Depends, do we get Columbus day off, and when is Columbus day?
October does need a day for people to get out of school and work...
I think most of the United States gets Columbus Day off. In my state we don't. (I don't think it was ever a recognized holiday here.) But then again, I don't live in most of the United States and can't say for sure.You don't live in most of the US. That sounded like some kind of existential crisis in my head when I read that.
I think most of the United States gets Columbus Day off. In my state we don't. (I don't think it was ever a recognized holiday here.) But then again, I don't live in most of the United States and can't say for sure.I forgot which states, but there are states that do not celebrate it. But over in NY, we still do.
I'm pretty sure America was discovered before Columbus and Leif Eriksson. Y'know, on account of all the people who were already living there for millennia beforehand.Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that Nameless Siberian Tribesman Day wouldn't really catch on that well.
Also St Brendan could have very well been the first European to set foot in America...
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that Nameless Siberian Tribesman Day wouldn't really catch on that well.
I used to live in ultra-PC Berkeley, which observes Indigenous Peoples' Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples'_Day)instead of Columbus Day.Unfortunately the rest of America will stick with Columbus Day, not in the least because of them Right-Wingers cough cough Tea Party cough
Hawaii, where I lived as a child, celebrates Discoverers' Day, adding the brave Polynesian navigators who discovered Hawaii c. 1200 AD to the list.
Unfortunately the rest of America will stick with Columbus Day, not in the least because of them Right-Wingers cough cough Tea Party cough
Um... as a voter I happen to agree with you re: the Tea Party. But I think non-story-relevant political comments like that aren't in the best interest of forum harmony. We have a wonderfully diverse readership here, and I believe we need to respect their various perspectives.
Or at least, not *gratuitously* introduce political division.
I'm not trying to censor you -- the First Amendment applies here as elsewhere in the U.S. I'm just suggesting that there are lots and lots of other places where you can find either fervent agreement or a fight re: the Tea Party. For what it's worth, I never find Internet political arguments convincing, except to make me dislike the arguers. "Bad lines are being drawn. Nobody's right, if everybody's wrong. (http://www.metrolyrics.com/for-what-its-worth-lyrics-buffalo-springfield.html)" *
So would you be a dear of a gentleman and take that topic elsewhere? You and anyone else who was about to jump in with both feet, too.
* Yeah, yeah. I now realize I've always misheard "battle lines" as "bad lines"...
Oh come on! It's no fun if you don't take sides! You have to be loud, abrasive, callous, and disparaging! That's the fun of it!
Well, if that's your idea of fun, OK... ???Well, I heard that maggot cheese is supposed to be a delicacy in some parts of the world, so...
Actually, I didn't think your one off-topic comment was that far out of line -- I was more worried that someone with a chip on his/her/its shoulder was going to mosey on over to you and turn our nice salon into a barroom brawl.
Since that hasn't happened, I probably don't need to be hypervigilant about keeping the party polite. Chalk it up to my having spent way too long in the world of journalism, where online comments "are often a highly discordant element to a newspaper's online presence... as though you went to a nice restaurant, and ordered an expensive steak, and it came with a side of maggots." (Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Gene Weingarten (http://live.washingtonpost.com/chatological-humor-130430.html#A-dime-per-comm).)
Well, I guess we're even now -- you disparaged the Tea Party, but with that last quote I just grossed out our readers! So I will bid you goodnight.
Who is this "we"?
Should I replace it for "americans", "citizens of u.s" or something else?
Vikings are much cooler than dubiously Italian Spanish guys that name their ships after chip brands.The Saint Mary, the Girl and the Pint? Those are a brand of chips?
The next day we have a large Christmas barbecue, and sometimes spend it at the beach, depending.
Unless anyone else is dying to run the Secret Santa, I can do it (and to keep things neat, I'll probably make Yet Another Thread for it).
Another traditional Italian festivity is Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy). Santa Lucia brings sweets and presents to children, and they usually leave a carrot and some hay for her magical flying donkey to eat.
In Finland (and Sweden as far as I know) Lucia (Lusse, Lutu) brings light. It may sound like a small thing but it isn't, december is really dark this far north and is nowadays getting even darker when year after year the snow comes later and later - if at all. And in the 14th century Lucia's day corresponded with the winter solstice, so in Finnish folklore Lucia's night is still mentioned as the longest night of the year: "Lutun yö, Annan aatto, kolmasti kukko orrelta putoo" = "Lucia's night, Anna's eve, three times the rooster falls from his perch." So Lucia's promise that "mörkret skall flykta snart ur jordens dalar", ("darkness shall fly soon from earth's dales") is a very welcome one.
As a kid I dreamed of being chosen as the official Finlands Lucia (http://www.folkhalsan.fi/startsida/Aktuellt/Lucia/). It was a bitter dissapointment when it dawned on me that I speak the wrong mothertongue and so never can become Lucia ;)
As a child I had the opinion that being chosen as st lucy was a somewhat dangerous task, considering that you have to wear a crown of lit candles.
The meteorological winter solstice is on the 21 of december though. Did they mess up their calendar?
Today was pretty awesome. We did things different this year and went to my new uncle's farm house in the middle of nowhere. We brought the dog, to play with their ADORABLE CHOCOLATE LAB PUUUUPPY OH MY GOODNESS, and we had home-fried turkey that my uncle shot, and deer sausage that his 12 year old daughter shot (they're the folks who like guns a lot :-\). Still, we had a lot of fun, and I played my guitar a little, rode a four wheeler, and shot a rifle for the first time. I'll upload some pictures later, but apparently my mom is a sniper... she hit the center of the target - perfectly - from ~120 yards. (The new uncle is also loaded... He has two houses, the one we went to today, and his main one on the beach. I don't understand how people get that much money.)
