment for brandy-making, but although he's not a friend, and he might be dead for all I know, I'm pretty sure he knew a shitload about vintnering.
TNP will be very happy to not be in a private car with young children in the near future.
I don't think I would've been anyway, but sure, I'll say yes.
TNP has seen the Hugh Grant dramedy About a Boy.
Absolutely not.
TNP has a powerful hunger for about ten chicken wings fried in the traditional "Buffalo" style, with all the trimmings, and none of the shame of people staring as each wing is consumed. In fact, for bonus points, TNP might go out tomorrow and eat those very wings at a local bar, just for bragging rights that he or she ate them greedily while looking the appealing bartender directly in the eyes the entire time.
Absolutely! I loves me some Buffalo wings. With lots of blue cheese for dipping, please.
TNP hates blue cheese with a passion.
What? No, the opposite! They are most excellent cheeses!
TNP always eats the rinds of camemberts and similar cheeses.
No, I tend to skip the rinds.
TNP has seen and enjoyed the Monty Python cheese-shop sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3KBuQHHKx0
Yeah, I remember seeing it, and having a few laughs.
TNP has seen a bunch of stuff mainly under that mild form of duress sometimes called "peer pressure." But doesn't regret any of it in any conscious sense.
Some in prep school, I guess, but not in a long time, fortunately.
The sun is shining where TNP now is.
Yes, indeed. In fact I had to put a light fleece jacket just to keep all that burning rays of the sun off me.
TNP is having the favorite between the drumstick and the thigh-like parts of the chicken wings.
Yes, the thigh for me, please.
TNP prefers burgers to hot dogs.
That's a tough one. There are hot
Come again?
Oh. That was a strange erasure. I think I said something like there are hot dogs and then there are hot dogs, same with burgers, but true, I'd go for ground beef, even just on a plate, cooked medium rare. With the bun/roll, it's easier to get more onions and ketchup in every bite as well, so, definitely true.
TNP is moderately proud of having recently given some navigational directions to a Spanish-only speaker, with a mixture of pidgin English, pidgin Spanish, and whatever words seemed close enough. And that's not personal pride, just a good example of people with good intentions making the best of limited verbal communication.
Alternate TNP: one use for ketchup. Is burgers. Agrees, TNP.
Can't say that I've done that lately, but my kid and I have done our best with Dora the Explorer Spanish and good intentions in the past.
TNP likes the music of Tom T. Hall.
Not sure I've ever heard any. Let's see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvqf3Wmj6AY. Yeah, he's OK.
TNP has heard more than three songs on that album.
No, I haven't.
TNP can probably count in a reasonable amount of time (say, in album-quantity under a thousand, or even a hundred) the albums he or she has heard three or more tracks from. ETA Yes, album, fine. CD. 8-track. Pre-recorded 1/4" open-reel tape. You know damned well what I mean.
Several dozen, at least.
TNP still owns more than a dozen vinyl albums.
Nah, I don't think I have any.
TNP still has some VCR tapes, even though they haven't had a VCR player in years.
Yeah, I still have quite a few VHS tapes, although I gave my VCR to my uncle at least a few years ago. It was a great format for recording things off TV or copying (ahem..."borrowing"?) stuff from the library when I was a kid (preteen/young teenager). Supposedly the tape itself can be used to make cheap audio recordings to get some of that classic "analog tape sound" on the cheap, but I've never tried that.
TNP feels a little guilty when playing hooky/calling in sick to work, but does it anyway when the stars aren't in the right alignment/having the monthlies/just plain sick of the grind and wants a little break.
Only once or twice in my entire life, and even then I was at least a little bit ill.
TNP has given less than two weeks' notice before quitting a job.
Hahaha. Yes, that'd be a true. It wasn't a "big job" — bussing tables at a restaurant — but, still, it was a responsibility and people there were kind to me, so it's not something I'm proud of. Possibly a work-study job at the library (acquisitions department) as an UG, but that was before summer and I was graduating that year — I think the manager of Acquisitions just felt a little hurt I didn't let her know my whole life plans, so, I don't feel so bad about that.
TNP has been fired from one or more jobs. And lived to tell the tale!
Nope, not yet, knock wood.
TNP will be going out to a movie this weekend.
False. I love movies, but these days going out to the movies seems more like going to the mall to see Santa: unpleasant, generally.