How stereotypically southern that is. I don't think I'd have the nerve to hold a gun of any kind. My family's all really indoor folks who eat store-bought everything.I know right? :B. He's single-handedly turning my family into rednecks (there was even country music playing on my aunt's iPod D: ).
All I really wanted was some tea and my guitar with a nice couch.
Really Eich? Is this your response to everything? "Hey Eich, did you have fun at X", "Sure thing, but I'd rather be playing my guitar" :PI just involuntarily imagined the weirdest montage.... O___O
Really Eich? Is this your response to everything? "Hey Eich, did you have fun at X", "Sure thing, but I'd rather be playing my guitar" :PFor most of the things that have gone on in the last few months, yeah. And I got.to play my guitar during all the festivities today. Still, loud, high-power rifle shooting with rich psuedo-rednecks isn't exactly high on my list of wants. I've been in need of some games to play lately, though. Farcry 4... Monday... so close... And I've got Pokemon to tide me over until then.
I just involuntarily imagined the weirdest montage.... O___OI'm a simple kind of man.
"How was graduation?"
"Well..."
"How was your date son?"
"Well..."
"What was it like in space?!"
"Well..."
"How did it feel to be that close to an angry grizzly?!"
"Well..."
Link to some thanksgiving pictures. (http://t.co/rNxypOfZOF). There should be a picture of a target, the shooter, and a puppy, but twitter confuses me, so if there's not a way to see all three just say so.Actually, all I can see is a picture of a target.
Link to some thanksgiving pictures. (http://t.co/rNxypOfZOF). There should be a picture of a target, the shooter, and a puppy, but twitter confuses me, so if there's not a way to see all three just say so.Is that your mum's shot on the target? :O
This phone thing is trickier than my laptop, when it comes to sharing stuff here.Is that your mum? She has the most amazing hair O___O
Yep, that's my mom's shot, haha. Nobody got that close after her go.
Mama's a snipah (http://t.co/MnQp8HinZt) The little white spot on the other side of the pond was the target.
Puppyyyyyyy (http://t.co/af2NVYjoMa)
Is that your mum? She has the most amazing hair O___OYep, that's her! She was rocking that ponytail today.
Puppy!!!¡ ASDFGHJKL XD
He was awesome. Our gigantic, 100 pound black lab was playing with him all day. He got stepped on a couple times and squeaked hilariously. He's still got that squishy puppy skin that flops around when he prances, too. Basically, I want a puppy now.
I want a puppy always. Puppies are my favorite things in the world. I wish there'd been a puppy at my thanksgiving!ThisCat is a biologist. Maybe she could figure out a way yo make puppies stay puppies forever. That would be amazing. Ignore the possibilities of eternal youth, I just want puppies all the time.
ThisCat is a biologist. Maybe she could figure out a way yo make puppies stay puppies forever. That would be amazing. Ignore the possibilities of eternal youth, I just want puppies all the time.
ThisCat is a biologist. Maybe she could figure out a way yo make puppies stay puppies forever.IIRC there are at least two species who technically stay in their juvenile form throughout their life: Axolots and humans. If you really put some dedication into it, copying the mechanism - whatever its details may be - from mammal to mammal might be doable.
Link to some thanksgiving pictures. (http://t.co/rNxypOfZOF). There should be a picture of a target, the shooter, and a puppy, but twitter confuses me, so if there's not a way to see all three just say so.
They came out nicely! Click on each individual shot and they expand to full size. Who's the redhead shooting the gun --She's actually a brunette, but the sun was making everything orangey-red because it was getting late.your sister? Your aunt?Ooops, realized that got answered downthread. With the red hair and the dead-eye aim, I think your mom is ready to join the Known World!
W/r/t dates: Young man, keep playing that guitar and take it public. Ladies like musicians. While you play, you can quietly scope out the prospects without having to make conversation yet -- and once you make conversation, you've got some built-in topics to break the ice.
Is that your mum? She has the most amazing hair O___OTold my mom; she was happy. That was a good day for her. She hit a bulls eye, told a really funny joke, and got complimented on her hair.
Puppy!!!¡ ASDFGHJKL XD
She's actually a brunette, but the sun was making everything orangey-red because it was getting late.Bees and spiders huh? U___U dear oh dear. Outside is a dangerous place, *imitates distant uncle's Cornish accent* but yer know what else are outside? Birds lad. *ends bizarre impression, splashes face with holy water in case of possession* :P
I'm telling everyone my mama's a sniper, now. :P
I'm getting closer and closer to publicizing it. Playing on my porch doesn't seem so bad sometimes, but there's almost always a bee or a spider or something terrifying nearby to dissuade me, and when there's not, it's freezing cold outside. :-\ Also, the problem with dates is that they're dates. "Hanging out" is ideal. (/semantics and labels)
Told my mom; she was happy. That was a good day for her. She hit a bulls eye, told a really funny joke, and got complimented on her hair.
Also, Fimbulvarg, I found something I enjoy enough to not want to play guitar. I like playing with my sister's new baby a lot! :)) SHE'S JUST SO CUTE. Seriously, I can just, like, hold her and observe her multitude of faces, and I'm happy. Also, any indoor activities with my family/friends. Today was one of those days, and it was delightful.
Bees and spiders huh? U___U dear oh dear. Outside is a dangerous place, *imitates distant uncle's Cornish accent* but yer know what else are outside? Birds lad. *ends bizarre impression, splashes face with holy water in case of possession* :PI'm... very much an indoors person. Like Siv or Torbjorn, minus the excessive greed. You're uncle sounds like Hagrid, to me (mainly because of the "yer"). "Yer know what else are outside? Wizards, Harry." Anyway, stings and bites don't agree with me. If I could produce fire from my fingertips, I might be more okay with playing on my 3rd story porch, in the middle of the woods, with tree braches intruding into the air space, full of spiders and bee-attracting flowers... Basically it's a mad dash down the stairs every morning, when it's warm.
What was the joke? :D or was it a had-to-be-there joke?
Oh! It will be your niece's first Christmas!! Exciting!
I'm... very much an indoors person. Like Siv or Torbjorn, minus the excessive greed. You're uncle sounds like Hagrid, to me (mainly because of the "yer"). "Yer know what else are outside? Wizards, Harry." Anyway, stings and bites don't agree with me. If I could produce fire from my fingertips, I might be more okay with playing on my 3rd story porch, in the middle of the woods, with tree braches intruding into the air space, full of spiders and bee-attracting flowers... Basically it's a mad dash down the stairs every morning, when it's warm.Oh my gosh X'D I nearly cried. The uncle is short and bald and obsessed with sport....so sadly not Hagrid. ;____;
A friend from across the country texted her a grocery list by accident, in the middle of a conversation. She replied with more sauce than usual, but it was kind of a "have to be there" thing.
So exciting! I'm gonna get her a book or something, cause I have money for the first time in my life!
With a hop/sock slide over from the GDT, presents, anyone?*slides over chaotically*
*slides over chaotically*Just, everything, really. I built all kinds of stuff in lbp2. I even made a little RPG character that can level up and learn stuff and use items. This game is supposed to be even more in-depth than the last one... *hands begin to quiver*. Also, the story mode looks adorable and fun, as always. :D
So! What's the awesomest thing you're looking forward to from LBPlanet 3? Anything specific? Or is it just all-over awesome?
Also: since it's so late over there, have you built the Trojan horse to capture Santa yet? :0
Just, everything, really. I built all kinds of stuff in lbp2. I even made a little RPG character that can level up and learn stuff and use items. This game is supposed to be even more in-depth than the last one... *hands begin to quiver*. Also, the story mode looks adorable and fun, as always. :DOnly the ghost of Christmas future?? I guess the other two had other hauntings to busy themselves with :P
No, I scrapped it. It was finished, but then the ghost of Christmas future showed up and... One thing lead to another... Yeah, it was a bad idea.
Oh, yeah. Did you end up getting that 3DS?
Good haul this year. New, and rather fancy mouse from the grandparents, some headphones, Little Big Planet 3, slidey socks, a new Swiss army knife to replace my biohazard-ized one, and an eventual poster of xkcd's "Upgoer 5" strip (when it arrives). I'll probably get Minna's print of the language tree for myself once in back at school, too, cause I really want that!
@ThisCat, isn't that book awesome!? It's so funny!
Good haul this year. New, and rather fancy mouse from the grandparents, some headphones, Little Big Planet 3, slidey socks, a new Swiss army knife to replace my biohazard-ized one, and an eventual poster of xkcd's "Upgoer 5" strip (when it arrives). I'll probably get Minna's print of the language tree for myself once in back at school, too, cause I really want that!A fancy mouse? :D
@ThisCat, isn't that book awesome!? It's so funny!
A fancy mouse? :DFancy indeed. It has 13 buttons!
Edit: today is my sisters 17th birthday :3 and we got her a giant acoustic amp and a loop pedal. No one is safe. OAO
Also, as a surprise, her BFF is coming over after lunch X) she's sad every year because her friends can never see her during the holidays, except for band practice/sleepovers
Fancy indeed. It has 13 buttons!THIRTEEN BUTTONS!!!!!? :O wow!
You're encouraging good behavior in that girl, then. Just, don't be afraid to remind her that amps can be used at low volume. I have a fancy pedal, but I have no idea how to use it, and I never play my electric anyway. :\
Fancy indeed. It has 13 buttons!... that's no mouse. That's a numeric keypad with builtin antitheft motion sensor! :D
Good haul this year. New, and rather fancy mouse from the grandparents, some headphones, Little Big Planet 3, slidey socks, a new Swiss army knife to replace my biohazard-ized one, and an eventual poster of xkcd's "Upgoer 5" strip (when it arrives). I'll probably get Minna's print of the language tree for myself once in back at school, too, cause I really want that!
@ThisCat, isn't that book awesome!? It's so funny!
It's the best book :D
I also want an upgoer 5 poster. I still go back to laugh at that strip sometimes.
... that's no mouse. That's a numeric keypad with builtin antitheft motion sensor! :DI'm in good company. :)
THIRTEEN BUTTONS!!!!!? :O wow!I imagine that also includes beng a moody teenager, too? I always felt bad when I played my guitar too loud, cause my mom works from home, right next to my room, and loud sound has a way of going through walls.
I got a mouse with no buttons ;-; heh
Hehe yeah, luring her away from Tuominess... (I still can't believe how her band sung about the futility of school AT graduation, the teacher MC didn't even know what to say afterwards omg)
She's currently plugged her keyboard into it, so all is well...for now. :P
You have a pedal?! *flails arms* Agh imagine the neato layers of guitar you could do! :0 unless your acoustic isn't...electric? :o
I'm in good company. :)So many buttonnnnnnnnns! 8D
The Upgoer 5 is one of the strips I showed my mom, and it's ger favorite.
I can copy/paste, go forward and backward, adjust the dpi using the buttons, and do pretty much anything a mega mouse can do. This will be amazing for using Solidworks.