TNP greatly prefers small movie theaters to the giant IMAX, multiplex, huge audio speakers.
Probably prefer, but not "greatly".
TNP is already feeling the cold.
Oh, yes. I've been wearing an overcoat, scarf and gloves for more than a week already.
TNP has already heard Christmas songs on the radio.
I don't listen to the radio much, but I've heard them in stores and such.
TNP thinks likes Sinatra's Christmas songs better than Crosby's.
No, about the same. This is probably my favorite non-traditional performance of a Christmas standard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4SJcWCQavo
TNP likes that.
If it's a decent piano trio playing Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" with plenty of improvisation, then I love it. If it's not (I suspect it's not), then I'm afraid I can't risk my streak this year of not hearing a single Christmas tune (so far).
TNP thinks the trend of people streaming audio from their phones instead of using the radio, combined with a slight cultural edge given to secular music played in public, might mean fewer Christmas songs played in public this year and the following years.
I suppose it's possible.
And no, it's not a piano trio. Make a note in your calendar and come back to listen next month, won't you?
TNP is confident Jizz will do so.
No, I was not at all confident. But since some dickweed at work played some Xmas music over streaming on the PA, my cherry was busted, so I listened anyway. I respect the musicianship of the performers, but it's just not for me, that tune/arrangement.
TNP can give a good excuse why he or she never "kept up with" playing such-or-such instrument — lots of people say that, but I can never figure out exactly their reasons.
I played the alto saxophone in junior high and enjoyed it, but never really had the chance to play in high school, and then was drawn away by other interests.
TNP considers that a lame excuse.
False. I don't think that's a lame excuse at all — it's not even an excuse, really. Just didn't ring enough bells for you. FWIW, I was super into alto sax as a grade schooler, transposed tunes to Eb, did some stuff with a piano student friend of mine, but I had no idea who Bird or Ray Charles (decent alto sax player!) was, so I stuck around with junkyard whorehouse piano because I knew what that was. Not to mention keeping the embouchure right for endurance was more work than I wanted to do, physically — I'd get frustrated after laying off for a week and not being able to come back to it without my facial muscles giving out. A teacher would have helped, but it was a hick town and it was just kind of something a lot of kids did, take up an instrument to do some Mickey Mouse "orchestra" thing, like a group music class.
TNP could not see taking up a wind or brass instrument again — all the stuff about reeds and mouthpieces is pretty messy and complicated, compared to a guitar/bass or a keyboard — but still wouldn't mind picking up a fiddle and doing some old-school bluegrass or Western Swing just by ear.
No, I wouldn't mind going back to the sax someday. Never felt drawn to the fiddle, although I like the sound of one well-played.
TNP loves "Foggy Mountain Breakdown": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Y3mnj-8lA
Like, not love.
TNP is starting to give some thought to moving to Arizona.
That is absolutely not true. That's a dirty lie! Never!
TNP can explain exactly why Arizona exists as a US state. Something about copper mines? Must be more reasons.
Just guessing, it was in the path of westward expansion and had natural resources that made it appealing (dunno about copper specifically, though).
TNP is now going to go take a look at Wikipedia to learn more about Arizona statehood.
Oh, probably not. I'm sure I have a long time ago.
TNP gets about all the Arizona he or she needs from watching Westerns filmed around there.
Heh, not really. I've visited the state several times, though, and recommend it - especially in the spring, with its warm, dry days and cool, beautiful star-filled nights. The Grand Canyon really has to be seen to be believed - pictures just don't do it justice.
TNP thinks Arizona has one of the most awesome state flags: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Arizona
Yeah, that flag is pretty boss. IIRC most state flags are pretty boring, but that one looks like a beatnik on bennies and tea had an inspiration. Looks good.
TNP hasn't seen or met a beatnik survivor from the old days in probably twenty years.
If then.
TNP knows an old hippie.
Yeah I know and have known lots of old hippies — not many naked, live on a commune, and eat cow patties while contracting various diseases, AFAIK, but people who strongly identified with the counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
TNP can somewhat identify with Kerouac's turn to cultural conservatism in his private life, as the bebop age came to an end and the hippie experiments supplanted the more serious artistic contributions of J.K.'s generation.
Yeah, kind of. I'm more conservative on some issues than my teenage sons.
TNP had some pumpkin pie today.