I imagine that also includes beng a moody teenager, too? I always felt bad when I played my guitar too loud, cause my mom works from home, right next to my room, and loud sound has a way of going through walls.
Nope, my only electric is an actual electric. My classical and acoustic are both wood and steel/nylon/copper.
So many buttonnnnnnnnns! 8DYup! The acoustic was my mom's, but she never learned to play it, but also never sold it. I found sitting around and picked it up one day. The electric was my 2nd, a Fender Stratocaster from Mexico, that I got for turning myself around and getting good grades for the first time in my life. The classical is the one I take with me to uni, though. It's lightweight and sounds better than the other two.
You have three guitars? That's awesome! Did you just take the acoustic to uni with you?
Yup! The acoustic was my mom's, but she never learned to play it, but also never sold it. I found sitting around and picked it up one day. The electric was my 2nd, a Fender Stratocaster from Mexico, that I got for turning myself around and getting good grades for the first time in my life. The classical is the one I take with me to uni, though. It's lightweight and sounds better than the other two.It's weird how Christmas is so hyped up and then the whole family just sits around half-asleep in the lounge all day X'D in fact, we spent more time daytime-sleeping then we did eating lunch, or even having conversation! It was so silent this year o___o
Today was weird. It didn't feel at all like Christmas, because we had a sort of early Christmas with my sister and brother-in-law before they left (oh, I also got a calendar with foxes on it, because foxes are the best), and then my grandparents randomly showed up because my granddad forgot what the plans for today were. :-\ Then they were gonna leave, then they ended up staying anyway, then we did presents, then we ate, then we sat around doing nothing that we usually do on Christmas.
It's weird how Christmas is so hyped up and then the whole family just sits around half-asleep in the lounge all day X'D in fact, we spent more time daytime-sleeping then we did eating lunch, or even having conversation! It was so silent this year o___o
Does the Eich clan do Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner as the main meal? We do lunch, and then can't be bothered with dinner. :/ We used to have a big dinner at the grandparents house but ever since that year when we all fell asleep and missed it (we all had colds) we just don't do dinners anymore hehehe
I made so much sushi for lunch this year! XP the grandparents just cut it up with their cutlery...it was so cute/disturbing uAu
It's weird how Christmas is so hyped up and then the whole family just sits around half-asleep in the lounge all day X'D in fact, we spent more time daytime-sleeping then we did eating lunch, or even having conversation! It was so silent this year o___oLounging around all day is what we usually try to do. Normally, we'd have watched movies and shows all day, after a 9:00 a.m. presents opening, begin watching stuff, eat a lightning fast lunch, loung around watching more stuff, forget dinner, go straight to desert, finish our tv marathon, and call it a day. We always do big lunches in food holidays, though. Dinners leave to little time to be lethargic and sleepy.
Does the Eich clan do Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner as the main meal? We do lunch, and then can't be bothered with dinner. :/ We used to have a big dinner at the grandparents house but ever since that year when we all fell asleep and missed it (we all had colds) we just don't do dinners anymore hehehe
I made so much sushi for lunch this year! XP the grandparents just cut it up with their cutlery...it was so cute/disturbing uAu
Lounging around all day is what we usually try to do. Normally, we'd have watched movies and shows all day, after a 9:00 a.m. presents opening, begin watching stuff, eat a lightning fast lunch, loung around watching more stuff, forget dinner, go straight to desert, finish our tv marathon, and call it a day. We always do big lunches in food holidays, though. Dinners leave to little time to be lethargic and sleepy.Hehe skipping to dessert sounds like the best X'D
Yoy know how to make sushi?? That seems like a pretty awesome skill!
Oh, gosh and I sympathize about Christmas colds. Our family has a pretty tough immune system, but one year... My brother came back from school with something, and laid down on the couch and said, "I'm dying.". He's a bit of a joker and a drama king, so we thought he was kidding around, but we all got it, one at a time, and it. Was. Hellish. I actually passed out when I had it and hit my head pretty hard. O__O
@Piney, I could do with your eating habits. I often simply forget to eat, or don't want to take the time to.
I am just now starting to get hungry again after christmas dinner (although, I also had a fairly sizeable portion of leftovers at christmas day). Four or five full servings of potatoes, roedeer meatcakes and enough gravy to drown a middle-sized village. As my family says, if it doesn't hurt after christmas dinner, you've done it wrong. As for presents, I mostly got some cash and some clothes, as well as a travel-book for St. Petersburg, a film and some deodorant and soap (I may be getting a hint there?).
Maybe. Everyone in my family gets deodorant every year no matter what.
True to Christmas in Tasmania, the weather was atrocious. We even had several electrical blackouts (both on the day and several days before) due to the weather. But, unlike previous Christmases, it cleared up by mid-afternoon, and it was possible to have a really enjoyable barbecue dinner. We'd gone to midnight mass at an Anglican church the night before (candle-lit service, with each person who enters the church being given a candle - really nice atmosphere, as the church itself is in a Gothic style), so no church on the day itself. Actually, Christmas Eve was the first one where we'd spent the evening with friends! Rather fun, and so much gorging on desserts and turkey and lamb and other delicious foods.Aw, sorry to hear your weather was poop! :( ours was oddly quite good, there was rain in the afternoon, but we were all asleep.
Gifts were very few. As I think I said earlier, we give our gifts on Sinterklaas, the 5th of December. So for Christmas it's usually a gift of chocolate, and that's what I received - some really quite delicious Kinder chocolate (a joke between me and the family that gave it) and a huge Toblerone... As for what I received for Sinterklaas - an historical documentary, two types of tea (delicious, a berry type and a spicy type), and a sketchbook.
Aw, sorry to hear your weather was poop! :( ours was oddly quite good, there was rain in the afternoon, but we were all asleep.
The mass and kinder chocolate sounds lovely! So do the teas!! My sister bought a tea blend, but she knows nothing about tea and it tastes soooooo bad X'D
We had some really heavy winds in the afternoon, maybe they blew our rainy/stormy weather your way XD We were all asleep in the morning! Due to going to bed at 2:30 that morning ;D Up late again Christmas Day playing card games... I'll need a recovery period after this!yeah i heard about that accident :( its so sad. I wonder if she had fallen asleep or was texting or drunk or what, but its terrible. That poor family.
Eeeeei that is sad indeed. There are so many good teas in the world, it may be a talent to be able to pick such a bad one...
Actually, the weather wasn't the horrible thing about Christmas this year. Upon returning from mass, there was an accident across the road from our house. All over by the time we got there, but not long over at all - the ambulance drove past us, and the firemen and policemen were all still investigating. Apparently a 19 year old girl somehow drove into the ditch next to the road, smack into the bridge-thing of a driveway going over the ditch, flipped her car, and died. There were pieces of debris all over the place. It's also a complete mystery as to how it happened, because the road is good, everything was dry and good weather conditions (for a change), and there was no one else there. *sigh* The only good thing that could possibly come from this is that it may drive the government to finally fill in those ditches and put in a proper drain.
Meh. My 250th post has to be such a gloomy one. Ah well. At least my title will now match my avatar!~
yeah i heard about that accident :( its so sad. I wonder if she had fallen asleep or was texting or drunk or what, but its terrible. That poor family.
On a happier subject, Iv'e gotta go get ready for ANOTHER christmas luck at my grandma's. She's a bit miffed that us "children" were in charge of Christmas food the past 2 years and so has made her very own (gosh knows when, she's known to badly freeze food for months ;____;) so she can do it her way. she didn't like the sushi we made (we did it on purpose!! >;D) and she never likes our trifle because "its not traditional"?! It's a family tradition for my mum's family! So i think its a bit rude how she keeps trying to replace our meals with her own weird old ones. Last night, for my sister's birthday dinner, she brought these weird-as stuffing balls. they were dry as dust, with horrible-tasting apricot and charcoal all through them. i was silently signalling over the table to my sisters and their friends not to eat them, and hid mine under some lettuce...... ugh...
Hopefully ill survive today's lunch... or maybe mutate into a troll oh gods help me
She may also have been swerving to avoid an animal - we get lots of pademelons, wallabies, and random echidnas and things around here. As well as house cats. Still... aargh. Sad thing to happen on Christmas. I doubt it will ever be the same for that family.Oh yeah, that would make more sense. I thought it might've happened during the day time but I wouldn't know :/
Oooooh dear oh dear I wish you much strength and stoutness of heart and stomach to get through that ordeal XD
Oh yeah, that would make more sense. I thought it might've happened during the day time but I wouldn't know :/
Goodness gracious me, I'm currently at Grandmas house and I think I might have to sit at the kiddie table. I hope I get to sit there because I don't know any of the adult relatives here o____o they've all travelled down from Bernie. And they kinda scare me. (They keep bagging out private education and uni for some reason?? And they don't really like us sisters because they think we're rich brats. Which is rather Rude.)
But, this confirms my suspicions: it IS a replacement Christmas!!! >:0
And the microwave is getting a workout. Goodbye world.... ;____;
It's happened before ;__;
... They do sound very scary. If it were me, I'd be scared of sitting with them because my really horrible sarcastic side would come out...
I really hope none of you get food poisoning ;;_;; That sound like the really scary thing here.
As for presents, I mostly got some cash and some clothes, as well as a travel-book for St. Petersburg, a film and some deodorant and soap (I may be getting a hint there?).
Actually, the weather wasn't the horrible thing about Christmas this year. Upon returning from mass, there was an accident across the road from our house. All over by the time we got there, but not long over at all - the ambulance drove past us, and the firemen and policemen were all still investigating.
Apparently a 19 year old girl somehow drove into the ditch next to the road, smack into the bridge-thing of a driveway going over the ditch, flipped her car, and died. There were pieces of debris all over the place. It's a complete mystery as to how it happened, because the road is good, everything was dry and good weather conditions (for a change), and there was no one else there. *sigh* The only good thing that could possibly come from this is that it may drive the government to finally fill in those ditches and put in a proper drain.
I don't think it's just you. Santa Claus always does a lot of shopping for my family at the drugstore, so we always get deodorant, mouthwash, toothbrushes, etc. in our stockings along with the usual candy, oranges, and funny little gifts.
In addition to lemon-verbena soap and a tube of toothpaste, my stocking this year had nail polish in some unusual colors (iridescent eggplant-purple and deep toffee brown) and lipstick. I am going to be *quite* the fashion plate...
Santa Claus loves the drugstore - and oranges. My brother for whatever reason thinks the oranges part is hilarious.Well, they're hard to come by in the north pole, after all.
In the spirit of the Winter Holidays thread, this is a chance for you to discuss how you celebrate various spring holidays -- Palm Sunday, Easter, Passover, April Fool's Day, the spring equinox (I know that was a week ago), May Day, Beltane, etc.I'm living in a Jewish household (even though I personally am not) so have been getting ready for Passover. Here in New Zealand, though, Passover is an autumn holiday, and the harvest festival Sukkot takes place in the spring. You are supposed to eat all of your meals outside in a special semi-enclosure during Sukkot, but here the weather is always particularly unsettled at that time of year. The candles (if they stay lit) blow hot wax across the table and onto any sundry guests you may have over.
Dyed eggs, Holi colors, the Finnish custom of "virpominen" (http://www.minnasundberg.fi/support.php) (which Minna illustrated in an aRTD bonus comic), bonfires, church bells that fly away and come back with Easter baskets, "April fish"... whatever traditions you feel like sharing, please do!
In our family, we never miss dyeing Easter eggs -- especially my father. (Luckily, at my advanced age, I'm too old to be made to hunt for them!)
Plus, my church always has an elaborate Easter service with lots of music and flowers and then a fancy brunch afterwards. My bell choir will be playing an arrangement of the hymn tune from Sibelius' "Finlandia," which I'm looking forward to even if it means I have to be at church at 7 a.m. Easter Day for rehearsal.
And here's a proverb: it translates (freely) as "that's how dull iron can be sharpened to bite", meaning that if you push someone long enough they'll eventually push back, no matter how kind and calm a person they are otherwise. Nowadays the companies are sometimes putting in jokes instead which annoys me... I want my egg with a proverb. Always. Some traditions are important and when I want a proverb I don't want a "Help help let me out"-note, I want a proverb. >:(Ooh, it's a like a huge fortune cookie, but better tasting and full of sweets! ;D
We get those huge eggs a lot in the UK as well, though the smaller eggs are becoming more popular, possibly thanks to aggressive marketing.
Ooh, it's a like a huge fortune cookie, but better tasting and full of sweets! ;D
The proverbs are often so old and obscure that few people understand what they're trying to say so after you open them you typically go around asking your family or friends if anyone would be able to explain them, then maybe post it on FB in desperation. Mine this year says "enginn fitnar af fögrum orðum" = "no one fattens out of beautiful words".I love how I can make out that sentence once I know what the words mean, and see the similarity with Swedish! It would be "ingen fetnar av fagra ord", except that "fetnar" isn't a word (although it could be one, we have other inchoative verbs like that).
That's OK Haiz, we'll celebrate Syttende Mai for you here in Georgia, only on Saturday. ;DAnd I've managed to convince at least two friends to come to the Syttende Mai parade here (Ballard) on Sunday, so we'll be thinking of you too! (OK, they won't be cause only one of them reads SSSS [I'm working on it] and she's not a Forumite, but you get the idea)
ANYWAY, we celebrate Mikuláš by having st nicholas himself appear, along with an angel and a devil. He carries a book that says all the good and bad deeds of children. JUDGEMENT DAY. the kids hear from him what they've done well and what they need to improve, and if they sing a song they get candy. If they're really bad, the devil will take them in his sack and carry them off to hell. Of course, all the children get candy, but most also get a potato or a piece of coal in their stocking as well. The children are very young and they are usually absolutely terrified of the devil ahaha ha. the devil is usually dressed in black wooly things and is covered in soot and has a rattly chain. I was asked to be the angel (being the devil is way more fun) so my job was to try to make the kids less terrified. not sure if it worked very well^^" I'm probably gonna post pics of angel haiz sometime laterOh, that's interesting, we don't celebrate St Nicholas like that, in the areas which celebrate this day in France.
Oh, that's interesting, we don't celebrate St Nicholas like that, in the areas which celebrate this day in France.I also realized now the whole ritual sounds very religious, but it's not! or at least it doesn't feel that way - angels and demons/devils are more like fairytale figures in czech culture. One of my favourite czech movies, a fairytale adaption that plays every christmas, is about the demons in hell, and they're portrayed rather sympathetically, even if somewhat lazy and/or incompetent.
I also realized now the whole ritual sounds very religious, but it's not! or at least it doesn't feel that way - angels and demons/devils are more like fairytale figures in czech culture.The story the children know here is more... awful, about three little children, a butcher and St Nicholas... (Or as internet says in English better than me : "The most popular [story] (also the subject of a popular French children's song) is of three children who wandered away and got lost. Cold and hungry, a wicked butcher lured them into his shop where he killed them and salted them away in a large tub. Through St. Nicolas' help the boys were revived and returned to their families, earning him a reputation as protector of children.") St Nicholas comes with the Père Fouettard (with a role equivalent of the devil with yours St Nicholas I assume Haiz), all in black, who frighten the little children. But if they had been good, it's St Nicholas who will reward them with candies, gingerbread, chocolate and clementines.
not only is it independence day in finland, but it's st nicholas day too O: we don't celebrate that in norway, but czech people do - so we have a tradition of gathering the czech community in trondheim to do it every year. except the czech community seems to grow bigger for every year - and not all the people are czech, most of the people who moved here have, like my mom, married a norwegian person. there are also some slovakians and uh, a german person? and there are so many small kids, too... there was a wall of noise so i spent most of my time hiding in an empty room to play pokemon. I guess the half-czech kids my age have stopped coming to Mikuláš.
ANYWAY, we celebrate Mikuláš by having st nicholas himself appear, along with an angel and a devil. He carries a book that says all the good and bad deeds of children. JUDGEMENT DAY. the kids hear from him what they've done well and what they need to improve, and if they sing a song they get candy. If they're really bad, the devil will take them in his sack and carry them off to hell. Of course, all the children get candy, but most also get a potato or a piece of coal in their stocking as well. The children are very young and they are usually absolutely terrified of the devil ahaha ha. the devil is usually dressed in black wooly things and is covered in soot and has a rattly chain. I was asked to be the angel (being the devil is way more fun) so my job was to try to make the kids less terrified. not sure if it worked very well^^" I'm probably gonna post pics of angel haiz sometime later
there was also all this delicious food. pizza rolls! mikuláš-shaped ginger breads!! CAKE!! also some pink goop with a finnish name that was pretty okay.
I also realized now the whole ritual sounds very religious, but it's not! or at least it doesn't feel that way - angels and demons/devils are more like fairytale figures in czech culture.To give sort of a bird's-eye perspective on this matter: Saint Nicholas is a historic, and very pronouncedly Christian, figure (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas). The job of bringing gifts for children is Nick's in some places, and the infant Jesus' (Christkind) in others, with the exact day that happens having even more than two variants. Where holidays see St. Nick actually appearing in front of children, he's almost universally contrasted by an impersonation of the not-so-nice (a touch of realism that the Christkind approach entirely leaves out). That impersonation, finally, has the most regional variation, from Haiz' "demons" (and angels) to Krampus to Knecht Ruprecht to Zvarte Piet (the latter three being comparatively similar in their characteristics) to the French butcher.
Santa: The OG Chief Justice of CanadaSo those are the ones you Canadians trust to nick laws? >:D
This is the best kind of necromancy!
I love the seashell Menorah and the festive Chief Justices ;D
Viola: showed the picture to my husband, who said: "Why not? Seasonal workers need a day job."
And Wavewright: the seashell menora with pohutekawa blossom flame is lovely! Happy Hanukkah!
Legit?Not completely fabicated (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree#Estonia,_Latvia_and_Germany), at least.
Not completely fabicated (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree#Estonia,_Latvia_and_Germany), at least.
And my Cornish friend just reminded me that last night was Tom Bawcock's Eve, a festivity celebrated in her home town of Mousehole in Cornwall. She lives in Adelaide these days, so had to make do with baked snapper instead of starry-gazey pie. They do a parade through Mousehole, carrying decorated hand-made lanterns and fancy fish pies, with much drinking and singing. It's in commemoration of a 16th Century fisherman who saved the village from starvation by taking his boat out despite horrendous weather and coming back with a huge catch of seven different kinds of fish, which kept the village going until the weather cleared.
Local festivals are fascinating.
*contemplates making pretzels to decorate my tree*According to what I just read in the LMoH thread, now you do ...
*remembers that I don't have a tree
'Starry-gazey pie' sounds interesting.
*sings* Tho' shall have a fishy / on a little dishy / tho' shalt have a fishy / when the boat comes in...
The pie is so named because the heads of the fishes are meant to stick up out of the pastry as if they were looking upward[ponders to add some animatronics to make a singing fish-heads-up pie]
According to what I just read in the LMoH thread, now you do ...
[... he said, sitting next to a large pot of unadorned anthurium standing in for the local Christmas tree]
[ponders to add some animatronics to make a singing fish-heads-up pie]
... hey, even traditions need to be invented at some point, right?
*sings* Tho' shall have a fishy / on a little dishy / tho' shalt have a fishy / when the boat comes in...
Happy St. David's day to the Welsh!
Well into seder preparations for tonight's Passover celebration. My husband & I have already made: skimmed chicken broth to be made into soup, potato kugel, charoset (apple-raisin-walnut condiment), hard-boiled eggs, chopped liver, brownies, dairy-free cappucino 'ice cream', cranberry-orange relish, and am in progress of chopping piles of veggies for soup, tzimmes and stuffing. It's glorious.
Washing the dishes, not so much.
Wishing a Happy Pesach for those who celebrate.
Except that for cats reclining doesn't make this night different from any other night!
Did your band play today? We didn't have a brass band this year, though occasionally one plays for our town, just the bugler. At various times we have had a harper, a piper and a violinist, or a rather fine unaccompanied singer, and often the local choir - depends who is in town that year - but we usually have the bugler. I find it a solemn occasion, for the memory of my dad, both my grandfathers and various uncles and cousins. Most years I help with cooking the communal breakfast and doing the washing-up thereafter, of which there is rather a lot.
Since today is the day Sweden celebrates Christmas:And to you and yours, dear Windy!
God Jul, everyone!
Since today is the day Sweden celebrates Christmas:Here in Denmark too, so Glædelig jul to you too :D
God Jul, everyone!
Since today is the day Sweden celebrates Christmas:
God Jul, everyone!
Here in Denmark too, so Glædelig jul to you too :D
But will it be a pig of a year, is the question?A pig year and a big year, but let’s hope not a pig of a year!
Today, April 25, was Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand. A day of commemoration and honour for the service and sacrifice of soldiers in all of our wars. I try to get to the Dawn Service every year, despite it being a Christian service, and I an old Pagan. My father and paternal grandfather were army field medics, two of my aunts were nurses in field hospitals and another aunt a doctor. And many of the family were soldiers, sailors, couriers and scouts in various wars down the years, so on that day I do them honour publicly, as well as having my own private ceremony for the ancestors.
Same from South Australia, where it is uncommonly dark and desolate and cold even for Winter Solstice. So strange after the extremes of heat and drought we have suffered lately, but I guess we need to be bracing ourselves for more extreme extremes all over. From today the days get longer, so there will be more light, but from the way the plants, birds, insects and other animals are acting I reckon it is going to get even colder, and that soon. I need to get more firewood in!
whoops, excuse the double post, but happy Earth Day, everyone!!!It doesn't count as a double post if there's a significant gap between posts! ;D
Happy and healthy Independence Day to all the Polish people who are probably not here!Congratulations Polish people (and Ran) for your Independence Day!
Can’t have the usual ceremony at the RSL or the Shrine for Remembrance Day, because covid, but we kept our own vigil at home. Comfort and memory to those who observe.
Fun fact: in Finnish, independent = itsenäinen and stubborn = itsepäinen (literally ”self-headed”) so we often jokingly say Hyvää itsepäisyyspäivää or Happy Stubborness Day, instead of itsenäisyyspäivää (Independence day)Pretty much correct either way.
Happy holidays of choice to everyone!I have to say (I just need to share this), that our Christmas moved into the new-gotten books as well, for me it was... Stand Still Stay Silent! I received the first two books as a gift this Christmas and they are truly amazing!
For us, that is Christmas and I’m happy to tell ours is progressing peacefully into the books and sweets received as gifts phase. I wish everyone gets a little happy pause! And may we all have a better 2021!
Seconding what Jitter said - our poor battered world could certainly do with a better year! Ring out the old, ring in the new, and may 2021 bring better health, better weather and saner politics! Butter Good everyone!
I can only agree with everything that has been said!
:sparkle: Happy New Year everyone! :sparkle:
May all things get better!
Happy Chinese New Year!!Have fun with the Metal Ox (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull)! >:D
May it be kinder to all than the last one.My favorite radio station is doing a "no noise until noon" spiel today. They're still playing music (https://www.donotquoteme.com/Music-Is-Always-Noise-relatedAnd-Often-Not-Appreciated-Wilhelm-Busch.html), though. >:D
Fortitude doesn’t know when she has it good! Pity about the salmon - our Agatha loves the stuff.
Also there actually is a politics thread, I think on the personal board. But it is meant to be for respectful discussion.
Did I make a political statement? I was commenting on my kitties morning treat. It was not meant to be any thing other than thatYeah, that came kinda out of nowhere.
Yeah, that came kinda out of nowhere.
Please. I meant no offense. What did I say that was political. If it is really bad, I will delete my posts, but I do not want to make the same mistake twice. If I was ignorant, I do not want to stay that wayI don't see anything anyone could have said that could be considered political. Then again, I'm no expert on politics. Please, explain what you meant, Róisín.
I don't see anything anyone could have said that could be considered political. Then again, I'm no expert on politics. Please, explain what you meant, Róisín.
Sorry, I must have hit the wrong thread? Can’t find the posts again. Sorry for confusion!
And Happy New Year, everybody! Not quite there yet here, but I think most of the board is ahead of me in time zones.Europe's already there. [waves at rest of the world] Takeaway knowledge: Buy cheap fireworks and you'll find that out of a pack, half the crackers have but one third or even less of the fuse they should have. (And one of them had two fuses instead.)
Here's a glass to Laika, who had no choice.Seconded! And to all the others, humans or not, that risked (and, sometimes, lost) their lives so humankind can boldly go...
The wheel turns, and balance is maintained!... you might want to keep an eye on Mr. Munroe (https://xkcd.com/2792/), though ... ;)
Today is International Cat Day!
I strongly suspect that cats think that every day is Cat Day.Maybe, but how many of those strongly location-bound animals could and would consider themselves international cats? :P
as I write this, a flock of crows are merrily tearing into its straw body, making nests and finding bits of the grain left on the straw...Ah yes, the "sabotage by (sorta protected) wildlife (https://xkcd.com/1156/)" approach ...
Happy Hannukah, merry goat-watching, and no don't set the crows on fire!Of course not; they obviously need to stone the crows.
Oh dear, the Goat has developed a frown (and birds giving them beady little eyes, too)"OK, OK, light me up already!!" ;)
a flock of crows are merrily tearing into its straw body, making nests... waaaaait a second ... they're nesting (https://birdfact.com/articles/crow-nesting) in mid-winter? Any chance that the city of Gävle is twinned with Stenkelfeld (https://lyricstranslate.com/en/weihnachtsbeleuchtung-christmas-lighting.html)?
As for light displays, psshh I'm originally from America, pal. Those described were very humourous, even if a trifle subtle. :sigrun:Right. You wouldn't happen to organize chili cook-offs (https://startsat60.com/media/lifestyle/jokes/daily-joke-the-chili-competition), too, would you? :mikkel:
Ouch, that is a lot of damage! I wonder how much straw has to left for them to still consider it survivalWell the frame is in place. It does look a bit sad though
But the frame remains even when it gets burned, and that is not considered survival. So at least some straw must be required.i did not know that. I thought when the thing burned it was pretty totaled
But the frame remains even when it gets burned, and that is not considered survival. So at least some straw must be required.... you do realize that you're essentially inviting people to demonstrate in person how having the straw set ablaze around you feels a wee bit different, don't you? o_O
This year, again, we long for peace on Earth, and again it is but a distant dream. Merry and/or peaceful Christmas to all who celebrate, and patience with the silliness for the rest.[swings fat Pete (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersglocke) at the offenders]
Aaaaand it's official, the 2023 Goat's status is 'Destroyed, by jackdaws'. Nobody had that on their bingo card, i'll warrant.Those diagonal lines going to the top of the horns seem to be new ... did they seriously think the goat'd need more guy ropes for the last couple days? Because jackdaws are into post-festivities goat(-skeleton)-tipping, or what??
(where in the northern parts of the state they hang deer carcasses as bird feeders in the backyards)Er ... pray tell, what kinda birds do they have there? Flying buzz-saw-ards? O_O
52 minutes to go to 2024 in Australia. I'll let you know what it's like when I get there.So, how does 2024 look like?
Last go 'round on the huge civic bird feederSo, what do we send next, beavers or termites? >:D
I wonder if they will sift their straw for next year :)The straw this year remained unthreshed because of the heavy rains making the plants unsuitable for harvest+sale, which is unlikely to happen all to often in the first place.
And today is Valentine’s Day. I have never understood why Christians celebrate love on the Festival of such an unhappy saint as Valentine. My own culture has such a celebration on the night of the first full moon of Spring, but I suppose it takes all kinds. It’s an interesting world.